Keira Knightley Discusses Sex Scenes and Hysterical Fits for her Role in ‘A Dangerous Method’

There are no pirates or Jane Austen romances to be found in A Dangerous Method (2011), a film about the relationship between Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, the fathers of psychoanalysis. Jung has a romantic relationship with his patient Sabina Spielrein played by Keira Knightley, who is brought to the mental institution where Jung works.

When asked by Yahoo! if she had ever considered studying psychology, she said, “No … there are a lot of parallels in acting. You are trying to understand the world from a different point of view without judging it. Looking at it from a psychological point of view is something you do naturally as an actor anyway.”

When Knightley’s character is admitted to a mental institution she experiences hysteria and fits: “That’s the tricky thing, when you are reading a script that says, ‘has a hysterical fit, ravished by tics’. And you go, ‘OK, what does that mean? And what do you mean a tic?’ So really, a lot of the reading was based on trying to get descriptions of tics and trying to understand what that was.”  Read more

Are You Allergic to Structure?

Written by Dallas Travers, CEC

The life an actor can be quite unpredictable. You might have your whole day structured perfectly and then a last minute audition throws your planning out the window. Most actors can agree that flexibility is crucial when it comes to your day job, your rehearsal schedule, and even your down time with family and friends, but flexibility can also create a major drawback to your acting business.

Many actors are allergic to structure. With a desire to stay open to unforeseen auditions and bookings, too many actors live week to week with no plan in place. Instead, you spend your days simply reacting to what happens around you rather than proactively creating the career you desire. Without a structured plan, it’s too difficult to measure how far you’ve come, to know precisely where you stand, and to visualize what’s possible for your future.

The secret to juggling your day job and your personal commitments with your acting opportunities is structure. And though it may sound like an impossible notion, structure will truly set you free.

Imagine two people with no improvisation training attempting to improvise together. Sure, they may create some funny moments, but the best improvisation happens when all players operate with the same rulebook. You must know some basic guidelines before you can create incredible improvisation.   Read more

Q & A: Jamie Pressly and Katie Finneran talk ‘I Hate My Teenage Daughter’

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 16:16 — 11.2MB)

Jamie Pressly is back on TV with the new FOX sitcom, I Hate My Teenage Daughter. She’s joined by Katie Finneran, who you may have seen in the filmed version of Company (starring Neil Patrick Harris) and last season’s Broadway revival of Promises, Promises.

The two play best friends who were bullied in high school and now, as single moms, have found out that they are raising daughters to be just like the girls that used to menace them.

Jamie was looking to return to TV but was looking for a “multi-camera format” and wanted her character to be completely different than her Emmy-Winning role as Joy in My Name Is Earl.

Katie had just had a baby and thought that the sitcom format was the best schedule for her to raise a family.

The two talk about how they got their parts, Katie’s transition from Broadway to TV and what they think of the title of the show

I hate My Teenage Daughter airs at 9:30/8:30c on FOX

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

‘Venus In Fur’ Star Nina Arianda Details Her Audition Process for Her Breakthrough Role

Many would assume that Nina Arianda, the 27-year-old actress who stars in David Ives‘ latest play Venus In Fur, might not realize how lucky she is to not only star in a play written by famed playwright Ives but to be earning such rave reviews for her part. 

But once you understand her preparation process for her audition as she outlined for the Los Angeles Times, you’d understand that Arianda truly understands the importance of the role.

Arianda was first contacted about the role and its mass audition process by her agent at the end of her term at NYU Acting Graduate School and knew she needed to play Vanda not only because she loved the role… but because she needed a job! 

She describes her action as, “I instantly fell in love with it.  I was hooked to this woman from ‘go’ — and I was also very hungry and kind of dying to work.” 

The only problem?  Arianda had only ten days to prepare for the audition.  Seeing that as the kiss of death, Arianda decided to see how far she could take it, explaining, “I knew I wasn’t going to get the part, but I loved Vanda so much that I figured I have this audition coming up in about a week and a half, I can either get all crazy competitive about it or I can just say, ‘You have a couple more days with her’ and make the best of it.”  Read more

Interview: Paul Ben-Victor ‘Should’ve Been Romeo’

Paul Ben-Victor epitomizes the definition of a working character actor.  He’s got that familiar mug and depending on the role people have seen, that’s usually how they’ll treat him.

He’s been approached by producers at Hollywood restaurants who start pitching him potential franchise projects, thinking he’s the man who green-lit Aquaman (from his role on Entourage) and he’s had connected goodfellas buy him a glass of chianti at nightclubs out of respect, thinking he’s the Greek who controls the Port (his role on The Wire). 

Over the last six years, Ben-Victor found himself cast in important roles on HBO shows The Wire, Entourage and John from Cincinnati (simultaneously) as well as making appearances on a slew of other shows like My Name is Earl and Everybody Hates Chris.  

Most recently Ben-Victor has done 5 seasons on USA’s In Plain Sight and soon you’ll be seeing him in a leading role in the new movie Should’ve Been Romeo, which he co-wrote, produced and is a labor of love for him.

I recently took Ben-Victor to small claims court over a frivolous dispute I made up (he’s so busy it was the only way I could get him to sit down for an interview with me, or rather to sit across from me in front of a clerk and judge). When the judge ordered all claimants and defendants to try and mediate, I got to go toe-to-toe with the chameleon character actor himself. 

