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Post by architect on Dec 22, 2011 0:32:11 GMT -5
Anil Kapoor Talks to Flicks & Bits F&B: How was it playing this larger-than-life, fun loving, flamboyant billionaire? I can imagine that being fun.
Anil Kapoor: It was great. Brij Nath, he’s a telecom tycoon billionaire from Mumbai, India. He loves life, he loves hosting big parties, he loves people, he loves entertaining them, he loves feeding them, getting them drunk, these are all the external parts of Brij. He’s a self-mad man, he has become what he’s become because of hard work, sincerity and dedication – he’s proud to be who he is. He is so flamboyant and so loud, but he doesn’t realise. He’s socially…..not how he should be (laughs), but he doesn’t realise it. There’s a certain kind of innocence in him which is very endearing. His love for women, he actually believes…which is what I felt when I was doing the character, he feels like he’s so charming, so good looking, that any woman in the world would fall in love with him. He’s feels like he’s so rich, he’s got everything, why wouldn’t a woman want to be with him (laughs)? “She says no to me?” Even if she says no to me I’m going to convince her, I’m gonna seduce her,” that the way he feels (laughs).
F&B: Was Brij inspired by anyone, how did you build him up?
Anil Kapoor: I met the writers of the film, Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec, and Andre’s married to an Indian girl, her grandfathers name is Brij Nath, so the name came from there. The character was inspired by a billionaire from India, well of course he’s not as bad as the way I project myself in this film, but I took a lot of characteristics from him, his name is Vijay Mallya. So I spoke to him twice, I met him earlier, but I wanted to really observe him. At that time he was very busy, so what I did was I spoke to his assistant, I spoke to his friends. His friends gave me a book which was a compilation of photos, pictures, all the things his friends over the years had to written to him on his 50th birthday. So there was details of what kind of person he is, how he has helped people, how he has come up, the kind of parties he gives, the cars he has, the way he travels, his aircrafts, private jets, his fondness of earrings, the way he looks after himself, the three phones, everything, everything was there in that book. So I studied that book and I also read a book on Ted Turner, I’m a great fan of Ted Turner and what he has done to media, from where he started and how he’s built his empire of CNN. That book was also very fascinating for me. He’s had an epic life, I took a lot from him also.
F&B: How was it for you working with Tom Cruise?
Anil Kapoor: What can I say about Tom Cruise? All of the world look up to him, people are inspired by him. And I’m not saying this because I had the opportunity to work with him, I mean it, I mean it sincerely. All the actors, all my colleagues in India, we really look up to him. There is a saying in India, whenever you see a cool guy, or a good-looking person with a little bit of substance, we say, “What do you think, you think your Tom Cruise?” (Laughs) These are lines that are used in films and in real life, even amongst my friends, I’ll be like, “You think you’re Tom Cruise?” When you starts using these lines, and you have someone who becomes an icon, who’s become larger than life, that’s the kind of impact he has all around the world. For me to work with him was fantastic, he‘s a great guy.
F&B: This franchise is huge all around the world, what was it like for you becoming a part of it?
Anil Kapoor: I loved it. It’s one of the coolest franchises ever to come on screen. I have seen all of them, umpteen times. And I feel that this becomes very very special, not because I’ve come here (laughs), but I really feel like this is the most exciting, entertaining, best “Mission: Impossible” ever made. ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol’ is really the best one for me. And again, I’m not just saying that because I’m in it (laughs), I sincerely mean it. We’re very proud of it. SOURCE
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Post by architect on Dec 22, 2011 0:36:44 GMT -5
Anil Kapoor on Balancing Bollywood and Hollywood After more than 100 films and a three-decade-long career, Anil Kapoor, 51, is one of India's most popular and respected stars in Bollywood. Following his international breakout with 2009's Slumdog Millionaire, Kapoor continued his crossover success with appearances in Fox’s 24. Now, with a plum role in the Tom Cruise tentpole Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Kapoor’s international profile is about to reach the next level. With Ghost Protocol opening the Dubai International Film Festival, Kapoor spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about how he balances two worlds while battling jet lag.
THR: So has it turned out the way you wanted?
AK: Of course. After my appearance in the season finale of 24, I told my agent that the next thing I would like to do is a big studio film and that's what happened. Nothing could be bigger than a huge franchise like Mission: Impossible with big names like Tom Cruise, JJ Abrams and Brad Bird. In my Hollywood career so far, I have done an independent film (Slumdog Millionaire), a major TV show (24) and a major studio franchise (Mission: Impossible).
