Arcand

From page 16

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The director of Decline of
the American Empire and
Jesus of Montreal started on
the project, and dissecting his
own fascination with beauty,
10 vears ago, “because | was
sick and tired of being such a
patsy in front of pretty girls,
Thev could make me do
whatever [ wanted.” laughs
Arcand.

~- Areand found Jessica Pare,
his Tiaa, only three weeks
before the shoot, after an
exhaustive search. He started
in Paris interviewing models.
The first woman who read for
him was Camilla Rutherford,
who nailed the part of Toni
and got the job on the spot.
“f chought “This is going to

_ be easy’,” says Arcand.

Then he saw a steady

“stream of girls who, Arcand
says “couldn't even say ‘Please
pass the sugar’.” Montreal?
Nothing. Vancouver? Zilch.
Toronto yielded one actress
perfect for the part except for
two things: she was 28 (too

questions society's beauly

old) and 3°4° (too short),

A casting director in New
York looked at the script and
told Arcand not to bother
getting ona plane. “A pretty
girl who can act,” she said to
me ‘is asking a lot’,” says
Areand

Then he did casting in the
Baywatch oflice in L.A, with a
casting agent “who knows
every *babe" in town,” says
Areand. Arcand auditioned an
actress every 10 minutes from
9-5, Monday dill Friday, and
still came home empty-hand-
ed.

Then fessica walked in to
audition for a small VeeJay
role and was perfect. “It was a

God-given gift,” says Arcand.
Seventeen-year-old Paré was
in high school when earlier
auditions were held, and her
agent never considered
putting her client, who had no
previous acting experience,
forward for the major role of
Tina.

But Paré’s inexperience
proved an asset. Stardom is a
tale about a young woman's
15 minutes under the global
spotlight: Paré was living the
part. And because Arcand had
surrounded himself with vet-
eran actors, among them Dan
Ackrovd, Frank Langella,
Robert Lepage and "Thomas
Gibson, all his energies could
be focused on Pare.

“ft babysat her. 1 did every:
thing f had to do to make her
feel secure,” says Arcand.

The decade that Stardon
was evolving in his mind mel-
lowed Arcand. He knew it
when he went to Fashion

Veek in New York and was
surrounded by the world’s
most beautiful women day

_ and night. (Literally: he

roomed next door to super-
model Helena Christensen.)
But he was unfazed. “I
watched the news on TV and

slept very peacetill nights,”
insists Arcand, laughing.

So what's his definition of
beauty? “There's no defini-
tion. You know when vou see
it, but it’s only a glimpse, a
glimmer. As suon as you stop
It, it's not as perfect,” Arcand
pauses, “Except maybe for
Claudia Schiffer.”

Arcand’s cautionary tale is
balanced with a great deal of
humour. “This is not the stuff
of wagedy. We're not ralking
about Kosovo here, we're just
talking about a pretty girl”
says Areand.

“And Par that kind of per-
son, | switch from laughter to
serious purpose all the time,
so my films are like that.”

Friday, October 27, 2000 -

IBSESSivn

Even in Jesus of Montreal, a
drama with weighty theologi-

cal themes, there was humour.

(The scene where the charac-
ters were dubbing the porno
movie, for example.)

But not far from the sur-
face of Stardom is a very
strong message, a criticism of
the media and our fascination
with the figures they pursue.

Why are we so obsessed
with beauty? What makes
someone a celebrity? Why do
we spend half our w, aking
hours in front of a computer
or FV screen?

“fr's a dark secret, televi-
sion, It’s like masturbation...
no one will admit to it,” says
Areand, whe admits to the

North Shore ews — 17

indulging in the former more
often than he'd like to.

Arcand will never follow
the Hollywood filmmaking
formula: “I make films for
adults” says Arcand. “You've
got to have read a certain
number of books, seen a cer-
tain number of films and
thought a certain aumber of
ideas to enjoy my films.”

Areand is happy knowing
he'll be able to make another
fibn, and is enjoving the
delebrity that “stardoni™ is
shining his way. Even if the
film does stir a little pool of
controversy here and there.
“It’s not everyone's cup of tea
but I’m happy to have done
it.”

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