enberg In Alias David Cronenberg is coming out of the closet and he's choosing to do so on national TV.
"I think a lot of directors are closet actors, and I'm no exception," says Cronenberg from his offices in Toronto. "When we were growing up, my sister and I used to put on plays in our living room. I loved performing, but I loved directing more." Cronenberg, who turned 60 in March, began writing and directing for Canadian TV in the mid '60s. His feature film career began in 1975 when he wrote and directed the low-budget horror flick Shivers. He cemented his reputation as Canada's master of the macabre with films like Rabid, Scanners, The Fly and Videodrome. Though he often gave himself cameos in his films, Cronenberg made his true acting debut in 1985 opposite Michelle Pfeiffer, Jeff Goldblum and Dan Aykroyd in John Landis' comic thriller Into the Night. He also had a major role in Clive Barker's 1990 Nightbreed. "I don't do that much acting because not too many directors or producers think of me that way." This was not the case with J.J. Abrams, the creator of the hit series Alias. Last month he phoned to offer Cronenberg the role of the memory psychologist who agrees to try to unlock the memory of Agent Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner). The role is a pivotal one because the season is centred on a Bourne Identity style case of amnesia. Sydney has no recollection of the past two years of her life. "That call came totally out of the blue. I met Jeffrey 15 years ago. He had a script called Speedracer he talked to me about directing," recalls Cronenberg. The project never came to fruition, but when Abrams called he told Cronenberg "he'd never forgotten how we got along and said he felt my work has been an influence on his. When you consider what he's accomplished with Alias, that's quite a complement." Abrams also explained to Cronenberg "he didn't want a too familiar face to play the doctor, which is another reason he came to me." Cronenberg says his therapist is not a mad doctor, but hints he is "a bit eccentric as all memorable movie doctors, scientists and psychiatrists tend to be." It's quite an assignment he has in the Sunday episode of Alias. "The procedure is dangerous because it could leave Sydney deranged or it could cause her to lose the memory of those two years forever. Even if it is successful, there's the question of what exactly happened to Sydney during those lost years." Cronenberg has become a fan of Garner. "She's a wonderful actress, but she's also an incredible athlete. "I had a great deal of fun on the set because Jennifer loves to laugh and she sets a wonder atmosphere on the set. I would love to work with her again perhaps on one of my films." It was having worked with Goldblum on Into the Night that prompted Cronenberg to craft the central role of the doctor who morphs into a giant insect in 1986's The Fly. "Making a film is a bit like going to war, so you want a few comrades in arms. That was certainly the case with Jeff, and I feel it could be with Jennifer too." Cronenberg had been working on a project he called Painkillers, but he says he's pushed it to a back burner. "Because a film takes two or three years of your life, I have to be excited about a script and Painkillers just isn't doing it. "I may return to it at a later date, but I've just begun working on a new idea that may or may not be my next film." Until Cronenberg the director is ready to go back to work, Cronenberg the actor is available for odd jobs. _______________________________________________ Sndbox mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://sandboxmail.net/mailman/listinfo/sndbox_sandboxmail.net
