AN item in the papers caught our attention because it  dealt with the dance double of Oscar winner Natalie Portman of “Black Swan” fame. Apparently her double Sarah Lane is no ordinary dancer. She trained at the Boston Ballet, New York’s Tisch School of the Arts, and is a soloist at the American Ballet Theatre. And now she is complaining that she has not been given the proper credit in the film.

Whether it started when Natalie forgot to thank her at the Oscars, or that Sarah really did most of the dancing in the film is immaterial. Can you imagine our SOS stunt doubles claiming that most of the fight scenes in a Robin Padilla or Bong Revilla film were actually done by them? I believe that when you accept the role of a double you forget yourself and your ego and just do it for the money. It is difficult enough for the star to emote and get into character without having to deal with self-centered doubles.

We love watching movies not only for their artistic value but oftentimes for what we imagine would be their effect on those involved in their making. We picture behind the scenes dramatics during production, and the lessons they impart to our actors and actresses.

People who think stardom is a bed of roses will have to rethink that impression. Many times, your beautiful or handsome lead gets the raw end of the bargain. Yes, they could be making oodles of money but that comes with a whole lot of sacrifices everyone in show business is familiar with. There is the loss of privacy, fear of failure, insecurity that one’s stardom will not last, lack of sleep and the proper diet, intrigues, and the truism that one will never know his true friends when one is up there.

We watched Justin Bieber’s “Never say Never” and felt sorry for the world wide phenomenon who will never have a normal life, never will be able to walk the streets alone, never will know the real meaning of sleep or going home to cuddle up in one’s favorite bed. Even this blatantly promotional marketing tool of a movie will never be able to completely sanitize the traumas of the kid, the tantrums we are sure he gives vent to, the many times he must have screamed  for people to leave him alone. Genius has its drawbacks.

We also watched “Catch Me…I’m in Love” and again felt sorry for the star Sarah Geronimo, easily the top multi-media artist of her generation in recording, movies, television, live concerts, endorsements. We wonder just how long she will be able to last, playing the never-been-kissed ingénue on the screen, and get away with it. After all, she is all of 23 and even during the era of Sampaguita and LVN no one has been able to avoid romantic scenes as skillfully as she.

The movie house was still full when we watched her movie with new leading man Gerald Anderson. It was another certified hit although we don’t know how much is attributable to Sarah and how much to Gerald. All I know is that I felt so uncomfortable and am sure so did box office director Mae Cruz. And so did Gerald who played a certified playboy betting on girls like ex-PBB Princess Manzon in the bar scene.

Why then, would he be expected to be chaste and pure with Sarah? I felt cringing in my seat as the two who eventually fell in love would gear up for a kissing scene. Of course it had to be a daya scene, in the manner of 20 years ago. Sarah’s many fans who filled the balcony beside me were muttering under their breath. “Bumigay ka na Sarah.” Of course she didn’t. And she wouldn’t, because she is a dutiful daughter.

While I believe Sarah’s parents have only the best in mind for her, protecting her from the many harsh elements intrinsic with the career she chose to enter, it is time for them to be realistic. Otherwise, we shall be hindering the full blooming of a truly talented artist.

Finally, another unforgettable flick we rushed to watch was “True Grit”. This is a remake of a John Wayne starrer as the tough old marshall (now played by Jeff Bridges), recruited by a teenager (Hailee Steinfeld) to avenge the murder of her father. The film shows the audience pretty much how it was in the Wild Wild West, when even young girls must be adept at firearms, ready to kill and be killed, and tough as nails in dealing with pain.        

How would a teener cope in the real life today, had she lived in those times? We are certain Hailee dealt with all these to be able to come up with as riveting a performance that she gave.
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