SXSW Interview: Director Duncan Jones and Screenwriter Ben Ripley Explain the ‘Source Code’

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 13:11 — 9.1MB)

Duncan Jones film, Source Code, open s this weekend and according to Rotten Tomatoes, it’s the best reviewed studio movie of the year.

Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga and Jeffrey Wright, the film has some great twists and turns. And while you may think you know what’s going to happen (or will you?), you’ll still be in for a great ride.

I loved Duncan’s last film, Moon, and while this may have some shades to that – loneliness and  isolation – the film has so many more colors and that’s due to the screenwriter, Ben Ripley.

I talked to both Duncan and Ben at SXSW in a roundtable interview where they talked about casting, explaining the Source Code and how they put Jeffrey Wright‘s knee injury into the film!

This interview is very spoiler heavy so I didn’t include a lot of what we talked about. If you’re into spoilers though, check out the audio portion of the interview.

For the full interview, click the audio link above or download it from iTunes

I’m curious how much you explained to your actors about the multi-verse? Or they ask you any questions about that?

Duncan Jones: We had some good rehearsal time before we started shooting, and Jake and Michelle were up first, we basically shot the stuff on the train first. And I think we all kinda found our footing, as far as how much of the technology did we have to fully understand in order to be able to tell the story. There’s a few leaps of faith there obviously. My approach to it was trust in the script, concentrate on the characters and as long as I think you establish enough for the audience to just say, “ok I’m gonna take this leap of faith and go with the story,” I think you’re on to a good thing. ‘Cause I think my job is really to make sure that the audience invest in the characters.
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Rainn Wilson on “Super” and the future of Dwight

Having played the dimwitted character Dwight on “The Office” for seven seasons, audiences are in for a surprise when they see Rainn Wilson in his new film “Super“.

“For me, I think that it’s pretty rare to get to play a role like Frank. It’s an incredible role. I’m doing absurd comedy wearing a fake beard in one scene and sobbing in another. Then you are in a love scene and then shooting a guy in the head with a shotgun. It’s every conceivable color – an actors dream role. You know when I play Dwight on the office it’s basically one color, it’s one-and-a-half shades that I’ve been playing for seven years.”

Wilson would like to show there is more to Dwight than what we’ve seen so far. ”I hope that especially since Steve is gone, a lot more is going to be called on from the ensemble. I think that they are going to have to find different ways to use me and Jim and Pam and show different colors of our characters to make the show viable and work. So I hope so. This next year will tell.”

via wsj.com

“Spider Man” leads rehearsing, while understudies go on with the show

If you have tickets to “Spider Man: Turn off the Dark” you will see a performance put on by the understudies for “Peter Parker”, “Mary Jane” and ”Green Goblin”, while the leads are learning new material, songs and technical changes for the show over the next two weeks.

“Peter Parker” understudy Matthew James Thomas has received very good reviews. What the future holds for the character of “Arachne”, played by an injured T.V. Carpio, is still unclear. Understudy America Olivo has been filling in, but word has leaked that cuts are being made to that role when the show reopens after the three and a half week hiatus, scheduled to begin April 17th.

A source  reports, “The whole second act has been rewritten and there are new songs. The show closes down after the April 17th performance, for three and a half weeks. The whole first week, I’m told, is just to make technical changes without the actors.”

Creator Julie Taymor has not yet signed a deal with producers of the show and may still have the power to veto any changes being made without her consent.

via showbiz411.com

Interview: Actor/Director Tom McCarthy on his new film, “Win Win”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 14:38 — 10.1MB)

Win Win, directed and co-written by Tom McCarthy, is easily my favorite film of the year.

The story is touching and funny and the cast – Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Melanie Lynskey, Bobby Cannavale and newcomer Alex Shaffer – are just fantastic.

You might recognize McCarthy from Meet the Parents, The Lovely Bones and my favorite show, The Wire, but he’s also an incredibly talented director. His last two films, The Station Agent and The Visitor were in dozens of Top 10 list’s for Best Film of the year, with The Visitor giving Richard Jenkins a Best Actor nomination.

