Oscars 2012: Rooney Mara and Putting on a Happy Face
The subject of attitude is being brought up once again as it relates to the Oscar race. We all know that expressions of gratitude is the key to impressing Academy voters. The more grateful you appear the happier they are about bestowing upon you their highest honor. It isn’t always only about gratitude, of course. But it can provide a significant edge when it comes to winning. If you aren’t going to win you really don’t have to play that game. But if you want to win, you’d better get ready to turn on the water works and smile smile smile. That is more true than not in most situations. In the bedroom, the classroom, or the boardroom — if you act grateful it goes a long way. Surely this routine comes more easily to some than to others.
Watching last year’s train-wreck was a grim reminder that if you don’t give them the warm fuzzies in the way they expect, then you aren’t going to be winning any awards, no matter how great your movie is, no matter how brilliant your performance is. You can win every award imaginable and still yet, it can come down to whether you act like this or not. It is not unlike politics, of course. But it’s always worse if you’re a woman than if you’re a man because for a woman it can derail a whole career. If you’re Sean Penn, it will simply become part of your allure until at last you win your much overdue Oscar and earn a standing ovation along with it. But watch Bill Murray’s face in this clip. He ain’t ever gonna be that guy.
The subject of Rooney Mara was again brought up yesterday. She has a target on her back this season, for whatever reason (who ever knows what drives mob mentality), but then yesterday, the Hollywood Reporter’s Scott Feinberg who, after the attending the awards luncheon (aka the opportunity for contenders to suck up to the elusive Academy members) tweeted the following:
It then kind of snowballed, as these things do on Twitter, in a kind of debate of sorts. Here are a few sample cuts from the game:
Mara, it’s worth noting, was given the same treatment when she said a few things about Nightmare of Elm Street which, honestly, I went looking for and couldn’t find. I found this interview, where she is candid and nice — what’s the problem? Well, it became a “thing,” so when the Feinberg thing got tweeted out, it was sort of an extension of what had been said before. Exhibit A. Surprise witness for the prosecution.
It was explained to me that because Mara comes from a rich family there is a notion that she is somehow “entitled” – a “whiny rich girl” or some such. Really? So if Mara were from the projects there would be a different reaction to her shyness? This is her first big starring role, her first up front and center with the public – I think, personally, she’s doing a great job handling it all.
Mo’Nique comes to mind as someone who simply refused to work the line — and she won on her performance, and perhaps a bit of the allure — truly, it did seem as though Mo’Nique did not care if she won or not. And perhaps somewhere within their voting body, Oscar voters appreciate that kind of honesty. She kept winning and every time she hit the stage she gave a drop dead brilliant speech. The combination of not campaigning plus great speeches is what drove her to victory again and again. Had Mo’Nique taken the stage and given an ungrateful speech, or shown a smidge of attitude that would have been it for her. Poor Jeff Bridges had to do the monkey-dance so hard it’s a wonder it didn’t kill him. You can always tell by the end of it that they can barely find the strength to smile at all, let alone cry and act amazed and glad to be there. So what’s all that about? It’s about gratitude. Actors mistakenly believe that it’s about the work. It ain’t about the work. It should be, but it ain’t. Of course, if you’re Katharine Hepburn, Woody Allen, Joel and Ethan Coen, Terrence Malick it can be about the work but the Oscar race, the way it’s played today, it’s about all of that stuff almost everyone hates to do.
Then again, if you don’t want to win you aren’t under any such obligation. This is why, I guess, the Rooney Mara thing seems so out of place to me. I doubt she is expecting she’ll win — so she isn’t really playing it to win. Moreover, every time I see her on camera or in photos she looks lovely. She is gracious, sweet, and above all genuine. She isn’t ”pouting” or grimacing or sulking. That is some bizarre story cooked up from god knows where for god knows what reason. She’s not a threat to any contender, as far as I can tell, so there is no need to knock her out of competition.
Attitude was a problem for Eddie Murphy too — lest we forget how much of a big deal was made over his “attitude” when he lost to Alan Arkin. This isn’t particularly a sexist issue. The only way it becomes sexist this year is that Mara’s character seems to have shaken things up a bit. The talk becomes not about her performance so much but instead, everything BUT her performance and mostly, let’s face it, the nudity and the sex stuff therein. The sight of Daniel Craig in his underwear is the stuff of nighttime fodder for girls like me but you don’t see the press poring over those details.
Check out the differences in the Google News breaks:
Again, the attitude thing as put forth by Feinberg isn’t sexist. I’m just saying that it might be a little bit bizarre for Mara on the red carpet and facing the media to always be getting these types of questions, not to mention how it must feel to have such a giant presence all of a sudden — tits, ass and merkin. It might feel a little weird. I don’t agree with Feinberg at all and I think the online chatter is being needlessly, bizarrely cruel for no reason.
The same sort of thing happened to Kathryn Heigl — and years before her, Debra Winger. It’s a short step from an “attitude problem” to being unhirable. It’s never going to hurt Sean Penn, for instance, to be a prick in public. It’s only going to add to his allure. Women, though, they can’t last long with that kind of stigma “out there.” Sure, when it comes to winning Oscars we’re talking about a whole different thing. But when we’re talking about this kind of unfair labeling, that is, I think, where being a woman makes all the difference.
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The big difference between Rooney Mara and Katherine Heigl, though, is where their perceived ‘attitude’ has come from. All one has to do is look at Mara’s doe-eyes and clasped hands on the red carpet to see that she’s a shy girl, uncomfortable with the praise and attention being lavished upon her. I can’t imagine what it must feel like to have to attend the Nominees’ Luncheon – amongst all those icons of the screen. I can’t so much as say one word before a crowd of people without my knees quivering.
She didn’t put herself in this position. She’s a shy girl who gave a great performance. She’s not sulking. She’s being honest. And her comments about A Nightmare on Elm Street were thoroughly justified and blown out of proportion.
Scott Feinberg has it the wrong way around. I’m impressed by the people able to turn up at these events and play the publicity angle, and I empathise with those who find that a little difficult.
It’s totally her prerogative to act however she wants when she’s at these things, but any actor has to be aware that behavior off camera influences getting work in the future. She just isn’t very warm and hasn’t or doesn’t want to learn how to banter lightly in interviews so she’s obviously not going to be the next Sandra Bullock. Seems like she wants to remain on the prickly side, don’t know how far that will take her.
so she’s obviously not going to be the next Sandra Bullock.
thank you, Baby Jebus!
In the legal world, a “strong” male lawyer is expected to be tough, to talk shit, to cuss, and to talk back and pound his fist. If a woman did that: OH MY GOD! She would be called a “bitch” and “evil” and “awful to work for.”
It’s a man’s world, for sure.
If Mo’nique had not won that Oscar, given her performance, it could have been the last straw for me. That performance was in another league. Period.
