'Unforgettable' sells to Asian webs

'Unforgettable' remains agreed to many Asian webs.LONDON -- The brand new the new sony Pictures Television has offered hit crime drama skein "Memorable" to a lot of leading tv producers inside the Asia-Off-shoreline region.Among the webs while using show are Wowow in Japan, Star in India and TVNZ in Nz. The series, which airs on CBS in the united states, remains agreed to webs in than 150 nations, including Nine australia wide, CTV in Canada and BSkyB inside the U.K.Furthermore, it airs on Fox Crime in Italia, AXN in the united states and OCN in Columbia."Memorable" stars Poppy Montgomery as Barbara Wells, an ex-cop that can recall everything she's acquainted with perfect detail. It's professional produced by Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly, John Bellucci and Erection dysfunction Redlich, which is produced by Timberman/Beverly Prods. and CBS Television Art galleries in colaboration with SPT. Contact Leo Barraclough at leo.barraclough@variety.com

Justin Long Signs Up For Broadway Debut

NY (AP) The first new student has been revealed for the Broadway play "Seminar" Justin Long.Producers announced Thursday that Long will make his Broadway debut alongside Jeff Goldblum on April 3 for eight weeks as a new cast takes over at The Golden Theatre.The original cast is Alan Rickman, Lily Rabe, Hamish Linklater, Jerry O'Connell and Hettienne Park. They will play their final performance April 1. Other replacements will be revealed later.In Theresa Rebeck's play about the soul-torturing world of authors, four budding writers are taught about life by a crass, pugnacious novelist-turned-tutor. Long will take over Linklater's part.Long's films include "The Break Up" and "Dodgeball." On TV, he was in "Ed" and "New Girl." He's also known for Apple's "Get a Mac" ads.Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Justin Long PHOTO CREDIT AP Photo/Chris Pizzello NY (AP) The first new student has been revealed for the Broadway play "Seminar" Justin Long.Producers announced Thursday that Long will make his Broadway debut alongside Jeff Goldblum on April 3 for eight weeks as a new cast takes over at The Golden Theatre.The original cast is Alan Rickman, Lily Rabe, Hamish Linklater, Jerry O'Connell and Hettienne Park. They will play their final performance April 1. Other replacements will be revealed later.In Theresa Rebeck's play about the soul-torturing world of authors, four budding writers are taught about life by a crass, pugnacious novelist-turned-tutor. Long will take over Linklater's part.Long's films include "The Break Up" and "Dodgeball." On TV, he was in "Ed" and "New Girl." He's also known for Apple's "Get a Mac" ads.Copyright 2012 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

We Need to Find Christina Hendricks's Junior High Yearbook

"When I was in junior high, I was sewing my own clothes. [...] I had these looks. Sometimes they were very tragic. I wore a pair of green, silk, MC Hammerstyle pants with the low crotch, Birkenstocks, and my hair in a turban. What that look was, I dont know, but it was kind of amazing." [BlackBook]

BBC America developing two new series

BBC America is developing two new series with Blighty shingle Clerkenwell Films, with BBC Worldwide disbursing.Sci-fi drama ''Wired'' originates from Steven Volk (''Afterlife'') and happens inside a world much like ours except that it's occupied by synthetic replicas of humans. Styles from the series include man's relationship with technology and just how that affects society values and morals.''The Dead Beat,'' from John Jackson (''Being Human''), is really a buddy cop drama by which among the officials is dead. ''We could not become more excited to become developing these British projects with Clerkenwell , our first originals within the sci-fi genre,'' BBC America g.m. Perry Simon stated. ''Supernatural Saturday has turned into a popular fixture on BBC America's schedule, and these two highly ideas give a new dimension to the programming.''BBC America signed a non-exclusive development cope with Clerkenwell in September.''There's an excellent energy behind this partnership,'' Clerkenwell Boss Murray Ferguson stated, ''The prospect of reaching a worldwide audience is exciting.'' Contact Jon Weisman at jon.weisman@variety.com

Backstage notes at the Oscars

Sound mixing: Tom Fleischman and John Midgley Visual effects: Ben Grossman, Rob Legato and Alex Henning Sound editing: Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty Docu feature: Rich Middlemas, Sean Combs, T.J. Martin and Dan Lindsay Film editing: Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall Art direction: Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo Makeup: J. Roy Helland and Mark CoulierCinematography: Robert Richardson Picture "The Artist" La Petite Reine/Studio 37/La Classe Americaine/JD Prod/France3 Cinema/Jouror Prods./uFilm production; Thomas Langmann, producer (the Weinstein Co.) Thomas Langmann paid tribute to the role Harvey Weinstein played in getting "The Artist" all the way to the big wins on Sunday night. "A month before Cannes (last year), I asked him to come to France to watch a movie from a director that he (had) never heard of with a cast he'd barely heard of -- but he came," Langmann said. "I saw in