She danced, she twerked and she sang. She changed from a form-fitting sparkly silver bodysuit to a slinky red peekaboo cut-out dress with a thigh-length slit, then a Playboy bunny outfit with a push-up bustier and floppy bunny ears.
As she celebrated her 50th birthday last week, Kate Beckinsale proved she can look and act like a woman half her age — a priceless talent for an actress in Hollywood where turning 30 can be career suicide.
“What a party – full of love and glitter and the best people,” the Oxford-trained actress wrote on Instagram.
Ms. Beckinsale is one of the most successful British actresses in Hollywood, yet it has been 11 years since she last appeared in a movie that grossed more than $100 million: the remake of Total Recall.
She won Best Actress at Britain’s National Film Awards two years in a row, but neither film was a box office success: 2021’s racial drama Farming made just £70,000 worldwide and Jolt made £187,000 last year.
As she celebrated her 50th birthday last week, Kate Beckinsale (center) proved she can look and act like a woman half her age – a priceless talent for an actress in Hollywood where turning 30 can be career suicide
Ms. Beckinsale is one of the most successful British actresses in Hollywood, yet it has been 11 years since she last appeared in a film that grossed more than $100 million: the remake of Total Recall
Still, Ms. Beckinsale has achieved the formidable tightrope walk of persevering like a Hollywood star, despite never being on the A-list.
She lives in a £4.4 million modernist mansion in the Hollywood Hills and is reportedly worth £19.5 million and earns at least £1.5 million a year. Ms Beckinsale paid an estimated £7.8 million for the fifth film in her vampires vs werewolves Underworld franchise in 2016 and says she is open to a sixth film.
Meanwhile, with 5.6 million Instagram followers, social media is her financial anchor; experts say she could easily charge £30,000 by mail for brand endorsements.
Her Instagram following surpasses that of most other British actresses. Mission: Impossible star Hayley Atwell has 1.8 million followers; Kate Winslet 1.4 million; Sienna Miller 1.3 million; and Dame Helen Mirren 1.1 million.
London-born Ms. Beckinsale has appeared in commercials for Gap denim, Diet Coke and Lux shampoo, promoted Absolut vodka and Nestle, was the first US brand ambassador for home appliance maker Russell Hobbs and has been the face since 2021 from MRVL Skin Solutions. a skin care line.
On Instagram, she has promoted places and products, including the luxury hotel Castle Elvira in Apulia, Italy; Julia Clancey Clothes; Jane Doe Latex Dresses; Candy Ice Jewelry; Les Girls Les Boys clothing; and Carversteak at Resorts World in Las Vegas.
Her red carpet appearances at fashion shows including Chanel, Elie Saab, and Bulgari jewelry may have also been lucrative.
“Her story reminds us that success in the entertainment industry isn’t always a straight road,” said Los Angeles talent manager Wendy Alane Wright.
“Throughout her career, she has worked and collaborated with incredible co-stars on ambitious projects, even if they didn’t reach the desired level of success.”
Talent manager Chris Wright says, ‘She’s a better actress than she gets credit for. She’s had the misfortune that some of the movies that were supposed to make a difference in her career didn’t. But even her less good films are ones everyone remembers, like Pearl Harbor.’
The daughter of Porridge star Richard Beckinsale, who died in 1979 at age 31 when Kate was just five, made her screen debut in Kenneth Branagh’s 1993 Shakespeare comedy Much Ado About Nothing.
The 2001 blockbuster Pearl Harbor, where she appeared alongside Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett, was expected to launch a stellar film career
Ms. Beckinsale attributes her age-defying beauty to genetics and the occasional “platelet-rich plasma facials.” She insists: ‘No thread lift, no Botox, no laser, no rhinoplasty, no filler’
She danced, she twerked and she sang. She went from a form-fitting sparkly silver bodysuit (pictured here) to a slinky red peekaboo cut-out dress with a thigh-slit split, then a Playboy bunny outfit with a push-up bustier and floppy bunny ears — Kate Beckinsale’s outfits for her 50th birthday
The 2001 blockbuster Pearl Harbor, where she appeared alongside Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett, was expected to launch a great movie career.
“Pearl Harbor was a precious missed opportunity,” says Wendy Wright. “Critics watched the film and audiences were not impressed.”
Ms. Beckinsale next starred in the romantic comedy Serendipity but, says Wendy Wright, “didn’t make a lasting impression.”
She then turned to action-adventure with the 2003 hit Underworld and fell in love with its director, Len Wiseman. She previously had a long-term relationship with Welsh actor Michael Sheen, with whom she has a 24-year-old daughter.
Underworld spawned four lucrative sequels, but while the vampire saga developed a cult following, it struggled to resonate with a wider audience, says Wendy Wright.
“Kate’s connection to the series’ director, whom she was married to at the time, kept her tied to the project for more years than she might otherwise have chosen.” Ms Beckinsale and Wiseman married but divorced in 2019 after 15 years.
Hollywood’s increasing focus on big-budget blockbusters also limited Ms. Beckinsale’s opportunities. “Kate Beckinsale has appeared at her best in small indie films,” says another Hollywood talent manager.
Still, her evergreen popularity makes her highly marketable outside of Hollywood. “The magic of celebrity influencer marketing is not a passing trend, and there’s no better example than Kate Beckinsale,” said Stacy Jones, chief executive officer of leading pop culture marketing agency Hollywood Branded.
What makes Kate’s online presence a gold mine for marketers isn’t just her massive following. Its followers are mainly based in the US but span the UK, Brazil, Mexico and India and offer a huge, engaged and demographically diverse market.”
Ms. Beckinsale attributes her age-defying beauty to genetics and the occasional “platelet-rich plasma facials.” She insists: “No thread lift, no Botox, no laser, no rhinoplasty, no filler.”
Stacy Jones added: “What sets Kate Beckinsale apart is the trust and personal connection she nurtures with her followers. That trust is marketing gold.’
Talent manager Chris Wright is optimistic about her future. “There are still roles for her that encompass danger, beauty, sexuality and her obvious sense of humor.”
But until that call comes, Kate Beckinsale is staying in the money — she’s turning heads on social media in skintight bunny costumes and bejeweled bodysuits.