Playing the Hollywood Fame Game

MC Savage, staff writer

It’s not a secret that Hollywood actors seem to be stuck in a loop by playing the same roles over and over again. The changes aren’t even to the plot, but to the costumes, accents and movie titles. Specifically, actors like Channing Tatum, who always plays the ‘dumb jock’, Ryan Reynolds plays the snarky relatable guy, and McKenna Grace plays the same challenged teenage girl in every coming-of-age movie.  

“I feel like I always see that one girl… McKenna Grace… playing the sad girl who gets a boyfriend” said Madison Mittelbronn, a sophomore and an avid movie watcher.   

You can even take your favorite action movie actor for other examples. In one movie, they’re a cop or detective solving cases, and then a soldier, and then a mysterious and quiet character avenging their tragic past. Different movie but same acting, as if Hollywood is begging them to play the same role forever.  

One reason why this concept is so common is because Hollywood loves character archetypes. Whether it’s the charming love interest, the anti-hero, or the villain who’s misunderstood, at least one of these characters could be guaranteed to appear in any Hollywood movie. Since these roles are typically building blocks of these movies, its not a surprise that they are being recycled in movie production.  

Another way this happens in Hollywood is a sneaky thing called typecasting. If an actor is strong at playing a rebel role or a charming sidekick, Hollywood producers notice that. Then all the sudden, especially after a successful movie, casting directors come straight for that actor to complete almost the exact same role. They don’t only cast the same actor because they’re good at playing a specific role, but also the viewers who enjoyed them in that role tend to follow them as fans to their next movie as well. This extra hype that develops around a movie because of the actor in it is important especially in Hollywood. 

The reasons behind these trends go beyond just what characters actors are good at playing, but it also minimizes risk for the producers of the movie. This happens because when an actor is enjoyed in a specific role, it’s likely for them to carry on that success to there next similar role. Marketing campaigns are even built around the characters or the established personality that an actor has, which makes it a lot easier to attract a large audience.  

Although typecasting has huge successes for the Hollywood movie industry, there are some separate drawbacks. For actors, being pushed into the same roles continuously can stunt creative growth, which is not ideal for actors who are young and looking to explore a different and new range of characters. These kinds of things can lead to stagnant careers when certain types of movies become less popular.  

On the other side of things, some actors embrace their typecasting roles and become iconic figures from their character. For example, Harisson Ford is associated with adventurous characters like Han Solo and Indiana Jones. These roles can be seen as pretty similar, but instead of trying to break free from typecasting, Ford embraced it and became a legendary figure from his characters. Typecasting the same actors for the same characters, simply just in different movies, is Hollywood’s secret to attracting viewers and guaranteeing good outcomes of new movies.