Movies

EXCLUSIVE: James Ponsoldt Talks Smashed and The Spectacular Now
‘Idol’ Alum Crystal Bowersox Heading to Broadway
Listening Room: This week in music news
Chvrches, 'Recover': Glasgow Buzz Band Learns to Become a 'Band'
COMICS: WTF Cover For Supergirl #19 - Supergirl vs Power Girl
IRON MAN 3: Pepper In Armor TV Spot Officially Released
Press Release: NECESSARY EVIL: VILLAINS OF DC COMICS Documentary Announced
EXCLUSIVE: James D'Arcy Talks Anthony Perkins, Norman Bates, and Hitchcock
Ryan Gosling In Line To Play Accused Murderer Oscar Pistorious
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James Franco Tells Howard Stern He Turned Down 'Friend' Lindsay Lohan
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EXCLUSIVE: James Ponsoldt Talks Smashed and The Spectacular Now

Posted: 26 Mar 2013 11:36 AM PDT

James Ponsoldt Talks Smashed, available on Blu-ray, and The Spectacular Now

James Ponsoldt is currently enjoying the successful launch of his comedic drama Smashed, available now on Blu-ray, as well as the spectacular reception of his upcoming project, The Spectacular Now, at SXSW earlier in the month. We recently caught up with the director to talk about both of these projects, and the impact they've had on his career.

Smashed follows a young woman whose marriage is hinged on alcohol, and her attempts to sober up. The Spectacular Now follows a young man who is also reliant upon the pleasure and power of alcohol, and how it affects his relationship with a 'nice girl'. Neither movie is a PSA on the dangers of consumption. Instead, both of these critical darlings rely on humor and real emotional heart to get their messages across.

How does James Ponsoldt feel about his budding career as one of the most talked about directors in American cinema right now? Here is our conversation.

How did you go about putting some of the supplemental materials together for the Smashed Blu-ray?

James Ponsoldt: It was a mix of things. We had folks on set that shot behind the scenes footage. They were a couple of friends of mine. One of them is Andy Bruntel, and he has done a lot of music videos. Some of my favorite music videos, actually. Then we had a documentarian named Kelly Parker, and both of them were on set. We gave them total access to shoot whatever they wanted. Then it was put together after the fact, into a little tone poem. A featurette. I guess it's different from a lot of behind-the-scenes. It's not the typical EPK, where its talking heads and it feels corporate. It has a homemade feel to it. We have some deleted scenes. And Mary Elizabeth Winstead and myself did a director's commentary.

Really? I need to go back and listen to that. I didn't get to check out anything on the disc aside from the movie.

James Ponsoldt: Check it out, yeah, totally!

I'll do that later tonight. Watching the movie, it struck me that everyone I know is a pretty heavy drinker. I'm not talking day-to-day, but there is some binge drinking on the weekends. And I know a lot of couples whose relationships are founded on booze. Thing is, none of these people have ever sought help. Not that I have heard. You're background sounds similar, and this is a fictional story. Why did you seek this particular story out? Because it is a very odd man out in this day and age that goes seeking a cure.

