Q&A: Actors Who Should Be More Famous, Broadway Crossovers, and Animal Horror
Tuesday, May 22, 2018 at 7:12PM Hello everyone!
Nathaniel, eternally cat-sittingWe haven't done a Q & A in so long so let's jump right in. In order to actually do these more often I'll answer just five or six questions at once. Hopefully this will stir up more focused comment parties, too!
PAR: Julianne Moore, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Annette Bening enter the thunderdome. Only one leaves. Who? - par
A: LOL! I hope you aren't being cruel and just making me sacrifice two of my all time favorites at the altar of, well, my Pfavorite. But if we're talking about cage matches in post-apocalypse desert landscapes my answer is The Bening. Moore would break down into crying jags in no time, becoming too vulnerable. Pfeiffer would seem like easy prey put up a very spirited and scary pfight but you know that The Bening is all wile and steel and surprise maneuvers. How else did she conquer Hollywood and Warren Beatty and continue to become even more incredible as an actress the older she got despite being brilliant right out of the gate?
STEVE G: What film out of Cannes 2018, that wasn't previously on your radar, are you most excited to see?
COLD WAR is shot in the same format as the Oscar winning IDA
Christophe Honore's "Sorry Angel" has been a long wait!
Honestly there were so few things on my radar before Cannes other than the new Farhadi. Of the films that emerged and got people excited I'm 100% excited for Pawel Pawlikowski's Cold War now that I know it's a romantic musical of sorts. I'm also very pleased to see the return of Christophe Honore with the gay drama Sorry Angel (starring Stranger by the Lake's Pierre deladonchamp) and Lee Changdong with Burning, the latter of which got sensational reviews. It's been a long time since both directors have made something and they're both so distinctive.
I also really want to see Kazakhstani Sergey's Dvortsevoy's Ayka which won Best Actress. I didn't quite love his debut film Tulpan but it definitely stuck with me over the years which is a good sign. I'm also curious about Border from Sweden and Diamantino from Poland because they sound so bizarre.
JAMES FROM AMES: Who is your favorite journeyman actor/actress that you wish were more famous?
A: How much time do you have? How many names can I list because even 100 wouldn't do it! The four actors who you've seen do guest-blog stints on The Film Experience (Missi Pyle, David Dastmalchian, Ann Dowd, Cara Seymour) all fall into this category which is why I pursued them! They should all be more famous and be fighting off offers. Dowd and Dastmalchian are obviously in demand right now (YAY!) but for the life of me I can't understand why Pyle doesn't get higher profile comedy gigs or why Seymour isn't in a ton of things.
Hmmm? Who else. Here's ten more names off the top of my head that I'm always like "come on, give them bigger beefier roles!": Dominic Rains (he'd be a pet cause if I was a casting director -- why isn't he getting famous? Come on now! He's got everything the movies need), Kimberly Elise (the subject of another question but sorry I have no answer for that as I don't have a single clue why she works so infrequently being so brilliant), Rosemarie DeWitt, Saîd Taghmaoui, Julianne Nicholson, Andrea Riseborough, Paddy Considine, Gabriel Luna, Jennifer Ehle... and what's going on with Olivia Williams? I feel like I haven't seen her in forever!
SONJA: What's your favorite animal Horror movie?
Masuka the cat
Is there more than one? I mean, The Birds (1963)! I remember being freaked out watching Food of the Gods (1976) on TV as a kid though. Who let me watch that? I will gladly take more suggestions as to things to watch but bear in mind that I don't much like horror movies unless they are super critically acclaimed.
I would like to change my answer by changing your question: what is your favorite animal character in a horror movie. And then my answer is the cat in A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014).
Kerry Butler is currently playing three roles in "Mean Girls"Q: Since it is Tony Season. Which Broadway leading lady did you think would have crossed over into Hollywood Stardom by now but hasn't? - Christopher
I really thought that might happen for Kerry Butler who has great comic timing and beauty but even on Broadway she doesn't get as much attention as she should! I hear she's even underused in Mean Girls despite getting all the adult female roles. I was pleased to see her pop up (albeit iit in teensy tiny roles in new festival movies: The Miseducation of Cameron Post and Mapplethorpe). Movie stardom seems to remain out of reach for Broadway stars for some weird reason but TV, thankfully, is an increasingly viable option. The wider world has FINALLY discovered the joy of Sutton Foster via Bunheads and Younger. But mostly I'm totally frustrated with this problem.
