ABC
In 1993, Claire Danes secured a cherished spot in the hearts of many viewers with her portrayal of Angela Chase on the ABC drama “My So-Called Life.” Created by Winnie Holzman, the writer of “Wicked” and the book for its stage musical, this television series was short-lived but impactful. Danes, then 14, played a character who was a year older, and her performance was strikingly authentic. She embodied the fear and joy of being a freshman in high school in the US, oscillating between being empathetically heartbreaking and frustratingly annoying – much like real teenagers. Most of us can relate to this phase of life.
Many of us also had the chance in our teenage years to step out of our comfort zones and experience other cultures and countries. Looking back, these experiences were crucial in expanding our worldview and instilling in us the value of empathy. It is through such experiences that we grow and hopefully evolve into more enlightened individuals.
However, visiting another country as an exchange student is very different from doing so as an up-and-coming movie star on a major film project. This was the case when Claire Danes was flown to the Philippines in the late 1990s to film “Brokedown Palace,” directed by Jonathan Kaplan and influenced by Alan Parker’s “Midnight Express.” Despite her privileged position, the film was shot in impoverished areas of the country (doubling for Thailand), exposing her to living conditions that were disturbingly alien to her.
This had an impact on her. When she expressed her candid reactions to the U.S. media, the Philippines government was incensed.
The Philippines v. Claire Danes
20th Century Fox
During a 1998 interview with Premiere journalist Christine Spines, Danes described her experience as a nightmarish ordeal. Here is an excerpt from the now-defunct movie magazine:
The filming was riddled with malaria and hepatitis outbreaks and had to be halted for several sick days. ‘It was incredibly tough,’ Danes confessed, now comfortably tucked away in a Beverly Hills eatery, relishing a plate of extra-rare ahi. ‘The place reeked of cockroaches. There’s no sewage system in Manila, and the people are destitute. We saw people with no arms, no legs, no eyes, no teeth. We filmed in a real psychiatric hospital, where takes were often interrupted by the screams of patients. Rats were omnipresent.’
Upon hearing Danes’ comments, the then president of the country, Joseph Estrada, imposed a ban. ‘She should not be allowed to come here,’ he declared to CBS. ‘She should not even be allowed to set foot here. Her comments were unwarranted.’ It’s interesting to note that the 1998 CBS story left out the ‘[We saw]’ part from Danes’ quote, making her comments seem worse than they were.
Since Danes’ uninhibited comments about the Philippines, she has been seen as persona non grata in the country, and her films have been banned from screening. There is no concrete evidence to show that the ban has been lifted, so Danes’ Emmy Award-winning performances in the HBO film “Temple Grandin” and the Showtime series “Homeland” remain unseen by Filipinos. Meanwhile, Danes continues to face criticism for her unempathetic remarks as a sheltered 19-year-old. Perhaps her most regrettable professional decision was refusing Kate Winslet’s role in “Titanic.” Such is the ludicrous nature of the world.
Credit: www.slashfilm.com