I talked with Tom about casting the film, hiring a non-actor in a lead role and how he decides whether he’s going to act or direct.

For the full interview, click the audio link above or download it from iTunes

When you’re writing, do you envision the perfect cast in your head?

Tom McCarthy: Yeah. Usually about the time I’m writing, I have a very good idea of the cast. There’s also those roles, I purposely don’t decide on, like Burt Young and Melanie Lynskey and Margo Martindale and even Jeffrey Tambor are kinda roles where, “I don’t know yet.” Or I had someone in mind that wasn’t available maybe or just someone in mind I thought, “Ah, I’m kinda writing for that person but we’ll see.” So I enjoy both parts. I enjoy writing with specific characters in mind, especially many of the central characters; Paul, Amy and Bobby. Then of course I knew there’s gonna be a big job in finding Alex Shaffer.

Where you nervous about casting a non-actor?

Tom McCarthy: Yeah. I think everybody was. I know the studio was. It’s a scary thing. Paul and Bobby, they were like, “Dude, sure about this kid?” Like, “I don’t know, he’s never done it before. What do you think?” But it came quickly apparently that the kid was connecting with the role in a really natural way. He had a quiet confidence to his approach to it and I think that made us all rest a little bit easier. And I was checking with my editor, who’s constantly working as soon as we start shooting the movie, he’s putting stuff together. Specifically, I’ll say keep an eye on certain performances. Well, that is the performance we’re keeping eye on. He said, “Yeah, I think it’s working. It’s interesting but it’s working.” Read more

Stephen Lang: “A lot of the characters I play, if I don’t love them, nobody will”

Stephen Lang, has a resume a mile long, in both theater and film. “Some actors are hired to play themselves, and that’s fine,” says Lang. “But I’ve always been asked to play a role. I’ve never been asked to play Stephen Lang.”

In the new film “White Irish Drinkers,” though, he plays a new sort of role, that of a poor, angry, damaged and drunken head of household in 1970s Brooklyn. “My first response to the script was a little bit fearful,” Lang says. “The amount of pain this man has — do I have that to access? Do I want to access that, and now know that’s inside me?”

Lang says there are times he feels type cast  playing the tough as nails role. “I tell you, a lot of the characters I play, if I don’t love them, nobody will. But if I love them enough, maybe people will at least recognize them.”

As a kid, his grandfather took him to the theater, he knew he had found his destiny. “I thought, great, okay, I can relax now ‘cause I know what I’m going to be when I grow up,” he said. “I’m going to be an actor. I just knew … And I think that’s the truth for a lot of actors. It’s a calling, not unlike the priesthood.”

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SXSW Interview: Win Win’s Alex Shaffer: “It’s just crazy how this whole thing worked out”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 14:44 — 10.1MB)

Last year, Alex Shaffer was getting ready to wrestle for his New Jersey high school in the state championship. While, at the same time, he was auditioning for a lead role in Tom McCarthy’s new film, Win Win.

Several weeks later, he was the state wrestling champ and acting with Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan and Melanie Lynskey.

Alex had never acted before, except for a 6^th grade production of Pirates of Penzance, but with McCarthy guiding him, he turns in an incredibly wonderful performance.

I talked to Alex about how he almost didn’t audition for the part, working with Paul Giamatti and how he handled a particularily intense scene with Lynskey.

For the full interview, click the audio link above or download it from iTunes

How did you get the part?

Alex Shaffer: Well, it started out with an article in the newspaper for this movie and my friend texted me, “You should audition for this.” My initial response is like, “No! It’s wrestling season. I’m focusing on wrestling.” I didn’t want to do that. And he’s like, “No, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.” That kinda got to me. I was really thinking about it. Like, yeah, it really is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be in a movie and I may never get this opportunity again, so I ended up auditioning for it and I came in 7 or 8 more times and finally got the part.

So, are you as good of a wrestler as a Kyle in the movie?

Alex Shaffer: Yeah, I’m pretty good, I mean I was, yeah it’s pretty good, I end up winning states.

When you were doing the wrestling scenes, how many takes would you have to do for the take downs?

