You know that Manolo Blahnik is a real person, right? It’s not just a name made up by someone named David Smith who wanted something “catchy” to name his shoes. So, Manolo is a real person and he’s kindy of a judgy bitch. He has a new (and rare) interview in the new issue of Interview Mag where he’s waxing poetic on starlets of yesteryear and how the new girls are made of basic-ness. The problem? The starlets of yesteryear are people like… Sherilyn Fenn and Lara Flynn Boyle and the girls he’s slamming are Anne Hathaway and Amanda Seyfried! Somebody’s going to be wearing Jimmy Choos at the Oscars!!
Manolo Blahnik just can’t remember Anne Hathaway. The famed shoe designer talks about actresses while discussing how he loves David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” in the March issue of Interview.
“I saw these girls like Sherilyn Fenn and Lara Flynn Boyle that should be working now instead of these anonymous girls,” he says. “They’re all the same. I don’t even know Amanda Seyfried or whatever . . . I try to remember — the only one I remember is Julia Roberts because she’s particular. Anne Hathaway . . . Pretty? Yes. Wonderful actress? Yes. But, I mean, I don’t even remember her. What is it about her? . . . As Cat Woman, yes, and I’m not saying she’s not beautiful or a great actress. I just don’t remember her.” The issue hits stands Tuesday.
“What I’m saying is that she’s basic!” He should have just said that. I don’t know, I think his comments about Annie are sort of off-side. He obviously likes her and sees her movies, and I guess the point he’s trying to make is that she doesn’t have the va-va-voom of “the girls of yesteryear”. But I think Anne is one of the worst examples you should use in that case. Whatever you can say about Anne, she is doing good work, she does stand out, she is memorable and people have strong opinions about her (love or hate). Now, Amanda Seyfried is a PERFECT example of the blandness affecting Hollywood these days. Girl is like oatmeal personified, at least if you’re talking about her personality. Next up: Manolo should complain about how all of the girls on the CW look alike because it’s TRUE. I can’t tell most of them apart.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
well the man has a point though, they DO lack va-va-voom.
Agreed. And Annie IS basic. Yes, gossip ppl have a love/hate for her, but to the general pop? Like he said, she is not memorable. At all. No one goes to see a movie because ANNE HATHAWAY is in it. *snort*chuckle*
Thank you! She won’t be remembered for her fashion or roles. She does on occasion make good movies, but she is not the draw. She’s talked about because she has good pr people. She will be forgotten and no one will care.
Well….I bet Anne is sexy to her super manly (wimpy), muscly (skinny) Ryan Gosling (completely sucked dry of muscles and manliness) look alike husband….
I mean really….Can’t you just picture the intense hot sex between them?
No.
Anne Hathaway always gives the distinct impression that her manner is affected.
She’s never herself.
+1
He must be a Twin Peaks fan!
And he’s right about Amanda Seyfried. She’s a pretty girl, but so boring and forgettable.
He’s also an old fart that still lives in the 90’s. Which is fine but don’t pretned you’re keeping up with current times.
Even a blind/deaf person would hear/see the blandness in Amanda Seyfried.
Even with his shoe designs he’s still stuck in the 90s! His shoe designs are some of the most outdated shoes I’ve ever seen for a designer. Yes, there are a few that are “timeless” looking, but most of his shoes are really Sex and the City era.
Didn’t Amanda say that she is drunk all the time? Being an alcoholic is lke oatmeal?
I just don’t like the idea that you have to be a train wreck to be interesting. That isnt expected of male actors, they just get to live their lives. Domestic or playboy, they are cheered for both.
I never said that she had to be a train wreck to be interesting. I’m a fan of a lot of young actresses who are talented and seemingly well adjusted. I just happen to find Amanda’s acting and personality bland.
I agree with everything he said.
I don’t have strong opinion about AH and she is meh. I know a lot of people who share my opinion
And about Batman movie, she isn’t sexy enough for Catwoman, she’s not sexy at all, at least to me.
+1
Exactly my opinion.
