It was in the script, filmed; and then completely edited out.
Please share with an actor that you know. Thanks much.
Best,
;~Dana
…And that we, actors, are artists.
They debate whether acting is an art or a craft. Or what else? (I don’t know, because I am steadfast, and arrogantly positive that acting is an art form.)
What do you think? I would really love to hear your opinion about this.
Happy New Year To You!
Best,
Dana
Please don’t neglect to sign up to attend my Professional Actor Workshop (PRO ACTOR) ! It starts just after the first of the year. That new year starts tomorrow. Tomorrow. Stop putting off your career. Make that change right now. Click this link to send me a request for info.
Orson Welles is played by an unknown actor. His name is Christian McKay, and before Me And Orson Welles, he didn’t have one film listed on his acting resume.
Yet, there is Oscar buzz about his performance. Movie critics suggest that he may get an acting nomination.
How did a completely unknown actor, with not one film credit, get cast by a director like Richard Linklater? Get cast as a lead role in a movie, to act alongside Zac Efron and Claire Danes?
How did this actor, who is actually British, get to play an American filmmaking icon, one of the most prominent names in our media history? Orson Welles is not only known for Citizen Kane, and War Of The Worlds. He had a notorious personality, as well.
Best,
;~Dana
Do share this, please, it is the fee here at Hollywood Actor Prep. Thank you.
Judging by this little bit of interview with Ben Whishaw, Bright Star’s lead actor, other things about auditioning don’t change either. Like whether the actor can tell if he got the job. Or that nagging-little-negative-naysayer-voice, inside.
No matter what the level of professional actor, ya still gotta go through it…Oof.
The poker-faced director (Jane Campion) who doesn’t let on that Whishaw’s performance is spot-on, and impressing her. That his audition is winning him the part, which is the leading role in the movie. Which is really a romantic biopic. Pressure, anyone?
Also, he doesn’t meet the actress who is playing opposite lead, his romantic interest; until the first day of shooting; when the movie is all about their intimate love story.
I noted something, a little less obvious.
Whishaw remarks that he really wanted the part, he really prepared, and then, during the audition…he gave up. In a sense. He assumed that he wasn’t the getting the role, and so he still ‘did his thing’, but really, his audition became about supporting the other actor’s audition whom he was reading with. Interesting. Could that have freed him up, in some way? His acting, in that room, I mean?
I know that I have gotten jobs that I cared a little less about, or felt an overabundance of confidence about (a sheepish true-confess!), or thought I had no chance in hell of getting, while in the room. So then, I did. Not always, but a lot more than those auditions when I wanted it so bad I was bursting inside with it; or thought if I got the job it would be a life-changer; or the harshest loss of all, which are the auditions that you just feel resonate through your talent so that if you could only get that job you could really spread your talent-wings as expansively as they can go, and your soul could soar.
(I am aware that I changed from first person to second person in the above sentence. That’s cause it still hoy-yts.)
Actors Ben Whishaw, Abbie Cornish :: Photo courtesy of Time
YAMATO: Jane Campion has said she found your audition for Bright Star particularly moving. What was it like, and are you aware you have this sort of effect on directors?
WHISHAW: [Laughs] She’s told me and we’ve talked about it subsequently, but I honestly really, really wanted to get the role because I loved the script. I love Jane. I love Jane’s films. And I just had this very strong feeling that this was mine, I can do it, which occasionally you feel toward a role. So I went into the audition with this desire, and I was reading with another girl who was auditioning for Fanny and I thought Jane was paying her a lot more attention than she was me. About ten to fifteen minutes in I thought, OK, I’m just here to deliver the off lines. Jane’s auditioning this girl and she’s not interested in me at all. And I sort of resigned myself to that fact – quite like, OK, this is just not going to go my way. So I didn’t perceive it like Jane perceived it at all. We were completely at odds there.
YAMATO: So then, did you and Abbie Cornish not audition or screen-test together at all?
