An Olympic star emerges. In this case, Kim Ye-ji of South Korea, who became an overnight sensation with her effortlessly cool shooting form and ice-cold demeanor.

Somewhere a producer sees dollar signs. An actor is born. Kim will appear, as an assassin, naturally, in a South Korean series called “Crush.” It is not clear how big her part will be — a clip shows her adjusting the lead actor’s shooting form without speaking — but she seems to have taken the first step toward possible pop culture stardom.

What could possibly go wrong?

There was a time when Olympians regularly moved to films. Johnny Weissmuller, Buster Crabbe and Sonja Henie may not have won Oscars, but they carved out successful acting careers on the backs of their athletic performances.

Then came the 1980s, and the idea of Olympians as movie stars took off but crashed to earth after three big flops starring athletes.

Perhaps as a result, later Olympians mostly popped up in cameos, as diver Tom Daley did in “Sharknado 5” and gymnasts Nastia Liukin and Carly Patterson did in “Stick It.”

These three ’80s films each might have launched a spectacular career but instead landed with a hollow thud.

“Gymkata,” starring gymnast Kurt Thomas, 1985: Kurt Thomas was an American gymnast at the 1976 Olympics and a world champion in 1978, but he missed out on the 1980 Games in Moscow because of the American-led boycott. So it was on to Hollywood for a film that seemed tailor-made for him.

In “Gymkata,” Thomas played a gymnast, so that was a good start. But there was more. The gymnast he played, Jonathan Cabot, was recruited by an intelligence agency to travel to a shadowy country to win a dangerous athletic competition.

There, he is repeatedly attacked and forced to fight, martial arts-style. His gymnastics ability frequently comes in handy, as he swings and twirls on a conveniently placed high bar and pommel horse before kicking his foes.

The film flopped, taking in under $6 million. And reviews were bad; the film scored 17% on Rotten Tomatoes. Thomas had two more credits on IMDB, both smaller roles in low-profile projects.

But films unappreciated in their eras sometimes, with the passage of time, are rediscovered as classics. In 2013, the AV Club called “Gymkata” “a true masterpiece.”

Hold on. “Of unintentional comedy.” Oh, well.

“American Anthem,” starring gymnast Mitch Gaylord, 1986: Take a good-looking gymnast and a script, and you must get a successful film. Apparently the lesson of “Gymkata” was not learned, because a year later came “American Anthem.”

Mitch Gaylord won a gold and three other medals at the 1984 Olympics. That earned him a lead role opposite Janet Jones in a drama about trying to make the Olympic gymnastics team.

And there are no martial arts. Sounds like it’s right in Gaylord’s wheelhouse.

Unfortunately, the script leans heavily into the drama, giving Gaylord inner demons and a problematic relationship with his father. The overwhelming critical consensus was that his acting ability was not up to par.

After “Gymkata’s” terrible $6 million box office, “American Anthem” took in just $5 million. Its Rotten Tomatoes score based on critics’ reviews is 0. On the television review show “At the Movies,” Roger Ebert said, “I’m telling you, this movie is as bad as any movie I’ve seen in 1986.” Gene Siskel added, “The movie is complete junk.”

And strange junk. “Part of the time, especially for bizarrely lighted romantic moments, Steve and Julie appear to have been dipped in olive oil,” Walter Goodman wrote in The New York Times.

Gaylord has had a few token acting credits since but never came close to leading a major Hollywood picture again.

“Can’t Stop the Music,“ starring decathlete Caitlyn Jenner, 1980: Before her gender transition, Caitlyn Jenner won the Olympic decathlon in 1976, and Hollywood called to offer a part as an uptight lawyer in “Can’t Stop the Music.”

This time the film couldn’t fail, because it starred a successful pop group of the day, the Village People, plus reliable actors like Steve Guttenberg and Valerie Perrine. What an opportunity for Jenner to join the Hollywood elite.

Unfortunately the film came out as the disco craze was starting to fizzle and the Village People’s star was beginning to fade (their last Top 10 hit was in 1979).

In the Times, Janet Maslin wrote that “the comic high point of the film” was Jenner partially disrobing after spilling dinner. She describes the performance as “sympathetically amateurish,” which could be worse, one supposes.

The film grossed $2 million, not great for its $20 million budget.

Jenner at least continued to get roles, although those were largely on TV. Notably, Jenner filled in on the cop series “CHIPS” for a season when Erik Estrada had a contract dispute.

Now Kim carries a heavy burden in “Crush.” Not only will she be trying to make her acting appearance a success, but she may inadvertently be a litmus test to see if Olympians can erase memories of the 1980s and shine again as actors.

No word if the Village People will be starring as well.