Hollywood A-Listers (the filthy rich, philanthropic stars featured in big-budgeted, Oscar-winning films) have always reigned atop the B- and C-listers (SNL-burnouts, reality TV stars and Ron Jeremy). Yet, once upon a time, there existed a BA-list, and we don't mean Bachelor of Arts. This was a time when actors made memorable movies and lived on the wild side. Hollywood was home to hard workers and even harder partiers, but this has since changed.
In today's Tinseltown, formerly edgy actors are trading in their bad-boy images for straighter personas. Robert Downey, Jr. kicked his drug habit and Leonardo DiCaprio started making environmental documentaries. Yet those two are nothing compared to their whipped counterpart, Tobey Maguire. This teetotaler penciled in a paternity clause for his upcoming film, "Spider-Man 4" (2011), eliminating shooting at night so he could spend time with his family. Maybe Spider-Man needs to save his marriage before he saves the world.
What happened to rejoicing in the quirkiness and absurdity of actors? Behavior like that of Jack Nicholson, who was known for his legendary "sexploits" and his inability to settle down with one woman, has died out. And the Marlon Brandos of the world seem to have disappeared. Brando, who was always hungry for Pay Days, in both candy and money forms, required millions to shoot "Apocalypse Now" (1979). But this class clown never did his homework. He often showed up to set late, drunk, fat and not having read the script. Not many actors nowadays would have the gusto to pull Brando's shenanigans.
Don't forget Sean Penn's former persona, "The Paparazzi Pummeler," or Nick Nolte, whose hilarious mug shot set the bar high for all future substance-abusing thespians. How come that kind of behavior is no longer acceptable? Sure, these guys were jerks, but their colorful personalities complemented their amazing abilities. They were as interesting onscreen as they were off.
In Mickey Rourke's case, his thuggish demeanor actually helped resurrect his career. In the '90s, the tabloids chronicled Rourke's infamous downward spiral into a decade of drug and spousal abuse. Then, this past year, he overcame past battles and received universal praise for his performance in "The Wrestler" (2008). His portrayal of washed-up wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson wouldn't have been anywhere near poignant had viewers not watched his own struggles in life.
Straight-edged-ness has also infected the music industry. Take rock music, for instance. Once upon a time, The Rolling Stones waxed poetic about chasing jailbait and taking drugs. Now, rock music's premier artists wear purity rings and preach chastity. Curse you, Jonas Brothers! You guys have as much edge and personality as a hardboiled egg.
Others bands, like Coldplay, concern themselves with world peace. Yes, their songs may be catchy, but they are nothing more than British-based enhancements of "Kumbaya." Plus, Coldplay has a No Hard Substances policy. If we're not mistaken, the expression goes "Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘N' Roll," not "Abstinence, Tea and Schlock Rock." And don't even get us started on Nickelback.
Rappers, on the other hand, have taken to the former Rock ‘N' Roll lifestyle. Hearing Three 6 Mafia rap about "sippin' on some sizzurp" while admiring the "juiciness" of the female anatomy shows us that there is indeed a glimmer of hope for the future.
We are by no means condoning drugs or partying. We're just saying, "live a little!" In our politically correct world, it's rare to find characters as eccentric and colorful as those from the entertainment industry's days of yore. And, come on, without wild partying, we would never have "Animal House" (1978) or "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1967).
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Zach Drucker and Chris Poldoian are freshmen who have not yet declared majors. They can be reached at Zachary.Drucker@tufts.edu and Christopher.Poldoian@tufts.edu.
