By integrating star studies and film industry studies, Hollywood
Stardom reveals the inextricable bonds between culture and
commerce in contemporary notions of film stardom.



* Integrates the traditions of star studies and industry studies
to establish an original and innovative mode of analysis whereby
the 'star image' is replaced with the 'star
brand'

* Offers the first extensive analysis of stardom in the
'post-studio' era

* Combines genre, narrative, acting, and discourse analysis with
aspects of marketing theory and the economic analysis of the film
market

* Draws on an extensive body of research data not previously
deployed in film scholarship

* A wide range of star examples are explored including George
Clooney, Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, Daniel Day-Lewis, Tom Hanks, Will
Smith, and Julia Roberts

Paul McDonald is Chair of Creative Industries at the University of Nottingham. He is the author of The Star System: Hollywood's Production of Popular Identities (2000) and Video and DVD Industries (2007), and co-editor of The Contemporary Hollywood Film Industry (2008).

Topics explored include configurations of stardom in Hollywood's talent hierarchy, the role of stars as independent producers, their use in celebrity endorsements and value in the film market, and the formation of prestige stardom through the film awards system. A wide range of examples are explored, including actors George Clooney, Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, and Daniel Day-Lewis; along with extended case studies of some of Hollywood's top screen icons: Tom Hanks, Will Smith, and Julia Roberts. Grounded in scholarly rigor, Hollywood Stardom represents an important contribution to contemporary film studies and the shifting role of stardom in the modern Hollywood film industry.

• Integrates the traditions of star studies and industry studies to establish an original and innovative mode of analysis whereby the 'star image' is replaced with the 'star brand'
• Offers the first extensive analysis of stardom in the 'post-studio' era
• Combines genre, narrative, acting, and discourse analysis with aspects of marketing theory and the economic analysis of the film market
• Draws on an extensive body of research data not previously deployed in film scholarship
• A wide range of star examples are explored including George Clooney, Mel Gibson, Tom Cruise, Daniel Day-Lewis, Tom Hanks, Will Smith, and Julia Roberts

List of Figures vii

List of Tables ix

Acknowledgments x

Introduction 1

Part One: Star Business 9

1 The Symbolic Commerce of Hollywood Stardom 11

2 Star-as-Brand 41

3 The Extraordinary Ordinariness of Tom Hanks 65

Part Two: Star System 85

4 Post-Studio Stardom 87

5 Money and Talent 123

6 "The Will Smith Business" 155

Part Three: Star Performance 179

7 Spectacular Acts 181

8 Prestige Stardom and the Awards System 215

9 Starring Julia Roberts 254

10 Conclusion 281

Appendix: Academy Award Nominees and Winners in the Actress and Actor in a Leading Role Categories, 1990-2009 285

References 291

Index 315