Grid Effect

Upon seeing Anna Paquin in a trailer for a new HBO series in between Sunday’s The Sopranos and Entourage, it triggered a conversation with a friend about the merits of going from a film to a television career for an actor. Generally this is considered a step down in the entertainment industry, but I was trying to contest that for the actors making the leap to television have relatively successful film careers, but to become recognized by the mainstream it was imperative that they find another medium. My friend was arguing that their film careers were so dismal to begin with, that moving to television could hardly be considered a down grade. With all the people in hollywood trying to jump start acting careers, I had to suggest otherwise. There are literally thousands of actors that would sacrifice limbs to have the career that Jeremy Piven had pre-Ari Gold.

If one makes the leap the goal is to either attain critical or commercial praise. Ideally both, but that is rare. James Gandolfini has a history of playing muscle, so taking a lead role on a dramatic HBO series as a mob boss was probably a natural transition, and considering the network it is on, and the track record of those behind the scenes, Gandolfini would have been a little disillusioned if he turned down the Tony Soprano role because it was on television.

Kiefer Sutherland is another one who’s attained the fanfare of both critics and the masses. While it has come to my understanding that 24 has taken a nosedive this season, the series still tops the ratings and he has a closet full of hardware to prove the critical success of his performance and the show. I have stated many times before that 24 has never appealed to us hear at Grid Effect, too melodramatic and outlandish for how seriously the show takes itself, but we give credit where credit is due and recognize there ratings blitz.

Sarah Jessica Parker has probably made the biggest splash in going from the big to the small screen. Hollywood tends to be unfair to actresses (outside of a select few, it’s unfair to everyone involved, but is especially cruel to aging, non-botoxed, female screen talent). While she had made her bones in movies such as Honeymoon In Vegas, Ed Wood and LA Story; in 1998 she made what may have seemed like a gamble at the time and switched to television for Sex and the City. A series heralded as the vehicle for empowerment amongst the single women in their thirties crowd somehow appealed to the college demographic as well, and managed to ruin an entire generation of women (obviously, I’m kidding… Sort of). When we’re talking about something as trivial as scripted television, how many series’ can say that?

This (or you could argue Robert Wuhl in Arliss, though he didn’t have anywhere near the film career Parker had) seemed to trigger a movement in television. With recognizable actors (hey, it’s that guy!) realizing the film business is getting younger by the day opting for a career with more longevity. And for the most part, they all seem successful. One could argue that a series now needs that star power be competitive in the ratings war. Gary Sinise and David Caruso have both helped yield incendiary ratings for the CSI franchise. It goes without saying that the contributions from Gandolfini and Imperioli on The Sopranos have been considerable (Can you imagine anyone else in the Tony Soprano role?). Alec Baldwin has already won an emmy for his role on 30 Rock and Charlie Sheen is the lead on the number one sitcom on television.

The list is much longer than that but you get the point. Making the transition from film to television is not always a step down. In several cases, it has helped rejuvenate careers, catapulted ratings monsters and contributed significantly to legendary series’. For all the work Sutherland, Gandolfini and Parker have done in films, for better or worse they’ll be remembered as Jack Bauer, Tony Soprano and Carrie Bradshaw.