The Year Movie Stars Became Their Own Memes

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These days, simply having a great poster and trailer, or even famous actors doing standard promotional appearances, isn’t enough to capture audience attention. People want more engagement, and movie press tours have become a competition for viral moments. Actors are now expected to constantly promote their films and create their own buzz, often intentionally becoming internet sensations. The end of 2025 saw the unusual press tour for Wicked, which built on the successful, attention-grabbing tactics used by Barbie, including playfully embracing exaggerated fan theories. This seemed to encourage other actors to try unique approaches while promoting their films throughout the year – and most of them succeeded, with some truly going the extra mile.

Best kickoff to a yearlong press tour

Pedro Pascal

The 50th anniversary special of Saturday Night Live was a three-hour celebration of Lorne Michaels, featuring appearances from stars like Meryl Streep and Martin Short. Beyond the nostalgia, the special highlighted which current celebrities were considered significant enough to be included. While Sabrina Carpenter and Bad Bunny both made appearances, Pedro Pascal’s presence felt particularly noteworthy. The special, firmly rooted in 2024 pop culture, served as a launching pad for Pascal, foreshadowing a busy year with leading roles in the films Eddington, Materialists, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, as well as continuing his work on the hit show The Last of Us. Though packed with famous faces, it was Pascal’s appearance that truly signaled the arrival of this increasingly popular star.

Best director who became a star

Ryan Coogler

Several new directors gained widespread recognition this year, including Eva Victor (known for Sorry, Baby), Celine Song (Materialists), and brothers Benny and Josh Safdie (The Smashing Machine and Marty Supreme, respectively). They established themselves as talented individual artists, attracting attention beyond dedicated film fans. However, the major success of Sinners and, particularly, Ryan Coogler’s blockbuster films propelled him to legendary status. Coogler, the director of Black Panther and Creed, expressed his gratitude to fans in a moving letter, highlighting the inspirations behind his work and his continued passion for the cinematic experience. Ultimately, Coogler was the most prominent advocate for the magic of movies this year.

Best esoteric running late-night bit

Spider League

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=-SsPLG1nRo8

You know what’s been oddly fascinating? The buzz around Andrew DeYoung’s Friendship wasn’t really about the movie itself, at least not initially. It was this hilarious story that started with Brooks Whelan on Seth Meyers. Apparently, Tim Robinson and a few friends – including Brooks – have this group chat called “Spider League” where they share pictures of spiders they find. But Brooks kept doing bits and cracking jokes, driving Tim crazy enough to temporarily ban him! It was already a funny story, but then Tim and Brooks kept updating everyone throughout the year about this incredibly chaotic group chat – it became this running joke about the most dramatic online space in LA. Honestly, the behind-the-scenes drama ended up being almost as interesting as the movie!

Best gigglefest

The Warfare cast

Despite its title, the marketing for Warfare focused surprisingly little on the film’s dark and violent content – scenes of intense fighting and injury. Instead, A24 emphasized the surprisingly lighthearted dynamic between the actors. Even though the film is called Warfare, promotional materials downplayed the serious nature of the story, highlighting things like Michael Gandolfini introducing the cast. Even Cosmo Jarvis, known for playing intense characters, seemed relatively relaxed, or as relaxed as he ever appears, at least.

Honorable mention

Josh O’Connor and Paul Mescal for The History of Sound

While The History of Sound isn’t as action-packed as Warfare (though it might be just as emotionally impactful), stars Josh O’Connor and Paul Mescal kept each other laughing throughout interviews promoting their films. They, along with the cast of Warfare, explained that doing press tours is much more enjoyable with a friend – someone to joke around with and make the time pass.

Best Stitch

Stitch from Lilo & Stitch

Remember when he drove up to the red carpet of his own movie?

