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

[AshleyN]

On 2/25/2019 at 2:58 AM, methodwriter85 said:

Anyway, call me Pollyanna or no, but I'm hoping that Glenn Close's Academy Award loss means that people are going to work on getting her that right Oscar vehicle.

On that note:

[methodwriter85]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the goodwill that Glenn Close engendered during this latest Oscar run definitely helped push that project out of turnaround or whatever it was in.

Hugh Jackman for Joe? If they're going to have a 70-year old playing 50, they might as well have a 50-year old playing 30.

Edited March 3, 2019 by methodwriter85

[Kel Varnsen]

On 2/23/2019 at 2:08 PM, methodwriter85 said:

Judy Greer also goes back and forth, although I feel like she's better known for her second banana movie roles as opposed to the stuff she's done for tv.

Judy Greer has also been a voice actor on Archer since 2009. So that easy, steady income has probably been nice and helped her career.

[kiddo82]

8 minutes ago, Kel Varnsen said:

Judy Greer has also been a voice actor on Archer since 2009. So that easy, steady income has probably been nice and helped her career.

Oh my God.  She's amazing as Cheryl (Charlotte?  Cherlene?) Tunt.  And it's so against type from her live action roles. 

[Wiendish Fitch]

4 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Hugh Jackman for Joe? If they're going to have a 70-year old playing 50, they might as well have a 50-year old playing 30.

Look, I love Glenn Close, I do, but she is much too old to play Norma Desmond now (come on, Hollywood, it's 2019, do you really think 50 and 70 are interchangeable?). It's bad enough she played ingenue Nellie at 54 in that ill-advised South Pacific TV movie several years back...

[Dejana]

57 minutes ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

Look, I love Glenn Close, I do, but she is much too old to play Norma Desmond now (come on, Hollywood, it's 2019, do you really think 50 and 70 are interchangeable?). It's bad enough she played ingenue Nellie at 54 in that ill-advised South Pacific TV movie several years back...

Maybe the thinking now is that a fiftysomething actress won't seem "washed up" to the moviegoers in the same way she would have in the past. Or, maybe the Sunset Blvd. musical is getting the same treatment the Gypsy show does, where the main role is often played by someone much older than the character realistically would have been.  

Wondering what acting role Lady Gaga will take next and whether it will be musical or not. Speaking of the singers turned thespians, I would love to see Harry Styles in another movie. I thought he was a standout in Dunkirk and Christopher Nolan is not even someone I consider an "actor's director" who draws great performances out of everyone. Talented actors can shine under Nolan, of course, but acting isn't always the point with his movies, the way it is with some other directors. Still, his casting is on point: the other young guys from Dunkirk havee turned up in a million other projects since then, and going back to Interstellar, Timothee Chalamet is in a throwaway role as McConaughey's other kid and has quickly gone on to be considered one of the next great acting talents.

[kiddo82]

10 hours ago, Dejana said:

Maybe the thinking now is that a fiftysomething actress won't seem "washed up" to the moviegoers in the same way she would have in the past. Or, maybe the Sunset Blvd. musical is getting the same treatment the Gypsy show does, where the main role is often played by someone much older than the character realistically would have been.  

I agree.  Prominent actresses in their 50s now are Naomi Watts, Viola Davis, Julia Roberts, Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchette (49), and Angela Bassett (60).  Not that any or all of them couldn't pull off Norma Desmond to varying degrees, but in 2019, it's more conceivable (and I mean this with all due respect because Close looks good and is still going strong) that someone who looks like Close would appear more like a washed up, crazy, recluse than someone who looks like Watts or Bassett.  It's like how on the series Feud you had 70ish Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange playing 50ish Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.  I don't think you could have cast age appropriate actresses in those parts without aging them up.

Edited March 4, 2019 by kiddo82

[IWantCandy71]

Well, maybe if or when it sees the light of day, her version of Sunset may get her that Oscar. I don't know-if I were her, I'd want to win one on something original. And if she never does, at least she can say she had a body of work that was (almost) all her own. I feel like any critic or movie goer that doesn't like her, is going to rip this one (and her ) to shreds, probably unfairly. It's not worth the risk.

Or maybe I'm just sick of Hollywood being lazy and unoriginal. IDK.  

