# Do actors usually get to view their film, in its entirety, before it's actually released? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 6, 2019, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-actors-usually-get-to-view-their-film-in-its-entirety-before-its-actually-released/843060 "2019-11-06T01:51:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-actors-usually-get-to-view-their-film-in-its-entirety-before-its-actually-released/843060/21 "2019-11-06T16:53:40Z")
Nowadays, with “premieres” happening around the world in quick succession, the few stars who actually want to see their movie right away will only see one of them and skip the playing of the film for the rest. So a lot of times the actors show up, do the red carpet thing and go hang out in a lounge for a while. Fly on to the next city. This has resulted in some cases the playing of the movie being skipped entirely. So you have red carpet photocalls. The people show up, walk the carpet, get their picture taken, and leave. Yet another step down the road of Hollywood even being more fake. Note that with very small budget films which might debut at a film festival, flying actors in for the showing can be real money. So sometimes the actors have to pay their own way to the festival. Now with films debuting on streaming services, I guess they first watch it when it hits Netflix, Amazon or whatever. Sending out courtesy discs is so 1990s. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-actors-usually-get-to-view-their-film-in-its-entirety-before-its-actually-released/843060/22 "2019-11-06T16:54:29Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Gwyneth Paltrow didn’t even know she was in Spider-Man: Far From Home. She thought the scene she filmed was for Endgame. > [@xnylder](#): > > A lot of people cite this, and while I’m no Paltrow fan I’d like to provide a bit of context (without spoilers): The scene is very short and she’s never on screen at the same time as Tom Holland. Also, the backgrounds are green screen, further removing context. What? I don’t remember Paltrow in “Far From Home”. Are you sure you’re not referring to “Homecoming” ? Googling doesn’t return any indication she was in FFH either. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-actors-usually-get-to-view-their-film-in-its-entirety-before-its-actually-released/843060/23 "2019-11-06T17:47:23Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Not movies but TV, but on some of the commentary tracks on episodes of TV shows like _The Sopranos_ I’ve been amazed to hear some of the actors reveal this is the first time they’re watching an episode _they’re doing commentary on._:smack: Why is that surprising? It’s not like they don’t know how it turns out. I suspect if they did watch half the time they’d be seeing how they messed up or how they could do better. When my daughter’s episodes aired we were a lot more interested in seeing them than she was. As for movies, often the actor will be busy, and often the editing won’t be done until just before release. Getting the actors together would be a pain, and unless they were also producing it is not like the director would listen to them. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-actors-usually-get-to-view-their-film-in-its-entirety-before-its-actually-released/843060/24 "2019-11-06T18:21:29Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > What? I don’t remember Paltrow in “Far From Home”. Are you sure you’re not referring to “Homecoming” ? Googling doesn’t return any indication she was in FFH either. Yeah, she was in Homecoming and that’s the one she forgot. Which is pretty understandable because it was a short scene with just RDJ and Jon Favreau. It could easily have been a scene in an Iron Man or Avengers movie. ---
**Author:** ![xnylder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/bbce88/32.png) [@xnylder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xnylder)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-actors-usually-get-to-view-their-film-in-its-entirety-before-its-actually-released/843060/25 "2019-11-06T18:21:46Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#): > > What? I don’t remember Paltrow in “Far From Home”. Are you sure you’re not referring to “Homecoming” ? Googling doesn’t return any indication she was in FFH either. Sorry, you’re right, it’s Homecoming. She’s in it near the end, checking in with Tony. ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-actors-usually-get-to-view-their-film-in-its-entirety-before-its-actually-released/843060/26 "2019-11-06T18:22:57Z")
I think I read the quote on this site recently about Michael Caine being asked if he had seen one particular movie that he had been in. His response was, “No, I have not. But I’ve seen the house that it bought.” ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-actors-usually-get-to-view-their-film-in-its-entirety-before-its-actually-released/843060/27 "2019-11-06T19:10:38Z")
I often wonder this when I see actors promoting films just before their release. I see someone like Brad Pitt promoting Once A time In Hollywood which he probably finished acting in a long time ago, doesn’t remember much of it since he made a couple other movies since then that haven’t been released yet, may or may not have seen the final cut of the film, and is now fulfilling the back end of his contract by doing the promotion circuit. It’d be like asking a chef about the meal they prepared. But not the one from last night, the one from several weeks ago. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-actors-usually-get-to-view-their-film-in-its-entirety-before-its-actually-released/843060/28 "2019-11-06T19:11:15Z")
Wasn’t there a problem with major stars in “Caligula” not knowing about the added x-rated scenes until the movie premiere? ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-actors-usually-get-to-view-their-film-in-its-entirety-before-its-actually-released/843060/29 "2019-11-06T19:47:47Z")
George C. Scott was furious that Kubrick used the “hey, why don’t you loosen up by doing Buck Turgison completely over the top in this rehearsal before you do the real scene” footage in Strangelove - and I think he found out at the premiere. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-actors-usually-get-to-view-their-film-in-its-entirety-before-its-actually-released/843060/30 "2019-11-06T20:15:21Z")
> [@Personal](#): > > I think I read the quote on this site recently about Michael Caine being asked if he had seen one particular movie that he had been in. His response was, “No, I have not. But I’ve seen the house that it bought.” Said film was _Jaws: The Revenge_, and the quote was: "“I have never seen the film, but by all accounts it was terrible. However, I have seen the house that it built, and it is terrific.” ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-actors-usually-get-to-view-their-film-in-its-entirety-before-its-actually-released/843060/31 "2019-11-06T20:28:33Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > George C. Scott was furious that Kubrick used the “hey, why don’t you loosen up by doing Buck Turgison completely over the top in this rehearsal before you do the real scene” footage in Strangelove - and I think he found out at the premiere. Which scene? The entire performance? I know his tripping while running around the big board area was an accident and they kept it in. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-actors-usually-get-to-view-their-film-in-its-entirety-before-its-actually-released/843060/32 "2019-11-06T20:31:45Z")
