Stardom is a gift that shouldn’t be taken for granted

ANGELINA Jolie AP

Some people think that stardom is a perpetual reward for the especially beautiful, talented and charismatic luminaries in our midst, but it isn’t. It’s a constant struggle to sustain that level of stellar success or, even better, to surpass it; otherwise, it’s a downward spiral for the hapless, clueless celebrity who’s become too comfortable with fame and fortune.

Take the “infamous celebrities” of this media moment – Lindsay Lohan, Charlie Sheen, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mel Gibson. They’ve earned the scorn and ire of their previously adoring public not because they have become less talented, but because they have taken the “gift of stardom” for granted.

In the right, appropriately grateful hands, it’s a gift that can keep on giving – but, when it’s mistakenly seen as a luminary’s birthright, succeeding events quickly prove how wrong he is as shown by the compromised careers of “demoted and disgraced” stars like Charlie, Mel and company.

Even the best and the brightest need to be reminded of this. For instance, Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts are at the top of their stellar game, but even they are getting goose bumps over the iffy outcome of their new co-starrer, “Larry Crowne.” Not all of the best or loftiest efforts in the world can assure critical or popular success for a new film effort, even if its star value is unimpeachable.

Not too long ago, to cite another instance, two other big stars, Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, co-starred in “The Tourist,” and it’s presumed that they gave their all to that production – but it still ended up getting more raspberries instead of raves.

‘Hot to trot’

This is a good lesson to learn, not just by veteran stars, but by relative newbies, like this season’s new faves, Rosie Huntington-Whitely in “Transformers 3” and Jessica Chastain in “The Tree of Life.” Rosie was chosen from hundreds of lovely hopefuls to replace the sexy Megan Fox in the “Transformers” franchise – and, to her credit, she more than passes muster in the “hot to trot” department.

But, she should note that her sexy predecessor was rather quickly dropped (like a hot potato?) from the series because its producers found her “hard to handle.” We trust that Rosie will turn out to be more – tractable?

As for Jessica Chastain, she’s exceptionally gifted and versatile, as indicated by the fact that she has many new films already lined up for screening. But, if her first stellar outing in “The Tree of Life” is any indication, her liability is the fact that she doesn’t have her own “look.” In the Cannes-award-winning movie she made with Brad Pitt, she looked too much like Cate Blanchett.

So, while she has a great future ahead of her as a formidable screen thespian, Chastain has to contend with an “image” problem from the get-go – and that’s not the way to zoom like a shooting star all the way to the top of the movie firmament.

Other stars in transition include Daniel Radcliffe and the other young leads in the “concluding” film franchise “Harry Potter.” What will they do for an encore? The savviest among them is Radcliffe, because years before the franchise’s final chapter, he already created an alternative performing persona for himself as a stage actor, by way of his controversial performance in “Equus.”

Note further that “Equus” was as different from “Potter” as night from day: “Potter” casts the young actor as a veritable angel of psychic light and delight, while the stable boy in “Equus” is a messy bundle of psychological quirks and quandaries.

Upping the ante even more, Radcliffe’s next stage assignment was a musical, so he had to reach deeply into himself for other heretofore untested skills, like singing and dancing. How “dangerously” venturesome can a young talent get?

But Radcliffe’s precocious daring will definitely serve him well once “Potter” ends. Producers, directors and talent casters won’t be in the dark about what he can do “next” because he’s already showing them.

Other young stars could be as self-actualizing, creative and brave.