Tag Archives: Entertainment

Michael Fassbender on Being Poor and Oscars.

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Michael Fassbender has done a fascinating interview with the Hollywood Reporter. You can read the full article at the link, but here are a few good quotes.

On how he survived years of struggle: “I would say to myself, I’m good enough. That became my mantra.”

ON GOING NUDE, MEETING SEX ADDICTS AND USING YOUTUBE TO HONE HIS CRAFT
Fassbender says what attracted him to the role of Brandon, a sex addict in the Fox Searchlight indie drama Shame– produced by See Saw Films and Alliance–was the chance to explore the desperate search for connection; playing a young Jung in A Dangerous Method allowed him to morph into a historical character. “I was a bit worried that I’d perhaps bitten off more than I could chew,” he says. “But I’m always interested in trying to investigate different personalities. I want to keep myself guessing and keep the fear element alive, so that I don’t get too comfortable.” Jeremy Thomas, a producer on Dangerous Method, says Fassbender who was director David Cronenberg’s first choice to play Jung read the script over and over again, even during production, something Thomas has never seen an actor do. “It’s one of his secret weapons,” he says. Fassbender says he’s grown deft at using YouTube to study accents (his own is Irish) or to watch a grainy interview with an elderly Jung. For Shame, he met with recovering sex addicts: “One man had the same intimacy issues that Brandon had, so it was very helpful to me, and I was very grateful that he opened up.” Additionally, he says there was no time to feel too self-conscious when shooting Shame, says Fassbender. It helped that director Steve McQueen kept the set intimate. “We moved very fast. We shot it in 25 days, so I kind of had to get over it and get on with it,” he says.

THE ACTOR ONCE LIVED WITH REJECTION, A HOLE IN HIS WINDOW
The son of two restaurant owners, Fassbender moved to London at 19 and attended the Drama Centre. “It took me a while to come to grips with how expensive London was. My parents helped me out, but we never had a lot of money,” he says. “So it was very sticky the first three or four years between paying drama school fees and surviving. The first place I lived was a studio I shared with a Brazilian girl. We weren’t seeing each other or anything, but I remember there was a big hole in the window and it was so cold in the winter.” Fassbender’s first acting role of note was in HBO’s Band of Brothers, which aired in 2001. He was confident it would lead to other offers. It didn’t. “I came to Los Angeles and did auditions for television. I made a terrible mess of most of them and I was quite intimidated,” he recalls. “I felt very embarrassed and went back to London. I got British television jobs intermittently between the ages of 23 and 27, but it was very patchy.” Between roles including a Guinness commercial (in which his character swims from Ireland to New York) and a one-off, Agatha Christie’s Poirot, he took odd jobs to survive, unloading trucks or bartending. He even did market research. “I had to call people who had filed complaints about the Royal Mail and see if they were happy with how their grievances were dealt with. Most of the time they weren’t,” he says. All along, he says, “My goal was for acting to become my main income. I would say to myself, ‘I’m good enough.’ That became my mantra.”

And Action! The Making of Prose & Cons.

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So we finished with the first location for Prose & Cons. We have 53 scenes in the bag. 53 scenes. That’s 50% of our movie. Almost. The most surprising thing was how easy it was. Not that it wasn’t hard, it was. It just took me so long to make a film that I guess I thought it would be nearly impossible. It was hard work, but if you work hard it’s no biggie.

Steve McAleavy and Catherine Balavage direct Prose & Cons

Steve was amazing. We are filming on a Canon 60D and Steve is operating it. Steve is the producer/editor/co-director and all-round great guy. Steve and I both have equipment but we mostly used his. He has a lot of Phillip Bloom stuff, and a Fig rig. I haven’t asked how much it all costs and I don’t think he wants me to; adding all of that up will only be painful.

The first actor to turn up is Lynn Howes. Lynn is not only talented but very professional. She knows the script inside out, is good with continuity and thinks of the little things that no-one else does. Jack Bowman plays her boyfriend in the film. Jack is perfect as Jamie. He is very talented and Jack is also fun.

Next up is Bo Wilson. Bo plays her part beautifully. She has a day job as an editor at the Evening Standard, gets up at 5am but still manages to get to Kingston in the evening and give a brilliant performance.

We filmed in Kingston, a beautiful area. We didn’t do too many takes and the actors were professional. Although I feel that because I cast some of my friends they don’t show the proper amount of respect for me as the director. I try to be firm and tell myself; hey, at least they turned up.

Clea Myers came and played my aunt. Clea is in a poignant scene in the film and she is an incredibly giving actress. In acting it matters to act opposite someone else who is talented. The better the actor the better you will be. Clea is obviously a film actress of note. She is one of the most talented people I have ever worked with. Acting on film is thinking, but thinking hard. I read that in Mel Churcher’s book, and it is spot on.

