Welcome to The Last Star In Hollywood! In this introductory episode, we set out our plans for the podcast, discuss what makes a star, and ask the tough questions: Has Hollywood outgrown the need for stars? What is the least Downey performance that we’ve seen Downey do? Is Tom Hanks hot?

Alastair’s impromptu, informal criteria for stardom:

• Profitability – how much money has the actor made, and how consistent are those profits?
  
  
• Longevity – how long has has the actor been acting, and how consistent has their career been?
  
  
• Exclusivity – to what degree is the actor primarily or exclusively a leading actor in feature films?
  
  
• Iconicity – to what degree is the actor’s off-screen persona recognizable in or compatible with their on-screen performances?
  

Unanswered Questions:

• Are there any other current movie stars who fulfill the criteria?
  
  
• Are there any other criteria we might apply?
  
  
• Are movie stars good or bad for the industry? Are they good or bad for our shared cultural landscape?
  

Further reading:

• Tom Cruise (TheNumbers.com)
  
  
• Top 100 Stars In Leading Roles (TheNumbers.com)
  
  
• The Last Star In Hollywood: Production Schedule
  

For bonus shows, extra content and more, support The Last Star In Hollywood on Patreon.com/LastStarPod!

Join us next time for a discussion of Franco Zeffirelli’s 1981 movie, Endless Love.