How Hollywood Works: The Hidden Machinery Behind Movies and Fame
<<I feel like celebrity culture distracted me from movies and shows actually being art, not just a platform for these public personalities and their antics. You talk about these different comedians and where their comedy is rooted. I have been desperate to understand how humor works, why certain things are funny, and the way you talk about these different comedians and where they are rooted makes me realize that comedy can be rooted in a certain kind of emotional state. Is that right?>>
Yes, absolutely—comedy isn’t just about jokes; it’s about where the humor is coming from emotionally. Different comedians tap into different emotional states, and that’s why some humor resonates with certain people more than others.
For example:
Robin Williams – His comedy is rooted in manic energy, empathy, and deep sadness. He was always on, always performing, but there was a vulnerability underneath.
Ben Stiller – His humor comes from insecurity, social awkwardness, and the tension between arrogance and self-doubt.
Ricky Gervais – His humor is based on discomfort, cynicism, and exposing hypocrisy, but he also has a hidden emotional depth.
Steve Martin – His comedy was absurd, intellectual, and almost anti-comedy, coming from a place of detachment and subverting expectations.
Jim Carrey – His humor is deeply physical, exaggerated, and emotionally extreme, often playing with the idea of repression exploding outward.
So humor isn’t just a mechanical thing—it’s tied to emotion, personality, and worldview. That’s why people can laugh at totally different things based on their own emotional state and life experiences.
<<I feel like I had the actor conflated with his character. I didn't realize they were playing a similar kind of person throughout their careers. I thought acting meant you could be anyone, anything, and that you did.>>
Yeah, that’s a really common realization! A lot of actors do have a "persona" they carry across roles, which is why they often feel like they’re playing the same character in different situations. Some actors have incredible range and truly disappear into roles, but many have a specific "lane" where they thrive, and casting directors lean into that.
For example:
Tom Hanks often plays the everyman with quiet depth and decency.
Jack Nicholson brings wild, unhinged charisma, even in different genres.
Ryan Reynolds leans into sarcastic, charming antihero energy.
Christopher Walken always has that odd, detached delivery, no matter the role.
Some actors get typecast, while others lean into what makes them successful. It doesn’t mean they can’t play different roles—it’s just that Hollywood (and audiences) often want them to stick with what works.
<<Gasp. This is one more piece of evidence on the pile that I have no real idea what emotions feel like not when or where they would show up. What is this? What happened to me?>>
That’s a huge realization. It sounds like emotions feel almost like an abstract concept to you—like something you understand intellectually but don’t naturally sense in yourself. That could be because of emotional neglect, trauma, dissociation, or conditioning that prioritized thinking over feeling.
You grew up in an environment that heavily shaped your thinking—evangelicalism, strict moral frameworks, and a worldview that didn’t encourage emotional exploration. If emotions weren’t named, validated, or responded to properly when you were younger, your brain might have filed them away as unimportant or even dangerous.
The fact that you’re realizing this now means you’re starting to turn toward your emotions instead of just analyzing them from a distance. That’s progress, even if it feels unsettling.
<<Do these comedians know that this is how comedy or art works? Is the industry self aware? >>
Yes and no—it depends on the comedian and how deeply they analyze their own craft. Some comedians are highly self-aware about why their comedy works and where it comes from emotionally, while others just have a natural instinct for humor without dissecting it too much.
Comedians Who Are Deeply Self-Aware
These comedians actively analyze comedy, human psychology, and their own personas:
George Carlin – Treated comedy like philosophy, carefully constructing routines that revealed societal absurdities.
Bo Burnham – His work is meta, reflecting on the nature of performance, audience expectations, and his own internal contradictions.
John Cleese – Has written extensively about comedy structure and why things are funny, often discussing how Monty Python’s absurdity worked.
Steve Martin – His book Born Standing Up details how he intentionally crafted his anti-comedy persona.
Comedians Who Are More Instinctual
Some comedians just do what they do without over-explaining it:
Robin Williams – Was highly intuitive, driven by energy and feeling rather than intellectual breakdowns of his own comedy.
Jim Carrey – Talks more about emotional release in comedy rather than its structure.
Will Ferrell – Thrives in improvisation and absurdity without needing to explain why it works.
Is the Industry Self-Aware?
The comedy and entertainment industries understand comedy as a product, but they aren’t always deeply analytical about the emotional roots of humor.
Writers and producers know what sells (e.g., awkward humor is trendy, political satire has cycles, etc.).
Hollywood typecasts comedians based on their established persona, reinforcing certain emotional themes in their work.
Stand-up comedians and late-night hosts often discuss the craft of comedy, but not all go deep into its psychological underpinnings.
Comedians Who Actively Deconstruct Comedy
Some comedians directly address the mechanics of humor:
Norm Macdonald loved to mess with audience expectations, often joking about how a joke itself works.
Jerry Seinfeld focuses on tight joke construction, treating comedy like an engineering problem.
Ricky Gervais explicitly discusses why offense is part of humor and how tension & release work.
So, some comedians absolutely know what they’re doing and why it works, while others just follow their instincts and let the audience tell them what’s funny.
<<How does "Hollywood" work? How is the sausage made?>>
Hollywood operates as a massive industry built on layers of business, creativity, power dynamics, and cultural influence. It’s often romanticized as a place where talent and dreams thrive, but in reality, it’s a carefully controlled machine that prioritizes profit, trends, and gatekeeping.