THR: Did you draw on your Indian acting experience for your character Brij Nath in Mission: Impossible?
AK: Yes I did draw a bit from my Indian acting experience but of course, there were other references too from real life. I just went and had a lot of fun. Brij Nath also has an element of fun and innocence in his character. The idea is to entertain.
THR: Was the size of your role and screen time in MI4 an issue?
AK: Honestly, just being part of a major international franchise is an honor in itself. In India you would call it a guest appearance. And that's a great challenge that you have to do your best in a limited time. I have been a leading man all my life and entire films have revolved around me.
THR: Since you and Tom Cruise are major stars in your respective industries, what kind of notes did you exchange?
AK: I met Tom for the first time during the 2009 Golden Globes (when Slumdog Millionaire won) and then we met in Prague when he was shooting for MI4. I had gone there to meet the crew and discuss my role. As for comparing both of us as two professionals, my take is that in Hollywood I have no baggage considering what I can and cannot do in India (given my position). I think his visit to India (to promote MI4 in early December) was great because he told me that he has wanted to visit the country for a while now. India is now an important market for Hollywood as business is growing so it was good timing that a major star like Tom Cruise came to promote the film.
THR: How have you managed to balance your two worlds of Hollywood and Bollywood?
AK: I divide time between my homes in LA and Mumbai. The only thing that has changed is that be it LA or Mumbai, I am always awake between 3 am and 6 am thanks to jet lag! That's the only thing I have to get over. Full Article
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Post by architect on Dec 22, 2011 23:05:04 GMT -5
Paula Patton on her Dream Role AB: How did it feel to star in M1:4
PP: Getting this role was a dream come true, I never thought I’d be in Mission Impossible - I’ve always been a fan of them since the very first one.
The truth is I had an audition for this role, it didn’t just come to me. I said [to my friends] ‘I’m never going to get the role, they’re not going hire me.’ But it went well, everyone did a screen test with Tom Cruise, and then two weeks later the director and one of the producers called me at home - which is a very rare thing, normally your agent tells you - and they said you’re going to be our Jane Carter. Even right I have to pinch myself! It’s unreal to me.
AB: How did you find working with Tom?
PP: Working with Tom Cruise was an honour because I’ve always admired his acting, he always plays a different character and he always he does such an incredible job. But what really blew me away was how nice he is, he’s so compassionate and he sees everyone as an equal. It’s not just about him, he wants everyone to do a great job and to shine.
He is also one of the hardest-working men I have ever encountered. The moment you feel tired you think, ‘well Tom is still going and he is fine, so get it together’.
AB: How did you prepare for the role?
PP: When I got the job I had just had my child, so you can imagine I wasn’t quite in shape. I was athletic as a child but not to this level, so I was lucky they still hired me.
I had to do two and half hours of physical training every day with a stunt coordinator, so I learned various martial arts, boxing, all kinds of things. He showed me things that a woman of my stature could do. At the beginning though I was going to die. It was the most grueling thing in the world. Sometimes I would just go to my room and cry.
AB: So you did your own stunts?
PP: Yes. There is something about seeing the actor do their own stunts which is so compelling for an audience. Even for me, when I go to the movies I love to know the actor is really doing it.
And at the end of the day, it was really empowering for a woman who had just had a baby. At the beginning I was like, ‘What have I signed myself up for?’ But then I was very grateful. SOURCE
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Post by architect on Dec 22, 2011 23:07:18 GMT -5
Paula Patton - Mission Accomplished AS a young girl, Paula Patton loved to play make-believe, pretending to be a myriad of different people as she would dance around her house adorned in her mother’s clothes.
“I wanted to be a princess. I wanted to be glamorous,” recalls the 35-year-old native Californian sitting comfortably in a suite inside a posh Beverly Hills Hotel. “I would put on performances for my brother and his friends. There were some domestic things around our house that weren’t so easy and so pretending to be somebody else was a good escape. I got to live another storyline that wasn’t my life.”
Inside the world’s tallest building, the Burj in Dubai, Patton got her wish. Filming Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, she plays Jane Carter, a spy for the IMF, and in this particular scene, she is lying down flat on the floor. Both hands are grabbing a hold of Jeremy Renner’s leg, which in turn is holding on to Tom Cruise, who just happens to be dangling out the window over 100 stories above the ground. Unlike her co-stars who are harnessed in, Patton’s only protection is a piece of cloth wrapped around her ankle that is being held by a stunt coordinator.
