What the Hell Happened to Ashley Judd?

In the 90’s, Ashley Judd was one of the most promising actresses in Hollywood.  She has been nominated for two Golden Globes, played a young Marilyn Monroe and for a while she practically owned the thriller genre.  But later in her career, Judd transitioned from suspense movies to chick flicks and political activism.  Since then, Judd’s movie career has shifted into low gear.  These days, Judd is better known for her political aspirations than her latest movies.

What the hell happened?

judd - the judds

Judd is the daughter of Naomi Judd and the sister of Wynonna Judd.  Naomi and Wynonna formed a mother-daughter country music duo known as The Judds.  Between 1983 and 1991, The Judds charted 23 hit singles and won five Grammies.  There’s more, but since this article isn’t about them let’s just say they were very successful.  Eventually, Wynonna went on to success as a solo act.  Point being, there was a time when Ashley Judd was known better for being related to the famous country music singers.

judd - UK

I am going to attempt to remain unbiased in this article.  But that may be a little harder for me than usual.  In the spirit of full disclosure, I should state up front that Judd and I both attended the University of Kentucky at the same time.  Now, I’m not going to say that Judd and I dated, but I’m not going to say we didn’t either.

Why are you looking at me like that?

Okay, no.  I never dated Ashley Judd.  But I totally could have.

I mean, I did see her on campus once.

And I had this poster she made for the UK hockey team.

judd - uk hockey

According to campus legend, someone on the hockey team had a connection with Judd and sent her the team jersey with a request that she take a picture in it for the poster.  Judd posed in ONLY the jersey which made the poster extremely popular.  They were handed out at hockey games to increase attendance.

So now that I have aired my personal history with Judd, I think we can begin examining her acting career.  Let’s just all try to be mature and move on.

judd - star trek
Ashley Judd – Star Trek: The Next Generation – 1991

In 1991, Judd made her acting debut on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Judd played an ensign on the Enterprise who gave nerds everywhere hope when she hooked up with Wesley Crusher, King of the Nerds.  These days, Wil Wheaton, who played Wesley on the show, is a beloved writer and  poster boy for nerds everywhere.  But even he will tell you, Wesley was lame.  Early episodes of the show all revolved around Wesley the Boy Wonder somehow saving the ship.  I’m not ashamed to say, I wanted to smack Wesley around.  But even I gave the kid props when he started dating way out of his league.

Ashley Judd – Star Trek: The Next Generation – 1991

Judd appeared on two episodes.  In the second episode titled “The Game”, she and Wesley played some weirdly addictive and vaguely sexual video game in which primitive CGI tubes consume blobby discs.  It’s like Star Trek pong.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=is12anYx2Qs]

Soon, the whole crew was addicted like a bunch of kids playing Angry Birds.

Judd talked about being cast on Star Trek with Anderson Cooper and whether or not the crew of the Enterprise wears undergarments.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFthhb-zJSQ]

I’d hate to be the guy who does Worf’s laundry!

Judd - Home Improvement

Judd auditioned for the role of the Tool Time girl on Tim Allen’s 1990’s sitcom, Home Improvement.  Series creator Matt Williams was so impressed with Judd’s audition that he refused to cast her in such a small role.  Instead, Pamela Anderson was cast as the jiggly Tool Time girl.  Williams went back to Judd’s agent and offered to create a bigger role specifically for her.  If she had accepted, Judd would have played Allen’s sister.  According to Williams:

We didn’t hear anything for about two days after the offer, and then her agent called and said, ‘You know, Ashley’s thought about it, and she’s not ready to go into television right now. She thinks she has a feature career.’

judd - sisters
Sisters

From 1991-1994, Judd had a recurring role on the TV show Sisters.

Sisters starred Swoosie Kurtz, Sela Ward, Patricia Kalember and Bruce Spingsteen’s ex-wife as four (you guessed it) sisters.  Judd played Kurtz’s daughter from the show’s second season through the fourth.  The role was originated by Kathy Wagner in the show’s first season.  The character was absent from the fifth season.  And in the show’s final season (I’m as surprised as you are to hear Sisters lasted 6 years!) a third actress played the part.  She’s like one of the Griswold kids.

Judd’s part was smaller than the one she passed up on Home Improvement.  But it gave her a chance to do something more dramatic which she hoped would lead to more movie roles.  Turns out, she was right.

Ashley Judd – Kuffs – 1992

In 1992, Judd made her big screen debut in the Christian Slater movie, Kuffs.

Judd played “Wife of Paint Store Owner”.  Her role was so small, she didn’t even get a name.  She was just the wife of some other nameless schmoe who owns a paint store.

Her part was so small that I couldn’t find a picture of her character on any of her fan sites.  I found this one on a site about guns in the movies.  It actually lists every gun used in Kuffs which as it turns out is a movie with a lot of guns.  This is a Remington 870 sawed off, if you’re curious.

Kuffs received negative reviews and did so-so box office.  But I’m guessing that Judd was just happy to be on the big screen.  Heck, after her experience on Star Trek she was probably happy to be allowed to wear underwear.

judd - ruby in paradise
Ashley Judd – Ruby in Paradise – 1993

In 1993, Judd starred in the independent drama, Ruby in Paradise.

This time, Judd’s character not only had a name, but she had the title role.  Judd played Ruby, a young girl who moves to a Florida resort town during the off-season looking for a new start.  Ruby takes a job as a sales clerk in a souvenir shop and starts a relationship with the shop owner’s arrogant son.

Reviews were great.  As you can tell from the trailer, Judd was singled out for praise.  She won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Actress and the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Actress.  Not bad for her first movie role with a name.

With the success of Ruby, Judd dropped out of her recurring role on Sisters.  She was going to be a movie star.

judd - natural born killers
Ashley Judd – Natural Born Killers (deleted scene) – 1994
judd - natural born killers 2
Ashley Judd – Natural Born Killers (deleted scene) – 1994

Judd filmed scenes which were ultimately cut from Oliver Stone’s violent media satire, Natural Born Killers.

Stone rewrote much of Quentin Tarantino’s original screenplay, much to the dismay of Tarantino who has been critical of Stone’s changes.  The original screenplay told the story in Tarantino’s non-sequential style with several flashbacks in the form of TV segments about the serial killers played by Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis.

