THE SON

[jo]

More on Hugh and Bill Nighy --

http://instagram.com/p/Cl0ylRQMlg4

[jo]

[jo]

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[jo]

Anna Wintour in black??

Without her signature dark glasses?


Vogue must have been a patron for Bill's movie?

And Hugh has been praising Bill and his movie ( contending for Best Picture/Best Actor) profusely


Jo

For VOGUE --

PARTIES
Bill Nighy, Hugh Jackman, and More Joined Anna Wintour for a Lively Screening of Living in New York
BY MARLEY MARIUS

December 6, 2022
Hugh Jackman Anna Wintour Bill Nighy
Hugh Jackman, Anna Wintour, Bill NighyMadison Voelkel/BFA.com

On Monday night, an elegant mix of Broadway habitués and fashion folk descended on the Crosby Street Hotel as Anna Wintour hosted a special screening of Living, Oliver Hermanus’s moving new film starring the great Bill Nighy. Arriving in theaters later this month, it’s an English revision of Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 drama Ikiru, about a grizzled civil servant shocked into feverish productivity when he learns that he has less than a year to live. Nobel Prize-winning author Kazuo Ishiguro (The Remains of the Day; Never Let Me Go) manned the screenplay.

As guests arrived for the preceding cocktail hour, Nighy worked the room in a crisp, dark suit by Buzz Tang while Jesse Williams, who currently leads the Tony-winning revival of Richard Greenberg’s Take Me Out, mingled with GQ’s Will Welch; David Harbour and Lily Allen greeted Derek Blasberg and Nick Brown; and the likes of Sienna Miller, Josh Groban, Annette de la Renta, Donna Karan, Natalie Massenet, Annie Leibovitz, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tovah Feldshuh, Brenda Vaccaro, Huma Abedin, Wendi Murdoch, Georgina Chapman, Chloe Malle, and Sally Singer considered boxes of freshly popped popcorn (and, to a lesser degree, bowls heaped with M&Ms, Swedish Fish, and other movie-ready confections) before finding their seats in the hotel’s intimate screening room.




In brief opening remarks, Hermanus, who premiered Living at the Sundance Film Festival back in January, hitched the film’s genesis to a fateful dinner between producer Stephen Woolley, Ishiguro (who was also in attendance last night), and Nighy, who turned up slightly late because he “fell asleep on the couch at his house” (a detail the actor would later confirm). “And then they came to a very random South African, being me,” the Cape Town native added, “and asked if I wanted to make a Kurosawa film with them. And I obviously couldn’t say no.”

After the film’s credits ran—and the audience’s tearful sniffles subsided—Wintour introduced Nighy and Hugh Jackman to the stage, both of whom she described as “not only devoted fathers, but also exceptionally lovely people who are full of mutual admiration and respect for each other.” The deeply charming conversation that followed flitted from Nighy’s aversion to watching his own work (“I tried it once when I was younger and less complicated to look at”) to a story about bonding with Ishiguro, or “Ish,” over Gregg Allman’s cover of the Bob Dylan song “Going, Going, Gone.” It also touched upon Nighy’s early dreams of becoming a novelist; his current fondness for the work of Eleanor Catton; and his abject fear of live theater, despite his long list of credits. (“Every time I do a play, on the opening night, I stand in the wings and I make a passionate vow—and I mean it with all of my heart, sincerely—that this will never, ever, ever be allowed to happen again.”) Things took a more lighthearted turn when Nighy noted his go-to workout clothes (“a relaxed pair of training trousers and a selection of navy blue T-shirts”) and his daily practice of dancing after having his morning coffee.

Jackman concluded the chat with a sentiment that everyone in the room could agree on—especially after seeing Nighy’s wonderful performance in Living. “You are characteristically, not surprisingly, incredibly humble, so just don’t respond to this…I just want to say, as an actor who’s looked up to you for many, many years, your work is so inspiring. It is so truthful and honest. I think you’re an artist of the highest order. And if I could wish one thing for you, at some point in your life: Have nine gin and tonics and watch one of your movies. That’s all.”

