The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz
The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz |
| ‘Breaking Bad’ actor changes gear in ‘Need for Speed’ Posted: 12 Mar 2014 07:27 PM PDT Adapted from the video game of the same name, the film is Paul's first since he shot to stardom alongside Bryan Cranston in the hit TV show about a chemistry teacher turned drug kingpin. "I literally started this film the day after I wrapped 'Breaking Bad,'" Paul – who played Jesse Pinkman alongside Cranston's Walter White for five seasons – said before the movie's US release tomorrow. "They had a charter plane waiting for me, I got on the plane, flew to Mendocino and I started at 6:30 in the morning the next day," added the 34-year-old. Paul already had a long list of big-screen supporting role credits. But it was "Breaking Bad," which ended in September that almost certainly earned him the leading role in "Need for Speed." In the film, directed by Scott Waugh and produced by Steven Spielberg, he plays Tobey Marshall, an honest mechanic who joins a cross-country race to avenge a friend's death and save his garage from bankruptcy. The role is in stark contrast to that of Pinkman, who makes and deals in crystal meth in New Mexico. "That was the goal, to try and do something as far away from Jesse Pinkman as possible. And then my next thing, I wanna do something far away from Tobey Marshall," he told reporters. "Jesse never really found his footing until he was becoming really who he was toward the end of the series. But Tobey Marshall in 'Need for Speed' is a very strong guy, very grounded and very passionate." Stunt driving lessons The actor, who will be in Ridley Scott's "Exodus" later this year, said he hopes "Need for Speed" will lead to a sequel or sequels, to "dive deeper into the past of Tobey Marshall." That would seem a distinct possibility, given the box office success of similar high-speed car films like the "Fast and Furious" franchise, which has made $2.3 billion (RM7.6 billion) over the six movies so far. Waugh, an ex stuntman who made the powerful 2012 film "Act of Valor" about Navy SEALS, said "Need for Speed" was inspired by films from the late 60s and early 70s and from that era's icon, Steve McQueen. And unlike an increasing number of films, he foregoes computer-generated effects in favour of old-school driving and stunt skills. "I really wanted to make sure that everything was real. I'm a huge fan of the 60s and the 70s and the 80s car movies, 'Vanishing Point,' 'French Connection,' 'Grand Prix' (and) 'Bullitt,'" Waugh said. "They did everything in camera, it was all real and the actors drove," he added. "In the last decade, we really relied on CG and a lot of time, I don't understand why because we can still do it practically. "I understand if you have to deal with space or gravity, I get it. But not in a car movie." To land the role, Paul therefore had to attend stunt driving school. The actor didn't hesitate for a second. "I jumped at the opportunity. We did a crash course, to learn how to drive these cars in a very aggressive way. By the end of first day, I was doing 360s. Anyone can do this crash course, it's so much fun," Paul said. "Once you understand the mechanism of the emergency break, it's super simple. It's a lot easier than you would think." – AFP, March 13, 2014. |
| Bollywood to dance into final frontier: America Posted: 11 Mar 2014 07:02 PM PDT The International Indian Film Academy said "House of Cards" and "American Beauty" star Kevin Spacey would appear in an acting workshop during the April 23-26 program in Tampa, Florida, part of an effort to woo an American audience. Hoping to show Bollywood's global appeal, the prolific industry's answer to the Oscars has never been held in India since its inception in 2000. Instead, the awards have travelled to Britain, Canada and Australia but never the United States, the home turf of globally dominant Hollywood. "It was high time, really. I don't know what has taken us so long," said leading Indian actress Vidya Balan, who will also appear at the awards. In what may be a hopeful omen for Bollywood's chances stateside, Vidya said she unwittingly held up the airport's passport control line as the US officer explained to the actress her fondness for India's "uplifting" films. Vidya, who is known for portraying strong women and served last year on the Cannes Film Festival's jury, said US audiences were beginning to ditch stock images of Indian cinema as just formulaic song-and-dance routines. "I think some had the idea that Hindi film was esoteric or all a one-off spectacle," she told AFP. "I think they are now ripe to see that Hindi cinema has far more to offer." Promoting Indian culture Nonetheless, the awards plan a heavy dose of glitz with music, dancing and leading names for the main April 26 gala organizers predict will pack the 66,000-capacity home stadium of American football's Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The event will feature performances by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, the Pakistani singer of qawwali spiritual music whose work has appeared in both Bollywood and Hollywood films. He is the nephew of the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who gained an international audience through his collaborations with Western musicians including Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder. Organizers said that Tampa had courted the Bollywood awards and that the industry chose the city off the Gulf of Mexico for its record at holding major events including American football's Super Bowl and the 2012 convention of the Republican Party. Kiran Patel, an Indian American health care mogul in Tampa who helped bring the awards to the city, said that Bollywood played a "tremendous role" in the world by appealing to moviegoers regardless of religion, race or other dividing factors. "It is not only entertainment that it is doing, but it is introducing our culture, our heritage to mainstream America," he told a news conference in New York. "This is a way of showcasing our culture in a very different way and at a level that has never been witnessed in this country." The awards will kick off with a free party for the Tampa public complete with Indian food, music and dancing. An economic boost Bollywood already has natural inroads in the United States, where nearly three million people are of Indian descent. The industry is also not short of viewers, estimating its films sell 5.3 billion tickets each year around the world. But organizers said that the awards would bring additional economic benefits, with some 130 Indian chief executives jetting to Tampa to look at business cooperation on the sidelines. "We have seen at the back of an IIFA, Indian companies going out there and investing in that economy," said Sabbas Joseph, director of the International Indian Film Academy. Past award ceremonies have also brought surges in tourist numbers, which have risen by up to 195 percent during the event, he said. "You have the East and West coming together, you have businesses coming together and you have tourism coming together." – AFP, March 12, 2014. |
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