Michael Douglas Explains Why American Actors Are Losing Roles to Brits and Aussies

— -- Hollywood icon Michael Douglas has some advice for up-and-coming American actors: Spend less time on image and more time honing your craft.

"There’s a crisis in young American actors right now," the veteran actor and two-time Oscar winner told the U.K.'s Independent. "Everyone’s much more image conscious than they are about actually playing the part."

As a result, American actors, both men and women, are losing out on roles.

"The Brits and Australians are taking many of the best American roles from them," Douglas told the newspaper.

"Clearly, it breaks down on two fronts. In Britain they take their training seriously while in the States we’re going through a sort of social media image conscious thing rather than formal training," he continued. "Many actors are getting caught up in this image thing which is going on to affect their range."

He pointed out a couple examples.

"With the Aussies, particularly with the males it’s the masculinity," Douglas said. "In the U.S. we have this relatively asexual or unisex area with sensitive young men and we don’t have many Channing Tatums or Chris Pratts, while the Aussies do. It’s a phenomena."

On the actress side, he said, British thespian Carey Mulligan has played the "New York school girl" in a number of films, including opposite Douglas in "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps" -- a role that traditionally would have gone to an American actress.