James Ponsoldt: Our goal with this film from the get-go was that this was not a message film. There is that saying: If you want to send a message, use Fed-Ex. We didn't want this to be a social message movie, that goes along with a big bowl of oatmeal. It's just good for you! We wanted to make a movie that was entertaining, that was funny, that was emotional, that felt as strange, and comedic, and dramatic as life. Its cool, right? I think it started with my relationship to my co-writer, Susan Burke. We'd been friends for years. She is a wonderful writer and standup-up comedian in Los Angeles. It started with conversations between us about all the stupid things we'd done while we were drunk. We were trying to one up each other, and I had done some epically stupid things...But Susan Burke, I think, she beat me in that regard. She got sober in her early twenties. She went to AA in her early twenties. She is quite open about that, and has talked about that before. There were, between the two of us, quite a few people we knew, in our families, that had dealt with addiction. And alcohol specifically. There was a lot of first hand and second hand experiences. At its core, we didn't want to make a movie about disease. This is not suppose to be about alcoholism. It's a little bit abstract. Not everyone can relate to that. What we wanted to make was a love story. A funny/sad love story about two people who love each other, and are commited to each other unconditionally. But, you know, they both party really hard. That is the foundation and the bedrock of this relationship. We wanted to make a movie about what happens when two people love each other. And they share something. Its intrinsic to who they are, and one of them has to stop, because she will quite literally bring herself to death, or drive her car into a telephone pole, or something. This is about how that affects their relationship. The film, really...She is drinking at the start of the film, and she stops pretty quick. We focus on how the relationship gets destabilized, and how the communities around them are affected. The people she works with, or the people she meets, when she goes to AA. That's where it came from. It was important to make a movie that was really honest, but then was also funny. And it's funny in ways that are uncomfortable, and the audience doesn't know if it should laugh, because we don't know if it's okay to laugh. We wanted a film where the audience wouldn't objectify the main character, or feel sorry for them. But to really, in the beginning, you think, there is that drunk girl. I've seen her at the bar before. I've seen her at a party. Someone that everyone knows. But by the end of the movie, you feel like, that is my sister, that is my ex-girlfriend, that is my ex-roommate. That's heavy. We really wanted a film where people could really identify with the protagonist, and this couple, and not objectify them.

Its funny that you say, 'the girl at the end of the bar." The first time I met Mary Elizabeth, before I knew her as an actress, was at the end of a bar.

James Ponsoldt: Oh, really? That's funny!

It was at the Little Joy...

James Ponsoldt: Oh, yeah. I've been to the Little Joy. Many times.

The people that used to come in and out of that bar in the mid-2000s, that was just a bizarre experience. You are sitting there, and one minute, it's a bunch of dirty hipsters spitting on the floor, and the next minute, its Kiefer Sutherland at the height of his 24 fame, and he's walking in, and everyone else is too cool to care.

James Ponsoldt: That is a former police bar, back before it became a hipster bar. It was known as a cop bar. Because of the proximity to downtown, that has sort of changed. It has changed so much...

I was living in that area ten, twelve years ago, and after it was a cop bar, it became this Mexican gay bar, before it transformed into this hipster hangout. We'd go there in the afternoons, and it was a bunch of out of work gay Mexican dudes, and then the spill over from The Short Stop really pushed it into this hipster hot spot.

James Ponsoldt: Oh, really?

Yeah, the night I met her there, it was already a hipster hang out. Geoffrey Rush came through the door, and he had a basket of roses, and he was tossing them out to people. It was a bizarre place.

James Ponsoldt: Wow! That sounds like a Federico Fellini movie or something. That sounds very surreal.

None of those actors were together, either. She said she didn't know them at the time. And no one in the bar cares. People are just sitting there, hanging out, throwing their trash on the floor, and I'm thinking, 'This is a weird dirty bar to be in.'

James Ponsoldt: East Los Angeles has a lot of those divey old bars where its just people from the neighborhood, and then in walks members of a Mexican gang, and then walks in someone who's famous. And it all just blurs together. It makes sense in a place like Los Angeles. It's not a Hollywood bar.

Tell me about the humor in the movie. Did you write the screenplay out as a dramatic story first, and then go back and try to find the humorous beats, where they always just there, or did a lot of those moments come out of shooting particular scenes in the moment?

