January 30, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.
BIFF review / A Conversation with Michael Douglas
Douglas: ‘Use success to push yourself’
Douglas: ‘Use success to push yourself’
This from Michael Douglas, who was explaining to a local audience why he chose to do the edgy movie, Falling Down, after the blockbuster successes of Wall Street and Fatal Attraction.
His casual plaid shirt open at the neck, Michael Douglas wore dark slacks and a soft leather jacket as he lounged on stage. He was comfortably in tune with moviecitynews.com Editor and BIFF International Advisory Board Member, David Poland, during the Monday evening fundraiser, A Conversation with Michael Douglas. The moustache and beard required for the star’s current professional engagements were liberally sprinkled with gray and white, while his lively blue eyes danced to the questions put to him.
Mr. Douglas portrayed the perfect host, extending a Bermuda welcome to the local and overseas guests of this Ninth Bermuda International Film Festival.
The relaxed atmosphere as he and Mr. Poland chatted was a relief after the intensity of the film chosen to precede it, Mr. Douglas’ Falling Down.
Was this a conscious manipulation? Perhaps. Michael Douglas is, after all, also a producer. What better way to show his considerable charm than against the prequel of a powerfully disturbing character, one beset by loss, at cold-war’s end, of a defence industry job, sense of self and ultimately self control?
The film, set in Southern California was, according to Mr. Douglas, a movie that no one wanted to make. Falling Down didn’t have a protagonist, according to Mr. Douglas, but perceived antagonists abounded. Racial, cultural, class, origin and sexual orientation stereotypes inhabit the film throughout. It begged the question, “What’s the point?” until Mr. Douglas clarified the situation, the acting of which, by the way, was superb.
His presentation included the kindly recall of actresses with whom he’s worked and the gentle ribbing of directors’ idiosyncrasies. He spoke, for example, about Oliver Stone’s direction in the movie Wall Street: “He, as a director, is not afraid to push you,” Mr. Douglas noted of Mr. Stone’s adversarial demeanour. He said the director appeared at his trailer during the second week of shooting and asked: ‘Are you okay? Are you doing drugs? Well, it looked like you never acted before in your life.’
“He wanted just a little more edge,” Mr. Douglas said. “And he was willing for me to hate him for the rest of that picture to get that performance.”
The informal conversation continued with Mr. Poland querying the actor’s positions and preferences, recalling such other films he’s made as Basic Instinct, The American President and Fatal Attraction among them. During the question and answer session, audience members asked Mr. Douglas about his spouse.
Family matters
He said acting doesn’t permit a business/family balance, so he had taken a three-year sabbatical to be with his two young children. “My wife (Catherine Zeta Jones) is an accomplished actress, a lot younger than I am,” he said. “She’s going to have her time in the spotlight. I’m enjoying my time being a father.”
Mr. Poland and the audience also brought up his actor father Kirk Douglas, whom he acknowledged with: “His endurance, tenacity and strength has been inspirational.”
Mr. Douglas later told me that though his children enjoy watching their grandfather’s film, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, his own, mostly R-rated films are kept out of sight.
Festival Director Aideen Ratteray Pryse presented him with a Prospero Award for his “Integrity, Excellence & Creativity in Film.”
For its part, BIFF is to be congratulated for orchestrating such an entertaining and memorable evening.[[In-content Ad]]
Comments:
You must login to comment.