In one of these flashbacks, Judd played the sole survivor of a slumber party where Harrelson’s character killed all of her friends.  Judd’s character testifies against Harrelson in court.  Harrelson’s character is serving as his own defense and cross-examines Judd’s witness.  As he does so, he takes the opportunity to kill her with a pencil.

judd - passion of darkly noon
Ashley Judd – The Passion of Darkly Noon – 1995

The road to movie stardom sometimes takes some strange detours.  But few detours are stranger than the German-based art house horror film, The Passion of Darkly Noon.  In 1995, Judd starred opposite Brendan Fraser and Viggo Mortensen.

Fraser played a member of an ultraconservative Christian cult.  After the death of his parents, he wanders into the Appalachian forests where he meets Judd’s character.  Naturally, Fraser decides that the free-spirited Judd is too sexy to live.  He decides to kill her and her boyfriend played by Mortensen at the prompting of Mortensen’s crazy mother.

Fortunately for all involved, The Passion of Darkly Noon was not released in the US.  Fortunately for the rest of us, even obscure German art house horror films in which George of the Jungle wraps himself in barbed wire and goes on a killing spree are preserved on the internet for all to see.  I just love technology.

Ashley Judd – Smoke – 1995

Later that year, Judd appeared in the independent film, Smoke.

Smoke starred Harvey Keitel as the manager of a Brooklyn tobacco shop.  The film follows the lives of some of the characters who pass through his shop.  The ensemble included William Hurt, Forest Whitaker and Stockard Channing.  Judd played Keitel’s daughter who meets him for the first time.

Reviews were positive and the box office performance was decent for a small art-house movie.  A sequel, Blue in the Face, was released without Judd’s character in 1995.

Val Kilmer and Ashley Judd - Heat - 1995
Val Kilmer and Ashley Judd – Heat – 1995

Judd ended the year by appearing in Michael Mann’s crime drama classic, Heat.

Heat pitted Al Pacino as a cop against Robert De Niro as a robber.  De Niro’s partner in crime was played by Val Kilmer.  Judd played Kilmer’s wife who has something going on the side with Hank Azaria.  She is pressured to turn over her husband, but how can she betray Iceman?  I mean other than by sleeping with the voice of Apu.

Heat got great reviews and was a hit at the box office.  Judd’s role was small, but it helped get her some attention in Hollywood.

Reportedly, Judd and De Niro were dating at the time they were filming Heat.  Apparently he was Judd’s rebound guy when things didn’t work out between us.  How else to explain Judd dating De Niro?

judd - norma jean
Ashley Judd – Norma Jean & Marilyn – 1996

In 1996, Judd starred opposite Mira Sorvino in the HBO movie, Norma Jean & Marilyn.

Judd played Norma Jean Dougherty, better known to the world as Marilyn Monroe.  Sorvino played Monroe after her Hollywood transformation.  The two actresses shared screen time as Judd’s Norma Jean appeared to Sorvino’s Monroe in hallucinations.

Reviews for the movie were mixed.  But both Judd and Sorvino were nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Emmy for their respective roles.

Ashley Judd - A Time to Kill - 1996
Ashley Judd – A Time to Kill – 1996

Later that year, Judd appeared opposite Matthew McConaughey in Joel Schumacher’s adaptation of John Grisham’s best-seller, A Time to Kill.

McConaughey played a southern lawyer who – given the fact that he is played by Matthew McConaughey and the film is directed by Joel “Batman must have nipples” Schumacher –  wears a shirt a surprising amount of the time.  This fully clothed lawyer represents a father played by Samuel L. Jackson who is on trial for killing the men who raped his daughter.  And also possibly for being a Bad Mother Fucker.  That part of the case was never really fleshed out.

Judd played McConaughey’s wife because those are the kind of roles she was getting at the time.  Wife roles.

The star-studded cast included Sandra Bullock, Kevin Spacey, Donald Sutherland, Oliver Platt and Kiefer Sutherland.  Double Sutherland Bonus!

Reviews were mostly positive and the movie was a hit at the box office.  As with Heat, Judd’s role was small.  But her involvement increased her profile in Hollywood.

Judd was also rumored to have dated McConaughey at this time.  She really has a type, doesn’t she?

judd - normal life
Ashley Judd – Normal Life – 1996

Judd ended 1996 by starring opposite Luke Perry in the crime drama, Normal Life.

Perry played a cop who falls for Judd’s sexy psychopath.  The couple gets married and she positively destroys his life.  He loses his job and decides to rob banks to support his crazy, sexy wife.

Despite mostly positive reviews, Normal Life did not receive a wide release.

judd - the locusts
Ashley Judd – The Locusts -1997

In 1997, Judd appeared opposite Vince Vaughn (who was hot off of Swingers) in the bizarre drama, The Locusts.

Vaughn played a drifter who wanders into town, beats up a drunk and steals his girlfriend.  He’s hired on by a local rancher with a taste for younger men played by Kate (Mrs. Stephen Spielberg) Capshaw.  Vaughn’s character has to deal with a romantic triangle while trying to help Capshaw’s troubled son.  The son, played by Jeremy Davies, has spent time in a mental hospital and will only speak to his pet bull.

I should warn you that the movie features “a full graphic bull castration” which sent test audiences running from the theater with their hands over their mouths.  Larry Gleeson, president of MGM’s worldwide distribution at the time, commented “You can do anything to a human being, but just don’t hurt an animal.”

Apparently the studio was surprised by audiences having a negative reaction to “a full graphic bull castration”.  Audiences can be unpredictable like that.  As a rule of thumb, I would suggest to Larry that any depiction of a graphic castration – bull or otherwise – is likely to alienate roughly one half of your audience.

judd - kiss the girls
Ashley Judd – Kiss the Girls – 1997

Later that year, Judd starred opposite Morgan Freeman in the thriller Kiss the Girls.

Freeman played Dr. Alex Cross, the forensic psychologist of James Patterson’s novels.  In Kiss the Girls, Cross’ niece is missing and suspected kidnapped by a serial killer called Casanova.  Judd played one of the killers’ victims who escapes and helps lead Cross to her captor.

Critics weren’t fond of Kiss the Girls.  They called it Silence of the Lambs Lite.  But it was a hit at the box office.  Judd was nominated for two Blockbuster Entertainment Awards for her performance.  Not exactly Oscars, but a sign of the movie’s popularity with the masses.  Freeman returned for a sequel, Along Came a Spider, but Judd’s character did not return.  The franchise was rebooted by Tyler Perry with 2012’s Cross.

Ashley Judd - Simon Birch - 1998
Ashley Judd – Simon Birch – 1998

In 1998, Judd appeared opposite Oliver Platt and the kid from Jurassic Park in Simon Birch.

