Q&A: The Force is With Reader Questions
Saturday, May 6, 2017 at 6:00PM by Nathaniel R
I got a little verbosely carried away whilst answering reader questions so you get two Q & A columns from your last batch of questions. Thanks for playing. This week I asked for a few Star Wars Questions but that's just three of the six questions answered here. Ready, let's go!
TROY: Within the past year Cynthia Erivo has won a Tony, Grammy, and Daytime Emmy for her work in the recent Broadway revival of The Color Purple, making her only one step away from completing the EGOT. Which type of project do you think would giver her her best chance at winning an Oscar?
NATHANIEL: I hate to get nitpicky but technically should Daytime Emmys even count with the EGOT? If you count any old Emmy as towards the EGOT than about 100,000 people you've never heard of who have local Emmies (seriously they give those statues out like candy) are 1/4th of the way to that showbiz goal. It's only Whoopi Goldberg, Robert Lopez, and their fans that would argue that Daytime Emmys count. No shade!
Anyway my dream for Erivo is that they give her either the film version of The Color Purple musical, though I fear they'd just hand it to a bigger less worthy star (like, oh, Jennifer Hudson, who she and Danielle Brooks, the other Tony nominee from that show, both ran circles around onstage) or a film version of Caroline or Change (if they won't rehire the incredible Tonya Pinkins) as those two roles are powerhouse vehicles for a black woman with giant pipes. But any musical role would be dreamy. That voice!
PEDRO: What is your favorite Star Wars character? And your favorite Star Wars actor?
Princess/General Leia Organa. I mean, could there be any other answer? I wish that I could be all mysterious like Yoda and whisper "there is... another" but she's so far ahead of every other character for me. As for favorite Star Wars actor --- do you mean within the films? I think the best performance within the films is (correctly) the only one that got Oscar nominated: Sir Alec Guinness as Obiwan Kenobi. I also love Ian McDiarmid's delicious camp in Return of the Jedi and Harrison Ford in general. The sequels had atrocious acting nearly across the board. In the two modern films thus far the acting has been fine/okay but nothing worth praising in this way.
A truth: After Leia my favorite Star Wars universe characters are all non-humans and in this order: Jabba the Hut, Chewbacca, BB-8, and Yoda (who was once #2 but ruined for me somewhat by the prequels).
MATT: If you could pick a woman to helm a Star Wars film, who would you choose?
Can I say Sam Taylor-Johnson? I shall say Sam Taylor-Johnson. Her work has the refined mainstream glossiness that blockbusters need. Plus the Star Wars universe is notoriously sexless and she might be able to at least suggest with her sensual eye that hankypanky occurs in that galaxy far far away. I'm not saying this solely because of 50 Shades of Grey. If you look at her previous work like her Elton John video "I Want Love" or her great short film "Love You More" or her debut feature Nowhere Boy there's an obvious sensuality that could go a long way toward adding fresh texture to what's already always present in Star Wars.
And as much as I don't like the forthcoming movie The Bad Batch, it shows that Ana Lily Armipour (who brokeout with her amazing vampire picture A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night) can direct the hell out of an action sequence in the desert. That wouldn't be a gift wasted within Star Wars even though Armipour might be. I resist the notion that great directors should saddle themselves with for-hire gigs on franchises but if everyone has to at some point I'd also be curious to see what Jennifer Kent (The Babadook) could do with space fantasy and I think Anna Rose Holmer's The Fits shows she has a true gift for kineticism and movement-based storytelling which might transfer well to the action genre should she have even the teensiest desire whatsoever to go there.
SOMEONE (I'M SORRY I CAN'T FIND THE COMMENT NOW TO CREDIT YOU PROPERLY!): List your 15 favorite costumes in Star Wars movies.
I'm not doing 15 and I'll have to save actual discussions for a future Three Fittings column but here are a few I loved: Padme Amidala's baroque Asian influenced costumes in the prequels -- the only case wherein the prequels "more more more" aesthetic paid off; the seismically satisfying simplicity of all those Darth cloaks; the humble but endearing beigeness of Luke & Rey's desert costumes; Finn and Po's subtextually erotic bomber jacket; and of course Princess Leia's gold bikini. That wave of "retire Princess Leia's gold bikini" columns made me so sad. Outrage culture is enough to make me, well, outraged, sometimes. THE OUTFIT WAS MEANT TO BE OBJECTIFYING. It was an essential element in the narrative and another example of Princess Leia being the absolute shit. She used her chains to kill her oppressor! Princess / General Leia is and was totally feminist, rescuing herself and the men who kept thinking they were rescuing her. She was too serious to laugh at the damsel-in-distress trope, but she was definitely giving it the rolled eye in every damn film.
