michele willens
Aug 31, 2018 · 4 min read

From TV to Film And Back Again

Michele Willens and Mary Murphy

Are the stars getting smaller or just the screens?

John Krasinski is returning to TV this week. He first came to our attention on “The Office,” and now takes on the role of the CIA analyst in the Amazon series “Jack Ryan.” On September 9, “In Living Color” alum Jim Carrey will play one Mr. Pickles on “Kidding,” a new series on Showtime. Allison Janney, who took home an Oscar this year, was back on the set of her TV series “Mom” the morning after she won. Mahershala Ali (who grabbed notice on “House of Cards”) won an Oscar in 2017, and recently wrapped the next season of “True Detective.” Donald Glover may have been the best thing in “Solo,” but his heart remains in “Atlanta.”

It is hardly news that many of Hollywood’s top film stars are heading to television. (Big bucks, more time to create a character’s arc, etc.) What is interesting is that so many are heading back. Forever-Rachel Jennifer Aniston will star with Reese Witherspoon in a series on Apple TV; George Clooney (who became America’s heartthrob in a TV emergency room ) is doing a HULU version of “Catch 22” That one stars Kyle Chandler, who made his name on Friday night television, then did a number of forgettable films. Woody Harrelson made the leap from behind the TV bar to movies, though his return in “True Detective” was pivotal in making that series the place to be.

If they were Brits, this would hardly be news. There, stars like Judi Dench, Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ruth Wilson and Tom Hardy — have always moved fluidly and unapologetically between film, theatre and TV. But here, there was a stubborn tradition that you did TV until you got your movie break. For years, there was an unspoken but ingrained belief that most successful TV actors had a winning accessibility — -but didn’t have a strong enough persona to crack through the big screen.

For a long time, James Garner, Steve McQueen and Clint Eastwood were held up as the exceptions. (Garner eventually went back and did some of his best work in made-for-TV movies, and of course as Rockford.) Sally Field is one who started on TV, found her way to movies and two Oscars, and then returned in “Brothers and Sisters.” If anyone has successfully followed the British mold, (she has also done stage) it just may be her.

The historical scorecard on the small-to-large screen transition has been mixed. Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke tried, but aside from Van Dyke in “Mary Poppins,” neither had great success and both returned to television: until Robert Redford spotted Moore strolling on the Malibu beach and cast her as the cold, grieving mother in “Ordinary People.”

Tom Selleck passed on the lead in “Indian Jones” to do “Magnum P.I.” Later, he jumped to (mediocre) films, but wisely returned from whence he came, to find one success after another. Ted Danson, and Michael J. Fox (though he will always be remembered for “Back To The Future”) had some success in films, but detoured back to do excellent work as stars of, or guests on, popular series.

As for women, Claire Danes (who rose to fame as a teen in “My So-Called Life”) had moderate success in movies like “Romeo and Juliet,” but it was only when she played the autistic Temple Grandin on television, that her full talent was realized. More Emmys were to follow, with her triumphant return as Carrie Mathison in “Homeland.” Likewise, Keri Russell (“Felicity” put her on the map) went on to a few films, including “Waitress,” but nothing can compare with her work as the Russian spy in “The Americans.”

Tea Leoni, who left TV and made her share of movies, is having far more impact as America’s chief diplomat, wife and mother in “Madam Secretary.” Jennifer Garner, too, has not reached the peaks in filmdom as she did in “Alias.” She returns in October in a new series, “Camping,” hedging her bets with HBO darling Lena Dunham. These women are well aware that there are few opportunities for them to shine within the tentpoles of current day Hollywood studios.

The jury is out on Chris Pratt, from “Parks and Recreation,” whose box- office numbers prove best when co-starring with dinosaurs. Melissa McCarthy is making films at a rapid pace but the last two sputtered. Jon Hamm has not broken through in movies, though his choices have been interestingly varied. (He just signed on to the next “Top Gun”) As one film critic wrote, “He’s a curious case: On one hand a tremendous talent, and on the other, someone who has routinely appeared in inconsistent fare since putting Don Draper to rest.”

Bryan Cranston, another former AMC star associated with a memorable character, (Walter White) has been more successful in leaving a persona behind. Still, his most notable role of late was in the HBO version of “All The Way.” Cranston did that one on Broadway, and soon he will appear there in “Network.” Another reason many actors may be returning to TV is that the medium has gained new respect, even among those in the “theatuh.” (Josh Charles, Jim Parsons, and Paul Schneider have appeared on Broadway this season and Keri Russell will appear there next Spring) “When I began in theatre, no one from TV would ever be hired, they were so looked down upon,” recalls writer-producer Arnold Margolin. (Creator of “Love, American Style”)

Right now, the most buzzed-about former TV star at the multiplex? Mr. Rogers. Well, it’s too late for him to return to TV. But he may be the only one.

Michele Willens and Mary Murphy co-write the “Now…and Then” column for TheWrap.com

michele willens

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michele willens writes for many publications. she lives in NYC.