Who's the Next Big Female Movie Star?
Will anyone ever pick up where Julia Roberts left off?
Back in September of last year I asked Who's the Next Big Male Movie Star? At the time Robert Pattinson Fever had spread all over the Internet and the conversation resulted in a wasted experiment as commenters weren't able to have a real debate. However, a few people did ask for a similar feature for the females and I have finally gotten around to putting it together. With the males the name I was looking at in comparison was Will "Guaranteed Box-Office Gold" Smith. With the females I was unable to come up with a name that lives up to the career Julia Roberts put together and she remained my muse.
When Pretty Woman came out in 1990 Julia was 22-years-old and had just starred in and won a Golden Globe for Steel Magnolias. Over the following nine years she worked her way into the hearts of moviegoers and by the time Notting Hill came out in 1999 it grossed $116 million and her next two films, all featuring her name at the topline, went on to gross $152 million (Runaway Bride) and $126 million with Erin Brockovich, the film that garnered her an Oscar for Best Actress and cemented her as a box-office draw. Even her next two films — The Mexican and America's Sweethearts — went on to make a profit at the box-office with $67 and $93 million respectively despite terrible reviews. She has since had three children and focused more on her family life, but a comparable replacement has never really been found.
Where Julia's success beats out the likes of an actress such as Angelina Jolie is that she wasn't passed off as a sex symbol as much as she was looked at simply as an actress the audience enjoyed watching. Perhaps America's Sweethearts did so well simply because Roberts was America's sweetheart and the connection went that deep.
I was prompted to finally make this list when I saw Sunshine Cleaning starring Amy Adams and Emily Blunt on the release schedule. Both Adams and Blunt are two actresses I certainly believe to be among the best right now, but do they stand a chance at becoming the next big female box-office draw? Trying to figure out which actress or actresses may step into the shoes Julia Roberts once wore is not an easy task and the age factor really threw me for a loop. In order to come up with the 25 ladies on this list I set one major ground rule:
As I said earlier, Julia Roberts was 22-years-old when she made her first major splash. In 1997 she had her first blockbuster when My Best Friend's Wedding made $127 million — Roberts was 29-years-old. When she was 30 Stepmom tried to hit $100 million, but could only manage $91, but there's no denying she had made it.
Taking this rule into consideration you won't find Reese Witherspoon (32), Isla Fisher (33) or Amy Adams (34) on this list as much as I wanted to include them. Reese decided children were more important than box-office receipts (no harm there) and Fisher and Adams have never seemed to manage a strong foot hold in the industry despite some fantastic performances in audience favorite roles. Even Newsweek wondered if Adams was the next Julia two years ago following Adams's performance in Enchanted, but at this point I just can't justify adding her to the list as her major upcoming roles, such as teaming with her Doubt co-star Meryl Streep in Julie and Julia, don't look to be films that will generate increased name recognition in the general audience ranks. I even considered the likes of Taraji P. Henson, but couldn't believe it when I found out she is 38-years-old. I would have never guessed that.
Oh, and if you are wondering about Kate Winslet, she's 33-years-old and I would say she is more likely to be the next Meryl Streep rather than the next box-office draw. Yes, I believe there is a difference.
So what we are left with are 25 names over the next few pages. I am sure you will cringe at a few and applaud some others considering the list is so long, but I did my best to include everyone I thought may have the slightest chance. I have
In case you find yourself wondering how the order was determined, it's alphabetical by last name, no preference was shown. Now click on "Next Page" to begin the tour…
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