[AshleyN]

1 hour ago, IWantCandy71 said:

Well, maybe if or when it sees the light of day, her version of Sunset may get her that Oscar. I don't know-if I were her, I'd want to win one on something original. And if she never does, at least she can say she had a body of work that was (almost) all her own. I feel like any critic or movie goer that doesn't like her, is going to rip this one (and her ) to shreds, probably unfairly. It's not worth the risk.

Or maybe I'm just sick of Hollywood being lazy and unoriginal. IDK.  

To be fair, this isn't exactly a straight-up remake. It's a musical adaptation, which at least gives it something concrete to distinguish it from the original. And Glenn has played the role on stage multiple times, to massive acclaim.

That being said, it's far from a sure thing. From what I understand, while Close's personal reviews were amazing, the attitude toward the show itself is much more mixed, and this is being directed by a theatre director making his film debut, which can be very hit or miss. But this year has brought her so much renewed good will that she'd probably only need the movie to be decent to become a frontrunner.

Edited March 4, 2019 by AshleyN

[methodwriter85]

6 hours ago, kiddo82 said:

I agree.  Prominent actresses in their 50s now are Naomi Watts, Viola Davis, Julia Roberts, Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchette (49), and Angela Bassett (60).  Not that any or all of them couldn't pull off Norma Desmond to varying degrees, but in 2019, it's more conceivable (and I mean this with all due respect because Close looks good and is still going strong) that someone who looks like Close would appear more like a washed up, crazy, recluse than someone who looks like Watts or Bassett.  It's like how on the series Feud you had 70ish Susan Sarandon and Jessica Lange playing 50ish Bette Davis and Joan Crawford.  I don't think you could have cast age appropriate actresses in those parts without aging them up.

For what it's worth, they wanted to "age up" Gloria Swanson because given her very healthy lifestyle (for the time) she looked pretty damn good for 50 and not as much as a crone as they wanted her to look like. She balked at this, making the argument that Norma Desmond would have access to basically everything that would allow her to still look good. (Which we see a montage of.) They made up William Holden instead to look younger. (Who I always thought looked waaaaaayyyyy too old for his part in Picnic, and even he admitted that.)

I mean, at this point, actresses in their 50's are still very much playing leading lady parts in part to how medical science/anti-aging tech has advanced so yeah.

I still think it would be better to set the musical in 1969 and have Joe make the comment she's 70 instead of 50, but they probably won't. Hell, they could set it in 1960 and still largely keep the same "modern" fashion and refer to her as 60.

[UYI]

From the Race and Ethnicity thread on Kim Basinger and whether her career suffered after speaking out about Do The Right Thing getting snubbed at the Oscars, only for someone to point out her Oscar win for LA Confidential: Yes, but a few years before her Oscar win was the Boxing Helena lawsuit, which could have destroyed her career forever. 

 

Edited March 8, 2019 by UYI

[UYI]

On 3/4/2019 at 1:34 PM, methodwriter85 said:

For what it's worth, they wanted to "age up" Gloria Swanson because given her very healthy lifestyle (for the time) she looked pretty damn good for 50 and not as much as a crone as they wanted her to look like. She balked at this, making the argument that Norma Desmond would have access to basically everything that would allow her to still look good. (Which we see a montage of.) They made up William Holden instead to look younger. (Who I always thought looked waaaaaayyyyy too old for his part in Picnic, and even he admitted that.)

I very recently watched Hush Hush, Sweet Charlotte for the first time, and it cracked me up how hard they had to work to not show Bette Davis' face when she was playing Charlotte at a younger age at the beginning of the movie. 

Edited March 8, 2019 by UYI

[memememe76]

Another interesting thing to examine are those movie star duos, where two actors are so often associated with each other. Sometimes, it is because they starred in many movies together, or that one movie was just so popular.

Old Hollywood, you have Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, Rock Hudson and Doris Day. 70s, you have Diane Keaton and Woody Allen, Warren Beatty and Faye Runaway. 80s, you have Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy. 90s. You have Leo and Kate, Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins, Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler, Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. 

00s, you have Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger....uhm, I cannot think of anyone. I can only come up with bros, like Will Farrelll, Owen Wilson, George Clooney, Brad Pitt.

This decade? Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. Maybe Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. Bradley's relationship with Gaga too. 

Of course, this is all subjective and I skipped the comedic duos.

[Bastet]

4 minutes ago, memememe76 said:

Old Hollywood, you have Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, Rock Hudson and Doris Day.

