see you auntie,
I agree that good lucks has been around in TV/Movies since their inception.
My point is that the blockbusters today are dominated by 'mimbo's', and guys like Phillip Seymour Hoffman get all the smaller, artsy roles, that usually don't find that audience. Guys like Pacino got every great hit in the 70's, so did Deniro. Hackman did The French Connection, and Brando & Hackman both did Superman.
I look at an actress like Laura Linney, ten times better actress then Julia Roberts, who would get cast in a blockbuster?
I always contest if they made Jaws today, George Clooney would be the Roy Scheider character, as Scheider wouldn't have the looks today to sell the summer blockbuster crowd.
As for Portman, I don't think she is a bad actress, as I don't even think it is fair to judge anything she did in the PT in that respect. But I have seen most of her movies, and she really doesn't do anything with great range that really wows you.
To me, what makes a great actor is someone who is able to stretch yourself from your usual role. DeNiro can play a psycho in Taxidriver, a young Vito Corleone in Godfather II, Jake Lamotta in Raging Bull, and even be funny as hell in Midnight Run.
Guys like Harrison and Clint Eastwood knew they weren't great actors and never really tried to stretch themselves, as they knew their limits. Ford stuck with Jack Ryan, Dr. Kimble, and Indy, and branched out to roles in Witness, as he was very good in that. Eastwood was the same way, as always played the same tough guy Dirty Harry character, and both never won an oscar.
Most actors today pretty much play the same role, and really can't expand on anything else. So we agree that looks have always been important in Hollywood, I just think that they are more important then ever, and that is why you frickin George Clooney winning an Oscar 2 years ago? Come on, that was laughable. That means he won as many oscars as Paul Newman did:)
edit: I will say that 3 great actors of this generation that do get cast in Blockbusters are Tom Hanks, Russell Crowe, and Denzel Washington, so I don't want to come off as someone who hates all movies today:)