Jorge Garcia (Dr. Diego Soto) in Alcatraz

What made you want to get back into a big concept TV series again? Was it the people attached, like J.J. Abrams and Liz Sarnoff whom you know of course from Lost?

 Jorge Garcia: Totally. J.J. makes the TV I want to watch and so to get to be a part of it, all the better.

Was there any trepidation going into another show that has some sort of, “We don’t really know what’s going on,” concept?

 Jorge Garcia: Not when it’s these people. After Lost ended and I came back to the mainland, I did feel like, “What’s going to be the next thing?” I was basically prepared to take my time and maybe not work for a while to give people enough time to forget where I came from. But then this surfaced, and it came quickly and it was great. And I was excited to be a part of it.

 Did you say anything to J.J. like, “Do you actually have answers to any of these questions?” before you signed up, or don’t you really care about that?

Jorge Garcia: Me personally? No. I don’t because I trust these people. I do know that they had a meeting at one point with executives saying, “No, no, we have this,” – their bible that they are going with, with what the big picture stories are going to be. But I’ve got used to working in the dark, and I kind of dig it.

What can you tell us about the premise? It sounds a bit bizarre.

Jorge Garcia: Thing is, just the title alone will get some people interested: everyone has heard of Alcatraz, and they know that really bad people were there. Bad people are intriguing. And it’s the kind of thing where people go, “Okay, we know this happened.” We know Alcatraz closed in 1963. And we know that everyone was taken off it. But then you go, “But why did it close?” And then you start coming up with what could be a crazy reason for that to happen, and then they created a show around it. It’s pretty exciting for me.

Can you tell us a little bit more about your character?

Jorge Garcia: Yeah, I play Doc Soto. I’m the Alcatraz expert of the group. I know more about Alcatraz than maybe anyone on the planet, and I am kind of obsessed by it and about criminals in general. And as to why and where that obsession was born out of, that gets revealed pretty early in the first season, and I’m excited about that. But I’m the one who is there so no-one has to look in any books because I wrote them all. So when these bad guys suddenly start re-surfacing, he’s the guy who tells us what to look out for and what their M.O. tends to be.

What are your PhDs in?

Jorge Garcia: They are in Civil War History and criminology. Are you testing me? I was like, “What did they say in the pilot?”

So you are interested in the past as well?

Jorge Garcia: Yeah, exactly. The civil war connection? I don’t know what that is going to be about, if there is going to be something in there, I don’t know.

Is it a nice change to play the expert, as different from Hurley who knew nothing?

Jorge Garcia: Oh yeah, he is definitely smarter, for sure. And cleaner shaven. Yeah, it definitely feels like a completely different guy and that is exciting, for sure.

Plus you don’t have to traipse through a jungle every day?

Jorge Garcia: Totally. I don’t have to deal with scorpions and mosquitoes and whatever else was in that jungle.

Did you do a lot of research?

Jorge Garcia: Not really. As far as playing the comic book shop owner, just hanging around in that little shop that they created, I was like, “Yeah, I get this place. I can do that easily.” As far as being an Alcatraz expert, the script pretty much told me what to say, I just had to deliver it with confidence. That was pretty much all I needed.

Obviously they haven’t told you everything, much like in Lost, but have you formulated your own theory as to where these missing prisoners have been? Or what is going on?

Jorge Garcia: Well, no. I’m really hoping Alcatraz is actually a spaceship and you will see the whole island lift off but that’s really a long shot.

What are the similarities to and differences from Lost?

Jorge Garcia: It’s a completely different kind of island. There’s a lot less plant-life. But it’s easier to say how alike it is to Lost: they’re both on an island; they’re both shrouded in mystery; and there is a guy on the show who looks a lot like a guy who was on Lost, and that is pretty much where the comparison stops.

Is it wrong to label it the new Lost?

Jorge Garcia: There will not be a new Lost. If you are going somewhere looking for a Lost, go to your DVD store and find it. Everything else that you are chasing is going to be different, something new. And let’s face it, if we gave you Lost again, you’d be like, “Yeah, I liked it the first time I saw it, and it was called Lost.”

How was filming the pilot? Did you actually film anything up at Alcatraz itself?

Jorge Garcia: We spent three days in San Francisco, but I think that might be the extent of it. I know the special effects guys took a lot of pictures of Alcatraz, from every angle so I’m pretty sure it’s going to be green screen and parking lots when we’re ‘there’. But we went there, and Sarah (Jones) and I captained the Alcatraz boat. We also got to go to places on Alcatraz that other people weren’t allowed to go at times, which was kind of fun and made you feel special.

You seem to be doing another series here where you don’t know much of what is going on ahead of time. As an actor, would you rather know more of where the story is going?

Jorge Garcia: There is a benefit to both. I do like acting the grey areas a lot. I think that always gives a certain credibility and realism to a character, where they are not 100% good or 100% bad. And one of the things about acting in the dark in that way, is that it gives you moments that you might be a little contradictory – where you act differently than what you would have anticipated with knowledge that you might get later – and I think that is a very human characteristic to be, so I enjoy that. I think it’s how you build a character.

What are you looking forward to in the show?

Jorge Garcia: I am looking forward to episode three a lot. I got a little preview in my visit to the writers’ room and there are some really cool things that they said were coming up pretty soon. You get to see why Doc is so fascinated with bad men.

How is working with Sam Neill?

 Jorge Garcia: Sam is great. He’s this very sophisticated man. He drinks wine. He’s this experienced actor who’s been in the business a long time and stuff, but then, he’ll turn around and be like the uncle who tells you to pull his finger, and that is the beauty of Sam.

How has your experience been so far at Comic Con?

Jorge Garcia: It’s been great. It’s been great. Everyone has been very nice. It’s kind of fun when they are rushing you through the crowd because the energy in that room is just really, really exciting. It’s just full of enthusiasm so it’s really fun. We got to go up to the Warner Bros booth, which is really high up off the ground, so we could get a really good look. I have this app to do a panorama shot so I was trying to take a picture of the whole floor.

