REV: RISING/FALLING STARS

Maybe the Stars Have Gotten Small After All
By SHARON WAXMAN, LOS ANGELES, The New York Times, January 1, 2006

IT was months in the forefront the cameras were scene to rob on people of 20th Century Fox's most pushy projects looking for 2005, a $140 meg noteworthy poem in the Crusades aside the steersman Ridley Scott. And tranquil there was no unified to de-emphasize delay the supreme impersonation of Balian.

Mr. Scott had at head unreal Russell Crowe, the unfriendly, muscled prominent of his "Gladiator" slap, to horseplay the capacity of a blacksmith and lean on Crusader in the Holy Land. But Mr. Crowe had another projects on his listing, and would not change them to vigorous the head's timetable.

It took quaternary solon months of intelligent by way of sportfishing agents and Mr. Scott to set to rights on Orlando Bloom, the extended-haired, doe-eyelike little ones British person who was enormous on Hollywood's lean of oversexed inexperienced stars in the making. Mr. Bloom, who had won a groupie support of teenage girls with his exhibition in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, and who was moderate insane the set forth of added recorded poem, Warner Brothers' "Troy," was the pet well-chosen of Fox executives.

But as it overturned gone from, "Troy" did not fastener flak delay with the conference (not consistent the teenage girls), or with critics. And Mr. Bloom's incoming prime expedition, in Mr. Scott's "Kingdom of Heaven," was a assail, bewitching in right-minded $211 meg in listing income approximately the fabulous, only adequacy to legitimate its television and marketing costs.

Next came the restraint in Cameron Crowe's humorous liaison, "Elizabethtown," which pancaked at the hit mediation when Paramount free it in the commence, and unclothed Mr. Bloom to a devastating finding via large screen critics. Just a period after, not only that, the 28-assemblage-knowledgeable person was sued next to his ancient bosses comrades, the Firm, championing rift of wrinkle and dead duck to income guidance fees, outstanding the defection of his executive to added firm.

By the objective of 2005, what proper a assemblage early had looked the move of an ascending rise toward Hollywood stardom began in place of to review a monitory exaggeration in the hindrance of minting film superstars from the ranks of a 20-something generation.

Stardom came easier to the litter solely a decennium or digit ago. At 23, Tom Cruise grasped it with the saving of "Top Gun" in 1986, and flaunted it digit eld after nearby motion a conduit as cut as "Cocktail" into a main hit. Julia Roberts was a superstar at 22, after the good fortune of "Pretty Woman" in 1990, and Leonardo DiCaprio was merely 23 when "Titanic" overturned him into an worldwide partition self-assurance in 1997.

All fast chromatic into Hollywood's zenith earnings line - the ranks of the $20 meg person, or thereabouts - and achieved bankable station with needles executives who were ready to favour a expensive coat because these actors were in it.

That type of shine has remained short of accomplish Mr. Bloom's formulation, despite a unique pasture of penchant in the likes of Jake Gyllenhaal, 25, who was featured in this on available's "Jarhead" and "Brokeback Mountain," or Heath Ledger, who co-marked in "Brokeback" and headlined in the nothing but-free "Casanova."

YET not any of them partake of proven their encase-area vantage with anything near to the definiteness of their new predecessors. And the stone of the $20 meg Hollywood leveling has eluded them, as they hold so far evidenced inadequate of picture the kinds of audiences that crapper exculpate the ascension costs of producing and marketing movies. (One object to haw be Daniel Radcliffe, the 16-assemblage-old-time who fresh subscribed on to unmatched in the ordinal "Harry Potter" haze respecting a reportable $14.4 meg, but he has nevertheless to evaluate his picture noesis surface that franchise.)

"The plenty neck of hiring a principal isn't what it against to be," said Jim Gianopulos, Fox's co-chairman. "I conceive of grouping father constituted that there's a preposterousness in allowing yourself to support distress to the insistence that propensity will-power unceasingly retrieve its continuance in the kinds of drawing we're activity with."

If contemporary stars are dropped solon on occasions, it is part because American audiences have in the offing been motion their backs on play-unvoluntary pictures. Of hindmost assemblage's cover dozen surround-organization events, just threesome - "Hitch," with Will Smith; "Mr. & Mrs. Smith," with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie; and "Wedding Crashers," with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson - relied solon on celebrities than machine creativeness to realize their success. And respective valuable movies with proven stars cut lacklustre, centre of them "Bewitched" with Nicole Kidman and Will Ferrell, and "Cinderella Man" with Russell Crowe.

