Netflix’s Hollywood: 5 Best Characters (& 5 Worst) | ScreenRant
Netflix's Hollywood has a lot of dramatic and complex characters, but they're not perfect. Here's the best and worst of them.
Ryan Murphy recently created a miniseries for Netflix set in post-war Hollywood, what some may call its golden age. Hollywood blends history with fiction, and while some fans have praised the changes as being empowering, others aren't happy with the liberties the series has taken.
The characters range from studio heads to aspiring and oppressed actors. Everyone in the show is trying to make it big in the film industry somehow, but not everyone is using the most ethical means of doing so. Here are five of the show's best characters, and five of the worst.
10 BEST: Archie Coleman
Archie's storyline is one of the most inspiring in Hollywood. Despite his background and the struggles he has faced, he is brave enough to take a risk and tell the story he truly believes in.
Archie is part of a marginalized minority as a gay black man in 1940s Hollywood, and he tries to hide these parts of his identity by writing about a white girl. By the end of the series, he learns to be proud of who he is and ignore the critics and the oppressors who discriminate against him.
9 WORST: Jack Castello
Jack isn’t necessarily a bad person, but his character is one of the least compelling. After a promising start as an aspiring actor who never gives up, his arc becomes convoluted and messy. He lies to his wife but also forces himself to provide for her.
He does what he can to get his foot in the door, which should be admirable, but it doesn’t earn him much sympathy from the audience because he falls off the wagon so many times. Eventually, he succeeds and even finds what viewers are supposed to believe is true love (though it isn’t clear exactly when or how he and Claire get together).
8 BEST: Dick Samuels
Dick Samuels is one of the show's unexpected heroes. He doesn't have his shining moment until the second half of the series, but it's a moment that earns viewers' and characters' empathy.
Despite the risk to his career, Dick decides to help Archie and Raymond make the picture they want to make. He goes out of his way to prove to both of the Ambergs that Meg is a story worth telling, and all along he remains true to himself, even if he has to do so in secrecy.
7 WORST: Claire Wood
Claire is introduced as a self-absorbed, shallow sort of person, but by the end of the series, she grows into a caring, compassionate, selfless, and dedicated actress.
When the audience expects her to sabotage Camille's attempts to give her best performance, Claire surprises everyone by showing Camille empathy and supporting her career. However, for the most part, Claire acts mostly out of self-interest and her character lacks depth.
6 BEST: Avis Amberg
Avis is one of the few people in the show who uses her power for good. Despite being put down for so long by the industry and by her husband, Avis decides to help Archie, Raymond, Camille, and Jack fulfill their dreams, even though it would reap no benefit to her.
She proves to be an excellent head of the studio when Ace is hospitalized and she truly cares about the people who work for her. Without her assistance, Meg would never have been made, and neither Jack nor Camille would have been able to star in it.
5 WORST: Ace Amberg
Only in his last few scenes does Ace seem to be changing for the better. Otherwise, he's adamant that the studio produces blockbusters that can bring in more money rather than telling important stories.
When Avis, Dick, and Ellen try to support Raymond and Archie's vision of Meg, Ace is the one to shut them down over and over, dismissing and hurting them.
4 BEST: Raymond Ainsley
As a director, Raymond has a decent amount of influence at Ace Studios, and more specifically, over how his pictures get made. Without Raymond's support, Archie may not have decided to make Meg about a black woman.
It's Raymond's encouragement that inspires Archie to keep going and to tell the story that's really close to his heart - the story that Hollywood really needs to hear. Raymond also has a lot of influence over the casting of Camille, and it earns her an Oscar, making fictional history.
3 WORST: Ernie West
While he turns out to be one of the good guys, his actions in the first half of the season are inexcusable. Sure, he's a businessman, but that shouldn't allow him the right to manipulate and exploit young men based on their insecurities and disadvantaged positions in the socioeconomic environment of 1940s Hollywood.
His character lacks the depth someone with his background should have. He's been rejected by the industry and is forced to make ends meet in another way. Even though he's hurt people, like Jack, he still gets a happy ending ... sort of.
2 BEST: Camille Washington
Camille is one of the most empowering characters in the series because she stands up for herself. When she's not permitted into the hall for the Oscars ceremony, her friends try to defend her, but she kindly reminds them that she doesn't need their help; it's her own battle to fight.
Camille perseveres despite all of the odds that are stacked against her. She abides by the rules most of the time, but when the time is right, she makes a stand. Even after she starts to become fearful of the people who would have her shunned from Hollywood (or worse), she finds a way to shine in the spotlight.
1 WORST: Henry Wilson
Henry is a terrible person for most of the series, and his actions are inexcusable, even if viewers understand why he commits the acts he does. He manipulates people who are new to the industry and don't understand what's going on, like Roy/Rock.
The best thing Henry does is be honest about who he really is, even if it's almost too late. He pitches a movie about homosexuals, which Avis greenlights and Archie and Raymond join. Other than that, Henry is abusive, exploitative, and just mean. He hasn't an ounce of empathy or consideration in him.