(It's Katharine, not Katherine.)  The studio system meant there were a lot of repeat pairings back in the day.  Myrna Loy and William Powell were among the most popular, and made 14 films together.  I'd have to look up how many Hudson and Day did, but Hepburn and Tracy did nine.

[Dejana]

18 hours ago, memememe76 said:

Another interesting thing to examine are those movie star duos, where two actors are so often associated with each other. Sometimes, it is because they starred in many movies together, or that one movie was just so popular.

Old Hollywood, you have Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, Rock Hudson and Doris Day. 70s, you have Diane Keaton and Woody Allen, Warren Beatty and Faye Runaway. 80s, you have Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner, Molly Ringwald and Andrew McCarthy. 90s. You have Leo and Kate, Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks, Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins, Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler, Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. 

00s, you have Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger....uhm, I cannot think of anyone. I can only come up with bros, like Will Farrelll, Owen Wilson, George Clooney, Brad Pitt.

This decade? Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. Maybe Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. Bradley's relationship with Gaga too. 

Of course, this is all subjective and I skipped the comedic duos.

Amy Adams and Christian Bale, though they didn't play love interests in The Fighter like in their other two movies. For a while, it felt like Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper were in a movie together every year, but it's been a while now. Cooper and Lady Gaga have said they would love to collaborate again—we'll see.  I suppose Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone are in movies together a lot, but not as equally-billed co-stars onscreen, and I think critics would be happy to see the end of that reel-life pairing.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie are both going to be in Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, though I'm not sure how much screentime they'll share. I would love another Kate/Leo joint, maybe something not so heavy this time. Though that's really all DiCaprio does, even a movie heavily laced with comedy, like The Wolf of Wall Street, goes to pretty dark/grim places.  Matt Damon and Ben Affleck should reunite onscreen. A few years ago there were reports of Affleck starring in a re-imagined Strangers On A Train directed by David Fincher (with screenplay by Gillian Flynn), which never happened, but Damon would have been really intriguing as the other lead.

I think the nature of studio movies has changed: in general there are more franchises and fewer moderately budgeted, standalone films sold on star power. You will get the Marvel/DCEU actors in the same movies over and over, but it's not really the same as the star vehicles of old.  Maybe the recurring Christopher Nolan cast members count, sort of?

[methodwriter85]

On 3/8/2019 at 5:39 PM, UYI said:

I very recently watched Hush Hush, Sweet Charlotte for the first time, and it cracked me up how hard they had to work to not show Bette Davis' face when she was playing Charlotte at a younger age at the beginning of the movie. 

Bette Davis was lovely but she did not have Gloria Swanson's skin tone for sure, which was glorious considering the lack of modern rejuvenation procedures.

Tab Hunter in his biography doc said that the studios were trying to make him and Natalie Wood the new "dream team"  for the teen set but it didn't quite work because the movies were pretty mediocre. In Suzanne Finstead's biography of Natalie Wood

You did get Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello for the 1960's teen movie set.

[methodwriter85]

The Buffy 22nd anniversary thing made me think about Sarah Michelle Gellar for a bit, and someone over on Reddit asked why she didn't do much. This is my thoughts on her..

Sarah Michelle Gellar didn't pick very good post-teen role projects that were both critical and financial successes (Scooby Doo and The Grudge did well but aren't considered masterpieces), and SMG wasn't really suited for romantic comedies, either, which was how her peers like Kate Hudson and Reese Witherspoon were keeping their profile up. She also didn't really luck into a good "indie" role that got everybody's attention, which is how Amy Adams became a star in 2005 with Junebug. Then when she turned back to T.V. Ringer and The Crazy Ones flopped, and there you have it.

I think the only movie role she's ever did that really seemed iconic and star-worthy was Kathryn from Cruel Intentions and that was concurrent with Buffy. And we also gotta remember that Sarah Michelle Gellar's typecast (thin blond girl with quips) is a dime-a-dozen in Hollywood and she wasn't doing much to break away.

I think Kristen Bell was set to have a similar trajectory (one really good show role and then kind of meh afterward but staying relevant through monetizing her lifestyle), but then two things happened. She got herself into Frozen, which turned into one of the biggest movies of the decade, and it seems to have sparked off a voiceover career for her, which is always good money in the bank. Then she did the Veronica Mars reunion, which reminded people of why they fell in love with her in the first place after years of watching her in mediocre films and t.v shows. Then The Good Place and Bad Moms did pretty well and that seemed to cement her current good standing, which is probably why Hulu is willing to do the Veronica Mars revival series.

