In contemporary Hollywood, when a young actor becomes successful, he immediately tries to convert fame into power and money, investing his time in formulaic projects that guarantee great results at the box office and, thus, his ascension in the industry. It was not always like this - and we just need to observe Al Pacino's career to confirm that: after he became a hit with The Godfather, dozens of screenplays fell onto his lap, but he still focused on challenging and complex works in which he struggled against Hollywood's attempts to turn him into a heartthrob - projects such as A Dog Day Afternoon (in which he robbed a bank to pay for the sex reassignment surgery of his boyfriend, played by Chris Sarandon) and, of course, Serpico.

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Q. In Bob Zmuda's new book about Andy Kaufman, he mentions how he worked for a famous screen writer, whom he would only call "Mr. X.". He tells us of the wildly eccentric things Mr. X would do and how the tales he would tell led to his and Andy's collaboration, and how these stories led to Andy's form of "comedy." Do you know who this bizarre screen writer is? With Jim Carrey playing Kaufman in "Man on the Moon" soon to be released, it might help give an insight on what drove Andy to his particular brand of humor. (Scott Boudet, Tallahassee Fl)

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