Originally posted by WittyHandle
There was a time when he was versatile?
Okay, maybe his versatility can be put into question. But in terms of raw acting prowess and conviction, Denzel is far more capable than Reeves (when put into context with a Shakespearean-related movie). That being said, Reeves will always have a place in Hollywood. Some movies need only a strong screen presence to move the plot forward, and to let said plot play center stage, rather than the actor. Warner Bros. originally wanted Will Smith to play Neo...really glad they chose Keanu instead. If Smith was chosen, the movie would of been a lot less 'a movie about the Matrix and the conflict it represents' and more 'a Will Smith movie'. The Matrix franchise as a whole was much better off not casting somebody that usually gravitates the picture around themselves.
kamil
quote:
Originally posted by CONNERMAN2000
Okay, maybe his versatility can be put into question. But in terms of raw acting prowess and conviction, Denzel is far more capable than Reeves (when put into context with a Shakespearean-related movie). That being said, Reeves will always have a place in Hollywood. Some movies need only a strong screen presence to move the plot forward, and to let said plot play center stage, rather than the actor. Warner Bros. originally wanted Will Smith to play Neo...really glad they chose Keanu instead. If Smith was chosen, the movie would of been a lot less 'a movie about the Matrix and the conflict it represents' and more 'a Will Smith movie'. The Matrix franchise as a whole was much better off not casting somebody that usually gravitates the picture around themselves.
Nicolas Cage also turned down the role of Neo..... lol.
Halcyon+On+On
quote:
Originally posted by kamil
Nicolas Cage also turned down the role of Neo..... lol.
bahahah, that would have been like Christopher Walken as Han Solo.
CONNERMAN2000
quote:
Originally posted by kamil
Nicolas Cage also turned down the role of Neo..... lol.
Good lord, what it could of been.....though to the credit of Cage, he's had several awesome movies, and he's not a bad actor per se. He's simply become a parody of himself to the point that he can no longer be taken seriously anymore.
I also heard Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Ewan McGregor were all approached, with McGregor being the preferred simply because his salary requirements were far lower than the thermonuclear star powered demands of Cruise and Pitt. Somehow it circled back to Keanu, who needed it badly given his lack of any success after his launch into superstardom with Speed. The franchise itself benefited from not having an actor prone to hogging the spotlight, which would of hurt the Matrix narrative. 'The Matrix' itself needed to be the star, with the actors simply filling the human input necessary to connect the audience with the conflict at hand.
Halcyon+On+On
I think Cage suffers from kind of the same syndrome Al Pacino does (perhaps the only thing they have in common); they no longer play characters in movies or in the script- they play themselves. Nicolas Cage just plays Nicolas Cage, and hopefully the rest of the script and characters make sense to have Nicolas Cage with them, otherwise you get The Wicker Man.
Sykonee
quote:
Originally posted by CONNERMAN2000
Good lord, what it could of been.....though to the credit of Cage, he's had several awesome movies, and he's not a bad actor per se. He's simply become a parody of himself to the point that he can no longer be taken seriously anymore.
I also heard Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and Ewan McGregor were all approached, with McGregor being the preferred simply because his salary requirements were far lower than the thermonuclear star powered demands of Cruise and Pitt. Somehow it circled back to Keanu, who needed it badly given his lack of any success after his launch into superstardom with Speed. The franchise itself benefited from not having an actor prone to hogging the spotlight, which would of hurt the Matrix narrative. 'The Matrix' itself needed to be the star, with the actors simply filling the human input necessary to connect the audience with the conflict at hand.
Story goes that Hollywood has a list of Name Actors (box office draws) that every producer attempts to get, going down the list until someone accepts the role.
Reeves is apparently something like #25.
CONNERMAN2000
quote:
Originally posted by Halcyon+On+On
I think Cage suffers from kind of the same syndrome Al Pacino does (perhaps the only thing they have in common); they no longer play characters in movies or in the script- they play themselves. Nicolas Cage just plays Nicolas Cage, and hopefully the rest of the script and characters make sense to have Nicolas Cage with them, otherwise you get The Wicker Man.
Truth, and I think its only inevitable that most actors fall into this trap, very few manage to escape it. Once their acting identity becomes firmly established in regards to their box office draw, studios stick to that in hopes of further guaranteeing a success in their investment. Every now and then, you'll see a success story of an actor breaking free of that kind of typecasting...Jim Carrey comes to mind (though the world knows we'd all like to see him go back to old-school, Dumb and Dumber Jim Carrey).
Cage had a great career going up until about 2006, when, as you so put it, the Wicker Man hit and turned his once appreciated and respected neurotic acting style into a parody of itself. Since then, things haven't really improved for the guy...which is too bad...the guy that won an Oscar for a movie as brilliant as Adaptation is now starring in movies such as Season of the Witch.
quote:
Originally posted by Sykonee
Story goes that Hollywood has a list of Name Actors (box office draws) that every producer attempts to get, going down the list until someone accepts the role.
Reeves is apparently something like #25.
If the studios got what they wanted, every single movie would star Brad Pitt or Will Smith. But of course that isn't possible, so celebrities are statistically ranked according to their box office pull, which is really just a fancy of way saying 'what actors star in movies that were successful'. Even though I don't work in the industry, your observation is dead-on. Talent is really a low priority; if they bring the crowds, they are a name actor. Period.
Keanu Reeves, despite his airheaded perception by everyone, seems to be pretty smart. Although his acting style is largely criticized and the opinion that he has what it takes to be a movie star is debated by many, he seems to choose his projects wisely. Either that, or the projects choose him by sheer coincidence that the original actors turned them down - either way, he's landed smack dab in the middle of some pretty successful blockbusters, which automatically makes the name 'Keanu Reeves' quite attractive on a billboard. He's not on the top of the list, but he's far from the bottom.
Scoops
Arnold playing a pregnant man in the movie JUNIOR
kamil
quote:
Originally posted by Halcyon+On+On
I think Cage suffers from kind of the same syndrome Al Pacino does (perhaps the only thing they have in common); they no longer play characters in movies or in the script- they play themselves. Nicolas Cage just plays Nicolas Cage, and hopefully the rest of the script and characters make sense to have Nicolas Cage with them, otherwise you get The Wicker Man.
You should check out 'Matchstick Men' with Cage. Fantastic movie;
AY STAR
that stupid remake of godzilla that came out in like 97 or 98
&
howard the duck
kamil
quote:
Originally posted by Sykonee
Story goes that Hollywood has a list of Name Actors (box office draws) that every producer attempts to get, going down the list until someone accepts the role.
Reeves is apparently something like #25.
That would defeat the purpose of 'casting'... also, not every actor is suited for every role.
