Tom Cruise, Drew Barrymore, Mel Gibson, and Adam Sandler - what do they have in common? Okay, other than a mansion in Malibu, a $20 million dollar quote, and the requirement to sign autographs until the day they die? That’s right – they are movie stars. Not just simple, ordinary, every day actors… but in-demand, tabloid-centerfold, honest-to-goodness Movie Stars. And they didn’t just wake up one day to suddenly find themselves poolside at the Chateau Marmont – there was a long line of representatives, directors, producers, and great scripts that helped them achieve this highly coveted position.
Next to top-ranking politicians and high-caliber academics, movie stars hold one of the most vaulted positions in American culture. Many argue that their significant paychecks, high-profile personalities, and highly scrutinized lives give them a royalty status shared by only… well, royalty. But any great movie star will simply smile, wink their eye and tell you that they are just a working stiff, trying to make their way in the world.
They are lying.
At some point every successful actor builds a critical mass of roles that define them as either a well-respected craftsman or a highly popular personality. A very limited number of actors achieve a combination of both – and this is the group we’ll be looking at today. This rare breed possesses the ability to blend box office magnetism with genuine performance chops, and the skills to entertain Jay Leno’s audience after a long day of baring their soul in front of a ragged studio crew. And through all of it, this set of performers manages to mesmerize millions of people across the world with their portrayal of big screen characters as well as their depiction of a Hollywood life most Americans only dream about.
The Movie Star’s Goals
Since stardom usually breaks down to this combination of acting ability and cultural recognition, A-Listers who reach the highest echelon of popularity have, at some point in their illustrious careers, come to understand several key factors tied to staying on top. And if they are one of the lucky few, unwittingly vaulted to the top before their due time, they soon discover that winning the Lottery can be easier than reproducing the thing that got them there.
Once an actor has “arrived” – or rather reached a point of market saturation and brand penetration, they are no longer required to audition for roles. Instead, producers, directors, and various cinematic business personalities send them material to read and consider. By this point in their career, the film packaging market has assigned value to a star and usually bombards them with material. It is then up to the actor to sift through scripts and figure out which one will most effectively generate continued on-screen success. They are usually looking for characters that will deliver successful box-office results, or roles that establish a distinct artistic integrity and may garner them an Oscar nod. In both cases, their performance is under scrutiny – the more they deliver, the more they are valued.
Keeping all of the above in mind, it would be foolish to assume that a Movie Star makes every decision on his or her own. On the contrary, they have a team of agents, managers, attorneys, and publicists that work tirelessly to introduce the multi-million dollar performer to the best pay-or-play offers, scripts in development, and ideas from highly-touted artists. Every script sent, every role responded to, and every piece of dialogue spoken has been analyzed by one of several image-controlled hands. In turn, most decisions made tend to require group consensus.
Because a great number of jobs, an exorbitant amount of money, and continued control of A-List clients may be on the line for each of these representatives, safe decisions are the name of the game. As a result, it may be easier to get past a guard outside Fort Knox than get a positive reaction from an actor’s agent. Interested parties are brutally scrutinized and although a few, trusted entities may get to the gold, most are turned away. Don’t believe me? Just call Creative Artists Agency and ask for the agent that represents Nicole Kidman. Full-service protection begins the second you hear them say, “May I ask what this is regarding?”
While the representation team certainly influences the movie star’s decisions, the actor controls the bulk of the decision making process. By the time an A-Lister is demanding millions for a three month shoot, they are pretty clear as to what audiences expect of them. And they make decisions on the type of material they are looking for based on this.
Scripting For Stars
Given the great interest in attaching a movie star to a screenplay, it’s surprisingly difficult to track down solidly written scripts. That’s not to say Hollywood is filled with bad material. Rather, it tends to be difficult to locate stories that provide an arena for a Movie Star to showcase their skill set. Instead, most offers come in a generic package, and require significant development to fit an actor’s needs. This process can be fast – a single, quick polish - or it can take months to adjust and capture the actor’s unique ‘voice.’
And this ‘voice’ must be present on the written page of the screenplay.
