WALL POST

Headline: Hollywood’s Summer Ensembles

26th June 2009 Posted by: ryanizay

There are few major awards given to the film with the best ensemble of cast, with the exception of the SAG Awards, which are voted for by the actors themselves. Perhaps because the ability to fit a number of incredible actors in the same film goes as unappreciated at award time as the casting directors themselves, it is just as likely to be found done well at any time of the year.

What I mean is simply this; the films near the end of the year always tend to emphasize the elements they know will soon be awarded. Whether elaborate costumes, highly dramatic performances, or stirring scores and pristine cinematography, the ‘judged’ categories are carefully presented in anticipation of the award season looming. The beauty of having the job of the casting director go un-praised is that they are just as likely to put together a great ensemble cast in the escapist summer fare as they are the heavy Hollywood award films.

This summer in particular seems to be chocked full of an impressive display of casting, with many of Hollywood’s biggest names (both in front and behind the camera) releasing a film for the summer spectacle. July in particular seems dedicated to the elusive ensemble cast, with many familiar faces from past award ceremonies sharing the screen with a full cast of impressive (and often international) talent.

The month begins with a bang, Michael Mann’s Public Enemies released on the first of July. Heading up the cast is Johnny Depp as infamous prohibition-era gangster, John Dillinger. Depp is joined by Channing Tatum (Fighting) as Pretty Boy Floyd and Stephen Graham as Baby Face Nelson, but even more impressive is the casting of Dillinger’s opposition. Christian Bale co-stars as Melvin Purvis, the FBI agent determined to bring the gangster to justice, and the romantic opposite is played by Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard. Cotillard is best known for her performance in La Vie En Rose, only the second time a non-English performance has garnered the Best Actress Oscar.

It was actually thanks to the timing of the writer’s strike this last year that Mann was able to get the actors that he ended up with in this film, whereas the ensemble cast in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is mostly due to the longevity of a franchise. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint may have just been children when they were cast in these roles, but now they are young adults and have each found steady work outside of these roles. They are now known actors but they will still forever be linked to the wizard children, Harry, Hermione and Ron. Other actors returning to the film franchise based on the popular J.K. Rowling book series include Alan Rickman as Severus Snape and Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange, not to mention Jim Broadbent.

July ends with another impressively cast film from Universal Studios (also releasing Public Enemies) in the form of Judd Apatow’s third film. It seems strange that this is only the third the unquestionably significant filmmaker has directed, because he has been so incolved and had such an impact on the whole of Hollywood comedy. In The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up the supporting cast of characters are just as important as the lead, and the same appears to be true about Funny People as well. Apatow brings back many of his favorites for the latest, including Seth Rogen, who has been in a majority of the director’s work since the television show “Freaks and Geeks”. Jonah Hill (Superbad) also returns along with Apatow’s other various character actors.

As he has done in the past, Apatow also cast his immediate family, including his wife (Leslie Mann) and two daughters (Maude and Iris Apatow), best remembered as Paul Rudd’s family in Knocked Up. The film also stars Apatow’s old roommate, Adam Sandler, and some other surprising additions. Jason Schwartzman and Eric Bana are among the new cast members in the Apatow world, not to mention the countless comedians who appear as themselves in the film.

If July doesn’t seem packed full of ensemble international casts to please every age group, then August will finish it off with the latest from hyper-violent director, Quentin Tarantino. Inglorious Bastards boasts an internationally accurate casting of the roles, with Christopher Waltz already receiving a prestigious Best Acting award at the Cannes Film Festival. Brad Pitt heads up the American side of the cast, supported by an impressive array of actors who are also known for their work behind cameras. Director Eli Roth (Hostage) and writer/actor B.J. Novak (The Office) take on acting roles as vengeful Jewish American soldier, along with Samm Levine (Freaks and Geeks) and Mike Meyers in surprising roles. Inglorious Bastards comes out August 21st.

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