Reply #10: Hollywood producers are like dogs [View All]

[Dogmudgeon]

They spend half their lives sniffing each others' butts, in vain attempts to "duplicate" previous successes. (Dogs, at least, are honest about butt-sniffing, since it's about identification with them.)

They're a remarkably un-creative breed, so they'll peg an actor a certain way. It has happened to nearly every actor around. Make a list of any ten actors (male and female) and see if you can't figure out their "type" in about ten seconds. Then, count how many roles they have taken that are against type.

The Outer Limits (the modern series) is worth watching because the producers often cast an actor against type. I saw a time-travel mystery episode recently where comedian Kevin Nealon was cast as a serious, brainy scientist. They've also cast Molly Ringwald as the bitter sister of a murder victim, Bruce Boxleitner as a craven and megalomaniacal politician, and Jack Klugman as a computer scientist.

--p!