Predict the 2005 Oscars

[SilentPanda]

Reese Witherspoon not only spent time with June Carter Cash studying and learning how she acts, she also learned how she sings. Then, she took voice lessons to learn to sing. On top of that she learned to play the guitar, banjo, and piano. Then she had the guts to sing for the film and soundtrack. That's a lot of work to prepare for a single role.

From IMDB:

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June Carter Cash died before production began on the film, so Reese Witherspoon's research included looking through Carter's closet for inspiration.

Reese Witherspoon did her own singing. She also had to learn to play the auto-harp.
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Not saying she didn't meet with Mrs. Cash or learn how to play the guitar, banjo, and piano but just wondering where you got your info from. I think her performance was pretty good in Walk the Line however. In an age where musicals rarely exist in the mainstream it takes a lot of work to get an actor/actress to get up and sing on the big screen I think.

 

[Doctor Q]

Ah, just remembered another actress who is around my vintage: Hayley Mills. She first appeared in a British film called "Tiger Bay," which brought her an offer from Disney, and after that her career was caught up in many Disney films which brought her loads of money and fame.... but I think the last Hayley has done any acting was in "Flame Trees of Thika." ??

Oh, yes, and there's Patty Duke.... She first came to attention in the film "The Miracle Worker," having previously acted the role of Helen Keller on Broadway. At the time (early 1960's) she was the youngest ever to win an Academy Award, taking home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

It's funny that you mention Patty Duke's "youngest" accomplishment and also mention Hayley Mills, because Hayley Mills was given a "special" Oscar for "outstanding juvenile performance" in 1960. It was presented to her by Shirley Temple! So Duke and Mills were both young actresses who went on to successful adult careers.

Hayley Mills does movies, TV, and plays, but never seems in a hurry to find her next role. She was in a short film named "Stricken" last year. She's had a great career and is a straightforward and cheerful person (no big actor ego). I'm sure she was thrilled to have met me, in London after a stage show. She autographed my program. OK, I guess I was more thrilled than she was.

You've heard of Tiger Bay!? Wow! I thought forum member 748s and I were the only ones who had ever run across it. See post and post and post.

 

[Clix Pix]

True, I haven't yet seen "Walk the Line," but it's on my list of DVDs to rent! (Sorry, Academy and Filmmakers, but I just didn't get to the theatres when it was first released)

And, yes, it sounds as though Reese Witherspoon did a lot of preparation for her role, but so did Felicity Huffman in a very different way. It takes a lot of work to convey someone whose lifestyle and emotional construct is so very different from one's own. It was far more than simply putting on the costumes or lowering her voice a notch.... because she had to wear the costumes, not as a woman would easily and naturally wear her clothing, but as a male trying to become comfortable in feminine clothing. She had to "unlearn" her own femininity and natural female gestures and mannerisms and then layer a new level of being feminine and female on top of a layer of what being a male uncomfortable with his own masculinity means....and successfully convey all this to the viewer without going over the top.

She also took some risks, too, in accepting the challenge of this role, and had to stretch herself in a way that many actors won't even attempt. There is one particular scene in the film which she admits was really difficult to carry out and at first she resisted but then went with it at the director's insistance. It's one of the key highlights of the film not because of what it depicts but rather in how it carries the plot forward.

So, not knocking Reese Witherspoon's performance, but just disappointed that Felicity Huffman didn't get the award.

 

[emw]

Hm.... Actually, I don't think many of the actors and actresses of my generation (which is what we're talking about here because in 2028 I'll be in my early 80's) have the staying power that some of those from the past did.

What about Meryl Streep?

 

[Clix Pix]

What about Meryl Streep?

Hey, good one! Now THERE's an actress who more than likely will be around to hobble up to the podium and to reflect back on her prestigious career. This is one lady who still has some good roles in her and I hope she's in more films soon.

Oh, yeah -- she and Lily Tomlin are both a bit older than me. Lily's older than Meryl, who's got a few years on me...

 

[RBMaraman]

From IMDB:

----------------
June Carter Cash died before production began on the film, so Reese Witherspoon's research included looking through Carter's closet for inspiration.

Reese Witherspoon did her own singing. She also had to learn to play the auto-harp.
----------------

Not saying she didn't meet with Mrs. Cash or learn how to play the guitar, banjo, and piano but just wondering where you got your info from. I think her performance was pretty good in Walk the Line however. In an age where musicals rarely exist in the mainstream it takes a lot of work to get an actor/actress to get up and sing on the big screen I think.

Just so you know, IMdB is edited by users, film fans, etc., so a lot of the information is only partial, incorrect, or both. As for where I got my information from, it was an interview she (Reese) gave to CMT (Country Music Television). She and Joaquin Phoenix both spent several months interviewing and studying Johnny and June a few months before they died.

 

[RBMaraman]

So, not knocking Reese Witherspoon's performance, but just disappointed that Felicity Huffman didn't get the award.

I completely understand. I'm looking forward to seeing "Transamerica" and checking out Felicity's performance.

You've given some great reasons why she should have won. I can't comment on Felicity, since I haven't seen her, but I suspect Reese won because she did something most actors cannot: Play a musical legend, with the most accuracy I have ever seen. I went to see "Walk the Line" with my best friend, who happened to know Johnny and June, and he was brought to tears by the amazingly accurate portrayal by Joaquin and Reese.