his eyes and his attitude that he really cared for the movie, that he really believed that we could maybe be here today. He's the only distributor who, even with this very special movie, would be able to take it to where it is today." Actor Jean Dujardin "The Artist" "I love your country," Dujardin enthused as he took the stage to claim his actor win for "The Artist." He pointed out that the first Oscars ceremony in 1929 was by silent-movie icon Douglas Fairbanks. "Tickets cost $5, and it lasted 15 minutes. Times have changed. So, thank you, Douglas Fairbanks." Dujardin ended his speech with what he expected his "Artist" alter ego, George Valentin, would say: "Formidable! Merci beaucoup! I love you!" Clearly flushed and excited, actor winner Jean Dujardin said that while he'd love to do another silent film in the U.S., he knew he'd always be a French actor in America."I'm not (an) American actor, I'm a French actor. I continue in France," the thesp said backstage.And yes, the thesp admitted that he also dropped the F-bomb onstage, although his French version didn't cause the censors to cut the mic."I watched a lot of movies -- Douglas Fairbanks movies, Gene Kelly movies," the actor said of preparing for his role in "The Artist." "I had fun pretending to be a movie star in 1920s." Actress Meryl Streep "The Iron Lady" Streep met the press beaming, with an elongated "Hiiiiiiiii." Winning again after so many years, she admitted, "I thought I was so old and jaded. But they call your name and you go into a white light. It was like I was a kid again. It was doubly wonderful because my longtime collaborative colleague Roy Helland won. I was really, really proud for him." She said she never worried she might never win again. "I have everything I've ever dreamed of in my life. I think there's room for other people. I understand Streep fatigue and I'm shocked it didn't override this tonight." A British reporter confirmed Streep was wearing a brand of shoe favored by Margaret Thatcher, and asked if she would celebrate with a whiskey, as Lady Thatcher was wont to do, the actress said, "I'm going to start with a couple and then we'll see if I can walk on the Ferragamos." Supporting Actor Christopher Plummer "Beginners" Even at 82, Plummer views awards as a meaningful career marker, though the accolade biz may be hitting the breaking point. "It's la creme on top," he said. "It's lovely to be accepted. Beyond the pleasure of working in front of a live audience, (awards are) sort of a general acceptance of your work. It's thrilling. I don't pooh-pooh awards, although there are so many of them. They're inventing new ones every day." Supporting actress Octavia Spencer "The Help" After a slew of wins, Spencer wasn't about to overthink her Oscar-night celebration. "I'm actually going to have a quarter of a glass of champagne. I'm just going to live in this moment because it's never happened before and Lord knows it may never happen again," she said. Director "The Artist" Michel Hazanavicius The fall festival circuit convinced Hazanavicius that auds were really swooning for "The Artist." After warm receptions at the Telluride, Toronto and NY film fests, he no longer felt like the nervous Frenchman trying to crash Hollywood. "I realized people really enjoyed the movie," he said. "When people really enjoy the movie, it's not really difficult. You're not selling, you're not promoting." Original screenplay "Midnight in Paris" Woody Allen Adapted screenplay "The Descendants" Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash "The Descendants" writers had plenty of fun on the red carpet before the show. On seeing Angelina Jolie, writer Rash joked, "I just saw her pose and I thought, you know what, we have exactly the same legs." Co-writer Faxon put it more bluntly: "She's supremely hot." Animated feature "Rango" Gore Verbinski (Paramount) Verbinski, picking up his first-ever Oscar for helming animated feature "Rango," was asked whether he dreamt of taking home an Academy Award for a live-action pic or an animated one. "I'm feeling dreamy right now," he said. "I don't think it matters. It's here. It's in my hand. It's very heavy. It feels good." Recalling that the movie started development in secret, outside the studio system, Verbinski said, "It helps when you're friends with Johnny Depp. We needed money and once Johnny said he was in, things started to happen." Foreign-language film "A Separation" a Dreamlab Films production, Iran (Sony Pictures Classics) "People in Iran follow the Oscars a lot more than you think they do," said "A Separation" helmer Farhadi. "It's the middle of the night but people are not sleeping, and they are following along." Farhadi demurred on the question of how the Oscar would affect his life. "I'm very happy about this award and I believe the Iranian people are also very happy and this is what matters to me." He said he wasn't focused on the reaction of the Iranian government, whose officials had divided reactions to his pic. "To me what matters is that the people of Iran are happy." Cinematography "Hugo" Robert Richardson Richardson, who picked up his third cinematography Oscar, admitted to being shy about taking the stage as the night's first winner. "Cinematography? We're behind the lens, we're not in front of the