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

[AshleyN]

 I do wonder if that experience holds her back on trying a Broadway show.

I know it's not exactly what you're talking about, but she actually did do a one-woman play in New York earlier this year. I believe she got really strong reviews for it too, so perhaps that'll that'll encourage her to move to Broadway soon. I'd be pretty surprised if she doesn't do one at some point, even if it's a play rather than a musical.

Edited June 22, 2015 by AshleyN

[hardy har]

After Mad Max: Fury Road I find myself wanting to see a whole lot more of Nicholas Hoult. He's got something about him that stands out, and I hope the movies he's made so far have paid him well enough that he can afford to make smart decisions about what projects to take part in.

I like him a little more every time I see him. You know who else I like in Mad Max? The girl who played The Dag. I can't really put my finger on why I liked her so much but I did.

 

I never watch the Oscars, but isn't the host slated for doing embarrassing, cringeworthy, cheesy stuff every year? I feel like that's the annual controversy, immediately after them. If this is what happened with Anne Hathaway, that she was lumbered with the dreary Franco, and he couldn't be bothered, then that sucks for her. It sucks even more if her trying to salvage something from the show has been held against her.

I can only speak for myself, but as someone who watches the Oscars every year . . . . yes. The material the host gets to work with it pretty much yawn inducing at best and shittastic at worst. As far as the Hathaway backlash it just kind of proved to me that female actors are damned if they do and damned if they don't when it comes to how they act in public. If you act like Hathaway you "want it too much" or are an attention seeker. If you act like Jennifer Lawrence people are going to say you are trying to hard to seem "regular" or relate-able. If you act like Kristen Stewart you should smile more. If you act like Rooney Mara then you take yourself to seriously. None of them can win. Yet, the guys can act like dicks and what ever heat they take with likely die down in a few weeks.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

As far as the Hathaway backlash it just kind of proved to me that female actors are damned if they do and damned if they don't when it comes to how they act in public. If you act like Hathaway you "want it too much" or are an attention seeker. If you act like Jennifer Lawrence people are going to say you are trying to hard to seem "regular" or relate-able. If you act like Kristen Stewart you should smile more. If you act like Rooney Mara then you take yourself to seriously. None of them can win. Yet, the guys can act like dicks and what ever heat they take with likely die down in a few weeks.

 

*cough* Alex Pettyfer! *cough*

 

More seriously, I think plenty of movie goers still remember Christian Bale's screaming tantrum on the Terminator: Salvation set, Daniel Day-Lewis' staying in character as Lincoln for three months straight, to the point that he was asking Spielberg and the other cast members to call him "Mr. President" (which.....FFS, really?) James Franco being James Franco, etc. Adam Sandler, Bradley Cooper, Ben Affleck, Seth Rogen, even current "darlings" like Chris Pratt get their share of criticism from certain corners, so I don't know if gender really has anything to do with it.

 

Now, if the point is that the guys should have things dog them for the rest of their lives, then that's a different matter. Alex Pettyfer was all set to make a fairly big name for himself, and then he screwed himself right out of the Magic Mike franchise. As has been said elsewhere, if you piss off even Channing Tatum, you must work overtime at being a jackass.

 

But the flip side of that is that it ought to make other things fair game - Hathaway's Oscar debacle, Lawrence's everywoman behavior, Stewart's "I just walked through a fart" default expression, Mara's preciousness (I guess, I wasn't aware that was a thing until just now). Speaking for myself, the only thing I have a real issue with is Stewart's lethargy, since with the exception of Welcome to the Rileys that always seems to translate to the screen as if she needs a long nap. Plus she's been associated with the Twilight crap for so long that I can't look at her and not see Bella Swan, and that goes for Pattinson and to a lesser extent Lautner as well. To give the three of them the benefit of the doubt, I think they probably did what they could with the material, but let's be real and say that they could have cast Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint instead and those movies would have still stunk to high heaven.

 

The point I'm trying to make is pretty much that no matter what you do, someone's going to think you're a dick, and it isn't going to matter if you're male or female, they're going to think it anyway. If it seems like people stretch harder for "reasons" in the women's cases, that probably has more to do with them than actual reality. But mileage will vary.

[vb68]

 

James Franco being James Franco, etc. Adam Sandler, Bradley Cooper, Ben Affleck, Seth Rogen, even current "darlings" like Chris Pratt get their share of criticism from certain corners, so I don't know if gender really has anything to do with it.

 

And let's not forget two of the biggest ones that will probably never fully recover.  Tom Cruise and even worse, Mel Gibson.   I've read that Robert Downey, Jr. wants to get Mel Gibson in the MCU, but at this point I don't see it happening.

[hardy har]

*cough* Alex Pettyfer! *cough*

 

More seriously, I think plenty of movie goers still remember Christian Bale's screaming tantrum on the Terminator: Salvation set, Daniel Day-Lewis' staying in character as Lincoln for three months straight, to the point that he was asking Spielberg and the other cast members to call him "Mr. President" (which.....FFS, really?) James Franco being James Franco, etc. Adam Sandler, Bradley Cooper, Ben Affleck, Seth Rogen, even current "darlings" like Chris Pratt get their share of criticism from certain corners, so I don't know if gender really has anything to do with it.

 

Now, if the point is that the guys should have things dog them for the rest of their lives, then that's a different matter. Alex Pettyfer was all set to make a fairly big name for himself, and then he screwed himself right out of the Magic Mike franchise. As has been said elsewhere, if you piss off even Channing Tatum, you must work overtime at being a jackass.

 

The point I'm trying to make is pretty much that no matter what you do, someone's going to think you're a dick, and it isn't going to matter if you're male or female, they're going to think it anyway. If it seems like people stretch harder for "reasons" in the women's cases, that probably has more to do with them than actual reality. But mileage will vary.