Isn’t that taking pretending a bit too far? “I am so competitive,” she laughs. “Tom is so fearless and I just felt that I could do this. As the scene progressed, I found myself closer and closer to the edge. At one point, I was so close to the window I could actually see Tom over the edge. My adrenaline was pumping and I was just in the moment. Afterwards, I just asked myself what the hell I was doing?”
“I was so excited,” Patton remembers. “I went to Paramount and shot a screen test with Tom, who is the hardest worker I have ever seen. His enthusiasm bleeds down to everyone working around him. Anyway, we shot this scene in full make-up, costumes and lighting and while I thought it went well, I had to wait to see.”
As history would show, the chemistry was perfect and five days later Patton received a call from Brad Bird and J.J. Abrams saying she had landed the part. While professionally this was an amazing opportunity, personally it meant making some family decisions, packing up her five-month-old son Julian and relocating to Dubai, Prague and Vancouver.
The location that made the biggest impression was Dubai. “I grew up in America and I had never been to the Middle East before,” she adds. It was such an incredible eye opening experience to be over there. It truly opened my heart and my mind and I saw a whole new way of living,” she says.
Multi-tasking a career and a home life can be taxing but Patton dismisses any conflict. Being a mother has been the impossible mission that she has overcome in her own life. “It is difficult, but has turned out to be the most empowering and gratifying experience of my life." SOURCE
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Post by architect on Dec 22, 2011 23:10:28 GMT -5
Flicks & Bits Interviews Paula Patton F&B: How was it to get this part? There’s many sides to Jane Carter, she’s incredibly fierce but at the same time vulnerable.
Paula Patton: Jane Carter is a really interesting woman, like you said, she’s very fierce and strong, and yet she’s vulnerable and feminine. When you meet her, she’s experienced a loss, and then a failure, and she has to right these wrongs. She is pretty complex. Honestly, when I heard about this movie it wasn’t an offer, I had to audition for it, and I remember when my agents called me and said that they’d like me to come in and read. I thought, “Don’t waste my time, there’s no way!” I’d always loved Mission Impossible, but I never thought in a million years that they were gonna hire me (laughs). But then they kept calling, they kept telling me, “They’d really like you to come in and read.” So I finally relented and I did, then a day later they said they’d like me to do a screen-test with Tom Cruise, then a few days later Brad Bird and J.J. Abrams called me to say, “Your Jane Carter.” All I knew was that Jane Carter was the female lead, and she was a very fierce woman, so that was all I really needed to hear to want to do it (laughs). I just didn’t believe that I would get it so it’s kind of a dream.
F&B: You have a great fight scene with Léa Seydoux, how was that to do?
Paula Patton: It was such a challenge, but really fun. We both really wanted it to look real because these are two real super-spies. We wanted the action to look as honest as possible. So with that we done all our own stunts, because I think it makes it that much more enjoyable for the audience to see the actors really do those stunts. I dunno, I just think it takes it up a notch. So it took a lot of time, it was very challenging, with rehearsals, making sure that it looked effortless and not too choreographed. We had a really great trainer and stunt co-ordinator in Rob Alonzo, who showed us moves that a woman could do that were strong and fierce, but still allowed us to be women. And that’s what I loved, I loved that I got to play this character who’s so strong, but she doesn’t have to be like a man to pull it off.
F&B: Who’d win in a real fight?
Paula Patton: (Laughs) Okay, Léa, I’m sorry, we’ll definitely have another fight about this, but I would win – because I’m scrappy (laughs)!
F&B: With someone like Tom Cruise, he’s been at a certain level for so long now, what was it like working with him?
Paula Patton: It’s incredible, it’s a dream come true to work with him. He’s an actor I’ve always admired, I’ve always been blown away by the variety of his roles. You have ’Born on the Fourth of July,’ then ’Jerry Maguire,’ then ’Magnolia,’ and then a comedy like ’Tropic Thunder.’ Tom tries anything, he’s so fearless and he always does an incredible job. But what really was a surprise, and a pleasant surprise at that, was that he was just an even better human being; he’s so kind, so gracious, he has such a great heart. He’s the kind of person that he’ll be in a room and he’ll notice the one person who wasn’t happy, and he’d be like, “Hey, what’s going on?” And also he wants everyone to look and be great in the movie, not just himself, he always wanted to make sure that Simon Pegg, myself, Jeremy Renner, everyone shined. For that I’m very very grateful. SOURCE
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Post by architect on Dec 22, 2011 23:13:51 GMT -5
Paula Patton's Impossible Mission? Keeping up with Tom Cruise WSJ: What was it like working with Tom Cruise?
