Last week I looked at the popularity of various first names in movies over the past two decades. The process involved building up a vast database of acting credits, noting both the gender of the fictional role and of the performer representing them on screen. This led to some readers getting in touch to ask...
I think that’s part of it. I imagine many of those randos did actually want to make another film though.
The death of the mid-budget movie is probably a contributing factor - either you’re shooting on your phone, or suddenly you’re supposed to helm a blockbuster, with few stepping stones in between.