Access Atlanta > Movies > Blog > Archives > 2005 > September > 29 > Entry
Brits take the prize for class (excepting Jude Law, of course)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dear Mr. Smithee,
Three questions. Choose whichever one you wish.
No. 1: British actors perfect their craft by working in film, television and on the stage, whereas U.S. actors tend to specialize. Putting aside the accomplished actors on both sides, what’s your opinion of how U.S. actors stack up against their UK counterparts?
No. 2: The numbers of minority actors seem to be increasing on television, but why are we drowning in laugh-out-loud performances by rap stars on the big screen?
No. 3: Back in the ’60s, when the mantra was “trust no one over 30,” there was a movie made on that theme, with the over-30s being drugged and incarcerated. I remember the last line being delivered by a preteen warning against trusting anyone “over 18.” Do you recall the film title? Anyone of lasting fame come out of it?
Veda Wilson, Wilmington, N.C.
Dear Darling,
Have I told you lately, Veda, that I love you?
Class, we have a new student today. Please take note: Veda asks good questions.
She’s not one of those stewardess crackpots who get their wings in a wad over a silly little movie like “Flightplan.”
(Hey, when I flew recently on a certain airline, I sat down in my uncomfortable seat and, with nothing to do, picked up the in-flight magazine only to read the airline’s public relations whiz flatly stating, “At [such and such airline], no one ever says, ‘That’s not my job.’ ” Which seemed pretty funny at the time, seeing as how that’s exactly what one lady employed by that same airline had said to me right before she announced my flight was canceled. Which it was not. It was merely moved to another - as in “walk from here to Kalamazoo” - gate.)
But I digress …
Veda, I want to answer all your queries.
Mr. Smithee’s learned response to Item 1: In my esteemed lifetime I have watched plenty of British and American actors work, and I’ve talked with more than even I can remember.
The Brits win. Hands down. Bank on it. And not so much because of what’s up on-screen as much as how they conduct themselves as people (reminder: nobody’s talking about Jude Law here; he’s become Americanized), how they never take themselves too seriously, how they are never uptight, how they, for the most part, are devoted to craft over celebrity.
You can have Michael Douglas, Tom Cruise, Jennifer Lopez and Hilary Duff. I’ll take Michael Caine, Vanessa Redgrave, Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Bettany, Peter O’Toole and Miranda Richardson.
What does it say that one of America’s best actors - Jeffrey Wright - can get compelling roles onstage but appears mostly in small parts on the big screen?
Mr. Smithee’s learned response to Item 2: Let’s say, Veda, that you are a Hollywood exec and you like your job. You want to keep it. Which horse are you going to back with your umpteen tens of millions of dollars?
Hollywood is a factory. It’s a numbers game. It’s a town where they have formulas for everything. Star A plus director B plus genre C times eventual DVD sales equals this much profit.
They don’t take risks.
Many rap stars have built-in fan bases. Hollywood execs want sure dollars. And since they don’t risk anything on characters or plot (you’ve been to the movies lately, I trust), they take the safer route.
Now, I don’t have a problem with rap and hip-hop stars appearing in movies - as long as they are improving as actors. OutKast’s Andre Benjamin and, especially, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges have fared well lately. Luda didn’t hurt “Hustle & Flow.” He certainly aided “Crash.”
Mr. Smithee’s learned response to Item 3: Veda, you light the corners of my mind. I might have been a wee lad, but I sure recall seeing the trailer and newspaper ads for “Wild in the Streets,” the 1968 movie you are talking about.
It starred the then-too-cool Christopher Jones as a young rock star millionaire who helps orchestrate this big political takeover by the under-30 crowd. Everyone older than 30 is sent off to concentration camps and force-fed LSD.
The movie co-starred Shelley Winters (in those days, she was the equivalent of product placement), Diane Varsi (better known for her earlier appearance in “Peyton Place”) and Hal Holbrook.
And to answer your last question: Present in the cast were a very young Barry Williams (“The Brady Bunch”), the Monkees’ Peter Tork (uncredited, but appears as a ticket buyer) and Richard Pryor. Yes, that Richard Pryor.
Alan
P.S. You get a “Desperate Housewives” measuring cup and an “Ask Alan Smithee” T-shirt.
Have a question for Mr. Smithee?
*E-mail him at alansmithee@ajc.com *or go to accessatlanta.com and click on Movies. Please include your name, city and daytime phone number. Mr. Smithee can’t reply to every request, but inquiries chosen for publication will receive movie-related prizes.
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