- Title: USA: PREMIERE OF SHARON STONE'S NEW FILM "THE MIGHTY"
- Date: 3rd October 1998
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (OCTOBER 3) (RTV- ACCESS ALL) SHARON STONE SAYING (SOUNDBITE ENGLISH ) "YOU KNOW, ACTORS CAN BE VERY SELF-INDULGENT, VERY NARCISSISTIC, COMPLICATED LITTLE BEINGS, UM, AND SOMETIMES IT REQUIRES THAT KIND OF EGO TO BE AN ACTOR, I MEAN IT'S A WEIRD KIND OF A JOB. THESE KIDS WERE THE MOST GIVING, PROFESSIONAL, DISCIPLINED, SUPPORTIVE,
- Embargoed: 18th October 1998 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES AND FILM LOCATIONS
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA3Z5J0TC6GIRBHHL54GQ73JTWR
- Story Text: Following up her animated debut as an ant in "Antz"
- the number one movie in America - Sharon Stone turned up
at the premiere of her new drama "The Mighty" on Wednesday,
(October 7) along with her co-stars Gillian Anderson and
Kieran Culkin, Macauley's little brother.
Although she's the top-billed star of the film,
Stone actually has a surprisingly small supporting role in
the movie, playing the mother of a handicapped boy played by
Kieran Culkin, the younger brother of former child superstar
Macauley Culkin.
The real focus of the story is the unlikely friendship
between young Kevin, played by Culkin, and Max, played by
newcomer Elden Henson, an over-sized 14-year old who's slow
in school and the target for much ridicule as a result of
his unusual appearance.
Together, these two boys realise that they can make up
for each other's shortcomings: Kevin is the brains of the
pair, while Max is the brawn.They set out on a series of
adventures in their hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio that, in
their minds, are just like the quests of King Arthur and the
Knights of the Round Table.
Other cast members include Gena Rowlands and Harry Dean
Stanton as Max's grandparents, "The X Files" star Gillian
Anderson in a small role as a colourful street woman with a
mysterious connection to Max's past, and rocker MeatLoaf as
Anderson's boyfriend.
The film is directed by British filmmaker Peter Chelsom,
whose previous credits include the critically acclaimed
"Hear My Song" and the off-beat comedy "Funny Bones," with
Oliver Platt and Jerry Lewis."The Mighty" is adapted from
the novel 'Freak the Mighty', the first young adult novel by
acclaimed mystery author Rodman Philbrick.
The biggest challenge for Chelsom was casting the lead
roles of the two boys.Once he found Culkin and Henson, the
challenge fell to the young actors.For Culkin, in addition
to the dramatic responsibilities, the role also held
physical challenges.To simulate his character's
disability, every day, Kieran had to be fitted with a
special body suit and leg braces in order to give him the
bent-over position he acts in throughout the film.
These contraptions made Culkin 10 inches shorter than
his normal height of 4 foot 10 inches, but, in the end,
Kieran says they helped him get into character because he
really felt handicapped during production.
For Gillian Anderson, working on "The Mighty" was a nice
break from playing the same role day in and day out on "The
X Files" television series.She admits that television work
can get a bit tedious and stale after a while, and she looks
forward to mixing her career up with film work to give her a
chance to grow creatively.
Sharon Stone was drawn to the film even though she has
such a small part because she sees the movie as a gift to
young people and families, and she's always wanted to do a
family movie.She also admits to life-long dreams of
voicing an animated film and acting in a full-fledged
comedy.
This year alone, all of those dreams have been realized
for her.Besides working on "The Mighty," she has lent her
voice to the hit Dreamworks animated movie "Antz," and is
now working on a comedy called "The Muse," directed by
funnyman Albert Brooks.
"The Mighty" opens in the United States on Friday,
October 9. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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