Oh, also, I'm pretty sure Lori Loughlin's Hallmark career is over. I think Felicity Huffman might be alright, but I'm going to bet that Hallmark is going to drop Lori like a hot potato.

Edited March 13, 2019 by methodwriter85

[Kel Varnsen]

On 3/13/2019 at 4:31 AM, methodwriter85 said:

The Buffy 22nd anniversary thing made me think about Sarah Michelle Gellar for a bit, and someone over on Reddit asked why she didn't do much. This is my thoughts on her..

Sarah Michelle Gellar didn't pick very good post-teen role projects that were both critical and financial successes (Scooby Doo and The Grudge did well but aren't considered masterpieces), and SMG wasn't really suited for romantic comedies, either, which was how her peers like Kate Hudson and Reese Witherspoon were keeping their profile up. She also didn't really luck into a good "indie" role that got everybody's attention, which is how Amy Adams became a star in 2005 with Junebug. Then when she turned back to T.V. Ringer and The Crazy Ones flopped, and there you have it.

I think the only movie role she's ever did that really seemed iconic and star-worthy was Kathryn from Cruel Intentions and that was concurrent with Buffy. And we also gotta remember that Sarah Michelle Gellar's typecast (thin blond girl with quips) is a dime-a-dozen in Hollywood and she wasn't doing much to break away.

I think Kristen Bell was set to have a similar trajectory (one really good show role and then kind of meh afterward but staying relevant through monetizing her lifestyle), but then two things happened. She got herself into Frozen, which turned into one of the biggest movies of the decade, and it seems to have sparked off a voiceover career for her, which is always good money in the bank. Then she did the Veronica Mars reunion, which reminded people of why they fell in love with her in the first place after years of watching her in mediocre films and t.v shows. Then The Good Place and Bad Moms did pretty well and that seemed to cement her current good standing, which is probably why Hulu is willing to do the Veronica Mars revival series.

Two other big differences for Kristen Bell is that after Veronica Mars she did Forgetting Sarah Marshall which was huge and totally the right comedy at the right time and also let her play a character way different than Veronica. She also did 5 seasons of House of Lies which was probably some nice steady income. Those two moved her away from doing crappy romantic comedies which would have probably eventually kiled her career if she had kept doing them.

I think if Gellar had gone back to tv earlier she probably could have done more. I mean the only other thing I remember her starring in was that crappy show where she was twins. And that was years after Buffy. It would seem like getting on a fancy cable drama or comedy earlier would have been a better move even in a supporting role. Was it all that she just wanted to jump from being Buffy to being a movie star? Plus how was she not in the running to play Maria Hill?

[methodwriter85]

Kristen Bell was doing that stuff concurrently, but yeah, it did help keep her from getting savaged too hard.

Lori Loughlin has been dropped from Hallmark. Wow, that was quick. I did think it was going to happen pretty quickly because Hallmark's brand is very much about small-town wholesome Norman Rockwell values, and paying 500k dollars to get your uninterested daughter into a school is pretty anathema to that brand.

Edited March 15, 2019 by methodwriter85

[Anduin]

6 hours ago, Kel Varnsen said:

I think if Gellar had gone back to tv earlier she probably could have done more. I mean the only other thing I remember her starring in was that crappy show where she was twins. And that was years after Buffy. It would seem like getting on a fancy cable drama or comedy earlier would have been a better move even in a supporting role. Was it all that she just wanted to jump from being Buffy to being a movie star? Plus how was she not in the running to play Maria Hill?

Some Buffyverse actors have popped up in Whedon's later stuff, but SMG isn't one of them. I remember reading how a bunch of them would go over to his place on the weekends to read Shakespere, but again, not SMG. Maybe they didn't get along towards the end.

[Athena]

On 3/15/2019 at 2:05 AM, Anduin said:

Some Buffyverse actors have popped up in Whedon's later stuff, but SMG isn't one of them. I remember reading how a bunch of them would go over to his place on the weekends to read Shakespere, but again, not SMG. Maybe they didn't get along towards the end.

I definitely think there is truth to that because Whedon frequently recasts and writes for the same actors. SMG recently announced she would not be part of the reboot and basically implied no one from the reboot told her anything about it.

