There’s a brand-new crop of stars in Hollywood now, and they’ve truly begun to make waves within the industry. In recent years, actors such as Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya and Florence Pugh have risen to reach A-lister status, and their stellar work speaks for itself. As such, they’ve drawn attention from various filmmakers, including Steven Soderbergh. The veteran director just dropped thoughts on the biggest hurdles facing the aforementioned performers in this current landscape, and he and I are on the same page.
It goes without saying that Steven Soderbergh has seen and done a lot after working in the entertainment industry for over three decades. With that, he’s been able to watch the business shift in various ways. While promoting his 2025 movie schedule entry, Black Bag, Soderbergh was asked about this newest generation of stars. The Dune: Part Two cast, which included the three actors mentioned above, was specifically mentioned. Soderbergh praised the actors while also lamenting their “challenge” of finding the right gigs:
They're all talented—the challenge becomes finding parts that work for them. And by that, I mean that showcase their talents, and are hits. When you look at what's working lately, it tends to be either something in the franchise fantasy spectacle mode, or low-budget horror movies, with the occasional comedy thrown in. It's more restrictive for young casts, because Black Bag is the kind of film I made my career on, which is a mid-level budgeted movie for adults. And they're not making a lot of those for theater release.
Sadly, the assessment that the Ocean’s Eleven helmer shared with Men’s Health is absolutely true. Right now, it’s tougher for talent to secure juicier roles, given that many of the biggest studios in the game are going for massive blockbusters and low-costing horror flicks. To think that even a mid-budget comedy has become a novelty is wild. Don’t get me wrong, I’m looking forward to many upcoming superhero movies, and there are forthcoming horror films that look great. Also, some of today’s biggest stars have even booked those kinds of films. However, I’d love for up-and-coming stars to have more varied opportunities to flex their acting muscles.
All in all, this is a very nuanced conversation, and many have debated what’s caused studios to largely move away from the mid-budget films that Steven Soderbergh and others are famous for making. Nevertheless, Soderbergh, who’s discussed the rise of streaming as well, doesn’t think this all comes down to a certain demographic not going to the movies:
I feel for them in the sense that there aren't as many options as there were for the previous generation. Here's what I know from talking to Focus Features, and people at A24, and Neon: Young people, 25 and under, are going to the movies, and are very director-oriented.
On the bright side, Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet, Florence Pugh and many of their peers have managed to land roles that suit their particular talents. For instance, last year, Chalamet was praised for his turn as Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown, while Zendaya was lauded for her work in Challengers. Pugh also shined in the romantic dramedy We Live in Time. What’s interesting, though, is that Chalamet and “Z” produced their respective films, which shows that in many cases, stars must help spearhead the projects they truly want.
They’re not the only ones who’ve found success, of course, as Austin Butler, Anya Taylor-Joy, Paul Mescal and Sydney Sweeney have carved out lanes for themselves. Each has landed roles in upcoming A24 films, fastly approaching sci-fi movies and more. Still, Steven Soderbergh’s comments are more than worth taking note of, and I sincerely hope the stars of this era are able to take on varied work and not remain limited to certain kinds of productions moving forward.
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