If Miami Vice does well this weekend at the box office, it will probably be because of the title’s built-in nostalgia appeal, not because of Colin Farrell. He’s a talented actor, and I enjoyed his performance in the movie, but while he has a certain notoriety, he doesn’t have a fan base that will open a movie on the strength of his name. Alexander, The New World, and Ask the Dust are proof of that, yet he keeps finding bigger and better roles in Hollywood movies.
MSNBC columnist Dave White has an unusual theory about why Farrell isn’t a bigger star: Americans are afraid of his overt sexuality. (As opposed, White says, to the more subtle or nonthreatening sexuality of stars like Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and George Clooney.) In other words, what makes him a gossip-column fixture also dooms him at the box office. I’m not sure I buy that, but there’s a more interesting theory hidden in White’s sub-headline: ”How you can still be a big star when your films don’t make big money.” That is, today, it’s entirely possible to gain fame strictly through the gossip media without having the box office numbers to back it up. A certain kind of benign notoriety, in turn, makes possible to keep getting hired despite repeated box office flops.
I think the pioneer of this "failing upward" syndrome is Winona Ryder. Aside from Bram Stoker’s Dracula (and Mr. Deeds, which was more Adam Sandler’s movie than hers), she’s never been in a hit movie, but she kept her name alive via the public fascination with her rock-star romances and her ill-fated shopping spree at Saks.
These days, there are plenty of failed-upward stars: Kate Hudson, Penelope Cruz, Matthew McConaughey, and Scarlett Johansson all come to mind. Still, you’d think moviegoers would come to resent Hollywood’s insistence on trying to make movie stars out of actors people don’t want to pay to see. (The classic example of this is Gretchen Mol.) Will the public tire of Farrell, Hudson, and McConaughey as well, or will they continue to be allowed to fail upward?
Are there other actors you wish Hollywood would stop hiring, or some you feel deserve another shot?
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I think Winona Ryder is a fantastic actress, with the Age of Innocence and Little women, she has the nominations to prove it, (i thought she should have won for women.) But I don’t get the Colin Farell thing at all… I don’t think he’s particularly good looking or sexy, and he looks to me like a serial rapist, I wouldn’t go to see his movies, he just looks scummy and dirty… just picking up a DVD box with his picture on it made me want to get tested for an STD.
Hello…umm Matthew McConaughey’s last movie with SJP made close to $100 million; Scareltt Johansson was nominated for an Oscar or a Golden Globe wasn’t she?
Matthew McGonaghey has led or been in a string og solid hits to his name and doesn’t belong in your failing upward list – - A Time To Kill, The Wedding Planner, Failure to Launch, The Wedding Planner, Sahara, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, U-571, Contact…
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Colin’s problem is that he’s picking the wrong movies. Why hasn’t he done a comedy? The man is hilarious in interviews! When is he going to play a romantic lead? I think he’s talented and sexy as hell.
i think the problem with actors like colin farrell are the bad choices they (or their people) make…there are only so many good films made in a year. only a handful of actors/actresses get first look at really great scripts and the rest have to scavange the crap that is left…perhaps colin has yet to find his niche? and alexander was a piece of garbage, nobody could have saved that film.
as for the others, i do not think kate hudson would be where she is if she were not related to goldie hawn, she is cute but a dime a dozen. matthew m on the other hand has had a number of modest hits and a couple of bigger hits…and he is charming. penelope cruz though, she got famous for dating tom cruise remember? another good example is sharon stone…besides basic instinct and casino she has had very few hits. mostly crap actually yet she is a huge star…why?
i am just tired of celebs in general..i dont care what they do in their spare time, i do not want to see so and so pumping gas, scratching thier bum, walking on the beach, etc. i am interested in the movies/tv shows they are in and that is it…i really wish this obsession would end.
Please stop hiring Kate Hudson and Scarlett Johannson. Both of them have done nothing to prove they are worthy of being in movies. Question: If Goldie Hawn wasn’t Kate Hudson’s mother, would she be a movie star?? NO.
Scarlett was the worst thing about Match Point, a wonderfully written and directed movie. Her outburst on the London street was the most unintentional hilarious scene EVER.
I read that article from MSNBC and there was one point the writer made that distracted me from the whole Colin Farrell debate. When he said something about we have to eventually stop paying attention to Brad Pitt’s six pack and decide if he can really act, I shook my head. Brad Pitt is a good actor. Rent 12 Monkeys (for which he earned an Oscar nomination) or Kalifornia. I agree he’s made his share of just-for-the-paycheck movies, but he’s not the only actor to do that. As for Colin Farrell, I’ve never seen any of his movies. I don’t plan to either. I wasn’t sure why until I watched NBC last Saturday to see the Miami Vice pilot (okay, I admit it. I’m a loser. But I loved that show.) Jamie Foxx was engaging and entertaining, and Colin Farrell mumbled and barely looked at the camera when they were doing their segments. I never get the feeling that Colin Farrell is engaged in the movies he makes (I’ve seen him in interviews), so I don’t care about paying $10 or $11 to see him.
