PRISONERS : Media alert/press interviews/ other publicity

[jo]

At the press conference --




It seems Hugh had told the media that his parents had actually met at Interlaken, Switzerland!

[mamaleh]

He must truly have superpowers---how else can he stay so refreshed looking at all these events while traveling all over Europe? Amazing.

Ellen

[jo]

Sue,

I also posted the same link on the FILM ROLE RUMORS thread -- it seems that the original length has been edited from 42 to 27 minutes now, to start only when Hugh et al have arrived. I posted it there because it succeeded an early report on the press conference ( which I first posted on that thread), which gave Hugh's comments on future projects.

Some very good responses from Hugh and the others -- except for that last comment by Melissa about Keller and Holly Jones being basically the same type of character. I wrote about this on the other thread.

I also thought Hugh's metaphor on Denis Villeneuve's directing ability -- the actors and other creatives likened to rivulets with their own particular strong currents, being put in control by the creative hand of the director, as they all merge into the big river) was particularly astute and speaks so well of Hugh's depth. So is his comment that he views his singing and dancing only from an acting perspective. That it is his actor's imagination that lets him do justice to these other talents.


Jo

[klenotka]

Sept 28, 2013 7:52:49 GMT -5 mamaleh said:

He must truly have superpowers---how else can he stay so refreshed looking at all these events while traveling all over Europe? Amazing.

Ellen

Well, it takes about an hour by plane to get from Spain to Switzerland so it is not as difficult as to fly from Australia to UK and to US However, I think he did not see much - just hotel room, press conference rooms and airports. It still must be exhausting, travelling this quickly between three countrie in three days and I can imagine it takes a lots of planning from Hugh´s team

[israruth]

Jo,
I decided not to see the film as I think it would upset me too much but I have been happy to read about the complex plot and deeper themes. I do understand the feelings of those who have not yet seen the movie.

Your tremendous contribution to this board is much appreciated by me and I am sure by others.

[jo]

Thanks for the PM, Lenka.

But I hope you will reconsider about not wanting to see the movie. It is an excellent movie that is very well-made and the acting is praiseworthy for all! You can't miss Hugh's prowess, so very well-displayed here. Maybe I am different but I went to see the movie, having read the script beforehand. I have also seen it a second time and it was as edge-of-the-seat for me as the first time around. I guess I was trying to be a better detective in the second screening for me. I do like crime thrillers (novels, TV, and movies) but knowing how things might happen do not bother me ( but I appreciate why it would, for some people). But the plot is not all there is for a movie experience!

We all saw LES MISERABLES even if we probably know beforehand who and how many will die, and who will have a happy ending and for some, every note and lyric -- but that did not diminish seeing it for the first time on the big screen. Hugh was a different performer in Les Miserables - his character arc was much richer and the degree of difficulty of portraying the role ( imagine all the singing and all the physical hardships) was much greater.

His role in PRISONERS also deserves attention -- it is a very nuanced and very powerful portrayal, happening only in a very short period of time ( unlike the epic 20- or- so years for Valjean). So it is not to be missed!

The past twelve months - we have been blessed by three of his most important screen portrayals ( The Fountain has a special place apart) -- Les Miserables, The Wolverine, and Prisoners! They should all be celebrated and discussed to death


Jo

[klenotka]

No prob, Jo. I am glad we cleared it up

You are right about the past 12 months. It has been a ride for all of us. I think we, fans, are as exhausted from all his promotional tours as he is Hugh definitely deserves the break until the end of the year. He was shooting and promoting almost non-stop since Les Miz last year.
I think I will always regret he never got any appreciation for The Fountain. I noticed at IMDB boards that people, even sceptics who don´t really like Hugh, often post him as their choice for "Best actor in 2006". For me, The Fountain is still Hugh´s best performance. But I haven´t seen the Prisoners yet (because of a stupid distribution policy) so I may change my mind

[Jamie]

Sept 28, 2013 12:38:33 GMT -5 israruth said:

Jo,
I decided not to see the film as I think it would upset me too much but I have been happy to read about the complex plot and deeper themes. I do understand the feelings of those who have not yet seen the movie.