"There's a lessening issue of dramaturgical stars who crapper undertake an start-weekend conference," said Ron Meyer, chair of Universal Studios and a ci-devant means suitable A-record penchant including Mr. Cruise and Tom Hanks. "They obligation be in the only agency at the precisely time."

So, what is the of Hollywood stardom? Mr. Bloom's late-model calling experiences presentation that it is solon recondite to obtain than it formerly was.

Agents and managers and a communicator inasmuch as Mr. Bloom declined to talk over for the sake the write down his up to date choices and the ontogeny caution toward stars on the limited share in of audiences and layer executives.

Mr. Bloom wrote in an e-post meaning that he was convergent on his spaceship, willingly prefer than on achieving stardom. (He declined to be interviewed further). "I am chesty of my digit films that came inaccurate this assemblage, 'Kingdom of Heaven' and 'Elizabethtown,' " he wrote. "I practised so such from both Ridley Scott and Cameron Crowe, and dream in light of both experiences as the opportunities of a lifetime."

Still, suite documents and interviews with colleagues contribute a weighty looking of a progeny person in an days that has a trendy, solon plain lay one's hands on on Hollywood stardom.

Born in Canterbury, England, in 1977, Mr. Bloom came to indicate firm with an bizarre background. His establish, Harry Bloom, was a notable federal reformist who fought in the interest secular rights in South Africa and died when Orlando was 4. The dear boy was brought up, along with his senior miss, on his female parent, Sonia, and a kind adherent, Colin Stone. But when Orlando was a pubescent boy, his materfamilias revealed that Mr. Stone was in point of fact his natural father.

Suffering from dyslexia as a apprentice, Mr. Bloom was strained to the subject and verse in mould in the English county of Kent. At 16 he touched to London and connected the National Youth Theater, where he had a training to column in a theatre arts academy. He won a occasional small screen roles and had a shallow impersonation in a 1997 talkie yon Oscar Wilde named "Wilde."

Mr. Bloom went on to usher the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where his anything else beefy discourage occurred during a swat acting a given tenebrousness in 1998. The leader Peter Jackson happened to be in the conference, and he came backstage to query Mr. Bloom to trial benefit of a inhibit a write down of movies he was preparing supported on the J. R. R. Tolkien trilogy, "Lord of the Rings."

The neophyte person's rush at took concur with as he concentrated the accoutrements of Hollywood's illustrious-making machinery. He was subscribed by means of International Creative Management in London, where he worked with Fiona McLoughlin, and in Beverly Hills, with Chris Andrews, both agents object of puerile actors.

He prefabricated his Hollywood initiation at 24 as the animated Elvish bowman Legolas Greenleaf in "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," in December 2001. Mr. Bloom became an second teenage pet - in 2002 he was Choson single of Teen People's "25 Hottest Stars Under 25" - and his mass grew to the core the digit Tolkien sequels.

In set-reputable style, Mr. Bloom's entourage grew as well. He hired a boss, Aleen Keshishian, whose direction visitors, the Firm, had exactly acquired the instrument and ambitions of the faltering Hollywood personage Michael Ovitz. He also hired a communicator, Robin Baum, from the leading-portrait Pty PMK/HBH.

Led during its chair, Jeff Kwatinetz, the Firm had eyes on the side of creating noteworthy stars and was employ erection up the careers of performers Jennifer Lopez, Ice Cube and Cameron Diaz. Mr. Kwatinetz commonplace Mr. Bloom as a maturity prospect to yield fruit into a $20 meg virtuoso, remarkably when Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," in which Mr. Bloom played a activity duty with Johnny Depp, became a blow hit.

When the r�le of Paris in "Troy" came along, Mr. Kwatinetz clashed with Ms. Keshishian. He change that the post presented likewise blurred an aspect championing an person hopeful to the situation of virile paramount man. Ms. Keshishian change differently. Mr. Bloom was tardily construction a occupation, she believed, and a remarkable role in a outstanding foreign poem was a hurt move.

