The A-list isn’t lonely at the top
In Hollywood, as in high school, it’s the clique that matters. One’s coterie can mean the difference between a good review and a magazine cover; a private limo and a helicopter ride; a good table on a Saturday night and a sleepover at the White House. In other words, there’s celebrity, and then there’s the A-list.
Entree almost certainly requires a hit -- a movie, TV show, book or record. It’s talent, charisma and timing that launch superstardom, consistent good work and good publicity that maintain it. And of course, as A-list publicist Pat Kingsley points out, “luck has a lot to do with it.”
Nevertheless, media darlings are rarely self-made. Behind the curtain, there’s a thriving community of image-makers hard at work. Take publicists and agents, for example. They build interest from the inside out, with carefully selected projects and public appearances. “It’s a combination of perception and achievement,” says publicist Stan Rosenfield, whose clientele includes George Clooney, Will Smith and Robert De Niro.
It’s also critical to win over the entertainment press and the public. “There’s something about enjoying being a celebrity that contributes to becoming an A-lister,” says Us Weekly editor in chief Bonnie Fuller. “You’ve got to be at premieres, parties and public events. It’s hard to become an A-lister as a recluse.”
While A-listers often feign indifference to celebrity photographers, their photos are crucial to remaining relevant -- and to winning future projects. Catherine Zeta-Jones and husband Michael Douglas sued the British magazine Hello! for $800,000 not only because it published unauthorized wedding pictures, but also because, said Zeta-Jones, they made her look fat. “It was extremely important for my career that I regain my figure after giving birth,” she said in a written statement submitted to a London court. “It is all too easy for the film industry to conclude that an actress is past her best.”
Speaking of weddings, if a celebrity can’t muster enough star power alone, marrying another star might offer a better shot at the A-list. “When two A-listers pair up, it’s like a cosmic boom,” says Fuller. “They become 20 times more fascinating.” Kingsley, on the other hand, observes that “public fascination doesn’t always translate to box office.”
Neither do magazine covers, but it’s tough to earn box office without them. Hairstylist Frederic Fekkai, whose client list is studded with Oscar winners, says the A-lister is someone with cover-ready style. “It’s somebody who has great charisma, great sex appeal, somebody who is radiant in front of the camera,” he says. “You can see they are full of life, the beauty is exploding out.”
An appearance on the cover of Vanity Fair has long been considered evidence of A-list status. Just last week, the Scottish Daily Record declared countryman Ewan McGregor an A-lister, simply because he is scheduled to appear on the magazine’s April cover. Of course, superstardom won’t stick unless there’s a good amount of talent to begin with. Some newcomers to the A-list -- Colin Farrell, Kate Hudson and Reese Witherspoon -- were widely praised for their abilities before they were “discovered” by Vanity Fair.
If, after the magazine hits the newsstands, the star doesn’t rise, the public is less likely to grant a second chance. Take Alicia Silverstone’s August 1995 cover at 19, following her starring role in that year’s hit “Clueless.” Millions of dollars were being thrown her way for one star vehicle after another. But her two follow-ups, “Excess Baggage” and “Batman & Robin,” didn’t meet expectations. Then people noticed that she had gained a little weight and, suddenly, she dropped from the A-list.
“Sometimes being recognized too early can be hard for you,” Fuller says. “People start judging you more harshly than if you were just quietly building your way up.” Then again, Fuller says, a carefully timed comeback can relaunch an A-lister. “John Travolta is a fantastic example,” she says. Now “we’re in the process of watching Demi [Moore] make her big comeback.”
In some cases, A-list status is earned by sheer endurance. George Clooney did it the hard way, slogging away on TV guest appearances for 10 years before landing a role in the ensemble cast of “ER.” At the time, Clooney famously chose the Michael Crichton-Steven Spielberg project over a tempting star vehicle: his own sitcom. Today, he and director Stephen Soderbergh have their own production company, which produced the Oscar-nominated film “Far From Heaven.” And Diane Lane’s nomination for her role in “Unfaithful” has convinced Entertainment Weekly to give her another chance at making the ultimate clique after “24 years in the trenches.”
Finally, once the intoxicating power of superstardom is achieved, few willingly relinquish it. The booming industries of infomercials, straight-to-video movies and reality TV are proof of that.