The Best and Worst Films of 2012
It’s that time of year where everyone and their alcoholic uncle are giving you their list of the best and worst films of 2012. So, we here at Daily Actor are jumping in, minus our drunk uncle.
Anne Hathaway on the Pressure of Singing ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ in ‘Les Mis’: “Put aside all that bullshit and just do your job”
There are many memorable songs in Les Misérables, but perhaps none are as beloved as “I Dreamed a Dream,” which is sung by Fantine. Over the last few decades it has been recorded by everyone from Neil Diamond to Aretha Franklin, and turned middle-aged Scottish singer Susan Boyle into a household name with a single television performance.
Hugh Jackman on Singing Live for ‘Les Mis’: “It was a weird set to go on. It was a bunch of crazy people in the rain singing”
It’s now well-known that the filmmakers and actors had a unique approach to recording the music in Les Misérables. Unlike most movie musicals in which the songs are recorded before the shoot and the cast mimes to the music, Les Misérables features the cast recorded as they were singing live.
Barbra Streisand on ‘The Guilt Trip’, Challenging Herself and How She’s Difficult to Hire
It’s not easy to get Babs to agree to make a new film. Despite her appearances in the Meet the Parents series, Barbra Streisand chooses her projects carefully. And she’s the first one to admit that she might have made some diva-like requests before she agreed to star in the new film, The Guilt Trip.
Christoph Waltz on His ‘Overnight’ Success: “I had been trying for years. I was already giving up”
The incredible Christoph Waltz is a great example of how there are incredibly talented international actors that just need a single high-profile performance to break through to English-speaking audiences.
Laura Linney Answers Critics of Her ‘Hyde Park on Hudson’ Performance: “It would have been completely inappropriate for her to have been any other way”
Despite being a huge Bill Murray fan and a history buff, I knew Hyde Park on Hudson was going to be the type of movie that wasn’t for everyone once I saw it at the New York Film Festival.
Martin Freeman on Playing Bilbo Baggins in ‘The Hobbit’ and Wearing Those Hairy Feet
Though Martin Freeman already was a well-known actor for his roles on the original version of The Office and another BBC series, Sherlock, he’s certainly more visible and well-known now that The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey had the biggest December opening weekend in history and shattered box office records all over the world.
Sean Penn Says Most Actors Are Doing ‘a bunch of monkey f–– rat movies’
Sean Penn is a polarizing figure in the film industry not only because of his political opinions, but also because of his opinions on the industry as a whole.
Zero Dark Thirty’s Jason Clarke Talks Character Research
After starring with Jessica Chastain in 2011’s Texas Killing Fields and this year’s Lawless, actor Jason Clarke teamed up with the leading lady again this year for Zero Dark Thirty, a film about the hunt for Osama bin Laden.
Jessica Chastain on Not Acting Vulnerable in ‘Zero Dark Thirty’
I don’t think any actress has had the rapid career trajectory of Jessica Chastain — in 2010 she was a virtual unknown, and in a few weeks she will likely be nominated for an Oscar for the second consecutive year. She’s already been nominated for many other awards for Zero Dark Thirty, in which she stars as a CIA operative named Maya who was instrumental in locating Osama bin Laden’s hiding place.
How Christopher Walken Prepares for a Role and Why He Wishes He Could Use Cue Cards On Set
Christopher Walken wants everyone to know that he understands why people might think he’s a tad creepy—it probably doesn’t help matters that his new film is called Seven Psychopaths.
Ian McKellan Talks Gandalf, Retiring and Why Coming Out Helped His Acting
Ian McKellan is back reprising his role as Gandalf in the highly-anticipated release of The Hobbit.
Amanda Seyfried Talks About Unwinding on the Set of ‘Les Misérables’
Actress Amanda Seyfried probably never envisioned herself as one of the stars of the film adaptation of the beloved musical Les Misérables when she was appearing in small roles on soap operas as a teenager
Alan Cumming on ‘Any Day Now’ and Perfecting a Queens Accent
Instead of taking it easy on his breaks from appearing on CBS’ hit drama, The Good Wife, Cumming uses his time to take on demanding projects, like the new film, Any Day Now.
Hugh Jackman Explains Why Shooting ‘Les Mis’ Was More Physically Demanding Than ‘Wolverine’
Despite being well-known for his absolute love of musicals, Hugh Jackman has never appeared in a film version of a musical until this month’s Les Misérables, one of the most successful stage musicals of all time. Jackman explains to Movieline why doing a musical is harder than an X-Men movie… and it’s not because Jean Valjean, who he plays in Les Misérables, lacks retractable claws.
Andy Serkis on Motion Capture: “It’s acting. It’s not a genre of acting, it’s not a type of acting. It’s acting”
One of the things I’m looking forward to most in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is seeing the undisputed master of motion capture, Andy Serkis, once again stepping into the digital role of Gollum, the character that put motion capture on the map. In an interview with CBS News, Serkis talks about how he went from just performing Gollum’s voice in the Lord of the Rings trilogy to performing the character via motion capture and what he feels about motion capture becoming an Oscar category.
Hugh Jackman & Russell Crowe Sing ‘The Confrontation’ from ‘Les Miserable,’ Live at Joe’s Pub
This weekend, Russell Crowe had a show at Joe’s Pub in New York City, calling it “Russell Crowe and Alan Doyle present the Indoor Garden Party.” Who was the special guest? Friend in real-life and mortal enemy on-screen, Hugh Jackman. In the videos below, shot by a fan who then
Jessica Chastain on Preparing for ‘Zero Dark Thirty’
Even though Jessica Chastain is portraying a real person in the new film, Zero Dark Thirty, she didn’t have the opportunity to meet her.
Matthew McConaughey on His Recent Acclaimed Roles: “I want to do something that I look at, that I’m excited about, that I’m actually scared of”
If any of the approximately seventy-nine hundred film societies gave out an annual award for “Most Risky Actor,” Matthew McConaughey would easily take the top prize.
Bradley Cooper on ‘Silver Linings’ and What He’s Learned After 10 Years as an Actor
His new film, Silver Linings Playbook, is quickly gaining attention as a standout in part because of Cooper’s humorous portrayal of a man dealing with being bipolar. But Cooper isn’t getting on his high horse yet.