True Blood’s Carrie Preston on Broadway, her career and how she got the role of “Arlene”

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Even if you haven’t watched True Blood, you’ve seen Carrie Preston before.

Carrie has the remarkable ability to transform herself – her looks and mannerisms – in each role she does. She’s been in Duplicity and My Best Friends Wedding with Julia Roberts. Doubt, Vicky Christina Barcelona and even an episode of Sex and the City that I totally remem

ber her in. She even played Ben Linus’ (her husband, the great Michael Emerson) mother on an episode of Lost! I could go on but my fingers will get tired from all the typing.

She’s currently filming season 3 of True Blood and she took some time out to talk to me about Broadway, how she prepares for a role and yes, True Blood.

So, you’re from Georgia and you got started doing plays as a kid?
Yeah, I’m one of those, like I like to say I’m a “lifer.”  I’m in it for life.  My brothers also an actor, and we started doing plays in Macon, Georgia community theater when we were pretty young.  My brother, John, his name’s John Preston, he got the first play.  He’s older than me by two years, so I watched him, and I was like, “I want to do what John’s doing.”  And then before we knew it, we were completely ensconced in doing plays growing up.

And then I even started my own street theater company when I was in the 7^th grade with all the neighborhood kids, and I would charge 25 cents.  We would make up skits and sing songs and do it in the front yard.  I mean, that was pretty much… it was very clear that that was what I wanted to do with my life.  I just didn’t know that you could make a living at it.

Was there any one show or one specific moment that you were like, this is it?
I definitely got bitten by the bug, immediately, you know, when I was in the 4^th grade. Just doing the school, the community theater production of some play, it was called, The Lion Who Wouldn’t.  You know how they write those plays for kids and stuff?

The director who was running the community theater, he pulled my mom aside and he said, “Your child’s an actor”, and my mom said, “Oh thank you, she’s having a good time.”  And he said, “No, no, no, no. You’re not hearing me.  Your children are actors.  That’s what they are.”  So he encouraged us at a young age and sort of brought it up to my parents in a way that they had to kind of sit up and listen.  And thankfully my parents were very supportive and never tried to talk us into becoming accountants or anything like that.

Yeah, my mom said that to me more than once.  And I said, mom I can’t even count.
Exactly!  There’s no back up here.  This is it.  This is what we’re doing.

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Secret Handshake Entertainment’s Joe Gressis on Demo Reels: Why you need one, when you need one and more!

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If you’re looking to make a demo reel or have your current one updated, look no further than Joe Gressis at Secret Handshake Entertainment.

Joe has been editing for years and he is the go-to-guy for several big agencies when they want their actors to update their reels.

Why is Joe so great? Because he is also a producer (A Little Help starring Jenna Fischer and Chris O’Donnell will be released soon) and looks at reels from that perspective.

And check below for some reels of well-known actors!

At what point should an actor get a reel?
Pretty quickly. As soon as they’ve got enough material to support it, basically, because so much of casting is now done online and with DVDs. They go through so many people that as soon as you have it the better.  As soon as you have the material to support. And sometimes, you want to make your own material just to have a reel because so much of it is now based on that before they even will bring you in or anything like that they’ll want to see that.

What do you think of the services that offer filming scenes for actors to put on their reels?
Well, some of them are pretty good.  But you definitely don’t want to skimp on that because if it looks made up, then it doesn’t really help that much.

You can tell?
Yeah, you definitely can tell.  But there are some places that have really good-looking scenes where it’s difficult to tell.  And it really does showcase the actor and it could be an indie film.  And it’s shot on some high-quality HD.  As long as it’s done well I think it’s very advantageous, actually.  Things have changed, at one point that was not true, but because HD cameras are so much better now and give such good image quality that yeah you can do it.

What’s the perfect length for a reel?
Rule of thumb would be 2-5 minutes, and most people will say keep it shorter.  Although, I will actually say that because of the way a lot of digital media works that the rule of the length of a reel is kind of changing because so many people now look at them online.  Vast majority is now online, and what I’ve seen, because I actually just produced a movie where I saw the casting director and director go through a bunch of reels.  I kind of see the behavior of people who are really actively involved in casting people, and so I really paid attention especially in regards to this side of the business.