And about Twin Peaks, that was one of the best series ever and those two girls were really gorgeous. Sherilyn Fenn is unforgettable IMO.
Sherilyn Fenn has that Elizabeth Taylor vibe very beautiful. He is right though the actresses of today are dull and bland. Emma Stone is cute but she is starting to look like all the rest of them.
He’s righr though,Anne ,Taylor S,Amanda S,skinnified Lily C,the two Emma,they’re the definition of MEH.They don’t seems to have some spunk or edginess that separate them from the rest,boring actresses.
you could say the three Emmas, Roberts, Stone, Watson. most people cant even tell them apart.
You’re right ,the 3 Emmas,thanks!Not only with the looks and acting department they are boring ,even their scandals are boring,like AnnE,show my oscar campaigning vagina(ooohh),newsflash Anne you’ve seen one you’ve seen it all,ugh.
Anne Hathaway looks like Squidward Tentacles.
LOL!! OMG I totally see it!
I think AnnE has the chops to become memorable, she just hasn’t had an iconic role.
I agree. She is a classic beauty and a good actress. People just have to stop comparing the stars of today to the stars of yesterday. Fame is different these days. And why is he talking about Julia Roberts like she’s up and coming?
She might have been a bitch to him once and his brain is frozen at this memory, LOL
I remember one article about the Great Kathrine Hepburn in wich she said she sees Julia Roberts as the next BIG STAR and slams Meril Streep for, verbatim “being too cerebral in her roles”
@Micki
Ha! I never knew Katharine said that. Personally, I can’t stand Julia Roberts and I’m glad that she’s semi-retired.
never
the only credit I give to Anne is she is an hardworker, but to me she is a big big MEH, in everything. She is decently talented but she is not Maryl Streep. She can look good on a red carpet, but even when she wears haute couture gowns she is not like Nicole Kidman in her heydays.
To me Anne Hataway will always be “the girl who was in the devil wears Prada”. Oscar or not.
And the princess diaries. (UGH)
Anne Hathaway has a super distinct look. Lara Flynn Boyle isn’t working because she jacked up her face. This guy needs to try a little harder to remember the current crowd if he wants to stay relevant.
Neither one will be remembered in 15 years.
Like Sherilyn Fenn and LFB before them. Harshing any actress’ career-lifespan isn’t insightful, it’s merely stating fact.
For every Meryl or Maggie or Judy, there are 10 has-been actresses who couldn’t get work past their 30th birthday. It’s a fact of life in Hollywood. For the women.
Manolo Blahnik is just pissed off that nobody talks about him anymore.
I kind of get what he says. Public personas are very controlled and safe among the big names. I will say the Anne as Catwoman was the most I’ve ever liked and enjoyed her. She was a bit nasty and a lot of fun.
There was an article (can’t recall where) speculating that one of the reason so many Aussie and British actors are being picked for roles is that they are allowed to have a different look. Too many young American actors (especially females) are falling prey to the cookie cutter. Too much of the same.
The CW? They ALL look the same, men and women. Same basic look, same very basic talent. Although they have mixed it up with a few different ethnicities so that’s progress I guess.
So agree! They are super basic vanilla bland nothings. I have no idea why they’re famous. There are some interesting girls out there, but Amanda and Anne keep getting all of the work.
I agree with what he’s saying. It’s like to make it in Hollywood you have to book an appointment with a plastic surgeon & erase every facial feature that makes you distinctive(& human) & only give interviews where you kiss ass non stop
I can never remember Rachel McAdams. I’ve seen pics of her but I never know it’s her.
And AnnE may be forgettable but she will go out of her way and exhaust every possible option to make sure you remember who she is.
Right?! Try as we may AnnE will never let us forget her.
Well, it’s obvious that he DOES remember her if he can say she does great work and that she’s beautiful and her role as Catwoman was great. Poor phrasing on his part. I would agree with him that she doesn’t have that certain something that some actors have. And to use Lara Flynn Boyle and especially Sherilyn Fenn as examples is just…odd I guess. I can’t for the life of me recall Fenn’s work in anything other than Twin Peaks and there wasn’t anything particularly fabulous about her…imo.