PP: He’s an incredible producer as well as actor for this franchise. And because he’s willing to do these death-defying stunts like you see in our film like on the Burj Khalifa, and he does it with a smile on his face. It’s pretty incredible. The ability he has to become a different person is really amazing. He’s one of the great actors of our time. So when you are a newbie like myself you relish the opportunity to work with someone like that because it will only make you better. To finally get to know him as a human being, he’s such a generous person and so willing to share the spotlight and to make sure all of us shine in the film.
WSJ: Did you do your own stunts?
PP: I did, I knew that Tom did all his own, and I’m pretty competitive so I thought I have to do my own too. Of course I didn’t quite know what I was getting myself into. I was always athletic as a child but this was something I had never experienced before. It required two and a half hours of physical defense training everyday from capoeira to martial arts to boxing to kickboxing. I had a great trainer who wanted to make sure I was versed in many styles of physical defense and he also showed me things I could do as a woman of my stature to take on the biggest guy in the room. If you are smart and have your wits about you and you know where to strike you can handle any situation and that was very empowering for me once I got through the pain of it.
WSJ: Were all of your stunts choreographed for you?
PP: I had a great trainer. He taught me several styles because there is always room for human error. Even when you are working with an actor, they may say a different line then you were expecting and you have to react off of it and sometimes those can be your best takes. He prepared me and trained me so I could protect myself. So yes, there were choreographed scenes and then you have to be in the moment so the off thing that you or someone else might try, it’s a very fragile thing. Of course you are coming close to hitting someone’s body but you can’t actually hit it. But you want it to look as improvisational as possible so the audience believes it is happening.
WSJ: How long did you train for?
PP: I trained for two months before shooting the film.
WSJ: Were you familiar with the history of “Mission: Impossible,” including the 1960s TV show?
PP: You know I never watched a single TV show. “Mission: Impossible” was new to me with the first movie that Tom did and I loved all three of them.
WSJ: This was Brad Bird’s live-action film debut. What was it like having him direct you?
PP: He had to direct the actors that are in the room delivering the dialogue for the animation. I really felt safe in his hands. This man is a genius – he created the whole world of “The Incredibles.” He wrote it, he imagined it, he designed they way the people talked and the costumes, this is a man who knows what he wants and as an actor you can only ask that from a director. He is very calm but yet very decisive.
WSJ: Was there a particular piece of direction you found surprising?
PP: You know sometimes as actors you languish in the moment and take our time. He explained in each scene the way things should sound and that there should be a musicality to the dialogue, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, sometimes there should be a beat to it all. But most important you have to entertain the people and I never want to forget that. Without an audience you don’t have a movie. And yes, there are these moments when you want to feel the moment but that may not be most interesting way to do the scene.
WSJ: Your character is driven by revenge, a powerful emotion but not always the most efficient one.
PP: When you play a character and touch in on those things – it worked for her. But in my personal life revenge is not a good thing. I think that forgiveness is most important because your greatest revenge is to have peace in your heart with anything. I’m not a vengeful person but it does sell a movie quite well and it’s fun to watch. SOURCE
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Post by architect on Dec 22, 2011 23:48:02 GMT -5
Paula Patton Does things in Cars Many moviegoers will recognize Paula Patton from her role as the inspiring lesbian schoolteacher Ms. Rain in the Oscar-winning film Precious (2009). But those of us in the know—meaning, we die-hard aficionados of the African-American romantic-comedy genre—spotted her early on in movies like Hitch (2005) and followed her into Just Wright (2010) and Jumping the Broom (2011). This week, the gorgeous Paula takes her talents into the realm of the action thriller, in all its IMAX glory, with a starring role opposite Tom Cruise and Jeremy Renner in the latest (and impossibly punctuated) installment of the M.I. franchise, Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol. Also starring in the movie is an extremely sexy BMW concept car, the (also grammatically irregular) Vision EfficientDynamics coupe. Since we interviewed this handsome car, now known as the i8, last week for Stick Shift, we thought it would be wise to sit down with the charming Paula as well. Highlights of our conversation:
GQ: Hot cars have always been a big part of the Mission Impossible franchise. So in Ghost Protocol, did you get to drive anything cool?
PP: I didn’t get to drive—Tom was doing the driving, and I was the passenger. And I’ve got to tell you, besides being an incredible actor, he’s also a great stuntman. I mean, this man can drive a car! There were moments when we’d have to stop within, literally, a foot of the camera, and he’d be going at it full speed, and I’d be in the car going [inhales sharply and holds breath]. I’d think, He won’t kill me. There’s no way Tom Cruise can kill me, right? I mean, isn’t that like a safety net? Tom Cruise is driving? My heart was in my stomach, but he always came through. He was always right on the spot. GQ: What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to you in a car?