lens." But he added, "I'm elated. I didn't see this happening. I loved the work of (Emmanuel Lubezki) in 'The Tree of Life.' I'm extraordinarily happy, but I do love that man. I hope that recognition will be coming soon." Film editing "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall Film editing and best picture honors have traditionally been closely linked, so editors Baxter and Wall said they were especially shocked to hear their names called, since "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo" wasn't nommed for top honors. "We weren't expecting it at all. And there's no getting used to this," said Baxter, while Wall said, "We felt (editing and picture) went hand-in-hand, too. I don't ever remember being so surprised in my life as when they called our names." It was the second win in a row for the pair, who also took the prize for last year's David Fincher-helmed "The Social Network." Baxter said he didn't worry about viewers who might have seen the original Swedish version of "Dragon Tattoo." "(It) was irrelevant to me because I'm being responsive to what Fincher has shot," he said. Original score "The Artist" Ludovic Bource Speaking through a French translator, score winner Bource revealed that the first statue he received for "The Artist" came in the form of a woman. "(My son said,) 'Papa, you need to bring me the man, the Oscar, so they can kiss each other,' " the composer said. Despite his Gallic background, Bource intended his music to honor entertainment from the United States. "All the work I did on 'The Artist' was a declaration of love to American culture and American cinema," Bource said in French, before speaking his first English words of the evening: "Thank you, good night." Original song "Man or Muppet" music and lyric by Bret McKenzie, "The Muppets" (Walt Disney) McKenzie couldn't escape the "Flight of the Conchords" questions backstage after his song win for "Man or Muppet" from "The Muppets." After flying solo on the movie project, he's eager to get back to his long-standing collaboration with Jemaine Clement on the oddball folk-comedy duo. "It seems to have gone very well. I'm looking forward to writing with Jemaine again. I can pull out the Oscar card and say 'Mmmm, I think we should use this chord. I won the Oscar.' " Documentary feature "Undefeated" TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas; a Spitfire Pictures production (the Weinstein Co.) Having just dropped the second annual Oscar F-bomb (after last year's Melissa Leo faux pas), "Undefeated's" filmmaking team felt a little remorseful that a curse detracted from their core message. "First and foremost, I'd actually like to apologize for that," said co-director Martin. "I don't think it was the classiest thing in the world." Martin and Lindsay spent time getting to know an African-American football team and its white coach in a poverty-stricken area of Memphis. Oscarcast producers cut their mic after Martin's mid-speech expletive. "The most important message for us to deliver was that this award was for the people of Memphis," Lindsay said. "It was heartbreaking that we got cut off and we weren't allowed to say that." Art direction "Hugo" production design: Dante Ferretti, set decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo Husband-and-wife collaborators Ferretti and Lo Schiavo know something about working as a team. Their art-direction kudo for "Hugo" marked their third Oscar win, and they said it'll only encourage them to try for a fourth. "For me, it doesn't change anything, because I have more enthusiasm (to) keep going," Lo Schiavo said. And for Ferretti, the win repped a special treat. "Today is my birthday," he said backstage. "And this is the most incredible gift." Costume design "The Artist" Mark Bridges Bridges and the rest of "The Artist" team did their homework in prepping the pic's sartorial style with plenty of screenings. "There's a great film called 'Show People' starring Marion Davies that was great research for us. We also watched things like 'It,' 'Our Dancing Daughters,' 'City Girl' and 'Sunrise.' Those were emotional touchstones for us." It wasn't that they made Xerox copies of those films' wardrobes, but they wanted to "get the flavor and know how things were worn," Bridges said. Makeup "The Iron Lady" Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland Tag-teaming backstage, makeup winners Coulier and Helland had quick responses to the question of their biggest challenges on "The Iron Lady." "The budget," Helland said, explaining that "Lady's" $14 million didn't leave much room for hair and makeup. "No time, no money ... I was allowed to have five wigs made and they were rented, covering over 40 years." For Coulier, the challenge was having to "work fast." Helland offered some personal advice imparted to him years earlier: "Don't paint what you see; paint what you want." Sound editing "Hugo" Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty Sound editors Stockton and Gearty took a little time to get used to Sunday's flashbulbs backstage. "We're not on camera, are we?" Gearty asked, receiving an affirmative answer. "Oh, shit." Not that the "Hugo" winners were terribly surprised to find themselves in the spotlight. "When you work for Martin Scorsese, there's always a chance that