Conversation about why actors allow themselves to appear in certain movies, at the NewYorker Movie Facebook Club
Margaret Dumas
I almost don't know how to posit this question for fear of sounding either snobbish or naive: Why do well credentialed actors agree to be in movies like this?
Carolyn Faulkner Mortgage payments aren’t cheap
Bjorn Arvidsson I've seen a lot of phenomenal British actors in made-for-tv crap; I can only assume it's money. When I was relying on singing for my pay-checks (which I did for 25 years) we all joked and said "we're prostitutes, we'll do anything for money!"
Patrick McEvoy-Halston It'd be nice if they did it to help complicate our attachment to them, if we're closet narcissists. Usually we say it's for money -- mortgage; fund other art projects -- or to maintain exposure: a demonstration of cunning, even if ultimately in error. But we are free to look elsewhere for motivations.
Emily Collins i can't imagine the rea$on why they would so $uch horrible film$.
Elizabeth Floyd Maybe they are not being asked to do better films.
Kim Geiger Demi Moore's been in a lot of stinkers.
Chris Okum Because they've always wanted to work with Dylan McDermott.
Richard Thomas Have you seen it? How do you know it's bad?
Richard Thomas Oh ...
ROTTENTOMATOES.COM
Susan Curran Because Demi Moore's in it?
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Patrick McEvoy-Halston If they're god-awful in taste, and we like them, maybe we're god-awful also. Not to be considered, so explanation in terms of money etc.
Jack Clare i’ve given this some thought, and i don’t see how it follows. i like weezer for example. rivers cuomo, the main songwriter in that band, likes a lot of mor/bad pop music. because i like his music, does that entail that i like all of the music he likes? no. i’ve not listened to a lot of it, and the stuff i have, i didn’t like.
Jack Clare i’ve given this some thought, and i don’t see how it follows. i like weezer for example. rivers cuomo, the main songwriter in that band, likes a lot of mor/bad pop music. because i like his music, does that entail that all of the music he likes? no. i’ve not listened to a lot of it, and the stuff i have, i didn’t like.
Jack Clare if they have bad taste, they have bad taste. if you like them, for work you consider good, then their taste has no reflection on you at all.
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Susan Curran At times like these I'm reminded of Anthony Lane's "What's The Point Of Demi Moore?" article.
Danny Mahn Money.
Chris Trott Ned Beatty once said, when asked a similar question: “Never turn down a job offer”.
Max Perkins Cornell It's possible they're acting in it as a favor for someone.
Elizabeth Lloyd-Kimbrel ~ It's a job and they're working actors, or trying to be. And if they do the best they can possibly do in it, then there's no shame. (If they just phone in the performance ... but even the negative RT reviews compliment Moore and Baldwin.)
Patrick McEvoy-Halston And if it's not just a job to them but a project they're proud to be in... until they're told they shouldn't have been, then, shame?
Fiona Taylor I can see that with a "normal" actor, but in this case, they have enough money and enough of a name to produce whatever they'd like.
Elizabeth Lloyd-Kimbrel I don't understand the job/project distinction. Whether job or project, if you do your best (and that includes believing in something that may overall turn out not to be so good even though you did your best) then there's no reason to be ashamed of your work. What would be shameful is giving a uncommitted performance, unless you're trying to make a deliberate protest that you want visible to the world. As for the movie in question, it's panned overall but the performances of Baldwin and Moore are not panned but complimented.
As for individual actors' judgements on what films to do, all kinds of real and abstract factors can come into play, including just needing to work, whether financially or psychologically (keep yur hand in), whether you are a "normal" actor or not. Peter O'Toole made some real bombs too, after all, but played them to the hilt and he was quite upfront about the money aspect. (Neither Baldwin nor Moore is listed as producer for "Blind," by the way.)
