Actually, I find it quite charming, that he admits his background is more humble than it appears on paper.
I was just thinking that he did seem like Vanilla Ice and the Verve and all those who claim a rougher background than they had, because rock'n'roll authenticity (and since the 1960s, most popular culture figures) have demanded that working class background - it's not "admitting" so much as claiming.
I'm not sure how DK's comments are to be seen as moronic. It's half a joke, half a legitimate concern. He is very, very ethnically marked; it's going to limit him. His looks aren't as "mobile" as class marking - how many people know or could guess that Alan Rickman grew up in a single-parent home on a housing estate, Catholic in West London (ie, Irish)? As a front-end baby boomer, he had it "trained" out of him. OTOH, Eccleston, born nearly 20 years later, claims his working class background openly, even loudly, but he's marked by accent and gait, and even his unpinned ears, to the point where there was protest about him being cast as a Duke in Elizabeth (although, to be fair, sometimes I think Shekhar Kapur was having a great deal of fun riling everyone up with the casting of that film, what with an Australian Elizabeth and Eric Cantona and Angus Deayton as courtiers!).
P.S. Did I forward you this newsletter or was it Susan?
I found it all by my wittle self...well, I picked it up from a prompt!
rock'n'roll authenticity (and since the 1960s, most popular culture figures) have demanded that working class background
This reminds me of a very funny video someone recommended to me a while back: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTU2He2BIc0. It's a parody of that alleged "authenticity" requirment.
I'm not sure how DK's comments are to be seen as moronic. It's half a joke, half a legitimate concern. He is very, very ethnically marked; it's going to limit him.
It's moronic because it is obvious that he has NO CLUE who he's talking to. Either that, or he has no PR sense whatsoever, which is a critical flaw for someone in this business. I'm inclined to think it's the latter, since this is the guy who posted on a fan bulletin board the details of his failed negotiations with Disney. This is more of the same.
Jewish Journal is one of the largest Jewish publications in the US, and it is THE weekly for Jews in SoCal. And, hello Mel Gibson, yeah, guess who really does run 90% of Hollywood? "I don't want to be the Jew of all time," is tantamount to Denzel saying, "I don't want to be typecast as a black man." The example you gave, of the difference between two white male actors from different parts of England, is inapposite. The class markings are subtle: accent, gait, bad teeth, unpinned ears. These things are nothing compared to the color of one's skin, the hirsuteness, the nose or other facial characteristics, and the extremely short physical stature that mark some Jewish men. A better comparison would be between Ernie Dingo (one of the most successful Australian aboriginal actors of all time) and Russell Crowe.
You're right, he's "very, very ethnically marked." And yes, it's going to limit him. So what? Why should he be the exception to the rule that affects all of us -- white, black, Jewish, Asian, Arab, short, tall, fat, thin, etc.? Cry me a river! I don't hear George Takei bitching about being "the Asian actor of all time." GT wouldn't insult his Asian-American community by saying something like that.
DK's got acting talent, and someday that may earn him the right to the "white" roles Denzel gets. But not if he spouts off like an idiot and alienates his own ethnic community. Naomi Pfefferman doesn't suffer fools gladly; re-read that article, Nina. It's obvious what she really thinks about him by the end. He can't blame Hollywood for limiting his options. He's shutting the door in his own face.
I was just thinking that he did seem like Vanilla Ice and the Verve and all those who claim a rougher background than they had, because rock'n'roll authenticity (and since the 1960s, most popular culture figures) have demanded that working class background - it's not "admitting" so much as claiming.
I'm not sure how DK's comments are to be seen as moronic. It's half a joke, half a legitimate concern. He is very, very ethnically marked; it's going to limit him. His looks aren't as "mobile" as class marking - how many people know or could guess that Alan Rickman grew up in a single-parent home on a housing estate, Catholic in West London (ie, Irish)? As a front-end baby boomer, he had it "trained" out of him. OTOH, Eccleston, born nearly 20 years later, claims his working class background openly, even loudly, but he's marked by accent and gait, and even his unpinned ears, to the point where there was protest about him being cast as a Duke in Elizabeth (although, to be fair, sometimes I think Shekhar Kapur was having a great deal of fun riling everyone up with the casting of that film, what with an Australian Elizabeth and Eric Cantona and Angus Deayton as courtiers!).
P.S. Did I forward you this newsletter or was it Susan?
I found it all by my wittle self...well, I picked it up from a prompt!
Reply
This reminds me of a very funny video someone recommended to me a while back: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTU2He2BIc0. It's a parody of that alleged "authenticity" requirment.
I'm not sure how DK's comments are to be seen as moronic. It's half a joke, half a legitimate concern. He is very, very ethnically marked; it's going to limit him.
It's moronic because it is obvious that he has NO CLUE who he's talking to. Either that, or he has no PR sense whatsoever, which is a critical flaw for someone in this business. I'm inclined to think it's the latter, since this is the guy who posted on a fan bulletin board the details of his failed negotiations with Disney. This is more of the same.
Jewish Journal is one of the largest Jewish publications in the US, and it is THE weekly for Jews in SoCal. And, hello Mel Gibson, yeah, guess who really does run 90% of Hollywood? "I don't want to be the Jew of all time," is tantamount to Denzel saying, "I don't want to be typecast as a black man." The example you gave, of the difference between two white male actors from different parts of England, is inapposite. The class markings are subtle: accent, gait, bad teeth, unpinned ears. These things are nothing compared to the color of one's skin, the hirsuteness, the nose or other facial characteristics, and the extremely short physical stature that mark some Jewish men. A better comparison would be between Ernie Dingo (one of the most successful Australian aboriginal actors of all time) and Russell Crowe.
You're right, he's "very, very ethnically marked." And yes, it's going to limit him. So what? Why should he be the exception to the rule that affects all of us -- white, black, Jewish, Asian, Arab, short, tall, fat, thin, etc.? Cry me a river! I don't hear George Takei bitching about being "the Asian actor of all time." GT wouldn't insult his Asian-American community by saying something like that.
DK's got acting talent, and someday that may earn him the right to the "white" roles Denzel gets. But not if he spouts off like an idiot and alienates his own ethnic community. Naomi Pfefferman doesn't suffer fools gladly; re-read that article, Nina. It's obvious what she really thinks about him by the end. He can't blame Hollywood for limiting his options. He's shutting the door in his own face.
Reply
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