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“The trail may be cold, but the stories are hot!”

By ivi blog Guest Contributor Dr. Rob Moore

From the Advice From Those Who Have Tried and Made It Department:

For many born outside Hollywood, especially those with dreams of film stardom, there are certain maxims that have become more or less accepted  as truth.

For example, one of these might be rendered, “The best path to becoming a Hollywood film star begins with being born to a film star.”

A second might be, “To become a film star, arrive in Hollywood with a room size box of  ready cash, sans lock.”

A third, “To become a film star, play bridge with a friend of a friend of a Hollywood film star (Suggestions: Omar Sharif, a long time high stakes bridge player or, until recently, the late George Burns, a long time low stakes bridge player.)

Each of the above maxims contains a germ of truth. However, each can be very misleading as well.

In this series, as an acquaintance of many in the film industry,  I hope to show that, although it is marginally easier as a statistic to succeed in Hollywood if one has a natural advantage, natural advantages sometimes make the journey toward stardom much more difficult.

Said differently, starting without a natural advantage does not necessarily reduce one’s chances of success in Hollywood significantly.

To begin,  the percentage of people who look up from their bassinet and notice a Julia Roberts ranked star rocking it is infinitesimally small. If we then go further and measure statistically those with Julia Roberts ranked stars as parents who have gone on to become major or even minor film stars, the number is  touching the invisible; however, it may not seem that way, since we all know of people who have done something wonderful with so-called advantages of birth, so long as those advantages are combined with loads of God given talent, and a willingness to work very hard.

To put things in perspective, let’s get an idea of the size of the group currently working in the entertainment industry, most of whom were born in Biloxi, Gary or Worcester of professional carpenters, plumbers, teachers, ministers and farmers, and all born without immediate access to Julia Roberts.

There are approximately 200,000 actors and actresses who are represented by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG). Just 1/100th of 1% of these can make a living doing nothing else but choosing among excellent film offers. Perhaps 80,000 members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists  (AFTRA) are in the same situation.  We can add to that group those who belong to the The Writers Guild of America (WGA) perhaps 20,000 souls, and the Actors Equity Association (or simply Equity) with a membership of approximately 15,000. These are followed by the American Musicians Union and dozens, if not hundreds, of other organizations representing everyone from stunt persons to grips (the happy folks who tote equipment from place to place). All in all, it is estimated that at least a half million persons are actively employed in positions that provide an occasional opportunity to rub shoulders with an internationally ranked film star.

Obtaining a position as one of the union members mentioned above is sometimes tricky, but less so than landing the starring role in a Gone With the Wind re-make. In other words, getting into the industry at some level is one of the first things we will discuss in these articles. Remember, John Wayne started as a telephone installer, and Harrison Ford a carpenter.

On the other hand, as we’ve mentioned, there are the “film families” one hears about. And, it is true that a small percentage of persons belonging to these families have made it in film at some significant level for reasons other than their family membership. However, those who do generally arrive with the assistance of enormous talent, combined with significant work relative to perfecting their craft.

Coming from a film family and rushing onto a set before one has developed one’s craft is a sure way to destroy any chance of the telephone ringing in the future, unless Dad or Mom is guaranteeing the 30 million necessary to launch the project. And, even then, Dad and Mom will usually suggest that their beloved become a chef rather than destroy more than one project.

So who are these people who are responsible for the “family” maxim?

Let us name a few. Undoubtedly, you will remember additional examples. If so, please feel free to add them to our list. However, no matter how many names we end up with, we are still talking about such a statistically small percentage of the whole, it makes no sense to draw the conclusion that our first maxim is anything close to accurate.

The Barrymores:

John Barrymore (Brother of John and Lionel: Silent Era: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde , Sherlock Holmes, Don Juan)
Ethel Barrymore (Sister of John and Lionel – Academy Award – None but the Lonely Heart)
Lionel (Brother of John and Ethel – Academy Award – A Free Soul)
Drew  Barrymore (E.T. The Extra Terrestrial)

The Fondas:

Henry Fonda (Academy Award – On Golden Pond)
Jane Fonda (Two Academy Awards – Klute, Coming Home)
Peter Fonda (Academy Nomination – Easy Rider)
Bridget Fonda (Daughter of Peter – Partners
Troy Garity (Son of Jane Fonda – On Golden Pond)

The Coppolas:

-Carmine Coppola – Composer  (Academy Award/Golden Globe)
-Francis Ford – Director, Producer,Writer (Academy Award)
-Talia Shire – Sister of Francis Ford – Rocky/The Godfather
-Nicholas Cage – Nephew of Francis Ford, Cousin of Talia Shire (First ten films directed by his uncle – Academy Award – Leaving Las Vegas)
-Sophia Coppola – Daughter of Francis Ford (Academy Award -Writer/Director)
-Roman Coppola (1965), son of Francis Ford, brother of Sophia.
-Jason Schwartzman (1980), son of Talia Shire – Rushmore
-Robert Carmine (1982), son of Talia Shire, Lick the Star and The Virgin Suicides.

Then there are the Baldwins, the Douglases, the Sutherlands, the Bridges, the Sheens, the Redgraves, the Wilsons, brothers Graves and Arness, the Wynns, and the Nelsons, in no particular order.

If you can name more, I congratulate you. These are the families that come to mind for me.

Count all the persons listed here, and perhaps a few others, and you will immediately recognize, compared to those who are actively employed in the stage and film industries, the number of “blood” ties that have proven the rule is, and will remain, incredibly small.

So, do not fret Miss Biloxi or Mr. Gary or Sir Worcester. There is a chance for you in Hollywood.

One just needs to know how to go about it.

And, that is exactly what I will share with you in the coming articles, based on hundreds of conversations with friends and acquaintances over the past 40 years.

See you next time.