Patrick McEvoy-Halston Elizabeth Lloyd-Kimbrel I believe that most people reading this response, though, would feel that there exists a category where shame could land with the actor. If you do your best in a film which everyone judges a turkey but which you can't be dissuaded from thinking a classic that will last, maybe in your answer there's ground to judge the actor saved from shame, but it feels not so. If a future person of the same talent level as Peter O'Toole made some real bombs, but not only played them to the hilt but also never stopped believing in the movies, telling people over and over again that "Jack and Jill," say, or "Phantom Menace," say, or "fifty shades," say, were perfect films they remain glad to wholly stand behind, would you personally ever allow them to belong to his level of stature? Concerning your reference to O'Toole, it sounds like it's important that he remained in the know as to how bad the films were in popular estimation, and that he shared the common judgment of them. He was cool kid, dropped down from where he belonged, who didn't compromise a level of integrity which conveniently never stop reminding him of where he truly belonged. The "swamp" he belonged to for a few secs, never knew a worse person to be associated with.
Elizabeth Lloyd-Kimbrel ~ Then you have misread and misinterpreted me. I thought I was being clear, but apparently not and accordingly apologize for lack of clarity.
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Kasia Stark I think they're both teetering on the edge of the A list.
Adam Capitanio Working actors have to work. There are also many actors who will take well-paying jobs in order to take jobs they're more passionate about but have to work for scale, or to fund projects - Robert DeNiro, for example, has taken a lot of paycheck movies in the last 15-20 years in order to keep the Tribeca Film Festival financially healthy.
Danielle Masursky Exactly. Well said.
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Joey Barrows quick money. I'm sure they got paid too much and filmed their whole part in three weeks
Justus Humphrey Making a movie takes a long time and collaboration from many, many people. Ultimately, it's a gamble. Things can go wrong in innumerable ways throughout the whole process. A good script can be compromised with rewrites from the studio. A director's vision can be compromised with bad editing. An actor's ego can require changes that compromise other aspects of a film. Etc., etc., etc. The odds against any movie turning out good are enormous. It's kind of a wonder that it ever works. In addition to the possibility of "selling out," there's also the possibility that an actor signs on for a movie that seems like a good choice at the time but then the end product doesn't work out successfully.
Danielle Masursky Very well said.
Thomas Zorthian A thoughtful and respectful post. I don't think anyone sets out to make a bad movie, just as no one deliberately writes a bad book. One does one's best and hopes for a positive result.
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Patrick McEvoy-Halston So no tolerance here for the actor who appeared in a film which by common assent is a raspberry, saying that they loved what they did in the film and remain attached to the worth of the movie. Every Jake Lloyd ("the Phantom Menace") -- assuming he liked what he did and was proud of the movie -out there should suicide themselves, or ascent to their being removed from view for ten years, a la what happened to Natalie Portman? They both had to make clear immediately afterwards that they knew it was going to be a stinker, but the money, man, was out of this world!
Adam Capitanio I think a lot of people here are being pretty sympathetic to actors who have been in bad films. Almost every actor has been in at least one; I don't think anyone here would ask them to exile themselves over it.
Patrick McEvoy-Halston Adam Capitanio That may be but it's hard to tell. There seems to be a certain category they're trying to save each of these actors from, which if the actor didn't sufficiently cooperate in reinforcing... "yeah, yeah, it was totally the money," they'd find themselves obligated to brutal rejection.
Jack Clare i don’t think anybody is calling out for the suicides of actors bc of bad movies
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Kevin Plays We need to ask to Nicolas Cage.
Jill E. Krupnik Well I think he has a castle to upkeep soooo
Courtney Knopf amassing a collection of dinosaur bones doesn't come cheap.
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Moira Brigitte Rauch Danny took the word from me 
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I may ad “ Hollywood”.
Bessy Reyna $$$$ keeping their names circulating
Judith Karline Most acclaimed actors have been in crappy movies, yhey all have at least one or two bombs. Not every project or task in any industry results in no matter how hard those involved try. You still gotta work. The entertainment industry is no different.