Ah, Alex Pettyfer. The next big thing that never was. I know he was apparently a giant douche, but I tend to not use him as an example because he fucked it all up before he really "made it" in the first place. ;) I always thought Fassbender was an interesting case with all this. I don't know what is rep is like on set, but I remember a stretch (I think it was after Shame but before Dangerous Methods) where there were quite a few stories about him being a drunk mess at events and being kind of handsy and gross with women, but it all got drowned out by a lot of "But he's so hot!" shouts from various corners of the internet. Again, it may have all been bullshit, but considering how he was blowing up I thought it was odd that it went away so fast. 

 

I do get what your saying and I totally agree that pretty much everyone (especially if they're a big/bigger star) will get criticized, but I still think that kind of stuff sticks to women much longer than it does for the men. Or, at the very least, men are more likely to be given a pass because they are "dedicated to their craft" or whatever. Hell, Daniel Day Lewis and his whole hardcore method stuff is always lauded and hailed in the press when he make movies as a sign of he dedication to his craft.

 

What is that convo like? I would love to know that there was at least one person who said, "Yeah, not gonna happen Daniel. Nice top hat though."

Edited June 22, 2015 by hardy har

[katha]

I think you have to differentiate at what stage people are in their careers, though. DDL for example does have a reputation for being crazy, he even makes jokes about it, and when he was younger also for pretentiousness, but he's toned that down IMO and relaxed about his "craft" in interviews. Loads of people (in the press as well as in various comedy skits) have been making fun of him and his extreme Method for decades. But it's not the prevailing narrative at this point in his career. In the 90ies, though, when he was about Hathaway's age and hadn't yet retired from the Hollywood scene? Yeah, the press was going in on him pretty hard. Then he totally withdrew from that scene and still is only participating now when he's promoting a movie. So he removed himself from the celebritiy aspect somewhat, he wasn't vying for "hottest leading man" anymore (if he ever did, I don't think that's where his interests are), I'm sure he's getting paid very well, but he could be making more if he was a "regular movie star", he aged out of being interesting for the gossip press, he added arguably iconic performances in Gangs of New York, There Will Be Blood and Lincoln and stopped taking himself so damn seriously in interviews. He's just in a very different phase in his career than Hathaway, so for me you can't compare it in such a straightforward way. And I'm sure plenty of people in the industry don't want to work with him because of his extremism. But at this point if you're hiring DDL, you know what he's like and should be prepared to accomodate him IMO. It's not some big secret, he's been working like this for over thirty years and it's well publicized. He also seems relatively low-key and agreeable when he's out of character. I suspect if he threw in Russel Crowe antics on top of the Method acting, people wouldn't be so willing to give him a break.

 

Pettyfer is another discussion. There it's not about talent or anything, but about rumoured bad behaviour on set. Which is something that I suspect can kill your career pretty fast if you're not making people tons of money yet and aren't seen as an exceptional talent (which Pettyfer isn't). Which is something where I think someone like Bale has a reputation for being hard-working and disciplined, though "intense". And he was Batman when that tape of him ranting was leaked, and he apologized relatively quickly and took responsibility for it. Then he added an Oscar to his resume.  People are still laughing about it, though. So it's not like it just went away and hasn't affected people's perception of him at all. He was just at a point in his career where he could survive it. Same for Hathaway. She's getting work, she's just very careful about how she's dealing with the press now.

 

Though I do think that sexism absolutely played a part in the way events unfolded in 2013. Hathaway was supremely annoying and awkward during the awards campaign IMO, and it was on full display because she kept on winning everything. But the way major press outlets started writing about "everybody hating Anne", yeah they contributed to the narrative. It became this massive thing. I remember that I found Ben Affleck in that year about as cringeworthy in his campaigning, yet that wasn't part of the discussion. So I agree that women get scrutinized more in that context. And I didn't think Hathaway's Oscar campaign was the worst ever, I thought plenty of other people have done OTT embarassing Oscar campaigns. Yet we were told by parts of the media that hers was somehow especially horrible.

Edited June 23, 2015 by katha

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I think you have to differentiate at what stage people are in their careers, though. DDL for example does have a reputation for being crazy, he even makes jokes about it, and when he was younger also for pretentiousness, but he's toned that down IMO and relaxed about his "craft" in interviews. Loads of people (in the press as well as in various comedy skits) have been making fun of him and his extreme Method for decades. But it's not the prevailing narrative at this point in his career. In the 90ies, though, when he was about Hathaway's age and hadn't yet retired from the Hollywood scene? Yeah, the press was going in on him pretty hard. Then he totally withdrew from that scene and still is only participating now when he's promoting a movie. So he removed himself from the celebritiy aspect somewhat, he wasn't vying for "hottest leading man" anymore (if he ever did, I don't think that's where his interests are), I'm sure he's getting paid very well, but he could be making more if he was a "regular movie star", he aged out of being interesting for the gossip press, he added arguably iconic performances in Gangs of New York, There Will Be Blood and Lincoln and stopped taking himself so damn seriously in interviews. He's just in a very different phase in his career than Hathaway, so for me you can't compare it in such a straightforward way. And I'm sure plenty of people in the industry don't want to work with him because of his extremism. But at this point if you're hiring DDL, you know what he's like and should be prepared to accomodate him IMO. It's not some big secret, he's been working like this for over thirty years and it's well publicized. He also seems relatively low-key and agreeable when he's out of character. I suspect if he threw in Russel Crowe antics on top of the Method acting, people wouldn't be so willing to give him a break.

 

Pettyfer is another discussion. There it's not about talent or anything, but about rumoured bad behaviour on set. Which is something that I suspect can kill your career pretty fast if you're not making people tons of money yet and aren't seen as an exceptional talent (which Pettyfer isn't). Which is something where I think someone like Bale has a reputation for being hard-working and disciplined, though "intense". And he was Batman when that tape of him ranting was leaked, and he apologized relatively quickly and took responsibility for it. Then he added an Oscar to his resume.  People are still laughing about it, though. So it's not like it just went away and hasn't affected people's perception of him at all. He was just at a point in his career where he could survive it. Same for Hathaway. She's getting work, she's just very careful about how she's dealing with the press now.

