James Cameron is a Bad@$#
The New-Yorker recently ran a rather interesting piece on director James Cameron, the directorial force (of nature in some ways) behind the Aliens movies, Terminator and Terminator 2, Titanic and his latest work Avatar. The writer goes into depth describing not just the work he's done, but the man himself; it paints a rather interesting picture of a man who's both awesome, and just a smidgen on the harsh side.
Examples? Well, for one, he yelled “Do you want Paul Verhoeven to finish this motherfucker?” to Arnold Schwarzenegger's face, after he'd gone AWOL from the set of True Lies in Washington DC to escort some other actors around the capital. Remember, this was back in the day when Ah-nold was ridiculously huge. “The words ‘No’ and ‘That’s impossible’ and phrases like ‘That can’t be done’—that’s the stuff that gives him an erection,” actor Bill Paxton says of him. In the past he was notorious for pushing off studio execs and their representatives; it seems fear dosent have much of a hold on Mr.Cameron.
One of his personal heroes is Jacques Cousteau; as a result, James became a certified scuba diver and can actually dive underwater for 3 minutes with just the air in his lungs. He has shrapnel in his arm from filming T2, and on many movies went without sleep for 15 hours or more straight; Cameron is an energetic, picky, determined man. These, while strengths in his chosen field, don't quite seem to translate over into his personal life. He's been married 5 times, and has 4 children; strong women, just like in his films, seem to be a constant in his life, and with a personality like his sparks are bound to fly at least sometimes.
Overall, the article paints a picture of a slightly eccentric, intelligent and driven man that tries stubbornly (and in many ways I think succeeds) to remain resolutely blue-collar and pragmatic, as shown by his statement that “I don’t believe that the human race is going to suddenly evolve to the point that we can all join hands and sing ‘Kumbaya.’ ”. I find it a tad strange for some reason that he has the same opinion I do in regards to the human race. As for his blue-collar attitude, well:
“I try to live with honor, even if it costs me millions of dollars and takes a long time .It’s very unusual in Hollywood. Few people are trustworthy—a handshake means nothing to them. They feel they’re required to keep an agreement with you only if you’re successful, or they need you. I’ve tried not to get sucked into the Hollywood hierarchy system. Personally, I don’t like it when people are deferential to me because I’m an established filmmaker. It’s a blue-collar sensibility.”
I suppose that's the best way to end this article, my first on NFD; I gained alot of insight into the mind of the man whose films have honestly entertained me and made me think at the same time. The linked article also goes a good deal into his work on Avatar, including the new 3D camera technology and the creatures, the world, the mindset. Its truly a worthwhile read even if a bit long (12 pages), and I cant recommend it enough.
--Russ
 |
 JAMES CAMERON'S AVATAR JAKE SULLY FIGURE  US $16.99
|
 AVATAR 35MM MOVIE TRAILER #2 SCOPE JAMES CAMERON AMAZIN US $39.95
|
 Avatar James Cameron Official Japanese Small Poster US $1.60
|
 Aliens (2004 WS 2 Disc Collectors Ed DVD) James Cameron US $.99
|
 Titanic Lot Woodmere China James Cameron US $125.00
|
 JAMES CAMERON'S AVATAR JAKE SULLY FIGURE US $12.99
|
 James Cameron's Dark Angel (Xbox, 2002) US $2.00
|
 JAMES CAMERON'S AVATAR 35mm TRAILER MINT SEALED- Flat! US $9.99
|
 JAMES CAMERON'S AVATAR 35mm TRAILER MINT SEALED- Scope! US $30.00
|
 James Cameron's Dark Angel (PlayStation 2) TEEN RATED US $.88
|
 ALIENS Screenplay James Cameron US $25.00
|
 THE EXODUS DECODED ~New DVD~ James Cameron, Documentary US $11.99
|
 James Cameron's ALIENS Special Ed. DVD VG COND. L@@K! US $4.56
|
 James Cameron's Terminator 2 Leather +Wool Jacket,VR US $34.95
|
 McDonalds Avatar, James Cameron's Movie 6 Pin Set NIP US $9.99
|
 McDonalds Avatar, James Cameron's Movie 3-image Pin NIP US $5.99
|
 '87 CINEFEX~TITANIC~JAMES CAMERON, LEONARDO DICAPRIO US $19.99
|
 JAMES CAMERON TITANIC CREW WORN GREY SHIRT US $19.99
|
 JAMES CAMERON TITANIC STAR LINE CREW WORN BLACK SHIRT US $21.30
|
 James Cameron's Dark Angel (Xbox, 2002) US $9.99
|
| Powered by phpBay Pro |
Related Posts
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed or sign up for daily E-Mail updates!
Just for arguments sake, I curious to know, if Cameron directed Terminator Salvation, what would he have done to Christian Bale when he had his melt down. Now that would’ve been an epic audio tape to listen to.
Leave your response!