Quote:
Originally posted by paigowprincess
That is sort of my point. Like why the lofty NYT needs to stoop to the level of a People or an Entertainment Weekly.
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Oh hell, they probably did the same thing citing Ah-nold and Stallone when Vin Diesel came onto the scene in
Pitch Black. Or the Rock in
The Runaway.
There are actors that generally fill in certain archetypal characters in Hollywood, and we, the movie going audience, generally expect that there will be some cute early twenty something type (usually American, but not always) to star in a series of romantic comedies and thrillers. These actresses generally do the same type of role for a few years and then do their "serious" role and move on beyond the innocent but resilient girl who gets a few hard knocks but is triumphent in the end (unless she dies tragically). Reece Witherspoon doesn't really fit the model, because most of her early work has been making fun of that archetype (see
Freeway,
Election,
Pleasantville,
American Psycho and
Legally Blonde.) Julia Ormond tried for a few years (
Legends of the Fall,
First Knight, and
Sabrina), but she wasn't really good. Kate Beckensale also tried (
Much Ado About Nothing,
Brokedown Palace) but she deviated from the path and tried to come back to the role when she was too old (
Pearl Harbor,
Serendipity). Drew Barrymore's personal, er, history prevented her from ever getting that role, though she tried in
Never Been Kissed. Renee Zelwigger probably had the title for awhile, especially after
Jerry Maguire. Kirsten Dunst probably is a hell of a lot closer than anyone else at this point to filling that role (and she was born in 1982, so she's got some years to hold the title if she wants it), though since she's been acting for so long, she may want to do something else. Thora Birch, Christina Ricci, Claire Danes, Natalie Portman, Winona Ryder, and a variety of others didn't make the cut because they did too many dark and off beat characters. Katie Holmes, Selma Blair, the American Pie cast, all of them are too no-name or too low-brow and don't have the star qualities. Gwyneth didn't make the cut because she's never really exuded cute.
I don't know if this particular person is going to fill the archetype, but it's probably either her or Mandy Moore.