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Broadway star Montego Glover on ‘Memphis’, advice and her journey to success

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I think Montego Glover, the star of the hit Broadway show Memphis, can do anything.

Not only is she currently starring on Broadway, but she also displays her talent in video games, commercials, television and voice overs. Ok, a lot of people do that. But do they do it successfully?

Exactly! Seriously, she can do anything.

Currently, she is spending her evenings playing Felecia Farrell, a struggling singer in 1950’s Memphis. She sings, she dances and will break your heart by the end of the show.

I saw Montego when the show was at the La Jolla Playhouse and she was incredible. Once she’s on stage, you can’t take your eyes off of her. She absolutely takes over the stage.

If you get a chance, listen to the audio portion of the interview. You’ll get a chance to hear more questions and listen to her talk.  She has an absolute perfect voice. I could listen to her talk all day.  Listen for a minute, you’ll know what I’m talking about!

I love the actual back story of the show, you and Chad [Kimball] have been with the show for 6 years now I think?
That’s correct.

When you first read the story and heard the music, did you have a feeling about this show?  Obviously there’s no guarantee you’ll end up where you are now.  Did you just have some sort of gut feeling about it?
I did.  I will say my gut feeling however was that this piece was immediately identifiable to me and inclusive of me and that it was special.  I had never read a script like this for Broadway.  And because the concept was new for Broadway and had never been done before and the characters and the location and the ideas were new, it made it all the more interesting.  I responded to it as an artist right away because it was just new and really interesting.  What a great angle from which to tell a story.  And a new story at that.

You guys have such great chemistry, too, you and Chad.  Was that something that happened over time or was it pretty quick?
(She laughs)  I appreciate that, thank you.  It’s helpful every night.  That’s a good thing.

Funny story, actually, we were about to do the first production of Memphis.  First developmental production, and I had been called in to read with some of the guys who were coming in for the roll of Huey Calhoun.  And I remember sitting in the hallway and the casting director came out and said, “Montego this is Chad Kimball.  You guys are going to read together.  Here’s the scene.”  Now, I had not formally met Chad, but we had many, many friends in common and I had seen his work, and he introduced himself, I introduced myself.  We went down the hallway, we read the scene, and it happened to be a scene that involved kissing.  And we read, and we kissed, and it was pretty great.  And we pulled away, and I looked at him, and I said, “Hey.”  And he said, “Hey.”  And I thought, this is the guy.  This is the guy.  And it turns out he was the guy, so we went back into the room (laughs), it went beautifully.  He was charming and it was lovely.  And I just remember the both of us standing there at the end of the read, holding hands and just laughing.  Just laughing.  And we’ve been together ever since (laughing).

What was the opening night of the show like?
Literally a dream come true.  Literally.  How many times as an actor do you read something and go, wow, wouldn’t it be great, this is so special, I respond to this.  Wouldn’t it be great if it could be done well and right with the right amount of time to develop and we could really do it well and do it right, and then there we were, on October the 19^th doing it.  Opening.  It felt like flying.  It felt like – rapturous applause, it felt like chaos.  It felt like the right kind of chaos, you know, just magnetic, kinetic, combustible excitement.  It was just thrilling, absolutely thrilling.  A dream come true.

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The stars of ‘Spartacus: Blood and Sand’ spill the beans on their characters, casting, green screen and nudity

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Spartacus: Blood and Sand is a retelling of the classic story of a Roman Gladiator who eventually rises up to lead a massive slave rebellion. But this is not your Dad’s Spartacus. This is much cooler. Much, much cooler. I’ve seen the first 4 episodes and they rock.

In this exclusive interview, Andy Whitfield (Spartacus), Lucy Lawless (Lucretia) and Executive Producer Steven S. DeKnight talked to me

Spartacus: Blood and Sand premieres this Friday, January 22nd on Starz!

Side note: This was a much longer interview but about halfway during the call, I noticed my cat chewing the cord that I use to record the audio. I quickly replaced the cord but missed a lot of great questions. You can thank my cat for that. And if you listen to the audio of the call, you’ll be able to hear her “meowing” in the background. Ah… the pleasures of working at home.

