What Does it Take To Get a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?

The next class of inductees to the Hollywood Walk of Fame was announced this week. They include the late director Tony Scott, legendary character actor Keith David, and pretty boy du jour Timothee Chalamet. It’s a ragtag bunch that has, as always, inspired much discourse. Isn’t it too early for Timmy? Why did it take so long for Demi Moore to get one? Does this actually matter if we gave Donald Trump one of these things? Can I get one? Can anyone?

There are currently over 2,800 five-pointed stars embedded on the streets of Hollywood Boulevard (and a little bit beyond). They’ve been around since the ’60s and are administered by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, who also hold the trademark and licensing rights for it (as well as the Hollywood sign). Like the sign, the whole thing was a big marketing opportunity. Its creators hoped that the Walk would encourage redevelopment on Hollywood Boulevard, which was in a bad state by the ’60s.

The entire enterprise became a much bigger deal when Johnny Grant, a TV producer and Chamber member who was bestowed the title of the honourary mayor of Hollywood, had the idea to make it a capital-E Event. He got the press interested in each new star unveiling and encouraged the celebrities being celebrated to turn up in person for the unveiling ceremony. He also, in 1980, instituted a fee to fund the Walk’s upkeep to help minimise the burden on California taxpayers. At first, it was $2,500. By 2025, it was $85,000. It is expensive to maintain this starry attraction. Stones get cracked or broken. The weather wears away names and details. In 2008, a restoration project began to repair hundreds of stars across the Walk.

Getting a star is a whole process. You must be nominated by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, a process that anyone can initiate as long as the person’s management approves it. Weird Al Yankovic’s fans spent years fundraising and campaigning for this until it actually happened in 2018. Nominees must have a minimum of five years’ experience in the category for which they are nominated (music, TV, radio, live performance, film, or sports). Posthumous nominees must have been dead for two years before they can be chosen. The website notes: “The criteria for receiving a star consists of the following: professional achievement, longevity in the category of five years or more, contributions to the community and the guarantee that the celebrity will attend the dedication ceremony if selected.” The last part is particularly important (unless you’re dead, of course, but then you still need some big names to turn up).

From the submitted names, around 20 are chosen every year to receive stars. The nominating organisation usually pays that $85,000 fee, whether it’s the fans, a studio, or whoever is eager to promote something. So, if you’re looking for a new way to get some positive headlines about the star of your movie, paying $85k for a star that’ll last forever seems like a thriftier publicity tool than sending them around the world for junkets. This also helps explain why so many fictional characters have stars, like Mickey Mouse, Shrek, and Lassie.

Does this technically count as bribery? That’s a claim that’s plagued the Walk of Fame for decades. Oh, so you just buy one? It’s not like winning an Oscar or some award, where a group of your peers carefully select you based on merit? Next thing you’ll be telling me that wrestling is fake. I’d say it’s more a transaction than a bribe. You still have to be chosen by the committee, even if their focus is probably more on who will attract the most attention than on historical magnitude. Maybe Chalamet will eventually become as big as Tom Cruise, but giving him a star before he’s 30 will always feel too soon to many. But hey, he’s cute and charming and he’s been in a few mega-hits, so why not roll out the red carpet for him when he needs to promote Marty Supreme or Dune: Messiah? Maybe he’ll bring along Scorsese and Zendaya and Kylie. If the Golden Globes can shamelessly nominate the people who pander to them the most and who they want to party with, why not the Hollywood Walk of Fame?

The Walk of Fame is a fascinating Hollywood phenomenon, one that is indelibly woven into the mythos of the business but whose glimmer is easily dulled. There’s very little real glamour in a series of stones that people stomp across every day (and probably pee on). But this is a city built on stories and spin, so of course this is something people still find themselves in thrall to. Even if you know it’s all shameless PR and an extended ad for some film you’ve forgotten about, you still follow those stars down the boulevard when you visit. And if the person ends up sucking, you can always just pee on their name.