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How long has it been since you've seen the emergence of a new Hollywood international superstar?
On November 6, 2019, The Hollywood Reporter announced its list of 25 new Hollywood stars in 2019.
Hollywood, a place that is supposed to "make stars", is still calling for its new spokesperson. The collective disappearance of the new generation of actors, especially the male actors, exposes the declining status quo of the industry. After all, Margot Robbie, the star and producer of "Barbie", the global box office champion this year, is also a post-90s actor;At the end of the year, "Wonka" hurriedly made the list, but he was unable to return to the sky, starring in "Sweet Tea" Chalamet was called "Little Lizi's ** person" by netizens, and he also had less Leonardo's sharpness. There are many leaders among Hollywood actresses in the post-90s, but the new generation of male actors is less impressive. Margot Robbie and Jennifer Lawrence shine this year, and actors still need to rely on veteran Hollywood superstars like Tom Cruise and Vin Diesel to save their respect.
What the hell happened to the boys?Xiaoyu took stock of several post-90s actors who were on the rise in their careers, trying to see these Hollywood "reserve army".
Rise to fame – growing actors
No one is born a superstar, and Hollywood wants superstars, and it also needs to have the means to cultivate superstars.
Xiaoyu divided the nine new-generation actors into three categories, and took a look at their recent performances in their respective tracks.
The supernova of a new generation – the fusion of art and commerce
Are there any impressive actors in Hollywood's new generation?Timothée ChalametDefinitely a name that can't be bypassed.
This new generation of actors, known as "sweet tea" by Chinese audiences, started his acting career as early as the age of 14, making a cameo appearance in the legal drama "Law and Order Season 19". Playing Tom as a child in the 2014 film "Interstellar" is his first involvement in a Hollywood head film project, or working with a director like Nolan;"Call Me By Your Name" made him shine, a delicate and beautiful same-sex love song that maximized his sense of youth, and Chalamet also contributed unforgettable acting skills in it, and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor.
Interstellar", "Please Call Me By Your Name" stills) Later movies such as "Lady Bird" and "Little Women" with Greta Gerwig are all word-of-mouth masterpieces, and he has cooperated with many famous directors such as Woody Allen and Wes Anderson to expand his network, and the most important thing is to win the starring position of the popular IP of "Dune", which is like a tiger for his career and has become a supernova in Hollywood.
After the actors' strike stopped on December 5 this year, the film and television industry began to resume operation, and this year's "Wonka" was released at this node at the end of the year, with innate publicity advantages, plus there are fewer opponents in the same schedule, it is very likely to last until the release of "Dune 2" next year. "Wonka" currently has a global box office of 2At $5.4 billion (as of Dec. 25), Warner's new film, Aquaman 2, was released globally this month, but in the long run, Wonka's box office momentum is clearly better and word of mouth is better. Chalamet was also nominated for Best Actor at the 81st Golden Globe Awards for this film. The commercial success of joining the award affirms that "Wonka" will become another masterpiece in the acting career of "Sweet Tea", and it can also help him broaden his acting career.
Dune 2 has been scheduled to be released on March 1, 2024, a week later in the mainland, as one of the most anticipated films to be screened, how much vitality will this epic sci-fi IP exude?The questions are left to the market to answer. It also determines what heights Chalamet's future career will go to, and whether he can become one of Hollywood superstars. Although he is already one of the most developing actors among his peers, the commercial and artistic Chalamet is a good representative of the art genre of film, and the lack of limitations has also become a key factor in his future Changhong.
Official stills from Dune 2).
Climb the high branch of IP - an actor who is mainly commercial
If you talk about business performance alone,Tom Hollandis definitely the best of his generation, he was lucky to be selected as the third-generation "Spider-Man" actor from the show, and made his debut as "Spider-Man" in the movie "Captain America 3". After taking the "Marvel Universe", his popularity skyrocketed, and he participated in many superhero movies, which were box office hits, especially the "Spider-Man" single-player series, and the stable box office growth of the department made his commercial attributes have been highlighted. 