Vance Prospero-Shandy The Nick Cage Effect.
Jonathon Kelso I cal it reverse renaissancing
Patrick McEvoy-Halston Explain?
Jonathon Kelso I was mainly thinking about Matthew McConnaughey's so called McConnaissance. As in he transitioned from mainly non Non - "serious/credible" roles into being taken a lot more seriously, picking up an Oscar etc. So I think some actors seem to be falling into a reversal of this process for various reasons, hence the reverse renaissance.
Patrick McEvoy-Halston Makes sense.
Patrick McEvoy-Halston For anyone who's every studied their Stephen Greenblat, Renaissance "fashioning" is all about abandoning the popular for the esteemed.
Jonathon Kelso Nice, I like that a lot
Patrick McEvoy-Halston This could do to be challenged. Actors appealing in films that appeal to them but which we don't want to ascribe to them, as they're currently fitting our own route as to how to pattern their lives. Not fulfilling their social role the important point, not the artistic merit of the film.
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Patrick McEvoy-Halston "I really like you, but why were you ever friends with so and so... he's such a loser."
The person thinks on the referenced "loser" friend, decides that s/he actually admires him/her, and responds in good faith, even as this means losing their own popularity and status?
or, the person, not wanting to seem slipped into their past-friends' pool of shame, ascribes it to the fact that the former friend bribed them into friendship, or that their parents told them they had to be nice to them, for it's the Christina thing to do, but they never liked doing it, or some such... thinking this might be damage they might be able to undo at some point, if necessary. For hey, it's something we all do, something everyone else would do in our spot, so why are you behaving so high and mighty superior as if you wouldn't do the same?
Adam Capitanio Huh? A number of commenters here (myself included) have indicated that many actors will take jobs for the money. No one is acting superior about it. Working actors have to work, it's their job. I enjoy my job at moments, but I go every day because they pay me.
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Cynthia Winn $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Fiona Taylor There's that famous Michael Caine quote: "I have never seen it (Jaws 4) but by all accounts it is terrible. However, I have seen the house that it built and it is terrific." However, I think sometimes movies do get totally edited and get worse? Also, some actors (not these actors necessarily) just seem to have no sense of a good script.
Patrick McEvoy-Halston Yes, and by so doing he reinforced a sense of macho culture. For the person who ever did a film like that but wasn't all in the know as to how terrible it would be, but actually believed in it, becomes an object of ostensibly earned scorn.
Fiona Taylor Patrick McEvoy-Halston - That's an interesting point. I love MC for his sense of humor, and this always struck me as a pretty hilarious quote.
Patrick McEvoy-Halston Fiona Taylor famous, yeah, but not yet sufficiently challenged.
Jack Clare what exactly is wrong with being macho? i’ve not seen the movie so maybe i’m missing some key detail here
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Jamison Bruce Anthony Keep gettin dem cheeeecks!!!
Gabriel McCann Even Laurence Olivier made crap films from time to time just to keep working and pay the rent
Marc Imbillicieri Yeah he did that one with Marilyn Monroe.
Talk about a mismatched cast.
Gabriel McCann Marc Imbillicieri it was called The Prince and the Showgirl
Thomas Zorthian The Prince and the Showgirl isn't the greatest movie ever made, but it is an entertaining bauble that showcases the charisma of Marilyn Monroe. There was even a movie made about the events surrounding the film: My Week with Marilyn!
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Lorne Hanks Baldwin actually addressed this on an episode of 30 Rock when he, in character, listed off his numerous real world cinematic bona fides, but then said it all counted for nothing after he'd worked on television.
Lorne Hanks To be fair, though, this poster does look like it was made for an episode of 30 Rock as a gag.
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Jill E. Krupnik Because you don't really know until the movie is shot and edited whether or not it's any good.
