Being that Marvel Comics — which is now owned by Disney — has created an ongoing connected universe of franchises with its Avengers movies, it’s become clear now that once you sign up to play a Marvel character your character will potentially pop up in other films.
It’s always odd to see one-time child actors take on their first “adult” roles. In the case of Freddie Highmore, who starred in Finding Neverland, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and August Rush, the twenty-one year-old actor is stepping into adulthood by taking on a role that launches him from cute kid to creepy teenager — Norman Bates.
Daniel Radcliffe isn’t sure how much longer people are going to talk about Harry Potter—or insist that his career is hurt by the franchise’s popularity.
It might be difficult enough for some straight male actors, like Hoon Lee, to play gay characters—but what about donning wigs and dresses?
French-English actress Kristin Scott Thomas might be most familiar for her roles in 1990s hits The English Patient and Four Weddings and a Funeral, but Scott Thomas has consistently worked in American, English, and French film and theater.
Not many septuagenarians — soon to be octogenarians — actresses still work steadily in film and television, but Dame Maggie Smith is no normal actress. Along with starring on the critically acclaimed Downton Abbey television series, she recently appeared in Quartet, Dustin Hoffman’s directorial debut.
Though The Incredible Burt Wonderstone hasn’t received the best pre-release reviews, it seems most people are happy just to see star Steve Carell doing a full-out comedy again after several turns as a dour man having a mid-life crisis.
Though I like Steve Carell from his roles in Anchorman, The 40 Year Old Virgin, and, of course, The Office, I really don’t think any of his recent films have really shown him at his comedic best. However, from the looks of The Incredible Burt Wonderstone we may have another Carell winner coming soon.
Peter Ostrum knew he better have a back-up plan after starring as Charlie Bucket in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. He didn’t want to become one of those child actors that end up train-wrecks later in life.
Emilia Clarke, star of Game of Thrones, understands that people might be expecting a lot out of her portrayal of Holly Golightly in the new Broadway adaptation of Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Olivia Wilde lived out multiple dreams of hers while working on The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. She was thrilled to become part of the cast as Steve Carrell’s magician’s assistant.
Terrence Howard knows that it’s all about swagger when playing a villain. In his new film, Dead Man Down, the Oscar-nominated actor used his style to depict a true bad guy.
It might seem odd that Michelle Williams did research for her new movie role. After all, she’s playing a fairy tale witch in the new Wizard of Oz prequel, Oz: The Great and Powerful.
Alex Karpovsky is one of those lucky actors who rarely has to audition for anything. He was friends with before landing his role on her hit HBO series, Girls. The only part he’s ever tried out for is in the upcoming Coen brothers’ movie, Inside Llewyn Davis.
Jude Law had an explosive film career in the 1990s and early 2000s, and though he continues to star in high-profile films like the Sherlock Holmes series and Side Effects he’s also made a regular effort of returning to his roots as a theater actor.
Jeff Daniels is somewhat enamored with his boss, creator/writer/executive producer Aaron Sorkin. The two are working together on HBO’s series, The Newsroom, where Daniels is able to recreate some of Sorkin’s best monologues.
Shiri Appleby was planning on leaving acting behind for a little bit while she got more involved behind the camera. In an effort to learn more about directing, Appleby was planning on shadowing director Jesse Peretz, who works on HBO’s Girls.
Alec Baldwin is probably the best example of a celebrity I can think of who I think is insanely talented but I certainly wouldn’t want to be friends with. But one thing I will always give Baldwin is that he isn’t afraid to speak his mind — even if what comes out isn’t always appropriate.
Boondock Saints star Norman Reedus plays Daryl Dixon, one of the many always-expendable human characters on smash zombie hit The Walking Dead. But according to Reedus in a panel discussion about the show at Paleyfest, in some ways the actors and the writers are just as expendable as the on-screen characters.
When actors claim that doing Shakespeare is hard, they probably weren’t referring to the likelihood of getting injured on stage. But James McAvoy was recently so roughed up during performances on Macbeth at London’s Trafalgar Studios Theater that he had to turn to physiotherapy sessions to get healed.
