"But Madonna has a small amount of talent when it comes to movies"
About this Quote
Jewison’s barb lands because it’s dressed in the calm diction of a craftsman. “A small amount of talent” isn’t an outright dismissal; it’s a measured insult, the kind that pretends to be fair while quietly closing the case. He’s not saying Madonna is talentless. He’s saying the gap between pop stardom and screen credibility is wide enough that even acknowledging “a small amount” feels like charity.
The subtext is industry gatekeeping with a polite smile. Madonna arrives in film already overqualified in fame, publicity, and control of her own image - assets that sell tickets but can read, to directors, as liabilities on set. Movies demand submission to a collective vision: blocking, coverage, retakes, the slow grind of continuity. Pop rewards dominance and instant impact. Jewison’s phrasing hints at a suspicion that her strongest skill might be self-mythmaking, not inhabiting someone else’s story.
Context matters: Madonna’s acting reputation in the late ’80s and early ’90s was a cultural punchline for critics, even as she was untouchable commercially. When a director of Jewison’s stature weighs in, it’s less gossip than a status check, a reminder that Hollywood still reserves the right to certify who counts as “serious.” The line works because it’s both critique and protectionism: an old-guard filmmaker staking a boundary, wary that celebrity can masquerade as craft, and unwilling to let box-office gravity rewrite artistic hierarchy.
The subtext is industry gatekeeping with a polite smile. Madonna arrives in film already overqualified in fame, publicity, and control of her own image - assets that sell tickets but can read, to directors, as liabilities on set. Movies demand submission to a collective vision: blocking, coverage, retakes, the slow grind of continuity. Pop rewards dominance and instant impact. Jewison’s phrasing hints at a suspicion that her strongest skill might be self-mythmaking, not inhabiting someone else’s story.
Context matters: Madonna’s acting reputation in the late ’80s and early ’90s was a cultural punchline for critics, even as she was untouchable commercially. When a director of Jewison’s stature weighs in, it’s less gossip than a status check, a reminder that Hollywood still reserves the right to certify who counts as “serious.” The line works because it’s both critique and protectionism: an old-guard filmmaker staking a boundary, wary that celebrity can masquerade as craft, and unwilling to let box-office gravity rewrite artistic hierarchy.
Quote Details
| Topic | Movie |
|---|
More Quotes by Norman
Add to List