Let’s pick up the action…

[My question was: How do you get mentally prepared for a long shoot like this?]
Andy:  stay present and go, what do I have to achieve today and collaborate with some of the most amazing people I’ve ever worked with.  It’s achievable.  It does take its toll at the end.  Everyone needs a big rest, but even on the last day, everyone was there, the crew were there, and you could just feel how proud and how excited and how exhilarated everyone was.  You almost could feel like they could have two weeks off and start again.

Do you guys both still get nervous before a big scene?
Andy:  Lucy?
Lucy:  If I’m naked, yeah probably (laughter).  I don’t know.  Now that there’s such a relationship of trust between the actors and you’ve got directors that are really just fantastic –
Andy:  Yeah, I think, I mean I think that is true.  I think, you know, from what we have achieved – that gives you a lot of confidence.  But I also am conscious that there is always a necessary amount of fear just to have everything sharp.  You know, it’s that thing, no pressure, no diamond.  And I think you just sort of get used to it and accept that it will always be there.

For example, if I had to audition for something tomorrow, I would be as nervous as I was before.  And I’d spent nine months doing the best training for acting I could possibly ever have.  And I think that’s appropriate.  I think that you just accept that that’s gonna be there.  And just trust it’s gonna go away it’ll go away the second you commit to what is there.

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Armin Shimerman: “Luck is a huge factor in every career”

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Armin Shimerman made his name in television - Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Seinfeld, Boston Legal (to name a few) – by playing unique, memorable characters. But did you know his true love is theater?

I caught up with Armin at the tail-end of his run of The Seafarer where he was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to talk about theater, how he prepares for a role and much more!

For ticket information on The Seafarer at the San Diego Repertory Theater, click here!

You’re currently starring in The Seafarer. Even though it’s a short run, how do you keep your performance fresh night after night?
How do I do that?  How does any actor do that?  By being inspired every night by what the other people are doing and finding new things in the play as we go along.  Although it’s a rehearsed and performed piece, there’s always something new.  That’s the great thing about live theater, you can always find something new and fresh each performance.  The audience and the actors give you things.

How do you choose your theatre projects?  Do you have a master list of shows or characters that you want to do somewhere?
I tend to prefer classical theater.  That is what I’ve been trained in and what I’ve mostly done and what intrigues me the most.  However, I saw this particular play in New York when I was visiting a couple years ago, and it was an incredible production directed by the playwright on Broadway.  And when I saw it, after I saw it, I was just absolutely enthralled by it and there was a particular part in it that I really wanted to play.  That is not the part that I’m playing, but I was really enthralled by the play.  And I particularly wanted to play the Devil, but instead the theatre here, very wisely in my opinion, cast me as Richard Harkin which is the host of the party for want of a better term.  And I’m just tickled pink.  Without doubt it’ll always be one of my favorite character’s that I’ve ever played.

I’ve heard you’re fantastic in the show.
It’s turned out very well.  We’ve had a wonderful director.  Delisha [Turner Sonnenburg] did a great job directing it.  The theatre has done a terrific job of producing it.  And it’s an incredible ensemble of actors.

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Peter Mensah: “The greatest experience for an actor is working”

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You’ve seen Peter Mensah in tons of things but most notably 300, Hulk and Hildago. He’s usually the menacing or authoratative guy who gets in the way of the main character but in real life, he couldn’t be nicer. Maybe I shouldnt say that… I don’t want to ruin his authoritative cred!

Peter is starring in two great upcoming projects, James Cameron’s Avatar and Spartacus: Blood and Sand.

In my exclusive interview I did at this summers Comic-Con, we talk about his Spartacus character (Doctore), working with green screens and he even offers up some advice to actors.

Is this your first Comic Con?
This is my first Comic Con. I’ve done some sci-fi fantasy. I did 300, etc., but I’ve not really attended, usually because I’m working somewhere else at the time.  This time around Rob [Tapert - Executive Producer of Spartacus] and the guys actually flew me back for this.

Tell me about your character.
I get to play a character called Doctore on Spartacus, and Doctore is the gladiator trainer.  And it’s his job fundamentally to bring up the up and coming new gladiators and also to prepare sort of the well-schooled gladiators for each and every fight.  And you know what’s fascinating about doing this is you sort of get to see how Roman society worked way back when, I think 73 B.C.  And the fact that these stadiums could house 80,000 people, would come in and watch these fights.  Physically.  They didn’t have pay-per-view.  They had to show up.