Donna Staub I've wondered the same thing while watching some of Deniro's later works... how does one's oeuvre contain the Deer Hunter, Raging Bull, Goodfellas, and then the Fockers series, Righteous Kill, and Rocky and Bullwinkle? Boredom maybe???
Adam Capitanio De Niro has taken a lot of well paying jobs over the last decade or two to keep the Tribeca Film Festival afloat.
Jack Clare what’s wrong with meet the fockers?
Nicole Hall Righteous Kill is a great film.
Donna Staub Jack Clare Personally, I liked the first one -- I couldn't sit through the sequels -- too predictable and 1 dimensional -- but that and a 3 bucks will buy you a cuppa coffee...
Donna Staub Nicole Hall And that is why I like this page -- so many diverse opinions. For my own personal "Best of De Niro," RK wouldn't make the cut, but I'm one of those old fogies who sat through the first run of Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Deer Hunter, and was mesmerized by the (then) new actor.
Donna Staub Adam Capitanio definitely a worthy cause.
Marc Imbillicieri Donna Staub De Niro takes those roles due to financial issues resulting from divorce.
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Todd Thomas $$$$$
Rodney Welch You don’t always know a movie is going to turn out badly.
La Kristen Virgen THEY NEED MONEY
Joe Mickey Why not? you are right it is a snobish question... sometimes folks just do stuff because they want to... I wonder who passes judgement on your choices... really a pathetic question
Joe Mickey Lets say the script looks better than the final product... maybe they get to get together for a while with people they like... maybe they just want to get out of their pajamas... Why do you decide to take what looks like a useless walk or worse a useless run and dress up in special clothes to do it...
La Kristen Virgen I didn't say anything. Either way they need to make money like the rest of us it's like taking a shitty job, you may not want to do it but it pays the bills.
Joe Mickey La Kristen Virgen , sounds like you read minds or know their bank accounts... maybe they just do it... without any reason .
La Kristen Virgen Hmm actors who act for no reason 
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Joe Mickey La Kristen Virgen , are you insisting they act only for your reasons of money?
Joe Mickey La Kristen Virgen , I gave several speculations you ignored. convenient
La Kristen Virgen I mean it could be just for kicks but I'm also saying it's a job too so I wouldn't rule it out as some fantasy idea.
La Kristen Virgen You are taking this post way to seriously, lol.
Joe Mickey La Kristen Virgen , its kind of a silly question of pure speculation ...
La Kristen Virgen Yeah so what gives your speculations more merit than mine, do you possess the all-knowing mind for why actors do shitty movies?
Patrick McEvoy-Halston Asking about why an actor would appear in movies which we feel are not equal to their worth, is not necessarily a bad question... people might do things for reasons they might want to learn to stop valuing. The problem is that it nurtures the idea that there are objects of shame out there so powerful, that we have to be careful if we should ever want ourselves to associate with them... it can be done only conditionally, with heavy qualification. If we didn't exist in an atmosphere like that, I bet we wouldn't see so many "it was the moneys" in response, as that's the rebuttal we know works when we know incriminating shame for an actor's part in a work is on the line.
Joe Mickey La Kristen Virgen , seems you are taking my answers way to seriously... its really not about you .. its about a silly question
La Kristen Virgen Your feathers got ruffled before mine dawg
Joe Mickey La Kristen Virgen , I like movies... I don't call people names... not ruffled... just would appreciate a higher level of discussion on the topic
La Kristen Virgen So now you're calling me stupid, this why I said your taking the post too seriously.
Joe Mickey La Kristen Virgen , I guess if you rewrite what I said you can hear what ever you want... you do project a lot ... but if you can show me where I used the word "Stupid" I will apologize ...
Christine Bridget Joe Mickey troll
Joe Mickey Christine Bridget , oh please grow up
La Kristen Virgen If only there were other words to describe something without specifically saying it. 
