Which is why you folks dont tend to do too well as characters. Certainly nobody went to see Guarding Tess. In Absolute Power, you were the bad guys, and the movie was dreadful. And need I bring up First Kid? (I thought I neednt.) I admit freely that it bothered me when Xander Berkeley turned traitor in Air Force One (although hes an underrated character actor who was the best non-silicon-based thing in the Pamela Anderson vehicle Barb Wire). So if we can believe what we hear -- that youd rather see Janet Reno naked than testify before Ken Starrs grand jury or any other -- America, I think, applauds your discretion/humility. You just werent meant for stardom.
One exception: In the Line of Fire. Give Wolfgang Petersen his due for making a solid American thriller and casting Fred Thompson to boot. And if, like me, you found Clint Eastwood a little old and stiff to leaping about on rooftops, think of it this way: Hes supposed to be stiff, at least - hes a Secret Service agent. And he does get his man.
But I still feel uncomfortable watching it. Part of me doesnt want to know Frank Horrigan, what his past is, who at the office he has the hots for. I still want him to save the President, but I dont want to meet him until afterward. Lift the curtain and the wizard grows smaller. Lift the mirrored sunglasses and yank out the earpiece, and the Secret Service man loses his invincibility. He is no longer a wall between peril and the President, hes a guy in a gray suit with a lousy home life. And that makes me nervous.