“I never set out to play the hero, but since I’m usually cast as one I want to be the best paid hero.” That’s what Sean Connery said at a moment when he was re-negotiating his James Bond deal.
As a serious actor, Connery admitted he never understood what traits audiences wanted from their movie heroes and his confusion would be shared by studio mavens today.
Even long-in-the-tooth leading men can find a second wind. Keanu Reeves is drawing record box office in John Wick: Chapter 4, cast as a laconic virtuoso of death who emerges from retirement because his dog got killed.
Tom Cruise doesn’t kill anyone on screen in Top Gun: Maverick, but his actions in keeping that movie from a streaming bow helped put the theatrical business back on track.
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