Tom Cruise — good for him — has proved himself America’s most bankable movie star with his “Top Gun: Maverick” movie shattering all Memorial weekend records, like his jet shattering the sound barrier.
He is durable, he remains a heart throb, but one thing he has never been is an Everyman.
That garment fits Tom Hanks, another bankable star, but one far more relatable to the average American. He is now 65.
The Everyman before Hanks was James Stewart, who played a wide variety of roles — from cowboy to Manhattanite — but always as someone you’d want to have a chat with.
Jack Lemmon then had a turn as an Everyman.
Denzel Washington’s many action and heroic roles keep him from being an Everyman. He, too, is bankable, but he is 67.
I think playing a conscious hero removes you from the Everyman category.
That’s why Matt Damon isn’t on my list.
Could it be Ryan Renolds? He’s often a regular guy, but has been a hero in several Marvel Comic films, most notably the tongue-in-cheek Deadpool.
Samuel L. Jackson? He is really watchable, but Everyman? Not even as a commercial pitchman.
Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney? Too pretty.
Dwayne Johnson? Close, but too muscular.
Michael B. Jordan? Too heroic.
Just my opinion and I’m sure I am missing some.
Who would you nominate?
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