The movie Julianne Moore can’t believe people are still asking her about: “You never know”
When you have a filmography as stacked as Julianne Moore‘s, you surely become used to people fawning over your work and fondly recalling their favourite scenes. From the David Lindhagen debacle in Crazy Stupid Love to the iconic entrance of Maude in The Big Lebowski and her staggering collaborations with Todd Haynes, Moore has starred in some of the most celebrated feats of modern cinema.
However, with so many projects and iconic characters to choose from, Moore is met with fans who have discovered her work from all corners of cinema, whether it be through Paul Thomas Anderson, the Coen Brothers or Pedro Almodovar. But the actor expressed her surprise at one lesser-known movie that people recognise her from, despite it not being hugely popular.
Ivan Reitman has had a strangely random career, best known for his comedy work during the 1980s and ‘90s that led him to create the little-known 1984 project, Ghostbusters. His filmography was later dotted with movies like No Strings Attached, another mid-2000s rom-com and weird comedies like Kindergarten Cop, Twins and Junior.
However, perhaps the most star-studded from this era of his work was the 2001 film Evolution, starring Moore, David Duchovny, Orlando Jones and Seann William Scott. The story follows the ensuing chaos after a meteor hits the Earth, carrying new Alien life forms that give new meaning to the phrase ‘survival of the fittest’, with the lead cast being the only people standing in the way of the aliens completely taking over the planet.
It’s one of those bizarre fever-dream-esque films, with a plot that you can’t quite follow and struggle to understand how it was ever made – some people in the industry truly have too much power. But alas, it was a project that seemed to spark a few fans, even if this means they should automatically be added to some kind of crimes against cinema watch list.
When discussing her fans, Moore said, “There are the Lebowski people. There are the Still Alice people. There are The Hours people. There are the Boogie Nights people. There’s the Crazy, Stupid, Love people. I think because my work has been across many different genres, you never know what it will be when they say, I just want to say I really loved….’ And the other day, somebody said to me, Evolution.” I was like, Evolution? Oookay.”
Perhaps Moore was surprised because she herself doesn’t understand the appeal behind the film, with some describing it as the least funny comedy from Reitman’s oeuvre, incomparable to the success of Ghostbusters, but with similarly problematic strands through his often crudely sexual jokes. When looking at the entirety of his work, it’s safe to say he’s one of the horniest comedy directors from this time period, which is perhaps why some people enjoy his work.
While others may look up to Moore for her arthouse films and work with some of the greatest independent directors of all time, others will remember her for this, and perhaps that’s okay, even if slightly confusing.
