Alec Baldwin is probably the best example of a celebrity I can think of who I think is insanely talented but I certainly wouldn’t want to be friends with. But one thing I will always give Baldwin is that he isn’t afraid to speak his mind — even if what comes out isn’t always appropriate.
When people I know in theater ask me what growing company I think has its act together (horrible pun not intended), The Seeing Place is always the first that comes to mind.
Boondock Saints star Norman Reedus plays Daryl Dixon, one of the many always-expendable human characters on smash zombie hit The Walking Dead. But according to Reedus in a panel discussion about the show at Paleyfest, in some ways the actors and the writers are just as expendable as the on-screen characters.
Steve Buscemi is one of my favorite actors, mostly because he’s so versatile. He can be cold and calculating, like in Fargo or as Nucky Thompson in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, and he can be quirky, like in Ghost World or The Big Lebowski.
The biggest compliment I can give the cast and crew of #hero is that the approximately 110 minute play is just too short to fully tackle the full potential of these characters.
Winning an Oscar is a major artistic accomplishment for actors and actresses professionally, but how much does it affect their wallets? I mean, wouldn’t you expect an Oscar winner to demand a higher salary on his or her next film just so the producers can put “Academy Award Winner” above his or her name on the poster?
If you think that you haven’t seen much of Ethan Hawke on movie screens lately, you’d be right. However, Hawke’s lower profile in film is not a case of him not being offered work, but a case of Hawke’s increasing desire to concentrate on his theater work.
Martin Short’s the type of performer who is never too far away from the spotlight, and with good reason: it’s clear that the guy just loves to work. He talks about his recent voiceover roles, guest appearances, theater work, and hosting gigs
When you see how buddy-buddy actors like Ben Affleck and George Clooney are (and we can’t forget an obligatory Affleck and Matt Damon friendship reference), it’s easy to get the impression that everyone in Hollywood hangs out with each other. You know, like they all have a big pool party at Dustin Hoffman’s, cooking $500 hamburgers on the barbeque and such, laughing it up at us little people.
While I respect wanting to challenge oneself as an actor, I often wonder why an A-list actor like Tom Hanks chooses to take a Broadway role, as he is with his Broadway debut Lucky Guy. After all, Hanks could command one of his usual hefty salaries for a movie role
We’ve all seen or heard “Not a Paid Spokesperson” during commercials, which indicates that the person in the commercial truly loves the product he or she is pitching — and is not just being paid to say that (of course, they are usually being compensated anyway). It’s often an effective way to sell products, but the rise of so-called “reality commercials” — that is, commercials that cast non-professionals as spokespeople for the product — is bad news for commercial actors (who are already seeing declining pay).
Shia LaBeouf, who has certainly made his mouth a familiar spot for his foot in the past, was set to make his Broadway debut opposite Alec Baldwin in Orphans, with previews set to begin March 17. However, yesterday it was announced that LaBeouf had left the play because of “creative differences.” Naturally, inquiring minds want to know what exactly those differences were/are.
Jessica Chastain is a perfect example of an actress who by hell or high water was going to break through.
Millions of wrestling fans recognize Dwayne Johnson as The Rock — a trash-talking heavyweight who started wrestling in the mid-1990s until leaving for his burgeoning career in Hollywood movies in 2004. However, not only has Johnson recently returned to wrestling, he is also curiously hitting the busiest and most impressive streak of his acting career.
Even up until a few years ago Jane Lynch was mainly known as one of the most talented improvises in Christopher Guest’s mockumentaries. More recently Lynch’s career has really taken off with her starring role on television’s Glee. Now Lynch finds herself in demand, especially as a voice actor in animated films.
Maggie Smith loves to talk about how proud she is about the success of Downton Abbey and how the period drama is shot. Just don’t ask her about the final product.
Few would think that Rooney Mara, whose acting career has launched into the stratosphere after appearing in The Social Network and starring as the titular character in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (which she received an Oscar nomination for), would still care about what reviewers thought of her performances.
Manhattan’s The New School has launched a new Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dramatic Arts program, which is an undergraduate version of its storied Masters of Fine Arts program.
Rhys explains that he had the benefit of being approached about the role, not the other way around.
