Why did Michael Cimino pick Isabelle Hubbert?
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alouette1977 — 12 years ago(December 05, 2013 08:24 PM)
I would say because Michael Cimino was just like another 1970's film auteur, william Friedkin. Pompous and full of pretension, and nothing says pretension more than casting French actors for your films!
"Everyone else may be an a**hole, but I'm not!" - Harlan Ellison -
cookiela2001 — 11 years ago(March 08, 2015 11:51 PM)
They were scraping the bottom of the barrel after the big names (Fonda, Keaton, Field, etc.) had all passed on the role. Then the director became entranced with Huppert for some reason. I think insisting on her being cast became more about Cimino wanting to get his own way rather than any particular qualaties she may have brought to the role.
In other threads, posters suggested that Tuesday Weld or Margot Kidder would have been good as Ella, and these seem like better choices even if they were second-tier stars.
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kavan30013 — 10 years ago(September 07, 2015 10:08 AM)
I just watched Final Cut and what I found interesting is there was no discussion of why all the female big names passed. Here was an Oscar winning director, in a big epic film and yet the women passed. I think had UA addressed that they might have had a better film-namely that Ella's role was pretty poorly written.
That said I actually thought IH did as well as anyone could with the part. -
pete36 — 10 years ago(September 12, 2015 11:20 AM)
She is a wonderful actress, toplisted in France and rest of Europe. But alas not in the US (her only other US role after this was in IloveHuCkabees in 2008) mainly due to her performace in HG.
Again she is a great actress but not a real looker as Catherine Deneuve, Sophie Marceau or La Seydoux. In those days she hardly spoke a word of English and also had to learn to ride a horse (watch her galloping about always with a look of total fear on her face and I don't think she was acting then!).
Probably one of the many weird whims of Cimino to go for her. -
naples-884-346409 — 9 years ago(July 16, 2016 02:50 AM)
The reasons:
-Ciminio's casting concept: The immigrants should be played by foreigners.
-Huppert was a star in France & well-respected in Europe.
-She was willing to be naked on camera, play a prostitute & have a rape scene.
American star actresses were not willing to do that.
-She had the potential to become an international star in the future.
I think Cimino's decision was sound, but a big American star
would have helped the film at the US box-office.
He was right about Huppert.
She IS now an international star & the best European actress.