you're going to be nominated for an Oscar," Stockton said. Sound mixing "Hugo" Tom Fleischman and John Midgley Working on his first 3D film was not too daunting for "Hugo" sound mixer Fleischman. "We've been mixing in 3D for years, we've had surround speakers in theaters and been able to bring things off the screen," he said. "We were fortunate enough to use the new Dolby 7.1 system (for 'Hugo'). That allowed us to open up the sound and make it more enveloping." Midgley admitted to being nervous about their Oscar prospects, even after "Hugo" began racking up craft wins. "I got a bit scared when (the film) won the first two (awards)," he said as he clutched his trophy tight. Visual Effects "Hugo" Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning Legato, one of the quartet that won for visual effects, said that by honoring "Hugo" above the vfx extravaganzas in the category, the Academy "judged on the merits of art as much as they did the technology." Legato's fellow winner Grossman agreed. "The films in our category were just stunning films we would never expect to be even up against and get a chance to compete with," he said, prompting Legato to aver, "We were surprised when they called our names," despite the fact that "Hugo" had already swept numerous tech awards by that point. Animated short "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore" William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg; a Moonbot Studios LA Production "I think an atomic joy bomb has just exploded in the northern part of Louisiana," animated short winner Joyce said with a grin backstage, referring to the home of Moonbot Studios, the company behind "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore." Co-winner Oldenburg said, "The short was to tell a story and to serve as a calling card for our company, and the whole point was to get the world to recognize what we're capable of in Shreveport, La. "This is really cool," Oldenburg added. "We want to do more shorts. We want to do more apps. We want to do more games. We want to do more books. And we eventually will do a movie." Documentary short "Saving Face" Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy; a Milkhaus/Jungefilm production Director Obaid-Chinoy hopes her win as the first Pakistani helmer to take home an Oscar will reverberate across her home country. She sees herself as an example "of an emanicipated, educated woman who (chose) to return to Pakistan and create change in Pakistan." Part of that change, she hopes, will be the resurrection of the once-vibrant film industry that Pakistan had in the 1950s and '60s. "My generation and a few filmmakers are trying to revive it. I hope this will be an impetus to getting a more flourishing film industry in Pakistan," she said. Live-action short "The Shore" Terry George and Oorlagh George; an All Ashore production For father-daughter team Terry and Oorlagh George, "The Shore" represented more than just the Oscar it won for live-action short. "I hope it's a reaffirmation that things have changed there," Terry George said of Ireland, where the film takes place. "I'm going to go back to the little village where we shot this ... and then hopefully use it to promote not just the peace process in Northern Ireland but tourism and everything." The pair planned to celebrate post-show, but the elder George had more mellow ideas in mind for Monday. "I'm going fishing tomorrow," he said. Contact David S. Cohen at david.cohen@variety.com

Max Von Sydow on Oscars, 'Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close'

Max Von Sydow on Oscars, 'Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close' By Jessica Gardner February 16, 2012 Photo by Blake Gardner Max von Sydow is a little intimidating. Not only does he tower over everyone in the room and have a deep, distinctive voice, but he's also one of cinema's most acclaimed actors, having spent 63 of his 82 years making films. The intimidation factor may also have something to do with the characters he's played over his long career. There are the religious figures: Jesus in "The Greatest Story Ever Told," Father Merrin in "The Exorcist" and "The Exorcist II," and Reverend Abner Hale in "Hawaii." Then there are the villains: Ming the Merciless in "Flash Gordon," G. Joubert in "Three Days of the Condor," and Lamar Burgess in "Minority Report." His baritone was even used in "Ghostbusters II" as the voice of evil Vigo the Carpathian.However, upon meeting the Oscar nominee for "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," one immediately senses his warmth, class, and love for the craft of acting. He says he loves diving into the psyche of the surreal characters in his repertoire. "To me, part of the fascinating profession of acting is to participate in all these strange situations," he says, "to try to understand all these interesting characters, fictitious or real, their human nature. It's extraordinarily fascinating."Born in 1929, the Swedish actor was raised with parents uninterested in theater. They were from strict Lutheran families and believed that actors were untrustworthy and shouldn't be dealt with. In the city of Lund, Skne, Sweden, where he grew up, there were no theaters. "There were a couple of cinemas," he remembers. "But I was not taken by movie