PP: [Laughs.] Well, that I can’t tell you. QG: O.K., what’s the second weirdest thing that’s ever happened to you in a car?
PP: I’ve done many things in a car to make a man happy. And myself. [Laughs.] It might be the car scene I do in Mission Impossible. It was quite difficult, because I have to do a sort of Flashdance clothing change in the car. We’re on our way to our next mission, and I’m in this huge green ball gown, and we have to get to our next place where I have to do a lot of physical activity. I’ll tell you, changing in a car while it’s speeding through the streets of Mumbai is quite a challenge. GQ: Are you actually changing your clothes in the car?
PP: Absolutely. They had to make a special ball gown for that scene with a little bit of Velcro in the back or it would have taken far too long. People would have been like, “This movie is going on forever—it’s suddenly become a slow foreign picture.” So we had to do, like, the stripper breakaway. Rip, rip, rip. Here I am, let’s go. SOURCE
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Post by roxthefox on Dec 23, 2011 1:07:40 GMT -5
Lol, everytime I hear 'Mission Accomplish', I can't help but chuckle. My favorite part in the movie.
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Post by architect on Dec 23, 2011 22:16:36 GMT -5
" MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!"
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Post by architect on Dec 23, 2011 22:20:33 GMT -5
Simon Pegg Talks to NY Mag NY: After having worked with people like Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg, Sigourney Weaver ... is there still anyone that you've been starstruck to meet?
Pegg: Everybody! Meeting Sigourney Weaver for me and Nick was like meeting the Queen. We were almost bowing to her when she came on set [for the movie Paul], and pretty soon, we noticed that she was sitting off on her own in one of the actor's chairs and we realized that she's still just the person who's come onto a new set and doesn't know anyone and feels a little intimidated, and that puts you at ease. It's a joy to find that the people you admire are the people you hoped they would be, and I can't think of a single person I've met in this job who I've been disappointed by. Tom Cruise, not least, is a fantastic person, and I feel quite privileged to be party to the real him, and not the him that people have opinions of and make stuff up about. In fact, all the myths about Tom Cruise are generally dispelled when you meet him: He's not short. He never talks about his beliefs, and there are no [Scientology] tents on-set. Him and his missus get on really sweet, and their kid is lovely and a really unprecocious little girl. It's just nice to prick all that bullshit that you come up against, you know?
NY: Correct me if I'm wrong, but is Ghost Protocol the first time in your film career that you've gotten the chance to revisit a character you've already played?
Pegg: Yes, I think it is, actually! I mean, I'm going to play Scotty again in the Star Trek sequel, but Benji is not a character I ever envisioned playing again. I didn't realize that (a) we'd be doing another Mission: Impossible, and (b) Benji would have such an expanded role. So it's been a treat to return to a character and have him evolve slightly. In this film, we definitely have Benji 2.0. It's hard for me to look at Mission: Impossible III and think that it's the same character, because he's really changed.
NY: At what point did you learn how expanded your role would be in this one?
Pegg: Well, J.J. and myself often used to talk about the possibility of Benji being an agent — it was something we used to joke about when we got together. As is J.J.'s way, I just got an e-mail [about the bigger role] one morning, and J.J. always cuts to the quick. He's not one of those people who has his people speak to your people; if he wants you to do something, he'll phone or e-mail you, and Star Trek and both Mission: Impossible movies were all brought to me by J.J. personally. I still remember when I received an e-mail one morning saying, "Do you want to be Scotty?" Clearly, he'd been casting for a while and hadn't found the right person and thought, Aw, fuck it, I'll just give it to Pegg. [Laughs.] SOURCE
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Post by architect on Dec 23, 2011 22:26:24 GMT -5
Simon Pegg Talks to Moviehole MH: Nice to be asked back for ”Mission : Impossible : Ghost Protocol”? Glad Benji didn’t self-destruct?
Pegg: Absolutely. We always joked about it, that perhaps Benji would appear again in another film and maybe his participation would be upgraded to Benji 2.0 – action Benji. I didn’t know it would happen, it was always just something J.J [Abrams, Producer] and myself would joke about in a sort of whimsical way. And then suddenly he gave me the go. I was immediately onboard.
MH: Quite a feat, man, especially because Benji is one of the few returning characters that comes back…
Pegg: Yes, Benji and Luther Stickell [Ving Rhame's character]. Luther has obviously been in every one of them . This is my second.
