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

[Rick Kitchen]

John Boyega's next movie is with Tom Hanks, Emma Watson and Karen Gillan, so that might help his popularity.

[VCRTracking]

Daisy Ridley was great in the new Star Wars. I say this completely seriously, that I can imagine her casting directors wanting her for the parts Keira Knightley either turns down or is too old for(like high school or college student).

[Ruby25]

Daisy Ridley was great in the new Star Wars. I say this completely seriously, that I can imagine her casting directors wanting her for the parts Keira Knightley either turns down or is too old for(like high school or college student).

God, that is so sad. She's only 30, lol.

[Bruinsfan]

Not really, she's a 30-year-old who looks her age. Having her play a college student believably would require a whole narrative about going back to school after years off, or working on her dissertation after 4 years of grad school or something. Doesn't mean she's ready to be cast adrift on an ice floe.

[Danny Franks]

As long as Daisy Ridley doesn't make the same uninspired choices for roles that Keira Knightley has. All these 'worthy' costume dramas that look utterly dull and insipid romcoms. Daisy Ridley has already shown some serious physical abilities, as well as dramatic chops, so she shouldn't limit herself.

 

I thought Samantha Barks would take off after Les Miserables, but it hasn't quite happened yet. IMDB shows that she has a few movies in the works, so hopefully one of them will be the platform she needs.

[funkopop]

Oh man, Haley Joel Osment went beyond not keeping childish good looks into looking like there's something wrong with him—I would have assumed he had some grave congential birth defect like that kid in Mask if I'd only seen him as an adult. Glad that he seems to be doing well for himself, though.

 

I never knew this was a thing for me, but the man bun and scruffy beard thing is really hot on him.

[SeanC]

As long as Daisy Ridley doesn't make the same uninspired choices for roles that Keira Knightley has. All these 'worthy' costume dramas that look utterly dull and insipid romcoms.

Whatever you think of Knightley's costume dramas (I think she's been in several great ones), she's hardly known for romantic comedies.

[Ruby25]

Yeah, really. Are you thinking of Love, Actually? That's like the only one I can think of that she made (unless Pride & Prejudice counts, since I guess technically it's the historical blueprint for the rom-com formula).

[MrsRafaelBarba]

I love when an actor other than who media/critics salivate over ends up breakout star.

Like Adam Driver from Girls, instead of LIAR Williams daughter Allison .

And Teen Wolf's Dylan O'Brien.

[methodwriter85]

I'm not sure I agree about Dylan O'Brien- he's been pretty much singled out as the break-out star of Teen Wolf pretty much from the get-go. I mean, Tyler Posey was meant to be the star, obviously, but Dylan/Stiles pretty much took off from the word go on that show.

 

I just think Peter Pan was a massive, massive mistake on Alison William's part.

 

Although she probably has a strong lesbian following now.

Edited December 24, 2015 by methodwriter85

[Rick Kitchen]

I think Colton Haynes is probably also more likely to break out than Tyler Posey.

[Cobalt Stargazer]

I love when an actor other than who media/critics salivate over ends up breakout star.

Like Adam Driver from Girls, instead of LIAR Williams daughter Allison .

 

Well, now, let's not hold Brian Williams' lack of veracity against his kid. Her choice of roles may be questionable, but I think she can get past that.

[Danny Franks]

Yeah, really. Are you thinking of Love, Actually? That's like the only one I can think of that she made (unless Pride & Prejudice counts, since I guess technically it's the historical blueprint for the rom-com formula).

 

Love Actually, Begin Again, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. Other than the costume/period dramas and the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (which are pretty bad), I can't think of a whole lot else that she's done. She makes the least interesting choices for roles that I can think of for any actress.

Edited December 24, 2015 by Danny Franks

[SeanC]

Begin Again wasn't a romantic comedy; Seeking a Friend..., maybe, though a highly atypical one (most don't end with the entire world dying).  In any event, the former was a great movie; the latter was interesting, if not wholly successful.

[vb68]

 

Well, now, let's not hold Brian Williams' lack of veracity against his kid. Her choice of roles may be questionable, but I think she can get past that.

 

Absolutely agree.  She should in no way be tarnished for what her father said and did.  I feel for her on that end.  The worse I can say is that she should have realized how taking such a high profile role with NBC would look.

[Ruby25]

 

Love Actually, Begin Again, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World. Other than the costume/period dramas and the Pirates of the Caribbean movies (which are pretty bad), I can't think of a whole lot else that she's done. She makes the least interesting choices for roles that I can think of for any actress.