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Roxanne Jones Joe Mickey All right, Mr. Baldwin, calm down. We all liked you in "Glengarry Glen Ross."
Joe Mickey La Kristen Virgen , Did I say "Stupid" or is that what you decided to read? The question itself is silly... It pretends because we go to movies we can pass judgement on the motives of these folks...
Joe Mickey Roxanne Jones . ok
Joe Mickey La Kristen Virgen , its still not about you ... its about the question.. you are not the originator of the question ... its really pretty cliché as questions go...
La Kristen Virgen Ninja, where exactly did I write "it's all about me"?
Joe Mickey La Kristen Virgen , That I respond to your question with words I did not use claiming a personal attack , You claimed I got my feathers ruffled "before" yours were ruffled... I was simply discussing the question and you are still talking about you ... Its a silly question... it has little to do with films... and it pretends that people know these people because we know their movie characters... It came by in my news feed... I responded... to the question.
La Kristen Virgen Were you not assuming too?
Joe Mickey La Kristen Virgen , nope.. just started with a simple answer to a question... your "too" means also... I was not also making assumptions... the question itself is not deep and not really about the art of movies... but anyone could have asked and I would say the same thing... and I didn't rewrite you to try to make my arguments.
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Jack Clare multiple reasons. money. sometimes because they want to work with a specific director. or they think the role would be fun. remember that from script to film to edit to screen, a movie can change in drastic ways.
André Dias Américo We all have bills to pay, I guess
Peter Wardrope $$$$$
Elizabeth Floyd I remember an interview with Christopher Walken in which he said that he likes working, so he does almost everything people ask him to do.
Chase Halbeck Either They get a big pay day before the movie is released or they know the movie will do well outside of the American market or they are producing the film themselves or they just believe in the project or some combination of the above.
Brien Rourke Is that an "I" or an "A" ?
Edward Nelson Willmore Or they are not a-list and have to compete with up and coming stars, and they have bills to pay .I guess.
Edward Nelson Willmore 20 on rotten tomatoes, it must be as bad as the poster looks.
Jack Clare not necessarily. i've watched films with atrocious rotten tomatoes ratings, and they're never usually as bad as you'd expect. sometimes they're pretty good.
Jack Clare some choice examples of this: the lake house, why stop now?, daddy's home.
Edward Nelson Willmore You are completely correct, Jack Clare. But the reviews that go with the rating as well as other information can give you an idea.
Edward Nelson Willmore There are many good movies that have low ratings on RT and bad movies that have good ratings.
Edward Nelson Willmore In this case the poster for the movie looked bad.
Edward Nelson Willmore The person who posted the question said it was bad
Edward Nelson Willmore The fact that Demi Moore, who has not been in a good movie for quite some time told me it was bad.
Marc Imbillicieri No, I can't enjoy movies that have low RT ratings. I've got too much of a critic's eye.
I have disliked movies with high RT ratings, however.
Jack Clare that’s not called “having a critic’s eye”, that’s called having no judgement.
Jack Clare so, the movie is bad because of it’s rating?
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Penny Mack don’t they have enough money?
Rodney Welch For my neighborhood? Sure.
Cammie Cowan Have you ever known anyone who thought he/she had enough $?
I have known a few folks who took a vow of poverty, but not a single one was an actor, director, producer, etc., of films or plays.
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Todd Melançon Dylan McDermott should have tipped them off.
Dennis M Robles money, favors, debt, poor judgment, location, etc.
Ulla Døssing that bad?
Margaret Dumas If you're asking if the movie was that bad, Ulla Dossing, in my view it was very bad.
Ulla Døssing then i will pass on that one:)
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Pepe Guicho Salinas When Luis Buñuel was asked why he directed a horrible "charros" (Mexican cowboys) film while exiled in Mexico his reply was very simple, one has got to eat.
Chase Halbeck I liked this purely because you mentioned my cinema godfather Buñuel
Rodney Welch Which film was that? I don’t recall anything by Bunuel that fits the description. He did make a few Sirkian soapers in Mexico, however.
