When it comes to ranking artists, we all know that media outlets’ opinions are about as subjective as it gets. No matter how many facts and reasons they throw to back up their lists, there is no way they will ever get everyone on board. And when fans do not agree with these rankings, they are quick to start questioning whether these sites even know what they are talking about. That is exactly what happened with a big publication that recently released its list of the top 60 actors of the 21st century.
Topping the list was the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, with Emma Stone securing the second spot. Meanwhile, Tom Cruise, Amy Adams, Hugh Grant, and Matthew McConaughey found themselves at the bottom of the pile. Then, there were actors like Robert Downey Jr.
, Andrew Garfield, and the late Irrfan Khan, who managed to land somewhere in the middle. Naturally, many fans were not on board with the verdict.
The Independent ranks the 60 best actors of 21st-century cinema.
1. Philip Seymour Hoffman
2. Emma Stone
3. Daniel Day-Lewis
4. Denzel Washington
5. Nicole Kidman
6. Daniel Kaluuya
7. Song Kang Ho
8. Cate Blanchett
9. Colin Farrell
10. Florence Pugh pic.twitter.com/MguAJhS4h8— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) December 28, 2024
A similar uproar took place last month when Billboard released its list ranking the greatest pop stars of the 21st century. Fans of Ye, formerly known as Kanye West
, were quick to call out the publication for not ranking him properly
. Even Taylor Swift
’s fans were not happy with her second-place finish, feeling her influence was so strong that she deserved the top spot. And now, it is actors’ turn to raise a fuss.
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Fans have criticized the publication for their ranking, particularly pointing out some specific actors.
Fans fire back at the publication over actor rankings
The publication defended its exclusion of legends like Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, and Gene Hackman by explaining its criteria. They only considered films, not TV shows or stage performances—and only those released after 2000. Still, some fans were not convinced and argued that there are other actors from the 2000s onward who had a bigger impact than some in the top 10.
This is one of the worst lists I’ve ever seen.
— Jacques Strap (@_jacques_strap_) December 29, 2024
No Russel Crowe is an absolute joke. pic.twitter.com/ZGaJbMfAJW
— John Handem Piette (@JohnHPiette) December 28, 2024
In what world is Meryl Streep and Viola Davis not in the top 10 period but especially of the 21st-century 🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️🤦🏾♂️
— TJ Jackson (@iAmTJJackson) December 28, 2024
Fans mainly took issue with Emma Stone’s second-place ranking. They believed that the actors who ranked below her deserved much higher spots, despite her Oscar-winning performance last year. Then there was Florence Pugh, who fans argued is too unproven to make the top 10.
Emma Stone won an Oscar for a musical in which she was both a mediocre singer and dancer. And now she’s number two? Yaw wild!
— Shawn Edwards (@sedwardskc) December 28, 2024
i’m a big fan of emma stone but there’s no way in hell she is the second best actor of the century by any metric… sorry girl
— luca (@LucaGuadagnegro) December 28, 2024
Florence Pugh plays the exact same character in every movie she’s in.
— Marc Adler (@marc__adler) December 28, 2024
Fans also came out in full force for actors like Cillian Murphy
, and Hugh Jackman, who were nowhere to be found in the list. Now, whether or not this ranking is justified, or if these lists are simply designed to get people talking, that is something for fans to decide.
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What do you think about rankinglist? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!