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Jason Schwartzman on The Fantastic Mr. Fox: “Its the best movie I’ve ever been a part of”

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Jason Schwartzman has been on a role recently with great reviews in some great projects – Funny People, Bored To Death and now, Wes Anderson’s new film, The Fantastic Mr. Fox.

In this exclusive interview, he talks about playing a 12 year old fox, working with Bill Murray, George Clooney and Meryl Streep and his favorite scene in the film (which totally make me want to see it even more).

If you get a chance, you should listen to the audio interview. There is so much more he said that I haven’t included in the transcript.  Just for the way he talks and goes off the cuff is worth the listen.

Jason Schwartzman: This is really exciting.  This is really exciting for me.  You know, in this industry, you get to experience so many amazing things that you would never get to do otherwise.  Like just 20 minutes ago I was sitting in a chair in another room with an earwig in my ear, and I was staring into a camera, and they were patching me in live to all these different morning talk shows all around America.  And it was such a weird thing, because I would literally be sitting there and then someone would come through my ear saying, “Hello Jason!  This is Jen and Danny from Detroit!” or something.  I can’t see them, but they can see me, and I’m literally live on television in Detroit.  It’s such an amazing, such a bizarre thing.  But it’s so cool because it’s so unusual, you know?

Q: Can you relate to your character, Ash, from the film and if so, how?
JS: Absolutely.  When I read the script, I completely related to this character.  I mean, I literally like down to almost every aspect of it.  I’m the son of George Clooney and Meryl Streep, of course in the movie. I’m an adolescent fox, about 12-13 years old, fox years.  And I’m little, I haven’t hit my growth spurt yet, and I don’t have many friends.  I get picked on a little bit, quite a bit actually.  And I like a girl who doesn’t really like me back and likes my cousin actually who is living with us.

I mean I felt like when I was 12-13 years old, it’s an amazing time and it’s also you know, there’s lots of new things happening in one’s life.  In my case, I don’t know about everyone, I was entering a new school, meeting new friends, and I hadn’t hit my growth spurt until later.  I felt little.  I wished I was a better athlete.  And I, of course, liked lots of people and wanted to be friends with people that didn’t all the time want to be friends back with me.  And it was very weird.  I, myself, I did feel like it was very odd and such a bizarre time.  And what’s so nice, is that in this movie my character who is little and he’s embarrassed about being little…  in the end of this movie it’s actually his size that helps save his cousin’s life.  And what he realizes is that the things that make him different are not things that he should be embarrassed about.  They’re actually things that make him kind of incredible, and I think that’s really the positive message of the movie and one that I would have loved to have seen when I was a kid, which is basically it’s okay to be yourself and don’t worry if you feel different.  Being different is what’s cool and what’s great.

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Jersey Boys Travis Cloer: “I left New York to get a job on Broadway”

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Travis Cloer, who plays Frankie Valli in the Las Vegas production of Jersey Boys, didn’t have anyone hand him his career.

No, as a struggling actor in New York, leaving the city was probably the smartest thing he ever did. Because when he came back, he landed on a Broadway stage.

Check out how he did that, the differences between Broadway and Las Vegas and what it’s like playing an icon.

I saw the show Tuesday at 6:30 and I thought it was fantastic.
Yeah, it’s a fun show.

Yeah, you guys are great.  I guess you can call that an early matinee?
Yeah, it’s weird here because everything’s in the evening.  Anything in the afternoon is pretty brutal.

You guys were just on fire and cracking.
Those 2 show days are… you know, everybody is pretty high energy throughout the full day.

How long have you been in the show?
I’ve been involved with Jersey Boys since February of 2007. I was in the Broadway company for about a year and a half, and then they moved me out here last September of 2008.

Did you want to come out here?
It was kind of 50/50.  I enjoyed being in New York and being on Broadway, but the role of Frankie Valli opened up out here and they offered it to me, so I kind of had to take it you know.

How do you keep it fresh?
That’s a good question, man (laughter).  That is a really good question, especially after almost 3 years.  You just really have to – well, a lot of it is what the audience is bringing to you that night.  You know, if it’s a great house and if it’s a great audience of course you always feel as a performer to give it just that little bit extra, instead of – you don’t always want to coast on auto pilot.  But sometimes you know you get tired.  But as far as keeping it fresh, you just, with this show, I find I really enjoy singing the music. And the music itself is fresh to me just about every night on its own.

