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Amelia Warner
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www.roughcut.com
- Thursday November 30th 2000
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By David Poland
GOSSIP BOY: Normally, you don’t look to The Hot Button for the sharpest, cutting-edge gossip. But today I have some news that speaks to the artiste in all of us. There are many well-known men and women pairing off in this business, and they are covered assiduously by the tabloid press and People magazine -- or is that redundant? Anyway, this recent mating is so high in sex appeal that, while the names are not yet very well known, they will provide ample fantasy material for almost any couple. First, there’s Colin Farrell, who set hearts aflutter all over Toronto this September, even though his debut movie, Tigerland, was a little tepid. Joel Schumacher has an eye for beautiful boys. From Rob Lowe to Billy Baldwin to Brad Renfro to Matthew McConaughey to Farrell, Schumacher has shown that he can turn beauty into a career path. In this case, Farrell even had publicists who have long replaced Do Not Disturb signs with Honey, I’m Working signs sighing wistfully in the cool Canadian air when his name was mentioned.
And who is the femme fatale in this little scenario? Well, she stars in Phil Kaufman’s Quills, which is easily one of the best films of the year. She’s newcomer Amelia Warner, who is about as luscious a young confection as one can imagine, bringing both the virgin and the whore to life with absurd ease and a terribly compelling sense of humor.
How about these two in a remake of The Getaway? Part of the original’s charm was that McQueen was so low-key, while MacGraw was so raw in her acting style. Baldwin and Basinger took the remake to a place that was too Hollywood, even though both can bring the acting. Both are better in theatrical pieces. But Farrell and Warner are like young, raw, sexually charged dynamite. Kind of like Charlize Theron and... geez, I can’t think of the last guy who was straight and had this effect on women. It wasn’t Affleck or Damon, who are popular but aren’t those kinds of sex objects. Oh well. Forget the analogy. This is a one-of-a-kind opportunity. Someone get these two in a sexy, low-budget movie before The Strike(s). Sure, it will probably kill the relationship before it’s really begun. But, oh, what a lovely light.