Simon Birch was a loose adaptation of John Irving’s novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany.  Irving had his doubts that his novel could possibly be adapted into a movie.  So when he sold the rights, he did so with certain strings attached.  First of all, the movie could not share the name of Irving’s novel.  Secondly, they couldn’t use Irving’s name either.

Irving made the decision to distance himself from the project before anyone was even attached to it.  So you know he must have felt pretty good about that decision when director Mark Steven Johnson signed on to direct.  MSJ was the auteur behind both Grumpy Old Men movies.  Later he would go on to direct Jack Frost in which Michael Keaton plays a dad who gets reincarnated as a snow man.  Then he went on a streak of crappy Marvel super hero movies; Daredevil, Ghost Rider and Ghost Rider 2!

What I’m saying is, Mark Steven Johnson is a hack who had absolutely no chance of adapting Irving’s novel into a decent movie.

Jim Carrey narrates the film and plays the Jurassic Park kid all grown up.  He reflects back on his difficult childhood raised by a single mom played ever so saintly by Judd who practically wears a halo.  His best friend is Simon Birch who is afflicted with a condition that stunts his growth.  The fact that Simon survived his own birth is a medical miracle which convinces the small child that he has a greater purpose in life.

The goal is to tell a whimsical, life-affirming fable filled with laughter and tears.  So many tears that the audience’s weeping would flood the theater.  Johnson strains so hard to jerk tears from the viewer that he instead elicits laughter.

The following clip contains spoilers.  But damn, if it isn’t the funniest thing I have seen all week.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWj6xS7fvuI]

I mean “wow”!  I watch a lot of bad movies for these articles.  But this is really a movie in which a kid with Morquio syndrome killed his best friend’s mom with a foul ball.  I mean, that really happened.  Someone wrote that down in the script, other people acted it out and Mark Steven Johnson didn’t play it for laughs.

Reviews were mostly negative and Simon Birch flopped at the box office.

Before we move on, because I could talk about Simon Birch all day, the movie marks a turning point in Judd’s career.  Up until now, she had typically played the sexy siren.  She was so sexy that she drove Encino Man to kill.  So sexy she pushed a cop into a life of crime.  So sexy that bulls required graphic castration.  When she wasn’t driving people mad with her extreme sexiness, she was the sexy wife of lawyers and/or criminals.

But with Simon Birch, Judd toned down the sex appeal.  Oh sure, the kid still lusted after her.  But Judd was now a saintly single mom doomed to die of sports-related injuries.

judd - double jeopardy
Ashley Judd – Double Jeopardy – 1999

In 1999, Judd starred opposite Tommy Lee Jones in the thriller, Double Jeopardy.

Judd played a wife whose husband (played by Bruce Greenwood) frames her for his murder.  While she is serving her jail sentence, Judd’s character realizes that her scumbag husband is still alive.  After serving six years in prison, Judd’s character decides to hunt down her husband and kill him for real this time.  Based on the legal advice of a fellow inmate, Judd’s character believes that she can not be convicted of killing him a second time.  (We’ll get to the wisdom of taking legal advice from people serving jail sentences in a minute.)

MichellePfeifferJodieFosterMegRyan2001
Actresses who turned down Double Jeopardy.

After Meg Ryan, Brook Shields and Michelle Pfeiffer all passed on Double Jeopardy, Jodie Foster signed on to star.  Director Bruce Beresford recalls meeting with Foster about the role:

“She said to me once, when we were having . . .not an argument, we had different points of view over something, and she said, ‘We’ll have to do it my way, I’m afraid.’ And I said, ‘Why, Jodie?’ And she said, ‘Because I’m so intelligent. I’m such an intelligent person that there is no point in disagreeing with me because I’m always right.’ I thought she was joking, but she wasn’t! She had this extraordinary opinion of her own IQ.”

Fortunately for Beresford, Foster became pregnant and had to drop out.   She was replaced by Judd who was not so outspoken about her intelligence.

Reviews were mixed to negative, but Double Jeopardy was a hit at the box office.  OJ Simpson defender, Alan Dershowitz, took the movie to task for its interpretation of the Fifth Amendment:

“There are two separate incidents.  She was falsely accused the first time. And maybe she can sue for that or get some credit. But then she committed an entirely separate or at least planned to commit an entirely separate crime the second time.  And there’s just no defense of double jeopardy for doing it the second time.”

Lesson learned.  Do not take legal advice from Ashley Judd thrillers.

judd - eye of the beholder
Ashley Judd – Eye of the Beholder – 1999

Later that year, Judd starred opposite Ewan McGregor in the thriller, Eye of the Beholder.

McGregor played an investigator known as “The Eye”.  He is tasked with tracking down the son of a wealthy man.  The trail leads to a serial killer played by Judd.  But rather than turn her in, The Eye follows her around the world as she goes on a killing spree.  He observes her crimes while trying to save her.

Reviews were terrible and the movie bombed.

judd - where the heart is
Ashley Judd – Where the Heart Is – 2000

In 2000, Judd appeared opposite Natalie Portman in the big screen adaptation of the best-selling novel. Where the Heart Is.

Portman plays a pregnant girl whose boyfriend abandons her at a Wal-Mart.  Portman’s character does what any sensible mom-to-be would do and starts living out of the Wal-Mart.  When her baby is born – a daughter who she names Americus – she befriends a nurse played by Judd.  The nurse reveals that she too is a single mom.  And while she does not live in a Wal-Mart, she does have four children by three different baby-daddy.

This movie is a mess.  It veers from one absurd plot twist to the next.  The entire movie is populated by the kind of people Hollywood thinks live in the fly-over states but really don’t exist.

Reviews were mostly negative and the box office was so-so.

judd - someone like you
Ashley Judd – Someone Like You – 2001

In 2001, Judd starred opposite Greg Kinnear and Hugh Jackman in the romantic comedy, Someone Like You.

Judd played a daytime talk-show producer who gets dumped by her boyfriend played by Kinnear.  She comes up with this entire theory about how men are like animals.  This idea is so novel, it turns her into a media sensation.  She does unscientific research with her roommate who bears a striking resemblance to Wolverine.

Someone like you is the kind of movie where Marisa Tomei plays the best friend who exists solely to support the lead actress, Greg Kinnear plays the sleazy handsome guy he plays in almost every movie and Hugh Jackman doesn’t have adamantium claws.  In other words, it’s a by the book rom com with a generic title to match.

Reviews were mostly negative and the movie flopped at the box office.