 

I'm not sure differentiating changes anything, though. Lincoln was only made three years ago, so while Lewis' way of dealing with the press may have changed, the crazy behavior hasn't. FWIW, I think he's talented and can act, but I can only appreciate that by ignoring the towering pretentiousness. Its like, Get over yourself, dude, this isn't Broadway, its a movie set.

 

As for Pettyfer, I just think its really interesting that Channing Tatum, who is rumored to be the easiest-going guy in the world, got so aggravated over the bad behavior that he basically took away Alex's chance to make it big. I don't usually care for that kind of thing, mind, but maybe that's why it makes it so noteworthy for me. Just because he isn't as talented as Bale or Lewis (which is apples and oranges anyway, IMO, since that's like saying "Amanda Seyfried* isn't as talented as Helen Mirren") his 'tude cost him a fairly lucrative franchise, the chance to make the money that makes Bale's and Lewis' behavior more acceptable to some people, at least behind the scenes.

 

*No offense to anyone who likes Amanda, because I think she's a fairly good actress, but I don't think you can always draw a straightforward comparison between acting styles, at least not at such different stages in careers. ;-)

[dusang]

As for Pettyfer, I just think its really interesting that Channing Tatum, who is rumored to be the easiest-going guy in the world, got so aggravated over the bad behavior that he basically took away Alex's chance to make it big. I don't usually care for that kind of thing, mind, but maybe that's why it makes it so noteworthy for me.

 

As we're talking about it, I wonder more and more what exactly Pettyfer did on set -- like showing up late and/or drunk?  Not knowing his lines?  From the tenor of the rumours, it seems more like he was just an absolute ass to everyone on set, which is the fastest way to the bottom in any industry: shit runs downhill.  And, quite frankly, I don't mind people being penalized for shitty behaviour, particularly when they clearly don't have the talent to back-up the attitude.

[JBC344]

 

I'm not sure differentiating changes anything, though. Lincoln was only made three years ago, so while Lewis' way of dealing with the press may have changed, the crazy behavior hasn't. FWIW, I think he's talented and can act, but I can only appreciate that by ignoring the towering pretentiousness. Its like, Get over yourself, dude, this isn't Broadway, its a movie set.

 

As for Pettyfer, I just think its really interesting that Channing Tatum, who is rumored to be the easiest-going guy in the world, got so aggravated over the bad behavior that he basically took away Alex's chance to make it big. I don't usually care for that kind of thing, mind, but maybe that's why it makes it so noteworthy for me. Just because he isn't as talented as Bale or Lewis (which is apples and oranges anyway, IMO, since that's like saying "Amanda Seyfried* isn't as talented as Helen Mirren") his 'tude cost him a fairly lucrative franchise, the chance to make the money that makes Bale's and Lewis' behavior more acceptable to some people, at least behind the scenes.

 

*No offense to anyone who likes Amanda, because I think she's a fairly good actress, but I don't think you can always draw a straightforward comparison between acting styles, at least not at such different stages in careers. ;-)

The thing to remember though is that Magic Mike is Channing Tatum's movie, as in it is his property, he owns it.  I could understand if Channing was going around Hollywood badmouthing Alex or telling directors/studios/producers not to hire him, but that isn't the case.  I would say that Alex took his chance away by being an asshole to his boss, Channing Tatum.  Every other male in the movie was invited back, as well as Matthew who couldn't fit it into his schedule.  I think that says a lot. 

[Athena]

Pettyfer had a reputation as being an arrogant ass on set (he had issues on the I Am Number Four set) and in lovely interviews like this one:
 

"I think [L.A.] is this insidious pool where nearly everyone lives in fear," he goes on. "Geographically it's fantastic ... but socially it's disgusting."

 

"Being an actor is like being in prison," he says. "You go, you serve your time, you try and replicate Johnny Depp's career and then you move to Paris."

 

In any profession, it's always bad to bite the hand that feeds you. Part of being actor these days, for better or for worse, is promote the movie and your roles. He did a bad job of doing that. He seemed to be whining all the time.

 

I've seen I Am Number Four, Magic Mike, and Beastly. I don't think he's without talent or screen charisma, but he wasn't anything special.

[Princess Sparkle]

I will never forget Chris Rock hosting the Oscars in 2005, where he had that monologue that included the part about waiting for Jude Law if that's who they wanted for a movie, before pointing out just how many movies he was in around that time (and then, for some strange reason, Sean Penn caring enough to actually throw a temper tantrum about it). Weirdly enough, the only movie that he was in back then that I actually remember was that remake of Alfie he starred in. His star really burned out shortly after that, didn't it?

 

Of course, he also got some flack for cheating on Sienna Miller with his kids' nanny, too, although I can't remember if that was before or after that Oscar ceremony (probably after). 

I always thought that was so freaking funny.  "If you want Tom Cruise and all you can get is Jude Law - WAIT!"  The nail in Jude Law's coffin was that he was the lead in three movies that year, and they all bombed.  Why Sean Penn cared, I have no idea.

 

For Anne Hathaway and the Oscars, all I can ever think about is Jonah Hill's joke from James Franco's roast: "Everyone is gonna make fun of James Franco for the Oscars, it's obvious. Everyone was saying James was dead up there! But I think that was Anne Hathaway's fault. I mean, fuck her for trying, like, at all!"

[Wiendish Fitch]

I always thought that was so freaking funny.  "If you want Tom Cruise and all you can get is Jude Law - WAIT!"  The nail in Jude Law's coffin was that he was the lead in three movies that year, and they all bombed.  Why Sean Penn cared, I have no idea.