James Ponsoldt: I think it started within the DNA of it. This started as a long conversation between me and Susan. We knew it had to be a love story. These people had to love each other, but they are drunks. They are raging alcoholics. It's not about the emotional, physical abuse that can come up with substance abuse. We didn't want to see anyone getting hit. All the things you might expect to see. We wanted you to know that these two people really do work. That they love each other. But they work when they are drunk. They've only known each other when they are drunk. As the saying goes, your emotional development stops when your addiction begins. That is something you hear a lot, and it also proves that these two people are stuck in their late teens. They are in their late twenties, but they are emotionally 19 or 20. It just started from there, and the rest of it evolved through these long drives through town. I was in the process of moving to Virginia for a year. We spent a lot of time sitting together and talking about the characters. We really got to know them. With good storytelling, you are starting with an iceberg. The only part people will read or see is the tip of the iceberg. But you need to know the whole story, you need to know everything there is to know about these characters when you are writing it. The thing is, I think a lot of times, films that deal with tough subject matter, there is this idea that...And maybe this is only in big Hollywood movies...But that you can't have humor, or that you make dramas or you make comedies. There is no line drawn between them. That's just not life. The truth is, drinking is really fun. That's why people do it. And it can be really funny until it becomes really sad. When that happens it's never clear, when it goes form one to the other. So, a movie that is filled with drinking that doesn't have humor in it...I don't think that would relate to life. I think the humor in it was pretty organic. Susan and I shared a sensibility, and we knew where the story should be. We wanted situations that moved between absurd and tragic, or sad. Sometimes even in the mundane, that cold take a hard left or right into the surreal, or the heartbreaking. We went through the story, and tried to tell it. It was important for both of us to get on the same page, to find the tone of it. We watched a lot of movies, and researched the tone. When you are writing with someone else, and you have the same story, but you haven't agreed on a tone, you will end up hating each other. So it was important to get on the same page about that. It was a collaboration where we would consider the best idea, we wouldn't jump to take anything out, and it was never personal. There would be nothing in the movie that either one of us found objectionable, in terms of honesty. If one of us called bullshit on a scene, we would work it out before we were good to go. If one of us was doing a scene that had humor, but it undermined the honest of it, then it had to go. It was always grounded in honesty. That was important to us, and hopefully, the humor would be an extension of that. As opposed to serious scene, funny scene. I think it's important that the film work dramatically. I think, this film does go to some dark places. Audiences are grateful to have that humor. It's really cathartic.

What led you to cast husband and wife team Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally?

James Ponsoldt: It wasn't planned initially. I have been a fan of both of theirs forever. They are two of the funniest people alive, and I think they are one of the most beautiful couples. They are so genuinely in love with each other. But they are not above making the most profane jokes. They are really in love, and they are great. We were searching for the principle role, and we were talking to Nick Offerman. I had loved him on Parks and Recreation. We had the longest conversation. I was out at his woodshop in Glendale. I was looking at his canoes, and tables, and stuff. We talked about everything. It was clear in my mind that he was right for the part. He had the right sensibility. And he is very good with the deadpan. Which is important for that role. At a certain point, he asked who would be good for the principle that would work with him. I said, "You know, there are other actors that we are considering." We were trying to do it piece by piece, because each person that got cast would affect the next cast member. He said, "Well, have you considered the most beautiful and talented actress on earth, Megan Mullally?" I said, "I love Megan Mullally. Its so funny that you should mention her name." He goes, "I'm just throwing it out there, you know?" It just worked beautifully that way. It was a very natural extension. When you find collaborators, whether it's an actor, or a cinematographer, or a production designer, that you have a shared sensibility with. When you start surrounding yourself with those people, the people that they bring to the table sort of, no surprise, share the sensibility. You find people that understand what the tone and the vibe of a script is. In this case of Megan Mullally, she got what was sad and funny about this world and that character. It was really nice. That's how that all came about.

Did you get one of Nick's hand-made wooden combs?

James Ponsoldt: No, I did not get one of his combs. I should definitely get one.

Did you get anything from his shop? I'd love to get something from him, but that stuff is not in my budget.

James Ponsoldt: I know, I know, I know! One of these days, man...Its funny, right? He's not just a dabbler. He's not a gentleman carpenter. He does serious woodwork. I'd love to get a table from him somewhere down the road. I'll probably surprise my wife. Those things go for a lot. I'm sure you've seen the price. One of these days, if I hit it big. Maybe I'll get one...