Ashley Judd - High Crimes - 2002
Ashley Judd – High Crimes – 2002

Judd had a busy year in 2002.  First, she reunited with Morgan Freeman for another thriller, High Crimes.

Judd played an attorney who discovers that her husband has deceived her about his identity.  She really should be more careful about the men she married.  This husband is played by  Jim Caviezel.  He is arrested and tried for the murder of Latin American villagers from his time in the Marines.  Judd turns to a former military attorney played by Freeman for help.

Reviews were mostly negative and High Crimes disappointed at the box office.

judd - divine secrets of the ya ya sisterhood
Ashley Judd – Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood – 2002

Later that year, Judd appeared as part of a large ensemble in the multi-generational chick flick, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood.

Sandra Bullock starred as playwright who upsets her mother when she talks about her “unhappy childhood” in an interview in Time magazine.  The comments spark a war between Bullock and her mother played by Ellen Burstyn.  Burstyn’s childhood friends, the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, intervenes to end the mother-daughter conflict.  They tell Bullock’s character about the trials and tribulations her mother faced when she was young.  Judd played Bullock’s mother in flashbacks.

Despite mostly negative reviews, Ya-Ya was a success at the box office.

judd - frida
Ashley Judd – Frida – 2002

Judd ended the year by playing Tina Modotti in the biopic, Frida.

Salma Hayek starred as painter Frida Kahlo.  Alfred Molina  played her husband, muralist Diego Rivera.  The couple had an open relationship.  As Kahlo was bi-sexual, they sometimes romanced the same woman.

Reviews were mostly positive and Frida was an art house hit.

judd - twisted
Ashley Judd – Twisted – 2004

In 2004, Judd starred opposite Samuel L. Jackson and Andy Garcia in Philip Kaufman’s  thriller, Twisted.

Judd played a San Francisco cop who gets a promotion after solving a big case.  Jackson played her mentor who was also her father’s partner.  Her father was a cop who went insane and killed Judd’s mother.  So when several of Judd’s lovers start turning up dead, Judd’s character worries that she might be losing her mind.  Garcia played Judd’s partner who is also a suspect.  Because it’s the kind of movie where everyone is a suspect.

Reviews were uniformly negative.  Roger Ebert summed it up thusly, “Walks like a thriller and talks like a thriller, but it squawks like a turkey.”  Twisted tanked at the box office.

judd - de-lovely
Ashley Judd – De-Lovely – 2004

Later that year, Judd starred opposite Kevin Kline in Irwin Winkler’s Cole Porter bio-pic, De-Lovely.

Kline played the legendary songwriter.  And Judd played his wife who is willing to turn a blind eye to his extramarital affairs at first.  Eventually their relationship falls apart over blackmail photos of Porter with another man.

Judd sought out the role of Linda Porter.  Winkler assumed she was too expensive.  But Judd wanted the part badly enough to take a pay cut.  In real life, Linda Porter was several years older than her husband.  But Judd was 21 years younger than Kline.

Reviews were mixed and the movie flopped.  But Judd was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.

judd - come early morning
Ashley Judd – Come Early Morning – 2006

In 2006, Judd starred in Joey Lauren Adams’ directorial debut, Come Early Morning.

Judd played a woman who makes a habit of getting drunk and having one-night stands on the weekend.  Come early morning, she takes off.

Adams originally wrote the screenplay with the intent to star in the movie herself.  But eventually she decided she could not play the lead role and direct.  Casting Judd helped Adams the film’s $6 million dollar budget.

Despite mostly positive reviews, the film failed to recoup its modest budget.

judd - bug
Ashley Judd – Bug – 2007

In 2007, Bug was released.  It had been shown at Cannes in 2006.

Judd played a waitress who engages in self-destructive behavior.  Her friend introduces her to a drifter, played by Michael Shannon.  The drifter convinces Judd that she must hand over Kal-el or suffer the consequences.  No, that’s not right.  He has delusions about a government conspiracy that involves bug infestations.

The movie was adapted from a stage play of the same name.  Shannon reprised his role from the play.

When Judd first met director William Friedkin at a social event, she complimented him for a scene she really liked from The French Connection II.  Unfortunately, Friedkin did not direct the sequel.  Judd said Friedkin was  very “gracious” about it.

Reviews were mixed to positive.  Bug turned a small profit on its modest budget.

judd - crossing over
Ashley Judd – Crossing Over – 2009

In 2009, Judd appeared opposite Harrison Ford and Ray Liotta in the immigration drama, Crossing Over.

Crossing Over is one of those over-lapping story movies.  It’s like Traffic except instead of being about drugs, it’s about immigration.  Liotta plays an immigration officer who has a car accident with an illegal immigrant played by Alice Eve.  He makes a deal with her whereby he will get her a green card in exchange for sexual favors.  Judd played the lovely man’s wife.

Ford was originally attached to Traffic.  He was unhappy with the screenplay and insisted on a lot of changes.  After the changes were made, Ford dropped out of the picture anyway.  Michael Douglas who had previously turned down the role liked the improvements and agreed to star.  He thanked Ford repeatedly for fixing the script for him.  I suspect Ford signed on to this movie because he was afraid Douglas would come along and steal it from him.

Ford needn’t have worried.  Crossing Over was a stinker.  It was filmed in 2007 and sat on a shelf for two years.  Director Wayne Kramer had final cut.  His cut of the film ran 140 minutes.  But Harvey Weinstein refused to release the film to theaters unless he trimmed it to two hours.  Kramer finally caved and Crossing Over was released to bad reviews.  It flopped at the box office.

judd - tooth fairy
Ashley Judd – Tooth Fairy – 2010

In 2010, Judd appeared opposite Dwayne “the Rock” Johnson in the family comedy, Tooth Fairy.

Tooth Fairy is one of those movies where the only joke is that a big action star is put in a less-than-macho situation.  Ever since Kindergarten Cop, just about every muscled-up action star has done one.  In Tooth Fairy, The Rock plays a hockey player who becomes a tooth fairy.  Judd played his girlfriend and the mother of a little girl whose lost tooth sets the plot in motion.

Regular readers know my rule.  I refuse to watch family comedies in which someone gets hit in the crotch in the trailer.  So sadly, I missed this one.  No surprise it was originally written for Arnold Schwarzenegger back in 1992.

In spite of bad reviews, Tooth Fairy was a modest hit.  Judd hadn’t had so much as a modest hit since the Ya-Ya Sisterhood 8 years prior!

