Philip Seymour Hoffman Leaves Paradigm, Goes Agentless

COMMENTS (48)

• Loyalty my ass, nothing in the real world lasts forever. Don’t act like saints, what about all the clients out there who have been burned big time by their own agents. Fargo i’m sure will have others lined up dying for her attention. What if PSH simply is at a point where he doesn’t want, doesn’t need to work that much anymore, besides actors in his league doesn’t choose by script, they choose by directors who call them up personally e.g. P.T. Anderson, Mike Nichols, Clooney, Bennett Miller.

  Comment by gerd — Tuesday June 12, 2012 @ 1:15am PDT  Reply to this post

• Sarah is an extraordinary agent and she worked very hard for Phillip. She is an agent who really looks at the arc of an actors career and does not just go after huge money jobs. I am sad for her, you never know what will transpire next…..

  Comment by PeggyCafferty — Tuesday June 12, 2012 @ 7:31am PDT  Reply to this post

• Every agent knows that if your client goes to work for Mike Nichols they will end up leaving you for CAA. Mike is a notorious poacher for CAA…but what can ya do? He’s one of the best directors around…it’s always like: good news…Mike Nichols wants your client…bad news…Mike Nichols wants your client. I guarantee that PSH is going straight to Bryan Lourd.

  Comment by been there — Tuesday June 12, 2012 @ 8:23am PDT  Reply to this post

• Stuck between character actor and lead. Tough position to be in. Recently it’s all been character stuff except for the relatively low paying theatre (although to his credit he’s consistently shown a commitment to the boards) The buzz on his work in “The Master” must be excellent hence the potential move probably. I would imagine he wants to stick as a lead; that the converse is true – that if he’s working with the same directors – what exactly is the new stuff that the agency is getting for him if he’s being sought out by the same people? He just played Willy Loman which ain’t gonna make you feel young. He wants (and probably deserves) access to more scripts, directors, opportunities than what he has at Paradigm. Or so he’s probably telling his shrink. My understanding is that Sarah Fargo is a lovely person. Irrespective of the foregoing she did a great job. All the best to her.

  Comment by Mark — Tuesday June 12, 2012 @ 10:53am PDT  Reply to this post

• What’s the big deal? I’m sure agency’s drop clients all the time or give them to the low agent on the totem pole when their career begins to falter. Whether or not he has a big ego is immaterial. Its his choice. Maybe he’s just testing the waters and may end up choosing another agent? He is an amazingly talented actor and very much in demand. If he’s taking a break then he has plenty of time to read scripts that are sent to him. Maybe he’s decided to concentrate exclusively on his stage work. Not really sure why an agent would be needed at that point.

  Point is, there is a lot we don’t know yet, so its ridiulous to trash a man about something you no absolutely nothing about.

  Comment by steve — Tuesday June 12, 2012 @ 11:06am PDT  Reply to this post

• ALL relationships have life spans. It’s sad but so is your grandpa’s dying. It happens. You mourn and then move forward.

  18 years is an admirable and LOYAL run for any couple but especially an award wining actor and a powerhouse agent.

  Even if PSH is a complicated guy, you think staying loyal to Paradigm didn’t have very justifiable debates over that time. Sarah is an amazing agent, and together, they have made memorable and courageous choices. Celebrate that. Move on.

  Comment by A. Gent — Tuesday June 12, 2012 @ 12:34pm PDT  Reply to this post

• it’s really awkward and sad how bad everyone feels for his agents.

  It’s really a comment on how poorly Paradigm is doing that everyone would be so up in arms over one actor leaving a well-respected agency.

  Dude can do whatever the fuck he wants yes? He’s an adult. His agents are adults. Lets stop being whiny bitches. If his agents are really as good as everyone says, they should have found many PSHs, but I’m guessing that they haven’t. So who’s fault is that? They didn’t hedge their bets. They have other clients no? Do they all suck?

  I call 18 years at Paradigm pretty damn loyal. Most actors of his stature would have left looooong ago, so feel lucky people that he graced you with his presence that long. Yes the agents made deals and supported and guided, but at the end of the day he’s the talent and has the power and that’s that folks.

  Comment by brian — Tuesday June 12, 2012 @ 3:04pm PDT  Reply to this post

  • Hear, hear. A rare note of sanity, pleasantly expressed. As to Paradigm suffering, they just “politely passed” on signing an actor I’ve worked with who pulls in high-six-to-low-seven figures a year working on respectable, high profile projects. (“Politely passed” meaning not even responding to his approach for weeks, then using those words when a current client relayed his message.) So, I’m not sure the scorned agency is always automatically deserving of the outpouring of sympathy, while they’re being less than gracious themselves to any number of others on a daily basis.

    Comment by louie — Tuesday June 12, 2012 @ 9:55pm PDT  Reply to this post

• Plus we all know agents never dumped clients.

  Their partnership made both sides a lot of money, it is money that people think the agent is owed more than that. Especially without knowing any of the reasons why he made the decision.

  Comment by Aeiouy — Tuesday June 12, 2012 @ 8:28pm PDT  Reply to this post

• First off, you guys that feel for whatever her name is at the agency are really idiotic. It’s Business not PERSONAL. Any of you agents wouldn’t have careers if it weren’t for actors like PSH… Go and be a victim on another planet. Your wasting breathing room!!

  Comment by Anyone that complains is a loser — Tuesday June 12, 2012 @ 9:16pm PDT  Reply to this post

• THE TRUTH of this matter is most of the people on this post know NOTHING of the truth here! Like a lot of people lingering around this business, you know the lingo, you apply it to a vague and weak contrived ego and then see how far the crap you think sounds smart goes!
  PSH has been more loyal than anyone I’ve seen in forty years. Fargo? You don’t have to worry about her, she’s going to be a great producer. PSH after Getaway, was being romanced by EVERY big agency from that point on. He NEVER budged. The offers at the other agencies were huge.He’s turned down more projects than any of the petulant post’s punks could shake a stick at! I’m certain most of the whore’s that posted here that know NOTHING would have taken a tenth of it and perhaps a walk down Ram Rod Row to get it.
  Even if you worked next to Fargo you didn’t know how intricate the choices that were made were handled.
  The guy has been ridiculously loyal and Fargo equally as hard working. They’ll both create great work in the future.
  So to the nit wits that don’t know either of them, stop speculating from your limited ability to read. Keep reading the posts on the internet and speculating what it is to actually be a talented DOER.

  Comment by BYMAG — Wednesday June 13, 2012 @ 12:48am PDT  Reply to this post

• He’s pissed because he didn’t get in the Paramount picture.

  Comment by Arthur Miller — Wednesday June 13, 2012 @ 9:58am PDT  Reply to this post

• We’ll make you the Gene Hackman of our generation.

  Comment by And Here's the Pitch... — Wednesday June 13, 2012 @ 3:28pm PDT  Reply to this post