Lesson 11: Stars
Professor Aaron Baker
Previous Lecture
• Independent
Cinema
• Definitions
• History
• Lone Star (1996)
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Today’s Lecture
• Movie and Stage
Actors
• Stars and their
Images
• Julia Roberts
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Part I: Movie and Stage Acting
Julia Roberts and Paul Rudd
onstage in Three Days of Rain (2006)
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Acting on Stage
• Often gets less
recognition than movie
acting.
• Roles aren’t confused
with the actor’s real life.
• Often evaluated by
performance in famous
roles (Hamlet, Willy
Lohman)
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One and Done
•
•
•
Film actors usually
do a role just once.
Sequels the
exception; Clint
Eastwood did five
Dirty Harry films.
No repertory in the
movies as in theater
to evaluate acting.
Magnum Force (1973)
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Acting vs Performing
• Some stars are known
for doing many
different roles.
• Others for similar
characters—”playing
themselves.”
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Personification vs.
Impersonation
Barry King:
• Personification offers the attractiveness
of the star. What s/he is as a person.
• Impersonation asks the performer to
create the character in the story.
• Impersonation for King defines good
acting.
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King:
• Criticizes the emphasis on stars and
personification in movies.
• The creativity of impersonation—
common on the stage--is central to
good acting he states.
• “Stage acting provides a yardstick
against which to evaluate acting on the
screen.”
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Stage Performance
• Is done in one
space and time,
before a live
audience
• It requires
sustained focus
for the 2-3 hours
of a play
Denzel Washington onstage
in Julius Caesar (2005)
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Movie Actors
• Usually perform for
only a few seconds
or minutes at a time.
• “Takes”
• A film performance
is built with these
small units over
weeks or months.
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Film Actors
• Often have less
control over their
performance than
stage actors.
• The director, editor,
or producer decide
how the actor
appears in the
finished film.
Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, director
Steven Spielberg and actor Diego Luna on the
set of The Terminal (2004).
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Some Actors
“…will learn more about other
aspects of filmmaking to increase
their control over the construction
of their performances.”
(Peter Lehman and Bill Luhr,
Thinking About Movies p.149)
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Marlene Dietrich
Studied lighting
and
cinematography to
have more
involvement in how
she was shown.
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Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Costume Designer
Jeff Kurland has
said that Brad Pitt
worked carefully
with him to create
the stylish look of
his Rusty Ryan
character.
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King:
“Good acting is
based on . . .
authorship.”
Robert DeNiro as Max Cady
in Cape Fear (1991)
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Part II: Stars and Their Images
Joan Crawford
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Richard Dyer
Three Aspects of Film
Stardom:
• The polished public
appearance s/he
presents
• The work required to
create that appearance
• The physical person
who is the star
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Star Image
• Film Roles
• Journalistic
Profiles
• Interviews
• Gossip Columns
• TV Talk and
Tabloid Shows
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Paparazzi Photos
• Access to Private
Life of Star
• Personal Style
• Leisure Interests
• Love and Family Life
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck at a
Red Sox game
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Why Are We So Interested?
Dyer:
“Stars intrigue us
because they
offer models of
individual
identity”.
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They Endorse Values
• Work
• Gender
• Social
Responsibility
DeNiro’s dedication to research
and physical preparation for roles
emphasizes the importance of
work.
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John Wayne
Represents a
traditional notion of
masculinity based on:
– Self sufficiency
– Toughness
– Physical dominance
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Paul Newman
• Political Involvement
• Charitable Work
• Used his wealth,
popularity to help others
• Gave away $250 million
earned by Newman’s
Own Products company
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Typecast
“Sometimes a star image becomes so
fixed that even when he or she tries to
break it by doing roles directly opposed
to that image, the public ignores such
deviations and continues to support the
original image.”
(Lehman and Luhr, Thinking About
Movies p.150)
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Sylvester Stallone
• Tried to move beyond
his action hero image
with comedies like
Oscar (1991), Stop! or
My Mom Will Shoot
(1992)
• Their critical and
commercial failure
forced him back into
action roles.
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Big Paydays
In 2008:
• Will Smith made
$80 million
• Johnny Depp
earned $72
million
Source: Forbes.com
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Why Pay Stars So Much?
• The film industry assumes they draw
viewers
• A star’s Q Score measures star’s
familiarity and appeal with audiences
• Will Smith’s last eight films have made
over $100 million each
• The three Pirates of the Caribbean films
have earned $2.76 billion worldwide
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The Star System
• For the first 15 years of commerical cinema
(1895-1910) there were no stars.
• Early producers worried if actors were
publicized, they would ask for big salaries.
• Other producers introduced the concept of
movie stars because they believed
audiences would pay to see them.
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Classic Hollywood 1930-1950
• Saw the creation of
stars by studios.
• Stars were under
exclusive contract.
• Studios built their
images by selecting
film roles and publicity
campaigns.
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Independent Producers
• As the studio
system declined in
the 1950s and 60s,
major stars became
independent
producers.
• This is still the a
common practice
today.
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Part III: Julia Roberts
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Pretty Woman (1990)
• Roberts’ Breakout
Role
• Academy Award
Nomination for
Best Actress
• Earned $464
million
Source: Boxofficemojo.com
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Established Her Star Image
•
•
•
•
Sexy
Honest
Warm
Please pause to
see a clip from
Pretty Woman.
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Hooker with Heart of Gold
• She and Richard
Gere character
falling in love
• Expressive: “I had
a good time.”
• Child-like
Innocence,
Enthusiasm
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Private Life
• Man Killer Image
• Various Brief
Relationships
• Keifer Sutherland
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Erin Brockovich (2000)
• Social Protest Film
• Based on True Story
• Pacific Gas and
Electric Contamination
• $333 Million
Settlement; Largest
ever in a direct action
lawsuit.
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Star and Character
• Used Star Image:
-Sex Appeal
-Honesty, Warmth
• Also True to
Character
-Attractive Single
Mom
-Worked to Help
Others
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Donna’s Illness
• In this scene Erin
sympathizes with
Donna’s illness
from PGE
contamination of
her water.
• Please pause the
lecture to see the
clip.
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Acting
• Academy Award
for Best Actress
2001
• Revised Her
Image
• Skilled Actress
and Sexy Star
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Director Soderbergh on
Roberts in Erin Brockovich:
“One of the reasons
this was such a good
part was that it
played to all of her
strengths, and yet
there was something
a little heavier at the
center than she
normally plays.”
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Discussion Question
After you watch Erin Brockovich, please
answer the following question:
• In your view, does Julia Roberts
skillfully build the title character or is she
just personifying herself as a movie
star?
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End of Lecture 11
Erin Brockovich and Ed Masry
Next Lecture: Gender in Film
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