How important are stars to US and UK film producers?

How important are stars to US and UK film producers?

Stars are very important to Us and UK film producers. This idea is solidified by the theory of Christine Gledhill which includes the ideas of stars being Capital value, being a construct, a deviant and cultural vale.

To prove this I will use the film star Sir Ian Mckellen and apply him to these four categories.

            The main category that Mckellen fits into is the Cultural category. Throughout his life Mckellen has taken part in voicing his opinions on many political discussions and topics including religion, nuclear weapons, capital punishment and AIDS. The topic that he is most active about is Gay rights. From 1971 Mckellen has taken part in many gay rights movements and protests to try and get the same rights as other people. This gives the audience see them as someone who signifies moral ideological values and so it will reinforce his positive identity while also helping to develop a fan base based solely on his activism. His stance on the topics of gay equality, AIDS and religion makes him somewhat of a role model for the younger generation as they see a man who has achieved success and recognition in spite of his differences and qualities that would make him an outsider in most communities, showing them that they too can be successful despite the things which make them outcasts.

            Another category, which he fits into, is Capital Value. Mckellen fist began acting in the royal Shakespeare Company, which means that he is considered as a talented and well-respected actor who will bring true acting to the screen and be serious in everything he does. This brings the audience to see, as they believe that even if the story is lacking, the professional acting involved can bring up the film. Since taking part in the Lord of the Rings trilogy starring as Gandalf the Wizard which brought in $2,955,675,339 total box office, Mckellen has been in much more tv and film roles than before. He also acted in the Xmen trilogy as Magneto. This character comes from a very successful series of comic books meaning that they already have their own fans which are brought to see his performance.

            Ian Mckellen also fits into the category of construct.

Mckellen constructs his image to be serious about his work and extremely proud about both his sexuality as well as his acting work. Like all stars his image is constructed by the media and for the media. In Gledhill’s theory she states that the audience want to know the ‘real’ person as well as the ‘reel’ star. This is true as many people wish to see the very proper and well-spoken Englishman that Mckellen often portrays as well as the serious, proud actor that Ian is in real life.

            Ian has never done anything that could place him in the category of Deviant as he has not been caught taking drugs, drink driving or anything that could get him involved with the law in a negative light. However in many people’s eyes his stance as a gay activist could be seen as deviancy and going against the morals of the catholic church. Just recently Mckellen has been advised not to enter the country of Russia because of its law against gay propaganda, the English government warning that they could not protect him from being thrown in jail if he did go there. This could be seen as the Russian government seeing him as a deviant as they fear that he could influence the younger generation of Russia in a negative way.