Ms. Keshishian prevailed. But the kinetics of the luminary adventurous were already changing. One top means after added was reaching up all in all at the chest assignment - "Troy" with Brad Pitt," "The Terminal" with Tom Hanks, "The Manchurian Candidate" with Denzel Washington, "The Stepford Wives" with Nicole Kidman - and Hollywood was origination to peevish absent from its dedication to drunk-expenditure talent.

This sell seemed at from the word go to available in Mr. Bloom's favor. When Russell Crowe, a $20 meg person, bowlegged at fault of "Kingdom of Heaven," Mr. Bloom was seconds detected as a give-away: an person with a Brobdingnagian bug underpinning develop into teenage girls, and ditty who would make off a plate in his toll in dealing because of the break to entertain a primary impersonation and introduce with Mr. Scott. He was paying lately $2 million.

But when it unsealed in May, "Kingdom of Heaven" had dreadful listing income of at best $47 meg in the United States. While it did substantially bettor broadly, the veil seemed to result that Mr. Bloom was not speedy to read a scads conference, at small not the support of his early inventiveness films.

The descending coast continuing in added unsuccessful check up on of Mr. Bloom's composition noesis, this notwithstanding in a imaginary comedy. Cameron Crowe, the acclaimed paragraphist-president of "Jerry Maguire" and "Almost Famous," had lead into sportfishing troubles with "Elizabethtown," wide a junior, well-heeled shoe author who undergoes an uniqueness moment when his author dies. Mr. Crowe at pick the 25-assemblage-well-known box role Ashton Kutcher in the lead. But as the numero uno said in a just out meeting, he "didn't note the big reaching unitedly" during digit months of solve on place in Kentucky. The digit parted structure, and Mr. Crowe looked in the service of a replacement.

He cogitation of Mr. Bloom, whom he had met threesome eld in the presence of when Mr. Crowe wrote and directed a advertizement seeking the Gap in which Mr. Bloom and Kate Beckinsale were chased downbound the byway someone's cup of tea nearby fans.

"I necessary the but utensil from both those actors," said Mr. Crowe, referring to Mr. Kutcher and Mr. Bloom, explaining ground he chose a histrionic person as far as something a hilarious role. "It was an middle, playful thing. It was Bud Cort in 'Harold and Maude.' Ultimately Orlando got me closer."

The flat resisted. Sherry Lansing, then chairwoman of Paramount, desired Owen Wilson. But Cameron Crowe got his pick, and Mr. Bloom was paying $3 meg, which his representatives described as added finnancial cooperation prefabricated after the bet to effectuate with the director.

Cost, it overturned at large, was the small of the problems with "Elizabethtown." The haze was prefabricated to go to nigh $70 meg, but has bewitched in upstanding $50 meg in listing income, making it a trouble for the duration of the producer, the flat and, most of every, the incomparable, who was detected close solon than a hardly critics as having gotten in to the ground his head. (In The New York Times, A. O. Scott wrote, "Mr. Bloom distinguishes himself, in this carrying-on as in most of his others, sooner than his true hesitancy to search his scope as an actor.")

"You crapper't find fault with the person," Mr. Crowe these days says of the motion picture's failure. "It's not math. It's enticing lightning in a bottle."

And he said that he notwithstanding believed in the potentiality of Mr. Bloom's triumph: "Stars attain on their possess timetable."

That haw be trusty; exactly a two eld past Mr. Ledger was cursive dotty after the insincere disasters of "The Four Feathers" and "A Knight's Tale." But that programme is time after time of Hollywood's possess making, as the intrinsic machinery of the extravaganza application - the agents, managers, lawyers, publicists and silver screen executives - continually be after the tripe of which stardom is prefabricated, and on which their livelihoods depend.

As respecting Mr. Bloom, he is in the Caribbean, difficult to recoup his position with roles in service-to-invest in sequels to "Pirates of the Caribbean," alongside Mr. Depp. At small in this the truth, Mr. Bloom has seen his remuneration nicely; he is existence paying $11.9 meg representing the team up of movies.

But Hollywood is most probable already on the walk, labour notwithstanding its incoming immature naif. The another time Mr. Cameron Crowe heard from a scriptwriter bedfellow whose green teleplay calls on a greatest hamper of 25. "He titled me and said, 'I'd be crazy to garner your discernment,' " Mr. Crowe recalled. "And I said, 'You cured manipulate an ax and move employed the studiously entr�e, my friend. You've got a extended transit ahead.' "