Ralph Fiennes Laments The ‘Twitter Effect’ on the English Language
Ralph Fiennes has recently blamed Twitter and our soundbite-obsessed media for dumbing down the English language.
Happy Halloween! The Daughter of Boris Karloff Recalls Her Father’s Struggles Before ‘Frankenstein’
It’s Halloween, and I’m sure you’ve seen at least one image of Frankenstein as you’ve geared up for the holiday. Chances are that the Frankenstein that you saw was based on the bolt neck, flat-headed lumbering portrayal of Frankenstein’s Monster made famous by Boris Karloff in the Universal Frankenstein film series.
Guinness Book of World Records Says Samuel L. Jackson is the Highest-Grossing Actor of All Time
At first it’s surprising that the highest grossing box office actor of all time isn’t someone like John Wayne or Arnold Schwarzenegger, but Samuel L. Jackson.
Johnny Depp: “First and foremost, to bore your audience is like the worst thing you can do. Always try to keep them guessing”
While most would assume that Depp was legitimately wasted throughout the filming of the movie, Depp claims he wasn’t or he still would be shooting the film. Instead, he’s based his “drunk acting” on “observation.”
English Star of ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ Becomes a Literal Savior by Saving Family from Blaze
Levi James saved two trapped parents and their ten-month-old daughter from their burning apartment in Patchway, England, and then sprayed the fire with a garden hose until the firefighters came to the scene of the blaze.
Michael Sheen: “The whole fame thing, it’s a bit like a pinball machine… I bounce back and forth between wanting that, and not wanting that”
Michael Sheen — the often praised star of Frost/Nixon and Midnight in Paris, and also known as the best Tony Blair out there (he’s appeared as Blair three times, including in The Queen) — is one of those actors who has a long list of impressive credits but is far from a household name.
Rhys Ifans: “Shakespeare is kind of a bastion for an actor. Until you get Shakespeare, especially in England, you’re not a real actor”
Ifans confesses that not only did he not expect to get the part, but he didn’t even like Shakespeare’s work at first!
Michael Shannon Talks About “My First Exposure to the Wonderful World of Dramatic Arts”
As Shannon prepares for his upcoming role as General Zod in Man of Steel, he sat down to talk about his early years as a struggling actor.
Actors Launch Writing Careers on the New York Stage
What’s the easiest way to get the play you’ve written staged in a New York City theater?
John Hawkes: “If something is written pretty strong you can play the opposite of it to interesting effect”
Playing a character fueled by his own cult of personality and mostly using his chilling voice as his weapon of choice is a definite stretch for most actors, but Hawkes elaborated on how he managed to create his portrayal of Patrick.
Ryan Gosling on Working with George Clooney and His Worst Audition Ever
Gosling recently talked about his experience working both for and with Clooney and the stellar cast of The Ides of March as well as his worst audition story ever in the video below.
Rachel Griffiths: “I never thought I would do television, but what I quickly realized is that television is really similar to the theater”
Like nearly every actor, Griffiths confesses that she’s always had Broadway dreams, but it was difficult to choose where to begin and how to handle the workload.
Matthew Lillard: “Somehow, someway, I got into a bad jag of movies that helped pay the rent”
So what’s Lillard up to these days? Surprisingly to most, including Lillard himself, he has a small but key role in Alexander Payne’s The Descendents.
Actress Sues Internet Movie Database for Revealing Her True Age
An unnamed actress is suing Amazon, the owner of the second most popular movie website on the web (after Daily Actor, of course… right?) the Internet Movie Database for $1 million.
Zachary Quinto on ‘Margin Call,’ Iconic Characters and the Most Challenging Thing He’s Done as an Actor
“If another villainous character comes along that has dimensions, I certainly wouldn’t pass up the opportunity just because I’ve done it in a different context.”
Samuel L. Jackson on His Prolific Career and Becoming Martin Luther King, Jr. in ‘The Mountaintop’
Jackson is thankful that his salary from his blockbuster films allows him to explore smaller, more challenging work like The Mountaintop, a Broadway play in which Jackson appears as Martin Luther King, Jr.
Jessica Chastain On How She Managed to Appear in Eight Films in 2011
Pick a movie currently playing in theaters. Chances are Jessica Chastain is in it.
Willem Dafoe on His Love of New York and the Importance of Acting on Stage
With his next film, 4:44 Last Day on Earth making its United States debut at the New York Film Festival, Dafoe has a lot to say about the city that he calls half-home (he lives the part of the year in Italy).
Frank Langella: “You really just need the platform and the actor, another piece of humanity, sharing his humanity with the audience”
Frank Langella won a Tony for playing a very unappealing Richard Nixon in Frost/Nixon, but that wasn’t his only run as the “bad guy” of a play. In fact, Langella is currently starring in a revival of Terrence Rattigan‘s 1963 play Man and Boy with the Roundabout Theatre Company at
John C. Reilly on How to Impress Your Co-Stars: “Just pretend like you belong there and maybe you’ll rise to the occasion”
A friend of mine in acting school said, ‘Fake it ’til you make it.'” He adds a summary of that good advice: “Just pretend like you belong there and maybe you’ll rise to the occasion.”