Why are they (not) stars?

Number24

Some actors/actresses haven`t become stars and leading men/women in spite of great talent and striking looks. Others are stars in spite of their shortcommings. But who is on what group? This is the thread where where you speak your mind about that.
Here is my list. I`m sorry there are no pictures, but I`m using a simple Kindle to write this.

People who should be stars:

NATHAN FILLION
This Canadian actor is best known for his TV work (Firefly,Castle), but showed in Serenity and Waitress that he has the talent, looks and charm to be a leading man

KELLI GARNER
This young actress has impressed in independent movies such as "Thumbsucker" and "Lars and the real girl", had smaller roles in movies by great directors (Aviator by Scorsese and Woodstock by Angh Lee). She is beautiful in a very charming way and has an incredible natural figure.

CLAIRE DANES
Is considered one of the most talented actresses of her generation and starred in some major movies (Romeo + Juliet, Terminator 3, Stardust ), but somehow she still isn`t a household name.

People who shouldn`t be stars:

JULIA ROBERTS
Only a few of her movies have been successes, and it`s been years since the last hit. Barely any of her movies have been interesting. How long can this woman live on the success of Pretty Woman?

EMMA THOMPSON
An surprising choise, I know. But have you noticed how her mannerism, speech patterns and acting as a whole doesn`t change from film to film? If it wasn`t for her costume and the charrecter names I would be hard pressed to tell them apart. I have to admitt I saw three of Daniel Day-Lewis fils before I even realised it was the same man! Little chance of that ever happening with Thompson, one of the few films she is did different in is Harry Potter.

Jamesbondjr

Number24 wrote:

People who should be stars:

NATHAN FILLION
This Canadian actor is best known for his TV work (Firefly,Castle), but showed in Serenity and Waitress that he has the talent, looks and charm to be a leading man

KELLI GARNER
This young actress has impressed in independent movies such as "Thumbsucker" and "Lars and the real girl", had smaller roles in movies by great directors (Aviator by Scorsese and Woodstock by Angh Lee). She is beautiful in a very charming way and has an incredible natural figure.

CLAIRE DANES
Is considered one of the most talented actresses of her generation and starred in some major movies (Romeo + Juliet, Terminator 3, Stardust ), but somehow she still isn`t a household name.

People who shouldn`t be stars:

JULIA ROBERTS
Only a few of her movies have been successes, and it`s been years since the last hit. Barely any of her movies have been interesting. How long can this woman live on the success of Pretty Woman?

EMMA THOMPSON
An surprising choise, I know. But have you noticed how her mannerism, speech patterns and acting as a whole doesn`t change from film to film? If it wasn`t for her costume and the charrecter names I would be hard pressed to tell them apart. I have to admitt I saw three of Daniel Day-Lewis fils before I even realised it was the same man! Little chance of that ever happening with Thompson, one of the few films she is did different in is Harry Potter.

You could maybe put the fact that these people are not big stars down to them not wanting to be. Some people are very private and will see acting as just a job. Perhaps they do not want the additional publicity and want to keep themselves to themselves. Another reason could be that they haven't been in anything huge.


The people you have said shouldn't be stars is a bit strange. Julia Roberts is a star because she has been in some big films. You could argue that Pretty Woman cast her into the stratosphere but she is hardly living on the success of it. To say her films aren't interesting is completely subjective, just because you do't find them interesting doesn't mean that others don't.

With regard to Emma Thomson, I can only imagine you have not seen too many of her films. Watch Nanny McPhee and then The Boat that Rocked or Love Actually and then Sense and Sensibility. Her characters are completely different. Sure, she has an acting style that is her own, but so do Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Angelina Jolie, Mel Gibson, Cate Blanchett and a whole host of other massive stars, but they aren't on your list.

Napoleon Plural

Well, Pretty Woman is what did it for Roberts, but v few of her subsequent roles owe much to that persona. She seems rather steely and unattractive to me, but I understand she's one of the few or only women who can open a film big and on her own.

Not sure if Thompson is in that league anyway. It's true that there are some stars who owe their success to one big movie and it's hard to see, without that, if anyone would see their appeal. You can't say that about M Monroe or Humphrey Bogart, a lot of their films show their essential appeal. But Bruce Willis, well, without Die Hard would he be a movie star? People surely paste that onto his other roles.

I don't know about the unstarry actors, not seen them in that stuff.

Number24

It is possible that some of those actors don`t want to be stars, but I find it unlikely. You don`t take on a major role in Terminator 3 if you don`t want to be famous. When it comes to Julia Roberts, ask yourself how many box office hits did she have in the last decade? And even more importantly, how many critically acclaimed movies has she made?

Thank you for the feedback. Now are there any actors whos (lack of) star power baffles you? Speak up!

Grindelwald

Burt Ward was offered The Graduate......the producer douches said "njet" |)