The Starlet

[rm]

I have, for obvious reasons, been avoiding this program. I dislike most reality TV for a number of reasons, and something called this, about girls and acting could only push bad buttons as well.

Flipping channel jsut now I stumbled on it, where the following has transpired:

1. Girls go to an acting class to work on love scenes and how to seduce someone on camera
2. Girls are given a challenge wherein they have to seduce a teddybear (a funny and difficult exercise)
3. Girls then have to do a scene with a guy.
4. Girls then find out that their elimination challenge this week involves a screentest of a lovescene with a another woman. This challenge in announced as more difficult than seducing a teddybear (are you kidding me? i prefer my scene partners sentient) and they are reminded over and over that all sorts of famous successful actressed have had to kiss other women on screen. (really, is Angelina Jolie an example that's going to make uptight straight girls feel better?)

This is all tremendously annoying.

Because romantic and sexy scenes are really hard, period. And honestly, this may be my own pricklyness with the human species but gender has nothing to do with it. It's just difficult, difficult stuff, that's invasive, potentially embarassing etc. No actor likes these things, and no actor likes these things especially when they've been set up especially to cause irritation and stress.

Ugh ugh ugh. *flails about*

[Poll #452404]

Comments

[ladyofthelog.livejournal.com]

I'm going through a period of not defining myself beyond, "If I weren't so monogamous, I would be sexually interested in other intelligent, pretty humans." That said, I don't have a gender I'm not attracted to.

[rm.livejournal.com]

You know, I was going to get into that in the question, but it just got too tiring too quickly... but dude... like... argh --- I could have made it on a basis of individuals, but I still think doing a scene with someoen in a category one is not attracted to is different than a scene with someone you are individually not attracted to -- but that lends itself neither to teh debacle of this show nor to the poll format.

[ladyofthelog.livejournal.com]

Yeah, true.

I think that I'm more likely to be grossed out by random guy romance scenes than random girl romance scenes, but you'll notice how that doesn't jive with my relationship history... (admittedly, we haven't got a lot of girls here who'd have been interested while I was available).

good options

[sevencentpayday.livejournal.com]

...so few people think to include asexual in the mix

[timiathan.livejournal.com]

Hehe, so far there are only 4 actors, and at least 10 people who have performed love scenes. I think I'm missing out on something:)

[mobobocita.livejournal.com]

I acted in college, not an actor now, but I've *acted* before. There is your answer.

[timiathan.livejournal.com]

Ah, I didn't think of that.

ok, off topic

[graene.livejournal.com]

but having watched that, WTH was going on with Katie and the teddy bear? Really?

Also, I'm curious as to your opinion re: who got let go and if you'll continue watching (think the first episode is rerunning right now).

[00goddess.livejournal.com]

I didn't check myself as an actor or not an actor- I think of myself as someone who used to be an actor who might like to do so again.

I've never had to perform a love scene, but I've had to workshop them. And I think that ANY scene with a person who can give you feedback, physically or verbally, is better than a scene with an inanimate object that can't.

[orien.livejournal.com]

Try to remind me to talk about this on Sunday if you can make it for drinks. My perspective on this is amusing, in a way, I suppose, but not fit for public consumption.

[frawst.livejournal.com]

Inanimate is right out.
That said, for me performing a love scene with men is about the scene, and doing the work...without me having all the meta stuff cluttering my brain. With women I have to worry about my SO's response, and whther I'm REALLY attracted blah blah blah, so it's not just about the work.

[heron61.livejournal.com]

Homophobia seems to be one of the mainstays of reality TV, especially reality TV competitions. Blech.

[wurmwyd.livejournal.com]

Hi there!

