Lady Jemima
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The most disturbing thing...I just finished watching ALW: Royal Albert Hall, and a thrill shot through me at the Phantom music. Eagerly I expected Crawford to come out, or at the very least, Michael Ball. When Antonio Banderas turned around I actually choked on my drink. Coming from an admirer of the show (but by no means a Phan) I had no idea that when people referrenced him here, they were serious. Did anyone ever allow him to actually play the Phantom in a theatre!?
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Paula74
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| Quote: | | Did anyone ever allow him to actually play the Phantom in a theatre!? |
Mercifully, no...he's never actually played the role.
Right before he left the show, Hugh Panaro said he'd heard the rumor they were going to bring in Antonio as "stunt casting" for the record-breaking show on January 9, 2005. Thank goodness that didn't happen.
I remember when that special first aired on PBS. My usually "no comment" foster-mother turned to me after that song and said, "He sounded constipated." She liked him well enough in "Evita," though.
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musikal_geek
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Re: The most disturbing thing... | Lady Jemima wrote: | | When Antonio Banderas turned around I actually choked on my drink. |
Seriously?! 
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brizejellicle
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If you check out his feet during the whole song you will also notice he is wearing what appear to be the male version of high heels.
The first time I played my DVD of that concert I was playing on the computer and had the disc in my TV (more like listening to the DVD than watching it). I too was expecting Michael Crawford or maybe Colm Wilkinson (he was Phantom on the Hey, Mr Producer video) but when Antonio started singing I almost fell out of the chair and my cat (who was sleeping on my feet) definitely went flying.
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The Very Angry Woman
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Re: The most disturbing thing... | Lady Jemima wrote: | | I just finished watching ALW: Royal Albert Hall, and a thrill shot through me at the Phantom music. Eagerly I expected Crawford to come out, or at the very least, Michael Ball. When Antonio Banderas turned around I actually choked on my drink. Coming from an admirer of the show (but by no means a Phan) I had no idea that when people referrenced him here, they were serious. Did anyone ever allow him to actually play the Phantom in a theatre!? |
Wait, am I in a time machine? Surely I remember this kind of outrage several years ago...
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jcstar
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Yeah, the "Save Erik from Hollywood" protests. A load of rubbish.
(Had those people not seen the other Phantom films?)
Andy.
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Brother Marvin Hinten, S.
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I mean, jeez, Banderas wasn't the worst to have ever played him, and it was only for one song. And he really didn't do a bad job (ducks from flames). Compared to Gerry Butler, he was fantastic (ducks from even larger flames).
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jcstar
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**points flamethrower at Gibby. It doesn't fire.**
**turns flaethrower on self to what the problem is. Sets self on fire.**
Andy.
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dcrowley
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I mean isn't it obvious.... We can't get Michael Crawford... we can't get Michael Ball... Who is the nest best performer... *gasps*... why of course. ANTONIO!!!
*snickers*
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LaGataNegra
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The bad thing-they HAD Michael Ball!! He could have sung two more songs, but nooooo.
If memory serves (it rarely does), Evita was big news at the time, so I think they were riding the wave of 'Antonio as Che'. The ole cross-promotion trick.
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santtu
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Actually, after his successful (?) performance as Che in EVITA's film version, Antonio Banderas became "The Actor Most Likely To Play The Phantom On Film". He was considered for the role. So I guess that performance at the Royal Albert Hall was some sort of 'audition'.
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OGisForOperaGhost
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I wish they could have gotten Anthony Warlow to sing it for that show.....
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mastachen
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| santtu wrote: | | Actually, after his successful (?) performance as Che in EVITA's film version, Antonio Banderas became "The Actor Most Likely To Play The Phantom On Film". He was considered for the role. So I guess that performance at the Royal Albert Hall was some sort of 'audition'. |
Then how the hell did Gerard Butler beat him out for it?
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jcstar
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Bandarras had dropped out.
Andy.
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Paula74
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| mastachen wrote: | | santtu wrote: | | Actually, after his successful (?) performance as Che in EVITA's film version, Antonio Banderas became "The Actor Most Likely To Play The Phantom On Film". He was considered for the role. So I guess that performance at the Royal Albert Hall was some sort of 'audition'. |
Then how the hell did Gerard Butler beat him out for it? |
Because once Joel Schumacher saw Gerard in the awful "Dracula 2000," he wanted him for the role and ruled out casting anyone else.
By his own admission in some interview, Joel went to the movies, saw Gerard as Dracula, thought he'd be right for Phantom, and brought him in to audition for Andrew Lloyd Webber.
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santtu
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| mastachen wrote: | | santtu wrote: | | Actually, after his successful (?) performance as Che in EVITA's film version, Antonio Banderas became "The Actor Most Likely To Play The Phantom On Film". He was considered for the role. So I guess that performance at the Royal Albert Hall was some sort of 'audition'. |
Then how the hell did Gerard Butler beat him out for it? |
Because, as Schumacher himself said in an interview, he wanted more unknown actors to play the leads instead of stars, young & sexy actors who can sing themselves. He insisted on that.
What's interesting is that he wanted the actors to be able to sing themselves, but still Minnie Driver's role (Carlotta) was sung by Margaret Preece! Why not cast Preece as Carlotta then?
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mastachen
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| santtu wrote: |
What's interesting is that he wanted the actors to be able to sing themselves, but still Minnie Driver's role (Carlotta) was sung by Margaret Preece! Why not cast Preece as Carlotta then? |
She wasn't pretty enough? lol
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Fantine
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Looks like a fine Carlotta to me.
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santtu
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I've seen her on stage as Carlotta and she was very good. Not the best I've seen (Jasna Ivir is!) but still she was excellent.
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Fantine
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Still doesn't anwer the question why they cast Minnie Driver though.
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Brock07
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I thought Minnie was an amazing Carlotta.
I think it was because they needed at least one recognizable name in the film (though I recognized Butler)
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jcstar
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Yet Andrew Lloyd Webber's name doesn't sell it?
Andy.
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Paula74
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| jcstar wrote: | Yet Andrew Lloyd Webber's name doesn't sell it?
Andy. |
To musical theatre fans, yes, his name could sell it. To the general movie audiences, no.
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Fantine
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Is Minnie really that big? It wasn't until POTO that I heard (and fell in love with) about her. Maybe I've been living under a rock though.
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Paula74
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| Fantine wrote: | | Is Minnie really that big? It wasn't until POTO that I heard (and fell in love with) about her. Maybe I've been living under a rock though. |
I pretty much lived under a rock for a few years prior to the POTO film and don't follow films too closely, but I'd heard of her. I hadn't actually seen her in anything prior to POTO, but I at least knew her name and face.
I don't think her inclusion alone was going to be enough to sell the movie, but at least hers is a name non-musical fans would recognize.
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Colonel_Pickering
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I actually liked Antonio Banderas in That Performance but hey, I would've liked it more if they got the actor who played the organ as the phantom playing the role. Antonio would've made a better phantom to me then Gerard butler because Gerry was too buff and big for the role and I don't like the rock n roll voice so much. I was only annoyed by Antonio's accent but I'm pretty sure with proper film direction he could've sang that song good. If not, Then I'll imagine it was a French accent.
Banderas looks more phantom to me, make him paler and keep his hair like that and voila!
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