Wednesday, February 11, 1998
Sphere of influence
FILM: Actors Queen Latifah, Liev Shreiber and, yes, even Samuel
L. Jackson talk about struggling for clout in Hollywood biz
By Stephanie Sheh
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
It knows what you are afraid of makes it real. It is the
sphere.
"My greatest fear is that every time I finish a job, that I’ll
never work again, like most actors. Until the next job shows up,"
admits Samuel L. Jackson, settling into a plush chair at the Four
Seasons Hotel and wearing a bright orange shirt with his trademark
beret-style hat.
Alongside Dustin Hoffman and Sharon Stone, Jackson stars as
Harry the mathematician, one of a team of various specialists sent
to the bottom of the ocean to explore an abandoned spacecraft, in
the latest Michael Crichton adaptation, "Sphere," which hits
theaters Friday.
But the Jackson of "Pulp Fiction" and "Jackie Brown" afraid of
not working? The Jackson of critically acclaimed "Eve’s Bayou"
afraid of not being in another film? "Jungle Fever?" "A Time to
Kill?"
"Yeah right," the actor challenges. "It’s a lot harder than it
looks."
And some of Jackson’s co-stars could probably relate. Filling
out the cast are stars who are known in their own right, but maybe
not for acting in big-budget films.
Liev Schreiber, who is most recognized for his roles in
independent films such as "Daytrippers," "Party Girl" and, more
recently, the "Scream" films, plays an astrophysicist who
unfortunately doesn’t make it to the end of the movie.
"Yeah, I like to have big parts. Big parts are fun. Everybody’s
paying attention to you," Schreiber says of his larger roles in
smaller films. "But it’s also a little less pressure (when you
don’t have the big part). ‘It’s not my movie. I don’t got to carry
it.’ That frees you up. I think you should always think like that
even when you are the lead."
Not carrying the movie meant that Schreiber had the chance to
work with the big guns. He says that he wasn’t intimidated by the
star power though.
"I think the person I was most intimidated by, which is ironic
because I never get that intimidated by actors ’cause I know
they’re actors, but Queen Latifah. I was like, she’s Latifah. She’s
not an actor. She’s a rapper," Schreiber says.
Clad in a khaki green sweater and looking unusually glam,
Latifah laughs, "He wasn’t intimidated by the actors. He’s not that
kind of guy. He’s like cock strong, that kind of guy. He’s pretty
cool. We’d just go in our trailers and smoke our smokes to death
until we get called on set pretty much, that’s how it was."
Latifah, who plays one of the two underwater technicians (Bay
Area comic performance artist Marga Gomez occupies the other role),
says that it was her pleasure working with some of the big studio
types.
"You got some hellified people to work with, from the director,
from the producers on down basically," Latifah says. "(Producer and
director) Barry Levinson and his team have done a lot of movies.
They were really sharp. It was nice to watch how they handled their
business, without having crappy attitudes. None of the actors had
crappy attitudes either. These guys are big stars, and so the
chances of somebody being really arrogant and conceited is there,
but nobody was like that. It was nice to kick it with people like
that."
Latifah probably wouldn’t mind kicking it with people like that
more often. While Schreiber says, "She’s not an actor. She’s a
rapper," the accomplished musician would like to change all of
that.
"I believe I have the talent to do it," says Latifah, who will
be seen next in the upcoming Danny Devito and Holly Hunter film,
"The Kiss."
"Sphere" isn’t Latifah’s first venture into the acting world.
She has had various parts in "Jungle Fever," "House Party 2" and
"My Life." But it was her portrayal of Cleo in "Set It Off" that
Latifah is particularly proud of, because she says that the role
was not a "Queen Latifah knock-off." It was a departure and
something important for Latifah, who wants to be known as a
versatile actress.
"I mean, Dana Owens is my name," Latifah reveals. "I would love
to be known as just Dana Owens, an actor. I don’t know if that
really sounds like some actor name. I mean, I thought about it
before when they asked me what I wanted to be credited as in ‘Set
it Off,’ but I don’t think at this point I’m ready to make that
kind of departure yet. Maybe when a few more people get familiar
with me, just as far as movie goers, not just hip-hop fans."
Latifah admits that her role in "Sphere" is not one that has
much meat on it. But she loved the experience of working on the
film and says it has helped her develop good relationships with
people in the movie business.
Jackson can empathize.
"I’ve done some crap movies but there was a point in my life
where I didn’t have a choice about the movies that I did," Jackson
says candidly. "I just went to auditions and whoever said ‘okay’
you took the jobm and you make the best of it. And that’s what
everybody should do. Go in and make the best of whatever job you
get."
FILM: "Sphere" opens on Friday.