I was gonna say, this attitude thing was proven wrong when Monique won
katherine heigl was truly insufferable though
I kind of agree with Feinberg — it’s called “acting” really, and not a bad idea to do a little of it when you’re campaigning during the season. Rooney Mara always comes off as a bit surly, unapproachable, bored or disaffected. The sum of it is that she’s “above” all of it. Great. But honestly, everyone involved knows it’s part of the territory. I thought Monique handled it expertly — but then we already knew Monique from countless other movies and appearances. That’s why her Precious performance was immediately such a revelation. Monique was a player in the industry; a known entity. Mara is no such thing. She’s the new kid on the block and nobody knows her, at all — it’s not wrong, I believe, to expert her to show herself off a bit, give us all a sense of who the woman is, to show us how different from Lisbeth Salander she is — and I don’t get any such vibe at all, therefore I can’t tell how good she was in the film. Kind of paraphrasing what Mark Harris said.
Despite the spotlight and constant “exhaustion,” actors have the best lives in the world — the perks, the global adventures, the never-boring job that can’t get old because you’re working for a month or two before leaving to meet a whole new creative team and work for another month or two. You really get the best of the best treatment, all the time, anywhere. Nothing not to be happy about, all the time, in my book.
If Mo’nique had not won that Oscar, given her performance, it could have been the last straw for me. That performance was in another league. Period.
She totally did what was required of her. But she never did the monkey dance. And won anyway. I am pretty sure Katharine Hepburn never attended a single Oscar ceremony and won Best Actress four times. But you know, there wasn’t an internet then. Who knows what people would say about her now.
Nothing not to be happy about, all the time, in my book
what an awesome power you have, your knack for determining how happy people are based on how they act on talk shows.
Nothing not to be happy about, all the time, in my book
erg, go talk to Heath Ledger. He could benefit from your pep talk. oh, never mind. Call Demi Moore instead.
Jesus Sasha. Might be time to take a little break. I cannot with this mess. I just can’t. SMH!!
No, Deena Jones’ wig. If you can’t handle it then it’s time for you to take a break. Go rest you head, before you shake it off your neck.
@ Film Fatale
Above all of it? I don’t think you’ve been paying due attention to Rooney Mara these past weeks. She’s shy and honest. It seems most people can’t be bothered to understand.
It’s so disappointing that, when someone fails to fake it and pretend to be gregarious and gracious all the time, they’re branded surly. Mara’s not pretending to be anyone other than who she is.
It proper gets my goat when I hear people whine about shyness in others. Why is it always considered a negative attribute?
Above all of it? I don’t think you’ve been paying due attention to Rooney Mara these past weeks.
I remember the days when people were complaining about how much Rooney Mara was working her tail off doing photoshoots for the covers of 50 magazines re-dressed in Lisbeth’s style doing endless tireless promotional work for a film she deeply cares about.
I miss those days, I miss those complainers.
Don’t attend things you don’t enjoy attending. I think the publicity angle or “they made me come here” angle is rendered moot if you’re giving off a huge “I hate this, I don’t want to be here” vibe.
“It proper gets my goat when I hear people whine about shyness in others.”
(“It proper gets my goat…”) cute! makes me wish the comments were live voice chat. (almost).
The Power of Shyness
TIME, Feb 6, 2012
THANK YOU for posting this piece, Sasha. When Scott Feinberg wrote that she shouldn’t have signed up to be a movie star if she would’t play nice, I nearly lost it. Mara gave an astounding performance and as long as she busts her ass on set, she’s doing her job.
Some people, myself included, just can’t fake a big ol’ smile and some people call us sulky. Maybe Rooney’s shy, maybe she’d rather be with friends than a huge room full of older strangers. Maybe she’s happy as a clam but just has a stoic demeanor. It’s not up to Scott Feinberg to make snotty little judgments based on perception. It’s not like she spit on a waiter for bringing the wrong drink. Jesus.
I don’t think Ms. Mara has to justify her behavior, but she had a few reasons to be a bit off on Monday: she may very well just be shy and introverted and the Oscar Luncheon might have been a bit intimidating for her. Or, how about the fact that her family’s team, The NY Giants, just won the Super Bowl and she may have been at the game the night before celebrating with her family and was probably exhausted or she might have not been there and wanted to be with them during such a special time. That trophy is the NFL’s version of Best Picture and she seems to be very close with her family. At any rate, I don’t view her as someone who thinks she is above it all. I find her attitude about her career refreshing and she would be given more credit for this if she were a man.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought Sean Penn didn’t win until he started campaigning for it. I recall Oscar writers pointing out that he was finally making a show of wanting to win that year — and that’s the year he finally did. Does anyone else remember that?
At the same time, I recall that Burt Reynolds probably lost his shot at Oscar by bad mouthing Boogie Nights, thus giving Robin Williams the sympathetic edge he needed to be invited to the podium.
I am curious if anyone knows if Tilda Swinton campaigned hard for her Oscar win for Michael Clayton. She strikes me as the kind of actor who would not play those types of games.
Was her thank you speech not gracious enough? Is that why she was not nominated this year for We Need To Talk About Kevin?
“what an awesome power you have, your knack for determining how happy people are based on how they act on talk shows.”
You see Ryan? And you wonder why the tenor here gets so negative, so quickly. I made a straightforward comment, simply my personal opinion and not controversial in any way, and this is how you reacted.
Your flip and dismissive response was condescending, unnecessary and, frankly, rude. Declaring in a petty, unconstructive slam that someone has an “awesome power” because they ruminate on the perks of celebrity is ridiculous.
And also, not that I need to qualify anything, but I’m closer to them than “talk shows” — I’m on the junkets, so I see it firsthand, every week, all the time.
Was her thank you speech not gracious enough? Is that why she was not nominated this year for We Need To Talk About Kevin?
I’ve only seen Tilda Swinton do one talk show venue — 6 or 7 minutes with Jon Stewart, whom she seemed to be genuinely pleased to meet (she gave him a Thai wai of greeting). I think she became a little disconcerted when Stewart didn’t talk about the movie at all. Then their time was up. The movie barely mentioned.
Tilda’s Oscar acceptance speech? She announced that she’d be giving her Oscar to her agent, remember?
Could be that plan lacked proper reverence…?
I only hope that she isn’t typecast because how she is percieved. That would be a huge shame, since she’s shown she can absolutely own the screen.
And Ryan, frankly, your assertion that Heath Ledger was unhappy because he mixed a cocktail of prescription drugs, alcohol, whatever it was, is ludicrous.
Celebrity amplifies whatever issues you have — if you’re secure, you will become more so. Ditto the opposite. If you have issues to begin with, they increase tenfold.
Not a hard one.
And frankly, I don’t know why everyone is so convinced that Rooney Mara is just “shy” in front of press. I perceive her as distant.
So go ahead and tear me a new one now yet again — “come at me, bro.”
What has attitude gotten Meryl Streep? She’s been pleasantly playing the game for nearly 30 years since her last win. She acts like hell, jumps through all the hoops, smiles, is grateful and pleasant, revered and it still does no good. Politics has more to do with Oscar than attitude.
Relax, guys! Mara was upset because she probably could`t stay with her family on Sunday celebrating the Super Bowl win. Sasha should add “Super Bowl champion“to Mara`s name in the Award Tracker.
Heath Ledger was unhappy because he mixed a cocktail of prescription drugs, alcohol, whatever it was, is ludicrous.
it’s been widely discussed that Heath Ledger was troubled and having a tough time relaxing. Those “whatever” pills in his “cocktail” were painkillers, anti-anxiety drugs and sleeping meds. yes, he sure sounds happy as a clam.
it’s ludicrous to me that anyone would think a profession populated with high-strung naturally dramatic people with artistic temperaments should be “happy all the time!” just because their life looks like such a blast to you.
Rich and famous? Your troubles are over! Doesn’t work that way, FemmeFatale, and frankly I’m stunned that you could be so cavalier about assigning expectations of happiness to the lives of people you’ve never met.
Of all places, I found this on IMDb (how highbrow of me):
‘[Rooney Mara] had thought of acting after watching old movies and attending musical theater, but did not think of it as a serious vocation and was afraid she might fail at it. As a result of her reservations, she appeared in only one play while in high school.’
I imagine it must be hard to participate in the awards circuit when your opinion of your own acting abilities is so low, and I consider that humble and admirable. Distant? Maybe she’s just distant from the notion that she deserves this, or from the interviewers so quick to praise her performance and the photographers so eager to shove a camera in her gob.
P.S. Ryan, live voice chat? I’m from Belfast. You do not want to hear my accent scratching through your speakers…
Hear hear, Sasha (and Kris Tapley too). I like Rooney Mara’s performance, I maybe don’t love it, but the amount of vitriol she’s getting from women and men alike for being a “bad celebrity” is infuriating. The Law & Order: SVU thing was really overstated and blown up into this bit of PR scapegoating against Mara. I wonder who spread that story around like wildfire (cough, Weinsteins, cough). I don’t think Scott’s being decidedly sexist in the strictest sense, but I agree that it’s a lot to ask that these actors be on all the time during what has become an increasingly long, repetitive awards season. I’m not saying we should pity these beautiful, famous people, but you do see it year after year of watching everything they do be a part of some campaign (overt or otherwise). Even the luncheon, which is meant to be an opportunity for the nominees to celebrate one another and maybe have interesting conversations has become a PR event. Sasha’s whorehouse analogy made my day and is absolutely accurate. I’d even add that the women are expected to sell harder than the men, in terms of their effusiveness and how gushing they are. Remember Julie Christie, who only showed up to SAG (granted, the Globes were canceled) and gave a gracious, but quick and businesslike speech? She was the frontrunner and lost to the younger, more beautiful, more outwardly excited Marion Cotillard. Other than Adrien Brody (and that was honestly a split year with no frontrunner), when’s the last time a veteran male actor lost to a younger, more attractive upstart?
Not to sound nasty, and nothing against Scott Feinberg, but Rooney Mara’s “attitude” this season has only made me love her more. And that love just grows each time she gets this kind of reaction out of someone like Feinberg.
Is this thread going to be hijacked by Meryl Streep fans or what.
The irony of people essentially tweeting “Erica Albright is a bitch” is just too funny to be true. She was fantastic in the film and a great actress. From what I’ve read, she’s just shy, which many people are ignorant enough to interperet as cold. And of course, most people are assholes anyway and can’t tell the difference between someone being actively rude to them and someone just not kissing their ass.
^
Not if I can help it. Deathly Hallows snubbed because Emma Watson is sullen? Some might say so.
Please girrrrls, you must strive to plaster a grin on your faces at all times.
Jean Brodie “I am not interested in human imperfection! I am interested in beauty, art, truth!”
“Rich and famous? Your troubles are over! Doesn’t work that way, FemmeFatale, and frankly I’m stunned that you could be so cavalier about assigning expectations of happiness to the lives of people you’ve never met.”
I’m not being cavalier about it and frankly, I have met a lot of them so I know a bit about the differences between their worlds and ours.
And why are you seizing on one element of my original post? What you have said above is very basic and yes, everyone knows this, and yes, I acknowledged in my subsequence post that fame aplifies whatever issues you have.
Do you really think I was saying “rich and famous, your troubles are over” — really? My point is that they have great lives, in many respects, period.
“Last year’s trainwreck”? I think it’s really time to put last year to rest, because that dead horse has been beaten for months now. I wanted The Social Network to win as much as the next person, but Sasha vilifies The King’s Speech, a perfectly competent picture, to the point where you’d swear TSN was beaten by Valentine’s Day.
And all this from a site whose motto is “The trick is not minding.”
I will never understand those who attack actors that refuses to do the monkey dance. Why should they? Winning an Oscar is not about your caliber as an actor but more about the political trend of the year award.
To me, it seems that winning best actress in Cannes, must feel so much more rewarding. Its purely about the performance and of course how good the film really is
The Oscar campaigns reminds of the Presidential campaigns which really makes me sad. Viola and Streep are posing and smiling and airbrushed everywhere. So so sad
Give me break, FemmeFatale. I’m choosing to argue with the part of your comments I find strangely naive. I’m not “latching onto” anything else because nothing else bothers me.
If you don’t mean what you say, don’t write it, and we wouldn’t be having this spat.
Putting “exhaustion” in suspicious sarcastic air-quotes comes off to me as catty.
Flatly ridiculous. Human beings have infinite outward demeanors, infinite troubles and infinite ways of handling their troubles.
Staying at the Four Seasons doesn’t make the world go away, doesn’t jack up celebrity emotions to perpetual glee.
michelle williams is “shy and sweet” and doesn’t come off as “above it all”.
sasha, deal with it. you can not control people’s perception.
kate winslet and meryl streep get crap for the opposite reasons: for being too happy, too thankful.
you can’t please everyone, and certainly rooney mara can’t.
My point is that they have great lives, in many respects, period.
You know what though? I think my own life is pretty great. I don’t need an entourage and $10 million to make me happy.
But I don’t go around with a constant giggle and sparkle in my eye either. I’m not a organ grinders monkey hopping around to fulfill anyone’s expectations of what expression I should have on my face. It’s not my duty to share my happiness with a perky attitude 24/7.
I’m happy nearly all the time — even right now — but I don’t give a fuck whether I look like it or not.
I suppose it’s somehow natural to expect Mara to be happy to be there. Not just there at the luncheon, but there as in superstardom, where she’s been put. Like she should be giving back a part of what’s been given to her. But on the other hand, and though I don’t think actors and actresses have to look happy all the time, hey, going to the luncheon is self-promotion, nothing else. You’re not promoting the movie anymore for people to go see it. If you’re not going to promote yourself because you’re shy or because you don’t care, just don’t go. Nobody forces you. And I must add that in the case of Mara, I think she was gracious enough not to slap Seacrest when he asked her about her most intimate piercings in one of those red carpet events. I don’t think he would’ve asked that to Glenn Close.
Of the nominated, Rooney Mara should win. Who cares if she comes across as a bitch. There is a plethora of them in Hollywood; its just some of those ladies are able to hide it. And I don’t know why Sean Penn gets off so easy. He is an ignorant jerk, as far as I’m concerned. Good actor, but jerk nonetheless. Both times he won, the better performance was not rewarded (re: Bill Murray and Mickey Rourke). So I guess this whole issue is a moot point.
But I will take issue with Feinberg’s attitude. His mindset is what is wrong with many journalists nowadays. This includes journalism as a whole, not just entertainment. Sasha brought up the “mob mentality” and journalists are very susceptible to it. They think they are “entitled” to a certain behavior that actors/actresses should portray when they are being interviewed. And quite frankly, most of these “journalists” in entertainment are just sycophants who believe, yes, that they are above it all. Its just stupid to me. Not every individual is going to love the adoration of awards bodies. These artists are human.
@Sasha
“I am pretty sure Katharine Hepburn never attended a single Oscar ceremony and won Best Actress four times.”
She attended one time,just to present an award though. But at least you know she went at least once!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNQAFm2OYXQ
Mara gave a great performance, but when I see her walk the red carpet she doesnt SEEM happy to be there….that doesnt go to say she isnt grateful, so Feinberg is an ass for saying something that even implies that. She deserves the nomination, I just wish she would try to open up and enjoy her moment, but whatever not my place to judge her…and CERTAINLY NOT anyone elses.
Forget Meryl Streep. Pretty much every waiter or waitress/ fast food server/ mall worker/ etc, has to fake being nice to complete and utter assholes every day that treat them like worse shit than Rooney has ever gotten treated by anyone at those Hollywood parties. They don’t get paid a sixth as much as Rooney. They probably go home to whiney kids, and yet they do it all usually with a smile.
Info off on a bit of a tangent: TGWTDT crosses 100 million mark yesterday in terms of box office gross.
I suppose it’s somehow natural to expect Mara to be happy to be there.
iggy,
First we need to have better proof that she’s sad about it, don’t you agree?
I mean some evidence beyond long-distance amateur psychiatric diagnosis by people who prefer every actress to act like Cameron Diaz — and if they don’t: tsk-tsk, surly, unapproachable, bored, disaffected… ungrateful bitch!
God help me if my filmmaking aspirations ever lead me to Hollywood. The thought of me having to smile at every camera that gets pointed my way makes me sick. Though I guess this wouldn’t be a problem unless I was an actor.
Some people aren’t made for the spotlight. They shouldn’t be berated for working in the field they love without being willing to subject themselves to the mob.
Thanks, Natasha… I noticed last night they were $97,000 from $100mil
what’s more, sometime this week the overseas box-office will catch up and pass the domestic haul.
Right now, $700g shy of $200 million.
First we need to have better proof that she’s sad about it, don’t you agree?
I don’t know, has anyone bothered to ask her? Color me old fashioned, but it seems to me it’s the fastest way to find out.
I didn’t say she isn’t happy, I have only seen her in the picture next to Meryl Streep. I was just trying to guess what that guy on twitter was referring to.
Anyone who can quote Jean Brodie to help enliven this dreary Oscar season is tops in my book. Thank you, Ryan.
I didn’t say she isn’t happy
oh, I know you didn’t! Just trying to drag you into this so I’m not alone in wondering how we can determine if she needs cheering up.
you know, because anybody who gets all dressed up to appear at a gala event when she could’ve just skipped it, stayed home and cried — that’s suicide-watch behavior. I’m concerned.
There’s not a thing wrong with Rooney’s attitude. Maybe she is shy in public – not everyone is a media whore. Just because she’s good at her work doesn’t mean that she wants to participate in the circus that is the frenzy of media and public, especially at this time of year.
We expect everything from these people – we want a knock-out performance, certain behaviour in public, total access on the street, 24-7 charm, and god help you if you pick the wrong dress.
Shyness is painful and must be excruciating in these circumstances – it’s often mistaken for arrogance. Even if it is an attitude, so what? Who can blame her?
Where does it stop? The only one who hasn’t been slammed in this actress race is Glenn Close -oh, yeah- she’s cold and nobody likes her anyway, right?
michelle williams is “shy and sweet” and doesn’t come off as “above it all”.
sasha, deal with it. you can not control people’s perception.
Michelle Williams has been acting since she was a little kid (see Species) and has been at the showbiz thing a LONG time. She’s been at the awards thing a LONG time. Ms. Mara, not the case. Deal with that.
but Sasha vilifies The King’s Speech, a perfectly competent picture
So….it’s not a train wreck that a “perfectly competent picture” won the title of Best Picture of the Year? Up against all of those other great movies? Come on. On what planet was that film the best picture of the year? You don’t think I’m over it and that I need to get over it? Ain’t gonna happen any time soon, my friend. I’m still not over Gladiator beating Crouching Tiger, Crash beating Brokeback, etc. I hold grudges. Otherwise there is no point in writing about Oscar history. I am not one to brush things off. I fail at “not minding.” I always mind. Have always, will always.
The irony of people essentially tweeting “Erica Albright is a bitch” is just too funny to be true.
Yep, yep, yep.
“I always mind. Have always, will always.”
I hope that’s a promise we can hold you to, Sasha.
The Aviator is Scorsese`s The King Speech. And most here seem to prefer it over Million Dollar Baby.
The Mo’Nique thing, which was briefly mentioned, highlighted another element of this. If you’re a woman AND you’re black, people really dislike it when you’re not gracious and grateful. A lot of the vitriol hurled at Mo’Nique two years ago read as “How dare she. She’s not thin. She’s not ‘pretty.’ She’s black, but not a palatable black like Halle Berry. She should be so lucky.” Sounds reductive, but that’s what it felt like.
Now I can’t help but picture the Oscar pundits as a bunch of angry Zuckerbergs.
@ Ryan
I’m afraid I’ll have to leave you, anyway. I must be fresh to wake up at 6 a.m. to my downstairs neighbour poor idea of what rap is. If you don’t see me around here anymore, it’s because I’ve gone all Salander-ish and I’m in prison.
The industry respects Sean Penn, and he is a helluva-talented actor. But who outside of Hollywood cares about him? It sucks that the inherent, unending sexism INSIDE the industry dictates the movies that get made. Rooney Mara honestly should lighten up a bit as she should be nothing but proud and excited for her career. But people who watch and enjoy TGWTDT don’t give a fuck about how she looks on the red carpet. But with social media you get everybody talking about everything, so every possible complaint is bound to be aired.
If we stopped caring so much about our movie stars, maybe they wouldn’t be losing their command of the screen and movies wouldn’t be losing their influence.
Now, Rooney Mara isn’t the next Angelina Jolie, but so far she’s the best actor of her generation. The fact that she isn’t some giggly Anne Hathaway spawn only increases my ability to be sucked into her new performance.
And on that note, in this boring Oscar season, it’s getting really tiresome coming to this site to read the constant she-vs.-she pieces. They’re just fueling the fire. Viola Davis is winning anyway, regardless of whether people feels she gave the best performance. Maybe Meryl has a chance if she wins the BAFTA this weekend, but until then, what is there left to talk about? The Best Actor race is immensely more interesting.
They’re supposedly probably cutting the Best Song performances out of the Oscar broadcast altogether – that’s the only interesting development today. Why not another piece on the flawed Song-nominating branch? Or an analysis of the nominated documentaries? I get it, they’re not the sexy categories. I’m the first to agree. But an Oscar is an Oscar is an Oscar. The constant gender debates and politics of the main acting races are redundant and overrated. Just my two cents.
First off I have been a fan of this site for several years Sasha and Ryan I think you both do an excellent job this is my first comment ever on this site.
I think Scott Feinberg was out of line with his comments about Rooney Mara she seems like a very kind but shy individual. Just because someone actually reaches success as an actor or an actress doesnt necessarly mean they are comfortable the attention that they are recieving. This is basically her first leading role (Im gonna just ignore Nightmare On Elm Street) and with all due respect to Viola Davis to me Rooney Mara gave the best performance of the year and I think she has handeled herself rather well throughout the award season. Finally I’m glad this site has actually spent time with articles about The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo it was my favorite film of 2011, and it’s ashame the Academy settled for Extremly Loud And Incredibly Close over this movie for Best Picture. At least they recognized Rooney Mara who was very deserving of her Best Actress Nomination.
hey Corey, welcome to the 3-ring fracas.
(more comments about the excellent job we do, please, thanks)
you saw this, right?
Ferocious Rooney Mara
Yes I did but it was nice too read it again after all this time though that was a great piece you wrote. I agree I hope that more of these kind of roles start to become a more regular occurence for Actresses I think her nomination at the very lest is an encouraging sign.
I don’t think the criticism Rooney Mara is receiving is simply due to the fact that she’s from a wealthy family. I suspect a young woman from the projects with Mara’s type of demeanor, would also be slammed as a sullen, bitchy, ingrate.
The perks of movie stardom are so over-the-top, that many folks simply can’t comprehend what any movie star could ever be unhappy about. Especially when attending something like a function for Oscar nominees.
No, it’s not fair.
Personally, the only thing in interviews Miss Mara said that rubbed me the wrong way, was the fact that she seemed to think it beneath her to audition for schlock projects. But EVERYONE, even Meryl Streep, had to audition for job in less-than-brilliant projects.
It’s called paying dues.
I’m sorry for the language, but Feinberg can go [cuss] himself – the girl is very well known to be painfully shy….he needs to [cuss] it up and realize that not all actors need to be the center of attention!
[What the cuss! Let's not harsh too hard on our friend, Mr Feinberg -- Fantastic Mr Fox]
It’s not just that she doesn’t think she’s going to win so she doesn’t play again, but she also must not want a career or to be nominated again, because being like that will not get you anywhere.
The fact this is her first lead role is no excuse, coming from a wealthy family and going to the top schools, she should be very well spoken and able to handle it.
Like Sasha said, The Academy is really showing their colors, and the fact is many actors come from families of wealth that had connections.
For someone like me, an aspiring young actress, it’s a bit disheartening to think I’ll never get to where she is because I don’t have family connections and a ton of money.
I think with others that this is the case, it’s not as evident. But for some reason it HAS become a part of Rooney’s whole narrative and it’s hard to shake and leaves a bad taste in your mouth.
I really don’t think we should be comparing Rooney Mara to Monique. I mean really? Monique already knew she was going to win, and she gave an amazing performance. She’s in her 40′s and has been in the business awhile. She can get away with it.
A 26 year old with not alot to back up her attitude except for a big bank account can not get away with it. I’m not just saying from my personal tastes in what I look for in an actress to admire, but that’s how Hollywood works. Jennifer Lawrence acts a teeny bit like that but she can also sell and be flirty and sexy.
Saying Rooney ‘just isn’t playing the game’ is saying that Rooney doesn’t know how she’s coming off to people or doesn’t know how to fix it. But she does know and she doesn’t care. That’s a problem.
Yeah, she USED to be decent, when she was starting out and a bit younger, her comments she’s made about her early career are pretty hurtful. She would love to pretend The Social Network was her first role and she was an overnight success.
Yeah, men can get away with it, because a lot of men are like that.
Women, especially young women, can’t. She’s going to end up being type cast in these dark roles // I don’t think she has a lot of range.
She’s has a lot to prove still. I hope in the future she can live up to the undeserved hype she has around her.
@Nichola: Do you think David Fincher cast her in The Social Network and Dragon Tattoo because she’s from NFL royalty? Really? Nepotism and familial connections are only relevant if the beneficiary lacks talent. Rooney was actually mind-blowing as Lisbeth and letting Feinberg’s dopey tweets alter your perception of her as an actress grants him undeserved agency.
And why do you say Jennifer Lawrence “sells” like it’s a positive attribute? Unless your a marketing executive, I think we should applaud actors and actresses for trying to retain their own personalities rather than dictate their moods and outward demeanors based on what satisfies whoever watches them.
I sound kind of smarmy here so I apologize if I do. Not trying to attack, I just hate it when someone I admire gets dumped on for dicey reasons. Good luck with the acting, though.
@Jesse as someone who is on a lot of Oscar boards, I can tell you there are ALOT of people, just as many who like her and her performance, who don’t and feel the same way Feinberg feels.
I said that’s the way Hollywood works. Not what’s right. She’s going to have a hard time if she can’t sell a variety of things. part of the job. you can keep your personality and still put on a show when needed.
I’m glad you wrote about this Sasha. What Feinberg said was so catty and unprofessional. Was totally uncalled for. She is shy. She is strange. Even David Fincher said she is a weirdo in the Vogue interview over the summer. If Fincher thinks yer weird, you probably are pretty darn strange. So she doesn’t act like everyone else, but she’s always been extremely polite and still keeps answering the fucking question about her nipple being pierced….which any journalist still asking, is not a journalist……
I don’t get it. What does Feinberg, or anyone else, care what Mara enjoys?
@childeroland because Oscar Bloggers have to do this for a living, and Feinberg is one of the few around that isn’t jaded and actually still gets excited about the Oscars and has respect for them. (Sasha,Wells and Tapley are far beyond that point) so he has to be around her, write about her, and it’s a bit disappointing when someone you like isn’t enjoying what you love so much. (I know Feinberg loves Rooney Mara, he thought she deserved a Best Supporting Actress nom for A Social Network)
Oscar Bloggers have a lot more weight in the Oscar results than people think, and there are only a few of them around. Who they champion and give press, positive or negative can make an impact.
yeah? then Fienberg’s got funny way of showing how much he likes Rooney. If he does think his words carry weight and he uses those words to badmouth her over something so ridiculously petty as her perceived failure to giggle enough — then he must know he’s smearing her with a sticky stink of his own gossipy creation.
You have to go on YouTube and watch Rooney’s interview with Shaun Robinson of Access Hollywood…it’s right after she got nominated. Shaun was desperately trying to turn Rooney into a cartoon character and she refused…it was amazing.
Anyway, I do think her self-described aloofness is a bit calculated. She’s a creation of David Fincher…look at how she was pre-Dragon…very, very different. She’s got a new personality to go with her edgy look and it works…she’s unique. I don’t think it’s a sexism thing to point it out. Anne Thompson called her “surly” in her podcast with Kris.
“If he does think his words carry weight and he uses those words to badmouth her over something so ridiculously petty as her perceived failure to giggle enough — then he must know he’s smearing her with a sticky stink of his own gossipy creation.”
Yep. And unless he fucking knows her, how does he know what in the hell she is enjoying?
The night of the Golden Globes, Juliette Lewis was livetweeting while she watched. One of her first tweets was something like, ‘you guys have no idea how absolutely terrifying it is to walk that carpet, these things are not fun for many of us’
I have seen many sweet and silly moments with her. On Live with Kelly she was cute and smiley as a button. She has an interview on Attagirl where she jokes with the guy interviewing her more than once.
It’s clear to me she is very nervous on the red carpet and in “big” situations…but the one on one interviews, she’s fine. This is all so stupid. People are jealous, so they want to tear her down. The truth is that the world is obsessed with her right now….and I’d guess that feels pretty terrifying, especially when you are shy and not an attention whore at all.
@Mel it doesn’t matter. That’s a part of the job. I mean it’s a REQUIRED part of being in the business. Every time she does a movie she will have to do a red carpet and do press. and she’s not good at it or doesn’t want to be.
The problem with Rooney Mara is people look at her and try to see more then there is. Like watching a movie a couple times to find new things in it. But with her there is nothing. She just is what she is and that leaves people cold.
Doesn’t leave me cold at all. She leaves me fired up and inspired that someone in Hollywood isn’t a supreme plastic kiss-ass. May they never change her! Stay weird, Rooney Girl, stay weird.
I remember watching that Charlie Rose interview a while back and thought, “oh god, Hollywood is going to eat her alive”. She was so shy and attempted to conceal her anxiousness through short answers, and I just knew how some people would perceive that.
Shy people tend to get read in 2 different ways: either sweet, innocuous and a bit pathetic; or, conceited and disdainful. The first is mildly insulting, but the latter can be more damaging for your character. Basically, being quiet means you have to endure everyone else’s hang ups through projection – which is grossly unfair and is frankly childish.
@Nichola, it’s actually NOT required and I don’t know where you got that idea. It’s not Hollywood law. She’s gracious, respectful, polite, etc., which are really the only things required of her. She’s just not making an effort to draw attention to herself, and clearly isn’t in dire need of an Oscar — she has every right to be that way. If it was a requirement to smile big and wide on the red carpet, don’t you think her publicist would have told her by now?
I’m sure she’s not an interviewer’s dream. But unless you’re Scott Feinberg and demand that your job be made incredibly easy for you, who fucking cares? Find me a single instance of her being either rude in an interview or unhappy/scowling on the red carpet and I’ll give you a thousand dollars. And lack of smiling doesn’t count, as there’s no actual correlation between non-smiling and unhappiness. In fact, I’m pretty happy right now, and guess what? I’m not smiling.
Someone on the forums brought up Jesse Eisenberg, which is an apt comparison. No one chided *him* last year for his discomfort, aloofness, resistance to attention, shyness, awkwardness, etc. Some of HIS interviews aren’t too easy on the ears either. It’s evident to me that some people just don’t like Mara and are looking for reasons to justify it. If Eisenberg, or Jennifer Lawrence, or Carey Mulligan had connections to the New York Giants, there’s no doubt in my mind there would be people scrutinizing everything they said or did and labeling it “typical rich person behavior” or some such bullshit. I’ve known plenty of poor people who are painfully shy and who come across slightly cold as a result. And again, I don’t want to hear about how it’s required of her to overcome that. It’s not.
@Bia: “She’s a creation of David Fincher…look at how she was pre-Dragon…very, very different. She’s got a new personality to go with her edgy look and it works…she’s unique.”
This is simply untrue. Watch one of her Nightmare on Elm Street interviews. She’s the same person — she just looks different now and is facing 100x the pressure.
@D.C I don’t think you can say she isn’t drawing attention to herself intentionally when she shows up on Red Carpets pale white in black with jet black severely parted hair in a pony tail and then gives awkward short answer interviews that leave you cold and make you cringe. IMO
and yeah, it kind of is required when you do a movie that you jee…I don’t know…promote it? You get payed to do it of course. If she wants to keep headlining films she will have to.
I think it’s kind of sad people can get behind her and say ‘oh well she’s special so she can just do what she wants and that’s cool because she’s sticking to her guns’ = when every other actress has to do it. and yeah it’s not easy and it’s not fun, so why should Rooney get special treatment? I would loveeee to get dressed up and walk the red carpet and promote something I worked hard on.
@Nichola: She’s a striking woman. Should she wear demure little outfits and bronze herself? And a lot of interviewers ask shallow questions that don’t warrant long-form responses. Plus having some interviewer coming at you from one angle, a camera at another angle, an audience a second camera, lights, a third camera…Jesus, some people feel cagey. I certainly would.
“and yeah, it kind of is required when you do a movie that you jee…I don’t know…promote it?”
And yeah, she kind of jee… I don’t know… IS promoting her movie. What did you think all this was for? — standing on red carpets, dressing in fancy clothes, giving interviews, posing for magazines, etc. She just doesn’t happen to be doing those things to your and some other people’s liking. Which is what this whole thing’s about.
What special treatment? I couldn’t care less if every actress decided they’d rather not smile for photographers. They have that right. They also have the right to be not-so-amazing interviews if they want.
And I don’t see why she would intentionally be trying to make anyone cringe. You really think that? What would be the point?
Nichola is so jealous she can’t STAND it.
There is nothing Rooney Mara doesn’t do. She’s run her ass RAGGED for the last 3 months promoting TGWTDT and has rolled it right into Oscar shit now. Why do you keep saying she’s not doing what she is supposed to do? Maybe she’d give longer answers if nearly every damn question she got over the past 3 months wasn’t about the piercings, the sex scenes and the rape scenes. In fact, she used to give much longer answers when it all started and those questions had only been asked 100x rather than 1000x.
Your hatred is transparent and your arguments weak.
She has also stated for the record that she does not have a trust fund, went to public school and is one of 40 grandchildren who came from 11 children of the family that owns 50% of the NY Giants. Which is insane to me that she has to keep saying that and defending herself as if she should be ashamed.
It is also worth noting that long before she became an actress she studied international relations in college and started her own charity for children in Africa, for which she is still President of the board. http://www.uweza.org/about/our-team.html
Yer right, she seems like a real bitch. A true ingrate.
I expect actors to act in films, not be great at frakking media/public relations. The fact that some of you are of the opinion that it’s required of people who choose the arts as their profession is ridiculous.
Why people are so obsessed with the way actors/actresses present themselves in public is beyond me. Watch the damn movie, evaluate the performance, and leave the person the hell alone.
LOL, I’ve been saying Rooney Mara has an attitude problem since she showed up to the Golden Globes with her bad attitude. I call her Rooney “Sourpuss” Mara now cause she never smiles.
Please do not compare Mara to Mo’nique, there is a HUGE difference there. Mo’nique had a problem with the politics of the Oscar’s and refused to campaign and show up at events. That is a heck of a lot better than showing up to them acting like it’s killing you to even be there. Who wants to sit next to someone who doesn’t want to be there? If she doesn’t want to be there then she shouldn’t show up, but nobody wants to see her sour face on screen when plenty of other actresses who could have gotten nominated would have showed up with a smile. Tilda Swinton does not like the awards circuit but at least she shows up with a smile.
The Awards race, or the big contest of hipocresy. So refreshing when someone don’t “act” his/her way up to the stage.
Say what you want, but for example, if you really cared for the damn Oscar, better the Begnini or Almodovar attitude rather than the cold, obviously fake “warmth” that always is followed by “I love your work and am looking forward to work with you”.
If I was an Oscar nominee, probably the luncheon would be the 2nd less interesting thing about it. 1st one would be the actual ceremony, waiting till my cathegory is announced, standing the camera close ups for 3+ hours, faking to not be nervous about it and then after losing, still fake some more. Ugh. It’s bad experience for her, but I can’t just imagine how hard could have been for Anna Paquin, Keisha Castle-Hughes who were completely unaware of awards circuits when they where nominated.
@ryan – are there any actual examples of her “bad attitude,” of her not “wanting to be there,” or of her “acting like it’s killing her,” that don’t have to do with her not smiling for photographers? Have you ever seen a shy person before?
“Nobody wants to see her sour face on screen when plenty of other actresses who could have gotten nominated would have showed up with a smile.”
First of all, I do. Second of all, how is that her problem? Why should she be thinking about what other actresses would have done in her place, seeing as how that’s utterly irrelevant?
pshh @ Mel she should set up a charity, she wouldn’t be were she is without her daddy’s pocket book.
@DC um yeah there are several examples hence why Feinberg took to Twitter to call her out on it because every time someone sees her they immediately feel like all the air has left the room. and many of his colleagues agree. and these are people who have spent time in a room with her, unlike you.
No producer is going to hire someone who can’t go on a talk show and be excited about the movie and sell it. She’s a flash in the pan. Sad we will always have to remember her now, forever immortalized next to Meryl Streep. totally undeserved. (and for the record I would have felt the same way about Elizabeth Olsen because of her connections, but at least she’s LIKEABLE. Rooney does everything she can to make people not like her and she still gets fans. She should do a romantic comedy next
like that will ever happen….
I think I am the only one here who doesn’t know what happened to Katherine Heigl.
I think Mara is genuinely shy and shocked. She confessed she didn’t expect to get an Oscar nomination for this performance. Darling, you gave the best performance out of the rest of the nominees.
She’s a very shy girl. I watched her interview on Access Hollywood and she didn’t know how to react. It’s her first big role and she gets an Oscar nod.
And I like the fact that she doesn’t really give a shit about the awards. She said she wanted to give a good performance and tried hard in order to please the audiences. And she did.
By the way, will some journalists ever STOP asking her about Superbowl, her family and the piercings? Seriously, people.
That picture of Sally Field is misleading, like if you’re a big cheerleader for yourself, you win the Oscar. Field was deserving of the award, and probably didn’t campaign a bit. She also didn’t have a cliched speech prepared, and probably wore a dress out of her closet. When I see that, I see an example of someone who didn’t play the game, rather than the other way around.
I think Mara has played as much of the game as expected. She’s been on every talk show, every magazine, every premiere carpet. She always comes off as smart, stylish and talented. Kind of a mini-Swinton. She’s also, if it still matters, fantastic in her nominated role.
“Kind of a mini-Swinton.”
I like the sound of that.
Was lucky enough to speak with Tilda Swinton on the phone last year. Asked her about her Oscar. She said “It lives in America.” I teasingly suggested that she needs to have another one and hold onto the next one, not give it away. Her silent pause said: “That’s the last thing on earth I’m concerned about.”
So where’s the examples of her being awful and sour? Every single event there are plenty of pictures of her gleaming. The press chooses the ones where she isn’t smiling to highlight. Look up every single event for all the photos, plenty of pictures or her smiling.
Though at this point, anyone who isn’t burning with jealousy and bitterness knows that it is ridiculous any of us are discussing this. The world is enchanted with her. It’s a handful of jealous out of work actors and entitled journalists who have bad things to say.
I think the experience of filming Dragon Tattoo has done a bit of an emotional number on Rooney. Doing 60 takes of rape scenes has got to take its toll at some point…
I think if someone expects faking happiness from someone to fulfill a certain espectation it just shows how phoney Hollywood and great parts of Hollywood media are.
All I do expect (or let´s say: HOPE for) is an authentic attitude, just behave like you feel. And by the way, it would rather piss me off to see all famous actors putting on a bright smile in front of a camera. Such an attitude doesn´t give me vibes of happiness, but maniac!
@mel: I think you’re right about the jealousy aspect.
The anti-Rooney backlash has really pissed me off, more than I would expect. I’m just glad most of the commenters on this site know the score.
Someone on the forums brought up Jesse Eisenberg, which is an apt comparison. No one chided *him* last year for his discomfort, aloofness, resistance to attention, shyness, awkwardness, etc
It’s not an apt comparison. Eisenberg has long honed the art of turning being shy and awkward into a running gag. His SNL monologue worked solely on the assumption that the audience would know that he is an awkward person. And they did. If by the end of awards season anyone still didn’t know that Eisenberg was awkward and shy, they were living under a rock.
To be fair, turning being shy into a comedic asset is not an easy trick. Mara cannot be begrudged not using it. But it highlights the way these two aren’t easy parallels. Not if one found a great way to deal with appearing potentially aloof and the other hasn’t.
To be fair, turning being shy into a comedic asset is not an easy trick. Mara cannot be begrudged not using it. But it highlights the way these two aren’t easy parallels. Not if one found a great way to deal with appearing potentially aloof and the other hasn’t.
Translation: Let’s be unfair. Not everybody is a comedian so turning being shy into a comedic asset is not an easy trick. Mara cannot be begrudged not using it. But what the hell, I’m going to begrudge her for it anyway. Watch me: She hasn’t figured out how to turn shyness into an asset… aside from becoming a movie star and an Oscar nominee. nyah nyah, begrudge begrudge.
Eisenberg has long honed the art of turning being shy and awkward into a running gag.
what’s that you say? Jesse has long honed it, has he? Like since his first major movie, 11 years ago? How dare Rooney Mara not have long honed her shyness in the 11 long-honing years since her first major movie in 2009.
@Nichola, what Mel said. There AREN’T stories of her being awful and sour. That’s the thing.
