Interviews
Alex Pettyfer Interview For ‘Magic Mike’
Jun 26th
A dramatic comedy set in the world of male strippers, ‘Magic Mike’ is directed by Academy Award-winner Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Ocean’s Eleven) and stars Channing Tatum in the title role. The film follows Mike (Tatum) as he takes a young dancer called The Kid (Alex Pettyfer) under his wing and schools him in the fine arts of partying, picking up women, and making easy money. Magic Mike seems like the perfect role model: he’s got a nice car, a nice apartment, and a seemingly endless supply of women. What’s his secret? He’s a male stripper, and when The Kid dives headlong into Magic Mike’s world, his mad dancing skills and hunger for excitement make for an unforgettable summer. Alongside Channing Tatum and Alex Pettyfer, ‘Magic Mike’ stars Matthew McConaughey, Matt Bomer, Joe Mangianello, Olivia Munn, Riley Keough, Cody Horn, Kevin Nash and Adam Rodriguez. ’Magic Mike’ arrives in cinemas June 29th in the US and July 11th in the UK.
Speaking to Matthew McConaughey and Channing Tatum, they were telling me how they created a back-story for their characters. Did you have one for Adam/The Kid?
Alex Pettyfer: Yeah. With Adam I came up with the back-story that in High School, he was a really promising American Football player. But he got into a fight with his coach, dropped out of school and went to live with his sister. He kinda has this jaded attitude towards everything. I think he really feels like he missed his opportunity. Then he starts working on construction with Channing Tatum’s Mike, sees that there’s some kind of….life with this guy, he looks up to him a little bit. And then with Mike, Magic Mike in the movie, he’s like the frontrunner, the showman. He’s the guy you come to see. He’s the guy. He’s the closest to Dallas. He’s like the lights outside of the Broadway show.
Seth MacFarlane Interview For ‘Ted’
Jun 25th
‘Family Guy’ creator Seth MacFarlane brings his boundary-pushing brand of humour to the big screen for the first time as writer, director and voice star of ’Ted.’ In the live action/CG-animated comedy, he tells the story of John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), a grown man who must deal with the cherished teddy bear who came to life as the result of a childhood wish…. and has refused to leave his side ever since. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Joel McHale, Patrick Warburton, Giovanni Ribisi and Seth MacFarlane playing Ted through motion-capture, the R-rated comedy arrives in cinemas June 29th in the US and August 1st in the UK.
‘Ted’ is really the first time we’ve seen motion-capture used this way….?
Seth MacFarlane: Yeah, with ‘Lord of the Rings’ coming along and the technology being perfected, we were able to do the character of Ted in a completely lifelike way. And to use that technology in a way that it really hasn’t been used to date. The ‘Avatar’ technology, its been used for family films, for adventure films, for science-fiction films. But nobodies really used it yet for traditional character comedy. That’s kind of strange because what that technology does so well is that it takes fantastical characters and makes them as realistic in movement as possible. It seems like the perfect genre for motion-capture.
Matthew McConaughey & Joe Manganiello Interview For ‘Magic Mike’
Jun 25th
A dramatic comedy set in the world of male strippers, ‘Magic Mike’ is directed by Academy Award-winner Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Ocean’s Eleven) and stars Channing Tatum in the title role. The film follows Mike (Tatum) as he takes a young dancer called The Kid (Alex Pettyfer) under his wing and schools him in the fine arts of partying, picking up women, and making easy money. Magic Mike seems like the perfect role model: he’s got a nice car, a nice apartment, and a seemingly endless supply of women. What’s his secret? He’s a male stripper, and when The Kid dives headlong into Magic Mike’s world, his mad dancing skills and hunger for excitement make for an unforgettable summer. Alongside Channing Tatum and Alex Pettyfer, ‘Magic Mike’ stars Matthew McConaughey, Matt Bomer, Joe Mangianello, Olivia Munn, Riley Keough, Cody Horn, Kevin Nash and Adam Rodriguez. ’Magic Mike’ arrives in cinemas June 29th in the US and July 11th in the UK.
Your character in ‘Magic Mike,‘ he’s a man with a vision….?
Matthew McConaughey: Oh yeah. Dallas is a lot of things but primarily a businessman, and he’s always on the lookout for the next big thing. But the guys, these are Dallas’ guys, they’re his boys. Mike is his main man. I’d say he met Mike six or seven years ago and Mike’s the kid who just had it. That was probably his first guy on. He had some ideas, recruited some more guys on. He thinks of it as an extended family, he’s somewhat of a father figure, he’s somewhat of a cult-head at times. Dallas is the creator of this thing that they’ve done, this exquisite Revue. Following his vision, he’s got the hottest Revue going and now he’s thinking a lot bigger than that, you know? He wants to move to Miami, a larger piece of real estate, he wants to take over South Beach. At the same time, he wants to spread it around the globe, spread content….he would want to go astro if he could (laughs).
