'Law & Order' Star Out of Order Long Ago

[digresser]

Here’s a, shall we say, obviously completely unbiased interview written by Fox gossip columnist Roger Friedman:

www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,173521,00.html
(you'll have to copy and paste the link, I'm afraid)

'Law & Order' Star Out of Order Long Ago
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
By Roger Friedman

D'Onofrio vs. Modine

Vincent D'Onofrio, star of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," is so, shall we say, eccentric that this year he's alternating episodes with Chris Noth.

Stories of his, shall we say, eccentricity are regular features in the New York tabloids.

But it turns out D'Onofrio was always like this, according to the much, shall we say, less eccentric and more focused Matthew Modine.

The latter actor recommended the former for a role in Stanley Kubrick's now classic Vietnam film "Full Metal Jacket" some 20 years ago and lived to regret it.

Modine recounts his upsetting experiences with D'Onofrio in his wonderful new coffee-table book, "Full Metal Diary," published today by Rugged Land.

You've got to see this thing: It's got a full metal book jacket! Modine and Rugged Land have put together what I would call the ultimate holiday gift for fans of Modine and Kubrick and movie lovers in general.

It's the best production of this kind since Ringo Starr's "Postcards." (Shockingly, "FMD" is for sale on amazon.com for less than $20, too. Hurry, because it's a limited edition.)

Luckily, Modine kept a great journal all during this early, fertile period in his career. He also took lots of pictures.

I think because Matthew is soft-spoken and never in the tabloids (he's been with his gorgeous, smart, funny wife Cari for 25 years), people don't realize how talented and cool he is. But he's a natural writer, and it shows.

Unfortunately, D'Onofrio was unable to enjoy Modine the actor while they shot Kubrick's movie.

The first sign of real trouble came when extras witnessed them having an argument. D'Onofrio, who liked to stay in character, accused Modine of "joking around" too much. Modine agreed and said, "What are you going to do if I keep joking around?"

D'Onofrio replied: "I'm going to kick your a--."

Modine wrote that Kubrick's daughter Vivian was running messages between them.

"I don't like to use hate," Modine wrote. "Hate is powerful. Hate should be reserved for truly hateful things. But I'm almost there..."

From a diary entry on Jan. 24, 1986: "I am having to deal with [Vince] a lot since this started ... There is such anger and tension between us both. He looks at me with that moronic look and I want [to] slap him."

Things did not get better. To blow off steam, Modine had a punching bag installed in his trailer. D'Onofrio began lifting weights, making a big show of his new physique.

"Vince and I are ready to come to blows," Modine wrote. "We don't talk anymore about anything. Not even professionally. We are preparing for the fight that seems inevitable."

Want more? Buy the book.

P.S.: Guests at Modine's book party last night at the Vietnam Gallery on Greenwich St. in New York City included Elizabeth Berkley and artist husband Greg Lauren (nephew of Ralph Lauren), and former "ER" star/one time Tina Turner back-up singer Gloria Reuben.

[Metella]

interesting. I liked this movie even before I knew who any of the actors OR the director were/was. Good flick just on its own.

[Sirenna]

D'onofrio vs Modine?

My money's on D'onofrio.

:-D

[digresser]

Now, I was born in 1983. Stanley Kubrick's “Full Metal Jacket” was filmed in 1986. Unless I was the world’s most precocious, telepathic toddler (which sadly, I wasn’t), I have no way of knowing exactly what went down on that set. Twenty years later I have to wonder exactly how much the people who actually were there remember. After reading both of William Shatner’s memoirs and Brian Wilson’s supposed autobiography, I’ve learned the harsh truth of just how fictional “true” accounts can sometimes be. But, I’m not writing to pick apart or defend Mr. Modine’s work, because frankly, I wasn’t there. Also, I can’t say anything about structure or what not because I haven’t yet read his book. But Mr. Friedman’s article, however, is fair game, and boy, do I have some things to say.