 

 

Oh, if Sean Penn can find something to bitch about, he will do just that. Seriously, I never thought he was so talented and charismatic that he could get away with the heaps of jackass behavior, insufferable self-righteousness, and general unpleasantness he's displayed through the years. Seriously, just thinking about his "performance" in I Am Sam makes me physically ill.

Edited June 23, 2015 by Wiendish Fitch

[Danny Franks]

And let's not forget two of the biggest ones that will probably never fully recover.  Tom Cruise and even worse, Mel Gibson.   I've read that Robert Downey, Jr. wants to get Mel Gibson in the MCU, but at this point I don't see it happening.

 

But those two are kind of the example that proves the point. To destroy his reputation, Mel Gibson had to go on a drunken, violent, racist and anti-semitic rampage. And he still gets cast as a 'quirky' presence in movies. Tom Cruise joined a crazy cult, creeped people out and potentially indoctrinated other people into joining the cult, and he still gets cast as the lead in big movies (which I actually like, as I've said in the Unpopular Opinions thread).

 

The other actors listed have gone on long streaks of making terrible movies that flopped, getting hooked on drink and/or drugs, acting like complete assholes to lots of people. And mostly, their careers suffer a bit of a dent, but then recover and people write stories about how brave and resilient they are to overcome it all.

 

Someone like Katherine Heigl became "difficult" and "outspoken", in those nebulous insinuations that mean, 'she pissed off the people who write the cheques'. Not that I like her anyway, but it does seem that there's a double standard. What has Gwyneth Paltrow done that's so heinous? Be a bit superior and lecture people on health and motherhood? And Anne Hathaway did nothing wrong at all, but still got articles printed about how dreadful a human being she is. 

 

It stinks to me of veiled sexism, and a determination to stop women from getting too 'uppity' and presumptuous, while men get secretly cheered on for their boorish behaviour.

 

Just as a quick little exercise for myself, I googled "Anne Hathaway hate", "Gwyneth Paltrow hate" and "Mel Gibson hate", to see what came up. Guess what came up? For two of them, it was article after article about why they are so hated, what they've done to earn such hate, should we still hate them. For the third, it's 'Mel Gibson hates Jews', in nearly every article (apart from a yahoo! answers post where someone is saying that anyone who hates Mel Gibson is a hypocrite). I found that interesting.

Edited June 23, 2015 by Danny Franks

[JBC344]

I don't know, I'm pretty sensitive to sexism in general but I don't know if that is the case here.  I also think "we" the general public as using the word "hate" as hyperbole, I hope.  Do people really hate Gwyneth or do they just find her insufferable and out of touch?  Did people really hate Anne Hathaway or just find her annoying during the awards season?  Did people really hate Tom Cruise or where they just creped  out and oddly fascinated that he was kept under wraps for so long?

 

I also think it has to do with the history you may have with said "actor/movie star".  Up until Tom Cruise had his issues he was the quintessential American movie star.  For actors like Alex and Katherine Heigl they pissed off the wrong people.  In Katherine's case she did it publicly twice, and she didn't have the history/box office clout to help dissipate any of that.  To top it off she was "shaming" projects that made her famous in the first place. 

 

I just think that is human nature.  I'm more likely to forgive my best friend of 20 years for a slighting me, than I am someone I just met two weeks ago.

[dusang]

I'm quite curious to see what Guardians of the Galaxy does for Chris Pratt.  And I wonder if he can move on from Andy Dwyer from Parks and Rec.

 

I don't know that GotG did it for him but between Moneyball, Zero Dark Thirty, GotG, The Lego Movie, and  Jurassic World, plus he's filming The Magnificent Seven with Denzel.... well, if he invests well he may never have to work outside of his MCU contract ever again.

[DollEyes]

 

I'm quite curious to see what Guardians Of the Galaxy does for Chris Pratt. And I wonder if he can move on from Andy Dwyer from Parks and Rec.

 

  According to the Cover Story for Entertainment Weekly's annual "Must List" double issue from a few weeks ago, the director of Jurassic World said that the success of GOtG  was one of the things that convinced him to cast Pratt in the male lead, so between that, the other films that were previously mentioned, and Passengers, in which he's co-starring with Jennifer Lawrence, I'd say he's moved on with a vengeance.

Edited June 24, 2015 by DollEyes

[vb68]

I think with Chris Pratt you can honestly argue that he's the biggest movie star in the world right now following Jurassic World.  I'm sure there will be some disagreement with that, and I don't even know how to really measure that, but you can certainly have that discussion.  

Edited June 24, 2015 by vb68

[dusang]

  According to the Cover Story for Entertainment Weekly's annual "Must List" double issue from a few weeks ago, the director of Jurassic World said that the success of GOtG  was one of the things that convinced him to cast Pratt in the male lead, so between that, the other films that were previously mentioned, and Passengers, in which he's co-starring with Jennifer Lawrence, I'd say he's moved on with a vengeance.

 

That's surprising mostly from the timing -- I would have assumed that JW was well into production by the time GotG was released last summer.

[absnow54]

Yeah, I thought Chris Pratt was already filming Jurassic World when GotG came out, maybe it was the early buzz for the movie that helped. He's definitely become Hollywood's go to action star. I would like to see him branch out and play some different characters that aren't "Chris Pratt in space" or "Chris Pratt with dinosaurs." I read the Passengers script, and the character of Jim is another Chris Pratt.

[dusang]

Yeah, I thought Chris Pratt was already filming Jurassic World when GotG came out, maybe it was the early buzz for the movie that helped. He's definitely become Hollywood's go to action star. I would like to see him branch out and play some different characters that aren't "Chris Pratt in space" or "Chris Pratt with dinosaurs." I read the Passengers script, and the character of Jim is another Chris Pratt.

 

Funny you should say that, as many people (and by "many" I basically mean me, my friend, and the Pop Culture Happy Hour panel) have commented that his character in JW is like the "de-Pratted Pratt".  He's a very straight-ahead action guy, with no winking at the camera or any sense of humour at all, really.  And the movie is generally the worse for it.  (It's an entertaining flick but there are many, many problems with the characters, plot, and story generally.  I could write a substantial essay on its many weaknesses.)

