Avery Brooks career. Or is he with the prophets?

[indolover]

lmao.....

My initial point is that in response to the OP, Brooks has not starred in many big Hollywood films since he cannot draw on TV success. The reality of the film business is the bottom line and box office revenue. Whether this comes from good promotional aspects, the cast, etc. is by the by. Brooks played Sisko well, but DS9 was not a commercially successful show. Few actors that transition well from TV to the screen come from shows that had low ratings. it's no co-incidence then that the biggest noted TV stars are from the highest rating TV shows. It's not rocket science, and basically how our economy works, supply and demand.

If there is another reason why Brooks is not a big Hollywood actor today, well he cannot claim race, or age. Unless Hollywood producers are selectively racist and ageist. So to answer the OP, well i've made the argument in other posts in this thread.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

lmao.....

My initial point is that in response to the OP, Brooks has not starred in many big Hollywood films since he cannot draw on TV success. The reality of the film business is the bottom line and box office revenue. Whether this comes from good promotional aspects, the cast, etc. is by the by. Brooks played Sisko well, but DS9 was not a commercially successful show. Few actors that transition well from TV to the screen come from shows that had low ratings. it's no co-incidence then that the biggest noted TV stars are from the highest rating TV shows. It's not rocket science, and basically how our economy works, supply and demand.

Oh, yes...I'm sure Econ classes are going over this very thing right now:

'Why DS9 was not the successful show that TNG and TOS (although poo) was...'

And part II:

'Why Avery Brooks got the wrong end of the stick...'

Oh, what a world we live in...

If there is another reason why Brooks is not a big Hollywood actor today, well he cannot claim race, or age. Unless Hollywood producers are selectively racist and ageist. So to answer the OP, well i've made the argument in other posts in this thread.

According to your posts, you don't state opinions....but facts!

*gasp*

In any event, Stewart or Shatner cannot 'claim race, or age' since they are international stars on the two biggest shows to ever hit television. Since they were on those two shows (even though TOS was 'poo') both can choose their projects....and 'Hollywood' is beating down their doors.

According to your posts, this is also done with Tom Selleck and Teri Hatcher.

Why, if Patrick Stewart or William Shatner was in Independence Day, or the last Indiana Jones film...those movies would have made twice the money! Especially, if they had been the leads!

 

[indolover]

It's the best reason I can think of why Brooks is not in Hollywood films, which as I said, the query stated in the OP. TV stars don't really got exposure, other than being in shows with high ratings. i still stand by my point, that TV to movie transitions coast on their TV success. George Clooney, Will Smith both did. Brooks cannot. again, as good a theory as any. I haven't seen you cite one as yet, incidentally, or contribute in answering the OP's point.

Oh, yes...I'm sure Econ classes are going over this very thing right now:

'Why DS9 was not the successful show that TNG and TOS (although poo) was...'

And part II:

'Why Avery Brooks got the wrong end of the stick...'

Oh, what a world we live in...

Well, any good economics teacher would say that studios would take actions to make the highest demand and thus revenue. if this includes placing already known actors from commercially successful TV shows in films, then so be it.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

It's the best reason I can think of why Brooks is not in Hollywood films, which as I said, the query stated in the OP. TV stars don't really got exposure, other than being in shows with high ratings. i still stand by my point, that TV to movie transitions coast on their TV success. George Clooney, Will Smith both did. Brooks cannot. again, as good a theory as any.

If I understood this post,

I haven't seen you cite one as yet, incidentally, or contribute in answering the OP's point.

Cite what?

I'm done with my reports for this quarter, dude...

And, we are stating opinions here, despite what you may think....

Of course, some of your posts were way out there; and I obviously was playing along...but, yeah, we just giving opinions. (Of course, as I am looking on entering television as well as the movie biz, I would possibly know a little more about the subject; something I can state as fact).

Oh, yes...I'm sure Econ classes are going over this very thing right now:

'Why DS9 was not the successful show that TNG and TOS (although poo) was...'

And part II:

'Why Avery Brooks got the wrong end of the stick...'