Yeah, I was going to say, those are kind of weird picks for memorable stars. He’s pretty much the only person who remembers them.
I thought the same thing – you can’t go on and on about someone and then say you don’t even remember them. That makes no sense.
I do get his general point about stars past having iconic personalities, but his example of LFB and SF is…odd. Sherilyn is such a beauty though. Lara was at one point, but got carried away with surgery. Still, neither was ever a huge iconic star.
Thank you. I was questioning my reading comprehension skills. I appreciate that he was only trying to insult them mildly but he took away from his own argument… I think?
I am sorry Sherilyn Fenn is not more prominent. I always found her fairly interesting. Boxing Helena was 7 kinds of crazy but she kind of pulled it off.
I’ll take a Amanda over AnnE anyday.
+1
Me too, and I don’t think she is bland. Did anyone see that crazy thriller she did with Liam Neeson? Girl is memorable.
The movie was called Chloe.
Lara Flynn Boyle was a starlet? I’m not being sarcastic I just don’t really know.
She was HOT property in the early 90s! Fenn is an amazingly beautiful woman but I read she didnt like the games of Hollywood and what you were expected to do to win roles so she sort of took a more back seat in regards to Hollywood. Watch her sedusing Coop early on in Twin Peaks. Amazing!
Saw that. Loved it.
Has he seen Lara Flynn Boyle’s face since she destroyed it. No, she should not be the one working now. There’s a reason she hasn’t gotten big jobs since her late thirties: her destroyed face.
Just about everything with Hollywood is boring these days. Every film is either a bad remake, or some small indie film focused on some weird sexual idiocyncracy. There’s absolutely nothing creative or innovative being produced, and the “actors” are more interesteds in being famous than honing their craft. Nobody every discussed Pacino, DeNiro, or Hoffman as movies stars at the zenith of their careers – they were ACTORS, not celebrities! These guys lost themselves in the roles they played – they became their characters. Today, you watch a George Clooney movie, and think,’oh, there’s George driving a car, there’s George shooting a gun.’ You never forget it’s George Clooney. Now, not all of that is George’s fault, of course, but he and his contemporaries certainly don’t exhibit the talent of the generation before them.
+1
I agree. That’s why I’ve been watching Bollywood movies lately. Aamir Khan is so talented that I have seen him in a movie and not even known it was him until the credits! I mean, he morphs into the character THAT well.
This!! I miss the days of Brando, Newman or Clift, where there was this legitimate drive to always improve their abilities. Acting was not viewed a stepping stone to fame, but rather as a craft in which you should aspire to always do better and respected as such. The current state of affairs it’s truly pitiful -_-.
Amanda Seyfried is so so so so so so hot! Anne Hathaway can be sexy when she wants to be, like as Catwoman. I don’t think either of them are bland. That’s a word that makes me think of someone like Zooey Deschanel. Or Olivia Wilde.
I agree, the man is on point.
Look, I loved Twin Peaks sooo much, but to say that those two actresses were some sort of icons is projecting a bit too much on both of them. Conversely, I think he’s also being too harsh on actresses today. In short, he loved that show and wishes everyone walked around in a well lit, semi ethereal world with a dwarf. Ha!
Interestingly enough, he doesn’t mention his shoes’ most iconic mascot, Sarah Jessica Parker. Is she anonymous too?
He might be right but it’s rude to actually say this in an interview. I guess he doesn’t need to make more money because he is probably turning off the people who can actually afford to be his customers.
I agree with him. Majority of these actresses are bland. They don’t stand out. The do exactly the same roles. There is nothing special about them.
+1
He’s right. But he didn’t make his argument well.
I, too, am utterly bored with the bland offerings of Hollywood today, the “entertainment” and the “entertainers”. There isn’t the talent or mystique or quality or glamour there used to be. The products and the ingredients are too mainstream and ordinary and dull. Bleh!
He’s right though.
Not only about the “starlets”, but about actresses in general.
It’s the same white, skinny, usually some shade of blond,bland, boring,non threatening, cookie cutter actress and you cannot tell them apart!
