Is hollywood like WWE where sometimes actors/actresses get "pushed" just because?

[zoggy]

Its like an actor gets casted or headlines major big ticket movies really quickly and at the same time because studios/execs can just tell he's going to be the next megastar, and keep pushing him and then when the movies flop the person gets dropped like a rock and goes to indie movies/direct-to-tv/dvd.


I feel like how WWE tries to "push" some wrestlers over others just because they feel like they're going to be the next big draws. Why, because studios and execs have that magic touch, because they can ALWAYS tell


examples

hey its thors little brother, star power and charisma is genetic, he's a sure thing. gets cast in expendables 2 (because he's the next young action star) hunger games. Oh.... people didn't like him? gets dropped like a rock.

oh man this guy is definitely going to be the next megastar. avatar, terminator, clash of the titans remake, i mean how could you not love this GUY!!! well he was boring and lame. his last two movies are direct to dvd.

generic dude, headlines terminator, is john mclanes son, and was part of the allstar cast megahit suicide squad!!!! It took me too long to find his name on the internet.

some quick fire

Maybe its not their faults, maybe its just because the movies sucked or bombed in the box offices and you know even after one "flop" hollywood would throw you in the trash as untouchable. Honestly, if captain america flopped, maybe chris evans would be on this list instead of what he is now. Same with paul walker, outside of the fast series.






now there are some good examples where they DO become big draws, but it has less to do with generic good looks but more because of their charisma and ACTUALLY acting in movies.

chris pratt comes to mind, fassbender and cumberbatch, i know they've had long careers but then out of nowhere in the span of 5 years it felt like they're in a big summer movie EVERY year. Channing tatum maybe?

now i don't mean to end with her because to insult her, she's just a recent one i noticed

Out of nowhere she's in a bunch of big blockbuster movies. Mummy, kingsmen, atomic blonde, star trek, this new hotel artemis coming out this summer. I don't even know if she's a good actress or good for these roles.

 

[Carn]

uh, yes. Why would you presume otherwise? Hollywood wants to make money, if they can get a bankable up-and-coming actor they'll go for that.

 

[Angelus Errare]

Short answer, yes. Hollywood will push actors if they think said actor has a box office draw. But those days are slowing down bc the whole bankable star thing is starting to wane a bit. Now it's all about franchises and popular IPs that are bankable and the actors benefit.

 

[Fevaweva]

Yes. Although usually they have to be part of something mildly successful/critically acclaimed before they get the big "Hollywood Push"

Michael Fassbender was doing dramas for ages.
Chris Pratt had Parks & Rec plus a couple of smaller roles.
Channing Tatum was in the Step-Up films
Cumberbatch was in Sherlock and a few British shows.
Same with Andrew Garfield.

But then a lot of the time Hollywood will also push generic white men to headline their blockbusters.

 

[The Bookerman]

Shia Leboeuf got "pushed" because Spielberg saw a lot of potential, So he got a lot of roles due to that.

 

[Deleted member 4021]

I will never understand why they tried to make Sam Worthington a thing. Zero charisma, mediocre acting, the only thing he's ever been big in is when he was painted over with blue CGI cat person.

 

[Haunted]

"That Hansel, he's so hot right now."

That's what execs are banking on. The fans are fickle. Someone beloved now might be shit upon next week, so you've got to move fast and push these people while they're hot.

 

[Carn]

I do think that not every example from OP is "fair". Guys like Andrew Garfield and Robert Patterson have enough acting chops to carry movies, it's more that they got "famous" for starring in a succesful franchise.
Both still play in critically acclaimed movies.

And for someone like Sofia Boutella; she used to be a world-class dancer. She just switched careers a bit, with her dancing background she quickly became the "martial arts chick" character.

 

[zoggy]

I do think that not every example from OP is "fair". Guys like Andrew Garfield and Robert Patterson have enough acting chops to carry movies, it's more that they got "famous" for starring in a succesful franchise.
Both still play in critically acclaimed movies.

And for someone like Sofia Boutella; she used to be a world-class dancer. She just switched careers a bit, with her dancing background she quickly became the "martial arts chick" character.

