October
10Why Stars Make Bad Choices
Actors are not the best judges of their own work. Yet the coming Oscar race puts several actors in just that position – they have to judge themselves.
In this weekend’s Weekly Variety, Pamela McClintock explains how a number of stars and star filmmakers may be competing with themselves for an Academy Award. Thus Leonardo DiCaprio may have to decide whether to push “Body of Lies” or “Revolutionary Road” – two films in which he has starring roles.
Kate Winslet likely will be competing against herself in “Revolutionary Road” and “The Reader.”
So here’s the dilemma: Stars have to choose which role to push. Two years ago, McClintock reminds us, Leonardo decided his best shot was “Blood Diamond,” only to watch “The Departed” win the major kudos.
Choices like this confront others as well this year. Meryl Streep appears both in “Doubt” and “Mamma Mia” (the Oscar doubtless will snub “Mamma Mia” because it performed so well at the box office). Producer Scott Rudin will compete with himself for “Doubt” and “Revolutionary Road” (he signed off on “Reader”) and Clint Eastwood has dueling projects in “Changeling” and “Gran Torino” (which still has no release date).
Josh Brolin and Robert Downey Jr. also potentially will face this problem, though their nominations could be in different categories.
The bottom line, of course, is that this is a nice dilemma. If actors have multiple shots at nominations, that means they are choosing the right projects and working with the best directors.
But is also produces tensions. Rival actors are jealous. Agents start pushing for bigger paydays, which might limit chances of landing future films.
But most of all, dueling projects put stars in the position of asking themselves: Which role was the best? Actors love to see themselves cast as victims, like Angelina Jolie in “Changeling,” or as addicts like Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married,” or as the only sighted person in a world full of blind people like Julianne Moore in “Blindness.”
In short, they like to eat the props and tear up the set.
And most of all, they like to win. That’s always what makes the Oscar race an amusing spectacle for bystanders, if not for actors.
In this weekend’s Weekly Variety, Pamela McClintock explains how a number of stars and star filmmakers may be competing with themselves for an Academy Award. Thus Leonardo DiCaprio may have to decide whether to push “Body of Lies” or “Revolutionary Road” – two films in which he has starring roles.
Kate Winslet likely will be competing against herself in “Revolutionary Road” and “The Reader.”
So here’s the dilemma: Stars have to choose which role to push. Two years ago, McClintock reminds us, Leonardo decided his best shot was “Blood Diamond,” only to watch “The Departed” win the major kudos.Choices like this confront others as well this year. Meryl Streep appears both in “Doubt” and “Mamma Mia” (the Oscar doubtless will snub “Mamma Mia” because it performed so well at the box office). Producer Scott Rudin will compete with himself for “Doubt” and “Revolutionary Road” (he signed off on “Reader”) and Clint Eastwood has dueling projects in “Changeling” and “Gran Torino” (which still has no release date).
Josh Brolin and Robert Downey Jr. also potentially will face this problem, though their nominations could be in different categories.
The bottom line, of course, is that this is a nice dilemma. If actors have multiple shots at nominations, that means they are choosing the right projects and working with the best directors.
But is also produces tensions. Rival actors are jealous. Agents start pushing for bigger paydays, which might limit chances of landing future films.
But most of all, dueling projects put stars in the position of asking themselves: Which role was the best? Actors love to see themselves cast as victims, like Angelina Jolie in “Changeling,” or as addicts like Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married,” or as the only sighted person in a world full of blind people like Julianne Moore in “Blindness.”In short, they like to eat the props and tear up the set.
And most of all, they like to win. That’s always what makes the Oscar race an amusing spectacle for bystanders, if not for actors.
Subscribe to Peter Bart's Blog Feed
Post a comment