The Kid Stays In The Picture

I haven't written in a few weeks while we set up this new blog, and with a site entitled Say Everything, you would think that I would have something really important to say. Sadly, with me, that's almost never the case. Instead, I'm coming at you with the same nonsense I always do. So, if you like this kind of thing, please feel free to subscribe to our site. McCarthy Culkin and I certainly would appreciate it. Hope you enjoy.

From time to time, Hollywood decides that they want someone to be a star. They don't let it happen naturally. They try and force feed you someone until you like them. I realize this happened a lot in the early days of television and film because studios had certain actors under contract. Maybe that's still the reason, but you never hear about that anymore. The only guide you have is how often certain actors show up when nothing they've ever done has been successful. At what point do you realize that maybe this particular actor isn't what the public wants. I don't know, but it kind of intrigues me. My friend Dan pointed this out to me a few years ago when Josh Lucas was showing up in everything. He's basically a poor man's Matthew McConaghey. Everything about this guy screams that he should be a star, but he just doesn't catch on. There is something about his persona that prevents him from being super successful. He kept showing up in major motion pictures like Sweet Home Alabama, Stealth, Poseidon, and Glory Road. He's fine in these movies, but he isn't a leading man. He should probably try to catch on as a character actor and then try and move over to leading man status. I don't know, it's a thought, because whatever he's doing now isn't working.

The most current example of this phenomenon is happening on HBO's How to Make it in America. I'm still not sure whether I like this show, but I watched a bunch of them in a row the other day and obviously liked it enough to finish out the season. Anyway, this show harbors a "star" that gets chance after chance. It must drive unemployed actors all over New York and L.A. crazy when Bryan Greenberg gets cast in shows and movies every single year. It seems that everyone in Hollywood wants/needs him to succeed. Lets take a look.

Bryan Greenberg first showed up on the vastly underrated early years of One Tree Hill. He played the sensitive rebounding power forward for the Tree Hill Ravens. His character liked to quote Ayn Rand, play guitar, and father a kid in the 11th grade. He also dated the lovely, but troubled Peyton Sawyer which makes him a hero in my book. Greenberg had to leave the show because he had signed a contract with another studio and they pulled him out of One Tree Hill. That would be the end to many a career, but not Greenbergs. Soon he was cast opposite Uma Thurman in Prime, played himself on HBO's Unscripted, and was cast as the lead in October Road. To be honest, I was really looking forward to October Road because it was based on one of my favorite movies, Beautiful Girls. Unfortunately, the creators of that show took all the soul out of the movie and made one of the worst television shows ever. I kept giving it a chance because I believed they would see the error of their ways, but it never happened. They had the blueprint for a great series and completely botched it. It still aggravates me. Anyway, it wasn't Greenberg's fault that the show failed. He was fine. He's always fine. Never spectacular. Always plays the same type of character. There's nothing good or bad about the guy. So, when HBO went looking for a lead for their new show, he was the obvious choice. Lets find a guy that won't cause a reaction in anyone. I don't know how he does it. Maybe this show will be a success and the rest of the actors in Hollywood will finally get a chance to be in something. If not, I'm sure we'll see him in something else next season. Maybe, if he's as smart as he seems, he'll follow the lead of one of his co-stars, Luis Guzman. This guy has made a tremendous career playing odd ball, yet memorable characters in movies and television. He will always find work because he doesn't get out of his zone. But, Greenberg has managed to nab every leading role that comes his way, so what do I know. I think he may be a genius. Or he has pictures of every studio head doing very bad things. Either one is plausible at this point.

There are other examples of the Greenberg Principle. Most notably, Paula Marshall. It should really be named after her. No one gets more opportunities and has less success than Paula Marshall. She is a series killer. I don't know why. She's perfectly likable, attractive, and she's a good actor. But every series she's on fails. In the last 12 years, she has been cast as a lead in Cupid, Snoops, Cursed, Hidden Hills, Out of Practice and Gary Unmarried. She also had guest stints on Spin City, Sports Night, and Californication. She killed almost all of them. She can't kill Californication because it's too good and Gary Unmarried is so forgettable that people don't waste time hating it. I like Paula Marshall. She won't get me to watch Gary Unmarried, but I want her to succeed. I find her entertaining and she's from my hometown. I wish her luck.

I'm sure this trend will keep up. Instead of someone making themselves a star like Philip Seymour Hoffman, some suit in Hollywood will continue to try and determine who we should like. I'm sure that's good for Bryan Greenberg and Paula Marshall. Unlike the actors who continually lose parts to these two, I have no ill will towards them. I find their careers fascinating. I hope they find the hits they have been searching for. And if they don't, I guess it doesn't matter. We'll be seeing them. Hollywood wouldn't have it any other way.