Academy Award nominee Jennifer Lawrence had doubts about being an actor: “I wondered if this was some sort of fluke and that tomorrow I’d fail.”

Jennifer Lawrence, now on screen as the Mystique in “X-Men: First Class,” tells Speakeasy that she had her doubts becoming an actor.

She tells the website that at first-acting was not something she felt she was good at, but then at some point it all just clicked. “The first movie I starred it, “Poker House” (2008), there was a lot of emotional stuff in it. It was very dark. I remember just being able to do it. I wondered if this was some sort of fluke and that tomorrow I’d fail. But somehow I just knew what to do. Then again, I might still suck.”

The actress says the emotions she experiences while filming vary significantly when she sits down to watch the finished product. “Before they start the movie I’m sitting there terrified. I always pray that I’ll think that I’m good, or think that I’m pretty or that the movie’s great even if it isn’t, because it’s such a bad feeling when you’re watching something terrible. There’s a lot less mixed emotions when you’re making the film than when you’re actually watching it. But knowing that the movie is out there, that other people are watching it and liking it–that’s why you make movies.”
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Josh Duhamel Returning to Roots on “All My Children”

Transformers: Dark of the Moon star Josh Duhamel will be returning to his roots, albeit briefly, on an upcoming episode of ABC soap opera All My Children. The 39-year-old will reprise his role as con artist Leo du Pres on the show, which gave him his first shot high-profile acting gig in 1999.

In a controversial move, ABC cancelled AMC in April, announcing that the daytime TV mainstay will air its last episode in September. Although it’s been on the network’s lineup since premiering in 1970, both AMC and fellow soap One Life to Live are being removed from ABC’s schedule to accommodate new shows directed at younger audiences.

Duhamel’s episode of AMC will likely air in August, as the series begins to wrap up its final storylines. Since his last appearance in 2002, Duhamel has gone onto fame and fortune, marrying pop princess Fergie and starring in films like the Transformers series, Life as We Know It and Win a Date with Tad Hamilton.

Lily Collins on Acting: “You Can Never Really Say That You’ve Reached Your Potential”

Talking to the Associated Press in a recent interview, 22-year-old actress Lily Collins spoke about landing her first acting gig, her acting philosophy and the Hollywood figure she most wants to work with.

“I auditioned a lot and got told no a lot,” recalled Collins, who first notable role was as a recurring character on The CW’s 90210 in 2009. “It made that one time I was told yes the first time that much better. I had learned a lot and I had grown.”

“I never really had an issue with critiquing myself,” she explained. “I like to look back and see what I did and how I can improve… As an actor or actress, you learn more all the time and you can never really say that you’ve reached your potential.”

She’s already starred alongside legendary actresses like Sandra Bullock (in The Blind Side) and Sigourney Weaver (in the upcoming Abduction), but Collins has her sights set on exchanging lines with one specific actress. “I would love to work with Meryl Streep,” she said. “She’s so inspirational. The work she’s done, she’s always someone very different and she embrace and embodies the characters to a ‘T.’ You almost don’t know it’s her because she just completely transforms.”

Video after the jump
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“X-Men: First Class” Michael Fassbender on his time as a “mutant” and why he remains a loyal Londoner

Michael Fassbender, who stars as Magneto in “X-Men: First Class“, talked to NPR recently about why he decided to take on the role made famous by Sir Ian McKellen.

“I was looking to do a studio film,” he said. “What really intrigued me about this particular one was that you’re dealing with the villain, if you like, in the piece as somebody that’s very ambivalent and there’s a lot of complexity to him. And there is cause for his feelings and his actions. Whether or not you agree with them is another thing. That’s much more entertaining me for as an actor and much more entertaining for me as an audience member.”

He also talked about research, not only for Magneto, but on all his roles: “Well, for me, it’s always something that I will do. If there isn’t a biography available that’s my job to go away and write it. And what is great about this is there was just such a wealth of information. I mean, I was really spoiled.”

The actor had to adapt to special effects and embrace situations like stopping a nuclear missile in mid-flight. He says, “You just have to really kind of throw yourself into it and I say, you know, sort of unleash the sort of nine-year-old within and just enjoy it. You know, and if you don’t fully commit to these things then you really are going to have egg on your face, I think.”

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Jennifer Lawrence talks “X-Men: First Class”: “I still do the movies for the same reasons. I still love the script, I love the director, I love the character”

Jennifer Lawrence has gone through a transformation during the past 2 years; from Louisville, Ky. native to under-the-radar indie actress to Hollywood ”It Girl”. She has earned an Academy Award nomination for her role in “Winter’s Bone,” and now she has taken on the part of  young shape-shifter Mystique in “X-Men: First Class.”

This role will be her first in a blockbuster film, but certainly not her last. Lawrence is playing the teen warrior Katniss Everdeen in the popular post-apocalyptic book series “The Hunger Games,” which is currently shooting in Wilmington, N.C.

