What's so bad about Bale, Phoenix?
Posted: Wednesday, February 25, 2009 7:00 AM by Paige Newman
Filed Under:
Movies
Nothing bugs me more than entertainment-journalism outlets (this one included) who scold celebrities for the bad behavior that these same outlets make their money covering. The Feb. 27 issue of Entertainment Weekly contained a column by Mark Harris called, “When Actors Attack.” It began with the lines “Remember the '90s? That serene and dignified period and the history of celebrity meltdowns during which actors knew how to keep their misdeeds relatively private?” Harris then goes on to decry the recent actions of Joaquin Phoenix and Christian Bale.
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Christian Bale: Actor or boy scout?
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Well, yes, Mr. Harris, I do remember the early '90s. Mostly because it was a time before YouTube, TMZ, Gawker and so many other new media outlets. Expecting actors to behave like boy scouts because of the new media Big Brother they have to deal with seems a bit unrealistic.
When I see examples of celebrity “bad behavior,” my first thought is always, “I am so glad I’m not famous.” My second thought is usually, “I’m so glad my parents aren’t famous.”
Take Bale. This is a guy who lost 62 pounds to play a role in a terrific indie film called “The Machinist,” a film that many moviegoers may not have seen. He spent months in the jungle with the eccentric, brilliant Werner Herzog to make another great movie that you may not have seen called, “Rescue Dawn.” Bale is about the craft. During his apology on KROQ, Bale said that he was having trouble separating his role as John Connor in “Terminator Salvation” from the reality of being Christian Bale.
It always strikes me as odd that we expect actors to be perfect little boys and girls, while other artists (writers, painters, dancers, singers) would never get the kind of finger-wagging scoldings that we inflict on actors. Drinking is practically expected for writers. If an opera singer went on a screaming rant, it would be OK. But an actor is a horrible person because in the course of digging up his own personal demons to take on a character he rants at a director of photography. I don’t get it.
The only baffling part of this story to me is why someone as talented as Bale would do a movie with director McG to begin with.
As for Phoenix, I don’t really know if his actions are real, an art project or a hoax. I hope it’s one of the last two, though. Because when I think of Phoenix my mind goes back to a day back in Harris’ “serene” '90s -- 1993 to be exact -- when I was on jury duty and, in those pre-iPod days, had my Walkman with me. It was the day that Joaquin Phoenix’s 911 call about his brother River’s drug overdose was released to the press. I must have heard it 12 or 13 times and it was impossible not to be moved by the pain in Joaquin’s voice -- and to feel like you were invading his privacy.
When I think about that call, it makes sense that Joaquin Phoenix isn’t crazy about doing press for his movies. He might like the craft of acting, but maybe the insincerity of everything else makes him a little weary. If he wants to take this moment to have a little fun at the press’s expense, I say, let him. If it’s an art project, why not let he and pal Casey Affleck just make their statement? David Letterman didn’t seem to mind Phoenix’s behavior, Mark Harris, so why should you?
