MovieChat Forums > River Queen (2006) Discussion > Samatha Morton should never work in film...

Samatha Morton should never work in film again.

posted 19 years ago by orcdoc
22 replies | jump to latest

I live in New Zealand and work in the film industry, and we make great movies in a certain way and we do not need actor like Samatha Morton here. Look at what happened to Stuart Townsend on LOTR. Vincent Ward spent years on this production, and yes, he is known to be difficult, but he is a great director and has made some of the best NZ movies made. Samatha Morton has decided that she does not like the way he directs and has had him fired. How dare she!!!! I hope producers take notice and do not offer her any good roles, she does not deserve them. Why did the River Queen producers not fire her and stick with the director, there are so many actresses out there who could play the part as well, if not better than Morton. Bring back Ward, fire Morton, make a great film. No offence to overseas directors, but this is a New Zealand story and should not be directed by an American. The film making styles are so different, at least try and find a Kiwi director to take over if Morton is not removed.
As far as I'm concerned Morton is just a drama queen, she needs to pull her head in (it probably would fit in its current inflated state) and realise that she is just another actress, whereas Ward is a proven great director.

FIRE SAMANTHA MORTON AND DO NOT GIVE HER ANY MORE WORK, SHE SHOULD BE SERVING PEOPLE BIG MACS.

Do not send your prima dona actors and actresses to New Zealand, we will not bow down to them and we do not want them here.

[–] Mick28 19 years ago

I just read an article from the Dom Post that basically blamed Morton for the firing. While it may prove to be true I always have trouble believing an article which uses the phrase "it is understood that...." as the only source of evidence for their view.

While you work in the NZ film industry (a tight little community if ever there was one) and may have some insider knowledge that I am not privy too, I am always sceptical of any media outlet who all tend to pick the majority side (e.g. NZ-born over immigrants, Pakeha over Maori, non-athletic over top sportsmen) and allow that to govern what we read and see on tv. But as I said you probably know something I don't know so none of what I said really matters.

On a different note, do you think it would be silly to hand the reigns over to Taika Cohen or perhaps Larry Parr?

[–] hugobolso-1 19 years ago

Samantha Morton sales tikets and receives awards for any movie she made. If she was cast is because they don't find someone else who wants to make the role, because Sam Morton is cheap by an actress of her range, and also she almost die doing this film.

[–] grapplernz 19 years ago

hugobolso-1
Sam Morton is cheap by an actress of her range.

You've got that right, she's a cheap bi*ch.

---
^^^What an intelligent comment

[–] jwoods666 19 years ago

orcdoc. I live in NZ I completed a 2 year diploma in film last year graduating at the top of my class. Can you give me some advice on getting into the film industry? Ive been sending out Cv's and dvds of my student film all year without luck. I tried to get on this film and king kong, lion witch wardrobe and most recently The worlds fastest indian. I never hear back from anyone. I emailed the producer of The worlds fastest indian and he got back to me very quickly. Once I told him I just got out of film school he stopped returning my emails. I sent him a cv and dvd anyway. I have work early next year on a low budget horror. ITs a three week shot with no money involved but I hope It will look good on my cv and help me to get work in the future.
Im also writing screenplays as im very creative.I hope writing could be a good way in.
So maybe you could give me some advice a diffrent approach?
thanks. -julian

[–] orcdoc 19 years ago

Sounds like you are doing all the right things but be persistent. People will not get back to you most of the time, most of them are so busy, so don't take it personally. I worked at WETA for 3 years on LOTR and am getting back there soon hopefully, but it took 2 1/2 years of calling Richard Taylor every month before I got the job. I didn't have any qualifications, I just did prothsetics as a hobbie, so the fact that you have that piece of paper will work in your favour.
So, as I said, keep on peoples backs, you will not annoy most, infact it shows you are keen. Keep working on anything you can get, even non-paid, get a part-time job to pay the bills but don't lose faith and you will get a job on a big production, which will blow your mind.

Hope this helps, thanks for the question.

[–] seasson-3 19 years ago

Dude... it's not what you know, it's WHO YOU KNOW!

Make contacts... make a million contacts coz only a few is never enough. I'm working with an industry Director at the moment as his 1st AD (I'm at the end of my course at film school) and will perhaps have a job lined up for next year in contunuity. Never let a contact slip thru your fingers in the industry either. The NZ film industry is only tight knit coz people only work with who they know. It's a team work thing so you don't go employing people you don't know well. Invite that producer out for a drink and socialise. That always gets a producers attention!