Oh, what a world we live in...

Well, any good economics teacher would say that studios would take actions to make the highest demand and thus revenue. if this includes placing already known actors from commercially successful TV shows in films, then so be it.

"...studios would take actions to make the highest demand and thus revenue. If this includes placing already known actors from commercially successful TV shows in films, then so be it..."

That was pretty difficult to read; but, if I understood that paragraph correctly...here is my answer:

David Caruso was pretty popular on the 'popular' NYPD Blue, but was in a string of flops or not-so-critically films. He is now on CSI: Miami.

On the other hand, Avery Brooks (who comes off as a private individual, not so much into the 'Hollywood thing') was in the light-action romp 'The Big Hit'...and the powerful 'American History X'...

Despite what you might say, I thought he was one of the individuals who made that film work.

Now, you can hold your own opinions on the man based on his character from a fictional sci-fi show; but, in interviews, and what I've seen of the man....he comes off a bit more than 'Benjamin Sisko.'

That was a job. Star Trek is not his life. His interests are possibly other things, namely theater...

Will Smith was popular due to 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'....and he was doing so-so work in films. It wasn't until ID4 did he really hit it big.

If we were to go back to Tom Selleck. Uh, Selleck was big in the 80s....(I've seen him turn up in a few things lately; although, that doesn't mean that he's not working).

Again, despite what you may think, not everyone is into the Hollywood lifestyle...

Now, if we were to go back to Shatner and Stewart. No, it is not primarily due to Star Trek, IMO. I think Shatner had a resurgence of popularity due to cameos on shows, Boston Legal....and Stewart (although, known as Picard) had a little more popularity due to the X-men films...

I still wouldn't say they are 'A-list'. Just because they are on Star Trek:TNG, TOS, FBI, or CSI, does not make them 'A-list'. (Just because an actor is popular within Star Trek fandom doesn't mean the world at large has the same outlook of popularity).

If we are to say who is actually 'A-list' that came from television, we have:

*Morgan Freeman
*Will Smith
*Tom Hanks
*Denzel Washington (who was in movies, but a little known on television due to 'St. Elsewhere'...then grew to popularity in movies)...

Maybe even:
*Michael Douglas

...And there are probably others.

Still, even though those individuals listed were on popular shows, they still had to prove themselves in movies, and work for their fame....(or they were in movies that happened to hit is big).

 

[PKTrekGirl]

Comments made as Mod:
1. Joel Kirk - STOP putting in those big-ass spaces at the bottom of your posts, or risk a warning for spamming. It's annoying as hell.
2. Joel Kirk and indolover - you are welcome to debate vigorously...but a little less snarkiness would perhaps be more productive.

Comments made as regular poster:
3. Who the fuck is Terri Hatcher?
4. There are NO "A" List actors in Star Trek. If they were A List, they wouldn't be DOING Star Trek. Seriously.

Brad Pitt is A List. Angelina Jolie is A List. Denzel Washington is A List. George Clooney is A List. Kate Winslet is A List. Sandra Bullock is A List. And none of them would be caught dead doing Star Trek. At least not now...while they are still...well...A List.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

I always thought Patrick Stewart was A-list...

 

[DevilEyes]

I always thought Patrick Stewart was A-list...

Patrick Stewart is a moderately big star who can be the main star power in a TV movie or a low-budget movie (and he has been), but he couldn't be the main draw of a big budget Hollywood movie, therefore he is not A-list star. Sure, he was in X-Men, but a) he wasn't the only or the main star draw of the movie, and b) adaptation of popular superhero comics don't have to feature biggest stars to be successful. A-list stars are people like Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Will Smith, Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, Denzel Washington, etc. Which doesn't mean that it's something that every actor should aspire to, and certainly doesn't mean that they're better actors than those who aren't A-list. On the contrary - many A-list actors are average or bad actors, and I quite a few of them aren't even what I'd call particularly charismatic. I mean, Keanu Reeves is an A-list star, and he has all the talent and screen presence of a lamp post. Schwarzenegger was an A-list star, for crying out loud! A not very talented body-builder with a strong Austrian accent. Who could have seen that? Tom Hanks is, or was, an A-list star - now, he is a good actor, but he is an average-looking guy with none of the charisma and presence that stars supposedly need to have, and when you look at his roles at the start of his career, he was playing lightweight roles in comedies, hardly someone you'd see as a new De Niro. There are no rules, really. Harrison Ford was once told by a studio executive that he would never be a star because he just "didn't have what it takes"!