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Lol I totally forgot about the twilight guy

 

[patientzero]

This long predates any comparison to wrestling, going back to the studio system of early Hollywood which was very effective at pushing stars.

 

[Dr. Caroll]

"That Hansel, he's so hot right now."

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Hansel: I wasn't like every other kid, you know, who dreams about being an astronaut, I was always more interested in what bark was made out of on a tree. Richard Gere's a real hero of mine. Sting. Sting would be another person who's a hero. The music he's created over the years, I don't really listen to it, but the fact that he's making it, I respect that.

Zoolander absolutely nailed the vapidness of the famous.

 

[AndyVirus]

I don't think Garfield really qualifies. His only big blockbusters were the Amazing Spider-Man movies and stars in very well received smaller hits the rest of the time.

 

[Riversands]

Thor's brother does a good job in Westworld. I could see his career boosted after that

 

[Carn]

Lol I totally forgot about the twilight guy

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Oh crap, I thought you posted him but I now see that its Hayden Christensen, haha.

 

[Geoff]

That meat-faced dude who plays Hawkeye

 

[VAD]

I'm sorry but please don't put Andrew Garfield in the same basket than 'generic white dude action star'. He fucking killed it with Scorsese and is definitely not playing in straight to dvd garbage.

 

[patientzero]

If you want a classic example, take Rita Hayworth, that quintessential 1940s actress that was the embodiment of white, red-headed American ideals who starred in 61 films and was a pin-up model.

Except she was born Margarita Carmen Cansino, her hair was dyed, and she underwent electrolysis to change her hairline and broaden her forehead. All of which was studio-driven, to better create a star.

That's one of hundreds of examples from the era when Hollywood could utterly control its star-making prowess.

 

[Carn]

That meat-faced dude who plays Hawkeye

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Ah yeah, who almost got an Oscar for The Hurt Locker? ;)

I do think he always plays the same guy in the action movies he does, but I usually like Renner a lot. He was great in Wind River; same goes for American Hustle and Kill the Messenger.

 

[LFMartins86]

I will never understand why they tried to make Sam Worthington a thing. Zero charisma, mediocre acting, the only thing he's ever been big in is when he was painted over with blue CGI cat person.

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He was great on the Unabomber TV show.

 

[Soundscream]

an actor gets casted

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Good God why? Aside from it being "cast" does it even sound correct when you say that aloud?

 

[Geoff]

Ah yeah, who almost got an Oscar for The Hurt Locker? ;)

I do think he always plays the same guy in the action movies he does, but I usually like Renner a lot. He was great in Wind River; same goes for American Hustle and Kill the Messenger.

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I dunno. I find him unconvincing somehow. Like in Wind River, he's this gruff manly man but there is something so insubstantial about him that I can't put my finger on. He seems to have got a huge push without being that popular.

 

[jdstorm]

Sure.

Although Tim Riggins deserved better. Just chose a lot of shitty roles.

All the generic Australians on that list are mostly awful.

 

[patientzero]

Ah yeah, who almost got an Oscar for The Hurt Locker? ;)

I do think he always plays the same guy in the action movies he does, but I usually like Renner a lot. He was great in Wind River; same goes for American Hustle and Kill the Messenger.

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Renner is a more talented guy than he's given credit for.

And that's a problem with this topic's trajectory. Studio pushes can happen to good or bad actors; it's a pretty agnostic system in a lot of ways, with as many exemplary instances as terrible ones, and happens in any industry.

 

[Taki]

Jessica Chastain

 

[Clefargle]

Just because....

Contracts? Marketing deals? Talent?

 

[astro]

Threads all over the place with its examples so far... standard.

 

[patientzero]

I dunno. I find him unconvincing somehow. Like in Wind River, he's this gruff manly man but there is something so insubstantial about him that I can't put my finger on. He seems to have got a huge push without being that popular.

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Or he's easy to work with.
Or has a good agent (which he does).
Or he fits budgetary concerns.
Or....

Jessica Chastain

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And all that goes for Chastain as well, alongside her having phenomenal acting chops.

 

[Fevaweva]

Jessica Chastain

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Doesn't count. She was in a lot of supporting roles before getting big. Plus, she is a fantastic actor unlike a lot of the people OP is talking about.