Is there anything you particularly have your eye on on the floor?

Jorge Garcia: There’s a new Godzilla toy – I don’t know if it’s for sale or not but I was on a website checking it out. I’m always a fan of a new Godzilla toy.

Parminder Nagra (Lucy Banerjee) in Alcatraz

Can you talk a little bit about your character on the show?

Parminder Nagra: I play Lucy Banerjee, I’m a lab technician and I am essentially playing Sam Neill’s right hand person – he plays Emerson Hauser – and I’m like the science and the brains. I’ve had various conversations with Liz (Sarnoff) and I think she’s going to be a bit of a tough nut to crack if I’m on point, but I’m excited to see what happens.

What exactly is a lab technician doing at Alcatraz?

Parminder Nagra: She’s figuring out all the nuts and bolts, anything that is technical or science-based, they are going to turn to me and ask me, and hopefully Lucy will have the answer.

And what’s the main premise of the show?

Parminder Nagra: There are a bunch of prisoners that disappeared in 1963 – that we do know – and they start to come back in the present day, and my part, and Sam Neill’s part, we are the new Federal Agents that come back and investigate these happenings that are going on.

You seem to be good, but then you also could be bad. You kidnap Jorge and Sarah at one point, don’t you?

Parminder Nagra: Yes we do. We gas them. But we have also been working on this for a very long time.

What really attracted you to this project at first?

Parminder Nagra: These guys really. It’s hard not to get excited when you’ve got somebody like Liz or J.J. (Abrams), and now with Jack Bender on board, it’s just a good pedigree of people. And then when you hear that you are going to be playing Sam Neill’s right hand person, that’s not a bad gig at the end of the day. To me, you just know you are in safe hands. But more than anything else, knowing it is a J.J. show just meant I was super excited, to be part of that is amazing.

Were you looking specifically to get back into serialised television?

Parminder Nagra: Well, I was ready to go back to work again, and it was just a bonus that it was a J.J. show. But yes, I think I am ready to get back on that horse again.

What was your initial reaction when you read the script?

Parminder Nagra: I wanted to know what happened next. It was intriguing. It’s a J.J. Abrams show, so it’s wrapped up in mystery and I wanted to know more, and to me, that’s a good sign of a pilot – that you want to know what is going to happen with each of these characters. It would be so unfair if it was just the pilot and that was it – I feel like it needs a chance to be explored a little bit more and delve into those characters a little bit more. It needs that chance of exploration.

Is it difficult to keep secrets about the show to yourself and not give spoilers out?

Parminder Nagra: No, it’s not that tough because we haven’t been told too much ourselves. But I think even the trailer sets up so much intrigue and you just want to know what happens next.

You are never told a lot ahead of times on a show like this, but would you rather as an actor know more about where your character is going? Or would you rather know less?

Parminder Nagra: I know something. I think there are certain personality things or certain story points – like agendas and things like that – that I think are useful to know, but to me what’s exciting is going to be the reveal of each episode. Hopefully it is just going to open you up to more exciting things, week by week. That’s what’s intriguing to me.

Your character would seem to be one that will eventually know more than most, being Sam Neill’s right hand person.

Parminder Nagra: I guess I eventually will. It is fun. I think Lucy does already knows more than she is letting on.

How was Sam Neill to work with?

Parminder Nagra: I was a big fan of his, so it was nice to work with him. He is very funny. It’s always quite scary when you first meet someone because you don’t know what they are going to be like, especially when you admire them as well – it could go either way – but he was just a good laugh, actually.

We have heard that you got to actually visit and film at the real Alcatraz for the pilot, so how was that?

Parminder Nagra: I didn’t. I was actually one of the ones that didn’t get to go. I was too busy in my lab, tech-ing away.

What are you looking forward to most in the show?

Parminder Nagra: Just seeing how it all unfolds really, I think, because I don’t really know what’s going to happen next, so it’s going to be interesting to see what the writers pull out of the bag. I think it’s just going to keep people guessing.

Is this your first time at Comic Con?

Parminder Nagra: Yes, I’m a Comic Con virgin. Or The Con virgin now I realise it’s just called ‘The Con’.

Did Jorge (Garcia) give you any tips on how to survive?

Parminder Nagra: He didn’t. He just let us experience it all for ourselves. We went out onto the floor and there was a gazillion people out there which was pretty amazing. Everybody was very nice, very down-to-earth. It was very chilled. People seemed to be having a really nice time.

After a big signing session, do you feel your signature has improved?

Parminder Nagra: I always think my signature looks like a fly. But I have really enjoyed actually talking to everybody that comes by, at the signing, so it’s been fun.

Sarah Jones (Rebecca Madsen) in Alcatraz

Can you tell us about your character?

Sarah Jones: Rebecca Madsen is a detective for the San Francisco Police Department and she is married to her work: it’s what drives her and as the series goes along, you will find out why she is so invested in what she does. She gets recruited by Sam Neill to a special task force that has to try to figure out why these former prisoners are reappearing and why they haven’t aged. In the pilot, you will find out why she becomes so invested in the mystery of the reappearance of the Alcatraz crew – it’s not just the prisoners, it is wardens and everyone on the island – because she has a very personal connection.

What did you first think when you read the script?

Sarah Jones: My initial reaction was that I wanted to read more, I wanted to know more, I want to know what happens, and I want to know more about Rebecca’s connection to Alcatraz and to this mystery.

She is told at the end of the pilot that she is not allowed to tell her fiancé and her uncle – both established as important people to her – about her new job, so is that going to play a big part?

Sarah Jones: Yes, it is. But to be honest with you, she might confront some of that sooner than later. I don’t know much, but the little bit that Liz (Sarnoff) will give me about Rebecca and what’s going to go on, she hinted that… Rebecca calls it like she sees it, so she might confront her secret with her relationships sooner than you think.

