Thursday 17 May 2012

ANDIE MACDOWELL, CHAZZ PALMINTERI & RAINEY QUALLEY on ACTING

ANDIE: So you've paid your dues?
CHAZZ: Oh big time, big time I've paid my dues.


Chazz talks about the nine years before 'A Bronx Tale' and Andie talks about the seven years before 'Sex, Lies & Videotape'. These days we see Andie MacDowell as someone who sells hair products, but she's just like everyone else-- a human being who's worked damned hard. 

This interview is so unusual, they're actually
talking. You realise how much hard work they put into their careers, and the decisions they had to make. Did you know that Andie's agents didn't want her to do 'Sex, Lies & Videotape'? She made the decision, she took the risk - and it's things like that which turn a career around and spin it in a different direction. 

They discuss the breaking in stories. And they talk about doing jobs for money when the script stinks, and doing things for art when the money stinks. It's fascinating! How often do we get this kind of access to names like this? Not often. 


It's a great YouTube channel, worth checking out. But not every interview is golden. They talk to Sorkin, and he's fascinating, but it's while he was promoting 'The Social Network' and he's full of the same soundbites that he said in every other interview at the time. 


And the woman on the right is Rainey Qualley, Andie MacDowell's daughter. And they talk about that; being an actor whose parent is famous for the same thing. After fifteen minutes, they're talking about parenting -- what does this have to do with promoting the movie? Nothing. But now I care a lot more about these people and the flick they're in. It's refreshing. 


This video only has 252 views at the time of writing this; so I guess it won't appeal to everyone. When people see actors, they just want the soundbite, they wanna hear them say 'Oh it was great to work with Andie MacDowell' and then move on to the next thing. I understand that, because too often actors can be full of their own self-importance, as if their performances are going to save the world from extinction or something. 


But occasionally you get people like Chazz and Andie who are down to earth, who just tell it how it is. It's refreshing. You feel like you actually learn something. 


You don't have to watch the whole thing. Towards the end they start doing the promo schtick. But the first twenty minutes or so are an insight. 


As for the movie, it's called '
Mighty Fine', and I have no idea if it'll be any good. 

Care to share?

1 comment:

  1. Watching the interview and reading this post did enlighten me, but it also made me realise that like most industry outsiders I know absolutely nothing about acting.
    Sure, I know which actors I love to watch, and I know how their performances make me feel, but the technical side of their craft is a complete mystery to me.

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