 

[zoggy]

Renner is a more talented guy than he's given credit for.

And that's a problem with this topic's trajectory. Studio pushes can happen to good or bad actors; it's a pretty agnostic system in a lot of ways, with as many exemplary instances as terrible ones, and happens in any industry.

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I'm mostly talking in terms of big summer movies though, i don't really pay attention to anything else. I don't watch most summer movies either but of course through ads and marketing i start to see a pattern.

Sometimes they're not good actors/actresses but are STILL JUST EVERYWHERE. jennifer lawrence for example, or the games of thrones lady.

 

[skeezx]

i think a lot of it is laziness. watching most movies i can tell the casting agent just perused the top 5 list to fill a supporting role

 

[patientzero]

I'm mostly talking in terms of big summer movies though, i don't really pay attention to anything else. I don't watch most summer movies either but of course through ads and marketing i start to see a pattern.

Sometimes they're not good actors/actresses but are STILL JUST EVERYWHERE. jennifer lawrence for example, or the games of thrones lady.

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Jennifer Lawrence worked on television for a few years before receiving an Oscar nomination for the (wonderful) little movie Winter's Bone before exploding and proving herself deeply bankable with Hunger Games and then winning an Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook.

She has more acclaimed performances than middling ones. She isn't just an actress in X-Men movies.

Which is not to say she wasn't pushed by studios, just that that push was a combination of talent, her agent, and bankability.

 

[Deleted member 7051]

Oh absolutely. The problem is it rarely works. Some people have it, others don't. Then you have unfortunate situations like Sam Worthington who is honestly so blah an actor that he spends half his life waiting for James Cameron to film more Avatar movies because nobody else will hire him.

 

[zoggy]

Jessica Chastain

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ok i looked herup, and thought it was the jurassic world lady and was ready to agree

THEN i realized thats a different person, who's ron howards daughter. and she was randomly in spiderman 3 and apollo 13. so ron howard has been trying to push his daughter for decades. now he has extra incentive because she looks just like chastain who's critically acclaimed.

 

[Carn]

i think a lot of it is laziness. watching most movies i can tell the casting agent just perused the top 5 list to fill a supporting role

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I wouldn't say that its "laziness". It's just how that business works. If someone just won an Oscar, or starred in a succesfull franchise, they will draw a crowd. In big Hollywood productions, making a profit is what it is about. So if casting Jennifer Lawrence will guarantee a certain revenue (compared to maybe a more capable or suitable "cheaper and less known" actress), they'll go for the famous one. Movie studios pay for the movie that will be made (just as game publishers finance most game devs), they often have a big hand in who is getting cast.

 

[Soj]

Oh absolutely. The problem is it rarely works. Some people have it, others don't. Then you have unfortunate situations like Sam Worthington who is honestly so blah an actor that he spends half his life waiting for James Cameron to film more Avatar movies because nobody else will hire him.

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I first saw him in Dirty Deeds and I thought he was one of the American actors doing a bad Australian accent. Turns out he was actually an Aussie and just terrible.

 

[Carn]

hot take: I do think that Jessica Chastain is overrated and Bryce Dallas Howard is underrated ;P

 

[patientzero]

ok i looked herup, and thought it was the jurassic world lady and was ready to agree

THEN i realized thats a different person, who's ron howards daughter. and she was randomly in spiderman 3 and apollo 13. so ron howard has been trying to push his daughter for decades. now he has extra incentive because she looks just like chastain who's critically acclaimed.

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Howard worked in New York theatre for years and has been in a few major films since 2004, when she starred in The Village. Her screen career predates Chastain.

 

[Deleted member 7051]

I first saw him in Dirty Deeds and I thought he was one of the American actors doing a bad Australian accent for some reason. Turns out he was actually an Aussie

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My first experience with him was Macbeth. I heard it was like Romeo and Juliet with DiCaprio and Winslet Danes (oops), a modern version that keeps to the original script and plays with it. I loved the shit out of Romeo and Juliet, so I thought this would be my jam too.

...nope.

Says everything really.

 

[Markitron]

I don't think Hayden Christensen is a good example, he became famous for being cast in a series that had a history of casting unknowns in major parts. His part also specifically required a blond white man in his early 20's as well. The handful of movies he did after that were the natural run-off. He was pretty good in Shattered Glass though.

