ENTERTAINMENT AS A WAY OF LIFE
MOVIELINE
November 2002
FEATURES
Emile Hirsch: The Most Adept New Talent That Can't Buy Cigarettes
After a patchy beginning as a leukemia-riddled tyke saved by a vampire on "Kindred: The Embraced" (his hair was shaved off in clumps for the role), Emile Hirsch quickly moved up in the ranks as the young Houdini in TNT's high-profile biopic, and with stints on "NYPD Blue" and "ER."
The Most Successful Person in Hollywood
By choice for this grand title is not obvious; it may make you laugh out loud. My candidate was widely dismissed, ridiculed and humiliated in his lifetime as a failure. As a movie director (his abiding ambition), he never made a picture that was a commercial hit. Instead, he made far too many that opened to mockery and disgrace, or which barely opened at all. As an actor, he had a significant role in just one box-office smash, but he contrived to make a deal for himself that settled for up-front money, instead of a part of the profits. Throughout his career, this man was hounded by his desperate need for cash in hand--to pay debts and bills, to get out of a hotel without being arrested, to launch one more unlikely project.
Elizabeth Hurley: The Most Resilient Star in Hollywood
She's had her share of public fights, most recently the very ugly one with Stephen Bing over baby Damian. But Elizabeth Hurley isn't letting spats slow her down. Here she talks about her new indie, The Weight of Water, and brings us up to speed on her mood--from how Bing made her "sad" and why she doesn't think much of his pal James Caan to how she sometimes wishes she weren't famous and why she doesn't plan on settling down anytime soon.
The Most Storied Hollywood House
Emily Mortimer, star of this fall's Formula 51, adds a funky fashion splash to a famous mansion.
The Most Likely To Succeed
The top up-and-coming 20 who may soon be breaking on through to the other side.
The Most Tragic Town
Writer Cyril Connolly's famous quote, "Whom the gods wish to destroy they first call promising," could have been minted particularly for Hollywood. Film stars, who inevitably seem so immoderately blessed, turn out with uncommon frequency to lead nightmarish lives. And sometimes, their glory was eventually matched by extreme suffering.
Jason Isaacs: The Most Alluring Villain
After starring as the bad guy in The Patriot, Jason Isaacs signed up for a slew of wicked roles, including one in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. But what he likes best is to play cross-dressers.
Curtis Hanson: The Most Daring Director in Hollywood
Curtis Hanson has always enjoyed challenges -- after all, he turned the complex novels LA Confidential and Wonder Boys into critically acclaimed films.