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Post by pupdurcs on Apr 18, 2019 12:29:09 GMT
On a podcast, Vincent D'Onofrio told a very interesting story about meeting Denzel Washington when they were both relatively young actors. Apparently it was at a Sundance Film Festival Lab session in the early 90's, where D'Onofrio was there as an actor to assist filmmakers, and maybe Denzel was there to do filmmaking related stuff.
Denzel wasn't there to do any acting seminars, but even by the early 90's, he was still a widely revered Oscar winning actor by his peers. According to D'Nofrio, a lot of their acting peers (including well known actors like Courtney Vance) were in the room, and peppering Denzel with acting related questions, instead of what he was actually supposed to be there for. According to D'Onofrio, Denzel said:
"If all of you are going to keep asking me questions about acting, I'm going to have to acknowledge that Vincent D'Onofrio is also in this room"
D'Onofrio said he was completely floored and in a daze when he said that, as they didn't even know each other. Denzel just said it umprompted, and D'Onofrio said it remains of the best moments of his career, because Denzel singled him out in a roomful of their fellow actors and pretty much said, "you should be listening to this guy as well, because he's also up there".
Cool story, and loved hearing how touched D'Onofrio was by the acknowledgement.
Anyone got other cool stories of a great actors acknowledging another great talent?
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Post by pacinoyes on Apr 18, 2019 12:46:31 GMT
I posted this before in the Redgrave thread but I really think it's the best compliment I've heard from an actor for another actor it's Pacino telling "why" specifically Redgrave is special to him - @tyler is probably like "OMG why are you posting this again!" lol but I very rarely hear an actor articulate the "Why" - why did an actor make you feel that way - it's usually just an acknowledgement without any insight so most of the time I don't care but this really makes you think imo and the part immediately after about other actors giving very predictable, very safe, very boringly predictable "great" performances.
Starts around the ~10 Minute mark.
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Post by pupdurcs on Apr 18, 2019 13:35:22 GMT
Richard Harris and Michael Caine using Gene Hackman as a piniata in their feud was always amusing. Caine referred to himself as the British version of Gene Hackman, then Harris spat back that Caine wasn't fit to lace Hackman's boots (or something along that sentiment). Either way, it ends with both Harris and Caine acknowledging the excellence of Hackman
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Post by pacinoyes on Apr 18, 2019 13:53:00 GMT
This is one of the other (few imo) ones where several important actors are talking and making sense about acting and John Cazale and not just having a celebrity circle jerk - the short documentary "I Knew It Was You" has a group of famous actors praising John Cazale in some fascinating ways and explanations too.
Here PSH - imo the best American actor since the 70s class - and who arguably can even stand with them too for talent gives a real keen insight into how Cazale - never the lead in American film - could by qualities inherent in his approach/style serve as an inspiration and pathway to greatness and was great himself.
This is exactly the idea behind Punk rock or any subversive literary or artistic movement and what they then influenced actually. The term PSH uses here "uncomfortably vulnerable" - that's just brilliant really.
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Post by stephen on Apr 18, 2019 14:08:08 GMT
It's not exactly what you're asking for, but Daniel Day-Lewis's speech at the SAGs sticks out in my mind because he paid tribute not just to his fellow nominees that night, but to "a remarkable actor" in Joaquin Phoenix in particular. It was as if DDL knew (rightly) that it was utter bullshit that Phoenix wasn't nominated that night, and that he should've been in it to win it as well. The two of them traded praise at each other throughout the season, as when Phoenix won London Film Critics, he wondered if they'd heard of an "up-and-coming" actor named Daniel Day-Lewis.
That D'Onofrio story is really cool, though.
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Post by Viced on Apr 18, 2019 17:00:16 GMT
Watched this the other day... an interview with Robert Mitchum's son Chris and he mentions how Laurence Olivier was over their house talking to Mitchum about doing Cat on a Hot Tin Roof for television (starts around 0:53):
Mitchum: Larry, why do you want me to do this?
Olivier: It's because you're the greatest intuitive actor alive today.
Followed by a very funny Olivier story afterwards...
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Post by jakesully on Apr 18, 2019 17:24:53 GMT
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Post by pupdurcs on Apr 18, 2019 17:40:28 GMT
Watched this the other day... an interview with Robert Mitchum's son Chris and he mentions how Laurence Olivier was over their house talking to Mitchum about doing Cat on a Hot Tin Roof for television (starts around 0:53): Mitchum: Larry, why do you want me to do this? Olivier: It's because you're the greatest intuitive actor alive today. Followed by a very funny Olivier story afterwards... Hmm...while it wouldn't completely surprise me if this story were somewhat true ( Olivier was a dab hand at flattery to get what he wanted) or at least Olivier said some flattering things to Mitchum , not totally sure how reliable a witness Mitchum' s son is, when he has a vested interest in burnishing his dad's legend. They do spend a bit of time talking about how Mitchum was underrated.
