Primary Actors.

I just watched Primary Colors again, and the credits (as well as the DVD's cover design) got me kind of pissed off. I mean, it's a great movie, it's not just a very well-told story, but all the actors are putting in damn good performances. But, after all, the story has a REAL star. I'm not talking about John Travolta or Emma Thompson, I'm talking about Adrian Lester, whose character is the very center of the entire story. So what's my problem ? I have to play the entire movie through to the credits, or look online, to find out that he plays in the fucking movie. Now, his performace is awesome. I can't say I've ever really noticed him in any other movies, but here he goes through an enormous scale of emotions and he personalises the entire experience for us. Without his role, and without that role being acted WELL, the entire story would NOT interest us. But someone who gets so close to the entire rollercoaster that this presidential campaign is, and who gets to know all these characters so well and who goes through these wonderful moments with them, and us as an audience really FEELING his responses to all this and completely identifying with him (except, perhaps, on being the grandson of a great Afro-American political person) means Lester's done one HELL of a job.
THAT's my problem. He's not getting any damn credit on the cover and on the opening credits for being the STAR of the picture. Fuck Travolta, fuck Thompson. Their roles are adequate but they didn't strike me as all that amazing. The person who SHOULD be getting at least SOME attention is NOT on the DVD cover. He's barely getting any credit at all. And that's just wrong.
Of course, it's not really anything new - the familiar people, the 'stars', the 'bosses', the 'leaders', they always get the credit. The people actually pulling one hell of a job off, merely facilitate what these people get the credit for. And that just stinks.
Well, I for one am not taking credit for the 'successes' in my life unless I put in the work.
Each of the artists on Probeersel.com are great artists and should be judged for their own archievements. The entire site's concept stands or falls with the quality and enthousiasm of the artists and staff behind it, AND with the audience.
In our department, there are a lot of people putting in very hard work who are generally overlooked - some are even told off for being critical from time to time and on those occasions their hard work and loyalty is completely ignored ! This pisses me off, as well. I say, anyone who can do the work is qualified to speak their minds and be heard. You don't have to be a high-level manager or have a doctorate to know what you're talking about. In fact, most of them DON'T know what they're talking about. Or if they do, often not as well as the people in the trenches.
It's an old message, and it's frustrated the 'lower ranks' for, well, probably millennia, especially when those who DO get credit and respect and who get to make the major decisions, make stupid decisions that cause downfall to the country or company. But even old messages need to be said.

*raises his glass* Adrian Lester, here's to you. You did a great job.

Goodnight.