Plea for Suggestions: Emblematic Stars of 1990 - The Present
JTT and Christian Slater: Two ’90s Stars I Probably Shouldn’t Write About
This post is a bit different, in that it’s not really a post so much as a plea.
Amidst all of my reading/prepping for my comprehensive exams in August, I’ve agreed to write a chapter in my Whitman mentor’s current book on Hollywood industry from 1990 - the present. (It’s not a collection — my contribution is kind of like the one-off chapters in the decade series, for those of you familiar with media studies texts). I’m to focus specifically on stardom (changes in, industrial concerns, etc. etc.) from 1990 - the present. Someone (CBD, I think?) suggested that I could arrange the chapter around case studies: stars whose paths encapsulate the various ways stardom has changed and been negotiated through the spread of new media, the indie early ’90s, the Weinsteins, the continued expansion and importance of the blockbuster, etc. etc. (Each star doesn’t have to relate to all of those topics, but I do need to touch on all of them at one point or another). He/she also doesn’t have had to be a huge star from 1990 to now — his/her career could have petered off, or just become a star in the last ten years, you get the picture.
I have a few ideas, but I’d really love/need to hear yours as well — I’m thinking I’ll want a total of three somewhat complimentary studies.
4 Responses to “Plea for Suggestions: Emblematic Stars of 1990 - The Present”
Personally, I find George Clooney to be the most interesting star of the last 20 years, what with the TV-to-film success, shifts from blockbuster-to-arty film, move to producer/director, and creation of a kind of star pack with both mainstream and indy cred. Plus he’s dreamy…
Others that seem potentially good cases ripe with analytical potential: Britney, Angelina, Will Smith, Keanau, Tom Cruise (cringe), Paris Hilton (double cringe), or one of the many “failed to deliver” overhyped stars (like Matthew McConaghy). Good luck!
90s stars? I would have to put Michael Douglas somewhere in there, even though he really straddles the mid-eighties to 90s. I especially like how he pretty much creates the “sexually-oppressed male genre.” At one point (from 1985-95) Michael Keaton was one of the 80s-90s biggest stars as well. Blossom and joey Lawrence seem synonymous in my mind, (1990-95), Geena Davis seems to me to be a very 90s star (culminating in Long Kiss Goodnight). Johnny Depp seems to be the other candidate (besides Clooney) who has really created an enduring star image…you could also go the opposite way and use Nicolas Cage as one of those guys…or who can forget Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, who seems to encapsulate all of this stuff.
I would always recommend Geoff King’s cultural reading of Will Smith “Stardom in The Willenium” which talks about the star as corporate synergy.
You might also go the Planet Hollywood route, which really petered out in the 90s, but was pretty emblematic for the combination of Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone thing and was “so-90s” beginning witht he first restaurant in 1991.
To me though, Tom Hanks is the biggest star of them all. He has gone even further with all of this stuff in the last 20-30 years. 2-3 Oscars, working with the almost all of the money directors (Ron Howard, Robert Zemeckis, Jonathon Demme, Steven Spielberg, Nora Ephron, and even the Coen Brothers ) Production companies HBO, Pixar, Dreamworks and Playtone (and even the producer of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, which made him billions of bucks). I hate to say it, but he’s your man.
Good luck with the writing.
CT
the one that comes to mind for me immediately is J.Lo. definitely Angelina though too… and its interesting thinking about indie film in the early 90s and it seems like star directors have been as important in the development of star personae… Im thinking particularly of someone like Tarantino using an old star like Travolta and then stars emerging from working with specific directors.
it seems like alot of the really big identifable male stars are relatively conventionally masculine whereas some of the women like angelina and j.lo their whole thing is about something being different.
but then again, i hardly ever go to the movies so who knows.
m.
Leo had an interesting trajectory through the 1990s and that awkward brush with superstardom post-Titanic. Jeff Goldblum has always been interesting to me, too, but perhaps he’s not active enough these days. Kiefer is another one - I guess he was in the wilderness by 1990 (?) - but I found his resurrection and the quality of his later work completely surprising.