Entertainment
Jennifer Aniston is right – there are no movie stars anymore-Mel Evans-Entertainment – Metro
Or am I just exhausted?
Jennifer Aniston made a pretty valid point, y’know (Picture: Eric Charbonneau/REX/Shutterstock)
This may be a touch unsavoury for some, but Jennifer Aniston was onto something when she suggested there are no major A-list actors anymore.
Alright, let me elaborate.
In an interview this week, the Friends star – known for the phenomenon that was the ‘Rachel’ haircut, as well as our obsession with yoga and pilates in the noughties in the hopes of getting her abs – lamented at the state of Hollywood stardom these days.
According to her, ‘there are no movie stars’ anymore.
Now, while I insist that by the very nature of there being actors in movies, there are many, many movie stars, I get what she means. The era of the capital C Celebrity is done.
The old school idea of a movie star, a group of famous people who dominated the box office with the mere mention of their name, from the Golden Era of films right up til about 10 years ago, is dust.
Zendaya is as close as we’ll get to the kind of movie star Jen may be talking about (Picture: by Dominique Charriau/WireImage)
Sure, we have our Timothee Chalamets and our Zendayas scratching the itch of needing a young, amazingly talented, super-bankable star to lead tinseltown, but outside that, who is there? And what kind of career would these young stars have if they were film star famous back in Jen’s heyday?
When speaking to Jen, a journalist from Allure read out a text message sent to them ahead of their chat, which said of the star: ‘One thought is this, no one’s ever going to be famous the way she is. That kind of mass-fame phenomenon burning so bright for so long, it’s just not achievable today. She’s like a silent-film star among a generation of TikTok dips**ts.’
Jen responded: ‘Whoa. Oh, that just gave me chills. I’m a little choked up. I feel like it’s dying. There are no more movie stars. There’s no more glamour. Even the Oscar parties used to be so fun….’
‘A silent-film star among a generation of TikTok dips**ts’ (Picture: WireImage)
First of all, love your honesty, Jen, and secondly, where’s the lie?
As Jen rose through the ranks to cement herself as an A-list actor, there truly was a bulging list of A-list names, where movie salaries were eye-wateringly large and nothing was hinged off the back of social media cred.
There was a real allure and mystery about this world, because without social media you only saw what was on screen and perhaps a bit of what happened in parties or on the street if there was a photographer present (not someone cramped in the corner with an iPhone, an Instagram Live and millions of followers).
There is a short list of big names – such as Timothee, Zendaya, Tom Holland – who made it big in recent years without first rising through the ranks of reality TV or social media influencer culture. But they are also three of but a few who came out on top when contending with reality TV stars and influencers for our attention. Because there really is no one more famous than a Kardashian today, let’s be honest here.
For a lot of the biggest movie stars of now, they rise up through the behemoth franchise films that populate the box office (like Spider-Man for Z and T). Gone are the days when $20million salaries were made in standalone films, these days it’s Marvel and DC that provide that sort of stardom and buck.
Much like her role in Notting Hill, Julia Roberts dominated the box office in the 90s and 00s (Picture: Clive Coote/Polygram/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)
Everything feels a lot more blatantly transactional these days, with the glamour really stripped away.
And, hey, I’m under no illusion that in the era of movie stardom Jen may be referring to – when people like Jen, or Julia Roberts, could put butts in cinema seats with their name alone – was still a marketeer’s dream.
Maybe I’m just exhausted by the way in which anyone can be famous now and that while we have movie stars that rival those of yonder (because let’s not forget Margot Robbie and Florence Pugh exist… even if the franchise rule still applies) they don’t stand out like they used to.
When there used to be a real list of iconic actors with a Unique Selling Point that made them stand out now I feel like our adoration is being whiplashed between far-too-many names that we can’t keep up.
So, the idea of fame just morphs into this monolithic cluster of overexposed faces.
It lacks a certain class, don’t you think?
I’m not going so far as to say celebrity culture is dead – if that was the case I’d be out of a job years ago – but, I agree with Jen in saying it’s certainly not the glistening world of movie stardom it once was.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk.
Share your views in the comments below.
MORE : Justin Theroux offers subtle support to Jennifer Aniston after she opens up on IVF struggles
MORE : Matthew Perry personally requested to have the very last line during the Friends finale
Entertainment – MetroRead More
