By: Open Book
Warner Brothers finally revealed who will play the iconic Superman character in their next film, British actor Henry Cavill. However, Americans are complaining more and more acting jobs are being outsourced to British, Australian and Canadian actors. Jimmy Kimmel (a late night talk show host) gave a funny monologue in which he highlighted all American Superheroes like Spiderman, Batman and Superman, are now being played by British actors.[1] Yet, casting agents are blaming the Internet!! In a recent article on Reuters online entitled American Superheroes Missing in Hollywood [2]a casting agent stated; “Thanks to the Net, casting directors can now e-mail sides (script pages) to the most remote of locales, and then record auditions they will show directors and producers. Not only does that level the playing field, it also saves money on far-flung casting calls. We as casting directors want to be thorough, and now we can…………”
There may be a few reasons American actors are loosing roles to their foreign counterparts. Yes! More competition due to the Internet is one reason but another may be more definitive. Could it be preparation and education, international marketing, shorter film development and or reality T.V.? Part-1 of this article will only focus on preparation, education and shorter film development as the possible mediating factors.
In the 1980’s before the Technology boom and our new global economy, American Actors had less competition and more time to hone their acting craft on the job. Before the 1990’s American Filmmakers had more time to nurture an actor on set to get the performance they wanted. However, after the home computer, the Internet and the video game industry of the 1990’s, movie audiences in America began to decline. To combat this problem movie studios began cutting production development in half to keep up with competition and demand.
Today, directors are looking for actors who are well seasoned, versatile, well prepared with international appeal that can adhere to the quick turn around time and production schedules required. Add to that Americas declining box office numbers makes it necessary for studios to turn to international markets to supplement Americas low turn out rate in theaters. All of this, put British, Australian, Canadian and other international actors in high demand to appeal to international audiences. Today many foreign actors, (after honing their craft by way of classical training, theater or studying American filmmaking) are coming to America well equipped for work. For example; Cate Blanchett who’s been nominated for five Academy Awards and received one for best supporting actress for the film Aviator. Graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Arts and after that spent time doing theater before her film debut in America.
There are some American actors like Natalie Portman and Dakota Fanning who are leading the way for young actors today. They understand education is the way to compete in Hollywood for longevity. After doing films as children, both stars took a break from filmmaking to focus on furthering their education. Portman went to Harvard majored in psychology and now nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Black Swan. Portman stated in an interview she drew from her education in psychology to develop her character that suffered with bulimia and obsessive compulsive disorder OCD. Dakota Fanning has also stated after getting her high school diploma intends to continue on to college. Fanning has managed to balance her acting in between school by taking on smaller supportive roles that would not interfere with her education.
Perhaps the reason twenty and thirty something American actors are getting passed over for jobs is due to our educational system? Filmmakers in this global economy need to appeal to an international market in order to stay solvent. The box office for Inception and Avatar earnings were higher internationally than domestic and both films featured a multi-cultural cast. Although, America prides itself on being a melting pot of different cultures it’s amazing how little we know about the countries from which people migrate.
Today most high schools fail to teach world history. Diane Ravitch who was the assistant secretary of education to George W. Bush administration, commented about the problems of the No Child left Behind Legislation stating,
“By measuring success only in relation to exams in reading and mathematics, and stigmatizing and sanctioning schools that do not make “adequate yearly progress,” NCLB provides perverse incentives to “teach to the test” and devote less time to science, social studies, history, geography, foreign languages, art and music.”[3]
In researching this topic, many American artists have made huge contributions in support of improving the educational system in America. Through an organization called The Entertainment Industry Foundation one of the leading charitable organizations of the entertainment industry, go to, www.eifoundation.org for more information. They have contributed hundreds of millions to this cause. Another charity is called, Celebrities Support Entertainers 4 Education Alliance over the past four years they have developed campaigns and programs, which have made a huge difference in motivating kids to stay in school.[4]
The outsourcing of acting roles may be due to our educational system in America. However another reason may be due to Reality T.V. and tabloid scandal, which will be discussed in Part-2 of this series.
