Films that actors make before they find fame can come back to bite them years later, as Larson discovered when the trailer for a rice-based romcom she filmed in 2012 was met with derision

This week, a trailer was released for the upcoming Brie Larson film Basmati Blues. It was met with derision immediately. The Oscar-winning star of Room was accused of playing a “white saviour” role in a clunky, culturally insensitive romantic comedy. The film-makers were quick to claim that the trailer doesn’t represent the film’s true spirit, but Basmati Blues is still potentially embarrassing for a star at the top of her game.

The truth is, Basmati Blues was filmed in 2012, before Larson had her breakout turn in Short Term 12. However, it struggled to make it to the big screen – a common problem in movie distribution. Whether the reason is practical, financial, legal, strategic or just bad luck, many films are shelved for years. Some get the boost they need when a star becomes an A-lister. Larson – now a multiple award-winner who has been picked to play superhero Captain Marvel – was the leg-up the indie film needed to get attention, but that attention may prove not to be the kind its backers were hoping for.

Larson is not the first actor to have past choices come back to haunt her. In the mid-90s, Leonardo DiCaprio made a film called Don’s Plum. A low-budget black-and-white indie film with Tobey Maguire, it was the subject of a lawsuit filed by producer David Stutman, who alleged that DiCaprio and Maguire “carried out a fraudulent and coercive campaign to prevent release of the film”, because Maguire was worried that his improvised performance “revealed personal experiences or tendencies”. In turn, the actors claimed they thought they were making a short film. They settled on releasing the film in 2000 – outside the US.

Amber Heard is as well known for her relationship with Johnny Depp as for her performances in films such as Justice League, but it wasn’t always thus. In 2006, she made the horror All the Boys Love Mandy Lane. It came out in the UK two years later, but was held for a video-on-demand release in the US till 2013 – after she had shot to fame alongside Depp in The Rum Diary.

There are dozens more examples, but spare a thought for The Social Network star Jesse Eisenberg, who did a friend a favour by taking a minor role in a 2007 horror called Camp Hell. When it came out in 2010, guess whose face was plastered all over the DVDs? In the world of movie distribution, a film star can never escape their past.