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The Perks of the Biz: What Actors Demand When They Take A Job
As Pete Jones, Joseph Middleton, and the producing team scour actor availability for "Stolen Summer," they are keenly aware that they have several hurdles to jump over to get their desired cast.
For one, Pete Jones is a first time director, with no prior work to look at, no previously sold screenplays to read, and very little working knowledge of a movie set to instill a whole lot of confidence.
Second, there is no money to offer these actors beyond scale, the legal minimum a union actor can be paid to work. With a budget hovering in the million-dollar range, there is virtually no wiggle room to entice actors with a lot of perks.
That being said, Middleton comes armed with a wealth of casting experience, as well as Pete's script, one that is rife with complex characters and opportunities for praise-worthy performances.
So it was no surprise when a gifted actor like Aidan Quinn took interest in Pete's script. Aidan is represented by Steve Dontanville, a William Morris agent whose reputation as the "artist's agent" has served well for the likes of Holly Hunter, Benjamin Bratt, and Julianna Margulies, to name a few.
Aidan "loved" the script of "Stolen Summer," despite the added stipulation that this project would not make him a millionaire. If he were to come on board, his rep made clear, he did have some stipulations of his own:
- Active involvement in the casting process
- Approval of the cinematographer
- Meaningful consultation in casting the two child leads
- Changing the 20-day shooting schedule and six-day work week to a 25-day shooting schedule and a five-day work week
- A dialect coach
This is outlandish. This is absurd. Just who does Aidan Quinn think he is, walking in with all these demands?
In fact, attracting Aidan was one of the best things that could have happened to Pete. Aidan's requests were all rooted in a desire to make the best possible movie, and to help a first-time director get on track. Adding days to the shooting schedule was aimed at letting Pete breath a bit, not so Aidan could have more time to shop on Michigan Avenue. In retrospect, you would be hard-pressed to find anyone on-set who would say that Aidan was anything but a complete professional.
Not all actors, however, can make the argument that their demands are made in the best interests of the film. That would be impossible. And while many actors do bring a truckload of creative demands with them to the set, there is an elite bunch in Hollywood whose demands are as creative as what color the flowers in a dressing room need to be.
But "perks" are a Hollywood reality, and it goes beyond a per diem and a dressing room. These days, studios go to almost laughable lengths to keep their stars happy. Check out some notorious perks below and try to guess which stars made such outlandish requests.
TRAILERS
Yes, those homes on wheels where the stars hide out in between scenes. While the lighting guys are doing heavy lifting, and the PA's are eating Red Vines by the food table, stars tend to retreat to their trailer to be exclusionary, and, well, do whatever it is that stars do.
In a recent shooting of a music video to benefit the victims of September 11, a lovely singer/actress required that the tables, chairs, tablecloths, flowers, drapes, candles, and couches in her trailer all be white.
It is not uncommon for the biggest stars to demand that their trailer be bigger than anyone else's on set. In fact, a former caped crusader reportedly busted out a tape measure to see if his trailer was longer than his co-star's, on the set of "Pacific Heights."
One young actor requires that a bag of marijuana be provided in his trailer while he is working. We can only assume that he also asks that chili-fries and Oreos be available at all times.
ENTOURAGE
When a star is hired, an entourage of anywhere from one personal assistant to several highly talented support-staffers are, in essence, hired by the Producer as well.
When a newly famous actor made the sequel to his animal-filled celebrity launcher, he demanded the studio pay for a chef for himself, and another chef for his pet iguana!
When a big name action hero shot a millennial disaster film for Universal Pictures, his personal hair-stylist received $52,000 and his make-up artist received $50,000.
When this brat-packer became a mom and a superstar, she had an entourage that included three nannies. On a side note, she's also been rumored to request her hair be washed in nothing but Evian water.
On one movie, this former film-champ brought along an entourage of 11 people, including a golf pro with whom, between takes, he would hit golf balls into a huge net on a nearby sound stage.
TRAVEL
Since being rediscovered by Quentin Tarantino, this star now owns his own Gulfstream jet. But he does ask that the studio foot the bill for keeping the G4 gassed and ready to go on a moment's notice when he is working.
Once the better half of a Hollywood power couple, this star somehow required two jets and a helicopter to get herself to Manhattan for a Letterman appearance.
Perks can add millions to a star's already enormous salary, but studios are helpless to do anything about it. Stars open movies, and if you put your foot down, there are a few other studios in town that are happy to open their doors to a disgruntled star.
Granted, Aidan Quinn is not a $20 million per picture player in Hollywood. But he has earned a right to ask certain things on a film. Were Aidan's requests indulgent or were they rooted in a genuine desire to improve Pete Jones's creative process? Much has been made of nightmarish on-set actors who simply wreak havoc on the harmonious process that is a film shoot.
Aidan's report card has yet to be totally filled out, but it is hard to argue that Aidan's "demands" were anything but selfless, and not the ego-stroking pampering that so many of our beloved Hollywood stars have come to expect.
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