Soft Masculinity - Core post #2

At no point in his career have I ever found Warren Beatty attractive. At all. But in so many of his films, he creates a sexual tension with almost every character that is so unnerving, even I can’t deny its existence.
Beatty’s seeming knack for turning a simple exposition scene into the preface of a porno appears to me to be an example of the kind of “naturalism” King speaks of that would so heavily influence the performance and value of a film. Throughout his career, he has been often cast as the object of a female gaze, but even in roles where he would not explicitly be labeled a “sex symbol,” he still brings a certain level of sexualization to the film. As Dyer points out, it is the actor and his performance that greatly alters the aesthetic and entertainment value of any picture.
One of the more disturbing examples of such a relation that comes to mind is another film starring Warren Beatty called the Parallax View. It’s an action/conspiracy thriller with a largely male cast, but every scene Beatty is in is filled with sexual tension. Consequently, watching the Parallax View kind of sucks. Having already been made uncomfortable by Beatty’s nauseatingly soft masculinity in that film (exhibiting almost the opposite of Bozzola’s assertion of Beatty’s relations with women making men uncomfortable), Lester’s assumption of George’s homosexuality was probably my favorite part of Shampoo. Not only would this be an understandable mistake to make because of George’s profession, but because of the soft-core porn ambiance Beatty seems to simply carry with him. It’s like he came out of the womb with bedroom eyes and a slow motion hair tousle.
It’s no wonder he had been typecast in such a way for that extent of his career. His unique brand of masculinity is pure 70s. He is a passive participant, not in any way a threatening gigolo. Just like how Bozzola recognizes his relationship with Joan Collins as precedent to his own rise to stardom, his roles show the women he is with LEADING him.

1. If Beatty’s brand of passive sexuality is still popular today, what stars exemplify it?
2. Can you think of any other films where a celebrity is miscast, and that star’s “mythology” serves to ruin the entire movie?
3. Does the audience’s perception of the star legacy of the WOMEN in Shampoo change at all because of their actions of throwing themselves at someone we’ve already established as a player?