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by Alex Keen Published: April 23, 2002
| Episode 2 | Episode 4 | Episode 5 | Episode 6 | Episode 7 | Episode 8 | This week’s episode of “Dinner for Five” focuses more on the craft of filmmaking and acting than personalities and friendships. Creator Jon Favreau brought together four actors that are obviously not familiar with one another. Sure they know each other within the biz, but there are clearly no deep-rooted relationships. While this prevents the duplication of the humorous stories that Vince Vaughn, Peter Falk, and Favreau shared last episode, the show was just as humorous. The show opens up with Favreau and indie starlet Illeana Douglas retelling their first meeting at an indie film workshop. Both were on a panel of accomplished indie artists, but shared contrary perspectives on the purpose of making independent features. Favreau focused on the economical standpoint and got attacked by Douglas (who preferred the artistic importance). The story explained the audience’s reaction to Favreau, and how the two artists progressed past their difference of opinion. you want me to do that The first of two discussions on how directors relate with actors, Jeff Goldblum explains how he prefers to do his own thing when performing. Sure if a director asks for something else he tries to work it in, but it is not his primary concern. Favreau describes the process as a battle of egos. Sacrifice some of your art for what the director would like – but do not abandon your own perspective. And Christian Slater explains how his methods differ now from when he was at the peak of his stardom. flowery phrases This portion of the show focuses on the art of improvisational filmmaking. Fred Willard is well known for his appearances in Christopher Guest’s indie improvs “Waiting for Guffman” and “Best in Show.” Willard explains how his initial reaction to being in an improv was – this should be easy, I don’t have to memorize any lines. Willard then admits that improv is an incredibly complex art. Willard also explains the process of researching his role in “Best in Show.” the sensitive sexist This segment seems to be inspired by Douglas’s interest in Favreau’s dating life following the success of “Swingers.” From her perspective, Douglas figured Favreau had a difficult time picking up women due to the sexist nature of his character(s). Favreau explains that he was actually hindered by the over-sensitive aspect of his character Mike. The discussion makes its way into Slater’s life, as they discuss the unfair expectations that people have for supposed “bad boys.” shaken not stirred Continuing with Slater, the next chapter is a short story about this star’s cast dinner on the set of “In the Name of the Rose,” with Sean Connery. This short and humorous tale leads to a minimal debate over who was the best James Bond. Was it Roger Moore or Sean Connery? it’s not the acting they pay you for The discussion begins with the complication of Hollywood films and how they spend a majority of production time on the crew and set up, and the actors are forgotten. This leads to Favreau revealing an experience from his debut film, when his director pulled him aside. It also inspires Slater to quote legendary thespian and auteur Orson Welles. Ultimately the discussion results in Favreau sharing a brief encounter with Jerry Seinfeld while the writer/director was in clown make-up. cantaloupe A humorous story about a physical examination Favreau’s wife gave him. Let's just say Favreau’s area could have swollen to the size of a pale orange fruit. 'Nuff said. say it like this The second of the discussions about the director-actor relationship is about directors who reading lines back at actors. Goldblum reveals he will only allow a director that he trusts to read lines back to him. The actor does not want to be a puppet in the director’s hands, and the two must share a certain level of trust. Willard does not feel the same way as Goldblum, feeling that anything the director shares is helpful for his performance. Finally Douglas shares a story from the set of “Stir of Echoes” that results in the funniest moment of the entire episode. cut out The group talks about the embarrassing feeling of being cut from a film’s final cut. Douglas admits to being cut from multiple films, while Favreau basks in being cut from a film but surviving in the credits. The host also gives a reference to the essential movie site on the web, IMDb, which will list deleted stars on their credit collections. Slater makes a remark about how speeches can also be mutilated by the editing process. same sex marriage Perhaps the shortest portion of the episode, Willard tells a tale about being recognized as the second half of Martin Mull’s homosexual nuptials on “Roseanne.” you should do more The last conversation of the episode focuses on discussing one another’s careers with people that are unfamiliar with their work. They also delve into the difficulty Slater must have had moving from a child star to adulthood in Hollywood. And a final note about the episode, Goldblum asks the group while the credits roll if they have ever had cheddar cheese on apple pie. Rhight. Commentary Overall the episode presents some of the group in a new light, while reinforcing pre-conceived ideas on others. Strikingly Slater comes across incredibly self-controlled and humble. For a guy with such a publicized jail record and reputation, Slater reveals that not all bad boys are like Tommy Lee. More likely Slater made some mistakes and got too involved with the stress of fame, and is hoping to reform his public image. Meanwhile, Goldblum comes across exactly how I would expect – wacky. The man is not funny, but does and says things that are funny. He comes across a lot like the characters he portrayed in “Independence Day” and “Jurassic Park.” As for Willard and Douglas, it is good to see two good actors that rarely see time on entertainment news shows reveal there opinions about the biz. Douglas shared the independent spirit she has helped flourish, while Willard has shown that not all of the best comedians have to come from stand up and Saturday Night Live. The show airs on Mondays at 8:00 pm on the Independent Film Channel.  Coming Soon: Spirited Away | About a Boy | Heaven | Insomnia | Photograph by Robert Zuckerman |
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