acting or movie actors to begin with, really." A city close to his hometown, Malm, opened a municipal theater, and his school sent the students to watch a performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Seeing the play changed his life. "It was magnificent," von Sydow remembers. "It made a profound impression on me." After that, von Sydow made every attempt to see all the shows at the Malm Municipal Theatre. Soon after, he and a group of his classmates started a theater society at their school. "We were inspired," he says. "We started doing plays without any professional assistance at all. Not even teachers. It was just us. We were 16, maybe 17 years old, and we were doing the plays of [August] Strindberg, Pr Lagerkvist, Hjalmar Bergmanit was a very exciting place. I decided I wanted to be a theater actor, and that was it." In 1948, Von Sydow auditioned at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. "Three different characters from three different plays," he says. He was accepted and spent three years studying there before going on to work for years at a string of municipal theaters. Von Sydow believes that working at these theaters was the best possible acting training he could get. "You were not hired to play a part unless you were a star," he says of the Swedish theater system. "As a young actor, you were hired to work at a theater and play whatever part they would give you. They kept you working. You rehearsed for a month and a half, and then it played for a month and a half." Von Sydow got to perform a wide range of partsfrom comedy to tragedy, from lead to extra. He worked constantly, and not just in the theater. "If you ever had some free time, there was the radio station, which also did theater productions. So maybe you woke up early in the morning, rehearsed at the radio for two hours, then to the theater to rehearse another play during the day, performed in a school production around five o'clock for an hour or two, and then performed in the regular show at night."Von Sydow believes the best way to learn acting is to act. "You cannot study acting in books," he insists. "Do it, do it, do it. And watch good actors. See what they are doing and how they are doing it. You have to practically participate, I think, in order to develop yourself."When it comes to his method of acting, von Sydow says that it's all about finding his character's intentions. "First of all, I think it's a matter of finding out what does he intellectually want to do," he says. "Why does he enter this story? Does he want to or does he not? Maybe he's forced into it, but why? Then it is a matter of finding out, for every scene where he appears, why he appears in this scene. Why does he participate? When I know what the character I'm supposed to play wants in general terms, and when I know what did the other characters want to do, that's when all these wills collide and the emotions show up."The Bergman Connection In 1955, von Sydow was asked to work at the Malm. He jumped at the chance. There he began working with director Ingmar Bergman. "I did two productions for him that first year, and then we filmed 'The Seventh Seal' in the summer," he says. "Then we just went on and on." In "The Seventh Seal," von Sydow portrays a medieval knight who asks questions of the Grim Reaper as he plays chess with him during the Black Plague. The film was an international hit, introducing Bergman and von Sydow to the world. The two continued to collaborate on films such as "Wild Strawberries" and "The Virgin Spring."For von Sydow, working with Bergman was his favorite experience from his lengthy career. "It was my most important experience, no doubt," he says. "It was very special, I was very privileged, and I'm very grateful for all the wonderful opportunities that he gave me. It was also a period of learning, experimenting, and developing. He gave young people wonderful opportunities, and he was a great inspiration for everybody. Sometimes he was difficult, of course, and there were some people who had great difficulties working with him, but most of us were very spoiled by him."Incredibly Moved After von Sydow read Eric Roth's script for "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," he didn't hesitate to accept the part. He loved the character of The Renter and was profoundly moved by the story. Even though The Renter had no spoken lines, von Sydow prepared as he would with any other role. "He's a totally normal person," he says of the character. "The only difference is that he doesn't speak audibly. He still says things; he just [writes them on paper]. Because of that there was no reason to change my acting style."Most of von Sydow's scenes were with 12-year-old newcomer Thomas Horn, who was asked to audition after being seen by producers on "Jeopardy!" Kids Week in 2010. According to von Sydow, director Stephen Daldry's experience working with children on the stage and screen versions of "Billy Elliot" was immensely helpful in preparing Horn. "Thomas became a professional really quickly," he says. "He's brilliant, this boy. Very intelligent, very quick to pick up what has to be done, and a great memory also. It often happened that we had new lines in the morning, and he knew them in no time. He had a long monologue in our first scene