Actors on Acting Archives

Steven Spielberg Reveals Letter from Daniel Day-Lewis that Initially Rejected ‘Lincoln’ Role

It’s given that Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln will win many Academy Awards. Not only did it score the most nominations, but it is the exact type of film that the Academy loves. And while it wouldn’t be a surprise to see masterful star (and Golden Globe winner) Daniel Day-Lewis get his third Oscar for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln (and he would also becoming the first actor to win three Best Actor Oscars), he actually almost passed on the role because he thought he’d rather watch the movie than star in it.

Andrew Rannells on Why He Had To Leave ‘Girls’

Looks like Andrew Rannells busy, bicoastal schedule has finally caught up with him.

‘Girls’ Allison Williams on the New Season, Playing Marnie and How Her Life Has Changed

Season 2 of HBO’s hit series, Girls, starts on Sunday, and the characters will be facing many changes since the audience last saw their New York City antics. But the biggest change for the cast was something that occurred off-screen. “The biggest surprise was that suddenly, when we were shooting

Jessica Chastain on ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ Research and Her Broadway Debut in ‘The Heiress’

Jessica Chastain has just earned her second Oscar nomination for her role in the terrorist drama, Zero Dark Thirty. The actress, previously nominated for her role in last year’s The Help, became fully immersed in her role as a CIA agent in the film.

Josh Brolin on His Recent Success: “I’m very fortunate in that I get choice now, where I never had choice before”

Gangster Squad won’t rise to the top of anyone’s favorite gangster movie list, but it’s definitely an enjoyable film. A lot of that has to do with Josh Brolin, who plays Sgt. John O’Mara, the leader of the titular squad who strikes back against Los Angeles gangster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn).

Michael Douglas on Playing Liberace in HBO’s ‘Behind the Candelabra’

A biopic has been in the works on flamboyant entertainer Liberace has been in the works for some time, with Michael Douglas attached to play the lead. The biopic, titled Behind the Candelabra and based on the book by Liberace’s lover Scott Thorson, is finally set to air on HBO in the spring.

John Krasinski on the End of ‘The Office’: “No one would have known my name if it wasn’t for the show”

Once an actor has starred in a television series for a number of years it gets a bit difficult to see the actor in other roles — not just for audiences, but also for those who handle casting. Case in point, I saw John Krasinski in a movie this year in which he was essentially playing his Jim Halpert character from The Office with a different name. That’s not exactly the type of role that helps an actor grow.

Shirley MacLaine on Missing the Stage and Her Thoughts on Acting

It’s rare for a show biz legend like Shirley MacLaine to admit that they’ve never really known much about acting. But after a career that began in the ‘50s, five Oscar nominations and one win, MacLaine is still professing that she’s not really sure why she’s been so successful.

Jennifer Lawrence on Fame: “There are doctors who save lives and firemen who run into burning buildings. I’m making movies. It’s stupid”

The 22 year old actress not only starred in The Hunger Games, one of the year’s biggest blockbusters (which has already made her the highest-grossing action heroine), but also in one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year, Silver Linings Playbook.

Walton Goggins: “An actor that tells you that they have real choices between material is, for the most part, lying”

Walton Goggins is best known for playing bad guys, like Justified’s Boyd Crowder and The Shield’s Shane Vendrell, but the actor doesn’t want everyone to think he’s some sort of criminal.

Rosemarie DeWitt on ‘Promised Land’, Indie Films and Working with Matt Damon and John Krasinski

Rosemarie DeWitt has popped up everywhere recently, from the indie Your Sister’s Sister to the comedy The Watch. Now, with her role in Gus Van Sant’s Promised Land, DeWitt is showing other actors how to take on a variety of projects.

Samuel L. Jackson: “I’m not one of those actors who feels like audiences have to like him”

Samuel L. Jackson continues his long association with director Quentin Tarantino with a major role in Django Unchained. Jackson plays Stephen, the head slave on the plantation known as Candieland. A Tarantino film on its own is often a source of controversy, but the controversy surrounding Django Unchained is heightened because it deals with slavery.

SAG-AFTRA Life Achievement Award Recipient Dick Van Dyke on his Long and Wonderful Career (video)

The SAG Life Achievement Award is given for “outstanding achievement in fostering the finest ideals of the acting profession” and I can’t think of a better choice to receive this years award than Dick Van Dyke.

Scarlett Johansson: “I wanted to start playing adults — tough women who knew what it took to survive”

Scarlett Johansson has made her return to Broadway — her first time since her 2010 debut in Arthur Miller’s A View From the Bridge — as Maggie in Tennessee Williams’ Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

Eddie Redmayne on Auditioning for ‘Les Mis’: “I never felt so terrified in my life”

With the long-awaited film adaptation Les Misérables a big hit at the box office as the year wraps up, the stars of the film have been opening up about how difficult the process of shooting the film was. One of those stars is Eddie Redmayne, who plays Marius in the film, who spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the daunting audition process and the challenge of singing live on set.

Anne Hathaway on the Pressure of Singing ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ in ‘Les Mis’: “Put aside all that bullshit and just do your job”

There are many memorable songs in Les Misérables, but perhaps none are as beloved as “I Dreamed a Dream,” which is sung by Fantine. Over the last few decades it has been recorded by everyone from Neil Diamond to Aretha Franklin, and turned middle-aged Scottish singer Susan Boyle into a household name with a single television performance.

Hugh Jackman on Singing Live for ‘Les Mis’: “It was a weird set to go on. It was a bunch of crazy people in the rain singing”

It’s now well-known that the filmmakers and actors had a unique approach to recording the music in Les Misérables. Unlike most movie musicals in which the songs are recorded before the shoot and the cast mimes to the music, Les Misérables features the cast recorded as they were singing live.

Barbra Streisand on ‘The Guilt Trip’, Challenging Herself and How She’s Difficult to Hire

It’s not easy to get Babs to agree to make a new film. Despite her appearances in the Meet the Parents series, Barbra Streisand chooses her projects carefully. And she’s the first one to admit that she might have made some diva-like requests before she agreed to star in the new film, The Guilt Trip.

Lizzy Caplan talks ‘Masters of Sex’, the Comedy Community and Choosing the Right Roles

Lizzy Caplan is such a good actress that you might actually believe she’s just like the roles she plays—a somewhat nerdy lawyer on New Girl, a druggie in the film Bachelorette. But the comedienne is just adept at “finding some similarities between myself and the characters, even if it’s the tiniest thing.”

Kit Harington on His ‘Game of Thrones’ Accent and Favorite Monologues

The cast of Game of Thrones has the right idea of how to bond with coworkers. Kit Harington, who plays Jon Snow on the HBO series, admits they do “a bit of drinking to get to know each other.”