Even Stars Need Some Seasoning

According to writer Judy Brennan, a source at Touchstone/Buena Vista commented that “the audience is sending a message to [Sharon] Stone: ‘We want to see you in a certain kind of picture and this isn’t it.’ ” The reference was to the poor showing of “Last Dance” at the box office (“ ‘The Craft’ Has the Knack for Scaring Up an Audience,” Calendar, May 6).

The bottom line is that Sharon Stone had no business making that movie because she wasn’t ready for it. She also wasn’t ready for “The Quick and the Dead,” just as Demi Moore wasn’t ready for the “Scarlet Letter” and Sylvester Stallone wasn’t ready for a comedy (“Oscar”) and etc., etc.

Unfortunately, Stone, having become a major star, has fallen for the all-too-common attraction of wanting to stretch herself and pursue more challenging roles. But first, Stone (and the others) need to stretch themselves in the confines of an acting class or on a theater stage where only a small number of people can see them develop.

All actors who stretch themselves at a studio’s expense are subject to getting the flak and the negativity when a project fails. But where is the studio in this scenario? Who are the geniuses at the studios who condone these projects and waste millions of dollars, when I or other acting teachers would have told the studios to save their money because the actress or actor wasn’t ready for the role?

Can you blame a Moore, Stone or Stallone, et al, for accepting millions of dollars for on-the-job training? What director can teach an actor to play a character in the short time it takes to make a film? It takes years of preparation to become an accomplished actor. Look at Lange, Streep, Hoffman, De Niro, Pacino and so on--years of preparation and continually working at their craft.

When is the last time you saw Stone, Moore, Stallone, et al, doing theater and stretching themselves and studying their craft to get out of the mold that has been created for them by acting the image they themselves portray? It is very sad that people like this are seduced by the money. But, let’s face it: After struggling for years to make it and living with the fear of not knowing how long it will last, can you really fault the actor for accepting the gift?

I fault the studio executives who should be more capable in assessing whether that particular star is capable of carrying the movie in the role that is being offered. Maybe those executives should be sitting next to Stone, Moore and Stallone in acting class so they can have a better understanding of the craft of acting, an integral part of the movie business. And if they have any problem about making the decision, let them call some of the acting teachers in town for some good advice.

And by the way, with all the millions they’ll save, maybe they would have more money to make small-budget films and take chances in an arena that might find another Streep, De Niro or Pacino. Didn’t Stallone do the “Lords of Flatbush” and “Rocky” (low budget)? And what about Pacino in “Panic in Needle Park” (low budget) and De Niro in “Greetings” and “Mean Streets” (low budget)?