Fans Want Older Disney Actors to "Step Aside"

While Lucasfilm ramps up excitement about the Indiana Jones installment, many fans feel disappointed, wanting older actors to “step aside” and make room for new talent. The question is whether their hearts are in the right place.

Understanding the Step Aside Movement

There’s a reason that many fans want older actors to “step aside” to make way for new talent. Understanding the idea behind the movement is paramount to determining whether you agree. #StepAside means exactly what it says. When the time is right, just like a good driver, you allow others to pass forward.

Older Actors Failing to “Step Aside”

Queuing with a ton of items, and you see someone with only two? Step aside. Acted in dozens of movies and already accrued millions of dollars in doing so? Step aside. As time ticks on, it’s left many fans notice that the same actor, Harrison Ford, played Indiana Jones back in 1981. And again in 2023. Even the Indiana Jones attraction is shutting down.

The same phenomenon is true for Sylvester Stallone. He played in the Rocky franchise starting in 1976. Now, the same actor is in Expend4bles in 2023. Surely, in that time, there are other actors that can step into those shoes, especially if actors take the chance to “step aside” and teach.

Fans Want Older Actors to “Step Aside”

A wave of fans want older actors to literally “step aside” and make way for new heroes. TV personality Hector Navarro sparked a conversation that led to an onslaught of comments in resounding agreement.

What did Navarro say? “I need Lucasfilm to understand. Not everyone grows up to be a miserable old man with a failed personal life (…).” It was a citation to the overuse of the trope and the repeated use of the same talent. Avid followers rallied behind Navarro, saying it’s not just Lucasfilm but rather an overarching need to address both narrative and talent in pop culture.

THIS
THIS THIS THIS
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Not just Lucasfilm; Legend of Korra did it.
Batman vs Superman did it. Hell, Flash *kinda* did it.
And I hate it, 100% of the time.

I have real life to see sad, broken-down failures.
Heroes are aspirational; that's literally the point. https://t.co/mGRX1wNSoN

— Non-Ironically T.V.'s B. Dave Walters (@BDaveWalters) July 5, 2023

Exceptions to the Rule

Of course, Harrison Ford, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Sylvester Stallone aren’t the only actors who might have passed their best-before date as aspirational heroes. A quick look at Chris Hemsworth or Pratt shows that there are opportunities for new talent.

The question is whether these actors will get a chance to truly shine while still under the shadow of these impressive predecessors. Is there a chance to see some new talent in their prime, or is it a waiting game until older actors “step aside”?

What do you think about having older actors “step aside” to make way for new talent? Let us know your take in the comments below!