In the internet era, it's easy for actors and actresses to receive an enormous deluge of hate. The performative dislike of certain people has almost become a sport online, with many actors experiencing a backlash whenever they take up a role. It's almost as if there is an online blacklist of stars that cannot possibly be good in anything. Whenever these performers take on a role, the film is instantly derided as a lost cause and, whether they turn out to be right or not, the process continues perpetually. However, many of the people that are forced to take this online abuse are amongst the most successful performers working in Hollywood. Despite the outward appearance of universal dislike, these people are often at the forefront of films that make huge amounts of money. It doesn't matter what the vocal minority online says because it's the box office figures that really matter. Critics might loathe them and the internet might smother them with bile, but as long as they are getting bums on seats, it is not the job of the film industry to exercise a form of quality control. There are some actors in Hollywood that surely cannot be as successful at drawing box office as their filmographies suggest. In amongst the noise and the anger, there has to be a not inconsiderable group of people who really enjoy their work... as baffling as that might be to anyone who saw Shia LaBeouf in the Transformers movies.
Freelance film journalist and fan of professional wrestling. Usually found in a darkened screening room looking for an aisle seat and telling people to put away their mobile phones. Also known to do a bit of stand-up comedy, so I'm used to the occasional heckle.