Lawrence is taking all of the “blockbuster” talk and fan fare in stride. Aside from the budget, she does not see  how indie films are any different from the blockbusters. “It’s all filmmaking. The behind the scenes is always different: you have a bigger trailer, there’s better food. Things like that. I still do the movies for the same reasons. I still love the script, I love the director, I love the character and the other actors involved. So all of the reasons why I was there, they were all the same. It’s kind of like camping versus going to a resort. They’re both fun, they’re just different kinds of fun.”
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James McAvoy on British films: “We dumb our movies down because we want Americans to understand them”

“X-men: First Class” star James McAvoy insists the British film industry has chosen to”dumb down” its productions in order to appeal to the American audience and he believes this attitude will lead to a rocky future for the UK film industry.

“We dumb our movies down because we want Americans to understand them,” the actor says. “The Americans watch it and go, ‘this is a really unsophisticated dumbed down movie. Why would we want this? Why do we like this? We don’t’.” He adds, “It’s like we’re patronizing them and short changing ourselves.”

McAvoy went on to say Tom Hooper’s award winning ”The King’s Speech“ is proof that intelligent British films do have a niche in the American market. “I think the whole thing is to keep trying to make the best possible movie that you can and hopefully the cream rises to the top.”

via digital spy

Jason Biggs on “American Reunion” and the differences in making a sitcom and filming a movie

It’s hard to believe it has been over a decade since audiences met the cast of the first “American Pie” movie and eight years since the release of 2003′s “American Wedding” but all of the original cast members have signed on to reunite for the upcoming movie ”American Reunion”.

Jason Biggs star of the franchise says it was fun to reunite with all the original cast members after so many years. “It was really good. It was kind of surreal being back with everybody. Not everyone was in the third movie so there were people I haven’t seen since the second film. A lot of us have not really kept in touch. But these films — especially the first one — are such a huge part of our lives, and it’s this shared experience that is so important to all of us. No matter what kind of paths we’ve taken since, and no matter how long we go without speaking or seeing each other, it’s like we get back and there’s this energy that’s just fantastic.”

Biggs says bringing everyone back together after so long, there could have been some tension, but everyone was genuinely happy to reconnect. “Some of us are not really friends. But it doesn’t mean we’re not friendly when we see each other. I wish I could speak ill. I’ll probably remember how irritating some of them are in the first week.”
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Christopher Plummer “Determined to Keep Crackin’”

As acting legend Christopher Plummer tells it, love for his work is what’s keeping him alive.

“I’m glad (my ambition) is still there. If it faded, what’s there to live for? It makes you appreciate other things if you keep working at your job and you love your job,” the 81-year-old recently told the Associated Press. “Too many people in the world are unhappy with their lot. And then they retire and they become vegetables. I think retirement in any profession is death, so I’m determined to keep crackin’.”

He’s still crackin’, alright. He had a role in this year’s Priest and is appearing in the Mike Mills Beginners, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Son of Tobor. The Shakespeare fan also has a deep passion for the stage, calling it his “medicine.” He’s played a wide array of roles in productions of Bard classics like Hamlet, Macbeth and Cyrano. “I’ve become simpler and simpler with playing Shakespeare. I’m not as extravagant as I used to be. I don’t listen to my voice so much anymore. All the pitfalls of playing the classics — you can fall in love with yourself,” he explained.
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Warning: Don’t Skype with Ryan Reynolds

While on location in South Africa shooting the CIA thriller, Safe House, Interview Magazine hung out with Ryan Reynolds on his day off to talk about his latest films, Green Lantern and The Change-Up.

When, towards the end of the article, he was asked if he had any projects coming up, Reynolds said, “I don’t really know what I’m going to do next. I’ll meet with some directors via Skype.”

Then, he added, “If the camera angle’s just right, you can be ferociously masturbating and they have no idea.”

And that is why I love Ryan Reynolds.
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Ken Jeong on Asian-American Acting Community: “We’re Helping Redefine Our Identity”

In a recent interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Hangover: Part II star Ken Jeong opened up about being an Asian-American Hollywood success story and the inspirations for the hilarious antagonist he plays in the new film.

“It’s a great challenge. But for me as an actor, I look at it this way—there were some roles that were written for white people that I got,” Jeong explained. “For example, my role in All About Steve was written for a white person. I got the role instead. I feel the joy of playing different characters.”

Speaking about the Asian-American acting world as a whole, he said, “There’s a groundswell of Asian-American talent and I’m honored to be among them. The best thing about it is we’re all different. We’re not the same. We don’t act or look alike. We’re helping redefine our identity.”

In The Hangover and its sequel, Jeong plays Leslie Chow, a maniacal Las Vegas gangster. Who influenced the way he portrays the character? “It’s a combination of different characters in movies and people. Joe Pesci’s character in Goodfellas was a big inspiration. In fact, there were times in Thailand when I’d watch Goodfellas in my trailer just to get in the right mood. And Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight in terms of the sociopathic qualities of Mr. Chow.”

Via the Philippine Daily Inquirer

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