Well that's your loss then, because I love many of the movies she's made. Bend it Like Beckham, Love Actually, Pride and Prejudice, Atonement, Begin Again, The Imitation Game and the first two Pirates movies- I love all those.

Edited December 24, 2015 by Ruby25

[Bruinsfan]

She's also great in A Dangerous Method, though perhaps only the stars' families and I paid to see that.

[SeanC]

Anna Karenina was quite interesting, too (certainly a total stylistic novelty).

[DollEyes]

 KK's turn as the star of Domino, the fact-based film about model-turned-bounty hunter Domino Harvey, was a nice change-of-pace.

Edited December 26, 2015 by DollEyes

[kiddo82]

I love when an actor other than who media/critics salivate over ends up breakout star.

Like Adam Driver from Girls, instead of LIAR Williams daughter Allison .

I don't know. I've never seen Girls and thought he was pretty miscast in Star Wars. I loved the rest of the younger cast though. Plus I agree about not judging Allison Wlliams based on whatever one's feelings about her father may be.

[VCRTracking]

I've never seen Girls but I thought for the character they wanted Kylo Ren to be which is NOT Vader but a tantrum throwing, unstable, insecure person who wants to be like Vader, he was well cast.

Edited December 27, 2015 by VCRTracking

[kiddo82]

VCRTracking, if that is indeed the case (I'd also throw the word "petulant" in there) then I concede to your point.

[caracas1914]

How memories fade; arguably the best transition from child star to adult star ( as far as popularity) without skipping a beat had to be Deanna Durbin. She practically saved Univeral from bankruptcy at the age of 14. Technically more a pre teen when she became a huge star ( certainly bigger as a box star star then Judy Garland at a comparable age), after her first big hit movies were tailored around her as vehicles.

When she retired at the ripe old age of 28 she was the highest paid female movie star. Even though Deanna grew tired of the type of singing ingenue roles the public expected of her, she fielded offers for decades ( The original stage versions of both Oklahoma and My Fair Lady among others).

The biggest difference with Deanna was that she wasn't forced to retire , she chose to leave the limelight.

Second on whoever picked Oscar Isaac as having great prospects as as a future star.

Edited December 29, 2015 by caracas1914

[ChelseaNH]

Keira Knightley picks up some praise for her acting chops on Broadway:

http://ohmyyy.gt/LaKRRw

(translates to: http://www.theatermania.com/broadway/news/best-broadway-debuts-of-2015_75346.html?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=25dec2015&utm_content=inf_10_2473_2&tse_id=INF_3b39a443e63041139ef345c362492c34)

[VCRTracking]

I've never seen her movies but looking her up on Wikipedia I thought this bit of trivia was nice:

 

Indian-Bengali film director, Satyajit Ray, in his acceptance speech for an Oscar (Honorary - Lifetime Achievement) in 1992, mentioned Deanna Durbin as the only one of the three cinema personalities he recalled writing to when young who had acknowledged his fan letter with a reply. (The other two were Ginger Rogers and Billy Wilder.)

 

[caracas1914]

Also Anne Frank had photos of Deanna Durbin in the annex, still on display for tours.

Deanna's stardom was really off the charts.

http://www.towntopics.com/wordpress/2013/05/08/deanna-durbins-star-shone-brightest-in-the-worlds-darkest-hour/

How many stars would have false fabricated reports of their death to undermine prisoner morale?

Edited December 29, 2015 by caracas1914

[JustaPerson]

Since Bridesmaids, Kristin Wiig has had a lot more dramatic and straight roles than before. I mean 5 years ago I don't think anyone would've thought of her for a straighter role like the The Martian. 

[Ohwell]

Since Bridesmaids, Kristin Wiig has had a lot more dramatic and straight roles than before. I mean 5 years ago I don't think anyone would've thought of her for a straighter role like the The Martian. 

But all she did in The Martian was stand there and be ... Kristen Wiig.  I thought she was pretty unnecessary in the role and I kept waiting for her to bust out a lame joke.  YMMV, of course.

[blixie]

 

but all she did in The Martian was stand there and be ... Kristen Wiig.  I thought she was pretty unnecessary in the role

 

The Martian was least of her recent spate of impressive dramatic turns: Welcome to Me is fucking great in large part due to her sharp, awkard anti-rootability, The Skeleton Twins, Diary of Teenage Girl, and Nasty Baby. I'm impressed as hell with this run by Wiig who I otherwise was not a huge fan of on SNL.

[JBC344]

 

The Martian was least of her recent spate of impressive dramatic turns: Welcome to Me is fucking great in large part due to her sharp, awkard anti-rootability, The Skeleton Twins, Diary of Teenage Girl, and Nasty Baby. I'm impressed as hell with this run by Wiig who I otherwise was not a huge fan of on SNL.

