Discuss: When Directors Love Their Actors More Than the Fans Do
Filed under: Casting, Celebrities and Controversy, Fandom, Comic/Superhero/Geek, Remakes and Sequels
Have you ever listened to a director talk about one of their stars and wonder where the love and dedication came from? There's something refreshing in the loyalty that inspires it, in a business that's so often fickle -- but nevertheless, it sometimes boggles the mind.The most recent manifestation of this is Sam Raimi. He's gearing up for the next installation of Spider-Man, and unsurprisingly, the subject of Mary Jane came up when he was talking about the film with MTV: "'I can't imagine making a Spider-Man movie without Kirsten [Dunst],' he said, seemingly contemplating the idea in his head with a long pause. 'Of course it can be done because Spider Man has existed without the character of Mary-Jane, but she's one of my favorite parts and it would be a shame not to have her in the picture. I'm hoping she'll be in it and I'm planning on having a story with her in it.'"
Evil Dead without Bruce Campbell, that would be unimaginable. But I'm sure there are many fans out there who could very easily imagine a Kirsten-free Spider-Man, whether that meant recasting Mary Jane or letting Peter Parker fight bad guys without the distraction of drama-filled love. For some of us, that absence is not only imaginable -- it's desired. There's little more aggravating than a supposedly epic love that doesn't contain enough on-screen chemistry to contain it. But the directorial love lives on.
Has there ever been a moment when a director gushes over an actor that you couldn't comprehend?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-17-2009 @ 9:18PM
BLS said...
Joss Whedon: Eliza Dushku. I just don't get it.
Reply
3-18-2009 @ 12:07AM
Monika said...
That was the other instance that inspired this post, but I didn't want to get into a Dollhouse rant. :)
I like Dushku, but she just doesn't have the range that supposedly inspired Joss to create this show for her.
Now Amy Acker on the other hand...
3-17-2009 @ 9:41PM
paul said...
I'm certain in "real life" Kirsten Dunst is a very charming and attractive young woman, but her press and published photographs paint a diminished image of her. You've got a million bucks in the bank, brush your hair or something.
Reply
3-17-2009 @ 9:57PM
Dillon said...
I'm a Kevin Smith fan but there were a few too many years where Smith thought Ben Affleck was God's gift to acting... and he isn't.
Reply
3-18-2009 @ 9:57AM
Astin said...
Strangely, I find Smith to be one of the only directors who actually seems to understand Affleck and get solid perfomances out of him. It helps that he usually casts him as an a**hole, and that Affleck excels at those roles.
Affleck in a big budget actioner? Pass. Affleck in a Kevin Smith movie? Completely different actor.
3-17-2009 @ 10:03PM
emersondartagnan said...
I tire of Marty's overusage of Leo DiCaprio. But I don't mind De Niro.
Reply
3-18-2009 @ 12:45PM
Jaguar Paw said...
John Singleton won't make a movie without Tyrese Gibson. He should cut it out.
Reply
3-18-2009 @ 1:41AM
Brice_J said...
i actually have liked every multi-collaberation there ever was:
kurosawa & mifune, ford & wayne, hawks & wayne, scorsese & de niro (& pesci), lucas & ford, scott & crowe, spielberg & hanks, zemeckis & hanks, burton & depp, pt anderson & reilly/ & hall, w. anderson & wilson/ & murray, coens & clooney, fincher & pitt, greengrass & damon, nolan & bale, i know there's far more, but i was trying to think of who has/will collaberate(d) 3 or more times.. & when i hear of other possible collaberations i get excited, perhaps even a bit giddy at the possibities. (cameron & weaver anyone?) i actually can't think of any collaberations i don't admire or respect.
& reading this i realize i could be more in the minority than i initially thought, but i love kirsten dunst as mary jane. i may also be one of the few guys who actually admire the "drama-filled love" --as you called it-- of the spider-man movies & i can't imagine anything spider-man sans said "love" or mj. the emotional scenes provide the means of the action in those films & if anything, wouldn't mind seeing the action scenes take more of a backseat to "the hard life & times of peter parker" than we've already seen. but, of course, as always, this is merely just one man's opinion.
Reply
3-18-2009 @ 7:14AM
juwan808 said...
I'm a fan of Kirsten Dunst, and I actually like her as Mary Jane. Could they have done better csting wise, yes, absolutely. But she doesn't bring the film down in my opinion. My problem is with Robert Rodriguez's fascination with Rose McGowan. Yuck! I don't get it. She's probably the reason he hasn't produced much in awhile, I'm speculating.
Reply
3-18-2009 @ 9:29AM
Eric H said...
Unfortunately I think you invalidated your opinion on Robert Rodriguez with you opinion on Kirsten Dunst
3-18-2009 @ 7:31AM
Paul said...
Woody Allen and Scarlett Johansson. Sure, she's pretty, but her acting is pretty scattershot, charitably speaking.
Reply
3-18-2009 @ 10:02AM
Astin said...
As much as I loathe Dunst's Mary Jane, I forgive Raimi for it because of his unwavering loyalty to Bruce Campbell and Sam's brother Ted.
I also think Spider-Man needs MJ in there, and if Raimi won't recast, then I think Dunst can be replaced with a voicemail message or two... "Hey tiger, still enjoying my trip in Sierra Leone, I'll be back right after the movie's done."
Reply
3-18-2009 @ 12:49PM
Richard said...
Forget Kirsten Dunst -- they need to lose Tobey McGuire too -- and maybe Sam Raimi. I think a lot of some of Raimi's movies, and I loved Spidey 2. But Spidey 3 was a steaming pile, and I've never thought Tobey McGuire was right for Peter Parker. Plus he's getting too old for the role. This movie series needs a reboot. Spidey 3 wasn't as terrible as "Batman & Robin" but it was darn near as campy in places.
Reply
3-19-2009 @ 4:29AM
WokeupDead said...
I agree. Maguire is dead behind the eyes.