Basinger Bends Reality
Hollywood -- July 25, 1996 -- Talk about bending reality. Moviegoers
will see Kim Basinger playing a 1952 actress who makes her living as a
Veronica Lake look-alike when the currently-lensing "L.A. Confidential"
hits screens. Filmmaker Chris Carter reports that Kim was intrigued by
the movie's treatment of celebrity. "That look, specifically that hairstyle -
it's both a trademark and a mask to some degree, and a trap," comments
Carter, referring to the famous peek-a-boo hairdo that Lake and the
character played by Basinger share. "Any time a performer has one kind
of thing they're very successful with, they have to deal with the down side
of it -- being pigeonholed and not allowed to change. Kim has had the
same kind of thing during her career, I'm sure. That's why there was an
appeal to playing a character who is dealing with it." Carter says he's been
getting along famously with the actress, who's had some highly-publicized
clashes with behind-the-scenes talents on movies in the past. "I've had good
luck. I've worked with other actors or actresses about whom people say:
Gee -- hard to work with. But I haven't had a problem. I love actors and
what they do. And I really believe you have to take people as they are to
you and forget about the things you hear," says the director, whose credits
include Meryl Streep's "The River Wild." He adds, "I think in showbusiness,
that's especially true." The adaptation of James Ellroy's classic crime novel,
"L.A. Confidential" stars an ensemble cast that also includes Danny DeVito,
Kevin Spacey, James Cromwell, and David Strathairn. Carter says he's
been especially gratified by the supportive attitude and input he's gotten
from DeVito and Spacey, both of whom are directors in their own right.
"Danny's been absolutely great," says Carter. He adds that when he first
met with DeVito about playing the editor of the fictitious Hush-Hush
Magazine, "he asked me, Do you see this as a sleazy guy?' I said, No.
I see him as an innovator, a man who is enthusiastic about what he's
doing -- the Christopher Columbus of tabloid journalism.' And Danny said,
I love it! You mean he thinks, I'm out there telling the truth!' I said, Exactly!'"
Neil Simon's Passion For Writing Continues
Hollywood -- July 26, 1996 -- Neil Simon, as busy today at age 69 as
he ever seemed to be, explains, "I like to write -- I'm lucky that I still like
to write." Not that there's not a difference between now and way back
when. "It's a different kind of passion than I felt in the beginning. Then,
writing was more worrisome for me, and any little success that came was
so appreciated. I could stop now -- but I like the challenge." He must,
because he's writing a new play, rewriting several of his vintage works for
the big screen and the small, and has just finished volume one of his
memoirs. When it's mentioned that critics have noted that his most recent
plays -- "Jake's Women," the musical version of "The Goodbye Girl,"
"Laughter on the 23rd Floor" and "London Suite" were not long- running
successes -- he responds, "I think critics are getting spoiled about how
long plays are going to run. I have no complaints." Simon's looking
forward to the broadcast of the NBC-TV adaptation of his "London Suite"
with Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kelsey Grammer, Jonathan Silverman and
Michael Richards . Look for it to open the network season in September.
Copyright (c) 1996 Beck/Smith Ent.