The cribbage board is what I want. It's so beautiful, even though it's just a cribbage board...

James Ponsoldt: My gosh, that sounds just fantastic. Yeah, well...I'll save up.

In terms of sharing your drunken stories with Susan, did you have or keep any video of yourself from that time period? Did she have any for you to look at?

James Ponsoldt: For myself, I have never been one...Maybe its because I am too paranoid, I don't know why people want to document everything they do. Even now, its not like I plan on joining the CIA, but I cannot understand why people would do that. I don't have a vast record of myself getting totally hammered, or anything. I don't know if Susan does. She could...I mean, she and I have pretty good recollection of all the stupid stuff we've done. Other people in your life will not let you forget it. Some of it is clear, and other things are vague. There are some gray spots. No greatest hits videos sitting around.

As a co-writer on the film, what do you think you were able to bring to the movie that another director may not have brought to this material?

James Ponsoldt: That's a good question. Well, you know, the tone of the finished film was something we developed and talked a lot about from the moment we started writing the script. It was something where we had an intense amount of empathy for the characters. But we would never be self-serious, there would always be a sense of humor. It needed to feel like a hang out movie. Where you and I would definitely know people like them. We could relate to them in a way, and not see them as 'the other'. We couldn't make them such train wrecks where you were like, "Oh, my god! That's an amazing performance, but that's no one I know." The goal was to make characters that people could identify with. Characters that they could laugh with and not laugh at. Because I developed that tone at the very beginning with Susan, it really fused the filmmaking. Getting the right actors was the most important part of that whole process. Finding people that really understood that tone, and the challenges. They needed to know we were going for that pitch perfect tone, because if you do it too serious, it becomes dreary, and it will make you feel like crap. If its too farcical, and light, its not taking the issues of the film serious enough. There needs to be a real understanding and grasp of what's at stake when you are talking about a marriage, or about alcoholism. What's that saying by Oscar Wilde? Life is far too important to take seriously. That was the approach. You have to laugh at stuff, that is how we process pain and misery. That was the approach to the filmmaking, all the way through. To how we shot it, to how we edited it, to the music, and how the score was put in the movie. Every single creative choice sort of came from the same place and the same values, about tone, and how we relate the to the characters and this world...I guess, if someone else just read that script, they might have done something completely different. They might have made something that was way more serious. We felt that we wrote a pretty funny script, but we knew that what we found funny, other people would be like, "Oh, my god, this is horrible. This is someone vomiting in front of a group of children. This is someone urinating on the floor of a convenience story. This is someone smoking crack." These were things we could see how they would be quite funny, and it was never because we were laughing at someone. We completely empathized and identified with the main character, because many times in our lives we had been that character. Or, people we know and love have been that character. That was our approach, loving all of the characters and never judging them. That is what I brought. I tried to treat all of my collaborators, all of the actors, the department heads...I tried to give them full autonomy. I tried to surround myself with people that were smart, and people that had better imaginations, yet got what I was trying to do, and could articulate it, and elevate it, and really challenge me. I tried to not micromanage them. In that regard, I think I got some of the best work out of the actors, and allowed for them to give performances that were different from what people had seen before.

I think that's why the film feels so authentic, because it is coming from a very personal voice. And though you say its not a 'message movie', it does open your eyes to some of the things you may not want to face within yourself.

James Ponsoldt: Yeah. Absolutely. As soon as someone starts lecturing at you, and telling you how to live your life, part of me shuts down, or shuts off, or locks down...With me, anyway, "Thanks, thanks, thanks..." You start tuning into something else. Its very easy to give other people advice. We didn't want to make something that was didactic or polemic. Audiences would have turned the movie off. When you get people to laugh, and it's not pretentious, when it's a little more relatable, and it feels handmade, the audience can engage with it on a level, and let it in. They can allow themselves to find a way to relate to the characters, instead of just gawking at them. That was definitely what we tried to do.

Congradulations on the reception of The Spectacular Now at SXSW. I heard it went over very well...

