Thursday, September 14, 2006

Despotic typecasting-ium…

The brand spanking new BBC epic about ancient Rome is on the telly soon. Great! I’ve seen the trailers – the all-round fiddler and arsonistic head-the-ballium, Emperor Nero is central to the production. Hedonistic pleasure, appalling cruelty and bizarre pronouncements are cornerstones to Nero’s reign of terror...... (Hmmmmm, sounds a bit familiar, don't you think?)

I’ve noticed that the actor playing the despot Nero is non other than former Mr Kate Beckinsale - Michael Sheen

Sheen is making a speciality out of playing despotic nutcases. Not only has he played madman Nero, but also the much more madder man, Tony ‘Caligula’ Blair on TV in ‘The Deal’ and also in the forthcoming movie about Queen Brenda called ‘The Queen’ , (starring Helen Mirren in the title role)…….

Michael - a word of advice to you. If you don’t stop playing power-mad freak-a-zoids you’re going to get typecast. Yesterday it was Blair, today it’s Nero, tomorrow it could be Joe Stalin or even……

"OK, this film about Adolf Hitler, we need some pathos, sentimental Eva Braun moments and lots of psychotic insanity of a man truly on the edge of total madness, invading countries, curtailing civil rights, delivering hysterical speeches etc …… Get me that guy that played Emperor Blair and Prime Minister Nero - you know, Mr Kate Beckinsale"…….

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