Jessica Chastain once commented about her unusual appearance and seeking roles: “When I first moved to LA, it was very difficult. All the casting directors didn’t know what to do with me, with the way I looked. “I’m not blonde with tanned skin and tall and skinny. I looked very different – and they said [...]
“When you’re famous, you kind of run into human nature in a raw kind of way.” Marilyn Monroe Ayn Rand wrote a commentary in the Los Angeles Times, two weeks after Marilyn Monroe’s death on August 5, 1962. Referring to the “sordid and horrifying childhood of Monroe, Rand wrote: “To survive it and to preserve [...]
Her portrayal of the icon is earning praise from many reviewers. Claudia Puig writes in USA TODAY that “While My Week With Marilyn is more an awestruck reverie than a revelatory biopic, it’s worth seeing for Williams’ bravura performance.” Roger Ebert thinks “The movie seems to be a fairly accurate re-creation of the making of [...]
Actor Mayim Bialik earned her Ph.D. from UCLA in Neuroscience, and on “The Big Bang Theory” she plays Amy Farrah Fowler, a neurobiologist and “not-girlfriend” of physicist Sheldon Cooper. In a Los Angeles Times article, Bialik comments, “The first episode I did for them, the executive producer said, ‘Do you really have a PhD?’ I [...]
Like many actors who want to develop their talents, Vanessa Hudgens observes people – and also uses the experience for personal growth. She also develops her awareness through reading, such as the book The Four Agreements. Hudgens chose to act in “Sucker Punch” – and wear risqué costumes for the role – because she found [...]
In her varied roles, Emily Blunt is often a strong presence, intriguing for her complex emotions and intelligence – sometimes not quite expressed, but showing in her eyes. With her new movie The Adjustment Bureau so much about fate, it is interesting to read some of her perspectives on what she was like earlier in [...]
Jennifer Aniston: What attracts you to a project? What’s the key element that has to be there? Nicole Kidman: Usually something strange. It’s a little weird or offbeat or very uncomfortable. I have to be convinced to do things that are more mainstream. As a kid, I was always a bit, I suppose, darker. I [...]
Winona Ryder has expressed a number of thoughtful comments and perspectives on being an actor, and the kinds of pressures affecting her life – and many other talented and sensitive artists. Here are some excerpts from an Interview magazine article. Stephen Mooallem: When you were younger did you ever get into one of those situations [...]
Probably most actors find that costumes and the props they interact with help bring their characters to life – along with dialogue, of course. Stephen Dorff talked in a recent interview about working in Sofia Coppola’s movie “Somewhere” with much less of all of those. Moviefone Blog: There’s hardly any dialogue in this script. Isn’t [...]
“Mustering up enough self-esteem to say, ‘I want to be an actor,’ was a big turning point.” Julia Roberts [Parade mag. Nov 9 2008] Many creative people report feeling incompetent, inadequate and having low self esteem or self-regard at times. But there are ways to shift those feelings. A number of film actors report they [...]
Now a Brown University sophomore, Emma Watson was interviewed by Jeanne Wolf of Parade magazine on some of what college means to her. Here are some excerpts : I may do some theater next summer, but this college experience is really important to me, and I won’t give it up for anything. I’m not going [...]
Body image issues can be particularly acute for people in entertainment, which also provides most of the icons and role models of appearance. In her new memoir Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain, Portia de Rossi writes about a dark side of pursuing a “perfect” look. “Anorexia was my first love. I didn’t [...]
In a recent interview, Amanda Seyfried says she isn’t comfortable with her new fame and status: “I mean, why am I considered an ‘it girl?’” she asks. “Because I’m in a lot of movies right now or am on the covers of magazines? I just hope there is something solid behind that. “Because here’s the [...]
By guest author Carmen Lynne After spending the greater part of my life as an actress and performer, I became a therapist in early 2007. While I still do a little bit of acting when I have a chance, I now mainly spend my time helping other people to fulfill their creative ambitions or to [...]
It can be a major decision to be a mother and still pursue a demanding life as an artist. On her Twitter profile, Amanda Bynes says: i want to be a mom but not til i’m 30 and even if i get married b4 then i still want to wait to have kids til long [...]
What choices and compromises do you make to gain attention and opportunities as an actor? Romola Garai has expressed a number of thoughtful perspectives on these topics. Here are some quotes from her imdb.com profile. On Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights : “I wouldn’t have done something that I thought had no merit in it at [...]
Joan Chen comments about first seeing “Edward Scissorhands” in 1990: “It was unique cinema that felt like pure magic. The bizarre beauty of the film and the gentle hero with his lethally sharp scissorhands stayed with me through out the years. “Looking back, after almost 20 years, I now understand better the fierce longing and [...]
“I think it’s my job to risk looking foolish. One of the things I’ve learned from the actors I’ve worked with is you don’t get something for nothing. If you don’t risk looking foolish, you’ll never do anything special.” Ethan Hawke Those quotes are from the article Ethan Hawke says ‘Daybreakers’ is no ‘Twilight’: ‘It’s [...]
Bryce Dallas Howard portrays the “unapologetic” Fisher Willow in The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, from a screenplay by Tennessee Williams. Howard says “The Hollywood scene, these parties, freak me out. I’ve never had a sip of alcohol in my life. I wasn’t interested in losing control. “There was alcoholism in my family, so I [...]
Amber Riley is one of the dynamic actor-singers on the musical/comedy series Glee. She recalls her rejection from American Idol: “My life was crushed when they told me ‘No.’ But I was 17, it was a long time ago and rejection like that only makes you stronger, gets you asking — how can I better [...]
Evan Rachel Wood says, “I used to not even be able to order pizza on the phone because I was just so shy.” She thinks acting allows so much to come out on-screen, “because that’s my time to let go in a safe place.” Scarlett Johansson has noted that sensitivity can have a dark side: [...]
Julie Benz (on auditioning for “Dexter”): I had to come in with no makeup on and in sweats. And then I took it a step further because they wanted me to look really downtrodden, so I actually drank wine so I was hung over and I put mascara in my hair to give myself really [...]
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