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I’m referring to those actors who, year after year, make billions for the film industry by gingerly stepping into the shadows of Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable before them. That hunky actor desperately clinging for life as aliens pelt him with lasers eventually isn’t so muscle-bound. That plucky actress who wins both the lawsuit over the foreclosure of her house and a ring from the brooding lawyer who helped her, start to fade into the background, taking on the role of spinster sister and character actress. Hollywood is an ageist machine, and it appears that the actors of the 90s are going to be replaced.

In reality, this process has already begun. Look at the biggest names of the 1990s: Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise, Mel Gibson, and Tom Hanks. None of the four have been a star in a well-loved blockbuster in five years. In Julia’s case, she’s disappeared into the world of motherhood, in Hanks’s case he’s become more of an entertainment fixture, trying to go the classy way of Paul Newman and Michael Caine into the supporting roles which helped their careers stretch decade-after-decade. And of course, the less said about the career paths of Cruise and Gibson, the better.

In their place is a different breed of celebrity. I recently caught Half Nelson, a film just released on DVD, and noticed that Ryan Gosling has the makings of a marquee star. He’s an affable fellow, a good actor, has been known to go both commercial (The Notebook) and artsy (Half Nelson), and yet, he’ll never be a marquee star in the mode of Gibson or Roberts.

Despite a very Hollywood relationship with Rachel McAdams, he steers clear of the limelight and the ridiculous Star magazine covers that so many past celebrities have pursued. He’s an incredibly attractive man, but with an approachable, someone-you-could-meet style of beauty. He will never be on the cover of a magazine, flashing a smile that defies the laws of light and physics.

Gosling, however, is not alone in his pursuit of artistry rather than fame. Our generation’s marquee stars, those people that can get 20-somethings into the theaters, are not the lofty stars of the past, but a more down-to-earth, introverted bunch. Jake Gyllenhaal stars in a blockbuster disaster film, and yet is better known for his part in a gay love story. Rachel McAdams makes sparing films and isn’t afraid to be risky with her resume, not going the singular romantic comedy route. Jennifer Hudson, now a household name after her sensational turn in Dreamgirls, hasn’t even signed on for another film role, instead opting for a few years in the music industry before taking on her next blockbuster performance.

Even Reese Witherspoon, arguably the queen bee of this introverted posse, has attempted to steer clear of scandal and repetition, taking on roles in costume dramas and musicals in addition to her standard romances. Even when she’s in the tabloids after a messy divorce, she’s nowhere near the fixture that Cruise and Roberts were; instead, she just receives mentions in the fashion sections and typically escapes the merciless scorn of the supermarket aisle.

What does this mean for the entertainment industry? For the gossip consumer, it means you better get used to reading about Paris, Lindsay, and Britney, because this introverted bunch isn’t sensationalistic enough to wet your appetites.

For the hardcore filmgoer, it’s hard to say. In all likelihood, the days of the star-studded blockbuster may be put on hold, if not altogether forgotten. However, if Half Nelson is any indication, this new breed of celebrity will wholly fulfill their new roles as marquee stars: they will piece together fascinating, utterly viewable cinema.