British and Australian actors nailing American roles both on the big and small screen isn’t anything new, and actors like Christian Bale, Chris Hemsworth, and Andrew Lincoln are some of the few examples. Reflecting on this subject, Basic Instinct star Michael Douglas expressed his perspective on why young Americans are struggling to land roles like the Brits and Aussies.
Following his career that spans over 6-decades, Douglas has witnessed the major shift Hollywood has undergone throughout the years, as he claimed Social Media is responsible for the current scenario.
Michael Douglas’ reasoning behind British actors bagging more prominent American roles
The rise of Social Media has resulted in actors being able to communicate with their fans outside the realm of movies, but it hasn’t been all beneficial for celebrities. According to Michael Douglas, unlike the younger American actors, who have shifted their focus on cementing their image in the online landscape, the Brits are still taking the craft of acting seriously. As a result, they are acquiring “the best American roles from them”. He explained,
“Clearly, it breaks down on two fronts. In Britain they take their training seriously while in the States we’re going through a sort of social media image conscious thing rather than formal training.”
Douglas isn’t wrong, as many British stars are classically trained performers following their time in the field of theatre, which often impresses major Hollywood casting agencies, resulting in them landing major roles. The Ant-Man star had something similar to say for the Aussies, as alongside the Brits, several Aussie blokes are also leading the current Hollywood landscape.
Michael Douglas claims Aussies have more masculine figures than Americans
Further expressing his viewpoint, Michael Douglas claimed that many younger actors in the industry are pretty sensitive, and the bloom of Social Media has negatively affected their craft. As a result, he explained they don’t have many many masculine figures like Channing Tatum and Chris Pratt like the Aussies do. He explained,
“Many actors are getting caught up in this image thing which is going on to affect their range. With the Aussies, particularly with the males it’s the masculinity. In the U.S. we have this relatively asexual or unisex area with sensitive young men and we don’t have many Channing Tatums or Chris Pratts while the Aussies do. It’s a phenomena,”
Although there is still a plethora of blooming talent among young Americans, the current scenario surrounding Social Media has definitely impacted their craft in some manner. And the last few decades have witnessed a plethora of Aussie and Brits taking major American roles and leading prominent IPs.
Source: The Independent
