Is Hollywood still in control?

 Kirk Douglas

Until the mid-60s Hollywood had the power to make-or-break actors and actresses under the studio rule; this was when a person was hired to do so many films for a studio, and they had no right to complain. If they did complain, the studio could give them such lousy work that no studio would touch them afterward.

This practice was supposed to have been outlawed by the Actor's Guild in an action led by Kirk Douglas, but does it still go on?

 I ask because several years ago, after his role in Apocalypse Now, Martin Sheen a big star at the time, played in the film Spawn. I cannot judge the film as a whole, as I was so disgusted by the first 15 minutes when the clown character never stopped passing wind; I switched off.

I am led to ponder if this is happening in the BBC, David Tennent, at the time noted for playing Doctor Who played in a series called Deadwater Fell. 

I am not boasting, I know I can do far better than this series, without trying too hard as this is an excellent example of how to string a thin plot into a weak series. If the series had been shown as a film it could have been moderate, but a 4-hour mini-series from a show that could have lasted 1 1/2 hours is too much.

The character Mr. Tennent played spent most of the series sitting in the interview room saying "No comment," a role he later copied for his part in the series Criminal; UK.