Дата: Понедельник, 2012-04-16, 1:00 AM | Сообщение # 1
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Дабы далее не засорять тему *вопросы и помощь*, выкладываю сюда транскрипт и интервью, найденные мною в инете на английском языке. Может, переводы появятся на главной, ну или в соответствующей теме.
Дата: Понедельник, 2012-04-16, 1:01 AM | Сообщение # 2
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An Interview with Marton Csokas (October 31, 2005) By Lise Millay Stevens
It’s pronounced Cho-kash (Martin), it’s Hungarian, and he’s a 39-year-old New Zealand actor who, for the past four years, has been showing up in major releases on the film festival circuit (Evilenko, Asylum) and major U.S. productions (The Bourne Supremacy, Timeline, Kingdom of Heaven, The Great Raid). His name does not exactly trip off the tongue of most film buffs; however, the spotlight is bound to shine brightly on him with his next release, a film rendition of the MTV animated series Aeon Flux, in which he takes on the part of the dark Trevor Goodchild, love interest of Chalize Theron, who plays the title role.
Marton Csokas, a classically trained actor out of the New Zealand Drama Academy, has run the gamut of roles: as a Mongol warrior, complete with flowing black hair, Fu Manchu moustache, goatee and scimitar sideburns in camp rerun classic Xena: Warrior Princess; ultra-cool, clean-shaven, raven-haired Euro-villain Yorgi in xXx; hulking and hairy medieval bad guys in both Timeline and Kingdom of Heaven; and the handsome, wife-murdering, morbidly jealous Edgar Stark in Asylum.
Inarguably, Csokas has kept his image fluid. His theatrical work includes roles in robust classics such as Twelfth Night, Angels in America and The Cherry Orchard; roles in small, critically-acclaimed films such as Rain, Hurrah, and The Three Stooges; and even a stint canoodling, nude, with a native in the gay short Twilight of the Gods.
Born in Invercargill, New Zealand, to a Hungarian father of the same name, a mechanical engineer who fled Hungary after World War II, and a Kiwi mother, a nurse, Csokas and his younger brother ping-ponged between Australia and New Zealand as his ever-restless father took jobs in several locales. The couple eventually divorced and for several years the young Marton remained estranged from his father but was infected with a never-ending wanderlust himself: After high school, he spent several months traveling around Europe, a period which he says opened his eyes to the arts. Upon returning to New Zealand, Csokas spent time at university and an arts school, eventually settling on acting as a vocation and winding up at the New Zealand Drama Academy. After hiring an agent and finding only sporadic work in drama, he eventually landed steady work by snagging a role in the long-running NZ soap, Shortland Street, and continued to find work in New Zealand and Australian theater, television and film.
The decision to take on more global films, Csokas says, was not a career move but was driven by a personal decision to leave Sydney and move on to somewhere new—namely, Hollywood. He hasn’t sat still since. His film work has taken him to the Czech Republic, Morocco, Spain, and Germany, to mention a few. Between bouts of promoting his recent works at various film festivals both here and abroad, Csokas has been showing up at a flurry of media events in stylish suits, a modern, close-cropped coiffure and a trendy frieze of five-o’clock shadow, a bit stiff and seemingly nervous in the bright glare of the U.S. paparazzi. This new Marton is a far cry from the espresso-sipping, American Spirit smoking, loquacious and ingenuous guy in baggy jeans and polo shirt who punctuated his words with a toss of tousled locks as he chatted with us about life and art a few months earlier at the Philadelphia Film Festival. Offscreen: Your trip to Europe when you were 18 —why did that inspire you to go into the arts?
Csokas: I did it on the cheap —I slept in fields or train stations or youth hostels or whatever. The first thing that really got me was an exhibition of German Expressionists, in London, people like Otto Dix, [Ernst Ludwig] Kirchner, George Grosz, all these kinds of people. That was the wonderful thing, just to see how other people think and the idea of, the concept of, creativity being…well, I would have used the word God at the time… but the idea that you can pursue one’s life in a broader perspective through the arts —do good work for humanity as well as being spiritual without wanting to sound too grand (laughs).
In England, I worked in a school for a couple of months. I was teaching anything and everything. I was meant to be sort of supervising —there was a virus that went through the school and a number of the teachers fell ill, so I was teaching— I wasn’t really, but, you know, I was supposed to be teaching, Latin, French, religious studies, music, physical education, the whole lot. That was a little daunting and if there was any desire to be a teacher, it got well and truly thrown out of my system.
Offscreen: Did you get back to your roots, to Hungary, while you were in Europe?
Csokas: It [the job] provided me with some income and I could explore things; I was able to travel to Hungary which was the destination that I wanted to arrive at. I was not there for very long. I found it overwhelming —I was looking for my father’s family but as we spoke of he was an orphan during the war so it was actually very, very difficult and I got frustrated by it. It was in the middle of winter as well and I followed various leads that I had, followed people to try and find some contacts that may have known my father’s family. It was successful but it wasn’t really what I had in mind.
Offscreen: Do you speak Hungarian? Did you learn any from your father?
Csokas: My knowledge of the language is minimal and having come from New Zealand, there were all these other places that I wanted to visit, so I went to Italy and then I went to France and then during the course of my trip I realized I wanted to do something where I could travel and have an income at the same time. So that has really worked out, with my acting and all.
Offscreen: Did attending the New Zealand Drama School have a strong influence on your acting? Would you call yourself a Method actor, or something else?
Csokas: I’m not a Method actor. They taught a lot of things and I was fortunate, which I didn’t appreciate at the time, to have three artistic directors —it was a period of transition, the first director had been there 13 years when we arrived and he was retiring. He became quite reflective and passed on a lot of stories that were, I imagine, what he thought were the most important things which at the time I didn’t want—I didn’t want life’s lessons I wanted to learn to be an actor! I thought what the hell are we learning, what does this mean? But, I realized later, the things he taught were some of the most important things, particularly approval vs. disapproval, looking to other people to see if they disapprove of what you’re doing in your work, and personally as well I suppose, but specifically in this case with work, do people like what I’m doing? —especially as a student when you’re learning— or do they dislike what I’m doing? Do I have to do something better or something different?
So basically, the crux of it is that everything you do ends up being guided by other people. I think there is a responsibility to find your own way. With the three people who headed the drama school, who were so obviously different, I was so frustrated, but then I realized, ah! Well that’s the whole point, isn’t it?
So I spent a lot of time in the library, reading about whomever whether it be [Vsevolod] Meyerhold, Stanislavsky, [Tadashi] Suzuki —which is a normal education in drama anyway— but really finding out who and what I might align with, and basically there’s something in just about everything. I had a very eclectic training, classical predominantly, but very eclectic and it’s still very eclectic for me. I think you find your own method – your own process is very, very important.
Offscreen: Since your first taste of professionally paid acting work was in the Kiwi soap Shortland Street, how did you reconcile that with your desire for “art” and your eclectic training? Csokas: A lot of people looked down on that, but I learned a lot about how to ingest vast quantities of lines, do it quickly, be economical in one’s approach, go home, get up the next day and do it again. I thought, “This is easy!” There are a lot of actors I know who wanted that tortured artistic process, the “we need more time, we need to talk about it, we need to walk through it,” but when you’ve got 15 minutes to get the job done because the light is disappearing or you have to be out of the location, you’ve got to just throw it all away and just do it. I was a purist when I was in drama school but that changed very quickly —money is a strong motivating force out of necessity. There is a system of cooperative theater in NZ —you get a small amount of money from somewhere, you get sponsors for your posters, for anything. So my idealism was being challenged, that’s for sure. The tutors from my drama school, they were still all doing that and I thought, “Hmmmm…if I want to have a family, if I want to have a so-called normal life or to support myself and possibly someone else and children, how am I going to do that on the 69 dollars?
Сообщение отредактировал Amadeus - Понедельник, 2012-04-16, 1:02 AM
Дата: Понедельник, 2012-04-16, 1:03 AM | Сообщение # 3
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Offscreen: You were working steadily as an actor in television, stage and movies for 10 years before making the move to Hollywood—why the sudden switch?
Csokas: I’ve never been someone who has had aspirations for Hollywood; a lot of my colleagues have and I could never understand it. I mean, if I’m working and doing things that I love, that is the most important thing. I know plenty of people who went from New Zealand to Hollywood and came back with their tail between their legs, broken, just disillusioned, the whole thing, and then they start again. I thought, “No, I’m getting work.” Not that I’ve always had work, but compared to a lot of people’s careers, I’ve managed to keep it going. So I did The Three Stooges; the producer [Jim Lemley] was very supportive and said he’d given my name to a casting director in Los Angeles and told me that he thought I should come over to Hollywood. I took three steps back and said okay, that’s flattering, but what’s the reality of that? Anyway, the casting director, Mindy Marin, she sent me three scripts over the course of the year. I put myself down on tape in New Zealand for three big Hollywood films, and I thought “mmm, okay, some of the characters are quite interesting, the rebel or outsider or the mad person;” I like that kind of role.
I sent off my tapes and I came close to getting one of them, but emigration and visas were a problem so things didn’t go my way. And these were for small, cameo kind of roles; the three were all bad guys. It was interesting to go through for the sake of it, I kind of like that, and she [Marin] was saying “come over, come over, come over” and something happened in my personal life (his face darkens with the memory) which, by the way, tends to lead me in my career.
I went over during the filming of Garage Days —we had a month off. I went to just change the scenery, to L.A., and I got an agent; it happened relatively easily and quickly. At the end of the year, I thought, well, I don’t want to be in Sydney for various reasons so I went back and I got XXX within two weeks. Travel was an incentive; so was being in Prague [where the film was partially shot]; it was a fairytale for me. It was like “Wow!” I was so lucky and the money I was paid was like “Wow!” I mean I know I didn’t get anything near what people get, but it was fantastic.
Offscreen: Was there a backlash at home in the industry for leaving to go to Hollywood? Did people perceive it as selling out? Csokas: I haven’t lived in New Zealand for seven years. I was in Australia for three and here [in the U.S] for four. I’ve spent more time everywhere else. New Zealand has an inherited mode of behavior which we term “The Tall Poppy Syndrome;” in a field of poppies they’re all level, and if one comes too high –ha, ha, ha (sardonically) it’s chopped down; it’s inherent in the psyche of NZ. It can be useful, I suppose, it keeps you down to earth, but it can also be destructive. It comes from England, from what I’ve seen.
In other countries, particularly European countries, if you’re successful, your success is celebrated; if you’re an asshole, you’ll be treated accordingly, but if you’re deemed to be good at what you do and have a degree of graciousness or whatever, then you’re celebrated, if your work is appreciated, people don’t feel an inherent responsibility to make sure that you don’t get too arrogant.
Offscreen: What about the celebrity scene in the U.S.—how do you handle that? It’s dangerous ground, isn’t it?
Csokas: In the States it’s the other extreme, it’s the opposite, you’re lauded with a great deal of worship, and people do start to feel that the sun does shine under their ass, which is weird.
Offscreen: Have you ever been seduced by your success? Has your ego ever gotten out of control?
Csokas: No, I don’t think I’m successful. In New Zealand you go from job to job.
Offscreen: Why do you play all these dark, violent characters —the wife-murderer in Asylum, the evil Templar Guy de Lusignan in Kingdom of Heaven, the fanatical anarchist Yorgi in XXX, the rebellious and mad Captain Redding in The Great Raid— are you type-cast, or do you enjoy these kind of characters?
Csokas: I think we all have those capabilities. I love all that stuff —the complex. But then again, that is true in life —I do have a relatively sunny disposition but there are other things that are going on inside me. I might meet someone whom I find incredibly obnoxious, but of course there are other qualities to them. We are fully described people, most of us, and those are the things to treasure and explore, that’s the journey. If I play good people, I always try to find the things that aren’t good. I look for some qualities that are distasteful or not appreciated. There really shouldn’t be a division. So if I play a bad character, I look for their charm, their good points, the things that make them human. Offscreen: How do you come by such characters in Hollywood? A lot of major releases have a very simplistic view of the world and make a clear delineation between the good guys and the bad guys without much room for complexity.
Csokas: There are some things I’ve been involved with that when you read the script there is a great deal of complexity among all the characters and in the story, but at the end of the day what’s seen on screen compared to what we’ve shot, a lot has been subtracted. The general feeling in Hollywood is to keep it simple. Those stupid test screening! “How do you feel when so and so dies?” It’s so bizarre.
Offscreen: Like A Beautiful Mind? The script writers left out some things about John Forbes Nash, Jr. that aren’t very attractive to the average American viewer such as his homosexuality and the fact that he had a three-year affair during his marriage. The character Alicia, who in the film was made his wife, was actually his mistress; his wife was an entirely different person.
Csokas: A Beautiful Mind was a Sunday Night Movie, very palatable. You can see it and happily go to bed. In the final edit of a film, some of those things might be taken away. In xXx, Yorgi was a more complex character, as was Vin Diesel’s. They explored the two poles of anarchic behavior and that got diminished for the sake of explosions and stunts which is all fine and dandy but it is a very different film.
Offscreen: His motivation for wanting to start a World War and have the whole world implode wasn’t even explained until his monologue near the end of the film.
Csokas: Yorgi’s speech at the end got simplified. There were a number of other scenes we didn’t shoot at all which held the mental application to the politics very clearly. His political exposition was very clear and when that disappeared, I felt, okay then, we have the emotional version, an ideology. The points that placed it in some kind of loose reality were gone. It taught me not to take it too seriously and that there are stepping stones. I didn’t necessarily not want to do that film, but it was suggested to me that it would open other doors and it has.
Offscreen: You’ve played a lot of baddies. Actors are notorious for letting a character cross over into their everyday lives. Has that happened to you?
Csokas: When I was younger, I let a piece of work at one point cross into my personal life.
Offscreen: Tell me a bit more about that. What role was it?
Csokas: I can’t tell you, but I got caught up in the work. He wasn’t a very nice character and it was just a matter of not being responsible to people who I was close to. It was terrible. I was fortunate that the other person concerned was forgiving. But it was just awful, just one day realizing “I’m going down here, this is such bullshit!”
Offscreen: Did your friends or a lover or someone else clue you in, or did you realize it yourself?
Csokas: I realized it myself. You lie in bed and know something is going on, that something is amiss. I was being completely dishonest with myself and with other people and before long it gets revealed. It didn’t take too long, maybe month. All this is really irrelevant.
Offscreen: No, actually it’s quite interesting.
Csokas: [Laughs and answers with a good deal of irony] Yes, well, I’m sure it is interesting but all I’m saying is that in terms of your original question, to leave a character at work is a good thing. Of course you’re thinking stuff all the time but the division between illusion and reality is one to make and I’m just saying I sort of experimented to see how far I could go with it and it was ridiculous. I think it says more about lack of knowledge of myself, the desire to escape, to flee who I am and not have the responsibility which I believe one has not to let everything go, which is different than accepting who one is and abandoning oneself to life.
Offscreen: So in your view, what is the nature of living your internal life well? What’s it all about?
Csokas: The esoteric aspect of life and the metaphysical aspects of life they are very, very important. This sounds so incredibly inane, but it’s always been part of my life; it comes and goes, I’ve lost it at times for a long time. The internal pursuit that we’re all lucky enough to have as individuals in the world is to me what is satisfying. And if it’s successful to live, to even be here as we are, it is weird and incredible to be here, it’s weird to be alive in our environment. It’s such a bizarre concept to be alive on this planet earth and to do all the things that we do to be in our lives.
Offscreen: What about all the chaos and wars and suffering?
Csokas: I admire those people who literally want to save the world, who contribute in their field. They have this unrelenting drive to whatever it is they want to do, to discover a miracle formula, to feed the starving people of the world, to work on an invention and to do things that actually make the world a better place; this is what is successful. To have intimate relationships and reconcile all that noise that I have inside myself to some place of connection with being conscious, this is good. I’m learning, I’m stumbling through life like all of us.
Offscreen: How do you handle all the travel and your relationships, your friendships, lovers? Csokas: In some ways it means that one is isolated but it also means that what you have becomes that much stronger and you don’t necessarily waste a lot of time with things, especially as I’m growing older, that don’t work and with things that matter, you put that much more energy and effort into them. One becomes more selective, and if it is two people, then you really put your heart and soul into it and acknowledge the fact that somebody else does as well and if that’s not occurring, then you keep going. It’s a different lifestyle —it’s a bit like the romantic notion of what the circus might be; you spend five months working with people but you may not necessarily see them after that and you hook into another group. It can be wonderful and I try and hold on to friendships that I secure. I know a lot of other people in the same position and everything that goes with it, and that helps, because if someone is in the same situation, then of course they understand and respect that way of living. It is pros and cons and I suppose if you were in one place for a large portion of your life then maybe you would get sick of meeting the same people all the time, but that’s certainly not the case in what I do.
Дата: Понедельник, 2012-04-16, 1:04 AM | Сообщение # 4
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Offscreen: Do you like that lifestyle or do you just accept it?
Csokas: It’s both. Solitude is very important in amongst all that because you have a lot of external influences, so spending time with one’s self —quality time as opposed to lonely time or time that is filled with stuff to avoid dealing with oneself.
Offscreen: So what you’re talking about is staying in touch with yourself?
Csokas: Yeah, exactly. It’s really important to cultivate a social life too, for the same reasons, but to a different end. You can be in a crowd of people and be very alone. When you spend time by yourself I find it’s really important, to clear the static away.
Offscreen: So this shift to doing Hollywood work, weren’t you afraid of doing that at the age of 34? That is positively old for the industry. Has it affected your choice of roles?
Csokas: It can be very frustrating, but there is a system at work and I’ve come very close to working with directors whom I admire immensely, but I’ve missed it to someone else because their name is known at the box office. So it’s a catch-22; some people manage to never do a commercial film and be relatively successful and keep doing what they’re doing. I have not been able to do that. I would not have taken the second job I did out of drama school if I had maintained my idealism, going back to what we talked about earlier. It’s been important to me to support myself, to have a life whereby I’m not…I could’ve taken a very different road. It’s just not in my nature —I like comfort. I like to have options.
Offscreen: You’ve made the choice to keep the work going in Hollywood. What about smaller, independent films like Evilenko? Do want to keep doing that type of work? Or will you continue working in Hollywood?
Csokas: If you want within the system to have a broader choice, it’s not the same as it used to be. I think there are things that you have to do to keep yourself broad and marketable. Pretty much everybody works within the system. There is the whole independent world but the lines are being blurred more and more. It’s not a very nice scenario, but it exists, and I’ve been disappointed on several occasions where I’ve been told “we really like your work, you’re perfect for the role” from esteemed directors at the top of the heap, but they’ve gone with the box office draw.
So I try to walk that line. Hollywood is a young world. I’m not 24. There are people that disprove that rule, but again, this is where an element of destiny comes into it. The system is what it is – whether it is based on product placement, name value, beauty, youth, etc. and often it comes down to an insipid end product. I feel fortunate enough to be part of those things, to go down that path. There’s another side of it that in my experience things happen the way that they do. It’s all very well to criticize it and say “I don’t like that” but it is what it is and no matter how much you fight it it’s not going to change.
Offscreen: So you’re proud of your recent work?
Csokas: I feel very fortunate for the films that I’ve done, Evilenko being one of them, Asylum another; I treasure these. They are special experiences. Kingdom of Heaven was another special experience and that’s a big Hollywood number. The Great Raid and Aeon Flux as well. Three years of work are coming out this year with heavy backing which I think says a lot. You never know what is going to happen. The point is you have to throw your arms up about it all. There is a point you can become obsessive and frustrated and you start living by the system you abhor in the first place. It’s self-defeating. You do what you do, and there is a certain degree of self-loathing that comes in because I’m going against my principles and I’m living in the system that I never wanted to be a part of in the first place. It’s a psychological state as much as anything —if opportunities come along do I want to take this for artistic reasons or practical reasons. Is there something I can get out of this? Do I have an affinity with this? Okay, it’s a commercial film; fine, if it’s an independent film, that’s okay too. It’s more of an internal balance from an introspective perspective. Offscreen: Let’s talk about some of your recent roles. I understand you traveled around Russia recently. Was that to research the role of Vadim Timurovic Lesiev, the detective in Evilenko? [The film is based on Russian serial/child killer, A.R. Cikatilo, also known as the monster of Rostov.]
Csokas: No, it was just an excuse. I did do a little bit of that, try to get under the skin of the character. Working with Malcolm [McDowell] taught me how to keep levity about things. Sometimes he’s so naughty, it’s ridiculous …in the middle of a fucking take. But it’s great, because if you’re going to get depressed about something, Evilenko is a good way to do it. It was like a big family, we would laugh a lot, and he’s a constant practical joker. I realized that, in part, is to keep that levity so it doesn’t drag you in and you have perspective; I learned that from him.
Offscreen: Back to the economics that seem to drive filmmaking these days, was it hard to get funding and interest for that film since it is pretty graphic in the depiction of the killing of the children?
Csokas: Yes; some backers wanted the victims to be prostitutes.
Offscreen: Asylum is a popular novel that got excellent reviews in literary circles. Was the script difficult to work with?
Csokas: In Asylum I took a lot from the novel, but the script is also very exact and I had done two productions of Patrick Marber’s in New Zealand. I had never read a script that said, “I love you (beat)”, “I’m leaving (pause)”. It was like —he’s a fascist!! What the fuck! I had a very antagonist attitude toward it and in rehearsals we explored everything under the sun. Strangely enough and wonderfully enough, we came back to those measures of time and found they were working. And we stuck to it. If you put a pause in instead of a beat —a pause is longer than a beat— in the eighth scene of the third act, you really do notice it; it can lose its trajectory and dynamic and form. It can become very slow and it becomes a deep tragedy, instead of a comedy and a tragedy occurring at the same time.
That is what our ensemble discovered —he [Marber] knows what he’s doing. And he spent a lot of time doing it. So I’m an admirer of Patrick and there’s a lot of information there. I also met with Patrick McGrath [the author of the novel] and he gave me a book, Morbid Jealousy and Murder, from a mental institution Broadmoor where he and his father actually did a study at that institution.
Offscreen: It was filmed at what was once a real mental institution; how was that?
Csokas: It was filmed at High Royds Hospital in Leeds. It had only been empty for six months. They are turning it into an apartment complex —I wouldn’t live there, fuck that, I hope they do an exorcism of some kind. It was wonderful; it wasn’t difficult to imagine, all the empty corridors …it was really a nice place to work, to have at the ready.
Offscreen: How was it working with Ian McKellen and Natasha Richardson? Was it intimidating, nerve-wracking?
Csokas: (Shaking his head emphatically) No; I loved working with Ian and Natasha. They are both very full, rich personalities and it was a wonderful experience. Natasha had stuck with the project for five years to bring it to film. She is hugely passionate about her work, very emotional. Working with Ian was incredible; he has such technical expertise that he fills with a very tangible, emotional exchange, a lot of it unspoken. The best thing to do was to do the best that I could; being nervous would just have gotten in the way. Nerves are good if you find a way to use them in the scene —it’s just pent-up energy that if you can let go…Ian’s very, very precise. I saw Dance of Death [Strindberg] on Broadway and there were lots of things I loved about his performance. For example, there was a bar on stage and his character went to get a drink about five times. Every single time he took that step he did it in a different way —he didn’t just walk over and pour himself a drink five times in a row. He did little things —he took some stuff off his jacket when he stepped down, he dallied another time before he poured his drink…you get the idea…or he kind of skipped off the step to pour himself a drink. These things were very considered yet he gives it the air of having been spontaneous.
Offscreen: So how else did you prepare for Edgar? Csokas: I looked at all kinds of things for that, for Edgar Stark. He decapitated his wife and suffers from multiple personality disorder and morbid jealousy. The thing with morbid jealousy is that he believed that she betrayed him and he therefore had a right to punish her for her betrayal. I’m not uncomfortable getting close to that kind of madness. What I found in my research and what I identified with was that I can be jealous, and the only difference really is that I’m not going to go hack some one’s head off because I’m jealous. I don’t suffer from that disease. I’ve come pretty close sometimes, as I’m sure most of us have to some degree (laughs). Edgar doesn’t believe that it’s wrong because of her betrayal. So he wanders in some sort of nebulous world of trying to escape from that responsibility, if you like, and he doesn’t believe he is ill.
Offscreen: Did you play it that he is truly in love with Stella or is he manipulating her so he can escape?
Csokas: Well, if a beautiful woman (or man) walks into your life of six years without an intimate relationship —sex yes, because as I understand it there are all kinds of opportunities and things that go on in the necessity for one’s survival— but she’s also an object of escape internally and externally. He ends up falling in love with her, which saves him to some extent.
Offscreen: Based on your method of finding the good in the bad and the bad in the good characters you play, what good did you find in Edgar?
Csokas: I tried to make Edgar, with this jealousy idea, the everyman instead of the loony. But he is definitely suffering from an illness because he doesn’t identify with the fact that killing his wife was wrong and thinks it was justified. We had a medical advisor on the film, and the book I mentioned was very helpful. It had a lot of statistics and theories about morbid jealousy that were useful and I hooked into the things that were appropriate. I looked at a lot of Art Brut and Jean de Buffet, his collection of outsider art and used that, more for my benefit than for that of the film. I looked at a lot of stuff on the Internet about people who beat each other with sticks and hammers but are still together.
What’s nice about this film is that Edgar wants to redeem himself because of the love he has for Stella and Stella has for him, but it’s a doomed love affair, of course, too many laws have been broken. He escapes but in a way he escapes to more of a hell because he can’t exist in everyday life, he can’t exist in a mundane society on a practical level nor on a psychological level.
Offscreen: Did you talk to any patients or anyone with a similar mental illness or those close to someone like that?
Csokas: No, I read accounts about them, but there was a lot I could identify with as a human being and there was so much information; that was enough. Sometimes that can be useful, but going back to the imagination, and then to the book, and the screenplay —there was so much there to mine I didn’t feel that was necessary.
