Celebrity Stupid - don’t listen to the celebrity and you’re just asking for trouble.
By Burbanked on Jun 27, 2006 in Celebrities, Celebrity Stupid, Movies | 1,322 views |
Some celebrities are like children. Offer them one popsicle and they will absolutely expect you to give up the whole box next time. Why else would today’s mystery actor blame the failure of their last movie on the fact that producers didn’t seek the celebrity’s critical post-production input?
“[Celebrity]: With [my last stinker film] I was very depressed because he was a real cad in the sense that he reneged on his promises and wouldn’t allow me to see my performances. Listen, I don’t want to step on your feet but there are certain things that I did that I would remember, like on take 3 there’s just a little movement of my eye that’s cool in close-up, or whatever.”
Think you know today’s Celebrity Stupid? Find out after the jump how the tragedy of a terrible movie can be avoided if - every moment of every day - we would all just do what celebrities say.
Milla Jovovich is today’s Celebrity Stupid! In a chat with Chud, she pouts that the quality of her most recent movie Ultraviolet suffered because the producers refused to let her into the editing room during post-production:
“Jovovich: With Ultraviolet I was very depressed because he was a real cad in the sense that he reneged on his promises and wouldn’t allow me to see my performances. Listen, I don’t want to step on your feet but there are certain things that I did that I would remember, like on take 3 there’s just a little movement of my eye that’s cool in close-up, or whatever.”
Oh, that’s why Ultraviolet was widely regarded as a terrible movie: because it lacked the subtle yet filled-with-impact flick of Milla Jovovich’s crazy talented eyes! So the multiple, widespread claims that the movie was laughably atrocious, had a half-assed plot and was dulltraviolet - none of these considered the fact that Milla wasn’t allowed to choose take three - the one with the eye thingy - instead of take four.
Look, it’s fine for actors to have creative input after the camera rolls. Hey, sometimes they even let actors be producers or directors - great! But there’s a lot to be said for the Hackmans and the Streeps and the Freemans who show up, do their jobs well, and then go home understanding that they will just have to live with the editing, scoring, marketing and releasing decisions made by others in the process.
And how do we know this? Because we never hear them blaming their bad movies on other people.
My blog-love affair with cartoonist Doug Savage’s terrific daily Savage Chickens (
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because clearly Cage has decided to become action/thriller cinema’s first Polish great-grandma. (
Well, that’s too bad. Back a year or so ago when I heard that they’d be making a movie out of Judi and Ron Barrett’s terrific kids’ book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, I hoped maybe it’d be made live-action. Handled well, the idea of seeing an actual town where it rained hotdogs and baked beans in an open-roof restaurant, as well as the bit where sanitation trucks clean up all the leftover rain/snow/food and feed it to the pets would be, I thought, a bundle of CG-imbued cinema fun. 
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Anonymous | Jun 27, 2006 | Reply
All Milla was saying is that she would have liked to have had some imput or to have atleast been able to see her own performances during the editting process.
And great way to leave out the part where they talk about Kurt Wimmer being shut out of the editting process as well. Kurt wrote the film, specifically for Milla to play the role, he shot the thing, and then they kick him editting. And Milla spent almost a year training for the film and then she doesn’t get any say in what shots she thinks were better.
I don’t see how this is anything to call someone stupid over.
And I do hope that you aren’t taking her example literally either.
Burbanked | Jun 27, 2006 | Reply
I think you’ve missed the point, somewhat, so allow me to try and clarify:
My overall point - now that I’m finally getting to it - is that no flick of Milla’s delightful eyes would have improved this movie. And she might be better served by taking a closer look at that script her husband wrote for her rather than blaming other people for the movie’s shortcomings.
Anonymous | Jun 27, 2006 | Reply
“He’s the writer and director and I have no problem with him being involved with the editing.”
That’s just it though, Wimmer wasn’t allowed in the editing room either. So the writer/director and main star were both locked out.
I don’t see how anyone can call Milla stupid because she is upset that she didn’t have any say with the final reel. Especially seeing has how she said that she was promised she would be able to give input during the editing process.
If I had spent nearly a year preparing for a film, a film that I was told I was the person always intended for the main character, and I spent another 3-5 months filming in another country then I would like to have some say when it comes to editing. I think everyone would.
I know there are people saying a lot worst things. I read the Chud forums and IMDB forums and there is a lot of hate for this film and Milla.
Also, I seriously doubt she was being serious with her example. There is just no way. I know some A-list celebs actually think that way but I know Milla has to consider herself a B-List star at best and I doubt she is that self centered.
And one last thing. Wimmer wrote the film and Milla is engaged to Paul Anderson. Wimmer wrote the role for Milla because he saw her as the best possible choice for the role. Just thought you should know.
Burbanked | Jun 28, 2006 | Reply
Look, clearly if anyone gets locked out of an editing room when they deserve or when they’ve been promised to be there, something’s not right with the movie. Most post-production processes don’t go this way, right? So that says to me that the movie has some big problems.
But sorry. I’m just not convinced that Milla Jovovich - as talented as she is - could have saved the movie had she been in the editing room. It can’t be that simple, and that’s why I’m calling her Celebrity Stupid.
And it’s a joke, okay? Have you read anything else on Burbanked? I try to be funny here. And I’m sure that Milla’s a delightful person who I would enjoy meeting socially, and believe me that I will sit there and watch The Fifth Element, start to finish, every damn time it’s on.
But very, very few actors and actresses end up having a real say in a movie’s final cut. You’re talking Spielberg-Land here, not Jovovich. Do they make suggestions? Sure. Can some of them get to choose between different takes? Maybe.
But - and this goes back to what I wrote earlier - it’s vitally important to let the other folks working on the movie earn their paychecks. Every movie editor who does NOT have a starlet looking over his shoulder asking him why he’s chosen take 3 over take 4 is a happy editor indeed.
Yeah, I got her marital status confused; I knew it was a director, just not which one. And if I had to make a bet? The fanboys will forgive Milla a lot faster for Ultraviolet than they will for being engaged to PWSA.
Piper | Jan 31, 2007 | Reply
How many times do I have to say this. Milla knows the subtle nuances of great performances.
If only we would have gotten more take 3s, maybe Ultraviolet wouldn’t be a big fat deuce.