Before we start filming I realise that our of all of the scenes we are filming I am in about 90% of them. That is a lot of lines. Directing and acting is not necessarily hard. As long as you watch the footage back and change if it is not working.

One of the actors drop out at the last minute and we have to deal with the stress of casting while we are dealing with the stress of filming. Fun. Luckily, after a few calls the wonderful Monty Burgess stepped into the breach. He gave a wonderful performance and I cannot imagine anyone else doing the part.

Steve doesn’t have any crew but still manages to do brilliant shots. Steve says that the next time he wants crew and at one point says he doesn’t know why he indulged me: “We should have made a short”. he says. He’s joking. I think.

We had a brilliant time. When you make a film you become like a family. Few things went wrong apart from a broken lens cover (not the lens, thank god), a broken HDMI cable and a parking ticket.

I am very excited about filming the rest of Prose & Cons. I will keep you all updated and get Steve to write something to.

Prometheus | Film Review

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This film is clearly a prequel, although Ridley Scott at one point denied it. Long awaited and much discussed, when the trailer was released a while back the internet went mad. The film is visually stunning and has brilliant performances by Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace. Rapace plays a driven and intense scientist who’s longing for a child is used against her and twisted in a horrific way. Fassbender is an android made to look like a humanoid so he doesn’t scare the crew.

This film comes 33 years after the first Alien movie and has some elements of the previous movies; a crew on a ship called Prometheus with an android, a scene like the alien coming out of John Hurt but much more icky.

There has been some complaints that the film is slightly predictable, but what monster movie isn’t? It is a monster movie for god’s sake. Prometheus is beautifully made, well acted, thrilling and entertaining. Is also has excellent production design and incredible visual effects. It is an ambitious and impressive film. Definitely worth a watch.

Desperate Housewives Actor Dies.

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Kathryn Joosten, who played Karen McCluskey in Desperate Housewives, has died aged 72.

In an art-imitating-life twist Kathryn died after a battle with cancer, just like her character.

Publicist Nadine Jolson said Kathryn, who had lung cancer, died on Saturday in Los Angeles.

Kathryn also appeared in The West Wing and won an Emmy.

Desperate Housewives co-star Marcia Cross tweeted a tribute to her close friend:

“Thank you Kathryn. For your courage, your humor, your fight and your talent. We were so lucky to have you.”

George Lucas Retires.

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George Lucas is set to retire and has named Kathleen Kennedy as his successor.

Lucas will work with the Academy-award nominated producer during the transition. Lucas will then become co-chairman of the board of Lucasfilm and will continue as CEO.

“I’ve spent my life building Lucasfilm and as I shift my focus into other directions I wanted to make sure it was in the hands of someone equipped to carry my vision into the future,” said Lucas,

“It was important that my successor not only be someone with great creative passion and proven leadership abilities, but also someone who loves movies,” Lucas added. “I care deeply about my employees — it is their creativity and hard work that has made this company what it is today. As the company grows and expands I wanted to be sure the employees of Lucasfilm have a strong captain for the ship. I also care deeply about our fans and it was important to have someone who would carry on the passion and care that I’ve given the films over the years. So for me Kathy was the obvious choice, she is a trusted friend and one of the most respected producers and executives in the industry.”

Lucas friend and collaborator Steven Spielberg said, “George’s prescience is once again proven by his choice of my long time producing partner, Kathy Kennedy, to co-chair Lucasfilm. Kathy has been a member of both of our families going into a fourth decade so it does not feel like she is going to another galaxy far far away. She will get just as much support from me with Lucasfilm as George has given both of us all these years.”

“George is a true visionary,” said Kennedy. “I’ve seen him build Lucasfilm from a small rebel unit in Northern California to an international fully integrated entertainment company. I’m excited to have the chance to work with such an extraordinary group of talented people. George and I have talked about the enormous opportunities that lie ahead for the company, and as George moves towards retirement I am honored that he trusts me with taking care of the beloved film franchises. I feel fortunate to have George working with me for the next year or two as I take on this role–it is nice to have Yoda by your side.”

Adam Deacon Profile | Film

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In the film Payback Season, actor, director, writer and BAFTA-Orange Rising Star award winner Adam Deacon plays the lead role of Jerome Davies, a young man who has risen above his harsh beginnings of life on a council estate to achieve celebrity status as a premier league footballer.

