Who’s Your Favorite Woody Allen Surrogate?
While I was away last week, FilmDrunk posted yet another great montage by their video editor, Oliver Noble, this one involving Woody Allen surrogates. Specifically Noble has compiled a chapter-structured look at a handful of actors (and actress) who’ve filled in for the filmmaker portraying “the Woody Role,” including Jason Biggs (“Anything Else”), John Cusack (“Bullets Over Broadway”), Larry David (“Whatever Works”), Rebecca Hall (“Vicky Cristina Barcelona”), Will Ferrell (“Melinda and Melinda”) and Owen Wilson, who stars in Allen’s latest, and most successful in years, “Midnight in Paris.” I’ve still not seen that one, as it’s been a busy couple of months for me, but I’m curious to see where Wilson ranks. The montage reminded me to re-publish an old SpoutBlog list of “10 Woody Allen Proxies,” which features other favorite surrogates like Kenneth Branagh (“Celebrity”), Stanley Tucci (“Deconstructing Harry”), Seth Green (“Radio Days”) and, umm, Burt Reynolds (“The End”). By the way, if anyone can find me a clip of Tucci’s performance (the video included in the original post is gone), I’ll be very grateful.
Highlighting these surrogates/proxies is also somewhat timely this week given the news of Allen’s full casting for his next film, “The Bop Decameron.” Allen will be appearing in one of his films for the first time since 2006’s “Scoop,” but that might not mean there’s no room for another proxy. Biggs and Tucci appeared in films also featuring Allen, for instance. And there are a ton of recruits for “Bop” that I can easily picture doing the Allen shtick, including Jesse Eisenberg, Roberto Benigni and even Ellen Page and Greta Gerwig.
In addition to thinking about who your favorite proxy of the past is, looking at that new cast has me also wanting to ask who should or could be a great future stand-in. David Cross? Samm Levine? Natalie Portman (who worked with Allen 15 years ago for “Everyone Says I Love You”)? It’d be cool to see Seth Green return to portraying the Woody Role now as an adult. Anyone else? While you’re thinking, check out FilmDrunk’s video after the jump.
Follow Spout on Twitter (@Spout) and be a fan on Facebook
Follow Christopher Campbell on Twitter (@thefilmcynic)
