She is billed fourth, and she's barely in the movie ??? I can only assume that her part was cut significantly. Why else would she sign on to a role where she has maybe three throwaway lines, and dies a quarter of the way into the movie? An extra could have played that role. She was totally wasted here, and she deserves better because she is so talented.
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<< Why else would she sign on to a role where she has maybe three throwaway lines, and dies a quarter of the way into the movie? >>
Because, for the most part, Hollywood gives it's prime roles to young women. And as fine an actress as she is, Jennifer Jason Leigh is no longer a young woman.
With fewer high profile offers coming in, many many name actresses will accept a small role in a big budget film when it's offered to them.
Leigh was surely well paid for her work here, and gets additional residual payments when the movie's shown on TV, or its DVD version is sold, etc.
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<< Jennifer was barely 40 at the time >>
That's certainly "older" for a Hollywood leading lady.
Nicole Kidman and Meg Ryan and Julia Roberts kept their leading lady status at 40...but Jennifer Jason Leigh didn't have the same box office background as they do.
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Let's see....Sam Mendes directing. Paul Newman and Tom Hanks in leading roles. Wouldn't you want to be in this film in any role no matter the size?
shareGood point. But still Jennifer Jason Leigh still did a great job, I only wished that she was in the film a bit more. It was pretty sad to see her killed off so early in the film.
"I am the ultimate badass, you do not wanna `*beep*` wit me!"- Hudson in Aliens.
Some of here scenes were cut...very good ones, I might add, which gave her charactera little more depth. Mendes included them on the dvd special features.
I've just watched the outtakes and though they are actually quite short I think JJL is good in them. They help establish the sense of a normal family in an abnormal situation. I assume they were cut because there was enough to identify Tom Hanks as a decent guy and they wanted to get on with the main story.
The film had to concentrate on the father and son relationship so there been no extra room for the mother than what was shown. Also, keep in mind of the small but powerful impact Jude Law's character had in the film as well. I think Jude had about 15 minutes of screen time and he nearly stole the show. So sometimes less is more.
shareThe credits are in order of appearance. That's why you'll see Tyler Hoechlin's name first, as he's the first character shown. Otherwise her name would be much further down the list.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the path less traveled by.
Well, Jude Law was billed third and his name is on the poster yet he was in a movie for like 7 minutes. That's a lot weirder than her being billed fourth.
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Leigh probably has a great agent that negotiated fourth billing on her behalf. There are lots of instances of high billing for actors who barely appear in the movie.
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