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Jim Caviezel and Lennie James on The Prisoner, nervousness & working in cramped taxis

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I interviewed Jim Caviezel and Lennie James, the stars of AMC’s The Prisoner at this years Comic Con and they were two of the nicest, friendliest guys.

We talked about their characters, why they chose to take on this recreation, if they still get nervous before a scene and more.

I hadn’t had a chance to see the show yet, but from the trailers and talking with them, I cant wait to see it.

The Prisoner premieres this Sunday on AMC.

Tell us a little bit about your character.
Lennie James: I play 147, who’s the local taxi driver for the village.  And he is kind of the first friend that Jim’s character, Number 6, makes when he arrives in the village. And the moment when we first meet him, he is a totally content villager.  He has a wife that he loves and a daughter that he adores, and that’s his whole life.  And that’s all he needs to feel secure, and he’s totally at home in the village.  He is exactly the kind of person that the village wants to be there and to be living there in the way that he is.  He knows what roads not to drive down.  He knows what questions not to ask, and in amongst that, he’s found his own happiness.  And then 6 arrives and throws the whole thing out of kilter.  And by the end of it, my character has some serious choices to make and a serious kind of price to pay.

So is it just by coincidence that the two of you meet then?
Lennie: Hmm… the way of the village is… nothing is a coincidence.

Tell me why you wanted to take the role after you read the script.
Lennie: There’s very few opportunities – or the stuff I like to do is I like the characters that I play to start off being one thing and end up being something else.  I like the movement of a character.  Something happening to them.  That’s my definition of drama.  And on the other side of it they are changed, they are moved, they have developed.  That’s what stories are to a great extent.  This guy has that journey.  And he has it in spades, as we would say.  And also the scripts were real kind of page turners, but there was a genuine sense of excitement within it.  It wasn’t just the, “Oh, I wonder what happens next.”  That’s not the only question that’s going on in this story.  There’s a lot of other things kind of going on.  And that’s what really interested me.  The central premise is a very good and tight one.  And then the way that Bill [Gallagher - the writer] has decided to tell his version of the story is really exciting.  And it’s good for actors.  And it’s not just about shifting story.  There are some great dramatic moments.

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Uma Thurman talks ‘Motherhood’

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Here’s another group interview group interview that my favorite mom blogger Jen (@mammamania on Twitter) was able to weasel me into.

I couldn’t ask questions but that was fine… it’s Uma Thurman. How could I say no?

I edited down the interview to things dealing with this website.. and to the parts where her cell phone didn’t cut out.

In an earlier conversation that we all had with Catherine she told us that she was really moved, moved to tears actually, watching one scene in particular.  It was you and Anthony Edwards sitting in a car towards the end of the film.  And she said that it was actually her favorite scene.  And we were just wondering if you could share anything about what was going on in that scene, what was it for you to act that scene, because it obviously made a real impression on her?
It’s a scene where I guess in a way the character of Eliza, which Catherine wrote, basically is explaining why she, what the source of her unhappiness is, and how she is basically is getting lost in the minutia of her domestic life, has lost herself in that service and has lost a sense of purpose.

I think something obviously drew you to motherhood and specifically Eliza’s character.  So, I’m wondering what do you feel is authentic about how motherhood is portrayed in the movie and how will we, meaning audiences, really be able to relate to that?
I think first of all, you know, this is a story where the mother is actually central to the experience, where she is the one being seen through her actions.  She’s not there to focus your attention in a role of how the mother relates to the person of interest who is either a man or a child.  You kind of have, you know, mothers are often used in narrative.  Filling in the blanks, per se, about another character, but it’s not really about them, themselves.  And I just think, you know, Catherine’s character was so honest,  you know, I mean she’s someone who’s chosen to be a stay-at-home mother and yet she’s struggling with that decision.  And feels fulfilled but at the same time compromised in a way at times by you know being in total baby land and not stimulating other sides of herself that are obviously important.  And I like that she has flaws, you know, I like that she has anger issues and yet she still loves her kids.  She’s funny and charming and she’s just sort of real.

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