WHISHAW: No. And this is one of the great things about Jane. She just has an intuition; I would guess she had an intuition that we’d get on well, and she trusted it. We didn’t meet until the first day of rehearsal. I would have thought I would have to meet her and see if we were going to get along, but no. It was really interesting.
YAMATO: What was that first day in rehearsals like, meeting Abbie for the first time?
WHISHAW: I was a little nervous, I remember. For a while, because we knew we were going to be working intensely together, we sort of were sniffing round each other a bit. But very, very quickly I could feel that she went, oh yeah, I trust you and sort of opened herself and I could relax as well. And then it was just a joy.
Gratitude to Jen Yamato, for this interview.
Please share this forward by slapping it up on your FACEBOOK page, directly, by clicking the little “F” icon, below. Thank you.
The actor, Ben Whishaw first became known at age 21, when acting in a Shakespeare play. Time Magazine says about Whishaw’s acting, in Hamlet:
Whishaw has been anointed the next great British actor from his Hamlet, at 21, in 2004. “Go and see Trevor Nunn’s Hamlet,” one London critic wrote. “In 40 years’ time you will be able to tell the grandchildren that you saw Ben Whishaw’s first great role.
Ben Whishaw is still in his early-ish 20’s, and some of his other acting credits include: ‘Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer’ and ‘I’m Not There’.
The currently showing film, where Whishaw’s got the lead acting role, is Jane Campion’s ‘Bright Star’. He plays the poet, John Keats. The entire film covers only two years in Keats’ life: when he was in love; and when he also wrote his best poetry.
YAMATO: Keats’ style of poetry emphasized nature and the poet giving himself over as a vessel to channel the universe. Is there a similar sense for you about the craft of acting?
WHISHAW: Yes, definitely. I think that’s one of the things I said to Jane when I auditioned. At the audition, we worked a little bit on the scene where I say that line, that a poet doesn’t have an identity because he’s always filling another body; whatever he’s looking at, he becomes that thing. I said, I think that’s a bit what it’s like to be an actor — sometimes you can lose a sense of yourself because you’re always trying to understand this other person. So I think you’re absolutely right, both are trying to become a vessel, a channel or something.
The entire interview, by Jen Yamato can be found, by clicking on the interviewer’s name. I do plan on running more excerpts, pertinent to actors and the craft of acting, throughout the rest of this this week.
Thank you to Jen Yamato, for the excerpts; and for doing the types of interviews that have the type of depth that can be appreciated by those in the acting arts.
The sequel to ‘Wall Street’ has begun filming, in New York, with Oliver Stone directing.
What a cast of actors are in the sequel:
Michael Douglas
Frank Langella
Josh Brolin
Charlie Sheen, who played the younger Wall Street guy who topples Gordon Gekko, will be appearing in only a cameo.
There is a young lead actor, in the story as well, this time around. Shia Le Beouf is playing that role.
The latest news, concerning the Wall Street sequel, is that Susan Sarandon has come on board, to play Le Beouf’s mother.
(They both work, and they both don’t work, for me.)
Both actresses and actors have to do acting research on a part; notably, period pieces. Most especially, playing a character, a real person, who truly existed. I would guess that there’s a lot of pressure to play someone who not only lived a real life, but a famous life. Playing a well-known person has it’s own, additional set of challenges. Accepting certain roles is a real clue to how much confidence an actor possesses, about their abilities.
