It is definitely a sign of the times that this Hollywood icon, who once had studios at his beck and call, is now feeling the need to beat the drums to get some attention for his new film, "The Conspirator." The movie, which stars Robin Wright and James McAvoy, is a historical drama set in the wake of Abraham Lincoln's assassination, when seven men and one woman (played by Wright) are charged with conspiring to murder the president. The film was financed with independent money because it's virtually impossible to persuade a major studio to back a real-life historical drama today, at least unless you jump through a thousand hoops - like keeping the budget under $20 million or providing your own financing and then loading the film up with a couple of big stars (working for peanuts, of course).