Future of Movie Stars: Who Will Shine? Who Will Fade Away?

[absnow54]

On 3/26/2023 at 12:50 AM, methodwriter85 said:

He's so good at romantic drama but unfortunately that doesn't really get the kind of box office it used to so the past couple of years he's seemed to have been pretty low-key.

I was sad that he wasn't in the Enola Holmes sequel. He was great as Mycroft. That chaos family needed him as a straight man to keep them grounded.

[methodwriter85]

4 minutes ago, absnow54 said:

I was sad that he wasn't in the Enola Holmes sequel. He was great as Mycroft. That chaos family needed him as a straight man to keep them grounded.

Daisy Jones and The Six took years to do because of COVID closures so he might have been unable to film Enola Holmes. According to Sam's instagram they didn't wrap filming Daisy Jones until March 2022 and Enola Holmes 2 was filmed through fall 2021 to the beginning of January 2022. He also had long hair for Daisy Jones and Netflix might have been too cheap to spring for a good wig for a supporting character. LOL

[absnow54]

59 minutes ago, methodwriter85 said:

Daisy Jones and The Six took years to do because of COVID closures so he might have been unable to film Enola Holmes.

He also had long hair for Daisy Jones and Netflix might have been too cheap to spring for a good wig for a supporting character. LOL

Yes, I figured there was a conflict with filming. Although they could have slicked his hair back and put him in a lot of hats for Enola Holmes, but COVID protocols probably made working on overlapping projects difficult.

[methodwriter85]

I gotta say, I am seriously impressed with Reese Witherspoon using the rise of streaming platforms to produce woman-centered content. It's a great way for her to ride out the Hollywood "in between" stage where she's too old to play the young woman in love but too young to play the matriarch role. 

Edited April 2, 2023 by methodwriter85

[Ms Blue Jay]

Wow, I've been having so many problems posting that my post went in entirely the wrong thread.

Disregard.

Edited April 2, 2023 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ambrosefolly]

On 3/17/2023 at 8:54 PM, Anduin said:

Here's some trivia. Both Jake Lloyd and Haley Joel Osment guest starred in a couple of episodes of an old show called The Pretender. Could Osment have done a better job as Anakin? Maybe. But neither the writing or directing were up to scratch. No one came out of that movie looking awesome.

The actors that didn't get young Anakin count their blessings for not landing the role. 

I still hold out hope that Haley Joel Osment finds a comeback like Ke Huy Quan. He probably won't be a heart throb, but he could be a good character actor. 

[methodwriter85]

22 hours ago, Ambrosefolly said:

I still hold out hope that Haley Joel Osment finds a comeback like Ke Huy Quan. He probably won't be a heart throb, but he could be a good character actor. 

He actually has pivoted towards that- if you see his IMDB he's had a ton of recent credits, but it's mostly supporting parts, voiceover work, low-key stuff. He's only 34 years old- I'm sure Haley will eventually hit on a really good part. Especially given that other than a DUI as a teenager, he's been pretty much on the straight and narrow which means people are more likely to trust casting him in productions as opposed to trainwreck former child stars.

 

[akiss]

14 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

He actually has pivoted towards that- if you see his IMDB he's had a ton of recent credits, but it's mostly supporting parts, voiceover work, low-key stuff. He's only 34 years old- I'm sure Haley will eventually hit on a really good part. Especially given that other than a DUI as a teenager, he's been pretty much on the straight and narrow which means people are more likely to trust casting him in productions as opposed to trainwreck former child stars.

 

He was amazing as one of the main leads" grandson in the Kominsky Method

[absnow54]

I'd group Haley Joel Osment with Elijah Wood and Daniel Radcliffe (and maybe even Josh Hutcherson) as actors who had major success at a young age, and then shifted into quirky, dark comedies. 

[Scarlett45]

On 4/10/2023 at 1:06 PM, absnow54 said:

I'd group Haley Joel Osment with Elijah Wood and Daniel Radcliffe (and maybe even Josh Hutcherson) as actors who had major success at a young age, and then shifted into quirky, dark comedies. 

