The Walk of Fame is an icon of the entertainment industry, with its first
eight stars unveiled in 1958. Nearly 3,000 stars later, producer of the landmark, Ana Martinez,
dishes everything she knows in an exclusive interview detailing which celebs have yet
to make it official on Hollywood Boulevard. Before we get to who isn't on the Walk of Fame,
let's clear up some misconceptions about how someone lands a spot on the Boulevard
in the first place. For starters, unlike people might assume, celebrities can't just
get themselves a star whenever the mood may strike. Ana Martinez explained to Nicki Swift,
"People seem to think you can buy stars, and you cannot. […] Here's the criteria: Longevity of
five years or more in the field of entertainment, awards and nominations, and philanthropic work."
"This is Hollywood. We're the mecca
of entertainment around the world. It all starts right here."
So, if the celebs can't shell out for a star,
who pays for it? Well, as it turns out, the $50,000 sponsorship fee
is technically the responsibility of whoever nominates the celebrity. Martinez noted,
"For Liza Minnelli, her fans nominated her and paid for the ceremony, and the way they did it
was by having bake sales. Then they would have a home where they would show all her movies,
and people would pay admission. And that's how they raised the money."
A potential star officially gets two attempts at acceptance on one application,
and if selected, they have just two years to schedule their star ceremony.
When E Street Band frontman Bruce Springsteen didn't go to his own star ceremony, the move
inspired a Walk of Fame protocol called the "Springsteen Policy." Martinez explained,
"[Bruce Springsteen] was nominated by a fan, and his management called me and said,
'He's not accepting the star.' […] We wanted to make sure that people who really do want it are
given that chance 'cause that spot was taken by him and he didn't want it, hence the policy."
"You name those things that'll give your life its meaning,
its purpose, its fullness, its very reality."
Fans of The Boss may never know why he skipped out on a star, but his quest to stay a humble
rock legend may have had something to do with it. Springsteen told "Fresh Air" in 2016,
"I felt like a lot of my heroes from the past lost themselves in different ways once
they had a certain amount of success. […] And I wanted to remain grounded."
There are some celebs who are selected but don't make things official right away.
And George Clooney is a prime example. With his iconic film and TV career,
it's no surprise that he has already been nominated. Martinez noted that she has tried
to set a date for Clooney's ceremony, but was having trouble connecting with his publicist.
Maybe someday Clooney will take a break from his Lake Como abode for a star on the Walk of Fame.
But as it stands, it sounds like spending time with his family is his top priority.
"You're taking on the responsibility of someone else, and you're giving away
the selfishness of only looking out for yourself."
Chatting about fatherhood, Clooney told Today,
"[It's given me] a sense of belonging and a sense of home and unconditional love — all
the things that you were hoping you could get from a really good career
and a dog. You realize that this is a lot more than that."
It might be surprising that decorated actors like Dame Judi Dench are nowhere to be seen on the Walk
of Fame. But Martinez says that's because no one has yet thrown her hat in the ring. She shared,
"[Judi Dench has] never been nominated. And she deserves it. We have Helen Mirren,
we have Emma Thompson; those two ladies are in front of a British pub called the Pig 'N Whistle.
I like to put my Brits in front of the pub, so it's kind of fun."
While Dench has yet to score a nomination, she has received more than a few trophies
over the course of her career. She has been up for a whopping seven Oscars,
taking home the hardware for her work in "Shakespeare in Love."
She's also won at the BAFTAs, the Tony Awards, and the Olivier Awards. Oh, and she's broken
multiple Guinness World Records, including Most Olivier Awards Won by an Individual.
"Well, I'm going to boast about it for the rest of my life, I expect."
Denzel Washington has been nominated and chosen for the Walk of Fame,
but never scheduled his ceremony within the two-year window. As Martinez explained,
"He was selected many, many years ago and never set a date. I don't know why."
There's no way of unearthing the real reason he never followed through on the ceremony,
but the actor once revealed how he feels about being a celebrity. As he explained to Oprah,
"The term 'movie star': What does that mean?
