Grace Park talks about Hawaii Five-O and how she got the part of Kona

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Grace Park is probably best known for her work on Battlestar Gallactica. Or maybe you caught her on Stargate, The Dead Zone or in the Benjamin Bratt series, The Cleaner. Regardless of where you’ve seen her, you know she can hold her own against strong male characters.

Well, she’s about to do it again in the re-boot of Hawaii Five-O.

She plays Kona, who in the original series was a man. We talked at Comic-Con (in a roundtable format so most of the questions aren’t mine) about her character, how she got the part and more!

How has the character of Kona changed from the original series? Can you talk about who Kona is?

Grace Park: I think Kona adds an interesting element because you could have Hawaii Five-0 be a team of four men and that would be great, but it’s always great to be able to have more tools at your disposal. And if you do have a woman on the team there’s things they may or may not be able to access because of the sheer fact that she’s a woman. You can disarm people, that kind of thing.

She is a rookie cop that’s going to join this new forming team and she’s related to Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim) and she gets to meet Danno (Scott Caan) and McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin) right off the bat. She participates in something she probably wouldn’t be able to on her own because she would be just a rookie out of the academy and into the police force. But, she gets thrust into this world of crime but really cutting-edge, like, at the forefront, and probably not following all the rules but they get done what they need to get done and it’s kind-of the nature of this new team, Hawaii Five-0.

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David Wain and Nick Kroll on Childrens Hospital, working with friends and being the white Jerry Bruckheimer

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Did you get a chance to see Childrens Hospital when it was a webseries? It was hilarious and ridiculous and I loved every minute of it!

Well, it’s now on Adult Swim every Sunday at 10:30 with brand new full length episodes.

I got a chance to talk with producer David Wain and the great Nick Kroll at Comic-Con in a roundtable interview. These two are incredibly funny and if you love comedy, be sure to check out anything these two guys do – especially Childrens Hospital!

The audio portion is a little noisy (there was a bunch of people in the room) but there is more of the interview that I didn’t include here.

How’s it been having a web series go to TV?

David Wain: I think it was just really a great opportunity for–you know, we did these, very short, one-off blasts on the Internet and basically to have the opportunity to make 12… more rounded, full half-hour episodes and just gave us a chance to do a larger scope. More stories, more ideas, tiny bit more budget, and bring in all our talented friends and so many of them, it’s been really fun. Like Nick.

When you guys first did this, did you have any inkling that it was going to get picked up?

David: No, it it was definitely not at all in any way intended as a TV idea. It was just like, this was a fun web series and that it was interesting. And we’re happy to have done it of course.

Nick: I was just a guest star in the show but I was around for some of the filming the first season and second season and the opportunity to work with David and Rob (Corddry) and Jonathan (Stern) who produced this as well, I just think there are a lot of people who are like, “We’ll work with you doing whatever format that you present to us. Because we just wanna be able to work with people we think are funny and to do something on the web was just — it was an opportunity to do wild stuff that isn’t normally allowed on TV. And then I think they proved that it could be funny and sustainable on the web and so when it became a show, they were allowed to continue to do stuff that they might have been inhibited to had it gone straight from a… I don’t know if that’s true or not, but…

David: Yeah. Another thing we’re excited about is the last episode we’re gonna be doing live. We’re gonna be doing it live this fall.

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Trailer: Let Me In

I saw about 10 minutes of this film at Comic-Con and it looked really, really good. I can’t wait to see it! In the meantime, you can watch the Swedish version its based on, Let The Right One In, one Netflix streaming.

Let Me In: Chloe Moretz (Hit Girl from Kick-Ass) stars as Abby, a mysterious 12-year old girl, who moves next door to Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Road). Owen is a social outcast who is viciously bullied at school and in his loneliness, forms a profound bond with his new neighbor. Owen can’t help noticing that Abby is like no one he has ever met before. As a string of grisly murders occupy the town, Owen has to confront the reality that this seemingly innocent girl is really a savage vampire.

Director: Matt Reeves
Cast: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Moretz, Richard Jenkins

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Anna Kendrick on Scott Pilgrim, Twilight and Comic-Con

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World opens this weekend and I can’t say enough good things about it. I saw this a couple of weeks ago and it’s one of the most inventive and funniest movies I’ve seen in a long time. The whole cast is great and it’s fun to see Michael Cera kick some butt.

Anna Kendrick stars as Scott’s bossy sister, Stacey. She was perfect and is a total scene stealer.

from Time Out New York

How would you describe your character, Stacey Pilgrim?
She’s sort of like Jiminy Cricket. She’s basically the voice in the back of your head that you know is right, but that you know you’re not going to listen to. The little voice that goes, “I told you so” when things go to shit.

Did you have fun bossing Michael Cera around?
I had the urge to boss Scott Pilgrim around, but Michael, I’m just like, “Do you want cookies and milk or something? You’re so sweet.” Maybe I have a mom complex. I just want to tuck him in.

What was the cast dynamic like?
It’s a good thing that we all got along, ’cause those fight scenes take like three weeks to shoot. There’s a lot of standing around, so you have to find a way to pass the time. So you end up doing impressions.

