Lust, Busted?
Last year I had the chance to talk with director Ang Lee on the
occasion of the release of his steamy, unrated film “Lust, Caution.” Ever the
champion of beautiful young women who appear naked on screen, I asked him if he
was concerned about the impact the film would have on Tang Wei, who engages
with Tony Leung in numerous graphic and anatomically challenging sexual acts.
After all, I pointed out, this kind of exposure has traditionally had a bad
effect on an actress’s career, as witness Kerry Fox after “Intimacy,” Chloe
Sevigny after “The Brown Bunny,” Maria Schneider after “Last Tango in Paris.”
He seemed genuinely worried. “Oh gosh,” he said. “I hope not. I
try everything to protect the actors—and not just the sexual scenes, but a
whole career thing. Before she was nothing and now she’s getting so much
attention. I try every step of the way to protect her and educate her—make sure
she’s going on the right path. I helped her find her next project. I do the
best I can. I have not sent any young actor in my career to a mental
institution. [as did Schneider].”
Turns out my concern was not unfounded. She hasn’t ended up in
the loony bin, but her Pond’s cosmetics ads have been banned in
mainland China because of the movie, even though it had been cut to accommodate
the local censors. True to his word, Lee has backed his star up, saying, "I
am very regretful that Tang Wei has been hurt by this decision. She gave a
great performance in this properly produced and distributed film. I will do
everything I can to support her in this difficult time.”
Let’s see if that takes
some of the sting out of her financial loss -- her contract with Ponds was
paying her $845,000.
Needless to say, Leung doesn’t seem to have suffered any lasting
consequences, except maybe some snarky remarks from acquaintances about his
bobbing scrotum. In general, the men get off pretty easy (no pun intended) in
these movies. True, Vincent Gallo’s career hasn’t exactly taken off after
Sevigny put the finishing touches on his “Brown Bunny” (coming up for Gallo, the role of
“Kevin Stiff” in “The Funeral Director”). But nobody came out of that film in
good shape.
By way of contrast, however, there’s the case of Mathieu Amalric, who prior to starring in the Oscar nominated “Diving Bell and
the Butterfly” showed the world what was lying idle in that wheel chair in “The
Story of Richard O.” No locked in syndrome for Richard O!
So: there’s no justice. In fact, though, there is. You might
recall the loathsome John Gibson of Fox radio mocking
“Brokeback Mountain” star Heath Ledger just after his
death, homophobically noting that “we learned how to quit you.” Well, likewise
I’m sure, as low ratings have lead to the cancellation of Gibson's show. And
so, though dead, Ledger still outshines Gibson, receiving glowing accolades for
his appearance as The Joker in the trailer for the yet to be released Batman movie, “The Dark
Knight.” Looks
like Ledger’s getting the last laugh after all.