Mr. Friedman begins his article by stating that Vincent D'Onofrio, is so “eccentric” that this year he's alternating episodes with Chris Noth. All right, apparently Mr. Friedman has equated “eccentric” with “overworked” or “exhausted”, which as many articles clearly state (including one of Fox’s own stories on February 9, 2005), is the reason for the alternating leads on Criminal Intent. An odd choice of wording, but hey, he’s published nationally, so we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. Now in his next sentence, Mr. Friedman claims that stories of Mr. D’Onofrio’s eccentricity are regular features in the New York tabloids. Now, I’m going to work on the sound and logical principle that Mr. Friedman has not gone and suddenly changed the meaning of his wording. So, the New York tabloids are obsessed with Mr. D’Onofrio’s exhaustion, which is kind of odd. Maybe back at the beginning of the year when he’d fainted a few times and when rumors were circulating as to the cause, but now? Can things actually be that slow in New York? I can almost picture it-

Perry: We need a headline!
Clark: Sorry chief, the world is at peace, there aren’t any natural disasters, and every single celebrity has obeyed the law and had a quiet uneventful week.
Lois: I know! That quirky detective guy who was also in “Imposter” looked kinda tired!
Jimmy: Gary Sinise from CSI: New York?
Lois: No! The other one!
Clark: Tony Shalhoub from Monk?
Lois: No!!! The one who collapsed because of political reasons or something.
Perry: Works for me! Find out who this guy is and splash his baggy eyes across New York!

Now in his third sentence, Mr. Friedman states that “it turns out D'Onofrio was always like this, according to the much, shall we say, less eccentric and more focused Matthew Modine.” So, Mr. Friedman is of the opinion that Mr. D’Onofrio has always been overtired and is less focused than Mr Modine. Somehow I doubt an overtired D’Onofrio could have or would have been allowed to sluggishly work his way through “Men in Black”. As far a focus is concerned, films like Mr. D’Onofrio’s “The Whole Wide World” and “The Salton Sea” clearly show that Mr. D’Onofrio is unquestionably without focus. As Mr. Modine has also showmn himself to be an acclaimed actor, one has to wonder how Mr. Friedman measured the amount of focus between the two actors. A focitrometer? I don’t think so.

Now, obviously, Mr. Friedman did not intend for “eccentric” to mean “overtired”. He intended “eccentric” to carry negative and almost mean-spirited connotations in regards to Mr. D’Onofrio. While Mr. Friedman is certainly allowed his opinions, he did something which I perceive as quite unforgivable: he flat-out lied. Not only did Mr. Friedman lie, but the lie occurred in his very first sentence. Anyone reading this post, and anyone who’s read the news stories regarding the return of Noth, including those from Mr. Friedman’s own host site, knows that the reason for the alternation of leads is due to Mr. D’Onofrio’s fatigue. Mr. Friedman, however, lists the reason as Mr. D’Onofrio being “eccentric”. Since he then goes on to state Mr. D’Onofrio’s eccentricities as causing other problems which clearly are NOT the result of exhaustion, Mr. Friedman has lost any and all credibility for this article. Nonetheless, lets’s take a quick peek at the rest of it.

According to Mr. Friedman, Mr. D’Onofrio is “eccentric”, “less focused than Modine”, and “unable to enjoy Modine”. Mr. Modine, however, is “less eccentric and more focused”, has a “wonderful new book”, is “soft-spoken and never in the tabloids”, has a “gorgeous, smart, funny wife, is “talented and cool”, and is a “natural writer”. Nothing like an unbiased article.

One of the worst part about Mr. Friedman’s article is his assumption that everything Mr. Modine wrote is absolute fact. While I’m not saying Mr. Friedman should have questioned each factoid in Mr. Modine’s book, any reviewer worth his salt would have described Mr. Modine’s claims as simply that: claims. Phrases like “Modine writes” or “as Mr. Modine tells it” SHOULD have been used. Instead, Mr. Friedman presents Mr. Modine’s memoirs as irrefutable fact. My personal favorite is his statement, “D'Onofrio began lifting weights, making a big show of his new physique”. Apparently, Mr. Friedman not only knows for a fact that Mr. D’Onofrio was lifting weights, but he knows his motives for doing so as well. Something tells me ADA Carver would have no trouble getting that claim thrown out of court. Especially since Mr. D’Onofrio was 70 lbs overweight at the time. Nothing like a massive weight gain to make a person want to strut their stuff.

One final note: Mr Friedman uses the phrase “shall we say” three times in as many sentences. Parody or not, that’s just in poor journalistic taste. My brain hurt just reading it and I’m only a lowly college student. I’ll bet real writers had thoughts of , shall we say, gouging out their eyes.