If Haley wanted to be a star again I could see him having a career in sitcoms or a streaming series. 

[methodwriter85]

On 4/10/2023 at 2:06 PM, absnow54 said:

I'd group Haley Joel Osment with Elijah Wood and Daniel Radcliffe (and maybe even Josh Hutcherson) as actors who had major success at a young age, and then shifted into quirky, dark comedies. 

Most child stars just do not grow up into conventional handsome men, especially the height thing. (It's great to be tall as a leading man, but not as a juvenile child star.) 

Although while we're on this topic, Gabriel Basso who was more along the lines of a working child actor than a child star just hit it big with the Night Agent on Netflix, so good for him?

[Danny Franks]

Speaking of conventionally handsome men, I watched the Dungeons & Dragons movie last night, and was really impressed with Regé-Jean Page.

Absurdly handsome and charismatic, to the point where it's realistic that Chris Pine's character is jealous of him. He nailed the deadpan, 'so humourless he's really funny' paladin character. I suspect his supporting role in that movie will be used to launch him as a big screen leading man.

Sophia Lillis is great too, and she'll have a long career playing quirky, awkward girls who everyone crushes on.

 

Edited April 20, 2023 by Danny Franks

[methodwriter85]

1 hour ago, Danny Franks said:

Sophia Lillis is great too, and she'll have a long career playing quirky, awkward girls who everyone crushes on.

Having red hair cut short in a pixie (sometimes she lets it grow out to her shoulders) makes her pretty distinctive as well.

Anyway, Jonathan Majors. Can people just not be pieces of shit? He was on the verge of being a household name and now he's toxic. And let's be honest- as a black man who was pretty new to the scene, I just don't think he's going to get a lot of people going to bat for him.

I think it's pretty safe to safe we won't see him in any future installments of Creed.

I can't think of anything as quick as this in terms of halting a career. Armie Hammer, maybe, but that took awhile before he got dropped by his agency.

Edited April 20, 2023 by methodwriter85

[Scarlett45]

On 4/20/2023 at 1:37 PM, Danny Franks said:

Speaking of conventionally handsome men, I watched the Dungeons & Dragons movie last night, and was really impressed with Regé-Jean Page.

Absurdly handsome and charismatic, to the point where it's realistic that Chris Pine's character is jealous of him. He nailed the deadpan, 'so humourless he's really funny' paladin character. I suspect his supporting role in that movie will be used to launch him as a big screen leading man.

Sophia Lillis is great too, and she'll have a long career playing quirky, awkward girls who everyone crushes on.

 

I said this in the Bridgerton forum, but I knew Rege was going places when I saw him in the 2016 Roots remake as Chicken George. Chicken George is one of the most emotionally complex, vulnerable and self aware black male character in literature IMO. He had the talent and the face he just needed to break into mainstream. I think he will be around a long time. I cannot lust after him like everyone else because when I see him I just want to say "hi cousin" so no. 🤣

[methodwriter85]

Sam Claflin is doing a lot of photoshoots right now and good for him. Daisy and the Six has probably given him the most publicity he's had in years. 

He's in a good spot- men tend to get better roles as they age towards their late 30's and into their 40's. I mean, he doesn't pass for 20-something (and that is something a LOT of people brought up about his Billy Dunne) but that's not a bad thing, especially because Hollywood tends to like their leading men middle-aged. 

[Scarlett45]

14 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Sam Claflin is doing a lot of photoshoots right now and good for him. Daisy and the Six has probably given him the most publicity he's had in years. 

He's in a good spot- men tend to get better roles as they age towards their late 30's and into their 40's. I mean, he doesn't pass for 20-something (and that is something a LOT of people brought up about his Billy Dunne) but that's not a bad thing, especially because Hollywood tends to like their leading men middle-aged. 

I like Sam. I think he’s handsome and a strong actor. I haven’t seen Daisy Jones & the Six but I’ve heard good things. 

[methodwriter85]

2 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

I like Sam. I think he’s handsome and a strong actor. I haven’t seen Daisy Jones & the Six but I’ve heard good things. 

