Like many a careful shopper, Hollywood’s cash-strapped casting agents are discovering that the best way to ease spending in these times of economic difficulty is to follow an old housewife’s trick: buy British.

The film industry, weary of paying $20m (£10m) salaries to Matt Damon, Nicole Kidman and their A-list chums, is waking up to the value of a generation of cut-price alternatives from across the Atlantic. In an attempt to cope with falling domestic box-office sales and the after-effects of the writers’ strike, major Hollywood studios are hiring up-and-coming actors such as James McAvoy and Jim Sturgess to front productions that would traditionally feature major US stars.

A story in the Hollywood newspaper Variety last week identified young Brits who represent value bets for producers. They include Ben Whishaw, Emily Blunt and Ben Barnes, who was catapulted to fame as the star of the recent Prince Caspian, which took nearly $400m worldwide.

Maguire v Sturgess: Strong but sensitive

The only way is down for Tobey Maguire, after the huge success of Spiderman pushed his pay above $17m. Jim Sturgess, by contrast, is on the up: in The Other Boleyn Girl and 21 later this year, he’s established himself as master of the sensitive roles that catapulted Maguire to fame.

Source: The Independent