Um…wasn’t Edward Scissorhands a rather big hit? And didn’t it star Winona Ryder? As did Beetlejuice?? And Heathers’ cult status alone is enough to propel her beyond the likes of the actors mentioned here.
She’s also been in a lot of critically-acclaimed films, (The Age of Innocence, Little Women, etc.) And she’s been nominated for 2 Academy Awards, a feat not achieved by anyone else Susman named as “failed upward.” (yes–Kate Hudson was nominated, too–but just once).
Not to defend all of Winona’s career…but I think Mr. Susman has a selective memory about her work.
I used to have a list of actors that I refused to like – Kelly McGillis, Molly Ringwald, Jeannie Tripplehorn, Mary Elizabeth Mastritoniomouthful, – back in the 80’s. THen it expanded to the 90s with “stars” such as Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, the old Jim Carey, Anyone who graduated from Saturday Night Live, and Hillary Swank (HATED IN HER 90210)
Today I think Jennifer Lopez, Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston (though I really tried to like her), Jessica Simpson and Collin Farrell all make that list, and if I am really in a bad mood, I will scream at the news of any Ben Afflek news. What I am saying is it will all come out in the end that these actors will be forgotten a few years from now.
Paris, Nichole… I’d love to open a magazine without tripping over them. Talk about failing upwards
This whole topic made me angry. Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson are great actresses and deserve all the roles they have been given. Lost In Translation is one of my fav movies and all of Penelope’s roles (except for Sahara) have been great…
They are constantly trying to sell us on how “sexy” Colin Farell is–what is sexy about him? He is O.K. looking, but there is absolutely nothing sexy about his behavior. I’ll take George Clooney any time over Farell. And while mumbling might have been forgiven when Marlon Brando did it, Farell just sounds silly–like he has a mouthful of marbles. Hopefully, people don’t choose their movies through the tabloids. I have no intention of seeing Miami Vice–Jamie Fox is also way overrated, to me.
With Penelope its the language barrier that hold her back. In spanish she is amazing and comfortable but when she goes into english its almost as if she doesnt even know what she is saying at times or what words to emphasize. She got famous for her movies in spanish, not because of who she dated, thats just a stupid statement. If you said that dating famous people is what she is known for NOW, then i would agree. Maybe soon she will master the language and feel more at ease. Its really uncomfortable to watch her sometimes.
Colin Farrel.. Hes alright. Sure he can scream and cry but in a way but it all seems empty to me. And as much as i dont want to admit it, his offscreen life kinda turns me off. My friend has his porn and i saw it and after that im like, ewww, hes a filthy, nasty, freak. So i dont think i will ever see him in the same way.
As for Jennifer Lopez. I like her a lot but she keeps picking crappy roles. Other than Selena, Out Of Sight and The Cell, the rest were passablle. Hopefully her next movies will be better. She can act when she chooses to. I have no idea why she doesnt…
Scarlett Johannson is one of the best actresses of her generation. Her movies aren’t hit it’s because she doesn’t really do Blockbuster movies (except for The Island…but let’s scratch that out of our memory). The movies she does never has mass appeal. She chooses her roles just like how Jake Gyllenhaal chooses his roles carefully and not just do movies for the sake of paycheques. Risks are taken. Yes, Scarlett Johansson wasn’t as good as when she was in Lost in Translation…but I still stand by statement that she is one of the best, if not the best, actress of her generation.
What about Renee Zellwegger (is that how u spell it?)?? Omigod, who gives this sour faced woman all these awesome roles. She too isn’t a box office actress, but she for some unknown reason gets lucky enough to get cast in good movies that do earn money. I would guess more due to the movie than her.
I think Scarlett’s done pretty well for herself! Lost in Translation is a lovely movie. And The Prestige looks killer.
I think it’s kind of unfair to compare the box office draw of someone like her to someone like Tom Cruise or Brad Pitt. Really, how long have they been around? And they definitely make more mainstream, blockbuster-esque movies. Not everyone can be a huge star, but that doesn’t mean they’re not successful!
All right, folks. Let’s try to put this in perspective here. This conversation seems to be about some pretty decent actors, after all. I mean, we’re not talking about Jessica Simpson or Dolph Lundgren, are we? These actors have all been in some very good movies (with some deserved nominations) and I think that we’re just being suckered into blogging here by a very gifted Mr. Susman. Please try to remember that “box office” does not necessarily make great performances (or great movies for that matter).
I don’t get the hype of Johansson. I’m not saying she is not a good actress, but it seems she has already been propelled into the category of superstardom that is usually reserved for actresses who have established themselves over a period of time, not a couple of years. That annoys me. Don’t shove it down my throat the so and so is great because it is trendy. I think that is happening a lot in entertainment media.
