Hollywood has a BIG problem, but in 2010 it took some major steps toward solving it. That is, Tinseltown hopes it did.
By WARREN DAY
What has the studio execs all in a dither is that its boxoffice superstars have moved into their late 40’s and 50’s, not an age when most actors can still sustain an image as a full-blast action hero or a justfallen- in-love romantic lead. Keep in mind that the people who most frequent the movie theaters are between 14 and 35 and you’ll see why Harrison Ford is no longer the name that leaps into a casting director’s mind.
What we are talking about here are superstars, which Hollywood defines as those whose name alone will guarantee financing, wide distribution in the theaters and have a great opening weekend.
Take a look at the stars who’ve dominated the last 20 years: Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, George Clooney, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Jim Carrey, Russell Crowe, Will Farrell, Eddie Murphy and Nickolas Cage. They’re all middleaged and their recent films haven’t done that well.
Matt Damon can’t be in every movie, although there were times in 2010 where it seemed like he was. Along with Leonardo DiCaprio and Will Smith, he may be the only actor short of middle age on whom the title of superstar fits snugly. Yes, I’m listing only males, because the hard truth is that very few women sustain a superstar career over time. “The Blind Side” was the first and only movie to earn over $200 million domestically where the sole star was a woman (Sandra Bullock). Marketing research – which studio heads study like it’s the Torah – says it’s male stars that reliably pull in both men and women, and it’s the people under 30 who will see the same movie two or three times, which is what it takes to make a blockbuster.
So Hollywood is desperately looking for young, handsome and sexy male actors who have the potential to rise to that rarified stratosphere, but their other attempts over the last few years to cultivate such folks have been less than successful.
As adorable as Jake Gyllenhaal may be, “The Price of Persia” was one of the major flops of the year, and while James Franco is having one of the more interesting careers, his two films in 2010 earned less than half their cost. Then there are the young actors who are box office draws as long as they stay in their franchises – Robert Pattinson in the Twilight series, Daniel Ratcliff as Harry Potter and Shia LaBeouf in the “Transformers” flicks. Matthew McConaughey, Bradley Cooper and Ashton Kutcher may play leads in motion pictures, but only their agents would call them superstars.
The powers that be (and the bankers who finance them) have decided to take a $100 million dollar chance on several actors that they hope will tug at your hearts, your libido and your wallets. They’re all in their 20’s, handsome as only a Hollywood cameraman can make someone, and their bodies show more than a nodding acquaintance with the gym.
Among them are: Chris Pine, who starred in last year’s “Star Trek” and this year’s “Unstoppable;” Sam Worthington of “Avatar” and “Clash of the Titans;” Channing Tatum in “Dear John” and “The Eagle;” Garrett Hedlund in “Tron: Legacy” and “Country Strong;” Chris Hemsworth in the upcoming “Thor;” Chris Evans in “Captain America” and “The Avengers;” and 18-year-old Taylor Lautner, who’s the one cast member lining up several major films outside of the “Twilight” saga. Ryan Reynolds, who at 34 would be the old man in this group, has been on the edge of stardom for a while now. He was recently voted by People Magazine as the sexiest man alive, and in June he will be the sole star in “The Green Lantern.”
Never before has Hollywood had such pinned-up hopes on so many pin-up boys in so many major films in such a short period of time.
Do you think any of these young actors will rise to be superstars?
Another interesting trend of 2010 is that both major gay films, the excellent “The Kids Are All Right” and the good “I Love You Phillip Morris,” were based on true stories, as well as other films at the very top of critics’ 10 Best List: “The Social Network,” “The King’s Speech,” “The Fighter,” and “127 Hours.”
Only in Hollywood would truth be a jumping off point.