Ashley Judd - Dolphin Tale - 2011
Ashley Judd – Dolphin Tale – 2011

In 2011, Judd appeared opposite Harry Connick, Jr (who had a supporting role in Bug) and Morgan Freeman (with whom she starred in Kiss the Girls and High Crimes) in the family drama, Dolphin Tale.

The movie is based on a true story about a boy and his dolphin.  Judd plays the boys single mom because Judd is Hollywood’s favorite single mom.  This particular dolphin has lost its tail in a crab trap.  Fortunately, Lucius Fox is available to build the dolphin a Bat-tail with which to fight crime and perform tricks.  Well, not exactly.  But that would have been awesome.

Reviews were mostly positive and the movie was a surprise hit at the box office.  It opened at number 3 behind the Lion King re-release and Moneyball which isn’t terribly impressive.  But in its second weekend, it dropped a mere 27.4% which is amazing these days.  That allowed it to take the #1 spot in its second week.

A sequel is in the works.

judd - missing
Ashley Judd – Missing – 2012

In 2012, Judd appeared in the ABC TV series, Missing.

Missing was basically Taken with Judd in the Liam Neeson role.  The show was not a hit and was cancelled after 10 episodes aired.

When Judd was doing publicity for the show, she was criticized for having a puffy face.  Many in the media claimed she had plastic surgery.  Judd blasted these reports claiming to have gained weight from a “lazy six months of not exercising” in addition to steroids she was taking for an illness.

Ashley Judd – Olympus Has Fallen – 2013

In 2013, Judd appeared opposite Aaron Eckhart, Gerard Butler and Morgan Freeman (in their fourth film together) in Antoine Fuqua’s presidential action flick, Olympus Has Fallen.

Judd played the first lady to Eckhart’s president.  Butler played a secret service agent who must save the president from Korean terrorists, repel a Persian invasion and romance Kathrine Heigl.

The production was racing against another movie with basically the same plot, Whitehouse DownOlympus hit theaters first and reaped the rewards.  Despite mixed reviews and the presence of Gerard Butler, the movie was a hit at the box office.

judd vs mitch
Ashley Judd and Mitch McConnell

As Judd’s film career has cooled, she has become very active in politics and humanitarian work.  I won’t bother listing all the charities Judd has donated her time to.  It’s a lot.  In 2013, Judd teased her Twitter followers that she might launch a campaign to unseat Kentucky Senator, Angry Old White Guy McConnell.  Unfortunately, Judd decided not to run.  I don’t care what your politics are, that would have been fun to watch.

Ashley Judd - Divergent - 2014
Ashley Judd – Divergent – 2014

In 2014, Judd appeared in the adaptation of the young adult novel, Divergent.

Shailene Woodley starred as a reluctant heroine in a dystopian future who is NOT Katniss Everdeen.  In this future, society is divided into five factions which represent the virtues of being selfless, peaceful, honest, brave and intelligent.  So apparently all the smart people are selfish, violent, lying cowards?  Woodley’s character discovers that she is a “divergent” which means that like every single person I have ever met, she doesn’t fit neatly into one category.  Tony Goldwyn and Judd played Woodley’s parents.

Despite mixed reviews, Divergent opened in first place at the box office.  It didn’t do Twilight or Hunger Games numbers, but it was a solid hit.

Ashley Judd - The Identical - 2014
Ashley Judd – The Identical – 2014

Later that year, Judd appeared in the indie drama, The Identical.

Real-life Elvis impersonator Blake Rayne starred in dual roles as identical twin brothers.  One goes on to become an Elvis-like rock legend named Drexel Hemsley.  The other is adopted by a preacher and his wife played by Ray Liotta and Judd.  They try to raise their adopted son as a preacher, but he wants to follow his own path.

The Identical was panned by critics.

Randy Cordova, from The Arizona Republic, wrote:

Elvis Presley made some bad movies, but let’s give the King his due: He never made anything as outright awful as The Identical.

Quad-City Times film critic Linda Cook wrote:

Fans of bad movies, please note: This is a must-see. This is so bad it must be seen to be believed — Showgirls bad, a vision that slowly goes wrong, then terribly wrong, then hits disaster levels. In a sense, it’s an Ed Wood-ian exercise in wrong.

In its opening weekend, The Identical finished in an embarrassing 12th place.

Judd - Dolphin Tale 2
Ashley Judd – Dolphin Tale 2 – 2014

Next, Judd reunited with Morgan Freeman for the fifth time in the aquatic sequel, Dolphin Tale 2.

In the sequel, the team that saved the life of a dolphin in the first movie has to come together again to find another dolphin that can share a pool with Winter, the dolphin they saved in the first movie.  Harry Connick, Jr. and Kris Kristofferson co-starred.

Reviews for the sequel were mixed with many critics noting that it was essentially the a remake of the first movie.  It opened in second place at the box office and grossed around $40 million in the US.  There was talk of making a third Dolphin Tale, but that seems unlikely based on the sequel’s box office performance.

Ashley Judd - Big Stone Gap - 2014
Ashley Judd – Big Stone Gap – 2014

Judd co-starred opposite Patrick Wilson in the Appalachian rom-com, Big Stone Gap.

Judd played a self-described spinster in the the small town of Big Stone Gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.  Her life is turned upside down one day in 1978 when she discovers she is not who she thought she was.  Suddenly, she is fielding all kinds of marriage proposals.

Big Stone Gap opened the 2014 Virginia Film Festival.

judd - insurgent

In 2015, Judd appeared in the Divergent sequel, Insurgent.

Judd - Twitter scandal

Just before the opening of Insurgent, Judd made headlines by taking on Twitter trolls.

Judd was attending the SEC championship game and tweeted her opinion that Arkansas was “playing dirty & can kiss my team’s free throw making ass.”  She later deleted the tweet, but not before being pounced on by rude sports fans.  Judd tweeted a response:

When when I express a stout opinion during #MarchMadness I am called a whore, c—, threatened with sexual violence. Not okay.

Judd retweeted some of the more offensive responses she received and told NBC News that she would be filing charges.  According to Judd:

I routinely cope with tweets that sexualize, objectify, insult, degrade and even physically threaten me.  But this particular tsunami of gender-based violence and misogyny flooding my Twitter feed was overwhelming. Tweets rolled in, calling me a cunt, a whore or a bitch, or telling me to suck a two-inch dick. Some even threatened rape, or “anal anal anal”.

Soon after, Judd posted an essay in which she described her history with abuse:

I am a survivor of sexual assault, rape and incest. I am greatly blessed that in 2006, other thriving survivors introduced me to recovery.  The summer of 1984 was tough for me. I experienced two rapes by an adult and systematic molestation from another adult, who also had another man in the room watching (I now understand this was to ensure he had a witness, in order to undermine me in the event I tried to report the incident).