At first I completely dismissed the idea that Colin’s sexual persona had anything to do with his box office success, or lack thereof. Then I started reading what people write about him, here and elsewhere, and I do think it has something to do with it. When people who don’t like him write about him they mention his sex tape, they mention his man-whore behavior. I don’t think that all of those people consciously recognize it, but I think that the sexual nature of his personality does affect how people see him. Let’s face it, we see movies with people we like. If you think a person is nasty (due to said sex tape and behavior) then, yes, it has affected him. I also think the fact that he is completely unapologetic for it is another reason why people do not connect with him. The US (and that is the standard the we, as in US citizens, base success on, in typical egotistical US fashion) will forgive you for just about anything sexual if you cry and say you are sorry, a la Bill Clinton, Frank Gifford, Jimmy Swaggart, Hugh Grant, and Marv Albert to name a very few.
I would also like to see less hype around Renee Zellwegger, as mentioned, and Jennifer Aniston. I’d love to hear less about Paris Hilton, but I don’t consider her to be an actor so she doesn’t quite fall into this category.
I think Kate Hudson has the potential to be a great actress. Would she be as known now if it weren’t for her being Goldie Hawn’s daughter? Probably not, but I think in the little she has done she has proven herself to be capable. At the very least she can be a great RC actress.
If you look at that list of the actors mentioned I think you can see that they all share a non-traditional viewpoint as seen by the public. Kate is a hippie chick, a woman who lets her son’s hair grow long, and has made weird comments about her marriage and cheating. McConaughey is considered to be a party boy, the naked bongo beating pothead. Cruz the cute but very heavily accented actress who is lumped together in stories with other actresses who share a heavy accent and a Latin background. Ryder, the shoplifting and before that the odd gothic-grunge looking girl. I just think that all of these actors do not connect with middle America because of how they are seen. Hollywood does not think like middle America, so that may not compute for those who hire the actors. They may see some one original with a potential for great talent.
All right, folks. Let’s try to put this in perspective here. This conversation seems to be about some pretty decent actors, after all. I mean, we’re not talking about Jessica Simpson or Dolph Lundgren, are we? These actors have all been in some very good movies (with some deserved nominations) and I think that we’re just being suckered into blogging here by a very gifted Mr. Susman. Please try to remember that “box office” does not necessarily make great performances (or great movies for that matter).
Sorry for the double post. My computer got “stuck”.
George Clooney – a huge failing upward…
what i’m sick & tired of seeing is actors like Matthew McConaughey, Kate Hudson, Julia Roberts, Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Owen Wilson, etc. who for the most part basically PLAY THE SAME ROLE IN EVERY MOVIE THEY ARE IN. you all know exactly what i’m talking about. sure, they are all extremely likable, charming, & capable actors, but it’s just that every time you see one of them on screen his/her character’s personality is so unoriginal & predictable, which to me equals boring lazy acting, phoning it in, so to speak. so is it more the fault of the actors, the screenwriters, the directors, the producers, or the studio executives ???
First of all, George Clooney, j?
All he did was just get an Oscar and direct a great film. Tool.
And having just seen MIAMI VICE, I would hardly call it a “failure”. If you measure everything by box office performance instead of the art, there are plenty of “failures” every week. VICE is another succes for Michael Mann, Colin Farrell, and Jamie Foxx, regardless of how it does at the box office.
I don’t think anyone has failed up more than B. Lo (What I used to call Affleck the elder before Bennifer II). If Kevin Smith or he and Matt didn’t write something he was in, it SUCKED somethin’ awful. There may be hope for Hollywoodland, but he looks as wooden as Al Gore on the campaign trail.
Ummm….please leave Josh Lucas and Topher Grace out of movies. Grace has “In Good Company”, appearances in both Ocean’s movies, and Spider-man 3 (and that’s an established franchise). He’s a terrible actor with even less box office appeal. As for Lucas, he bombed in “Stealth” and “Poseiden” so let him die with those two. He’s a decent actor, just not worthy of making the bucks of a bonafide star. As for giving someone another chance, let’s get Clive Owen in more movies! Great actor who can pull off the gritty look of “King Arthur” or even play James Bond if he wanted to. He’s great, go see his stuff.
I never understand why Hollywood keeps pushing JLo and Jennifer Aniston in our face? Why? Both cannot act their way out of a paperbag and are more tabloid stars with overzealous publicists. And yes put Ben Affleck on that list too. I hope he disappears.
Actually Colin Farrell, Scarlett Johanson and even Winona Ryder have more acting talents that the talentless trio names above.
who wrote this dumbass article?
Renee Zellweger and Matt Damon come to mind but most of all, Hugh Grant.
What a stupid article.
This is a little unfair with Winona Ryder. For two reasons ten years ago, was very difficult to a movie to made 100 m. So there are other 3 or 4 movies that could name hits. However it’s true that she had not a big hit between Little Women and Mr Deeds (not also a big failure). And she was two times Oscar Nominated. The same thing we can said of Hillary Swank and Gwynneth Paltrow, the won Oscar.
I think the reason of Colin Farrell success has two words: HIS AGENT