Robert Altman, Sydney Pollack, Martin Scorsese, Alexander Payne and Paul Feig have claimed that casting is 90% of a director’s job. In a 1984 issue (#28) of CineMagic, a reference is made to an interview in American Cinematographer where Steven Spielberg claimed that 40% of his creative effort was finished on a film when he completed the casting. When being interviewed for The Breakfast Club by Chicago Tribune, Emilio Estevez claimed that John Huston was told that 90 percent of his films were about the casting. He responded by saying it was 99 percent.
In Inside the Actors Studio, Michael Caine discussed working with John on The Man Who Would Be King. Michael informed him that he wasn’t telling his cast how to act. John told him that a director doesn’t need to if he has cast it right. He went on to claim that the first thing in the art of direction is casting. If you have to tell the thespian how to do it then that person is not right for the part. This is the justification that Robert Zemeckis had in not informing Eric Stoltz for his scenes in Back to the Future. According to Bob Gale, 45 minutes of footage featuring Eric was shown to Steven Spielberg so that he could be convinced that Michael J. Fox should replace him. Star power was required.
I have acquired images of Jennifer Lawrence conveying 45 facial expressions for when the wrong actress is opted for (if not cast in) a future adaptation that is based on one of my novels. In that regard, I can relate to the makers of BTTF because I changed one of my screenplays to necessitate her facial diversity. Like BTTF, my screenplay could easily have been just a drama due to the serious premise. In a tendentious book titled We Don’t Need Roads, it’s mentioned that the screenplay only had to be changed because of Michael’s height.
If J-Law is too busy, I will opt for Melissa Benoist. Should Jenny become available, I wouldn’t make them comparable to the two Kellys of Weird Science. The logic behind my decision is that it’s better to go for a woman who has less star power so that the adaptation increases said star power, which would allow the film industry to have more stars to bank on. More competition leads to more publicity. A star’s profitable transition from TV to cinema makes a movie more memorable than one which is just another in a line of star vehicles.
J-Law’s detractors dismiss her as pulling faces, but she is conveying emotion in a way that doesn’t involve looking incoherent e.g. cheek-sucking, cheek-bloating, etc. This is one of the few photos where she’s actually face-pulling. The opposite to Jim Carrey is John Cusack*, so the opposite to her is Ellen Page. There are other people who give Jen distinction for reasons which could be easily applied to a lot of actresses. Below are the images which have names of the 45 emotions that she can facially convey.
Amazed:
Anxious:
Apologetic:
Appalled:
Apprehensive:
Ashamed:
Awkward:
Befuddled:
Brash:
Condescending:
Devastated:
Disappointed:
Disagreeing:
Disdainful:
Disgusted:
Disgruntled:
Distressed:
Disturbed:
Ebullient:
Embarrassed:
Enthusiastic:
Flippant:
Grief:
Horrified:
Irritated:
Lethargic:
Mocking:
Naughty:
Nonchalant:
Nonplussed:
Offended:
Outraged:
Panicked:
Patronizing:
Repulsed:
Scared:
Scheming:
Seething:
Smug:
Sneer:
Stroke:
Suppressed laughter:
Tormented:
Underwhelmed:
Unimpressed:
To conclude, here is a quotation from a guy on the comment section of this video (i.e. featuring her singing Cher’s Believe on Conan O’Brien’s show):
The reason that I personally find Jennifer Lawrence so appealing is not just because of her looks (yes, she has attractive physical features), but also her sense of humor is amazing. I love the fact that she doesn’t take herself too seriously, and repeatedly points out in interviews that she’s just an actress whose job in reality is actually not that serious. She doesn’t act like she’s some sort of world saviour like some Hollywood celebs think themselves to be.
That sort of humility/social awareness from Lawrence is something that very few A-list actresses ever show. She really does seem like a down-to-earth chick who you’d want to have a beer with, and the fact that she’s not a fan of social media (no Twitter, Instagram, etc.) is an added plus as well. I’m so sick of seeing arrogant self-obsessed celebs who act like every picture they take or everything that comes out of their mouth has some sort of deep profound meaning like their lives and opinions hold more validity than non-famous folk.
Jennifer is a refreshing change of perspective. Haters say she has an immature demeanor. I disagree. I think the fact that she can be so easy-going all the time in public suggests she’s very comfortable in the limelight which in itself also suggests a level of understanding, experience, and maturity far beyond her age. Is she perfect? No, and no one is, but she’s got brains, beauty, talent, success, a sense of humor, wealth, and a sense of humility that very few of her fellow Hollywood peers have. All that together makes her a 10/10 in my eyes, no doubt about it!
* He auditioned for Man on the Moon, but lost to Carrey.
Pop Cult Master 