Take a look at any of the movies coming out this year and there will be a number of familiar themes. This is always the case, of course. When a particular genre has a breakout hit, there is surprisingly little time before the rest of the studios and distributors get their films out that explore the same kinds of issues.
But one of the themes that seem to have become more common in recent years is the appearance of sports stars – current and former – making the move into Hollywood. Action films are the most obvious natural step but they are by no means the only genre enjoying an influx of actors that have only recently stepped off the field of play.
The fans have long idolized many of the athletes who make the move from sports to films. They have featured in countless headlines and sports betting sites making the events they appear in just as important in a BetOnline review as their future film reviews. But why are there so many athletes making it big in Hollywood? Has it always been the case? And is this something that will continue?
They Look After Themselves
Although there has been some range for leading men and women in more recent action films, the majority still rely on a muscle-bound central character. That’s because there needs to be some level of believability that they can take on the limitless number of baddies and save the day.
Even those sports athletes who have retired from their previous employment are usually pretty good at keeping up the gym membership, so they are still in excellent condition. There is no intensive workout regime needed for the part here. Just put them in a tight vest and shout “action”.
Good at Taking Direction
Speaking of directing, sports athletes are probably a filmmaker’s dream come true. Directors are commonly used to dealing with overpaid prima donnas who question the motivation of their characters at any given opportunity. But pro sports athletes have been taking direction their entire lives – and mostly blindly obeying any order.
Although sports athletes are sometimes portrayed as dumb idiots who are only good at running and catching, the preparation and training that they go through for every single game has conditioned them to follow orders for the good of the team. Tell them to say a few lines and smash down a wall and you can count on it being done in no time.
Lines are Not Complex
Another reason why directors can probably count on their former athletes-turned-actors to nail their parts first time is that action movies are not exactly Shakespeare level. We obviously mean no disrespect to the professionals making these wonderful films. But the lines are not always the most difficult to master.
Action movies may not be all about killing the bad guys and then uttering a pithy one-liner. But they are also not always much more than that. A good former athlete is more than capable of making his or her mark, completing the action sequence, and then remembering the limited dialogue needed to wrap the scene.
Part of the Celebrity World
Back in the day, the Hollywood studio system ensured that actors and actresses were shielded from media embarrassments because of the huge amounts of money involved in the business. But these days there is just as much money sloshing around professional sports – if not more.
Television broadcasting deals for live sports eclipses even the biggest budgets for films and that means that the athletes are taking home bigger pay packets than in previous generations. They are used to being the biggest celebrity in the room and that makes them even more confident of not being overawed when they step onto the set.