Edited June 25, 2015 by dusang

[blixie]

 

Yeah, I thought Chris Pratt was already filming Jurassic World when GotG came out, maybe it was the early buzz for the movie that helped. He's definitely become Hollywood's go to action star. I would like to see him branch out and play some different characters that aren't "Chris Pratt in space" or "Chris Pratt with dinosaurs." I read the Passengers script, and the character of Jim is another Chris Pratt.

 

I actually think this proves just how much of a movie star he is: that he is appealing regardless of his ability to act a particular role, he's a male Sandra Bullock, who I love but who has made some terrible movies in which she "acts" terribly but I love them anyway because I LOVE Sandra Bullock. The only one of her movies I've never made it through was In Love and War, because it works so hard to tamp down Sandy's Sandy-ness, like Julia Roberts in Mary Reilly. I think Chris Pratt recognizes what people respond to about him (as does Channing Tatum - even his foray into "serious" acting was to play a wrestler), and has successfully chosen a string of parts that cater to his Chris Pratt-ness.

 

I would like to see him open a movie that isn't a franchise/reboot, but hell I'd like to see any "new" movie star do that, even Inside Out which had a truly original story, was from a Brand (pixar) that fairly guarantees great box office. This is why I'm so impressed by Jennifer Lawrence (and B. Coop), SLP was an old fashioned crowd pleasing rom com hit, and I think it's no accident they've now been repaired four times in three years.

[ruby24]

I actually think this proves just how much of a movie star he is: that he is appealing regardless of his ability to act a particular role, he's a male Sandra Bullock, who I love but who has made some terrible movies in which she "acts" terribly but I love them anyway because I LOVE Sandra Bullock. The only one of her movies I've never made it through was In Love and War, because it works so hard to tamp down Sandy's Sandy-ness, like Julia Roberts in Mary Reilly. I think Chris Pratt recognizes what people respond to about him (as does Channing Tatum - even his foray into "serious" acting was to play a wrestler), and has successfully chosen a string of parts that cater to his Chris Pratt-ness.

 

I would like to see him open a movie that isn't a franchise/reboot, but hell I'd like to see any "new" movie star do that, even Inside Out which had a truly original story, was from a Brand (pixar) that fairly guarantees great box office. This is why I'm so impressed by Jennifer Lawrence (and B. Coop), SLP was an old fashioned crowd pleasing rom com hit, and I think it's no accident they've now been repaired four times in three years.

Not exactly. It was a platform release from the Weinstein Co. that only started making money when awards nominations came in. When it first came out it was disappointing at the box office, so Weinstein pulled it in order to work his old awards magic on it, which was smart, because then it succeeded. That movie didn't open big or make money off Lawrence's "box office draw" status.

[raezen]

 

I think it's no accident they've now been repaired four times in three years.

I wouldn't exactly call American Hustle a repairing because they aren't actually paired in it(correct me if I'm wrong) and Serena was a bust that went to VOD(I read the book, both are miscast if you ask me) and we have yet to see how Joy turns out.

I am not denying the success of SLP but I don't think that the two stars are Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan at this point.

Edited June 25, 2015 by raezen

[Wiendish Fitch]

I wouldn't exactly call American Hustle a repairing because they aren't actually paired in it(correct me if I'm wrong) and Serena was a bust that went to VOD(I read the book, both are miscast if you ask me) and we have yet to see how Joy turns out.

 

Agreed. They did not play a couple in American Hustle (I don't even remember if they have scenes together), and if Serena were any worse, and it would get the RiffTrax treatment (raezen speaks the truth; my picks for the leads would have been Tom Hardy and Jessica Chastain).

[JBC344]

Agreed. They did not play a couple in American Hustle (I don't even remember if they have scenes together), and if Serena were any worse, and it would get the RiffTrax treatment (raezen speaks the truth; my picks for the leads would have been Tom Hardy and Jessica Chastain).

Well, truly we have Angelina Jolie to thank for that.  Both parts were hers, that she had to drop out of.  Although when she was developing Serena with Darren Aronofsky it was supposed to be a female version of "Their Will Be Blood". 

[DollEyes]

  While I think that Chris Pratt has been making all the right career moves lately and has proven that he can be the funny and sexy smartass, he also needs to remind people that he's not just another pretty-well, everything. Pratt has proven that he's a good character actor in movies like Her, Moneyball  & Zero Dark Thirty. Besides the blockbusters, Pratt should also do projects that challenge him as an actor. Another actor who's a prime example is Bradley Cooper. He's not only played a TV sidekick in Alias and done comedies like The Wedding Crashers, Wet Hot American Summer and his Oscar-nominated turn in American Hustle,  he's also shown that he can do drama, as his other two consecutive Best Actor Oscar nominations for Silver Linings Playbook & American Sniper prove and theater, as shown by his Tony-nominated work this year as the title role in the Broadway version of The Elephant Man, which he did without prosthetic makeup. If Pratt wants to be taken seriously as an actor, he should take a page out of Cooper's playbook, no pun intended.

 

 

I think Chris Pratt recognizes what people respond to about him (as does Channing Tatum- even his foray into "serious" acting was to play a wrestler)

 

   Foxcatcher  wasn't Channing Tatum's first serious acting role. He did Stop-Loss  and A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints before it and IMO was great in both.