In addition to the Spider-Man IP, he also has a "Uncharted" series, which has a global box office of 4$100 million. But in the past two years, his related news has plummeted, and this year's drama "Crowded Room" starring Holland has hit the streets, and the comprehensive score on Metacritic is only 48 points.
Anthony RamoswithEzra MillerIt performed well in this year's film market, and the works entered the top 30 in the box office list throughout the year. "Transformers: Rise of the Super Warriors" starring the former has a global box office of 4$3.9 billion, the latter is the actor of the new version of "The Flash", "The Flash" global box office 2$6.8 billion.
However, this is only a horizontal comparison, and from a longitudinal point of view, "Transformers: Rise of the Super Warriors" is the worst box office movie in the Transformers live-action series, and it is even inferior to "Bumblebee", which was a big fight that year.
Anthony Ramos has been unknown before, and his comfort zone is in the ** drama, representing "Hamilton", starring "In the Heights" is also a song and dance film, and this time he was selected as the new male protagonist of the Transformers series, which can be regarded as really opening the way to play, and joined the new project of the Marvel Universe "Hearts of Steel", which will also appear more in the mainstream market in the future.
Ezra Miller is digging her own grave, "Wallflower Boy" and "What's Wrong with Kevin" two films emerged in the film industry, and then joined DCEU and Fantastic Beasts in the ** series, the future is very good, but it is frequently riddled with scandals. In March 2022 in Hawaii**, and then subjected to a series of mysterious operations including harassment, assault, and theft, Miller's ex-fiancée Erin once said in the magazine "Vanity Fair" that Miller was emotionally abusive. Although he publicly apologized to the public in an August 2022 statement, indicating that he was coming to terms with "complicated health issues"**, the negative image of Honkai is irreparable.
There have been foreign ** reports that Ezra Miller may withdraw from the DC Cinematic Universe, especially the box office results of "The Flash" are difficult to support the promotion of derivative projects such as "The Flash 2". After the launch of the DCU, no new Flash project has been announced, and the once highly-anticipated Hollywood star seems to be on the brink of life.
Jacob Elordibecame popular for starring in the youth romance movie "Kiss Pavilion" series produced by Netflix, and then played a terrifying high school student in the popular drama "Excitement" that swept the world. The outstanding appearance conditions made this boy from Australia stand in Hollywood, starting from commercial genre films but not framed in the template of youth films, he himself chose to be very assertive, and he once revealed in an interview that he refused to audition for the role of "Superman".
Kiss Pavilion 2", "Excitement Season 1" stills).
A new generation of actorsAustin ButlerHe was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor for his successful portrayal of Elvis Presley in the movie Elvis. In the early days, he frequently starred in Disney teen dramas, such as "Young Magician" and "Hannah Montana Season 2", etc., and in recent years, he has cooperated with great directors such as Quentin Tarantino and Jim Jarmusch to start the road of transformation. "Elvis" made him shine brightly, and he is one of the fastest-rising post-90s actors in recent years.
Elvis Presley" stills).
This group of new-generation male actors who mainly follow business have all entered the entertainment industry since childhood, and they did not become popular prematurely, but gradually made efforts in adulthood, began to star in important IP projects, or starred in popular film and television dramas, and skillfully avoided the curse of child stars. After the turn of the millennium, the leading actors in the Lord of the Rings series and the Harry Potter series have not broken through to become the main force in today's Hollywood, and "Frodo" Elijah Wood and "Harry" Daniel Radcliffe were kidnapped by the "characters" and could only cut off themselves to seek breakthroughs and transformations.
Starting from Disney, from the theater camp, from Broadway, those acting skills that have been learned since childhood will eventually become their own advantages in the future and play their role. If you forcibly separate art from commerce, you will find that some people are still hovering at the crossroads, and they never limit their own acting paths, but are fully prepared for each role.
