Phil's Bubble

Remember - It's All Just Make-believe

By Philip Schweier
Oct 18, 2008 - 12:33:35 PM

Adam West, still enjoying the Batmobile

Recently I wrote a column suggesting that actor Adam West, if he truly wanted to pursue better acting roles, would do well to distance himself from capitalizing on his fame as Batman. Continuing to make personal appearances based on a role he assumed more than 40 years ago seems counterproductive to avoiding typecasting.

Some readers took me to task for voicing my opinion. Obviously the fans of West are legion, and I count myself among them, which is why I wrote the article in the first place. It saddens me to see him in such a predicament. Nevertheless I feel it is partially of his own making.

Note that I said “partially.” There is a bizarre eco-system in which actors cater to fans based on their role in a movie from 10, 20 or 30+ years ago. The performer receives that admiration they want, the fans get the accessibility to the star. Consequently, some of the responsibility lies with fans who are unable to separate an actor from a character.

An actor is a person who – in the words of Charleton Heston’s son Fraser – “pretends to be people.” Adam West is not Batman, Sean Connery is not James Bond and Daniel Radcliff is not Harry Potter. They PRETEND to be these people, and thanks in part to the magic of Hollywood, they do a pretty good job.

But as I stated in my earlier column, eventually the curtain comes down on such a role and it is time to leave the stage. To continue the metaphor, some actors will continue to take a bow for a role that is long since over with, much to the delight of the audience, and some audiences need to be told, “The show is over. Go home.”

Fandom is pervasive, and thanks to home theater technology, many fans will continue to enjoy movies and television shows long after production has wrapped and the cast has moved on to other projects. Perhaps because of this, roles that are a blip in an actor’s career become much more significant in the eyes of fans.

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones

One example might be Harrison Ford, whose role as Indiana Jones is among the most popular in cinema history. In Indiana Jones & The Last Crusade, it was revealed that Indy’s birth name was Henry. This fact has become part of the overall lore of the character, aided and abetted by novels, comics books and other film projects. Yet several years later, when appearing on Inside the Actor’s Studio, Ford had completely forgotten Indy’s real name. Ford had moved on; some audience members had not.

This past summer, Ford returned to the role of the daring archaeologist in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Regretfully, I found the experience lackluster, not only for reasons of narrative. There comes a point when actors “age out” of a role.

Please understand this is not agism. I don't necessarily believe that heroes shouldn't advance in years. This is about conveying a believable on-screen character. I didn’t see Indiana Jones on the screen. I saw Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones’ costume. I understand an actor’s effort to resuscitate a career, but in Adam West’s case, it borders on necrophilia.

Nevertheless, some reasons for the situation are strictly economic. Many stars of television programs produced in the 1950s, ‘60s and even into the 1970s have been inadequately compensated in regards to the amount of money their show has generated in reruns, syndication and the home video market.

Who knew that programs such as I Love Lucy, Gilligan’s Island and The Brady Bunch would continue to win over future generations of television viewers? It was expected that a show would be produced, broadcast a handful of times and then retired to the vaults. Performers contracts reflected this belief and were written as such. As a result, owners of a particular program may not be legally obligated to compensate the actors beyond a specified number of broadcasts or years.

Bob Denver

Consequently, stars such as Bob Denver (Gilligan) and George Lindsay (Goober on The Andy Griffith Show) are often forced to supplement their income by attending collectibles shows and memorabilia conventions where they sign autographs for a fee. I have no issue with a modest fee in such a venue, but when an actor whose claim to fame lies 30 years in the past, I believe charging double digits might be woefully unrealistic.

There is such a thing as growing old with dignity, and it is something to which we should all aspire, regardless of our profession. Unfortunately, the film industry is built on good looks as much as talent. Some performers are reluctant to accept that they now have to take on fatherly roles opposite younger co-stars, instead choosing to believe they can still “get the girl.”

Many actors also prefer to measure their career with their bank account or choose roles based on status in the belief that holding out for “real” parts somehow makes them more of an actor. This is not true. An actor acts, be it in a a television show, a bit part in a movie, a breakfast cereal commercial or an off-Broadway play.

My advice to an actor is that perhaps a little time out of the spotlight might be in order, giving an audience a chance to miss you. After a few years break, a little aging takes hold and then it will be time for a comeback, completely reinvented with old parts left in the past where they belong.

Superman actor George Reeves, very much out of character

It may be easier these days for an actor to shake off what some might call “the curse of George Reeves.” Reeves portrayed Superman in the 1950s, and perhaps no actor has been more stereotyped. But Reeves died before other acting opportunities came along. In the decades that followed, actors saw “genre” roles – super-heroes and starship captains – as career suicide, so it required finding an unknown to take on such a character.West still struggles with his Batman history, and Sean Connery floundered for many years following the end of his James Bond days.

Today fewer actors are being pigeonholed for roles. Film producers look for star power, casting bigger names with a larger body of work which dilutes the stereotyping syndrome. Fans can help by learning to seperate fact from fiction, ham actor from heroic casting.

Praise and adulation? Scorn and ridicule? E-mail me at philip@comicbookbin.com .