12 year old Dakota Fanning wants Oscar: Nude Scene?!?!

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

I wouldn't know, obviously, but I wouldn't be shocked if that's the case. We've seen this time and time again from some actors.. make yourself ugly, get an Oscar, do something shocking, get nominated etc. It wouldn't suprise me at all to see Dakota's handlers (parents, agents) wanting her to take this role just for that.

Fair enough. Though, I don't necessarily see what the problem is. An actress takes a difficult role to get an Oscar and its wrong? Taking a shocking or controversial role to achieve professional success is despicable now? Plenty of people 'do what it takes' to get ahead.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Agamemnon

Oh well, I can see now that you've weighed in its a closed case. Whew, what a load off my mind, I guess we can lock the topic now. Mods? Azure has spoken...

Nice of you to go off on the deep end.....

You seriously believe it is right for a girl to repeatetly strip, or go half-naked in front of a group of people, and act out a "rape" scene, just to win an Oscar?

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Agamemnon

Fair enough. Though, I don't necessarily see what the problem is. An actress takes a difficult role to get an Oscar and its wrong? Taking a shocking or controversial role to achieve professional success is despicable now? Plenty of people 'do what it takes' to get ahead.

Why is it difficult to act out a rape scene? Unless you're talking phycological difficulty, which brings us back to the point that a "child" that young shouldn't be acting out such situations.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Agamemnon

Fair enough. Though, I don't necessarily see what the problem is. An actress takes a difficult role to get an Oscar and its wrong? Taking a shocking or controversial role to achieve professional success is despicable now? Plenty of people 'do what it takes' to get ahead.

Hey man, don't put words in my mouth, I never said despicable.

My point is that she is a very young actress and the solid roles are going to be there for her for years to come. I don't beleive she had to do this in order to try to get as Oscar now. To me this seems like a case of her handlers trying to get an Oscar for their golden meal ticket.

Although in Hollywood the quality roles for women are few and far between.

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by Azure

Nice of you to go off on the deep end.....

You seriously believe it is right for a girl to repeatetly strip, or go half-naked in front of a group of people, and act out a "rape" scene, just to win an Oscar?

Believe it or not, I think she's free to do whatever she wants within the law. Acting is not 'pushing the moral limits' of society. Its acting.

Real rape would be pushing/exceeding the moral limits. This is a story, a fantasy. To be overly offended by it is to be extremely sensitive, IMO. You can't handle the scene? Don't watch the movie. I know I wont'.

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Hey man, don't put words in my mouth, I never said despicable.

My point is that she is a very young actress and the solid roles are going to be there for her for years to come. I don't beleive she had to do this in order to try to get as Oscar now. To me this seems like a case of her handlers trying to get an Oscar for their golden meal ticket.

Although in Hollywood the quality roles for women are few and far between.

I don't get why she shouldn't be looking for 'solid roles' now if she wants to. She doesn't have to get an Oscar now, just like I don't have to be promoted to management. I sure would appreciate it if it happened tomorrow instead of a decade from now though... I assume she feels the same way, why wait if she can get it now?

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Agamemnon

Well... you're comparing a death in a comedy to a rape scene in a drama. No, they don't have the same impact (and Austin Powers wasn't what I was referring to in my killing movies). I guess let me ask you this; Is there a difference between a rape scene with a 16 year old vs. an 18 year old? 20 year old? At what point do you begin to distinguish between reality and fantasy based on age? I've never thought there was a difference, really. Rape is rape, its all bad. Its not 'funny' or acceptable just because the woman is over 18.

My point in comparing death to rape was supposed to be that in some cases we find death funny. After re-reading what I wrote I see how I wasn't really clear on that point.

To answer your question, 18 is the age where an actress can consent to doing a scene depicting her being raped in my books. That's just me.

Like MMF said, Law & Order SVU deals with this every week, and never have I seen them actually have to show the action for my stomach to be turned.

I'll leave it there.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by Agamemnon

Believe it or not, I think she's free to do whatever she wants within the law. Acting is not 'pushing the moral limits' of society. Its acting.

Real rape would be pushing/exceeding the moral limits. This is a story, a fantasy. To be overly offended by it is to be extremely sensitive, IMO. You can't handle the scene? Don't watch the movie. I know I wont'.

I couldn't handle a Time to Kill, so no, I probably won't be watching it.

Not the point though; I don't call it a fantasy just because she isn't having intercourse; she will be doing the scene numerous times to get it right, as sick as that sounds, and that means she will be doing everything that goes along with a rape scene, outside of the actual intercourse.

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by Azure

Why is it difficult to act out a rape scene? Unless you're talking phycological difficulty, which brings us back to the point that a "child" that young shouldn't be acting out such situations.