:::::::::::::::::::::From The Film 'Coco Before Chanel'
It takes a definite confidence, as well, in the acting choices that are specific when playing someone else…choosing what to include, and what not to include. Those acting choices come out of, and after, the research. From The American Alliance Of Women Journalists site, written by Jen Yamato (@jenyamato on Twitter)(links)
JEN YAMATO: You and Coco Chanel have some things in common — like where you’re from and your astrological sign. What did you know of Chanel and her life before deciding to portray her?AUDREY TAUTOU: I actually didn’t know very much about who she was beyond what everybody knew – the fact that she was an icon and she had such success in fashion. But beyond that, I didn’t know the parts the film actually reveals. I knew the fact that we both came from the same region in central France, in the Auvergne, and that we saw the we saw the same kind of landscapes, and that we were both born in the month of August so we shared the Leo sign. So there was some kind of kinship there, but other than that, the details of her life I didn’t know.YAMATO: Leos are sometimes known for their strong masculine sides, and Coco Chanel seemed to fit the sign’s description pretty well, especially with her revolutionary sense of style for women. Do you feel like you share that quality with her as well?TAUTOU: I’m not a specialist in astrology at all, and perhaps Leos have something strong to them, although other signs also have those elements. But maybe part of that is pride.YAMATO: What was the most surprising thing you learned about Chanel in the process of researching her?TAUTOU: The initial surprise was the fact that she never dreamed of couture, or of making clothes, but that her first dream was to be an actress or a singer. Also, that her destiny really hung by a thread, because had she not met the two men that are portrayed in the film, her destiny would probably have gone in a different direction.YAMATO: It’s true, she doesn’t quite find her niche as a designer until she meets Etienne Balsan and Arthur ‘Boy’ Capel. After that, she’s able to pursue her natural talents and open her first shop. But even with her eventual success, her story is one of loss. When you think about Chanel’s story — and your character’s arc — do you find it to be one primarily of inspiration or tragedy? Or was it luck?TAUTOU: Maybe it’s a little bit of all three. But then the element of chance is perhaps overstated, and she really determined what her future was. So maybe chance had a smaller role than her own will to move, and to evolve. Some say that there is no chance, there is only rendezvous – meetings – and she met the right people at the right time. She was present and she knew then how to take it to the next level.YAMATO: Have you had any similar fortunate happenstances in your own career?TAUTOU: Life is made of those types of rendezvous, of those meetings, and you can’t miss out on them.YAMATO: Coco Chanel had an intense ambition to become an actress before she found her calling in fashion. Judging from your experience as an actress portraying her, why do you think she was so attracted to perform?TAUTOU: It was really a way for her to envision getting out of the misery that she was in, and she didn’t want to remain in that situation. So it was a way out. She felt deeply different, and wanted to make something of her life. Her sister always hoped for something, but Coco Chanel imagined her life as something different.YAMATO: And then, made it happen for herself?TAUTOU: Yes, she was not passive.YAMATO: To some people, Chanel comes across as almost unlikeable character; she’s often very dour and serious in her pursuit of success. Did you see that as a challenge to try to overcome, to make the audience embrace her more, or is it an element that you like about her?TAUTOU: I don’t see my characters as sympathetic or not; I always like my characters, even if they have a hard side. I don’t judge my characters. Maybe Chanel had a harder edge because she was stubborn, or she was wholly herself. But it was also her means of survival, her tool of survival. Also, those types of characters who are conflicted or have a darker side are usually more interesting than the nice little kitty cat.YAMATO: Do you think that your fans will see Coco Chanel as a departure from the previous roles that you’ve done?TAUTOU: I have no idea. Those aren’t the terms in which I choose my roles, and it’s not something that preoccupies me. I’m selfish about my choices and what I do.JEN YAMATO: You and Coco Chanel have some things in common — like where you’re from and your astrological sign. What did you know of Chanel and her life before deciding to portray her?
AUDREY TAUTOU: I actually didn’t know very much about who she was beyond what everybody knew – the fact that she was an icon and she had such success in fashion. But beyond that, I didn’t know the parts the film actually reveals. I knew the fact that we both came from the same region in central France, in the Auvergne, and that we saw the we saw the same kind of landscapes, and that we were both born in the month of August so we shared the Leo sign. So there was some kind of kinship there, but other than that, the details of her life I didn’t know.
