Posted by Isis at d-128-217-155.bootp.virginia.edu on December 13, 2002 at 15:24:56:
: ...that you lump us all together by saying "we all know we want to know". Not all of us do, in fact, want to know. In fact, I'd rather NOT know.
Well, isn't it fairly easy not to buy gossipy magazines or watch gossipy TV shows? People don't generally watch Diane Sawyer or Barbara Walters for hard-hitting, fluffless journalism.
: Not that it makes much difference, but the less I know about an actor, the easier it is to "buy" them in a particular role.
True enough...on the other hand, the way the business works, actors get the best roles if they're well-known enough to "open" a movie. It's rare that a studio's gonna throw a big-budget role at an unknown. And a lot depends upon the skill of an actor. I know plenty about Denzel Washington, but he has the ability to transform himself from my expectations, and inhabit a role to the degree that I don't see Denzel the Celebrity, but Malcolm X, or whoever he's playing at the moment.
Same goes for Meryl, or Brando, or Tom Hanks, any of the greats. They've got recognition value AND the skill to transcend it.
: Case in point: "About Schmidt" reviews almost all comment on Nicholson's gargantuan effort to suppress his "Jack-ness". If we knew nothing about this man, it would be easier to accept him in different roles. With nothing to "suppress".
Well, Nicholson is a special case -- he's backed himself into a corner over the years, using the energy of his own persona to fuel roles, rather than carefully picking characters who are very different from each other (as Meryl, Denzel and Tom have) so that he can establish and deepen his range.
What he needs is a role akin to Robin Williams' in "Insomnia", or Halle Berry's in "Monster's Ball"; something that will play totally against type. That's when famous actors get to stretch their muscle and often, what displays their true skill -- Denzel again, "Training Day", good example. Maybe this movie is that role for Jack, I don't know yet.