Agree. I think she is being incredibly smart with the diversity of her career.  I thought she was outstanding in The Skeleton Twins.

[AshleyN]

I posted this in the awards thread, but realized it might be more appropriate here:

 

Thinking about it, Oscar Isaac's current status reminds me of Michael Fassbender circa 2011 or so: started out as a critics/highbrow darling, slowly but surely gained more widespread recognition, and is now breaking into the mainstream via a big franchise role. He even appears to be right in the midst of his "Internet Boyfriend" stage. It feels like it's just a matter of time before he gets an Oscar nomination.

 

And on the Oscar Isaac note, he's just had his first ridiculously overblown Tumblr controversy, which at this point seems like a rite of passage for any up and coming star.

[methodwriter85]

Although Michael Fassbender has kind of stalled around the level he got to...it's not like he's somehow a "has-been", but he's still not quite a household name or definitively A-list like he should have been by now. For whatever reason, the mainstream audience hasn't really been that enthused about him.

[Athena]

Although Michael Fassbender has kind of stalled around the level he got to...it's not like he's somehow a "has-been", but he's still not quite a household name or definitively A-list like he should have been by now. For whatever reason, the mainstream audience hasn't really been that enthused about him.

 

He does not exactly pick roles that make him mainstream A lister though. Unless he starts becoming one of the "Chris's"(Hemsworth, Evans, etc) or Bradley Cooper, I think he's found himself in a good place career wise. He's still doing indie and franchise movies and working consistently. I'd wish he were working more, but he's a European actor that definitely has a long career ahead of him whatever Hollywood mainstream thinks. He's adored by the critics too. I do think his talent deserves more than fame, but maybe it's a level he's comfortable with.

 

The other internet boyfriend who is big but has not quite achieved critical/award claim as Isaac, Fassy, or Cumberbags is Hiddles: Tom Hiddleston who does have a couple of critic bait roles, but he hasn't quite broken out to receive any noms.

[methodwriter85]

Hiddleston was supposed to be Will Traynor in Me Before You- I bet he would've nailed it. Eh, we'll see how it goes with Sam. Although it doesn't sound like WB has much confidence in the movie- they moved the release to March and they still haven't released a trailer yet.

[Bruinsfan]

I just found out that Hiddleston has a nude sunbathing scene in the upcoming movie High-Rise, so if there's anything you want to keep on Tumblr download a backup copy now.

[AshleyN]

Going back to the earlier discussion on child stars successfully transitioning into adult roles: she's not really a huge star, but Saoirse Ronan just became one of the very few Oscar-nomination child actors to get nominated again as an adult. Are there any other examples besides her and Jodie Foster?

Edited January 14, 2016 by AshleyN

[vb68]

I think DiCaprio was 19 when he did Gilbert Grape.  That may be pushing it, but depends on if you categorize people under 21 as not yet adults.   Some do, some don't. 

[BatmanBeatles]

I don't think it's pushing it. Leonardo got his start when he was a kid on Growing Pains.

[Ohwell]

I wonder what's going on with Shailene Woodley?  Not that I miss her or think she's a great actress or anything, but she seems to have faded somewhat.

[Athena]

I wonder what's going on with Shailene Woodley?  Not that I miss her or think she's a great actress or anything, but she seems to have faded somewhat.

 

The Divergent series and The Fault in Our Stars really hyped her up as the next JLaw, but her career hasn't quite taken off that way. Partly her franchise has done alright, but not fantastic. I also suspect her personality is not as accessible as JLaw.

 

Woodley has been cast in the HBO series "Big Little Lies" which is currently in production. This series is being produced by and starring Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. Other cast members include Laura Dern and Alexander Skarsgard. That's really not a bad crew for Woodley to be around.

[Ohwell]

The Divergent series and The Fault in Our Stars really hyped her up as the next JLaw, but her career hasn't quite taken off that way. Partly her franchise has done alright, but not fantastic. I also suspect her personality is not as accessible as JLaw.

 

Woodley has been cast in the HBO series "Big Little Lies" which is currently in production. This series is being produced by and starring Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon. Other cast members include Laura Dern and Alexander Skarsgard. That's really not a bad crew for Woodley to be around.

The HBO series sounds interesting (I won't be watching because I don't get HBO) and she is surrounded by a good crew.  Also, she never struck me as the bubbly sort so you're probably right about the personality thing.

[Rick Kitchen]

Woodley is in the upcoming Snowden movie with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Her name is above the title in the poster. She plays Edward Snowden's real-life girlfriend.