together in the grandmother's kitchen. He tells his story, a monologue of eight minutes, which he delivered with an intensity and precision that was extraordinary. And he did it many times. Very good. I admire him, and he has a good sense of humor." That's high praise coming from an actor as imposingand incredibleas Max von Sydow.Max von Sydow on Stage Versus Screen "Film work can be very interesting, but it also can be awfully boring because who creates the film? The actors? No. It is the director. It's his piece of work. If he's a great director, he can form his actors to do interesting things, but you are there, you come for three days, or three weeks, or a month, and then all the rest of the time you have no idea what's going on with the production. You don't participate. You're not invited to. It is the director's vision. His creation. In the theater, it's so different because you are invited. You read the play together, you do the blocking together, you are there, and you participate every day. You solve problems together, and you interact. The director is there to help you and to sort the good things out of the bad things. It's teamwork in a totally different way than film work is. After you shoot a film, you go away and maybe you're cut out of scenes you've done which you think were good. That can be very disappointing. But theater, you are there and you deliver directly to your audience. You work together with the audience. That's acting."The Quotable von Sydow Max von Sydow appeared at a Q&A between two of his films as part of a Feb. 6 special event presented by American Cinematheque at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. Back Stage film and television editor Jenelle Riley hosted the sold-out discussion following a screening of "The Seventh Seal" and preceding a showing of "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close." Also in attendance were many fans of von Sydow's 1980 film "Flash Gordon," in which the actor played villain Ming the Merciless. One audience member prefaced his query by saying, "I've been waiting 30 years to say this to you: 'Hail Ming!' " Von Sydow was a good sport, as he was when another audience member asked him about a quote from "Hannah and Her Sisters" in which his character rages against fundamentalist preachers. The actor rattled off the line perfectly, beginning with "Third-rate con men telling the poor suckers that watch them that they speak with Jesus, and to please send in money!" When von Sydow finished, Riley was prompted to beg, "Now do 'The Exorcist'! Come on, just one 'The power of Christ compels you!' " Von Sydow laughed but declined to repeat the line.Outtakes Was nominated for an Oscar in 1988 for his lead role in "Pelle the Conqueror"Lives in Paris and has four sonsHas appeared in the films "Robin Hood," "Shutter Island," "Rush Hour 3," "Judge Dredd," and "Hannah and Her Sisters" and on TV on "The Tudors" as Cardinal Von Waldburg Max Von Sydow on Oscars, 'Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close' By Jessica Gardner February 16, 2012 PHOTO CREDIT Blake Gardner Max von Sydow is a little intimidating. Not only does he tower over everyone in the room and have a deep, distinctive voice, but he's also one of cinema's most acclaimed actors, having spent 63 of his 82 years making films. The intimidation factor may also have something to do with the characters he's played over his long career. There are the religious figures: Jesus in "The Greatest Story Ever Told," Father Merrin in "The Exorcist" and "The Exorcist II," and Reverend Abner Hale in "Hawaii." Then there are the villains: Ming the Merciless in "Flash Gordon," G. Joubert in "Three Days of the Condor," and Lamar Burgess in "Minority Report." His baritone was even used in "Ghostbusters II" as the voice of evil Vigo the Carpathian.However, upon meeting the Oscar nominee for "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," one immediately senses his warmth, class, and love for the craft of acting. He says he loves diving into the psyche of the surreal characters in his repertoire. "To me, part of the fascinating profession of acting is to participate in all these strange situations," he says, "to try to understand all these interesting characters, fictitious or real, their human nature. It's extraordinarily fascinating."Born in 1929, the Swedish actor was raised with parents uninterested in theater. They were from strict Lutheran families and believed that actors were untrustworthy and shouldn't be dealt with. In the city of Lund, Skne, Sweden, where he grew up, there were no theaters. "There were a couple of cinemas," he remembers. "But I was not taken by movie acting or movie actors to begin with, really." A city close to his hometown, Malm, opened a municipal theater, and his school sent the students to watch a performance of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Seeing the play changed his life. "It was magnificent," von Sydow remembers. "It made a profound impression on me." After that, von Sydow made every attempt to see all the shows at the Malm Municipal Theatre. Soon after, he and a group of his classmates started a theater society at their school. "We were inspired," he says. "We started doing plays without any professional assistance at all. Not even