Young children take on difficult roles all the time. Kidnapping, molestation, being killed, etc. How is this movie the deal-breaker? Is it because she's nude, or because she's young?

I think its pretty presumptuous of you to decide what children actors should or shouldn't be doing within the law. Isn't that their call along with their parents? As long as they're within the legal system, they can go nuts. Its not like their fully simulating the environment... there's a whole camera crew around, with a director yelling at them! I think she'd have a hard time believing the scene was 'real'.

I don't support the scene at all. But if we're not complaining about the other 99% pure horrific garbage Hollywood puts out, I don't see the issue with this movie.

[Agamemnon]

Originally Posted by ken0042

My point in comparing death to rape was supposed to be that in some cases we find death funny. After re-reading what I wrote I see how I wasn't really clear on that point.

To answer your question, 18 is the age where an actress can consent to doing a scene depicting her being raped in my books. That's just me.

Like MMF said, Law & Order SVU deals with this every week, and never have I seen them actually have to show the action for my stomach to be turned.

I'll leave it there.

Fair enough. I figure the legal system can take care of anything that goes over the line. As long as they're on this side of the law, our comments are purely opinion. Obviously she's allowed to do the movie, so the values in our society (represented by our legal system) clearly allow for this scene. No?

[Azure]

Young children take on difficult roles all the time. Kidnapping, molestation, being killed, etc. How is this movie the deal-breaker? Is it because she's nude, or because she's young?

Probably because she's nude.

A child that young SHOULD have a problem getting naked in front of strangers.

I don't support the scene at all. But if we're not complaining about the other 99% pure horrific garbage Hollywood puts out, I don't see the issue with this movie.

Agreed. But hey, as wrong as it may be, this movie will probably be very sucessful BECAUSE of this scene.

[RedMan12]

Controversy sells and this pretty much guarantees this movie's success.
I find rape scenes the most disturbing things in movies and do not enjoy watching it at all.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Agamemnon

Obviously she's allowed to do the movie, so the values in our society (represented by our legal system) clearly allow for this scene. No?

You are correct in that. However how laws get changed often starts with two guys sitting around saying "You know, I just don't think that's right." Instead of you and I sitting down for a beer we happen to be in cyberspace.

And the non-smoking thread showed how the power of people talking can get a law changed.

And as we have seen with many laws that exist, laws are made because something happened to bring it up. Everything from noise bylaws to laws about "no sex with animals" came about because somebody said, "Man, look at what he is doing. That should be against the law."

[I-Hate-Hulse]

I wonder if this was a deliberate attempt to generate some buzz about a movie. No way does such a scene get by the standards board without an NC-17 rating. Much of that scene would have to be on the editing room floor to quality for an R.

[Azure]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

I wonder if this was a deliberate attempt to generate some buzz about a movie. No way does such a scene get by the standards board without an NC-17 rating. Much of that scene would have to be on the editing room floor to quality for an R.

Hopefully, but knowing Hollywood, they'll somehow get it passed with a PG-13 rating.

[getbak]

Jodie Foster was 14 when she played a prostitute in Taxi Driver (and was nominated for an Oscar) and she seems to have turned out okay.

Fanning has 34 credits on her IMDB profile, I'm sure she knows the difference between reality and acting (if she ever gets to experience reality).

[Azure]

Originally Posted by getbak

Jodie Foster was 14 when she played a prostitute in Taxi Driver (and was nominated for an Oscar) and she seems to have turned out okay.

Fanning has 34 credits on her IMDB profile, I'm sure she knows the difference between reality and acting (if she ever gets to experience reality).

You think a 12 year old should/does understand the idea of sex/reproduction?

[icarus]

Originally Posted by getbak

Jodie Foster was 14 when she played a prostitute in Taxi Driver (and was nominated for an Oscar) and she seems to have turned out okay

Let's hope Fannings performance doesn't inspire any would-be John Hinckley Jr.'s...

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Azure

You think a 12 year old should/does understand the idea of sex/reproduction?

I hope so. 12 year-olds are in Grade 7 they should have had some sex-ed by then.

I'm more concerned about real 12 year-olds having real sex and/or being raped than I am about an actress playing a role.

She's already played some pretty dramatic roles in her career. This is just another step. I'm sure that seeing Mike Myers in the Cat in the Hat makeup was more traumatic for her than this movie was.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Azure

You think a 12 year old should/does understand the idea of sex/reproduction?

they most like do, and definitely should. 12 is not that young, and by that time kids are extreme interested about sex...the sooner kids are taught the realities of it the better. Why keep them in the dark? That will only lead to stupid decisions like unprotected sex and pregnancy.