Michael Sheen: Interview with 'New Moon' star on fitting in with the cast
Michael Sheen is best known for his roles as Tony Blair in The Queen and David Frost in Frost/Nixon. So it was a bit of a surprise that this serious actor, with a great ability to transform completely into real-life characters, would want a role in the frothy Twilight series. EW.com chatted with Sheen about his New Moon experience.
What made you want to sign on to this project?
I knew about the whole Twilight thing, primarily through my daughter, who’s 11 and is a big fan of the books. She’s read the books many, many times. And I knew how much people got into them. These weren’t just books you read. She was really into it. That was my introduction to it. I read the scripts and the book myself and saw the first film. And I thought it was a wonderful story and a great character. And then [director] Chris Weitz sent me a really lovely letter. It was a terrific thing to get involved with.
What was your daughter’s reaction to your playing Aro?
It was a whole mixture of things. She was very excited to think I was going to be a part of this, but she also thought her father was taking over something that was hers. But she got over that pretty quickly and was in the end just excited about going to the premiere really.
That’s what it all boiled down to, her chance to meet Robert Pattinson?
Yes, but actually her favorite is Ashley Greene.
Ashley spoke very highly of her time working with you.
She’s lovely. They all were very nice but they kind of treated me like an elderly uncle. (Read full post)
Ashley Greene: Interview with 'New Moon's' Alice Cullen
Nothing like a role in Twilight to break you into show business. That’s the case for Ashley Greene, who had spent most of her time in Hollywood as a hostess in an L.A. restaurant prior to her fame-making role as Alice Cullen. The Floridian native just finishing touring the country in support of New Moon and she’ll start filming the horror film Apparition in Berlin in February. We chatted with Greene days before New Moon started breaking records.
Are the reactions to Twilight the same all around the country?
I was impressed in Chicago, actually. Chicago was really, really intense and loud and I think it was one of the bigger responses that we had. But there’s always a lot of people, a lot of passion, a lot of screaming, a lot of crying. So really it’s all measured in terms of how deep the screaming goes.
Was it much different than last year?
I guess it’s more intense. I’m much more comfortable with this whole thing. I didn’t really know what to expect at all when I first got into it. It was my first gig, and so it was a little crazy and I was really nervous. (Read full post)
Anna Kendrick talks 'New Moon' fever and George Clooney
Anna Kendrick plays Bella’s human friend Jessica in the Twilight series, EW spoke with the 24-year-old actress about how the New Moon craziness compares with Twilight, and being teased by George Clooney – yup, that George Clooney.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: So does the New Moon experience compare to Twilight?
ANNA KENDRICK: It felt a little bit bigger than last year, but ultimately I think it was about as packed as it could have been for Twilight and if there were more people it just meant that they were packed tighter and a little further away. It felt a little bit like déjà vu. But I was a lot less nervous this year.
What’s your most memorable fan encounter?
There was a girl in Vancouver who came up to me in a store and asked me to give something to Taylor the next time that I saw him, and I just said I wasn’t sure the next time I would see him, so I didn’t want to take it. Because I didn’t really know what it was going to be. She said it as though she had it with her, as if she carried it around just in case she ran into a Twilight cast-member on the street. So I was a little too nervous to take it, but I still wonder what it was.
What would you say this role has done for your career?
Obviously this is the most visible thing that I’ve really done, but both Up in the Air [her upcoming film with George Clooney, for which Kendrick is garnering Oscar buzz] and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, I got because of a teeny film called Rocket Science. Both of those directors asked to meet with me because of that film. It’s strange because on the one hand, most people who approach me and know who I am and want to talk to me know me from Twilight, but most filmmakers don’t.
Do you think that Twilight could ever have a negative effect on your career?
I don’t think so. I understand that there is always going to be backlash for something that is really popular. But I think especially because I just play this silly girl, it’s not as though people see me in Twilight and can only think of me as a vampire queen or something.
Tell me about working with George Clooney in Up in the Air.
It was amazing. This year has been really exciting but really stressful in the best kind of way. Working with George was pretty intimidating. He actually teased me about Twilight a lot because I was shooting New Moon at the same time and when I came back from shooting pieces of New Moon, he’d treat me like a traitor when I came back to set.
Photo Credit: Kimberley French
'New Moon' Volturi member Jamie Campbell Bower wants more power
New Moon newcomer Jamie Campbell Bower plays Volturi member Caius. EW spoke with the 21-year-old British actor about what it takes to play a vampire, his craziest fan encounter and what powers he wished his character had.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Tell me about what it’s like entering this crazy phenomenon.
JAMIE CAMPBELL BOWER: Bizarre. You know it’s funny, we go in and do our job and never really expect anything else, as long as you’re happy with what you’ve done that’s all you really want. And then you do a movie where it has such a huge following and it’s definitely not something I was aware of at the time. I mean I knew of it, but it wasn’t something that was at the forefront of my mind or something that I had experienced yet.
Had you seen Twilight before?