The nature of recovering from trauma is that it can be ongoing, with deeper levels of healing and freedom coming with indefatigable persistence to keep chipping away at it.

Judd ended with a call to arms for people to fight against cyber-bullying.  Look, I have had some fun at the expense of celebrities here at What the Hell Happened.  Heck, I’ve had some fun at Judd’s expense in this article.  But there’s a line.  Know where it is.

the more you know

With our public service message out of the way, let’s get back to talking about movies.

So, what the hell happened?

Judd started her career with sexy roles in independent films.  She found success in moderately budgeted Hollywood thrillers and rose to the A-list.  But she couldn’t repeat the success of Kiss the Girls and Double Jeopardy.  Judd transitioned into single-mom roles in dramas aimed at female audiences.  But her track record was spotty.  She hasn’t had a $100 million dollar box office hit since Kiss the Girls in 1999.  In between her more modest hits, Judd had long stretches of small movies and flops.

There’s no doubt that Judd’s charitable work and political activism must play a role in the decline of her film career.  As busy as she has been with her charities and campaigning, she couldn’t give acting her full attention.  But this is always one of those chicken-and-the-egg arguments.  Did Judd’s career cool because she was spending time doing other things?  Or did she devote more time to other things because her career was cooling?

There have also been rumors of Judd being difficult to deal with.  There are stories of her handing out “quietness stones” to people she doesn’t want to talk to.  Once you receive a stone from Judd, you aren’t allowed to address her until she takes it back.  Or so the rumor goes.  If true, that kind of alienating behavior can definitely catch up with an actress once her career starts to cool down.

Note: You’re probably noticing something missing from this article. It was originally written in 2013 long before the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the #MeToo movement. In the hopefully near future I will find the time to update this article to include this information as it was clearly a big factor in Judd’s career.

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paolov69
10 years ago

After reading “– a daughter who she names Americus –” I booked the first plane to Kentucky to consign personally to you the crown of the Internets.

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  paolov69

Can’t wait to collect that trinket. I will totally wear it around the house and insist the girls refer to me as His Royal Highness of the Internets.

Can’t take too much credit though. Someone else made a movie in which a baby girl was named after America – but altered so as to sound like a servant girl on Spartacus.

“Fetch us some wine, Americus!”

Jake
Jake
10 years ago

“But even I gave the kid props when he started dating way out of his league.”
Indeed, “The Game” was probably the closest I came to actually wanting to be Wesley (something I’d never thought I’d say). I’m shocked that NONE of the “Big Bang Theory” guys asked Wil if Ashley was a good kisser during his appearances on that show.

Re: Jodie Foster. Her view of herself could explain why she’s so convinced that Mel Gibson is just misunderstood.

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Jake

Wheaton is awesome. I’m so glad he didn’t let playing the lamest kid in space drag him down like it apparently did Jake Lloyd. Macking with hot space chicks is a Star Trek rite of passage. So I guess it makes sense that even Wesley did all right in that department. On FB, I teased that this article would reveal my secret past with one of Hollywood’s leading ladies. I was jokingly referring to my made-up (or was it?) relationship with Ms. Judd. But some of my old pals probably assumed I was referring to Foster. Why? Because I have… Read more »

Jake
Jake
10 years ago
Reply to  admin

Speaking of Lloyd, there was this interview conducted when Phantom Menace turned 10 (yes, someone made note of that):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtkM2JPcHPo
Watching this interview, I was asking myself only one thing: Is that Chris Farley?

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Jake

I feel bad for the guy honestly.

johnny88
10 years ago

The funniest post of the series 🙂

It would have been fun seeing a Judd-McConnel match, but Ashley would have been treated like the democrat version of Christine O’ Donnell. I think she made the right choice. She’s too liberal for a state the gave Romney more than 60% of votes just one year ago 😉

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  johnny88

I had a lot of fun writing it. Probably too much fun. I decided early on I was going to just be silly. Even sillier than usual.

Back in school, I wrote a column for the school paper. I had a running gag about dating Judd. So I just decided to resurrect the old gag from my Kentucky Kernel days.

Without getting too political, you’re absolutely right. Judd could never win a state election in KY. But it would have made for a great circus.

denise
denise
10 years ago

Just finished watching Heat, again. Every time I watch it, I am struck by how much Judd as a blond looks exactly like Charlize Theron. I wonder too what happened to Judd and I think we touched on this in a recent article about women in Hollywood. I think what happened to Judd is Theron. And soon someone will replace her. Hollywood is not kind to women of a certain age. Unless you are Meryl Streep, most actress seem to be 15 years (at least younger) than their male counterparts in a film. If you follow this thread you have… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  denise

Blonde Judd does resemble a young Theron. I hadn’t noticed until you pointed it out. But now I wonder how I missed it. Heat is actually on my must re-watch list. It’s been too long. I couldn’t agree with you more about Hollywood and actresses. Actresses get chewed up and spit out. The shelf life for most of them is very short. It’s certainly unfair, but it is what it is. I am definitely interested in Connelly and Moore. I expect I’ll get to them both soon. I just discovered a nasty little rumor about Pacino potentially sinking Penelope Ann… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago

…slow clap… This installment of WTHHT gets the tone just right. of course sometimes you are just given the gift of stuff like that scene in Simon Birch. John Irving is tricky stuff. It’s really too bad that I missed Sandra Bullock at East Carolina by just 1 year. Ya-Yas I have to admit that I did think you meant Foster since I was aware of your “encounter” with her. In 1992 Mississippi State football coach Jackie Sherrill made his team watch a bull castration right before going out to play the Texas Longhorns. The crazy motivational ploy apparently worked… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  admin

Glad you enjoyed it. I literally sat at my dining room table grinning like a fool as I wrote a lot of it. It was fun. Hopefully some of that comes across. Simon Birch is a gift. You don’t even have to write gags. The gags are just there. Little boy with a rare disease finally hits the baseball and kills his best friend’s saintly mom. And directed by one of the biggest hacks in Hollywood. It’s too good. But Judd just kept on giving. Bull castration, Brendan Fraser wrapped in barb wire, babies named Americus. It’s like she is… Read more »