Not that I want song and dance stars to leave Broadway but crossing over allows you more financial freedom and also longevity (see: Bernadette Peters, Sutton Foster, Kristin Chenoweth, etcetera) as long as you don't just abandon the stage. I used to obsess over Raul Esparza but once he got his TV procedurals he gave up all the singing which made me love him to begin with! I'm currently frustrated that Megan Hilty has not exploded in fame post Smash. Audra McDonald should obviously be one of the biggest stars in the universe across all medium. Not just a Tony magnet. I wish Tony nominee Stephanie J Block would get some wider attention. She played a mom with a gay son on TV's Rise but even though that was a musical we didn't get to hear her sing on it. Every day I expect Condola Rashad (Phylicia's daughter) to crossover in some larger way to film and TV (she's done some of both but she's playing leads / getting nominations on stage). Jessie Mueller is another "when will this happen?" option. She had a good but teensy role in Steven Spielberg's The Paper as that wedding guest reporter who got them in trouble. And of course Mueller's voice is magnificent.
You didn't ask about men but I'd love Tony Yazbeck (who just won a very deserved "Chita Rivera Award" for his dancing genius), Andy Karl, and Steven Pasquale to all be more famous just so I could gaze upon them constantly. Even better if someone would hire them to sing and dance onscreen.
3RTFUL: When an actor is allowed to co-design their character's costumes, can you tell just by looking?
I feel like this must be a trick question and you must have something very specific in mind. No, I cannot tell, though I'm sure costume design is slightly more collaborative than some of the other arts. Designers generally want to know how an actor feels in a costume and they obviously do fittings with the actors. Plus actors want the costumes to inform their character. I LOVED discovering that the Hello Kitty shirt in Young Adult was Charlize Theron's idea! I mean that insight into Mavis alone should have netted her the Oscar nomination she was so wrongfully denied for 2011!
That's all for the moment but I'll answer more questions soon. SOUND OFF on these topics in the comments won't you? Who do you think should be more famous? Any animal horror films you love? Which Cannes titles are you chomping at the bit for?
Reader Comments (29)
pierre deladonchamps = the french matthew goode
god,how I would love to f* with both!
Grace Jones is the actor I had in mind when asking the question. Despite her minor filmography in length the bulk of her projects were collaborations with the costume designer.
Conan: The Destroyer (1984)
A View to A Kill (1985)
Vamp (1986)
Boomerang (1992)
You bet Joanna Kulig, pictured above in Cold War, has some real young Gena Rowlands vibes there!! Many of the press credited at Cannes thought she would walk away with Best Actress prize. Watch out!
Nice to see some love for Paddy Considine. Just booked some tickets to see him in The Ferryman on Broadway in October. Yay!
Oh, and Jennifer Ehle (who just popped up in Hulu's The Looming Tower). Would love to see her and Keeley Hawes in something as sisters; they're very similar.
Nice to see some love for Paddy Considine. Just booked some tickets to see The Ferryman on Broadway in October. Yay!
Oh, and Jennifer Ehle (who just popped up in Hulu's The Looming Tower). Would love to see her and Keeley Hawes in something as sisters; they're very similar.
Great photo, Nathaniel!
I had no idea Eva Marie Saint collaborated with Edith Head for the costumes in North by Northwest until the former told the story at the Oscars this year. But Eva made it perfectly clear how much she loved the two of them taking matters into their own hands when designing the character's looks. Costumes are only one piece of a character presentation, but if they're strong and the actor understands (and hopefully agrees with) the look, it seems like it would only help a performance.
Yes - unreal Theron was snubbed for her brilliance in Young Adult!
I loved your rationalizations regarding the cage match, funny I totally agree about Annette Benning - there;s steel underneath. (I think it's the fact that she tamed Warren Beatty).
As for Broadway stars, I am very fond of Laura Benanti, and watching 2 TV shows get cancelled on her was very disappointing. Still she did sing about that on the Tony's and got her revenge. Currently she is known for impersonating Melania...
It's too bad variety shows are a dead breed, Sutton Foster, Benanti, Kelli O"Hara, etc would all kill it on such a show.
Don't bring up Charlize in Young Adult - that just reminds me of what in the f*** Oscar was thinking with that Best Actress lineup for 2011. She, Tilda, Kirsten, Adepero, were all in the conversation that year and THAT is the lineup they came up with? SMH
Nathaniel - I must say you look pretty cute in your pic with the kitty. Are you still single?
Thanks for the shout-out to Julianne Nicholson and Olivia Williams, both of whom I adore.
Re: the latter, she's been doing more TV lately, although not the highest profile shows - she has a major role opposite J.K. Simmons (who also needs more/better movie roles) in the good-but-not-great Starz series "Counterpart," and before that she was on WGN (yes, that's a real channel)'s "Manhattan." She slays no matter what the part, but I'd like to see more of her on the big screen. I still think her best role was in "Ghost Writer," a film I didn't otherwise particularly care for.
For the life of me I will never understand why Audra McDonald isn't bigger outside of Broadway. Anytime I get to see her on a tv show or in a movie I am so captivated by her. I watched Hello Again recently and I was in awe of her during her segments. With the right movie and the right people she could be the awards magnet she is on Broadway.
I just heard Audra McDonald and went blank. She is so charismatic and talented - I still can't believe she didn't get an Emmy nom for 'The Sound of Music' after singing 'Climb Ev'ry Mountain' to the hilt.
I also don't understand Missi Pyle, Rosemarie DeWitt.....etc. not getting their due.
I want to add Gaincarlo Esposito - I still think of him as a character actor, because, will some people know him as Gus Fring from 'Breaking Bad', his name and face are still not known. He has been on my radar as a charismatic screen presence since I first saw "Do the Right Thing" as a teenager.
I will add to that list Irfhan Khan; he gets roles steadily, but in my mind he should be a household name.
Ann Dowd is definitely getting her due with "The Handmaid's Tale", and deserves it. She is great in any medium - and though I never confuse her and Margo Martindale, here's a link to a great convo between the two: http://www.vulture.com/2017/06/ann-dowd-margo-martindale-conversation.html
I don't know, Nathaniel. With the amount of ice running through Michelle Pfeiffer's veins, I bet she could take every jab, upper cut, and hook and never even flinch.
I still get the sense that Audra McDonald doesn't truly want to be a Hollywood star, as she's made no bones about her first real love being the stage. As for Condola Rashad, it may be too early to tell, but considering how welcoming Broadway has been to her, she might be comfortable right where she is. Plus, I never lose sight of the fact that the industry has a different set of rules for actresses of color, so they have to make a home wherever they can.
May I suggest a movie in which Kerry Butler and Chloe Grace Moretz play mother and daughter? Not that I like Moretz as an actress, but the resemblance is striking.
Julianne Nicholson should have been a Best Supporting Actress nominee for her best-in-show work in August: Osage County, but I know we already beat that dead horse about four years ago.
If Michelle shot just one of those bemused White Oleander glares at Julianne Moore, she'd drown in a puddle of her own tears.
I think Bening would forfeit quickly because ring fights are beneath her. Imagine trying to compel Annette Bening to do *anything* she doesn't want to do.
So Pfeiffer wins—by default. But when Kidman steps into the ring, Michelle's last words: "Gus taught you the five-point-palm exploding heart technique?"
*Lars
I have crossover with your list -
Kimberly Elise (why did she have to fall in the "Tyler Perry favourite" camp instead of the "Lee Daniels favourite" camp? As it seems that underused black actresses are generally only used by one of the two titans. I miss her... I'd even take "Ryan Murphy favourite" to reignite her career...)
Saîd Taghmaoui (have you seen My Brother The Devil? Great film, female director, little-seen, even in the UK)
Andrea Riseborough (she works very steadily on UK television, though it seems that a lot of her failure to capitalize on her Hollywood visibility was her own choice - mental health issues, according to an interview she gave)
Paddy Considine (again, works often in the UK and is just finishing The Ferryman in the West End)
Olivia Williams (where has she gone?)
Marianne Jean-Baptiste (aside from a borderline-bad performance in the terrible Series 2 of Broadchurch, I can't remember her acting recently. The most under-appreciated of Mike Leigh's Leading Ladies, by far...)
Sarah Lancashire (the critical and public darling of UK television, her move to independent cinema is long-overdue...)
Liam Cunningham (high-key adored him in Hunger and The Wind That Shakes The Barley - but where is he now?)
April Grace (I must talk about her being MVP in Magnolia around once a month but it remains true. She NEEDS that breakout role - what a star, yet suffering in miniscule roles)
Nikolaj Lie Kaas (Reconstruction and Brothers back-to-back seem like such a long, long time ago...)
@Aaron - don't forget Elizabeth Olsen and Juliette Binoche, both of whom gave brilliant performances that year that were overlooked. That Best Actress lineup should've been MUCH better.
Thanks for answering my question, Nat. 8)
The Birds is definitely a great pick. I still get some chills whenever I see a swarm of birds in the sky.... seriously.
Do Monster Spider/insect movies also count?
Diamantino is a film from Portigal ;)
I'll also echo that Rosemarie DeWitt is one of the most talented working actresses, full stop. There is no other Best Supporting Actress of 2008.
Mark -- i am still single. Taking offers haha
Kermit -- Nikolaj Lie Kaas *swoon*
@DJDeeJay - please can I request that Olivia Colman, Anna Paquin, Andrea Riseborough and Elena Anaya are also not forgotten?
2011 was amazing for Leading Actress, not that the Oscar line up gives any clue of that...
@kermit - indeed! I haven't seen Colman or Riseborough but the others are also fantastic. Yeah, that year was crazy.
Nathaniel you really should see the original "Cat People" classic animal horror and an unforgetablr performance by Simone Simon
Hayden : couldn't agree more. One of the biggest snubs of the past decade.
Hayden : couldn't agree more. One of the biggest snubs of the past decade.
*Portugal