Offscreen: Natasha Richardson was apparently quite embarrassed about the graphic sex scenes. Did you find them awkward?
Csokas: No, Natasha was lovely. Everyone’s very respectful of all that, not so much that it becomes constricted but there are so many technical things to consider. Yeah, sometimes it can become very biological but it’s no different from a character dancing, or making a cup of coffee. You just have to get out of the discomfort. I’ve read that some actors long for onset necking, but it’s not my first choice. I always concentrate on what I’m trying to convey —you can get so caught up on what you have to do but if you concentrate on what the scene is about aside from the sexual, it has to be put through the lens. You sort of hit the mark, so to speak. Offscreen: That’s an unfortunate choice of words. (Laughs). Yeah, indeed! You are telling a story and since it is sexual, which is obviously a powerful force, Edgar has all kind of things going on in his mind, and that is what I’m thinking about, and that’s what we’re all thinking about —the cinematographer, the costume and makeup artists— we’re all telling that story. In the actual making of it, it depends how it is treated, but if your director is very voyeuristic, kind of getting off on it, that’s a problem. In Asylum, we shot a lot more than ended up there, but what’s there is there for a reason. We shot a slightly more languid approach to their love affair than the version we ended up with.
Offscreen: What about your prep for Captain Redding in The Great Raid. Was it vigorous?
Csokas: I really enjoyed playing that character because he’s somewhat of a rebel, an antagonistic force, but within the prisoner of war camp. It’s that force that kept him alive and I believe he was a driving force to keeping other people alive as well. Rather than be submissive, he was quite anarchic in order to maintain his self-determinism. That was his way of dealing with it. I enjoyed playing the role for this reason —he didn’t bow down to the status quo, he held his own opinions. Arguably, you could say his self-possession killed him, but ultimately you could also say that it kept him alive and also maintained other people’s enthusiasm to survive in the conflict as a prisoner of war.
Offscreen: Did you tap your father for his war experiences when preparing for the role?
Csokas: No, I didn’t. I did my own research. Also —I was against this at first— we were put in a situation where we ate a cup of rice a day and slept on bamboo slats and were woken up five or six times at night to march around a fire in the cold. So we were on strict diets and we ate separately from everyone else, which over a three-month period was a good idea because I certainly wouldn’t have lasted. Certainly none of us got to a state that was unhealthy; it would take six months for muscle to waste away, but I think we went for providing the illusion and from there one suspends their disbelief.
Offscreen: Was this regimen [director] John Dahl’s idea?
Csokas: Yes. I originally said no but there were a number of people who were doing it who said yes so I was sort of coerced. There is a point where it becomes ridiculous to kick against it and it becomes a detrimental aspect to working with one another. I wouldn’t normally be for it because it sounds too much like a Method wank, for lack of a better expression, but it was actually worth while.
Offscreen: Did the deprivation of food and sleep have repercussions on you and the other POW actors?
Csokas: The reality is that a lot of us made fun of it in order to actually do it, but I found it was actually very useful for the character I was playing. There was certainly a bonding time that occurred. It maintained discipline. I got depressed sometimes and angry and also hysterical. Everyone would do this at different times so we were able to understand what each of us was going through and cheer one another up in whatever way possible. This is the most enjoyable aspect of making a film for me.
Offscreen: So how much weight did you lose for the role?
Csokas: I had a month to prepare for the role; I lost 15 kilos [33 lbs] in a month and then had to maintain that —and I like my food and drink, I can tell you that! But it was a good exercise. There’s sort of a fashion associated with film roles these days about how much weight people put on or how much weight people take off but it doesn’t really interest me. I’m not a fan of it. I mean, if you play a rapist, do you go out and rape somebody? It is an illusion and there are some things I’ve seen where people have either gained or lost weight and it seems to be divorced from the film rather than inclusive. And all the publicity that surrounds it becomes a subject in its own right and it’s like knowing about people’s relationships and what have you. You cease to engage in the film that is being made and the story that is being told and you feel like you’re apart from it. I think it’s incredibly undisciplined and not very interesting.
Offscreen: So your latest movie releasing is Aeon Flux. What can you tell me about the role of Trevor Goodchild and how does one approach a role taken from an animated series?
Csokas: The material in an animated series wouldn’t really have lasted the distance for a feature film. Also, the animated series is a success in its own right and there’s no point in remaking it.
Offscreen: Why did you accept this role? Csokas: I was curious about how it was going to be done but once I met with the director [Karyn Kusama] I realized some of the politics of the original series were going to be carried over into very different circumstances and a very different setting. The series was really a leaping off point for the film. So it then fulfilled the expectations of the genre of film as opposed to an animated series. The film has a degree of political subversion; given that it is a commercial film, it is fairly left of center. I haven’t seen it yet, but the way we shot it, it had a certain amount of sadism but not to the point where the people became animated characters; they’re still human beings.
Offscreen: How does the Trevor Goodchild in the film differ from the character in the series?
Csokas: Trevor Goodchild is very different from the animated series. He is a somewhat mysterious character —we think he is one thing and then discover that he’s another, as human beings can sometimes be, they are not always what they first appear to be. The animated character is a lot more vindictive and masochistic. Trevor Goodchild in the film is more romantic, a lot more romantic. He provides a way through for the character of Aeon Flux.
Offscreen: Are they lovers in the film as they are in the series?
Csokas: Yes, they have a past, a present and a future.
Offscreen: How was working with Charlize Theron?
Csokas: Charlize is very committed, ambitious and exact, very precise, very beautiful. I think we did a very good job together.
Offscreen: Do you plan on exploring other options, say, writing or directing?
Csokas: I’ve been working on a piece for awhile; I don’t know what will happen with that. I would like to try my hand at directing. I think the experience one gains as an actor is a good match for moving into directing—you know how the whole process works.
Offscreen: What about theater —do you plan on going back to it? And will you do more independent films?
Csokas: I miss theater; I would like to continue to do both. In a perfect world, I would do only indies as far as film goes; I would stay within that realm.
Offscreen: Now that you’re in the U.S. market, do you have any aspirations for Broadway?
Csokas: I would like to do Broadway given the right play. Some of the things I’ve seen I’ve been a little disappointed in, I have to say. It’s not like it used to be. Just the price of the tickets, for a start…For the general public, it’s a lot of spectacle involved as opposed to substance. I enjoyed Top Dog, Under Dog. I still have to see the Wooster group who were idols of mine. I like the nature of the work, they explore; it is an artistic process. Theater should be an experimental process. They aren’t trying to put bums on seats and sell a nice shiny product that makes you feel good at the end of it. Feeling good is wonderful, but so is feeling mad, angry, frustrated. We have less and less desire or inclination to be challenged.
Offscreen: So in that same vein, are you going to stick with doing Hollywood films?
Csokas: This is a stepping stone for me and its circumstantial as much as anything. This isn’t just necessarily about one’s career —I’m a relatively adventurous spirit and doing something for the sake of it is as important as doing it for my career. It is dangerous to think, “Where will this role get me.” I like to be existential about it. If you aren’t careful, you get sucked in by it. Do it for the sake of itself and like a good transcendentalist that is where your ecstasy will come from.
Дата: Понедельник, 2012-04-16, 1:29 AM | Сообщение # 6
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Транскрипт интервью Lucy Lawless on the Rosie O'Donnell Show (August 16, 1996)
Lucy Lawless on the Rosie O'Donnell Show Rosie: Our next guest is the baddest gal on TV. Take a look at her in action... roll it! Please welcome Lucy Lawless! [applause] Hi Lucy, how are you?
Lucy: I'm fabulous.
Rosie: Can I tell you something, that we have gotten the most requests to have you on the show.
Lucy: Really?
Rosie: THE most. People have been faxing, they've been calling they say, "We want Xena". Here you are.
Lucy: It's amazing. When you're the object of that kind of attention it's hard to believe and not some abstract...
Rosie: Yeah it is sort of a weird... You're from New Zealand I hear.
Lucy: Yes I am.
Rosie: See that, I'm smart. But on your show you have an American accent, do you not?
Lucy: I do. I do, and it's quite tricky for New Zealanders to pick up a standard American accent. It's much easier to pick up a Southern or New York...
Rosie: Yeah, can you do, can you give me a little New York accent?
Lucy (In a New York accent): A little New York? You know where I got this from, is from... [laughs] Listen to me I can tell I'm really excited. A little quaver in my voice.
Rosie: I don't think New Yorkers have accents, personally. [audience laughs]
Lucy: I can't believe you people really talk like that.
Rosie: Really?
Lucy: No I come here and, oh my God, it's unbelievable!
Rosie: When you walk down the streets of New York City, people scream "Hey, it's Xena! Awright!" That's just my family...
Lucy: Yeah-
Rosie: There's so many Xena little trinkets out, the doll... [holding the 10" Xena dollie] Have you seen this little doll?
Lucy: I have never seen this one. [she takes it] Got this sexy kind of dominatrix thing going.
Rosie: Kind of does. In fact a lot of people asked if you would show up wearing the costume. I said "I'm not going to ask the guest to show up wearing the costume."
Lucy: That's very kind of you.
Rosie: But we thought about it. [audience laughs] But we didn't.
Lucy: [sliding her hand down her shirt] You know it's on under this...
Rosie: It it? The whole... really? Well maybe later, you never know. Keep the people and viewers staying for the rest of the hour. Do you enjoy doing the show?
Lucy: I love it, I love it. It takes a lot out of me, but...
Rosie: It's seems very taxing, a lot of physical stuff going on there.
Lucy: Yeah. I was an actress first and foremost. It was a big shock to me to be cast in an action role. So they sent me off to classes... I grew up in a pretty rowdy kind of house. I've got 5 brothers and one sister and um, there's a lot of scrapping and...
Rosie: So you learned from the best right there.
Lucy: Oh yeah. But, uh, they sent me off to kung-fu training... [Lucy spies the Xenite membership certificate on Rosie's desk and picks it up]. What? Where did you get this from? Rosie: Well, just so you know I am a certified member of the Xenite Club [she holds the certificate up to the camera] and I have the Xenite Newsletter [holds it up] and somebody sent me in all the Xena trading cards [holds them up].
Lucy: That's amazing. Was it Jetthead?
Rosie: Yes
Lucy: [waves to camera] Hi Brenda!
Rosie: So you're finally, finally on in New Zealand? You weren't on there until recently?
Lucy: That's right. I enjoyed complete anonymity and it's all over now, Baby Blue.
Rosie: Yeah, is it a big hit over there like it is over here?
Lucy: Yes it is. But I find a real advantage to playing an intimidating character is that people just leave you alone.
Rosie: Yeah, yeah you see..
Lucy: People are so indiscreet. I go into a restaurant and they all turn around-- [she wipes her arm across her nose] they all look. They think you can't see them...
Rosie: The funniest thing to me is when people go "Hey, that's Rosie O'Donnell right there, right in front of us that's Rosie O'Donnell!" Like I don't hear them.
Lucy: They're very subtle in New York.
Rosie: Yeah you know, and you're right there... I hear you wanted to be an opera singer, you used to sing when you were little?
Lucy: Uh, when I was a teenager I studied opera for about four years and one day I woke up and went, "I don't really go for this crap". That the life of an opera singer is so dull, you can't go out late at night, you can't laugh your head off, you can't eat certain things...
Rosie: No, that's why I gave it up, too.
Lucy: No, forget it. No fun.
Rosie: Can you sing a little for us? Cause you know how I love people...
Lucy: Oh I would love to!
Rosie: Would you? Go ahead.
Lucy: Do you mind if I don't do that?
Rosie: I don't mind, you do what you want, you're Xena, Warrior Princess...
Lucy: A girl with the name of Lucy Lawless should sing a cowboy song.
Rosie: Alrighty you go ahead and do it.
Lucy: [sings]
Rosie: Wow that's nice!
Lucy: [keeps singing very very well] Yippie ai o kai ay!
Rosie: I don't really sing well, but I like to sing. It was a big hit here in the 70's it said "Don't matter if you're not good enough for anyone else to hear, just sing, sing a song." And that's what I think is my motto, Lucy.
Lucy: Do you not do cabaret?
Rosie: I did a Broadway show.
Lucy: What did you do?
Rosie: I did Grease, remember with Olivia Newton John?
Lucy: Did you really? Who did you play?
Rosie: I played Sandy [laughter]. Rizzo, I played Rizzo.
Lucy: That's a great part.
Rosie: I always cracked up when people said "who do you play?" Like I'm going to be the blonde bombshell! I mean I either had to play Rizzo or Zuko, either one.
Lucy: Because Rizzo is the coolest part in the whole thing.
Rosie: It is, it's the best part. You could do Broadway, you've got a beautiful voice. You do. [applause]. You know, one of our staff members, Lisa, she works in research. You are the goddess to her. Can she come out and meet you? Cause she'll be really mad at me if, and she works late hours...
Lucy: Of course [smiles]
Rosie: Lisa! Lisa! Lucy!
Lucy: [stands up, shakes Lisa's hand and pecks her on the cheek] Thanks for researching...
Rosie: Here I have a little thing, sit down Lisa, a have a little picture for you to sign this for her [hands Lucy an 8x10 photo]. And we're going to go to break here and I'm going to show everyone my little Hercules toy that I got here [walks out with her Hercules Action Sword and starts chopping in front of Lucy]. Watch I can... see that I can totally get her..
Lucy: Come on the show, come on the show.
Rosie: [thinking about the sword] You have one? Cause we could get in a fight?
Lucy: A show? Well [laughs]...
Rosie: No, a little sword fight, we could, just sign that for Lisa, is that exciting for you, is it thrilling?
Lisa: I'm very excited.
Rosie: No vacation for you. Coming up next George Jones. Lucy Lawless!!
Дата: Понедельник, 2012-04-16, 1:38 AM | Сообщение # 7
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Lucy Lawless 'Spartacus: Vengeance' Q&A: 'This season is enormous' Published Monday, Jan 23 2012 By Morgan Jeffery
Spartacus returns to our screens later this week with ten thrilling new episodes! Picking up where Blood and Sand left off, Vengeance follows Spartacus (Liam McIntyre, replacing the late Andy Whitfield) and his band of warriors as they wage a war to bring Rome to its knees.
We'll have an interview with new series lead McIntyre and the show's creator Steven S DeKnight later this week, but first, here's a Q&A with the scheming Lucretia - actress Lucy Lawless. Speaking to Digital Spy and other journalists, Lawless dropped a few hints about what to expect from the new season...
Given how Blood and Sand ended for Lucretia, were you ever worried that you wouldn't be back? "Yes, they shot it both ways - one with me absolutely still and one with my finger twitching! I think the decision was made posthumously - they thought 'Let's keep her alive!'"
Lucretia doesn't get involved in the action scenes as much as Xena did - do you miss it? "Not even a little bit! [The men are] sweating and grunting and they're covered in filth, and I'm asking somebody to peel me a grape - what's to miss?!"
Have you missed working with John Hannah this year?
"I do miss him, but I will say that I have the incredible Viva Bianca, who plays Ilithyia. She and my character continue to have a very tangled relationship - it gets juicier and juicier as the season goes on.
"Viva Bianca is a great actress, a great friend and a great colleague. Craig Parker plays her husband Glaber and he has us all in stitches - he's absolutely the funniest man any of us have ever met, [tied] maybe with Bruce Campbell.
"He's Bruce Campbell funny - he's that good an energy to have on set. In fact, with all of the Romans, the nastier the character is, the nicer the people are. The Romans are so charming!"
How did having a new Spartacus (Liam McIntyre) this year change the vibe on set? "It's a little bit like going back to the pilot, and rebranding the show - getting it back to the show that you all came to know and love as soon as possible.
"Liam's got the heart of a lion. It's a big ask, of course, for anybody to step into the shoes of somebody [else] who's so indelibly owned the role. But he will make it his own.
"And all of your old favourites are back - Ashur (Nick Tarabay) is badder than ever and I love working with that guy! He's a tremendous acting partner. So all of your old favourites come back, minus the lovely John Hannah."
How does Vengeance tie in with prequel series Gods of the Arena? "Gannicus comes back and he brings his own rock star, bad boy quality. He was cast for that reason, because Dustin [Clare] can bang chicks, drink alcohol and act like a bad boy, and you just love him! He's a rock star, y'know?"
What hints can we take from the title Spartacus: Vengeance? "I'm getting my own back! The dogs of hell are going to be unleashed! It's all about me, it's all about Lucretia! No, y'know, Spartacus and his buddies are on a mission to give the Romans a good caning. That's their mission, but I've got my own little plan."
Will we see Lucretia interact with Spartacus and his men? "No, my character, mercifully, has nothing to do with that dirty bunch - I'm so happy! They're off in the mud and the cold, and I'm sitting in the parlour making evil plans!"
Can we expect a few cat-fights with Ilithyia? "I'm not saying there aren't, not saying there are. Let me just say it's an extreme relationship borne out of extreme adversity."
With Batiatus gone and Crixus on the run, where does that leave Lucretia? "That is part of my vengeance - my absolute hatred of Crixus, who took the only thing that Lucretia's ever loved. But I do enter into a kind of unholy matrimony with someone - not saying who!"
So can we expect a new romance? "I know I put out that thing about her 'unholy matrimony' but there is only one man for her and there only ever will be, till the day she dies and beyond. She's wholly Batiatus's woman. I do like that about her, because it redeems her and it kind of explains a lot about her actions."
Lucretia not only lost her husband, but also her unborn child... "That's a bad thing - there's a lot of vengeance in that. Her husband and her baby - the nuclear family that she lost - remains the key to all of her actions, from here on."
Will we see Lucretia clawing back some of her power this season? "Survival is almost a mode of operation, it's a moment-to-moment jeopardy for her - [it's] tenuous, with no male support. In that society, a woman was extremely vulnerable, so you have to live off your wits."
Will we be introduced to any new characters? "You get to meet more of the rotten Romans - they're the people that you want to see fall. And you get a whole lot of new rebels - what can I tell you about them? [It's] just more beefcake to love, more Romans to hate - same old, same old!"
How does the fan reaction on Spartacus differ from something like Xena or Battlestar Galactica? "The demographic is suburban housewives and young men - I've never had the young men before! A little bit on Battlestar, but I've really noticed it here. We went to Europe last year and met a bunch of Australian kids on the Ponte Vecchio in Florence. The girls were going 'Oh my God, you're Xena!' but the boys were like, 'You're on Spartacus' and then they got excited.
"That was very interesting to me, because I've never had the sniggering attention of boys before! But it comes with a little bit of respect, which is very nice. It could be all T&A (t*ts and arse) sniggering, but it's not - it's got a little bit more curiosity than that."
Any final thoughts on Spartacus: Vengeance? "This season is enormous - the cast is huge, the sets are incredible. They've really gone way out on a limb to fulfil the story. It's bloody enormous!"
Дата: Понедельник, 2012-04-16, 3:01 AM | Сообщение # 8
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Starfury: Chariots of War 4 - UK Convention 12-14th July, 2002 Thistle Hotel, Heathrow, London
Guests: Hudson Leick, Claire Stansfield, Tim Omundsen, Melinda Clarke, Adrienne Wilkinson, Paris Jefferson
Con Report The first STARFURY - Chariots of War convention in September 1999 began a tradition of wonderful UK XENA conventions that continued in 2000 and 2001 and come to a close this year with this, the final STARFURY XENA convention. Before I do anything else, a huge thank you to Sean Harry for persuading all these wonderful guests to come and visit us in the UK, and organising a convention I know many US fans are very envious of.
This year, the announced guests - Hudson, Tim, Claire and Melinda - were joined by two late but very welcome additions. Adrienne Wilkinson and Paris Jefferson. The con was also at a new venue - the very difficult to find Thistle Hotel - after 3 years at the Radisson.
As usual, the event began with the Friday evening cocktail party, the first opportunity to mingle with the guest and have a chat. The first 170 or so ticket holders are the ones to get in, and once we had recovered from the shock of the prices at the bar, it was fun to see and chat to the guests in a nice relaxed atmosphere.
On Saturday, we bagan with a talk from a guy from New Zealand talking about Special Effects - although mainly on HERCULES and other NZ projects. Tim Omundsen opened up the actor talks. Tim was not asked very much about XENA at all - he spent more time talking about the show Judging Amy that he is a regular on, and how becoming a father has changed his life! Tim looked very suave and handsome and retold some of his funny stories about meeting Lucy and Renee and how Lucy took him on a sort of bungee jump ride. Tim was also asked about his good friend Kevin Smith, and he clearly found it very difficult to speak about how much Kevin meant to him, and became quite choked up. Tim is a very entertaining speaker and had more to come the next day......
Next up was Claire Stansfield - always a favourite with fans, but her first STARFURY convention (although she did appear at another event in England a few years back.) Claire has a reputation for swearing, and immediately brought on some money to pay for her bad language! Claire seems to be very in tune with the fans, and brought the house down with her "dolly porn" movie! A 10 minute film featuring the action figures of Callisto and Alti. Although Claire did admit that much to her annoyance, there is no Alti action figure, so she used the Shameness Xena and coloured in her eye make up! The film featured Hudson doing Callisto's voice - which I didn't think I'd hear ever again! It was hilarious and if you get a chance to see it, see it! Claire also spoke about her decision not to act any more, but mentioned how she had recently auditioned for the new Quentin Tarentino movie and how he is a big XENA fan.
I always love hearing the gossipy bits, and Claire mentioned how she used to share a house in London with Virginia Hey from Farscape, and how Claire went out with Simon LeBon and Virginia went out with John Taylor from Duran Duran! She also mentioned working with Yancy Butler on the movie, Drop Zone and how the producers were concerned they looked too similar, so she darkened her hair and Yancy lightened it. She also said how Wesley Snipes took them all out for illicit skydiving sessions after a few drinks, and very much against orders!
Next on stage was Paris Jefferson and Adrienne Wilkinson. I'm a bit confused over what they said on Saturday, and what they said on Sunday so I'll amalgamate my comments for these two. Both actors were late additions - with Paris being a very late addition. Adrienne is one of my favourite convention guests because she is such a talker! She spoke about her new show - As If - that unfortunately got canned after just TWO episodes! Although, as Paris reminded her, at least she has something else good for her resume tape now! Adrienne is involved with setting up a production company, although she didn't have any specific projects lined up. She has just filmed a movie for the Sci Fi Channel - something sci-fi-ish, but I've forgotten what it's called. She filmed in Bulgaria and found it very different, with about 5 different languages spoken on the set. Adrienne spoke quite a bit about her character on XENA, and how she enjoyed playing Livia and liked her costume better. She was asked several times about the swearing scene in You Are There - a favourite for the fans AND Adrienne! She said that she keeps in touch with William Gregory Lee (who is getting married in the next few weeks apparently) and Tsianina Joelson, 2 young actors she worked with quite a lot. When asked if she would like to go back to work with the XENA actors again, she said she would love to, although Paris Jefferson leapt in at this point to say she didn't think another XENA would ever happen, and in some ways it would be in poor taste after Kevin Smith's death. Kevin was cited as a favourite by both actresses, as they both worked with him quite a bit. Adrienne had a nice Hollywood story about seeing Britney Spears and Hugh Hefner in a restaurant!
Meanwhile, Paris spoke about how she was a real wimp in the fight scenes on XENA! She had bronchitis just before and got out of breath after one sword swing! She mentioned how she had gone up for audition for the role of Athena, not thinking she would get the role as she was a lot smaller than the other actresses.
Paris has just moved back to London, after a spell in Los Angeles and she spoke about how difficult it is for actors to get work in Hollywood, simply because there are so many people going for each role. She was asked about the most unusual place she has been recognised and she told how she had been spotted from a role in a French soap opera on Ayres Rock in Australia. She also mentioned someone at the convention who was a dental nurse and recognised her from her teeth in the movie The Diamond of Jeru (which amazingly enough was on TV here the other night!)
Next up onstage was the Hudson Leick/Melinda Clarke double act! The ladies appeared together both days, and they clearly had fun. Hudson is totally outrageous onstage, but with Melinda, she had a partner in crime! I was looking forward to seeing Melinda as she was the one guest who I had not seen before, and I was very impressed with how relaxed and funny she was. I don't know if she has done many conventions, but she certainly seemed at ease. We had a few bursts of her excellent singing voice too, although her singing the Teletubby theme song to a small child on Sunday was certainly the cutest! Melinda has a young daughter herself, and proudly displayed her photo all weekend.
One interesting question she was asked was about the story that she was one of the actresses that turned down the role of XENA all those years ago. She said she wanted to set the record straight - that she had NOT turned it down, although she went on to explain that the script was doing the rounds and she knew about it but wasn't available. So she wasn't exactly OFFERED it, but it still sounds like she was one of the actresses considered.
Melinda was asked about her action figure, and she replied that she didn't have one. As there were quite a few on sale in the dealer's room, she leapt off the stage and raced to get one! She did quite like it, but claimed the nostrils were too huge, and that she could park a car up each one!
Meanwhile, Hudson even answered a few XENA questions this time, plus a bit about her time on HERCULES playing Liz Friedman. However, as usual Hudson's main interest was tormenting the audience! She brought up men(and a few women) to be human chairs for her and Melinda to sit on, played that game where you pass an orange under your chin on Sunday, and (as usual) got the audience to do some screaming therapy - which I think alarmed the hotel staff! Hudson also likes to go for walks into the audience, sitting on people's laps and being outragous. We loved it of course! She is a terrific entertainer, although she rarely gives out much information about XENA or her other acting projects. She seemed genuinely surprised that we had all seen Claire's dolly porn film with her doing her Callisto voice, and gave no details. I asked her in the autograph line if it *was* fun to do, and she claimed that it was actually quite hard work!
