The name itself does sound like royalty, does it not. Like "The Earle of Bruce"
I know you readers have heard me yammering about director Tony Scott (R.I.P.) but it was the senior Scott that was one of my earliest influences which was "Blade Runner."
"Blade Runner"blew my mind, because all that cold, wet, smoke filled film noir in a futuristic detective was so moody. It illustrated my life, like nothing else. I watched that film practically once a day when I was a senior in high school and desperately wanted to mimic the look of it. Unfortunately, in those days, I only had a VHS video camera, so...well, it wasn't exactly a Jordan Cronenweth (cinematographer) look. But I still love the look of wet neon lit streets with smoke coming from sewer grates.
I've also watched the behind the scenes compendium that comes with the ultimate box set. It's over three hours long! And you really have to see the exhaustive research it takes to make these things. Also, the struggles to make...anything. There are financial stories that most likely have been dropped. Specifically, the problems with securing composer Vangelis's music (which as a teen, I went to the library every week to see if I could find it, and the only version was in the soundtrack bin at Everybody's Records in Cincinnati. And it wasn't the version I heard in the film).
The one detail that struck me was the casting of Sean Young as replicant...Rachel. As related by Ridley Scott, it was an extensive search with money poured into doing screen tests to find the perfect girl. All the screen tests are on the disc. Fascinating to watch what he may have saw. She was, in short, the most inexperienced of all the other ones auditioning. She somehow caught Scott's instincts to cast against her skill level. And during the shooting, according to crew, it was a struggle to get Rachel to the point of being a nuisance to Harrison Ford. There was obvious tension between them. But in the end...the product is all that mattered, and they got there. And I would say, in the nerd world anyway, Sean Young's Rachel is iconic.
The point of this is that...we have to trust our instincts. And stick by them. As green as Sean Young was, there is a point of conversation to be had. The enthusiasm for HER to stick it out may be the better lesson. That, though no one considered or wanted you, the wounded nature of that rejection must've played wonderfully as a replicant desperate to understand if her memories are real or not. So for the directors out there, go with your first instinct of the person, not based solely on experience but enthusiasm. People with grit and determination are far more valuable.
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