Michael Douglas: One Star, Two Films

[Reza]

NY Times

October 20, 2010

One Star, Two Films: An Awards Conundrum


By MICHAEL CIEPLY
LOS ANGELES ­ The Hollywood awards season, never a simple matter, is complicated this year by the delicate question of how Michael Douglas will figure into it.

Two months after beginning treatment for throat cancer, Mr. Douglas has been easing himself quietly back into the mix as an advocate for two films that may get attention in the long string of prize ceremonies culminating with the 83rd Academy Awards, on Feb. 27.

One, “Solitary Man,” is a low-budget dramedy directed by David Levien and Brian Koppelman that took in a slight $4.4 million at the domestic box office after its release by Anchor Bay Films in May. Mr. Douglas plays Ben Kalmen, a flamboyant former car sales magnate who, as he faces old age and a life in ruins, has to grow up.

The other, “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps,” directed by Oliver Stone, has been a modest success for 20th Century Fox, with about $48 million in domestic ticket sales since its opening in late September. Mr. Douglas returns as Gordon Gekko, a morally bankrupt financial genius, the portrayal of whom, in the original “Wall Street,” won him an Oscar as best actor in 1988.

For Fox and Anchor Bay, the trick will be to promote the two performances without colliding ­ and to honor the Douglas legacy without seeming to trade on their star’s difficult illness and debilitating treatment.

For Mr. Douglas, who is known as a consummate professional and who, at 66, has performed in more than three dozen films, the dual awards campaign appears to be less about the limelight than about keeping commitments to the several hundred people who staked time, money and reputation on his latest two pictures.

“He’s doing well,” said Allen Burry, a longtime publicist for Mr. Douglas, who spoke at length on Wednesday about Mr. Douglas’s health and a bit of promotional work he has managed in between a grueling course of radiation and chemotherapy that lasted for eight weeks.

Only a week ago, Mr. Burry said, Mr. Douglas underwent the last, and heaviest, of the chemotherapy sessions, whose residual effects will probably put him under wraps again until at least the end of November.

During the lighter stages of his treatment Mr. Douglas began doing short interviews with a few print reporters for future publication, with an eye toward publicity opportunities that would occur as the awards season ripened, Mr. Burry said. His last on-camera appearance was in late August on the “Late Show With David Letterman.”

“He’s always felt that was part of the job, he’s always helped his movies,” Mr. Burry said of Mr. Douglas’s insistence on continuing to work for both “Money Never Sleeps” and “Solitary Man,” even while ill.

Early speculation about the year’s acting Oscars has focused more heavily on others, particularly actors whose new films have not yet been seen by a wide public, including James Franco, for his work in “127 Hours,” set for release by Fox Searchlight on Nov. 5; Colin Firth for “The King’s Speech,” to be released by the Weinstein Company on Nov. 26; and Javier Bardem for “Biutiful,” due from Roadside Attractions on Dec. 29.

At Fox, however, executives have been acutely aware that Mr. Douglas commands a reservoir of good will in a Hollywood that will recognize, among other things, his audacity at having returned to a signature role ­ 22 years later.

“So few actors have reprised a role like that,” said Jeffrey Godsick, a senior Fox marketing executive. “It’s very rare.”

Five actors have received Oscar nominations for playing the same character in separate films, according to Libby Wertin, a librarian with the Margaret Herrick Library, which is maintained by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Those are Bing Crosby as Father Chuck O’Malley in “Going My Way” and “The Bells of St. Mary’s”; Paul Newman as Fast Eddie Felson in “The Hustler” and “The Color of Money”; Peter O’Toole as King Henry II in “Becket” and “The Lion in Winter”; Al Pacino as Michael Corleone in “The Godfather” and “The Godfather: Part II”; and Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth I in “Elizabeth” and “Elizabeth: The Golden Age.”

After toying with the idea of promoting Mr. Douglas as a leading man for his work in “Money Never Sleeps,” Fox executives in the last few days have leaned toward putting him in contention as a supporting actor, behind Shia LaBeouf, who commands more screen time in the film.

That would stave off a potential conflict with “Solitary Man,” in which Mr. Douglas is clearly the lead, and with Anchor Bay, an independent company that has not previously been a major player in the Oscar game but is serious about it now.

“I hope everybody sees what we see in Michael’s performance,” said Kevin Kasha, Anchor Bay’s executive vice president for acquisitions and co-productions. “I think it’s one of his best.”

A crucial test for both films will come with the Golden Globe nominations on Dec. 14. Like many stars, Mr. Douglas has worked to maintain good relations with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a small group of correspondents who award the Globes.

Notwithstanding his cancer treatments, he spoke with members of the association at a gathering in September.

And by the time the awards galas are in full swing, Mr. Burry said, Mr. Douglas hopes to be ready for the public again.

“The doctors are happy, they’ve scheduled no more treatments,” Mr. Burry said.

“It’s just a tough recovery period.”