James Ponsoldt: Oh, thank you! That was a blast. I just got back last night. Austin. I grew up in a college town. Austin is the mother of all college towns. Its like its on steroids. Its not a town, it's a city. There are a million people there. It's the capitol. At its core, its got a massive university there. Great bands. People filling the streets, they love to party there. SXSW is an exciting festival. It does blur film and music, and media. Like, multi-media and high tech stuff, it all comes together. It feels like this giant Mardi Gras. Everything is new. And its very laid back. It doesn't have the vibe of like, "Oh, my god, is that so-in-so, whatever famous person?" Its got a very laidback, hangdog college town vibe. Its totally unpretentious. But, you know, it is...Because there are so many young people there, the films with newer actors, or actors that are younger, or depict things that have a more youth-oriented focus, tend to really engage the audience there. It's a hugely film loving town. The Drafthouse, all that stuff, so it's a really great place to show a movie. Our screening went over fantastic. The Q&A was great. The party was great. We had a lot of love afterwards. They added a screening, which I couldn't be at. Its actually tonight. They had to add a screening because there were so many people that had heard about the movie. It was put into a category called festival favorites, where it's handpicked films from Sundance, and a few other festivals that happened before. We were only going to screen it once. That's all I had planned. So we added another screening. People seem to really dig it. In a lot of ways, I think they relate to the characters like they do in Smashed. Just because they are so flawed but relatable. The film never judges them. I keep hearing, "Oh, my god, I know that guy. I went to school with him." Its nice. People obviously like the movie, even when they come away with a different emotional response. I think they are all very valid. I love that festival.

The Spectacular Now and Evil Dead are the two movies I heard the most about coming out of the festival.

James Ponsoldt: That's so awesome. I'm excited to see Evil Dead. I love... Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn is my favorite out of The Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn, and Army Of Darkness. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn is my favorite. But I do love the first one. It's one of those movies where I think, you remake movies that are really flawed. You don't necessarily remake movies that already work. Part of me was skeptical. Its like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. That original movie works so well. It totally holds up. Its so low budget, and it seems like a found location. Its so dirty, and skuzzy, and fucked up, it feels like a snuff film. When you watch it, you feel like, "Oh my god. They are really killing people." When you make something that makes the studio a lot of money, you want it to stay floating around, and you want something that is as scary as the original. I was really excited to hear that people love Evil Dead the remake. I'm definitely excited to go see that. I went and saw Rob Zombie on my last day. He has The Lords of Salem. That's a guy I really respect. I love what he is doing, and he really loves horror films. That's what's great about Austin, right? People can love a film about teenagers, and they love total genre movies. They love it all. People are pretty omnivorous. They love good, honest, entertaining stuff. Which is great.

Did you see Lords of Salem?

James Ponsoldt: No! I really wanted to. The screening was at midnight. We had to do a Q&A for our movie. I knew that it is coming out on April 19th, or something like that. Its coming in a month, so I will definitely see both of those on opening weekend. When I go to festivals, I try to see films where its questionable if they are going to get released, or the release strategy isn't already built in, so I know I might not get to see it later.

When does The Spectacular Now come out?

James Ponsoldt: It comes out August 2nd. We will be doing a lot of festivals before that. There's a ways to go.

It's been kind of upsetting to see some of the mean responses on the Internet in regards to the casting of Shailene Woodley in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. People are being extremely cruel in terms of saying she has been miscast. The cool thing about SXSW and the reviews coming out about the Spectacular Now, is that it has shut a lot of people up. Now, the fans that have seen your film are saying, "Wait until you see The Spectacular Now. You'll understand her casting as Mary Jane."