How was it working with Santiago Cabrera?

Sarah Jones: He’s just so fantastic. What could be bad about working with Santiago? But everybody on this cast is fantastic, it’s been such a blessing. We all just gel. It’s been so lovely so far. We’ve just had a blast. It’s really fun.

Can you talk a bit about your character’s relationship? Do you know your history?

Sarah Jones: Not too much. I think we both understand where we’re coming from a bit, but we don’t know the entire past yet, and I don’t think we need to. Santiago and I are just going with it and just being comfortable with each other as two people who are engaged and who are also work associates would be.

As an actor, would you want to know more or less about where your character is going?

Sarah Jones: Whenever there is a situation that involves something that’s personal about Rebecca that I think might involve something in the future, I feel really comfortable in talking to Liz about that. But other than that, I am glad I am in the dark because it is a mystery that we’re figuring out after all, so the less I know, the more I am surprised and the more I’m surprised, the more people will be able to follow along and go on that journey with me. That’s all I hope to do.

So is Liz keeping you in the dark as much as Sam Neill’s character is in the show?

Sarah Jones: Yeah, basically Sam Neill is Liz Sarnoff. She basically leaves a trail of breadcrumbs for me. But I don’t want to know everything.

Why do you think people are going to be interested in a show about Alcatraz?

Sarah Jones: I think the simple folklore surrounding Alcatraz, on its own, is interesting enough, and because there will be flashbacks, we will be going into that prison every week and seeing what that was like, so you will see what life was like inside Alcatraz. That subject alone intrigues me.

Did you do any research into the subject?

Sarah Jones: Yeah, I love history and with America being such a young country in comparison to the rest of the world, having that piece of folklore that we can claim as our own is exciting, so I read a couple of stories about the inmates, from the inmates’ perspective, but I didn’t want to get into the history of Alcatraz too much because that doesn’t really interest Rebecca. She wants to know about the prisoners and what they were like. I also watched a fantastic documentary called Alcatraz Reunion which is this documentary about these former prisoners who went back to Alcatraz in their 70s and 80s. They were talking about their experiences, which was fascinating.

Did you go there after you had been cast?

Sarah Jones: I didn’t. But we shot there, which was awesome. We had so much fun. Jorge and I were boat captains! But it was funny, because it was kind of hauntingly beautiful. I hope we can go back as much as possible. It’s just an incredible experience. I wasn’t particularly creeped out there, but the set of Alcatraz that they have now built is creepier and more eerie to me than the actual prison.

Do you think Rebecca thinks there’s a more supernatural explanation? Or does she think there is a more scientific answer?

Sarah Jones: I would think that she’s going to start with some logic because that’s what she knows, that’s how she knows how to solve crimes. I would say that she is pretty much the doubting Thomas of the entire pilot. So I think first she would go with logic and then if there is a supernatural aspect, I think that is something she is going to have to learn and something that people will follow with her through the series.

What are you looking forward to in the show?

Sarah Jones: I think just finding out what this mystery is. And just working with everyone: everyone is so talented, writers, crew, cast, everybody.

What training did you have to do?

Sarah Jones: I have obviously learned how to shoot guns. When I got the pilot, the first thing I did was started training and boxing. I was working with this former boxer champion who was awesome – his name is Ricky Quiles – and that was fantastic. Just in case I had to get in a fight situation, I want to be able to throw a punch even if it is a stunt move, I want to be able to throw a punch that a man’s going to believe – Rebecca knows how to do that. And I run. I run. Because there is going to be some running in this series! And it’s going to be in San Francisco which we all know is not exactly a flat surface, so that’s how I get in shape. She’s a guys’ girl. She knows how to do her job and do it well, she knows how to protect herself but she’s not a slick secret agent. She’s one of the guys and she’ll go home at the end of the day and have a beer and kick it at her Uncle Ray’s bar. Or go home, have a burger and go to bed. Which is something I love about her.

Has there been one action star moment?

Sarah Jones: There was, but it got cut out because there wasn’t enough time. It was a great chase scene, it was so great, and it was with Jack Sylvane – Jeffrey Pierce – and we had so much fun: it was in San Francisco, because we shot a few days in San Francisco, both at Alcatraz and in the streets, in Chinatown, it was awesome. But you have to set up the story, that’s the most important thing for the pilot, so that was sacrificed. That was the sacrificial lamb of the pilot.

You’ll hopefully have to do it all over again in future episodes.

Sarah Jones: That’s fine by me! I’ve been running for it, I’ve been training for that.

And running in boots?

Sarah Jones: And running in boots.

All interviews taken from the Comic Con Interview session.

Girlie Gossip bring you an exclusive interview with some quickfire questions from Alfie Boe as he talks about his new album ‘Bring Him Home’ and other upcoming projects!

1) Hi Alfie, thanks for taking the time to answer some of our questions. A lot of our readers will probably now have seen you in the latest Les Mis 25th Anniversary DVD playing the lead role of Jean Valjean, but how and when did your operatic career actually come about, and was singing a career path you’d always wanted to persue?

ALFIE: Glad you all enjoyed the Les Miserables DVD it was a great concert and a wonderful evening to be a part of.

My career as a singer started back when I was Nineteen years old when I auditioned for a company called the D’oyly Carte after taking advice from friends and a customer who’s car I was working on when I worked as a mechanic. He overheard me sing and said i had a good voice and that I should try and make it in the music world. You never know who’s going to be listening.

2) Did you do anything specifically to prepare to the role of Valjean?

ALFIE: Read the Victor Hugo novel and grew a beard.

3) You have just released an album ‘Alfie Boe – Bring Him Home’ what are your personal favourite tracks and why?

ALFIE: Pretty much all of the songs on my new album are my favourites but if I had to choose one, I think it would be Bring Him Home as this song means so much to me and has made such an impact to my career.

4) You and Matt Lucas seem to have struck up a firm friendship, with him even appearing on your album. Can we expect any further collaborations from the two of you?

