Why short actors dominate Hollywood

Often they cannot boast of being tall to match their on-screen status. It is even more unusual to see together actors who looked about the same in the movies, but in real life are different like David and Goliath. Why does this happen?

According to historians, the average American man in the 19th century was a couple of inches shorter than he is today; the woman's height was still about an inch smaller. Scenery in theaters, seats, costumes - everything was made to this standard, and the cinema that appeared in the twentieth century naturally inherited it. Changes in views on proper nutrition, the influx of genes from abroad and many other factors gradually changed the face of the nation, but the cinema held on to its positions: although there was an ebb and flow, the general demand of not short actors remained dominant.

The dictates of a particular moment invariably turned into a return to "normalcy." So, the demand for tall artists who could jump into the saddle without the help of a catapult was noted in the era of Westerns in the middle of the last century (remember John Wayne with his 193 cm) - but disappeared along with the cowboys. The burst of fashion in the mountains of molded muscles associated with the action movie of the 80s also faded away, proving to be a temporary phenomenon. Despite the fact that the infrastructure, "sharpened" to the "classic size", has been loosened and slowly changed over the decades, it is still easier for an actor of short stature to find a job in Hollywood than it is for a tall artist. And he has much more chances to reach the stars of class "A". Why is the cinema so holding on to the "middle peasants", you ask? There are a number of objective reasons for this.

Peter Dinklage and the Pixels Actors

First, the standard cast of any film has a standard average height. It is technically more convenient for filmmakers to work with those who do not try to pierce the upper border of the frame with their heads, especially in group scenes where the actors act in an ensemble and everyone needs to fit into one picture. If the undersized artist, who needs to be made "taller", can still be put on an apple crate or removed at a "winning" angle, then it will be much more difficult to "shorten" the giant.

Secondly, it is required to take into account the psychology of the actors themselves: short stars often feel uncomfortable surrounded by those who are taller, so they try to take advantage of their influence whenever possible and surround themselves with lower colleagues, against whom they would look more advantageous. Equally, and vice versa: in the cast, where all the participants are of approximately the same height, the "watchtower" will look like a disharmonious element and, most likely, the casting will not take place.

The third factor that makes tall people less likely to get into movies is the American educational system that rewards athletic excellence. Those who have the appropriate physical characteristics tend to choose a sports ground, rather than a drama club, and for many this becomes a decisive factor in further building a career.

As for women, their height is traditionally "adjusted" to the male: you must admit, it would be ridiculous if the star's on-screen partner was a girl, next to whom the heartthrob would look even lower than he is. When a short actress becomes a star, they try to select partners already for her - simply because too tall partners are continuous inconveniences. For example, in "Four Christmases", because of Vince Vaughn's "long" stature, petite Reese Witherspoon had to stand on a box for half of the filming.

Shot from the movie "Four Christmases"

To avoid such difficulties, they try to minimize the difference - and the chain reaction is not long in coming: first, for a short star a la Elizabeth Taylor (157 cm), appropriate partners are selected, and then they, having become famous, demand lower girls as partners. And with each new turn, the well-known anecdote about mice becomes more and more relevant. We can only rejoice that Danny DeVito preferred a comedic rather than a romantic role - after all, this would definitely not have remained without consequences.

There is also a very banal reason why big men often do not pass the selection sieve: since the Hollywood machine is built on stereotypes generously drawn from the collective unconscious, they try to select actors for "deep" roles in accordance with their "texture". For example, Vitali Klitschko or Nikolai Valuev, for all their "hype", are unlikely to be entrusted with the role of a sensitive person - simply because with their height and complexion they will look unconvincing in such a role. Thick neck, heavy jaw? Sorry, there are no vacancies for you. Wait until you need a club bouncer or dumb villain for some action movie.

The evolution of the "dream factory" at different times was influenced by both fashion and the activities of social movements - for example, the "subversive" work of feminism, which turned metrosexuality into a trend. As a result, actors who look like ordinary guys from the crowd today have become regulars even in porn (and have great success there), and in ordinary cinema they crowd out jocks with brutes and even stronger.

It should come as no surprise that the majority of in-demand performers who do not know the end of the offer do not reach the mark of average height (today it is 5.9 feet for men and 5.4 for women, that is, 180 and 165 cm, respectively). A new generation of stars such as Daniel Radcliffe (165 cm) or Martin Freeman (170 cm) illustrates this trend quite clearly. This is how Hollywood selection works. Most often, the "short" characters of the screen prefer to hide their true growth from the public, as "not very courageous", but he becomes a great help in his work. As long as platform shoes exist, being a short artist is not a problem, but impressive physical growth can become a hindrance to work and limit creative growth. So it turns out that low people in general have more influence on the film process than high people, and nothing prevents them from constantly increasing this influence.

Daniel Radcliffe and the "Swiss Knife Man" crew

Of course, there is no collusion here, and there are exceptions to any rule: for example, the well-known Clint Eastwood, Liam Neeson, Vince Vaughn, Tim Robbins,

Fans who happen to approach the stars for autographs often return home embarrassed. “Everything was cool, but this actor… he is so tiny,” they tell friends. "I will probably never be able to look at him in action films with the same feeling." To prevent this from happening, we can only advise you to call Google for help and find out the growth of your idol before you see it with your own eyes. Maybe that autograph of the destruction of youthful dreams is not worth it? As experienced people say, sometimes it's better not to know what sausage, politics and Hollywood movies are made of.