Men and Women in the Zone for Summer

Anne Thompson talks about actors who can strike while the iron is hot and hang in for a while.

The only one in the zone for this summer? Will Smith.

It’s true, other than the sudden Scientology association, Smith can do no wrong, is all around beloved and people will see him in anything. And he knows what kind of films, good or bad, work for him. When he takes chances he’s still somewhat in the mainstream.

Apparently Angelina is making strides for the ejected females in the industry who can only go into the zone if they’re reading the diet book – and Streep adds class:

But Angelina Jolie is breaking the mold. While she is not in the Zone — “A Mighty Heart” proves that — she could be. Jolie is Hollywood’s first bona fide femme action star (“Alien” star Sigourney Weaver paved the way). Jolie mixes it up with the best of them. She can be tough, sexy, lethal, funny and heartbreaking, from her career-making Oscar turn in “Girl, Interrupted” to “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” in which she met her match and partner, Brad Pitt.

While Jolie’s output is uneven, she can open genre flicks, forging a path for ambitious actresses to follow. Universal paid her $15 million to return to action in the fantastical R-rated thriller “Wanted,” anchoring the pic with Morgan Freeman opposite the lesser known James McAvoy (“Atonement”). “She established the movie’s quality and legitimacy,” Universal Pictures co-chairman Marc Shmuger says.

A powerful character actress, Meryl Streep has never been a Zone star. But like Jodie Foster, she delivers something valuable: a stamp of quality (which means nothing with a movie no one wants to see, like “Lions for Lambs” or “Rendition”). Now 58, Streep proved her B.O. muscularity in “The Devil Wears Prada,” which scored $125 million at the domestic box office. This summer brings the Abba movie musical “Mamma Mia!” which may not be as pre-sold as the movie version of HBO’s long-running “Sex in the City,” but still has a sizable global following of women of all ages from the traveling hit show.