ALFIE: I know Matt and I  are going to be friends for life and who knows what ideas and trouble we can get up to.

5) When you’re not busy singing and playing the lead in hit musicals, what do you like to do in your free time?

ALFIE: I’m a bit of a family man and spend most of my time being tormented by my daughter Gracie, she’s two years old now and has me wrapped around her little finger but she’s my little belle!

6) Is there anyone you would like to duet with or work alongside that you haven’t yet been able to?

ALFIE: There are many people in this business that I would love to collaborate with on an album, eventually I would like to try my hand at writing some of my own stuff and to work alongside someone else who’s known for their writing would be a wonderful opportunity. I’m a huge fan of Classical Rock Music so to duet or to collaborate with someone like Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin fame would be fantastic.

7) Can you share any other exciting projects, plans or updates that we can expect to see from you this year?

ALFIE: Well we are at present trying to fit in the diary some surprise performances to showcase my album live. We are trying to make it work for April or May this will fit nicely in the diary just before I start back in Les Miserables in June. There are other things on cards at the moment but can’t say too much just yet.

8) Lastly, we are very pleased to hear that you will be reprising the role of Jean Valjean in the West End during 2011! Can you give us any more information on this? Good luck and we’ll be sure to come along and watch one of your performances and report back to readers later this year!

ALFIE: Yes I will be going back into Les Miserables in June for a six month run so book your tickets now. I just want to thank all my beautiful fans for all your support over the years and to all those that have just started to follow me, welcome and I hope you enjoy my music and performances because it’s for you my fans that I do this. Alfie xx

Thanks so much to Alfie Boe for taking time out of his busy schedule to chat to us. We hope that you all enjoyed his answers! Please note, this interview is © Girlie Gossip.Com -  Retransmission, modification and usage of any kind should be approved by Girlie Gossip editors and the appropriate credit given. Thankyou for reading!

Alfie Boe ‘Bring Him Home’ is out now!

Girlie Gossip recently had the pleasure of speaking to Geraldine Shaker, Celebrity Makeup Artist & Founder of Kitten Vixen Cosmetics. She tells us about her celeb clients, current hollywood beauty trends and much more!

Hi Geraldine, can you tell us a bit about any current winter beauty trends you’ve spotted and what we should be wearing this season?
Autumn Winter 2010 trends are graphic – eyeliner has a rock n roll vibe, ranging from the classic cat eye to smeared almost sweaty liner that looks like you’ve been up all night. Lips are bold too, in wintery shades of dark purple, blackened plum and cherry red.

With those all-important Christmas parties coming up, can you give us some top tips for a makeup look that would be perfect for festive events this month?
First decide whether you want to follows the trends or if you want a classic beauty look. If you’re a:

Trends girl: Go for the classic cats eye (opt for gel liner as it has the longest staying power) I like Make-up Forever gel liner. If your lips are full opt for a bold lip in cherry red, blackened plum or dark purple. Ladies with less in the lip department should opt for a sheer gloss in the same color spectrum.

Classic beauty: Opt for a smoky eye in the jewel tones – burgundy, navy blue or dark green. Add sparkle with a sheer wash of either silver or gold to make it more festive. Keep lips simple with a nude or barely there tone.

You have worked with some fabulous celebrity clients, can you tell us a bit about them and their beauty products/looks please?
When you work with big name actresses the look they always want is beauty. They want to sparkle in front of the camera, that means fresh dewy skin, barely pinched cheeks, and drama on the eyes or lips depending on the face. I always apply airbrush foundation to anyone who is going in front of a camera – it really lasts all day with a flawless finish. Beauty make-up is about enhancing the features to maximize the natural beauty of the face that you are working on as opposed to fashion, which is really about changing the face and giving it a certain look/trend regardless of the features you are dealing with.

You’re based in Hollywood, so what looks are trending over there at the moment that are yet to emerge over here in the UK?
I would say the biggest beauty trend right now is the pointed manicure. Its been seen on the fingers of Rhianna, Fergie from the black Eyed Peas, Beyonce and Dita Von Teese. The pointed manicure is all about the shape of the nail, instead of being square or rounded its shaped into a point, which is reminiscent of the 70’s and 80’s. It’s fresh and modern with a retro vibe.

As a little Christmas gift to us all, can you share any of your top beauty secrets with Girlie Gossip readers?
Look after your skin. It doesn’t matter how great the make-up is or how well it is applied – if you neglect your skin the end results will never be great. You need to slough off the dead skin regularly and apply a good moisturizer every day, and as far as make-up is concerned – always sleep naked!

What beauty products can’t you get enough of right now?!
I’m a Chanel nail polish junkie – every season I search other brands in vain to see if I can color match the newest Chanel colors, and although some brands come close no one ever matches them or manages to go one better!

Many thanks to Geraldine for this fab interview! If you want to win yourself some Kitten Vixen’s fabulous ‘Eye Put A Spell on You’ Eye Kits then click HERE for our mega reader competition!

Giles has been busy since we last talked, not content with being a successful actor, he has now started up his own film company…. some people have all the luck!

Hi Giles, how are you and what have you been up to since our last interview?
Hi guys, I’m well thank you. I’ve been pretty busy, which is great. I’ve been traveling a bit, doing a WW2 Film called ‘The Glasshouse’ in Romania with Jonas Armstrong, playing a nasty ass Nazi, getting scared witless in horror feature ‘Inside’ in London and been drinking more blood as a Vampire again, this time in Ollie Millburn’s ‘The Harsh Light of Day’ in Devon.

We hear you have recently set up your own production company Gold Films which sounds very exciting; can you tell us a bit about what prompted this?
I was always writing and getting involved in the other side the camera as I had directed a few plays I had written so it was the next logical step. I didn’t want to sit by the phone waiting for it to ring so me, Martin Owen and Charlie Wilkins set up Gold Films to make some shorts/ pilots as a calling call for our feature films which we’ve written to show investors what we could do on a small budget.