Brad Pitt is A List. Angelina Jolie is A List. Denzel Washington is A List. George Clooney is A List. Kate Winslet is A List. Sandra Bullock is A List. And none of them would be caught dead doing Star Trek. At least not now...while they are still...well...A List.

And we are very lucky, because, apart from Kate Winslet, most of those are either average actors, or they're OK actors (not great) who have been so overexposed that I'm sick and tired of them, and wouldn't want to sit through another movie with them in it.

 

[Nerys Ghemor]

Yeah, Marc Alaimo could blow almost ANY of the "A-List" actors out of the water, by that definition.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

Comments made as Mod:
1. Joel Kirk - STOP putting in those big-ass spaces at the bottom of your posts, or risk a warning for spamming. It's annoying as hell.

Oops....

2. Joel Kirk and indolover - you are welcome to debate vigorously...but a little less snarkiness would perhaps be more productive.

I don't think the conversation (or debate) was actually productive or getting anywhere...to begin with...

To paraphrase, 'It was getting annoying as hell...'

However, your comments are noted.

Comments made as regular poster:
3. Who the fuck is Terri Hatcher?

Umm, the chick from 'Lois and Clark'...? 'Desparate Housewives'...?

4. There are NO "A" List actors in Star Trek. If they were A List, they wouldn't be DOING Star Trek. Seriously.

Well, Tom Cruise actually was slated (or in talks) to portray Christopher Pike in Trek 09'...and he is considered A-list....

Brad Pitt is A List. Angelina Jolie is A List. Denzel Washington is A List. George Clooney is A List. Kate Winslet is A List. Sandra Bullock is A List. And none of them would be caught dead doing Star Trek. At least not now...while they are still...well...A List.

Exactly...

And, we never know....an 'A-list' might surprise us....in a Star Trek film that is actually written, acted...and executed well.

 

[DevilEyes]

Brad Pitt is A List. Angelina Jolie is A List. Denzel Washington is A List. George Clooney is A List. Kate Winslet is A List. Sandra Bullock is A List. And none of them would be caught dead doing Star Trek. At least not now...while they are still...well...A List.

Exactly...

And, we never know....an 'A-list' might surprise us....in a Star Trek film that is actually written, acted...and executed well.

That would be a bad idea IMO. If Tom Cruise had played Pike, nobody would have seen Christopher Pike, everyone would have just seen Tom Cruise.

 

[Joel_Kirk]

Brad Pitt is A List. Angelina Jolie is A List. Denzel Washington is A List. George Clooney is A List. Kate Winslet is A List. Sandra Bullock is A List. And none of them would be caught dead doing Star Trek. At least not now...while they are still...well...A List.

Exactly...

And, we never know....an 'A-list' might surprise us....in a Star Trek film that is actually written, acted...and executed well.

That would be a bad idea IMO. If Tom Cruise had played Pike, nobody would have seen Christopher Pike, everyone would have just seen Tom Cruise.

^^

I do agree...

 

[Nightdiamond]

This is an interesting discussion.


Avery has also done quite a bit of voice work- his narration can be heard in a quite a few documentaries.


It seems to me that a certain type of success in Hollywood seems to be a crap shoot- Some stars of popular TV shows get permanently type casted, (and can't get "big" roles) and some actors from canceled shows go on to make it big in the movies.

I'm a bit weary of the Hollywood community's ways of describing things...to them an actor who was once "big" but still has at least over $200,000 in the bank is called "broke", because to them, only having millions of dollars is considered wealthy or well off.

Anyway, who cares about being A list-getting frequent work that pays well is all that counts to me, lol.

