MovieChat Forums > Paul Newman Discussion > When did Hollywood leading men stop look...

When did Hollywood leading men stop looking great?

posted 9 years ago by Eva_Marrie
25 replies | jump to latest

I've bemoaned this multiple times, but I just never seem to get over it. Can someone please tell me in which decade specifically did this current fashion for thoroughly homely American male movie stars begin and why? Why do current Hollywood execs refuse to select for the sort of picture perfect looks that Paul had (he literally never took a bad photo)?

The reason I ask is that this seems to be specifically an American malaise. Latin American hear throbs look so amazing that your eyes hurt (including height). When casting Slumdog Millionaire, the director aimed to find an Indian actor for the lead, but failed because everyone he saw was just too handsome and too muscled for the part (he ended up going with a Brit)! I can list several classically handsome and currently working Brits, Australians, Scandinavians, Canadians (mostly in prestige TV).

And yet not one traditionally attractive (with nice, pleasing, proportional features) American with a current solid career!! The so-called A-listers are all either plain, have weird asymmetric features, or are terminally boring even if they do happen to have nice face (I'm looking at you, Clooney!).

I just don't get it... What happened to all the potential modern Newmans (or Redfords or Monty Clifts etc.)? Is there something wrong with American genes? Are they all working in modelling or daytime soap operas? Is there something wrong with the eyesight of casting directors when it comes to selecting US actors (but it works perfectly fine when casting foreigners)??

I mean - how did we end up with Chaning Tatum of all people???

[–] n/a

This message has been deleted by the poster

[–] metalman091 8 years ago

I agree.

As a straight male, I can still say that the male sex symbols today are a joke [Vin Diesel? Dwayne Johnson? COME ON!]

What sets Paul Newman apart from actors of today is the he could actually ACT. He didn't trade on his good looks to be popular. He didn't star in stupid superhero movies over and over like the very bland Chris Evans or the generic Henry Cavill.

Also people went to see Newman because he was a star. They don't go to a Chris Evans movie to see him, they only go to see CAPTAIN AMERICA. There just don't appear to be any stars today who have the charisma that Newman, Montgomery Clift, Rock Hudson, Gregory Peck or Tyrone Power possessed in spades.

[–] myndchanger 8 years ago

Because we are supposedly empowering women, and everyone else. Strong white guys are a dying breed, especially if their blond.

[–] SixtiesAmethyst 8 years ago

"Strong white guys" are a dying breed because their faces were forced down all of our throats for decades on television and on the big screen. People got tired of that. What's wrong with showcasing all people? I enjoy seeing Asian people, black, white, Latin, etc. What is it they say about variety??

[–] R_Kane (15828) 6 years ago

They say that variety for the sake of variety is variety. It’s what’s called a tautology. You’re what’s called a racist.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

R_Kaned!

POW!!

[–] myndchanger 8 years ago

Forced down our throats for decades? Do you mean those white guys that went to war in 1916 or the white guys that went to war in 1940? Or those white guys that dragged their wife and kids across a unknown territory trying to find a few acres that would support their family? SixtiesAmeyhyst, explain to me, please.

[–] SixtiesAmethyst 8 years ago

Yes, only "white guys" did these things in American history. You go ahead and keep living in the land of delusion. I hear it's beautiful this time of year!

[–] metalman091 8 years ago

It appears that there are many who do not find Channing Tatum attractive. It's his physique that gets their interest. I don't know how we ended up with Henry Cavill, Chris Evans, Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Chris Hemsworth or Brad Pitt as sex symbols. What happened to Hemsworth? He looks terrible lately.

Paul Newman was not just a handsome blank. He was a real actor with classic good looks, talent and charisma. He was unique. You never forgot him when you saw him. The others I mentioned are basically forgettable. Tatum would like to make the same kinds of films that Newman had done - by his own admission -, but what are the odds of that happening?

[–] filmklassik 8 years ago

I think changer was talking about percentages. Because America was and remains a majority white country, it stands to reason that a majority of the men who did the things he mentioned in his post had white skin.

Likewise, I suspect the majority of Japanese citizens who fought for the Emperor in World War II had non-white skin.

So what?

If you lived in India, would you be complaining about all the "non white faces" the Indian film industry was "forcing down your throat." Probably not, becaus India is a majority non-white country.

My point: A country's media tends to reflect the ethnic composition of the country as a whole.

Was this true during Jim Crow? Probably not. But it's certainly true today.

It's really no big deal.