Politics are downstream of culture, and that grows truer by the day. And it’s become especially true with regard to pop culture.
Entertainment and technology are key parts of pop culture, so we’re taking you to the front lines of the culture war by addressing some of the best — and strangest — stories from that world in this recurring column exclusive to members of The Western Journal.
One of the worst-kept secrets in Hollywood is that its demise may not, in fact, be greatly exaggerated.
After a bloodbath 2023, and a so–so 2024, Hollywood is clearly looking to keep that momentum going into a far more fruitful 2025.
(Early returns are mixed on that, so far, according to The Hollywood Reporter.)
With lofty goals like that, it sure would be nice if there were a bunch of bona fide, grade-A movie stars to hitch their wagons to, wouldn’t it?
Too bad that you can count the number of true Hollywood stars on one hand these days — this writer is struggling to think of anyone current off the top of his head outside of Tom Cruise, Chris Pratt, and maybe Will Smith — and that problem doesn’t appear to be getting any better, according to the daughter of one Hollywood star.
Maya Hawke, daughter of actor Ethan Hawke and an accomplished actress herself, spoke on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast about a number of topics.
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But nothing garnered the headlines quite like Hawke’s revelation about what sort of qualifications that casting directors were looking at.
(Spoiler alert: It’s not acting ability.)
As reported by outlets ranging from left-leaning Variety to right-leaning OutKick, Hawke revealed that Hollywood casting bigwigs place an outsized importance on … Instagram followers.
Seriously.
“I don’t care about Instagram,” Hawke said on the podcast, according to Variety. “Instagram sucks. Right, well, just so you know, if you have over this many followers, you can get the movie funded. It’s a really confusing line to walk …
“I’m talking about deleting my Instagram and [some directors are] like, ‘Just so you know, when I’m casting a movie with some producers, they hand me a sheet with the amount of collective followers I have to get from the cast. So if you delete your Instagram and I lose those followers, understand these are the kinds of people I need to cast around you.’”
That telling anecdote actually explains a lot about the state of Hollywood.
Who cares about acting ability or, you know, talent, when you have social media clout to chase?
It’s well-established at this point in time that social media has introduced a new wave of brain rot to society that’s deeply entrenched. The fact that that brain rot is spilling over into Hollywood was both incredibly predictable and incredibly tragic.
How can true movie stars be made in this sort of environment, where vapid social media clicks are determining any casting role whatsoever?
For crying out loud, Hollywood is notorious for nepotism, but at least even nepotism keeps it somewhat within the subculture.
People can attain tons of social media followers these days simply by marinating chicken in NyQuil.
It’s insanity, and a big reason why Hollywood appears to be in the shape it’s in. In short: the entire industry (or, at least most of it) is focused on all the wrong stuff.
Somewhere along the line, Hollywood stopped asking questions like “What does this actor bring to the film/role?” or “Will this entertain our audience?” and started asking questions like, “Who has the most Instagram followers?” and “Is the film inclusive enough?”
It’s little wonder that President Donald Trump turned to old-school Hollywood types when he appointed actors Mel Gibson, Jon Voight, and Sylvester Stallone to be his “special ambassadors” to Hollywood and to help re-usher in its Golden Age.
Given what young Ms. Hawke has had to spill about Hollywood, sounds like Rocky, Mad Max and Oscar Manheim have their work cut out for them.
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