Adam describes the role: “Jerome is living the high life, he’s got the lovely car, the penthouse flat, but fundamentally his family are still living on a council estate, and he has to go back there. I think Jerome’s dilemma is trying to balance his old life with the new life. Old friends start appearing and before you know it he’s involved in extortion. Jerome has tried to leave that life behind him. For me, it was really nice to play a ‘normal’ character; I wouldn’t call Jerome humble, but he’s just trying to do his thing. I also enjoyed playing a character who spoke proper English,” he laughs. “I am not playing the typical ‘d’you get me Blud’ thing, we were actually asked to tone it down.”

“I think it’s a great story as well, you don’t often get to hear about what happens to people on the other side, and I am sure this sort of thing goes on…it’s a great part to play especially after Anuvahood. It’s also nice to get a romantic role, in some of my films I get a girl, it all goes wrong and I’m gone, so it was really good to have a proper romance for once, and Nichola is a lovely girl as well,” he says.

“I definitely believe it’s a story that needs to be told; I am strong believer in films having a proper story, it’s no good just having a kid running round with guns and knives, we have to start thinking out of the box”

Deacon is currently writing another comedy film. “I made a lot of films last year for other people, and this year I have kind of got my heart set on an Adam Deacon film,” he laughs. “These are exciting times.”

Deacon has come a long way from his Stoke Newington School where he was deemed “a joker”, his natural antipathy to academia exacerbated by the “madness” at home. At 12, noticing his enjoyment of music and drama classes, his head of year suggested he apply for the weekly after-school course at the nearby Anna Scher School. He took a Saturday job to pay for a preparatory summer school and was immediately fast-tracked on to the course by Scher herself, who he portrays as a cross between a mentor and a fairy godmother.

“She’d get the rowdiest London street kids – who were in trouble with the police and stuff – and get them to read scripts properly,” he says. “There were kids there with jobs on EastEnders but she never let anyone act starry, or do stuff for money: she wouldn’t let kids do adverts before they were 16, in case they didn’t know what they were selling. I owe everything to that woman. If that opportunity hadn’t been there for me at a young age, I might have ended up inside,” he says ruefully.

Deacon, from Hackney, East London, began acting at the age of 12. His early career included work with Y Touring Theatre Company, with which he appeared in a number of tours including Cracked by Nicola Baldwin.

Deacon made his name as the lead in Noel Clarke’s Adulthood and co-starred in West 10 LDN, a Kidulthood-like TV program made by Noel Clarke. He has also starred as ‘Bones’ in an MTV show called Dubplate Drama. His next role was in 4.3.2.1, a heist movie, released in June 2010 which also starred Tamsin Egerton, Emma Roberts and Noel Clarke, who directed the film.

Recently Adam co-wrote, co-directed and played the lead role in Anuvahood, which was released on March 18, 2011. The film is described as, ‘A pulls-no-punches, coming-of-age story centering on one directionless hopeless shotter, who finds his true worth in the face of urban adversity.’

Adam has featured in various music videos including; Bashy’s “Who wants to be a Millionaire” and Chipmunk’s Chip Diddy Chip. He is also a musician and musical performer most noted for his two tracks on the soundtrack to Adulthood. The tracks are: ‘Adamhood’ and ‘On It 08’.

His television roles include The Boarding School Bomber and more recently The Royal Bodyguard starring David Jason.

Celebrities don’t cut it with children.

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In a world seemingly obsessed with celebrity, it is heartening to know that celebrities don’t cut it with children.

Celebrities aren’t that important to children after all according to research out today, despite the panic over the burgeoning celebrity culture.

When school children were asked to pick the most important people in Britain, celebrities ranked significantly lower than royals and politicians, with showbiz mogul Simon Cowell getting less than half as many votes as David Cameron (20 per cent versus 45 per cent).

The research among 650 UK school children, conducted for Galt Toys by leading child research experts ChildWise, showed Ant and Dec were important to only 21 percent of children and chart topper Harry Styles just 13 per cent. Daniel Radcliffe has lost his magic, only receiving 8 per cent of votes.

It isn’t great news for David Beckham either who ranked lower than Boris Johnson with 13 per cent of the votes versus 14 per cent. Cheryl Cole was important to just 11 per cent of children.

Brit winner Adele gets just 6 per cent of votes and Victoria Beckham trails in last with only 4 per cent.

John McDonnell, Managing Director of Galt Toys commented: “Children aren’t as frivolous as adults fear them to be. Our findings show it’s good news for the Royals in Jubilee year with the Queen topping the importance poll by a significant margin (91 per cent) and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in second and third place.”

The Royal family can’t rest on its laurels though as second in line to the throne Prince Charles lagged behind Prince William and the Prime Minister, coming in fifth place. Prince William got more than double the number of votes as his father (53 per cent versus 25 per cent).

Which of these British people do you think is most important?