RB
RB
10 years ago

You are TOO funny, Lebeau, the humorous touches sprinkled through this latest installment MORE than made up for RB having to adjust to the blog’s new format. Great addition as always. “Someone Like You” is in my permanent collection. I find it to be very watchable, as in multiple viewings watchable. First off it’s a great cast. Judd was excellent along with Greg Kinnear, Marisa Tomei, Greg Kinnear and Ellen Barkin. Second the characters they played, I thought, were “different” enough to make the movie interesting. And the comparison of men to cows is strikingly apt. Hats off to that… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  RB

My wife complained about the new format as well. For the most part, the changes are just on the home page. The articles read pretty much the same way. The menus at the top have drop downs that I hope help spotlight some of the features other than WTHH. I especially hope they lead to more people discovering the 12 Angry Men articles. I haven’t seen Someone Like You so I really can’t comment. It came out after I reached my breaking point with most rom coms and the general consensus among critics was that it was fairly generic. So… Read more »

denise
denise
10 years ago

To lebeau, seriously, I saw Heat about a year ago and I thought oh “I forget Theron was in this’, then i realized it was Judd and of course Theron wasn’t big enough to be in Heat. At that time, she was probably doing ‘Two days in the Valley’- where she played that killer blonde. But if you pulled up a pix of both of them from that period its uncanny. As for Heat, it would be too embarrassing to admit how many times I had seen it. The other day I downloaded Mann’s script and it was interesting how… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  denise

I was thrilled to walk into a movie theater lobby and see Michelle Pfeiffer prominently featured on a poster. It was like no time had passed since her heyday. I wish every actress I have featured so far could have such longevity. I don’t think I have seen a recent picture of Jolie. She’s one of a kind, isn’t she? I won’t pretend to know what she’s thinking. I remember seeing 2 Days in the Valley and thinking Theron would be a star. And then time passed and I thought maybe she’d be another one of those “it” girls that… Read more »

Dorian
Dorian
10 years ago

Judd starred in a movie called Flypaper, you didn’t mention it here but it’s actually a really fun movie. I would even go so far as to say it’s probably one of her best comedies. I wrote a review on Flypaper on IMDb (here’s a link if anyone cares to read it: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1541160/reviews-27) where I also address the issue of Judd’s screwed up post-botox face. It’s such a shame that actresses (especially those who never needed it in the first place) decide to go that way. What’s even more embarrassing is when they don’t come out and just be honest… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Dorian

You’re welcome for the Hamilton add. I’ve had a few requests for her and I finally remembered! I skipped over 2 films in this article. One was Flypaper and the other was called Helen. I figured we could talk about them in the comments section. I read your review and I’ll have to keep an eye out for the movie. If I get around to watching it, I’ll have to update the article. A lot of times as I near completion of an article, I just want to finish the darn thing. So I’ll post it and then go back… Read more »

Dorian
Dorian
10 years ago
Reply to  admin

Thanks for reading my review! I totally understand what you mean. I usually need about an hour and a half to write my reviews, and even then I’m glad when I’m done haha. How long does it take you to write these articles, couple of days? I can only imagine the amount of research that goes into writing these things. Do you watch the movies you write about specifically for these articles? Anyway, kudos to you for keepng this up next to your day job! That’s quite an amount of dedication. Oh and definitely keep an eye out for Flypaper… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Dorian

At a minimum, each article takes 8 hours to research and write. Most take longer. I’m not counting any viewing time in that estimate. I used place more importance on watching as many movies featuring the subject as I could. But these days, I only go out of my way to watch the key films. And 9 times out of 10, I have seen the important ones. If time permits and the opportunity presents itself, I am always on the lookout for movies I haven’t seen before that include my subjects. If I watch one after the article is posted,… Read more »

Shemp
10 years ago
Reply to  Dorian

Whilst “Flypaper” wasn’t painfully bad…no, sorry, it IS painfully bad. It’s another one of those movies with cliched characters and it occurs in a world wherein ALL KINDS OF GUNFIRE and EXPLOSIONS happen in a BANK and NO ONE OUTSIDE NOTICES ANYTHING amiss.

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Shemp

That actually makes it sound more appealing than most of Judd’s movies which lack all kinds of gunfire and explosions. 😉

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago

Yeah, I didn’t want to touch too much on the political stuff. But Judd has a reputation for being extreme even by Hollywood standards. I have also read stories of her being too serious and rubbing people the wrong way. I know you had a run-in on Twitter. And there is the story you linked.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)
Reply to  admin

Ashley Judd does somehow strike me as a woman who perhaps takes herself a tad bit too seriously (she seems quite bitter at times, as evidence from what I’ve heard about her autobiography). She seems like the type of person who would immediately find offense if you call her “sexy” or “hot”. I guess, this goes back w/ what could be considered her rather militant feminism. I didn’t want to bring up my encounter w/ her on Twitter when I sent the WTHHT article on Mira Sorvino (when Ashley responded to be by saying “Asking a question like that is… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago

Yeah, I don’t want to make too big a thing either. But I get a similar impression. I have a feeling that if Judd ever saw this article, she would freak out.

RB
RB
10 years ago

The new layout does seem to include more features, on my computer the titles are obscured by the pictures. Maybe I just need a new computer 🙂 Here’s what I liked about “Someone Like You”… other than the easy charm of the cast, it’s very well written. Granted it will still appeal to women more, there’s no getting around that fact, but the script affords opportunities for these actors to shine. The scenes with Ashley Judd and Hugh Jackman are uniformly excellent. I might not be able to convince you to watch it Lebeau, but it is a darn good… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  RB

The pictures seem to eat the second line of the title if there is one. But hopefully the picture conveys the subject of the article and entices one to click to find out more. I have had to make some minor changes to my routine to adjust. But I was so sick of the old look!

If it gets an endorsement from my wife, there’s very little chance I would like it. We have very, very different tastes. She likes crap. 😉

cineaste
10 years ago

I had not idea Ashley did so many shitty projects! I never really thought she was that fabulous. And then I saw BUG. Dude. I LOVED this movie. Her performance was Oscar worthy. Why is she not getting more roles like this?!!!!

Very thorough and funny. Excited to read more.

PS: Two of the ten votes for Linda Hamilton are from me…

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  cineaste

I was a pretty big fan early in her career. Probably no surprise that when I was in my 20s I liked Judd. She was making sexy, edgy movies. But then she started making formulaic thrillers and I liked her less. And then even more formulaic chick flicks. Eventually, we had to break up.

Vote early and vote often I say.

cineaste
10 years ago
Reply to  admin

At least she hasn’t gone under the knife. Some women are looking Fright.Ning. (I’m looking at you, Meg Ryan).

