America Flores-Hernandez
Chronicle Editor and Reporter
In Ryan Murphy’s new Netflix series “Hollywood”, viewers get a glimpse of the glamour and excitement that buzzed in the still growing Hollywood entertainment industry. Taking place post-WWII during the golden age of filmmaking, the story follows Jack Castello, a young army veteran who moves into Los Angeles with his expecting wife, hoping to make ends meet for his future family by participating as an extra in films made by ACE Studios, which is a call out to all the successful studios of the time period.
Alongside the Jack, the series follows the lives of other aspiring actors and filmmakers willing to do almost anything to make their showbiz dreams come true.
The show tackles both sides of the struggles a person would take on to survive and flourish in an industry that was not very accepting as it seemed. Alongside that the writers take into account issues that people in our everyday lives would face: understanding our needs, acceptance of sexuality, the slow validation of mental health, and learning how to believe in yourself when you think it’s you against the world.
From a personal perspective, I think it’s quite the time to be alive knowing that there’s a series that explores how Hollywood could have managed to create a film where even the most hopeless dreams became a reality when the person on the highest pedestal of the hierarchy of film entertainment understood the power of his and her privilege – and used it for something positive and uplifting.
With a diverse cast, stunning and accurate visuals, and as well as a thrilling plot, viewers should consider watching Hollywood as something to watch during this quarantine, given that the series’ plot at times makes us question the what-ifs of human ambition.