James Ponsoldt: I've seen them shooting in New York, and I've heard a little about the pictures that have come out of her and Andrew Garfield, and stuff. I think once people see the movie, they will know. The truth is, Shailene Woodley is 21. She is pretty much the best actress of her generation. I am obviously very biased. She is a spectacular actress, and that is why I wanted her for The Spectacular Now. She is so good in my movie, I am positive she is going to be just as good in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and she is going to raise the bar. Look at who they've cast. These are some spectacular actors, and Shailene is just so good. Once they see what she can do, all of the haters will shut up. Yeah. I don't know. There is a reason why she is starring in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. There is a reason why she is the star of Divergent, which is going to become this huge franchise. It's a serious sci-fi franchise, with her and Kate Winslet. She is no joke. What's so great about her is that she is an unbelievably honest, intelligent actor. She is wise beyond her years. And she can ground anything she is in. Especially a movie that has crazy special effects. An actor like that makes it all feel real, and relatable, and emotional. Which is the reason something works, or doesn't work. It all comes down to whether you identify and relate to the characters.

Smashed was released October 12th, 2012 and stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul, Octavia Spencer, Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, Mary Kay Place, Kyle Gallner, Bree Turner. The film is directed by James Ponsoldt.

The Spectacular Now comes to theaters in 2013 and stars Brie Larson, Shailene Woodley, Miles Teller, Kaitlyn Dever, Masam Holden, Dayo Okeniyi, Kyle Chandler, Mary Elizabeth Winstead. The film is directed by James Ponsoldt.

‘Idol’ Alum Crystal Bowersox Heading to Broadway

Posted: 26 Mar 2013 11:30 AM PDT

Former "American Idol" finalist Crystal Bowersox is set to portray country great Patsy Cline in an upcoming Broadway musical.

Producers of "Always... Patsy Cline" told People.com Tuesday that Bowersox, 25, will portray the legendary singer in the title role.

Listening Room: This week in music news

Posted: 22 Mar 2013 01:18 PM PDT

Join us each Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET as we explore the week's new releases from a wide spectrum of pop, rock, country, hip-hop, R&B, folk, indie and alternative music styles.

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Chvrches, 'Recover': Glasgow Buzz Band Learns to Become a 'Band'

Posted: 26 Mar 2013 02:00 PM PDT

Filed under: News, Exclusive, RPM, EDM

CMW

When a band gets thrown into the spotlight by a hurdling wave of online buzz, it's hard to get a good grasp on things. Especially when you're not quite a proper band yet.

Glasgow electro-pop trio Chvrches learned this recently when -- with nothing but a handful of songs and a full-length still in its final stages -- the band grabbed music bloggers' attention. They've been gradually learning how to ride out this initial hype wave.

"We didn't know what to expect from this because we were all doing other things at the same time," Martin Doherty tells Spinner. "The reaction was overwhelming, but because there was no information on us online, there was this mystery to us."

COMICS: WTF Cover For Supergirl #19 - Supergirl vs Power Girl

Posted: 26 Mar 2013 11:06 AM PDT

In a battle of equals, which girl will reign supreme? Another gatefold cover reveal from DC Comics' April titles touts a looming showdown between Supergirl and her alternate reality doppelganger Power Girl. My money is on the more..ahem..mature, Power Girl.Supergirl #19 (w) Mike Johnson (a) Mahmud Asrar release date: April 17th $2.99 32 PGS RELATED CONTENT: COMICS: Warren Ellis Returns To Marvel For Orginal Graphic Novel AVENGERS: ENDLESS WARTIME COMICS: WTF Cover For SUPERMAN #19 COMICS: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #5 Cover Reveals More DC Death COMICS: Scott Snyder Coy On Harper Row Rumors

IRON MAN 3: Pepper In Armor TV Spot Officially Released

Posted: 26 Mar 2013 10:54 AM PDT

There was a bit of fan backlash over this spot, which does spoil the fact that at one point Pepper suits up. But most of us here on CBM knew that as far back as those LEGO sets were revealed, and really, does knowing that Potts wears an Iron Man suit for a few minutes actually RUIN the movie for you? Anyway, the tv spot has been officially released so take a look.. Marvel's "Iron Man 3" pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his