Ira Joel Haber maybe they thought we would also be blind so as not to see what was happening on screen.
Chase Halbeck Ira Joel Haber a blind movie critic feels very Buñuelian. Thank you for that thought.
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Russ Burgos Back taxes
Nellie Kartoglu Lack of ideas. Industry has become too commercial.
Andrew Evans Michael Caine has talked about this idea a number of times , here’s a good quote: On Jaws: The Revenge: “I have never seen it, but by all accounts it is terrible. However, I have seen the house that it built, and it is terrific.” And here’s a good list https://morganrlewis.wordpress.com/.../top-13-quotes.../Manage
MORGANRLEWIS.WORDPRESS.COM
Margaret Dumas Thanks Andrew. I'm going to read this.
Jack Clare samuel johnson once said that only a blockhead would ever write for anything but money. i think that sentiment applies here.
Elizabeth Lloyd-Kimbrel <3 span="">
Vivek Dwivedi Loved no 4 and 5. Also glad that Roger Ebert got a mention courtesy his 'thumb' and Eddie Murphy
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Linda Tournade $$$
Harshit Sahay $$$
Aiko Murasaki When needs must....Even so-called "stars' need to earn a bit more filthy lucre!
Thomas Hemsley first of all: well-credentialed doesn´t necessarily mean, they are geniusses. second: just because you don´t like it, ain´t mean it´s crap. third: sometimes the original script is better than the end product. fourth: sometimes it is more important for them to work with old friends or just people they admire or they want to help friends etc. fifth: they like the process, they love being on a movie set. because sixth: sometimes working on a film is a great experience even if they know the movie is crap. and and and - it ain´t always just the money - although, what´s wrong with wanting to make a bit of money. read the random roles interviews on the avclub - they are very insightful about why actors make certain movies.
Thomas Hemsley sometimes it´s also just a kind of payed vacation in some place they want to go.
Margaret Dumas No, Thomas Hemsley, this movie is crap. I'm sure you'd feel the same way about it if you actually watched it like I did--smart and snarky as you are.
Thomas Hemsley Margaret Dumas nothing i said is snarky. i´m not the one giving only money as possible reason. and i didn´t necessarily mean your specific opinion about this specific movie. but even so. neither you nor i are final arbiters of taste. the reasons i have given are ones i´ve come across in interviews, and they make sense to me (i´m not an actor): when asked why he was part of sharknado or something, eric roberts said, that at first he scoffed at it, but then corman basically invited him and his family and close friends to a paid (party)vacation for two weeks or something in mexico. christopher plummer when asked why he made starcrash, said that he always wanted to go to rome (? or italy? not sure, maybe florence), and this was his chance. he actually said he would make a porno for the chance to go to rome (etc). christopher walken said he just likes being on set and working with filmpeople. what we watchers forget is, that "hollywood" is also a community of friends and respected colleagues. and sometimes a movie is basically some kind of community theater or a school play.
Margaret Dumas Why don't you just watch "Blind", Thomas? That's all I'm sayin'. You're comparing Eric Roberts and Alex Baldwin here for God's sake, Baldwin--an actor who's in Christopher Plummer's league, certainly not Eric Roberts'. In the end it's probably the money but jeez, what a step-down in status for the guy who's at the top of his game in my eyes from Glengarry Glenross (sp?) to nailing Trump on SNL and unparalleled work in 30 Rock. I couldn't care less about Demi Moore--she's been a waste of time her whole career and her face is so stretched now it's almost unrecognizable, but Baldwin, he's just kind of a hero of mine and I'm questioning his choices is all.