I had, yes. I actually wanted to be involved in the first film. And I read the script for the first one and upon reading the script for the first movie I read all the books. So I had seen both the film, read the script and all the books. (Read full post)
'New Moon' villain Dakota Fanning talks about joining the 'Twilight' family
Compared to most of her Twilight: New Moon co-stars, 15-year-old Dakota Fanning — who plays the powerful Volturi Jane — is already an old hand at movie-making. But behind the star of hits like War of the Worlds (2005) and I Am Sam (2001) is a surprisingly normal student at an L.A. high school. On the Monday after New Moon’s record-breaking bow, Fanning made time for a quick pre-class chat with EW about the Twilight phenomenon and the joys of playing a villain.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Where are you right now?
DAKOTA FANNING: I’m at school. I’m hiding from any teacher that would see me on my phone right now. But technically it’s allowed because it’s before school has started.
What’s it like to come back to high school now that the move is out?
That’s my life. That’s what’s normal to me. I don’t really know anything different. I’m really lucky that I get to go to school and have that normal life, whatever that is, and then also get to do what I love to do and be a part of really great projects.
How do you think your classmates will react to the movie? (Read full post)
Charlie Bewley of 'New Moon' on snowboarding, red contact lenses, and close fan encounters in Italy
After spending two years snowboarding in Whistler, Canada, newcomer Charlie Bewley is launching his acting career in a big way. A British expat—he was raised close to Sherwood Forest in Nottingham—Bewley plays the evil Volturi lieutenant Demetri in New Moon.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Have you been recognized more often?
CHARLIE BEWLEY: I don’t think so. Nothing’s really changed for me—I think it’s more of an online buzz right now. I expect maybe before Christmas that everyone would see this movie and if they keep their eyes peeled, they’ll notice me in it. I don’t expect the same adulation as people like, even Kellan [Lutz] or Ashley [Greene]. I think they got the second wave of everything after Taylor, Rob, and Kristen. But it’s still wonderful to be part of. It’s opened many doors for me.
How did you get the part? (Read full post)
Alex Meraz of 'New Moon' talks playing 'bad-boy' Paul, bulking up, and 'Twilight' fandom
These days, Alex Meraz, the 24-year-old actor who plays New Moon’s Paul — the most explosive member of the wolf pack — is washing his hands. As well he should — following New Moon’s giant, record-breaking weekend, the actor is getting recognized more than ever. And that’s quite a change for Meraz, considering his previous work includes small indie flicks, and a small role in 2005’s The New World. The actor took time out of shaking hands to talk to EW about Native Americans in film, working out for the role, and why he’ll never be a diva.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: It’s probably been crazy for you lately, running around to premieres everywhere.
ALEX MERAZ: Yeah, it has been actually. Meeting a lot of fans and shaking a lot of different hands. So there’s been a lot of hand sanitizer.
Were you a fan of the books before you got the role?
No. I didn’t really know what it was. I’d go to Borders in Arizona and see it everywhere, because the writer [Stephenie Meyer] is from there. I remember seeing these pasty hands and a red apple. And I didn’t even know what it was until after it came out and it was [successful]. And then thought, I’d like to try out for the next role.
What about the movie made you want to be a part of the franchise? (Read full post)
'New Moon' wolfpack leader Chaske Spencer on cougars and fainters
Chaske Spencer, the actor who plays wolfpack leader Sam Uley, talked to EW about getting cast, meeting randy Twilight fans, and playing the leader of the pack.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When did all this start for you, and when is it done?
CHASKE SPENCER: It started for me March 5 when I got cast in New Moon, and I don’t know when it’s going to be done. It’s been like a wild ride. We got cast and there was already sort of a buzz about us. As it got closer, you kept feeling the buildup and the buildup, and all of a sudden at the premiere, it just exploded. It was like a rock star moment. This is what we’ve been waiting for. People are telling us our lives are going to change. And they have.
What has been the most memorable fan encounter?
Let me think of PG one. [Laughs] Probably, a fainter. I had a girl faint on me. And then the criers. And then the cougars—the Twi-Moms—always come after us. That’s been very surreal, because we’ve had phone numbers slipped in our back pockets. It’s like we’re The Beatles.
Did you have a sense of what part you wanted when you auditioned?
They had me going out for Jared at first. Any part was fine. I knew it was going to be a huge movie. Next thing I know, they told me I had Sam. When I read the book, I thought more about his character. He’s tragic; he never wanted this—to be the leader of the wolfpack—but that was what he was thrown into.
What’s next for you?
I have my own production company called Urban Dreams. I want to get scripts for movies I want to do or vehicles to star in or direct. Things are rolling. Something hit me last week—we were doing some promos at a Nordstrom. Me and Bronson [Pelletier, a fellow wolf] were riding in a limo, going through Laurel Canyon, on Mulholland Drive. The sun was setting and a really cool song was playing on the radio. We rolled down the window and were like, ‘Wow, this is a good life. I can’t believe we’re in f—ing New Moon.’”
Check back at EW.com all next week for more interviews with the stars of New Moon.
Photo Credit: Kimberley French
Source: EW.comBethDazzled
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