For example, the first draft of Rush Hour was originally a gritty, crime thriller. Not the movie that made it to the screen, right? Well, with a little Hollywood magic, some targeted rewrites, and a production team hungry to make millions for the studio… Voila! – we have a buddy comedy starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. When this transformation took place, both Chan and Tucker were emerging A-Listers. To create a vehicle that best exhibited their respective skills, studio executives completely reworked the original script. And this type of star-driven writing takes place everyday in Hollywood. Just look at some of this fall’s biggest films:
- Aeon Flux – The studio reworked a popular animated series to create a Lara Croft-like character for Academy Award-winning Charlize Theron.
- Fun With Dick and Jane – Comedy rewrites provided punch-ups that nail Jim Carrey’s specific brand of humor.
- The Ringer – Hilarity shaped to target Johnny Knoxville’s core audience.
- Rumor Has It – A dramedy shaped to fit the cute and approachable sensibilities of its star, Jennifer Anniston.
More Than Character
One of the key rules to delivering a “A-List” role is understanding who the script is designed for. While Movie Stars often claim they simply stumbled upon a great script, the truth is that they usually locate a ‘starter,’ make adjustments to it, and brand it as a character created for them. This is done a) to promote the continued ‘Movie Star’ mystique and b) out of necessity. Most writers will simply generate a character with a key set of motivation, some interesting traits, and a few defining moments. From this, a skilled actor will expand on this basic set of requirements and add levels of depth and complexity to the role. A Movie Star, however, will take this a step further and weave in elements of their own persona. This meshing of fictional role and real-life attributes helps brand the character with the performer. In turn, the movie star intrinsically associates the role with their own personality. When a script comes pre-packaged with this association, Stars are often quick to latch onto it.
Dialogue and Action
These two elements are of primary importance when creating effective star-driven roles. Successful performers are conscious of how good characters talk and act, as well as how robustly an audience’s will react to their portrayal of them. After years of making westerns and gritty cop dramas, Clint Eastwood monopolized several character archetypes that generate both successful box office numbers and audience appreciation. His use of minimalist dialogue and tough-guy eye squint became trademarks for both his characters and his cinematic persona. The more his roles called for these traits, the bigger audience his films would draw. Most of the time, audiences are coming to see Clint Eastwood, not the character. This same control of personality traits also shines through A-Listers like Sean Connery and Eddie Murphy. Each of their characters exudes traits from their own, recognizable personalities. In turn, audiences feel as though they know them, making the film a safer bet.
Safe Stories, Unique Choices
Working in the business long enough, a filmmaker bound to hear actors, producers, and agents looking for contemporary twists on classic stories. Why? The answer is simple – going to the movies is expensive and audiences want to make sure their $10 per ticket is going to be worth it. The best way to do that is to take a familiar idea and build from it. Don’t believe me? Well, this has been going on for ages – just look at Pride and Prejudice, Cheaper By The Dozen, or the upcoming re-release of King Kong. These brands allow a sort of safety net in the market place. And actors looking to establish artistic credibility (Pride and Prejudice) or box office success (King Kong) will be continually advised to bring a unique voice to a classic story. So, when writing an original, it is important to remember that most of these films stem from a common mythological background, and the Movie Star will almost always respond to a role in which the lead character is, in some way, heroic.
Let Them Show Off
Most movie stars become famous for a reason. Tom Hanks carries on the tradition of the Jimmy Stewart everyman, while Mel Gibson defines himself through edgier characters that straddle the line between good and evil. Similarly, Reese Witherspoon provides that quirky but loveable young woman, while Meryl Streep is known for her gritty explorations into the human soul. Although these concepts seem relatively pretty obvious, many writers forget to define character traits within the script that properly exploit these elements. Can you imagine an effective remake of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory without Jonny Depp’s unique brand of oddity? Or Mr. and Mrs. Smith without the sexy and cool chemistry of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie? While these films may have existed without the real-life personality traits of their stars, they certainly wouldn’t have thrived.
Stardom is big business. And like any business, understanding your market is required for success. Through their choice in roles and execution of character, Movie Stars know how to churn out hit after hit. And part of successfully writing for them comes from understanding what attracts people to their personality. With a little insight into their skill set and cinematic goals, writing a screenplay for a movie star shouldn’t feel bigger than life.
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