We all love movies and TV shows, but recently they have been criticized for their lack of authenticity. People, including myself, have grown tired of seeing the same faces with the same shallow personas. This isn’t new, as actors get famous and then all the sudden their faces are everywhere even if they don’t feel like the right choice. Why is this? Is there hope for the industry?
If you keep up with the Kardashians, you’ve probably heard about the new show with Kim Kardashian, “All’s Fair.” She acts along award winning actresses such as Sarah Paulson, Glenn Close, Niecy Nash, and more. The show presents itself as wanting to empower women, but it doesn’t. Instead of empowering women in male dominated fields, they put them in unprofessional clothing and do not bother to include any real law. How does she keep getting cast? Kim Kardashian’s first acting job was in “American Horror Story” (2023-2024) with Ryan Murphy being at the head of mantle, and the same with “All’s Fair” (2025-present). Kim Kardashian has been criticized for her acting skills because of the lack of emotion she displays. It would seem that this show isn’t about anything but an opportunity for someone who is rich, beautiful and woefully untalented to drag down the award-winning actresses that were supposed to act as a crutch, all while feeling that they’re making an impact. Even though the reviews for both projects have been mixed or bad, nothing is changing, because viewers can’t resist eye-catching names or indulging in the popular.
Sydney Sweeney has become a hot topic for her controversial actions and alleged beliefs. In her most recent release, she was cast as lesbian boxer Christy Martin in the biopic “Christy” (2025). People have accused her of being racist and even homophobic, especially after a family photo showing people wearing MAGA hats. Keep in mind, Trump is the same person who ended LGBTQ+ youth services on the suicide hotline 998 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. While, of course these are all allegations, it creates doubt and also begs the question why not hire an actress that can properly represent the LGBTQ+ community?
“They choose the biggest name, the person with the most followers-they’re trying to ‘green light’ a project. They’re trying to get financing for a project. So they choose the wrong person, who looks sparkly on paper,” Jessica Aquila Cymerman, a director with a casting background, said in an interview with The Thunderbolt. There is nothing inherently wrong with someone straight playing another sexuality, but when her beliefs contradict the message of the story, it feels performative and like they’re trying to profit off of these stories. Perhaps, Sweeney was trying to garner a new audience since her sex symbol status seems to be wearing out. Even with Sweeney’s hot streaks in 2023 and 2024, “Christy” was a box office flop, as it seems the lust has lost the luster and people are tired of fabricated empathy.
“It’s very important to feel like you’re being seen for your authentic self, and so therefore representing the most authentic versions of humanity is the job of the casting director and director,” Cymerman said. People want to see themselves on screen. This is not to say actors cannot act as someone else — that’s their whole job. However, there is an issue when the story is being inaccurately represented. I want to see new talent be given a chance for mainstream projects, instead of famous people getting all the attention and fortune, while leaving the real art of the industry behind.
So is the industry doomed to these patterns?
“The people who are giving us the most media that we consume are being owned by a handful of people, a handful of billionaires. That is very scary. And I do think it will lead us into a little bit of a dark time seeing more influencers, seeing more AI, seeing, more just, big sparkly names in front of us,” Cymerman said. It seems that entertainment gets more and more dull each year, but for every bad thing, there is something good. Accurate representation has always been an issue in the movie industry but we’ve seen some prime examples that we are making progress with characters such as Nessa Rose in the Wicked franchise, being portrayed by an actress who is new to mainstream media and who is paralyzed and uses a wheelchair in real life. Bad choices are a part of growth and as long as we keep pushing for actors who are talented and represent the stories we want told, big names will not be completely exchanged for the art that is storytelling.