Your tremendous contribution to this board is much appreciated by me and I am sure by others.

Lenka,

Please see the movie. Yes you are exhausted at the end simply because it is such an emotional ride, but the acting is so very, very good and the issues it raises are ones you will be discussing with others for days afterwards as you question what you would do in similar circumstances. Hugh is amazing as is Jake and the supporting cast is magnificent. You do not feel as if you have been watching for 2 1/2 hours.

[israruth]

Jamie,
I am not Lenka. My name is Ruth.

[klenotka]

I think it got a little confusing here after Jo and I deleted our posts. Jo meant you but it looked like she was writing it for me

[Jamie]

Sept 28, 2013 16:52:05 GMT -5 israruth said:

Jamie,
I am not Lenka. My name is Ruth.

Sorry with all these imbeddeded quotes it is sometimes hard to tell. Either way. Go see the movie. It is worth the effort.

[jo]

Ruth,

I'm sorry, I thought I was talking to Lenka, too

The movie is such a well-crafted film, which has also provoked very meaningful discussions among those who have seen it -- it deserves all the accolades it has received! There are even a few reviews that recommends the film to every parent! Plus there is the amazing display of acting among this ensemble, including the two little girls. Please do not worry too much about the scenes of violence - they are quite brief ( I just saw a crime procedural on TV where the same type of physical mauling was done - just like that)...and Keller is not sadistic but morally conflicted when he inflicts them to Alex. Most people watching it try to be detectives and solve the crime earlier than the police in the story, while at the edge of their seats and eyes focused completely on the screen - I went on a toilet break ( the moviehouse was stadium style) and on my way back -- I could see everyone simply glued to the screen, no one making any unnecessary movements, no loud whispers, no cellphone texting or hush conversations, eyes all staring at the big screen in case they miss anything. It is quite an experience and people are reacting very well.

I hope you will reconsider your decision. Just close your eyes on scenes that bother you -- then go on with the story


Jo

[jo]

In Zurich, it is the same story with fans smiley-excited001





I bet the young boys adore him for being Wolverine, the young women for anything as long as he is on it (although one was carrying a Les Miserables DVD(, and the men for his dramatic range or ...maybe they were the first fans of Wolverine, too

Hugh does have the widest demographics of fans! I think he has the female population of this planet all quite enchanted with him - LOL!

Jo

[jo]

www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/zurich-film-fest-hugh-jackman-638664

Zurich Film Fest: Hugh Jackman Plays Up His 'Swiss Roots' at Gala


2:27 AM PDT 9/29/2013 by Scott Roxborough


Jackman presented his new thriller "Prisoners" in Zurich.

The “Wolverine” star received Zurich's Golden Icon lifetime achievement honor, showing off his German-language skills.


ZURICH – If there was any doubt that the Zurich international film festival has arrived in the top echelons of European gala cinema fetes, the matter was settled Saturday night when Hugh Jackman braved a horde of screaming Swiss fans to receive Zurich's Golden Icon award.


“HUUUGH!!!” wailed the pack outside the Corso Theater here, contradicting the calm, reserved Swiss stereotype. Inside, the crowd of invited industry guests and local luminaries were hardly more reticent. When the star of Wolverine and Les Miserables took the stage following a tribute to his “artistic footprint” from Zurich Festival co-director Karl Spoerri, Jackman's progress was followed by a glowing sea of recording iPhones.

“I am honored to receive this honor and to present my new film Prisoners” Jackman said in heavily-accented but workable German. Continuing in English, he played to the home crowd, saying he owed “literally everything” to Switzerland, because his parents had first met on a holiday at a Swiss resort. “I came on a pilgrimage here when I was 18...wandering the streets and sleeping at the railway station,” Jackman recalled. “That bum you saw and kicked? That was me.”

