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Jerome-K-Moore In reply to Rasmane [2014-04-13 23:20:34 +0000 UTC]

Hmm...  I can't agree with that.  While it's true that a bad script can hamper an actor's expression and inspiration, a talented professional always endeavors to elevate the material through earnest and spectacular performance.  But I also believe that an inferior director can adversely affect the behavior of actors, and thus the blame is shared (please see the example of Natalie Portman in the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy).  I believe that Halle Berry is woefully miscast in the X-Men film franchise.  As for Ms. Gouw, I believe she was inexperienced, and lacking in sufficient talent.  The fact that she hasn't had much of a career since may indeed be testimony to this.

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Rasmane In reply to Jerome-K-Moore [2014-04-13 23:54:49 +0000 UTC]

Could be. Or, perhaps Gouw was lacking sufficient connections...or desire to continue? Maybe her “career” was just an extended paycheck. According to imbd, she earned a law degree after a couple more movie roles.



It’s a constant (okay, semi-recurring) struggle for me to be objective about Halle Berry as Storm, because while I agree with you she was miscast, I don’t believe there was another black female “star” to play Storm (at that time). I feel she was an irrefutable draw for movie-goers who weren’t comics fans.

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Jerome-K-Moore In reply to Rasmane [2014-04-14 01:16:32 +0000 UTC]

People make choices in life.  These choices do change career paths.  I make no presumptions about what Gouw decided to do with hers.  I only evaluate her abilities as I saw them.  Beautiful women of limited talent proliferate throughout Hollywood.  But there aren't so many beautiful minorities there being given the chance to succeed, particularly Asians.  I seriously doubt that Gouw failed to gain the appropriate notice, connections, or opportunities.  Granted, that IS a presumption.  However, it is founded, again, in my evaluation of her screen presence in a film that would look bad on any actor's resume.  Just another pretty face, as far as show biz.  But sometimes that's the difference between film and television performers, and TV news journalists and personalities.  My understanding is that Gouw did not pursue a career in law, but she gained success in television journalism.  So, a happy ending after all.

Yes, studios most often opt to cast the popular star rather than the one best suited for the character in big-budget wannabe blockbusters.  It's a move toward "safety."  Still, there are never any guarantees.  And I would prefer that a movie MAKE a star rather than have the star make the movie.  Back in the day, with a bit of coaching and strategic screenwriting, I would have cast supermodel Iman as Storm, taking advantage both of her ideal beauty, and her authentic African roots, befitting the comic book character.

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