I was watching a little of Troll 2. I saw a documentary about it, Best Worst Movie made by Michael Stephenson who was the child star of the movie. It was a cruel tale of disappointment.
First Stephenson himself----he starred in a feature film and had the right to imagine that might be the beginning of an acting career. Then Christmas came. He opened a present. It was a videocassette. The film had had a different working title and it took him a minute to realize what it was. He put the movie in the VCR and began watching as his dreams of success evaporated before his eyes. Children aren't the most discriminating viewers but even he saw the problems.
Stephenson apparently arranged for the cast to appear at a showing of the film which had developed a cult following over the years. The director, Claudio Fragasso, flew over from Italy. Nothing much had come of the movie after he made it so he was surprised and pleased when he heard it had taken off. No one told him.
At the screening, the audience laughed at some of the jokes early on. The director was happy. But then they kept laughing. They laughed at the serious scenes and the scary scenes. They wouldn't shut up.
When the movie ended, they audience talked about it. One actor regaled the audience with how bad the director was---part way through the filming, the director forgot about him and didn't film the rest of his scenes. Fragasso said he didn't forgot about him---the guy's acting was so bad the director cut his part.
I'm of two minds. On the one hand, actors WANT to be in stuff. Shouldn't you be pleased to give them the opportunity to act even if they aren't being paid? Maybe your movie isn't that great, but you did your best. On the other hand, don't you owe it to them not to humiliate then with your terrible movie, not to play games with their hopes and dreams?
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