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Post by Viced on Apr 18, 2019 18:03:17 GMT
Mitchum's son literally says "maybe he isn't" underrated, but take the cynical approach if that floats your boat...
Moving on...
These AFI tributes are obviously a gold mine for this stuff... one of my favorites:
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Post by stabcaesar on Apr 18, 2019 18:23:45 GMT
Well Cate Blanchett really likes Marion Cotillard so there's that.
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Post by pupdurcs on Apr 19, 2019 3:46:55 GMT
Isabelle Huppert is a big Nicole Kidman fan apparently.
Huppert said she doesn't really watch much television, but made an exception for Big Little Lies because she respected Kidman so much.
Huppert later sent Kidman an e-mail saying she really wanted them to work together on something.
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wattsnew
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Post by wattsnew on Apr 19, 2019 5:30:49 GMT
Many legendary French actresses have expressed their love for Naomi Watts. Catherine Deneuve said in an interview that Naomi (along with Cate Blanchett) were her favorite Australian actresses, saying there is something "subtle and wise about her" Leslie Caron said she has a "fresh spontaneity that is enviable." Plus Naomi is great friends with Isabelle Huppert, who loves her as well and has actually worked with her.
Sean Penn said "Naomi's got comedy, tragedy, character, warmth and beauty licked. All that remains is Everest."
Lastly, he's not an actor but Michael Haneke was only willing to make the Funny Games remake if Naomi Watts came onboard because he considered her the "greatest English speaking actress of her age group". Pretty telling, considering others popular actresses of her age group who were desperate to work with him.
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Post by pacinoyes on Apr 19, 2019 8:47:15 GMT
Again for me actors are liars - professional liars even .........and bad critics too - so I don't really care much what actors say about other actors except like I said the two examples I gave above to me are special because the actors talk about the "why" .........this is another good one because it reveals what an actor thinks of himself. John Goodman talking about Brando and how he sees Brando and what he tries to do by how he sees Brando even with his self-doubts - the stuff at the end is really questioning, doubting himself commentary, but he's aware of it and proactive about it .........quite honest here I think.........and again it's not "just" bowing to the altar of Marlon, etc.
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Post by TerryMontana on Apr 19, 2019 13:39:16 GMT
Well, it's Brando he talks about. That's not very rare really.
I remember many years ago they asked Jack Nicholson if he thought he was the best actor ever and he replied something like "There's no point in talking about the greatest ever since Brando decided to become an actor".
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Post by TerryMontana on Apr 19, 2019 15:31:08 GMT
Well, it's Brando he talks about. That's not very rare really. I remember many years ago they asked Jack Nicholson if he thought he was the best actor ever and he replied something like "There's no point in talking about the greatest ever since Brando decided to become an actor". I'm quoting myself because I googled it and found it: It wasn't an interview, it was an article on Rolling Stone, written by Nicholson just after Marlon's death. I'm posting a few lines: Marlon Brando is one of the great men of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and we lesser mortals are obligated to cut through the shit and proclaim it.
The impact of movies is enormous, and his impact in the movies was bigger than anybody else’s – ever. Mr. Brando will be there forever – that’s all there is to it. He might not like that, but he’ll be there forever anyway.
You just know when you’ve seen something special, and nobody was ever more special than Brando. He had this extraordinary physical beauty and a power that was hard to define but completely undeniable. Perhaps he would tell you he saw the same thing in Paul Muni, but the truth is, Brando was always different. The movie audience just knew that he was it. And he remained it. For my money, nothing has ever gotten near him.
Today it’s hard for people who weren’t there to realize the impact that Brando had on an audience – never mind on actors, because he’s always been the patron saint of actors.
So I mean it when I say that if you can’t appreciate Brando, I wouldn’t know how to talk to you. If there’s anything obvious in life, this is it. Other actors don’t go around discussing who is the best actor in the world, because it’s obvious – Marlon Brando is.
But almost everything the guy ever did, in my opinion, was revolutionary. You almost felt stupid being naturalistic after he came along, because you felt, “Well, that’s already been done.”
As an artist, I equate Brando with Picasso. I think Marlon knew he was the greatest.
To me, Marlon Brando was the greatest ever. That’s a truth I hold to be self-evident. But it’s like what Bum Phillips said once: If he isn’t in a class by himself, it sure takes a very short time to call the roll.
If anybody wants to read the whole article, here's the link: www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-news/remembering-marlon-brando-by-jack-nicholson-187366/It's a wonderful article, a true gem for Brando fans like me.
