Breaking the Curse: The Character Trap

I haven't posted in awhile for a few reasons. Number 1, This month has been terrible for new releases, in my opinion. Nothing, other than The Avengers has peaked my interest enough to go spend $10.50 to go see it. Number two is that I haven't really had any topics to write about. I recently watched the entire Mission: Impossible series for the first time, but that wasn't enough to write anything anyone would want to read. But now I have something to talk about. There is one major problem with Blockbusters.

That is the fact that the main stars from them (if it is one of their first major roles) have a hard time breaking from the character, making it hard for producers and directors to visualize them as another character. Mark Hamill is the perfect example of this. He was relatively unknown on the Big Screen when he starred as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode IV. He had a successful stage career prior to it, but nothing really other than a few TV gigs that paid the bills.

Everyone knows that he hasn't done much other than voice acting since Star Wars. Luckily he's talented enough to get a lot of jobs doing that. But what few people know is the amount of rolls he was turned down for because he was Luke Skywalker. He was the most famous person to ever play Mozart in the play Amadeus, next to Tim Curry. And when that play was being prepped for the silver screen, most people, including Hamill, thought he would play the title role.

But there was just one problem. Despite having played Mozart on Broadway for years, Mark Hamill had a ghost following him, named Luke Skywalker. The producers did not want Mozart to be played by the famous Jedi. So they went with Tom Hulce, who was eventually cursed by the role of Mozart, mainly because he played him so well. He even received an Oscar Nomination for the role.

Mark Hamill was one of the Lucky ones. At least the films and character that cursed him are loved by nearly every single person that watches them. He is still remembered today despite his lack of on screen appearances. Not all are as lucky.

Now, it is extremely early to say he is in the character trap, but  will bring him up regardless, because the beginnings of the curse are afoot. Robert Pattinson is close to being type cast as a emotionless vampire in a terrible franchise. The only fans of these film will one day grow up and realize how bad they are. There is no escaping it. At least I hope that happens.

Call me crazy, but I don't what Robert Pattinson to be forever known for that crappy role in that crappy movie based on that crappy book. I think he deserves more. Think about it. What was he doing prior to Twilight? A couple Harry Potter movies, but his role was not that impressive and easily forgettable to the majority of the audience, since most of the audience didn't read the books. You can whine all you want, but thats a fact.

And before that, he had a few roles, but nothing that really gave him that green light to producers and directors to start casting him in other roles. Twilight was the first. And if anyone reading this is thinking "I still wouldn't take a role in that dumb movie even if I was starving to death", you're lying. If someone offered you $2 million to be the leading role in a movie when no one knew your name, and you wouldn't take it, you are an idiot and deserve to starve. Plus he's made $12 million for the subsequent 3 sequels.

I know I would do it in a heart beat. I don't blame Mr. Pattinson at all. But that's not why I want him to be successful. I want him to be successful after Twilight because of what he's doing outside of Twilight.

He played the great artist, Salvador Dali in Little Ashes. He starred along side Reese Witherspoon and, more importantly, the great Christoph Waltz, in Water for Elephants. He also worked with director David Cronenberg (Eastern Promises, The History of Violence) in Cosmopolis which premiered at the Cannes Film festival this year.

My point is the guy is taking risks. Most people his age would just try to do more block busters. They would use the role that gave them fame as a reason they are entitled to roles. But he is doing things that are usually done by actors twice his age. He is taking roles in films that would be considered more "artistic" than they would money makers. And I respect that. Who couldn't respect that? It seems like he is praying for the day he's finally done with Twilight so he can create a name for himself and not a name synonymous with crazy, crying and screaming teenage girls.

I hope he can do it.

No specific release date has been given at this time, but Cosmopolis is scheduled to come out this year.