Then and now: Jason Bateman, Debra Messing, so many more

I know this is going to make me sound (but not feel) frightfully old......but I can’t help but take pleasure in seeing so many actors I have worked with in the past working in today’s TV and films. Not a day goes by when I don’t spot a former “costumee” of mine on the tube or silver screen.  

Case in point: yesterday my husband and I saw the film “Identity Thief”, starring two of “my actors”. Jason Bateman guest starred on the TV series “Ned and Stacey” in the ’90’s, and he seems exactly the same as I remember him. Nice. Unassuming, Gently funny. Gorgeous green eyes. I have a photo of him somewhere on set.

Another actor I actually didn’t recognize in the film at first was Robert Patrick.  I went on IMDB and saw this quote "I think 90% of acting is makeup and wardrobe. The other 10% is what I do here in my office, bouncing off the walls."  Haha, I know actors won't agree (and neither do I completely) but I love the shout-out to make-up and costumes! It actually reminded me of Robert, who showed up late to his fitting for a TV one hour pilot  I was designing called “Snitch”. The next day he showed up to his second fitting on time and said “my wife told me I have to apologize for yesterday and that I was being an ass-hole”! He made me laugh, and we got along great.

I love the TV show “Smash” and watch it religiously every time it is on. It takes me right back to my own Broadway days as a dancer. I’m sure lots of things have changed since then, but it still feels very familiar. And there is fabulous Debra Messing, whom I costumed for two years on the aforementioned Ned and Stacey! Debra was a handful, but I adored her. She refused to allow the producers to coerce me into putting her into padded bras (typical sitcom-think!) and had her own ideas for the bohemian Stacey. We had great fun defining her look. Of course, Thomas Haden Church was even more of a handful, but in a completely different way - droll, stubborn, with that incredible voice. But his wardrobe is one of the looks I created (with his input of course) that I am most proud of. The Atlanta Journal Constitution said “ Thomas Haden Church is one of the best dressed men on TV”.

Then there’s “The Big Bang Theory”, a hit TV comedy. I have two of my former “kids” on it. Mayim Bialek was 12 or 13 when I first costumed her for a pilot spin-off of “The Facts of Life”. She was very funny. She had a scene where she wanted to be more grown up and stuffed socks in her chest. And the self assured young woman who is today Kaley Cuoco was 15 wen I first worked with her on a TV movie with Tony Danza, shot in Vancouver. 

Another successful young woman is Alyson Hannigan, I’m sure known to everyone under 35 for many successful series, now in “How I Met Your Mother”. She was also around 15 when I costumed her in one of her first TV shows, which was cancelled after 12 episodes. She wailed ”I’ll never work again”, which is what we all think when a show is cancelled.

Then there’s Dennis Haysbert, the tall actor with the deep voice who is seen in all the Allstate commercials and played the President in the series “24”. He had a bit part in “The Facts of Life” as a cop. I don’t even remember him. And the high school Principal  Figgins, in “Glee”, Iqbal Theba - he played a bit part on one of my sitcoms.

And of course, my biggest star, George Clooney! We all know what happened to him!

P.S. Don't forget to check me out on www.HollywoodMentors.co

CELEBRITIES BEHAVING BADLY

So, this past week actor Alec Baldwin was in the headlines again for “behaving badly” on an airplane, and in general making an ass of himself. Actors and celebrities are just as likely to act like idiots as any other group of people, but regular folk don’t make it into the headlines. It really bothered me that Alec felt so entitled to be exempt from both courtesy and FAA rules.

I have worked with a LOT of celebrities (if you doubt me, check out my celebrity page on my website at http://hollywoodmentors.co/HM/celebrities.html,) and I have come to the conclusion that if someone is by nature and upbringing kind, considerate, appreciative, and well balanced, they will remain so if they become famous. If they are basically shallow, insecure, self involved, with a strong sense of entitlement, these traits will only be exacerbated with the addition of fame.

Stars do not have the right to think the rules do not apply to them, that common manners are not necessary, that respecting one’s assistants, co-workers, and colleagues is of no importance. What they DO have the right to, in my humble opinion, is enough “space” to prepare for a big performance. When I worked with Diana Ross, she needed a quiet dressing room for at least an hour before going out and singing for 30,000 people, and it was not a time to engage her in petty conversation. She had her diva moments, but she was respectful and generous to her cast and crew. The one time she snapped at me about some minor thing, she later apologized.

Stars also deserve to be left alone in restaurants while enjoying a night out. I was out with Larry Hagman (in a group!) when filming “Staying Afloat”, and he could barely finish his dinner without fans coming up and expecting him to lay down his knife and fork and have their photo taken with him. He also told me that he used to wear a huge baseball cap when flying as people would sneak up and take photos of him sleeping!

Some of the really wonderful actors I have worked with are:

Ann-Margret; if you work in her company, you are “family” for life. The dancers and singers that traveled with her when she had her nightclub act were definitely her family and she would do ANYTHING for them . After she heard that I was in the MGM fire with other members of the Bob Mackie group, she called all over town to trying to find me and see what she could do to help and if I was OK.

Betty White: she NEVER expects any special treatment, NO concessions to her age or celebrity. 

Tony Danza: on the first day of filming he would go around the set with his assistant memorizing his crew’s names. He would point to a gaffer or grip or prop master, and his assistant would whisper their name in his ear. He does have a hot temper, but also has an Italian heart of gold. 

The late Gregory Hines would not only greet every cast and crew member, but would go up and say hello to the stand-ins and background actors, often treated like “outsiders” and considered invisible until needed.

George Clooney was an unknown when I worked with him back in the 1980’s, but I cannot imagine in my wildest dreams him putting on airs.

Tom Hanks, who directed an episode of the TV series “A League of Their Own” that I costumed, said that sometimes the yes-men unwittingly encourage the bad behavior. They try and satisfy every demand, not wanting to be the first to say no, and so the scope of the requests gets more and more extreme, until you tempted, Hanks said, to ask for the impossible and unreasonable, just to see at what point someone would say no.

Its always a tough place to be, especially for a young designer or film-maker, to know at what point one can draw the line and not go along with unreasonable requests. The producers just want their stars to be happy and don’t want any of the crew standing up to an unruly actor and making waves. So there are times when you have to suck it up and go along, but there are also times an experienced designer will know that a star is testing you, pushing you, and sometimes it seems they relish being told, sorry, I can’t do that.

One star I worked with recently wanted a particular kind of socks. I searched and searched and bought every possibly variation of what he was looking for. None of them were right. On the first day of shooting I presented him with 6 different pairs of socks. He said these aren’t the ones. So I said, I’m sorry, but these are the choices, pick one. And he was fine with it!

I love working with actors - their needs, their peculiarities, their insecurities, their creative instincts. So as long as they respect me as their equal in all things except perhaps income and notoriety,  I’m in.