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] anais_anais19 19 years ago

It is unfortunate that the producers were forced to take such a drastic measure and dump Vincent from this production, which he has invested a lot into. However, I don't think its fair to lay the blame entirely on Samantha Morton. The media obviously like taking a spin on things, especially on the whole 'prima donna' take of the foreign actress on the New Zealand film. But how can you expect to make a decent film, to draw quality work out of actors if a director is impossible to work with? The production would obviously have been jeapordised if he stayed; it was over budget and running late in the schedule and he added to the difficulty of things running smoothly. Who would want to reprise Samantha Mortons role if she left the set and struck a controversy over the hard working conditions and in effect, giving the N.Z film industry a bad name and discouraging further outside interest, not to mention actresses or actors of her callibre - in future production? River Queen is very lucky to have Samantha Morton on the cast, she is a gem of an actress and has a lot of potential. Although she also has a 'difficult' reputation...at the end of the day it is she, and not Vincent Ward that has the pulling power as well as the skills to elicit magic onscreen. I think that considering the fact she has obviously had to endure quite a lot of stress on set both with the shooting conditions and her illness, as well as negative media spin on things, it pays to pay attention to the whole story here rather than media hype. At the end of the day, film is a collaborative effort; ditching the director obviously was the call that had to be made, which not only ensured a smooth continuation of production but also saves the added controversy which potentially could have had greater damage towards the New Zealand industry as a whole.

[–] rockwater1234 19 years ago

"But how can you expect to make a decent film, to draw quality work out of actors if a director is impossible to work with?"

Its a relationship. Like any relationship there are two halves to the whole. If Ward was impossible to work with he wouldn't be a succesful director, in fact he wouldnt be a director period. If there is a conflict of work ethic that cant be resolved then something has to give - obviously Ward got the small pointy piece of the wishbone.

There are enormous pressures on NZ film projects like this. Since Mr Jackson's success everyone's eager eyes (through the media)are on these productions like they are on the All Blacks each and every game.

Its unfortunate that when it comes to things like local film, the media here are like a highschool newspaper run by a bunch of cheerleaders. These bits of news are presented almost as if the population of NZ is dying of a collectively dehydrated cultural ego that can only be replenished with news of film production controversy or success, preferably with links to the fabled land of Hollywood.

As I understand it, (financially) NZ is NOT the utopia of film production that the media would have us believe. I personally think the NZ Film Commission has a lot to answer for. Many people in the film industry here including Ward and Jackson have some intensely negative feelings about them and have done for some time, but nothing ever seems to change.

RQ is a co-production. A lot, possibly most, of the money will be from offshore which means a lot of the contracts will also be tied down to this arrangement. It probably would never have made it to production any other way.

Add to these pressures the fact that Ward is dealing with the theme of bicultural identity, there are bound to be very strong local opinions on how the story should be presented. He set himself up for a fight from the very beginning and I'm sure he knew it.

Vincent Ward makes Vincent Ward films. They are unique. RQ will simply not be the same film without him. It might still earn the same amount of money but it will not be the same film. I personally have lost interest in seeing it now he is not involved.

[–] Jonathan Dore 19 years ago

If this is true (Morton being responsible for firing Ward) this is a sad, sad disgrace. Vincent Ward seems to have spent years doing production grunt work on Tom Cruise's forgettable "Last Samurai", presumably just so he could get the chance to make his first real film since "Map of the Human Heart", now more than a decade old. And now, it seems, thanks to the caprice of a starlet who last week was playing minor roles in low-brow ITV drama series, he's been thrown off his own project. I'm a Brit transplanted to Canada, so I can tell you it's not just in New Zealand that this seems like a smack in the face. Film lovers everywhere have now been robbed of the chance of seeing a film by NZ's greatest director, and like others here, I now have little interest in seeing the result.

So VW is difficult to work with? Other people seem to have managed. A shame they couldn't have cast someone who had some sense of what a privilege it would be to appear in one of his films. It sounds like Ward needs to go back to making smaller films, with less self-important actors, and with financial arrangements that don't put his position in the hands of some corporate studio exec in Burbank.

[–] natalie-clarke-1 19 years ago

Hi, I am ajournalist with the Daily Mail newspaper in London and am writing a profile on Samantha Morton. I would be very interested to hear more about the controversy on the set of River Queen and why she did not get on with the director and in what way she was like a prima donna. I can be emailed direct at [email protected]. I hope to hear from you soon. The piece is scheduled to run on Saturday.
Regards
Natalie Clarke

[–] blonde_ambition 19 years ago

Samantha Morton is such a bitch. She doesn't seem capable of doing a movie without badmouthing someone, and now she's got a good director fired.

