Denzel Washington Star System and Hollywood Style

The factors that make one successful actor a “star” rather than just an actor who works frequently, is due to a mix of factors that have been widely discussed by journalists, social scientists, producers and a range of other experts. While every major star or celebrity is different, upon examination, they often possess a few qualities in common that greatly contribute to their star power. For example, a baseline quality that nearly every star possesses is that they are aesthetically pleasing with an attractive appearance. However, there are lots of actors and actresses living in Hollywood who are stunning but who have nowhere near a comparable level of fame or success. A more specific factor in creating a “star” would be more accurately expressed as having “watchability.” Hollywood has demonstrated that nearly every star in the history of cinema has possessed a visual and behavioral quality that is so engaging; the audience doesn’t want to look away. Some experts refer to it as the celebrity “je ne sais quoi” factor, but it’s more than that. Often these stars will have a demeanor that does not reveal everything—a component that just engages the audience even more, making audience members feel more invested. Humphrey Bogart had such a quality, as did Denzel Washington, Meg Ryan and Angelina Jolie.
When it comes to Denzel Washington, he definitively has such a star quality. His face is perfectly symmetrical and very attractive. His personality is such that audiences are used to him playing both good guys and bad guys, so they are never quite sure whether they can trust him onscreen, something which contributes even more to his general sense of intrigue. This makes audiences want to watch him, because they aren’t sure what they will get. He also has a very memorable and melodic voice: most stars in Hollywood have a voice that one can easily identify, which is very distinct from others. The film that I selected for this essay is Remember the Titans, directed by Jerry Bruckheimer in 2000. I selected this film because I think that it best demonstrates Washington’s range as an actor. In this film he is both a good guy and a bad guy. Playing a coach for a football team called the Titans, he has to be the bad guy in that he has to give that team a lot of tough love in order to force them to be better athletes and win more games. Hence, as a good guy, he’s the person making the team reach a higher level of excellence by making everyone dig deep and reach their own inner excellence.
In other films, I enjoy the other portrayals that Washington brings to the table. He often portrays people of immense integrity, attempting to rectify some sort of massive injustice in society. For example, this is who he portrayed in Philadelphia with Tom Hanks in 1993 and in the Great Debaters in 2007. However, he also plays conflicted, tortured characters who are on the fringes with basic morality. This is who he played memorably in Training Day in 2001 and in American Gangster in 2008. However, in the film Remember the Titans, Washington was being sold again to the American public as the hardworking, tough-talking guy-in-charge. Washington was sold as someone who might be rough around the edges, but is ultimately the guy that the movie going public can trust to get things done. This film is attempting to convey the story of men achieving betterment, self-improvement and excellence through the leadership of one man.
In this film, Washington is lit with a golden or platinum light around him in many scenes, as if he is an otherworldly being that is there to save the day. Finally the star’s appeal is that Washington often plays characters that are very capable and that achieve their objectives, good or bad. Thus, the audience can trust him to achieve any goal in the fictional setting of the film.