With two superstars like Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts in the same movie, one
can only imagine the debates about billing that must have gone on behind studio
execs’ closed doors for “The Mexican.”
Walk past the movie posters, watch the
commercials and you’ll notice that with this pairing of two of the biggest
(and dreamiest) faces in Hollywood,
DreamWorks is playing a nice game of share and share alike. Roberts and Pitt
get equal screen time, equal gags, equal pretty shots. The masses, the stars
and their publicists should all be pleased.
But let’s wonder, just for fun, who really should get top billing?
How do you judge who the bigger name is? We’ve taken it upon ourselves to
compare Mr. Pitt and Ms. Roberts in the various criteria for movie stardom,
and find out whose name could feasibly bump the other off the marquee. Read
through the factors, then decide for yourself.
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| Criteria | Julia | Brad | Winner |
| Actual name/age | Julie Fiona Roberts, 33 | William Bradley Pitt, 37 | Brad, for biggest deviation. Nothing sounds like a movie star less than the name Will Pitt. |
| Humble beginnings | Born in small town Smyrna, Georgia, to a vacuum-salesman dad and a real-estate agent/church secretary mom. Started out as a model. | Born in small town of Shawnee, Okla., raised in Springfield, Okla., to a trucking company managing dad, a high-school counselor mom. Studied journalism in college; worked as a chauffeur for Strip-O-Gram strippers and dressed up as a chicken outside L.A.’s El Pollo Loco Restaurant. | Brad. No contest. |
| Biggest paycheck | $20 million | $17.5 million | Julia. Not only that, but the film that landed her in the $20 mil club, “Erin Brockovich,” grossed $125 million. |
| Famous companions | Benjamin Bratt, Matthew Perry, Lyle Lovett (married), Jason Patric, Kiefer Sutherland (engaged), Dylan McDermott (engaged), Liam Neeson. | Jennifer Aniston (married), Gwyneth Paltrow (engaged), Juliette Lewis, Robin Givens. | Brad, by a hair. He has fewer, but the two big blondes in his life have caused his paparazzi factor to spike higher than the Pretty Woman‘s. |
| Industry respect | Three Oscar nominations; five Golden Globe nominations, three wins. | One Oscar nomination; two Golden Globe nominations, one win. | Julia. |
| Popularity contest | Seven People’s Choice Awards; two Blockbuster Awards. | Three MTV Movie Awards; one Blockbuster Award. | It’s close, but Julia has the advantage of being hands-down the most beloved female actor, while Brad has to compete with Ford, Gibson, Hanks, Cruise, Carrey … |
| Prestigious leading men/women | Robin Williams, Denzel Washington, John Malkovich, Nick Nolte, Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Albert Finney, Richard Gere (2) | Geena Davis, Gwyneth Paltrow, Helena Bonham Carter | Julia. Lesson to Brad: Cast more women who can hold their own against you, not just wilt in your presence (Claire Forlani, Natasha McElhone) |
| Prestigious directors | Woody Allen, Steven Spielberg, Robert Altman, Alan J. Pakula, Neil Jordan, Steven Soderbergh | Ridley Scott, Robert Redford, Neil Jordan, Barry Levinson, Alan J.Pakula | Julia. |
| Going ugly to prove they really can act | Doing an ultra Plain Jane as Dr. Jekyll’s maid in 1996’s “Mary Reilly“ | Eye-popping and body-twitching as a mental patient in “Twelve Monkeys” | Brad. More dramatic change, plus better reviews. |
| Star-making moment | Singing to Prince’s ‘Kiss’ in the bathtub in 1990’s “Pretty Woman“ | Tipping his sweaty hat to Julia Ormond in 1994’s “Legends of the Fall“ | Julia, for Indelible Lasting Screen Impact. |
| Highest-grossing film (domestic) | “Pretty Woman,” $178 million, 1990 | “Interview With the Vampire,” $105 million, 1994 | Julia. Not only that, but she’s had seven films top $100 mil since. |
| Biggest post-stardom bomb | “Mary Reilly,” $5.5 million (budget: $47 million) | “Meet Joe Black,” $45 million (budget: $90 million) | Brad, for the lesser of two evils. Playing Death may have not worked out, but Julia’s pitiful turn nearly knocked her off the radar. |
| Fan sites | 44 fan clubs, nine pages turn up on Yahoo! | 47 clubs, 14 pages turn up on Yahoo! | Brad, but not by much. |
| Physical distinction | The Mouth, followed by The Hair. | Can we pinpoint one? There’s the golden hair, the golden tan, the jawline, the bod … | Brad for overall … well, Adonis-ness. Plus some think Julia’s beauty is limited to her smile (how dare they!). |
| Box-office dry spell | 1994-96. The three-year drought of “Reilly,” “Michael Collins,” “Everyone Says I Love You,” “I Love Trouble” and “Ready to Wear” made less than $117 million combined (half that total coming from the decently received “Something to Talk About“). That’s about what “Notting Hill” made all by itself. | 1997-99. From “The Devil’s Own” to “Seven Years in Tibet” to “Meet Joe Black” to “Fight Club,” his run fell about $140.5 million short (domestically) of the films’ collective budgets. Ouch. | Julia, for bouncing back so strongly with 1997’s “My Best Friends’ Wedding.” Brad, we think, may still be trying to find the black. |
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