[jo]

[jo]

[jo]

Btw, LIVING with Bill Nighy is also a release of SONY CLASSICS, which released THE SON. Hugh must have done the favor because of the film distributor (Sony)?

Jo

[jo]

www.instagram.com/tv/ClzayDpj6pu/?igshid=NDk5N2NlZjQ%3D


Working with Florian Zeller and on this project must have been a truly enriching experience for Hugh Jackman ( who has always explored unknown artistic territory - remember how surprised we were when THE FOUNTAIN unfolded) -- not just in enriching his artistic reach but also how the storyline may have touched base with his own personal experience as a child of divorced parents.

Jo

[jo]

Back to the Nighy interview --

variety.com/2022/scene/news/bill-nighy-hugh-jackman-living-broadway-1235451730/

Variety

HOME
SCENE
NEWS
Dec 7, 2022 1:34pm PT
Hugh Jackman Recalls First Time Seeing Bill Nighy on Broadway: ‘It Brought Me to Tears’

By Antonio Ferme

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Hugh Jackman and Bill Nighy
Nina Westervelt for Variety

Hugh Jackman said there were two times in his life when he saw a performance that was so good it actually made him depressed.

The first was when he watched Michael Gambon in “The Singing Detective” while he was in drama school. The second time was seeing Bill Nighy perform in “Vertical Hour” on Broadway.

“I saw an actor with such command of the stage and I was so blown away,” Jackman recalled on Monday night. “It brought me to tears and also simultaneously depressed me because I thought, ‘I’ll never be able to do that.’”

More than 15 years later, Jackman is starring in the Broadway revival of “The Music Man” — and he spent his one night off moderating a panel discussion with a real-life hero of his.


Nighy stars in Sony Pictures Classics’ “Living,” a reimagining of Akira Kurosawa’s “Ikiru.” Directed by Oliver Hermanus and written by Kazuo Ishiguro, the film follows a bureaucratic cog who’s galvanized to make an impact in his community after receiving a fatal diagnosis.

“[The story] has a very unusual structure, which is extremely successful,” Nighy told Variety on the red carpet. “It’s a brilliant way of assessing a man’s achievement by having him die halfway through the movie — there’s a spoiler alert! — and then having different people have different responses to past events.”

Anna Wintour hosted the intimate screening at the Crosby Street Hotel in lower Manhattan. Guests were treated to champagne and a robust candy bar, a staple of the venue’s private events, before entering the screening room to watch “Living.” Attendees spotted at the cocktail reception included David Harbour, Lily Allen, Andrea Riseborough, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Annie Leibovitz and David Rasche.


Oliver Hermanus, Anna Wintour and Bill Nighy at the New York screening of “Living” held at Crosby Street Hotel on December 5, 2022 in New York City.
Nina Westervelt for Variety\
Jackman playfully excused himself for fanboying out while discussing dancing, workout routines and theater with Nighy. The Wolverine actor recalled that he’s only worked with Nighy on one film: DreamWorks’ “Flushed Away.”

“My daughter reminded me that you were Whitey,” Jackman laughed. “And her favorite line in films is — I need you to say it.” Jackman whispered into his ear and Nighy repeated one of his lines from the animated film, “I’ve got a bum like a Japanese flag.”

Jackman clarified, “It was after a bad dose of food poisoning or something your character had. I hope someone recorded that because my daughter says it’s her favorite line in all of movies. And she repeats it a lot.”

Another highlight of the conversation was when Jackman asked Nighy if there are any playwrights he’d like to work with. Jackman was taken aback when Nighy bluntly answered, ‘No,’ which garnished a huge laugh from the crowd. Nighy explained how theater is the scariest thing he’s ever done and hinted that he may not return to the stage.

“I am completely romantic about theaters — I love empty theaters, I love them when they’re full and I love them after the show,” Nighy said. “Whether or not I’ll ever do another one, I don’t know.”

