MovieChat Forums > The Pelican Brief (1993) Discussion > Roberts billed over deznel

Roberts billed over deznel

posted 9 years ago by bodwayaischeap
10 replies | jump to latest

I am wondering was robert billed over denzel cause back then she had slightly mroe box office clout. Not sure if this is true but I get the feeling denzel was more respected actor in most of the 90s not the box office draw he is now. prior to pelican breif only hits he had where supporting roles to bigger stars like much ado about nothing and glory. robert had 3 leading hits prior to pelican sleepign with enemy ,dying young and pretty women plus a oscar nom in steel magnolias and supproting role in box office hit hook. was she bigger star then

[–] yajji 9 years ago

I think it has more to do with her role being larger than his - she was the central character, while he was more the supporting act. Yes, she was also pretty much America's Sweetheart at the time. I don't think she had acted in much for a few years, and her absence was the subject of much speculation, so this marked a return to cinema for her, which is probably why her name was at the forefront of all of the film's marketing.

[–] bodwayaischeap 9 years ago

she was in hook and other movies before pelican breif.

[–] yajji 9 years ago

Hook was released two years before The Pelican Brief. She had a hiatus.

[–] bodwayaischeap 9 years ago

2 year hitus is not that long lots of actor take 2 year hiatus. Russell crowe took year hitus after a beautful then two year hiatus after master and comander .

[–] RobbieCalifornia 8 years ago

I think some people aren't used to seeing the female star billed over the male. Roberts was already very popular when this film came out.

Not to take anything away from Denzel, he's terrific in everything he does. I loved him in Training Day, or any film where he plays a bad guy. He's amazing as a bad guy.

This movie was made 2 years after Pretty Woman and Roberts was already a big star. Denzel had made quite a few films and won a supporting actor Oscar by then, but he wasn't yet the box office draw Roberts was.

[–] whoanelly (1592) 4 years ago

Billing isn’t about the bigger star, although that is a bargaining chip. Billing is about agent negotiations with studios.

[–] redban (6788) 4 years ago

As stated, Julia was the main protagonist, so she got top billing as a result. Denzel doesn’t strike me as one of those egotists who would demand top billing: most likely, he didn’t care

[–] Philhelm (517) 3 years ago

To my child's memory, Julia Roberts was the bigger name then. I don't think I really knew about Denzel at the time. She was in movies like Pretty Woman, Flatliners, Sleeping with the Enemy, and Hook, before The Pelican Brief was released, whereas the only movie with Denzel I would have recognized at the time was Glory, and he wasn't the main character. It seems that Julia Roberts would have been a bigger name in the early '90s, whereas Denzel really started blossoming in the late '90s.

[–] LetoAtreides (577) 3 years ago

Exactly, Julia was a huge star back then.

Denzel was starting to become mainstream. 1993 was his big year where most people discovered him in Philadelphia and The Pelican Brief.

[–] Philhelm (517) 3 years ago

I forgot about Philadelphia, but that was indeed his other big movie at the time.