![]() ![]() ![]() Sam Waterston, thespian of countless television and movie productions, was probably best known for his role as journalist Sydney Schanberg in 1984’s The Killing Fields, for which he was nominated for an Oscar. I am referring to the casting of Sam Waterston as Eugene Sutphin, emasculated husband to Kathleen Turner’s homicidal wife.Īt the time, it was merely clever. I am not referring to the presence of a convicted felon or underage porn star or otherwise stigmatized figure (though Patricia Hearst does make an appearance as a juror) but rather a respected actor well within the margins. The brilliance of Serial Mom’s casting grows brighter with each passing year. The fact that Hearst and Lords have each attained a certain amount of mainstream exposure may not be wholly attributed to Waters, but it does illuminate the piece of his manifesto devoted to confronting audiences with their own anxieties about sex, violence, and taboo. ![]() It was Waters who cast convicted felons like the infamous Patricia Hearst, hostage-turned-armed-robber and guerilla in the Symbionese Liberation Army and Liz Renay in his films, as well as former underage porn star Traci Lords. He is not only interested in the margins of pop culture, he’s fascinated with the intersections, as well. The genius behind much of John Waters’ work resides in the casting.
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