I like to think that SMG is a decent actress and not difficult to work with but who knows. However, I've never been a huge fan of Whedon and the allegations from his ex-wife about him didn't surprise me. If they didn't get along for personal reasons, I would be more sympathetic to Gellar.

[Kel Varnsen]

15 hours ago, Anduin said:

Some Buffyverse actors have popped up in Whedon's later stuff, but SMG isn't one of them. I remember reading how a bunch of them would go over to his place on the weekends to read Shakespere, but again, not SMG. Maybe they didn't get along towards the end.

Wasn't there a thing when Buffy ended Gellar said she was done with the show in an EW interview and that is how the cast and crew found out. I remember some people being pissed about that.

[Wiendish Fitch]

3 hours ago, Kel Varnsen said:

Wasn't there a thing when Buffy ended Gellar said she was done with the show in an EW interview and that is how the cast and crew found out. I remember some people being pissed about that.

That's only because the concept of "done" is incredibly offensive to some people, especially nowadays.

Besides, SMG doesn't owe Joss Whedon a damn thing. She gave him six seasons (and I don't believe for a second Whedon's fun or easy to work for), he should be grateful for that. And SMG certainly doesn't seem unhappy with her lot in life, so who is anyone to judge her? I admire her good sense for not clinging to her signature character. You want to know who clung to their signature character for the rest of their life? The late Fred Berry, aka Rerun from What's Happening! He insisted on dressing like Rerun well into his 50s, and trust me, it's every bit as depressing as it sounds.

Look, I loved being in the fourth grade... but I wouldn't  have wanted to be in the fourth grade for the rest of my natural life. I'm an adult now, life goes on, as it should. 

Edited March 16, 2019 by Wiendish Fitch
It's "Berry", not "Barry". Damn, I suck at names.

[Kel Varnsen]

1 hour ago, Wiendish Fitch said:

That's only because the concept of "done" is incredibly offensive to some people, especially nowadays.

Besides, SMG doesn't owe Joss Whedon a damn thing. She gave him six seasons (and I don't believe for a second Whedon's fun or easy to work for), he should be grateful for that. And SMG certainly doesn't seem unhappy with her lot in life, so who is anyone to judge her? I admire her good sense for not clinging to her signature character. You want to know who clung to their signature character for the rest of their life? The late Fred Barry, aka Rerun from What's Happening! He insisted on dressing like Rerun well into his 50s, and trust me, it's every bit as depressing as it sounds.

Look, I loved being in the fourth grade... but I wouldn't  have wanted to be in the fourth grade for the rest of my natural life. I'm an adult now, life goes on, as it should. 

I don't know I guess I would be pissed if I found out I was losing my job by reading a magazine. That said I agree nothing like that can go on forever and I would probably get over it. And I really do think that Gellar thought or hoped that being the star of Buffy and getting tons of coverage for that would translte into being a movi star/lead actress. If she had tried supporting roles in movies or gone back to TV sooner she probably would have been better off.

I mean compare her to David Boreanaz, the guy is no great actor but he totally knows his skillset. And he has been a lead actor on TV almost continously for like 20 years.

[Anduin]

After giving up on Annihilation once again, I have a theory about Natalie Portman. She likes sci fi, and wants to have a go for herself. Only all her SF projects are terrible. The thinking behind picking them is sound. New Star Wars movies? She gets to be the Leia, running around shooting stormtroopers and making wisecracks. A superhero movie directed by Kenneth Branagh? Sounds interesting. An adaptation of a new work from an award winning SF author, directed by an award winning writer/director? Sure thing!

She has another SF project coming up, Lucy in the Sky. Will it be good? I hope so. She's a good actor. I'd like to see her in something I actually like. But if it crashes and burns, do you think she'll have yet another go, or stick with the regular dramas?

[AshleyN]

On 3/15/2019 at 3:35 AM, Anduin said:

Some Buffyverse actors have popped up in Whedon's later stuff, but SMG isn't one of them. I remember reading how a bunch of them would go over to his place on the weekends to read Shakespere, but again, not SMG. Maybe they didn't get along towards the end.

I mean, it's possible that after working what I'm sure were crazy hours during the week filming, she just had other things she wanted to do on the weekends. Or other people she wanted to spend time with. IIRC, it was toward the end of Buffy's run where she got married, she could have just wanted more time with her new husband.

