Will Smith

[fpb]

I haven't seen Will Smith's Hancock. However, according to the BBC news, it is a hit, and they say this means that Smith's last eight movies have been hits. This really ought to mean that he must be regarded as Hollywood's current biggest star: who else, except perhaps Angelina Jolie, has a record like that? And in that case, am I correct in saying that he would be the first black actor to be in such a position? This may be a bit of a mockery to disadvantaged blacks in urban slums, but, what with Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Lewis Hamilton and Tiger Woods, this definitely is the age of blacks, in sports, entertainment, and politics. And bear in mind that - whatever one may think of Oprah - each of these people got to the top not by "positive" discrimination, but by native ability.

Comments

[rfachir.livejournal.com]

Who is the biggest depends on how what you measure and how you weigh it, as in every comparison. I'd rate Denzel higher on the attractiveness scale, and Morgan Freeman on the "God" scale. (Freeman is God, like Heston was Moses, (Sorry, George Burns.))
I'd agree that Will Smith is a blue chip movie star, like Tom Cruise used to be a few years ago. His appearance will guarantee a hit, and if the movie is made correctly (costs in line with box office expectations), then he makes the company money. That's all the talent a movie star really needs to stay viable as an artist. Olivier didn't need to do all his great performances in a row - he just needed staying power to survive between hits.