Press Release: NECESSARY EVIL: VILLAINS OF DC COMICS Documentary Announced

Posted: 26 Mar 2013 10:29 AM PDT

HIGHLIGHTS: -WB Home Entertainment is behind the production so expect a direct-to-video release. -The documentary will be narrated by Christopher Lee (The Hobbit, Star Wars, The Horror of Dracula). -Video will feature interviews with comic book creators, famed storytellers and actors. -Cosplaying attendees of this year's WonderCon and SDCC have a chance to be featured. - The documentary is expected to be released later this year. "Behind every great hero, there are a whole lot of villains." – Geoff Johns NECESSARY EVIL: VILLAINS OF DC COMICS - LEGENDARY VILLAIN CHRISTOPHER LEE NARRATES BURBANK, CA (March 26, 2013) – The Joker, Bane, Deathstroke, Darkseid and Lex Luthor -- the scariest and most menacing villains in DC Comics' universe -- take center stage in a brand new full-length documentary from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) and DC Entertainment (DCE). The joint announcement was made today by WBHE and DCE. Christopher Lee, who has played the villain more times than almost any other

EXCLUSIVE: James D'Arcy Talks Anthony Perkins, Norman Bates, and Hitchcock

Posted: 26 Mar 2013 11:00 AM PDT

James D'Arcy talks Anthony Perkins, Norman Bates, and Hitchcock, on Blu-ray and DVD now

Hitchcock, the critically acclaimed biopic on the master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock, is now available on Blu-ray. Directed by Sacha Gervasi (Anvil! the Story of Anvil), the movie deliciously delves into the behind-the-scenes drama that went into the making of Hitchcock's seminial classic Psycho. We recently caught up with actor James D'Arcy, who takes on the guise of Alfred's leading man Anthony Perkins and the persona of Norman Bates, for a quick chat about this provocative and insightful bit of cinematic history.

How many layers are there to Norman Bates and his alter ego Anthony Perkins? Here is our conversation.

Did it make more sense to look at Anthony Perkins' work before Psycho to get an understanding of him as an actor? Since you would both be at that point in life where you are coming to the character of Norman Bates for the first time?

James D'Arcy: Yeah. I didn't really watch a lot of Psycho. I watched The Trial, I watched Goodbye Again. I found some interviews online of him. Most of the time, they were from the 80s, when his voice sounded different. There wasn't too much from the 50s, and they were all in French. That was a bit tricky. I watched some of Psycho, again. I didn't watch all of it. I have only seen Psycho all the way through once. I'm too much of a scaredy cat. I do what I'm supposed to do. I'm afraid I couldn't quite bring myself to watch the whole thing.

It just seems like it would make sense to get more of an understanding of Anthony before he entered into that production.

James D'Arcy: I read a biography of his called Split Image, which I read pretty keenly, up until the bit where he did Psycho, and then I stopped reading. That didn't have any value, as it were. You go where you can, and get what information you can, wherever you can get it. You know? He had a very particular way of moving, and a very particular way of speaking. Which could alter dramatically from his movies. From my perspective, that was really helpful. There was a consistency there. After that, I tried to be honest. It's not an impression. I wanted to be respectful of him as a human being.

This was Sacha Gervasi's first feature narrative film after having directed the popular documentary Anvil. What was it like working alongside him on his first big movie?

James D'Arcy: I absolutely loved working with him. He was just great. He was so enthusiastic. I have actually known him for a very long time. We've been friends for a number of years. He's got a very infectious enthusiasm as a person, anyway. I didn't know if that's how it would translate to how he was on set. And I was absolutely thrilled to discover that it was. We had a really good time. He makes the set a very fun place to be. I don't have enough good things to say about Sacha.

Did having known him prior to the making of the movie help in landing this role? Or was it one of those instances where you got the role, and then discovered that your old friend was also working on it?