On the Sunday, Hudson was in a VERY revealing dress and at one point both actresses went off to the bathroom..however, they emerged a few minutes later wearing 2 of the costumes from the Saturday night fancy dress contest. I guess they must have accosted the competitors! The Fury outfit Hudson wore really suited her actually, and Melinda's wood nymph costume got a few laughs when the people on the video kept flashing up messages like "pray for autumn" and "who's got a strimmer." Also in relation to the fancy dress, Melinda came in acting all pouty on the Sunday, mock complaining that there had been no Velascas in the fancy dress. "There's only one Velasca" yelled out one wag - which cheered her up a bit!
I know the ladies were a huge hit with all of the fans. This was Hudson's third STARFURY appearance, and Melinda's first, but they were greatly enjoyed.
Saturday night was the now legendary STARFURY Fancy Dress contest. This was supposed to have been preceeded by the Sci Fi Quiz - which I was looking forward to, but sadly this was cancelled and we had the Spider-Man movie instead. Not really the best place to watch a film, but at least we all got to cheer like mad when Lucy Lawless' 2 second appearance came on.
The Fancy Dress contests have been such a success thanks mainly to Ted Raimi in the past. Ted is extremely good at quick improvisations and his banter with entrants has been very funny in the past. With no Ted this year, most of the dialogue came from Tim Omundsen, although Claire, Hudson, Melinda and Adrienne joined in. Some of the entrants were only vaguely XENA related, with various nymphs and monsters. It was fun to see Claire Stansfield taunt the excellent Jo Marriot who was in a fabulous The Debt outfit - Jo looks more like Xena than Lucy does sometimes! We also had three furies in extremely authentic looking costumes - and very skimpy there were too! Quite popular with the audience for some reason...
The winner was a very dashing Ares, with prizes for all the competitors as usual.
Sunday saw it all over again! Paris Jefferson and Adrienne Wilkinson were on alone, then it was Tim Omundsen and Claire Stansfield together. Tim came on dressed as a punk in a Sex Pistols t shirt, spiked hair and felt tip tattoos saying "Sex, Drugs and XENA" and "Eli is a fag!" Quite a change from his ultra debonnaire look on Saturday. Lots of nice black eye liner too I think. They danced around to Anarchy in the UK for a bit too. Claire told us how they had been into London and went to the Globe theatre. Tim was looking around in awe at this piece of history where Shakespeare's plays were first performed. Claire said she was checking out the cute guys! Tim spoke about how much he has enjoyed the convention scene in that he has really got to know people like Kevin, Claire and the other XENA actors at conventions rather than on the set in New Zealand. He said that a group of them often got together when Kevin was in town and went out together and drank a lot! Claire agreed, and spoke about how she got to know Danielle Cormack when they were at the Manchester convention a few years back. She also mentioned that she would love to direct Danielle in something as she thinks Danielle could be the next Nicole Kidman as she is such a good actress.(Something that I have heard quite a few people say.)
If the STARFURY fancy dress has become tradition, the STARFURY cross dressing is legend! In previous years we had Ted Raimi, Karl Urban and Starfury organiser Sean Harry wear Hudson's dresses. Kevin Smith also wore Hudson's dress at last year's Michigan Con. So naturally, we weren't going to let Tim Omundsen off! Actually, he did quite well as Claire Stansfield's vinyl miniskirt and top was much less outrageous that Hudson's dresses! The best bit though, was that they went behind a screen to change where the camre was shining, so we saw they in silhouette the whole time and could spot each item of clothing coming off and going on! Tim's boxer shorts didn't really go with the mini skirt, but he was a good sport to do it. Claire seemed quite happy with the punk t shirt and jeans!
After those 2, the convention finished off with Hudson and Melinda once again to bring down the curtain on 4 great years of UK XENA conventions.
The closing ceremony saw the guests lead everyone in a round of applause and a standing ovations for convention organiser Sean Harry, who has done a great job and provided us with the best XENA conventions around....eat your heart out Creation! The only thing missing from Sean's conventions were Lucy or Renee, but seeing as they have only done one convention between them in the last 2 or 3 years, I guess we can't complain. All the guests were very friendly and relaxed, and the atmosphere was really nice - even the stweards weren't too power-hungry this year. Mainly.
The reason people go to conventions is varied. Mainly to see the guests, but for many of us, the social side of seeing all our XENA pals is a major factor, and I for one am sad it won't be happening next year.
ИСТОЧНИК: www.xenaville.com/SF2002.html
Сообщение отредактировал Amadeus - Понедельник, 2012-04-16, 3:03 AM
Дата: Понедельник, 2012-04-16, 2:20 PM | Сообщение # 9
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STARFURY CHARIOTS OF WAR, PART THREE London, UK June 30 - July 1, 2001 Report By Andrew Shaughnessy
Starfury Conventions staged "Chariots of War, Part 3" during the weekend of 30th June-1st July 2001 at the Radisson Edwardian Hotel, near London's Heathrow Airport. I'd never attended a convention before, but with a guest list headed by Hudson Leick, it seemed worth taking the plunge. Like a fool, I also volunteered to be a steward - some people will do anything for preferential seating, and I'm one of them! My recollections of the weekend are a little hazy, due to something I've named the "Hudson Effect", but I'll do my best.
Apart from Hudson Leick, the guests included Ted Raimi (a veteran of previous Starfury conventions), Adrienne Wilkinson, Karl Urban (who stepped in when Jennifer Sky was forced to cancel due to work commitments), William Gregory Lee and Jennifer Blanc (Kendra in "Dark Angel"), the only non-Xena cast member. Arriving on Friday afternoon I did all the things newbies do, wandering around, getting lost, and wondering if this was all going to be a big mistake. I needn't have worried. My first duty was an hour outside the "green room" on Saturday, making sure no unauthorised person went backstage. Luckily I was stationed outside the main hall, so I was able to hear Ted's first session through the door. It began with the audience being asked to stand for the National Anthem, which turned out to be "The Ballad of Joxer the Mighty"! This pretty much set the tone for the next hour, and I only wish I could have seen it. I was in the hall for Hudson's first appearance, actually sitting on the floor in front of the seats. This turned out to be ideal, since I'd brought my entire camera outfit with me and I now had somewhere to put the lenses I wasn't using. When the lady herself emerged through the giant chakram stage entrance, I experienced the "Hudson Effect" for the first time, and at a range of only 10-12 feet it was devastating. I'd been warned, but I still wasn't ready for it - not only did all my higher brain functions shut down, but my camera was suddenly possessed by a demon! As a result, I burned my way through half the film that was supposed to last me the weekend in just under an hour. For those of you who haven't met her, Hudson is one of the few women I've seen who qualifies for the overused epithet "stunningly beautiful". It's not just her looks - there's an indefinable quality about her that makes you want to just sit and stare at her. Whatever it is, it made a hard-core Renee O'Connor fan seriously consider transferring his affections! Once she managed to coax a few questions out of the audience, Hudson really hit her stride. She's not only beautiful, but witty, intelligent and articulate. When asked if Xena was glad that Callisto had killed Gabrielle's husband, Hudson replied "She was very grateful" then added with a wicked grin "But she didn't pay me in money!", which brought the house down. Her demonstration of yoga techniques on a member of the audience had to be seen to be believed - I'm just glad the pictures came out! Hudson also actively supports a cancer charity, and auctioned off several items on stage. The first dress, a black and white striped number, was modelled by Ted Raimi. Thank God he kept his trousers on! Hudson was wearing a stunning silver blue dress in a snakeskin pattern and this, too, was auctioned. First, however, she had to swap clothes with Sean, the convention organiser. While they went backstage, Ted led a group of fans in a rousing chorus of "Joxer the Mighty". Hudson emerged wearing Sean's trousers, shirt and waistcoat (and until you've seen her in men's clothes, you haven't lived!), followed by Sean in the dress. I can't help feeling he should have ditched the socks! At any rate, it went for Ј500, which was no bad thing. The final high spot came when a girl named Fay asked Hudson if she would give one of Callisto's chilling screams. Hudson agreed, on the condition that Fay joined her. Sean made it a trio, and together they raised a scream that would have shattered glass in a smaller room. Whatever else happened that day, I know one little girl went away very happy. Hudson then started going through Sean's pockets, and proceeded to give away his loose change! Easy come, easy go.... In case you're starting to think this piece was written by Hudson's agent, I'll move on. Jennifer Blanc deserves a medal for coping with adversity. Not only was she suffering from "first con" nerves, but her voice started to give out on Saturday. By Sunday they had to move her back so she could appear with Greg Lee who, as well as playing Virgil, appeared as Zack in "Dark Angel". This cut down on the amount of time Jennifer would have to spend talking, and she came though with flying colours. I particularly enjoyed their experiment to see who were best at crying on demand, men or women. Apparently, this is one of the most difficult things an actor can be called on to do, and the results obtained from an audience panel were surprising, to say the least. At the time of the convention I had seen Adrienne Wilkinson in only three episodes, LIVIA, EVE and MOTHERHOOD. I loathed her as Livia, and didn't know what to make of her as Eve, but I have to say she's a real sweetheart! She stood on a table to compensate for her lack of height, and her answers were both funny and informative. She was slightly contemptuous of Eve's mission to Ch'in ("Okay, these guys have had religion for 7,000 years, but I'm going to bring them a better one!"), and hated the burlap outfits she had to wear in Season 6. During one scene she, Greg and Lucy were all trying to pull her free after she'd got snagged on a nail yet again! Midway through Adrienne's session a woman in the audience suffered a severe asthma attack. Adrienne immediately offered to help, and her concern was obvious (she has an asthmatic sister). Eventually the woman's distress became such that Adrienne called a break because, as she said, "This is what's important." The audience clearly appreciated her action, and she made a lot of friends that day. I missed Karl Urban's solo appearance on Saturday, but I saw his hilarious double act with Ted Raimi on Sunday. When Ted was asked what he'd miss most about the show, he talked about the family atmosphere among the cast and crew, to which Karl retorted "What about the sheep?" Ted loftily replied "I don't think I'm going to miss them as much as they're going to miss me!" His next sentence was interrupted by Karl bleating "Wh-e-r-e-s T-e-d? T-e-d, a-re y-o-u m-y f-a-th-e-r?" I'll make no comment on this, I'm just reporting what was said! Their final improvisation act was brilliant. The audience chose the movie genre they would act out, followed by the language in which they had to perform. Have any of you ever watched a Chinese horror movie? It's impossible to describe what happened, you really had to be there. Suffice to say, I nearly fell out of my chair laughing! The real high point of the weekend came on Sunday morning. I know I look awful in photos (I simply can't relax in front of a camera), so I just booked a single photo session with Hudson. I was near the front of the queue, so I didn't have to wait long. I thought I'd be nervous meeting her, but I was just excited. Hudson was wearing a red and saffron sari, a totally different look from the previous day. Her hair is short these days, but she had a false ponytail swept forward over one shoulder. When my turn came I asked "You will catch me if I faint, won't you?" Hudson laughed and said "Don't worry, you won't faint." We put our arms round each other, the picture was taken and the waiting began. That afternoon I learned that we still live in an age of miracles. The pictures came back, and when I was given mine my first thought was "That's not me!" I actually looked presentable, not to mention almost indecently happy! The "Hudson Effect" strikes again.... Hudson signed the photo later that evening, and personalised another of her as Callisto. That was the icing on the cake and, apart from the closing ceremony, the end of an exhausting but enjoyable weekend. Would I go to another convention? I really don't know - it would depend on who the guests were. Renee O'Connor would be a definite draw, but her impending motherhood makes future appearances doubtful. I regret not meeting Adrienne Wilkinson, and I'd like to see Jennifer Sky on stage. Other than that, I can't see myself becoming a regular convention attendee. I do know, however, that I wouldn't have missed CoW3 for anything!
Дата: Вторник, 2012-04-17, 11:46 PM | Сообщение # 10
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Total TV
November 1997
Lucy Lawless Uncut By Scott Barwick
Well, there's nothing like waiting in a hotel lobby, never mind that it's the Ritz-Carlton New York. You get time to think. You get time to think how much money you don't have to stay here. Mainly, though, you get to people-watch. The person I'm watching for specifically is Lucy Lawless. Yes, Xena, a mighty princess forged in the heat of battle, caught Barwick apparently in the grip of The Rosie O'Donnell Show and typical New York traffic, and almost anonymous.
"People don't look twice," Lawless would later say to me about being recognized. "They're expecting to see some enormous woman. This muscle-bound, leather-clad woman." And to a degree, watching her walk into the lobby, I see what she means. No trademarked yip-yip-yip yell upon entering. She turns out to be very soft-spoken, with her charming New Zealand drawl. Gone is the heavy-metal breast-plated getup, replaced by a purple sweater and black skirt. No sword, only a publicist. (Which poses the question: Which weapon does a star need more in NYC?) Were it not for her pale blue eyes, which would stand out just about anywhere, she's probably right about not being noticed. The star of TV's number one syndicated show is just a hard-working, single mom . . . and a very hungry person. One of the first things she asks the publicist after the interview is over is, "When can we order?" At least you know that Lawless--unlike Xena--is not going to bust some heads if the food doesn't come on time. But being quoted out of context is a different matter, and she's quick to jab back at a recent Ms. magazine article that questioned her political correctness.
Total TV: What happened with Ms. magazine?
Lucy Lawless: What happened there was, the problem with phone interviews. They're often too unreliable. When you see it in print, I sound like a iiiiii-diot. When I said I was shocked to be called a feminist, I didn't mean I was shocked and disgusted. I was shocked because it never occurred to me that [Xena] was a political show. [The interviewer] said: Are you political? What do you mean, political? My father was a politician. What do you mean? My mother was a suffragette. Do I vote? Do I want to stay out of politics? It means such different things. Another reason that [interview] came across so poorly, I have been terrified of this whole role model thing. It's one thing for Xena to be it but another for Lucy Lawless to be somebody's role model, and I thought that was too heavy a burden. It's a bit intimidating. Since I've been here [in NYC] this week, I have met a heap of women that seem to be incredibly inspired by the show and not inspired to be like Xena but inspired to be themselves. They use the word empowered. It feels kind of new-agey to me. But it's a great word, and it's a perfect expression for what they're feeling. A woman goes out and buys a Harley because she's always wanted to, that's great. As long as she doesn't kill herself.
So you're not uncomfortable with Xena's being a role model?
No, it doesn't feel like a weight on my shoulders at all. I'm thrilled to be part of someone who does that. It's good for little boys to see a strong woman, in a starring role, a multidimensional character.
Why aren't there any more women heroes on TV?
I don't know. It just seems the world was ready for this one and really embraced it. And you ain't seen nothing yet. We have six episodes we just filmed for the new season. I'm really proud of some of the work we've done. They're wonderful episodes.
What do you think is the show's appeal?
It is fun. They love the humor. You know, there's a lot of really intellectual people, professional people [who] it started out being a guilty pleasure and now they're really into it. It's high-common denominator television. It's not all T&A. There's a lot more content than style, more style than eye candy. It's kind of what I live by, in that in the show my job is to make people feel something. 'Cause to be an action star was really never my ambition. I guess it's to pass vicarious experiences on to somebody. And it's a perfectly noble thing to want to entertain. Sometimes I do shake my head and say "What am I doing?" All I do is make a television show. [inaudible] I'm sure we all have this conflict that sometimes I love my job to pieces.
It looks like it could be a little fun.
Yeah. [laughs] We really have fun. We have to. We spend 14 hours a day at it, and to treat it like it was a drag and to take it for granted is just a big mistake.
Is it easier working in New Zealand, being at home?
Yeah. It does help. Also from a family aspect, because of my daughter. It would be too disruptive to her life to have to move. And her dad's there. And I wouldn't want to force a decision on her like who to go live with, who to spend the holidays with.
Has the show finally started airing in New Zealand?
Yeah. They're up to episode eight now.
Are you starting to get recognized?
They do notice me, but people are by and large extremely nice. They leave me alone. I appear to be scary.
Do they recognize you here?
Not really. Not really. People don't look twice. They're expecting to see some enormous woman. This muscle-bound, leather-clad woman. If they look twice, if I'm static they might [laughs] recognize me, but you just keep moving. No, I don't get hassled at all.
Having four older brothers--was that good preparation for playing a warrior princess?
Yeah. Lots of battling. Lots of battling. You had to be pretty wily to survive, or fast. And I wasn't fast so I had to be wily! [laughs]
You look like you do most of your own stunts. Did you ever get knocked silly?
Yeah. Hell yeah. It's an occupational hazard in this kind of job. You get hit. Always bruised. I had a black eye once. Loosened all my teeth. That was an interesting experience all by itself.
How'd that come about?
Stunt fight. I was over-tired. Just collected one. I flicked my head the wrong way and came back to look at [the stuntman]. And connected with a fist traveling in the other direction. Poor guy. He was overcome. Stunties do not like hurting people.
Is that scream all you too?
Yeah.
Does it hurt your vocal cords?
No. I don't do it a lot.
How do you keep in shape? Is that the hardest part?
No. There are times when they bind you up nice and tight, so I guess that keeps you in shape. The job is very physical so I don't have too much outside work anymore. I worked really hard at it in the beginning, but happily I'm on holiday now.
How about that suit? It looks uncomfortable.
It is. I don't think about it so much anymore. But some days it's the last thing I want to see.
Is it cold?
It is really cold. That metal breast plate keeps air between any covering and your body, so it just kind of whistles around your back. You just got to stay healthy. The camera rolls and you don't feel a thing. You just go for it. You don't feel the cold. You don't feel the rain. You don't feel pain. Yeah, you don't feel any pain. Like if you get hurt, it's just an acting phenomenon. Those are the moments you live for. When you're actually . . . when the camera rolls you're in the scene. You're not awake to the outside. You feel it doesn't exist in the scene. It doesn't exist for a few seconds.
Are you worried about being typecast?
I get to do wacky comedy. I also get to play other characters. No, it's not a huge concern. I'm so stretched. It's the most amazing grounding I could ever have for my career. It's the most amazing training. When you do something every day it most simply must improve. Unless you're an iiiii-diot. We've all come a long way. I learned an awful lot in the past year. This season I hope will bear that out and the people will enjoy it.
Is your daughter enjoying this?
It's sort of a mixed bag for her. She's been followed by tabloids, believe or not. Her dad was offered money to, you know, dump on me and he just wouldn't. He's a good guy. So that was a rude awakening about what it meant for her mummy to be a star. And while she's really proud of me--she really likes Xena and all that stuff--her joy is tempered by this kind of threat of the [photographers] coming back or an invasion of her privacy.
They've followed her to school and the like?
Yeah. There was this lone cameraman for American Journal who found out where her dad lived and waited outside for his car to drive out and stuck the camera right in her face, right onto the car. That freaked her out.
What's the biggest problem balancing your job and being a mom?
Guilt. A lot of guilt. That would be far and away the biggest problem. And you're afraid of what your kid is going to say to you when they're a teenager, because they will. For every child, that's your rite of passage to adulthood, getting over what your parents did or didn't do for you. And I hope it won't be too [laughs] difficult to get over that, because I struggle with being a good parent all the time. Well, I strive to be a good parent all the time. And it's not easy.
Any other projects coming up?
No. Don't want any. I'm going to Turkey for a holiday. It's been a really huge push for me. It's time to kick back. I'll be off the coast, boating. [Turkey] seems to be the place to go these days. If I stumble on 'em, I'll buy some cool instruments for the show, for the composer John LaDuca. He's just a genius. There's this one episode called "Doctor in the House," which is my favorite, that and a comedy one so far. That was a really heavy one. It just aired not so long ago. It was kind of an ER ripoff.
The one in the temple? Kind of like M*A*S*H?
Yeah. And it was a five-day shoot, really intense. And a lot of stuff had to be cut because the advertisers were scared of all the blood. It was kind of a payoff for all the operations, you could see all the stuff happening. It was cool effects. So these bits had to be excised during the edit and I was heartbroken about a lot of the things because, just a lot of it wasn't shown and we had gone to a lot of trouble to shoot it. There was a lot of heart put into the episode. And then I saw the final dub with the composing and he just pulled it all together and he really made up for it, because the music just subconsciously really works on an audience. And it gets such poignancy and urgency. I feel like he saved it.
How do you feel about being an action figure now?
[laughs] It's cool. I just saw the ten-inch doll today on Rosie. And it was cool. Makes me think of what they want to see, actually.
If Xena and Herc got into a fight, who would win?
We'll just have to see this season, won't we? It's probable that Xena will cross over into Hercules. They've always got this kind of love going on, there's a competition there, they're attracted to one another but it's a pretty volatile mix. Kevin always says I'd whip his butt, not Xena. He's a good guy.
Дата: Вторник, 2012-04-17, 11:52 PM | Сообщение # 11
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Savage Sword of Xena by Joe Nazzaro
Playing Xena, syndicated television's hottest new action heroine, is no easy task, and Lucy Lawless has plenty of bruises to prove it. The sword-wielding New Zealand actress, who's currently sharing a weekly double bill with the legendary strongman Hercules, insists that wounds, welts, scrapes and scars are all just part of the job.
"I've actually gotten much better about that," Lawless happily announces from the Auckland studio where much of Xena is shot. "I just got five bruises today, and I don't even know how they happened. When the camera rolls, you don't even think about it, and your reflexes get sharper after you've been hit a few times!"
Lawless is quick to point out that her fighting skills have improved considerably since her first appearance as an amazon warrior in one of the two-hour Hercules movies. "I've never thought of myself as a very physical person," she insists. "I was never a sports freak or anything like that. My nickname was 'Unco,' or 'Uncoordinated' at school, so it was a big shock to me to be doing this sort of thing. They've been giving me a lot of training, which has helped a lot. Unlike Kevin Sorbo, who is a sportsman from way back, I need to get my skills up and keep them up, because it doesn't come naturally to me.'
Xena: Warrior Princess is a spin-off of last season's surprise adventure-fantasy hit, Hercules The Legendary Journeys, starring Sorbo as the mythological demigod. Xena first appeared in three top-rated episodes of that series as a merciless warrior chief out to eliminate Hercules. She eventually renounces her warlike ways and teams up with Herc to battle her former compatriots. The warrior princess turned out to be so popular that MCA TV greenlighted a Xena spin-off series featuring the same combination of mythology, action-adventure and stunning New Zealand scenery that made Hercules so successful.
The new series began with Xena determined to make amends for the sins of her past,and setting out to battle the forces of evil. She's joined by Gabrielle (Renee O'Connor), a feisty, fast-talking young woman who's looking for a little excitement in her life. As Gabrielle quickly discovers, hanging out with Xena means all the excitement she can handle - and then some!
Carrying the weight of a weekly action-adventure series on one's leather-clad shoulders would probably be a daunting prospect for even the most seasoned of actresses. For Lawless, it really hasn't been a problem, and she credits the crew of Xena for making her job that much easier. "I don't really feel that pressure, because I'm surrounded by so many people who are giving their all as well. Everybody‹from the people who lay out the cups, to the generator operator, to the makeup people‹everybody is working so hard that it's not really my show. There's a really good feeling. We saw the first episode the other day, and it just galvanized everyone."
While Lawless has already shot almost half of the first season's 22 episodes, she doesn't have a firm idea yet of what her character is all about. "I'm still looking for it, and it doesn't matter what's on paper. After your first rehearsal for the first episode, you know what the history is, and that acts as fuel, but because Xena's always a character in transition and she's on this journey, you never quite know what she's about. I just have a feeling, and the rest of it happens organically and continues to grow, or at least I hope it does."
One trait that has begun to emerge is Xena's surprisingly wry sense of humor, usually sparked by exchanges with the idealistic and outspoken Gabrielle. Lawless says the character is considerably less dark than in her early appearances, and while Xena will probably never be a barrel of laughs, she's obviously picking up some of the actress' own infectious good humor.
"You haven't seen anything yet!" Lawless promises half-threateningly. "I don't think Xena ever thinks she's funny. She isn't the knee-slapping, thigh-slapping, rib-tickling sort, but as you'll see, there's a wry humor to her. I'm also sorry to tell you this, but Gabrielle never entirely gets the better of her."
The actress goes on to say that the give-and-take relationship between Xena and Gabrielle is key to the series, and "it's getting better and better the more we get to know each other. I have huge respect for Renee as a person. She's easy to listen to in film acting terms, and that's the magic: if you're actually listening and taking in somebody's face. That's real acting."
Amazon Wife
Looking back at her own real-life expenences, Lawless would probably say they mirror those of the brash young Gabnelie more than the seasoned warrior woman Xena. After attending Auckland University for a short time, the young Lawless contracted a serious case of wanderlust and left for Europe to go grape-picking on the Rhine. When the money began to run out, she moved to Australia, where she signed on with a gold mining company operating in the Outback. Relocated to a small mining camp even farther from civilization, Lawless found herself doing the same work as her male peers: digging, mapping and driving trucks.
After getting married in Australia, Lawless moved back to Auckland with her husband, determined to pursue a career in acting. She landed her first real acting job at age 20, with the TV comedy troupe Funny Business, and after a string of guest-starring TV roles, I she moved to Vancouver for eight months to s study drama at the William Davis Center for Actor's Study.
In 1992, Lawless returned to New Zealand, where she accepted a job as co-host for Air New Zealand Holiday, a travel show which took her around the world. A second season followed, and then a role in the two hour Hercules TV movie Hercules and the Amazon Women. As Lawless admits, she didn't think, "not in a million years" that the character would one day help her land the role of Xena.
In Amazon Women, Lawless portrayed Lysia, lieutenant to Hippolyta, queen of the Amazons (played by Roma Downey). Looking back on the first of her many Hercules guest appearances, the actress admits that her memory is a bit blurred, particularly of the battle sequences. "You know, I don't even remember doing fight scenes when I was in that," she says with mock surprise. "Were there really fight scenes?
"I have to say, I've surprised myself by the physicality of it all, because it's obviously some sort of natural aggression that shines through. It's something that I never recognized before, but I think growing up in a house with seven kids probably helped in that regard. I have five brothers, so it was pretty much the law of the jungle. It was a very loving home and everything, but it was still very rowdy. I could really relate to that running-the-gauntlet scene in the second Xena episode."
