I think we're partly seeing the effects of how our media landscape has splintered into autonomous fiefdoms that require a higher level of user-driven awareness.
I hadn't heard of "Goliath" until I was given Amazon Prime by a family member, so it was also a delightful surprise to me to discover that she's on the show - and is Brilliant on it.
At the same time, it's odd that I was surprised, considering how popular the show has been on their platform. While the show was one of the most-watched when it came out, it wasn't the most buzzwed-about, and Amazon hasn't promoted it at the same level as "Transparent" or "Man in the High Castle". That's odd, considering the pedigree of the show: it's created by David E. Kelly and stars Billy Bob Thornton and William Hurt, with Arianda a very prominent second lead.
When we look at how Arianda made her name, we see that her skills are a bit old fashioned. She's very good at being in screwball comedy, which are rare these days, and she does best when she has an equally strong partner, who are hard to find. So she hasn't reached the heights of stardom that some might have expected, but then, so few people ever do.
If her career is to be considered disappointing, that's only in simplistic, egocentric, unrealistic expectations of how stardom, media, and Hollywood works, rather than real-world achievements. |
