It’s no secret that there’s a pretty huge divide between old-school actors and younger, more social-media savvy stars — it could even be called a gulf if you consider the immensity of the internet.
Now two of Hollywood’s greats, Emma Thompson and Michael Caine, have spoken out about the younger generation of thespians, who they deem to be less skillful and more interested in their own image than actual acting ability.
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Thompson and Caine voiced their opinions at a recent reception for British Academy Award winners. Thompson said that social-media sites like Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter “really worry” her and are a “disaster.”
“We’re casting actors who have big followings so the studios can use their followings to sell their movie,” she said. “The actors are becoming attached in the sort of business way to their social media profiles, and I think that’s a disaster.”
Caine, who has been knighted and is now officially Sir Michael Caine, has reached the highest heights an actor can achieve, and he believes the younger generation’s obsession with becoming famous is toxic to the industry and the individual.
“These days they just say ‘I’m going to be an actor because I want to be rich and famous!'” said Caine. “And then they do a little part on television and everyone knows who they are. They can’t really act.”
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“I knew I wasn’t going to be rich,” he continued. “I knew I wasn’t going to be famous, I knew I wasn’t going to be a movie star, I just wanted to be a good actor, that’s all.”
Thompson, 57, has won two Oscars: Best Actress for Howard’s End and Best Adapted Screenplay for Sense and Sensibility. Caine has won two Best Supporting Actor Oscars for movies Hannah and Her Sisters and The Cider House Rules. Caine has been nominated for Oscars at least once a decade since the 1960s.
Other noted British actors at the ceremony included Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith and Colin Firth.