How Jai Courtney, Jason Clarke and Sam Worthington keep getting such high profile parts is beyond me though. They are so bland. Is every studio head an Aussie or something? I would claim that Jason Clarke as John Connor is the worst recasting decision ever, but he's not even the worst recast of John Connor.

 

[zoggy]

Howard worked in New York theatre for years and has been in a few major films since 2004, when she starred in The Village. Her screen career predates Chastain.

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dude, shut up

:p

 

[skeezx]

I wouldn't say that its "laziness". It's just how that business works. If someone just won an Oscar, or starred in a succesfull franchise, they will draw a crowd. In big Hollywood productions, making a profit is what it is about. So if casting Jennifer Lawrence will guarantee a certain revenue (compared to maybe a more capable or suitable, but "cheaper and less known" actress), they'll go for the famous one. Movie studios pay for the movie that will be made (just as game publishers finance most game devs), they often have a big hand in who is getting cast.

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with headlining roles i understand. but everything else.. for example there'll be that one sorta up and coming actor they roll out every time "late 20s/early 30s white friend" needs to be cast and he plays the same role in like 10 other movies. some of it plays into "moving up the ranks" per the actor sure but i think it's just lack of creativity on the casting side as well

 

[Mr. X]

Remember how many chances Ryan Reynolds had? Lol

 

[Soj]

My first experience with him was Macbeth. I heard it was like Romeo and Juliet with DiCaprio and Winslet Danes (oops), a modern version that keeps to the original script and plays with it. I loved the shit out of Romeo and Juliet, so I thought this would be my jam too.

...nope.

Says everything really.

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You know you should consider a different career when you're doing Shakespeare and getting outacted by Mick Molloy.

 

[Markitron]

Remember how many chances Ryan Reynolds had? Lol

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Chris Evans got a fair few as well.

 

[Bleepey]

I will never understand why they tried to make Sam Worthington a thing. Zero charisma, mediocre acting, the only thing he's ever been big in is when he was painted over with blue CGI cat person.

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He was good in the Unibomber show. Also Sabotage, I didn't recognise him.

Jessica Chastain

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Grace Randolph is that you?

 

[patientzero]

dude, shut up

:p

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Never!

Nah, I know it's not a big deal of a topic compared to a lot of others but as someone who loves film I get frustrated when a topic that has merit and deserves context - studios do push, but for often valid reasons - gets dragged down into "I don't like this actor, there's something nefarious behind it!"

The flip side of the situation is someone like Ed Norton. Guy's a great actor, has a lot to speak for himself in his track record, but it's widely acknowledged he's kind of a pain to work with (which has been a bit overblown but isn't innaccurate).

 

[Deleted member 7051]

Chris Evans got a fair few as well.

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I LIKED FANTASTIC FOUR SHUT UP. >:'0

 

[Gonzalez]

You ever hear of a "Vehicle"? Those are enhancement matches(or squash matches) for young up, and coming stars.

 

[patientzero]

Chris Evans got a fair few as well.

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One last one before long overdue sleep. Robert freaking Downey Jr. has had multiple studio pushes in between multiple times when studios actively avoided him based on the circumstances he was in. The man is immensely talented (go watch Chaplin folks), but he was a liability with at least two periods that should have completely ended his career. When things got good again he was in multiple films a year.

 

[Markitron]

I LIKED FANTASTIC FOUR SHUT UP. >:'0

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I have never read a comic in my life, so my only frame of reference for Dr. Doom is that weird-looking nip/tuck guy. I would imagine comic book fans would have an opinion on that.

One last one before long overdue sleep. Robert freaking Downey Jr. has had multiple studio pushes in between multiple times when studios actively avoided him based on the circumstances he was in. The man is immensely talented (go watch Chaplin folks), but he was a liability with at least two periods that should have completely ended his career. When things got good again he was in multiple films a year.

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Thing about Ryan Reynolds, RDJ and Chris Evans is that there was a reason for them to keep getting chances, they were usually pretty good in the sometimes bad movies movies they were in. This can't be said for some of the other actors mentioned here.