YAMATO: Leos are sometimes known for their strong masculine sides, and Coco Chanel seemed to fit the sign’s description pretty well, especially with her revolutionary sense of style for women. Do you feel like you share that quality with her as well?
TAUTOU: I’m not a specialist in astrology at all, and perhaps Leos have something strong to them, although other signs also have those elements. But maybe part of that is pride.
YAMATO: What was the most surprising thing you learned about Chanel in the process of researching her?
TAUTOU: The initial surprise was the fact that she never dreamed of couture, or of making clothes, but that her first dream was to be an actress or a singer. Also, that her destiny really hung by a thread, because had she not met the two men that are portrayed in the film, her destiny would probably have gone in a different direction.
YAMATO: It’s true, she doesn’t quite find her niche as a designer until she meets Etienne Balsan and Arthur ‘Boy’ Capel. After that, she’s able to pursue her natural talents and open her first shop. But even with her eventual success, her story is one of loss. When you think about Chanel’s story — and your character’s arc — do you find it to be one primarily of inspiration or tragedy? Or was it luck?
TAUTOU: Maybe it’s a little bit of all three. But then the element of chance is perhaps overstated, and she really determined what her future was. So maybe chance had a smaller role than her own will to move, and to evolve. Some say that there is no chance, there is only rendezvous – meetings – and she met the right people at the right time. She was present and she knew then how to take it to the next level.
YAMATO: Have you had any similar fortunate happenstances in your own career?
TAUTOU: Life is made of those types of rendezvous, of those meetings, and you can’t miss out on them.
YAMATO: Coco Chanel had an intense ambition to become an actress before she found her calling in fashion. Judging from your experience as an actress portraying her, why do you think she was so attracted to perform?
TAUTOU: It was really a way for her to envision getting out of the misery that she was in, and she didn’t want to remain in that situation. So it was a way out. She felt deeply different, and wanted to make something of her life. Her sister always hoped for something, but Coco Chanel imagined her life as something different.
YAMATO: And then, made it happen for herself?
TAUTOU: Yes, she was not passive.
YAMATO: To some people, Chanel comes across as almost unlikeable character; she’s often very dour and serious in her pursuit of success. Did you see that as a challenge to try to overcome, to make the audience embrace her more, or is it an element that you like about her?
TAUTOU: I don’t see my characters as sympathetic or not; I always like my characters, even if they have a hard side. I don’t judge my characters. Maybe Chanel had a harder edge because she was stubborn, or she was wholly herself. But it was also her means of survival, her tool of survival. Also, those types of characters who are conflicted or have a darker side are usually more interesting than the nice little kitty cat.
YAMATO: Do you think that your fans will see Coco Chanel as a departure from the previous roles that you’ve done?
TAUTOU: I have no idea. Those aren’t the terms in which I choose my roles, and it’s not something that preoccupies me. I’m selfish about my choices and what I do.
I like what he says about indie actors, and how the quality of actors on this film (Iron Man 2) differentiates it, from others in a similar genre. I also like how he talks about how much the intelligence of the producer, director, writer, counts; as far as being able to trust who are “pulling the strings”.
He talks about the script re-writing while shooting, but still, they kept the basic script structure intact. The same writer too. It’s very important.
(The Super Mario Brothers Movie did not maintain that, and rewriting was going on all the time, with different writers brought in at different times during the long shoot. That’s what it’s problem was, and what destroyed what could have been a much better film.)
Rockwell also states that he is less “picky” than he used to be about projects; so big kudos to the interviewer, Elizabeth Rappe, for knowing her ‘Hollywood’.
As an actor, the more successful a project you are in, the more quality type projects will come your way, as far as offerings.
Quality, too, breeds more quality offers, in the business.
The reverse is true, as well.
Some of that is just luck. And some of that boils down to deciding not to do crap.
Actors want careers. And work. But if you get a role in schlocky stuff, don’t be fooled into thinking it will be a launchpad to better quality stuff. Not often.
