Posts tagged Interviews
Johnny Depp Interview For The DVD & Blu-Ray Release Of ‘Rango’
Jul 28th
Rango (Johnny Depp) is a sheltered chameleon living as an ordinary family pet facing a major identity crisis. After all, how high can you aim when your whole purpose in life is to blend in? When Rango accidentally winds up in the gritty, gun-slinging town of Dirt — a lawless outpost populated by the desert’s most wily and whimsical creatures — the less-than-courageous lizard suddenly finds he stands out. Welcomed as the last hope the town has been waiting for, new Sheriff Rango is forced to play his new role to the hilt… until he starts to become the hero he once only pretended to be. ‘Rango’ features the voices of Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Abigail Breslin, Ned Beatty, and Bill Nighy. The film was released earlier this week on DVD and Blu-Ray in the UK. Check out what Johnny Depp had to say about the film below.
What attracted you to play this role? And what was your reaction in first seeing the character?
Johnny Depp: First and foremost Gore Verbinski. Gore’s involvement. When he first talked to me about it, it was very early on in his process. Literally he just said to me, “I have an idea about a lizard, on an existential quest, formatted in the old west – an epic Spaghetti Western.” I just loved the idea so I immediately agreed.
I thought it was brilliant. I thought that the rendering of Rango was just perfect because it was very very expressive, I could see fear in the character (laughs). There was a lot going on behind the eyes.
Dominic Cooper Interview For ‘The Devil’s Double’
Jul 27th
Baghdad 1987, Latif Yahia (Dominic Cooper) is taken to see his former schoolmate Uday (also played by Cooper), eldest son to Saddam Hussein. Latif is told that a great honour had been bestowed upon him: because of the great likeness between them, he has been chosen to be Uday’s ‘fiday’ – his body double. Trapped, tortured and fearful for the safety of his family Latif has no choice but to comply.
A chilling vision of the House of Saddam Hussein comes to life as Latif is forced to become part of Uday’s world, witness to the horror of his insane life of debauchery, excess and brutality. A world entrenched in betrayal and corruption and an experience for which he almost pays with his life on more than one occasion. ‘The Devil’s Double’ is set for release July 29th in the US, and August 12th in the UK. Check out what Dominic Cooper had to say about the film below.
How did you get involved with this project?
Dominic Cooper: It happens very rarely that your ears prick up about a certain project. I was just immediently drawn to it, I was determined to see it number one. Then I heard it might not be happening, everything wasn’t in place yet – but I really chased it, just because I instinctively thought it was a very exciting subject matter, one which we all know a little bit about, it’s very much in the recent past, but we don’t know enough about it. That intrigued me. I could instantly visualise it as a film. I thought it would be a huge challenge and a risk.
Harrison Ford & Daniel Craig Character Profiles For ‘Cowboys & Aliens’
Jul 25th
Paramount Pictures have released these two character profiles featuring Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig discussing their parts in Jon Favreau’s hotly anticipated sci-fi western ‘Cowboys & Aliens.’ The cast for the film is stacked with talent in Craig, Olivia Wilde, Ford, Sam Rockwell, Keith Carradine and Paul Dano. ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ will be hitting cinemas July 29th 2011 in the US, and August 12th in the UK. You can count me in!
1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger (Daniel Craig) with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don’t welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford). It’s a town that lives in fear. But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known.
Andy Serkis Interview For ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’
Jul 25th
An origin story in the true sense of the word, ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ is set in present day San Francisco. The film is a reality-based cautionary tale – a science fiction/science-fact blend where mankind’s hubris leads to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy. Oscar(R)-winning visual effects house WETA Digital -employing certain of the groundbreaking technologies developed for ‘Avatar’ – will render, for the first time ever in the film series, photo-realistic apes rather than costumed actors.
‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’ arrives in cinemas August 5th in the US and August 11th in the UK. The film stars James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow, Tom Felton, Tyler Labine, Brian Cox and Andy Serkis. In the film Serkis plays Caesar, a chimpanzee whose mother was injected with a new drug designed to combat the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. As a side effect of the procedure, Caesar is born with an enhanced level of intelligence and is raised, in secret, by scientist Will Rodman (James Franco).
This is such a unique role, what was your reaction when you first read the part?
