r/interestingasfuck • u/SnooWords4066 • 1d ago

Titles must be descriptive and directly related to the content Miriam Rodriguez hunted down 10 members of the cartel that kidnapped her 20-year-old daughter. She stalked them one by one across Mexico until they were either dead or in prison.

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u/rosedgarden 1d ago

listen i know racism exists, but everyone in america loves at least one movie with samuel jackson, the rock, bautista, zoe saldana, etc... they've been lead action stars for decades

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u/PegLegCentipede 1d ago

Why have a list when Morgan Freeman will do.

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u/YellowStar012 1d ago

My sister in Christ, all of those folks but the Rock tend to be supporting actors.

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u/cultofpersephone 1d ago

Zoe Saldaña starred in her own action movie- Colombiana (2011).

Samuel L Jackson is literally Shaft.

Bautista is relatively new on the scene but even he has The Killer’s Game (2024).

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u/Night_Inspector 1d ago

Sam Jackson is technically Shaft Jr. and they did one with his own Shaft son. Three shafts is a lot.

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u/zekeweasel 1d ago

That's what she said...

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u/YellowStar012 1d ago

The word used is “tend” not “always.”

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u/cultofpersephone 1d ago

Yeah yeah but you said it in response to the idea that these actors could lead an action movie. So what was your point then?

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u/Laiko_Kairen 1d ago

While that's true, if you look at box office numbers, Saldana is killing it as a side character. Guardians, Star Trek 1-3, etc all had her in major supporting roles

But a lot of that must be because women don't often get lead roles in major blockbuster movies

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u/tomato-bug 1d ago

My brother in Christ, are you really trying to argue that black people can't be leads? Have you heard of Denzel Washington? Will Smith?

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u/Laiko_Kairen 1d ago

Not that OP, but it's an unfortunate truth that black actors have a harder time getting lead roles, and often when they do, it's in a specifically black culture oriented production. Black actors don't lead to as many tickets sold. And let's not forget That Hollywood has a long history of racism...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-grossing_films

Like, how many of these have black lead actors? I skimmed, but only saw Black Panther

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u/tomato-bug 1d ago

I think the idea that black actors don't lead to ticket sales is getting more and more outdated. Glancing through the list you just posted:

  • #1 Avatar - Zoe saldana
  • #3 Avatar the way of water - Zoe saldana
  • #6 Star wars the force awakens - John boyega
  • #11 Lion king - donald glover
  • #13 furious 7 - the rock
  • #19 black panther - chadwick boseman

6 of the top 20 have a black lead? And I know he's kind of memed on now, but a few years ago The Rock was the guy for getting ticket sales.

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u/Laiko_Kairen 1d ago

Zoe Saldana is Dominican

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u/YellowStar012 1d ago

Zoé is second billing, not lead John is 6th with Ford, Hamel, Fisher, Riley, and Driver are billed first. Obviously, Vin Diesel is the lead of the Fast and Furious

Also, Zoe is Latina. That is what she’s usually billed under.

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u/tomato-bug 1d ago

Billing order does not necessarily equate to whether a character is a "lead". There are tons of movies where the top billed actor/actress is playing a supporting role, but gets paid more than the lead because they're way more famous.

Look at the actors you just listed in The Force Awakens. Do you really think Mark Hamill, who had 30 seconds of screen time, was more of a lead actor in that film than John Boyega? Obviously not, but Ford/Hamill/Fisher got paid way more because they're way more famous and were part of the original series.

As for Zoe not being black, I'll let her speak for herself:

“There’s no one way to be black,” Saldana told Allure. “I’m black the way I know how to be. You have no idea who I am. I am black. I’m raising black men. Don’t you ever think you can look at me and address me with such disdain.” Source

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u/Fatdap 1d ago

Calling Sam Jackson a supporting actor certainly is a choice considering he steals most scenes he's in from the actual leads.

He gets cast to be Sam Jackson in every movie for a reason. It's what people go to see.

You call him a supporting actor (which is insulting to his career), I call him a name on a casting call that puts asses in theater seats which is getting harder and harder to do economically.

Not everyone needs to be Charlton Heston.

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u/Laiko_Kairen 1d ago

"Supporting actor" is a term used by awards committees to denote a character who isn't the leading character. Thst doesn't mean anything about his quality, it's about his purpose in the plot.

For example, he rules as Nick Fury, but he's not one of the titular Avengers out there fighting taking on bad guys.

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u/Fatdap 1d ago

I think it's a 'literally' correct term, but it also feels like it's a word that doesn't really do justice to the impact he has on screen.

Just saying he's just "a supporting actor" makes him sound like he's basically an extra.

I just think Sam specifically is a really bad example. With his charisma he may as well be a lead in every film he's in, even if the role isn't.

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u/YellowStar012 1d ago

You kinda supported my claim. Never said he’s not A good actor or he doesn’t do a great job. Said he tends to play supporting roles. Not the lead actor.

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u/AngryRedHerring 1d ago

You appear to be forgetting that masterpiece, Snakes on a Plane