In a world where the most popular stories on sites like CNN.com are about Dumbledore’s sexuality and Britney’s visitation rights rather than the most recent developments in Iraq, the movie stars’ popularity in the press is on the rise just as their influence at the box office is dropping fast.
While most of America will read about movie and television stars’ love life incessantly and shop for the twins (or knockoff cousins) of the stars’ latest purchases, when it comes to the reason these people are featured on magazine covers and advertisements ““ their acting career ““ the interest stops there.
It seems that we overload on celebrity gossip so much that we can’t stand to see that actor on a big screen as well as on our internet browser. Or maybe after following their divorce settlements and children’s growth spurts so intently, it is just hard to see them as any other character but their crazy selves. After all, what is the point of putting down $10 to see them pretend to be someone else when their real lives are just as complicated and juicy (if not more so)?
Whatever the reason, it seems the stars (and star power) of yesterday are long gone and its time for Hollywood to finally realize it.
Take, for example, longtime tabloid cover girl Reese Witherspoon. First, she won over audiences and became a household name with “Legally Blonde.” Fast forward a few years and she took home the Oscar for Best Actress for “Walk the Line.” Soon after, however, it was her divorce from Ryan Phillippe and rumored romance with Jake Gyllenhaal that took her from screen siren to outright celebrity. But months after America began following her every move, her latest film “Rendition” tanked at the box office last weekend, even with costars such as Gyllenhaal and Meryl Streep.
Maybe it was because of the war-focused story line, which has been more popular with liberal Hollywood filmmakers than audiences themselves, but still, isn’t that why stars like Witherspoon get paid tens of millions of dollars? Their job is to sell audiences a reliable, popular brand.
The most alarming part of this trend is the fact that stars such as Halle Berry and Scarlett Johansson are still enjoying lucrative endorsement deals with make-up giants like Revlon even though their latest films, “Things We Lost in the Fire” and “The Nanny Diaries,” respectively, were both big misses with audiences. There is a growing distinction between the professions of actor and celebrity since apparently we just want our movie stars to tell us what lipstick is best or what purse to buy, not what movies to see.
The industry has been in a panic for years as versatile and powerful names such as Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts continue to age with no certain replacements in sight. But Hollywood should focus its concern on more important issues than whether or not Rachel McAdams is the new Roberts or Shia LaBeouf the new Hanks. Especially these days, it’s the movie itself that matter most (and rightfully so).
This is good news for moviegoers who, hopefully, can expect more emphasis on the quality of a film and less on its cast list, but it will take Hollywood’s acceptance of this new trend before it finally finds its way into a theater near you, and that might take awhile.
While no film is ever a guaranteed hit, star power used to be the next best thing to be a sure bet. Make sure Star A and Star B are signed on and the rest is history. For horrible films such as 2001’s “The Mexican,” having Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt was probably the difference between the film’s $20 million opening weekend and what a film of that caliber deserved to open with.
While I’m not saying that movie stars are a dying breed ““ hardly, since celebrity culture shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon ““ the power they once held over the industry as well as the public seems to be fading fast.
With a film like the upcoming “American Gangster,” which lost $30 million before pre-production even started thanks to a past failed attempt by movie studio Universal, it will be interesting to see what kind of success comes with a bill frontlined by Oscar winners and crowd favorites Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe. I predict it will be a huge hit, not just because of Denzel or Russell but also because of the interesting story line and the top-notch director.
The big six studios be advised before signing on that latest “it” actress for millions of millions of dollars: You can’t judge a movie by its cover ““ or cast ““ anymore.
If you saw “I Know Who Killed Me” just because it starred Lindsay Lohan, e-mail Stanhope at kstanhope@media.ucla.edu.