This is something I've always wondered about. I'm not an actor, never been an actor, not sure I could be an actor. I'm curious to try it, but I worry that I have no talent. (and that people would keep mistaking me for Tim Robbins)

It just seems like, whenever you watch one of those sleazy entertainment tabloid shows, they're always asking some actor about his or her "Big Love scene with hot sexy other actor", and so really, how was it!?! wink-wink nudge nudge and all that...". That's the actor's cue to tell the interviewer: "Oh, acting is just a JOB, there was no passion there whatsoever. Sure, it may have looked hot onscreen, but it was really just like any other scene in the movie. It wasn't sexy at all".

Is that even close to true?

I keep waiting for one of these shows to ask the actor that question, and have someone say: "Are you kidding me!?! I got to make out with Nicole fucking Kidman while we were both bare-ass naked, what do you THINK it was like!? I've been taking cold showers since last October!!".

Although, that's just my non-actor impression of it. Chances are, if *I* had to do a love scene with some actress that I'm attracted to, I'd probably be too nervous to even get my lips to wiork properly. Especially since most gorgeous actresses don't want to make out with a slightly paunchy 34 year old librarian. [shrug]

[wurmwyd.livejournal.com]

Hi there!

Well, homophobia is one thing, but from what RM described, it seemed like when the show producers were saying: "...actresses do love scenes with other actresses all the TIME...", what they really meant was: "C'mon, this is a prime time reality show on network TV!! Of COURSE we're going to try to get some hot hot leszbo action out of you chicks!! I mean seriously!!"

[sesaworuban.livejournal.com]

I see only one flaw in your poll... what happens if you're attracted to both genders.

[ladypeculiar.livejournal.com]

If I could throw something out there . . .

Often, yeah, it's not really sexy. And while I've never made out with Nicole Kidman, I've certainly had some hot hot love scenes with people I'm attracted to onscreen. But the thing about shooting film is that it's really, really BORING. The way most love scenes work are, "Kiss, turn head 3 degrees to the right, adjust light, wait for three hours while they reload film, okay go and KISS, hold on the light broke, wait another 4 days until we come back to the scene." The technical details are always much more important during lovemaking scenes because of the delicacy of how light and shadow in that moment. Digital film is changing this somewhat, not necessarily for the better, but often times you don't even get to film an entire kissy moment in one day.

On the other hand, of course there are intimacies you can share on a set, it's just not always during the bits when you're naked and writhing on another person, because you're probably worried about how your butt looks under that lamp, etc. And chances are it's probably really, really cold, so that your skin will appear tingly onscreen.

I suppose if there's a point, is that with film, the lovemaking and kissing itself is often far too technical to be hot, so what becomes erotic are the emotional scenes, where you usually get more time to actually be "in love" or "attracted" or what-have-you, with your scene partner.

In theater, where you're less likely to have actual lovemaking scenes, things have a tendancy to get much more intense, because you have the luxury of working through an entire emotional moment with someone. When you kiss another actor it comes at the climax of an emotional moment, and not after the tech guys are done fiddling with the lights.

On the other hand, if you're just not into your scene partner than yes, it's just about the work.

Maybe that answered a question . . . thanks for indulging me.

[wurmwyd.livejournal.com]

Hi There!

Okay, yes. That's pretty much exactly what I was looking for. I guess I thought that actors pretty much filmed the whole sex scene, under direction, and then just had multiple takes until they got it right. I didn't realize that it was so broken down into ... "fragments".

I mean I realize that anything would be less intimate with an entire film crew looking on, but I've kissed girls that would have no less passionate if the entire NYSE trading floor had been watching us and taking notes.

But then, I'm no actor. :D

[rm.livejournal.com]

Also, what feels good and what looks good are waaaay two different things most of the time.

[ladypeculiar.livejournal.com]

Heheheh . . . though the funniest applications of that sentence almost always involve petroluem and/or fake blood (did I tell you about the time I was on 12-hour per day shoots covered in a mixture of coffee, food coloring, and Karo Syrup? It looks fantastic, but ew. Way ew.)

[cookie-cm.livejournal.com]

I've been told in past relationships that I am quite the actress, which I realize isn't something to be too proud of...well, maybe in a few respects.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Was this the chainsaw yuppies with real, actual crack?