Jersey Boys has not only been a Broadway hit since opening in 2005 at the August Wilson Theatre, but has been a popular favorite in in theaters all over the world. All in all, the various Jersey Boys productions have grossed over one billion in sales over the past eight years — so all those talented performers must have been doing something right.
The latest adaptation of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing actually came about years ago when Amy Acker auditioned for Angel.
Linda Cardellini wasn’t expecting to get the role of Sylvia Rosen on AMC’s Mad Men.
When ‘Seasons’ by Chris Cornell plays over a scene in the beginning of Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, you know that we’re in the era of a new Superman.
It’s hard to believe that the man we’ve come to love as Jon Snow on HBO’s Game of Thrones had never acted onscreen before landing the role. But it’s true that Kit Harington had only appeared onstage before he joined the hugely successful series.
Mara Wilson is happy to prove that not all child stars end up like Amanda Bynes or Lindsay Lohan. Wilson, who starred in Mrs. Doubtfire and Matilda back in the 90s, is actually a successful writer and playwright. But she understands why most child stars have problems.
Finally, we have a movie that’s worthy of being called, “The Funniest Movie of the Year!”
Darryl on The Office is a perfect example of a character whose role on a show expanded as the actor portraying him, Craig Robinson, got increasingly famous. Thankfully there wasn’t anything wrong with that — Robinson’s Darryl was one of the best characters on the show because Robinson himself is a very funny guy.
It’s hard to think of any actor who has been more associated with Broadway in the last twenty-five years than Nathan Lane. The two-time Tony Award winner has rarely been off the New York stage during that time and he currently stars in The Nance, a play about a New York burlesque theater actor in the 1930s.
I’m no casting agent, but I have pegged Michael Shannon for a super-villain role for years. Still, I never thought Shannon — who has never really appeared in any blockbuster — would ever be tapped to star in such a role.
Brit on acting notebooks: “They can kind of become a crutch”
It’s official: Jonah Hill is a serious actor. Sure, he might be co-starring in This Is The End and is likely returning for a sequel for 21 Jump Street, but in an interview with Rolling Stone Hill refuses to speak about his more famous filthy comedies and only wants to speak about his transition from comedian to serious actor in films like Moneyball and The Wolf of Wall Street.
Last week, I analyzed examples of the most successful examples of star casting on Broadway in recent years. While those productions are on the top tier, other productions don’t fare as well – with some even closing early, which is usually considered a major embarrassment for the star in question in additional to the significant financial loses faced by the producers.
Second Stage Theatre just announced that 2013 Tony Award nominees Stephanie J. Block and Will Chase will co-star in this fall’s production of the new musical comedy, Little Miss Sunshine.
Millions of people probably know Paul Bettany best for being the witty English voice of Iron Man’s virtual assistant, Jarvis. While that’s not completely a shame (those gigs probably land Bettany quite a bit of well-deserved money), viewers who haven’t seen more of Bettany’s work are missing out on a wonderful actor — particularly now, when Bettany claims he feels re-energized.
In this video, the great Shalita Grant performs a “cinematic interpretation” from Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, where she plays a waitress predicting gloom and doom.
In the past few years it seems like a Hollywood star opens a play on Broadway on almost a monthly basis. While this is a huge boost for Broadway and New York City – think of how many people traveled to Manhattan just to see Tom Hanks on stage in the last few weeks – the trend of “star casting” is controversial among Broadway regulars, many of whom see it as outsider stars jacking up ticket prices and “taking away” roles from legitimate Broadway actors for huge paychecks.
Brandon Walker’s forte is emotionally conflicted, mentally troubled characters, and if that doesn’t describe Hamlet’s character I don’t know what does.
Peter Sarsgaard was initially reluctant to sign onto the third season of AMC’s The Killing…mostly because he thought the series had already been cancelled.