"Hello, I'm nice, he's nice, we're both ****ing lunatics. Can I come in, please?"

[–] Gus-69 19 years ago

Those of you who're calling Samantha Morton a "no-one" of an actress, should watch MINORITY REPORT, SWEET % LOWDOWN and IN AMERICA first.

UNDER 18 DO NOT LICK: http://imperiocinefilo.blogspot.com/

[–] student-11 19 years ago

Yous dont even knw! U shud try working wiv her! As much as a gud actress she is it sooo wasn't worth all the troubles RQ went thru jst for her! I mean you had the hole entire call sheet changed filming shoots changed jst coz she cudn't make it or she was sick and she didn't nearly die! She had a cold! WOW! Keifer is sooo mch cooler den she is, hes down to earth hard out and he had a cold too! AND he still went on filming! Thats wot u call a good actor!!!! I mean we were ryt by the mountain wearing hardly no clothes of corse u wud get a cold! Everyone did it was in winter it was snowing wot the hell do u expect! But above all the bad things that happened in RQ it was cool fun and all the cast and crew were very supportive of each ova!

[–] BettyNZ 18 years ago

Oh please, student-11. Do try and remember you're not texting when you write on here. Please treat your readers with a bit of respect and write properly - or do you want the world to think that NZ is full of illiterate oiks?

I've just seen the movie tonight, and I enjoyed it. I thought the actor playing Boy was particularly good, and the tension between she and he was really well done. Yeah, maybe she was difficult, but it's over now. Let it go....!

[–] Shophisti-kate 16 years ago

She may be difficult to work with, but she is great at acting.

[–] luminalvelocity 15 years ago

I just watched this on dvd and regardless of the behind-the-scenes drama between Samantha Morton and Vincent Ward, I was absolutely captivated by her performance here. An actor who is supposedly "difficult to work with" may simply have a high, uncompromising standard. As a movie-goer, that's ultimately all I care about.
She really won me over with this performance, which was strong enough to carry this little gem of a film. Bravo Samantha!

[–] TheEmulator23 15 years ago

Too bad the movie is an absolute bore. Sloppily done except for some of the cinematography. This is a bad movie & the story is poorly done & executed. A giant waste of talent for a terrible plot, w/some absurd lines.

[–] jacowium 14 years ago

Luminalvelocity, I find your post and your attitude very refreshing amongst all the vindictive garbage on this thread. You get all sorts of cinema fans, such as those obsessed only by the character of the actors/celebrities and the scandals behind the screens; and at the other end of the spectrum those primarily interested by what is portrayed on the big screen. I'd gladly identify myself with the latter instead.

[–] blame_thatcher_2003-2011 14 years ago

I find your post and your attitude very refreshing amongst all the vindictive garbage on this thread. You get all sorts of cinema fans, such as those obsessed only by the character of the actors/celebrities and the scandals behind the screens

I trust you're referring to those who like to pry into the private lives of actors. The trouble caused by Morton on this film is nothing to do with her private life but her professional life. And as for "vindictive garbage", when the likes of Stephen Rea admit they won't work with her again in interviews then you just know Morton's a genuine pain in the arse.

"Of course I understand you. I'm Leonard Nimoy." §

[–] blame_thatcher_2003-2011 14 years ago

Yet if you had to work with someone like Morton you'd be bitching too. Films don't magically appear out of nowhere. They require lots of hard work from lots of people and prima donnas like Morton who try to derail the process for their own selfish ends should be disposed of quickly.

"Of course I understand you. I'm Leonard Nimoy." §

[–] River_7 7 years ago

Samantha's supposed reputation as being quite spikey wasn't evident on set, then?

No. I think people maybe feel that because of reputation and stuff like this – right, reputation is paper thin; when you get to the root of that it's probably based on nothing. If people are intimidated by her because she is a serious actress then that's kind of funny, really, because that's what I see. Someone who is absolutely dedicated to her craft, who tries her best in every job that she does to be as honest as she can be, and sometimes that process can be quite difficult for an actor.

Robert Carlyle on Working with Samantha Morton

Read more at http://www.nottinghampost.com/interview-robert-carlyle-man-seasons/story-12196918-detail/story.html#txsX2cRvosyCCp11.99