On the other hand, the actress has no trouble remembering the scenes with the legendary Anthony Quinn, who played Zeus in the five two-hour movies. "He was great; I was really surprised. Some people were a little nervous about having him around, but because I had not, to my everlasting shame, ever seen an Anthony Quinn movie, it didn't bother me. I knew his name and that he was somebody, but you treat everybody the same until you find out they're an idiot.
"He seemed to like me because I didn't kowtow to him or whatever, but he was a superstar and I could see that. I felt really privileged to meet him, because there aren't many of them left. There are only a few of his caliber from that era, and I know he's working still, which only makes him greater. He was a real gentleman."
Lawless also enjoyed working with leading man Sorbo (STARLOG #211), who was still far from being a household name in those early days. 'Kevin really hasn't changed very much: he's a nice guy and good to work with. This has, in a funny way, become Kevin's home, and I think he's looking at buying a place because he has been down here for two years. He has a lot of friends here, and it's quite enriching, living in another country for a period of time. He seems to be handling it fine, and because he's here, he doesn't have people hounding him every two seconds. It's like a beach holiday."
When Hercules was picked up as a weekIy series the following season, Lawless invited back, but this time in a different role. In "When Darkness Falls," she played thc scheming Lyla, who tries to help her centaur friends by drugging Hercules at a local wedding festival. While Lawless was happy return to the series, she's not quite sure whyshe was asked back as a different character. "I don't know, that's a producer's question, so you would have to ask Eric Grundemann that. Hey, Eric!" she jokingly yells to tbe Hercules producer working in a nearby office. "Eric would know, or [exec producer] Rob Tapert, but I couldn't tell you."
Warrior Woman
What Lawless can say is she had no difficulty with the complicated visual FX required to create the realistic-looking centaurs in that episode. "I don't have any trouble with special FX. If you have an active imagination, you just use it and it's not difficult at all. I actually find it easier than working off actors. It never even occurred to me that this might be a difficulty; it was just normal acting."
When Lawless was asked to return a few weeks later to play Xena in a three-episode story arc that closed Hercules' first season, it was almost literally a case of being in the right place at the right time. The original actress hired to play Xena got sick at the last minute, and the producers had to find a replacement over the New Year's weekend.
"I had just been in the previous episode, so I think the execs were saying, 'Oh no, we can't use her because we just used her. Here's a list of five other actresses you should try,' and every one of them pulled out for some reason. Pilot season was coming up, so they decided, 'Oh no, we don't want to go down to the bottom of the world in pilot season and do a three-week stint that will come to nothing, when we could stay here in LA and do a pilot that could possibly become a series,' so thanks girls, thank you very much!
"I flew up there two days before and had my hair changed. They made the costume up for me and then I was shooting. I had been on a camping holiday just before that, so they had to move heaven and Earth to find me. It was a huge twist of fate or good luck, or whatever you want to call it, but here I am."
Xena's debut came in "The Warrior Princess," in which she seduces Hercules' friend Iolaus, driving a wedge between the two longtime comrades. For Michael Hurst, who has played Iolaus since the two-hour movies, working with Lawless was a pleasure. "Like Kevin, there's no selfishness about her," he notes. "She has a lot of generosity and we had a ball making those episodes. Both Lucy and I were really in our element, being picked up for the series, dressing in the most amazing way and doing scenes together. It was fantastic for both of us, and we both had a good time."
According to Hurst, one of the most uncomfortable moments in "The Warrior Princess" was the scene in which Xena disrobes and joins Iolaus for a bath. The reason for that discomfort? Not the one you might think. "Let me tell you, that water was lukewarm, and we had a lot of little pieces of styrofoam, which they use to create the look of stone, floating around, it looked like soup. As anybody would tell you, the last thing in your mind is any sense of eroticism! It was really businesslike, and we actually lost it sometimes. We just couldn't help but start laughing at the whole ridiculous situation: shooting this scene in a warehouse in the middle of Auckland City. It was very funny."
"We did develop a really good rapport early on," agrees Lawlass. "I don't think it had anything to do with the fact that he's an established New Zealand actor, because we were only barely acquainted before that, but we really hit off. Most women love talking to Michael. I think he gets a lot of mail already, but he's a pretty good guy, and would never get uptight about it. He and his wife drafted out some replies, but at this stage, I think the load is already getting too heavy and they just won't be able to keep doing that. He's such a busy man, directing plays and all sorts of things."
Xena returned in "The Gauntlet," and this time, the warrior princess was beginning to tire of her warlike ways. Unfortunately, leaving that life behind meant having to endure a trial by combat with her former comrades.
Lawless feels that although the episode may have been a bit too intense, it also signaled the beginning of Xena's evolution into a dramatically different character. "That first episode was directed by Bruce Seth Green, and then Jack Perez did the next one, which was a much darker show. It was written dark, and shot dark. Xena is a very different character now. Before, she had no honor, but this Xena is very different. It's part of her life changing transition, and now she does have her own warped code of honor."
It was during the shooting of "The Gauntlet" that Lawless remembers hearing the first hint of a possible spin-off series featuring Xena. "I was sitting in the second AD's bus, and I was trying to be all cool about it, saying. 'Yeah, yeah, we'll believe it when it happens, and I'll talk to you later. thank you, Mr. Tapert.' I went away and had lunch on my own, and tried to pretend I hadn't heard what I heard. Anyway, the upshot is four months from that day, it was happening. It seems like forever ago, but it was really only January, and now we're already up to our ninth episode."
Barbarian Mom
In order to prepare their lead actress for the new series. the producers of Xena sent Lawless to train with martial arts master Douglas (Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story) Wong, who taught her basic kung fu moves, as well as fighting techniques with staffs and swords. "It was like the old studio system; they took me to LA for training in dialogue, kung fu, personal training and film technique It was just wonderful and really kick started me again. After I left acting school four years ago I had kind of plateaued. It took me four years to understand everything I had been taught, and then to think, 'Holy guacamole, where do I go from here?'"
If there's anything more difficult than battling mythological monsters and barbarian warriors, it's trying to maintain a happy domestic life. With the long hours she has to spend on the Xena set, Lawless concedes it isn't always easy to find time to spend with her husband and seven-year-old daughter Daisy. "It is difficult sometimes, but we're managing. My daughter comes down to the set after school some days, and I know she's well-looked-after because she's with her father, and she couldn't have a better father, so she's fine."
And what does Daisy think of Mom's new job? "She thinks it's pretty cool. She likes to have the posters and things, but she hasn't actually seen any of these new episodes yet."
That brings up an interesting point: whether or not the action-oriented Xena is suitable viewing for small children. "I might have had a question mark over that one before," says Lawless, considering whether she would let her own daughter watch the series, "but now I think yes, I would, because all the sound FX and speed ramping make the fights cartoonish.
"I think she could see Xena: she has seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and we're a bit less inhibited about those things here. We just had a festival which is like Mardi Gras. and I was surprised at how shocked our American friends were at all the naked breasts walking around on the main street, but that's New Zealand."
It may be too early to discuss some of the highlights of Xena's first season, but Lawless says there are plenty of moments where everything seems to click. 'You get that once or twice a day. You might see the playback, and you see somebody slug you on the head with a foam thing. They came nowhere near you, but it just looks fantastic because you dropped at precisely the right moment.
"I've got to say, although initially they were never my favorite thing to do, watching the fight scenes is really rewarding. In fact, seeing them once the sound FX have been put in, I get the biggest kick out of them."
The actress also wants Xena fans to know that she's doing a lot more of her own fighting these days. "They still use a double sometimes, because some of the things are not only difficult but dangerous, with the flips and so forth. I have wonderful acrobatic doubles and a stunt double and a horse riding double. These women do the most amazing things, and beautifully, too. That's what I mean when I talk about this not being just my show. They all help to enrich the character, so it's really a huge team effort and I'm grateful to all of them for their hard work."
With Xena and Hercules both shooting in the same Auckland studios, one might think there was a little good-natured rivalry between the parent series and its spin-off. "Not really," says Lawless, "because we screen at different times, so there's no point in being in competition. We don't really compete because the flavors of the two shows are so distinct from one another. There are things that happen on Hercules that will never happen on Xena, and vice versa. There's no point in competing. I also think we're working way too hard to be looking at each other's shows."
Nonetheless, the two characters meet again in an episode of Xena. "We just shot it, and I think it has turned out great. It was so nice to work with Kevin again. It's really like an ensemble cast, because everybody knows their characters and you're not mucking around trying to find something in a scene, so filming went much faster."
Should Xena: Warrior Princess turn out to be the same unexpected success as Hercules: The Legendary Journeys last season, it's entirely possible that Lucy Lawless could be battling the forces of evil for many years to come. The actress considers that possibility for a moment. "If you're going to play a character for a couple of years." she finally reflects, "then I can't think of a better character to play. She has such duality and complexity that I should consider myself a very lucky actor if I do."
Дата: Четверг, 2012-04-19, 2:21 AM | Сообщение # 12
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Marton Csokas
Marton Csokas (pronounced CHO-kash) is an accomplished actor with dual citizenship in New Zealand and the European Union (Hungary). Whether he is the leading man or playing in a supporting role, he has gained the respect of filmmakers and audiences with his deft portrayal of rich characters.
Csokas recently starred in Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven, as well as Paramount Classics's Asylum with Malcolm McDowell and Miramax Films's The Great Raid, both released last August. He will soon be seen in Evilenko for Pacific Pictures and director David Grieco.
Csokas played the role of Celeborn in Peter Jackson's critically acclaimed Lord of the Rings. He appeared as the villain in and the action thriller XXX for Sony Pictures opposite Vin Diesel and as DeKere in Richard Donner's Timeline, based on Michael Crichton's bestselling novel. He was also seen in The Bourne Supremacy, opposite Matt Damon, where he was singled out for his impressive performance in a fight-to-the-death scene with Damon. Csokas was born in Aotearoa, New Zealand. At the completion of a vagrant education including attending Canterbury University, in Christchurch, New Zealand studying Art History and joining both the drama and writers club, he opted to pursue a career in acting. He was accepted into Te Kura Toi Whakaari/New Zealand Drama School. Equipped with an eclectic and classical training, he graduated into his first play Te Whanau A Tuanui Jones in 1990 at the Taki Rua/Depot Theatre.
His first stage performance was that of a naïve idealist berating the racist status quo. On the television he portrayed an epileptic, schizophrenic boxer on acid, and, his first film role was that of a jilted lover gone paranoid. All good beginnings for a varied career and he has since worked on the classical, experimental, and inane.
After appearing in numerous short films, Csokas acted in the acclaimed 1996 feature film Broken English, which brought him a New Zealand Film nomination for Best Actor. In an episode of the popular series G.P., Csokas was nominated for an Australian Film Institute Award for Best Performance in a Television Drama. He also starred in Plain Tastes directed by Niki Caro (Whale Rider) and Rain directed by Christine Jeffs (Sylvia), which was selected for Director's Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.
In the theater, highlights have been Septimus in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia and Brutus in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. He played the ambiguous Joe Pitt in Tony Kushner's Angels in America, as well as Jerry in a production of Brian Friel's Dancing at Lughnasa. Other roles include the role of Dominick in David Hare's Amy's View , Dan in Patrick Marber's Closer (Chapman Tripp Theatre Award of Production of the Year) and Steven Berkoff's Kvetch. Csokas also co-founded his own experimental company, Stronghold Theatre, which built a strong reputation for challenging and expansive works. Csokas's talent for classical work was seen in numerous productions of Shakespeare, Chekhov and Brecht, including roles of Falstaff in The Merry Wives of Windsor and Orsino in Twelfth Night (Belvoir Street Theatre in Sydney) as well as performing in Three Sisters, The Cherry Orchard, and Happy End.
ИСТОЧНИК: www.filmbug.com/db/253982
Сообщение отредактировал Amadeus - Четверг, 2012-04-19, 1:18 PM
"I'm not bad..." the animated and curvaceous 'toon' Jessica Rabbit tells the detective in the live-action/animated film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. "I'm just drawn that way." They may not be curvaceous or cartoons, but New Zealand actor Marton Csokas insists his three `bad' characters in Xena: Warrior Princess aren't villains; they were just trying to survive.
Csokas' first appearance in Xena was as the priest Krafstar in the season three episode The Deliverer. Krafstar speaks kindly to Gabrielle of the one god, but then encourages her to spill first blood and ultimately become a vessel for the evil Dahak. However, Csokas insists Krafstar himself is not evil, and he has a very novel explanation to prove his point.
"Krafstar was a deceiver," he insists. "He was never what he appeared to be. But rather than being evil himself, he was inhabited by a force that was evil. Because that force, that thing of evil, came out of him, he was really just an illusion. Dahak was inside him, so arguably, Krafstar didn't even exist."
Here in the real world, something else about Krafstar and his god didn't exist either: those monstrous bolts of energy from Dahak himself that gripped and eventually impregnated the helpless Gabrielle. For the audience, those visual effects were pretty damn fancy, but in the temple scenes with Krafstar and Gabrielle, for the actors it was really a case of playing opposite nothing at all. Of course, they all knew what they were supposed to be seeing, and for Csokas, that made things a lot easier.
"If you've got a fair idea of what's going on - which you don't always - then you're okay" he says. "As long as you know where everything's taking place, and you've got the practicalities and the pragmatics of it sorted out that's when your imagination comes in handy! But as long as you've got a distinct picture, whatever it might be, then that's fine."
A few more of those effects were required during Krafstar's brief appearance as one of the robed nasties in the climactic temple scene of the musical The Bitter Suite. Csokas remembers being on set for about 20 minutes in total, and appearing in the scene "for a split-second", yet it was still a matter of playing to various effects that weren't there, with the added factor of song. "The song we did in that scene was to a backing tape," he reveals, "and it had been rewritten just before we performed it. To be honest, it was a bit weird..."
Slightly less weird - but Csokas also insists, not evil or bad - is the character of Borias, the warlord who was Xena's partner in the warrior's dark past. "I don't see Borias as being bad," he says. "I see him as a person who is loyal to his principles, with war being a part of his world. His fundamental motivation was derived from survival, and principles of war, family and even love, and the maintaining of a life beyond just conning around and killing people. So, in that way, his was quite an honest profession."
Coming up to date, in The Last of the Centaurs, Csokas plays a character with a face that should look familiar: Borias' son, Lord Belach. "Belach is bad," he admits of his latest villain, "but its only because he's torn between who he is and what he wants. He becomes confused and kills a race of people because he believes they've kidnapped his daughter, but they haven't actually done anything.
"Belach is a product of the old world, in terms of Borias being his father, and I think he's only now finding out how to put the qualities he's inherited from his father, which he abhorred, to good use - mistakenly or otherwise. He's also trying to master this new world and work out how to harness his own energies and his own power. He's trying to divorce himself from his heritage, because he wants to live a good life, but what do you do? If your daughter's been kidnapped, you're bound to behave in an irrational manner. So that's a part of him, and it seems to me that that's what this story is about."
There are a number of flashback scenes in The Last of the Centaurs featuring Xena and Borias, and to complicate matters just a little, some of these scenes are actually new footage. This means that Csokas is actually playing both Belach and his father Borias in the same episode. "Centaurs focuses more on Belach than Borias," Csokas reveals, "and generally speaking, Belach is a more watered-down character than Borias, because he's still trying to find his way in the new world."
Fair enough. But isn't it a little difficult to play father and son, both in different time periods, in the same show? Not really, says Csokas, although his explanation doesn't make it sound any easier. "I play both characters depending on the circumstances and what their agenda is, according to the script and the story. The timespan isn't really a great consideration for me; that sits within the context of the story. Technically, they're doing some grading and filtering [of the film] with the past sequences, so there's that. There are all sorts of things that come into it, like the fact that the costumes are different and the scenes are different. Borias was Borias back then and Belach is Belach now, so, to all intents and purposes, it's the same time period, but also it's not."
Summing up the motivations of his three Xena characters, Csokas defends them to the end. "In terms of existing in a world that is predetermined by its environment and by the other people who inhabit it, they have to survive. So on that level, I wouldn't really call them bad."
Csokas hasn't always played bad guys, however. In the 12 years since he started acting, he's played a wide range of varied roles, in theatre, television and film. He played the shy and mild-mannered doctor Leonard Dodds in the New Zealand soap Shortland Street, and recently finished a season of Twelfth Night in Sydney. He recently filmed his part as a major planetary leader in the highly anticipated Star Wars: Episode Il, which airs worldwide from May 2002, and his next project is a film shot in the Australian outback, titled Down And Under. "It's the right part of the world for the title," he says, acknowledging the benefits of playing a range of roles. "I've had lots of variety - the more experience you can have in these things, the better - and of course it's more fun!"
Csokas is proud to be associated with Xena, and can list a number of reasons why he thinks the show has been so successful. "I think it taps into a whole lot of different genres," he says. "There's the horror genre, the B-grade movie genre... It has a sense of humour, so there's irony there too, and there's the whole romance thing going on as well.
"For me, it taps into childhood experiences of running around imagining all these different worlds. The beauty of this is that the budget allows the crew the freedom to create all the effects, and make up all the environments, the costumes and the weapons. So it's a real playground. Sometimes it delves into areas that remind me of old-style movies. I watched an episode of Xena last night and I thought, `This is like a spaghetti western!"'
Just as I ask which other Xena character he would have liked to play, Lucy Lawless walks past within close hearing distance and tells him in a stage whisper, "You'd play Xena..." Obediently, Csokas nods, "...I'd play Xena!"
So how did it all start for you? What are your roots?
I was born in New Zealand, in Invercargill, on the South Island. My father was a mechanical engineer and was working on a hydroelectric plan at the time. My mother, a trained nurse, went along to be near him. I have a younger brother and we sort of traversed between New Zealand and Australia. I've had the spirit of wanderlust ever since, it seems.
My parents divorced when I was young and I was estranged from my father for awhile, which made it interesting. I was 18 when I reconnected with him -- two individuals meet which seems to make it easier to get through the father-son bit, which is inevitable of course. We have the father son thing but we've also come together as two people, which I think is quite difficult to do.
Were your parents into the arts?
It's not really a background I come from, and they were very against my becoming an actor, but that was a good thing to kick against. My father is Hungarian, born and raised, and orphan after the war. He trained in Innsbruck as an opera singer. It's a long story, unique to him, but a typical immigrant story. He roamed the face of the earth after World War II after leaving Hungary and was in the Foreign Legion in the Mechanical Corps. He arrived in New Zealand in the 1950's, not the best time. He didn't speak any English whatsoever but he could sing so that was how he fared. He did get work in it for awhile but went over to mechanical engineering as a source of income. He's had an adventurous life, that's for sure.
So what attracted you to the arts, to acting?
That was, as all these things are, cumulative; no one thing in particular. When I left high school and went traveling there were things that opened up my eyes to the arts.
I taught in a school in England for a few months, which provided me with some income so I could explore things.
I was able to travel go on to Hungary but I was not there for very long. It was in the middle of winter and I followed various leads that I had, followed people to try and find some contacts that may have known my father's family. I found it overwhelming -- as I mentioned, he was an orphan so it was actually very, very difficult and I got frustrated by it. My knowledge of the language is minimal and having come from New Zealand, there were all these other places that I wanted to visit so I went on, to Italy and then France.
During the course of my trip I realized I wanted to do something where I could travel and have an income at the same time, which has really worked with my acting and all.
What is your education?
I came back to New Zealand and I went to the University of Canterbury in Christchurch but I only went for a year. I took artistry and religious and literature studies and what have you -- it was a general place to be to find out what I wanted. And I thought, "What am I going to be, I'm going to become an academic of sorts". It was in the second year that I discovered that I wanted to be an actor. That was quite a big choice, and quite a dramatic one, no pun intended, for me so I pursued that. I saw that the academic qualities of university could then be expressed via the stage. It seemed to be a great coupling for me. I went into a six-month arts program in Christchurch, and from there to the New Zealand Drama School. What was your first professional job?
My first paid job was with a cooperative theater where we did everything -- the publicity, the costumes, the sets and after 10 weeks work I earned 96 dollars. So after that experience, I didn't take anything and everything, but I was pretty much a slut to whatever came along. My career has been very eclectic -- you have to do that in New Zealand anyway, there is no way you can be solely a film actor or solely a theater actor; you have to keep your options going, which is true I think all over the world. If you get locked into a company then there are opportunities you can miss out on.
I tried to balance things and just moved around New Zealand a lot doing a lot theater, a lot of television, films. Shortland Street I did for a year -- that was my first consistently paid job. People sort of looked down on that, but I learned a lot about what it is to ingest vast quantities of lines, do it quickly, be economical in one's approach, go home, get up the next day, do it again. On many occasions when the light is going on the film set, the energy is very…everyone is stressed out for whatever reason. I did it for a year in a very concentrated situation and thought "this is easy". A lot of actors I know wanted that tortured artistic process, "no we need more time, we need to talk about it, we need to walk through it" but what that experience gave me was the ability to just throw it all away and do it. You've got 15 minutes to get this because the light is disappearing or we have to be out of this location.
My point of all this really is that every situation I've been in I've tried to find a way to gain a particular lesson from it, or a particular aspect of an experience that makes up the whole and I think almost anything can give you. It's all useful, and now of late I've become a little more selective.
What was it like working on the likes of Xena? The re-runs are still on.
I adore Lucy [Lawless]! She made that show, both in her performance and in the mundane. I made nine shows of that, and I was always in awe of her love of other people and support of other people. That doesn't happen all the time -- the lead person can dictate so much, can really dictate the atmosphere and make it difficult for everybody else and everybody else wears it, you can't help it. The atmosphere is either elevated to an enjoyable arena of work, or it can be just nasty, like a virus. You're dealing with a group of people, so psychologically people's shadow, to use that term, comes into play and it can get a bit tiring and unpleasant. You're dealing with agendas and things you can't see but they're very tangible. She was not like that and I realized that that is hard work to maintain. I really admire her.
Is working in America vastly different? Are you at home with it?
I don't feel like I'm an imposter here. I hope that doesn't change. There is something amoral, ambivalent or tenuous about somebody's nationality in the arts -- it does matter, but then again it doesn't from an actor's perspective. I've played many nationalities and I think it is important not to diminish people for what they appear to be in everyday life, which happens all the time. I just understand that. I mean, a painter for example has the luxury of living whatever life they want and may paint in a very macabre style or in a very erudite manner but you might never even meet that person; they might paint in that style but be the most straight-up person and they don't get judged for it. Their work gets looked at. As an actor in Hollywood, and all over the world these days, there is this very strange thing of not understanding the concept of the classical qualities of acting. There is a mask.
Let's talk about a small indie film you made this year, Evilenko. Did you go to Russia to prepare for it?
No, it was just an excuse. I do a little bit of that, try to get under the skin of the character. Working with Malcolm [McDowell] taught me how to keep a levity about things. Sometimes he's so naughty, it's ridiculous …in the middle of a f****** take. But it's great, because if you're going to get depressed about something, Evilenko is a good way to do it. It was like a big family, we would laugh a lot, and he's a constant practical joker and I realized that is, in part, to keep that levity so it doesn't drag you in; you have perspective. I learned that from him.
The research side of roles is something I love, it's important, and it's really satisfying, but there is also an element that you have to put in you, into your subconscious suitcase and go on the journey and understand that the brain is a lot more complex than we give it credit for. There's that holding on that occurs and the diminishing of any expanse of the imagination which at the end of the day is the most important thing -- access to one's full capacity, full faculties.
If it's a good screenplay or a good theater text -- inevitably, in theater the writer has done more research so that every word has a reason for being there if it is a good piece and then you bring other things to it, as opposed to trying to fill the text with stuff that you beg, borrow and steal from everywhere.
How does that contrast with working in Hollywood?
XxX was my first Hollywood experience. It was lots of fun. My expectations…well, that script was very different when we began. It was a lot more, without wanting to offend anyone, a lot more interesting to begin with than what ended up on the screen. At the beginning, it had a certain degree of…the politics of anarchy were at the center of that film and they just sort of went away.
You've been an American as Ted Healy, a Russian villain, a Croatian refugee. Is your ability to do accents from your upbringing with a foreign father, from your travels?
I think it is very important study into how somebody speaks and it's a great way to hook into a character. I mean obviously whether it's French, Russian -- everyone speaks a certain way, it's based on nature and nurture, and it can provide good keys -- it depends on the film; sometimes film lends itself to that kind but I find it very useful -- it creates a uniqueness and a difference, which is important. I usually try to pick up an accent by myself. In some cases a voice coach is provided and I would use their expertise without question.
Дата: Суббота, 2012-04-21, 0:26 AM | Сообщение # 15
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Спартак : Месть, Кровь и песок, Боги арены вторник, 3 апреля 2012 г.
Spartacus Boss Answers Burning Questions: Who's Really Dead? What's Up for Season 3?
