Rachel, Rachel: All the lonely people

Where do they all belong?

By 1968, Paul Newman had 4 Oscar nominations under his belt (Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Hustler, Hud and Cool Hand Luke). He was one of the biggest stars in the world. A sex symbol, too, a very different kind of fame. When he was younger, he shared an uncanny resemblance to Marlon Brando, and this he resented and worked against. Hard. Paul Newman always worked hard. Sometimes the work shows. He was not a “natural”. His background was Actors Studio, and early on in his career you can see a sort of studied application of the Method in his performances. (Watch Sweet Bird of Youth.) His good looks were, frankly, outrageous, but very early on, he seemed to “get” his beauty couldn’t be the only thing he traded on. He was aware of how his good looks helped him. But he needed to be careful and cautious about it. He needed to choose roles cautiously, and he needed to be his own man. He wasn’t Brando. He knew he wasn’t Brando. And when I say “Brando” I mean a sponge-like spontaneous tuning fork of truth. Listen, hyperbole is reality in this case.