He would have been a Major Star!
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goodkarma2 — 18 years ago(January 28, 2008 09:24 AM)
It's funny you mention Brad Pitt. Somehow I don't think that Jon-Erik Hexum would have become what Brad Pitt is today. In many interviews, Jon-Erik emphasized that he never wanted to be stereotyped as a sex symboy and just needed that status at the beginning to set a foot in the business.
I can only guess, but I think that Jon-Erik wouldn't have become an action star either, but he would have done his best to establish himself as a more serious actor. You know, like Nicole Kidman, who started out as a gorgeous sidekick and turned into a high level oscar winning actress over the years. -
RobBase086-1 — 18 years ago(January 28, 2008 03:34 PM)
WOW! Really now! I am surprised that he would not want to be a major star because I know that if the roles were right he would more than likely take them you know. He was a great actor and I loved Voyagers when I was growing up when it was on in the 80's.
He might have gone to more serious roles like you said and who knows what else.
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goodkarma2 — 18 years ago(January 29, 2008 01:31 AM)
I agree, he certainly would have liked to become a major star, as you say. I just think he didn't want to be a star that people only associate good looks with. At least to me, Brad Pitt is more of a sex symbol than a skilled actor.
Jon-Erik seemed to be so proud to get a serious role in the Bear Bryant movie, unfortunately his most important scenes got cut before it was released.
It's sad we'll never know for sure what path Jon-Erik would have taken.
I grew to love Voyagers recently and although I've never seen it as a child (it wasn't broadcast in Germany) I still adore the show and will certainly show it to my family and kids. -
RobBase086-1 — 18 years ago(January 29, 2008 11:07 AM)
I am not 36 and when Voyagers aired I would watch it every week. You know the actress who played Punky Brewster? Her older brother was on this show here. They look a lot a like. I remember when Soliel Moon Frye's older brother was acting he looked a lot like her. He helped her to get into the acting business.
You are so very true about Jon-Erik. We do not know what direction he would have went in his career. Who knows he could have been casted as the next James Bond? The only problem with that is he would have had to work to sustain a English accent through out the whole movie though.
He had those looks of being able to pull something like that off. I am a straight guy here who is only saying that he looked like he had the looks of Sean Connery when Mr. Connery was younger.
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goodkarma2 — 18 years ago(January 30, 2008 06:52 AM)
I'm not too fond of the James Bond movies in general, but I guess since Tony Hamilton was considered for the role, Jon-Erik would have had great chances to get it too. Although, I believe at that time, the Bond producers didn't think the audience would accept a blonde actor as James Bond - which, as I've read, was the reason Hamilton was turned down (dying his hair obviously wasn't an option
I have no doubt Jon-Erik could have played it perfectly, though. The good-looking secret agent seems to be the "stereotype" he was considered for anyway.
Some roles I would have loved to see him in would be for example:
Kevin Costner's in The Untouchables, Robin Hood, JFK
Tom Cruise's in Rain Man, A Few Good Men
Mel Gibson's in Forever Young, Bird on a Wire (yes, that would have been a funny one for Jon-Erik
Dennis Quaid's in Suspect, or as James Caviezel's father in Frequency.
Just to name a few that come to my mind. -
RobBase086-1 — 18 years ago(January 30, 2008 01:07 PM)
Sounds very good and all on your ideas. Well he could have worked as James Bond because look at the new James Bond he is not tot1354ally perfect for the role I do not think and they have totally altered the James Bond image a lot which I do not care for at all.
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goodkarma2 — 18 years ago(January 31, 2008 05:01 AM)
I don't mind Daniel Craig as James Bond, I just heard they were quite picky regarding the hair color in the 80s. I grew up with Roger Moore's Bond, however, I think Pierce Brosnan came closest to what I imagined James Bond to look like. Jon-Erik sure could have played it in the 90s. In the 80s he might have been too young to be considered for the role.
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RobBase086-1 — 18 years ago(January 31, 2008 12:58 PM)
With Daniel Craig they sort of not made the James Bond movies like they did with Roger Moore as James Bond, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan. I was not too crazy about Casino Royale and I am 35 going to be turning 36 in March so I grew up in the times of the 80's but I learned to like as wel5b4l as James Bond was Sean Connery. He was good I felt as James Bond.
I have to agree with you that Jon-Erik would have been too young to play James Bond in the 80's but had he been around in the 90's I think he would have been perfect for the role though.
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goodkarma2 — 18 years ago(February 01, 2008 12:32 PM)
I could also imagine that Jon-Erik would have liked to do some directing himself. After all, he intended to produce his own movies sooner or later. I bet he could have had some great ideas for movie projects.
Btw, I'm still amazed at how great the quality of the Voyagers-DVD is. I kinda got used to my tape-to-dvd-version of the show that I completely forgot I was watching the show in low quality. I simply adore those DVDs. I hope they'll release more of his work soon. I can hardly wait to see the Bear, for example. -
RobBase086-1 — 18 years ago(February 02, 2008 03:02 PM)
Yeah he might have had some great ideas you know for some movies but we will never know since he was joking around and took his own life. That is what a lot of actors do is learn working behind the scenes of the camera and eventually disappear from acting and just go to directing, producing, and writing for movies and TV shows.
That is what I have seen a lot of people do since I was a kid you know. I bet the DVD versions are so great to watch too!
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goodkarma2 — 18 years ago(February 03, 2008 01:49 AM)
The DVDs are just awesome. I especially love the subtitles. Not being a native speaker, I've been having a hard time understanding some of Jon-Erik's lines on the show.