(Sorry, I rambled so long. ‘Tis the nature of the beast, I’m afraid. Thanks for your patience, everyone.)

[DNA]

One of my favorite films.

No Love Lost, D'onofrio vs Modine?

They make it sound like they still hate each other, I may be mistaken but I don't think that's the case. The book has DIARY in big red letters slashed across the front hence its an account of the past. I've read several accounts of how strained everybody was on set of Full Metal Jacket but always got the impression it was encouraged to the benefit of the film and ended when the film was complete, anyway I have the book on pre- order I'll give it a scan when it arrives.

Fox news giving it to us straight.
(I couldn't even type that without a snicker I feel for those who have to say it out loud)

[Summerfield]

I was always under the impression that Modine was in partly responsible for VDO getting the role. And everything I've read, VDO and Kubrick had a good working relationship. So why after all these years, this comes forth? Maybe Modine would like a cop show too?

[blucougar57]

What on earth did Vincent ever do to this Friedman guy? Or does he just happen to be best buddies with Modine?

Everyone is, of course, entitled to their opinion, but sheesh... How could anyone called Vincent D'Onofrio unfocused? That is a gross inaccuracy. I've never seen a more focused actor in my life.
As for Modine, he's barely a blip on the radar compared to Vincent.

Hmph. Feeling snarky now.

[Observer2]

I can understand you feeling snarky. Gossip columnists have that effect on me, too. But don’t take it out on Modine.

I dropped by a Borders Bookstore today, planning to scan through the Full Metal Jacket Diary to see how accurate that column was. Well, it’s a more interesting book than I expected. I actually ended up buying it – and it really does give a whole new meaning to the term “hard cover book!”

As Summerfield mentioned, Modine was largely responsible for D’Onofrio having the opportunity to audition for the role, though actually landing the role was up to D’Onofrio.

Digressor (welcome to the board, by the way! ), you said that Friedman lied in his description of why D’Onofrio is alternating episodes with Chris Noth. Some people might argue that it might be a matter of interpretation, rather than a deliberate lie. But there is a place where he flat out lies.

After describing the friction between D’Onofrio and Modine in January of ‘86, the columnist says, “Things did not get better.” He could have prefaced his description of the punching bag and weight lifting with, “Things got worse...” and it would have been a matter of opinion. But to say “things did not get better” without putting any time frame around that – that’s a flat out lie, apparently a deliberate one, meant to leave people with the impression that things *never* got better.

Things did get better.

The intense friction between them apparently lasted about a month – most of the month of January – during which they were filming the scenes where Modine’s character, Joker, is trying to help D’Onofrio’s character, Pyle, learn the things he has to learn in boot camp. Pyle keeps making mistakes, and all the recruits are being punished for those mistakes – and Joker feels more and more frustrated, helpless, and angry at Pyle. The situation culminates in a “blanket party,” where all the other recruits take turns hitting Pyle once each with a bar of soap wrapped in a towel. When it’s Joker’s turn, he at first refuses. But when the others push him hard enough his control gives way and his pent-up emotions drive him to hit Pyle over and over again.

During that period when the tension and anger were building between their characters, the tension and anger were also building between the actors. And, at least at times, Modine suspected the two might be related. The January 24 entry that the columnist quoted, that ended with “He looks at me with that moronic look and I want to slap him,” was followed by an entry in which Modine wrote:

...I think he’s under a lot of pressure with this role.

So now, no one can help him with what he has to do as an actor but himself. I think he’s pushing us out of his life so he can do his work. He doesn’t want the comfort of friendship from me or anyone else. He’s going to take a journey into madness. I forgive him because I know that this is not his heart. I’ll try and respect that and be his friend. Even from a distance.

The tension continued to build. The next entry is one the columnist used that starts out, "Vince and I are ready to come to blows."

But the entry after that describes the filming of the blanket party, and Modine’s reactions to it. It ends with:

I’m finished being angry with Vince. It’s stupid. A waste of life. I hope that something will happen to Vince that will help him to see how ridiculous this has become. Let him be angry. It’s over for me.

It seems that the friction between them, and the friction between their characters, followed a very parallel path.