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Post by pupdurcs on Apr 19, 2019 15:48:37 GMT
Well, it's Brando he talks about. That's not very rare really. I remember many years ago they asked Jack Nicholson if he thought he was the best actor ever and he replied something like "There's no point in talking about the greatest ever since Brando decided to become an actor". I'm quoting myself because I googled it and found it: It wasn't an interview, it was an article on Rolling Stone, written by Nicholson just after Marlon's death. I'm posting a few lines: Marlon Brando is one of the great men of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and we lesser mortals are obligated to cut through the shit and proclaim it.
The impact of movies is enormous, and his impact in the movies was bigger than anybody else’s – ever. Mr. Brando will be there forever – that’s all there is to it. He might not like that, but he’ll be there forever anyway.
You just know when you’ve seen something special, and nobody was ever more special than Brando. He had this extraordinary physical beauty and a power that was hard to define but completely undeniable. Perhaps he would tell you he saw the same thing in Paul Muni, but the truth is, Brando was always different. The movie audience just knew that he was it. And he remained it. For my money, nothing has ever gotten near him.
Today it’s hard for people who weren’t there to realize the impact that Brando had on an audience – never mind on actors, because he’s always been the patron saint of actors.
So I mean it when I say that if you can’t appreciate Brando, I wouldn’t know how to talk to you. If there’s anything obvious in life, this is it. Other actors don’t go around discussing who is the best actor in the world, because it’s obvious – Marlon Brando is.
But almost everything the guy ever did, in my opinion, was revolutionary. You almost felt stupid being naturalistic after he came along, because you felt, “Well, that’s already been done.”
As an artist, I equate Brando with Picasso. I think Marlon knew he was the greatest.
To me, Marlon Brando was the greatest ever. That’s a truth I hold to be self-evident. But it’s like what Bum Phillips said once: If he isn’t in a class by himself, it sure takes a very short time to call the roll.
If anybody wants to read the whole article, here's the link: www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-news/remembering-marlon-brando-by-jack-nicholson-187366/It's a wonderful article, a true gem for Brando fans like me. It's a fascinating insight into how Nicholson's generation (and some in the generation after him) viewed Brando, but I'd argue very much that level of worship towards Brando does not exist among younger generations of actors. Tom Hardy was often said to have stylistic similarities to Brando. When asked about it, Hardy said he was flattered by the comparison, but barely watched much of Brando's work. Hardy cited his primary influence as Gary Oldman. Each generation trades in it's idols. Nicholson was right that Brando would probably say the thing about Paul Muni, that Nicholson is saying about Brando. But Nicholson's generation saw Muni as an outdated relic. I don't think current generations see Brando so much as a relic as Muni. since a lot of his work holds up well and he is still seen as a legend, but they've got their own idols now. Day-Lewis, Denzel, Oldman.... I don't think younger actors study/revere Brando, anywhere like Nicholson's generation did. But that is to be eexpected.
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Post by pacinoyes on Apr 19, 2019 15:56:30 GMT
I dunno - to me that Nicholson quote is "Brando was great" which is nice but really who cares - at least Goodman relates it to himself that's what makes it rare and insightful. If they've got their own idols now........well I hope they have something interesting to say about them because I don't hear it much about any actor ever. I've heard a lot of actors - really great actors like Nicholson - talk about Brando, but sadly I've rarely heard anybody say much interesting about the most interesting actor . Everyone knows he's great, I rank him number 1 also - but actors are basically like I said before - professional liars and lousy critics. It's no more insightful than when people come on here and say "Brando was great in Streetcar! - Best Actor of '51!" - and I'm just like....... thanks for that insight, fantastic..........
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Post by pupdurcs on Apr 19, 2019 16:16:15 GMT
You don't have to be insightful to relay your admiration or respect for someone. That's enough
This actors being "liars" thing is silly. Actors are no more prone to lying than any other human beings or professions (ie politicians or cops or salespeople). It's just a convienent way to deny their opinions or feelings. If actors are 24/7 liars, so are we all, and no one's opinions or feelings can be taken at face value. It's a horrible generalisation to make about a class of people and profession that we get so much joy out of discussing.
It's bullshit. If I think someone is full of shit, it won't be because of what they do for a living. It's because I've made an assesment of their character or intellect, and surmised that I have no reason to take them seriously.
