In the commentary for this movie, there is a moment where Rachel Ward, arguably one of the most beautiful women ever to walk this Earth, is in a bathing suit. It's a one piece. Consider that in the movie she also has a nude scene. Director Taylor Hackford confesses that Rachel had a body image issue. NOT that she thought she was fat or skinny, but just...revealing too much (even after a filmed nude scene). For some reason this got in her crawl.
The screened the movie for her, to which that scene came up. The scene is mostly covered in wide shot, then a close-up of her face, then a two-shot with her and James Woods. This is when it gets bizarre. After the screening, she darts over to Mr. Hackford and starts to give him an earful about how he said he wouldn't cover her body in a close-up. Screaming in the lobby of the theater at him about it. If you watch the scene, there IS no close-up of her body. It's a close-up of face to two-shot of her and James Woods. He surmised, in her mind, she magnified it so much all she could see were her flaws. Which to everyone else...there was none.
This got me thinking about my own projects. I've got a low threshold for "difficult" actresses. Because of how little money I put into them, I've no room to complain. BUT, it does still irk me in a way that I chose these people because I know they will be fine in my project. HOWEVER...they never think this way. Their image and their "acting" will be scrutinized by the most bitter of people. Their peers. IF you spent a lifetime fighting your own looks or judged only for your looks, the minute that is called into question, it can really keep you awake at night. It made me understand the psyche of actresses better. The insanity isn't without warrant. People are exceptionally cruel these days without reason. Even more now then in 1984. Social media can destroy you. The toughest of us can weather it. Give ourselves reasons why people are shits. I'm relatively removed from a LOT of hip new things, so I've no idea. But the younger crowd destroys one another before anyone even has a chance.
I was also listening to Brett Easton Ellis's podcast. He talks about the project "The Canyons" for which he wrote and Paul ("Taxi Driver" writer) Shrader directed. The movie is fascinating. Because if you knew where Lindsay Lohan was at the time, you realize what a feat it was to get made. Especially under crowd-funding, where there is no studio safety net. They discuss her behavior on set. Drunk, late and sometimes never show. During a table read, she'd actually made a list of who she wanted cut from the movie...as those people were in the room. She was fired multiple times. And the press ate it up, since she was starring across from James Deen, a porn actor. Regardless of what Brett will admit, that is grounds for a trainwreck. It was vexing, since the combination of Shrader & Ellis would have me shaking in my boots. Lohan, on a downward spiral, should've been kissing the ground to be working with these two. Instead, she was a mess. The project ended up a curious mess. And it just disappeared into obscurity. This is truth of the movie business. Chewed up, spit out, and what is spat out is just what resembles a human being but is just a spoiled child.
What I'm getting at is, if you plan on working in the business, you have to know these are women you will deal with. It's been happening since movies were being made. Difficult, angry, low self-esteemed egomaniacal crazy people who will test you. If a person like Rachel Ward has these issues...it's a no-brainer you will run into someone worse.
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