Schlocky stuff usually only begets more schlocky stuff.
And bad choices lock you in schlock, forever.
From Moviefone
An idiosyncratic actor known for both his versatility and sinewy, off-kilter sexiness, Sam Rockwell is one of the stage and screen’s most imaginative and least predictable performers. Once dubbed “the male Parker Posey” for his voluminous work in independent films, Rockwell has also earned notice for his work in more mainstream fare, including Frank Darabont’s The Green Mile (1999).
Born in Daly City, CA, on November 5, 1968, Rockwell enjoyed a steadfastly bohemian upbringing. The son of artists and actors, Rockwell moved to New York City with his parents when he was two. Three years later, his parents divorced, and he spent much of his youth traveling back and forth between them. Raised by his father in San Francisco, he spent his summers in New York with his mother, whose unconventional lifestyle — replete with sex, drugs, and flamboyant hippies — introduced Rockwell to some very adult pastimes at an extremely young age. It was through his mother that he became involved in theater, making his stage debut at the age of ten. He later attended San Francisco’s High School of the Performing Arts, where, at the age of 18, he was chosen to star in Clown House (1988), an ill-fated thriller revolving around three brothers’ fight to the death with a group of maniacal circus entertainers.
Following his screen debut, Rockwell moved to New York and proceeded to make 20 more films, includingLast Exit to Brooklyn (1990) and Tom Di Cillo’s Box of Moonlight (1996).
:::::The Actor In 'Iron Man 2':::::
“
…It’s exciting to see that trailer, you know? That’s an exciting thing, because we just wrapped a week ago.
So you haven’t seen dailies or anything?
No, it was really wild to see that. It was really exciting.
One of the cool things looking at this cast, and the people who are making this movie, is that everybody comes from a sort of indie background. I don’t want to disparage, but it’s real actors and real filmmakers working on this. Does that create a definite vibe on set, a sort of small, indie environment as a result?
It is. It really feels like you’re a part of the All-Stars, you really feel like you’re there to do something cool. You’re right, it’s not just a big studio movie with thrills and chills. It’s very actor friendly, and cinematically it’s just phenomenal. It’s big filmmaking, and yet it is very accessible to actors in a way that independent film is. It’s very actor friendly for sure. It’s cool.
[How would you compare it to] working on The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy?
Yeah. I mean, that was different. That character … that was more like Monty Python, a little bit. A little more prosthetics for me. But that was silly. Sometimes that even felt more like silly, fun, crazy. This is much more of a dramatic thing, I think. Although I would love to do a sequel to Hitchhiker’s. Zaphod’s got stuff to say.
Is Justin Hammer a physical threat to Tony Stark?
That I will not answer. But I like that you’re asking that question. But yeah, you’ll have to wait, get the popcorn, and check it out. But as you can see, Mickey is a bit of a threat.
Sam, to fans who might not be familiar with Justin Hammer, how would you describe him?
He’s a bit of a Lex Luthor, mixed with a little Bill Murray in Kingpin, George C. Scott in The Hustler, a bit Bernie Madoff, a little Steve Jobs, you know? He’s an amalgam of a lot of different archetypes … A little bit of the Jeremy Piven character in Entourage. It’s an amalgam of all different things, you know? And I think it’s still developing. We don’t know what Justin Hammer becomes. He becomes something else. He’s starting off one way.
Do we see [Justin Hammer as] a rival Stark?
He’s an arms dealer. It’s not dissimilar to Steve Jobs or Bill Gates or something, it’s got that kind of tone to it.
So Duncan Jones says he’s going to have you appear in his next film. Are you going to play Sam [Bell] again?
Yeah. I think it’s a cameo. Something like that. I think so, yeah.
Is it cool to see that little movie [Moon becoming] something a lot of people are seeing?
Yeah, it’s phenomenal. It’s amazing. It’s like a dream come true. I didn’t know if it was going to last a week or two, and it’s been going strong. I’m really proud of it.