But then (and this isn't directed toward you) I find the expectation among some fans that actors on their favourite projects are all supposed to be BFFs offscreen really weird and unfair. It's especially bad now, with social media making it much easier for particularly strong fandoms to obsess over who's popping up in who's Instagram or whatever, with the assumption that if someone isn't, they must be a jerk who others don't like. I personally get along fine with my coworkers, but I don't really hang out with any of them outside of work.

Edited March 17, 2019 by AshleyN

[kiddo82]

1 hour ago, AshleyN said:

But then (and this isn't directed toward you) I find the expectation among some fans that actors on their favourite projects are all supposed to be BFFs offscreen really weird and unfair. It's especially bad now, with social media making it much easier for particularly strong fandoms to obsess over who's popping up in who's Instagram or whatever, with the assumption that if someone isn't, they must be a jerk who others don't like. I personally get along fine with my coworkers, but I don't really hang out with any of them outside of work.

Slightly OT but I despise this relatively new notion that if someone, famous or otherwise, doesn't do something publicly/over social media then it didn't happen.  If I want to wish my Mom a happy birthday or congratulate a coworker on an accomplishment or tell my boyfriend I love him then I'm going to do it in person.  I don't need others to know I did it nor should they care.  Doesn't mean one can't or shouldn't make public displays, but I don't find it mandatory.  And I agree about co-workers/actors on a project.  You can have a very good, respectful working relationship with someone and not necessarily be outside work friends.  And further, some people are just outsiders by nature.  As long as they are respectful and able to work with the team when necessary that's all that matters in terms of the project.  /end of rant

As for Gellar, I never thought about it but between her background and Whedon connection, it is a wonder she hasn't found some home in the MCU.  I mean, the universe does kind of employ about 50% of Hollywood by this point.  But perhaps it's also, at least partly, her choice.  Between being in the business for so long and having a family, it's very possible she's happy where she is.  I mean, who'dve thunk it back in the day, but she and her husband have made it almost 20 years.  That doesn't happen by accident.  As a Buffy fan, I never blamed her for being done with the series when she was.  7 years is a great run for any show, particularly some cult show on a netlet and I agree she didn't owe anyone anything.

[scarynikki12]

There was a Buffy reunion panel a while back, I want to say for the 10 year anniversary, that included Gellar and Whedon. They were getting along fine. I also sat through a Whedon panel at NerdHQ a few years ago where he was asked if he’d ever write a role for Tatiana Maslany. His answer was that he would love to work with her but wouldn’t want to approach it by writing with her in mind because there are too many ways that could go wrong. He’d rather have the role in place and her then show interest instead. So he and Gellar may not have worked together again for that same reason, or it could be that their six plus years with Buffy revealed that they ultimately have different interests in terms of work ethic, or any other reason. It’s hard to say without an in-depth interview on the subject. I do agree that it’d be great to see her in the MCU. Any nod to Buffy would make me happy but I wouldn’t be picky. 

[Mabinogia]

SMG had been acting, and mostly in TV which is pretty steady, long work, since she was a kid. If she was smart with her money, which I tend to think she probably was, she never came across as wreckless or wild, and she's happily married with at least one kid, I think they have more but I can't remember, she might have wanted to not work that much and just do projects here and there that interested her. It's really the way to go, IMO. Make your money young, save it, invest it, then live a nice comfortable life only working when you want on what you want. Not everyone really wants to be a star. I think that's especially true if you've been in the business since you were a kid but had good, loving parents and didn't feel the need to be loved by fans/strangers like some of these poor child actors do as they grow up. 

Plus, if I had Freddie Prinze Jr waiting for me at home I'm not sure I'd want to spend months on a movie set in another state or even country. lol

[alihart41]

SMG's doing just fine. I don't think she's losing sleep over never becoming a huge movie star. She started her baking company, Foodstirs, after The Crazy Ones was canceled, so she's been Ms. Entrepreneur the past few years. She's also released a cookbook (so has FPJ, so cooking is clearly a family passion). Between that and raising their kids, she just took a break from acting (she's also solely done TV, whether live-action or voice, since her kids were born). Her most high-profile gig since The Crazy Ones was the Cruel Intentions sequel series pilot, which was never ordered to series. She signed on to the limited series adaptation of Sometimes I Lie in January, and FPJ was just cast as Nancy Drew's dad (god, I'm old) in the Nancy Drew pilot, so they're both making "comebacks" now.