You have just finished directing something called Sports Day 3D, what can we expect to see from this?
This was very exciting for us as we are the first company to film a live action 3D drama in the country. Believe me it was very tough to organize with 20 odd crew and loads of school kids, but we managed it and the film’s turned out brilliantly well.

The story takes place at a school sportsday where our young hero Brain becomes involved in a bitter battle with his rival, Shaun Smith, to see who is the greatest sportsday athlete in the events of the Sack Race and the Egg and Spoon Dash.

After a food fight of epic proportions in the school hall between the the two competetors (and the rest of the school) we fast forward twenty years where an older Brain (Mark Benton) has to relive his knightmare with a Dad’s race against his old foe, Shaun (Danny Midwinter). The question is: Will Brian loose his bottle or will he finally overcome the obstacle that’s haunted him all these years… beating Shaun Smith?

We shot on two RED camera’s, using a mirror rig to balance the two images. In post, we’ve added a few special effects, courtesy of our 3D stereo expect Ralston Humble at Pablo Post, where cake’s, eggs and paper plates fly at us in wonderful 3D.

It’s a real joy to see and now we have a really top calling card, hopefully our investors will love it as much as we do and we can go into production on our 3D feature ‘The Parallax Estate 3D’ as pre-production is already underway.

What made you decide to film in 3D?
We realized how great the medium is and wanted to be the leaders in the market in the UK. I know others are already jumping on the bandwagon and with James Cameron’s ‘Avatar’ hitting cinema’s soon, it’s going to be all the rage. Soon you won’t need the glasses and soon you’ll be able to watch 3D in your living room, it’s evolving that quickly this time round.

We hear you’ve also managed to squeeze in directing a sitcom pilot; it must have been a busy year for you! Tell us more about the sitcom and how you found yourself involved with this…
Well the sitcom ‘Barry Brown’ (The Life of a Stripper), is actually Gold Film’s first production. We wanted to make a sitcom that really pushes the boundaries of comedy, like Extra’s or Phoenix Nights before it, something that you can’t help but love and laugh with.

We’ve had screenings for the episode, which have gone down really well and now some companies are talking to us about a full series. The episodes are all mapped out and it’s ready to go.

It [The sitcom] follows the life of our hero Barry Brown, a guy who still thinks it is cool to be a stripper. He still ‘lives in the 90’s’ where stripping was accepted as a good form of entertainment. Dressing up as a Sailor or James Bond just to take his clothes off to screaming girls can be good for the ego but after a while the initial joy soon turns to boredom as Barry has to figure out what to do with his life.  We follow his dreams and disappointments as all the colourful characters we meet along the way become embroiled in Barry’s life in more ways than he could ever have expected. Directing this was a real joy. A lot of good friends were involved and at first I thought it might be daunting to ‘direct’ them but they were superb and we got some amazing and very funny footage.

So, does this mean we’ll see less of you on the screen in the future and more behind the camera, directing?
Not at all, I do love directing and producing and I’m working very hard with Gold Films to make us a success, but I’m still focused on acting.

Do you have a preference between the two?
I would say I love acting for the chance to live out someone else’s life and I love directing for the passion and the ability to create something that lasts forever. So no real preference.

What future projects do you have planned and what direction do you see your career headed?
Well, apart from working on ‘The Parallax Estate 3D’ we produced a few other shorts, one for Matt Crockford called Thrift Store: Voices, which made the Cannes short film corner and was screened there over the festival and the other is ‘If You See Her, Say Hello’ which was directed by Paul Purnell which we shot at Pinewood. It’s an excellent romantic short about two people meeting outside a coffee shop and hoping they don’t say the wrong thing to push the other away. It’s beautifully written and looks amazing. He’s got a bright future so we were happy to work with Paul. We’re pushing the festival circuit with this now.

Acting wise there are a few things lined up including working with director Toor Mian in ‘The Sky in Bloom’ which is a blistering noir thriller. Plus the 80’s comedy ‘Big Cats’ and Robin Jacob’s epic historical film ‘1066’ which should be filming next summer in Wales.

Career wise? I’m just glad to keep working. I can’t sit on my bum twiddling my thumbs, I like to keep moving and creating and enjoying the chance I have to do so.

Check out Giles’ site for more info – http://www.gilesalderson.com/

WILD CHILD – Emma Roberts Interview – By Holly Rosenblatt on behalf of Girlie Gossip. Keep reading after the Jump for our full interview and plenty of gossip from the star of Wild Child herself Emma Roberts …

H: Can you tell me in your own words what Wild Child is about?
E: Basically it’s about this spoiled girl who gets shipped off to boarding school in England because she can’t follow the rules so her dad gets mad and sends her away.

H: What attracted you to playing the role of Poppy?
E: I love the movies like Mean Girls and Clueless and this really reminded me of that and I’d never really played a character like that before – I always played like the girl next door, so it was cool to get to play someone completely different.

H: Did you fell there were any parallels between yourself and Poppy?
E: We’re both like sarcastic, and kinda funny sometimes and I think we both know what its like to be the new girl so in those ways I could relate to her.

H: Have you been enjoying spending time in the UK this year?
E: Oh yeah – I love it England, especially London; it’s been great to be back for a few days!

H: Have you got any hotspots in London that visit?
E: I love the Electric! And I love Topshop and Selfridges.

H: You’ve worked with some impressive talent recently: Aidan Quinn, Natasha Richardson – has anyone given you any tips or advice?
E: No one has really given me any advise as such but it was great working with Natasha, she’s just lovely and that was really fun.

H: Your characters have all had a pretty definitive sense of fashion – Are you into fashion? Have you got a personal style? What do you like to wear personally?
E: Pretty casual but today I dressed up so I like to wear dresses, I love to wear Juicy Couture and jeans and a shirt and Alice and Olivia too.

