Subvert The Silver Screen: Hollywood’s 15 Greatest Rebels

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Subvert The Silver Screen: Hollywood’s 15 Greatest Rebels
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The American film industry is known the world over for its history of bright lights, big dreams and beautiful people. For over a century, Hollywood has defined what it means to be a star in their world, creating a picture of seemingly flawless people leading seemingly flawless lives. Once in a while, however, someone comes along and breaks the mould, who succeeds despite breaking every rule in the studios’ books. One of the industry’s most prominent rebels, director Quentin Tarantino, returns this month with Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, a love letter to La La Land’s gloriously shady past and the people who refused to be defined. Join us as we look at the stars who stood out – be it for their outlandish behaviour, their political stances or how they changed the way we looked at the silver screen.

By Victoria Luxford

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Subvert The Silver Screen: Hollywood’s 15 Greatest Rebels.
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James Dean (1931-1955) – The actor who created the idea of the Hollywood rebel. James Dean only had three credited big-screen roles: East of Eden, Giant and the seminal Rebel Without a Cause. The latter in particular made Dean a symbol of teenage revolt and youthful disillusionment, inspiring millions and creating a timeless icon. He was rebellious in his personal life, too, refusing to define his sexuality and remaining unapologetically fluid at a time when such a thing was scandalous. His tragic death from a car accident, aged just 24, has only furthered his legend as the patron saint of the rebellious.

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Ellen Page (1987-Present) – Decades after Dean, LGBTQ actors still struggle in an industry with a terrible history of inequality. Ellen Page, the young star of Juno and the X-Men franchise, became a force for change when she came out publicly during a 2014 Human Rights Campaign speech. Since then, she has produced and starred in a number of films with an LGBTQ+ focus, as well as Viceland documentary Gaycation. At a time when representation is more important than ever, Page is a star making an impact.

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Marlon Brando (1924-2004) – Considered one of the finest actors who ever lived, Brando’s star quality on set belied a complicated man off of it. Known for being difficult to work with and having a tumultuous personal life, Brando’s antics were the prototype for the modern ‘Hollywood Bad Boy’, with behaviour that would have ruined a lesser actor’s career. However, his penchant for outspokenness did sometimes shine a light on good causes: Brando was an active supporter of the Civil Rights movement in America, and most famously refused to accept his Oscar for The Godfather in protest of Hollywood’s treatment of Native Americans.

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Josephine Baker (1906-1975) – Dancer and actress Baker would go down in history as the first African-American to appear in a major motion picture (1927’s Siren of the Tropics), but her movie career is far from the most interesting thing about her life. A revelation on the stages of Paris, she used her celebrity to assist the French Resistance during World War II by moving information between countries. In her later years, she was a prominent figure in the American Civil Rights Movement, appearing as the only official speaker at the 1963 March On Washington. This decorated war hero, activist and groundbreaking star lived fearlessly, and left the world a better place.

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Dennis Hopper (1936-2010) – In a career that saw highs (Apocalypse Now, Easy Rider, Blue Velvet) and lows (The Super Mario Bros. movie), Hopper would come to define the term ‘Troubled Artist’. Intense and charismatic on screen, he became one of the leading lights of 1970s cinema, but was never comfortable with fame, finding himself in a string of high-profile spats with co-stars and partners. This temperament seemed part and parcel with a burning, rebellious creativity that would see him remembered as a legendary Hollywood figure.

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Ava DuVernay (1972-Present) – As a filmmaker and advocate, Ava DuVernay has been a voice for change in the film industry. The director of 2014’s Selma has taken Hollywood to task, bringing attention to the way people of colour are portrayed in mainstream American film. She has also achieved several firsts in a relatively short time – the first African-American woman to be nominated for a Best Director Golden Globe and to have a nomination for Best Picture Oscar, as well as the first African-American woman to direct a $150 million+ budget movie (last year’s A Wrinkle in Time).

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Jane Fonda (1937-Present) – Younger readers may only know Jane Fonda from her starring role in Netflix’s Grace and Frankie, but the actor has remained a tireless activist for decades, putting her voice to causes years before it was fashionable to do so. Part of the historic Fonda acting dynasty, she became a vocal and active opponent of US involvement in Vietnam during the early ‘70s, earning the derogatory nickname ‘Hanoi Jane’ and putting her career in jeopardy to speak up for what she believed in. Since then, she has tirelessly supported feminist and environmental causes, speaking up where others would fear for their career.

