Tag: Amy Kaufman

Marvel found a hit in last summer’s “Thor,” which did well enough at the box office to spawn a sequel and earn star Chris Hemsworth a place in “The Avengers.” But in the latter film, the Australian native has to share screen time with a handful of A-listers — Robert Downey Jr., Jeremy Renner, Scarlett Johansson, to name a few — something he admits he found difficult to adjust to. “You have a much clearer story line, obviously, in your film, and in this film you have to read between the lines a lot more,” Hemsworth said. “It’s tougher working with a huge ensemble, because you can fall into the trap of trying to make too much out of the one line you have. But you’ve just gotta trust that the script supports everybody.” “The Avengers,” which opens May 4, ...

Mark Ruffalo’s ripped Hulk appears fearsome on the surface, but “The Avengers” star says his inspiration for the character came from a far more meek place: His 10-year-old son. “I literally based the entire character on [him],” the actor told Hero Complex at the film’s premiere in Hollywood on Wednesday night, where the red carpet was filled with stars like Robert Downey Jr. and Scarlett Johansson. The film opens nationwide May 4. “[He's] in this most horrible place as a young person where you have the force of nature streaming through your body, but the rest of the world is expecting you to behave, and I think that’s a little bit like the Hulk and Bruce Banner. I think that character was written for that 10-year-old child inside of us that is trying to fit into a very complex and ...

“John Carter” will arrive at theaters with something to prove — the Disney fantasy epic is expensive, the trailers haven’t won over the Comic-Con crowd and early polls of moviegoer interest aren’t very pretty at this point — but director Andrew Stanton said his years at Pixar working on projects like “WALL-E” and “Toy Story” taught him to ignore the early skeptics. “That’s always been the case,” Stanton said on the red carpet before the film’s Wednesday premiere in downtown Los Angeles. “People don’t remember how much naysaying there’s been on how much of the other stuff we’ve worked on. You just gotta trust us. We really put our heart and soul into making movies that you’re going to have a real good time watching.” “John Carter,” based on the Edgar Rice Burroughs bookshelf hero who debuted a century ago, opens on March 9. Taylor ...

Daniel Radcliffe says he didn’t develop a drinking problem because he was Harry Potter, even though he knows that’s what most people assume. “What ‘Potter’ did do was put me around people who were older than me, and I heard all of their amazing stories about their drunk nights. I just started thinking, ‘That’s what I want,’” said the actor, 22. “I don’t think I ever had one, great drunk night, but I had heard about them, and that was what I was desperately trying to pursue.” On an early morning this week, Radcliffe looked bleary-eyed at his hotel, having just flown to Los Angeles to promote his new film, “The Woman in Black.” The movie, released Friday, marks one of the few times in more than a decade that audiences worldwide will see the actor play someone other than ...

When the enigmatic television series “Lost” came to a close two years ago, show co-creator Damon Lindelof thought he was done working on scripts with shadowy plot lines. Then he got an offer to write “Prometheus,” a Ridley Scott-directed science-fiction film whose story has been kept tightly under wraps since its inception. “Coming out of ‘Lost,’ I was like, ‘What a relief it’ll be to leave mystery and secretiveness behind,’” recalled the 38-year-old, who also was one of the writers who penned last year’s “Cowboys & Aliens.” “Then I found myself in the same situation, and I thought, ‘Here we go again.’” Months before the film’s June release, little is still known in Hollywood about the 3-D “Prometheus,” whose ensemble cast includes Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron and Idris Elba. The movie was initially billed as a prequel to ...

In “Captain America: The First Avenger,” Chris Evans plays a man who can’t wait to wear a uniform but off-screen it sounds as if the actor was reluctantly drafted to duty. Evans had so much trepidation about taking on the role of Steve Rogers — and his red, white and blue alter ego — that he repeatedly turned down the part. But director Joe Johnston and Marvel Studios executives felt strongly that he was the right man to carry the shield of Captain America. “Unfortunately, before he said ‘no,’ we envisioned him in the role. And then we went on to screen test 12 or 15 guys and we were never really happy with what we were getting and we felt like we were settling if we went with any one of those guys,” Johnston explained on Tuesday at the ...

If any actor knows the anxieties and payoff of stepping onto the silver screen as a superhero, it’s Robert Downey Jr., who super-charged his career by donning the armor of Iron Man for a franchise that has pulled in more than $1.2 billion  in worldwide box office. On Tuesday at the premiere of “Captain America: The First Avenger” at the El Capitan Theatre, Downey said he knew what it was like to walk a mile in the red boots of Chris Evans, the latest Marvel Universe star. “Evans has had just a nerve-racking summer up to this point,” he said. “Up until this night, you’re starting to get the feedback and people are saying, ‘Wow, this really works. And we’re happy and reviews are good and it looks like the numbers are gonna be good.’ It’s a horrible part of the job that we do. ...

THE LAST SPELL: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2” closes out a decade of Hogwarts in Hollywood. Hero Complex is counting down to the release of the final film in the magical franchise with exclusive interviews and photos. Today: Hero Complex contributor Amy Kaufman chats with Emma Watson, who plays Hermione Granger in the films. AK: How did you prepare for the darker tone of this film? EW: I felt there was a real change in tone, and it was definitely a big step up in terms of what I had to bring. I didn’t prepare particularly differently. A lot more was asked of me than had ever been asked before. It was nice to feel challenged, and I had to step up and engage my brain and really think and put everything into it. I was able to focus on giving ...

THE LAST SPELL: “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2” closes out a decade of Hogwarts in Hollywood. Hero Complex is counting down to the July 15 release of the final film in the magical franchise with exclusive interviews and photos. Today: Hero Complex contributor Amy Kaufman chats with Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley. AK: It’s been almost a year since you wrapped the film, right? RG: It’s almost exactly a year. Yeah, it’s a bit weird. It’s taken me a while to realize it. This film is coming out and the DVD and everything, and when it gradually fades away, then it will kind of hit home that it’s all over. AK: So what have you been doing for the last year? RG: Immediately after we finished, I took a few weeks off. It was really ...

From the instant “Green Lantern“ met the public at Comic-Con International last year, fans have been grumbling about the look and tone of the DC Comics adaptation. Now that the film’s release is only hours away, reviews are finally hitting the web — and they’re not great. (The movie has a paltry 24% rating on Rotten Tomatoes as I write this.) With so much judgment already, is it possible for “Green Lantern” to get a fair shake? Those involved with the movie seem to think so. At the movie’s premiere in Hollywood Wednesday night, director Martin Campbell said he wasn’t worried that negative energy would hurt box-office prospects. Meanwhile, Reynolds, who stars as Hal Jordan in the film, says he’s understanding of the scrutiny that comes along with turning a popular brand into a film. “I think it gets the absolute right shake,” he ...