Celebrity Bromances

This comprehensive work presents a thorough exploration of celebrity ‘bromances,’ interrogating how bromances are portrayed in media and consumed by audiences to examine themes of celebrity persona, performativity, and authenticity.The authors examine how the performance of intimate male friendships functions within broadly ‘Western’ celebrity culture from three primary perspectives: construction of persona; interactions with audiences and fans; and commodification. Case studies from film and television are used to illustrate the argument that, regardless of their authenticity (real or staged), bromances are useful for engaging audiences and creating an extension of entertainment beyond the film the actors originally sought to promote.The first truly interdisciplinary study of its kind, this book will be of great interest to scholars and students of communications, advertising, marketing, Internet studies, media, journalism, cultural studies, and film and television.

Celebrity Bromance is a highly insightful exploration of the way male stars are coupled, homoeroticised, and commodified in contemporary popular culture. Lam and Raphael provide us with a wonderful set of case studies, drawing upon the threads of star and persona studies to theorise what these relationships mean to gender and sexuality, branding and commercial power. In this timely book we learn about the ‘bromance capital’ between such leading figures as Matt Damon and Jimmy Kimmel, Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, and James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender. A fascinating, critically astute and pleasurable engagement with male-to-male stardom. Sean Redmond, Professor of Screen and Design, Deakin University

Dr. Celia Lam is Associate Professor of media and cultural studies at the School of International Communications, University of Nottingham Ningbo China. Dr. Lam has published in the area of celebrity culture, bromances, fan fiction and fandoms.Dr. Jackie Raphael works at Murdoch University, and is an Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Western Australia. Dr. Raphael has published several books and papers on celebrity culture, bromance, endorsements, branding, iconic status, persona and social media.