MH: One more than Jean Reno. Was it exciting getting to be ‘Action Benji’?
Pegg: Yeah, and we did it in a very clever way in the writing. We were careful not to have Benji go to super action hero straight away. It’s been four or five years since the third one so between that time Benji would’ve trained as an agent – but he wouldn’t be a level four agent like Ethan [Hunt] is. He’d be like level two.. probably level one actually; he’s only on his second or third mission so yes has the skills, he can handle a weapon, he can look after himself but he’s still really the tech guy.
MH: Can’t imagine dangling off a building would be much fun. Tell me about Tom’s big scene?
Pegg: I wasn’t actually involved on the day they were filming the stuff outside, but I did go up and see because I wanted to see Tom [Cruise]doing it. It was so high up! And there Tom is running around like a little spider outside! Nutcase he is! [Laughs] He was just grinning all the way through it.
MH: He lives for the thrill, by the sound. The sequence looks a treat. The IMAX looks great…
Pegg: And I made sure Brad [Bird, Director] always said ‘IMAXaction’ instead of ‘Action’ when he had the IMAX camera going. It was Brad’s idea that the film be shot partly in IMAX and I think it really pans out because those scenes where the camera’s used are really huge and vast, and particularly when you watch it in IMAX it’s dizzying at times. SOURCE
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Post by architect on Dec 23, 2011 22:30:28 GMT -5
Simon Pegg: From Zombie Bait to Friend of Cruise It was after the completion of “Shaun of the Dead” that Pegg was asked whether he would be abandoning the British film indusry, presumably for a bigger slice of the Hollywood dream. Legend has it that Pegg deadpanned, “It’s not like I’m going to run off and do ‘Mission: Impossible III!’”
Well the actor (also a writer, film producer and a director) had spoken too soon. The following year, there was Pegg, all cushy in a lab role as an I.M.F. technician playing opposite Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise in “Mission: Impossible III,” which came out in 2006.
This, Pegg reprises the role of Benji Dunn in the upcoming “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” making him the only actor from the series other than Cruise and Ving Rhames to appear in more than one of the films.
Pegg says, “I think there’s a reason why it’s called ‘Ghost Protocol’ and not ‘Mission: Impossible IV’ because it felt to me almost like the beginning of a new chapter in the story of Ethan Hunt (Cruise).” According to Pegg, “[Ethan] finds himself out in the field in a situation where he’s not been before, where he’s teamed up with people that he doesn’t even know and doesn’t necessarily like.”
Characteristically, he also quips, “[It’s] kind of almost like a family drama.” And this dysfunctional dynamic within the new team, he adds, is what “tends to overshadow the bigger threat in the film, which is global annihilation.”
But Hunt isn’t the only character that goes on a transformation of sorts. “I think the film also represents a new chapter in Benji’s life,” Pegg enthuses. “When we last saw him he was a lab guy… And when J.J. [Abrams, one of the producers, along with Cruise] said, ‘What if Benji took the field exam and became an agent?’ I was like, ‘Absolutely!’ (laughs).”
“He still has that puppy-ish enthusiasm of the new guy,” he says, “[and] as much as [Ethan] likes Benji, he doesn’t actually want to spend a huge amount of time with him; but Benji is like, ‘I’m working with Ethan Hunt!’”
As far as the action goes in “Ghost Protocol,” Pegg notes that while CGI is “a medium that offers so much,” it is also something that can be overused.”You can pretty much do anything these days but what I think Tom was at pains to do with this one was make sure the physical aspects of the film were there."
Cruise, of course, is known to do his stunts for the “Mission” movies. “Yes he did hang off the Burj Khalifa. I was there and we were higher up than a helicopter would fly, it was scarily high,” Pegg relates. “Tom spent like two days running around on the outside of that building. I don’t have any problem with heights but I was like, ‘I cannot look...’ It made your stomach drop…”
Mid this year, Pegg released the book called “Nerd Do Well,” which chronicles his life from his geeky childhood with a “Star Wars” obsession to actually working with Steven Spielberg [in this year’s “The Adventures of Tintin”]. “Working with Steven Spielberg, a guy who has inspired me my whole life, you come to set and you do your job and you don’t get silly, but there is still room to jump up and down in the corridor when you’ve finished your day’s work,” he says, amused.
“I found a stand up routine the other day that I’d done in 1989, a friend had recorded on his video camera, and I was talking about Spielberg and making jokes about ‘Close Encounters’ and Sigourney Weaver… all these people that I’ve now worked with and become friends with. So the thrill of being on a film like ‘Ghost Protocol’ is never lost to me,” he shares.
