In The Man Who Fell to Earth, Roeg set the template that would define Bowie"s film career. All of his most successful screen performances share certain hallmarks – an unusually imaginative director, a role as an exceptional outsider, a blurring between star persona and character. Music critics tend to praise Bowie"s chameleonic quality, his ability to switch from extra-terrestrial rock to blue-eyed soul to polished pop in the blink of an eye. Yet as an actor, Bowie was no chameleon – instead of disappearing into his roles, he floated above them, always a level removed. This distance meant that every part Bowie played was inevitably in conversation with his many alter egos, and with the nature of fame itself.