Why is it so hard to find great Hollywood actors/actresses today?

[Hawkee]

In the movie world I've noticed that it's becoming rare to find actors and actresses in Hollywood today and I would like to know why this is? Is it because Hollywood would like to focus on actors that appeal to the younger crowd today? Or is it because the movie world is getting new actors and actresses to fit the characters in movies that attract more people and be a big successes in theaters today? I've noticed that movies introduce new actors but then the actor or actress gets famous for one movie and then you'll never hear about the actor or actress anymore. Take for instance when the remake of Hairspray came out it made actress Nikki Blonsky a Hollywood star then she went on to do TV movies and now you don't hear about Nikki Blonsky anymore. which tells me that movie actresses/actors that have talent are now going extinct. But if you look at actors and actresses today you will never find another Lauren Bacall or John Wayne and in comedy movies you won't find another Robin Williams or another John Candy in actor personalities today. Finally I've noticed that in the movie world today I've noticed that there is a lot of actors that have gained fans that are mainly teens because the actor has a crush factor. Take for example when Pirates Of The Caribbean debuted in theaters Orlando Bloom became a top crush among teens and when Legends Of The Fall debuted in 1994 in theaters Brad Pitt also was a favorite crush of teen girls too and the same thing happened when Jason Bateman appeared in the movie Teen Wolf Too he became a favorite crush and even still today Jason Bateman is still considered a crush of teen girls. And so it tells me that this is the trend that makes great new actors/actresses so hard to find in movies today
Have you noticed this in the movie world today?
Bestie

[Tweety]

That's a very interesting question.

I don't know this for a fact, but I would guess that it takes more time to put a movie together today than it used to. If you've ever looked at the filmography of any of the all time Hollywood greats (Cary Grant, Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Katherine Hepburn, etc), you might notice that it wasn't unusual for one actor/actress to turn out 2, 3 or sometimes even 4 movies in a calendar year. Cary Grant, in 1940 alone, was in "His Girl Friday", "My Favorite Wife", "The Howards of Virginia" and "The Philadelphia Story". I haven't seen the H of Va, but the other three are considered all time classics.

With the pace of making movies being what it is today, no one is going to be the lead actor in four different movies in a year. When was the last time we saw a really big name put out even two movies in one year (as the lead performer) ?

The emergence of animated features is, I think, another factor that goes against human actors establishing themselves as true superstars today. Hollywood has put out some really great animated feature films over the past 20+ years, so today's stars are just as much animals or other creatures as they are real people. I mean, who doesn't know a "Minion" when they see one?
Plus, they're getting a lot of big names to do the voices of the characters, so a lot of actors that might otherwise make a live action movie are now lending their vocal talents to animated features. And a lot of them do a fantastic job!



Entertainment is also much more fragmented today than it used to be, simply because there are many more options available. That also works against one person or a handful of people dominating the entertainment market. Other than animated features, there aren't too many movies that are even intended to appeal to a mass audience.


One other thing that also works against an actor (no one in particular, just in general) becoming a real superstar is the fact that, in many movies that have come out over the past few years, special effects are the true stars of the film. It's easier (and less expensive) to just put together an ensemble cast of young actors and actresses and let the special effects be the real star.

Re: Crush factor - Even if a big crush kind of actor came along, Hollywood would still be looking for the NEXT big thing. we're obviously never going to see another Elvis, cranking out one movie after another to cash in on the crushes that women had on the guy. It would take way too long to put out several movies with the same actor as the leading man. Besides, with computers, girls and boys can see their crushes whenever they want.

Hollywood certainly isn't what it used to be, in a lot of ways.

[MrCleveland]

True...the last actor that I know who has been in four movies in one year was probably Robin Williams...

It also seems that there's nothing but sequels and remakes in movies. I know that there used to be many sequels and remakes in the golden age of Hollywood, but there was also some original work too...today, there's no original films...or so it seems...

[Flying Dutchman]

Originally Posted by LaBestia

In the movie world I've noticed that it's becoming rare to find actors and actresses in Hollywood today and I would like to know why this is? Is it because Hollywood would like to focus on actors that appeal to the younger crowd today? Or is it because the movie world is getting new actors and actresses to fit the characters in movies that attract more people and be a big successes in theaters today? I've noticed that movies introduce new actors but then the actor or actress gets famous for one movie and then you'll never hear about the actor or actress anymore. Take for instance when the remake of Hairspray came out it made actress Nikki Blonsky a Hollywood star then she went on to do TV movies and now you don't hear about Nikki Blonsky anymore. which tells me that movie actresses/actors that have talent are now going extinct. But if you look at actors and actresses today you will never find another Lauren Bacall or John Wayne and in comedy movies you won't find another Robin Williams or another John Candy in actor personalities today. Finally I've noticed that in the movie world today I've noticed that there is a lot of actors that have gained fans that are mainly teens because the actor has a crush factor. Take for example when Pirates Of The Caribbean debuted in theaters Orlando Bloom became a top crush among teens and when Legends Of The Fall debuted in 1994 in theaters Brad Pitt also was a favorite crush of teen girls too and the same thing happened when Jason Bateman appeared in the movie Teen Wolf Too he became a favorite crush and even still today Jason Bateman is still considered a crush of teen girls. And so it tells me that this is the trend that makes great new actors/actresses so hard to find in movies today
Have you noticed this in the movie world today?
Bestie

I have often asked the same question.I think that same question can be asked about the movies themselves. Why is Hollywood putting out so much crap? It seems they are reluctant to hire new writers with fresh original ideas.
I think for the players, it's like was already said. The industry sees a big teen heart throb and cashes in on them. I remember when I was a kid and would see a movie, the hero always got applause from the audience, but that never happens anymore. With every business, which is what Hollywood is, it's always about the bottom line, and if an actor/actress can make them money, then why should they care if they can act or not.

[Penny Lane]

I consider Johnny Depp as one of the greatest actors of all time. I'm sure his career will continue until he is an old man. That's rare now days. Most actors come and go . But he will go on I'm sure! He can play anything!I just love him! Jack Sparrow is my favorite character.

[HuntingtonM15]

I guess this is a matter of opinion because I don't think it's too hard to find great actors today. There's countless talented people in the business.