He just hasn't had the best of luck. Tragic romances don't do that well in the movie theater these days, and that's what he was initially typecast in. 

[pancake bacon]

On 4/30/2023 at 9:24 PM, BlueSkies said:

My Bodyguard for example are better teen films from that era 

This is personal favourite, and a terrific teen film for any era. 

[BlueSkies]

21 minutes ago, pancake bacon said:

This is personal favourite, and a terrific teen film for any era. 

You broke my nose 

[pancake bacon]

On 5/3/2023 at 5:21 AM, BlueSkies said:

You broke my nose 

Linderman is still taking offers! No longer a buck a today, though, with inflation. 

 

Talk about future movie stars: Who casted this movie? Matt Dillon, Jennifer Beals, Joan Cusack (Global treasure – FACT), and of course the Bodyguard himself, Adam Baldwin – all had some good measure of success from this teen role origin story movie.. Baldwin used to be one of my "oh he's in this movie? I'll be OK, then" actors: Chuck, the glorious Jayne in Firefly… He was wonderful doing tough and tender as Linderman in My Bodyguard, which I believe is his first role. (Why did he have to go all be conservative on me!)

[BlueSkies]

5 hours ago, pancake bacon said:

Linderman is still taking offers! No longer a buck a today, though, with inflation. 

 

Talk about future movie stars: Who casted this movie? Matt Dillon, Jennifer Beals, Joan Cusack (Global treasure – FACT), and of course the Bodyguard himself, Adam Baldwin – all had some good measure of success from this teen role origin story movie.. Baldwin used to be one of my "oh he's in this movie? I'll be OK, then" actors: Chuck, the glorious Jayne in Firefly… He was wonderful doing tough and tender as Linderman in My Bodyguard, which I believe is his first role. (Why did he have to go all be conservative on me!)

Do you know what became of Chris Makepeace or Cliff?  

[Anduin]

What the heck happened to Emma Watson? She had all that momentum coming out of Harry Potter, even got a Disney movie and a few other things. Suddenly, it all seemed to stop. After Little Women, she was in a Prada ad, now she's promoting gin. I know she met someone, maybe she decided she didn't like the Hollywood grind. Or has she done stage acting? What's the deal?

[BetterButter]

54 minutes ago, Anduin said:

What the heck happened to Emma Watson?

Emma Watson on taking a break from Hollywood: 'I wasn't very happy, if I'm being honest'

[Anduin]

53 minutes ago, BetterButter said:

Emma Watson on taking a break from Hollywood: 'I wasn't very happy, if I'm being honest'

Oh, that's fair enough. I was wondering if she offended people or wasn't good enough or whatever, but I'm happy if it's on her terms.

[Spartan Girl]

Hey, when you need a break, you need a break. I’m just glad she’s a former child star who knows what she’s doing.

[andromeda331]

14 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Hey, when you need a break, you need a break. I’m just glad she’s a former child star who knows what she’s doing.

I agree and I'm glad it's her choice to take a break.

[Bastet]

I've never seen Emma Watson in anything, but I know who she is and a bit about her activism for women's rights.  I like that when she was a child and teenager, her parents didn't tell her how much she'd made from the Harry Potter movies and just kept giving her an allowance, and then when they did tell her as she was nearing legal adulthood, she was overwhelmed and took a money management course so as not to blow it.  And now even her investing is a form of activism. 

[memememe76]

After the success of Everything Everywhere All at Once, Michelle Yeoh has earned her movie star status and Hollywood should make a star vehicle for her. A comedic action adventure like Romancing the Stone. Her costar could be someone like Hugh Jackman. 

[methodwriter85]

On 5/5/2023 at 7:31 AM, Anduin said:

Oh, that's fair enough. I was wondering if she offended people or wasn't good enough or whatever, but I'm happy if it's on her terms.

She, along with Daniel Radcliffe and Rupert Gint, are pretty much set for life. Acting doesn't seem like it's her main passion in life, although she will pick up if it's a great role like Belle.

Jesse Plemmons lost a significant amount of weight. I wonder if it's specifically for a role, or he's trying to pivot his way more into leading man type roles. Good for him either way.

