Patton Oswalt talks about working on Blade: Trinity

[Kieran_Frost]

No, it isn't sarcasm...but I forgot Mckellan was nominated for best supporting actor; I knew he had been nominated for something, but I couldn't remember what.

Sir Ian was first nominated for Gods and Monsters (1998). And you must remember being nominated in an acting category for ANY sci-fi or fantasy movie is incredibly hard; you almost need to give a performance BETTER than anyone else that year just to get nominated. It's very biased against performances in these genres (Zoe Saldana really should have been nominated for Avatar (2009)). The only two other actors I can think of nominated for a sci-fi/fantasy film are Sigourney Weaver for Aliens (1986) and Heath Ledger for the Dark Knight (2008).

Yeah, you're right about Orlando Bloom, I've forgotten about him; he did go on to be in some big stuff post-LotR...although you could probably say Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (were he had a bigger role) is what really made him a star.

While I agree that film made him a star, he would have NEVER been offered that role if it weren't for the Lord of the Rings. Before the Lord of the Rings he had minor bit parts, after the Lord of the Rings he's offered lead roles. It's clear what film made his career.

I mean, Russel Crowe was known before Gladiator because of L.A. Confidential, but he didn't become a huge star until Gladiator.

Not a mega-star, no. But he had already got a good amount of fame due to L.A. Confidential (1997) and then his Oscar nominated for in the Insider (1999).

Lord of the Rings didn't make Viggo Mortenson a star, at least not a big star, and his Cronenberg stuff seemed to have done more for him than LotR did.

Yes it did!!! Come on, before the Lord of the Rings he was second supporting roles; his next three films AFTER the Lord of the Rings are THE LEAD. You cannot say it didn't make him a star. As with all things, you generally need several films in a row to make you an A-lister who will REMAIN famous; but one film can make you a star. Star Wars (1997) made Harrison Ford a star... but Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) made him an A-lister (a role he WOULDN'T have got if he wasn't already a star)

[Kieran_Frost]

Also, love how this turns into a lets bash Wesley Snipes thread. Like if he's the only asshole on set in Hollywood. Lets talk about Christian Bale, Bruce Willis, Val Kilmer and Russell Crowe all people who've been nightmares for directors to work with in the past.

Have they??? For the directors? The only Christian Bale one I know is shouting at the idiotic lighting guy.

The man has one bad trip on the set of his own movie which he gets phased out from and all of a sudden he's the worst human being on the planet. Bruce Willis is one of my fave actors but I'd never hold his actions on the set of Copout against him. Imagine that.

Trying to strangle the director is a little more than having a hissy fit one day and storming off to wail in your trailer. Also... I don't thinki anyone said he's the worst human being on the planet.

[T Hedge Coke]

The only Christian Bale one I know is shouting at the idiotic lighting guy.

Director took the blame for that, too. He was putting the lighting guy up to it, deliberately, to upset Bale. Bale may not've been right to blow up on the guy, but he and the director were deliberately harassing Bale, cutting into his work and forcing him to work repetitiously and longer hours while being harassed.

[Kieran_Frost]

Director took the blame for that, too. He was putting the lighting guy up to it, deliberately, to upset Bale. Bale may not've been right to blow up on the guy, but he and the director were deliberately harassing Bale, cutting into his work and forcing him to work repetitiously and longer hours while being harassed.

WHAT??? This is awful; but actually makes A LOT of sense. I've always wondered how ANY technican could get in the shot THREE TIMES in a row; and not be fired. Any normal person, after THE SECOND TIME getting in shot; would have moved soooooo far away from shot that they could physically not be anywhere close to being caught on camera. This makes a lot of sense; but speaks very badly of the director. Why was he doing it? Did he feel Bale wasn't enough in the scene, and tried to get him in that head space?


EDIT - I did find this quote by the director: "Christian's a good guy. Don't accuse him of being a bad guy because he's not. He loves his family, he has no entourage, he's an actor's actor and he operates from a place of passion."