Fans are still licking their wounds after the Season 2 finale of Spartacus: Vengeance killed off several main characters. [Spoiler alert! The following is a discussion of the Season 2 finale, including who dies, and information about the upcoming third season, which is currently in production.] "I still get angry messages about Varro," series creator and executive producer Steven DeKnight told reporters on a call Monday. "Varro's death [in Season 1] still stands as one of the best ends to a character on a show. It had such an emotional impact and such a twist and it was so heartbreaking. Also, it may come as no surprise that I've gotten some angry messages about Lucy [Lawless], killing off Lucretia. I've gotten more than a few, 'You're an idiot. I'll never watch this show again!'" Bring on the nunchakus and Bruce Lee! The stars of Spartacus pick their weapons and wingmen Check out what deKnight had to say about who is truly dead, why he killed off Lucretia, and what lies ahead for Spartacus and his men in Season 3:
Can you discuss your decision to kill off Lucretia and if you'd consider having Lucy Lawless back in a flashback? Steven DeKnight: I never rule out a good flashback... In my mind, Lucretia got a reprieve. Going back to Season 1, I felt that Spartacus had to kill Batiatus and Crixus had to kill Lucretia for what they did. We actually shot it both ways. We shot it where Lucretia was clearly dead at the end of Season 1 and one in which she was still twitching... I was approached by Starz and my producing partner Rob Tapert, who is married to Lucy. The concern was that in the second season, should we bring back what is arguably the biggest name in the show? I was adamant, "No she has to die. It wouldn't work any other way." The next morning, in the shower before I came to work, I had this idea about Mad Lucretia, a take on [Hamlet's] Mad Ophelia. "Wouldn't it be great if Ilithyia were pregnant, and Lucretia, criminally insane at this point, has designs on this child?" The audience will think she wants to take the child and run away with it, but if you look back over the season, you realize she wants to take the child to her dead husband in the afterlife... I also thought that Lucretia and Ilithyia both had to die together to conclude that story line. So Ilithyia isn't getting her own reprieve for next season? Is she completely gone? DeKnight: She's completely dead. We looked at what was coming next with Crassus and Caesar launching a full-scale war against the rebel slaves. Ilithyia and Lucretia didn't have a place in that world. There was no scenario that Crassus was going to take those two with him or take Ilithyia with him. Crassus doesn't know them. They would be damaged goods no matter how you sliced it. Could she come back in a flashback? Absolutely possible, but no plans at the moment. Since the deaths are so graphic usually, do you think that's why fans are confused about whether or not Lucretia and Ilithyia are truly dead since we didn't see the usual gore? Did you decide to do their death scenes differently? DeKnight: It was all a matter of degrees. We felt that seeing the knife slicing into Ilithyia was a bit too much of a horror show for what we wanted to convey between the two. We thought that leaving that to the audience's imagination was better. And Lucretia going over the cliff, we did have a brief discussion: "Do we show her splatting [on the rocks] as we did with Gnaeus?" No, we wanted a beautiful, operatic send-off, not something that would be gory. And with Ilithyia... that's the one death I wish I could have foreseen the confusion. I would have gone back and made that final moment with her a little bit bloodier. But with those deaths we wanted it to be beautiful and dreamlike. From Game of Thrones to Spartacus: TV's unsexiest sex scenes On the flip side, you outdid youself with Sedullus's "face-off" death this season when it came to gore. DeKnight: With Sedullus, in the script we just said his head gets cut off. But as we were talking about it, the visual effects and stunt departments came up with cutting his face off, which turned out to be just brilliant. It's one of those moments that people talk about all season. "I can't believe they cut that guy's face off!" It also really worked for that moment, because that's when Spartacus stops trying to make everybody happy and lays down the law and says, "You will do it my way or I will murder you." Nothing says that better than cutting off the face of a 7-foot-tall giant. Back to Lucretia. She was so good at scheming previously, but this season she wasn't. Why didn't she kill Ashur sooner? DeKnight: If she were the domina of the house, she would have been able to work something out. But Ashur at this point is a made man, he is vital to Glaber. When he turns the tables on her, he has become a man that Glaber needs. For her to make any move on him is ridiculously dangerous and can go horribly awry. There's no easy way for her to kill Ashur and not have it turn back to her; if she goes down to his cell, there's guards outside the cell, she's seen inside the cell and he ends up dead, the finger only points one way. And you'll see that 99 percent of those scenes are in Ashur's cell by design. What was going through in Ashur's head when he headed up the mountain to his death? DeKnight: He was hopeful that he could talk his way out of it, so that's why he does the thing at the end, "I'll deliver your message" and tries to get out of there. He knew he was f---ed but there was a hope that perhaps he could use the offer from Glaber to at least get him out of this one. Is that also the reason why he didn't try to kill Naevia immediately in the fight? DeKnight: Yes, the moment he kills Naevia, he's going to get it. It's best not to do it quickly. Also, if Ashur has a chance to emotionally torture you, he will. He cannot help himself. The emotional torture here is -- he didn't give a s--- about Naevia -- his emotional torture was directed towards Crixus in this final fight, to have Crixus watch the woman that he loves get dismantled. He knows how much that pains a man that he hates. Do you ever regret killing a character on the show and not being able to tell their story in the future? DeKnight: I feel like when I do kill a character off, it serves a specific purpose: either that character has run its course or that character needed to die to propel the hero to further his direction. That said, there are plenty of actors that I really miss and plenty of character traits that I miss. A good example is John Hannah from Season 1. His portrayal of Batiatus really brought something fantastic to the show but for the story to continue, Spartacus needed to kill him for that season to have its closure. How did the Agron and Nasir relationship come about? Will you continue it in Season 3? DeKnight: You'll definitely see them in the new season. Because there was so much going on this season, you only got a hint of their relationship, which ultimately worked out to my favor. They had such great, charming onscreen chemistry. They were just adorable together. Agron, who's just a big "I want to kill everyone in my path" [person] suddenly becomes a puppy dog around Nasir. It gave us a chance to do something we hadn't had an opportunity to do with our same-sex couples in the past and actually show the relationsip from the beginning and develop it slowly. We did have many discussions early on about a same-sex couple. Should we do something different and make it two women? But Rob Tapert and I, in a stunning male turnaround, both of us felt like it was kind of easy and pandering. I'm not opposed to showing a same-sex relationship between two women, that is something we may explore in the next season. But it seemed like in this time in our society, it was an easy way out. We didn't want to take the easy way out. How did it come about that you decided Agron and Nasir would swap clothes? DeKnight: I wish I could take credit for that brilliant idea. That was something actually thrown out by the wardrobe department for that episode, and I thought it was a great addition... the thing I loved about that is we never call attention to it because it's not actually in the script. It just happens, and the audience picks up on it, which is great. Continue reading below for information on Season 3: Where are we going in Season 3? DeKnight: Next season we'll actually jump forward about six months, so we're deep into the war. Spartacus' army actually has grown to what it is in history. It's thousands of runaway slaves that have joined the cause. Crassus will be brought in to try and quell the rebellion and he will enlist Julius Caesar to help him. This is a young Julius Caesar, around 27. I've already been pelted by messages on the Internet. "You're ruining history! Julius Caesar had nothing to do with the Spartacus War." This is an odd period in Julius Caesar's history, this time period there's not a lot known about him except that he's a military tribune in Rome. All the accounts I've read so far say that he most likely was part of this army sent after Spartacus, especially since he does have a relatioship with Crassus. It's often a tumultuous relationship, but they do know each other. And as we know from history, Crassus, Caesar and Pompey overthrow the Republic later on. How are you going to form the relationship between Crassus and Caesar? DeKnight: That's a very interesting dynamic. Why would Crassus want Caesar? Crassus has the money, but he doesn't have that storied family name. He's not descended from a god as Caesar's ancestry traces back to. Caesar, on the other hand, has the Julian name, that upper-class desirable family name, but he has no money. At the time, he's living in what's considered a lower-class, working-class almost slum area of Rome... Together they think they can actually do something great. Historically, Crassus did fund Caesar and help him out quite a bit financially. They didn't always see eye-to-eye. They had a rocky relationship. They weren't tight brothers, so I definitely want to play with that too. How much do you use historical accounts of people to influence the personality of the characters? DeKnight: Quite a bit. When we get to Crassus and Caesar, there's quite a bit of material written on them, their relationships, their character. I'm interested in things suggested by history or can be extrapolated or created to give extra dimension to the character. Caesar was perhaps the most well-documented man in ancient Rome. There's been so much written about him... Caesar was famous for speaking about himself in the third person, which I'm curious about investigating. What female characters are we going to see going into Season 3? DeKnight: We're also bringing in three new female characters which I can't talk about. And of course we will still be following and developing the Naevia story and will be bringing Saxa, the German warrior woman, up to a more prominent part. Can you discuss the new male characters in Season 3? DeKnight: The main ones are of course Crassus and Caesar, and we have several others that will be popping up. I can't give details because it will ruin what's going to happen. I can throw out one on the Roman side. We will see Crassus' son Publius. He'll be part of the story line. Historically, Publius was actually Crassus' stepson. Crassus' brother, also named Publius, died, and then Crassus married his brother's wife, which was very common at the time. Not a love thing, but it was to keep the money and holdings in the family. For our story it became incredibly convoluted and difficult to explain the backstory without going into a two-page exposition piece. So we've simplified that it is Crassus' son Publius. Spartacus seems to be driven by loss and revenge, but Crixus is driven by love. Will Spartacus and Crixus be clashing in the next season? DeKnight: Historically, the rebels were constantly clashing and breeaking apart. One of the things we wanted to explore is why this happens... Crixus is very much driven by love, and Spartacus with his loss and at the end of Vengeance actually gained some bit of closure. He's now killed Batiatus and Glaber -- the two men he thinks are most responsible for his wife's death. Moving into the next season the question is, "What drives him now?" But the question does rise, "How do you define victory? When is it enough?" This will be a question that will haunt Spartacus throughout the season... "When is war over? Is it ever over?" Spring TV eye candy photos Now that Spartacus has had his vengeance, will fans view him as a less heroic figure now that the lines have been blurred? DeKnight: Historically people have a very romanticized vision of Spartacus and his rebels escaping and fighting for freedom. Whereas in reality, if you've read history -- and of course the history was written by the Romans -- they escaped and raped and pillaged and robbed their way through Italy, through the Republic, very brutally exacting their revenge. This brutality is something we didn't want to shy away from. This idea of war crimes and "How do you not become the enemy you're fighting?" It does get dirty and it does get very grey next season. Spartacus is our moral center trying to hold things together but he also completely understands why you would want to make the Romans suffer even more than you suffered. So it is a very dirty season. Everyone morally and ethically gets a little muddied next season. What can you say about Gannicus having a love interest in Saxa next season? DeKnight: It's possible. We're talking about it. I don't want to give too much away. They seem like a good match, but you never know with Gannicus. Gannicus will often not go in the direction that you expect him to. It's something we might explore. We're still in the early stages of locking that one down, but it might be interesting. I think she's definitely interested [in him]. What's the scope for Season 3? DeKnight: Shockingly, even bigger. It will literally be entirely new locations and sets. The war will take us all over the Republic. It takes us from the Alps, to Campania, down to the boot of Italy right across from Sicilia. So we will be all over the map with some fantastic locations -- of course all shot inside. What can we expect in first episode of Season 3? DeKnight: I can tell you the major difference starting out on this next season is that in each of the previous seasons, the heroes have taken it on the chin. They've started off in a bad place and had to work their way out of it. This season is a little different. We come upon the rebels and they've been doing very, very well, and Rome is now worried that this tiny little rebellion of slaves has been growing into something that's a major threat to the Republic. The switch-up here is that the Romans who are in trouble going into next season, and it's Spartacus who's on a very good run. What's the subtitle to the next season? DeKnight: We are still discussing that. Doing each season with a subtitle is my best/worst idea. It's tough. The only time it was easy was Season 1 where I was at a meeting and I just threw out, "Each season should be different, like Blood and Sand. " Everybody was like, "That sounds good." And it stuck. There was no further discussion. But from that point on, Gods of the Arena was a nightmare to pick, Vengeance we went around and around for months. We're zeroing in on something that I think we all like, but we're still talking about it. Are you sad that Lucretia and Ilithyia are truly dead? What are you looking forward to next season?
Дата: Суббота, 2012-04-21, 4:29 AM | Сообщение # 16
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Cynthia Addai-Robinson interview Date of publishing: 24th January 2012
Born in London, CYNTHIA ADDAI-ROBINSON, whose mother is from Ghana and father from America, moved with her mother to the United States and was raised in a Suburb of Washington, DC. CYNTHIA fell in love with acting at a very young age, performing in all her school plays and local productions. She furthered her love of the Arts when she went on to pursue a degree in Theatre at the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. After performing in several plays in New York, CYNTHIA moved to Los Angeles, and appeared on show such as CSI: NY, CSI: Miami, and Numbers. Her recent recurring roles include the F/X show Dirt and ABC’s Flash Forward.
She can currently be seen on the big screen in the Sony film Columbiana. CYNTHIA will next be seen on the hit Starz show Spartacus playing the series regular role of ‘Naevia’. Gilles Nuytens: Hello and nice to meet you! Firstly I would like to know what drives you in life? Cynthia Addai-Robinson: What drives me in life ... that's a tough one! I am definitely someone who pushes myself, and as a result, I try to grow and learn along the way. So I guess I'd say my curiosity and my constant desire to learn and be open to new things.
Gilles Nuytens: I see that you fell in love with acting at a very young age. Can you tell us more about this love for acting? Cynthia Addai-Robinson: My passion for acting is really about my love of being a storyteller. I come from a family of really animated storytellers! I think it may have somehow come from that. I was a really shy child, but being on a stage - having that platform - gave me permission to be outgoing and loud. I liked the fact that I could be the shy , quiet girl laying low and then surprise everyone with a performance that seemed so unlike me. I would say that holds true to this day.
Gilles Nuytens: To follow up the previous question, what made acting more than a simple hobby? Why did you choose this profession instead of something else? Cynthia Addai-Robinson: My first experience with the "craft" of acting was when I was a teenager. I was looking for something to do one summer and applied to a pre-college program at Carnegie Mellon University. It really opened my eyes to the history and technique of acting, and it was exciting to be with like-minded people who were as passionate about acting as I was. After that I knew I wanted to go to college and pursue a degree in theater, and I still can't believe that my mother went along with it, but I am extremely lucky that she did. I could have taken a "safer" route and studied something practical, but nowadays that's no guarantee that you'll have it any easier than a starving artist. Better to starve for something you're hungry for.
Gilles Nuytens: As an actress, what is the part of the job you are the less at ease with? And what is the one you are the most at ease with? Cynthia Addai-Robinson: I'm still navigating the world of social media. It's something I'm trying to embrace because I recognize that it's a great way to connect with people who are fans of your work. But I'm also a very private person, so I'm trying to find my comfort level in terms of what kind of information I share. I'm most at ease when I'm actually acting; as an actor, you're doing so many other things that are business-related, that sometimes acting becomes a small part of what you do. The rest of the time is spent reading, auditioning, doing press, etc. The other aspects of the job can be fun too, but acting definitely gives me the most satisfaction. Gilles Nuytens: Which actresses (their work, play, etc) have influenced you so far? Anyone in particular that inspire you? Cynthia Addai-Robinson: I'm influenced by many actresses past and present, but think I'm more influenced by everyday women in my life. I also just like to sit back and observe and take in the world around me; I love to travel any chance I get, and everything I've observed over the years inspires and influences my work.
Gilles Nuytens: And what about directors, any favorites or anyone you'd like to work with? And why? Cynthia Addai-Robinson: I hope to be lucky enough to work with a variety of directors, because often the director is the element that really dictates the work experience. I recently saw "Shame" directed by Steve McQueen, and it was a intense movie that could have gone any number of ways, but I think the subject matter was really deftly and artfully handled. And the working relationship between director and lead actor (Michael Fassbender) was obviously one strongly rooted in trust. I would love to have an opportunity to work closely with a director, build a character from the ground up, and then just "play". So McQueen, or any other director that works in that style, would be a really exciting challenge.
Gilles Nuytens: Which is the role you preferred to play at this point, the best one, the one that most marked you? Cynthia Addai-Robinson: I'm having a lot of fun at the moment playing Naevia; it's my first major role on a television series, and I'm really happy that I'm being given the opportunity to do things with this character that I've never been asked to do before.
Gilles Nuytens: Similar question, not about a particular role, but the best experience? Cynthia Addai-Robinson: It's hard to pick just one, but for now I'd say when I left home for college in New York. I have really fond memories of my time in New York, and it shaped a lot of my views on acting and life in general. It's an inspiring city and most of my closest friends are people I met while I lived there. Gilles Nuytens: You are born in London but lived in Washington. Do you feel a little British or not at all? What do you think about British cinema/TV? Cynthia Addai-Robinson: Ha ha, sure, we can say I feel "a little" British. I still have some relatives over there, so I get to London quite a bit. I absolutely love London, grey weather and all . Whenever I'm there, I really identify with the city; it gets me and I get it. I'm very much a city girl at heart. As for British film and television, I'm a huge fan of projects that feel distinctly British in tone, especially comedy. I love Ricky Gervais and Simon Pegg and that brand of humor, but then I also crack up when I watch Mr. Bean.
Gilles Nuytens: In Spartacus, You are reprising the role left by Leslie-Ann Brandt. Reprising the role left by someone else isn't an easy task, there are many points that are very important for the continuity of the show (same for the role of Spartacus himself). How did you prepare this role? And how do you generally prepare yourself to be in the role? Cynthia Addai-Robinson: It really depends on the role. Playing Naevia in "Spartacus:Vengence" was a particularly daunting task, for many reasons. I had to go back and watch the first season to see what the previous actress had established, and then I had to fill in the holes and make some personal choices to bring the character to where the audience finds her in season 2. In some ways, it helped that I was a bit isolated; we shoot in New Zealand, so I was very far from home. I was away from my life, so I didn't have many distractions . But that can be a blessing and a curse. I tried to make sure that as I mentally prepared to take on the weight of what this role required, I could also get out of that mindset and be myself again, which was tricky. Some days, that proved easier than others, but I really wanted to fulfill what the writers had created on the page and bring as much truth as I could to the role.
Gilles Nuytens: What would you say are the differences between your portrayal of Naevia and Leslie-Ann Brandt's? Cynthia Addai-Robinson: We are portraying Naevia at two very different points in her journey; in the first season, as well as the prequel, Naevia is a young, naive house slave whose path would have been pretty straightforward if not for her love affair with Crixus. The love story had an innocence and purity to it. Unfortunately the circumstances at the end of season one set Naevia on a very different path, and in this second season I portray Naevia in the aftermath of a violent, and I would even say near-fatal, exile. I would also say that Leslie-Ann looks a lot cleaner than I do, ha ha! Gilles Nuytens: How did you enjoy shooting in New Zealand? Cynthia Addai-Robinson: Getting the opportunity to live and work in a part of the world I had never been to was a dream come true. The people are lovely and the city of Auckland is great. I'm hoping to travel a little bit more the next time I'm there. The only downside is being so far from home, but Skype helps keep me sane.
Gilles Nuytens: Spartacus is getting a 3rd season! Are you going to be part of it? Cynthia Addai-Robinson: I believe so - you never know with this show!
Gilles Nuytens: What are the best memories you have from the show? Cynthia Addai-Robinson: We work really hard on the show, and sometimes have really long days, but some of the best moments are in between set-ups. We have a lot of personalities amongst the cast and crew, so there was always a lot of laughter. Gilles Nuytens: Any good anecdote you want to share about Spartacus? Cynthia Addai-Robinson: Um, what happens on Spartacus stays on Spartacus
Gilles Nuytens: Colombiana, tell us about your experience on that movie. Cynthia Addai-Robinson: I had a lovely time working on Colombiana. The film was shot all over the world with an international crew, and I worked with the film in Mexico City. It was another opportunity to see a new place which I loved. Working with a French and Mexican crew, with all the languages flying back and forth, was really just a testament to the power of the universal language of film.
Gilles Nuytens: Same question for FlashForward, what do you keep in mind from that show? Cynthia Addai-Robinson: I was just happy to be involved in a project that had such a cool concept and amazing talent both in front of and behind the camera. It was unfortunate that it only went for a season, but television is a tricky medium in that way.
Gilles Nuytens: How far would you go to get a role you really want, even if this role isn't bringing you money? Cynthia Addai-Robinson: I would try to prepare as much as possible and get as much information as possible in terms of the project, but I would never do something that I would later regret. It's just a role, after all.
Gilles Nuytens: If you were offered a role you dislike, but offered a lot of money to portray it, would you accept? Cynthia Addai-Robinson: Some of the most highly regarded actors and actresses have taken roles that were obviously for the money. I'm sure everyone has there own reason or justification for it because it is a job, but hopefully the financial stability from a large paycheck puts you in a position to do roles in independent films , plays or even pursue a passion outside of acting. So if it were for those reasons, I would say yes as long it wasn't something that I felt was demeaning.
Gilles Nuytens: Thank you for this interview! Anything else you'd like to share? Cynthia Addai-Robinson: Phew, I think that's all I can manage; great questions!
Дата: Суббота, 2012-04-21, 4:36 AM | Сообщение # 17
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Meet the New Spartacus: Liam McIntyre Talks About Taking Over the Gladiator Gig Jan 24, 2011 02:49 PM ET by Michael Logan
There's a new gladiator in town! After a long and exhaustive casting search, actor Liam McIntyre has landed the lead role in the Starz series Spartacus: Blood and Sand. The 28-year-old Aussie unknown will replace fan fave Andy Whitfield, who had to withdraw from the show last year after being diagnosed for the second time with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Season 2 of the international hit starts shooting this spring, with a projected January 2012 airdate. TV Guide Magazine spoke with McIntyre, who beat out a broad and beefy contingent of Spartacus wannabes — a list that included former Prison Break star Dominic Purcell and All My Children grad Aiden Turner.
TV Guide Magazine: This has been one of the most high-profile talent hunts in history, with all the top contenders' names revealed on the internet. How did it feel to have everyone all up in your business? McIntyre: [Laughs] I don't know any different! This is all so new to me. But I understood all the interest because this is Spartacus, man, the coolest role ever! There were times when it was tough seeing things about me in the paper but I was just so happy to be part of the process — win or lose. Just coming close on such a big opportunity would have been flattering. It's been one hell of a ride.
TV Guide Magazine: It was reported that you had to bulk up before the producers felt comfortable handing you the role. What's the story there? McIntyre: The day before I had my first audition for Spartacus I finished shooting a film, Frozen Moments — my first big role —where I play a guy who's placed in a medically induced coma for 12 months and wakes up looking pretty wasted. I had to drop 20 kilos [the equivalent of over 44 pounds] and that's how I looked when I showed up to pretend to be this massive gladiator. I looked like a skinny 14-year-old! I was a little bit scared about going in that way, but I did the best job I could. [Laughs] The producers had a lot of faith in me!
TV Guide Magazine: How do you look now? McIntyre: I've nearly gained back the 20 kilos, though now it's pure muscle. And I'll keep getting bigger until we start shooting. I've never been through a physical regime this intense — it's real hell but a good kind of hell. My body is very confused going from one extreme to the other. I don't even recognize myself! I look in the mirror and go, "Who are you?"
TV Guide Magazine: What's it like knowing you landed this gig because of another's misfortune? McIntyre: That's the hardest part of all the joy I'm feeling — knowing that Andy had to drop out of a role he worked so hard to make successful. But it's a great blessing knowing he wants the show to continue and that Starz wants me to make the character my own rather than trying to fill Andy's shoes, which would be impossible. He is one of a kind and he made this show something extraordinary.
TV Guide Magazine: Were you a fan of the series? McIntyre: Oh, yeah! Who isn't? Growing up, the role I wanted to play more than anything was Russell Crowe's part in Gladiator. That was my fantasy. Well, I think I've beat that! [Laughs] My best friends were so excited when they found out I was testing for the show, except for one thing. They all said, "Liam, we hope you get this part. We just don't want to see your butt on television."
TV Guide Magazine: Uh, you do know it's a prerequisite for the job, right? Are you ready for all those hot sex scenes? McIntyre: [Laughs] I don't know how I feel about that yet! But I guess it is a big part of what makes the show so popular, right? I do know one thing: My mother is going to get a very special edited version of the show with only the scenes she's allowed to see. And that goes for my friends, as well!
Дата: Вторник, 2012-04-24, 10:30 PM | Сообщение # 18
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A Quick Chat With Liam McIntyre 12th April, 2012 | Written by: Erin James
Australian actor Liam McIntyre, star of SPARTACUS — VENGEANCE (yes, that’s right, we are chatting with Spartacus) took some time out of his busy schedule to answer AussieTheatre’s 20 questions…
1. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be an artist! A great one like Botticelli, or Rembrandt, or Renoir… certainly not an actor!! That, that never really panned out.
2. Who is the most important person in the world to you? I’ll never pick one – My parents, my partner, my best friend and my step dad. I wouldn’t be who I am without any of them.
3. What animal best represents you and why? A Labrador – loyal, thoughtful, fun and protective. I don’t yet know any animals that play computer games however.
4. If you were a contestant on Deal or No Deal, how much would you need to be on offer before you walked away?
I’m more of a Millionaire guy, I’m a nut for trivia. In that game, probably $125,000, I hate quitting, but also, you gotta know when you’re beat!
5. What was the first piece of theatre/film/TV you ever appeared in and how old were you? I was in a gem called ‘Did you hear the one about the Irishman’. A one act play. It was a debacle. I was 21, and didn’t know any better.
6. Windows or MAC? Windows, oh sweet god Windows.
7. Favourite food? Chocolate Mousse. I really miss it. A lot.
8. Who is the actor you would most like to work alongside? Daniel Day Lewis. I love other actors arguably more (Sir Ian McKellan, Brad Pitt…) but as far as fundamentally earth shattering work, that guy is the master.
9. What five songs would be the first you put a mix tape? I Want to Hold Your Hand – The Beatles While My Guitar Gently Weeps – The Beatles The Four Horseman — Metallica California Love – Tupac and Dr Dre When You Wish Upon a Star – Erin Hasan
10. What is the best thing about theatre in Australia? The accessibility. At an amateur level there’s a great network of community theatres where you can hone your craft and perform truly memorable roles, and there’s fantastic resources like STC and MTC where legendary actors perform on a regular basis, and we have one of the worlds’ best fringe and independent theatre industries as well with Short and Sweet, the Adelaide Fringe and countless others.
11. What’s the worst thing about theatre in Australia? As you move up, it can be harder and harder to be seen. Australia can be scared of casting new talent. And great Australian written theatre isn’t as easy to access as it should be.
12. Name one moment when you looked around, breathed happily and felt content. When I had returned home after being overseas, and realised I had the job of my dreams, the girl of a lifetime and was surrounded by friends.