“And even now when I consider Tom a friend, a guy that I can actually relax with, if he emails me or something, I’m still really excited. I’ll show Maureen, my wife, and I’ll go like, ‘Look, it’s an email from Tom Cruise!’” SOURCE
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Post by architect on Dec 23, 2011 22:34:08 GMT -5
Simon Pegg Trades Comedy for Action Arabian Business: You’re known for your comedy: how was the switch to an action film?
Simon Pegg: I think comedy in a film of this kind is very important. It’s so tense and so exciting that the comedy lets you breathe and enables you to relax a little bit. Otherwise it would be incredibly exhausting to watch this film if there was no laughter. It would just be tiring because it is so relentlessly action-packed. I think Brad Bird pitches it very carefully so it happens when it should happen, and when it’s time for something serious and scary the comedy takes a back seat.
AB: Did you enjoy working with Tom?
Pegg: I think my relationship with Tom is very similar to Benji’s with Ethan. Benji sees Ethan Hunt and he thinks, ‘wow he’s such a cool guy’. Benji feels very privileged to work with him, and I feel like that with Tom. He is a great guy, a fantastic actor and a big movie star, and I get quite star struck around him.
AB: How much would you have to be paid to do Tom’s Burj Khalifa stunts?
Pegg: I think as long as Tom Cruise is working, I don’t have to do stunts like that. He is such a professional and he dedicates himself 100 percent to everything he does. I do as well, but as for that kind of thing, I’m glad he did it and not me. I was with him up there when he did it, and it’s very, very high. I would be terrified. I wouldn’t do it without a significant pay increase.
AB: Has your net-worth gone up after starring in MI:4?
Pegg: I don’t ever really think about things like that. I couldn’t possibly say. I do have life insurance but I’m sure it’s no greater than yours or anyone else’s.
AB: As a writer, would you have consider working on the MI:4 script?
Pegg: Sometimes it’s nice to just go and read someone else’s lines, and if you trust the people who are writing and producing as I do with JJ [Abrams] and the guys who wrote the film, it’s nice not to have that responsibility.
I also like to write my own stuff. With Mission Impossible it feels like it should be written by someone else.
AB: Would you consider working with Brad Bird again?
Pegg: I’d love to. I love Brad’s style. When hiring him for this film, JJ and Tom realized that it doesn’t matter if it’s animation or real life, it’s still about pace and composition and staging of action, and Brad can do that really well. I would love to a voice in a Brad Bird animation, ‘The Incredibles’ is up there as one of my favourite films. So I’d be there in a heartbeat. SOURCE
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Post by architect on Dec 23, 2011 22:37:39 GMT -5
Simon Says: Ghost Protocol Q: So . . . "Ghost Protocol." Any zombies?
Pegg: No, it's far too fast for zombies. They would be left behind in the dust.
Q: Literally -- I saw the movie's IMAX dust storm. My eyes are still stinging.
Pegg: Yeah, it was pretty fantastic. I remember when we were shooting that stuff, and the crew and [star] Tom [Cruise] and everyone were just breathing it in. I think it was like wood splintered into tiny atomized pieces, and everyone was just coughing for days.
Q: You'd think they would have used CGI, especially given [director] Brad Bird's familiarity with it .
Pegg: It was very important, I think, to Brad Bird and Tom that things were real. There's a thing nowadays with CGI [in that] it does enable us to do pretty much anything and remove the jeopardy from certain situations, and viewers] just think, "Oh, it's been done with computers." Whereas if it's done for real, there's still that presence you can get from actual physical things happening. I think that's why they used real dust and why Tom dangled off that building.
Q: By "dangled off that building," you're referring to Cruise, himself, doing wirework stunts 2,700 feet up -- well over half a mile in the air -- at the Burj Khalifa Tower in Dubai. We've all seen the photographs of him doing it, but . . . really? Seriously?
Pegg: Yes! I mean, obviously, the safety measures were rigorous because we had a lot more of the film to shoot, so if he fell it would have been a disaster for many reasons. But, yeah, he did it -- and he did it with a great big smile on his face! It was awe-inspiring to watch. I went up there to check it all out, and it was kind of a hive of silent industry. There were all the stunt [coordinators] with the harnesses and stuff and Tom just out there having the time of his life running around on the outside of the tallest building in the world.
Q: I have a quote from you that sounds too good to be true: Did you actually once say, when someone asked if you were going to leave England and go Hollywood, "Well, it's not like I'm going to go do 'Mission: Impossible III'!"