Laura-Jean Kelly Sorrytobutt in but if thomas had written "just cuz WE dont like it instead of "You" his remark wouldnt seem personal to you margaret. All the best everybody🙂
Thomas Hemsley Margaret Dumas i´m not comparing roberts and baldwin, that was just a specific example of one of many other reasons why an actor might even knowingly be part of crap - a reason other than money. why is that so hard to understand? why this constant needof fans for their idols to just be in great stuff? in the end there are many possible reasons, we can´t know them, and it´s actually none of our business: maybe he did it as a favor to a friend. maybe the script promises something better and he knows that the movie became a failure during the process of making it, but he couldn´t get out of a contract. maybe all involved had the best of intentions, but it all went bad. movies aren´t just art (glengarry glen ross is a work of art, no doubt about it), they are also a craft, and a business, and actors are just human. in the end, working on that movie was just maybe 2 weeks of work for him, that´s not necessarily a waste of his time, and it kept some people who can´t choose art in a job. and watching 2 hrs of crap isn´t really in the grand scheme of things that much of lifetime wasted.
Margaret Dumas Laura-Jean Kelly Bet you're a psychiatrist, Laura-Jean Kelly.
Laura-Jean Kelly Sorry Margaret hehe...no I'm not. But i did alot of therapy haha.
Thomas Zorthian Margaret Dumas Eric Roberts did some great work early in his career, culminating in what I think is his finest work: his role in Star 80. He was also nominated for an Oscar for Runaway Train. If you check his IMDB page, he is always working because he can be depended on to give a good performance, regardless of the film's quality.
Margaret Dumas Thomas Zorthian You must be talking about Eric Roberts...and it sounds like you are more knowledgeable about his career than I am. I can truthfully says that I always associate him with B-grade movies.
Thomas Zorthian Margaret Dumas Thanks for the correction. I edited the post to reflect the change. If you get a chance to see Star 80, you can see what a good actor he is. It is also a good movie directed by the great Bob Fosse.
Laura-Jean Kelly Eric Roberts amazed me in The Pope of Greenwich Village. And Star 80 i could barely watch cuz such a real intense performance. Maybe Roberts is an example of a talented actor who didn't get the breaks needed to end up with Baldwin's type of career. The work feeds off itself creating a momentum for the lucky (and hopefully most talented) artists. I think the b movie career over the high credential experience has less to do with talent and more to do with timing luck and stamina in a crazy business.
Thomas Hemsley honestly, if we´re seriously just going to start disregarding bmovies and the work they provide AND the great work that is being done within whatever kind of limitations (apparently only those of the audience), then why do we even bother talking about careers. ever thought that eric roberts might be satisfied with a big part of his career? especially with some of his work in bmovies? i find eric roberts career or the ups and downs of alec baldwin much more satisfying and interesting than daniel day lewis or other, well, no, i think he is the only one who just shows up and off every few years in supposedly "worthy" movies.
Laura-Jean Kelly Btw I sure didnt mean to suggest that Roberts was unhappy with his career. Just to point out the way the industry and its many variables can affect the life of an actor and their work and career. (I was as an actor for short while way back).
Thomas Hemsley Laura-Jean Kelly "didn´t get the breaks". we usually don´t know how much of an actor´s career depends on those breaks. maybe he got all the breaks and this is what he did with it AND he doesn´t consider it squandered or anything. my point all along wasthat i find these questions a bit condescending towards the actor (evenif they weren´t intended as such) and i skimmed the answers and didn´t like the cynical tendency (all about money...not that there is necessarily anythig wrong if that is indeed the main motivation, although i dont think one becomes an actor if one wants money in the first place) - there are many variables as you say and i just wanted to mention some that i have found in my readings of interviews with actors - seriously, the random roles on avclub are very eye-opening in that regard.
Thomas Hemsley "Sharktopus (2010)—“Nathan Sands”
ER: I was offered that script, and from the title alone, I said, “I’m not even gonna read it. Are you kidding?” And they said, “But you said you always wanted to work for this man [Roger Corman]!” And I said, “Yes, but I’m not gonna make something quite this bad!” [Laughs.] And then he called me, and he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse and, believe me, it was not money. He does not give money.