James D'Arcy: No, it didn't help me get the role at all. I know for a fact, it really didn't help me. Because we'd been friends for so long, he really didn't see me as an actor. Just as his friend. In fact, I went in and auditioned. Anthony Hopkins was unbelievably supportive of me and the possibility of me playing that role. I think that helped enormously. Not that Sacha was against it in any way. It's just that his attention was placed elsewhere. It was a surprise to him that, oh, his friend might end up playing this part. I don't have the ins and outs of it, but I'm certainly not the only actor they met for it. And several of the actors were very namey. I hope that I was awarded the role by merit.

Its interesting to me that you've entered into the world of Hitchcock, and you're not a fan of horror. Since he was the premiere horror director of his time. What interested you about the project, since it wasn't the genre of Psycho itself?

James D'Arcy: Well, I'm in actor. Just because I'm not interested in watching horror movies doesn't mean I won't be in them. Beyond which, I don't know that Alfred Hitchcock was...Look, I know that Psycho is one of the greatest horror movies of all time, but I don't know that, when you think of Hitchcock, that you think of him as a horror director. I think of him more as a thriller director.

Suspence.

James D'Arcy: Yeah. Not straight up horror. He made that one film, and even that could be seen as more of a psychological thriller than a horror, to be honest. This film is its own beast. Its much more lighthearted, and it thumps along, and its got that Danny Elfman score, right from the first scene, you know you are watching something that has its tongue in its cheek. You know? But anyway, that is by the by. I have no problem being in a horror movie. I just don't want to watch them. They are not my favorite. I think that's okay...Isn't it?

Maybe its better that way. If you aren't familiar with the horror tropes and stereotypes, maybe you won't fall into those same traps. I would think it allows you to come at it with a fresh perspective.

James D'Arcy: Right. Maybe it's less likely to slip into the clich&#233s of the genre. I just don't know. I just don't watch them. (Laughs) Hitchcock isn't a horror movie. It's almost more of a comedy. I have done a few. I've done a couple.

Now, what was it like being on set with Anthony Hopkins when he is immersed in these prosthetics, and he is embodying this legendary man? Does he completely disappear. Do you feel like you actually interacted with Hitchcock? Or does he never allow himself to go that far?

James D'Arcy: It was great. Whatever potential intimidation I might have felt by working with Anthony Hopkins completely disappeared. Because he didn't look like Anthony Hopkins. And he didn't sound like Anthony Hopkins. So it was easy to forget it was Anthony Hopkins. We got along great. He is the sweetest person on earth. I was absolutely thrilled to be on a film set with him.

Do we get to see any extra stuff of you as Anthony Perkins on the Blu-ray?

James D'Arcy: I don't know. I have no idea what else is on the DVD. Certainly, that interview segment that you see in the movie was a lot longer. I don't know if that stuff is on the DVD though, I have no idea. I don't think there is anything else on there. As I say, the interview sequence, it was significantly longer when we shot it. Maybe four or five minutes. Whether that's all on the DVD, I just don't know.

Hitchcock was released November 23rd, 2012 and stars Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Danny Huston, Toni Collette, Michael Stuhlbarg, Michael Wincott, Jessica Biel. The film is directed by Sacha Gervasi.

Ryan Gosling In Line To Play Accused Murderer Oscar Pistorious

Posted: 26 Mar 2013 11:07 AM PDT

So much for Ryan Gosling's self-imposed break from acting: The Hollywood heart throb is in line to play Paralympian hero and accused murderer Oscar Pistorious in an upcoming biopic.

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The Following: What's Joe's Larger Plan?

Posted: 26 Mar 2013 10:57 AM PDT

It seems like all the pieces are falling into place for Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) on Fox's The Following. The FBI's technology has been compromised, Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) is nearing his breaking point, and Joe's ex-wife Claire Matthews (Natalie Zea) is en route to the mansion where Joe and his followers are hiding out. Heck, Joe's even starting to bond with his son Joey (Kyle Catlett) — over s'mores, no less!

But hold on a minute. According to Purefoy, this part of the story might be only the beginning of Joe's endgame — and his "super objective" remains to be seen.