Andy Serkis: When you get offered a role like this, one could easily think, “what is this? Where’s the dialogue? What’s the role? Where is the role? What’s the personality?“ But actually Amanda Silver and Rick Jaffa wrote the most incredible script. When I read it, immediately I thought this is a fantastic character for any actor to play. It has a huge emotional range, basically I play Caesar from infancy through to the leader of a rebellion. Charting his development, finding and pitching how much Chimpanzee he is, and how human he is, that was really really interesting and exciting.
He doesn’t really understand what he is, he’s like a Frankenstein, he’s become a Frankenstein. He’s entirely loved as a young infant, surrounded by human behaviour, so he responds emotionally in that way and believes that that’s the right thing to do. He learns manner, socially he behaves like a human.
Derek Luke, Kenneth Choi & Sebastian Stan Interview For ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’
Jul 25th
‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ focuses on the early days of the Marvel Universe when Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into the Super Soldier known as Captain America. Born during the Great Depression, Steve Rogers grew up a frail youth in a poor family. Horrified by the newsreel footage of the Nazis in Europe, Rogers was inspired to enlist in the army. However, because of his frailty and sickness, he was rejected. Overhearing the boy’s earnest plea, General Chester Phillips offered Rogers the opportunity to take part in a special experiment… Operation: Rebirth. After weeks of tests, Rogers was at last administered the Super-Solider Serum and bombarded by “vita-rays.” Steve Rogers emerged from the treatment with a body as perfect as a body can be and still be human. Rogers was then put through an intensive physical and tactical training program. Three months later, he was given his first assignment as Captain America. Armed with his indestructible shield and battle savvy, Captain America has continued his war against evil both as a sentinel of liberty and as leader of the Avengers.
In the film Derek Luke stars as Gabe Jones, while Kenneth Choi as Jim Morita, members of Rogers’ squad of commandos. Sebastian Stan stars as Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers sidekick. The Marvel Comics adaptation comes to cinemas July 22nd, 2011 in the US, and July 29th 2011 in the UK. ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ also stars Evans, Hayley Atwell, Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, Neal McDonough, Dominic Cooper, and Toby Jones.
Did you watch any wartime propaganda type movies to prepare for this role and the period it’s set in?
Sebastian Stan: Yeah, absolutely. I always thought that was one of the most exciting things about it. Having the luxury of having at least a month and a half before shooting just to be able to go and research and find things. Thank God for YouTube and such amazing movies out there. Movies like The Thin Red Line, Saving Private Ryan, The Longest Day, and The Band of Brothers were very very helpful. I thought it would be more helpful for me to concentrate on the realities of war and why these guys were going to war and what they were doing. I was trusting that if I did that then the whole comic book world would exist on its own.
Chris Evans Interview For ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’
Jul 22nd
‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ tells the story of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), a sickly yet courageous young man from Brooklyn who is transformed into super soldier Captain America to help the war effort. However, Captain America must stop Red Skull, Adolf Hitler’s ruthless head of weaponry and leader of a terrorist organization, who intends to use a mysterious tesseract energy-source for world domination. The Marvel Comics adaptation comes to cinemas July 22nd, 2011 in the US, and July 29th 2011 in the UK. ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ also stars Hayley Atwell, Sebastian Stan, Hugo Weaving, Tommy Lee Jones, Neal McDonough, Dominic Cooper, Derek Luke and Toby Jones. Check out what Chris Evans had to say about the film below.
Captain America has such a huge appeal, over such a long period of time…
Chris Evans: He’s the guy you’d follow into battle, he’s the guy you would want to lead you. Not because he’s brave or courageous, but because he’s a good man. He’s the guy who would make sure you make it back. I think also there’s the great thing that he was given this gift, he was chosen – a lot of superheroes are either born with their abilities, or they get them by accident. This was a normal guy who lived for the majority of his life as a normal guy – struggling, fighting, always getting the short end of the stick. This kind of good fortune happened to him, I think that is something everyone hopes for.
Steve Rogers has a laundry list of ailments, he has not been dealt the best hand in life. He’s five feet nothing, ninety six pounds, sick, his parents have passed – in spite of all these negative elements in his day to day life, he’s managed to become a good man, he manages to do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do, not for praise or anything else. He chooses not to be jaded or bitter about his shortcomings, he’s a good, honest, noble man. As a result, those characteristics, those morals, those virtues afford him to become Captain America. He’s able to balance this new life he has with his old set of morals.