teachers. It was just us. We were 16, maybe 17 years old, and we were doing the plays of [August] Strindberg, Pr Lagerkvist, Hjalmar Bergmanit was a very exciting place. I decided I wanted to be a theater actor, and that was it." In 1948, Von Sydow auditioned at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm. "Three different characters from three different plays," he says. He was accepted and spent three years studying there before going on to work for years at a string of municipal theaters. Von Sydow believes that working at these theaters was the best possible acting training he could get. "You were not hired to play a part unless you were a star," he says of the Swedish theater system. "As a young actor, you were hired to work at a theater and play whatever part they would give you. They kept you working. You rehearsed for a month and a half, and then it played for a month and a half." Von Sydow got to perform a wide range of partsfrom comedy to tragedy, from lead to extra. He worked constantly, and not just in the theater. "If you ever had some free time, there was the radio station, which also did theater productions. So maybe you woke up early in the morning, rehearsed at the radio for two hours, then to the theater to rehearse another play during the day, performed in a school production around five o'clock for an hour or two, and then performed in the regular show at night."Von Sydow believes the best way to learn acting is to act. "You cannot study acting in books," he insists. "Do it, do it, do it. And watch good actors. See what they are doing and how they are doing it. You have to practically participate, I think, in order to develop yourself."When it comes to his method of acting, von Sydow says that it's all about finding his character's intentions. "First of all, I think it's a matter of finding out what does he intellectually want to do," he says. "Why does he enter this story? Does he want to or does he not? Maybe he's forced into it, but why? Then it is a matter of finding out, for every scene where he appears, why he appears in this scene. Why does he participate? When I know what the character I'm supposed to play wants in general terms, and when I know what did the other characters want to do, that's when all these wills collide and the emotions show up."The Bergman Connection In 1955, von Sydow was asked to work at the Malm. He jumped at the chance. There he began working with director Ingmar Bergman. "I did two productions for him that first year, and then we filmed 'The Seventh Seal' in the summer," he says. "Then we just went on and on." In "The Seventh Seal," von Sydow portrays a medieval knight who asks questions of the Grim Reaper as he plays chess with him during the Black Plague. The film was an international hit, introducing Bergman and von Sydow to the world. The two continued to collaborate on films such as "Wild Strawberries" and "The Virgin Spring."For von Sydow, working with Bergman was his favorite experience from his lengthy career. "It was my most important experience, no doubt," he says. "It was very special, I was very privileged, and I'm very grateful for all the wonderful opportunities that he gave me. It was also a period of learning, experimenting, and developing. He gave young people wonderful opportunities, and he was a great inspiration for everybody. Sometimes he was difficult, of course, and there were some people who had great difficulties working with him, but most of us were very spoiled by him."Incredibly Moved After von Sydow read Eric Roth's script for "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," he didn't hesitate to accept the part. He loved the character of The Renter and was profoundly moved by the story. Even though The Renter had no spoken lines, von Sydow prepared as he would with any other role. "He's a totally normal person," he says of the character. "The only difference is that he doesn't speak audibly. He still says things; he just [writes them on paper]. Because of that there was no reason to change my acting style."Most of von Sydow's scenes were with 12-year-old newcomer Thomas Horn, who was asked to audition after being seen by producers on "Jeopardy!" Kids Week in 2010. According to von Sydow, director Stephen Daldry's experience working with children on the stage and screen versions of "Billy Elliot" was immensely helpful in preparing Horn. "Thomas became a professional really quickly," he says. "He's brilliant, this boy. Very intelligent, very quick to pick up what has to be done, and a great memory also. It often happened that we had new lines in the morning, and he knew them in no time. He had a long monologue in our first scene together in the grandmother's kitchen. He tells his story, a monologue of eight minutes, which he delivered with an intensity and precision that was extraordinary. And he did it many times. Very good. I admire him, and he has a good sense of humor." That's high praise coming from an actor as imposingand incredibleas Max von Sydow.Max von Sydow on Stage Versus Screen "Film work can be very interesting, but it also can be awfully boring because who creates the film? The actors? No. It is the director. It's his piece of work. If he's a great director, he can form his actors to do interesting things, but you