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Comic Relief
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Very insightful article. In regards to the Superman thing, I’m bummed that Brandon Routh is not reprising the role because I don’t think the last Superman movie failed because of him. Kate Bosworth was horribly miscast as Lois and the script. They made Lois a baby mama and Clark Kent a deadbeat dad. That’s not going to endear people to the storyline or characters.
With reality TV, ugh, don’t get me started. I liked the Real World before it became an avenue for swapping STDs. LOL
I agree, the Plot of the 2006 Superman Returns film was terrible.
Out of all the Superman films. What Superman film Plot was your favorite?
I can’t remember where I saw it or who the actual people were but I do remember a director talking about the differences between American and European actors. He said he was surprised by the amount of work a European actor will put in before filming. They tend to research in depth more, really get inside a character’s mind. They’re more likely to sit down and work with everybody, listen to their opinions, suggest ideas. If the director tells them they want them to do something different than what the actor first thought, they go away and when they come back they’ve done the research and are ready to go film.
Of course this is just generalising. There’s good and bad on both sides. 🙂
And these are those who will be around for a long, long time. They may never be considered an A-lister, win an award, or become supa famous, but they will always have work and be well known. I’m really embarrassed for those who get famous for no reason at all. See post below.
Do u think the American vs. European actors is due to a cultural difference in work ethics, education or both?
What American film actors under 40 do u like and why?
I think the under 25 group in the U.S. is in danger because of their ‘entitlement’ mentality. They want a quick fix and are not beyond ‘get rich quick schemes’ as we have noticed in reality TV. It’s rampant and pervasive. People outside the US do have what I would call the ‘old work ethics’ that many in the +40 age bracket still hold.
However, a lot of that is due to the economic environment in the U.S. The concept of work hard, retire that was part of the current retirees mentality is not a reality for many any longer. Corp America killed that and it’s cultural.
Do u think this get rich quick has something to do with the cost of education? I mean if u can’t afford to go to college kids are trying anything to get ahead?
Case in point Jersey Shore?
For some maybe. However, I’ve noticed a distinct ‘laziness mentality’. I think the high school aged children today (I have one) think they deserve things when they haven’t worked for it. It could be that they graduate with a less than stellar high school performance, aren’t eligible for college scholarships, thought they might ‘figure it out’ and the reality is you can’t have a life working for minimum wage.
Couple that with the luxury lifestyles they all want to lead…life gets expensive.
Please!! Don’t get me started with the minimum wage issue in this country. The complete obliteration of the middle class in America is really horrible. Everyone, maxing out on credit cards to sustain there middle class lifestyle is really sad. Hey!! But the banks are happy!!
Anyway, I think teenagers today are just a product of this. Buy now pay later mentality.
Its funny you say that I just was discussing this with another crew member on the set that is under 25. He said he was brought up to always work hard and do a good job. He does realize many of his peers don’t agree with this mentality or worth ethic. He did say many of his peers are expecting success without the work. It was very enlightening and so true.
Wow that is so interesting Ozzie. I don’t know this for a fact but it does seem more British actors have some kind of theater background. It doesn’t seem too many American actors have this background.
What I like the best about this article is your references to the global economy. I am really proud the United States is willing to hire actors of foreign decent to lead movies produced in this country. Absolutely no one should demonstrate melting pot acceptance and inclusiveness better than us. The movie industry depends on international audiences so foreign actors should be well represented as well. If these actors are trained and capable of portraying characters in a unique creative, and comprehensive manner, who cares where they come from?
Another aside a lot of American TV never circulates outside of this country so that might be the only place this sort of American “nationalism” might be tolerable. On the other hand, if these actors are trained and capable of portraying characters in a unique, creative, and comprehensive manner, who cares where they come from?
