For starters, I have to say that I hate that I use a paparazzi picture of Rooney Mara to illustrate the fact that I think she’s a valuable role model. She is. For so many reasons. First, she is incredibly talented and gifted as an actor, but she is also incredibly humble and modest about it. She is generous, and wise, and smart. She chose to go to college before starting acting professionally because she thought it was important to have an education. She also seems to be adorable and nice and fun to hang out with. Some people though, have criticized her apparently. Because she doesn’t put on a ridiculous act when she strolls down the red carpet, or because she seems cold or distant to them. Well, this is precisely one of the thing I admire her for -not that I think for a minute that she is ‘cold’ or ‘distant’ or ‘arrogant’ like she’s been called. She just doesn’t let the stardom and all change her. She is the opposite of those people who become arrogant cunts when they are not half as talented as she is. There are plenty of reasons why I love and admire Rooney Mara; her humility is one and the fact that she stays true to herself in the world of appearances Hoolywood is, I think, absolutely refreshing.
20 DAY CELEBRITY PHOTO CHALLENGE - DAY NINETEEN
I’ve been awfully cavalier with this challenge and, I’m sorry. Besides, I don’t really know whose house I’d like to take a tour of. Maybe I’ll visit Graceland someday, but in fact, I’d rather see places where Hemingway and Faulkner lived. I’d visit Tennessee Williams’ house, and Truman Capote’s, and Harper Lee’s, and Eudora Welty’s, and Flannery O’Connor’s. And W.E.B Du Bois’. And Francis Scott and Zelda Fitzgrerald’s place in New York. And Norman Mailer’s. And now that it’s finally open to the public, I want to visit Greenway: Agatha Christie’s house in the Devon. I’ve already seen the beautiful gardens, but I want to walk in the room where she penned Death on the Nile. So, I guess I know: I want to see the places where my favorite authors have let their creative brains function, where they have invented wonderful tales to tell, where they have suffered writer’s block, where they have lived and loved and had terribly heated arguments and amazing sex, where they have been happy and sad, and where they have grown old (or not).
20 DAY CELEBRITY PHOTO CHALLENGE - DAY EIGHTEEN
Okay, so I’d love to raid Rooney Mara’s closet (and Lisbeth Salander’s while I’m at it); I’d also love to pick items from Blake Lively’s (and Serena van der Woodsen’s while I’m at it) and I think Cate Blanchett is always daring and always flawless fashion-wise- but it also applies to her in general, as a person and as an actress. But if we’d be to introduce some continuity into this photo challenge: Cate would be my wife, Rooney would be my lover and Blake would be my friend; so it’s fair to think I’d constantly borrow things from them! I’d also wear my husband’s (Johnny Depp) shirts and hats -because in this au, I could wear hats!- and why stop there: I want Elizabeth Taylor’s white dress from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and Jimmy Dean’s red jacket from Rebel without a Cause. And I’m out of my mind, you think and you’re probably right!
20 DAY CELEBRITY PHOTO CHALLENGE - DAY SEVENTEEN
This is a tough one. First off, I’m not sure I’d want a movie about my life to be made. To be honest, I’m sure I wouldn’t want that to happen. Why? Well, people who write their autobiographies, they make a pact with the reader to be as truthful and honest as they can. And when they are, they don’t hide things; or not consciously. I feel a movie made about me would have to reveal things I don’t want revealed; and if it didn’t reveal them, then it wouldn’t really be about me. I have no idea if I’m making myself clear or not. That said, if they made a biopic on, say Lauren Bacall, then I’d have to appear as this girl who cooked pasta for her and offered her the part who won her an Oscar at 90 (take that Christopher Plummer! No, just kidding, I love you Christopher Plummer!) Then I guess Zoë Kravitz would be just fine!
20 DAY CELEBRITY PHOTO CHALLENGE - DAY SIXTEEN
I think I’d love to have Meryl Streep over for dinner. I don’t know, I picture her as an epicurian and I’m sure we could have delightful conversations paired with delightful food and wine. Even better, she’d come over and we’d cook together. Before I had my crazy dream with Fincher, another dream I had involving a famous person was this one: I knocked on Lauren Bacall’s door at the Dakota. She opened and, being a polite woman, she let me in. I was there to convince her to take the part I offered her in a movie I wrote and was about to direct. Only, we never even mentioned the film, no; I cooked pasta for her. And from scratch. I think she was impressed (my linguine al pesto does that!) but I don’t know if she took the part.