[Ms Blue Jay]

"Last Night", "Pride and Prejudice", "The Jacket", "Bend it like Beckham" are all Keira Knightley movies I really enjoyed and I'm promising to even give Star Wars 1 another chance. Some people seem to have a bias against 'romantic movies' whether light or dark like the way some people hate country music, but romantic movies bring joy and happiness to a hell of a lot of people, including myself.

I am currently reading "Big Little Lies". It's light and kind of goofy, reminds me of British comedic books like the Bridget Jones books but I believe it is Australian. I am enjoying it.

To the child star discussion, Mae Whitman was great in The Duff. The Duff and Magic Mike XXL were two of my favourite movies this year. For anyone who likes light comdies I'd suggest The Duff, it is too cute. When Jimmy Fallon was laid up in the hospital he watched it a bunch of times and tells everyone.

To the Keanu Reeves discussion, I really like "Something's Gotta Give" and he's charming and hot as hell and convincingly plays a doctor who is in love with Diane Keaton. Must be seen to be believed. Also see "Speed" and "The Lake House". He's a movie star period.

Edited January 15, 2016 by Ms Blue Jay

[xaxat]

I am really interested in what the future holds for Michael B. Jordan.

We know that he can act (Fruitvale, Creed) and I really think he has movie star charisma, but . . . he's black.

Outside of Denzel, almost every starring role for black male actors (AA women? Forget about it.) is about being black, which is limiting. It's a black biopic, the history of AA in America, being the "cool black dude" etc.

When I checked his IMDB page, it turns out he has no projects listed after Creed. Maybe he wants to take a break, but I find it kind of disturbing that he's not even listed for rumored roles.

Edited January 15, 2016 by xaxat

[Rick Kitchen]

According to Wikipedia, Michael B. Jordan is going to be portraying Bryan Stevenson, a real life legal activist, and will work with Ryan Coogler again in a film about the Atlanta school system cheating scandal.

[xaxat]

That sounds like two roles where they needed a black guy.

They may be good roles (like Fruitvale), but will he get cast in anything else?

[dusang]

Outside of Denzel, almost every starring role for black male actors (AA women? Forget about it.) is about being black, which is limiting. It's a black biopic, the history of AA in America, being the "cool black dude" etc.

  

That sounds like two roles where they needed a black guy.

They may be good roles (like Fruitvale), but will he get cast in anything else?

Well he was the non-obligatory black guy in Fan4stic... sorry, bad example.

(I completely get your point and it's even sadder that, if it doesn't have to be a black guy there's always the "why'd they choose a black guy?" commentary.)

[Ruby25]

I totally agree with what you're saying- I like Michael B. Jordan too and I think he has a lot of screen presence.

It's stuff like this that makes you wonder how Denzel even made it so big. He had loads of charisma and a wonderful, commanding screen presence (still does), but people must have gotten to the point where they wanted to cast him just for him, in roles that weren't necessarily "black" roles. Was it after Philadelphia maybe, that they started doing that? I remember the story on that one was that Denzel wanted to do it and asked if they would consider a black actor for the part- I don't know if he had to keep asking that, or if after the success of that film he had his pick of roles, but I think it was after that one that he seemed to be in all kinds of movies.

[methodwriter85]

Going back to the earlier discussion on child stars successfully transitioning into adult roles: she's not really a huge star, but Saoirse Ronan just became one of the very few Oscar-nomination child actors to get nominated again as an adult. Are there any other examples besides her and Jodie Foster?

Natalie Wood got nominated at 17 for Rebel Without A Cause, and got her last nomination at 24 for Love With the Proper Stranger. Although there's not that much of a gap, but she did successfully enter mature roles after adolescence.

Then Judy Garland also got her Juvenile Oscar for Wizard of Oz, and her nomination for A Star is Born.

As for Shailene Woodley, she's basically locked up into the Divergent Franchise until the end of this year/start of 2017. And because the franchise has done okay but not gangbusters, she probably can't really call the shots about her production schedule.

In any event, she seems to be playing the long run game and she's definitely doing a good job of surrounding herself with the right people.

Edited January 16, 2016 by methodwriter85

[Joe]

"Last Night", "Pride and Prejudice", "The Jacket", "Bend it like Beckham" are all Keira Knightley movies I really enjoyed and I'm promising to even give Star Wars 1 another chance. Some people seem to have a bias against 'romantic movies' whether light or dark like the way some people hate country music, but romantic movies bring joy and happiness to a hell of a lot of people, including myself.

You don't want to watch Star Wars for Keira Knightley. She isn't in it much, doesn't do much, and is under heavy makeup. Watch it if you really want, but be warned.