13. Where is the most interesting place you have travelled? Rome. That place is incredible. History that sounds made up intermingles with modern life in a way that is simply surreal. What a beautiful, crazy place.
14. Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met? Difficult. Probably Samuel L Jackson. That dude is stupidly cool.
15. Most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you onstage? Ha. Besides having to perform a song about sperm donation early in my career, then probably lying face down in the mud in a forest in south Victoria realising that a monologue from act one was turning into a monologue from act five and not having any control over it cause I was magically asleep. And then improvising through the hilarious consequences. Ah Shakespeare.
16. What’s your life motto? Work as hard as you have to to be happy.
17. What’s your favourite post-show snack? Previously Pringles, currently, er…a protein shake?
18. What’s your biggest phobia? The Dark. Yuck. And Spiders. They suck too.
19. What is the worst date you’ve ever had? Being young. Being asked to walk a girl home, asked upstairs, and not realising why. Then leaving nervously. Awkward.
20. Where do you see yourself in five years? Jesus. Hopefully still working, hopefully still happy. That’d be enough for me. Or being James Bond. That’d be fine too.
Дата: Вторник, 2012-04-24, 10:40 PM | Сообщение # 19
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Exclusive enterview with Spartacus star Katrina Law Ciaran | 12 April 2012
We recently got the chance to sit down with the beautiful Katrina Law, one of the stars of hit TV show Spartacus, who answered a few questions about the show, what it was like to bare all on TV, and which superhero she would like to play…
UTF: You play Mira in the show, for our readers who haven’t seen it yet can you give us a quick overview of who she is and the role she plays?
KL: Mira is a former house slave of the house of Batiatus who was key to helping Spartacus start the slave rebellion. In Season 2 of Spartacus: Vengeance, Mira is on the run with Spartacus and the rest of the rebel slaves fighting Romans at every turn and on the hunt for freedom and revenge. UTF: So far the show’s taken a fresh approach to the Spartacus legend, will we see any nods to some of the past iterations, or will you guys stay on your own, separate path?
KL: I think all of the nods have been made so far and from this point on the writers will probably stay adjacent to history. But, to be honest, I think this question is above my pay scale. You should ask Steven.
UTF: The show has a very stylistic feel to it, is it a challenge acting in front of a green screen?
KL: I didn’t find the green screen to be a challenge but I think a background in theatre helped me out a lot with that. In theatre you are used to having to imagine the fourth wall and embellishing the sparse scenery around into a full world. It did make it a lot of fun to see the final product after all of the post production was added. All of a sudden you realize exactly how massive that fire ball hurtling towards you was.
UTF: The show is noted for its violence and sex scenes, were you nervous baring it all for the camera? Have you forbidden your Gran from watching it?
KL: I was extremely nervous about getting my kit off in Season 1. I remember having to mentally steal myself and giving myself pep talks in the trailer before heading out to set. Then I just had to view it as jumping into an ice cold pool of water and just having to dive head first. Season 2 nudity wise has a been a breeze for me in comparison. I did warn my parents not to watch my first couple of episodes with any friends.
UTF: And speaking of the violence, you have some pretty intense fight scenes, do you do your own stunts, and how did you train for the show?
KL: Before season two started I did a couple months of training with a personal trainer in LA. But for some reason that didn’t really seem to help out when I got into Gladiator Boot Camp with the boys in New Zealand. It was fun and tough and it did make me feel better that I wasn’t the only one who was sore for weeks. I did do all of my own stunts with only a few minor injuries to show for them. My favorite stunt was probably the “flying squirrel monkey jump” in episode 4 closely followed by the group fight in episode 9.
UTF: So spill the beans, who is the better kisser Liam McIntyre or Ellen Hollman?
KL: Ellen. Sorry, Liam. It’s a woman’s touch
UTF: What was your favourite scene to film this season?
KL: It was definitely the group fight scene in episode 9 when Spartacus is trying to get the rebels and Germans to get along. I got to fight Carl, who is a hulk of a man, and I remember thinking, “Is this supposed to be fun for Mira? I feel like she is actually fighting for her life against this man!” It was great energy that day with all of the cheering and laughter and play fighting. Plus I got to make out with Ellen.
UTF: Will you be back for a third season?
KL: I think Mira comes back as a Zombie. UTF: When you’re not kicking ass and taking names on the set of Spartacus how do you like to spend your free time?
KL: When I was filming Spartacus: Vengeance, any free time was spent sleeping. Now that I am back in the states, any free time is still spent sleeping (it was a physically exhausting show), but I do like to throw in a couple of hikes, some snowboarding, and reading. Actually just finished the 13th book of the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan and I am anxiously awaiting for the 14th and final book to come out.
UTF: Other than the Spartacus series what are your favourite TV shows?
KL: I am currently obsessed with Game of Thrones. Loved Homeland. Lost Girl is my new guilty pleasure. New Girl, Up All Night, and Modern Family just make me feel good.
UTF: Have you got any upcoming projects you can tell us about?
KL: I am sworn to secrecy at the moment.
UTF: Are there any roles you would like to play, despite the popularity of superhero films over the last decade there have been a lack of superpowered women, do any of those roles appeal to you?
KL: I would love to be an Avenger (the Scarlet Witch?) or Wonder Woman. Pretty much any woman who can kick ass and take names, I am down! I have also always wanted to be a sultry mermaid or a bad ass fairy.
UTF: If you weren’t an actress what would you be?
KL: Probably a Park Ranger in the Sierras or working for Green Peace or a scuba instructor on some amazing tropical island.
Дата: Воскресенье, 2012-05-06, 8:19 PM | Сообщение # 20
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Spartacus: Vengeance on January 26, 2012
The Starz series SPARTACUS: VENGEANCE is best known for its super hot actors who portray some of the most driven, tenacious and survival-oriented men on television – gladiators fighting for their lives. In a recent press conference call, stars Manu Bennett (who portrays Crixus), Nick Tarabay (who portrays Ashur), Craig Parker (who portrays Glaber) and Dan Feuerriegel (who portrays Agron) on SPARTACUS: VENGEANCE candidly shared what drives these searing characters and what is upcoming for each of them this next season.
With Liam McIntyre coming into the role of Spartacus, how has that changed the chemistry on set, if at all?
DAN: Of course it’s going to change chemistry because he’s a completely different person. But as actors you just adapt to Liam’s personality, and therefore that makes you change certain things here and there. That’s just what we do. Liam did amazing in the first two episodes and he just keeps getting better and better. I think he did an absolutely fantastic job. And so of course it was different. But I felt as though no better/no worse. He was just Liam. He was just doing what he does and we all did what we did. And as seen in the first two episodes, this is how it was turning out. So I guess if you enjoy it, a lot of other people will enjoy it, and I’m certainly sure that everybody enjoyed working with him. I mean I can’t speak for everyone else, but I’m sure they’ll say the same thing.
NICK: No, no, no, I didn’t like working with Liam, not one bit! [Laughter]
DAN: Well that’s okay, no one liked working with you at all, Nick. I mean come on, now that we’re going to be honest here and start throwing stones. [Laughter]
MANU: Liam came on to our set with a very open heart. He’s never stopped discussing with all of us, his journey. And I think there’s something very SPARTACUS about that. There’s a very truthful pure quality to the man himself and that’s what they needed to find. Andy [Whitfield] gave such an extraordinarily honest performance, and people were just so moved by that that it was almost an impossibility to find somebody to replace Andy. What they’ve found in Liam is somebody with an absolute truth. It’s a different truth, but it’s still the truth, as a person. And it’s wonderful to work with him because every day he brings an ‘open book’ that we all get to participate with. There were other people that came and read, and the acting world’s an egotistical world and we could have gotten somebody who just got into the chariot and rode it as some kind of the next big thing. But Liam is a very humble person and has gifted us all with his openness — and that reads itself into the role.
CRAIG: I think very first episode, which is a strange new episode — there’s a new Spartacus; there’s a new world that we’re in. It’s an odd episode, but by the end of it you fully embrace Liam as a different, but the new Spartacus and you’re ready to go on the journey with him, which is quite wonderful. And, as Manu says, he doesn’t in any way try to be Andy or to replicate that performance. He takes it as a whole new sort of slate and paints a very different Spartacus but a equally interesting and sort of diverse, and does a wonderful, wonderful job.
NICK: I have to actually agree with all three of the guys. And one thing I’ve actually really liked about Liam was his heart. I mean he has such a good heart, and like Manu said, “He’s very humble.” And like when you talk to him outside of acting, when we just sit down and talk between scenes or at lunchtime or whatever, he’s such a good person, and very dedicated to the work, that you see Spartacus in him, which made it very easy for all of us to see him as the new Spartacus. Liam is surrounded by really, really good actors and really, really good people that I think it made it easier for him too to get more into the character. So he’s doing a great job.
DAN: Yes, and he also respected where it all came from, and where he came from as well. He knew what he was up against with continually and just, as Manu said, “Modest and humble,” in regards to what Andy did in the first season. And that’s another magnificent part of Liam’s personality, which shines through as well. Can you tease whether Ashur and Crixus paths are crossing this next season and how entrenched will Ashur become in Crixus’ world?
NICK: I think it won’t be a story if Ashur and Crixus somehow don’t get together that way, especially having Crixus my ultimate enemy on the show. So you do see a little bit of that and it’s going to be very, very intense actually, the way you see it. I mean everything I think in VENGEANCE this season is going to be pretty intense and very heightened. So any time characters interact with one another, it’s going to be pretty big. And add to it the history that I have with Crixus, I think is going to make it even more interesting. And as far as Lucy [Lawless], yes, there’s a lot of story, a lot of scenes, a lot of work with me and Lucy, that I was very, very happy to have because I didn’t get a chance really to work with her in Season 1 and the prequel. But, in this season, we have a lot of work — maybe a little too much — just kidding! And Ashur this season is unlike every other season. He’s his own man in a way and he’s under really severe circumstances that he’s going all out. I mean, seriously, he has no boundaries. He fights really for what he thinks is right, and his goals get bigger and bigger. And the twists and the turns that he comes up with is something that surprised me as the actor every episode. I give a lot of credit for the writers. And, obviously, I give a lot of credit to the actors; made it a lot easier for me to to work harder and make it better. So, yes, you’re going to see a lot of Crixus, Lucy, and more Ashur hopefully.
For Craig, I’m really curious to know how your character stays married to Ilithyia and how that goes. How does the marriage go in this particular season?
CRAIG: I think when we first meet them, they’ve been through some heavy guidance counseling and marriage counseling. With her that it’s not going to be an easy marriage. And the fun thing this year is when we first meet them it’s quite a different circumstance than when we left them so. I don’t think that gives anything away, where Ilithyia has been told to behave and be a good wife. And you know Ilithyia; it’s not going to last. So there’s some fantastic relationship stuff there. And to work with someone like Viva is so much fun because she’s created this absolute monster of a character. It is always a joy to see how Ilithyia responds to the situation.
Do you think that Glaber’s true enemy is Ilithyia more so than Spartacus?
CRAIG: Absolutely. I think she is the one that destroys him the most — that hurts him the most. And this series, I think you’ll see him start to stand up for himself, become a bit of the man that he wants to be. And part of that is freeing himself from her control. It’s quite good; truly she’s not going to have an easy ride, I promise you.
Manu, this season there’s a really interesting dynamic being built up between Crixus and Spartacus, building on the previous season. With Crixus telling Spartacus that, “Since he’s now a leader he has to be smarter,” and with Spartacus having to tell Crixus to, “Keep his Gauls in line and not just tear off after Naevia,” how does this play out over the course of the season?
MANU: There’s no real answer to that. There’s just a tug-of-war really. It’s a difference of objectives. Spartacus, I believe in this season, has maybe more transitional — has more of a transitional story than even Crixus. I mean, it’s like you enter the season with Crixus with a very definite goal, and that is to find Naevia. And Spartacus with an evolution, he’s said he wants to do something and all of a sudden everybody’s looking at him going like, “Okay, you’ve made this big speech, you’ve forced us all to become fugitives, and now what’s the plan?” As I think as far as Crixus is concerned, he just goes through all the necessary actions of finding supplies and food and whatnot, but Spartacus has this leadership role that he’s taken on. And of course Crixus is going to be the first one to call him on that and question him on that and remind him of the agreement that he made with everybody as we left the Ludus. . . . I think the two of them are very honest men, speaking from the heart and they just basically have a bit of a tug-of-war constantly because the two of them are both leaders and they don’t necessarily sit comfortably in being the follower or the person who has to follow the other’s objective. But, as in Season 1, I think that’s what creates a lovely sort of brotherhood story — the push and pull of a kind of a deep respect that’s never sort of allowed to show itself on the surface.
Can you talk about filming the fight sequences and how much training goes into them physically and mentally?
CRAIG: That’s you boys, isn’t it?
NICK: I was going to say maybe I should answer this since I’m not in it. [Laughter]
MANU: Al Poppleton was nominated for an Emmy. He’s our stunt coordinator, so we’ve got the best in the business. These guys are meticulous in making us train for what we need to build ourselves up for. We do a gladiator boot camp at the beginning of each year, which is really a very rigorous four-week process, which not only teaches us all of the weaponry and sort of beats from one-to-six or whatever we learn things in numbers so that when we go into the season we basically speak in terms of a system that we learned at the beginning. So it’s a language; it’s just like learning dance. It’s like learning anything where there’s choreography involved. And Al Poppleton does a very, very good job at it. And we have just a wonderful stunt team that we work very closely with. And I think over the three seasons that we’ve shot so far, we just keep on getting actually more experienced and more experienced. So I think the fans this season are going to get like another level again of the quality of the fights because we’re actually keep on improving because of our training.
CRAIG: I think, as the training improves and everyone gets better and better in seeking new and more interesting ways to do a fight. Also the technology is increasing. So the way we shoot things, the way we know how to work with CGI or layering shot. So even in the very first episode, that opening sequence with the horses and Spartacus, it’s incredible. It’s ballet, it’s full theater and opera. So you end up with these amazing, beautiful, bloody, horrible, terrible moments, but they’re wonderful to watch. NICK: Also if I may add, even though I wasn’t in the first episode, but I can speak for the rest of the season, what I also like about some of the fights for this season, what I like about it which is a new kind of fight because we’re out of the Ludus so it’s not all organized and it’s not all like a Doctore would teach everybody to do it like very honorably. You’ll see a lot of street fights and you’ll see a lot of like kind of dirty fights.
DAN: The weapons have changed.
NICK: Yes, the weapons have changed. Even some of the stuff, like it’s really cutty and it’s scary and bloody. And in a new way, I mean it’s really going to be really interesting to see that which gives more of the story of what the new world is now. So that I think the fans are really going to like a different kind of fighting as well. So I’m looking forward to see it.
DAN: They also try and get really specific with each character to have a particular fighting style so we’re all different. Like for example, Gannicus and Spartacus are very beautiful with how they fight. And Agron is a bit more aggressive, and Crixus is very intense
CRAIG: Glaber, Dan? How’s Glaber? How does Glaber fight?
DAN: No, Glaber just gets everybody else to do it. But with the training as well, four hours a day every day for four weeks, it not only builds up your body – they train specifically. So when you do fight sequences, which you can be filming for an entire day, by the end of the day you’re exhausted but you still have the ability to carry on because you’ve trained that way. By the end of the boot-camp you’ve learned to deal with pain and exhaustion mentally. And because some of those fight sequences, when you shoot it for a couple of days in a row, there’s aches, there’s pains, there’s injuries. I know I got myself injured a couple of times.
MANU: And we shoot in New Zealand, which is different than shooting in America.
DAN: Yes, it’s cold.
MANU: We probably wouldn’t be allowed to do what we do in America because of the safety regulations and what not. We actually push the envelope over there, and people probably don’t get that. Well, they do get it, because they love our show and they love the fight sequences.
DAN: And you also have to take into account that it is a TV show still and it is shot quite quickly. So there are times where there has just been no time to learn a complex fight scene. And so that’s when the phenomenal talents of the stunt guys come in too. I do know that there’s been a couple of days where I haven’t had anything and we’ve got a huge fight sequence. And they quickly go through something before you start filming and you just do it. So I’m sure we’ve all experienced that at one time or another on the set, that you can’t always have the long periods of rehearsal time, and you’ve just got to do it. So kudos to them as well. SPARTACUS is a very intense show to be on. What can you tell us about what you guys do to lighten up the set a bit, like who’s the biggest prankster?
MANU: Nick, without a doubt.
NICK: I would say Craig.
DAN: Craig? Yes, Craig’s pretty funny and annoying. [Laughter]
CRAIG: It’s funny because we’re very much in two different worlds. There is this series, wherein the previous series it’s been in the Ludus where they all live together. But this world is very much the Roman world and the Gladiator world, and it’s quite strange. We sort of very rarely intersect, we do further down the series we do. And so it was like two different camps and you would find in Spartacus’ world there’s Dan who is incredibly naughty. And you think, “This is their little world and their little school politics.” But in Roman world I think the blacker the stuff you’re dealing with, the harder emotionally, the more brutal and awful stuff you’re doing each day on set, the funnier the off-set becomes. Because it’s a great sort of release to remind yourself constantly that while these characters are doing terrible things to each other, as actors we are playing with each other, we’re having the great joy and pleasure of working on great scripts with great actors. So the humor does become very black and very twisted, but it definitely has to be there I think throughout just to survive the season.
NICK: I think honestly — I know SPARTACUS is very intense but some of the behind the scene captures what happens with the actors. I mean, I think if they really have a camera on us behind the scene it would be a comedy show going on because we’re always cracking jokes, we’re always laughing. I mean, I worked a lot with Craig and Lucy in the season and there were times that we couldn’t help ourselves; we had to actually control our laughter to get into the scene. But what it did was just create that safe and trusting environment that we know each other really well and everybody is very dedicated to the work. So we just had fun with it. And everybody, no matter how tense it is, even Manu he comes in as he’s Crixus and everybody’s like all, “Fuck the Gauls,” he cracks jokes too. I mean he’s laughing, he’s doing this to his own self too. So behind the scenes it’s completely different people than when you see onscreen. So that was pretty fun for us all.
MANU: Yes, I think the thing is that we all enjoy the show. I mean we actually have a wonderful production team and everybody enjoys their process. And I think when you’re on a show –I mean, we’ve had very much of a roller coaster ride because of all the things that could have potentially stopped our show from running. But because everyone felt like we’re working on a great project that there’s never been a day that I haven’t gone to work actually looking forward to it. I look forward to going to work. I’ve never gone to work once feeling like, “I don’t’ want to go to work today.” And I feel that everybody that I work with has that sort of absolute positivity about the show. So the mood on set is constantly driven by positivity. There’s very rarely the sort of the gripes that you get on a lot of sets. I mean, we have our few moments, but everyone very quickly pulls everybody else into line because we actually work as a team, it’s great.
Nick, we going to get to see Ashur get some payback on Spartacus this year as well?
NICK: Well, I think Ashur has a bone to pick with a lot of people. But, yes, he does have something to pick with Spartacus, because he was elevated. He became Batiatus’ right-hand man and became part of the villa, that world, and that fulfilled that hole that he had, because he ultimately wanted to be a gladiator so much. And when that wasn’t fulfilled, he found joy and he found peace in that power of becoming Batiatus’ right-hand man, and eventually excelling. So when Spartacus did this, obviously that ruined his plans. But I think Ashur, and the way I approach the character, ultimately my all-time nemesis is Crixus in a way because in Ashur’s mind in the “Gods of the Arena,” the prequel, he helped Crixus in the beginning and he was kind of by his side. And then Crixus turned sides and then crippled him in the end. So he took away what he really wanted so bad, which is to be accepted and to be part of the brotherhood. And then on top of that in Season 1, he kept on pushing him down; suppressing him and really pushing him down throughout, which that added more to that fire that made Ashur the person that we got to know now. I mean, obviously there’s other elements as well because it started with Crixus and then it ended up with everybody else around him. We also believe Ashur didn’t start out that way, he didn’t start out to be the person that everybody kind of calls the villain or the bad guy, whatever you want to call it. He actually came to the Ludus wanting to be part of something big, and he wanted to be part of the brotherhood. But he kept on being pushed down, pushed down, pushed down, and not accepted, for reasons not his fault. So he, Ashur, the one that we know now, became that way from the Ludus, supposedly a place of honor and brotherhood. So he actually has vengeance against them all now. He sees them, and they all contribute to his fall. So he is going to definitely go after Crixus as you saw in Season 1, he does in a way through Naevia, and that actually, that continues obviously. Especially Spartacus too, because he’s leading those people into this rebellion, took away all what he was going to be. And then you’ll see him actually plotting a lot of stuff. I think Ashur’s going to cause a lot of problem this season, even more problems than I thought he would actually end up doing — physically and mentally. And he really stares the part this season. It’s a different level of interaction; whether it’s with Crixus, whether it’s with Spartacus, even his relationship with Glaber and his relationship with Lucretia — all of these relationships, it’s in a different level this season. you keep hearing over and over, “Vengeance is bigger,” and it really is, it’s pretty grand. So everything is heightened. It’s really tough times, especially for Ashur. Manu, how have you found working with Cynthia Addai-Robinson? And how is that relationship going to evolve, because obviously Naevia’s going to be a different person, having been sent away when she was with you.
MANU: Put it this way, I go searching for the new Naevia. I mean, obviously, there’s a new actress there, but I just don’t want to give that away in this particular instance. But in looking for a new Naevia, because of what’s happened to her, finding Cynthia in the role it added a freshness, it added something new. Lesley-Ann and I setup a wonderful relationship story in Season 1, as did Andy Whitfield. Working with him was just so true to every moment it was phenomenal. Going into this new season with exactly the two people closest to Crixus Spartacus and Naevia, they were both new actors. So it was something that in my mind if I wanted to play on the idea that it would be bizarre and difficult or whatever you can entertain that idea sure, if you want, but otherwise you’ve just got to open yourself up and be willing for the change. Luckily, in both instances of two very competent actors in the roles, and I don’t have to worry about the relationship because the relationship’s actually written in the storyline as an actor I just have to perform wonderful scenes that Steven DeKnight and the team are writing. And the actors, I’ve loved working with Cynthia. Cynthia’s been a totally new experience and as has Liam, and in both instances I’ve gone to the end of the season and just gone, “Wow, that was just another fantastic season.” And everybody’s saying, “It’s the best season yet,” and that’s very difficult to make as a statement in regard to the acting. I think people are talking about the production quality, but the acting has stayed at the same level — it’s stayed very competent. So I think basically we’re just in even better creative hands because our creative team just keeps on improving and our scripts, and the sort of symphony of SPARTACUS continues with even more intensity, because we’re just getting better at what we do.
Will we see Crixus continue his push to be a leader or will concede to be more of a follower this season?
MANU: I think with some characters they say, “what kind of cat never changes its spots?” I think every character on our show is pretty much carved out of granite. There’s change in the way they’ll feel with their hearts, but really its’ a very iconic series. We’ve got very mainstay characters that continue to sort of like revel in their individual characters. If you took away Crixus’ desire to be a leader I don’t know what you’d be left with. I think he’s trying to find example and to live his life in a way where he thinks he’s doing the best thing to move forward. and if somebody else’s idealism is going to come in to question his direction, then he’s either going to battle with it or adopt it, that perspective which is the situation with Spartacus. The leadership thing is what I think drives our great drama that’s between Spartacus and Crixus on many things. But between anybody in the show . . . it’s sort of the bottom line of SPARTACUS, is the voice of the individual, and it’s just wonderful that the world’s really such a screwed up place and we have to keep on making a drama of it….our individuality and that people are wrong and right. I mean, are people wrong and right? Its just perception, isn’t it?
CRAIG: There is a wonderful thing through with all the characters leading or driving or things. But everyone is trying to do the right thing whether they’re the goodies or the baddies. Everyone has a clear idea of what is the right course, the way the world should be. And I think with every single character in this world, they’re all in the pursuit of happiness and they just end up doing terrible things on the way.
Will we get to learn more of Agron’s backstory this season?
DAN: A little bit here and there, not too much about backstory. But you’ll definitely get a lot more of his desires and his personality. And also just like what the guys were talking about is just his desire to be heard, not so much lead. But he definitely has a lot of opinions and he kind of develops into Spartie’s right hand man and he’s definitely got Spartie’s ear. But just whether or not he gets heard or not is the big thing. But you definitely do learn a lot more about Agron in this upcoming season.
Craig and Nick, your characters never think they’re the villains. How do you play that and what is that dynamic like as an actor?
CRAIG: I don’t think they believe they’re being villains. In their world Spartacus, Crixus, those guys are the ones doing the terrible things; they’re killing good Romans. And the wonderful thing for me this series is working so closely with Nick, where their goals are entwined. And I think Ashur is such a fantastic kind of cockroach of a survivor that he will fit in with whatever the main chance is. And they do end up working very closely together because their goals align, that they want to get rid of Spartacus, they want to achieve closure with this whole process. So throughout it, I don’t know for Nick, but I never felt that Glaber was the villain, he was just trying to do the right thing in the right way. But these are two characters who — as we go through the series — suddenly realize they don’t have to behave as correctly as they have been. They don’t have to follow the rules so much, they can start breaking them. So while they believe they’re trying to do the right thing, they no longer feel they have to do it in exactly the right way. It makes it wonderful and interesting.