Okay, so there is someone I think is more interested in fame than anything else. But I won’t post a picture, for two reasons. 1) I don’t want a picture of her on my blog. 2) I don’t know her personally, so I can’t judge and maybe she actually cares about her fans, but…mmmm, I think she cares much more about herself. And also she is a celebrity, not an artist, she has no particular talent, unless you consider her ability to constantly bicker with her sisters a talent. So, have you guessed?
20 DAY CELEBRITY PHOTO CHALLENGE - DAY FOURTEEN
A celebrity (God, I hate this word by the way, I’d rather say ‘artist’)… So an artist whose concert I’d love to go to is Florence Welch. I love Florence + The Machine and I’m sure they’re just awesome live. But honestly, the best would still be to attend a festival where I’d get to see Florence + The Machine, Bon Iver, The Rolling Stones, Radiohead, R.E.M., The Drums, The XX, The Black Keys (already saw them live, they’re great!), Ke$ha, The Roots, Athlete, Robyn…
20 DAY CELEBRITY PHOTO CHALLENGE - DAY THIRTEEN
Isn’t it obvious? Don’t you know me at all? Of course, I’d do anything to meet Rooney Mara! Not only because I want to meet her, though. Because I want to direct her in a film; this is my dream (one of my dreams anyways): to see her name and mine in the credits. Is it me or do I answer most of those questions with ‘Rooney Mara’?
20 DAY CELEBRITY PHOTO CHALLENGE - DAY TWELVE
This is a tough one! But if I have to choose -and that’s what this challenge is all about- I’d say my favorite actress from a TV show is Stana Katic. I think Castleis a great show and I’d love to work with those brillant writers, but besides the excellent writing, Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic and the rest of the cast make this show a pure delight! What I love about Beckett’s character is that she is broken, she has that ever bleeding wound she hides behind her strength and her dedication to her job. And Stana Katic portrays this woman with so much subtlety you believe she’s real.
20 DAY CELEBRITY PHOTO CHALLENGE - DAY ELEVEN
There are a lot of bands whose music I love and that are not famous worldwide. I chose The Drums because I’ve been listening to them a lot lately. It could also be Indochine or Athlete or others, really…
20 DAY CELEBRITY PHOTO CHALLENGE - DAY TEN
My favorite country singer is Johnny Cash. He’s always been and probably always will be. For his beautifully raspy voice, his talent in song-writing and his ever dark attire. One of my favorite song is the most beautiful union of voices when Cash and Bob Dylan sang Girl from the North Country.
20 DAY CELEBRITY PHOTO CHALLENGE - DAY NINE
I think I’d love to be friends with Blake Lively: we could cook together and I could borrow her shoes. I’d love to be friends with Rooney Mara too, for obvious reasons: she is amazing, she’d star in my films and maybe, maybe this could lead to more than friendship. I’m going to stop right now, because if Rooney ever stumble on this, chances are she’d think I’m creepy and she wouldn’t be my friend, let alone more! Hem, I’d love to have long conversations with Kirk Douglas and Betty Bacall, the two already are besties. I’d love to know Cate Blanchett, Toni Collette, Hugh Jackman, Naomi Watts and a bunch of other great Aussies (Geoffrey Rush!!!) so I could visit them in Australia and they’d show me places. I’d also love to know the Queen, I’d love to be her confidente. I’m sure she has so much to say, she just never has the occasion to speak her mind, you know, being the Queen and all. I love her as a Queen, but I’d want to know Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor; and also her pal Nelson Mandela (who is the only one, besides her close relatives, allowed to call her Elizabeth.)
20 DAY CELEBRITY PHOTO CHALLENGE - DAY EIGHT
Who’s my favorite Disney star? But Ryan Gosling of course! I know his Disney days are long gone, but I can’t think of anyone else. Why him? But because Half Nelson, Drive, Lars and the Real Girl, Blue Valentine, Fracture, The Ides of Marchand yeah, The Notebook too!
20 DAY CELEBRITY PHOTO CHALLENGE - DAY SEVEN
I’m a little confused by this question. The truth is I wouln’t trade my life with anyone. My life’s not perfect but it’s my life and I’ve being living it since I was born so, I’ll keep it, thanks. That said, sometimes I wish I had been living when Orson Welles was, I’m sure I’d have learned a lot from him.
20 DAY CELEBRITY PHOTO CHALLENGE - DAY SIX
I think I’ve already stated that I’d love to play Mimmi Wu opposite Rooney Mara’s Lisbeth Salander; and our scenes would be a lot more than kissing. Also, Johnny Depp, Ben Affleck, Ryan Gosling, Kirk Douglas (and yeah, I know he’s almost 100!)…