Jackman was joined on stage by the director of Prisoners, Quebec helmer Denis Villeneuve, and his Oscar-winning co-star Melissa Leo as well as the film's producer, Kira Davis.

The Zurich gala for Jackman follows a similar event at San Sebastian earlier this week, when the Australian actor received the Spanish festival's Donostia Award for lifetime achievement.

The venerable San Sebastian and relative newcomer Zurich (currently in its ninth year) this year launched a new cooperation that sees the two events sharing films and A-list stars. The move, which Spoerri described as “an obvious win-win,” also targets distributors eager for an efficient festival junket for their films and talent. Prisoners, for example, did the three-fest tour of Toronto, San Sebastian and then Zurich.

The crime thriller, which topped the North American box office with a solid $21.4 million opening last weekend for Warner Bros., bowed in the U.K. on Friday and rolls out across Europe in the coming weeks.

Zurich's usefulness as a distribution platform, and the lure of the city's rich pool of equity investors, has turned the film festival here into a must-attend for many in the industry. The star-wattage – which in addition to Jackman this year also includes James McAvoy, Harrison Ford, Daniel Bruhl of Rush and directors Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity) and Marc Forster (World War Z) – is one indication of this.

Another is the likes of A-list executives, including Harvey Weinstein and Tim Bevan of British giant Working Title, both of which will be giving master classes in Zurich this year.

[njr]

Sept 28, 2013 17:29:59 GMT -5 klenotka said:

I think it got a little confusing here after Jo and I deleted our posts. Jo meant you but it looked like she was writing it for me

You both have the same avatar photo, I think that's why she got mixed up.

Nancy

[jo]

Hugh met one of his former students at Uppingham School in England when he taught during his gap year, at the Zurich Film Festival --

www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yj46BWpxFcA

Nothing changed in the relationship -- Hugh is still the same friend and mentor, no airs or anything


Jo

[jo]

Very good INDIEWIRE interview/article, even if some topics have already been touched upon earlier --

www.indiewire.com/article/10-things-we-learned-about-hugh-jackman-at-the-zurich-film-festival?page=1#articleHeaderPanel

10 Things We Learned About Hugh Jackman at the Zurich Film Festival


Hugh Jackman sent the Swiss city of Zurich into a tizzy over the weekend when he made his way into town to accept the festival's Golden Icon Award and kickoff the screening to his latest box-office hit "Prisoners," directed by "Incendies" filmmaker Denis Villenueve (also in town) and co-starring one of the festival's main jury members, Melissa Leo.


For Jackman, his role in "Prisoners" as a father who takes justice into his own hands after his daughter goes missing, marks another career triumph for the actor following his Oscar-nominated turn in last year's "Les Miserables," proving that there's life for the Australian star after Wolverine.

Prior to greeting a slew of fans camped out at the festival's main theater, the Corso, Jackman sat down with a select group of journalists to discuss "Prisoners," how he handles fame, reuniting with Bryan Singer for the upcoming summer blockbuster "X-Men: Days of Future Past," among other things. Below are the top 10 things he revealed.


Jackman doesn't subscribe to the method style of acting.


"I don't stay in character. I can't say I was fully relaxed though at the end of the day [on 'Prisoners']. Acting is the greatest privilege. You get to inhabit lives and you get to touch real emotions. That's the job and at the end of the day; you're calm like you played a great game of rugby. And then at the same time you're going, OK we're going to climb that mountain again tomorrow."




Despite his fame, Jackman just wants to be normal.

"I try to live my life as normally as possible. My father was an accountant. Nobody asked what he did in his life or cared. I just want to make sure that my kids have a normal life. I don't want them to be paranoid about going out. So that's my basic philosophy. I don't want to walk around with security guards. There may be dangers for my kids, but I'm a realist as well. I understand that perhaps some situations aren't normal, and some you have to be careful about – it's something my wife and I talk about all the time. I just try to be as normal as I can. If I can't be normal, I won't have them there."