Best unintentional Zootopia 2 promo

Celine Song for Materialists

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=TgTCVvLcjiY

Celine Song’s new film, Materialists, sparked a lot of debate – some people loved it as a fresh take on romantic comedies, while others disliked it intensely. Song often discussed the film’s themes of capitalism and its impact on relationships during interviews, and she discouraged people from turning it into internet memes – which was a good move. Interestingly, when asked which movie she considered culturally important, Song surprisingly chose Zootopia. She explained she connected with the main character, a bunny who pursues her dreams, and it’s hard to argue with that.

Best relentless short-form video blitz

The cast of Superman

Promoting a major movie these days means actors have to do more than just act – they’re expected to create short, engaging videos for platforms like Reels and TikTok. It makes you wonder if that’s what aspiring actors train for in drama school. Often, you can tell these videos are just fulfilling contract requirements. However, the cast of Superman managed to make it all seem genuinely enjoyable. David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult effortlessly handled each sketch, lip-sync video, and promotional activity, making it all look natural and fun.

Best obligatory SubwayTake

Austin Butler for Caught Stealing

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=k0qDpOyTZSE

Here’s hoping by now someone has invited him to a bachelor party.

Best real (and/or also fake) relationship

Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson during The Naked Gun

Liam Neeson and Pamela Anderson had fantastic chemistry in the new Naked Gun movie, both comedically and romantically, and this seemed to be reflected in a real-life connection during promotion. They were affectionate, sharing heartwarming stories about each other in interviews, and Neeson even publicly stated he was deeply in love with Anderson. However, Anderson later revealed that their romantic connection was brief, lasting only about a week after filming wrapped. While they remained close, she clarified that their relationship ultimately stayed platonic.

Best pre-movie ritual

Chloé Zhao’s breathing exercise ahead of Hamnet

Look, I appreciate good intentions, but the pre-screening meditation led by director Chloé Zhao, along with Paul Mescal and Jessie Buckley, felt… unnecessary. Honestly, it’s become a bit of a symbol for why some people are pushing back against Hamnet’s Oscar campaign. While I don’t think anyone would have minded a few tissues, this felt like a bit of overly earnest self-importance. We should be thankful they didn’t require us to participate, but it definitely contributed to the film becoming something of a target this awards season.

Best Reels

Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro for One Battle After Another

Chase Infiniti quickly became the most talked-about performer in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. She wasn’t just brilliant in the movie, but also had a fun, playful side, creating memes with her more experienced co-stars. Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro good-naturedly joined in, appearing in a few short promotional videos for the film – showing that even established actors are willing to try new things.

Best Wicked-induced psychosis

Michelle Yeoh’s “Madame Morrible … flip it around? Wicked Witch” line for Wicked: For Good

Michelle Yeoh cleverly promoted her role in Wicked: For Good by consistently sharing a fun fact during interviews. She’d introduce her character, Madame Morrible, then point out that rearranging the letters in her name spells “WW,” short for “Wicked Witch.” This playful reveal, complete with a memorable hand gesture similar to a popular moment from last year, quickly became the defining and amusing meme of the Wicked press tour.

Best fandom crossover event

Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson for Die My Love

https://youtube.com/watch?v=watch?v=aHW8Q1P0ebA

Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson both began their careers as young actors in popular franchises, but have since become unique and unconventional stars as adults. They recently shared the screen for the first time in Lynne Ramsay’s intense film, Die My Love, where they played a couple struggling with a failing marriage. Despite the film’s difficult and unsettling themes, Lawrence and Pattinson clearly enjoyed working together, displaying a playful and charming dynamic during interviews and bringing out the best in each other.

Best becoming governor of the state you were born in

The Ella McCay Challenge for Ella McCay

There’s still time for someone from this cast to do the Ella McCay challenge.

Best at doing the most

Timothée Chalamet for Marty Supreme

So, where do we even start with all the promotion? From blimps and jackets to ping-pong balls and a fake video call, plus appearances by Susan Boyle and at the Sphere, and even a verse in a remix by EsDeeKid—as of today, Timothée Chalamet is still tirelessly working to boost ticket sales and hopefully win an Oscar.

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2025-12-31 16:56