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  cineaste

Ryan really messed herself up. Before I started writing these articles, I had no idea how much plastic surgery was going on.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Some to think of it, I’m surprised that LeBeau in the article didn’t mention that Ashley Judd is also a victim of the supposed “Val Kilmer Curse” (just like Kim Basinger, Nicole Kidman, Mira Sorvino, Elisabeth Shue, Michelle Pfeiffer, Meg Ryan, Sharon Stone, Heather Graham and even men like Nicolas Cage and Jim Carrey).

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

I mean to say at the start, “Now that I thought about it some more…” I forgot that Christian Slater among the WTHHT subjects also worked w/ Val Kilmer in “True Romance”. Slater was even in a film w/ Kilmer and Daryl Hannah called “Hard Cash”.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

And now I just remembered that Kurt Russell being that he was in “Tombstone” is another WTHHT subject, who’s also apparently, a victim of the “Val Kilmer Curse”. Val Kilmer has made so many movies that this point (much of them I never heard of), that I wouldn’t be too surprised that he’s worked w/ many other WTHHT subjects that I haven’t bothered listing or trying to remember yet.

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago

When you add up his direct to video movies, he can probably be linked to everybody.

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago

The Kilmer curse strikes again! Thanks for pointing that out.

cristhianfs
10 years ago

Elektra was actually directed by Rob Bowman, not Marc Steven Johnson although I don’t know if he was a producer

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  cristhianfs

Thanks for the catch. One less strike against MSJ! I’ll make the correction.

tbob1
10 years ago

In my opinion this one should fall under the How the Hell did she Happen category. Never been a fan if you didn’t catch my drift. Looks good but can’t act her way out of a paper bag if you ask me. She works way too hard at coming across as earnest. Or coming across as all American. Or coming across as determined and bad assed. A ham in other words. Not surprisingly I haven’t seen most of these movies and the ones I have seen and thought were good were not because of her. She just doesn’t click for… Read more »

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  tbob1

I’m glad you enjoyed the article even if you’re not a fan of Judd’s. In the 90’s, I was a pretty big fan. She was a sexy art house chick. When she showed up in a mainstream Hollywood movie, she didn’t have the biggest part. But it was usually a pretty good movie like Heat or A Time to Kill. She seemed to be going places. Kiss the Girls and Double Jeopardy were pretty dumb movies. But at least they had a little edge to them. I wasn’t thrilled with these movies, but I was happy to see her getting… Read more »

Shemp
10 years ago

Another thing: Ms. Judd is (from what I’ve read) is not a particularly likable person…that story about her giving people (on movie set) “quietness stones” or some-such (don’t talk to me ’til I take it back) is notable, as is the tale of an assistant that accompanied her on a goodwill tour in Africa (google it). The old expression comes to mind [i paraphrase]: Ms. Judd acts as if her excrement is not malodorous.

Mastro
Mastro
10 years ago
Reply to  Shemp

Don’t know about quietness stones (sounds dangerous – “here’s a rock- now I will insult you”)

I just read a quote from Jason Patric that he though Judd was “lazy and arrogant” when they did a play together.

Might be unreliable- but Patric patched things up with Sutherland after running away with Julia Roberts- so he must have some serious people skills!

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Mastro

I saw the same quote. Gotta wonder what lead Patric to say that! He doesn’t seem the type to insult another actor in public.

I had the same reaction to the “mute stones”. True or not, the rumor is definitely out there. Doesn’t seem like a good idea to hand someone a rock as a well to tell them to shut up. But I guess if you’re the star and you can have the person fired, you’re unlikely to have a “mute stone” chucked at your head.

Crazy.

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Shemp

She has a reputation as being difficult. I had not heard about the “mute stones” though:

She carries around what people on set have taken to calling Mute Stones and when she isn’t in the mood to converse with someone, she will silently hand over the Mute Stone – those in possession of a Mute Stone are not permitted to speak to her until she takes it back.

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Going through comments regarding Ashley Judd in this Facebook group below, I’ve read the argument that when paired with the right material and collaborators, she could give an amazing performance like in William Friedkin’s film adaptation of Tracy Lett’s play BUG.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/thecinefiles/10151806316810795/?notif_t=group_comment_reply#

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

Is the Ashley Judd thriller ‘Double Jeopardy’ the ultimate guilty pleasure? Ashley tries too hard to be articulate that it trickles into her roles. Playing everything she overly annunciates every word and makes her inflections sound more like a speaker than an actor. That’s why she’s never come across as a real character to me in any movie. And in Time To Kill she was horrendous. Sweating and sexy on the southern porch steps pronouncing Jake like it was an elegant and important word. She’s not a good actress. And she’s an annoying wannabe intellectual from Kentucky which in itself… Read more »

Terrence Clay (@TMC1982)

10 Hollywood Actors Who Have Bricked On TV: http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/09/hollywood-actors-failing-tv/ashley-judd Ashley Judd Fail(s): Missing (ABC, 2012) Judd scored an Emmy nomination for outstanding actress in a miniseries, but a brick is still a brick, especially because Missing wasn’t conceived as a miniseries. Read this interview she gave here, where she not only calls Missing event TV, which is typical shameless plugging, but acts as if her arrival on TV is an event as well, one she made the producers jump through hoops to finalize. The best excerpt is her take on a proposed season two: “I’ve already brought in a couple… Read more »

Higgins
Higgins
10 years ago

I don’t mean to be mean but, just out of curiosity, what the hell happened to what the hell happened? I haven’t seen a new entry in over a month!

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Higgins

Long story short, I took a break. If you want to read the actual long story, here it is.

Don’t worry. The next one should be soon. I’ll never leave that series for too long.

Higgins
Higgins
10 years ago
Reply to  admin

Oh, OK. Thanks for letting me know!

Grammar Nazi
Grammar Nazi
10 years ago

“…Judd played the soul survivor of a slumber party…”
*sole

Shemp
10 years ago
Reply to  Grammar Nazi

Maybe Ashley J was barefoot.

admin
Admin
admin
10 years ago
Reply to  Grammar Nazi

Thank you Grammar Nazi! I love that you used that name!

Believe it or not, I really make an effort to keep these articles typo-free. I have come to realize I am a much worse typist than I used to think. Fortunately, others help. I am genuinely grateful when someone points out a correction for me. This one has been fixed.

Joboots
Joboots
10 years ago

Ash has been tapped to star in a NBC spiritual drama called Salvation………

http://hollywoodreporter.com//live-feed/ashley-judd-toplinenbc-church-683492

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