Gabriel Byrne didn’t learn he wasn’t Keyser Soze until he saw _The Usual Suspects_ after it was complete. Evidently, director Bryan Singer convinced all the actors that they were Soze, but Byrne’s reaction was the most pronounced – he walked out of the theater and argued with Singer about it. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-actors-usually-get-to-view-their-film-in-its-entirety-before-its-actually-released/843060/33 "2019-11-06T20:42:27Z")
Harrison Ford [didn’t know](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krHwUKp0CWE) the big secret in “The Empire Strikes Back” until the screening; presumably on opening night. ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-actors-usually-get-to-view-their-film-in-its-entirety-before-its-actually-released/843060/34 "2019-11-06T21:08:09Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > When my daughter’s episodes aired we were a lot more interested in seeing them than she was. Yeah … I think you’re going to have to expand on this a bit. At the very least: What show? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-actors-usually-get-to-view-their-film-in-its-entirety-before-its-actually-released/843060/35 "2019-11-06T21:12:30Z")
As someone who edits video, unless the participants are my clients, I never show them anything but the final edit. If I did, I know there would be dozens of changes requested – most minor – and the time it would take to fix them would be prohibitive. If they are my clients, I’ll show them anything they want, and change anything they want, but it’s on an hourly basis. That usually shuts them up. However, we’re talking about small-time productions here, not Hollywood blockbusters. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-actors-usually-get-to-view-their-film-in-its-entirety-before-its-actually-released/843060/36 "2019-11-06T21:12:31Z")
Letting the the actors preview the final cut is a unworkable idea. They would drive the director nuts wanting changes ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-actors-usually-get-to-view-their-film-in-its-entirety-before-its-actually-released/843060/37 "2019-11-06T21:28:56Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Which scene? The entire performance? > > I know his tripping while running around the big board area was an accident and they kept it in. Maybe not all of the scenes, but quite a few of them. Per this account by James Earl Jones [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB110055719231074627](https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB110055719231074627) “George C. Scott had some really difficult experiences with the director. George was headstrong by nature. It is what fueled his particular talent. Stanley was very much the same kind of man. The irresistible force met the immovable object when Stanley asked George to do over-the-top performances of his lines. He said it would help George to warm up for his satiric takes. George hated this idea. He said it was unprofessional and made him feel silly. George eventually agreed to do his scenes over-the-top when Stanley promised that his performance would never be seen by anyone but himself and the cast and crew. But Kubrick ultimately used many of these “warm-ups” in the final cut. George felt used and manipulated by Stanley and swore he would never work with him again.” ---
**Author:** ![Personal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Personal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Personal)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-actors-usually-get-to-view-their-film-in-its-entirety-before-its-actually-released/843060/38 "2019-11-06T21:29:19Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Said film was _Jaws: The Revenge_, and the quote was: "“I have never seen the film, but by all accounts it was terrible. However, I have seen the house that it built, and it is terrific.” Thank you. I thought it was a sequel of some sort. I read his autobiography some time ago and he indicated he wasn’t too discriminating in many of the roles he took as long as the paycheck was decent. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-actors-usually-get-to-view-their-film-in-its-entirety-before-its-actually-released/843060/39 "2019-11-06T22:29:37Z")
> [@Personal](#): > > Thank you. I thought it was a sequel of some sort. I read his autobiography some time ago and he indicated he wasn’t too discriminating in many of the roles he took as long as the paycheck was decent. He still isn’t. His philosophy was to always keep acting and that means just saying “yes” a lot of times to crap. Some other actors also have that philosphy but don’t have such a great record of doing good stuff decades later. E.g., Edward James Olmos hurt his status doing this and the real champion [Eric Roberts](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000616/) who never really had much status to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2019, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-actors-usually-get-to-view-their-film-in-its-entirety-before-its-actually-released/843060/40 "2019-11-06T23:15:53Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > He still isn’t. His philosophy was to always keep acting and that means just saying “yes” a lot of times to crap. Some other actors also have that philosphy but don’t have such a great record of doing good stuff decades later. E.g., Edward James Olmos hurt his status doing this and the real champion [Eric Roberts](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000616/) who never really had much status to begin with. Sean Connery talked to Christopher Reeve not long after Superman was big and Reeve asked him how did he break out of “just being James Bond forever”. Connery told him to take every single movie they offer you. Good, bad, does not matter. If you make enough movies, people begin to associate you as a person in the movies, not just the one role you became famous with. I saw Sean Connery talk about this and he added that Reeve did not take his advice and remained somewhat choosy, believing himself to be a great actor. He kind of remained typecast as Superman to almost everyone. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-actors-usually-get-to-view-their-film-in-its-entirety-before-its-actually-released/843060.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-actors-usually-get-to-view-their-film-in-its-entirety-before-its-actually-released/843060.md?page=3)