James Dean
Short description
James Dean is a biographical drama about the American actor whose brief career made him one of the defining screen figures of the 1950s. The film follows him from a childhood marked by his mother's death and an emotionally distant father, through a move to Indiana to live with an aunt, and on to his decision to pursue acting against his father's wishes. It covers his early work in New York, where his talent attracted the attention of acting teacher Lee Strasberg, and his later success in Hollywood, where his three major film roles brought him fame.
The title role is played by James Franco, with Michael Moriarty as Dean's father, Valentina Cervi as Pier Angeli, Enrico Colantoni as Elia Kazan, Edward Herrmann as Raymond Massey and Joanne Linville as Hedda Hopper. Mark Rydell directed the screenplay by Israel Horovitz, with George W. Perkins producing.
Made as a television film, the production runs 96 minutes and had a credited cast of 75. On IMDb it holds a rating of 7.1 from around 6,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6.8 from roughly 117 votes. It was released in 2001, arriving in Rydell's filmography between Intersection from 1994 and Even Money from 2007, a span that includes The Cowboys, The Rose and On Golden Pond.
What's left behind the scenes
- One of the working titles of the film was "James Dean: An Invented Life" (English: James Dean: An Invented Life).
- Michael Mann signed a contract in September 1993 and was to direct the film, with shooting scheduled to begin in May 1994. Brad Pitt and Johnny Depp were the main candidates for the role – both actors were interested in the offer. However, Mann wanted to cast Leonardo DiCaprio, as he believed the actor was the best candidate. Gary Oldman was considered for a supporting role. In March 1994, Mann dropped out of the project due to scheduling conflicts with the film "Heat" (1995). Furthermore, Mann felt that DiCaprio was too young for the role and wanted to wait another year.
- After Mann left the project, he was replaced by Des McAnuff, and the start of filming was postponed to December 1994. He soon declined to direct the film, and was replaced by Dennis Hopper, a close friend of Dean and a colleague from the film "Rebel Without a Cause." He met with DiCaprio to discuss the role, but Hopper also eventually left the project. By May 1995, DiCaprio was still the leading candidate for the role, and Milčo Mančevski was being considered as director.
- After negotiations with Mančevski failed, Mark Rydell was hired as director in February 1996. Rydell was one of Dean’s close friends – they both studied at the Actors Studio in New York in the early 1950s. DiCaprio left the project when he asked for a very high fee after the success of the films "Romeo + Juliet" (1996) and "Titanic" (1997). Meanwhile, Rydell began rewriting the script with Horowitz, and Warner Bros. was planning to start filming as soon as possible. Shortly after Rydell joined the project, Steven Dorff’s candidacy for the role of James Dean was discussed. Ethan Hawke turned down the role.
- After all the setbacks, producer Bill Gerber of Warner Bros. decided it would be better to change the format of the film – it would be a television film, shot for broadcast on Turner Network Television (TNT), which, along with Warner Bros., was owned by Time Warner. Gerber commented on the decision as follows: "The studio is unlikely to find big names for $20 million. We also encountered a number of marketing problems. He crashed in 1955 – we know what the outcome will be. James Dean is not that popular with modern audiences." James Franco received the lead role, and filming began in June 2000 – it took place in the vicinity of Los Angeles and at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City.
- Rydell began the actor search in late March 2000, trying to select actors who best fit the main role. Casting took place in New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Vancouver, Atlanta, Chicago, and cities in the Midwest. Casting director Nancy Foy noted that she paid attention to everyone – “both experienced actors slightly over 20 and raw talents.” About 500 actors auditioned for the role, and James Franco finally landed it in May 2000. Franco approached the role with the fear that he would only be associated with working on this project.
- Franco devoted a lot of time to studying Dean’s personality. He started smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, but quit this harmful habit after working on the project. He learned to ride a motorcycle, play the guitar, congas, and bongos; studied his acting manner by rewatching all three of his films – “Rebel Without a Cause,” “East of Eden,” and “Giant”; read several biographical books; and spoke with Dean’s close friends – Martin Landau, Dennis Hopper, Liz Sheridan (Dean’s ex-girlfriend), and Leonard Rosenman. “I got the most information from Martin. He helped me convey Dean’s habits. During filming, I spent a lot of time alone, as it seems to me that this was the state Dean was in for most of his life, and I wanted to feel it. The lack of communication with family and loved ones greatly affected me.”
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
