Star-Making Role: Difference between revisions

[[File:hugh jackman wolverine.jpg|link=X-Men (film)|thumb|400px|He was an accomplished stage actor in Australia before this. Because of this, you know who [[Hugh Jackman]] is.]]

 

 

Every A-List star starts somewhere. They do bit parts and walk-on roles, sometimes even becoming "[[Hey, It's That Guy!|that guy]]". They may be a lesser part of an [[Ensemble Cast]] who becomes an [[Ensemble Darkhorse]]. They may even wind up doing [[Old Shame|something they may not be proud of later]]. Either way, when their memoirs are written or they sit down with James Lipton, ''this'' will be the role that they point to and say "that's where it ''really'' started for me"—the rise from obscurity to getting first billing. The role may have been written for the specific purpose of making this specific person a star by showcasing their talents. More often than not, it's a case of taking the right part and running with it. This is the role they earn their name with. This isn't always a star's first role. It's not even their first film or series to be a major success. It's the first role where they stop being "[[Hey, It's That Guy!|that guy]]" and become known by their name alone.

 

See also [[Retroactive Recognition]] for reactions to roles the actor had before his SMR (think Harrison Ford as a bellhop in ''Dead Heat On A Merry Go Round'', [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-NehUB_7l0 here]). Contrast [[Star-Derailing Role]] for when the star goes in the opposite direction. Compare [[Breakthrough Hit]] (equivalent for creators).

 

* [[Jun Fukuyama]] and [[Ami Koshimizu]] in ''[[Code Geass]]''

* [[Megumi Hayashibara]] in ''[[Ranma ½]]''

* [[Ayako Kawasumi]] and [[Yui Horie]] in ''[[To Heart]]''

* [[Kanae Ito]] in ''[[Shugo Chara]]''

* [[Rie Kugimiya]] in ''[[Shakugan no Shana]]''

* [[Mamoru Miyano]] in ''[[Death Note]]''

* [[Mai Nakahara]] in ''[[My-HiME]]''

* [[Rina Sato]] in ''[[Negima]]''

* [[Junko Takeuchi]] in ''[[Naruto]]''.

* [[Emiri Katou]] in ''[[Lucky Star]]''

* [[Aoi Yuuki]] in ''[[Puella Magi Madoka Magica]]''

* [[Nao Tōyama]] in ''[[The World God Only Knows]]''

* [[KENN]] in ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX|Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX]]''

* [[Ai Kayano]] in ''[[Ano Hana]]''

* [[Kana Asumi]] in ''[[Hidamari Sketch]]''

 

* [[Matt Hill]] and [[Samuel Vincent]] in ''[[Gundam Seed]]''

* [[Johnny Yong Bosch]] in ''[[Bleach]]''

* [[Chris Patton]] and [[Luci Christian]] in ''[[Full Metal Panic!]]''

* [[Kira Vincent-Davis]] and [[Jessica Boone]] in ''[[Azumanga Daioh]]''

* [[Brittney Karbowski]], Melissa Davis and Maggie Flecknoe in ''[[Pani Poni Dash!]]''

* [[Laura Bailey]] in ''[[Fruits Basket]]''

* [[Brad Swaile]] in ''[[Death Note]]''

 

* [[Amy Adams]] in ''[[Enchanted]]''

* [[Ben Affleck]] in ''[[Armageddon]]''. He became [[Hey, It's That Guy!|That Guy]] in ''Mallrats'' and ''[[Shakespeare in Love]]'' in his own right after ''Good Will Hunting'' but it was [[Michael Bay]]'s [[Summer Blockbuster]] that provided his SMR.

* ''[[Rumble in The Bronx]]'' made [[Jackie Chan]] an international star, while ''[[Rush Hour]]'' made Jackie Chan a US movie star. He'd been huge in Asia for years.

* [[Sean Connery]] in ''[[James Bond]]''

* [[Russell Crowe]] in ''[[Gladiator (film)|Gladiator]]''

* [[Tom Cruise]] in ''[[Risky Business]]''

* [[Dustin Hoffman]] in ''[[The Graduate]]''

* [[Tom Hardy]] in ''[[Inception]]''.

