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Do A-list actors see all their movie offers?

Thu., Apr. 5, 2007 3:58 PM PDT by Leslie Gornstein

Do actors' agents present all role offers to their clients, or only the ones they think are appropriate? Who has the last word on what roles a performer will accept—or even see?
—Ron, Toronto The B!tch Replies: Your question proved a long-lingering theory of mine: Despite their fearsome reputations as human vipers who spend their spare moments filing their teeth into sharp points, agents are, apparently, pussies. Read on.

Reps for all three major agencies found your question so terrifying that no one wanted to address it on the record. (Unlike most other outlets in this town, I tend to ask my sources for their names. Again, for an agent, horrifying.)

But your answer is simple. The more important an actor gets—i.e., the more important an actor thinks he gets—the fewer projects an agent will present. Wouldn't want to distract the talent from more pressing matters, like being late for a fashion show or pretending to formulate a new perfume, right?

Some exceptions: Well known TV actors may entertain more bids than usual—if the offers are for movies. After all, most TV actors dream of being the next Jessica Alba, who went from TV's Dark Angel to Fantastic Four.

I get this information from indie director Drake Doremus, who is working with several big-named, not-yet-announced comedians in an upcoming project. One of the female actors is a respected star of a basic cable TV show, but she wants more independent film credits, so Doremus' modest project was able to get a look-see.

"If you're just someone starting out, everything is looked at by both the agent and client," says Doremus, whose newest film, Moonpie, stars Michael McDonald of Mad TV.

"But that changes as the star gets bigger. Mandy Moore, I guarantee she sees only five percent of what she's offered. They [her manager and agent] control everything."

That may seem awfully evil of those pointy-toothed agents, but remember: Celebrities like it that way.

"You try to pick an agent that looks out for you," Doremus explains. "Actors want to delegate that stuff to managers and agents."

I believe the proper term is pussies.