Jenelle Riley of Variety Magazine recently posted an interesting read on the shift in the film industry that has seen stars created in the context of the franchise or brand as opposed to past generations where we have simply seen stars established. Period.
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The likes of Tom Cruise, Meryl Streep, Bruce Willis, Denzel, Faye Dunaway & Robert Redford seems less likely in this new era of tentpoles. Now, it’s not really the same as the emergence of reality tv (whose course has run relatively parallel to this by the way) where we’ve seen ‘everyday people’ become wealthy celebrities in a medium where that never happened prior to the millennium. With that said, however, there are some consistencies…
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I do believe the industry’s efforts –though driven principally by the bottom line –are great for giving fresh faces not just a platform, but the spotlight. I can’t agree that this is a ‘new’ approach though. This very model is how we came to know Mark Hammil (Star Wars), Wesley Snipes (Passenger 57 & Blade) & even Mark Whalberg (Boogie Nights). It’s also the model that propelled their then-supporting actors Harrison Ford, Ryan Reynolds & Philip Seymour Hoffman on to stardom.
Perhaps by watching the success of actors like Adam Driver, Gal Gadot, John Boyega & Felicity Jones I’m just enamored with the idea that you don’t have to be the traditional ‘movie star’ type to be a working actor. & while being a star is probably great, being able to consistently work on your art is even better.
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