‘It’ girls are always in demand in Hollywood. If there’s a more valuable commodity or asset in the film world, I can’t think of it. Incriminating photos of Steven Spielberg making out with Barack Obama on top the president’s Kenyan birth certificate might come close, but I still have to give the nod to the ‘it’ girl.
Thanks to her scintillating and lust-inspiring turn in Transformers and her subsequent appearances in Maxim and Maxim-like magazines, Megan Fox is the latest actress to land the much desired ‘it’ girl label. She is hot, she is hip, she is now and everybody in Hollywood wants her in their project. The problem with ‘it’ girls for everybody in Hollywood is that the demand for their services so out weighs the supply that only a select and very talented number of directors are even able to contemplate securing their participation in a project. Once the bloom is off the ‘it’ and the ‘it’ girl in question is now simply another actress, things change drastically; Sharon Stone, Mira Sorvino and Gretchen Mol are doing a lot of films now that they would never have considered touching when their stars were at their zenith.
Fox is a unique ‘it’ girl because, contrary to the way that journalists are unable to write about her without using the word ‘steamy’, she is an actress who really wants to act. She does not care about the trappings of fame or becoming more famous (as her dating Brian Austin-Green would suggest). Fox is a supremely able actress trapped inside of the body of a very, very attractive woman. She is wisely using her status as an ‘it’ girl to look for work that would enhance her reputation as an actress and, hopefully, bring her barrels of critical acclaim.* ‘It’ girls have a very limited shelf life and it is important for the actresses in question to take advantage of that time and status while they have it. No one, I repeat, no one wants to see her ‘it’ girl designation fade to the point where she accepts a role as a schizophrenic stripper who is trying to solve her own murder.
* At which point in time large swatches of the media will begin to trip over themselves to write stories about how Fox is actually a good actress and super clever editors will title the articles things like “Talented like a Fox”.
As such, it would be a cold day in hell before an ‘it’ girl of Fox’s stature would agree to star in a teen horror film being directed by a first timer that is to be released into theaters in January, March or September. Not only wouldn’t Fox’s agents bring her news of an offer like this, but it’s highly doubtful that a writer, director or studio executive in his right mind would pitch this project to Fox’s representation either. For the same reason that you don’t insult the mother of an African warlord to his face, you don’t submit low-budget, horror scripts to an ‘it’ girl’s agent; the situation will inevitably end poorly, with you later thinking, “What the hell was wrong with me? Thank god I have all my limbs.”
With this in mind, I was quite shocked and surprised when I saw my first ad for David S. Goyer’s debut effort, the otherworldly horror film, The Unborn, and saw that Goyer had somehow managed to land Fox in the lead (view the trailer). All was most certainly not right in the state of Denmark. In the 30 seconds that I spent watching the ad for The Unborn, I came away with two bits of information: 1) It was directed by the co-writer of The Dark Knight, David S. Goyer and 2) it starred Fox. The first bit of information was liberally spoken of and flashed on the screen throughout the trailer. The second bit of information could only be gleaned by watching the numerous shots of Fox walking around in her underwear, screaming, being doused with (cold) water and walking around in her underwear again. And screaming again. The weird thing was that, although The Unborn had somehow nabbed Fox, her name wasn’t being broadcast in the marketing materials. When you have an ‘it’ girl in your project, you let it be known. If you’ve got Fox, you want people to know. Here’s how I would have written the voiceover copy for the trailer:
Megan Fox, star of Transformers, and other Megan Fox movies, returns to the big screen in The Unborn, the ultra chilling new tale starring Megan Fox, directed by David S. Goyer, the co-writer of The Dark Knight and starring Megan Fox. Opening this Friday, Megan Fox’s The Unborn, starring Megan Fox. This Megan Fox picture starring Megan Fox has not yet been rated. Megan Fox.
When I saw the ad for The Unborn a second time, I couldn’t figure out why there was no voiceover involving the words ‘Megan’ and ‘Fox’. It was a weird enough situation that I turned to my friend sitting next to me and asked, “Why aren’t they mentioning Megan Fox’s name?” The answer, if you aren’t already aware, is that Fox isn’t actually in the movie. The dark-haired, porcelain skinned actress with the piercing blue eyes and ‘come hither’ look? That’s Odette Yustman.**
** If you know Yustman, it is as the girl who was trapped under some debris in her father’s penthouse in Cloverfield. Interestingly, Yustman was also in Transformers, but she played a much smaller role than her doppelganger, Fox. Fox played the film’s female lead, Yustman was credited with playing the part of ‘socialite’.
I’ve been fascinated by alternative marketing schemes for as long as I can remember. On a certain level, I love the fact that every time I drive by a Walgreens or CVS store I am reminded of the movie One-Hour Photo. Ditto the fact that I want to see Brian Herzlinger’s film Baby on Board whenever I drive by a Volvo with a placard with those words stuck to the window. I am also amazed when a viral advertising campaign gains mainstream mention; remember how the Cartoon Network’s campaign for The Aqua Teen Hunger Force got the bomb squad involved? After imdbing The Unborn and learning that Fox had absolutely nothing to do with the project, I began to reflect on what the film’s producers and Goyer had accomplished. They had almost Bowfinger-ed their way into a major star.
For years, I’ve been suggesting that independent filmmakers go proactive with their marketing strategies and cast an actor named Matt R. Damon in a supporting role in their film. If the filmmaker isn’t worried about union restrictions and rules (SAG only allows one actor of each name to be in its guild), just cast a real life guy named Matt Damon and go from there. Tell me that won’t get some press.
I’ve also suggested that some independent filmmakers investigate the possibility of using a look-a-like in the lead role of their film. Most look-a-likes only kind of, sort of, vaguely resemble the celebrities they are supposed to, you know, look like. Some look-a-likes are of a much higher quality though. Like the Ben Affleck look-a-like in the picture to the left, whom I actually mistook for the real Ben Affleck when I first saw the photo… even though it had the word “lookalikes” imprinted on it. The trouble with look-a-likes is that they might not be able to act very much… which would instantly necessitate casting a look-a-like of an actor who might not have a great reputation as a thespian, like a Ben Affleck or a Keanu Reeves. The director might even be able to have some fun with this in the media by saying, “Yes, our Affleck look-a-like isn’t a great actor, but fortunately for us, neither is the real one. Have you seen Bounce?”
However, while the first idea might have some passing appeal, the latter seems like it would be a lot riskier of a move, both legally and ethically. Charlie Kaufman might be able to get away with casting a look-a-like and possibly Doug Liman, but it’s doubtful anyone else would, or would try to do so. Hollywood is not in the habit of rewarding filmmakers who devalue a brand or try to sell the cinematic equivalent of knock-off Louis Vuitton handbags.
It’s doubtful that Goyer and his producers cast Yustman specifically because of her resemblance to Fox or that the makeup team Vertigo-ed Yustman into Fox on set, but this is Hollywood and a lot stranger things have happened. With a $42 million box office take and counting, The Unborn is turning a lot of heads (particularly with its $16 million budget). Some of them from people, like me, who wondered just what the hell Hollywood’s latest ‘it’ girl was doing in a January horror film and then learning that Odette Yustman is Universal-ese for Megan Fox.