H: Do you think there’s a big difference between the way British girls dress and American girls dress?
E: Yeah, British girls dress way cuter – I think they take a lot more risks and like they wear vintage, and the vintage stuff over here is amazing and I love their style.

H: Isn’t vintage huge in LA though?
E: It is but it isn’t real vintage, so it’s not as cute as here.

H: What would be the 3 fashion accessories you can’t live without?
E: I have these black boots that’s I just got that I’m like obsesses with I wear them all the time. I think tights are like a must-have and then I really love C&C t-shirts, I think they’re really cute.

H: If you could live your life like a character from a book who would you choose?
E: Ooh that’s a good question. I love the Gossip Girls series so I’d want to be Serena Van Der Woods…. for fun!

H: Coming from a background with such a deep rooted involvement in entertainment did you feel a pressure to follow suite or was it quite organic for you?
E: Well I’ve been on sets since I was a little kid, and I’ve grown up around it and its something I’ve always wanted to do so it seemed pretty natural to me.

H: And if you weren’t an actress, is there anything else you thought you’d would like to do?
E: Well I love fashion so probably something in fashion but I also love photography. Travel round the world taking pictures.

H: Do you pursue photography in your spare time?
E: Yeah I do.

H: Have you got any tips for aspiring actresses out there?
E: Well if you wanna pursue it you should do it but like you can’t be upset if you get rejected because I got rejected at auditions and haven’t got parts but there will be something out there for you so just keep working at it. Do plays at school and see if you like it!

H: Is that how you started off – doing plays at school?
E: Not really but I did one play at camp where I was the Cheshire Cat in Alice in Wonderland but other than that I don’t really do plays. I don’t like plays I get too scared.

http://www.wildchildmovie.co.uk/wildChild_intro.html

After the recent success of Dr Horrible’s Sing Along Blog we were lucky enough to manage to get an exclusive chat with one of the main star’s herself Felica Day (Penny) We talk to her about her time on Dr Horrible and other fab shows such as Buffy The Vampire Slayer and The Guild. Read on after the jump for the full, fantastic interview …

Hi Felicia, thanks for taking time out to chat with us, first of all how are you, and have you recovered from the madness of Comicon yet?

Um, get back to me in a week It was absolutely crazy, I can’t say that I was prepared for it, because how do you prepare for a Con with over 100,000 people! I was rushing to and fro from signing to appointment to signing to panel, so I’m looking forward to next year, maybe it will be less crazy so I can do some actual shopping.

Sadly we couldn’t get there ourselves (mostly because we’re poor and live hundreds of thousands of miles away) but we’ve seen the online coverage and you look positively gobsmacked in those shots of The Dr Horrible panel, were you expecting that many fans to turn up?

Not really expecting the fan reactions I encountered at all! I knew that people might recognize me, but there were times I couldn’t walk down an aisle without taking a picture or giving an autograph. And as far as the panel, YES I was totally blown away, I hadn’t seen the room and to see all those flash bulbs going off…gobsmacked is right!

You’ve worked with Joss Whedon and Nathan Fillion before on BTVS when you played one of the potentials, is this how your involvement with Dr Horrible came about?

Yes, Joss and I kept in touch after Buffy. We spoke on the WGA strike line about my internet show “The Guild” (www.watchtheguild.com) and he mentioned he had an internet project simmering in the back of his brain. A few months later, out of the blue, I got an email “Can you sing? -j” When Joss emails you, you say yes whatever it is!

I’m curious, were you a fan of Buffy The Vampire Slayer before you actually appeared in it, and do you know if Joss has any plans to ever revive the series either by a spin-off show or something similar?

I admit, I had not seen many episodes before I worked on it, it aired during my non-TV college years, but after the show was over I got addicted because if you know me, you know that fantasy and action are my weak spots! I don’t know anything about his plans besides the comic book Season 8 (Which has Vi, my character, in the latest issue)

The writing, the comedy, the acting and the music were all amazing in Dr Horrible but what were your own personal favourite songs, and scenes and why?

I love the opening of Act Two and the song “On The Rise”, a duet with Neil and myself. That song gave me shivers the first time I heard it. My favourite scene is the laundry mat scene where I sing “Penny’s Song” but not because of me, because of the shot after Nathan and I leave, and the camera zooms in on Neil’s face and he starts singing “Brand New Day.” The intensity in his expression coupled with the dramatic camera move, sheer genius on Neil and Joss’ part. So bad ass!

Will there be more Dr Horrible episodes to come, or possibly a Movie/Broadway musical as rumours suggest?

I have heard all the same rumors and can only root for it to continue in any form. I’m sure it will have other iterations because it’s a passion project of Joss’.

You are no stranger to the concept of online shows, having already enjoyed success with your own online series ‘The Guild’ (Which we have just sat and watched for the first time today, it’s amazing!) how did the concept for this come about, and how are things progressing with the second series?

I’m writing Season 2 as we speak (this is the last interview I’m doing for a long time, must devote time to writing instead of interviewing! ) I was a huge World of Warcraft addict and after I kicked the habit I was looking to write a ½ hour comedy for TV. I picked online gaming because the mantra is, “Write what you know”. My producing partner, Kim Evey, suggested we do the show on the web and that’s how we came to the present, in short summary.

The Guild is actually primarily funded by fans of the show who can donate via paypal is that true? It must be rewarding to know that people love the show enough to put their hand in their pocket and donate their own money to help it progress!

It’s an amazing feeling to know that people want to support the show directly. When we first put that Paypal button up we had no expectation. You can imagine my shock when we made out budget for the next episode in several weeks! It’s democracy in action, and I couldn’t be prouder. At this point we don’t have the Paypal button up, we are looking at other funding options for now, but the DVD we’re selling is going to backpay all the cast and crew who worked for free to get the show done. And who knows, the button may go up in the next few months again!

You are quite internet savvy yourself aren’t you? With various social networking accounts that you regularly contribute to, your own blog etc on http://www.felicaday.com do you think that fans can relate to you more because you actually do respond to questions and comments raised and don’t shy away from internet communication?