NICK: Very true, what Craig’s saying, absolutely. I never approached Ashur as a villain at all. And I think that’s a doom for every actor anyway to judge his character. But on top of that, the way I just saw the script and my homework was never, never, never, never as a bad guy, he just was misunderstood. He’s trying to excel and he’s trying to be a part of something and he just was not accepted, as I said before, “For reasons not of his own.” And the good thing about the show, and which I give a lot of credit for obviously the writers, but also a lot of it to the actors because what’s fun about the show, even if you see Spartacus, for example, if you consider Spartacus, Crixus, Gannicus, Doctore, whatever, if you consider Agron, if you consider those people are the good guys, you’ll see through and through that they do a lot of bad things too, in a way. So nobody’s flawless here. I mean, there are mistakes everywhere. So it’s again the way I saw it is all perception, “What is it that you think is right?” I think ultimately the goal for everybody is survival and surviving. And maybe the Romans are a little bit different because there’s that sense of entitlement. But what’s fun about this season is they are, under certain circumstances that makes them act certain way. Like Craig just said, “Between Ashur and Glaber, they find a different ground that they can play with.” And it’s a new ground by the way for SPARTACUS here, you’ve never seen this before, where they can do — they have the freedom to do whatever it is that they want. And it was a lot of joy, even working with Craig seeing how he was in Season 1 for example, and seeing him in this season how he starts out, and then what he becomes. And my hat’s off to Craig obviously in this because he always brings something very, very exciting to the role that you can’t help but feed from and try to top it. It was great joy because me and Craig will always work together, but we’ll always talk about our scenes and how we can take this somewhere else. And this is every actor’s, in a way, dream is to work with people that looking at the bigger picture and looking to serve the story, which you – I’m sure you will see in this season, the great transition from the first episode till the last episode so.
CRAIG: Shucks. There is a wonderful thing particularly with Ashur and Glaber that these are kids who have been bullied. They are like the Romans bully Glaber, all the posh Romans, and you know everyone bullies Ashur. And let it be a warning to all those bullies out there because sometimes the bully kid turns and we really are, we’re these screwed up little kids who, both of us trying to in a way just settle for a nice quiet life where we’re respected and people are nice to us. But we’re just so screwed up that we do terrible things.
Spartacus
Ashur has kind of a big journey this season and you get to sort of scheme with Lucretia and with Glaber and you have some intense scenes with Oenomaus. Can you could talk a little bit about his journey? Is he’s always plotting or is he always reacting to things in order to survive?
NICK: Well, I think Ashur, which I really love about this character; he’s very, very smart and he’s always thinking ten steps ahead. And maybe in the beginning, again in the prequel or a little bit in Season 1, he was a bit reacting, which in my mind he was more assessing. Especially in Season 1, after he found out that he couldn’t fight any more and he was a cripple, he was just watching everybody and kind of analyzing each character and then founding out his ultimate weapon, which is his brain and his wits and his talent for survival. In this season, he is definitely plotting. He is really investing in certain people. . . I’m using the word investing, especially with certain character, because he feels that it might payoff somehow or it might be his backup plan, which end up being the case in a lot of ways. He has a really, really big journey. And Episode 4, I mean it gets even bigger and bigger towards the end, and his dreams and what he wants achieved is beyond what he though is possible. And that all comes true in a way with him aligning with Glaber and the Romans – the bigger boys, especially with Oenomaus. Again what I said before “Ashur’s got a bone to pick with a lot of people.” And we all saw what happened in the end of Season 1. So definitely he has something to pick with Oenomaus, Crixus and Spartacus . . . He’s definitely planning. His plan keeps getting bigger and bigger. And what’s great is because he’s a bit closer to the Romans, but not necessarily on their good side yet, the possibilities as I said, “Are limitless,” or maybe way bigger than he was next to Batiatus. He’s playing with a way bigger boy; he’s playing with Glaber now, a big Roman. But that also comes with dues as well he has to in a way prove himself, which is a different ballgame with the Romans.. It doesn’t come easy and Glaber doesn’t make it easier for him, and Lucretia doesn’t make it easier. But in general, it’s hard all the way around. It’s really tough circumstances. But you’ll see Ashur planning stuff like that. You won’t know what he was planning up until episode 10, which is the last episode and you’re like, “Oh, this is where he was going for,” which is a big surprise going to be for the audience because it was a big surprise for me. So I’m sure they’re going to be shocked, yes. When you guys are doing these scenes and there’s all this crazy sex and violence and all this other stuff going around in the background, when you either are filming or when you actually see it after it’s shot, are you ever shocked by what you see? Or do you just come to just go, Eh, another day at Spartacus?”
Nick: Another day.
Dan: Another day.
MANU: Aw man, it’s not pornography dude. It’s great scripts. It’s great moments . I get asked this question sometimes, I’m never bothered by what we do, it’s wonderful. We’re all adults. It’s kind of bizarre how people talk about nudity and sex scenes as the taboo. I mean god, how did we all get here?
CRAIG: It’s just so. I think everyone’s been working together so long that — and we’ve got so used to the world that it’s totally safe, you never feel vulnerable or odd. And people are incredibly respectful. When there are scenes — and it’s not necessarily just being nude — but there’s often quite confronting scenes where characters are doing things that are on the edge of heavily emotional difficult scenes for the actors. But there is such a level of respect from the crew that those scenes are always made — you’re made to feel incredibly safe, and so within that safety you can explore the scary and the frightening but in a really safe way. So we all just get used to it really.
About the dynamics of the group, how does the evolution of the group change over the course of the season?
DAN: As you saw in the first couple of episodes, and from the first season as well, the Germans and the Gauls do not like each other for some reason. So, of course, that’s the initial kind of conflict, especially between myself and Crixus. And of course everybody has their own desires, everybody has their own agenda, but it seems like Spartacus is there to kind of keep everyone together, whereas and like of course Crixus, his sole purpose is to get back to his love. Agron, he’s still hurting form the loss of his brother and he’s just kind of going on a blitzkrieg, and just wants to kill Romans pretty much. He doesn’t really have one source of who he wants to avenge. And even in the first episode his one chance of actually taking one back gets taken away from him because Crixus had to get some information. So that also just adds to the conflict, adds to the conflict. But that’s why Spartacus eventually, I guess, ends up as the leader so to speak, because he is open to everyone and will take a back seat when is required, and will lead when is required, and keeps everyone together. So that’s kind of my take on the whole I guess, agenda.
MANU: It’s really just about leadership. It’s just about this group of slaves. I mean, basically we walk out of a door into total enemy territory. And most of us have only ever known to work as slaves or work in a mine, or to fight as gladiators. It’s a classic example of, “Out of the frying pan into the fire.” How do people behave in that situation? I mean, we weren’t the best of friends in the Ludus. Do you think this scenario’s going to ease up our tensions? It just gets worse and relationships get absolutely pushed to the edge. So it’s just another conundrum of personalities just trying to survive, trying to put one foot in front of the other.
DAN: But in a deeper level it’s kind of about equality. That’s what Spartacus is trying to do. That’s what he says the whole way through, “Everybody is equal.” Everybody is equal regardless of what you do, where you’ve come from, everybody is equal. And so that’s why I feel as though Spartacus eventually becomes the leader because that’s his view, that’s his vision.
Дата: Четверг, 2012-05-10, 8:15 PM | Сообщение # 21
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Viva Bianca on 'Spartacus: Vengeance,' Andy Whitfield's Passing, & Nude Scenes By Ben Barna January 26, 2012
In early 2011, the producers of Starz's bloody gladiator series, Spartacus: Blood and Sand, made the difficult decision of recasting the title role after their star, Andy Whitfield, waged an offscreen battle with cancer. Whitfield eventually succumbed to the disease last September, and this Friday, Spartacus will return to television for its second season, with a new title and a new lead. Actress Viva Bianca recalls the first few days of shooting Spartacus: Vengeance with a tinge of sadness in her voice, as she remembers her fallen costar and sings the praises of her new one, Liam McIntyre.
Bianca, a native Australian, stars as Ilithyia, a conniving and ambitious daughter of a senator, and the wife of Gaius Claudius Glaber, the man responsible for Spartacus' enslavement. As its title implies, Spartacus is a bloody and violent show, and, with enough skin to rival Game of Thrones, it's one of the more risque series on television. We recently caught up with Bianca and spoke about regrouping after Whitfield's death, where her character is headed this season, and why undressing in front of the camera is no fun at all.
Do you see this as a make it or break it season? I think there was more pressure on Season One, because the show was coming out of nowhere, but from what I understand, this is Starz’s biggest hit original series, so it’s already kind of proven itself in that way. It got really good ratings and developed a big following. But of course, what happened is our former Spartacus, Andy Whitfield, passed away, so that was a great tragedy and an incredible loss for all of us. But as a consequence, I think because the show really was so successful and had this momentum, the network decided to continue with the series and recast the role. So now we have an actor called Liam McIntyre playing Spartacus, and he’s a very charming, talented young man. And I think that’s really what people are going to be focusing on: How does he compare to the great Andy Whitfield? So the pressure’s more on him than anyone, poor guy.
When Andy passed away did it put the show in jeopardy? Well the truth is we were shooting Season Two by the time he passed, and that’s because he had ben in treatment for cancer for 18 months, so the decision had to be made a while back. And it was just so hard for everyone.
Was it an incredibly sensitive time on set when Liam started? I would imagine everyone was very supportive of him. Yeah, you only have to spend five minutes with the guy to feel so relaxed in his company and wish him well. He’s a genuinely good guy, and he deserves this opportunity, and he brought so much integrity and wisdom and a sense of innocence to the role. And of course he can’t try and emulate Andy and what Andy did with the role, because that would be fruitless, but what he can do is bring his own history to the role and his own imagination and impulse. I think that we all really respect him because he has done that. I’m not flagging him.
Can you tease the second season for all the show’s fans? The exciting thing about Spartacus: Vengeance is that on every possible level, with every possible character, the heat is on. As far as my character goes, there is a huge revelation of information that will be revealed around halfway through he season, and it’s big and exciting I can’t talk about it now, but it’s a real kind of driving force for my character throughout the season.
How did you discover this revelation? I was told the revelation by the producers and the writers, and then as an actor, I carried the secret throughout Season Two until it was revealed in the script. And that’s one of the best things as an actor. Because I trained in Stanislavski, it’s such a pleasure if your character has a secret.
Talk to me about your character’s evolution. In Season One, the character began as quite young, naïve, and spoiled and bratty, and kind of was corrupted by her relationships with some of the other characters, and very much revealed herself to be a villain. However, the great thing about now is that the writers have really invested in creating many dimensions to my character. And yes, there will continue to be that kind of scheming, plotting, and conniving, there’s also going to be a nice revelation of vulnerability and humility as well.
Are you happy with where she ends the season? Yes, it’s such an awesome character wrap, I could never have dreamt it up. But it was exhausting. It’s all high stakes, it’s all epic, like Greek tragedy meets Dangerous Liaisons. You’re fighting for your life one day, and you’re trying to seduce some teenage boy the next.
You appear nude at several points throughout the show. Is that something you’ll do, as long as it’s not gratuitous? Nudity and sex scenes have to serve the story. They have to drive the story forward. That’s always the case, and I don’t know any single actor that enjoys doing it. It’s very uncomfortable and it has to be dealt with in the most clinical, sensitive, protected manner. And on this show, that’s always been the case. It might seem kind of outlandish and sort of wild and free but at the same time it’s actually not in reality. Sometimes it’s hilarious, actually. It’s so not sexy when you’re doing it. It’s hilarious.
Дата: Вторник, 2012-05-29, 6:10 PM | Сообщение # 22
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Stars Manu Bennett, Nick Tarabay, Craig Parker, and Dan Feuerriegel Dish on SPARTACUS: VENGEANCE By Tiffany Vogt on January 27th, 2012
The Starz series SPARTACUS: VENGEANCE is best known for its super hot actors who portray some of the most driven, tenacious and survival-oriented men on television – gladiators fighting for their lives. In a recent press conference call, stars Manu Bennett (who portrays Crixus), Nick Tarabay (who portrays Ashur), Craig Parker (who portrays Glaber) and Dan Feuerriegel (who portrays Agron) on SPARTACUS: VENGEANCE candidly shared what drives these searing characters and what is upcoming for each of them this next season.
With Liam McIntyre coming into the role of Spartacus, how has that changed the chemistry on set, if at all? DAN: Of course it’s going to change chemistry because he’s a completely different person. But as actors you just adapt to Liam’s personality, and therefore that makes you change certain things here and there. That’s just what we do. Liam did amazing in the first two episodes and he just keeps getting better and better. I think he did an absolutely fantastic job. And so of course it was different. But I felt as though no better/no worse. He was just Liam. He was just doing what he does and we all did what we did. And as seen in the first two episodes, this is how it was turning out. So I guess if you enjoy it, a lot of other people will enjoy it, and I’m certainly sure that everybody enjoyed working with him. I mean I can’t speak for everyone else, but I’m sure they’ll say the same thing. NICK: No, no, no, I didn’t like working with Liam, not one bit! [Laughter] DAN: Well that’s okay, no one liked working with you at all, Nick. I mean come on, now that we’re going to be honest here and start throwing stones. [Laughter] MANU: Liam came on to our set with a very open heart. He’s never stopped discussing with all of us, his journey. And I think there’s something very SPARTACUS about that. There’s a very truthful pure quality to the man himself and that’s what they needed to find. Andy [Whitfield] gave such an extraordinarily honest performance, and people were just so moved by that that it was almost an impossibility to find somebody to replace Andy. What they’ve found in Liam is somebody with an absolute truth. It’s a different truth, but it’s still the truth, as a person. And it’s wonderful to work with him because every day he brings an ‘open book’ that we all get to participate with. There were other people that came and read, and the acting world’s an egotistical world and we could have gotten somebody who just got into the chariot and rode it as some kind of the next big thing. But Liam is a very humble person and has gifted us all with his openness — and that reads itself into the role. CRAIG: I think very first episode, which is a strange new episode — there’s a new Spartacus; there’s a new world that we’re in. It’s an odd episode, but by the end of it you fully embrace Liam as a different, but the new Spartacus and you’re ready to go on the journey with him, which is quite wonderful. And, as Manu says, he doesn’t in any way try to be Andy or to replicate that performance. He takes it as a whole new sort of slate and paints a very different Spartacus but a equally interesting and sort of diverse, and does a wonderful, wonderful job. NICK: I have to actually agree with all three of the guys. And one thing I’ve actually really liked about Liam was his heart. I mean he has such a good heart, and like Manu said, “He’s very humble.” And like when you talk to him outside of acting, when we just sit down and talk between scenes or at lunchtime or whatever, he’s such a good person, and very dedicated to the work, that you see Spartacus in him, which made it very easy for all of us to see him as the new Spartacus. Liam is surrounded by really, really good actors and really, really good people that I think it made it easier for him too to get more into the character. So he’s doing a great job. DAN: Yes, and he also respected where it all came from, and where he came from as well. He knew what he was up against with continually and just, as Manu said, “Modest and humble,” in regards to what Andy did in the first season. And that’s another magnificent part of Liam’s personality, which shines through as well. Can you tease whether Ashur and Crixus paths are crossing this next season and how entrenched will Ashur become in Crixus’ world? NICK: I think it won’t be a story if Ashur and Crixus somehow don’t get together that way, especially having Crixus my ultimate enemy on the show. So you do see a little bit of that and it’s going to be very, very intense actually, the way you see it. I mean everything I think in VENGEANCE this season is going to be pretty intense and very heightened. So any time characters interact with one another, it’s going to be pretty big. And add to it the history that I have with Crixus, I think is going to make it even more interesting. And as far as Lucy [Lawless], yes, there’s a lot of story, a lot of scenes, a lot of work with me and Lucy, that I was very, very happy to have because I didn’t get a chance really to work with her in Season 1 and the prequel. But, in this season, we have a lot of work — maybe a little too much — just kidding! And Ashur this season is unlike every other season. He’s his own man in a way and he’s under really severe circumstances that he’s going all out. I mean, seriously, he has no boundaries. He fights really for what he thinks is right, and his goals get bigger and bigger. And the twists and the turns that he comes up with is something that surprised me as the actor every episode. I give a lot of credit for the writers. And, obviously, I give a lot of credit to the actors; made it a lot easier for me to to work harder and make it better. So, yes, you’re going to see a lot of Crixus, Lucy, and more Ashur hopefully.
For Craig, I’m really curious to know how your character stays married to Ilithyia and how that goes. How does the marriage go in this particular season? CRAIG: I think when we first meet them, they’ve been through some heavy guidance counseling and marriage counseling. With her that it’s not going to be an easy marriage. And the fun thing this year is when we first meet them it’s quite a different circumstance than when we left them so. I don’t think that gives anything away, where Ilithyia has been told to behave and be a good wife. And you know Ilithyia; it’s not going to last. So there’s some fantastic relationship stuff there. And to work with someone like Viva is so much fun because she’s created this absolute monster of a character. It is always a joy to see how Ilithyia responds to the situation.
Do you think that Glaber’s true enemy is Ilithyia more so than Spartacus? CRAIG: Absolutely. I think she is the one that destroys him the most — that hurts him the most. And this series, I think you’ll see him start to stand up for himself, become a bit of the man that he wants to be. And part of that is freeing himself from her control. It’s quite good; truly she’s not going to have an easy ride, I promise you.
Manu, this season there’s a really interesting dynamic being built up between Crixus and Spartacus, building on the previous season. With Crixus telling Spartacus that, “Since he’s now a leader he has to be smarter,” and with Spartacus having to tell Crixus to, “Keep his Gauls in line and not just tear off after Naevia,” how does this play out over the course of the season? MANU: There’s no real answer to that. There’s just a tug-of-war really. It’s a difference of objectives. Spartacus, I believe in this season, has maybe more transitional — has more of a transitional story than even Crixus. I mean, it’s like you enter the season with Crixus with a very definite goal, and that is to find Naevia. And Spartacus with an evolution, he’s said he wants to do something and all of a sudden everybody’s looking at him going like, “Okay, you’ve made this big speech, you’ve forced us all to become fugitives, and now what’s the plan?” As I think as far as Crixus is concerned, he just goes through all the necessary actions of finding supplies and food and whatnot, but Spartacus has this leadership role that he’s taken on. And of course Crixus is going to be the first one to call him on that and question him on that and remind him of the agreement that he made with everybody as we left the Ludus. . . . I think the two of them are very honest men, speaking from the heart and they just basically have a bit of a tug-of-war constantly because the two of them are both leaders and they don’t necessarily sit comfortably in being the follower or the person who has to follow the other’s objective. But, as in Season 1, I think that’s what creates a lovely sort of brotherhood story — the push and pull of a kind of a deep respect that’s never sort of allowed to show itself on the surface.
Can you talk about filming the fight sequences and how much training goes into them physically and mentally? CRAIG: That’s you boys, isn’t it? NICK: I was going to say maybe I should answer this since I’m not in it. [Laughter] MANU: Al Poppleton was nominated for an Emmy. He’s our stunt coordinator, so we’ve got the best in the business. These guys are meticulous in making us train for what we need to build ourselves up for. We do a gladiator boot camp at the beginning of each year, which is really a very rigorous four-week process, which not only teaches us all of the weaponry and sort of beats from one-to-six or whatever we learn things in numbers so that when we go into the season we basically speak in terms of a system that we learned at the beginning. So it’s a language; it’s just like learning dance. It’s like learning anything where there’s choreography involved. And Al Poppleton does a very, very good job at it. And we have just a wonderful stunt team that we work very closely with. And I think over the three seasons that we’ve shot so far, we just keep on getting actually more experienced and more experienced. So I think the fans this season are going to get like another level again of the quality of the fights because we’re actually keep on improving because of our training. CRAIG: I think, as the training improves and everyone gets better and better in seeking new and more interesting ways to do a fight. Also the technology is increasing. So the way we shoot things, the way we know how to work with CGI or layering shot. So even in the very first episode, that opening sequence with the horses and Spartacus, it’s incredible. It’s ballet, it’s full theater and opera. So you end up with these amazing, beautiful, bloody, horrible, terrible moments, but they’re wonderful to watch. NICK: Also if I may add, even though I wasn’t in the first episode, but I can speak for the rest of the season, what I also like about some of the fights for this season, what I like about it which is a new kind of fight because we’re out of the Ludus so it’s not all organized and it’s not all like a Doctore would teach everybody to do it like very honorably. You’ll see a lot of street fights and you’ll see a lot of like kind of dirty fights. DAN: The weapons have changed. NICK: Yes, the weapons have changed. Even some of the stuff, like it’s really cutty and it’s scary and bloody. And in a new way, I mean it’s really going to be really interesting to see that which gives more of the story of what the new world is now. So that I think the fans are really going to like a different kind of fighting as well. So I’m looking forward to see it. DAN: They also try and get really specific with each character to have a particular fighting style so we’re all different. Like for example, Gannicus and Spartacus are very beautiful with how they fight. And Agron is a bit more aggressive, and Crixus is very intense CRAIG: Glaber, Dan? How’s Glaber? How does Glaber fight? DAN: No, Glaber just gets everybody else to do it. But with the training as well, four hours a day every day for four weeks, it not only builds up your body – they train specifically. So when you do fight sequences, which you can be filming for an entire day, by the end of the day you’re exhausted but you still have the ability to carry on because you’ve trained that way. By the end of the boot-camp you’ve learned to deal with pain and exhaustion mentally. And because some of those fight sequences, when you shoot it for a couple of days in a row, there’s aches, there’s pains, there’s injuries. I know I got myself injured a couple of times. MANU: And we shoot in New Zealand, which is different than shooting in America. DAN: Yes, it’s cold. MANU: We probably wouldn’t be allowed to do what we do in America because of the safety regulations and what not. We actually push the envelope over there, and people probably don’t get that. Well, they do get it, because they love our show and they love the fight sequences. DAN: And you also have to take into account that it is a TV show still and it is shot quite quickly. So there are times where there has just been no time to learn a complex fight scene. And so that’s when the phenomenal talents of the stunt guys come in too. I do know that there’s been a couple of days where I haven’t had anything and we’ve got a huge fight sequence. And they quickly go through something before you start filming and you just do it. So I’m sure we’ve all experienced that at one time or another on the set, that you can’t always have the long periods of rehearsal time, and you’ve just got to do it. So kudos to them as well. SPARTACUS is a very intense show to be on. What can you tell us about what you guys do to lighten up the set a bit, like who’s the biggest prankster? MANU: Nick, without a doubt. NICK: I would say Craig. DAN: Craig? Yes, Craig’s pretty funny and annoying. [Laughter] CRAIG: It’s funny because we’re very much in two different worlds. There is this series, wherein the previous series it’s been in the Ludus where they all live together. But this world is very much the Roman world and the Gladiator world, and it’s quite strange. We sort of very rarely intersect, we do further down the series we do. And so it was like two different camps and you would find in Spartacus’ world there’s Dan who is incredibly naughty. And you think, “This is their little world and their little school politics.” But in Roman world I think the blacker the stuff you’re dealing with, the harder emotionally, the more brutal and awful stuff you’re doing each day on set, the funnier the off-set becomes. Because it’s a great sort of release to remind yourself constantly that while these characters are doing terrible things to each other, as actors we are playing with each other, we’re having the great joy and pleasure of working on great scripts with great actors. So the humor does become very black and very twisted, but it definitely has to be there I think throughout just to survive the season. NICK: I think honestly — I know SPARTACUS is very intense but some of the behind the scene captures what happens with the actors. I mean, I think if they really have a camera on us behind the scene it would be a comedy show going on because we’re always cracking jokes, we’re always laughing. I mean, I worked a lot with Craig and Lucy in the season and there were times that we couldn’t help ourselves; we had to actually control our laughter to get into the scene. But what it did was just create that safe and trusting environment that we know each other really well and everybody is very dedicated to the work. So we just had fun with it. And everybody, no matter how tense it is, even Manu he comes in as he’s Crixus and everybody’s like all, “Fuck the Gauls,” he cracks jokes too. I mean he’s laughing, he’s doing this to his own self too. So behind the scenes it’s completely different people than when you see onscreen. So that was pretty fun for us all. MANU: Yes, I think the thing is that we all enjoy the show. I mean we actually have a wonderful production team and everybody enjoys their process. And I think when you’re on a show –I mean, we’ve had very much of a roller coaster ride because of all the things that could have potentially stopped our show from running. But because everyone felt like we’re working on a great project that there’s never been a day that I haven’t gone to work actually looking forward to it. I look forward to going to work. I’ve never gone to work once feeling like, “I don’t’ want to go to work today.” And I feel that everybody that I work with has that sort of absolute positivity about the show. So the mood on set is constantly driven by positivity. There’s very rarely the sort of the gripes that you get on a lot of sets. I mean, we have our few moments, but everyone very quickly pulls everybody else into line because we actually work as a team, it’s great.