It's just a label they give you until they replace it with another one:
'has-been.' I don't claim either. I love my work, but acting is what I do; it's not my identity."
"What I do is I'm an actor, and I work on my part, and I play the part, and then people go see it."
The actor is clearly unfazed by his own megastardom,
and may never formally cement his place in Walk of Fame history.
"OK, so people think you're weird, they think you're strange, what do you want them to know?"
"The music."
The story of Prince and the Walk of Fame is a heartbreaking one. The iconic artist could have
been a contender but decided against it. Martinez explained that a Walk of
Fame committee member who knew Prince once approached him about the honor,
but later called Martinez to say Prince wasn't exactly feeling the star thing at the time.
He died shortly after, in April of 2016.
And Martinez says she completely understands why fans would be upset
not seeing the "Purple Rain" rocker on a star. She revealed that shortly after the artist's death…
"Somebody drew Prince's image on a star, which is fine. We let them grieve;
we let them have their time with […] the image, and of course we had to clean it up later."
Fans also commandeered a star for Carrie Fisher after she died in 2016. Fisher was
then selected posthumously for the 2022 Walk of Fame class.
"I'm out to do something and I'm gonna do what I have to get there."
Madonna's decades-long career is certainly worthy of Hollywood's top honors. And as it turns out,
the seven-time Grammy winner was once within reach of a star. But as Martinez noted,
"Madonna was selected many years ago, and she set a date and then postponed it."
While we may never see Madge on the Walk of Fame, she did agree to another honor across the pond.
In 2006, the singer unveiled her handprints, cast in bronze, on the Square of Fame at Wembley Park.
Madonna officially marked the English tradition with a plaque and will be forever known as the
first celebrity at the Square. According to BBC News, Madonna was feeling quote,
"like an honorary Brit," after the unveiling. The Walk of Fame is chock full of actors and
musicians, but brilliant filmmakers and creators have lined the boulevard, as well. The Los Angeles
Times published a who's who of film directors whose names have graced stars on the Boulevard.
But, surprisingly, the legendary "Star Wars" director, George Lucas,
was not listed anywhere among them. A quick glance reveals the likes of other industry
icons like D.W. Griffith, Cecil B. DeMille, Victor Fleming, Alfred Hitchcock, and others.
When it comes to who makes the cut, even Martinez can't always point to why celebrities aren't
interested in joining the starry ranks. But she says she has heard that Lucas has no need
to ever land a star. Still, Lucas doesn't seem to be averse to the tradition itself.
"Mark Hamill is a character that can't be written."
Lucas showed up to pay tribute to none other than Luke Skywalker. Lucas proudly spoke at actor Mark
Hamill's star ceremony in 2018 and characterized the experience for himself and Hamill by saying,
"[We're] getting toward the end of the road. We're talking about the
beginning of the road and this is sort of capping the whole experience in between."
After noting that Hamill is indeed, quote, "young enough" to continue making movies,
Lucas indicated that when it comes to his own career,
he had hung up his hat — or should we say X-wing pilot helmet? He claimed,
"I'm out of the game." Demi Lovato has not yet been nominated for
a star on the Walk of Fame — but neither have her fellow Disney alums Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez.
The three superstar celebs rose to prominence in the 2000s and are undeniably powerhouses in the
entertainment industry today. After starring on wildly popular Disney Channel shows and
singing unforgettable teen anthems, they've since matured and built empires of their own.
In addition to a successful career in music and TV, the "Sorry Not Sorry" singer is the
subject of an eye-opening documentary about struggling with addiction, "Demi Lovato:
Dancing with the Devil." Fans got an intimate glimpse into everything that the Grammy-nominated
artist and podcast host had overcome. Lovato's "ultimate mission" with the podcast "4D with
Demi Lovato" is to elevate the collective human consciousness, according to Audacy Check-In.
"I'm not living my life for other people, or their headlines or their Twitter comments."
