About Town
People, Places,
PreoccupationsTHE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 22 SEPTEMBER 4, 2019
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despicable.” And Meyer, a son
of Holocaust survivors, says of
the recent resurgence of hate,
“Frankly, it probably never went
away. People just feel more com-
fortable showing their feelings,
unfortunately.” For Katzenberg,
the document is a stark reminder:
“When you have undeniable
evidence of this hate and intoler-
ance, it reminds you how easily
things can go awry.”
The letter also is a warning to
“never disregard people that you
think are crackpots,” says Hier.
“It just takes one.” Can Hollywood
help? “Those who are privileged
to be making popular culture
have an obligation to reflect our
best values,” says Gianopulos.
“My daughters studied the
Holocaust in school, but nothing
had the impact of when I screened
Schindler’s List for them,” he adds.
“Hollywood can ... reflect our
best values, reflect the best of our
society and also reflect the conse-
quences of the alternative.”
Cohen, who was among those
subjected to sterilization experi-
ments by Dr. Josef Mengele,
reunited with her fiance and mar-
ried after the war. Now a mother
of two with eight grandchildren
and five great-grandchildren, she
has come to enjoy sharing her
story, even with its most pain-
ful turns. Says Sarandos of her
strength: “It gives you hope that
the better part of the human con-
dition always wins.”
Grace and Frankie and Long Shot
actress June Diane Raphael
co-authors a women’s guide to
running for office inspired by the
‘wake-up call’ of Donald Trump
By Vincent BoucherWho Says
Actors Should
Stay Out of
Politics?
F
or those who think Hollywood figures
should keep their political opinions to
themselves, June Diane Raphael has a
book to recommend: Represent: The Woman’s
Guide to Running for Office & Changing the World
(Workman, $20), which the Grace and Frankie
actress co-authored with policy wonk Kate Black,
formerly of the pro-choice Dem PAC EMILY’s
List. “I totally disagree with the idea that actors
or writers or directors or anyone who works in
the entertainment industry shouldn’t speak on
these issues,” says Raphael, who was galvanized
to develop the book — larded with statistics and
testimonials from the world of politics as well as a
lively exchange of ideas between her and Black —
by the “wake-up call” of Donald Trump’s election.
The podcaster (How Did
This Get Made?) and
co-working entrepreneur
(she co-founded L.A.
workspace The Jane Club)
had even worked on a few
campaigns before that
fateful 2016 night, but like
many in Hollywood, shedidn’t see it coming. “I don’t think I understood,
well, like many white people, what my role in the
world was and how I was upholding systems,” she
says. “It forced me to engage in a different way.”
While researching the book, she and Black
spoke about whether Raphael might run one day
and what aspiring candidates could learn from
people in Hollywood — like how to roll with inevi-
table rejection. “I could really connect with that
[fear],” says Raphael, who played consigliere to
Charlize Theron’s presidential contender in May’s
Long Shot. “I felt I could offer something about
working without a net and just going for it.”
Also versed in working without a net: the titular
characters of Raphael’s Netflix series. So who’d
make a better candidate, Jane Fonda’s Grace or
Lily Tomlin’s Frankie? “Grace probably started
off as a Republican and now I think her views
have probably changed, in large part from being
in such close proximity to a radical character like
Frankie,” Raphael says. “But I ultimately think
Grace Hanson would make a better leader, I’ve
got to say. And not just because she’s my [char-
acter’s] mom.” And if they happened to run as a
team? “That’s an unbelievable ticket!”June Diane
Raphael
(left) with
Charlize
Theron and
Ravi Patel in
Lionsgate’s
Long Shot,
which netted
$52.8 million
at the global
box office.It was the costliest film ever made at the
time, its $44 million budget equivalent
to $365 million today, and it sent 20th
Century Fox into such a financial spiral
that the studio had to sell the swath of
land now known as Century City. But was
1963’s Cleopatra the biggest bomb ever?
Not even close. The Elizabeth Taylor
vehicle hit No. 1 at the box office, earning
$57.8 million domestically ($480 million
today) and winning four Oscars.
What about that legendary 1980 flop,
Heaven’s Gate? The Michael Cimino epic
had a production ticket of $44 million
($171 million today) for a shoot that lasted
10 months but earned only $3.5 million
domestically. In adjusted dollars, it lost
United Artists $128 million.So what was the biggest loser? It’s a
toss-up. Disney’s 2012 sci-fi opus John
Carter cost $263.7 million (plus at least
$100 million for marketing) and earned
only $284 million worldwide — just half
what it would have needed to break even
— forcing the studio to take a $200 million
write-down, though the loss connected to
the movie was only $136.6 million.
Still, that puts Andrew Stanton’s Carter
a smidgen ahead of the Renny Harlin
flick that had reigned supreme until then:
1995’s Cutthroat Island reportedly cost
$98 million, but its budget may have been
much higher and topped $115 million when
domestic marketing costs were factored
in, per a 1996 New York Times report.
Cutthroat earned $15.7 million worldwide,according to Comscore. It pushed Carolco
Pictures into bankruptcy and lost $118 mil-
lion (adjusted for inflation) according to
the Guinness Book of World Records —
which doesn’t account for international
marketing, whose precise cost is unknown.
Without those numbers, John Carter
takes the dubious crown.Got a question for THR Confidential? Email [email protected]