Biography: Tom Hardy

Tom Hardy has quickly become one of Hollywood’s most sought after actors.

Hardy recently appeared in Lionsgate’s drama Warrior, starring with recent-Oscar® nominee Nick Nolte and Joel Edgerton. Hardy portrayed Marine Tommy Conlon, who is haunted by a tragic past. He returns home for the first time in fourteen years to enlist the help of his father (Nolte) to train for Sparta, the biggest winner-takes-all event in mixed martial arts history. An ode to redemption and reconciliation, Warrior is also a moving testament to the enduring bonds of family.

Hardy stars in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy opposite Colin Firth and Gary Oldman, who was Oscar nominated for his work in the picture. Based on the classic novel, the international thriller is set at the height of the Cold War years of the mid-20th century centered around the British Secret Intelligence Service.

Hardy recently wrapped Warner Bros.’ The Dark Knight Rises, directed by Christopher Nolan. Hardy plays the villainous Bane opposite Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Gary Oldman.

Hardy also recently wrapped RedWagon Film’s The Wettest County, set in the Prohibition era, where three brothers find their bootlegging business under threat in Franklin County, Virgina. The Weinstein Co is distributing the film later this year.

Hardy is next set to start production on George Miller’s new post-apocalyptic Mad Max movie, Fury Road, opposite Charlize Theron.

Read more

Biography: Denzel Washington

Two-time Academy Award®-winning actor Denzel Washington is a an constantly on the move. Never comfortable repeating himself or his successes, Washington is always in search of new challenges and his numerous and varied film and stage portrayals bear this out.

From Trip, an embittered runaway slave in Glory, to South African freedom fighter Steve Biko in Cry Freedom; from Shakespeare’s tragic historical figure Richard III to the rogue detective, Alonzo Harris, in Training Day, Washington has amazed and entertained us with a rich array of characters distinctly his own.

In 2010, moviegoers were treated to two very different sides of Washington when he starred in Tony Scott’s fast- paced thriller Unstoppable, and in the Hughes brothers’ dystopian vision, The Book of Eli, which Washington also produced. The Book of Eli grossed more than $38 million in its opening weekend.

In 2009, Washington was directed by Tony Scott in the respected remake of The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, also starring John Travolta.

In late December 2007, Washington directed and co-starred with Academy Award®-winning actor Forest Whitaker in The Great Debaters, a drama based on the true story of Melvin B. Tolson, a professor at Wiley College in Texas who in 1935, inspired students from the school’s debate team to challenge Harvard in the national championship. Read more

Trailer: ‘Darling Companion’ starring Kevin Kline, Diane Keaton, Richard Jenkins, Elisabeth Moss, Mark Duplass, Dianne Wiest, Sam Shepard

Darling Companion: Beth saves a bedraggled lost dog from the side of the freeway on a wintry day in Denver. Struggling with her distracted, self-involved husband Joseph and an empty nest at home, Beth forms a special bond with the rescued animal. When Joseph loses the dog after a wedding at their vacation home in the Rockies, the distraught Beth enlists the help of the few remaining guests and a mysterious young woman in a frantic search. Each member of the search party is affected by the adventure, which takes them in unexpected directions — comic, harrowing, sometimes deeply emotional and ultimately towards love.

Director: Lawrence Kasdan

Writers: Meg Kasdan, Lawrence Kasdan

Starring: Kevin Kline, Diane Keaton, Richard Jenkins, Elisabeth Moss, Mark Duplass, Dianne Wiest, Sam Shepard

In Theaters: April 20, 2012
Read more

Trailer: The Duplass Brothers’ ‘Jeff Who Lives At Home’ starring Jason Segel, Ed Helms, Judy Greer, Susan Sarandon

Jeff Who Live At Home: On his way to the store to buy wood glue, Jeff looks for signs from the universe to determine his path. However, a series of comedic and unexpected events leads him to cross paths with his family in the strangest of locations and circumstances. Jeff just may find the meaning of his life… and if he’s lucky, pick up the wood glue as well.

Directors: Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass

Cast: Jason Segel, Ed Helms, Judy Greer, Susan Sarandon

In theaters: March 16th, 2012
Read more

Armie Hammer, Ed Helms, Regina King, Julianna Margulies, Natalie Portman to Present at the SAG Awards

The SAG Awards have just announced that Ed Helms, Julianna Margulies and Natalie Portman will join Actor nominee Armie Hammer, SAG Awards® social network ambassador Regina King and SAG President Ken Howard as presenters at the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®.