On the first Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau really [rewrote] the script. Has this been a similar [process]?
Yes, yes, it has. Although, we had one writer on the whole time, Justin Theroux. He wrote a complete script, and stuff changed, but we at least had a complete structure which I think helps a lot.
Do you like that kind of atmosphere, where you can just … ?
Yeah, I do. It was kind of like Charlie’s Angels except that it felt bigger, in a way. I really trusted Jon Favreau, and Justin Theroux, and Kevin Feige that this thing was going to take shape. I feel like you’re in good hands, a lot of smart people are pulling the strings on this. So I felt pretty good about it.
Is Justin Hammer the kind of bad guy you come to know and feel bad for, or is he just a bad guy [you hate]?
You know, that’s a good question, and I don’t know if I can answer that until I see the movie. Of course, I would hope that you feel bad for him. But I don’t know. We’ll see. I have my own things that I was trying to do, but we’ll see what ends up on the big screen.
What is his motivation [for pursuing Tony Stark]?
It’s not dissimilar to Saleri in Amadeus, I suppose. It’s basically jealousy. That’s the main thing … He doesn’t have the same skills, and I think he looks up to Tony, and then Tony doesn’t really want anything to do with him, and so he’s going to take him down! But we’ll see. We’ll see what ends up there on the big screen.
So what have you got coming up in the next year or so?
You know, that’s it! I’m just hanging out. I might do a play.
Is that how you really recharge your batteries?
Yeah. Well, plays suck all my batteries too! I’ll have to recharge them after that. I don’t know what I’m doing. i’m just going to hang out and see what happens.
Can I ask, is that sort of the way you manage your career? You’re not really hunting for the next thing, just waiting to see what comes along?
Yeah, usually I’m just a hired gun. But I’ve gotten very lucky with guys like Duncan Jones, and these [Marvel] guys, and George Clooney, David Gordon Green. I’ve lucked out. I’ve never gone so far as to get a production company or anything like that. I just sort of — whatever comes along, I’ve been picky. I’ve been less picky recently, I’ve been saying yes more, and I’ve been having a good time. I think I’m happier working and stuff, you know? Working with Jared Hess, and I got to work with Robert De Niro recently, and so I find I just — I’m better when I’m working. I’m a little exhausted, I wouldn’t mind taking a break.
Is the less picky thing, is it because the quality of stuff that’s coming your way is getting better?
I think it’s more of a — there are a lot of good things when you look for them. Sort of a “If you build it, they will come.” I find if you show up, it comes together. If you’re going to show up and play, then you never know. If you don’t go to the party, you don’t know what’s going to happen. But if you go, something fun might happen. You might make a movie like The Assassination of Jesse James. I wasn’t sure about that one, and then I went, and I think that’s a beautiful film, and I think it’ll be around for a long time. That’s nice.
Same with Galaxy Quest. That just had its anniversary!
Yes, that’s right. Ten year, right?
It’s survived. It’s a cult classic. Are you surprised by that?
It has! [laughs] I think it’s a great film. People love that movie. I don’t know if it made enough money to do a sequel, and it would be pretty silly to do one at this point.
Maybe with Star Trek being rebooted and coming back, there could be a Galaxy Quest reboot.
I don’t know what the hell we would do with it. It was such a funny thing at the time. All these — Missi Pyle and Justin Long, all the rest of the people … That’s how I met Justin Long, on that. We’re good friends now. I had a really good time. People love that movie.
Enjoy,
:~Dana
But NBC-Universal was looking for an unknown actor, unusually, in an “Open Call Audition”.
I put out the information, here, on Hollywood Actor Prep.
——–Links to posts: about the Open Call Audition, and Verification from NBC-Universal .
First, they named one cast member, actor Steve Martin’.
For months, the movie was called the “Untitled Nancy Meyers Project”.