So… with all that Lovato has accomplished, hasn't the singer been on the scene long enough to be
considered for the Walk of Fame? Definitely. Martinez said of Lovato, Cyrus, and Gomez,
"I'm sure the younger generation would love to see them, and we would be so happy to consider them,
so yeah, they should be nominated. They've been around a long time. As young as they are,
they've [also] been performing since they were super young."
There may be a star in the works sometime in the future, but Lovato's handprints have already been
memorialized in the sidewalk outside Grauman's Chinese Theater since 2012, according to MTV News.
Jay-Z has yet to make his mark on the Walk of Fame. But it's not like he's desperate for
yet another prestigious honor. He's a 2021 Inductee to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,
and he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017.
NPR reported that Jay-Z made history as the first rapper to join the latter music institution.
But fans of Jay may also want to know where they can find Beyoncé's star on the Walk of Fame.
While the Queen doesn't have a spot all to herself,
she was honored with a group star for Destiny's Child in 2006.
Still, this industry power couple has already made their mark in music.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z are renowned Grammy winners;
Jay-Z is the most decorated rapper in the show's history, and Beyoncé has earned an impressive
28 trophies. She also boasts the most Grammy nominations of any female artist, as of 2021.
Martinez says that she has spoken with Beyoncé's PR rep and has also hinted at a double star for
Beyoncé and Jay-Z, noting that she does her best to keep families together on the Walk of Fame.
Those plans have yet to materialize, but this Hollywood star couple could someday shine
side by side on the Walk of Fame. Swifties surely know that Taylor Swift
isn't on the Walk of Fame — yet. When asked about Swift's absence, Martinez acknowledged,
"Oh, I've been chasing her around. I'd love to see her nominated. Sometimes
we can approach their offices, their management,
and give them a little hint; 'It's nomination time. It would be great to have her nominated.'"
It seems that for some famous folk, timing is everything as far as the star ceremony
is concerned. And the singer has a lot on her plate as she re-records and releases her first
six studio albums. Fans are well aware that Scooter Braun
owned her masters as part of her deal with Big Machine Records,
but he then went on to sell them to Shamrock Holdings. Regarding this move, TIME reported,
"Anyone who hits play on an old version of Swift's early songs
right now will still pay into the bank of Braun."
"I feel really good about not feeling muzzled anymore."
With that, Swift began recreating her music. She started with "Fearless: Taylor's Version" in 2021
and shared on Instagram that "Red" will be the next re-release. So where might that leave a
potential star ceremony? A celebration of her work would set the perfect stage for
an honor. But as Martinez has said, there are "no guarantees" when it comes to these celebs.
The wait may soon be over for a Julia Roberts star. The actor was selected for the Motion
Pictures category of the 2020 class. But as of 2021, Roberts has yet to schedule her ceremony.
In the past, she reportedly had no interest in a star, but things might be different now that she's
gone through the nomination and selection process. So who got the ball rolling? Martinez recalled,
"[Julia Roberts] went to speak for her friend, Rita Wilson, at her ceremony.
And she walks in, and Rita says to me, 'Why doesn't Julia have a star?' And I said, 'Well,
because she's never been nominated, and apparently she's not interested.'"
"Rita is truly one in a million."
As the story goes, Wilson then completed the nomination, and Roberts easily made the cut.
In the past when fans used to ask way Julia Roberts was nowhere to
be seen on the Boulevard, Martinez used to say,
"Maybe when she has kids, that'll change. Because
that is their legacy to see their mother on this historic walk of fame."
Now that Roberts is a mom of three, the stars seem to be aligned.
It might be a bit of a shocker, but Brad Pitt has never been nominated
for a star on the Walk of Fame. And Martinez has her own theory
as to why the actor might not be in pursuit of the honor at all. She says,
"One of the studios wanted to nominate him, and unfortunately they never got a response [from
Pitt]. And I never thought when they were married that Angelina or Brad would be interested."
Martinez also noted that Pitt and his ex-wife Angelina Jolie are currently
involved in charitable work. A lot of charitable work. And for himself,
Pitt has reportedly supported at least 42 different organizations. Martinez added,
"I don't know [Brad and Angelina]. I think they'd rather use [the money]
for the funding for something else."