Breaking through from art - the transformation of literary actors
Barry Keoghan2017 was a groundbreaking year for his career, "Dunkirk" helped him broaden his fame in Hollywood, and "The Death of a Sacred Deer" was shortlisted for the main competition in Cannes, in which he played a mad teenage role, which made the audience's eyes shine. In recent years, there have not been many works but there are bright spots, and the most surprising thing is to participate in the superhero film project, "Eternals" is the Marvel Universe;The new "Batman" is backed by the sign of DC, and as the actor of the new "Joker", many people are looking forward to him playing this classic role.
His facial features full of personality make him different from those handsome Hollywood guys in the past, and his gloomy temperament allows him to handle more complex characters well, and his acting path is very wide. Especially at the moment of the anti-superhero trend, the once decent and noble positive character image is no longer obsessed with people, and the audience wants to get more faceted character presentations, and the market success of a number of "anti-hero" movies such as "Suicide Squad" and "Joker" has proved the public's enthusiasm for this theme.
Dunkirk", "Eternals" stills).
Two rookies in EuropeJosh O'Connor'connor）withPaul Mescalbecame popular from TV series, and then starred in movies many times.
Josh O'Connor has been a vocal acclaimer for his new film in the Chimera by Alice Rohrwahel (Happy Lazaro), which was shortlisted for this year's main competition at Cannes"Challenger" with Luca Guadagnino (Call Me By Your Name) was also the opening film of the Venice Film Festival (which was later withdrawn from this year's Venice Film Festival due to a strike by actors).
Paul Mescal's "Holiday After the Sun" was a frequent visitor to last year's awards season, and he was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor for this film.
The two will collaborate on a same-sex movie "Time Voice", and I don't know if it can surpass the success of "Please Call Me by Your Name".
Reddell's Family Season 1", "Normal People" stills.
It is more difficult for these actors around the film festival system to transform into business, and the mismatch of temperament is one thing, but the real wall is the stereotype of the public, and if you want to eat on both sides, you need to hone your acting skills more.
For young Hollywood actors who have been glorious in the past, their rebellious and handsome personalities have become synonymous with this age. There is no track distinction in their eyes, whether it is James Dean, Rivan Phoenix, or Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise, Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, the achievements of their youth have been remarkable. But on the other hand, the current Hollywood stars seem to be less sharp, and their acting skills still need years to polish.
East of Eden", "My Own Idaho", "Haunted Street", "Romeo and Juliet" stills).
In addition to the different times, what are the more detailed reasons under this big theme that cause the new generation of actors to no longer stand up to the top and no longer surprise the public?
IPVS Stars – The Demise of the Star System and the Rebuilding of Hollywood
When we only focus on these actors, we will clearly find that their star attributes are gradually becoming weaker. First, the resources of the new generation are limited, and the scripts that can be selected are limited by age after all, and there are fewer types;The second is the wholeHollywood's development has entered a bottleneckMany of the problems faced by the actors themselves cannot be solved alone, and the results of the rigid structure directly point to market performance.
Recently, there has been a clear sense in the mainland film industry, and Hollywood films are no longer as profitable in the mainland market as they used to be. Relying on IP to support the former stars is far from a long-term solution, Uncle Tom has to come out to bungee jump at the age of 60, and the Fast and Furious series has also ushered in the tenth part today.
In 2021, Variety said that the Dutch brother is expected to climb to the Hollywood A-list star array in one fell swoop and become the leader of the new generation in Hollywood, but he seems to be lost".With great power comes great responsibilityI want to escape from Hollywood.
The term international superstar seems to be getting farther and farther away from the public, especially for actors, we can only remember an actor through a work or role, not through the actor himself. The unprecedented IP brought by superhero movies and the despair of actors, and now the various sluggish data of IP directly throws out a fatal question: when the IP ends, where will the stars go?