Andrew Garfield (Peter Parker/Spider-Man) Interview For ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’
Jun 24th
One of the world’s most popular characters is back on the big screen as a new chapter in the Spider-Man legacy is revealed in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man.’ Focusing on an untold story that tells a different side of the Peter Parker story, the film stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, with Martin Sheen and Sally Field. The film is directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay written by James Vanderbilt, based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko. ’The Amazing Spider-Man’ is the story of Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (Sally Field). Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today. Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets. As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents’ disappearance – leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans), his father’s former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors’ alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero. ‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ is unleashed in 2D, 3D, IMAX and IMAX 3D July 3rd.
Peter Parker is uniquely suited for the responsibilities that his powers bring, in that he’s got that heroic, moral instinct before his powers. How was that to play?
Andrew Garfield: Yeah. Peter Parker is a hero, not a superhero. He’s already good before the spider bites him. After that, he gets the power to act on what he already knows is right. And when I was younger, I sometimes felt trapped in my own skin, but I think we all have that. That’s why this character, Peter Parker/Spider-Man, is one of the most popular of all the superheroes: he’s universal, he’s uniting. The reason Spider-Man means so much to me is the same reason he means so much to everyone: he’s a symbol, an imperfect person in the way that we’re all imperfect, but trying so hard to do what is right and what is just and fighting for the people who can’t fight for themselves. It’s overwhelming to represent him – and believe me, I’m just the guy in the suit. I’m honored to be that, but Spider-Man belongs to everyone.
Benicio Del Toro Interview For Oliver Stone’s ‘Savages’
Jun 24th
Three-time Oscar-winning filmmaker Oliver Stone returns to the screen with the ferocious thriller ‘Savages,’ featuring the all-star ensemble cast of Taylor Kitsch, Blake Lively, Aaron Johnson, John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Benicio Del Toro, Salma Hayek, Emile Hirsch and Demian Bichir. The film is based on Don Winslow’s best-selling crime novel that was named one of The New York Times’ Top 10 Books of 2010. Laguna Beach entrepreneurs Ben (Aaron Johnson), a peaceful and charitable Buddhist, and his closest friend Chon (Taylor Kitsch), a former Navy SEAL and ex-mercenary, run a lucrative, homegrown industry—raising some of the best marijuana ever developed. They also share a one-of-a-kind love with the extraordinary beauty Ophelia (Blake Lively). Life is idyllic in their Southern California town…until the Mexican Baja Cartel decides to move in and demands that the trio partners with them. When the merciless head of the BC, Elena (Salma Hayek), and her brutal enforcer, Lado (Benicio Del Toro), underestimate the unbreakable bond among these three friends, Ben and Chon – with the reluctant, slippery assistance of a dirty DEA agent (John Travolta) – wage a seemingly unwinnable war against the cartel. And so begins a series of increasingly vicious ploys and maneuvers in a high stakes, savage battle of wills. ‘Savages’ arrives in cinemas July 6th in the US and September 26th in the UK.
In ’Savages’ you play Lado, this lethal enforcer for Elena’s Baja Cartel. When we meet him he’s growing increasingly disgruntled by his demanding boss….
Benicio Ddel Toro: Yeah. Lado is a psychopath that works under a Mexican drug Cartel, under Elena – who’s played by Salma Hayek. He’s her man up north, he’s been up in the United States in California and Southern California for sometime. And yes, he’s starting to get a big head of how to run things. When ‘Savages’ starts and how the story evolves, he starts to be more independent, in breaking away from his boss. And with them going after Ben and Chon, they see the potential of building an Empire, the Mexican drug Cartel wants it. There’s a lot of layers to it.
Mila Kunis Interview For Seth MacFarlane’s ‘Ted’
Jun 23rd
‘Family Guy’ creator Seth MacFarlane brings his boundary-pushing brand of humour to the big screen for the first time as writer, director and voice star of ’Ted.’ In the live action/CG-animated comedy, he tells the story of John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), a grown man who must deal with the cherished teddy bear who came to life as the result of a childhood wish…. and has refused to leave his side ever since. Starring Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Joel McHale, Patrick Warburton, Giovanni Ribisi and Seth MacFarlane playing Ted through motion-capture, the R-rated comedy arrives in cinemas June 29th in the US and August 1st in the UK. Mila Kunis previously worked with Seth MacFarlane on ‘Family Guy’ as the voice of Meg Griffin.
Having worked with Seth MacFarlane for so long on ‘Family Guy,‘ what was it like for seeing him direct live-action?
Mila Kunis: It’s strange to have Seth be a director, because as much as I have worked with him on ‘Family Guy,’ I’m in one booth, he’s in another booth, and normally he has to explain to me what’s happening. When you record ‘Family Guy,’ you record it a year before anything’s drawn up, so I have no idea what I’m doing. He has to explain the plot, explain what happens, then you do it three or four times and move on. Seeing him actually be a visual director, explaining scenarios and characters, visually setting up shots, it’s been great. I couldn’t be prouder of him, I think he done an amazing job with ‘Ted,’ an amazing job.
