Michael Shannon: “For me the thought of trying to be in character all the time makes me very tired”

I’m sure I’m not the only one, but Michael Shannon playing the villain has me more interested in Man of Steel than anything else.  That’s because ever since I saw Take Shelter and started watching Boardwalk Empire Michael Shannon has become one of my favorite actors.  In an interview with the San Diego Reader, Shannon speaks about his early career, whether or not he believes in staying in-character on set, and is very open about his motivation to take roles. Read more

John Cho on Headlining ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ and Meeting the Original Sulu, George Takei

Despite starring in the popular Harold & Kumar movies, John Cho is probably not as famous as Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, or Zoe Saldana.  Nonetheless, his name appears first in the credits for Star Trek into Darkness, the latest entry in the long-running science fiction multimedia franchise. 

However, Cho tells TheStar.com not to look too much into his headlining.  He explains, “I guess that’s in keeping with the ethos of (Star Trek creator) Gene Rodenberry, which was to do it that way and not to rank people. And that’s how (reboot director/producer) J.J. Abrams wants to keep it.  Careers have exploded, but we’re all back as a team, and no actor is bigger than J.J. He is the captain for all intents and purposes. I don’t think anyone feels particularly more important than the other. It just doesn’t feel that way.” Read more

Q & A: John Krasinski Talks the End of ‘The Office’, His Audition, Past Commercials and More

On May 16th, The Office will be closing its doors. After an eight-year run, Jim Pam, Dwight and the rest of the gang will be moving on to bigger and better things (hopefully). I’ve watched every episode of the long running series and I’ll definitely be sad to see the show go.

Before getting the role of Jim, John Krasinski was like almost every other actor in New York. He’d work his job as a waiter during the week then run off to an audition when he could. He had booked a few things but “not anything that would allow me to claim that I was a working actor and didn’t need another job,” he said during a conference call. Booking The Office was like winning the lottery, “except with a winning lottery ticket you just get money, and with this you get a whole change of your life.”

If you’re a fan of the show, you’ll love this interview. And honestly, even if you’re not, there’s some great stuff in here about what it’s like to go from hustling for auditions to becoming a star on a major network show. In this interview, John and Executive Producer/Writer Greg Daniels talk about the end of The Office, John’s audition, his past commercials and more. It’s a long one but it’s really great.

The Office airs on Thursdays at 9 on NBC – for only 2 more weeks! Read more

Biography: Christopher Meloni

Christopher Meloni, already one of Hollywood’s most successful television actors, solidifies his leading man status with a number of much-anticipated feature films. He will next be seen in Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel,” opening in June. Meloni then stars in “Small Time,” with Bridget Moynahan and Dean Norris, due for a limited release later this summer.

In October, he co-stars with Josh Brolin, Bruce Willis, Jessica Alba, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eva Green, and Mickey Rourke in “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For,” the sequel to 2005’s screen adaptation of Frank Miller’s highly regarded graphic novel. Currently, Meloni is co-starring in the indie comedy “Awful Nice,” which premiered to great reviews at the 2013 SXSW Film Festival in Austin. He also has two other films awaiting release dates for 2013/2014: “They Came Together,” directed by David Wain and also starring Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, and Ed Helms; and “White Bird in a Blizzard,” based on the book of the same name by Laura Kasischke, with Shailene Woodley and Eva Green.

The Washington, D.C. native studied acting at the University of Colorado – Boulder before graduating with a degree in History. He worked in construction and as a bouncer before breaking into acting, studying his craft in New York with legendary teacher Sanford Meisner. Early on, he landed a number of small film roles and short-lived TV series, including “The Fanelli Boys,” before his breakout part on “NYPD Blue,” opposite Kim Delaney. That led to him winning a series regular role on HBO’s gritty series “Oz,” playing the psychotic, bisexual murderer Chris Keller, in an ensemble cast that also included J.K. Simmons, Lee Tergesen and Rita Moreno. Read more

Biography: Hamish Linklater

Hamish Linklater starred for five seasons on the CBS comedy “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” playing the brother of Julia-Louis Dreyfus’s title character. On the big screen, he recently co-starred with Liam Neeson and Alexander Skarsgård in Peter Berg’s 2012 action adventure “Battleship.”