He reminds me so much of Phillip Seymor Hoffman and was hysterical in Game Night.

[AimingforYoko]

I'm a little surprised he's had the best career post-FNL.

[absnow54]

2 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

I'm a little surprised he's had the best career post-FNL.

It's a toss up with Michael B. Jordan. Although, it's tough to count him, since he joined the cast later, and already had a breakout role from The Wire. Kyle Chandler has done pretty well, too, but he was also established before the show started.

Edited May 8, 2023 by absnow54

[Irlandesa]

21 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Jesse Plemmons lost a significant amount of weight. I wonder if it's specifically for a role, or he's trying to pivot his way more into leading man type roles.

From what I remember, he initially gained weight for a role and then kept it because it fit the next role he got as well.  IIRC, he has talked about wanting to lose it but, for whatever reason, that didn't happen until now.

[Browncoat]

He was really good in "The Power of The Dog."

[methodwriter85]

1 hour ago, absnow54 said:

It's a toss up with Michael B. Jordan. Although, it's tough to count him, since he joined the cast later, and already had a breakout role from The Wire. Kyle Chandler has done pretty well, too, but he was also established before the show started.

Connie Britton has done very well as well and I'd say that show established her. I feel like she's probably better known for American Horror Story or Nashville, though. She definitely feels like a "long star not big star" type. 

[Danny Franks]

On 5/8/2023 at 6:11 PM, methodwriter85 said:

Connie Britton has done very well as well and I'd say that show established her. I feel like she's probably better known for American Horror Story or Nashville, though. She definitely feels like a "long star not big star" type. 

She already had four years on Spin City behind her, before Friday Night Lights, so she was a known face, if not a star. I remember her being on a few episodes of The West Wing, and also in the Friday Night Lights movie.

Of course, we all know that the designated break out star of the show was Taylor Kitsch but, thanks to being miscast as an action hero, he fell flat. He just didn't have action hero energy, even while looking like one, and neither John Carter or Battleship worked for him.

He seems to have recovered to a degree, and has headlined a few TV miniseries while being a strong supporting character in some movies.

[Spartan Girl]

With all the praise she’s been getting over The Little Mermaid, I think Halle Bailey is going to be swimming (yes I did that on purpose) in casting offers. It also helps that she’s already got a fanbase for ChloexHalle…heck, depending on how things go with The Color Purple musical movie, she might get a Best Supporting Actress nomination.

And on a related note, I hope that movie gets some nominations/wins to compensate for the travesty that the original movie lost all of its Oscars to fucking Out of Africa.

Edited May 22, 2023 by Spartan Girl

[methodwriter85]

On 5/13/2023 at 7:32 AM, Danny Franks said:

Of course, we all know that the designated break out star of the show was Taylor Kitsch but, thanks to being miscast as an action hero, he fell flat. He just didn't have action hero energy, even while looking like one, and neither John Carter or Battleship worked for him.

He seems to have recovered to a degree, and has headlined a few TV miniseries while being a strong supporting character in some movies.

I'm not too worried about Taylor Kitsch. Men's roles tend to get more interesting after you're 40 and doing things like playing David Koresh bodes well for him. Hell, Pedro Pascal has been grinding it out for over twenty years and he's finally gotten to marquee status after being the "hey, it's that guy" for so long.

[PepSinger]

On 5/7/2023 at 2:03 PM, methodwriter85 said:

He reminds me so much of Phillip Seymor Hoffman and was hysterical in Game Night.

One of my favorite scenes

[methodwriter85]

I just got out of No Hard Feelings. I don't know if it will be a hit, but the audience I was with enjoyed it along with me. Jennifer Lawrence really needed a reset like this for her career. 

