Nestled next door to The Ritz hotel in London is The Wolseley – a British dining institution that opened its doors in 2003. Although it’s hardly the oldest restaurant in the capital, it’s certainly one that attracts a mighty share of celebrity clientele, with Kenneth Branagh, Jake Gyllenhaal, Bill Nighy and Keira Knightley among its famous patrons. And so, where better to have a leisurely breakfast and reflect on the concept of the modern movie star than at this London seat of celebritydom? Hannah Strong (who ordered pancakes, as it was Shrove Tuesday), brought together a suite of fellow bon vivants – Christina Newland, Douglas Greenwood and Rōgan Graham – on a centre table in The Wolseley’s opulent, bustling dining room to discuss whether the movie star as we know it has burnt out completely, or if there are any bright young things on the horizon.
THE GUESTS
Rōgan Graham is a programmer and culture writer from London, who recently delivered a lecture on Beyonce as an auteur at the BFI. Rōgan ordered the kedgeree.
Christina Newland is a culture writer from New York now based in London and head film critic at The i. She edited an essay collection on female desire in cinema, ‘She Found It at the Movies,’ in 2020. Christina ordered the French toast.
Douglas Greenwood is from Scotland, now based in London and is a culture writer and editor at i-D. He has profiled stars including Paul Mescal and Barry Keoghan for The New York Times and GQ. Douglas ordered the avocado toast.
Defining a movie star is a good place to start, because it’s such a weird nebulous term. There are so many movie stars who are great actors, but then I think there are also quite a few movie stars who are not necessarily at that level, and was the first time he’d led a project.