Who’d you imitate?
Well, we were trying to do impressions of [director] Edgar [Wright], and it’s impossible. He’s got this crazy hybrid accent; he sounds like he’s from everywhere. Mary [Elizabeth Winstead] was okay at it, I was not very good.

We were bummed you didn’t get your own ass-kicking scene. If you could write one in, who would you fight?
I’d take on Superman. You know, go big or go home.

While we’re on this topic, do you play for Team Edward or Team Jacob?
I’m Team Jacob. I read Twilight, and then I read New Moon, and when Edward left, I was like, Okay. Bye. Then he [came back and] was all controlling. And I was like, Whatever. Fuck you, man, you left.

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Daniel Dae Kim: “As an actor, I’m always looking to challenge and diversify”

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For six seasons, you saw Daniel Dae Kim as Jin in Lost. Now, get ready for a totally different character in his new show, Hawaii Five-O.

In this re-boot, he stars as Detective Chin Ho Kelly alongside Alex O’Loughlin, Scott Caan and Grace Park.  When he took the role, he said was looking to play someone different then Jin… and I’m betting he wanted to stay in Hawaii.

I got a chance to talk to Daniel at this years Comic-Con (in a round-table format so most of the questions weren’t mine) about the new version of Hawaii Five-O, Lost and a whole lot more.

Once again you’re filming and you’re shooting in Hawaii. What’s going to be different or what has been different about this experience versus Lost.

Daniel Dae Kim:  I’m not in the jungle.  I’m in climate-controlled situations. Uh, I’m not dirty. [LAUGHTER] And my clothes don’t have holes in them. So, yeah, that’s all…

That’s a good start.

Yeah, those are all very different. You know, it’s a very different sensibility to the show. Lost, was epic in scale, it told a large story with sci-fi elements. This show is more action-oriented. It’s faster, people like to say high-octane. And, you know, it’s a…it’s a familiar kind of story. Cops and robbers. Bad guys, good guys.

In this story, you’re a much more physical actor in this versus what you’ve done in the past. Are you doing your own stunts?

I will do whatever they will let me do, let’s put it that way.  I like doing my own stunts and I’ve done my own stunts as long as I’ve been an actor. And, I’ve had to learn to motorcycle and there will be limits to what I can do on that motorcycle because I have a wife and kids who want to see me come home every day. But other than that, I’m anxious and excited.

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Tron: Legacy Comic-Con Press Conference and Panel

Tron: Legacy was one of the big films that was showcased at this years Comic-Con and it went over like gang-busters.

I got a chance to go to the press conference before the actual panel and my am really looking forward to the movie.

I’ve edited some clips together where Jeff Bridges talks about revisiting the character of Flynn after 27 years, what’s it like to wear the suits and more.  And after watching this, I gotta say, I love Michael Sheen even more – the guy is extremely funny!

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Dexter: Comic-Con panel

The Dexter panel at Comic-Con is always a fun one to attend. Michael C. Hall is always funny and the way he answers the sometimes ridiculous questions are classic. It was also great to see him looking so good after his cancer battle.

This season, it looks like Dexter will have to deal with the suspicions of his co-workers (Quinn! Watch the trailer below)  Also, look for guest stars Julia Stiles, Johnny Lee Miller, Shawn Hatosy and Peter Weller.

Here are some nuggets from the panel plus a portion of Showtime’s panel (which I wasn’t able to attend) and the trailer for Season 5!

Michael C. Hall:

* Who was your favorite Guest Star? ” That’s hard. I’ve enjoyed all the people I’ve killed.”

* “Being a serial killer is like acting. If you feel like you have to do it, then do it.” (He got a huge laugh on that).

* On the death of Rita: “He’s motivated by a desire to make amends for that even if he doesn’t consciously know it. He needs to make things right, even if it feels impossible.”

* “An appetite remains for killing and I think there’s an inexpressible unquenchable vengeance alive in Dexter now because of the fact that he killed Trinity and allowed himself to express a sense of kinship and a sense of mercy, only to discover that the guy had murdered his wife. He can’t bring Trinity back to life and kill him again, so he has to find other victims.”

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Comic-Con!

It’s Comic-Con time again!

Time for no sleep, movie panels and tons of swag!

I’ve got some great interviews lined up that I hope everyone will like. I’ll try and update the site as much as I can while I’m here so keep checking back for updates.

If you’re in San Diego, let me know!

Scarlett Johansson on her Broadway debut, playing a teenager and Iron Man 2

From wsj.com:

The Wall Street Journal: Normally you play characters who are older than you. Is it a challenge to play a teenager on stage?

Ms. Johansson: It’s really kind of agonizing in some ways to be 17, and I didn’t know if I wanted to go back there. I’m very wary of actors that are in their 20s that are playing teenagers, that play it with this really sort of false adolescence. It’s like a pet peeve of mine. I thought it was going to be an uncomfortable challenge—a challenge, but not a good kind of a challenge—and it turned out that I never thought about it again.

Did you work with a dialect coach?

We did have a dialect coach we’ve been working with. I’m from Manhattan and so it’s not an unfamiliar dialect for me. My mom’s side of the family’s all from New York, and of course they’re Jewish and from different boroughs, so it’s not exactly the same. The Italian Brooklyn accent is sort of particular to the Italians, but it’s similar.

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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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