When I was growing up, there was such a thing as a movie star. You had Angelina Jolie, Lindsay Lohan, Halle Berry, and Denzel Washington to name a few. They were always promoting a movie or coming out of a scandal, and E! News kept you at the edge of your seat when there was a rumor about a fight or a divorce, and you had to know somebody who knew somebody to know what was really going on. However, those times are in the past.
In the age of social media, we’ve not only lost our privacy, but we’ve also lost the movie star. The days when celebrities only existed on the red carpet or in the movies are over because social media made the general public feel entitled to the private lives of the rich and wealthy. We’ve fallen in love with relatable celebrities who deal with the same insecurities and struggles we do. As a result, most celebrities feel required to overshare and divulge every single aspect of their life. In this case, the old saying, “familiarity breeds contempt,” rings true. Sadly we’ve lost the admiration that we used to have for stars when they appeared so god-like and untouchable.
Streaming hasn’t made that any better. Since people don’t go to theaters anymore, there’s no need for big premieres on the red carpet. These days, if the movie isn’t in the MCU, it isn’t worth seeing. Even in the case of a movie like The Super Mario Bros, many people are waiting for it to go on streaming. As a matter of fact, Prime Video is already hinting at a release date. Mind you, the movie just came out on April 5th, and it’s had the biggest opening week for an animated feature ever. With shorter times in the theaters, stars aren’t able to capitalize on the red carpet. Instead, they’re going on podcasts and teaming up with YouTubers to appeal to younger audiences. Before this era, actors would go on world tours like musicians. On the bright side, stars don’t have as much burnout, but they also aren’t burning as bright as they used to.
Cancel culture was the final nail in the coffin for the movie star. In some ways, it’s been a blessing, as we have thrown some real trash out in the past ten years. But in other ways, it’s been annoying because we’ve denied some actors from learning and moving on from their mistakes. Either way, people are scared to put these people on a pedestal because they’re not perfect, and that makes it harder for them to be defended. All in all, movie stars are dead, and they most likely will not be coming back. Still, I’d love to reflect the question back to you, the audience. What do you think killed the movie star?