[memememe76]

It is interesting how the various big stars of The WB have fared. Michelle Williams is the big movie star, but actors like Keri Russell and Jessica Biel are doing extremely well for themselves. I feel someone like SMG could have a busier career if she really wanted. 

[methodwriter85]

I kind of love that Katie Holmes was the one from Dawson's Creek who was groomed for stardom but Michelle Williams is the one with Oscar noms.

[Morrigan2575]

On 3/15/2019 at 5:59 PM, Kel Varnsen said:

Wasn't there a thing when Buffy ended Gellar said she was done with the show in an EW interview and that is how the cast and crew found out. I remember some people being pissed about that.

SMG pulled the plug on Buffy saying she was done in S7 (basically when her 2 year UPN Contract was up).  I believe you are correct that she said it in an interview and that's how Wheden and cast found out, she never told them personally.  I always thought Wheden was pissed because SMG had more power than him, she pulled the plug on Buffy not him.  

[AshleyN]

14 hours ago, memememe76 said:

It is interesting how the various big stars of The WB have fared. Michelle Williams is the big movie star, but actors like Keri Russell and Jessica Biel are doing extremely well for themselves. I feel someone like SMG could have a busier career if she really wanted. 

I imagine not many people would have guessed that Alexis Bledel would win an Emmy before Lauren Graham. Or (not WB, but similar genre) that Jesse Plemons would be the most successful of the Friday Night Lights teens.

These things can be really unpredictable, and so much tends to depend on just getting the right role in the right project.

Edited March 19, 2019 by AshleyN

[scarynikki12]

I think my boyfriend Michael B Jordan has Plemmons beat of the younger cast in general but Plemmons wins from the original group. 

[AshleyN]

14 minutes ago, scarynikki12 said:

I think my boyfriend Michael B Jordan has Plemmons beat of the younger cast in general but Plemmons wins from the original group. 

Oops, you're right, I forgot about him. He's probably a good example of someone who you could have predicted though -- there was a major star quality to him even back then I think.

Edited March 19, 2019 by AshleyN

[festivus]

Have we talked about Mahershala Ali yet? I *first saw him in Luke Cage where he stole the show. I know he's won two Oscars already and I haven't seen those films yet but they are on my list. I just started watching True Detective season three last night and omg, he is blowing me away. I honestly think he's gonna be like Denzel or Leo DiCaprio where he will be the person that gets to decide whether or not he wants to do a movie. Like he's gonna be the go to first and if he turns it down then someone else gets a chance. He gonna be busy is all I'm sayin'.

*I realized later that I actually first saw him in Mockingjay but I didn't know who he was then.

[Lugal]

First saw Mahershala Ali in The 4400 and you could see then that this guy was going to be a star.

[Enigma X]

15 minutes ago, Lugal said:

First saw Mahershala Ali in The 4400 and you could see then that this guy was going to be a star.

Me too.

[festivus]

I didn't watch The 4400 or House of Cards, I think the other show he was in was, so it was Luke Cage for me. He is AMAZING in True Detective and I haven't even finished watching it yet. I'm confident he will continue to blow me away.

[AimingforYoko]

Do not be surprised if Elle Fanning follows actors like Hailee Steinfeld and Jared Leto and has a decent career in music. Heard her (and saw her, of course) in Teen Spirit, and she has legit pipes.

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 3/8/2019 at 5:26 PM, UYI said:

From the Race and Ethnicity thread on Kim Basinger and whether her career suffered after speaking out about Do The Right Thing getting snubbed at the Oscars, only for someone to point out her Oscar win for LA Confidential: Yes, but a few years before her Oscar win was the Boxing Helena lawsuit, which could have destroyed her career forever. 

 

Always one of the most beautiful actresses to me, and a fave of mine when I was a kid.  She's gotten way too much work done to her face ( See The Nice Guys and Fifty Shades Darker or was it Freed?)  Such a shame.

I thought Mahershala was so good, and so freaking hot on House of Cards.  I love it when I'm right about an actor becoming a star.

I hate Rory Gilmore, but Alexis Bledel was so much better than she had any right to be on The Handmaids Tale.  She deserves every accolade.

I didn't think the show "Ringer" starring SMG was "crappy".  I actually really enjoyed it.  And Mike Colter was on it, and he became Luke Cage after that.  And this is coming from someone who never watched Buffy.

I also thought "Annihilation" was great and it's very critically acclaimed.  88% on Rotten Tomatoes. 