Many Oscar pundits, including Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis, are predicting that Nighy will receive a Best Actor nomination for his performance in “Living.” Nighy said he’d be honored if this nomination attracted more attention to the film.

“Independent movies — it’s hard to introduce them to the world,” Nighy told Variety. “And we don’t have a million bucks to do that, so awards are our only avenue. It would be a great honor for everyone involved in the movie.”

We sometimes forget that Hugh Jackman is a journalism graduate...and that interviewing someone is along his alley.

Jo

[jo]

www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/12/living-bill-nighy-screening-reception?+utm_social-type=owned&+utm_brand=vf&utm_source=twitter

NIGHT ON THE TOWN
Oscar Contender Bill Nighy on the Surprising Song That Helped Him Bond With Kazuo Ishiguro
At a Living reception hosted by Anna Wintour, the actor told Hugh Jackman about the way he connected to the Nobel Prize–winning author and screenwriter of his upcoming film.

BY YOHANA DESTA

DECEMBER 6, 2022
Bill Nighy and Hugh Jackman at a postscreening QA for Lively.


“Ithought I would go to Paris, get a girlfriend, and write killer sentences,” says Bill Nighy, the legendary screen and stage actor. He’s holding court at a Monday night post-screening Q&A for his latest film, Living, moderated by an enthusiastic Hugh Jackman at the Crosby Street Hotel in SoHo. Nighy is describing the way he thought his life would shake out as a young man, when he was an aspiring novelist. But, instead, he became an actor, turning in memorable performances in films like Love Actually and About Time. And, if awards prognosticators are right, Nighy’s on the cusp of a new career hallmark: an Academy Award nomination for his turn in Living, a stirring adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru.

Hosted by Anna Wintour, the lively Monday night screening and reception was attended by guests like David Harbour, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Huma Abedin, Jesse Williams, Tovah Feldshuh, Georgina Chapman, Annie Leibovitz, and more, who sipped champagne and shook Nighy’s hand after the screening. In her opening remarks, Wintour introduced Nighy as “one of our greatest actors.”


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Also in attendance were Living director Oliver Hermanus and novelist, and screenwriter Kazuo Ishiguro. The film stars Nighy as Williams, an uptight English civil servant whose life is transformed after a devastating health diagnosis. Nighy gives a beautiful performance of a man at a crossroads, instantly generating Oscar buzz and putting him in competition with fellow frontrunners Brendan Fraser (The Whale) and Austin Butler (Elvis). If nominated, it would mark Nighy’s first-ever nod from the Academy.

Hugh Jackman Anna Wintour Bill Nighy
Hugh Jackman, Anna Wintour, Bill Nighy MADISON VOELKEL/BFA.COM.

It was actually Ishiguro who roped Nighy into the project. As the actor explained to Jackman in the post-screening Q&A, producer Stephen Woolley invited Nighy to a dinner with the Nobel Prize–winning writer and his wife, producer Lorna MacDougall. Nighy almost missed it entirely. “I was late for dinner because I fell asleep on the sofa,” he confessed. On his way to the dinner, Nighy had been listening to Gregg Allman’s cover of Bob Dylan’s “Going, Going, Gone,” which the Southern rocker released after finding out he was dying of cancer. When the topic of music came up later that night, Nighy mentioned the original Dylan song, assuming no one would know the Allman version. “[Ishiguro] leaned over to me and said, ‘Gregg Allman does a great version of that,’” Nighy said. “And I thought, He must be the only Nobel Prize winner who knows that.”

“At the end of dinner, Ish and Lorna were in a huddle, and they came out and said, ‘We know what your next film should be,’” Nighy recalled, explaining the origin story of his casting. A few weeks later, Woolley rang him up to tell him about Living.


Jackman, an ardent fan of Ishiguro, took a moment to acknowledge the legendary writer. “My mother’s a big fan of mine, but not always the films I choose, and somewhere around X-Men 7, she sent me your book and said, ‘Maybe you should be reading this kind of book,’” Jackman said. “Just putting in a plug for me there!”