Yes, I think it impacts the way I interact with fans and how we relate to each other. I can’t answer every message, but there are many ways to communicate with me, through my blog, Twitter etc. It makes me more relatable, but creates relationships between me and the fans of my show. Personally, I’m not interested in being a famous person, I’m just doing a job like anyone else. Anyone can create and put their vision on the internet, I just want to exemplify that and inspire others to do the same.

So when you’re not acting or writing, what do you like to do in your spare time?

Uh, spare time? Well, I used to go to dance class and do ballet, no time for that now. I want to go back and refresh that though. Most my time is taken up with The Guild and other internet stuff. I admit I do sneak Guitar Hero and World of Warcraft in, and Bejeweled on my iPhone. I’m a big gamer. I read a lot of fantasy novels too.

Seeing as we’re primarily an entertainment site, we’d love to know what your own personal favourite TV Shows, Movies and Games are!

TV Shows: Seinfeld, Friends, Family Ties, Cosby Show, Heroes
Movies: Bringing Up Baby, Babe, Big Trouble in Little China
Games: Planetscape Torment, Ultima Games, WOW, Guitar Hero, Super Paper Mario, Tetris, I could go on….

Lastly, what future projects can we expect to see from you? Do you have anything new lined up that you can tell us about?

I have a show I’m developing with Machinima.com, a sitcom set in a gaming world. I have a few other web shows I’m developing and a screenplay I hope to finish by the end of the year as a low-budget comedy, indie-style. Of course, more Guild. With that, I’m gonna go write!

Many thanks to Felicia for taking time out to chat with us, keep checking back for more Dr Horrible and The Guild related articles in the near future! While you wait, check out the links below to find out more about Felicia and her current projects.

www.watchtheguild.com
www.youtube.com/watchtheguild – Subscribe to the channel!
feliciaday.com – Official Website
www.twitter.com/feliciaday – Follow Felicia!

Hilary Swank, Richard LaGravenese Q&A

Double Oscar winner Hilary Swank plays Holly Kennedy in P.S. I Love You, adapted and directed by Richard LaGravenese. It tells of the loss of Holly’s beloved husband Gerry (Gerard Butler) and her slow recovery through a succession of letters he penned before he died.

Swank’s previous credits include Boys Don’t Cry, Insomnia, The Core, Million Dollar Baby and Freedom Writers. It was this last film, released in 2007, that saw her work with director Richard LaGravenese for the first time.

Best known as a screenwriter, his credits include The Fisher King, A Little Princess, The Bridges of Madison County and The Horse Whisperer.

Everyone can relate to some aspect of P.S. I Love You – what was your personal reaction when you read it for the first time?

LaGravenese: “I lost a dear friend of mine, Ted Demme, and I had gone through a similar experience after he died of feeling him around and dreaming about him, and feeling like I had been with him, and him guiding me. We had been working on a documentary on filmmakers when he died. So I saw the book and I saw that as a way of putting that in there. And there are a lot of little things of Teddy that I put into the story, that only people who knew Teddy will recognise. Like for instance, the urn is designed after his urn. There are lines, little bits of Teddy, and the spirit of Gerry’s character is very much like Teddy’s.”

Swank: “For me, reading this script, I was reminded of what life is about. It was a reminder that you just want to hold those ones that you love dear, because you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. It’s such a great love story, and I think that we can all relate to that, finding love and losing love. If it’s not through death, even a break up can sometimes feel like a death. There were many things I could relate to, and a lot of laughter in between.”

There’s clearly a bond between the two of you, and this is your second film together in a short space of time. How did this come to happen?

LaGravenese: “Freedom Writers took six years to get made, and the reason it finally did was because of Hilary. In between that period I gave up at some point and decided to do something else, and I got offered P.S. I Love You, so I wrote that and Hilary had called in the mean time and said she would do Freedom Writers if I wanted it to be done. This was right before she had won her Oscar for Million Dollar Baby, so that made the project happen. So we had the script, and while we were doing Freedom Writers she said she had read another script of mine and like it…..

Swank: “Love it were my exact words.

LaGravenese: “But I had given it up. And then what happened was Molly Smith, one of our producers, she is the daughter of Fred Smith the man who created Federal Express. He had 10 or 11 children, and her eldest sister who was 36 years old, passed away. She had a congenital heart disease. Two weeks later she read P.S. I Love You and said she wanted to make this for her sister, not knowing a script had already been written. So she revived it right at the finish of Freedom Writers, so we got an opportunity to do it.”

Tell us about the accident with Gerry’s braces?

Swank: “He does this great striptease in the film, which was very funny and had me laughing in every take. During his off camera version he took his suspender [braces] clip – and you wouldn’t believe it if it happened in a movie by the way. He flicks it and the thing hooked onto the tv stand in my character’s department. He then jumped onto the bed and now this thing is stretched about 10 feet.”

LaGravenese: “Like a slingshot, and none of us can see it because it’s a low camera angle, she’s laughing because she’s supposed to.”

Swank: “Then this piece of furniture starts walking, and the second I think ‘that’s going to come off any second’ it flies across the room and hits me right in the forehead. I was kind of laughing and crying at the same time, because I didn’t know what had really happened. I knew I got hit in the head but was it bad or not bad, it was one of those things. And I remember sitting there, covering it and laughing, and everyone standing around the bed. Richard was at the very end of the bed, and there I am laughing and crying. My make up artist puts my hands down, she looks at it and then makes this face to Richard like ‘what are we gonna do?’.”

So what happened?

Swank: “I ended up getting stitches, and I had a perfect, perfect suspender clip mark in my forehead, with little teeth in it. The plastic surgeon said ‘what bit you?’.”

