A FAIR DEBATE

[gillianren]

It turns out Raul Julia knew he was dying and wanted to make one last movie--yes, to have one last paycheck--so he could be sure he'd leave enough to support his kids.  And then he let them choose what his last movie would be.  I often wonder if they're occasionally ashamed of their choice now.

[raven]

I don't know, I've derived considerable enjoyment from Street Fighter: The Movie. It's cheesy as all heck, but Raul Julia make it grand.
Very quotable.

[Mr Gorsky]

Heard James Earl Jones interviewed on Radio 5Live in the UK while driving through town one rainy Friday afternoon a couple of years ago, and he was asked about why his filmography contained so many bad movies, and his answer was essentially that, in spite of his (poorly paid, as he only provided the voice) fame as Darth Vader, he is still just a jobbing actor. He doesn't get paid millions per movie, and sometimes accepts what he knows are poor scripts because he needs the job and the paycheck.

I also once saw it written about Christopher Lee that he was "the finest actor ever to appear in this much crap" ... presumably he had the same need to accept roles that paid the bills.

Appearing in an Uwe Boll movie would seem to go way beyond that, though.

[Andromeda]

Patrick Stewart said the same thing:

[raven]

 Sir Ben Kingsley is also known for simply stunning performances, and working in utter drek. Heck, he worked with Uwe Boll for freaks sake!
Though his motivrs weren't so much money apparently as much as he always wanted to play a vampire.

[JayUtah]

Heard James Earl Jones interviewed on Radio 5Live in the UK while driving through town one rainy Friday afternoon a couple of years ago, and he was asked about why his filmography contained so many bad movies, and his answer was essentially that, in spite of his (poorly paid, as he only provided the voice) fame as Darth Vader, he is still just a jobbing actor. He doesn't get paid millions per movie, and sometimes accepts what he knows are poor scripts because he needs the job and the paycheck.

I can vouch for that.  In 1999 I worked on an independent concert video project with portions shot in the Holy Land and other parts shot in a studio.  We had long wanted to get James Earl Jones to shoot a 2-3 minute introduction for us, for the celebrity value.  While his completely reasonable fee was within our budget, his agent told our exec. producer that he was not available.  So we made other plans.

Happily just a week or so before principal photography was to begin, Jones' agent called our producer and said that due to a lengthier-than-expected recovery from surgery, he could be available if certain provisions were met for his medical condition.  We gladly accepted the conditions.  Jones showed up on the set on crutches, all smiles and cordiality.  He had a little Tupperware container with a sandwich his wife had made him for his lunch.  He talked about all sorts of ordinary things while we worked with makeup and lighting.  He was enormously polite to our director, who had only directed local productions and looked at times like he was about to throw up.  In our polite conversation (mostly about Dr. Strangelove) I learned the secret to his justly famous enunciation.  But yes, he's simply a working actor and a great professional.

Let me just say it's really creepy to hear Darth Vader say your name.

[Andromeda]

Heard James Earl Jones interviewed on Radio 5Live in the UK while driving through town one rainy Friday afternoon a couple of years ago, and he was asked about why his filmography contained so many bad movies, and his answer was essentially that, in spite of his (poorly paid, as he only provided the voice) fame as Darth Vader, he is still just a jobbing actor. He doesn't get paid millions per movie, and sometimes accepts what he knows are poor scripts because he needs the job and the paycheck.

I can vouch for that.  In 1999 I worked on an independent concert video project with portions shot in the Holy Land and other parts shot in a studio.  We had long wanted to get James Earl Jones to shoot a 2-3 minute introduction for us, for the celebrity value.  While his completely reasonable fee was within our budget, his agent told our exec. producer that he was not available.  So we made other plans.

Happily just a week or so before principal photography was to begin, Jones' agent called our producer and said that due to a lengthier-than-expected recovery from surgery, he could be available if certain provisions were met for his medical condition.  We gladly accepted the conditions.  Jones showed up on the set on crutches, all smiles and cordiality.  He had a little Tupperware container with a sandwich his wife had made him for his lunch.  He talked about all sorts of ordinary things while we worked with makeup and lighting.  He was enormously polite to our director, who had only directed local productions and looked at times like he was about to throw up.  In our polite conversation (mostly about Dr. Strangelove) I learned the secret to his justly famous enunciation.  But yes, he's simply a working actor and a great professional.

Let me just say it's really creepy to hear Darth Vader say your name.

Share!

[Echnaton]

Let me just say it's really creepy to hear Darth Vader say your name.

Did he say, "Jay, I hoaxed the Apollo missions. "   

[gillianren]

A lot of working actors are very nice people.  They pretty much have to be.  My cousin's kid is a working actor, and he is well aware that he will not continue to be so if he's rude to people.

[ka9q]

Appearing in an Uwe Boll movie would seem to go way beyond that, though.

Not being a video game fan, I had never heard the name Uwe Boll until it was mentioned in this discussion. So I just read the Wikipedia article on him.

Wow. He's a modern-day Edward D. Wood, Jr. With an attitude. A big attitude. Someday Johnny Depp may play him in a movie about him...

[ka9q]

In our polite conversation (mostly about Dr. Strangelove)

Yes. Everyone knows him for Darth Vader, but this is probably my favorite. This was his very first movie, wasn't it? Everyone in that film had hugely quotable lines, even him. When something doesn't work in the lab, sometimes I'll say

Uh..sorry, sir...negative function...

[nomuse]

You are a better man than I.  When I'm trying to trouble-shoot a connection to stage I'll sometimes say, "We get signal!"

[gillianren]

Wow. He's a modern-day Edward D. Wood, Jr. With an attitude. A big attitude. Someday Johnny Depp may play him in a movie about him...

No, Ed Wood loved film.  He was also a guy with the powerful charisma which enabled him to get people not only to give him money but to be in his films despite not being able to pay them very much.  And honestly, his movies aren't that bad.  Oh, they're bad, but Plan 9 From Outer Space isn't even the worst movie I've ever seen.  (That would be Manos: The Hands of Fate.)  Uwe Boll is a cynic, and Ed Wood was an idealist.  Also, I don't think it ever penetrated Ed Wood's brain that people thought his movies were terrible, and Uwe Boll knows they do--and it's your fault that you don't like them.  It's not that his films are bad; it's that people have no taste.

[Not Myself]

In our polite conversation (mostly about Dr. Strangelove)

Yes. Everyone knows him for Darth Vader, but this is probably my favorite. This was his very first movie, wasn't it? Everyone in that film had hugely quotable lines, even him. When something doesn't work in the lab, sometimes I'll say

Uh..sorry, sir...negative function...

I could not possibly do justice to his voice, but when someone wants my attention and I need to finish up what I'm doing first, I might say "A moment please!" in the Dr. Strangelove voice.

[ka9q]

Oh, they're bad, but Plan 9 From Outer Space isn't even the worst movie I've ever seen.  (That would be Manos: The Hands of Fate.)

Manos...made famous by MST3K...Is that the one that led to the catch-phrase "He tried to kill me with a forklift"?

Plan 9 belongs in a very special class of "it's so bad it's good". Mere badness is not enough to be in that category; you need elements that are unintentionally funny, like the alien leader mangling the made-up word "solaranite" and shouting "Stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!" Some (most, even) bad movies don't even have this, so they're simply bad.