* Jennifer Love Hewitt ''[[I Know What You Did Last Summer]]''

* [[Hugh Jackman]] in ''[[X-Men 1]]''

** Arguably, ''[[Spaceballs]]''.

* [[Eddie Murphy]] in ''[[48 Hrs.]]''

* [[Bill Murray]] and Harold Ramis in ''[[Ghostbusters]]''. [[Dan Aykroyd]] as well, as ''[[Blues Brothers]]'' hasn't been nearly as long-lasting in popularity.

* [[Claude Rains]] in ''[[The Invisible Man (film)|The Invisible Man]]''—despite the fact that [[One-Scene Wonder|his face appears in only the last scene]], in which he is a corpse.

* [[Heath Ledger]] in ''[[Brokeback Mountain]],'' although you could make an argument for ''[[The Dark Knight]].''

* [[Viggo Mortensen]] and [[Orlando Bloom]] in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''

** The 2009 ''[[Star Trek]]'' reboot didn't hurt her career either.

* [[Jennifer Lawrence]] in ''[[Winter's Bone]]''

* [[Boris Karloff]] in ''Frankenstein''.

* [[Amanda Seyfried]] in ''[[Mamma Mia!]]''.

* [[Abbott and Costello]] in ''Buck Privates''.

* Tom Hiddleston in ''[[Thor (film)|Thor]]''.

 

* [[Jodi Benson]] in ''[[The Little Mermaid]]''.

* [[Tony Jay]] in ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]''.

 

== Live Action TV ==

* [[Jessica Alba]] in ''[[Dark Angel]]''

* Richard Dean Anderson in ''[[MacGyver]]''

* Ashton Kutcher and [[Mila Kunis]] in ''[[That '70s Show]]''.

* Charlie Murphy on ''[[Chappelle's Show]]'', following the ''C: True Hollywood Stories'' skits in the second season.

* [[Hayden Panettiere]]<ref>(many believe she deserves an entry in the Live Action Film folder as well for ''[[Remember the Titans]]'', but she's had more success to date in television than film)</ref> and [[Zachary Quinto]] in ''[[Heroes (TV series)|Heroes]]''.

* Ty Pennington from ''Extreme Makeover: Home Edition''

* [[Peter Dinklage]] in [[Game of Thrones]]

* Takeru Sato in ''[[Kamen Rider Den-O]]''

 

== Literature ==

Many writers have early works mired in obscurity before they publish the story or collection of work that makes them a star.

* Cervantes was regarded as a very mediocre playwright and author of a mildly successful pastoral romance before he published ''[[Don Quixote]]''. The rest is history.

* [[Stephen King]] sold many short stories to various magazines and periodicals before he found success with ''[[Carrie]]''.

 

== Professional Wrestling ==

While many pro wrestlers find a successful character (if they're lucky) and play it for the duration of their career (if they're not [[Mick Foley]]) there is such a phenomenon as a star making match. A sub-trope, but probably not enough of one for its own page.

* [[Hulk Hogan]] was a big time wrestling star before his legendary [[Wrestlemania]] 3 bout with [[Andre the Giant]], but that match catapulted him, and pro wrestling in general, to international stardom.

** Also from Wrestlemania 3: Ricky Steamboat and the late [[Randy Savage]]'s Intercontinental Title match was a landmark for showcasing that smaller wrestlers with tight work could steal the show and carry a crowd. It's frequently cited as one of the greatest matches of all time, and some aficionados say it's better than Hogan/Andre.

== Theatre ==

* [[Ethel Merman]] in ''[[Anything Goes]]'', the first musical to feature her as much as a comic actress as a singer.

 

== Video Games (Voice Acting) ==

* [[Nolan North]] as Nathan Drake from ''[[Uncharted]]''

* [[David Hayter]] as Snake in ''[[Metal Gear Solid]]''

 

== Western Animation ==

* [[Kevin Conroy]] in ''[[Batman: The Animated Series]]''

* [[Keith David]] in ''[[Gargoyles]]''

* [[Hynden Walch]], [[Khary Payton]] and [[Greg Cipes]] in ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]''.

* [[Josh Keaton]] in ''[[The Spectacular Spider-Man]]''

 

{{reflist}}