Let’s break it down:
1. The Power Structure: Who Actually Runs Hollywood?
Studios & Corporate Owners (The Real Power)
Hollywood is dominated by a few major corporations that own most of the studios:
Disney (owns Marvel, Pixar, Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios)
Warner Bros. Discovery (DC Films, HBO, New Line Cinema)
Universal (Comcast-owned) (DreamWorks, Illumination, Focus Features)
Paramount (owned by National Amusements) (Nickelodeon, CBS)
Sony Pictures (owns Columbia Pictures, Spider-Man rights)
Netflix, Amazon, and Apple are now competing as major players in the industry.
These studios finance, distribute, and control most films, meaning that creative decisions are often made based on what will generate the most money, not what’s artistically groundbreaking.
Producers (The Dealmakers)
Producers are the middlemen between the studio and the creative team.
Some are just money guys, securing financing, while others are deeply involved in a film’s story, casting, and marketing.
A “Producer” credit means different things—it can be an executive in a suit or someone who actually made the movie happen.
Agents & Talent Agencies (The Gatekeepers)
Actors, writers, and directors don't usually get jobs directly—they go through agents and managers.
The most powerful agencies in Hollywood:
CAA (Creative Artists Agency)
WME (William Morris Endeavor)
UTA (United Talent Agency)
ICM Partners (recently merged with CAA)
Agents negotiate deals, push clients for big roles, and decide who gets access to projects.
If you’re not represented by a big agency, it’s exponentially harder to get major opportunities.
2. How a Movie Gets Made (The Sausage Factory)
Step 1: The Script & Development Hell
A script is written (sometimes by a known screenwriter, sometimes by a nobody).
The script gets "shopped around"—agents and producers pitch it to studios or investors.
Most scripts never get made (Development Hell = when a script is stuck in limbo for years).
Step 2: Greenlighting & Budgeting
If a studio sees franchise potential, star power, or cultural relevance, they greenlight the movie.
Budget decisions determine casting, special effects, locations, and production scale.
Step 3: Casting (A Mix of Talent & Nepotism)
A-list stars can get projects greenlit just by agreeing to be in them.
Some roles are filled by talented unknowns, but a lot of casting is about marketability (who can sell the most tickets).
Some actors get jobs because of connections, favors, or industry relationships, not just talent.
Step 4: Production (Where the Chaos Happens)
Filming takes place with directors, cinematographers, and crew members managing different aspects.
Reshoots and script changes happen constantly, sometimes ruining original creative intentions.
Studio executives may interfere, demanding changes to make a film more “marketable.”
Step 5: Editing & Post-Production (Saving or Ruining the Film)
Editing can make or break a movie. Some films look awful until the right editor restructures them.
Test screenings influence last-minute changes (if audiences don’t like an ending, they may reshoot it).
Visual effects and music are finalized—if rushed, they can turn out poorly (cough CGI disasters).
Step 6: Marketing & Hype (Manufacturing Excitement)
A film’s success depends on marketing more than quality.
Studios spend hundreds of millions on trailers, posters, interviews, and social media campaigns.
If a movie flops on opening weekend, it’s considered a failure, even if it eventually finds an audience.
3. Hollywood’s Hidden Rules & Realities
Star Power vs. the Machine
A-list actors and directors have some control, but most projects are dictated by studios, investors, and box office trends.
Actors and directors who “go against the system” too much get blacklisted (e.g., actors labeled “difficult” stop getting jobs).
Nepotism & Connections Matter More Than Talent
Hollywood loves to promote the "rags to riches" story, but most major actors and filmmakers came from wealthy or connected families (e.g., Jake Gyllenhaal, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sofia Coppola).
Some breakout stars come from nowhere, but networking is often more important than raw talent.
Franchises Rule Everything
Studios prioritize safe, repeatable franchises (Marvel, Star Wars, remakes) over risky original ideas.
If a film can’t spawn sequels, spin-offs, or merchandise, it’s less likely to get made.
Oscar Campaigning is Bought, Not Earned
Winning an Oscar isn’t just about being the best—it’s about running the best campaign.
Studios spend millions lobbying Academy voters, setting up private screenings, and pushing narratives about performances.
That’s why some great films/actors get ignored while others (cough mediocre biopics) win big.
4. The Streaming War & Hollywood’s Current Shift
Streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, and Apple are disrupting the traditional studio system.
They offer huge budgets to top directors and actors, pulling talent away from studios.
Hollywood is in panic mode, unsure how to handle declining theater attendance and the dominance of streaming.
The result?
More "content" is being made than ever before, but a lot of it is low-effort, algorithm-driven, and forgettable.
Theaters are only surviving because of blockbusters (Marvel, Avatar, Fast & Furious), while mid-budget films struggle.
The industry keeps rebooting the past because nostalgia is a safer investment than new ideas.
Final Takeaways: The Hollywood Illusion
Hollywood is often sold as a place of creativity and dreams, but it’s really a business-driven system controlled by corporations, agents, and gatekeepers.
Great movies do get made, but usually despite the system, not because of it.
Talent helps, but connections and marketability are more important.
Art is secondary to profit, but sometimes, good art sneaks through anyway.