[JBC344]

  While I think that Chris Pratt has been making all the right career moves lately and has proven that he can be the funny and sexy smartass, he also needs to remind people that he's not just another pretty-well, everything. Pratt has proven that he's a good character actor in movies like Her, Moneyball  & Zero Dark Thirty. Besides the blockbusters, Pratt should also do projects that challenge him as an actor. Another actor who's a prime example is Bradley Cooper. He's not only played a TV sidekick in Alias and done comedies like The Wedding Crashers, Wet Hot American Summer and his Oscar-nominated turn in American Hustle,  he's also shown that he can do drama, as his other two consecutive Best Actor Oscar nominations for Silver Linings Playbook & American Sniper prove and theater, as shown by his Tony-nominated work this year as the title role in the Broadway version of The Elephant Man, which he did without prosthetic makeup. If Pratt wants to be taken seriously as an actor, he should take a page out of Cooper's playbook, no pun intended.

 

 

   Foxcatcher  wasn't Channing Tatum's first serious acting role. He did Stop-Loss  and A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints before it and IMO was great in both.

Whenever I hear people wonder if Channing can act I always point them to Stop-Loss and A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints, which is just an incredible movie. Channing was just great in both, especially Saints.

[Danny Franks]

I thought Tatum was pretty bad in Stop-Loss, to be honest. He wore a fixed expression of puzzled hurt through most of it, and just stood back while Ryan Phillippe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Abbie Cornish did the actual acting.

 

I want to like him, because I know he's going to play Gambit, my favourite X-Man, but no matter what I try, I just think he's a very, very mediocre actor, who would be absolutely nowhere if he wasn't built like he is.

[JBC344]

I thought Tatum was pretty bad in Stop-Loss, to be honest. He wore a fixed expression of puzzled hurt through most of it, and just stood back while Ryan Phillippe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Abbie Cornish did the actual acting.

 

I want to like him, because I know he's going to play Gambit, my favourite X-Man, but no matter what I try, I just think he's a very, very mediocre actor, who would be absolutely nowhere if he wasn't built like he is.

I would urge you to see A Guide to Recognizing your saints.  It may help you feel a little better about the upcoming Gambit.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I thought Tatum was pretty bad in Stop-Loss, to be honest. He wore a fixed expression of puzzled hurt through most of it, and just stood back while Ryan Phillippe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Abbie Cornish did the actual acting.

 

I want to like him, because I know he's going to play Gambit, my favourite X-Man, but no matter what I try, I just think he's a very, very mediocre actor, who would be absolutely nowhere if he wasn't built like he is.

 

You should check out The Eagle. He was in that, co-starring with Jamie Bell, and I thought he was really good in it. He's probably never going to win an Oscar or anything, but he's more talented than I thought he'd be, beefcake or not.

[methodwriter85]

I always thought that Chris Pratt got fat because he basically thought it was the only way people would take him seriously as a comedic character actor. Otherwise, he would have been stuck playing grown-up versions of the high school jock boy- he's had to play that at least three times.

 

I can't think of any serious dramatic role he's played. The closest he's gotten was Bright on Everwood, who had some drama, but Chris generally has served as comic relief in almost everything I've seen him in. Which isn't a bad thing. We need good funny guys that can lead a movie.

 

Channing Tatum did not take off as an action star like he was supposed to...he's lucky that the 22 Jump Street and Magic Mike franchises are going to keep him afloat and on the A-List.

 

I feel kind of bad that Jenna Dewan-Tatum is basically stuck as Mrs. Channing Tatum. She was delightfully campy in Tamara.

Edited June 26, 2015 by methodwriter85

[blixie]

 

I thought Tatum was pretty bad in Stop-Loss, to be honest.

 

I thought he was bad too, that whole movie was mess, and I don't think it was particularly large or serious role, even though the movie was, and his part there doesn't break with his basic "type" mostly physical and not highly verbal or intelligent. Foxcatcher was serious Oscar bait, not merely his first dramatic work.

[DollEyes]

I want to like [Channing Tatum], because I know he's going to play Gambit, my favourite X-Man, but no matter what I try, I just think he's a very, very mediocre actor, who would be absolutely nowhere if he wasn't built like he is.

 

I would urge you to see A Guide to Recognizing your Saints. It may help you feel better about the upcoming Gambit.

 

You should check out The Eagle. He was in that, co-starring with Jamie Bell, and I thought he was really good in it. he's probably never going to win an Oscar or anything, but he's more talented than I thought he'd be, beefcake or not.

 

 ITA. Script-wise, The Eagle was nothing special, but Tatum & Bell (among others), made it better than I expected. As for A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints, Tatum not only gave a great performance, he did one of the best Brooklyn accents I've ever heard-and considering that he's originally from the South, that's saying something.

 

 Getting back to Chris Pratt,  while he's shown glimpses of his dramatic chops in Moneyball & Zero Dark Thirty, they're there, nonetheless. I believe he just needs the right projects that will allow him to use more of them. Another example of a career role model for Pratt is Bruce Willis, to whom he was just compared to in the June 26th edition of Entertainment Weekly-which, interestingly enough, just happens to have Magic Mike XXL as its Cover Story. Like Pratt, Willis got his start on TV, has made action films and comedies and has his own action franchise, but he's also done risky, independent films, such as Pulp Fiction & Moonrise Kingdom to name two, plus he's about to debut on Broadway in the stage version of Misery in the fall. Pratt's great in comedy and action, but just needs to prove what else he's capable of.

[Danny Franks]

I tried watching The Eagle, but found it so bad that I switched off after about twenty minutes. Channing Tatum just seemed like a Venice Beach musclehead, playing dress up, and I've never found Jamie Bell to be an actor I enjoy watching. Not the movie for me, but I wasn't expecting it to be. I am a big history buff, but find Romans pretty dull.

[anyanka323]

Anne Hathaway is someone that I've had a soft spot for, even during her Les Mis Oscar campaign.  She did get targeted because of gender for her OTT campaigning, which seemed that way at the time.  I do think that Eddie Redmayne and Jared Leto managed to take it to a whole different level during their campaigns.  They didn't get the bad press that she did.  Benedict Cumberbatch also was a very aggressive campaigner, and if you read certain gossip websites, the backlash against him has started. 

