What's the Statute of Limitations For Mentioning Old Work?
Filed under: Fandom, Newsstand
Scanning through my RSS feeds at the end of the weekend, my eye immediately fell on this gem from the BBC: "Talking Shop - Third Rock's Joseph Gordon-Levitt on his new film." 3rd Rock from the Sun. It's been eight years since Gordon-Levitt co-starred in that show, which wrapped just as he got out of his teens. Now he's pushing 30, and has had a multitude of work since then. Mysterious Skin, Brick, Stop-Loss, Miracle at St. Anna, 500 Days of Summer, and even G.I. Joe. I get the reference -- to a degree. With the exception of G.I. Joe, Gordon-Levitt's work hasn't exactly been mainstream. But is aged mainstream work really more relevant than notable indie work, no matter how well-received said work is? Furthermore, it's hard to say these references are just for the sake of mainstream understanding when one of the questions is: "You're best known for Third Rock from the Sun. Is making the jump back into films tricky?" Apparently this was part of a "BBC Breakfast" interview, so I'm going to assume the question came from someone who didn't even know of the actor's more recent work, or his general roster for that matter. A quick scan of IMDb shows that Gordon-Levitt's been continually working on big-screen fare alongside his past television stints.
Nine years. I'm inclined to think it's silly to reference work that old as if it was yesterday, and ask about things that happened so long ago, unless it's part of a long interview or retrospective of an actor's career. Don't get me wrong, mentioning the past does happen. Many will often slide a person's Oscar-winning role next to their name even if there is a lot of great work that came later. Me, I sometimes like to reference the past if it shows just how far an actor has come. For example, it never fails to impress me that Marky Mark became Mark Whalberg, or that the bubbly girl from Drop Dead Gorgeous is now two-time Oscar nominee Amy Adams.
But what's your statute of limitations for mentioning past work? When is it time to move on?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-24-2009 @ 3:21PM
Kevin said...
But is aged mainstream work really more relevant than notable indie work, no matter how well-received said work is?
Depends on the venue. If you're doing an interview for a trade magazine, or one that is written primarily to appeal to those in the business and its avid followers, then you should focus on his indie work because his audience is likely to be well aware of it. But imagine if Craig T. Nelson had been doing spectacular work on the London stage and you were writing an article about him for Time magazine. Does it really make sense not to mention his work on Coach (and perhaps his voice work for the incredibles)? Of course not. If you didn't then 90% of your audience wouldn't know who the heck you're talking about, and wouldn't bother even buying the magazine. With Gordon-Levitt its the same deal. Since you love movies you've seen, or are aware of, his indie work, and respect him for that. When you see "An Interview with Joseph Gordon-Levitt" you know who they're talking about, but most people have no clue. But if they say "An Interview with 3rd Rocks Joseph Gordon-Levitt" then they are far more likely to strike a chord with mainstream audiences, which is probably what the BBC was going for.
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8-24-2009 @ 3:34PM
gmoney said...
3rd rock may be more current in the UK right now... it was a BBC interview, after all.
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8-24-2009 @ 3:37PM
Andy said...
To be honest, over here few BBC Breakfast viewers are going to be savvy with his his work between 3rd Rock and now. I think that show was on shown on the BBC years and years ago, so people would remember that. Makes sense really, rather than mention a bunch of shows or films breakfast morning tv viewers in Britain might never have heard of.
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8-24-2009 @ 4:34PM
yaksplat1 said...
Feature wise, I think he'd be a drop in replacement for Heath Ledger as the Joker. Is he capable of doing it? I don't know.
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8-24-2009 @ 4:35PM
Rich said...
I think it has to do with what they are more known for. I may not had remembered someone's name but if they said "Star of some show/movie/etc" I might be able to put a name and face together.
It makes sense to mention his place in 3rd Rock, because the average person would know him from that then anything else he has done.
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8-24-2009 @ 4:35PM
roshow said...
Unfortunately, I think anyone who it's an "movie buff," needs the 3rd Rock reference to remember who he is. Just from my own anecdotal evidence, whenever I mention his name, I'm greeted with blank stares until I say "the kid from 3rd Rock." Then people go "oh, yeah, that guy!"
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8-24-2009 @ 5:24PM
YouFaceTheTick said...
Sadly true. Great actor and he gets associated only with that show by non-movie people
8-25-2009 @ 10:37AM
greatone said...
I also agree. I didn't know he was still acting until someone on another forum recommend the movie Brick to me a year ago. Whenever I mention him to other people I have to always use the "30 Rock" reference. Even after G.I. Joe I still think people don't know who he is because he was covered up in the movie.
8-24-2009 @ 11:12PM
Bubbameister33 said...
What about "Angels in the Outfield"?
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8-28-2009 @ 1:28AM
Holly said...
He was so good in Stop-Loss!
This is only somewhat related but I'd love for people writing cheesy news copy to stop refering to Madonna as the Material Girl. Seriously, that was like 20 years ago!
I think you can reference old work if you've indicated knowledge that you know what they've done between now and then. I cringe whenever some idiot entertainment reporter goes "Is it good to be back?" To some one who's been quietly working for the 15 years in between hits. This particularly annoys me about coverage of Patrick Dempsey, like he was in a comma or something between Cant Buy Me Love and Dr McDreamy
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