Corman said to me, “How many friends do you have?” I said, “I dunno, half a dozen.” “How many family members do you got?” “I don’t know, 10.” “Okay, they can all bring a friend, and they can all stay in Puerto Vallarta while you make this movie for a month. Everybody’s free while you’re down there working.” So I brought everybody I ever met, everybody I’ve ever been related to, and we all had a great time in Puerto Vallarta while I made a bad movie. [Laughs.] That’s the long and short of it."
Thomas Hemsley actually eric roberts interview is great with regard to this question in general. dude is down-to-earth and seems to generally enjoy his life. and he does know how crappy some of his films are. and he seems to be fully aware of his talent without being pretentious or anything: https://film.avclub.com/eric-roberts-on-the-dark-knight...Manage
FILM.AVCLUB.COM
Laura-Jean Kelly Great stuff!
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Surya Adiputra Like the late Robin Williams in RV movie.
Jack Sotto Money. Their agent or manager gets a percentage of their paycheck.
Laura-Jean Kelly They often dont know or cant tell it will Be bad. Actors need to act...desire to work. Want to work w certain people.
Carlos Rafael Pineda Coz I think most of the time you'd realize if the movie is good when it's done
Kim Moon $$$$$$$
Brent Richardson Actors like to work, and a lot of times no one really knows if something is going to be good or bad until it's finished.
Turner Smith To make a living
Karla Zelvis To pay their bills.
Samantha Han the poster looks like it was made in photoshop in 15 minutes
Mark Schaffer Ya gotta eat
Mark Schaffer 5.5 IMDB.,So..
Jack Clare so what?
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Mark Schaffer Points?
Marc Imbillicieri It's probably because he needs money due to divorce issues. That's usually the reason.
Matthew Proulx Sometimes actors get attached early on before a script lands in the wrong hands. Sometimes a good script is a bad movie. A lot of actors probably don’t care because bad movies don’t often get a lot of marketing, so who’d even notice? Some good actors have bad taste, or they agree to a movie to help their friends. Plenty of reasons I guess.
Mark Schaffer Co writer is Mailer's youngest son..So..
Rodney Welch So you’re not a fan?
Mark Schaffer Of?
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葆康 actors are freelance .. so to compare w/ freelance writers: sometimes you write for the new yorker, sometimes for people, and even other times: the national enquirer..
Jennifer Lupo Alec Baldwin has a bunch of little kids to support...
Mark McGuire A paycheck. Actors act, and not every script they get is a gem.
William Donelson Paycheck blindness.
Marta Brambilla Money and probably a contract obligation? And not last the need to be on screen?
Gerald Bartell Just when you think Demi Moore had the good sense to give up, she's back.
Margaret Dumas Aaargh.
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Brent Richardson Clark Gable was forced to do "It happened one night" because his studio was punishing him and legend has it the cast of "Casablanca" felt it would be the end of their careers. When Susanne Somers met George Lucas and the cast of "American Graffiti" her first thought was "What a bunch of losers!" So, sometimes you never know.
Laura-Jean Kelly What a happy thing he did It Happened One Nght...wow. What break for all of us.
Brent Richardson Yup.
Laura-Jean Kelly This is the kind of stuff that really shows how many variables are so involved in what is such a subjective world for actors and movies! Great examples thx.
Brent Richardson Patton Oswalt recently mentioned how tough it was to make even a mediocre movie.
Chris Trott There’s a story about how while filming ‘Fat Man and Little Boy’, the cast had a betting pool going as to how many Oscar nominations it would get. Needless to say, whoever picked zero was the winner.
Mark Schaffer William Goldman on Hollywood: Nobody knows anything
Mark Schaffer Flops on release: Wizard of Oz..Its a Wonderful Life..So...
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Bhoomi Because it's their profession.
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