The only thing I think this article overlooks is maybe American’s have a wider appreciation for foreign appearance, charisma, and interpretation than we used to. Known actors like Kate Blanchet, Nicole Kidman, Naomi Watts, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom, Sophie Okonedo, Hugh Jackman, Ryan Reynolds, Idris Elba, Chris Hemsworth, Eamonn Walker, Christian Bale, Gerard Butler, Robert Pattinson, Lena Headey, Thandie Newton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, etc. etc. have all of that in spades.
This is so true!! Great Post…..
I know I’m going to pick on men, however I want to illustrate a recent article I read. It referenced your comment “American’s have a wider appreciation for foreign appearance..” meaning that we award the male actors who don’t embody men – but possess a more feminine quality.
It was a very interesting article, but sort of played along with male actors being ‘macho’. Which are being portrayed by actors from outside the US almost exclusively.
Can anyone imagine Leo C doing a movie like the ‘Expendables’?
That article does sound interesting.
I talked about this same issue in another article I wrote. Female Perspective of Leading Men in Hollywood. Anyway, in this article it depicted how American filmmakers are making Leading Men Characters to look and act more feminine to appeal to a teen female demographic. Teenage girls today are growing up in a age where women and men are equals. Also, u have female characters depicted on screen like the female characters in video games. So filmmakers in America are using exaggerated examples by hiring men who look and will act more docile. Perhaps in this way filmmakers are playing both sides of the fence?
Yes! It was during the reference of your previous article. There was another link I thought and the video interview of that director I think we circulated. But yes, same topic!
However, in all honesty I would much rather see a good acting performance than looks on screen. I mean really in this day in age with CGI u can make anyone look anyway u want but u can’t CGI good acting. I think this whole idea of dwindling actors down to their looks is pathetic. At the end of the day a crappy performance, is a crappy performance, no matter how much iron u can pump!!! LOL!! I will take brains over beauty any day!!
Very good article and I agree with all of you. @4String, I do believe that Superman bombed for the same reasons you expressed. I loved Brandon as Superman, but wow, yeah, crappy story line. And I won’t even discuss Bosworth, but then again, she got a crappy story line too.
As a teacher, don’t even get me started on the NCLB crap. Our education is a joke and it is getting worse and worse. I taught first grade, but now substitute for my former district (laid off last year) and our school is so low in scores that the state has taken over. There is a specific curriculum and designated time for each of the only two subjects: math and language arts. It’s even worse than before and it honestly seems like the kids are getting less!!!! There is no science, no history, no arts, and barely any physical education. It is a real tragedy. A lot of the children do not find school fun anymore. Duh!!! I remember having art at least twice a week, music time, and fun science projects.
There is something to be said to the actors who hone their craft and diligently work at challenging themselves to do and be better. These actors will stick around for the long haul. In the states, I think there is too much fame being given to people who don’t do jack squat and/or lack serious talent. Obviously there are many American actors who DO take pride in their work. Some receive formal training and others just learn as they go using their natural talent. I don’t mind having lots of foreigners playing “American” roles. Honestly, I don’t care where they come from, as long as I am moved emotionally and sucked into the characters and story. I liked that point you made Comic Relief.
I am so tired and brain dead, I don’t know if any of this made sense. Seriously, I’ve had to edit my horrible grammar and spelling a billion times. Sorry if you look at this post with a big old “What?”.
It’s really great to hear what it’s like on the front line of this issue. The education system in America has been on a rapid decline ever since the 1980’s. I think if kids can manage to graduate High School and go to college it’s an achievement!!! Yet, the colleges are so expensive, students are graduating with a mountain of student loan debt before they can get a job. This to me is such a crime!!! How are they suppose to get a head start in debt?
I would love to see if there is a difference between child actors who grew up overseas vs ones that grow up here. There’s always the stereotypical child actor gone bad. Is it that they are thrown into such an adult environment? So far Dakota Fanning seems to be handling it very well, but it also probably helps that she goes to a regular school and participates in school activities. But think about child actors then and now that are cautionary tales. Today we’ve got, most noticeably, Lohan. Earlier there was Drew Barrymore but she managed to overcome it and be very successful.
Andrew Garfield who is playing Spiderman was born in America and grew up in London. He’s a really good actor, seems to be well adjusted. I think he was a child actor in the UK?
I believe child actors who grew up with parents who did not set appropriate boundaries, are the ones who seem to fall when they get older. However, in DF case, I think she has been acclimated slowly into real social interactions within her own peer group and it seems to have made a huge difference in her life.
There are many who come out fine for the most part–Valerie Bertinelli (I still can’t believe she’s 50–she looks 30), Lacey Chabert, J Gordon-Levitt, Leo DiCaprio, etc. I wonder if a lot of showbiz parents are very hands-off where I’m betting that Dakota’s were very hands-on. From what I’ve seen, Kristen Stewart’s parents (prolly like Lohan’s) never set boundaries.
U make a really good point 4string!! Boundaries are a huge problem. I think parents who try to be friends with there children warp the parent child relationship. I mean, children don’t know how to process info the same way adults do and it’s unfair to put children in that position. However, yes there are some child actors who seemed to have turned out well.
Do u think a college education is for everyone? I mean, do u think child actors who grew up in the biz need a college degree to be competitive today?
I don’t think they need a college education to be competitive in the acting world, but I do think it would round them out. I think non-actors would too. I have a BA & MA so I’m a big proponent of someone getting a degree (I was also the first one in my fam to go to college). It shows a person how things work outside of his/her high school bubble and eases them into some independence. But like I said, I don’t think it necessarily makes someone more competitive as an actor.
I think the start contrast between Lohan and DF you can point directly to the abdication of parenting in Lohan’s case. And DF’s parents trying to allow her a normal childhood to grow and mature with her peer group not as an outsider. Kudos to DF’s family to staying engaged.
I can’t think of any UK child star that is well known going off the rails. Ones that stared in soap opera,sure but not ones that are known world wild. There have been blips like one of the sidekicks of Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter was arrested over pot. There must be more! Maybe it’s because I don’t take much interest in UK gossip unless it’s to do with my favourite movie actors. Oh wait, how about the Osbournes? This is annoying me, there must be more that I just can’t think of!
Anyway, I have no idea what the reason is, why there are differences between America and the rest of the world.
I highly doubt the Osbournes set any sort of boundaries. LOL At least it seems Jack and Kelly are on the right track now.
Lol! That’s true. It is an interesting clash between growing up, parenting, fame and reality tv, thinking about it.
Welcome!! LittleBells…
Hi and thanks for making the effort to describe the terminlogy towards the learners!
Welcome Kathi!!
Excellent Article! I may not be able to take part in the discussion tonight which is why i’m commenting now. 🙂 IMO, the reality show genre has alot to do with the entertainment industry today. Not only has it shown that one does not need an education to become a “reality” star. Example: Amber Portwood from Teen Mom. She stood in front of a judge and told him that she makes 280,000 per season (i think) on Teen Mom. What type of message is this sending to the youth of today? You don’t need an education because you can get paid alot by doing shows that have no educational meaning?
I agree with you though about the acting jobs being outsourced due to education. Also, another reason is that consumers know to much about American actors personal lives. IMO, and this is only my opinion, the British seem to be more closed off and private.
Hope all of this makes sense. 🙂
This is so true…..I will cover how Reality T.V. has impacted jobs for American actors in my next article. However, I agree with u Reality T.V. sends the wrong message to teens.
What do u think 20 and under American actors can do be more competitive, if they can’t afford a college education?
She makes freakin’ WHAT a season????? Oh my hell….For reals. That’s what I get for becoming a first time mom at 31. Unfortunately, if she doesn’t have a ton of common sense and someone to guide her, she will go through that money like underwear. Like I said before, people are known for being famous for nothing of consequence… Gee whiz!
4String: my messages are totally out of order, but this is what I remembered: I agree that college isn’t for everyone. My husband did NOT do well in school, but excelled at the Police Academy and is a great officer. WE’ve talked about what if our kids will go to college or not. All we really care about is that they do the best they can in whatever they choose and get experience in a lot of different fields. I definitely think actors who further their education do better and it isn’t necessarily the degree that did it. I think it is more the life experience they gain those 4 years. There is nothing quite like it.
After reading a few comments, I think my perspective is a bit different, nothing new there!
So my take is ‘economic globalization’ has leveled the playing field for skilled labor all over the planet. Pick that skill and for everyone you can come up with, there are similar jobs in multiple different countries. So business is always and has always looked for ways to cut costs to improve margins and profits. Acting is no different, dump the huge costs of filmmaking and its easy to see that Hollywood can now spread their search globally.
Now if you throw out costs, which you can never really do, but you tack on someone is has a international appeal, better skill, easier to work with. Well that’s a recipe for success.
Let’s just not forget that costs always are one of the top 3 factors in any decision (time, costs, quality).
So true!!
Do u think it falls in that exact order time, cost, and quality? I believe in films, it begins with cost, time and then quality. What are your thoughts?
Do u think America has allowed quality films to decline because of the poor economy? Do u think filmmakers are trying to cover up a poor film by hiring good actors?
All projects fall into these same elements of time, cost, quality (basic project management concepts). Ideally its a balanced triangle. Ultimately it’s about trade offs, cheaper cost, can mean lower quality. Faster may mean more expensive and lower quality. It really depends on whose making the decisions and what their goals are?
10 years ago when internet bandwidth was still very expensive we used this line all the time when executives and employees would complain about internet access at work.
“Speed costs money, how fast do you want to go?”
I think film quality is falling victim to the same issues we have all noticed with the declining quality of the news. There is SO much of it and a need to create so much in such a short period of time, quality suffers.
I agree quality does suffer big time!!
I think filmmakers are trying to do more low budget arthouse films to do more quality films. The only problem is they are not widely distributed, so it’s always a gamble if it will be successful at the boxoffice.
Mmhmm, mmhmm, mhmm!!!! *nodding head vigorously*
Could u imagine Superman being played by a African/Asian/Latino/Italian American?
Do u think they would be accepted by an International Audience?
No. But I think my answer is steeped in the idea of modeling the source material (the comic books).
I agree. The actor should be like the source material. Purists (and even people like myself who only have surface knowledge of the characters) will want an actor or actress as close to the comic book version as possible. My husband collected comic books as a kid so sort of falls into that purist category. He knew RDJ would make an amazing Iron Man.
I don’t understand why Spiderman needs a reboot. Toby Maguire was an amazing Spidey and we got a glimpse of his high school days in the first movie and in the last movie, we got a bit of Gwen Stacy (I didn’t realize that was Bryce Dallas Howard until much later). Why do we need another? Find another comic book hero to do a movie on.
Oh! Now don’t get me started with the Spiderman debacle. I really hope they don’t screw it up!! I mean are we going to see Spiderman being conceived, then as a toddler or what? How far back are they going to go? LOL!!
They will have Spiderman: The Embryo LOL
LOL!!!
What American film actors under 40 do u like and why?
I think it’s telling I’m having a hard time coming up with names under 40 besides Leo. Let me say that because I’ve liked the movies he’s chosen and the characters he’s portrayed since Titanic. Females, that are closer to 40, Angelina only because she plays the ‘tough female role’ really well. No one does it better than her but she’s not versatile. Neither one of them is on the lower end of your under 40 question.
U saw Inception remember who played opposite of LD?
Did u like this actor?
J Gordon Levitt?
Yes in Inception. I’m not sure I can recall what other movies I might have seen him in.
I’m not a big watcher of T.V shows. In fact, I am not familiar with all these shows that were featured on the award shows.
500 days of summer. Did u see that film? He was in the T.V. show “Third Rock from the Sun” he played opposite a friend and college alumni of mine.
No I never saw 500 days of summer. It was one I wanted to see, and I haven’t. I’ve looked him up on imdb. Wow. Guess I’m not paying attention! LOL
There are so many I like that it would be hard to pin down. I like Amy Adams, Isla Fisher, Ashley Greene, Reese Witherspoon, Vince Vaughn (is he 40 or under?) etc.
What about the men? Other than VV?
Hmm. I like Pattinson, Will Smith (is he under 40?), Timothy Olyphant (so underrated & not sure of his age–he’s a scene stealer). I’m going blank on others now. LOL
I forgot about Anne Hathaway only because I like the comedies she has played in. Garry Marshall does those well. Anne fits in that genre well. Evan Rachael wood has been in a few movies I’ve seen I’ve liked her in those.
U are on a roll!! LOL!
Off topic: I dunno if it would ever be an idea for this site, but it would be interesting to talk about successful characters actors rather than the leading men/women. There are many like Hank Azaria, Stanley Tucci, Tony Shaloub, Seth Green, Anna Kendrick, etc who excel in this area. They always steal any scene they are in.
That would be a great idea?
Actually, I think American actors are getting more supporting roles than leads today!
I really like Mark Raffalo he was in Shutter Island and The Kids are Alright and nominated for an Oscar!!
Since I’m on a roll & full of ideas (my degrees are in journalism/mass comm), it would be cool to see if ‘diva’ behavior catches up to an actor/actress and prevents them from getting work. Val Kilmer comes to mind here.
Diva behavior today is too expensive maintain and it gets around real quick on sets if u are. If u are starting out your career u can’t be a Diva otherwise u will not have a career. Plus Diva’s are really a 1990’s trend. Meaning the excess, and rewarding actors based on there tabloid popularity etc… Look at AJ? I can’t go into that because that’s for part-2.
Mmmm….yes, and I can think of one actress who exemplifies this diva quality and an actor who doesn’t. I’m waiting to see what happens with their careers.
OOOO!!!! OoOO!!!! yes, yes, yes!!!!!!
Everyone thanks for the discussion.
It was great!! I’m going to call it a night.
Take Care!!!
Whoa! I just checked yesterday and there were only 6 comments! I will try to catch up. 4String and Open Book: I really enjoyed reading your comments. Yes, I have seen parents try to be their kids’ “friend” and it bombs every time. Parents should be parents first and then when the kid is an adult, go ahead and be friends. Whatevs and I had a good old discussion about it. Boundaries can be tricky and I think it is in the way mom’s and dad’s parent. Example, I went to high school with a girl who was academically under her parents’ thumbs. Not much for social interaction and she had to give up extra curricular activities SHE enjoyed to please her parents. Boundaries were too tight and when she got to college, went off the deep end for a while. Another example, have watched other peers who had no boundaries still go off the deep end. Honestly, I think if children and their parents have a great relationship, the kids will be fine. I have no scientific data to prove this, just my own experience and experiences of friends.
Shoot there was something else I wanted to add….Arrrgh! You girls are moving too fast for me! 🙂 Ok, gonna read the rest of the posts, and hopefully whatever I was thinking will come back to me. haha! Old age!!
Great article. I agree whole heartily with LittleBells, especially since we both are teachers acting as babysitters(that’s how I see substitute teaching). I can’t understand why all of these old superhero movies are being redone. It started with Batman and now we see Spiderman and Superman.
I have no problem with European actors taken over American roles if they do a good job. That is the most important.
I do have one problem though when an actor that plays one superhero in one movie and then is a different superhero in another movie. Sorry, but they will always be the first superhero and it will be hard to picture them as the new super hero (case in point Captain America).