Two Generations Of Female Stars In Hollywood
At the beginning of the 1980s, Quigley's top ten, which lists the stars considered by exhibitors as the biggest box office attractions of the year, included as many as four women, yet afterwards there were at most three, and usually only one or two; in 1983 there was none at all (Moser, 2000: 14). With the exception of Bo Derek, the female stars ranked in the top ten during the 1980s were in their thirties and forties: Jane Fonda (born in 1937), Barbra Streisand (1942), Goldie Hawn (1945), Bette Midler (1945), Sally Field (1946), Dolly Parton (1946), Cher (1946), Glenn Close (1947), Sissy Spacek (1949), Meryl Streep (1949), Whoopi Goldberg (1949). In 1989, 35-year-old Kathleen Turner (born in 1954) was the only woman in the top ten, at number ten.
In the 1990s, the frequency of female appearances in the annual top ten did not increase (at most three, typically one or two), yet the names and age range changed. Following the success of Pretty Woman, 23-year-old Julia Roberts was listed as the second-biggest box office attraction of 1990 - the only woman in the top ten. While Roberts slipped to number four in 1991, she was joined in the top ten by Jodie Foster (born in 1962) at number six, on the basis of her success in Lambs. With the exception of Whoopi Goldberg and Michelle Pfeiffer (1959), all subsequent top-ranked female stars were born in the 1960s and 1970s, on average two decades younger than the 80s stars: Meg Ryan (1961), Demi Moore (1962), Sandra Bullock (1965), Cameron Diaz (1972).
The shift towards a younger generation of actresses is also in evidence in Premiere's annual list of the 100 most powerful people in Hollywood, which aims to measure the 'power over movies: the ability to get them made, to make them in a particular way, or to influence or manipulate those who make them with money, fear or simple persuasiveness' (Jonathan Hoefler, 'The Power List', Premiere, May 1993: 75).2 For stars, such power depends largely on the commercial success of their most recent film(s). In most years, the list has included six or seven actresses, as compared to around 20 actors. In 1990 and 1991, the older generation of female stars was still dominant, with rankings for Cher, Midler, Streisand and Streep. With the exception of Streisand, all of them disappeared from the list after 1991, and the new generation took their place. Roberts was listed at number 38 in 1991, the highest ranking for any female star that year, and stayed in the top 100 for the rest of the decade. Foster made the list in 1992 and stayed on it; in 1993 and 1998 she achieved the highest ranking of all female stars (numbers 34 and 40 respectively).
The most obvious explanation for this generational shift in Hollywood's pantheon of female stars has to be age. Unlike male stars, with few exceptions women are unable to maintain their box office appeal when they enter their forties. This may be because they are not given lead roles in high-profile productions any more, or because of diminished audience interest; most likely it is a mixture of both.3 On the other hand, it has to be noted that a certain age (of around 30) is usually required for an actress to have a chance to make it into the top ten. With only three exceptions (Roberts, Diaz and Derek), this has been the case throughout the 1980s and 1990s.4 The reason is probably the same as for the over-40s: a shortage of lead roles in high-profile projects, combined with a lack of audience interest. Actresses (just like actors) need time to build up a reputation amongst critics, directors and executives, as well as a following amongst moviegoers through their appearance in a range of often medium- or low-budget films, before they can secure the choice parts.
Most contemporary actresses, then, have a comparatively small window of opportunity for making it into the top ranks of Hollywood stars and, not coincidentally, these ranks are completely dominated by men. As we have seen among the new generation of top female stars, Jodie Foster's success is only surpassed by that of Julia Roberts; and only Sandra Bullock matches Foster's track record (albeit for a shorter period, starting in 1995).5 As is the case for most of the top female stars of the 1980s and 1990s, Foster's breakthrough came when she was aged around 30. At that point in her life, Foster's body of work was much more extensive and, at least in parts, much more highly esteemed than most of her peers', and her public profile was also considerable. Her film career already spanned almost two decades and included over 25 features and made-for-television movies as well as appearances on numerous television shows. The highlights of her career were her Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Taxi Driver (1975, USA) and the Best Actress Award for The Accused (1988, USA). She had also gained notoriety for her unwitting association with the 1981 shooting of President Ronald Reagan by self-declared Foster fan John Hinckley Jr. While neither her notoriety nor the critical recognition of her acting talent translated into big box office success in the 1980s, The Accused was both a moderate hit (US gross $30 million) and a talking point.6 This set Foster up for consideration for the lead role in the adaptation of Thomas Harris's best-selling thriller, Lambs.
As a medium-budget ($19 million) serial-killer movie by a director (Jonathan Demme) who had established his critical reputation with relatively small, off-beat films, Lambs was far from being a calculated blockbuster, especially when considering that Manhunter (1986, USA), Michael Mann's adaptation of Thomas Harris's previous novel about Hannibal Lecter, had been a major box office flop.7 The actress had to contend with the fact that there were few successful precedents, apart from Jagged Edge (1985, USA), for a female-centred thriller containing graphic violence. There were, however, plenty of precedents in the much maligned low-budget cycle of slasher films. And while the story was clearly focused on the actions and experiences of the female protagonist, the showy part, which would allow an actor to display his skills in a most spectacular fashion, was that of Hannibal Lecter. It was to be expected, then, that the male lead would receive all the attention, especially if the part was given to an established Hollywood star. Crucially, however, the part went to Anthony Hopkins, who may have been a highly esteemed British actor, but was hardly a household name in the US.
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