are there, you come for three days, or three weeks, or a month, and then all the rest of the time you have no idea what's going on with the production. You don't participate. You're not invited to. It is the director's vision. His creation. In the theater, it's so different because you are invited. You read the play together, you do the blocking together, you are there, and you participate every day. You solve problems together, and you interact. The director is there to help you and to sort the good things out of the bad things. It's teamwork in a totally different way than film work is. After you shoot a film, you go away and maybe you're cut out of scenes you've done which you think were good. That can be very disappointing. But theater, you are there and you deliver directly to your audience. You work together with the audience. That's acting."The Quotable von Sydow Max von Sydow appeared at a Q&A between two of his films as part of a Feb. 6 special event presented by American Cinematheque at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. Back Stage film and television editor Jenelle Riley hosted the sold-out discussion following a screening of "The Seventh Seal" and preceding a showing of "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close." Also in attendance were many fans of von Sydow's 1980 film "Flash Gordon," in which the actor played villain Ming the Merciless. One audience member prefaced his query by saying, "I've been waiting 30 years to say this to you: 'Hail Ming!' " Von Sydow was a good sport, as he was when another audience member asked him about a quote from "Hannah and Her Sisters" in which his character rages against fundamentalist preachers. The actor rattled off the line perfectly, beginning with "Third-rate con men telling the poor suckers that watch them that they speak with Jesus, and to please send in money!" When von Sydow finished, Riley was prompted to beg, "Now do 'The Exorcist'! Come on, just one 'The power of Christ compels you!' " Von Sydow laughed but declined to repeat the line.Outtakes Was nominated for an Oscar in 1988 for his lead role in "Pelle the Conqueror"Lives in Paris and has four sonsHas appeared in the films "Robin Hood," "Shutter Island," "Rush Hour 3," "Judge Dredd," and "Hannah and Her Sisters" and on TV on "The Tudors" as Cardinal Von Waldburg

'Star Wars' Special: Six Underrated 'Phantom Menace' Characters

by Ryan Rigley There are a ton of reasons to see "Star Wars: Episode I" in 3D this weekend. First and foremost being the wide array of memorable characters that the movie introduces. Sure, Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Maul are cool. But what of the film's unsung heroes? I'm talking about characters that have maybe 10 or 15 minutes of screen time at the absolute most. "Phantom Menace" does a great job of acquainting us with several really interesting characters that we rarely if ever see or hear from again in any of the subsequent prequel movies. Here are some of the more memorable ones. » Boss Nass: This Ankura Gungan is leader of the Gungan High Council. He's also fat, green, and lovable. Boss Nass's catchphrase is a "HURBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLBLA" sound that he produces by shaking his jowels as fast as he can, getting saliva everywhere in the process. Kind of like a sneezing puppy. Kind of. » Sebulba: Best known as little Annie Skywalker's arch-nemesis, Sebulba is the Dick Dastardly of podracing. By that I mean, he will stop at nothing to win. He's killed and injured tons of fellow podracers over the years with his reckless driving and flat-out cheating. Also, he walks on his hands and eats space frogs with his feet. » Ben Quadinaros: Most people wouldn't even recognize this guy by name. But his huge, diamond-shaped face and paper-thin limbs are hard to forget. Quadinaros didn't have a single line in the movie, but he did have a major power coupling malfunction at a crucial time during the Boonta Eve Classic podrace. Now he'll forever be remembered as "that guy whose engines exploded." » Roos Tarpals: Captain of the Security Forces of Otoh Gunga, this Gungan military leader demonstrated his expert level military prowess during the Battle of Grassy Plains. Under Tarpals' leadership, the Gungans were able to defeat hundreds of battle droids with nothing but a few giant water bubbles. He also has a sweet mustache. » Watto: Possibly the only living being to ever be uneffected by the Jedi Mind Trick, Watto cares about one thing and one thing alone: money. This junk-dealing Toydarian is rude, cheap and a slaveowner. And to top it all off, he looks like the love child of Luis Guzman and a flying elephant. » Captain Panaka: It's no easy task defending the Queen of Naboo from waves of battle droids sent by the Trade Federation. But Panaka manages to do the unthinkable, remaining ever so calm and collected the entire time. Captain Panaka is a native to Naboo and head of the Royal Naboo Security Forces. If it weren't for him, Padme surely would have been killed and Luke and Leia would never have been born! » Not Jar Jar Binks: Seriously, he's the worst. "Phantom Menace" discussed this week in Talk Nerdy! Who are your favorite "Phantom Menace" supporting characters? Tell us in the comments or hit us up on Twitter!