What happened to the great Hollywood movie stars who also happened to be dedicated actors? It seems as if their numbers continue to decrease drastically as more and more “thespians” join the all powerful fame game, a swirling miasma of reality and pop stars, notorious figures and noted news makers, all bleeding together to create the Frankenstein that is 21st century celebrity. Clearly, for this new breed, talent and specified knowledge pale in comparison to the amount of attention one receives.
Now, our Brave New Hollywood view!
It’s funny, the words star power used to describe Grace Kelly on the steps of her palace, or the Rat Pack in Vegas, or perhaps Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton on a romantic binder. Now however, the term is not just reserved for mega-glamour moments like Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Matt Damon lounging on a boat in Lake Como, or Angelina Jolie turning on the full wattage (leg and all) at the Oscars, but rather the Kardashians at a boutique opening in Dubai, or Snookie at a NYE party in Vegas.
Though to rant about the proliferation of reality stars and fame-mongers in the public eye seems so 2005. Instead, the question is not whether they deserve the attention, (right or not, they’re getting it) but rather, has their very presence, not to mention proclivity towards landing lucrative licensing deals, diluted the once golden Hollywood brand? Or worse, convinced talented actors to mimic their example?
It doesn’t take a media expert to see that The Kardashians warts and all image is quite conducive to the specific brands each sister is peddling respectively. Hell as long as all eyeballs are on them, they will continue to cash those hefty checks. When it comes to actors though, this exposure really can be quite stifling to an illustrious film career.
Reese Witherspoon her years as the Queen of Hollywood, but lately she’s seen her career suffer, even as she’s been embraced by the Redbook crowd more than ever. It could be possible that her mass-market image has damaged the once present danger-factor (witnessed in films like the movie Freeway and the movie Election) that drew auteur directors and Academy Voters to her.
Even multitasking mogul Jennifer Lopez can’t escape this current climate, having no doubt seen her fame level and bank account rise as of late, but one can argue, at the expense of her movie star shine. Sure it was a different time, but Elizabeth Taylor was practically a senior citizen before she ever let her role as movie goddess be usurped by any other title, no matter how lucrative.
Another more disturbing example of this is Kristen Stewart. Once a private, well respected it girl with starring roles in Panic Room, Adventureland, and Into The Wild, she has seen her personal life explode to the level of that of Instagram-happy Disney starlets with half her talent, all because of Twilight. Whether she likes it or not, her high profile, decidedly millennial friendly role as Bella Swan in the mega franchise has opened the young star up to an audience of social media obsessed tweens who view no distinction between the fame of a Teen Mom and that of Jennifer Lawrence. Basically, her core fan base now consists of people who care more about her affairs and quasi-relationship with Robert Pattinson than they do about her work.
We live in a world where a new type of fame has changed the game entirely, demanding of actors (who crave or stumble into this specific spotlight) a level of access that is in direct conflict with the glamour of old Hollywood. There was a time when the very image of Paul Newman, or Jack Nicholson, or Julia Roberts could bring us right back to middle school, staring at the popular kids as if the milk in their small cartons and the fruit snacks in their lunch box somehow outshined any food or drink we had ever imbibed. These icons had an otherworldly, untouchable quality that seems to be slowly slipping way amid the miasma of lowest common denominator fame, personal branding above all else, and share everything social media sites. Alas though, much like the dying Movie Star, those aching for the Golden Age of Hollywood (or even the climate of 15 years ago) are slowly dying off as well.
CLICK HERE to watch the revealing ’60 Minutes’ interview with Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton.