Filmgoers anxiously queued up in front of the historic Egyptian Theatre last night to nab a coveted seat at a panel discussion which focused on the behind-the-scenes underbelly of Hollywood - and bask in the reflected glow of three of their favorite young stars - Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, and Jesse Eisenberg who are currently skyrocketing to success in the film biz.
Despite shoddy production glitches - typical of the incompetent and unprofessional AFI Fest staff who organized the event - excited guests were hopeful that they were in for an entertaining night once the way was paved.
Indeed!
The festivities got off to a bumpy start as Amy Kaufman - the nervous host who covers the youth beat for the LA TIMES - struggled to get her bearings before the packed house.
It was quite evident from the get-go that Ms. Kaufman was a tad inexperienced - too green, to put it succinctly - to handle the task at hand.
But, the special event - in true show biz tradition - went on nonetheless despite a few ugly burps and distracting hiccups that stalled the proceedings now-and-then.
For example, guests were forced to endure a few awkward moments when the three celebrated guests trotted up to the podium, and were at a loss to fathom where to sit.
Obviously, the hapless actors needed a bit of direction in that regard.
Meanwhile, the AFI staff stood around slack-jawed, clueless about what action to take to rectify the embarrassing ongoing problems.
Once the panel discussion got underway, for instance, technical problems threatened to spoil the evening as well.
Microphones failed, film clips washed out on the wide-screen in an unprofessional fashion, you name it.
At times, guests were forced to strain forward in their seats in a bold-faced effort to hear the ongoing dialogue just out-of-reach on the cement floor below the wide screen, where the acoustics were definitely lousy to begin without amplification.
There was quite a bit of incoherent mumbling going on for the first ten minutes or so until the event finally found its legs and delivered up.
The audience was quite forgiving, so the event sailed on pretty smoothly, once the technical oversights resolved about a quarter-of-the-way into the panel discussion.
Carey Mulligan was the the most poised and professional of the three performers.
The lads tended to hum-and-haw a lot - even stumble for words on occasion - when the searing glare of the spotlight was tossed on them.
Andrew Garfield was probably the most intriguing guest of all.
Quite often - he waxed poetically (rambled on incoherently, too) - as he struggled to utter up witty responses to a handful of Kaufman's potentially-revealing queries.
It had not escaped his attention that pressures may derail his peace of mind in the near future - when he embarks on his next project - in which he portrays "Spiderman" (in a role Toby McGuire took on which ended up totally defining the character to audience satisfaction).
He joked that he'd be that guy in the audience lamenting the casting choice.
'Oh, shit! Who hired that English fool to play spidey," he blurted our at one point, to a roar of approval from the audience.
Garfield was probably the most insecure actor, of the three on the hot seat, too.
He worried about the way his eyebrows looked, what fans might think of his walk, that sort-of-thing.
The English actor had no problem knocking the profession - and actors, in particular - either.
"Actors hang out in a sandbox. Live in a dream world. And, they make so much money. It's criminal, really," he protested, in so many words.
But, he was inclined to confess, there was a moment in a stage production in England when he had a revelation about art and truth that set things right in his questioning mind.
"Deep," Andy Kaufman kidded in a knee-jerk reaction to the actor's obvious over-blown sense of self-importance and worth as a B-list talent kicking around the fringes of the Hollywood scene.
Occasionally, he was spontaneous, and funny.
When Kaufman asked how the three actors broke into the business - wondered if they had connections and all that - Garfield's lightning response was delightful.
"I come from the Garfield dynasty of actors. My father was a spear carrier - third on the left - in a successful Shakespearean production," he coughed up dead-pan.
Actually, through-out the revealing interview, he displayed a rather droll sense of humor.
Carey Mulligan insisted that she was terrified whenever she was forced to appear on the red carpet.
"I found it is helpful to have a Martini before-hand," she giggled.
I agree, baby!
"Or, take along friends and family, with the aim of seeing the hoopla from their perspective," she added as an afterthought.
"My brother went wild over the cops handling security at the Oscars. He hung out the window, totally blown away by their big guns," she confided.
The audiences were particularly fascinated with the two male actors since both just appeared in the phenomenally successful film bio on the founder of FaceBook (The Social Network).
I reviewed the film a few weeks ago.
Post: 10/01/10http://ijulian.blogspot.com/2010/10/social-networkfacebook-nerd-revenge.html"I met people who knew Mark. They'd pass on information like - 'he had a weak handshake' - and that sort-of-thing," Eisenberg quipped gleefully.
But, for the most part, the fresh face in the industry was inclined to go along with the character fleshed out for the screen by the talented insightful script-writer on the project.
One actor noted that his cousin landed a job at FaceBook towards the end of the shoot, and ended up in the enviable position of being able to disclose some curious secrets kept under wraps until recently.
For instance, aalthough Zuckerberg initially stated to the press that he was not going to screen the film, the actor's relative noted that the founder of FaceBook actually rented a movie theatre one day and treated the staff to a private screening of the controversial flick.
"Later, he took them out for Apple Teas, in a cheeky response to a scene where it was alleged that was the popular drink consumed by staffers running the social hub at the time," he snickered.
Also, Zuckerberg made a point of telling the cousin that he thought the actor who portrayed him in the film bio, did a good job.
However, the actor accused that it was a clever public relations ploy, on the part of Zuckerberg.
"He was trying to be diplomatic to my cousin," he summed up smugly.
When Kaufman referred to Zuckerberg as the "contested founder", by the way, he was adamant that - "no" - his character (Zuckerberg) was a founder (among a handful of visionaries who contributed to the initial success of the popular web site).
Surprisingly, Carey Mulligan fessed up that she had a weird relationship with Michael Douglas on the set of Wall Street.
"We were quite distant," she confided.
After some prodding by Kaufman, Ms. Mulligan noted that the production was not too different than earlier independent films she worked on, in many respects.
"The food was better at craft service, though. And, the crew was larger since we were working in NYC. But, the shooting schedule was just eleven weeks."
The pretty English actress got her first break when she attended an "open call" audition for "Pride & Prejudice" for a small role.
"I snagged it," she noted with glee.
The actress admitted that press reports alleging that she took the bus in Los Angeles when she moved here, and stayed at a Best Western Hotel, were true.
But, a slightly harrowing event at a bus stop, changed all that one day.
"I was standing there waiting for the Metro when a car - with blacked-out windows - glided up and pulled to a stop. The side window rolled down, and a man inside pointed a gun at me. Then, he laughed wickedly, just before tearing off down the street."
Welcome to Los Angeles, Carey!
All three performers admitted what appears to be a common fear among actors.
"I didn't work for a year after the Wall Street shoot. I didn't know if I would ever work again," Mulligan fessed up.
By the way, I loved her acting in the Michael Douglas vehicle, and raved about her in my review.
Post: 10/01/10http://ijulian.blogspot.com/2010/10/wall-streetoliver-stone-atheist-michael.htmlTechnical snafus aside, the night end up a real charmer, in my opinion.
I predict these three - provided they get over their insecurities, unfounded fears and phobias - will go far in the film biz.
Break a leg, kids!
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