Robert Downey Jr. once again showed his superb acting skills to the public with "Oppenheimer" this year, leaving "Iron Man", he can also shine in the movie, but for some actors, it is extremely difficult to get rid of the impact of IP. Especially as you get older, the popularity and achievements brought by the role will decrease marginally, and how to convert a large number of fans gained in the IP into fans of the actor himself is a science.
Oppenheimer" stills).
The star system that Hollywood was once proud of has ushered in the end, from the very beginningStar-centric system——A kind of film production with the emphasis on actors as the core of production, and the script and publicity techniques mainly revolve around the stars, and Hollywood began to "make stars", Mary. Beckford, Greta Garbo, Ingrid. Bergman was a smash hit superstar, and the idea of using a star as a way to promote a movie as an innovation is now very common.
La Traviata", "Casablanca" stills).
The status of stars has skyrocketed, the asking price has also risen, and stars have become the biggest signboard of movies. When the power of the star is greater than the film itself, the studio is transformed into a brokerage company, no longer a place to promote the film.
However, there is a huge drawback of the star system, when the private life of the star as an individual is contrary to the public image created, it will be counterattacked. Once that perfect image is torn up, the identity of a star will also fall off. If the image of a star is difficult to manage, then why not create a perfect IP?So,IP and stars began to be replaced
Jonathan MajorsOnce one of Hollywood's rising stars, he made his debut as the supervillain Kang the Conqueror, and was praised by many as the best place for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The character of "Kang the Conqueror" has played an important role in the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but being convicted of assaulting his girlfriend should have been the centerpiece of the movie that Marvel hopes to turn around its fate was kicked out of the Marvel Universe, and all the previous plans made by the company also need to be re-evaluated.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania stills).
The movie goes back to the beginning, strengthening the role and weakening the actor, the actor can get out of control but the role cannot. Under the IP-led system, actors have become puzzles that can be replaced, and assembly line operations and patterned assembly make all works boring. Especially in the past two years, those superhero universe movies that swept the world have all been planted.
If the Marvel Universe can still rely on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 to survive this year, DCEU's successive hits on the streets this year have made it really impossible for this series to start and finish well. DC has a new helmsman, James Gunn, the old universe is coming to an end, and a new DCU will be opened by Superman: Legacy. However, it should be clear that the huge value that IP brings to the industry cannot be ignored, and the current industry trend is more accurately expressedSuperhero deheating rather than IP deheating
In this year's Douban annual film and television list, the most anticipated foreign language movies in 2024 are all IP-oriented sequels. While the public is looking forward to the massive content supply of high-quality IP, they are tired of pasting and copying outdated stories. There has always been only one thing that the audience is calling for, a good story and good movie content.
At the moment when surrounded by vast IPs, it seems that it is becoming more and more difficult for the audience to see the original faces of the actors, they have lost their personality and edges, become the best-selling star symbols, and join the popular consumption. As a result, we can't seem to find a handsome young American to interpret the pure Hollywood dream. When Hollywood opens itself up and does not set thresholds, those glorious pasts that exist in the long river of time will eventually become memories, which can only be looked at and remembered, and will not be repeated.
If you want to see the glory of the old dock, you may be able to get a glimpse or two in the re-screening of "La La Land". This film, which focuses on singing and dancing love, is full of infinite thoughts for Hollywood. Young people with dreams come to this glitzy city, eager to get ahead and make a name for themselves, but most of them are still dream-broken. It affirms the power of persistence, while at the same time not dwelling on memories. “You cling to the past, but Jazz is looking to the future. With this line, the movie has already spoken about the future that Hollywood will face, innovation, opportunity, destruction and reconstruction.
Stills from La La Land).
No matter how much contemporary Hollywood deconstructs itself, rereads history, and excavates the dirty, decadent, and lustful past buried in the depths of history, it will not destroy the noblest cornerstone of its birth. Actors and stars, IP and companies, directors and screenwriters, ......Countless plates intertwined in the industry have become building blocks, and a glorious edifice needs to be rebuilt, and for this new generation of actors, are they raw materials or architects?