Nick, we going to get to see Ashur get some payback on Spartacus this year as well? NICK: Well, I think Ashur has a bone to pick with a lot of people. But, yes, he does have something to pick with Spartacus, because he was elevated. He became Batiatus’ right-hand man and became part of the villa, that world, and that fulfilled that hole that he had, because he ultimately wanted to be a gladiator so much. And when that wasn’t fulfilled, he found joy and he found peace in that power of becoming Batiatus’ right-hand man, and eventually excelling. So when Spartacus did this, obviously that ruined his plans. But I think Ashur, and the way I approach the character, ultimately my all-time nemesis is Crixus in a way because in Ashur’s mind in the “Gods of the Arena,” the prequel, he helped Crixus in the beginning and he was kind of by his side. And then Crixus turned sides and then crippled him in the end. So he took away what he really wanted so bad, which is to be accepted and to be part of the brotherhood. And then on top of that in Season 1, he kept on pushing him down; suppressing him and really pushing him down throughout, which that added more to that fire that made Ashur the person that we got to know now. I mean, obviously there’s other elements as well because it started with Crixus and then it ended up with everybody else around him. We also believe Ashur didn’t start out that way, he didn’t start out to be the person that everybody kind of calls the villain or the bad guy, whatever you want to call it. He actually came to the Ludus wanting to be part of something big, and he wanted to be part of the brotherhood. But he kept on being pushed down, pushed down, pushed down, and not accepted, for reasons not his fault. So he, Ashur, the one that we know now, became that way from the Ludus, supposedly a place of honor and brotherhood. So he actually has vengeance against them all now. He sees them, and they all contribute to his fall. So he is going to definitely go after Crixus as you saw in Season 1, he does in a way through Naevia, and that actually, that continues obviously. Especially Spartacus too, because he’s leading those people into this rebellion, took away all what he was going to be. And then you’ll see him actually plotting a lot of stuff. I think Ashur’s going to cause a lot of problem this season, even more problems than I thought he would actually end up doing — physically and mentally. And he really stares the part this season. It’s a different level of interaction; whether it’s with Crixus, whether it’s with Spartacus, even his relationship with Glaber and his relationship with Lucretia — all of these relationships, it’s in a different level this season. you keep hearing over and over, “Vengeance is bigger,” and it really is, it’s pretty grand. So everything is heightened. It’s really tough times, especially for Ashur. Manu, how have you found working with Cynthia Addai-Robinson? And how is that relationship going to evolve, because obviously Naevia’s going to be a different person, having been sent away when she was with you. MANU: Put it this way, I go searching for the new Naevia. I mean, obviously, there’s a new actress there, but I just don’t want to give that away in this particular instance. But in looking for a new Naevia, because of what’s happened to her, finding Cynthia in the role it added a freshness, it added something new. Lesley-Ann and I setup a wonderful relationship story in Season 1, as did Andy Whitfield. Working with him was just so true to every moment it was phenomenal. Going into this new season with exactly the two people closest to Crixus Spartacus and Naevia, they were both new actors. So it was something that in my mind if I wanted to play on the idea that it would be bizarre and difficult or whatever you can entertain that idea sure, if you want, but otherwise you’ve just got to open yourself up and be willing for the change. Luckily, in both instances of two very competent actors in the roles, and I don’t have to worry about the relationship because the relationship’s actually written in the storyline as an actor I just have to perform wonderful scenes that Steven DeKnight and the team are writing. And the actors, I’ve loved working with Cynthia. Cynthia’s been a totally new experience and as has Liam, and in both instances I’ve gone to the end of the season and just gone, “Wow, that was just another fantastic season.” And everybody’s saying, “It’s the best season yet,” and that’s very difficult to make as a statement in regard to the acting. I think people are talking about the production quality, but the acting has stayed at the same level — it’s stayed very competent. So I think basically we’re just in even better creative hands because our creative team just keeps on improving and our scripts, and the sort of symphony of SPARTACUS continues with even more intensity, because we’re just getting better at what we do.
Will we see Crixus continue his push to be a leader or will concede to be more of a follower this season? MANU: I think with some characters they say, “what kind of cat never changes its spots?” I think every character on our show is pretty much carved out of granite. There’s change in the way they’ll feel with their hearts, but really its’ a very iconic series. We’ve got very mainstay characters that continue to sort of like revel in their individual characters. If you took away Crixus’ desire to be a leader I don’t know what you’d be left with. I think he’s trying to find example and to live his life in a way where he thinks he’s doing the best thing to move forward. and if somebody else’s idealism is going to come in to question his direction, then he’s either going to battle with it or adopt it, that perspective which is the situation with Spartacus. The leadership thing is what I think drives our great drama that’s between Spartacus and Crixus on many things. But between anybody in the show . . . it’s sort of the bottom line of SPARTACUS, is the voice of the individual, and it’s just wonderful that the world’s really such a screwed up place and we have to keep on making a drama of it….our individuality and that people are wrong and right. I mean, are people wrong and right? Its just perception, isn’t it? CRAIG: There is a wonderful thing through with all the characters leading or driving or things. But everyone is trying to do the right thing whether they’re the goodies or the baddies. Everyone has a clear idea of what is the right course, the way the world should be. And I think with every single character in this world, they’re all in the pursuit of happiness and they just end up doing terrible things on the way.
Will we get to learn more of Agron’s backstory this season? DAN: A little bit here and there, not too much about backstory. But you’ll definitely get a lot more of his desires and his personality. And also just like what the guys were talking about is just his desire to be heard, not so much lead. But he definitely has a lot of opinions and he kind of develops into Spartie’s right hand man and he’s definitely got Spartie’s ear. But just whether or not he gets heard or not is the big thing. But you definitely do learn a lot more about Agron in this upcoming season.
Craig and Nick, your characters never think they’re the villains. How do you play that and what is that dynamic like as an actor? CRAIG: I don’t think they believe they’re being villains. In their world Spartacus, Crixus, those guys are the ones doing the terrible things; they’re killing good Romans. And the wonderful thing for me this series is working so closely with Nick, where their goals are entwined. And I think Ashur is such a fantastic kind of cockroach of a survivor that he will fit in with whatever the main chance is. And they do end up working very closely together because their goals align, that they want to get rid of Spartacus, they want to achieve closure with this whole process. So throughout it, I don’t know for Nick, but I never felt that Glaber was the villain, he was just trying to do the right thing in the right way. But these are two characters who — as we go through the series — suddenly realize they don’t have to behave as correctly as they have been. They don’t have to follow the rules so much, they can start breaking them. So while they believe they’re trying to do the right thing, they no longer feel they have to do it in exactly the right way. It makes it wonderful and interesting. NICK: Very true, what Craig’s saying, absolutely. I never approached Ashur as a villain at all. And I think that’s a doom for every actor anyway to judge his character. But on top of that, the way I just saw the script and my homework was never, never, never, never as a bad guy, he just was misunderstood. He’s trying to excel and he’s trying to be a part of something and he just was not accepted, as I said before, “For reasons not of his own.” And the good thing about the show, and which I give a lot of credit for obviously the writers, but also a lot of it to the actors because what’s fun about the show, even if you see Spartacus, for example, if you consider Spartacus, Crixus, Gannicus, Doctore, whatever, if you consider Agron, if you consider those people are the good guys, you’ll see through and through that they do a lot of bad things too, in a way. So nobody’s flawless here. I mean, there are mistakes everywhere. So it’s again the way I saw it is all perception, “What is it that you think is right?” I think ultimately the goal for everybody is survival and surviving. And maybe the Romans are a little bit different because there’s that sense of entitlement. But what’s fun about this season is they are, under certain circumstances that makes them act certain way. Like Craig just said, “Between Ashur and Glaber, they find a different ground that they can play with.” And it’s a new ground by the way for SPARTACUS here, you’ve never seen this before, where they can do — they have the freedom to do whatever it is that they want. And it was a lot of joy, even working with Craig seeing how he was in Season 1 for example, and seeing him in this season how he starts out, and then what he becomes. And my hat’s off to Craig obviously in this because he always brings something very, very exciting to the role that you can’t help but feed from and try to top it. It was great joy because me and Craig will always work together, but we’ll always talk about our scenes and how we can take this somewhere else. And this is every actor’s, in a way, dream is to work with people that looking at the bigger picture and looking to serve the story, which you – I’m sure you will see in this season, the great transition from the first episode till the last episode so. CRAIG: Shucks. There is a wonderful thing particularly with Ashur and Glaber that these are kids who have been bullied. They are like the Romans bully Glaber, all the posh Romans, and you know everyone bullies Ashur. And let it be a warning to all those bullies out there because sometimes the bully kid turns and we really are, we’re these screwed up little kids who, both of us trying to in a way just settle for a nice quiet life where we’re respected and people are nice to us. But we’re just so screwed up that we do terrible things.
Ashur has kind of a big journey this season and you get to sort of scheme with Lucretia and with Glaber and you have some intense scenes with Oenomaus. Can you could talk a little bit about his journey? Is he’s always plotting or is he always reacting to things in order to survive? NICK: Well, I think Ashur, which I really love about this character; he’s very, very smart and he’s always thinking ten steps ahead. And maybe in the beginning, again in the prequel or a little bit in Season 1, he was a bit reacting, which in my mind he was more assessing. Especially in Season 1, after he found out that he couldn’t fight any more and he was a cripple, he was just watching everybody and kind of analyzing each character and then founding out his ultimate weapon, which is his brain and his wits and his talent for survival. In this season, he is definitely plotting. He is really investing in certain people. . . I’m using the word investing, especially with certain character, because he feels that it might payoff somehow or it might be his backup plan, which end up being the case in a lot of ways. He has a really, really big journey. And Episode 4, I mean it gets even bigger and bigger towards the end, and his dreams and what he wants achieved is beyond what he though is possible. And that all comes true in a way with him aligning with Glaber and the Romans – the bigger boys, especially with Oenomaus. Again what I said before “Ashur’s got a bone to pick with a lot of people.” And we all saw what happened in the end of Season 1. So definitely he has something to pick with Oenomaus, Crixus and Spartacus . . . He’s definitely planning. His plan keeps getting bigger and bigger. And what’s great is because he’s a bit closer to the Romans, but not necessarily on their good side yet, the possibilities as I said, “Are limitless,” or maybe way bigger than he was next to Batiatus. He’s playing with a way bigger boy; he’s playing with Glaber now, a big roman. But that also comes with dues as well he has to in a way prove himself, which is a different ballgame with the Romans.. It doesn’t come easy and Glaber doesn’t make it easier for him, and Lucretia doesn’t make it easier. But in general, it’s hard all the way around. It’s really tough circumstances. But you’ll see Ashur planning stuff like that. You won’t know what he was planning up until episode 10, which is the last episode and you’re like, “Oh, this is where he was going for,” which is a big surprise going to be for the audience because it was a big surprise for me. So I’m sure they’re going to be shocked, yes. When you guys are doing these scenes and there’s all this crazy sex and violence and all this other stuff going around in the background, when you either are filming or when you actually see it after it’s shot, are you ever shocked by what you see? Or do you just come to just go, Eh, another day at Spartacus?” NICK: Another day. DAN: Another day. MANU: Aw man, it’s not pornography. It’s great scripts. It’s great moments . I get asked this question sometimes, I’m never bothered by what we do, it’s wonderful. We’re all adults. It’s kind of bizarre how people talk about nudity and sex scenes as the taboo. I mean god, how did we all get here? CRAIG: It’s just so. I think everyone’s been working together so long that — and we’ve got so used to the world that it’s totally safe, you never feel vulnerable or odd. And people are incredibly respectful. When there are scenes — and it’s not necessarily just being nude — but there’s often quite confronting scenes where characters are doing things that are on the edge of heavily emotional difficult scenes for the actors. But there is such a level of respect from the crew that those scenes are always made — you’re made to feel incredibly safe, and so within that safety you can explore the scary and the frightening but in a really safe way. So we all just get used to it really. About the dynamics of the group, how does the evolution of the group change over the course of the season? DAN: As you saw in the first couple of episodes, and from the first season as well, the Germans and the Gauls do not like each other for some reason. So, of course, that’s the initial kind of conflict, especially between myself and Crixus. And of course everybody has their own desires, everybody has their own agenda, but it seems like Spartacus is there to kind of keep everyone together, whereas and like of course Crixus, his sole purpose is to get back to his love. Agron, he’s still hurting form the loss of his brother and he’s just kind of going on a blitzkrieg, and just wants to kill Romans pretty much. He doesn’t really have one source of who he wants to avenge. And even in the first episode his one chance of actually taking one back gets taken away from him because Crixus had to get some information. So that also just adds to the conflict, adds to the conflict. But that’s why Spartacus eventually, I guess, ends up as the leader so to speak, because he is open to everyone and will take a back seat when is required, and will lead when is required, and keeps everyone together. So that’s kind of my take on the whole I guess, agenda. MANU: It’s really just about leadership. It’s just about this group of slaves. I mean, basically we walk out of a door into total enemy territory. And most of us have only ever known to work as slaves or work in a mine, or to fight as gladiators. It’s a classic example of, “Out of the frying pan into the fire.” How do people behave in that situation? I mean, we weren’t the best of friends in the Ludus. Do you think this scenario’s going to ease up our tensions? It just gets worse and relationships get absolutely pushed to the edge. So it’s just another conundrum of personalities just trying to survive, trying to put one foot in front of the other. DAN: But in a deeper level it’s kind of about equality. That’s what Spartacus is trying to do. That’s what he says the whole way through, “Everybody is equal.” Everybody is equal regardless of what you do, where you’ve come from, everybody is equal. And so that’s why I feel as though Spartacus eventually becomes the leader because that’s his view, that’s his vision. MANU: Yes, well said.
Дата: Воскресенье, 2012-06-17, 1:00 AM | Сообщение # 23
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Статья о Zoё Bell
Take a risk June 10, 2005
Craig Mathieson follows New Zealand stuntwoman Zoe Bell to Hollywood.
When it comes to either being set on fire or thrown across the room, Zoe Bell prefers the former.
"I don't like hitting the ground," explains the New Zealand stuntwoman. "I'll do it, but I can't say I enjoy it. Even when you get a fall right it's not much fun."
Bell is an engaging 26-year-old who got her professional start in the stunt game at the age of 19 when she secured the job of doubling for Lucy Lawless on the New Zealand set of Xena: Warrior Princess.
It was the natural progression for a child who could barely walk when she first climbed onto a trampoline.
But in 2001, with the series winding up, Bell had to take the next step in her career and relocate to Los Angeles.
Her journey into the centre of the movie industry - and the competitive stunt business - is one of two story strands that intertwine in Amanda Micheli's wry, intimate documentary Double Dare.
As Bell arrives in LA, veteran Hollywood stuntwoman Jeannie Epper is worrying that her career is coming to an end. In her 60s, Epper is from the first family of stunts. "In the bar fight in 1941 there were Eppers flying everywhere," recalls director Steven Spielberg, one of several interview subjects who help shed light on the cloistered discipline.
Director Micheli had already started tracking both Bell and Epper when they met and became friends, although their respective paths are a study in contrast.
Bell is trying to prove herself in the northern hemisphere, while Epper is considering plastic surgery so she can stay in the required shape to double for younger Hollywood actresses.
"Jeannie's been incredibly lucky with her lack of injuries," notes Bell, who remains good friends with the older woman.
"As different as we are and as different as the places we come from are, we're fundamentally similar people."
Double Dare concludes with both stuntwomen in employment: Epper mangling cars on 2 Fast 2 Furious while Bell lands the plum assignment of doubling for Uma Thurman on the two Kill Bill movies.
And although she made the grade with director Quentin Tarantino and eventually drew a smile from stern fight choreographer and legendary master Woo-Ping, Bell didn't finish unscathed.
"I was in a harness on a hydraulic rig and theoretically with that you should land within a foot or two of the same spot every time," she says with professional distance.
"But somewhere along the way something went wrong and I missed the mats." The error meant she dislocated her wrist and "obliterated" a ligament in her arm.
It happened in the final few days of shooting, leaving Bell's presence intact throughout the two films, but it took almost a year - begun on "gnarly" painkillers that she soon abandoned - for Bell to recover and get back to work (she's since doubled for Sharon Stone on Catwoman).
She's also since mastered the social side of Hollywood. Bell has a brief taste of the limelight in Double Dare at a Xena convention, where an auditorium of men and women dressed in the show's breastplate and leather skirt costume cheer her.
Double Dare might increase her visibility, something she'd prefer to leave to her "acting doubles", but for the moment she's just happy to be back at work.
In July she'll work with Jeannie Epper on the big-budget remake of The Poseidon Adventure.
"There'll be falling, there'll be tumbling down slopes amid tables and chairs and lots of swimming underwater," Bell declares with relish.
Zoe Bell discusses Double Dare at ACMI, on Sunday at 7.30pm before a screening of the film.
Дата: Понедельник, 2012-06-18, 0:01 AM | Сообщение # 24
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Interview: SPARTACUS Co-Creator Steven DeKnight Hopes to Tell “a Rollicking Good Story”
Posted on 10 March 2010 by Brent Hartinger, Editor
After writing and/or producing stints on Smallville, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Dollhouse, Steven DeKnight knows genre television.
Now DeKnight finds himself ensconced as head writer and executive producer of a show he helped create, Starz’ Spartacus: Blood and Sand.
Last year, when I interviewed Spartacus co-creator Rob Tapert (who also co-created Xena: Warrior Princess), Tapert credited DeKnight with the day-to-day handling of the show.
That was all I needed to know. With the show a solid hit (and having firmly won over most of us here at TheTorchOnline.com), I was eager to do a mid-season check-in with DeKnight, to find out exactly how the show ended up where it did — and get a sense where it’s going next.
TheTorchOnline: You have to be pleased with how the show has been received so far.
SD: Very pleased. Very pleased. It got off to a little bit of a rocky start. The reaction to the pilot was not as favorable as we’d hoped, but working on the show … we very quickly found our footing, and it became a much more complicated, intricate show. The pilot is pretty cut and dry.
TTO: I don’t think the pilot was representative of what the show became. It was the weakest episode.
SD: Exactly. I’ve been very, very please that people have stuck with it. The overriding comment I’ve seen on the internet is that each episode keeps getting better and better.
TTO: I think my favorite theme of the show is that this is a society infused with violence, in the ring, but also in the different social strata. In the palaces and in the streets, among Lucretia and her friends, it’s the same thing that’s going on in the gladiator ring. They’re all having these tournaments, just in different ways. Was there an “Ah ha!” moment when you realized the two halves of the show were two sides of the same coin?
SD: Oh yeah. I mean from the start we’d planned it that way, to mirror the violence in the arena with the violence in the upper strata of the Romans. Just with our research and talking to our consultants, it was just a fascinating culture where they were really raised from birth to not shy away from violence. It’s a republic, and eventually an empire, built on conquest. That’s deeply, deeply ingrained in the people.
Yes, there are some incredibly gory fights in the arena, but there’s also some incredibly violent stuff that goes on in the “civilized” arena of the Romans. You’ve seen in Episode 9 where things go shockingly awry.
TTO: It hasn’t aired yet, so I don’t want to give anything away, but it’s a great episode, with particularly interesting turnaround for Lucretia. Usually when someone is writing about Ancient Rome, they are trying to make a parallel, whether subtle or more obvious, between Ancient Rome and contemporary America. Is that a part of this show? SD: A very, very subtle one. My first order of business is to tell a rollicking good story. My connection with the present and the past has always been that we went through a large economic downturn, and part of that resulted in something that’s been building for years, the squeezing out of the middle class. Basically, there are the rich and there are the poor. The middle class is slowly disappearing, and the wealth is concentrated among very few.
That’s the one thing I wanted to explore this season, and I think you’ve see it most with Batiatus. The drought is his economic downturn. Here’s a guy in the middle class trying to claw his way up into the upper class, willing to do anything he could to do that. Of course, the slave class, the poor that work for outrageously low wages in modern times, were actual slaves in ancient times with that kind of uprising and revolt against the system.
TTO: That’s one of the other things I like most about the show, the sort of Upstairs/Downstairs quality to it, where the slaves are obviously real people to the viewer, but they’re subhuman to the folks over them. Is that how you, as a contemporary writer, are making a judgment about these Roman characters, by showing us their society through the eyes of the slaves?
SD: Yeah, but at [a recent press event], I mentioned when we eventually bring in Marcus Crassus, we’re going to get a different viewpoint of slavery. Marcus Crassus was the biggest slave owner in Rome at the time and made his fortune.
But the thing about slaves, and the thing we couldn’t really explore and expand on this season because in the ludus they’re just slaves, but it wasn’t always just slavery as we imagine it, beaten and locked in a cage. A lot of slaves were highly skilled craftsmen and artisans, and they were basically working for the master. They had their own homes, they had their own families, but they were not technically free.
As we progress the story, and we bring in Marcus Crassus, I want to explore the other side of slavery in Ancient Rome, and actually give the Roman side of it. The fact is, without these slaves, the society would not have flourished, and without Roman society flourishing, where would modern civilization be?
I remember when I said this at [that press event], the next day I read on the internet, the headline was: “Steve DeKnight Puts A Positive Spin On Slavery.” That’s not at all what I’m saying. But realistically, not all slaves were beaten or tortured or mistreated in Rome.
TTO: One of the most shocking elements is the degree to which people accept the system. Ultimately, where you’re going is that one of them won’t accept the system and will try to overturn the system, but the degree to which the gladiators take on this idea that allowing yourself to be killed is honorable, and if you don’t do it, you’re shamed. Shocking from a modern perspective.
SD: Exactly. They’re so far into that system. For instance, take a look at Barca and Ashur. They are slaves, but they are allowed to go out unchained and do things for their master, and they come back. They don’t just disappear. That’s another mindset I found very interesting. They could just skip out, but they don’t.
TTO: The real chains are in your head, I guess.
SD: Exactly. And that’s something we’ll definitely explore as these seasons continue. Crixus is another great example. In Episode 5, Spartacus really grills him about why are you doing this? Crixus is a very interesting character for me, because he’s completely bought into the system, and by the end, he starts to realize how the system has destroyed him.
TTO: He was eventually Spartacus’s right hand man, wasn’t he?
SD: Yeah. Spartacus, Crixus and Oenomaus led the three factions. It was another interesting thing that I find looking forward, in designing this season, I didn’t want want Crixus and Spartacus to be buddy/buddy, chummy, let’s-go-out-together. These are two men who are trying to find common ground, but will never truly be friends.
Historically, if you look at the record, when they do break out, there was a lot of contention. It wasn’t one big happy band. Crixus sets his goal. Historically, they separate, then come back together. They weren’t always on the same page, which is very important. The last thing I want going in to Season 2 is Robin Hood, everybody together with their Merry Men. It wasn’t like that.
TTO: You’re writing Season 2 now? Where are you and what can we expect?
SD: Yes. We’re on Episode 3. It’s an interesting change. Anybody that knows the history of Spartacus obviously knows where this has to go. I always read on the internet, based on Rob’s work with Hercules and Xena, everybody says, “Well, Rob doesn’t care about history.” That’s absolutely not true. Rob does care about history. We are following the broad strokes of the Spartacus story. We can’t be slaves to every detail of what happened. I’m sure you’ve heard many times: We bend history, but we try not to break it.
But this is the story of Spartacus, which is a slave rebellion, so we will be exploring that.
TTO: Do you have a five year plan? A seven year plan? How long is it going to take you to tell this whole story?
SD: I have a five to seven year plan. Definitely enough for five. It could go longer, depending on Starz and the viewership, but definitely at least five planned out. There are so many great moments in the Spartacus story and in history that I’ve never fully seen explored. I also really want the chance to explore the “villain’s” side. The Romans didn’t think they were the villains. They thought Spartacus was the villain. That’s something I really want to explore.
Moving forward, and this will be gradual thing, is not all Romans are bad. Even Batiatus, yes, he’s bad, but he has many different shades to him.
TTO: He has a point of view, but boy, when he promised Spartacus that he’d be reunited with his wife… It hits you like a slug in the gut when you realize the true evilness of that character. His code of honor is such that he’s technically fulfilling the promise he made to Spartacus even as he’s killing this guy’s wife.
SD: Batiatus is looking at a big picture. The thing I love about that character is that he is consumed by trying to get out of his father’s shadow and not being the guy that ruins the family business. That, for him, is just the overreaching goal. It becomes more and more prominent as we go on in the series.
TTO: I confess that I’ve already been shocked many times by this show.
SD: The fantastic thing about Starz is that they let us go to places a lot of other shows won’t go to.
TTO: As a result, the experience for the viewer is that you really don’t know what’s going to happen. Anything can happen, and that’s so rare to be able to say about television.
SD: Anything can happen and anybody can die. We definitely continue that moving on.
Дата: Понедельник, 2012-06-18, 0:05 AM | Сообщение # 25
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How “Real” is the Sex and Nudity on SPARTACUS: BLOOD AND SAND?
Posted on 15 February 2010 by Brent Hartinger, Editor
Much of the new Starz series Spartacus: Blood and Sand is famously shot using green-screen technology, where sets and backgrounds are not “real,” but are instead created by CGI.
So what of the other much-talked-about aspect of the series, the show’s vaunted sex scenes and female and male nudity? How real are those?
First, ask yourself: do you really want to know? But if you’re not worried about it spoiling the illusion, read on!
Some of the nudity is absolutely “real.” Those really are Lucy Lawless’s breasts, and many of the extras are obviously really naked.
But some of it is also, well, the magic of television.
Lawless made a big impact at the Television Critics Association conference in July when she told reporters she’d been fitted for a “merkin,” or pubic wig — a red one at that. At the time, not yet finished with the show’s twelve-episode shoot, she said it hadn’t yet been used — but that it might be.
Then again, she implied, there might be bottomless scenes where she wouldn’t use it all
And what of the male nudity? It seems that some of the actors were a little bashful about their, um, size, so the costumers created — there’s no other way to say this — a prosthetic penis. Hilariously, it was dubbed “the Kirk Douglas,” after the star of the original Spartacus movie.
As to which actors did or didn’t wear it, “We can’t give away our trade secrets,” Robert Tapert told reporters.
“We have one person is the cast who insists on being naked,” Lucy Lawless joked to EW’s Michael Ausiello in July. “And we’re like, ‘Bold choice.’ Nobody’s really asking, but if you insist, we’ll shoot it.”
But she didn’t specify that cast member’s name.
As for Andy Whitfield, who plays Spartacus, will he be fully naked at any point this season?
Whitfield implied to Chelsea Handler on the Chelsea Lately talk show that while the character of Spartacus gets naked, the actor himself does not; he used a body double for the scenes.
“They had to search the world for the right … size,” he joked.
And what of the show’s sexual activity itself? Is any of that real?
Nope, that’s all pure acting.
“The sex scenes are always choreographed,” Lawless told reporters just last month. “[There's]’s always a layer [between the actors]. There’s no skin on skin contact apart from the kissing. So, it’s pretty standardized. And then what you think you are seeing in the final cut, it was pretty controlled.”
But Lawless was quick to point out that the sex in Spartacus is anything but porn. “When there’s a sex scene … it is about something else,” she said. “Otherwise, it would be on the Playboy Channel. This is not soft porn.”
“Everything I’ve read, [Rome] was a very visceral place both in its regards to sex and its regards to violence,” co-creator Steven DeKnight told the same group of reporters. “You’ll see some background sex going on. That’s obviously a part of the bigger scene, but once our main characters — there is always something else going on in the sex scene. It’s a discussion, it’s a power play, it’s exploration of love. It’s never just for the sex or titillation.”
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