Boyd Compares

The Washington Post, in a widely carried Associated Press story, quoted Critical Studies professor Todd Boyd on comparisons between actors Heath Ledger and James Dean.

“I think any time you have a celebrity who dies young while seemingly on the way up the ladder of success, comparisons to James Dean are inevitable,” Boyd said. But Dean remains alive in our minds because generations born after his death found his rebel image relevant to their own era, he added.

“If future generations discover Ledger and find ways to make his image applicable to their times, then people may one day be asking whether a future celebrity who dies prematurely while on the way up is akin to Heath Ledger.”

Associated Person:

Todd Boyd