Jason Bateman on His Dramatic Role in ‘Disconnect’ and How He Prepares for Emotional Scenes
In Disconnect, the usually very funny Jason Bateman plays a career obsessed lawyer who is unaware that his son is being cyber bullied.
Ed Weeks Talks About His Audition for ‘The Mindy Project’: “The part of Jeremy was initially written as a ‘Bradley Cooper’ type”
Ed Weeks has had the opportunity to grow along with his character, ladies’ man Dr. Jeremy Reed, on FOX’s The Mindy Project. But before his audition, Weeks wasn’t sure he would be able to land the part on Mindy Kaling’s sitcom.
John Slattery on His ‘Mad Men’ Crying Scenes and How Actors Have to Trick Themselves Into “Experiencing All This Horrible” Stuff
John Slattery faced one of his biggest challenges so far while playing Mad Men’s Roger Sterling. Roger had to break down over the death of his shoe-shine guy.
Chadwick Boseman on the Research He Did to Play Jackie Robinson in ’42’
When moviegoers go see 42 this weekend, many will be seeing star Chadwick Boseman for the first time. Though Boseman has been acting for a decade, starring as the iconic baseball hero Jackie Robinson is by far his most high-profile role.
Bette Midler: “I just took what the studios gave me, didn’t do my homework and avoided roles that would risk my image”
Bette Midler spent most of her career creating the persona of “The Divine Miss M.” But looking back, the actress regrets not taking more chances.
Jon Hamm Talks Don Draper and the Eventual Goodbye to ‘Mad Men’
The creator of Mad Men, Matt Weiner, begins every season by having a long dinner with his leading man, Jon Hamm. They discuss the trajectory of the scripts and the characters, but they’re also known to slip in a few low-brow jokes as well.
Megan Mullally on How She Spent Her Childhood, Improv and When She Found Out She Was Funny
Megan Mullally has carved out an incredible career in theater and comedy—especially for someone who doesn’t consider herself a trained actress.
Elisabeth Moss Talks ‘Mad Men’, Jane Campion’s ‘Top of the Lake’ and How Sex Scenes Aren’t “Her Favorite Thing To Do”
There’s no way fans of Mad Men would have allowed Elisabeth Moss’ character Peggy Olson to have been kicked off the show. The creator of the AMC drama, Matt Weiner, would never have let that happen either.
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.
Patina Miller on Starring in Broadway’s ‘Pippin’: “As performers, you want to be big. Hit every moment hard”
Patina Miller faces a significant challenge as she takes on the role of the Leading Player in the Broadway revival of Pippin. For one thing, Miller’s only previous Broadway experience was starring in Sister Act.
Louis C.K. on Getting Cast in Woody Allen’s ‘Blue Jasmine’: “I’ve been waiting for that e-mail my whole life”
For most actors, getting cast in a Woody Allen movie is something to be crossed off one’s bucket list. However, when the cast list for Allen’s next film — which would eventually be titled Blue Jasmine — was revealed, two unlikely names were on the list: comedians Andrew Dice Clay and Louis C.K.
Ben Foster on Making his Broadway Debut in ‘Orphans’: “This feels like complete nudity”
Though Ben Foster is officially starring as Treat in Broadway’s Orphans, as far as the cast and crew of Orphans is concerned Foster should probably be billed as “lifesaver.”
Alec Baldwin Talks About Bringing ‘Orphans’ to Broadway and the Behind-the-Scenes Drama: “My greatest regret is that the rehearsal process got exposed by the person himself”
Though it is still in previews, Orphans is one of the most talked about Broadway plays in recent memory. This is because it not only stars Alec Baldwin making his Broadway return for the first time in nine years and it is directed by Tony Award winner Daniel Sullivan, but because of the extensive behind the scenes drama that led to the exit of Shia LaBeouf from the cast and its very public aftermath.
Bobby Cannavale: “I’m fighting, whether it’s accurate or not, a perception that I get of people thinking I’m dumb”
There are few actors who can show emotion on stage as well as Bobby Cannavale. Despite a deep passion for the Broadway stage, Cannavale’s intensity makes him in demand for a variety of film and television roles, including a season-long stint on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire.
Aidan Gillen on His Preparation for ‘Game of Thrones’: “I do sleep in a ‘Pimpin’ Ain’t Easy’ T-shirt that gets me in the mood”
There’s a general plan for the series Game of Thrones because of George R. R. Martin’s books. But because HBO tends to stray from the novels, most of the characters on the show have no idea what’s next for their characters. Aidan Gillen, who plays Petyr ‘Littlefinger’ Baelish, is just one example.
James McAvoy on ‘Trance,’ the “Difficult” ‘Macbeth’ and Finally Feeling Like He Deserves His “Place in the Industry”
James McAvoy has found one of his toughest roles yet—well, physically that is. In the London revival of MacBeth, McAvoy has already injured himself several times.
Jason Bateman: “This business, to a young kid, is kind of a mind-f***”
Many people are surprised when it’s pointed out that forty-four year-old Jason Bateman has been acting for over thirty years — he began his career in 1981 on Little House on the Prairie. Most of that surprise is because Bateman’s current high profile is the latest “up” in his lengthy up and down career.
Masi Oka on Hollywood: “You can’t get Asians cast in leads yet”
Besides Hayden Panettiere and Zachary Quinto, perhaps the biggest breakout star of NBC’s fondly-remembered superhero series Heroes was Japanese-American actor Masi Oka, who starred as Hiro Nakamura. Since the end of the series, Oka has had several roles but nothing on par with his major role on Heroes.
Max Irons on Auditioning for ‘The Host’ and Getting Advice from His Father, Jeremy Irons
Even for a son of a Hollywood legend like Jeremy Irons, actor Max Irons can assure that auditions don’t always go smoothly. When he tried out for The Host, the audition went so poorly he was sure he wouldn’t get the role.
Adam Driver on Nitpicking His Mistakes, ‘Girls’ and Being “Conflicted” with New York Theater
Adam Driver, who plays the lead hipster on HBO’s Girls, is not one of those actors who enjoys watching himself onscreen.