The SAG Awards® will be Simulcast Live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012 at 8 p.m. (ET) / 5 p.m. (PT)
Read more

Taraji P. Henson on ‘Person of Interest’ and Every Actor’s One Fear: “When is the phone going to stop ringing?”

Taraji P. Henson isn’t an actress whose name is instantly recognizable for most people despite its uniqueness. 

Chances are, however, that you’ve seen Henson in a variety of film roles, including Hustle & Flow, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Four Brothers, and the recent Karate Kid remake.  In addition, Henson has appeared on television, including a lengthy run on Boston Legal, and is currently playing Detective Joss Carter on Person of Interest. 

In an interview with The Huffington Post, Henson reflects on her career so fair but, of course, looks forward to the future.

Henson has quickly embraced her diverse career.  She claims, “I’m just getting started. I still haven’t done theater yet. It’s funny, my audience is a wide range of people: Kids from Karate Kid, and then I have a mature crowd from Benjamin Button. I have a cult following because of Baby Boy, my very first film. They play it a lot on the channels that play videos. It’s a really interesting mix and I love it.”  Read more

Kate Winslet Talks ‘Carnage’, Polanski and Rehearsing

Kate Winslet is no stranger to playing difficult roles or dealing with demanding directors.  In Carnage, the film adaptation of the Tony-award winning play God of Carnage, Winslet came across both. 

Director Roman Polanski is sometimes better known for his personal dramas (fleeing the country in the 70s after facing statutory rape charges), but his acute skills resulted in many challenges for Winslet. 

In an interview with Wall Street Journal, Winslet recalls, “I think at various different points we all had said to Roman, ‘Look, would you like us to learn [the script]?’  Because it is based on a play and when it’s Roman Polanski, one wants to be as prepared as possible.  And he categorically said, ‘Oh no, no no’—very blasé—‘no need to learn it….’ And by Friday afternoon of week one, Roman said, ‘Ok, I think it would be really handy not to have our scripts in our hands on Monday, don’t you?’  And there was deathly silence, and I could see everyone sort of looking at each other like, ‘Well, what did you have planned for the weekend?’”  Read more

Rachel Griffiths on ‘Other Desert Cities’ and Her Time in ‘A Doll’s House’: “It was the worst experience of my life”

Rachel Griffiths might be making her Broadway debut in Other Desert Cities, but she has a long history of appearing on both television (Six Feet Under, Brothers & Sisters) and on the stage in her native Australia. 

Although Griffiths didn’t have much time to prepare for the role, she tells TheaterMania.com that she had no problems with stepping into it.

Griffiths says that her demanding work in television enabled her to jump into a play on short notice.  She explains, “Having worked in television, where I’ve had to learn 10 pages a night very quickly, I knew I could step into a role with two weeks rehearsals. Given what I’ve done in the past, I told our director, Joe Mantello, that Brooke is totally in my range, and loved the idea of getting to do something I’ve never done before. “ 

Of course, she still finds the role creatively challenging, pointing out, “Fortunately, the more I get into the role, the more I’m finding the oscillation from humor and vulnerability, and I can actually open up more areas of myself for the role.”  Read more

Back on Broadway, Stick Fly’s Dulé Hill Says : “At the Root of it, I’m a Dancer”

Whether he was tiptoeing around the Oval Office as the President’s personal aide on The West Wing or breaking out antiquated hip-hop moves as co-owner of a psychic detective agency on Psych, Dulé Hill has always been about the dance.

“At the root of it, I’m a dancer,” the 36-year-old told New York magazine in a recent interview promoting his appearance in upcoming Broadway production Stick Fly. “My plan was to be a corporate lawyer, but that changed when I realized how much more studying I was going to have to do.”

While studying at Seton Hall University, he was cast in off-Broadway musical Bring in ‘da Noise, Bring in ‘da Funk, which represented a fork in the road for the young actor. “We had a Wednesday matinee, and I had a midterm that day,” he said. “I went to the teacher and said, ‘I’ll take the test early.’ He said, ‘You have to decide, do you want to get a degree or be in show business?’”

Stick Fly, produced by Alicia Keys, opened at Broadway’s Cort Theatre last night and is about two brothers (one of which is played by Hill) who both bring new girlfriends to a family reunion on Martha’s Vineyard. “No matter how perfect your family, there are always things that aren’t getting said, that ride beneath the surface,” according to Hill.  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

Next Page »