Actors on Acting Archives

Keira Knightley on ‘Seeking a Friend’: “It was one of the best scripts I’d seen in years – and so unique”

In Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Keira Knightley’s character Penny joins the ranks of cinema’s Manic Pixie Dream Girls. Not familiar with the term? Coined by film critic Nathan Rabin to describe the type of free-spirited, indie-music loving, quirky young girls who seem to only exist in movies to open up emotionally hollow men (like Natalie Portman’s character in Garden State and Zooey Deschannel’s in 500 Days of Summer), Knightley’s version of the MPDG serves as inspiration to Steve Carrell’s character in the film, who is trying to come to terms with the failures in his life as the world is coming to an end.

Kevin Spacey Talks About Learning From The Best – Jack Lemmon, Joseph Papp & Mike Nichols

After learning from the best as a young actor – Jack Lemmon, Joseph Papp, Mike Nichols – Kevin Spacey is ready to give back.

Julianne Hough: “My biggest fear is that people think, Oh, just because she was on ‘Dancing with the Stars’, she thinks she can act now”

Julianne Hough is talking a lot about Rock of Ages, the film adaptation of the smash hit Broadway musical that features some of the greatest rock hits of the 1980s. She talked about how Dancing with the Stars helped her acting career and whether or not her fellow actors are singing on the soundtrack.

Joe Manganiello on ‘Magic Mike,’ ‘True Blood’ and Hanging Out With Wolves

Actor Joe Manganiello has learned to take a light-hearted approach to his career. How could he not? He plays a werewolf on HBO’s True Blood and a stripper in Steven Soderbergh’s new movie Magic Mike.

Chris Rock Says Voicing Animated Characters: “The easiest job in the world”

By the time most franchises reach the third film, audiences are either sure they’ve seen enough (does anyone really want to see a Men in Black 4?) or still clamoring more. In the case of Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, which topped the box office this past weekend, the franchise might still have legs.

Biography: Catherine Zeta-Jones

Catherine Zeta-Jones received an Academy Award®, Broadcast Film Critics Association Critic’s Choice Award, Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award® and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as the murderous Velma Kelly in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Chicago.

Giancarlo Esposito Talks Starring in the New Play, ‘Storefront Church’ and His Career: “It was a long journey to find myself”

Giancarlo Esposito, best known for his role as murderous Gustavo Fring on AMC’s Breaking Bad, is starring in John Patrick Shanley’s new play, Storefront Church. The show, which also stars Ron Cephas Jones and Tony Award winner Tonya Pinkins, is part three in a series that also includes the acclaimed play Doubt.

Philip Seymour Hoffman: “Acting’s not something you get good at and stay good at” (Video)

Here’s a nice Q&A with Philip Seymour Hoffman from CBS’ Sunday Morning. They have a quick career retrospective, showing his first appearance on Law & Order and up to his performances in Capote and Moneyball.

Martin Starr: “I’m allergic to money, because the choices that I make usually concern the people and the project itself, rather than the financial gain that is projected”

Starr admits that very often those small roles don’t pay much, but that doesn’t matter much to him.

Andrew Rannells on ‘Girls’ and His Upcoming Fall Show, ‘The New Normal’

Andrew Rannells recently appeared on HBO’s hit show Girls as formerly-closeted ex-boyfriend, Elijah and in an interview with Vulture, Rannells touched on some of the racial controversy surrounding the show.

Jessica Paré Talks About Getting ‘Mad Men’ Role and Being Certain She’d Be Written Out

Mad Men star Jessica Paré didn’t expect to be on the show for long. She had one line in her first episode but that didn’t stop her excitement

Biography: Charlize Theron

Oscar®-winner Charlize Theron is one of the great actresses of our time. With her ability to capture a plethora of characters, she relentlessly demands the audience’s full attention as soon as she appears on screen.

Biography: Ian McShane

With his portrayals of bad guys, scoundrels and thieves, a lawless saloon owner to the sexiest of beastly British mobsters, award-winning actor Ian McShane has, time and again, captured the public’s attention.

Biography: Josh Brolin

Academy Award®-nominated actor Josh Brolin has emerged as one of Hollywood’s top leading men. A powerful, sought-after film actor, Brolin continues to balance challenging roles in both mainstream studio productions as well as thought-provoking independents.

Watch: Jennifer Garner and Alfred Molina in the Short Film, ‘Serena’

In this short film, Jennifer Garner plays Serena, a woman who makes a series of strange and shocking confessions to her priest, played by Alfred Molina.

Tom Hardy Talks ‘Lawless’, ‘Dark Knight’ and Acting: “When I’m working, I have this discipline and I get meaning from it”

Tom Hardy is about to appear in a role that will most likely solidify him as a major star, Bane in The Dark Knight Rises.

Biography: Hugh Dancy

Hugh Dancy most recently appeared in Our Idiot Brother directed by Jesse Peretz and Martha Marcy May Marlene, with both films receiving critical acclaim at 2011 Sundance Film Festival. In addition to his leading man role in Hysteria, in 2012 Dancy will voice the character of Marshall Mallow in the

Biography: Alexander Skarsgard

Alexander Skarsgard is quickly becoming one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood. He began his acting career at the age of eight and worked steadily in films and on Swedish television.

Biography: Liam Neeson

Liam Neeson has become one of the leading international motion-picture actors today. Whether it is his Academy Award®-nominated role of Oskar Schindler in Steven Spielberg’s highly acclaimed Schindler’s List (1993), his award-winning portrayal of the legendary Irish Republican hero in Michael Collins (1996), or his role as controversial sex therapist Alfred Kinsey in the critically acclaimed Kinsey (2004), Neeson continues to display an acting range matched by few.

Michael Fassbender on Early Auditions, Directors and Acting: “I take my work seriously but I can’t take myself too seriously”

Michael Fassbender is an actor who most people weren’t aware of in 2010, but by the end of 2011 his name and his naked body were the talk of the town. He talks about his early experiences breaking into acting and how he has coped with his fame post-Shame.