Before joining Living, Nighy watched Kurosawa’s original Ikiru, which he had never seen before. “I’ve never seen any of the films you’re supposed to see,” Nighy said. “I’ve seen a lot of sports movies that go into slow motion at the end.” He rattled off a few titles he loved, including Mississippi Burning, Punch-Drunk Love, and Bringing Up Baby. Ikiru, of course, is a new favorite. “I admired it tremendously,” Nighy said.

The charming conversation soon veered away from the film and into more personal territory, with Jackman asking Nighy about everything from the best time to dance (“After coffee, before I go out the door in the morning”), to his workout attire (“I don’t wear shorts. Don’t be insane.”) Nighy also elaborated about his exercise routine to Jackman. “I go to a very nice man who doesn’t hurt me,” the actor said. “I was philosophically opposed to physical exercise most of my life. I was going to smoke until I died. It’s a miracle I ever did any of it, but now I do, and it’s one of the best things that ever happens to me—not the thing itself, but the bit afterwards when you’re walking towards a cup of coffee,” he added wryly.

At the end of the Q&A, Jackman wrapped things up by lavishing Nighy with praise. “As an actor who’s looked up to you for many, many years, your work is so inspiring,” Jackman said to Nighy. “It is so truthful and honest. I think you’re an artist of the highest order.”

No mention that Hugh himself might also be a contender for a Best Actor nomination.

[jo]

Dec 12, 2022 19:53:04 GMT -5 jo said:

From one artist to another ( after Florian Zeller posted his Instagram tribute to Hugh Jackman) --

florianzellerofficiel
Verified
Huge Congratulations to @thehughjackman on his BEST ACTOR nomination at @goldenglobes for his performance in THE SON. I couldn’t be more grateful.
😃🙏🦋



thehughjackman's profile picture
thehughjackman
Verified
This nomination is because of you. Your words. Your direction. Your trust and faith in me. We’ve got much more to do. H x

Looking forward to any future collaborations - on film or on stage!

Jo

[jo]

I had to share the exchange between Florian & Hugh on social media. There is so much acrimony about the Golden Globes --

*the silent reactions to the nominations
*the implied boycott of the Globes
*the disagreement of some critics about Hugh's nomination -

[jo]

[jo]

There seems to be an extra spring in his step ( not literally) but an extra glint in his eyes.

To talk about THE SON, right after he gets a Golden Globe acting nomination, has Hugh quite excited and eager to share how the movie can open up conversations... and how society can benefit from such conversations.

(How many critics and audiences can complain about the cinematic focus... is beyond me)


Here is Hugh in conversation with Gayle King --

[jo]

A new ad ( now includes Hugh Jackman's GGlobes nomination) --

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http://instagram.com/p/CmHtpnhP2UN

[jo]

A slightly longer clip, including scenes from THE SON --

[jo]

HOLLYWOOD & ENTERTAINMENT
How Hugh Jackman’s Risk-Taking With ‘The Son’ Paid Off
Scott KingContributor
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Dec 14, 2022,01:43pm EST
″The Son″ Special Screening - Red Carpet
Hugh Jackman at a special screening of "The Son" held at Crosby Street Hotel on October 24, 2022 in ... [+]VARIETY VIA GETTY IMAGES

Slashing theater records on Broadway with Music Man, ramping up to reprise his iconic portrayal of Wolverine in 2024’s Deadpool 3, and receiving major recognition and praise for his film The Son, Hugh Jackman is as much on top now as he’s ever been.

“I feel different at this point in my career,” Jackman told me Tuesday, a day after receiving his fourth career Golden Globe nomination (won for Les Misérables in 2013) for his performance as “Peter” in Florian Zeller’s The Son. “It's been, I guess 25 years I've been doing it. I'm super excited about everything. I have a confidence. ... I'm lucky enough to not have to worry about paying the bills.

