Message to Hollywood: Let comedians thrive

A few weeks ago, “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire” opened at the top of the box office, despite receiving average reviews. This was the fifth entry under the “Ghostbusters” name, but as the series has progressed since the 1984 original, it has deviated further and further from its comedy roots.

At the forefront of “Frozen Empire” stands Paul Rudd, who has become one of Hollywood’s leading men through films like this and by playing Marvel’s Ant-Man. Rudd’s rise to fame made him a household and mainstream name, despite the fact that a decade ago, Rudd rarely worked outside the world of comedy.

Rudd made his mark in the 1995 teen comedy “Clueless,” which put him on the comedy map. He soon began working with major comedy directors such as Judd Apatow in The 40-Year-Old Virgin and David Wain in Wet Hot American Summer. He also had recurring roles in sitcoms such as “Parks and Recreation” and “Friends,” and played one of the four main characters in the “Anchorman” films.

Now, when I rewatch these movies and shows with others, Rudd is talked about in the context of Ant-Man and not as a viable comedy star. He’s a great comedic actor, but Hollywood didn’t give him enough space to become known in that fundamental way. While he was hitting his stride, he was poached for blockbusters instead.

I worry about people like Ebon Moss Bachrach, who came to prominence through the comics “The Bear” and has already been cast in a “Fantastic Four” movie. Moss-Bachrach did not have enough time to build a reputation for his comedic acting.

This puts him in a similar position to Chris Pratt, who was adored when he started out as Andy Dwyer in “Parks and Recreation,” but whose love died when he became associated with his roles in “Guardians of the Galaxy.” And the “Jurassic World” films. Moss-Bachrach’s co-star, Ayo Edebiri, made the smart move to withdraw from The Thunderbolts just when she was starting to pick up awards.

There are some actors who have been successful in their careers while still doing blockbuster films. One of Bradley Cooper’s first films was “Wet Hot American Summer” with Rudd, and he continued to do comedies like the “The Hangover” films until he was cast as Rocket Raccoon in the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films. His role as Rocket required only a voice, and was almost unrelated to those types of films, allowing him to work on what he wanted.

The biggest problem here is that Hollywood refuses to develop comedies. Certainly, actors have a semblance of agency in the roles they play, but when the system rarely funds theatrical films that are exclusively comedies, there is less choice.

There is also the issue of recognition. Although Cooper has more freedom in what he can do, he has yet to do Oscar-nominated dramatic films to get the recognition he deserves. If the industry treated comedies with the same respect as other films, Cooper might still make them.

Bob Odenkirk had a similar experience. Although he didn’t focus on doing a Marvel movie, Odenkirk had to focus on working on the drama “Better Call Saul” to gain recognition, and even then, he never won an Emmy for his performance, which brilliantly combines comedy. And drama.

Odenkirk doesn’t have to worry about recognition for his impressive comedy career, but people rarely seem to know that he had his own standup show or that he wrote the famous “Van Down by the River” sketch for “Saturday Night Live.” “

It’s frustrating to see the genre that got me interested in the entertainment industry being pushed aside in favor of too-big-to-fail films that only contain moments of comedy. I feel bad about the number of great comedians who won’t get their chance to lead a comedy because Hollywood doesn’t produce enough, and it’s not financially feasible to try to game the system.

@lukejmacy