Broadway may be the center of the theater universe in the U.S., but not all acting greats who start in theater get their breakthrough in New York City. In fact, a number of notable actors who had their first major breakthrough in Chicago theater have made their way back to
One of the drawbacks of having a job in which you interact with celebrities is that EVERYONE in my life literally asks the same question after I mention that I’ve met/interviewed/seen a celebrity: “Is he/she nice?” I often point out that they’re supposed to be nice to me because our
There was a time when I would point to Matthew McConaughey‘s first movie role — David Wooderson in Dazed and Confused — as his best role in an inconsistent career overshadowed by performances in silly romantic comedies. But over the past two years McConaughey has constantly challenged himself as an
For a long time the only chance someone of African descent had of starring in a Shakespeare tragedy was the title role of Othello, and even that was off-limits when the role was played (as it often was) by a white actor in blackface. Not only has that thankfully changed,
While the ideal is to see a theatrical performance that is as close to the intention as possible, it’s always special to see a performance that differs from the expectations of the cast and crew. But when an actor falls ill during a performance it can certainly be a scary
Plenty of talented and famous actors never went to drama school, and I’m sure while some of them would recommend that people take acting classes others would recommend against it. But one person you wouldn’t expect to call acting schools a waste of money is the artistic director of a
Like most actors, Jude Law has been in both great films and, well, not-so-great films. And though he’s made more of the former than the latter, he admits something that most actors in his position wouldn’t: when he’s not challenged on a project, he finds filmmaking boring. That is why
Being that The Walking Dead is about a post-apocalyptic world invested with flesh-eating zombies, there are many opportunities for actors to get bit parts as zombies. However, actor Vincent Martella was able to get the full monty: he starred as human Sweet Patrick in the season premiere and quickly succumbed
Okay, so I haven’t watched an episode of Sean Hayes‘ new NBC series, Sean Saves the World. Apparently I’m not alone: with an average of 3.4 million viewers for its first several episodes, Sean Saves the World is already in cancellation territory, or, at the very least, won’t be renewed.
Regardless of what substances Hollywood stars might use behind the scenes, while they’re on camera they’re obviously not using real drugs. So what do Hollywood prop masters reach for when they have simulate drug use on screen? As The New York Post reveals in a really fascinating article, different prop
You’re reading a website named Daily Actor, so I think it’s a fair assumption that you like Shakespeare. Because of that, you’ll probably agree with Sir Ben Kingsley‘s assessment that the best way to keep Shakespeare’s work relevant is to keep it as what it was always meant to be:
12 Years a Slave is probably the most painful film I’ve seen all year, but I mean that in an emotionally moving sense. Though I understand why many people found Lee Daniels’ The Butler tremendously moving (I didn’t), I would have to think that 12 Years a Slave, directed by
Ashton Kutcher might not be able to open a movie these days (or maybe it was just Jobs) and this year’s Two and a Half Men‘s season premiere might have done less than half of the ratings of last year’s season premiere, but based on the Forbes list of highest-paid
When thinking of an actress who could play silver screen legend Elizabeth Taylor in a movie, Helena Bonham Carter probably isn’t the first name to come to mind (then again, neither is Lindsay Lohan). However, Bonham Carter is getting rave reviews for portraying Taylor opposite Dominic West in the BBC television
Though Weeds star Mary-Louise Parker is currently appearing in The Snow Geese, a new play by Sharr White that is now in previews on Broadway, she has a few words of concern about it that she gave to The New York Times earlier this week. But if you know her
Forget diet and exercise. The real secret to weight loss is… Tom Hanks. Well, at least according to fellow actor Matthew McConaughey. McConaughey had to lose a sizable amount of his normal bulk — forty pounds — in order to portray Ron Woodroof, an HIV-positive man, in Dallas Buyers Club.
Seems like the autographed photo I have from Sylvester Stallone is a lot more valuable than I thought… Stallone made a rare New York Comic-Con appearance to promote his upcoming film Escape Plan (which co-stars fellow 80s action movie icon Arnold Schwarzenegger) and while there decided to do what many
Who doesn’t want to be in a Marvel Comics movie? Because of the interlocking nature of the Avengers universe, by appearing in one film you never know if your character will end up popping up in other films (look at Clark Gregg, for example — from a bit part in
Sometimes you just have to give into cliches because they’re actually true. In the case of Tom Hanks‘ latest film Captain Phillips, when I saw it last week I literally was at the edge of my seat. Even though I knew how this real-life story about a cargo ship captain
All Is Lost in not a movie that everyone is going to like. It is a story survival about a lone man against nature as he faces dangerous conditions with his damaged boat in the middle of the ocean. One of the most incredible things about it is that it