“I do everything because I really, really want to do it and I'm passionate about it. And if it doesn't make sense here (points to head), here (points to heart), and in my gut, I don't do it. And that's a really, really fortunate, blessed place to be as an actor and that's where I feel I'm at.”



As much confidence as an actor of Jackman’s caliber and range —and with his many talents— may possess, he wanted to work with Zeller, who won an Oscar last year for Best Adapted Screenplay with The Father, on The Son because the role terrified him.

Jackman knew The Son —a bold, raw, and gripping look at a family struggling during the course of their son’s mental health battle— was a risk.

“I try to find risk. I get most excited by risk— and uncomfortable,” Jackman said. “When I went for the part, I remember saying to my wife, because I went to Zoom with Florian, I said, 'I've never been so scared to get a part or not get a part. I was so passionate about it, but I knew it would be really hard and scary to do, the material, what it demanded of me as an actor, everything about it.

“So, yes it makes it very, very sweet when things like this turn out, but the real gift of it was working on it and being part of something that will hopefully be meaningful and start really meaningful conversations.”


Awards Season
This image released by Sony Pictures Classics shows Hugh Jackman in a scene from "The Son." (Rekha ... [+]REKHA GARTON


Hugh is hopeful the picture spreads a deeper understanding of, as well as vital conversations about, mental health issues the way The Father shed light on dementia.

“You can't just assume because you're the father or you're the mother you know what to do and you can handle this or that, or a mental health crisis is something where we know what to do,” Jackman said. “Why would you automatically know as a parent? The answers are complex.”

The Son is bravely unique in that given Florian’s background as a playwright, it feels like theater in front of cameras. The intimacy you get from a playhouse is what one experiences with the picture.

Being so close to Peter and his family during the worst chapter of their lives may make it difficult for the audience to walk away obtaining a specific message or theme from the movie. Hugh believes, similar to The Father, Zeller’s objective wasn’t to smack the audience in the face with a single message, but to provide awareness by placing them in the crisis.


NY Special Screening of ″The Son″
Hugh Jackman, left, and Florian Zeller attend a screening of "The Son," hosted by Sony Pictures ... [+]2022 INVISION


“You're witnessing the struggle,” Jackman stated. “He just wants you to feel what it's like to be in a situation that is so desperate where you have no idea what to do and the water around you is rising and rising and rising, and the hopelessness of it and the fear of it and the fight of it, and he wants you to viscerally feel it.

“In The Father, he wanted you to viscerally feel what it's like to be inside Anthony Hopkins' head going through dementia. What is that really like? So that we can empathize and we can discuss.

“You watch The Father and then you see someone with Alzheimers and you have a different feeling of what it must be like for them to be going through it and I think he's doing the same here with The Son.”

Anthony Hopkins, who won an Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for The Father, had one scene in The Son and the back and forth between him and Jackman is a masterclass in emotional expression for actors.

In just one scene and at 84, Hopkins was as strong as he’s ever been. The character’s personality and intentions ooze out of his eyes and the dialogue is all over his face before a single word is spoken. His delivery of the lines is just the cherry on top after Anthony’s unrivaled gaze and facial expressions tell the story.



According to Hugh, Hopkins put the same dedication to his craft in his single scene in The Son as he did to The Father, where he was in the majority of the film.

While making The Father, Anthony emailed Zeller everyday for six months with questions about the project. Florian told Jackman he received the same amount of emails from Hopkins regarding his scene in The Son.

Hugh also said it seemed like Hopkins had wrapped his coverage for the scene early and nailed it, but asked to keep going.

“After we did my [coverage] it was 10:30 in the morning and he turned to Florian and he said, 'I want to do it again,’” Jackman recalled. “I knew they only had the location for one day and Florian said, 'Fine.’ I said, 'Why does he want to go again? That was amazing.’ And he goes, 'He misses acting. I just think he misses acting. He wants to have another go.'”