Once I knew the film was shooting, I called my contact at NBC-Universal, and he told me that they wound up casting an actor with experience; instead of an “unknown”.
::::::::::Nancy Meyers
Now, the movie’s titled. It’s got a trailer. And here it is….
…By the Taft-Hartley provision. (I have a photo somewhere and I will post it after I dig it up)
(Means they have to petition SAG by statubg that no one else can do the role except for the non-SAG actor that is cast.)
I had one line. It was:
“I don’t work here.”
Always thought that was a humorous way to start an acting career.
I have a photo somewhere and I will post it after I dig it up…
I think one of these guys were cast in the “Open Call” part.
Before she was a professional actor…Before she knew wanted to be an actor…
…Audrey Tautou wanted to study monkeys.
The lead actor in the film: ‘Coco Before Chanel’ admits acting was never her ambition until she reached her late teens–which is when she started to enjoy socializing.
She said: “I didn’t plan to become an actress. I had no clue fame would land on me. As a child, I wanted to study monkeys but I changed my mind with the onset of hormones and suddenly I was a teenager and I found partying more interesting than nature and got into art and theatre and movies.”
Audrey mainly works in her native France because she prefers the anonymity it gives her compared with life in America.
She explained to Britain’s Independent newspaper: “I like working once in a while in Hollywood because it’s like a holiday but I am happy in France doing what I do.
“I am happy with my life, I have enough money, I like to be myself. I like to dance when I am drunk and have a good time. I don’t go out much. I stay with my friends. This is what I like.”
—From Britain’s BANG Media
I’m editing my ‘exclusive’ interview with actor Mozhan Marno…until it’s finished, I thought I’d show you a little teaser.
If you don’t recognize her name, you may recognize the name of the movie she’s playing a lead in: ‘The Stoning Of Soraya M.’
Actor Mozhan Marno
I urge you to see the movie, first, before watching the entire interview; which I am planning to post next week, in entirety. (If you watch the interview first, it may ruin the full illusion, the power of the story.)
I wanted to interview Mozhan because, prior, while watching the movie, I had no idea that any of the actors were American.(…’Nuff said…already too much revealed…)
The language spoken, in the film, is Farsi. That contributed to the feeling of ‘being there’. That, the cinematography, the direction…
And, the acting.
I’d like to spill, right here, all of the really interesting stuff that I recorded…Because after seeing the film and then meeting with Mozhan, the actor; I was so surprised at how very different she is, than the character. And what an interesting background she has had…And early career path…Acting experiences…
As an actor, I was thrilled to discover what I did, about her. I think you will be too…
…But, again, I refrain myself. I don’t want to be a spoiler.
Please go see the movie, ‘The Stoning Of Soraya M.’…if you plan to. ASAP.
I am planning to post the interview with Mozhan Marno sometime next week.
Click here, to go to the website for the movie, itself. It will open in a different window.
Please share this with a friend, especially any actors you know. You can easily do so, by using the “Share Save” button below…
I am committed to Hollywood Actor Prep, to benefit actors and those with an interest in acting.——-Simple——There’s no charge, except that I ask for you to spread the value around, by sharing my blog with others.
Thanks for doing so, and thanks for participating with me…
Best,
Dana
I saw him in ‘500 Days Of Summer’ at the LA Film Fest.
Here he is with Zooey Deschanel, who plays Summer, his romantic interest…
…In the movie that is poised to be this summer’s big love movie…The freshest summer love movie yet.
Too complicated?
It’ll all make sense when you see it. You’ll see what I mean, then.
Actors Zooey Deschanel + Joseph Gordon-Levitt
I took this with my iPhone. I have no clue why the light is like that…
Go figure.
I guess it doesn’t hurt when your father was the news director at a public radio station, here in LA, called KPFK.
And your mother ran for Congress, in the ’70’s, on the Peace-And-Freedom Party ticket.
Remember him, as a child actor on Roseanne? On Third Rock?