Btw, it's funny to see all the details now, like how artificial the snow looks and that some scene backgrounds are simply wallpapers. I never noticed that. -
RobBase086-1 — 18 years ago(February 03, 2008 02:55 AM)
Well that is great to hear Lenaxena! I am glad that you like the DVD's! Yeah a lot of the way that they did TV shows and movies in the 80's you can sort of tell how awful it was you know.
Today's technology is a heck of a lot better to make a TV show and a movie now you know.
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goodkarma2 — 18 years ago(February 03, 2008 08:33 AM)
But it also had a certain charm. With all the cgi technology and stuff Voyagers just wouldn't be the same if it were a show nowadays. They focussed more on the plot and the characters instead of the special effect which is a good thing, IMO.
Don't you have any opportunity to see them? I ordered them from Amazon, because the show is not released in Germany - even though there would be a dubbed German version from 1989! But I guess nobody could even come close to Jon-Erik's own voice
The DVDs are available in Great Britain as well, but actually it's cheaper getting them from the states. All one has to have is a region free player -
RobBase086-1 — 18 years ago(February 03, 2008 12:37 PM)
Well I am glad that they did not just focus on the CGI effects and more onto the characters and plots of the show instead you know.
No I have not seen Voyagers on TV since like the mid to late 80's when some station picked them up in syndication and was showing the show that way. No I do not have a region free player. Sorry about that.
So it would not be any good for me at all you know.
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hunterofserenity-2 — 14 years ago(February 05, 2012 09:27 AM)
Jon-Erik would definitely had been a major star even today. Those eyes, that smile and that body were enough to keep him in film and TV for as long as he wanted. He was a natural in front of the camera. I know a lot of critics hated Voyagers!, but for a person who didn't have a day's worth of acting experience in front of the camera, Jon-Erik did a fabulous job.
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gingasnaps — 18 years ago(February 05, 2008 12:55 AM)
I learned a lot of things about the accident and the facts were that Jon-Erik had been extremely exhausted that day and while he may have jokingly put it to his head, it was not to play Russian Roulette or anything like that. It was just a response to another delay in filming. He didn't say 'let's see if I get myself with this one,' or any other lies/rumors CBS and the studio heads spread about him. He said something along the lines of "Can you believe this? And mockingly aimed the gun that way. The way someone would do with his finger if they felt a situation was hopeless, just in a joking way.
The triggers were very sensitive and he had just woken up from a nap on the bed in that set. He wasn't alone as reported, sets are NEVER empty like that, there are always many people around sawing, hammering, setting up lights and whatever else. He was probably so drowsy, he didn't even realize he had it in his hand. Everyone that knew him, including the crew, said how exhausted he always was making the show.
Had the studio been doing their jobs, that gun would have been nowhere in sight. They are supposed to take it away from the actors the instant a scene is shot and it should have never been lying around in the open that way. Hollywood has learned a lot since then about gun control and safety.
They rotten studios made Jon out to be a gun loving practical joker to the pre5b4ss in order to 'Cover Up' their mistakes with improper handling of the gunsIn some instances they even tried to paint him as suicidal which was definitely not the case. He was just very tired. Also, they would not have to pay for any of the hospital bills or insurance incurred to his family if they were sued, so the accident had to become completely HIS fault to free them from liability.
Well, just thought I would clear some of that air. As for the VOYAGERS DVDS they are awesome to watch, if only bare bones because of lack of extras. And I do agree that Jon may have went behind the cameras as well. He had already been saving every penny earned for his own production company at the time of the accident.
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goodkarma2 — 18 years ago(February 05, 2008 03:27 AM)
Interesting to mention that.
I was very surprised to see that actor Richard Anderson (who was not pres16d0ent when the accident happened) said something like the accident was said to be a russian roulette game in that Mystery and Scandals show about Jon-Erik. I never believe that for a second, but obviously the word was spread back then.
I have no doubt it was a horrid accident, still it's the studio that needs to be blamed, not the actor. I also think Jon-Erik should not have put himself under so much pressure. A tv show, talk show appearances, a demanding circus performance and hardly time to sleep really gets to you.
Thinking about his death nowadays still makes me incredibly sad. We've also lost other great actors way too early, most recently Heath Ledger, but they all had already established themselves and had built up a name. Jon-Erik wasn't given the time to achieve all that - and now hardly anybody remembers him. -
gingasnaps — 18 years ago(February 05, 2008 09:17 PM)
I have the Mysteries and Scandals, but I haven't watched it yet, I really can't stand shows like that sometimes. The word spread far and wide about many things. I agree about Jon being under pressure. He had a very gung-ho, positive attitude and perhaps all the fame came so quickly, it was hard to handle. Jon has been getting some more recent press. People Magazine just released a book entitled, 'GONE TOO SOON' and he is on page 87. I believe PEOPLE was the only one that accurately reported about the incidents surrounding his death.
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goodkarma2 — 18 years ago(February 08, 2008 05:53 AM)
The show may be quite cheesy (the host even implied Jon-Erik's ghost still haunts the studio), but it's really interesting to hear the people Jon-Erik knew talk about him. EG Daily's and Christie Jenkins' stories are pretty sweet.
They even had an (asserted) witness of the accident, some kind of drapery installb68er who said that Jon-Erik was alone when the accident happened - while other sources say there were people around him. Who knows what to believe, it's probably gonna remain a huge mystery forever. However, Ms Jenkins said that she was shocked to read about him having a "death wish" of some kind and she said that this was absolutely not true.
It's really an interesting show. -
RobBase086-1 — 18 years ago(February 05, 2008 03:36 AM)
Hey thanks for all of that information gingasnaps! I appreciate that a lot!
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