That fame is dangerous territory is a proven fact. If not, ask the protagonist of Misery (1990), that movie directed by Rob Reiner and with a script of William Goldman, who very wisely adapted the homonymous novel written by the successful Stephen King. More than one peed on himself watching the sinister in action Annie Wilkes (Kathy Bates), a somewhat upset woman who one fine day decides to help her favorite novelist, the writer, after her traffic accident Paul Sheldon (James Caan), and ends up holding him against his will.
The film, released in the late 1990s, met all the necessary requirements to perform well at the box office – a psychological thriller presided over by a rather clever and powerful script that manages to keep the tension well – and, in fact, it did – more than 61 million dollars raised. It seems that Reiner, who had never filmed a horror movie before, found inspiration in the master’s work Alfred Hitchcock, and that Stephen King himself came to comment that Misery it was possibly the best adaptation of a novel of his to the cinema.
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At first, the makers of the film offered the role of Annie Wilkes to Anjelica Huston, but she was forced to reject him (with all the pain in her heart, yes) because she had already made a commitment to the director of The Scammers. They also tried their luck with Bette Midler, who flatly refused to participate in the film, considering that some sequences were too violent for his liking. Over the years, the actress would confess that that decision was quite “stupid” on her part.
Be that as it may, it is obvious that casting someone like Kathy Bates for the title role was a success. The Memphis was at the time a little-known actress in her forties — though she was already acting more than well — and physically normal — or, at least, she was far from the standard glamor canon that prevails in Hollywood. And all this, of course, allowed him to give his performance quite realism.
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At times amusing, Bates is fundamentally terrifying in most of her character’s sequences, a nurse with a murky past who kidnaps a successful romance novel author who’s finished very tired of writing such books. In fact, the aforementioned decides to kill the protagonist of them – a woman named Misery Chastain—, to work on a ‘serious’ novel with which to one day aspire to a national literature prize.
His kidnapper, who at first takes great care of him, takes that literary turn of his idol quite badly and, after reading the manuscript of his new novel, ends up tying him to the bed with straps, with the intention of forcing him to write a new story in which the character is resurrected.
Some absorbing characters
The two lead actors gave it their all during filming, although each appeared on set with a different acting method. Bates, used to doing theater and inexperienced as a leading film actress, bet on rehearsing her role over and over again. But Caan, who had already made a few films before, saw that very boring and unnecessary, and he opted for a much more naturalistic way of acting.
Although they both tried to find some balance, the actress ended up complaining about the matter to Reiner, who encouraged her to move on from the matter and project that kind of frustration on her tormented character.
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Those who have seen the film know that Wilkes’ presence was so powerful that he had the ability to outshine anyone who shared a shot with her. Perhaps this was the reason why very few actors were willing to play a loser like Paul Sheldon. But James Caan – who even at that time suffered from alcohol problems and one day appeared on the set with a tremendous hangover – took with philosophy (and some resignation) the passive nature of his character. Not surprisingly, the actor endured as best he could the fifteen weeks of filming that he spent mainly (and due to the script’s demands) in bed (even between takes) and putting on the face of a scared man.
Very little to do with the powerful role of Bates, who suffered greatly from the violence displayed by the lunatic Annie. While filming their sequences, Reiner and Bates came up with a possible story of parental-child sexual abuse that would help explain in some way the bipolar nature and the way of proceeding of that nurse who told Paul the same how much he admired his creativity – “I’m your number one fan” – as he broke his ankles with the help of a hammer.
Not surprisingly, the actress, who has always been a peaceful person, used to bring the character home, and they say she had a regular time during the filming of that iconic sequence. According to Caan in an interview, Bates burst into tears when it came time to film the sinister carnage.
Horror icon with award
Playing Annie Wilkes earned Bates an Oscar for Best Leading Actress at the 1991 gala. That was quite a milestone, considering that no other actress had ever won a gold statuette by starring in a horror movie or suspense.
As you can imagine, the award was a high for the actress, who had a feeling that she could take it with her, and during her thank you speech she jokingly commented “I would like to thank Jimmy Caan and publicly apologize to him for the the ankles”. In the following years, the actor was the subject of endless jokes and got used to people asking him “How are your legs, Jimmy?”
In addition, the American Film Institute did not think twice about including Wilkes in its list of ‘the 100 greatest heroes and villains’ in film history.
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Life after ‘Misery’
Popularity knocked on Bates’ door, but the truth is that winning that award did not change the actress too much, who shortly after the ceremony filmed a scene with Alec Baldwin And he was shocked when he ran into a group of fans who asked for his autograph. That made him begin to realize what Misery could come to suppose in his life and career.
That same night, Bates took his dog out for a walk and, during the walk, realized that he had forgotten to bring a bag to collect the pooch’s poop. Far from fussing over being confused, the woman looked for something to get out of the way, and ended up picking up a piece of paper that she had thrown on the ground. Holding it, he saw that it was one of the autographs that he had signed for his fans just hours before.
A little humility cure – or “a message from heaven”, in his own words – for someone who would never stop working and who, in fact, has always kept his feet on the ground.
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