Harrison Ford:
The Star System In Hollywood
The Star System in Hollywood is what powers the rise of unknowns into household names and Hollywood fame. The Star, the actor and even the real person all play a role in the success and failure of an actor or actress, personas which in combination will be able to make or break a film before it is even released. Harrison Ford manages this expertly, a rough yet heroic star, a quick witted and dead pan actor, and the actual person hidden away from the public kept extremely private. These traits are what make Harrison Ford as popular to the public and integral to American culture as he is, and a prime example of the Star System at work.
The Star System is essentially the selection, creation and exploitation of actors and …show more content…
“Stars can save studios because stars sell films” (Belton, 2013, 90). Harrison Ford’s biggest breakthroughs all share the same general attributes – roguish, head strong, masculine and quick witted, talking back to the antagonists with no fear. “You want to talk to God? Let’s go see him together; I’ve got nothing better to do” (Spielberg, 1981). Even the physical appearance stays very similar, with a slightly rugged feel (see figure 1). The facial expressions and emotions also carry over, which is a testament to his acting and brings around the point – Harrison Ford plays the rogue-like hero extremely well. This is not to say he is unable to play other characters, another popular alter ego is the hardened, slightly grizzled authoritative figure as seen in many of his lesser, yet still successful films such as that of Colonel Graff in Enders Game. “Many actors resist typecasting and try to alter the kinds of characters they plan on the screen from film to film” (Belton, 2013, 96). Although not typecast as many actors fall victim to, his most successful characters certainly fall into the same type and
The Star System In Hollywood
The Star System in Hollywood is what powers the rise of unknowns into household names and Hollywood fame. The Star, the actor and even the real person all play a role in the success and failure of an actor or actress, personas which in combination will be able to make or break a film before it is even released. Harrison Ford manages this expertly, a rough yet heroic star, a quick witted and dead pan actor, and the actual person hidden away from the public kept extremely private. These traits are what make Harrison Ford as popular to the public and integral to American culture as he is, and a prime example of the Star System at work.
The Star System is essentially the selection, creation and exploitation of actors and …show more content…
“Stars can save studios because stars sell films” (Belton, 2013, 90). Harrison Ford’s biggest breakthroughs all share the same general attributes – roguish, head strong, masculine and quick witted, talking back to the antagonists with no fear. “You want to talk to God? Let’s go see him together; I’ve got nothing better to do” (Spielberg, 1981). Even the physical appearance stays very similar, with a slightly rugged feel (see figure 1). The facial expressions and emotions also carry over, which is a testament to his acting and brings around the point – Harrison Ford plays the rogue-like hero extremely well. This is not to say he is unable to play other characters, another popular alter ego is the hardened, slightly grizzled authoritative figure as seen in many of his lesser, yet still successful films such as that of Colonel Graff in Enders Game. “Many actors resist typecasting and try to alter the kinds of characters they plan on the screen from film to film” (Belton, 2013, 96). Although not typecast as many actors fall victim to, his most successful characters certainly fall into the same type and