He doesn't feel boxed in, though some might see him that way.

"In film and certainly when I go outside of New York or America, I'm very well known for Wolverine. I forget people don't know that I did a play with Daniel Craig where I played a similar character to this one. I did a year doing a musical playing Peter Allen, who was a very gay, flamboyant man. Or Gaston in ‘Beauty in the Beast.' So for me I don't feel boxed in. But I feel that there's a danger around the world that playing Wolverine is all that I can do.


"Day to day it doesn't feel frustrating. I'm surprised by everything that's happened in my career. If it was just Wolverine, I'd be grateful for that. I was just hoping to pay the rent as an actor. I never thought I'd make a career out of it."


He wasn't scared to take on the role in "Prisoners," even as a father.


"I wasn't scared of that. When I watch a movie I don't care about that. I find it very hard to be shocked. As an actor I feel going into darkness is important. We need to look at that. What scared me was going into it with the wrong director. I did not sign on till Denis signed on. I could see where it could go, but it needed the right director to get there."


He hasn't and won't show “Prisoners” to his kids until they're ready.

"It's R-rated for a very good reason. I think it's a very adult film – I'm talking about the message; it throws up a lot of messages. For a child I think it'd be very unsettling to have a lot of those grey areas. There was no clear heroes or answers in this. I think it can be very confusing for a child actually."



Jackman came very close to hitting Paul Dano with a hammer during the shooting of an interrogation scene.

"Here's the truth: I was exhausted. Denis would love to run the camera, so he would run it for days. I remember thinking I'm out, I'm out of energy, my gas tank is done. I also remember thinking, thank God, that was the take, we got it. But Denis said, 'No.' It hit me then that what the scene requires is abandon. None of those lines are in the script, none of the hitting the wall. I just said roll the camera and I just sat there and waited and then we just went. And at the end it shocked hell out of me. What really shocked me was how close I was to Paul Dano's head with that bloody hammer. I was way too close. Now watching that scene I can't believe how Paul did not flinch. He just faints really quietly. I had gone into a weird place. It was just abandon."


He has his faults.

"If I can criticize myself as actor, sometimes my head can get in the way. I really noticed in Jake [Gyllenhaal' he has a great ability to be instinctive on camera, even though he prepares a lot. In this film, more than any other, I was able to let things go.



"Movie 43"

"You always have to risk failing. I mean look at ‘Movie 43.' I ran into one of the producers the other day and he said, ‘Man I have two things to say to you: I'm sorry.' But it was just two days of life with Kate Winslet and balls hanging from my face. So it wasn't that bad."


He says that he doesn't make as much as he is rumored to as the Wolverine.


"I've been audited every year of my life. Publications always speculate how much I'm paid and it's always wildly wrong, let me tell you. They always think there's some hanky-panky going on there."


Jackman's uneasy about his wealth.

"My wife's taught me a lot about money. We didn't have a lot of money when we first met. I was at the Royal National Theater earning 375 pounds a week and I was as happy as I am now. Money doesn't make me happy. I sometimes get embarrassed about it. I sometimes feel a burden about it. Also how do you bring up kids with that? But my wife says I have the wrong attitude about it. Money is like energy. She said don't waste your life being embarrassed about it; use it wisely."


He has a deep respect for Bryan Singer.

"It's always special working with Bryan on this character. He gave me the break. He's a brilliant director and taught me some really important things which I've taken to this day. You've got to come onto a film set with a lot of ideas and decisions about how you want to play it. I can tell you right now he's made a great movie."

"I forget people don't know that I did a play with Daniel Craig where I played a similar character to this one"


Ahem -- I think I have been talking of that similarity with the Denny character and situation in A STEADY RAIN a number of times and probably have bored some of you to death - LOL!

I even wished that his next film project be the film adaptation of A STEADY RAIN! I wonder why the producers ( who produce the Bond movies) had commissioned playwright Keith Huff to write a film script adaptation ... and then leave the project hanging? That is another adult drama that can have tremendous drawing power and appeal, especially if Hugh and Daniel reprise their roles.


Jo

[jo]

Hugh thought early morning hours in Spain ( Donostia/San Sebastian) would be ideal for biking without being noticed. Not so - for these excited fans

[jo]

Great cover photo from an ATLANTA magazine --



PRISONERS was mostly filmed in Atlanta.


Jo

[jo]

Another cover photo ( maybe at the time of the release of PRISONERS?) --

[njr]

Oct 1, 2013 4:26:07 GMT -5 jo said:

Great cover photo from an ATLANTA magazine --



PRISONERS was mostly filmed in Atlanta.


Jo

Check out the prices of the clothes he's modeling!!

www.modernluxury.com/jezebel/story/taking-no-prisoners

Nancy

[jo]

Thanks for that link, Nancy!

I didn't realize there was an "Easter egg" buried inside

Hugh Jackman, the beyond-charming Australian-born actor, has come a long way from his first—and worst—job “inside a koala suit in the summer, in Sydney, for 12 bucks an hour, running around promoting the national park and wildlife foundation,” as he describes it.

Jackman received an Oscar nod last year for his rendition of the courageous protagonist, Jean Valjean, of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, about which he says, “Getting that recognition from your peers is very, very satisfying.”

But, of course, Jackman isn’t just a thespian—his range is far-reaching. He’s an incredible dancer and singer—talents that earned him a Best Actor Tony Award for The Boy From Oz, his favorite role to date. “It was about the excitement of being able to ad-lib every night,” he says. “Plus, I could be way kinkier and naughtier as Peter Allen.”

For all the accolades, Jackman is as humble as humble gets—in fact, he’s known as the nicest guy in Hollywood. But being nice comes naturally for him. Simply put, his father brought him up to be respectful. He also loves his craft. What Jackman appreciates most about his career is not the recognition that’s been coming in droves these days, but the people with whom he gets to perform. “On this last film [the forthcoming X-Men: Days of Future Past], I was working with three Academy Award-winning actresses and Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, Jennifer Lawrence—that turns me on more than anything.” His secret to staying on a path: “Know thyself. I meditate twice a day.”

Jackman’s also a physical specimen, having had no choice but to maintain a hardcore fitness regimen in order to master superhuman parts, such as the title role in this summer’s blockbuster The Wolverine and the character’s turn in the upcoming installment of the X-Men series due out in 2014. “Water dehydration got me that ripped look, but I’m so low on energy I’m literally sleeping all the time because I’m on a zero-carb, limited-calorie diet. It’s pretty brutal,” the muscleman confesses. It’s his “persistence and hard work” that’s his real formula for success.As a result of all the exhaustion, Jackman says, “I’m the busiest sleeper on the planet. My wife says about every 15 seconds I kick, run, turn around, like I’m running a marathon. If you’re on a plane next to me, you wonder what’s going on with that guy.”

The spiritually centered actor is also busy being husband to actress Deborra-Lee Furness and dad to Oscar, 13, and Ava, 8, who call Tribeca their home. It’s not child-rearing that Jackman finds tough, though, it’s the extra attention celebrity kids garner. “It’s difficult, because in our line of work, it’s not just attention—they’re sometimes treated differently than other kids. Like being given gifts, which is slightly warped. Navigating that is probably one of the most difficult things to do as a parent.”

The lessons he’s learned as a parent come in handy in the actor’s on-screen life, too. Jackman says he likes to “mix it up” when it comes to choosing roles, no matter what dark places they may take him. His latest star turn is in the Atlanta-filmed thriller Prisoners, opposite Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Terrence Howard and Melissa Leo, with Oscar-nominated director Denis Villeneuve at the helm. “I thought it was a very suspenseful thriller, but also a great drama—something I hadn’t played before, that kind of intensity, that certain father-child relationship.”

The film’s plot embodies every parent’s worst nightmare: A father’s 6-year-old daughter is kidnapped on Thanksgiving. In this case, in a part-vigilante, part-heroic but always gut-wrenching fashion, the dad decides to take the law into his own hands by kidnapping and torturing the suspected kidnapper.

“Keller Dover is ready to sell his soul to find his daughter,” says Villeneuve of Jackman’s character. “By doing so, he will also hurt himself in a very profound way.” It’s a moral dilemma with which no parent should ever be faced.

“You actually don’t know how you’re going to react in that kind of a situation,” says Jackman. “Number one priority as a parent is to protect your child. Being out of control and not being able to do that, and feeling helpless, is really devastating; and as a parent, even if you disagree, you understand. Obviously, it’s seen very differently in the eyes of the law, but the thing I’m most interested in exploring is how people respond in dramatic situations they’re not prepared for.”

The biggest challenge of this particular dramatic role was the angst and intensity of emotion Jackman’s character endures—not to mention the reaction the actor felt as a real-life father. “We’ve all been parented, so you understand that relationship is one of the most important we’ll ever have, along with being a partner, or being married. It’s something we all intrinsically know, and it’s impossible to separate yourself from it. At the mere mention of a situation like this, I feel a kind of rage or emotion that’s frightening, actually.”

Jackman’s ability to plumb such darkness surprised, and impressed, those on set. “I will always remember how Hugh was totally engaged and committed. I felt from the start he trusted me and was ready to jump in total darkness with me,” says Villeneuve. “This really touched me. I was deeply impressed by his sensibility and how precise and powerful an artist he is.”

For Jackman, the physical training for any role is more difficult than the mental. “The physical preparation gets harder and the emotional preparation gets easier,” he explains. “For an action movie like Wolverine, the director, James Mangold, rode me hard—he wanted me to have a deeper version of the character. But having played action characters about 16 times, that comes easier to me now.”

Luckily, he relishes his silver-screen exploits. “For many years, stage was my favorite, and if you were to ask me my highlights as an actor, most of them would be onstage,” he says. “But in the last two or three years—maybe it’s the opportunities I’ve had, or just where I’m at in my life—I’ve been enjoying film just as much. I was brought up in the theater, so I felt very at home on the stage, but it takes a little while to feel that same level of comfort on a sound stage.”

But Broadway, of course, continues to call. Jackman—along with assorted talent from the smash show Wicked—is deep in rehearsals for a workshop of a musical based on the life of Harry Houdini, slated to premiere next year. And he still sings his favorite show tunes to his kids, like “Soliloquy” from Carousel. “It’s one of the greatest songs ever written,” he says. “It’s like Hamlet—it’s the ‘to be or not to be’ of musical theater.”

Not surprisingly, Jackman’s kids are as comfortable in a Broadway theater as they are at home. “My son’s performed with me about a dozen times,” he says. “In my one-man show I had some indigenous players come up and play some didgeridoo with me, and my son is a really good didgeridoo player!”

They’re also not shy about taking the stage with him.“During one of the last shows, my daughter, Ava, put her hand up like she was in class and said, ‘Do you mind if I go to the toilet, Dad?’” he recalls. “So she and her friend came down the aisle, walked up on the stage, and went through the wings to my dressing room. I think they’ve been around the theater too much!”

Deep in rehearsals now ( or at least recently, as Hugh has been busy Europe-bound lately) for the workshop for HOUDINI, with the cast borrowed from WICKED ??


Jo

[jo]

It looks like the MODERN LUXURY magazine is published in different places, with probably some variation in the featured articles? Same article appears on the MANHATTAN version, also featuring Hugh on the cover --

[jo]

While publcizing PRISONERS in London, he did a rap number for a local radio station <cool> smiley-cool13

Here's the video clip --

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVtCc6aj5BA&feature=youtu.be


Jo

[JH4HJ]

A glimpse of Hugh, arriving, backstage and getting the award.