Pegg: It's true. The British press can be quite sort of possessive and get annoyed at you if you show any signs of leaving. They consider Hollywood the pinnacle of success, but at the same time they see it as a betrayal, in some respects. I always liked saying, "Oh, I'm not going to just go away and be in some blockbuster," and the blockbuster I picked was this imaginary "Mission: Impossible III." And six months later, I get a call from J.J. Abrams saying "Would you like to be in 'Mission: Impossible III'?"
Q: Do you even remember making that comment, or to whom?
Pegg: No, but I was reminded of it later. That was the world telling me to not be so full of myself.
Q: Well, hey, it's not like you're going to go off and do "Star Trek 2." Oh, wait . . . ! SOURCE
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Post by architect on Dec 23, 2011 22:39:31 GMT -5
Simon Pegg talks to Flicks & Bits F&B: Benji was featured in ‘Mission Impossible 3,’ helping Ethan Hunt out from the lab. He’s now in the thick of the action as a field agent.
Simon Pegg: We had this idea that maybe after he helped Ethan navigate Shanghai and save his wife, he felt like the lab had no longer anything to offer him, and he applied to be a field agent. When we join him in ‘Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol,’ he’s actually out in the field doing exciting agent stuff. Benji brings a certain amount of light-heartedness, enthusiasm, certainly he’s a bit of a puppy (laughs), he’s very excited to work with his hero Ethan Hunt. And also he’s got the technical skills and know-how when it comes to computers and gadgets and stuff like that. I wanted Benji to be a credible agent, with the idea of him stepping out of the lab and training very hard to make the grade, you can’t just be an IMF agent without going through some pretty horrendous training I would imagine. So I worked with the stunt coordinator, Rob Alonzo, we did a lot of fight training, I hit the gym, I changed my diet – I got into it.
F&B: This movie certainly ups the ante with the action and espionage thrills, but I also really enjoyed the humour in the film….
Simon Pegg: I think it’s incredibly necessary to the enjoyment of the film, otherwise it becomes very dower and exhausting to watch. Mortal peril for 120 minutes, that’s actually pretty tiring. If you puncture that with light-heartedness you get a breather, and you get a chance of enjoying the jeopardy rather than just be terrified by it. And that’s a very, interestingly, delicate balance to strike. I think our director Brad Bird is a master of that. He knows when to be funny and when not to be, you only have to look at a film like ‘The Incredibles,’ which has moments of genuine terror, jeopardy and then warmth, he’s very very good at mixing it up. Benji’s attitude, he’s British, so he has a very dry sense of humour to everything, which a lot of us do. In any situation he’s perhaps not quite as serious as the others, that’s how he copes with fear and danger. He makes light of things.
F&B: I can imagine this film being a lot of fun to shoot, how did you find doing some of the stunts? I know you didn’t get to hang off the Burj Khalifa, you still got involved though.
Simon Pegg: (Laughs) I ran down some metal stairs, which wasn’t as easy as it sounds, because I did it 15 times (laughs). I think anyone who does anything that isn’t hanging off the tallest building in the world, they just have to shut and stop complaining (laughs). It was enormous fun, it was 7 months of my life globe-trotting and hanging out with Tom Cruise, Paula Patton, Brad Bird, Jeremy Renner, a lot of great people. Also our hugely interesting global cast in Léa Seydoux, Anil Kapoor, Vladimir Mashkov, Samuli Edelmann, Michael Nyqvist – who’s such a great actor. It was fun everyday
F&B: What was it like working alongside Tom Cruise in this film in particular?
Simon Pegg: Tom is great, it’s very easy and predictable for a fellow cast-mate to say that about someone, but I love Tom, he’s brilliant fun. It’s a real pleasure to sort of get through that thicket of nonsense that surrounds him. There’s a lot said about Tom, a lot written about Tom, it’s almost all completely untrue. When you meet the man he’s just a very dedicated, fun guy. He utterly sets the bar for the other actors. He gives it 100%, never not less than 100%. You have to match that, otherwise your gonna disappear off the screen. He’s an inspiration.
F&B: How was Brad Bird? I know you’ve said how much of a fan of his work you were before shooting ‘Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol.’
Simon Pegg: Me and Brad are very similar, we have very similar interests. We’re both kind of movie nerds, we both like the same stuff. Yes, he’s won two Oscars, yes he made ‘The Iron Giant,’ ‘Ratatouille’ and ‘The Incredibles,’ but he also ran ‘The Simpsons’ for 7 years – which is one of my favourite shows of all time. To be able to work with someone I have such an affinity with, and such a kind of kinship, it was a joy. SOURCE
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