Pitt's philanthropic efforts might deter him from allowing anyone to shell out the cash
for the honor. Still, it would be fun to see the longtime industry icon appear on a star someday.
Speaking of other current icons of the industry — what about Brad Pitt's buddy, Leonardo DiCaprio?
Turns out he hasn't been nominated for a star, either. Martinez explained,
"[I] met with a gentleman from DreamWorks [and] even walked the boulevard to see, if he were to be
selected, where we could put him, and they never nominated him, so I don't know what happened."
"Hey! You're Rick f---ing Dalton. Don't you forget it."
All the pieces may be in place for a star to stake their claim,
but a nomination is still required. And nobody followed through on a nom for Leo. Martinez added,
"Maybe he wasn't interested,
maybe it wasn't his time. I don't know, but we never got an application for him."
DiCaprio clearly boasts a prolific acting and producing career, but he also devotes
his time to other passions. And a quick look at his Twitter shows that he remains committed
to his cause of environmentalism. He is a passionate advocate for endangered wildlife,
the coral reef, and much more. The Walk of Fame nomination "that never was," is
mystifying. But it's not like DiCaprio is waiting around at home for someone to notice him.
As sole executor of Whitney Houston's estate, Pat Houston offered The New
York Times a reason as to why her sister-in-law was not featured on the Walk of Fame, stating,
"[Whitney] didn't want people walking on her name."
But even if the singer didn't care about a star, her fans were still very hopeful. Martinez shared,
"Whitney sadly passed away, and of course we get the call,
'When are you placing the flowers, where's the star?'
And unfortunately she never set a date, so the star was never placed. [Celebrities]
have to be there (unless it's posthumous) in order to have the star in the ground."
Martinez is hopeful that someday Houston's family will renew the star process again, so that fans
can have a place to remember her. But years later, it's still not looking like a sure thing.
Though he's an A-lister who has appeared in major hits like "An Officer and a Gentleman,"
"Pretty Woman," and "Chicago," Richard Gere's status in Tinseltown isn't what it once was.
And Martinez says that he has "never been nominated" for a star on the Walk of Fame.
Gere is an ally of Tibet and a friend of the Dalai Lama.
And he even used his platform as an Oscars presenter in 1993 to advocate for Tibetan
independence from China. Before giving away the trophy, Gere took the opportunity to note,
"[There is a] horrendous, horrendous human rights situation in China,
not only towards their own people, but to Tibet as well."
The actor also boycotted the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and he was, quote,
"banned for life from China," according to The Hollywood Reporter. Though, of course,
he is entitled to his own political views, his stance apparently doesn't gel with the
financial relationship between Hollywood and China. Gere was reportedly barred from
presenting Academy Awards after '93, but the Academy press office explained to GQ,
"We don't ban presenters. There's no such thing as a ban."
"Tell me what is going on. Tell me what the f--- is going on!"
Ban or no ban, Gere
lost work and skirted the Academy spotlight for a time. He told The Hollywood Reporter,
"I didn't have to put on a tuxedo again. I was fine with that."
Al Pacino was previously selected for the Walk of Fame but never scheduled his ceremony,
according to Martinez. While he's certainly not the only star to be selected and never scheduled,
it's strange to think of "The Godfather" star not appearing on the Walk of Fame.
"I'm Al Pacino. If you didn't notice."
While fans can only speculate as to his true motives, Pacino said
something rather telling about his 2018 retrospective, Pacino's Way,
which featured a range of his acting and directorial work. He told Interview,
"I feel very good about it. As a matter of fact, I felt the best I think I've ever
felt about anything that was being done for me. Because when I saw what they did. I saw myself."
Martinez surmises that Pacino could garner an even wider audience of fans if he were to follow
through with a star ceremony. While there's no way to know what he really thinks about the whole
thing, the Award-winning performer is a solid gold legend with — or without — the star to prove it.
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