To no surprise, Hugh’s performance in the scene was on par with Hopkins as the two Hollywood titans went toe to toe in depicting a troubling father-son relationship. At the end of the scene after Peter’s father reveals a fiery lack of remorse with his transgressions against his family, Jackman triumphs in viscerally expressing many different emotions for Peter.

“The key is to not take the temperature of what... just to feel what your feeling. And there's a lot of different things that he's going through, including shame,” Hugh revealed. “That he's [weak] around his father, still. So there's a lot of anger, there's all this but he's still a little bit quiet. ... He is feeling stunned and the key to it I guess is just trusting what is happening is happening in his reading.

Florian wouldn't let us watch the monitor. He wouldn't let us watch anything back, he just said, 'Just trust me that I've got this and you just play the same, just be with him.”

The Son had a limited theatrical run in the US in late November and will have a wide release on January 20.

Scott King
Scott King
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I've covered entertainment and sports for outlets like Playboy and the Wall Street Journal. Follow my Twitter: @scottkingmedia

[jo]

[jo]

Is there more to come... or was Scott King simply referring to the full article on Forbes.com?

Jo

[jo]

More conversations with Scott King (Forbes.com) --

HOLLYWOOD & ENTERTAINMENT
Hugh Jackman Was ‘Pretty Close’ To Playing Former NHL Enforcer John Scott
Scott King
Contributor

Dec 14, 2022,05:50pm EST
79 Venice International Film Festival 2022

Australian actor Hugh Jackman at the 79 Venice International Film Festival 2022. The son red ... [+]MONDADORI PORTFOLIO VIA GETTY IMAGES


Hugh Jackman only attaches himself to projects he’s truly interested in. According to Jackman, the story of former NHL enforcer John Scott was one that stood out to him and he was very much onboard until the project didn’t pan out.

At 6’8 and 270 lbs. when he patrolled the ice, Scott is considered to be one of the most feared NHL scrappers of all time. The Edmonton native played for the Minnesota Wild, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Rangers, Buffalo Sabres, San Jose Sharks, Arizona Coyotes, and Montreal Canadiens across eight seasons, earning five goals and 542 penalty minutes and was a locker room and fan favorite everywhere he went.

In early 2016, John received national attention after an internet campaign made him a write-in candidate for the all-star game with Scott winning a spot as captain. The former player refused to withdraw from the contest seemingly prompting a trade and a demotion to Newfoundland where he joined the St. John IceCaps of the AHL.



After the spotlight and fan support didn’t dissipate, the league was forced to let Scott participate as the Pacific Division team’s captain, where he rightfully earned more write-in votes to be named the tournament MVP after scoring two goals for a triumphant, feel-good Hollywood ending to the saga.

Scott had said previously on his podcast “Dropping the Gloves”, that he heard after selling the rights to his story for a film that Jackman wanted to play him. It had been reported in late Feb of 2016 that Tuesdays with Morrie writer Mitch Albom was set to write and executive produce.

Apparently, the script reached Jackman and made a big impression on him.

In a conversation with Hugh on Tuesday, focusing on his film The Son, in which he received his fourth career Golden Globe nomination for earlier this week, I asked him if Scott’s account was accurate and if so, how close we got to seeing him lace up the skates and throw some haymakers.


“It got pretty close,” the Wolverine actor told me. “I loved the script, it's a great story. I think it's an amazing story. Just didn't get there in the end. But I think it's an extraordinary story. I kind of love it.”

It wasn’t playing a big, tough scrappy hockey player that attracted Hugh to the project, but how he saw John and the way he came out on top after him and his family were thrown into a tough situation.

“Not so much the tough guy, I liked who he was as a person,” Jackman recalled. “I like his commitment to his family and the underdog [angle]. And also, the idea that he had been cast in a role, and made a living in this role but there was a dream underneath.

“Underneath that there was a dream of being a great hockey player, not just an enforcer, and all of a sudden he got that moment and then it's that age old question, am I good enough to fulfill my dream?”

Scott retired from professional hockey in December of 2016.

Scott King

[jo]

Dec 14, 2022 15:16:54 GMT -5 jo said: