E.C. Authors David Licata and Rolando Teco recently embarked on an extended conversation on the subject of fame. Here's part two of their exchange:
In the last post, RT asked:
RT: Do you feel as though because you're a filmmaker you are expected to be more aware of celebrities -- who they are, what they've done, etc. etc. -- by friends and acquaintances? Do you ever find yourself consciously rebelling against the general obsession with celebrities in our culture, and actively turning off your eyes and ears to this stuff?
Also, you had the interesting experience of working with an actress (Ellen Pompeo) long before she became famous while she was a typical struggling NY actress. Do you ever look back in retrospect at the experience of working with her and wonder if you could have predicted her meteoric rise? Also, does the fact of her fame affect the way people view your short film? Are people now able to watch the film as a film or do they just see a very famous celebrity in a much younger/greener version of herself?
DL: People do expect me to be aware of celebrities, and I’m really not, especially of the younger ones. I really don’t know who so many of them are. Those two in Twilight? Not a clue. Hannah Montana? Nope, no bells. I’m not sure if it’s a conscious decision or not. I suppose it is on one level, because I choose not to watch those movies, and I don’t watch television, where a lot of these celebrities seem to spring out of. Related to this is the expectation people have that because I’m a filmmaker I go to see every film that’s being released and know what their grosses are. As I coped to many times, I’m woefully behind on this front. I am VERY selective about what I watch. It’s like food, why would I want to put something trashy and devoid of all value in me? Don’t get me wrong, I do go there occasionally, but not often. And I never pay attention to how much money a film makes.
Ah, Ellie. First, I have to take issue with her “meteoric rise.” Ellen struggled for many years, trying to break into the pilot circuit, getting the occasional commercial, doing a bunch of short films, including mine. Ellen worked very hard on 8 1/2 x 11, one of the things she did was keep a diary in character. She was reading from it to me one day on set when we both had downtime and it was freaking hysterical. That’s one of my fondest memories of that shoot.
Did I know see that she was going to become a star? Honestly, there was a moment when I thought this, yes. We were shooting her and the star, Trip Cullman, in profile, sitting opposite each with the desk between them, and all those clichés were true: she wasn’t acting, she was reacting; the camera loved her; she was lit from within; she had “IT.” Keep in mind, we were looking at her profile, right, not the most expressive angle for a face. After the take (which we never used) the d.p. and I looked at each other, then found a quite corner and raved about her. We agreed, she was going to be star.
When I screen my film now, invariably the first questions are about Ellen. How did I get her in my film? (Long story.) What was she like to work with? (A joy.) Am I still in touch with her? (No.) When I screened the film before she became famous, people asked about the script and how much of it was based in reality. Next they asked how much it cost to make. I’m not sure if it means they are stuck on the fact that this famous person is in it or not. I think seeing Ellen gives them something to talk about immediately, her presence pops out at them. The film, then and now, seems to generate laughs at specific points, so in that sense, as near as I can tell, they are watching it as a film and not overcome by her aura.
Your film, We Pedal Uphill, has many very fine theater actors in it, and all of them turn in very fine performances. But these are not people who show up in Us Magazine. Was this a “no stars, just talent” decision on your end? Do you think celebrity detracts from a film more than it adds to it, taking the viewer out of the film so that they’re aware they’re watching Jack Nicholson, instead of watching a character?
(to be continued...)