TYSON: Would you ever want Madonna to act in another film? If so, what kind of film would you want her to return to the cinema in?
You guys! I totally forgot that Elizabeth Banks was in SWEPT AWAY (2002) with Madonna
I'm good with her giving up acting -- it's not for every showbiz giant -- even though I like some of her screen work. If she ever tries it again I hope it's in a short dose cameo type or role where she can poke fun of herself. Other than Evita all of her best screen work involves fun or funny prodding of her own persona (think the documentary Truth or Dare, the short film Star, and the femme fatale/sexpots of Dick Tracy and A League of Their Own).
FOREVER1267: I thought Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte was pretty awful. Do you think it could have been a better film with Joan finishing her role?
I also agree that Charlotte is a mess though I love reading any writing about it as with articles right here at TFE from Manuel Muñoz and Daniel Walber. My answer to this question is an absolute "NO!" though. The best thing about the movie is Olivia de Havilland's against-type performance so that'd be the last thing I'd ever change. For the record, as I've made clear in all my Feud bitching, I love myself some Joan Crawford. That's why I had such enormous problems with Jessica Lange's maddeningly Jessica Langey "Crawford". I want to strangle anyone who wants her to win another Emmy or, better yet, lock them in a room until they've watched at least 5 Joan Crawford pictures and 5 Joan Crawford interviews to see how infinitely misjudged that performance was. I don't demand mimicry (I think I've made that clear over the years) but you have to at least try for the spirit of the person or the general carriage. Lange has been doing this exact same performance FOR YEARS NOW. This star turn didn't have a single moment in it that didn't feel like it was cribbed from a lost season of AHS -- "American Horror Story: Old Hollywood". How many more times can she be praised for playing variations on a vain aging star with delusions of grandeur or obsession with her former grandeur?
YOUR TURN, DEAR READERS.
What would improve Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte?
Who gives the best performance in a Star Wars picture?
What do you hope the future holds for Cynthia Erivo?
Do sound off!
Reader Comments (39)
What would improve Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte? I have to see it first.
Who gives the best performance in a Star Wars picture? Nobody is giving a performance.
What do you hope the future holds for Cynthia Erivo? That historic and systematic restrictions are irrelevancies to her success.
Yeah! And Sarandon is not special, like, at all. Feud is mediocre, like most of Ryan Murphy's work.
Has anyone seen the traveling Smithsonian exhibit Rebel, Jedi, Princess, Queen: Star Wars and the Power of Costume?
http://www.powerofcostume.si.edu
It was recently in Denver and NYC and Seattle before that. It starts in Cincinnati this month and goes to St. Petersburg, FL later this year. Maybe someone who attended (or will attend) could give us a recap?
Agreed on Lange. I'd buy an argument for Reese or Nicole, but anyone else is blasphemy.
That "any old Emmy" Cynthia won is for performance, so of course it counts. To suggest that it shouldn't is absurd. Isn't she starring in a Harriet Tubman biopic? #EGOTBound
As for Jessica: I agree 101%. I hope either Melissa Leo (The Most Hated Woman in America) or Sanaa Lathan (Shots Fired) bump her from Emmy's Leading Actress category; they are more deserving nominees.
I agree that Olivia de Havilland is one of the saving graces of the film. Playing against type, she finds the right tone and only ups the acting wattage when needed in the big scenes. Mary Astor is equally terrific (as usual) in her two scenes.
As for improvements, I think the prologue should have been shortened. I think Davis and Moorehead needed to be given stronger direction and pulled back from eating all the scenery. Even Joseph Cotton is over the top, and that's something you never say.
I think Madonna could be really powerful in a role like Jane Fonda's in Youth. An art film with themes like glamor and aging (directed by a Luca Guadagnino or a Tom Ford or a Sofia Coppola) could make really effective use of Madonna. In a punchy, climactic supporting role...I don't think I want to see her carry an entire picture.
Anyone would have got oscar nomination for Evita role. Meryl Streep. Glenn Close. Patti Lupone. Madonna was simply not good enough for acting even at her peak.
Thanks for answering my question, Nate. As far as I'm concerned, Daytime Emmy wins still count toward the EGOT because the award is still an Emmy, still given nationally for excellence in daytime television programming, and -- in her case specifically -- given for performance.