@Julia, good point, but like you said, she cannot be begrudged for not having “found a great way to deal with appearing potentially aloof.” That seems like a lot of unnecessary effort for something a very small number of people even have a problem with. She doesn’t need to and probably can’t win over everybody. Some people get it and some don’t. I’m just trying to explain it to people.
My point was that the look she’s apparently supposed to give on the red carpet — psyched, ecstatic, cheerful — was not expected of Eisenberg. Simple as that. You’re right though: everybody knew Eisenberg was shy and awkward and apparently not everyone knows that about Mara (though you’d think Feinberg would).
@Ryan Adams, well put.
Holy overreaction. Can I criticize an comment for getting wrong without it being considered an attack on Mara?
If the original commenter wanted to make a apt comparison he would have compared her to Kristen Stewart who has been continuously been given shit for being awkward. Or, if you wanted to point out the hypocrisy, Sean Penn for being continuously an unapologetic asshole and getting away with it. But don’t compare comedic approach with straight one and call it apt.
Feinberg is a wiener for making that Twitter comment. But please let’s not be holier than thou. It’s not like this site goes to any length to support movies about women, by women, featuring women. Where is the article that points out that Glenn Close getting Albert Nobbs made with her as the lead actress at her age just at her advanced age is close to a miracle? That Meryl Streep – the best actress of our times – in her search for lead roles goes from one mediocre movie to another because all the good filmmakers, all the directors this site supports and pushes, don’t cast any lead actress above the age 35.
But no, the outrage is reserved for some random internet blogger making a stupid comment about a 26 year old up and coming doe-eyed starlet not smiling enough.
You want to take a stance against sexism, Ryan? Then do it by attacking the system, not your commenters.
@Julia, I’m guessing most of that was directed at Ryan, right?
I’m just trying to point out that Eisenberg — who isn’t ALWAYS in comedy mode, especially on red carpets and also in plenty of interviews — is ALLOWED to not be utterly enthusiastic-looking all the time. So in that respect, I still think it’s apt. You’re probably right that Eisenberg’s “turning it into an asset” is why people like Feinberg don’t seem to have a problem with him. All Ryan (I think) and I are arguing is that it’s unfair.
The reason I didn’t compare her to Kristen Stewart — who is or was criticized to a much larger extent than Mara for seeming unhappy, miserable, whatever — is because that doesn’t really have much to do with my point.
Attacking a young actress this way because she is different than the others when it comes to smile pose and camera on the red carpet, MUST and MUST only be an American thing. This is and will never be a problem in Scandinavia. Here we reward the best movies and the best actors because of their talent, NOT because they smile so f… lovely, invited to several talk shows and dressed up in expensive clothings.
So tell me: Is it the same in England, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Brazil, Japan, India or China?
Attacking a young actress this way because she is different than the others when it comes to smile pose and camera on the red carpet, MUST and MUST only be an American thing.
Might worse than America in Afghanistan, but not sure about that.
Feinberg just has the nerve to post this on Twitter:
“Oy… feeling very sick after a long day of travel back to the east coast. People think this job is all fun/games, but it can wear you down.”
Are you fucking kidding me? But no sympathy for Rooney Mara who has literally been jetting all over the world and back and around again doing promotion for her film and all these awards functions. But she should should be smiling like a Stepford through it all….meantime this sack can’t fly to NY without exclaiming how exhausted he is and not fun his job is…..so so nice.
I then honestly replied this: Oh, well hope you find the understanding that you don’t seem to have for Rooney Mara.
And I got this from him in a DM: if you don’t like my opinions you’re welcome not to follow me, but i don’t need to take your crap. either be nice or take off.
Because, yes, my statement gave him so much crap. It was a serious statement. Unlike his catty, pissy stab at Rooney Mara. What he said about Mara, and then this reply to me in private….zero respect. How in the hell does he even have this job? Doesn’t deserve it.
@Mel: I don’t know Scott or much of his work, so I can’t judge him as a professional, but based on what he wrote about Mara, what you wrote to him on Twitter, and his response to you…the guy’s waaaay off base, totally in the wrong, he needs to lighten up, etc, etc.
One of the points of Twitter is that it allows someone to open up a discourse with others, and some of that discourse will be negative. You were totally rational and fair, and his response was childish.
Big props to you guys for coming to her defense. All the hypocrisy and headlessness in this whole attitude bullshit has put me firmly on Mara’s side. Why can’t people just face reality and accept this very fact of life that introspective and honest people do exist?
And btw, Mara strikes me as someone that would nitpick herself to death in the head all the time. I have a soft spot for people like that.
Please!
Give Mara a break! Let the girl live her live and career as SHE wants.
Anyway, I love The Aviator(I like Million Dollar Baby but The Aviator deserved more). Katharine epburn will always be unique and THE BEST OF ALL and I hope Glenn Close, the Great, win this year.
The rest is silence.
BOTTOMLINE…. It isn’t called SHOWBUSINESS for no reason! The fact that we have Actors who are OH SO GREAT, but OH SO LOOKING LIKE THEY DON’T CARE or NOT GIVE A DAMN baffles me. I mean, it is widely percieved that when you enter into this business, you always, and I MEAN ALWAYS, have to put on a Happy Face! It’s PART of being in this business! You have to please the audience, and it sounds sick but most of the time, the AUDIENCE owns you! DEAL WITH IT! If you hate the paparrazzi, the critics and the High inquiry about your personal life, or your life in general, then maybe you are in the wrong proffession!
Denni Gee – BOTTOM LINE, the fact that she was nominated for an Oscar despite NOT “putting on a Happy Face” means what you’re saying is bullshit.
Love your post Jorrey!
Rooney & Dan are amazign ppl & I love how similar they are. He’s dtill bashed for being non reporter friendly just like he was pre Casino Rayale but its even harder in Hollywood for Rooney. I hope she stays as honest as she is now. She’s an awesome girl & actress!
@ Tyson: Yeah? Well if she keeps acting like this then MAYBE this will be her 1st and LAST OSCAR NOMINATION, even how great of an actress she’ll become in the future.
Denni Gee,
Not everybody is as petty as the people who are bothered by this.
You might like to think the Academy are a bunch of people who share your attitude.
I tend to think a whole lot of them share my attitude: we do not care if actresses don’t giggle and flirt nonstop.
Who plays the perky giddy publicity game better than Cameron Diaz? How many Oscar nominations has it got her?
That eager-beaver party-girl act is Golden Globes crap.
OK. This is the entire press interview from the nominees luncheon. It was recorded. Watching this, WHAT IN THE FUCK was Feinberg even talking about? She was lovely, kind, funny, smiling, gracious….I don’t get it. Dude has problems and his comment hits me even moreso now as an attempt at something malicious.
http://youtu.be/Eu-bwa4SA7w
@ Ryan:
True, true…. But as much as I love the Academy and watch them every year hand out little golden guys, they seemed to have, or for what I’ve noticed for the past several years, give the “golden guys” to people who kissed their asses more and gave less than stellar performances than the ones who deserve to win. Just sayin……