MovieChat Forums > Mary McCormack Discussion > Was she blackballed for doing the Howard...

Was she blackballed for doing the Howard Stern movie?


She is such a talented actress. I feel she's been great in almost everything I've seen her in. I don't feel though, especially at the beginning of her career, she was given the quality work that she deserved.

I am not at all a Howard Stern fan, but she was simply amazing in the movie Private Parts. She really made the movie. In fact when I think of his wife, I think of her. A true break out role if you ever get a chance to see it. (Don't worry if you hate Howard Stern, that's not important to like this movie. It's really a "Seinfeld-esque" - dance around Howard - kind of movie. Well worth the watch especially for Mary and Paul Giamatti's roles.)

But after Private Parts came out, I remember her having a rough go of it in terms of quality roles. I remember her kinda half joking about during an interview, that the role didn't help her at all if you wanted to make it in Hollywood.

Does anyone know if this is true? Or was it that she was older getting into the business, and didn't have that "model look" that became popular in the late 90's?

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Paul Giamatti was in Private Parts so I doubt she was blackballed. She did Deep Impact in 98 and then Mystery Alaska in 99. Those were 2 good follow ups to Private Parts. She kinda got lost for a bit until 03 when Dickie Roberts came out. I am not saying that this was an amazing movie but it got her face out there again. Perhaps she had a bad agent. Not sure but being blackballed for Private Parts doesn't sound right.

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That makes zero sense...... Private Parts was a very well done and well received movie. It certainly would lend no vehicle to blackball someone from roles. And as was pointed out she did other movies right after.

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yeah, i remember when it came out it was, critcally, a pretty popular movie, in a "you don't have to like howard stern to like this movie" kind of way. mary mccormack in particular was always pointed out as being very good, very likeable, in it. i even remember people saying things like "how would howard stern end up with such a good woman for a wife?".

plus, it made a lot of money.

so i doubt that she got blackballed.

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when i saw private parts i was expecting a realy stuped vulger comedy but it was a very wellmade drama about sterns life.

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As someone else has mentioned, Giamatti's career took off after that so it doesn't seem to be the case. Sometimes, people just don't find the right roles to follow up on.

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She does do stage work which isn't listed on IMDb, you'd have to look her up on the various theatre database sites similar to IMDb except they just list an actors stage performances. The gaps in her television and film career somewhat coincide with the times she was performing on stage one being when she was in "Cabaret" on Broadway.

Movies will make you famous; Television will make you rich; But theatre will make you good.

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