Contemporary Hollywood Stardom Edited by Thomas Austin & Martin Barker
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Contemporary Hollywood Stardom Edited by Thomas Austin & Martin Barker A member of the Hodder Headline Group LONDON Distributed in the USA by Oxford University Press, Inc., New York Acknowledgements This book derives from the conference 'Film Stars in the '90s', held at the University of Sussex in 2001. Thanks to everybody who helped organise, and who participated in, this event. Apologies to those whose work we were unable to include in diis collection. Thanks also to Charlotte Adcock and Martin Shingler, and to Lesley Riddle. First published in Great Britain in 2003 by Arnold, a member of the Hodder Headline Group, 338 Eustoa Road, London NW1 3BH Distributed in the United States of America by Oxford University Press Inc. 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY10016 © 2003 Edward Arnold (Publishers) Limited All rights reserved. No part of diis publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, including photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system, widiout either prior permission in writing from the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying. In die United Kingdom such licences are issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency: 90 Tottenham Court Road, London WIT 4LP. The advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of going to press, but neither die editors nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for diis book is available from die British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data A catalog record for diis book is available from the Library of Congress ISBN 0 340 809361 (hb) ISBN 0 340 80937X (pb) 3456789 10 Typeset in 9.5 on 13pt Baskerville Book by Phoenix Photosetting, Chadiam, Kent Printed and bound in Malta. Contents Introduction - Martin Barker 1 Section 1 Star Systems Introduction 25 1 Paul McDonald Stars in the Online Universe: Promotion, Nudity, Reverence 29 2 Barry King Embodying an Elastic Self: 'The Parametrics of Contemporary Stardom 45 3 Geoff King Stardom in the Willennium 62 4 Matt Hills Putting Away Childish 'Things: Jar Jar Sinks and the 'Virtual Star' as an Object of Fan Loathing 74 5 Paul Wells To Affinity and Beyond: Woody, Buzz and the New Authenticity 90 Section 2 Star Performances Introduction 103 6 Christine Geraghty Performing as a Lady and a Dame: Reflections on Acting and Genre 105 7 Sharon Marie Garnicke From Acting Guru to Hollywood Star: Lee Strasberg as Actor 118 8 Thomas Austin Men in Suits: Costume, Performance and Masculinity in the Batman Films 135 Section 3 Stars and their Audiences Introduction 151 9 Ian Huffer 'What Interest does a Fat Stallone Have for an Action Fan?': Male Film Audiences and the Structuring of Stardom 155 10 Maire Messenger Davies and Roberta Pearson Stardom and Distinction: Patrick Stewart as an Agent of Cultural Mobility - A Study of Theatre and Film Audiences in New Jbrk City 167 11 Joanne Lacey 'A Galaxy of Stars to Guarantee Ratings': Made-for-Television Movies and the Female Star System 187 Section 4 Stars and Gender, Generation, Cultural Identity Introduction 199 12 Peter Kramer 'A Woman in a Male-Dominated World': Jodie Foster, Stardom and 90s Hollywood 201 13 Cynthia Baron From Tormented Genius to Sexual Adventurer: Stars and Masculinity in the Jekyll and Hyde Films 215 14 Julian Stringer Scrambling Hollywood: Asian Stars/Asian American Star Cultures 229 15 Ewan Kirkland 'Peter Pan 's my Dad?!?' The Man-Child Persona of Robin Williams 243 Section 5 Star Controversies Introduction 255 16 Alan Lovell 7 Went in Search of Deborah Kerr, Jodie Foster and Juhanne Moore but got Waylaid...' 259 Contributors' details 271 Bibliography 273 Index 286 IV INTRODUCTION Martin Barker1 This book has two purposes. First, we want to contribute to the reawakening of star studies, after a period in which they have seemed to lose the energy that characterised their early 1980s life. We believe that the essays gathered here contribute much original thought to the field.2 Second, we believe that stardom itself has changed significantly in the last decade, in ways that challenge a number of the ideas that became 'common sense' in star studies in that early, lively period. Two events at the start of the 1990s symbolise the changes. In 1991 Michael Katzenberg, at the zenith of his career within the Disney Corporation, wrote a 28-page memo to Michael Eisner. He and Eisner had been hired in 1984 to turn around Disney's increasingly dismal fortunes - and they had succeeded, beyond anyone's expectations. The memo, leaked into legend, was a savage attack on the studios' addiction to stars, and their mega-salaries. At issue was the notion of 'bankability', the idea that the surest way to manage the risks associated with film productions was to have one, maybe several, 'names' which