Edited June 26, 2023 by methodwriter85

[methodwriter85]

Rachel Zegler is interesting to watch. Plucked from obscurity, she hasn't exactly embraced the whole "aww, shucks" wide-eyed newcomer role that Hollywood likes to give to starlets starting out and she's been pretty blunt about what she expects and wants from her career. Given that she's only had 4 movie roles and only 2 have been released (both flopped commercially although West Side did have the critical success), it's going to be really interesting to see going forward how her career progresses. Is she the new type of starlet, one who's open and honest? Or is Hollywood eventually going to turn on her, call her "difficult", and then go, "Well, we tried making a new Hispanic star, but she was just too difficult, sorry!" 

[Scarlett45]

19 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Rachel Zegler is interesting to watch. Plucked from obscurity, she hasn't exactly embraced the whole "aww, shucks" wide-eyed newcomer role that Hollywood likes to give to starlets starting out and she's been pretty blunt about what she expects and wants from her career. Given that she's only had 4 movie roles and only 2 have been released (both flopped commercially although West Side did have the critical success), it's going to be really interesting to see going forward how her career progresses. Is she the new type of starlet, one who's open and honest? Or is Hollywood eventually going to turn on her, call her "difficult", and then go, "Well, we tried making a new Hispanic star, but she was just too difficult, sorry!" 

I’m very much looking forward to Ballad of Song Birds & Snakes (I didn’t get to it so I’m back on the library waitlist), and I want to see what she can do. She’s still very young and I think she’s got talent, but she may have a “long star not big star” trope in her future, she has an “edgy” look to her face which will serve her as she enters her 30s/40s. 
 

Baby faced folks can understand that feeling. 

[methodwriter85]

On 8/5/2023 at 11:26 PM, Scarlett45 said:

I’m very much looking forward to Ballad of Song Birds & Snakes (I didn’t get to it so I’m back on the library waitlist), and I want to see what she can do. She’s still very young and I think she’s got talent, but she may have a “long star not big star” trope in her future, she has an “edgy” look to her face which will serve her as she enters her 30s/40s. 
 

Baby faced folks can understand that feeling. 

I always thought it was funny how the people who did fanart of Lucy Gray Baird always gave her this delicate, wispy look because I didn't imagine her character looking that way. (My fancast was actually Hailee Steinfield, but yeah.) I thought Lucy Gray needed to be very pretty but not "ethereal." The edge needed to be there, and I thought they did a great job.

Anyway, Yhara did a video about how "bragging" that an actor doesn't have to audition because they've been so thoroughly feted by the industry isn't a good thing.

There's this great anecdote in here about how James Cameron told Leonardo to kick rocks if he didn't want to audition because Cameron was not going to have to spend 2 years regretting his decisions if Leo didn't have chemistry with Kate Winslet.

To go back to Snakes and Songbirds, I love that they found a complete unknown with Tom Blyth. I really hope it does well and that he's awesome in it, because it's great to see nearly totally obscure actors get a break like this.

[scarynikki12]

3 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

There's this great anecdote in here about how James Cameron told Leonardo to kick rocks if he didn't want to audition because Cameron was not going to have to spend 2 years regretting his decisions if Leo didn't have chemistry with Kate Winslet.

That's a great point. I know it's considered a good thing for an actor to reach the level where they don't have to audition anymore but I agree it's the opposite. How many times do we see audiences complain that "Actor X is just playing themselves" when they've been around for a while? I think that's because no one is challenging them and auditions can help with that. I don't think a major star has to audition in the same way as an unknown but things like making sure they can generate chemistry with their costars and that they have the capability to play the role in the first place, with a willingness to say "I'm sorry it looks like you aren't right for this part" when necessary, are vital to some projects.

[methodwriter85]

3 hours ago, scarynikki12 said:

I don't think a major star has to audition in the same way as an unknown but things like making sure they can generate chemistry with their costars and that they have the capability to play the role in the first place, with a willingness to say "I'm sorry it looks like you aren't right for this part" when necessary, are vital to some projects

Especially Titanic, when romance is the focus. There are times when I've seen a romantic comedy/drama and wondered, "Did they even do a chemistry read?" Leo is a pretty good analogy to Timothe Chalamet- both shot to fame in their early 20's because of edgy indie roles and then got to do big budget movies. Although Timothe doesn't have anything quite like Titanic. 

