Much of what I say here is highly similar to what I have to say under the subject of professional sports and for much the same reason. I can conceive of no reason to pay adulation to someone simply because they have the ability to pretend to be that which they are not. Nor do I think that they earn the incredible salaries which they receive.
It can be argued that it is a difficult task to memorize an entire script and then, before a live audience, regurgitate those lines while at the same time performing physical actions that are in accord with the verbal statements. But that is certainly not true when that same performance is being taped and that scene can be performed time after time until it is satisfactory in the eyes of those who make those decisions.
In addition, why do we assume that because a person plays a particular role he is therefore not only competent, but even expert in the role that he is playing. Do we not realize that Tom Cruise could not even begin to fly a fighter jet? And what about Sally Fields testifying before Congress about the plight of the small farmer simply because she once played a role as the wife of such a farmer? Has reason fled the human province?
I can confess to enjoying a well-performed drama which has a good story line. However, I can not bring myself to pay obeisance to the performers. Remember people, these actors put their pants on one leg at a time just as we do. The fact that once someone makes it into the ranks of 'star' and then, lo and behold, miraculously their children all appear to be blessed with this apparently extremely rare acting gene, should give us cause for thought. Isn't it obvious that all it really takes is an 'in' into the industry and not some super-special trait?
And just what is it that they do which makes them worth the incredible wages they make? Notice I did not say 'earn'. I concede that they make the money but I don't understand how a few months commitment to the making of a film merits millions of dollars to the lead role players. Sure, I would take it if offered, but I would certainly think they were fools for offering it. And, I suspect, those same thoughts probably run through the mind of more than one actor.