Ben-Victor’s got a deep, low baritone voice with great resonance that is soothing.  I’ll let his answers speak for themselves.  

Meoli: Should’ve Been Romeo is an indy film you describe as Little Miss Sunshine meets Tootsie.  Tell me where you got the idea for this film and the characters?

Paul Ben-Victor: You’re a total wise-ass, you know that.  Can’t believe you waste my time like this.  Had to reschedule my Payless Shoes voiceover session for this.  Read more

8 Clips from ‘Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy’ starring Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy

Here are 8 clips from Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. The movie stars a handful of the best British actor’s working today; Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, John Hurt, Mark Strong, Toby Jones and Benedict Cumberbatch.

I think I’m embargoed on telling you what I thought of this so I please don’t ask me to tell you how much I enjoyed it. Wait…oops!

The movie opens December 9th.  Read more

Jack Huston on ‘Boardwalk Empire’ Role: “Taking this on has been a master class in acting”

Much of the Boardwalk Empire ensemble cast is like a who’s who of actors who are becoming increasingly famous with every episode — and perhaps the most impressive of the whole lot is Jack Huston, who plays Richard Harrow, a World War I veteran who lost half his face in battle. 

Harrow might be the most compelling character on the show, especially since he has become one of the main cast in the current second season based on the strength of his character’s appearances during the first season. 

In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Huston details the difficulties in playing a character who is both physically deformed and emotionally decimated.

It probably isn’t easy playing such a conflicted character — especially since half of Huston’s face is covered by Harrow’s tin mask and his voice is both harsh and halted — but Huston sees it as a learning experience.  He says, “Taking this on has been a master class in acting.  I have such an emotional attachment to this guy; I understood him right away. Sometimes I will do a scene, and afterward just break down on my way to the trailers. He’s so sad. He’s an incredibly good person with a moral code.”  Read more

Watch Jason Momoa’s ‘Conan the Barbarian’ Audition

I know this movie was a total flop but I actually enjoyed it and I thought Jason Momoa was a great Conan.

Here’s a Blu-Ray extra that MTV posted that show’s the audition video Momoa made to snag the part.  

The studio didn’t want the former Baywatch actor in the role but the director, Marcus Nispel, was big on him for the part.

So, the two went to the wilds of… Mulholland Drive in LA to film Momoa in his Barbarian glory.

Check it out below!

Read more

Sir Laurence Olivier’s Advice to a Young Kenneth Branagh: “Have a bash and hope for the best”

Let’s be honest: what current actor would you pick to play fifty-year-old Sir Laurence Olivier in a movie?  There’s really only one logical choice to play such a significant Shakespearean actor: Kenneth Branagh, also fifty, who is likewise known for his Shakespearean roles. 

Branagh, who appears as Olivier in My Week With Marilyn, which chronicles a period during the time when Olivier was directing and co-starring with Marilyn Monroe in the 1957 film The Prince and the Showgirl. 

In an interview in The Star, Branagh talks about playing Olivier and working with Michelle Williams, who also immersed herself in her own role.

It’s important to note that the teenaged Branagh wrote Olivier for advice about a difficult role while going to acting school.  Olivier, however, replied not with technical advice but a note that said “have a bash and hope for the best.”  While acting as Olivier Branagh reflected on that advice, especially when in came to reenacting Olivier’s difficulties with dealing with Monroe on the set.  He explains, “I suppose what his simple remark belied was just the feeling one senses in his dealings with Marilyn, that sometimes you just have to do it.  Don’t talk about it or prepare it. That was one of the problems between them. He believed you show up and give it your best and your best ought to be good enough, and she (Marilyn) believed you didn’t show up until you were going to be superb.”  Read more

Jim Parsons to Star in the New Broadway Production of ‘Harvey’

How cool is this? Jim Parsons will star as Elwood P. Dowd in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s production of Harvey.

Here’s the synopsis: “Elwood P. Dowd, Charming and kind, Elwood has only one character flaw:  an unwavering friendship with a 6-foot-tall, invisible white rabbit named Harvey.  In order to save the family’s social reputation, Elwood’s sister Veta (Jessica Hecht) takes Elwood to the local sanatorium. But when the doctors mistakenly commit his anxiety-ridden sister, Elwood — and Harvey—slip out of the hospital unbothered, setting off a hilarious whirlwind of confusion and chaos as everyone in town tries to catch a man and his invisible rabbit.”

The show, directed by Scott Ellis, will also star Jessica Hecht and Charles Kimbrough.

I remember when I was in 9th grade, our school did a production of Harvey and I played Wilson. From what I remember, he was some sort of handyman. No word on who is playing this pivotal role.

Performances of will begin on May 18^th, 2012 with the official opening set for June 14^th, 2012.  The limited engagement is scheduled to run through August 5^th, 2012 to accommodate Parsons’ Big Bang Theory schedule.

Harvey was first on Broadway stage in 1944 and was directed by Antoinette Perry – who the Tony Award is named after. The play won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1944, and its initial run lasted for four years—1,775 performances.  James Stewart assumed the role of “Elwood” from Frank Fay in the 1944 production and originated the role in the 1970 production as well as the film adaptation in 1950.  Helen Hayes played “Veta” opposite Mr. Stewart in the 1970 production.

The cast and director biographies are below.  Read more

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