could help launch a film. This idea, which had particularly been promoted by the 1980s independent production companies (such as Miramax, Cinergi, CarolCo and New Line) had had its day, argued Eisner. Stars (and indeed their agents) were receiving inflated salaries. They were increasingly demanding 'points' (proportions of theatrical gross) in films, control over scripts, and in some cases, even effective say over direction. They were demanding - and sometimes receiving - rights over publicity regimes, merchandising and other intellectual property processes. Studios' dependence on a small crop of A-list stars was making them vulnerable to these demands. And for what return? Eisner cited Warren Beatty's Dick Tracy (1990, USA) - a 'beautiful movie', he recently conceded (Empire, August 2001), but seen as a box-office failure.3 Speaking from within Disney which, within four years, would become Hollywood's top studio, Katzenberg could say something more easily than other studios; Disney, under Eisner's and Katzenberg's leadership, was rediscovering - or reinventing - its animation roots. The second event bears comparison. In 1993 Arnold Schwarzenegger released his (John McTierney-directed) The Last Action Hero (1993, USA). Arnie, perhaps more than anyone else, personified the heights to which stars had aspired during the 1980s. He was one of Contemporary Hollywood Stardom the sure-fire guarantors of big movie money. Bidding for his presence was now a game in itself, and Columbia Pictures, recently acquired by Sony, had fought hard to win him. Acquiring the script idea from a couple of unknowns, they had spent $3 million just on developing it and wooing him. The film was important enough that Sony used it as the launch platform for its new sound system, Sony Dynamic Digital Sound (SDDS), hoping that cinemas would be willing to retool on the back of this guaranteed earner (Sergi, 1998: 165). It was very much Arnie's movie - his imprint can be found in everything, even down to the design of its poster. And he would use this movie to move forward his image to a new gentler phase, reducing the violence while keeping the muscular action and trademark catchphrases. The movie substantially overran its $60 million budget, but few worried - Arnie's name was sure to bring in the goods. It was only when Columbia examined preliminary responses, and looked at the release- window competition, that nervous bells started clanging. Preview audiences were pretty bored. And Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park (1993, USA) was scheduled for release one week earlier, with a potentially substantial audience overlap. On that film, the vibes were simply tremendous, the epicentre of which was the rumour of digital dinosaurs. The Last Action Hero's death at the box office has echoed through Hollywood.4 It was not that it lost money (in the end, after video, cable, television and the laid-off risks of licensed properties, few movies are absolute losers; Last Action's eventual box office earnings amounted to $121 million on a budget of $60 million, with video adding at least $40 million worldwide), it was the way its 'failure' undercut a decade and a half's received wisdom. Columbia was deeply wounded by the experience, to the extent that some commentators wondered whether Sony would sell the company. The idea that certain star names gave such release security that they could be allowed to run the show was badly dented. It is easy to exaggerate such changes. If in 1990 Katzenberg was attacking star power, in 1999 the Guardian in Britain was reporting that studio executives were 'grumbling' about hiked stars' fees, perks, etc., while alongside expensive star-driven flops like Harrison Ford in Random Hearts (1999, USA), Nic Cage in Bringing Out The Dead (1999, USA) and Kevin Costner in For Love of the Game (1999, USA) were such star-free hits as American Pie (1999, USA) and The Blair Witch Project (1999, USA); Tom Dewe Mathews commented, 'They're not just rich and famous. They're in charge' (Guardian, 19 November 1999). In 2000, Richard Corliss noted the same tendencies that Katzenberg was bemoaning a decade earlier: All right, Tom Cruise won, his Mission Impossible coasted to an easy victory in the summer box-office race, with $213 million in domestic grosses. Cruise did what movie stars are supposed to do: climb a rockface, save the girl and the world and, in the process, make a bundle for himself INTRODUCTION and his backers. But take a look at the runners-up, and you will find a few surprises - unpleasant ones, for an industry that pays dearly for celebrity wattage to attract customers. The return on star investment is falling like a dotcom stock. Hollywood bosses have to wonder: Have we entered the poststar era? CSo Much for Star Power', Time/ 4 September 2000: 75) Still, the persistence of the complaints suggests new forces and new tensions in play.