Sometimes I wonder if people don’t get bored of seeing the same type all the time because I sure as hell do which is why I don’t even bother checking out HW movies anymore unless it’s like big blockbuster type of popcorn movie and i’m in the mood.
So bored of AnnE now.
I wonder if, given his generation, he is talking less about looks and acting chops (he praises AH for her acting and prettiness) and more about the way these actresses live now. No crazy time with Jack Nicholson or working in a wide range of productions while having affairs, passion babies, sweaty drama and adventure. If you look at it through the adventurous 90s lens he may be wearing, the current stars he mentions are perhaps more like smiling mall shoppers who like to act.
Yesterday’s why-not love pairings and what-the-hell, grab-some-living take-a-Concorde-to-a-party-wearing-dude’s-heels is today’s yoga plus green juice plus iPhone-baby combo while wear-Marchesa-shmatta-to-get-a-contract-ing. From that viewpoint they don’t stand out. It Is 401K actress/actor GAP. (I thought of this because I was home sick yesterday and caught some Sex & the City!)
Amanda Seyfried is the hot, yummy.
I agree.
I was totally sold on her after watching her on Ellen rapping “California Love” with that frog head on. So adorable.
Sorry we can’t all be unforgettable. Where are Sherilynn Fenn and Lara Flynn Boyle now?
Yeah AnnE and Amanda may be an interesting as oatmeal but as an actor that’s not always a bad thing. There are heaps of actors who are so “interesting” it’s hard to see the characters they’re playing, all you see is them. It takes real talent to be larger than life in real life but have the ability to disappear into their characters.
I think he wants actors who match whatever he perceives his brand to be. Anne and Amanda aren’t them obviously so leave them out if it.
I agree. They’re BOTH basic. Just because Anne’s on her Oscar campaign at the moment doesn’t take away from that fact.
It’s not some overrated aging queen who decides who is memorable. It’s the generation that is actually still breathing. No worries. There’s plenty of Jimmy Choos to go around.
Oh so his sorry ass gets stuck in 90s and refuse to acknowledge current rising stars. I know people hate Anne here, but lets be real with a good PR and maybe an Oscar she’s getting bigger now.
He is absolutely right. He isn’t discussing them in terms of their careers. Anyone can be a star with the right roles, publicists and franchise, but do you remember them? They all lack a certain something that keeps you watching. The examples he used, those actors are not working anymore for various reasons BUT every single person on this thread remembers them, remembers how unique they were. The same can’t be said for AnnE or Amanda despite their more stellar careers. 20yrs from now, we’ll still remember Lara and Sherilyn but not AnnE or Amanda. I’d say the same for the men, Chris Evans is a good looking guy, but who truly remembers him? Ditto Jake G, Taylors L & K etc bland, bland and blandly identikit goodlooking. From bygone eras, I would say that Debbie Reynolds and even the mighty Meryl were the same bland looking but they stood out with their blandness against a sea of interesting. Their blandness was unique in that way. These days it’s the opposite. Everyone is so bland, and the few who aren’t are deemed wierd or crazy or have to go to the plastic surgeon to get rid of their uniqueness to achieve the bland look. Angelina Jolie is just about the only actress working today who is unique and memorable. It’s not about the state of her career or personal life, she’s just so memorably goodlooking that she can’t be ignoreD, even by those who hate her.
Ok either he can remember her or he cant…he saw her as catwoman and thought she was good? Well then he didn’t really forget her. Harpy old queen!
Manolo Blahnik is an idiot. What he said didn’t make any sense whatsoever. Sherilynn Fenn and Lara Flynn Boyle are both terrible actresses-always have and always will be. They were never the best of their generation, and that is why they are no longer working. They lucked out on a cult tv show.
