Welcome to The Last Star In Hollywood! In this introductory episode, we set out our plans for the podcast, discuss what makes a star, and ask the tough questions: Has Hollywood outgrown the need for stars? What is the least Downey performance that we’ve seen Downey do? Is Tom Hanks hot?
Alastair’s impromptu, informal criteria for stardom:
- Profitability – how much money has the actor made, and how consistent are those profits?
- Longevity – how long has has the actor been acting, and how consistent has their career been?
- Exclusivity – to what degree is the actor primarily or exclusively a leading actor in feature films?
- Iconicity – to what degree is the actor’s off-screen persona recognizable in or compatible with their on-screen performances?
Unanswered Questions:
- Are there any other current movie stars who fulfill the criteria?
- Are there any other criteria we might apply?
- Are movie stars good or bad for the industry? Are they good or bad for our shared cultural landscape?
Further reading:
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Join us next time for a discussion of Franco Zeffirelli’s 1981 movie, Endless Love.
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