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Since the beginning of Hollywood, there’s always been a select few actors and actresses that shine brighter than the rest. Movie stars, from Marilyn Monroe to Harrison Ford, shape Hollywood and attract audiences with little more than their name printed on the movie poster.
A movie star isn’t just a respected actor like Robert De Niro or Meryl Streep. It’s also not a promising up-and-comer like Glen Powell or Rachel Zegler.
A movie star is someone who’s at the peak of their fame or close to it. They’ve established themselves, but audiences aren’t bored of them. They’re talented, but also marketable to general audiences.
In the age of the internet and streaming services, movie stars aren’t quite as easy to come by. There are familiar faces, but who are the true movie stars of our generation? Are there any at all?
The issue is a nuanced one because people can’t seem to decide what they want from Hollywood.
When a much-anticipated movie is being cast, many people will complain that unknown actors never get a chance.
Apparently, audiences want to see new actors get discovered. Yet these same audiences tend to complain about the lack of modern movie stars in Hollywood.
A certain four films set to release in April 2028 stirred up this exact discourse. Director Sam Mendes announced his next endeavor: four separate biopics focusing on each member of The Beatles. Although there will be four films, each will have the same cast and intersecting plots.
The cast was later announced and so far consists of Paul Mescal as Paul McCartney, Harris Dickinson as John Lennon, Joseph Quinn as George Harrison, and Barry Keoghan as Ringo Starr.
All four actors are heartthrobs to a certain degree, but none of them overtly resemble their Beatles counterparts yet.
Many movie fans took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to complain about the casting choices.
Several people pointed out that Paul Mescal, for instance, still has the muscles and physique from his starring role in “Gladiator II.” He’s a far cry from the slight build of Paul McCartney.
Most critiques came down to the theory that Hollywood casts the same recognizable faces regardless of how they fit the role. Unknown actors are usually harder to market to audiences, but now it seems that’s just who people are yearning for.
However, if unknown actors consistently secure all these large movie roles, how will any actor solidify themselves among the ranks of esteemed movie stars? To be a movie star is to star in many movies, hence the name.
People complain of seeing the same faces in every movie, but it’s less of an issue than it’s made out to be. All four actors chosen for The Beatles biopics don’t actually have many films under their belts.
On X, these four actors may be familiar. In the real world, not many people know who they are. They aren’t household names, having mostly starred in indie films with a few exceptions.
Whether they’ll be right for the roles or not is yet to be seen, but they shouldn’t be disregarded immediately because of their popularity on select corners of the internet.
The internet makes it harder to gauge an actor’s actual popularity. Just because I see Drew Starkey edits with millions of views on TikTok doesn’t mean he’s anywhere near the popularity of someone like Timothée Chalamet.
Speaking of Timothée Chalamet, he’s one of the strongest contenders for the title of this generation’s movie star. He’s a respected actor, having starred in seven Best Picture nominations and been nominated for Best Actor twice already. He’s especially liked by younger audiences as well.
His range of roles is also impressive. From starring in the sci-fi blockbuster, “Dune,” to playing Willy Wonka and Bob Dylan, Chalamet caters to all different demographics of moviegoers.
It’s not hard to believe that in twenty years, we’ll look back and recognize Chalamet as a hallmark of this era of Hollywood.
For actresses, the strongest contenders are probably Zendaya and Margot Robbie. Both have dominated the box-office in movies like “Dune” and “Barbie” respectively.
Margot Robbie, in particular, has solidified her place in Hollywood among the greats. She’s worked with two of the most lauded directors of all time, Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese. She’s also a talented producer and prioritizes women’s stories in films like “Barbie,” “Promising Young Woman,” and “Birds of Prey.”
Although these actors are a level above their peers, it’s hard to say whether they’ve reached the stardom of the movie stars of old.
To complicate matters further, it’s also important to look back on who Hollywood tends to market and popularize. In past decades, the most popular movie stars have a few things in common.
Old Hollywood was overwhelmingly white, straight, and conventionally attractive. Of course, there were talented people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community hard at work, but they weren’t the names on marquee signs or printed in the tabloids.
As Hollywood evolves, so does the definition of a movie star. Hopefully, we’ve grown past the discriminatory criteria required to get into the club.
A movie star should be someone talented, charming, and committed to the craft of filmmaking. That craft, after all, should transcend any perception of status or fame. That dedication is what makes someone truly worth watching.