Roughly three months later, in April, during an unscheduled hiatus in filming (because Lee Ermey, who played the drill sergeant, was in a car wreck), Modine has an opportunity to audition for a role he wants. He writes:

I ask Vince if he’ll help me out. Vince and I exhausted our hostility toward each other long ago. I would say that our anger was a waste of time if I wasn’t aware of the clear fact that it contributed greatly to the work we did on camera. I think the scenes we did were honest and something that we’ll be proud of. I suggest to Pakula that I audition with Vince. Acting is sometimes like playing tennis in that you can only be as good as your partner.

Two pages later there are a couple of charming photos with the caption: Vince and Cari sing an aria on a London street

There are other mentions of D’Onofrio later, as well. And a few other pictures of him. The book is full of pictures Modine took during the filming of the movie. Some of them are striking. He seems to be quite a photographer.

I never knew much about Modine as a person before this. I like him. And it speaks well of D’Onofrio that Modine would say, even in the midst of the anger between them, “I know that this is not his heart.”

Anyone with an interest in Kubrick or Modine should get this book. But I don’t necessarily think it would be useful for people interested in filmmaking. Kubrick apparently got away with doing a lot of things wrong simply because he was such a genius at the aspects that he got right.

[digresser]

Very glad to hear from someone who’s had a chance to read the book, Observer2. And thanks for the welcome, it’s really great to be posting with so many thoughtful people who share some of the same interests. I realize that it’s probably a little silly for me to come down so hard on a gossip columnist, but I really hate it when people distort facts for their own gain. It’s good to know that Modine seemed to merely want to tell his story, in every light. But that columnist...grr...yet another reason to hate gossip, I guess.

[Metella]

This guy Friedman; has anyone read his other stuff? I think he probably does NOT have a grudge against D'Onofrio; but writes negative trash all over the place. That kind of thing does sell; and this guy probably uses those loaded phrases for all his articles.

They are scum in my opinion and those rags should not be published - they wouldn't in my world.

[Patcat]

Observer;
Thank you for your comments regarding the book. It appears we have a perfect example of the sort of distortion gossip thrives on. Mr. Friedman's report seemed to me to be contrary to everything I've read about Mr. Modine, so I was skeptical of its slant. But then, I'm skeptical of anything put out by Fox news.

Patcat

[Summerfield]

I was thinking the same as Patcat. Consider it Fox and move on.
Observer2, thanks for the information. We now can see that Friedman reported only what he wanted, perhaps to pique more interest in Modine's book. And gossip columnists love to twist the truth or partially tell the truth. It helps sales.

digresser wrote:

Perry: We need a headline!
Clark: Sorry chief, the world is at peace, there aren’t any natural disasters, and every single celebrity has obeyed the law and had a quiet uneventful week.
Lois: I know! That quirky detective guy who was also in “Imposter” looked kinda tired!
Jimmy: Gary Sinise from CSI: New York?
Lois: No! The other one!
Clark: Tony Shalhoub from Monk?
Lois: No!!! The one who collapsed because of political reasons or something.
Perry: Works for me! Find out who this guy is and splash his baggy eyes across New York!

Bravo! Very clever!

[DNA]

Cheers Observer.

Your right about the book, I ordered it because I'm a Kubrick fan, but I also have an interest in photography of which this book's content is purported to be excellent.

[blucougar57]

observer2 said:

I can understand you feeling snarky. Gossip columnists have that effect on me, too. But don’t take it out on Modine.

Oh, I have nothing personal against Modine. I know he is a good actor, I don't dispute that. All I meant by my comment was that I don't recall seeing him in anything other than Full Metal Jacket, and in that respect I am far more aware of Vincent D'Onofrio as an outstanding actor than I am of Modine. (I probably have seen him in other stuff, but just don't remember him)

Thanks for the info, though, Observer. You've gotten me interested enough that I think I will order the book for myself, albeit from Amazon. Our bookstores here in Aussieland seem to be rather lacking in stock.
It's unfortunate, though, that there are so-called 'journalists' out there that feel the need to twist things in this way.

[NicoleMarie]

It is rather petty to bring up something that happened nearly 20 years ago. It seems they just butted heads over working styles. This was worth reporting?

And I thought Vincent and Matthew were friends. I could swear I saw recent pictures of them together. ..

*runs off to look for those photos*