An accomplished stage actor, Linklater most recently starred opposite Alan Rickman in the Broadway play “Seminar,” marking his Broadway debut. In 2011, he won an Obie Award for his performance off-Broadway in “The School for Lies.” He earned a Drama Desk Award nomination in 2010 for his work in the Public Theatre’s Shakespeare in the Park production of “Twelfth Night.” Earlier this year, he made his playwriting debut with “Vandal,” which just premiered off-Broadway.

Born in the heart of the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts, Linklater began acting at the age of eight as part of an acting troupe called Shakespeare & Company, founded by his mother, Columbia University drama professor and noted vocal coach Kristin Linklater. After attending Amherst College, he left school to pursue his career. Read more

Biography: Harrison Ford

Harrison Ford has starred in some of the most successful and acclaimed films in cinema history, including the landmark “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” franchises and a total of eight Best Picture Oscar®-nominated movies. Ford earned an Academy Award® nomination for his compelling portrayal of Detective John Book in Peter Weir’s 1985 Oscar®-nominated hit “Witness,” for which he also received Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations, all for Best Actor. Ford subsequently garnered three more Best Actor Golden Globe nominations: for his performances in Weir’s 1986 drama “The Mosquito Coast”; the 1994 Oscar®-nominated blockbuster “The Fugitive,” for director Andrew Davis; and Sydney Pollack’s 1996 remake of “Sabrina.”

Over the course of his illustrious career, Ford has also been repeatedly honored for his contributions to the film industry, including the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s Cecil B. DeMille Award, in 2002, and the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2000. In 1994, the National Association of Theater Owners named him the Box Office Star of the Century. Read more

Homeland’s David Harewood is “an overnight success that was 25 years in the making”

David Harewood isn’t bitter that he was killed off Showtime’s hit series, Homeland.  In fact, he credits the show with turning his career around.

“I wouldn’t say I’m glad to be out of the show, but I think I probably left at the right time,” he said in an interview with The Sun.  “I left everybody wanting a bit more of me!  It’s been extraordinary—the best reaction to anything I’ve ever done in my life.  And it really brought me to the attention of a wider audience.”

Landing the role of CIA chief David Estes came at the perfect time in Harewood’s career.  “Two and a half years ago I was at my lowest ebb,” he admitted.  “My best friend had just died, I wasn’t working, I was completely skint and very close to giving up.  But then I got the call and now things have changed 100 percent.  It’s completely turned round.  Homeland picked me up out of the gutter and I’m so very grateful for it.” Read more

Los Angeles Sees Big Rise in Film and Television Production in 2013

As a native New Yorker, I’m happy that so many films and television shows have been shot here over the last dozen years or so.  When I was growing up, it was far less common for movies and television shows to actually be shot in New York — even if the stories were set in New York! 

However, the rise in productions filming in New York certainly had to come at the expense of other areas, including Los Angeles.  After several years of declines or stagnation — mostly because of the economy and productions filming elsewhere because of tax credits — it appears that production in Los Angeles is bouncing back in a big way. Read more

Moroccan Actor Enjoys Fame From His Obama “Look-a-Like” Performance in ‘The Bible’

Along with its high ratings, the History Channel’s mini-series The Bible was in the news because the actor playing Satan kind of… sort of… well, maybe looked like Barack Obama, the President of the United States. I suppose he does if you squint your eyes and are really trying to look for a resemblance, but you know how the talking heads on the news love to make mountains out of molehills.  Some in the media saw this as a shot at the president on behalf of conservative Christians, though producers Roma Downey and Mark Burnett called the controversy “utter nonsense.”

Indeed, one of the people most surprised by the controversy was Mehdi Ouazzani, the Moroccan actor who portrayed Satan in the mini-series.  However, he is obviously grateful for the attention.  In an interview with The Associated Press, he says, “One morning somebody called me and said ‘you have to look at your email’ and I was so surprised. For someone like me, a simple unknown actor, to find himself in a controversy like this — even though it’s nonsense — it makes me known around the world, so it’s something positive.” Read more

Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz & Rafe Spall are coming to Broadway in Pinter’s ‘Betrayal’, directed by Mike Nichols

Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz and Rafe Spall, will star on Broadway in Harold Pinter’s Betrayal, directed by ten-time Tony Award-winner Mike Nichols.

Both Weisz and Spall will be making their Broadway debuts.

The show will begin performances on Tuesday, October 1st at the Barrymore Theatre (243 West 47^th Street).  Opening night is Sunday, November 3rd.

It will run only 14 weeks, through January 5th, 2014. Read more

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