Since Emma Stone's Oscar win I've been imagining her as the lead in La La Land and wondering whether or not that outcome would have been the same. Hearing Erivo tackle "The Fools Who Dream" would have been a transcendent experience.
I understand why a daytime Emmy might be frowned upon, but it's still an Emmy.
I mean, the likelihood of a soap star winning daytime Emmys and then going on to EGOT is rather minuscule, anyhow.
I agree that Olivia de Havilland is the best part of that movie. I first saw it when I was young and I had only seen her in Gone With the Wind. Talk about a turn around! I was so shocked at what her character did, and that she could effectively pull it off. Honestly if that Best Actress category hadn't been so crowded that year I would have nominated her.
Thank you for capturing so perfectly what was wrong with Feud. Joan and Bette deserved so much better, but their movies and memories will long out live that dreadful and cheap TV series.
Hush, Hush: I need to see it too.
Best performance in a Star Wars picture: Yes, probably Alec Guinness's Oscar-nominated turn in the first film. I also think that Ian McDiarmid is great in both Return of the Jedi (how did that film not get a Make-Up Oscar? Why did they decide not to give it that year? They could have nominated Return... , The Dresser and Zelig) and Revenge of the Sith, where, over twenty years on from Return of the Jedi, he is playing a younger version of the same character, and is equally camp and deliciously villainous. He even got a Supporting Actor For Your Consideration campaign for it. Frank Oz's vocal work as Yoda, and his puppetry of the character before it went CGI, are also terrific. (He also got a Supporting Actor campaign, for The Empire Strikes Back.)
Cynthia Erivo: I haven't seen her work yet, but I hope to do so soon.
Has anyone here seen 'Dangerous Game' (aka 'Snake Eyes'), a 1993 Abel Ferrara movie starring Harvey Keitel as Abel Ferrara (ish) and Madonna as the lead actess in the film the Keitel character is making?
I haven't, and reviews of it are mostly abysmal, but I know two people who actually have seen it, and both assure me that this is the one great screen performance by Madonna. And these are people who hate just about any other performance by her.
Thanks for answering my question! As to Madonna, I think she could be marvelous in a small role in a Guardians of the Galaxy or Thor movie. Something like Glenn Close's role or even a small villain.
Thanks for answering my question, Nate. Sam Taylor-Johnson is a very interesting choice and as much as I wasn't crazy about A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night, I think Ana Lily Amirpour has a very unique voice and Anna Rose Holmer as well. I thought The Fits was fantastic.
Since Emmy has multiple versions of itself–it's easier to ignore every iteration not prime time. No one classified under the triple crown is ushered in with day time wins.
Okay, this has been driving me INSANE, so I have to get it out. Playbill posted an article saying that the Emmy for the Color Purple performance went to the show (in this case, The Today Show) and not to any of the performers. I've been trying to verify, but none of the Daytime Emmys websites give any clarity to this. Can somebody please verify that Cynthia Erivo actually won an Emmy?
(Please don't mistake this as hate against Cynthia. She's absolutely incredible and I wish the world for her. I just like accurate information to be out in the world.)
I know you shouted him out for ROTJ, but you have to give Ian McDiarmid credit for his work in Revenge of the Sith, too. The opera scene is slithery, infectious evil. A long monologue in a Star Wars film and he kills it!
Receiving a 'daytime' Emmy doesn't put one anywhere near the EGOT circle...
"I want to strangle anyone who wants her to win another Emmy or, better yet, lock them in a room until they've watched at least 5 Joan Crawford pictures and 5 Joan Crawford interviews to see how infinitely misjudged that performance was."
AMEN!!
Andy, according to the link provided in the Wikipedia article for the award category, the Emmy goes to the principal performer(s) AND the program itself.
And I'd love to hear a well-reasoned thought regarding why a Daytime Emmy is not an Emmy in the same way that a Primetime Emmy is that doesn't amount to "because it's not a Primetime Emmy."
Troy a day time Emmy is a Latin Grammy.
The same TV Academy seems to ignore the Daytime Emmys. When Cloris Leachman won a Emmy in 2006 for Malcolm in the Middle they announced that this was her eighth Emmy and a new record (which still stands today 2017). They did not mention that she also had a Daytime Emmy.
Even a few years ago on the Television Academy website they interviewed Cloris Leachman and she talked about her career and her eight Emmys without mentioning her Daytime Emmy. Even the main picture was Cloris with her eight Emmys.
And I remember that on that same website they interviewed Allison Janney and in a part talked about the possibility of Allison to tie the record of Cloris Leachman (which did not happen by the way). Allison Janney has seven Emmys.
