Watching the 80th annual Academy Awards now and they’ve just finished with the annual run-through of all the actors, actresses, writers, art directors, composers, cinematographers, producers, directors, dancers, executives (executives? did I miss something? is this a new development? since when did they make the montage?) and others who died between February 2007 and January 31, 2008. The montage ended predictably with a shot of Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain. The loudest applause! But my question is…
Where’s Brad Renfro?
Renfro, who got his start in 1994 at the age of twelve in The Client, died on January 15, 2008 of a heroin overdose, a week before Ledger passed. Why wasn’t Renfro in Oscar’s tombstone-tribute? Was he not enough of a star? Was he too…well, troubled? It’s true he hadn’t had a decent role since a turn in 2001’s Bully (dir. Larry Clark), but if his last completed role in the forthcoming Informers (based on the 1994 BEE story collection) is any indication, he might have been on his way to pulling out of his extended slump.
“But then again, no…”
Alas, ’twas not to be. The least they could have done was give ol’ Brad a second or two on the screen. He was one of them, wasn’t he?
It’s what we all deserve, isn’t it?
1 response so far ↓
1 Stuart // Mar 29, 2008 at 10:37 am
He did an OK job of looking confused in Bully. He’ll probably look good doing an OK job looking confused in the Informers.
But personally, I like how his name is an imperfect rhyme with Mark Ruffalo. Just for that he deserved a few bogey claps.
Leave a Comment