The classically trained actors are selling out again and profiting from the acclaim from their new audiences. The last time we saw this happen was when the English actor Orlando Bloom who was known to perform Shakespearian plays sold out and profited greatly from the Pirates of the Caribbean series of films. The summer season of blockbuster films has begun.  One of the films   with the most stars in   it is the latest installment of   the X Men series.  Despite all the high priced special effects and the skin tight costumes, the most striking thing about the movie might be the caliber of the acting.  This science fiction   movie is full of Oscar winners. Since when did science fiction anything get so much respect?

The film has Oscar winners   and Oscar nominees and even two real life knights, Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Patrick Stewart who plays   the leader of the X Men who are a group of mutant superheroes who all come together in the fifth installment of the franchise called Days of Future Passed.

  Apparently audiences have not grown tired of comic book movies.  Somehow Comic books   have always had a philosophical and moral content. Perhaps   that is why such distinguished actors decided to star in just a money making film full of special effects to keep uneducated audiences interested. Both actors were just in two Broadway plays called   Waiting  for Godot and the dark comedy No Man’s Land and audiences did not race to the theater to buy tickets but the comic book movie is selling millions of dollars in tickets worldwide.

Patrick Stewart threw out his classical standards   years ago when he made a ton of money playing the Captain in the Star Trek movie called The Next Generation.  Not a bad pay day fora 73 year old man.  He claims that he firmly said no to   performing   in science fiction movies and that it was his agent that urged him to do so.  He was told that more people would see him act in that movie than in total of his entire career.  That must feel gratifying and horrifying at the same time.  Patrick Stewart is so wealthy now that he can pick and choose whatever he wants to star in.  He is even testing the waters of comedy and   is a featured voice in the animated Seth MacFarlane production called American Dad.  Now that  is really far from classical theater.

Patrick Stewart has over 1,000,000 Twitter followers and got a lot of laughs with a  UTube clip that went viral.  I am not opposed to classical anything going mainstream.  I just hope that there will be continued  new  actors performing Shakespeare before they sell out their ethics and just do whatever the biggest payday is.  A cultured voice and thought out   words can never be a bad thing.