[Irlandesa]

5 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Anyway, Yhara did a video about how "bragging" that an actor doesn't have to audition because they've been so thoroughly feted by the industry isn't a good thing.

 I don't really think she proves her point and I don't necessarily know if one way is better than another.  I do think auditioning is a very different skill than developing a full performance.  There are people who say they're terrible auditioners and get their parts based on the strength of past performances.

Ironically, even though she highlights Barbie as something exciting, the same discourse that surrounded Chalamet that she's criticizing happened about Gosling when Barbie came out.  Neither Robbie or Gosling auditioned for their parts.

She spends a lot of time on how underrated the abilities of comedic actors are and how they can do drama.  But I'm guessing a lot of the actors whose faces she uses didn't actually audition for their dramatic parts. 

And she glosses over her best point--namely still who has to audition and the racial aspects of that.

Her other good point is about chemistry but chemistry reads aren't quite the same thing as auditioning, IMO. 

 

 

 

[Fool to cry]

On 8/5/2023 at 1:13 AM, methodwriter85 said:

Rachel Zegler is interesting to watch. Plucked from obscurity, she hasn't exactly embraced the whole "aww, shucks" wide-eyed newcomer role that Hollywood likes to give to starlets starting out and she's been pretty blunt about what she expects and wants from her career. Given that she's only had 4 movie roles and only 2 have been released (both flopped commercially although West Side did have the critical success), it's going to be really interesting to see going forward how her career progresses. Is she the new type of starlet, one who's open and honest? Or is Hollywood eventually going to turn on her, call her "difficult", and then go, "Well, we tried making a new Hispanic star, but she was just too difficult, sorry!

[kiddo82]

There's an unsubstantiated rumor about Shelly Winters later in her career.  Basically the legend goes she was called in for a role, showed up, and found out it was an audition opposed to a straight offer.  So she left, came back with a backpack holding both of her Oscars, thunked them down on the table in front of the director, and said something akin to "Do you still want me to audition?"  Part of me thinks that's a cool flex but a bigger part of me is like "Yes?  You should still have to audition.  This part couldbe totally wrong for you."  No one knows if that ever really happened but I kind of hope it did even if I disagree with her.

I'm reminded of another anecdote.  Someone asked Kelly Clarkson if there's anything she can't sing for Kellyoke on her show (basically she opens every show with a request from an audience member and her and the band only have a limited amount of time to rehearse.)  Her response was that it's not so much about "couldn't" but "shouldn't."  I think she said something like Eminem might not be the best fit for her.  I think that's a good level of self awareness to have.

We see big stars get miscast all the time.  There's a fine line between stretching oneself creatively and just not being suited for a particular project.  Or maybe that person just doesn't fit with the rest of the team.  And to offer someone a role without verifying that seems like an odd choice.  It's not an indictment on one's talent.    

Edited August 14, 2023 by kiddo82

[proserpina65]

19 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

We see big stars get miscast all the time.  There's a fine line between stretching oneself creatively and just not being suited for a particular project.  Or maybe that person just doesn't fit with the rest of the team.  And to offer someone a role without verifying that seems like an odd choice.  It's not an indictment on one's talent.    

This.  Unless a role is written for a particular actor, everyone should have to audition, no matter who they are.

[methodwriter85]

On 8/14/2023 at 2:44 PM, Fool to cry said:

The best part is that Rachel can't even respond to the criticism except to say, "I hope the world becomes kinder." She really can't discuss Snow White or anything until the SAG strike is over.

She's clearly that tough, outspoken New Jersey type of gal and I have to applaud her for that, but I imagine Disney must be cringing.

Rachel was also pretty outspoken about not getting to attend the Academy Awards because of her filming commitments and then managed to get Disney to bend for her in order for her to go.

[kiddo82]

Ashley Park.  She's super talented and sounds just as at ease singing Rodgers and Hammerstein as she does on more contemporary stuff like when she was in Mean Girls the musical.  I feel like between Joy Ride (which I hope gets a second life on streaming), Beef, Emily in Paris, and now Only Murders in the Building she's on the cusp of taking the next step career wise and I hope for good things for her.