[katha]

Leto and Redmayne would have been my examples for (white) men getting away with IMO pretty obnoxious campaigning as well. Arguably they were "worse" than Hathaway, yet the press didn't start writing about how terrible they are and that everyone hates them. Hathaway has to watch her every public step to this day and do "damage control".

 

Cumberbatch is an interesting case. He campaigned pretty hard at the beginning as all participants in Weinstein productions have to do, then after the Golden Globes as it became clear that it was between Redmayne and Keaton it suddenly stopped. My guess is he and his team knew that he's overexposed and that he'll be doing more PR for his 3 million other projects in the near future, why not take a step back now? After the GGs perhaps they managed to convince Weinstein to allow them to scale it back since he wasn't winning anything anyway?

[Enigma X]

I am a bit ignorant of the Oscar-campaigning process, since I have always seen the Academy Awards as a popularity contest some years and a "let's shock the viewers with a longshot as winner" in other years. And unless I have seen every thing nominated in X category, I never cry foul over who has or has not won. (Even though I personally scoff at how some actors whom I deem as bad have gotten one.) 

 

My question/statement is if this whole campaigning thing is what is expected, why do so many people frown upon the actors who do it? Furthermore, as mentioned above, some entertainers take way more heat for it than others. Just from reading various forums such as these and other media outlets, this has become more the norm than the exception.

Edited June 28, 2015 by Enigma X

[Cobalt Stargazer]

Depending on what you believe, its because the actors/actresses in question seem "grasping" or "too ambitious". How it differs from anyone in a "regular" job that wants recognition for their work, whether its a promotion or a raise, is a bit of a mystery to me, since other than the possibility of a bigger paycheck for each movie I'm not sure Oscars do much to elevate an actor's reputation, unless its with studio execs. The general public doesn't seem to care that much, at least if you believe those people who say they never watch award shows at all.

 

Personally, I haven't watched the Oscars in ages. I watched the year Helen Mirren won for The Queen, when Tilda Swinton won for Michael Clayton, and when Melissa Leo won for The Fighter. (Sensing a theme here.) Other than that, I usually just watch the red carpet and skip the awards themselves. Maybe that's why I find it so hard to get exercised when someone like Jennifer Lawrence takes home a gold statue, because I don't see what the big deal is.

[raezen]

 

(raezen speaks the truth; my picks for the leads would have been Tom Hardy and Jessica Chastain).

What drove me nuts was that there were reviewers who claimed to have read the book that stated that JL would be a good choice because of her experience playing tough rural women. No. I mean, really we will never know if she could have played the Serena from the book because that's not the character they asked her to play but to imply that Serena and Katniss or her WB character are a natural transition would be saying that an actor like young Hugh Grant, would naturally transition from English fox hunting aristocrat to American cowboy because both characters ride horses and shoot at things(although I would have paid to see HG do that!). As I was reading the book I did quite easily imagine JL playing Rachel Harmon. She could have played the hell out of that character had they been interested in putting half of her story on the screen from the book.

[Wiendish Fitch]

What drove me nuts was that there were reviewers who claimed to have read the book that stated that JL would be a good choice because of her experience playing tough rural women. No. I mean, really we will never know if she could have played the Serena from the book because that's not the character they asked her to play but to imply that Serena and Katniss or her WB character are a natural transition would be saying that an actor like young Hugh Grant, would naturally transition from English fox hunting aristocrat to American cowboy because both characters ride horses and shoot at things(although I would have paid to see HG do that!). As I was reading the book I did quite easily imagine JL playing Rachel Harmon. She could have played the hell out of that character had they been interested in putting half of her story on the screen from the book.

 

I don't care how talented JL is, or how adept she is at playing rural chicks with old souls, she was too damn young and green to play Serena. It's bad enough that Movie!Serena bears little resemblance to Book!Serena (I'm still pissed off about that). JL just didn't have the icy sophistication or life experience to pull off playing this character. For crying out loud, she still had baby fat (I'm not trying to body shame, I'm just saying it called attention to how age-inappropriate she was for the part)! I'm trying not to grumble too much about the fact that she's playing a friggin' astronaut in Passengers. Yes, the actors in the upcoming Fantastic Four are also too young, but that's a comic book adaptation, so it gets some leeway there. I mean, Kate Mara is a comparatively mature 32 playing Sue Storm, as opposed to Jessica Alba's 24 from 10 years ago.

 

I certainly don't begrudge JL's success, but can't the powers that be consider casting a woman in her 30s to play a woman in her 30s, as opposed to a twentysomething who can kinda sorta pull it off?

[raezen]

You make a fair point Wiendish Fitch but my concern is less to do with talent and age of the actress and just the complete lack of understanding of the character. And a big part of that has to do with nobody just outright saying Serena is a completely different class then the other characters that JL has played in the past and her motivations are totally different then theirs were. To describe Serena as another tough rural character like the ones JL has played would be like comparing the upbringing of one child at a Spartan style boarding school, like the ones Prince Philip and Charles attended, to a child that grew up with real deprivation. Serena wanted and needed control over her lumber empire, and she didn't come from a place of survival for herself or her family, like the working class characters that JL has perfected.

[VCRTracking]

 

I want to like him, because I know he's going to play Gambit, my favourite X-Man, but no matter what I try, I just think he's a very, very mediocre actor, who would be absolutely nowhere if he wasn't built like he is.

I was lukewarm on him until the Jump Street movies showed how funny he could be. The funniest scene in 22 Jump Street is his reaction to finding out who Jonah Hill has been sleeping with. He still makes me laugh when I watch it!

 

 

 

[DollEyes]

 

I was lukewarm on him until the Jump Street movies showed how funny he could be. The funniest scene in 22 Jump Street is his reaction to finding out who Jonah Hill has been sleeping with. He still makes me laugh when I watch it!

 

  He's even funnier in This Is the End, especially during the scene when he

professes his love for Danny McBride

. Priceless!

