by Olivia Rosenberg
Cary Grant. Katherine Hepburn. Marlon Brando. Marilyn Monroe. All of these names elicit an essence of Hollywood “star” power. But does the concept of a movie star exist in the same way it used to?
Actress Ana De Armas, recently having played Monroe in Blonde told Variety, “The concept of a movie star is someone untouchable you only see onscreen. That mystery is gone.” She credits its erasure to the rise of social media and sharing personal information online. As the credits roll, you can now search an actor’s name on Instagram and find a series of posts ranging from years in the past to even hours ago. Actors posting their lives for public consumption takes away the illusiveness that celebrities had during the Golden Age of Hollywood.
The rise of franchises has also played a role in the reduction of the megastar. Audiences still come to the theaters for blockbusters regardless of the names on the posters. Anthony Mackie, known for playing the Falcon in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, says the audience’s investment lies more in the character than the actor these days. He said, “The evolution of the superhero has meant the death of the movie star.”
Even iconic characters like Superman and Batman have continuously rotated actors over the years with audiences continuing to tune in regardless of who was wearing the cape. Director Quentin Taratino echoed a similar sentiment as Mackie when he said, “You have all these actors who have become famous playing these characters, but they’re not movie stars.”
We do still see a handful of actors that seem to have achieved “stardom” still working today. Al Pacino, Robert DiNiro, and Meryl Streep are a few veterans of the industry that connect us back to Hollywood’s past. However, more modern celebrities like Tom Cruise are bringing back the “movie star” phenomenon with action-packed blockbusters bringing back crowds to the theater. Yet, Cruise receives significant backlash for his personal life, like his ties to Scientology.
As releases and premieres come and go, stars will always walk the red carpet and have their names written on posters. But do we think about them in the same mysterious, illusive way that we used to view the biggest stars of the Golden Age? Or does following them on Instagram take away from their shining exteriors? So, the question remains: Can we still have movie stars when we know too much about them?