By the way Imdb do not mention that Cynthia Erivo has a Daytime Emmy.
Jack -- you're ignoring the fact that anti-Madonna bias was very prevalent at the time. It's not about the quality of her acting (she's good in Evita and people have been nominated for MUCH less) but about that she was Madonna that prevented her from getting the nomination.
Troy, I had to go to the page describing the award when it debuted to get the actual description of who wins the award, but I guess you are correct. I do find it interesting that the original nomination was credited to "The Cast of The Color Purple," while the win went to "Cynthia Erivo & The Cast of The Color Purple."
Loved your answers so much Nathaniel, that it's uncanny.
Agree: Lange didn't even try to get under the skin of Crawford.
Alec Guinness was the best thing about Star Wars when it was first released and is still the high water mark as far as performances.
Sam Taylor Wood is very under appreciated, no less an authority as Kristin Scott Thomas praised her for having a great visual eye. Her sensibility plus skill with actors would make her an excellent choice for a Star Wars film. I also applaud your inclusion of Jennifer Kent, who I am in awe of for The Babadook. Kent reminds me a lot of Lynne Ramsay (We Need to Talk About Kevin). Talent like this shouldn't be just for independent art house films.
As for Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte - I liked Olivia's performance, sadly only a better script could help that Gothic fest of hammy acting and disappointing cliches.
Mr W -- i've seen Dangerous Game and it's true that Madonna was very good in it. I'm not sure how Ferrera pulled that from her (given her discomfort with screen acting in general) or why she connected with that part and not the others but it did happen. I mean, she's not oscar worthy in it or anything but it's absolutely a respectable piece of acting. I didn't mention it because it feels like such an anomaly and because nobody has seen it ;)
Robert Altman could have gotten something out of Madonna. We have David O. Russell and Lee Daniels who could definitely get something out of her. Although, she wasn't bad in Spike Lee's Girl 6.
Nathaniel, thank you for so aptly summarizing my issues with Lange's performance in Feud. I would have killed to see what someone like Sharon Stone would have done with the Crawford role if only because it might have hit some slightly different tones than the same ones we've been seeing with Lange since she started working with Ryan Murphy.
Nathaniel - That's why she needed to be great, not just good, to shut up the naysayers with this one in a lifetime role. I remember thinking why was her face blank in a lot of close-up singing scenes. I'm one of her biggest fan as a singer (and Madonna in that 1980s and the first half of 1990s era!) so I was rooting for her to hit it out of the park with Evita too. I mean she's got the role that Streep had announced earlier that would be her next, and got Oliver Stone who's still in the peak as her director. Evita should have made Madonna a great actor-singer if she were meant to be. I think Evita the Movie is a missed opportunity for Madonna, and Streep for that matter.
Lindsay -- Sharon Stone would have been such a fascinating choice for that part and it would have served as such a fine comeback vehicle, too. Sharon always exuded "star who enjoys being a star" which is at least one thing she had in common with Crawford. Plus her body type and age would have been way more accurate for the era of Crawford they were going for.
I watched The Color Purple on Broadway earlier this year and was blown away by Cynthia Erivo's Celie. Even her mono-syllabic mumblings so very aptly captured the Celie that I encountered in Alice Walker's novel. I saw a clip of hers on Youtube singing "A Piece of Sky" and although I thought the song followed the template of Barbra Streisand, Erivo's tone and the plaintive sound she created when reaching for that big note was truly outstanding. When I saw her on Broadway that night, the audience gave her a prolonged standing ovation after she sang her empowerment aria "I'm Here". I heard that most nights, the audience members do that too.
If she were to appear in movies, I'd like her to do a role similar to Alfre Woodard's Geechee in Cross Creek or Chantelle in Passion Fish.
Thanks for taking a shot at my costume question Nathaniel!
15 selections was a tall order but if you don't ask, you don't get!
Does a daytme emmy count as a part of an EGOT? What a ridiculously elitist and condescending viewpoint. It's acting and creating a character, on a much tighter budget and schedule in an exceptionally heightened and stylized form of acting, usually quite thankless. Not sure how to answer to the question is anything other than "of course".
Daytime Emmys absolutely count. It's how Joan Rivers and Sarah Michelle Gellar can be identified as Emmy winners.
What kills me about the disrespect towards the Daytime Emmy is the fact that daytime programming has produced Oscar, Primetime Emmy, and Tony winning and nominated talent: Melissa Leo, Billy Magnussen, Julianne Moore, Tonya Pinkins, Brad Pitt, Marisa Tomei...
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