Woody Allen and Jesse Eisenberg Weigh The Pros and Cons of Fame at the Cannes Film Festival
CANNES, FRANCE — “Café Society”, the 47th film from acclaimed writer/director Woody Allen, opened this year’s Cannes Film Festival here on Wednesday evening to mostly positive reviews.
Allen sets his dramedy in the 1930s, when the young Bobby Dorfman, as portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg, leaves his family in New York City, venturing west to Hollywood where he begins working for his uncle Phil, played by Steve Carell, a big shot talent agent. Bobby soon finds himself attending parties with celebrities and dating Phil’s beautiful young secretary Vonnie, played by Kristen Stewart. To say anymore about the story would be to give away certain surprises, though let’s just say the movie features many stock Allen tropes such as infidelity, love triangles and older men falling in love with younger women.
Given the choice to set his film, at least partially, in the heyday of Hollywood’s studio system, Allen brushes past the subject of fame and celebrity. Even so, the topic arose during the press conference for the movie here in Cannes, when Eisenberg and Allen were asked to comment on the pros and cons of fame.
Eisenberg was almost clinical in his answer when he stated, “It can be very useful. Especially for a career in the freelance arts, fame is probably the most valuable currency, for better or for worse. So it’s helpful in a lot of ways. It’s also uncomfortable obviously in a lot of ways because you lose a sense of privacy.”
For the most part, Allen agreed with Eisenberg’s assessment of fame, albeit in a much more lighthearted manner. “There are great, great upsides to it and great downsides to it,” said the filmmaker. “In my own opinion, after years in the spotlight, is that the perks far outweigh the downside. Celebrities often kvetch about the lack of privacy and being bothered by paparazzi and things like that. These are not life threatening problems and they get enormous advantages as they go through life.”
Both would experience one such advantage just a few short hours later, as they walked the red carpet before the gala opening of the 69th Cannes Film Festival.