Which makes me happy, because I didn't think directors found Christian Bale hard to work with; as Cancerous claimed.

[T Hedge Coke]

I think he was supposed to be stressed and angry in the scene, so he decided to make sure he was genuinely stressed and angry.

Which... yeah. I'd just pretend Bale was paid all that money 'cause he can act and let it go there, but then, they don't pay me to direct movies either.

[Kieran_Frost]

I think he was supposed to be stressed and angry in the scene, so he decided to make sure he was genuinely stressed and angry.
Which... yeah. I'd just pretend Bale was paid all that money 'cause he can act and let it go there, but then, they don't pay me to direct movies either.

It's a tough one; some directors feel then "need" to be the ones to push you. It's swings and roundabouts. Sometimes you genuinely DO need to push an actor outside their comfort zone, but other times... it's a little insulting (because basically the director is implying the actor can't do it). The director should TRUST the actor can deliver; and not force it. I know James Cameron sometimes hit actors with a stick (but out of shot) during filming to get them to "be angry" on camera... when... come on, anger is one of the easier emotions to convey. It really is different for every moment/actor/situation, which is why a good director is hard to find (someone who understands when you need to direct and when you need to not interfer)

[SephirothDZX]

i would like to add SEAN BEAN and Karl Urban to that list.

Sean Bean and Karl Urban were both at least known before LOTR though, Bean moreso than Urban.

[Simbob4000]

Sir Ian was first nominated for Gods and Monsters (1998). And you must remember being nominated in an acting category for ANY sci-fi or fantasy movie is incredibly hard; you almost need to give a performance BETTER than anyone else that year just to get nominated. It's very biased against performances in these genres (Zoe Saldana really should have been nominated for Avatar (2009)). The only two other actors I can think of nominated for a sci-fi/fantasy film are Sigourney Weaver for Aliens (1986) and Heath Ledger for the Dark Knight (2008).


While I agree that film made him a star, he would have NEVER been offered that role if it weren't for the Lord of the Rings. Before the Lord of the Rings he had minor bit parts, after the Lord of the Rings he's offered lead roles. It's clear what film made his career.


Not a mega-star, no. But he had already got a good amount of fame due to L.A. Confidential (1997) and then his Oscar nominated for in the Insider (1999).


Yes it did!!! Come on, before the Lord of the Rings he was second supporting roles; his next three films AFTER the Lord of the Rings are THE LEAD. You cannot say it didn't make him a star. As with all things, you generally need several films in a row to make you an A-lister who will REMAIN famous; but one film can make you a star. Star Wars (1997) made Harrison Ford a star... but Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) made him an A-lister (a role he WOULDN'T have got if he wasn't already a star)

I have a hard time believing anyone from Avatar should have gotten a nomination, especially for the year it came out in.


It got him lead roles, but it didn't make him a star.

[Simbob4000]

I agree with you that guys became known after LOTR but not huge mega star like it happened for Crowe after Gladiator. For him to become a mega star Crowe would have had to assert himself and ask for script changes from LOTR to make Aragorn more important and have those type of big heroic money shots. Like have Aragorn be the eyes of the people instead of Frodo. Or have him Aragorn fight the dragon in a kamikaze manner instead of Gandalf. Aparantly Crowe was ripping pages off the script on the set of Gladiator on a daily basis and the writer was almost going mad by it. Crowe kept sending back the script saying "not good enough" and the guy kept going back. Until Russel felt it was good enough. The guy was responsible for his own success in many ways.

I hadn't heard that, but I had heard Ridley Scott had to tell him once or twice that a scene wasn't really about him as much as how it looked. Oh, have you every read about the awesome, crazy sounding Gladiator 2.

[thwhtGuardian]

Annnnd this thread just became half of it's previous size.

If your comment isn't directly about Oswalt's musings on Blade III take it to the Comm board.

[Whirlwind Dinamo]

everyone's been hating on Wesley since the tax evasion thing, anyways if Blade was recast what other actor could do the lead role?