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Peter Dinklage (1969-Present) – What could be more rebellious than changing the way people perceive you? Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage was born with achondroplasia, a common form of dwarfism. Actors with the condition are often offered stereotypical roles, but Dinklage persevered to build a fascinating career as a character actor in films such as The Station Agent and Avengers: Infinity War, as well as winning an Emmy and a Golden Globe for playing Game of Thrones’ Tyrion Lannister. In an industry determined to put people in boxes, Dinklage defied the odds.

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Richard Pryor (1940-2005) – Inspiring millions, including almost every American stand-up comedian, Pryor was one of a kind. Described as ‘the highest evolution of comedy’ by Dave Chappelle, the comedian also acted in many movies in the 1970s and 1980s – most notably with Gene Wilder – and broke entertainment boundaries, becoming the first African-American performer to host Saturday Night Live. Like many geniuses, his creativity seemed to go hand-in-hand with a wild streak, with a tumultuous private life and a comedy style that prodded subjects mainstream audiences were uncomfortable with, such as sex and race. But through breaking the rules, Pryor made an impact that is felt to this day.

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Greta Garbo (1905-1990) – A big part of the Hollywood dream for many is becoming famous – people screaming your name as you glide down the red carpet, wanting to know everything about you. However, one of cinema’s greatest names became infamous for turning away from stardom. Greta Garbo, the Swedish star of 1920s and ‘30s Hollywood, stood apart from the pack by fiercely guarding her privacy, eventually retiring from acting in her mid-’30s (the equivalent of, say, Scarlett Johansson announcing tomorrow that she would never act again). Reclusive and enigmatic, she was a one-off who refused to play the studio system’s game.

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Joaquin Phoenix (1974-Present) – Joaquin Phoenix has made a career of defying expectations. The inordinately talented star who got his big break in 2000’s Gladiator avoids big-budget blockbusters, preferring quirky and intense projects such as Her, The Master and I’m Still Here, where he pretended to become a rapper as part of a fake documentary. Even this year’s Joker, arguably the most commercial film of his career, is set to be a darker, more dramatic work than most glossy superhero movies.

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Lucille Ball (1911-1989) – As the star of sitcom I Love Lucy, Lucille Ball was the face of 1950s domesticity and one of the most famous American stars of all time. Off-screen, however, the actor was a trailblazer for women in the entertainment industry. She became the first female head of a TV studio when she formed Desilu Productions in 1962, helping create the Star Trek and Mission: Impossible franchises. She is remembered still with two Hollywood Walk of Fame stars, statues and even a Google Doodle (to mark her 100^th Birthday in 2015). Her talent and tireless work ethic established a new standard for women at a time when Hollywood was entirely male-dominated.

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Sidney Poitier (1927-Present) – On screen, Poitier was the furthest thing from the stereotypical rebel, which is exactly what made him so revolutionary in 1960s Hollywood. His performances in To Sir, With Love, In the Heat of the Night and Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner saw the actor play articulate, intelligent characters who challenged white characters’ perceptions of black men. These three powerful films remain snapshots of change in America, cementing the legacy of Poitier – who would become the person of colour to win Best Actor at The Oscars.

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Michelle Rodriguez (1978-Present) – The film industry often demands its stars to be publicly without flaws – particularly female stars, on whom an unrealistic amount of pressure is applied. Making her name in gritty boxing drama Girlfight, Rodriguez has smashed those archetypes and forged a successful career in hit films Avatar and Resident Evil, drama Widows and, of course, the Fast and Furious franchise, all without bending to expectations. Her private legal troubles during the 2000s only added to her on-camera persona as someone not to be messed with.

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Shia LaBeouf (1986-Present) – Opinion is still divided about the former child star who broke through in the Transformers films. His art projects – filming himself watching his own movies, putting a paper bag on his head, or spending a day in an elevator – are either revolutionary comments on fame or attention-grabbing nonsense, depending on who you ask. Yet his actions are arguably those of a true rebel, who quite easily could have become a conventional A-list star if he had toed the line. LaBeouf has even admitted to rejecting advice from Steven Spielberg to be more like Tom Cruise, as he felt he was not ‘cut from the same fabric’.

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Subvert The Silver Screen: Hollywood’s 15 Greatest Rebels

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