Alex Shaffer: You know what they’re fun, but yeah we have to take a lot of takes. I remember that night I came home I was like, “Aaahhh…just sore!”

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Q & A: Judy Greer on FX’s ‘Archer’ and nightmare auditions

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 10:51 — 7.5MB)

Judy Greer is one busy actress. She’s currently on the CBS sitcom, Mad Love, has 3 movies coming out and is also playing the animated Cherly/Carol on FX’s hit show, Archer.

Judy did a conference call for Archer where she talked about how she got started in animation, the joy of not having to wear make-up when doing voice overs and recalls a hilarious nightmare audition.

And if you’re interested, check out my previous interview with Judy here.

For the full interview, click the audio link above or download from iTunes

Archer airs on Thursdays , 10/9C on FX

How did you first get started in animation?

Judy Greer: My first experience in animation, I think I did like one word on Family Guy like 100 years ago.  I mean, seriously, like ten years ago, I think I said one word on an episode and I was excited about that.  Then, I did this little tiny role in a movie, a Japanese animated zone called The Cat Returns, another tiny role on that.  Then I auditioned for this Nickelodeon show called Glenn Martin DDS and got booked on that.

Then while that was happening, I just was on location working on a movie and I got sent the script for Archer and they just said, “Yes, they just offered it, so you can just do this like on your day off in a local sound recording studio in Phoenix,” which I did.  I read the script before I went in and it was so dirty, I was like this is never going to make it on the air, but like whatever, I’ll make a couple of bucks for the day, my day off, anyways.  Then, who knew?  It was snowballing and become like—like I loved it, but I always feel like whenever I love something, it never makes it on television, which is probably why all my pilots have failed until now.  But, like it’s just so—it was so good and funny and silly and naughty and dirty and I was excited about it.  That’s my voice-over history.

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Daniel Radcliffe is open to taking “How to Succeed” to the big screen

Daniel Radcliffe says he is open to reprising his current role in the Broadway musical “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying”, should it be adapted to the big screen.

“A lot of things would have to be right for it to happen in terms of the script. I think it’s very hard to adapt. But, you know, nor am I going to rule out the possibility,” Radcliffe said.
So far, reviews have been positive for his return to Broadway, with the last full week of preview shows selling out and the New York Post writing Radcliffe is ”so adorable in his Broadway musical debut, you just want to pinch his cheeks.”

Q & A: Elizabeth Mitchell – “I spent 15 years doing theater before I ever got in front of the camera”

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 12:27 — 8.8MB)

Law & Order: SVU is continuing the show’s tradition of great guest stars with tonight’s episode. Both Elizabeth Mitchell and Jeremy Irons appear on the show.

She plays a piano teacher accused of killing a little girl after raping her with a kitchen device. Yup, a ‘kitchen device.’ So, this isn’t usual role she’s known for. She even said that the role was, “toxic.”

I joined Elizabeth and Executive Producer Neal Baer on a conference call where she talked about the challenges of her role, her advice to actors and if V is coming back.

For the full interview, click the audio link above or download from iTunes

Law & Order: SVU airs at 10/9c on NBC

Was it intimidating for you to join the cast of SVU?

Elizabeth Mitchell: Intimidating, yes, I had done it once before and, yes, of course it always is when you’re going to be working with people that you admire and respect but I never really see it as an intimidation. It’s more just a challenge and an excitement I guess. So it’s always an honor, that’s for sure.

What was the challenge of it?

Elizabeth Mitchell: The challenge is that you want to make sure that you keep your work to the high quality that they’ve already set really and that’s the fun of it really. I’ve been doing this, you know, probably, like, 30 years and I always like going into new places. It’s fun.

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Kiefer Sutherland: “It is not uncommon that someone would actually pass away in the course of your play”

Kiefer Sutherland was on Late Nite with Jimmy Fallon talking about That Championship Season when the subject of… deaths in the theater came up.

“It is not uncommon that someone would actually pass away in the course of your play. I’ve never gone through a play that that hasn’t happened,” he said.

He then goes on to tell a funny story about a close call in the audience and co-star Jim Gaffigan‘s reaction.

 

 

 

 

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