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Post by TerryMontana on Apr 19, 2019 16:16:40 GMT
It's a fascinating insight into how Nicholson's generation (and some in the generation after him) viewed Brando, but I'd argue very much that level of worship towards Brando does not exist among younger generations of actors. Tom Hardy was often said to have stylistic similarities to Brando. When asked about it, Hardy said he was flattered by the comparison, but barely watched much of Brando's work. Hardy cited his primary influence as Gary Oldman. Each generation trades in it's idols. Nicholson was right that Brando would probably say the thing about Paul Muni, that Nicholson is saying about Brando. But Nicholson's generation saw Muni as an outdated relic. I don't think current generations see Brando so much as a relic as Muni. since a lot of his work holds up well and he is still seen as a legend, but they've got their own idols now. Day-Lewis, Denzel, Oldman.... I don't think younger actors study/revere Brando, anywhere like Nicholson's generation did. But that is to be eexpected. I could agree with that. Every generation of actors tends to idolize/follow/be influenced by the greatest actors of their time. I can't say how much of Brando have the current actors watched but I believe most of them have watched very few of Muni's work, or maybe Laughton's and Chaplin's. These guys loved the craft by watching Pacino, De Niro etc. Later on DDL or Washington and so on. The next gen of actors will love the work of Hanks or Di Caprio. As the years go by, not much of Brando or Muni or Olivier will be watched and appreciated. Yes, these guys will never stop being considered some of the greatest ever, but the younger generations won't grow up watching their movies so they won't be influenced by them or worship them. It's just the way time works...
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Post by pacinoyes on Apr 19, 2019 16:26:58 GMT
Nope, if actors were sincere they could better articulate the positions I'd say.
But rather we want to just starfnck and be like oh this actor likes the actor I like they have great taste! - utter BS....relaying admiration or respect is enough? Not to me....unless they have something interesting to say.
The same way that lumping actors together is BS too btw and not interesting either - DeNiro & __________ DDL &_________. Yawn, superyawn to me.
It's actually rather than being silly it's why directors actually speak much more eloquently on other filmmakers than actors can speak on actors. It's rather not silly at all, it's an obvious thing really........I'd stab myself in the neck with a fork to hear actors talk this way on actors but ...........professional liars/bad critics.
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Post by pupdurcs on Apr 19, 2019 16:40:43 GMT
Cool. We've gathered you think actors lie non-stop, lack insight and are bad critics.
But this thread is mostly about actors acknowledging other actors, so it's working on the presumption that most of them are somewhat honest in those assesments. So unless the intention is to derail this thread by calling every actor a lying bad critic, I think we can now move on from that issue. People know your view now.
Love to hear more interesting stories about actors acknowledging each other!
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Post by pacinoyes on Apr 19, 2019 16:53:38 GMT
Cool. We've gathered you think actors lie non-stop, lack insight and are bad critics. But this thread is mostly about actors acknowledging other actors, so it's working on the presumption that most of them are somewhat honest in those assesments. So unless the intention is to derail this thread by calling every actor a lying bad critic, I think we can now move on from that issue. People know your view now. Love to hear more interesting stories about actors acknowledging each other! Well I didn't call every actor a liar - rather I've posted 3 examples of "why" Redgrave/Cazale/Brando were special by 3 other actors. I wouldn't ever derail a thread (?) - and you called my POV "silly" - so I was clarifying why that is not the case. Here's a 4th example that is particularly interesting when Harris speaks of "Tom Sawyer" and how the actors personality colors the work - you literally get why she responds to Dean more than anything technical she could say. Not all liars........not all bad critics.......see below:
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Post by pupdurcs on Apr 19, 2019 16:58:19 GMT
That's fair enough. I'd just like people to feel comfortable posting their stories or anecdotes without worrying about being hit over the head with the "actor/liar/not insightful" thing.
It's cool, but it's also your personal bugbear. You made your point, and it was articulately stated. But I think the point has been clearly recieved, and we can collectively move on from it.
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Post by pacinoyes on Apr 19, 2019 22:39:28 GMT
Ok, great.
Here's another I like - because you can tell that for all their friendship they weren't always friends - and very few perhaps could be friends with a very great actor - Olivier physically assaulted her and knocked her out on stage (kidding but listen for yourself, I'm not kidding) - but how she deals with that is much more interesting than if the actor you worked with was always very nice and civil and not in a way kind of mad.
Smith was his great friend but despite all that baggage speaks revealingly here........listen to what she says towards the end about how with all his physical ailments he did everything (running the National theater, endless productions) - when asked what made him special says about 5-6 things really quickly - clarity, daring, adventurousness, his physicality, she almost disses Gielgud - Gielgud! - in comparison.
There's another video where Anthony Hopkins talks about Olivier that I think is lesser than this, not as much a total picture of Olivier as Smith gets across........sometimes "acknowledging" a great actor means "acknowledging" their flaws too, even among (the few) acting Gods.
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Post by bob-coppola on Apr 19, 2019 22:45:53 GMT
I love that story of when Meryl Streep wasn't even famous, feeling sad about not booking roles and thinking she wasn't pretty enough to make it in Hollywood. One day, she was crying at a café with 99 people who didn't believe in her, when a huge, acclaimed actress bumped into her and told her to follow her dreams. That woman was MsMovieStar, a charitable diva.
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