 

[donners22]

Umm, the chick from 'Lois and Clark'...? 'Desparate Housewives'...?

I think PKTrekGirl's point was related to the double-'r' - it's Teri Hatcher.

 

[Sykonee]

Umm, the chick from 'Lois and Clark'...? 'Desparate Housewives'...?

I think PKTrekGirl's point was related to the double-'r' - it's Teri Hatcher.

Oh, I don't think it was that.


And being an A-List actor has zilch to do with talent. Sure, some may actually have talent, but commanding the top dollar boils down to how much of a box-office draw you are.

Case in point: Jim Carey
If he's doing a comedy, he's an A-List actor. If he's doing a 'serious' movie, he's more like a D-List actor. Folks want to see him swing his hips, not brood.

 

[Bones2]

Has anyone mentioned that it's because he's a rubbish actor yet? If not, consider it mentioned.

 

[DevilEyes]

Has anyone mentioned that it's because he's a rubbish actor yet? If not, consider it mentioned.

Even if that were the case, it hasn't stopped a number of people from becoming A-listers. Case in point: Schwarzenegger, Keanu Reeves, Jim Carrey, Demi Moore, Jennifer Lopez, the list is looong.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

Brad Pitt is A List. Angelina Jolie is A List. Denzel Washington is A List. George Clooney is A List. Kate Winslet is A List. Sandra Bullock is A List. And none of them would be caught dead doing Star Trek. At least not now...while they are still...well...A List.

And we are very lucky, because, apart from Kate Winslet, most of those are either average actors, or they're OK actors (not great) who have been so overexposed that I'm sick and tired of them, and wouldn't want to sit through another movie with them in it.

For the most part, agreed. Although I'm always up to see Denzel Washington. I think he is a BRILLIANT actor. Not at all 'average'.

But I guess to each his own....

And I agree with your comment (which I snipped) about Patrick Stewart not being A-List. I do not believe that he could single-handedly bring in the necessary draw for a big-budget production.

Even in X-Men, I'd argue that the biggest box-office draw of that series is Hugh Jackman - NOT Patrick Stewart.

Shoot...even *I* go to see X-Men movies first and foremost for Hugh Jackman.

 

[PKTrekGirl]

Umm, the chick from 'Lois and Clark'...? 'Desparate Housewives'...?

I think PKTrekGirl's point was related to the double-'r' - it's Teri Hatcher.

Oh, I don't think it was that.

No. It wasn't. I don't know what Lois & Clark is...and Desperate Housewives has been off my radar since the early part of their second season, when I quit watching it. The only reason I know that it's still on TV is because I used to record Cold Case on Sunday nights and would see it in my satty feed grid.

I mean seriously - who watches that show? I don't know anyone who does.

And if I haven't watched a stupid-ass show like that in 4-5 years or whatever it is, the names of the actresses get deleted from the 'ole hard drive to make way for more relevant information.

 

[DevilEyes]

Brad Pitt is A List. Angelina Jolie is A List. Denzel Washington is A List. George Clooney is A List. Kate Winslet is A List. Sandra Bullock is A List. And none of them would be caught dead doing Star Trek. At least not now...while they are still...well...A List.

And we are very lucky, because, apart from Kate Winslet, most of those are either average actors, or they're OK actors (not great) who have been so overexposed that I'm sick and tired of them, and wouldn't want to sit through another movie with them in it.

For the most part, agreed. Although I'm always up to see Denzel Washington. I think he is a BRILLIANT actor. Not at all 'average'.

Oh, I agree he's a good actor. He's in the 'overexposure' category. Sometimes it feels like "c'mon Hollywood people, he's not the only black actor out there (or one of the three, with Samuel L. Jackson and, if you want a little older guy, Morgan Freeman)!"

 

[Sykonee]

Oh, I agree he's a good actor. He's in the 'overexposure' category. Sometimes it feels like "c'mon Hollywood people, he's not the only black actor out there (or one of the three, with Samuel L. Jackson and, if you want a little older guy, Morgan Freeman)!"

Poor Will Smith.