Edited April 22, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 3/8/2019 at 10:13 PM, memememe76 said:

This decade? Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. Maybe Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. Bradley's relationship with Gaga too. 

Of course, this is all subjective and I skipped the comedic duos.

I keep lists of this on Letterboxd.  First, there's all of the Avengers/Marvel movies.

2010s combos:

Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston (they're making another movie together soon.)
Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman have been in at least 5 movies together.
Matthew MacCoughanahey (?) and Anne Hathaway.
Any of the Chris Nolan actors.
Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly.
Emma Stone and Jonah Hill reunited for Maniac.
Rachel Weisz and Nicholas Hoult reunited for The Favourite.
Emily Blunt and Meryl Streep.
Natalie Portman and Jude Law have done at least 3 movies now.
Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem.
Will Smith and Margot Robbie have done at least 2 movies.  They were going to do a third, but Idris Elba is replacing.
The Rock and Kevin Hart have done 3 movies.
Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg have done 3 movies.

And there's more.

Edited April 22, 2019 by Ms Blue Jay

[Anduin]

Scarlett Johansson was in two movies with Chris Evans even before the MCU. And again, outside the MCU, she's done three movies based on comics.

[methodwriter85]

Be Kind Unwind did a career analysis on Meryl Streep and why we all love her so much:

Basically, she was skilled enough and versatile enough that she was thought of as the prestige actress who couldn't be typecast, which gave her a massive advantage over her peers like Diane Keaton or Jessica Lange, who both had certain images. And the fact that she wasn't typecast as the sexy one (even though she could have been) allowed her to age in Hollywood. Be Kind then argues that The Devil Wears Prada is when Meryl really hit her superstar status, because it gained her a new generation of fans and set her up as a real box office draw in late middle age.

Edited May 1, 2019 by methodwriter85

[PepSinger]

Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking.

[Silver Raven]

On 4/21/2019 at 5:24 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

I didn't think the show "Ringer" starring SMG was "crappy".  I actually really enjoyed it.

So did I.

[HunterHunted]

On 3/3/2019 at 7:18 PM, Dejana said:

Maybe the thinking now is that a fiftysomething actress won't seem "washed up" to the moviegoers in the same way she would have in the past.

This is probably not true. I don't know if anyone watches Watch What Happens Live. Charlize Theron was on. She was talking about the rumor that she passed on playing Wonder Woman. Charlize clarified that she was up for the part of Wonder Woman's mother.

Quote

Or, maybe the Sunset Blvd. musical is getting the same treatment the Gypsy show does, where the main role is often played by someone much older than the character realistically would have been.  

As you said, I think they're casting older especially because an actress over 50 doesn't look like what the general public thinks an "over the hill" actress looks like. Marisa Tomei is over 50 as is Nicole Kidman, Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock, Demi Moore, and Julianne Moore. Angela Bassett is 60. 

Edited May 8, 2019 by HunterHunted

[raezen]

I know that his latest accomplishment probably counts as tv but I thoughtJharrel Jerome was amazing in Moonlight and it appears that even more people are taking note of him in When They See Us. I really want to see a long career for him.

[methodwriter85]

Now that we're at the end of the decade, I was wondering what you consider your favorite 2010's "comeback" story?

She's more of a t.v. star now, but I really absolutely love that Anna Chlumksy made a slow and steady comeback culminating with Veep after taking almost a decade off. I remember seeing a profile done on her when she was trying to become a food critic and thought she had a good head on her shoulders. I never thought Anna would go back into acting.

Laura Dern is a good one. It's really kind of cool to see a woman over 50 who was best-known for a role she did in her 20's to take off again.

And then, of course, both Reese Witherspoon and Nicole Kidman really managed to restore their cred. Reese especially- she really was getting joked about and pointed at as a has-been at the beginning of this decade.

I did think it was a really smart move on Reese's part to go back to her indie roots with Wild. That was her turning point and it really paid off.

If the decade stopped in 2016, I would have said Ben Affleck, but...well...things kind of went south for him again after really having a pretty decent 2010-2016. I mean, he did have a pretty solid run this decade after his career kind of skidded in the early/mid-2000's.

Jennifer Jason Leigh was another pleasant comeback to watch, as was Michael Keaton's comeback.

I don't know if I'd call Glenn Close as "coming back" because she has had a very solid career but it was nice seeing people care about her again during her latest run at the Oscar.

Edited June 16, 2019 by methodwriter85