That’s how I know he is deeply and thoroughly groovy. Gordon-Levitt is so authentic, organic, solid; being a child actor couldn’t do it’s normal damage…
His movie past included ‘Ten Things I Hate About You’, with Heath Ledger; and ‘Manic’. Zooey Deschanel was his co-star in that film, too.
He took an Elmore Leonard story, and made it into a screenplay, called ‘Sparks’.
Then, made a short out of it, cast actors Carla Gugino and Eric Stoltz; and previewed it at Sundance.
He’s showing only the trailer, for now…
…Talking a little about acting.
He says that he likes to hang around with Russian clowns.
I wouldn’t mind if he hung around with this Russian clown, she who writes this blog…
Happy Summer!
;~Dana
This Los Angeles Film Fest has been quite a full, action-packed event; and perhaps the three most notable descriptors that I can use, off the top of my head, are:
Brilliant
Current
Creative.
Can’t go wrong wit dat, not for me, anyway. And, have I mentioned it is a f-i-l-m f-e-s-t-i-v-a-l, with more stuff than anyone could possibly see?
You can find that, in my thesaurus, next to “heavenly”.
Um, That's Melissa Leo In The Center...
Out of the three, it was the most robust. Entertaining, with lots of information to share. It’s probably going to amount to more than one post, throughout this week.
All three ‘Coffee Talk’ symposiums were chock-full-of-information; so much, that it seemed they could’ve gone on for much longer than the hour-and-a-half allotted time.
[Who stuck this 'Ugly Betty' actor in my close up?]
I took avid notes and photos; have audio as well…
Also, tweeted my butt off to Twitter throughout…Example: Screenwriter Nick Kazan ended their panel with this bit of advice:
:::::::::::: WRITE BADLY, HAVE FUN ::::::::::::
It was someone else who was also attending, and also tweeting as well, and was reading my tweets on Twitter.. [My name on Twitter is __dana__.]
We met, and here we are, inside the room at the LA Film Fest…
Lisa Moricoli-Latham and Dana Kaminski
I have to go meet some people at a restaurant–but I have such great stuff to post…
As soon as I have a moment, it’ll be shared here…
Best,
;~Dana
Okay, this is ver-ry cool.
There is a “Lounge”. It actually is a store that the LA Film Festival took over, for the fest.
There’s a bar, with free drinks.
And lots of mingling, and you need a press pass or some other kind of hanging tag around your neck to get in.
And get this:
A counter with some MacBook Pros to diddle with.
Here’s some photos that I was unable to put up before, with my iphone to wordpress:
So…
I’ve got a yummy vodka mojito (one of the only choices)–to which I had the ‘tender add some pineapple juice, um-hm…
…and some Twizzler’s licorice that he was cute enough to offer me when I complained about the Zones power bars…
…and a Mac.
Gotta go, there’s an outdoor screening of”Ghostbusters”.
They closed off a street to put a blow-up screen. Could be coolio.
Stay tuned, huh?
;~Dana
PS I am next to an actor showing his short film on Youtube. I am going to watch it and then go see a film. I’ll let you know on Twitter…
Why…at the LA Film Festival, of course.
Last night, I was twittering away. Live from the Red Carpet at the Opening Night Premiere; and afterward, from the Gala Event.
I’m going to continue doing so, throughout the 10 days of the LA Film Fest… And I may even be live blogging by iPhone.
There’s a ton of stuff to cover: narrative films, documentaries, parties, symposiums…and, I will be at them.
My focus, as ever, will be the acting in the films. I’ll be tweeting about the actors at the festival, and may throw in done film reviews, too.
To come along with me, just keep checking back here, at Hollywood Actor Prep.
If you really want ‘real time’… Twitter may be the best method. I post photos there too, just like on this blog.
On Twitter, my user name is __dana__.
My page address is here at this link for Dana Kaminski.
Stick around!
;~Dana
