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Why We Keep Seeing The Same Actors

The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Conn chapter.

If you’re chronically online like me, I’m sure you’ve recently heard about the upcoming American Psycho remake, a retelling of the cult classic film based on the book of the same title. The original movie centers on finance bro or investment banker Patrick Bateman, played by Christian Bale, who lives a double life as a serial killer. It’s already been revealed the new project will led by Gen Z’s favorite director, Luca Guidagnino, and will be more of a direct take on the book. Following the announcement of this remake, those on the internet were battling over which of the white boys of the month would be the leading man. Jacobs Elordi was the public’s choice until it was declared that the other Elvis, Austin Butler, would take the mantle of Patrick Bateman. Many were fatigued by the discussion due to Elordi’s prominence in media since his debut. The fatigue was only worsened by the casting of Butler, another young and popular actor. However, this debate piqued my interest in why we keep seeing the same revolving door of young actors and actresses. I’ll dive into this phenomenon’s origins and its modern-day implications.

AUSTIN BUTLER as Elvis in Warner Bros. Pictures’ drama “ELVIS,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

the past

To put all of this in perspective, let’s turn to the history of casting to understand where we’ve come to today. The idea of the movie star was created in the 1910s when actors were first integrated into films. This also started the notion of seeing movies for a specific actor and creating nicknames like “America’s Sweetheart” for film stars. At this time, studios had control over every aspect of filmmaking and the distribution of films; they even owned movie theaters! Studio would also hold their actors in long-term contracts, meaning actors signed to Fox only appeared in that studio’s films for the duration of their contract.

This way of casting, often referred to as the studio system, lasted until the 1950s, after the introduction of television and the Supreme Court case titled United States v. Paramount Pictures, which killed film studios’ oligopoly. The 1960s provided actors with independence and freedom, allowing them to venture out and work with different studios, directors, genres, and types of films—the kind of entertainment industry we’re used to seeing. However, the Hollywood of the past cemented certain practices we still see in use like the star system.

The star system was a pillar of the studio era, where executives plucked young attractive actors out of a crowd and made them new personas with different backgrounds and names. The actor’s life could be completely different from the saga sold to the public. Studios would create these stars to headline their films so they could draw in fans and money. Though actors may keep their real names and share their personal lives now, Hollywood is still relatively the same. Where we have a constant cycle of the same actors seemingly in every film, until fading in the background letting the new generation hold the reins. This has been seen with Tom Cruise in the 80s and 90s, rom-com queens like Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock, and now with actors like Glen Powell.

modern-day implications

This constant rotation of stars is something that’s woven into the fabric of Hollywood. However, it seems that the public has taken notice and is growing tired. The internet has deemed that actors like Austin Butler, or Barry Keoghan, and actresses like Sydney Sweeney are snatching up every new movie role, and we’re in a constant loop. It’s believed newer or more diverse actors are missing out on chances since studios are going with the safe bet, they believe will bring in money.

Despite the star system always existing, Hollywood is also very reactionary. We’ve seen some of the most diverse content this past decade and a half regarding race, gender, and sexuality. However, since the pandemic, the entertainment industry has taken many hits leading it to try to lower spending costs, which has led to a drop in diverse content. Studios are returning to their tried and true; having movies centered on white people with white leading actors. They’re also centering actors like Austin Butler and Barry Keoghan in main roles since they’re known to bring in money and media attention.

concluding thoughts

Despite being a fan of a few of these actors and their work, I understand where people come from with these complaints. We’ve seen the same few actors in every film these past two years. From Twisters to Saltburn, the public has been bombarded with the same faces. I’m hoping that Hollywood will make a return to diverse content allowing the ascension of new talent. However, it seems we’re stuck in this endless cycle of Austin Butlers, and Sydney Sweeneys, at least for the time being.

Sagal M

U Conn '25

Sagal is a senior at the University of Connecticut. She's studying Political Science. She's hopes to become a lawyer focusing on civil rights law. Her favorite hobbies are watching rom-coms and reading books.