[Craphole Island]

You know, seeing commercials for the show "Clipped" on TBS makes me a little sad for Ashley Tisdale. I really thought she'd be doing better things after High School Musical. I know HSM wasn't some amazing work of art or anything, but she really showed some excellent comedic timing, and has in other things I've seen her in as well. Plus, I watched that show Hellcats too (stop judging!!) and she could sell the dramatic parts as well. I mean, don't get me wrong she's doing really well for herself and I think she likes to work mostly behind the scenes with her production company and I know she has Phineas and Ferb, but I thought we'd see more of her. I never expected her to become a huge movie star, but at the least I thought she'd headline a sitcom (err, a better sitcom). I greatly prefer her to Vanessa Hudgens.

 

Same goes for her Disney costar Brenda Song. I've liked her in everything I've seen her in but sadly she never completely broke out of that Disney mold.

[Wiendish Fitch]

 

 

Same goes for her Disney costar Brenda Song. I've liked her in everything I've seen her in but sadly she never completely broke out of that Disney mold.

 

Well, she did have that memorable turn as Andrew Garfield's psycho girlfriend in The Social Network, but that was five years ago. Frankly, given how some former child stars turn out, I think as long they keep working and don't screw up their lives, they're in pretty good shape.

[Ambrosefolly]

Plus, her being an Asian American will limited some of her choices. 

[methodwriter85]

Echoed about Ashley Tisdale. She really deserves better.

 

I honestly thought Lucas Grabeel was going to have a cool, mature indie career after he appeared in Milk, doing edgy stuff. Then he went off and did Switched at Birth instead, and he hasn't really broken out into mature material. I don't know if looking so young at 30 hampers him, or what. I still think he'd be great as a supporting scene stealer in movies.

 

 

Well, she did have that memorable turn as Andrew Garfield's psycho girlfriend in The Social Network, but that was five years ago.

 

The best careers right now for the Social Network graduates seem to be Garfield and Eisenberg, Garfield's Spiderman debacle notwithstanding, he seems to be winning a lot of critical acclaim with stage work and it sounds like he has some good movies in the pipeline. Eisenberg has his Now You See Me franchise, and of course Superman coming up.

 

Rooney Mara flopped with The Dragon Tattoo and Elm Street, but it seems like she wants to have a lower profile and do more supporting character work, such as Tiger Lily in Peter Pan. She honestly doesn't seem to be that interested in regaining her former It-Girl status or becoming a leading lady.

 

I feel like Armie Hammer is in serious trouble. He really, really needs to be in a movie that does well and is not a laughing stock. I don't think he's going to keep getting that many chances. I do think he's lucky that the Lone Ranger was really more about Johnny Deep, but still, Armie has not been a lead or secondary lead in a box-office and critical hit since the Social Network. He might seriously want to consider going back to T.V. if the Man From Uncle does as badly as I think it will.

 

Justin Timberlake seems to have given up on becoming a box-office draw. He hasn't acted in two years. Honestly, I liked his supporting stuff such as Social Network and Bad Teacher but I don't think he's leading man material.

[vb68]

 

Rooney Mara flopped with The Dragon Tattoo and Elm Street, but it seems like she wants to have a lower profile and do more supporting character work, such as Tiger Lily in Peter Pan. She honestly doesn't seem to be that interested in regaining her former It-Girl status or becoming a leading lady.

 

 

But she's  receiving nothing but super strong notices for Carol and may very well be a favorite to take home an Oscar next year.  I disagree that she's being all that low profile.

[Athena]

Echoed about Ashley Tisdale. She really deserves better.

 

I honestly thought Lucas Grabeel was going to have a cool, mature indie career after he appeared in Milk, doing edgy stuff. Then he went off and did Switched at Birth instead, and he hasn't really broken out into mature material. I don't know if looking so young at 30 hampers him, or what. I still think he'd be great as a supporting scene stealer in movies...

 

The best careers right now for the Social Network graduates seem to be Garfield and Eisenberg, Garfield's Spiderman debacle notwithstanding, he seems to be winning a lot of critical acclaim with stage work and it sounds like he has some good movies in the pipeline. Eisenberg has his Now You See Me franchise, and of course Superman coming up.

 

Rooney Mara flopped with The Dragon Tattoo and Elm Street, but it seems like she wants to have a lower profile and do more supporting character work, such as Tiger Lily in Peter Pan. She honestly doesn't seem to be that interested in regaining her former It-Girl status or becoming a leading lady.

 

 

But she's  receiving nothing but super strong notices for Carol and may very well be a favorite to take home an Oscar next year.  I disagree that she's being all that low profile.

 

I really liked Gabreel in Switched at Birth, but he is playing ten years his junior in that and no one blinks. He's not Elijah Wood level yet, but I don't think it's helping his career. I think he could be a good supporting, character actor.

 

I really liked Rooney Mara in TGWTDT. I wouldn't call it a flop since she was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. It was critically acclaimed enough, made its money and more, but the sequels don't seem to be happening. Sony seems less supportive of it and they've had big issues with the script. Mara wants to go back, but has said it's unlikely to happen. She just won the Best Actress at Cannes for her role in Carol. I mentioned this in the Nepotism thread, but Rooney seems less comfortable as an A-lister than compared with her sister who is taking on more mainstream films.

[AshleyN]

But she's  receiving nothing but super strong notices for Carol and may very well be a favorite to take home an Oscar next year.  I disagree that she's being all that low profile.

I believe she was also rumoured to be one of the actresses up for the lead in the Star Wars spin-off (the role that eventually went to Felicity Jones), so she it's not like she's abandoning Hollywood entirely. 

 

But yeah, I think she's doing fine -- she seems to be into doing smaller, more art-house stuff with highly regarded directors (who seem to love her), with the occasional studio film mixed in there. And like you said, she's a good bet to get another Oscar nomination, if not a win, for Carol this year.

Edited July 27, 2015 by AshleyN