Say what you want ( haters or non-haters ) , Anne Hathaway is a triple-threat talent. She is always good at hosting SNL, and her work in Rachel Getting Married, TDKR, and Les Miserables are wonderful. Plus, I saw Hathaway star in a production of Shakespeare In The Park’s Twelfth Night , and she was extraordinary ( and she received rave reviews ). In that production, she easily held her own opposite the brilliant Audra McDonald and the incomparable Raul Esparaza (not easy to do ). Recently, I heard, Anne did a stage revue of Cabaret for NY’s Public Theatre to rave reviews. Now, let’s see Fenn or Flynn Boyle do Cabaret on stage or do a production of Shakespeare In The Park. It will never happen.
P.S. This unbelievable hate directed towards women is very disturbing. Where is the hate directed to Alec Baldwin’s latest temper tandrum or Mel Gibson’s disgusting behavior, Charlie Sheen, etc… ? Men get away with murder, and the ladies are vilified for everything.
well said
This ^^
I rather watch Amanda in a movie than Anne, since he brought up both of them. I recently rented “The Devil wears Prada” and Anne was the worst part of the movie, I felt like I was watching Anne in real life. It seems like she doesn’t have much range, but I haven’t seen Les Mis, so maybe I am being too quick to judge. I like Amanda as an actress and she isn’t insufferable, which is the definition of Anne Hathaway.
Also, Lara Flynn Boyle?! He is on the money because how can we forget that face…I’m talking about Lara’s new face, it is quite memorable.
Manolo Blahnik is lucky he can’t remember Hathaway. We’re never allowed to forget her since she’s jammed in our faces 24×7.
I prefer my actresses lives to be bland. I’d much rather watch them disappear into a role than think “Oh, that Lara – how could she go from this to banging Jack Nicholson?!” That’s all I remember of LFB actually. Never heard of the other one and I’ve never seen Twin Peaks. I’m not sure about Amanda but Anne has the possibility for an iconic career. Sure, lots of people find her insufferable. Lots of people find her a fantastic actress too. That combination could keep her around for a good long while.
I disagree about Amanda Seyfried’s personality. I watched a few late night talk show interviews with her, and I was surprised that she was kinda kooky and morbid. Not a boring personality at all.
Amanda is weird in interviews as for her acting…she could choose better roles. Her look is definitely the “norm” insofar as her blonde hair/blue eyes generic look is concerned. She does have a smoking figure however rather than too thin. She seems healthy. I remember her far more than Hathaway. As for the CW girls…I wouldn’t have a clue!
I think that Anne is talented, but she grates on my nerves. I haven’t quite pinpointed why yet. For me. But I love Amanda. Just because she is blonde, doesn’t make her bland. I liked her on David Letterman (the only interview I’ve ever seen of her) and I feel that she is very talented.
Actresses of late are entirely forgettable. Could not agree more.
I agree with some of what he said. I just think the people he held up as examples is way off.
There are some very talented actresses coming up. I just think the talent and the personality are not in lined. Yes great performances but if we they just all of a sudden went away, I don’t think there would be a big OMG I miss this person. I like a lot of them, but not really finding them all that interesting. Which I think is why they all keep trying so hard to distinguish themselvse. Making dumb statements in interviews.
but hey everyone can’t be memorable.
All he’s talking about is big hair and plenty of cleavage. Sorry I would take Ann over this Fenn girl and Flynn Boyle anyday. I don’t need va va voom I just need glamour and Ann knows that. She’s the epitome of regal and I detest how everyone needs to exude the pre-packaged sexuality of past divas to you all. Now I think Amanda is pretty but I haven’t gotten anything from her.
Hysterical ◠‿◠ I’m still having Hathaway cooch nightmares..
Although I don’t agree with his favorite stars, but I do agree that the Celebs are bland nowadays. I like some of them but no one makes me wanna run to the theater on opening night. I hardly by magazines or any product that the actresses are hawking. I don’t need someone to be over the top but something just ain’t right with these celebs.
He’s not wrong. Anne and Amanda are BOTH basic. I somewhat agree with the comment about how most of the girls on the CW look alike and it’s hard to tell them apart. There are exceptions though, it’s ridiculously easy to tell the WOMEN and MEN on that network apart from the GIRLS and BOYS. Also makes it incredibly simple to tell apart those who can actually act from those who can’t on that network.