When Hollywood stardom outshines its actors

Hollywood has a funny way of making an actor famous before audiences truly know what they can do. 

One major franchise role can change an actor’s career overnight. And that can either be extremely scary or significantly beneficial – probably both at once.

Suddenly, a performer who was relatively unknown becomes a superhero, a “Star Wars” character or the face of the next blockbuster franchise. For young actors trying to break into Hollywood, that kind of opportunity is almost impossible to ignore.

But here’s the bigger question: How do you become a franchise star without becoming only a franchise star?

Hollywood has made younger actors carry the weight of some of its biggest movies and television series. For the stars, the appeal is obvious. A franchise offers something difficult to find early in a career: stability. 

Instead of constantly wondering where the next job is coming from, an actor can land a role that has the potential to last for multiple movies or seasons while putting their name in front of the biggest crowd they could imagine.

From the outside, that sounds like a dream.

But there is a catch.

When audiences strongly associate an actor with one character, it’s difficult to separate the performer from that role. That is especially true when the character comes from a franchise with decades of history and a passionate fanbase.

Milly Alcock is an interesting example.

After becoming known for playing Rhaenyra Targaryen in HBO’s “House of the Dragon,” Alcock landed the role of Kara Zor-El in DC’s “Supergirl.” Now, regardless of whether the movie was successful or not, Alcock was set to represent another enormous franchise. 

In an interview with Variety, Alcock stated she had “little appetite to work in another franchise.” What changed her mind was finding a personal connection to Kara. 

“My personal experience of being Milly mirrored Kara’s experience, which was ‘Hide. Run away. Pretend it’s not happening,’” she said. “And then you have to face it to heal a part of yourself that you’ve been neglecting.”

Alcock’s distinction and deliverance speak not only for herself, but for other actors with similar experiences.

There is a difference between taking a franchise role because it is simply the biggest job available and taking one because you genuinely see something creatively interesting in it. As a movie and television fan, this is what I find most interesting about Hollywood’s casting trend. 

I want to see new actors get new opportunities. I would rather take a chance on someone who can grow into a role than watch the same established stars get recycled over and over again. 

But at the same time, I don’t want an actor’s entire identity to become tied to the first huge character that made them famous.

The best careers seem to tread the precarious line in between.

Finn Wolfhard became instantly recognizable to many through Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” but he’s also pursued projects outside the series, including acting in Jesse Eisenberg’s “When You Finish Saving the World.”

Wolfhard has previously noted  Daniel Radcliffe and Eisenberg as examples of actors who successfully moved beyond the identities audiences initially associated with them.

The blueprint can simply be: “use the franchise, but don’t let the franchise use you.” 

But is it that easy? 

The challenge is making sure there is still room for actors to grow. 

That could mean taking smaller films between franchise installments – even producing, writing or indulging in working in theater. The goal is to use the exposure that comes with a major franchise while still building an identity beyond it.

Hollywood’s newest stars don’t necessarily have to choose between financial stability and creative freedom. A franchise can provide the platform, while projects outside of it can help an actor establish who they are as a performer rather than a character.

And I think that’s what makes this new generation different from previous ones.

Inde Navarette shows exactly what this could look like; before starring in Curry Barker’s “Obsession,” Navarette built her career through smaller roles such as “13 Reasons Why” and “Superman & Lois.”

Then, “Obsession” gave her a breakout opportunity that put her in a greater position. From there on, Navarette jumped straight into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, landing the role of Rogue in the upcoming “X-Men” reboot.

Her career is a perfect example of how quickly a young actor can move from smaller projects to a major franchise without having to start there. To me, that’s what makes these opportunities so exciting. 

The franchise can be the next step in an actor’s career, not necessarily their entire life.

Avoiding becoming the next big franchise star isn’t the goal – it’s to make sure that when the franchise eventually ends or that role comes to a pause, audiences are still interested in seeing what comes next.

A good character can introduce an actor to the world, but the actor still gets to decide what they want the world to remember them for.