It’s not often that such an acclaimed actor as Javier Bardem stars as the villain in a James Bond movie, which is perhaps one of the reasons why Skyfall is the most critically praised 007 films in the series’ fifty-year history.
Few actors have the career trajectory of Bryan Cranston, who, after decades of supporting roles has suddenly, in his mid-fifties, found himself the star of a critically acclaimed television series, Breaking Bad, and roles in several high-profile movies, including Drive and Argo. In a lengthy interview with The Guardian, Cranston talks about the affect Breaking Bad has had on his career and how he looks at his current success.
Not many actors have to step into a role that was at one time played by an actor in seventeen films previously, so perhaps it’s fair to say that Ben Whishaw has it more difficult than most young actors by appearing as James Bond’s personal armorer Q in Skyfall.
Though a long-time supporting player, comedian Jack McBrayer has since broken through with his starring role on 30 Rock over the last few years. He’s also putting his familiar voice to work voicing Fix-It Felix, Jr. in Disney’s latest animated film, the classic arcade game-inspired Wreck-It Ralph.
Here is a wonderful video by Celia Rowlson-Hall called, The Audition.
Although she’s a Tony Award winning actress, Katie Finneran has had to work tremendously hard on her portrayal of Miss Hannigan in the new Broadway revival of Annie.
Dakota Johnson was definitely able to relate to her role as a sibling in FOX’s sitcom Ben and Kate. She was less ready for portraying a mother.
Despite playing Daddy Warbucks twice already, Anthony Warlow still felt he had a lot to learn in Broadway’s latest revival of Annie.
Sometimes an actor is faced with the decision of whether to choose a role for the popularity it will bring or to stick with more fulfilling projects. British actress Anna Friel ended up choosing to star in a new production of Anton Chekov’s Uncle Vanya.
I got to see Hyde Park on Hudson at the New York Film Festival, and while it’s far from a perfect movie (though it is, in my opinion, a very good one), Bill Murray’s performance as Franklin Delano Roosevelt is among the best roles he has ever done.
Portraying a real person is nothing new to Toby Jones. He starred as Truman Capote in Infamous (2006), super-agent Swifty Lazar in Frost/Nixon (2008) and Karl Rove in W (also 2008). Now, he’s starring as Alfred Hitchcock in HBO’s The Girl, a job that, he told Collider, was “unturndownable.”
It’s nearly impossible after decades of a successful career to imagine Susan Sarandon as a fledging actress, but the 66-year-old was once the victim of those infamous casting couch sessions.
Thomas Sadoski’s connections to the world of theater helped him land the role of Don Keefer on HBO’s The Newsroom.
Sex and the City’s Cynthia Nixon has taken on a whole new world in the upcoming ReelzChannel’s mini-series that has been adapted from the works of author Ken Follett. Entitled World Without End, Nixon has traded in her glamorous life with Carrie Bradshaw and the girls for a more devilish role. In the $46 million dollar production Nixon plays Petranilla, a killer and master manipulator living in the 14th century in the midst of the Hundred Years’ War with Black Death looming in the air.
Despite being nominated for three Oscars in the last dozen years, The Big C star Laura Linney may not make the strongest initial impression from her roles because she’s often working in subdued roles with much more visible actors, like Jim Carrey in The Truman Show or Bill Murray in
Believe it or not, Sir Ian McKellen had reservations about returning to his role as Gandalf for The Hobbit movies, which are prequels to the beloved Lord of the Rings films.
Hugo Weaving is no stranger to big-budget genre films as a key character in both The Matrix trilogy and The Lord of the Rings films (he will reprise his Rings character, the elf lord Elrond, in The Hobbit prequel movies).
After landing plum roles in Death Proof and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Mary Elizabeth Winstead became complacent. The 27-year-old actress assumed that more exciting projects would automatically come her way.
Nate Parker, star of the newly released film Arbitrage, starred alongside Washington in The Great Debaters in 2007 and he told Parker that an actors career is determined by the first five roles they take.
Samantha Marie Ware is earning rave reviews for her role as Nabulungi in the touring company of the hit musical Book of Mormon, now playing in Los Angeles.