LaGravenese: “I couldn’t believe it, she’d played a plastic surgeon who gets paralysed, she played a boy-girl who gets raped and murdered, here’s a romance in New York and she almost got blinded. I felt so responsible, I was sick and Gerry felt so bad, he turned in a 9 year old boy who did the wrong thing and was really upset about it. A couple of hours later, after she went to the doctor, she called me because I’m walking the streets at that point not knowing what to do. She says ‘Richard please don’t worry about it, it’s fine, it was just an accident, I’ll be fine. I know you’re going to worry, I don’t want you to, I’ll be back on the set in five days. She totally took care of me. then I had to talk Gerry down, but I could only talk him down because she’d talked me. It was amazing, five days later she was on set, she had a little band-aid, I wrote a scene about it being a pimple and everything was fine.”

Your film career is pretty diverse Hilary, has that been consciously sought or is there just something in each story that appeals to you?

Swank: “I never am looking for the next thing to keep people on their toes and keep them guessing as to what I’m going to be doing next. I’m always just trying to find something that just pulls me and scares me and challenges me. To work with people like Richard, and the cast members in this movie, that just help you and collaborate with you. Ultimately I don’t ever know what my next thing is going to be, and I’m not out there searching for one thing in particular, I’m just looking for something that is new and different. It could be a drama or a comedy, I just want to challenge myself and work with people that inspire me.”

Do you get a wide range of scripts, or do they simply reflect what you’ve just done?

Swank: “It’s a good question, there aren’t a lot of girl boxing movies so I’ve never been given another one. And there aren’t actually a lot of stories about people with a sexual identity crisis. I don’t mean that in a funny way, there just aren’t, so it’s not like I get sent those a lot either. I’ve never been sent a script to play another boy either, that was really written a boy, although some people have. There are just very few scripts out there that are actually good. I would say maybe one in 20 scripts is good, and one in 50 are great. So finding those gems is the challenge.”

Are either of you a fan of writing or receiving letters?

Swank: “Of course, I find in this e-mail and texting age getting a handwritten letter is even more special. I think writing letters is a lost art, but nowadays it means even more because it’s so easy to communicate in so many different ways. But I find a love letter can even be a little Post-it note stuck in your pocket with a sentence or a few words.”

LaGravenese: “I love e-mail, I write a better e-mail than I talk on the phone. I don’t have stationery but if I should buy some I would write letters because I’m better.”

Swank: “It’s interesting, he will write me a great e-mail or a great letter, they’re so beautiful. Obviously he’s a writer so he can put his feelings on the page.”

Isn’t it a little perverse to cast Harry Connick Jr in your film and give Gerry Butler three songs to sing?

LaGravenese: “Everyone sings but Harry, I know. I was embarrassed to ask him because I didn’t want him to think that I gave him the part because I wanted him to sing so I never got around to asking him. I thought he was just great for the part, but the last day of shooting he came on set and sat for half an hour at the piano and he did a half hour of songs.”

Swank: “My character had a piano in her apartment, and we were sitting in there and he sat down and started playing. It was Richard and I there and the next thing you know, you turn round and there were a couple more people, and by the end the whole crew was there. He just kept playing and playing, it was amazing.”

How do you prepare yourself for the big, emotionally charged scenes you have in a film like this?

Swank: “The interesting thing about this movie was that there wasn’t a physical challenge really, where in Million Dollar Baby I put on 19 pounds of muscle, or in Boys Don’t Cry passing myself off as a boy. This was obviously more physically like myself of any movie I’ve ever played. But the challenge was in the emotional side of it. To really find the humour within that reality, and the aftermath of what’s happened, while at the same time being honest with the full range of emotions associated with grief. And I have to say it was all on the page, it was written and then through Richard’s direction just guiding it to make sure we were hitting all the colours and not playing something too funny in a moment that should be sadder. Just finding that balance was the challenge. And being honest to the script and the story, to really think of what she was going through.”

How important was the chemistry between Hilary and Gerry Butler?

LaGravenese: “It was vital. The one big thing I told Gerry in the beginning was that we were going to love him because of how much he loved her. And he did, Gerry took that note not only in his performance but even with Hilary, how he would take care of her on the set. And how he felt – he was in love with her by the end of this movie. So that when we lost him I wanted the audience to feel what Hilary’s character felt. So when he came back we were as excited as she was, whether it was in her memory or not.”

Available to rent and buy on DVD on 12 May 2008 courtesy of Momentum Pictures, this must-own DVD is an irresistibly charming romantic comedy about the enduring power of love, when sometimes the only thing left to say is PS I love you. A tear jerker that will, in equal measure, have you laughing out loud, you’d better start stocking up now on the tissues as your heart strings are tugged for all they’re worth. As the director states, “This is a love story, but it’s also a journey of self-discovery. It’s a story about friendship and family and about how love can be so strong that it stretches across life and death.”

“As heart-warming as it is heart-breaking – don’t forget tissues!***** Cosmopolitan

Sometimes there’s only one thing left to say ……

Synopsis

Holly Kennedy (Hilary Swank) is beautiful, smart and married to the love of her life – a passionate, funny and impetuous Irishman named Gerry (Gerard Butler). So when Gerry’s life is taken by an illness, it takes the life out of Holly. Nobody knows Holly better than Gerry, so it’s a good thing he planned ahead.
Before he died, Gerry wrote Holly a series of letters that will guide her, not only through her grief but in rediscovering life. The first message arrives on Holly’s birthday in the form of a tape recording from Gerry ordering her to get out and celebrate! In the weeks and months that follow, more letters from Gerry are delivered in surprising ways, each sending her on a new adventure and each signing off in the same way: PS I Love You.
Holly’s protective mother (Kathy Bates) and best friends (Lisa Kudrow, Gina Gershon) worry that this link with the past is stopping her from moving on but with Gerry’s words as her guide Holly embarks on a touching, exciting and hilarious journey of rediscovery.

Release information:

Release Date: 12 May 2008
Retail RRP: £19.99
Certificate: 12 TBC
Running Time: 129 mins approx
Catalogue No: MP643D
Barcode: 5060116721355
DVD Extras: Music Video James Blunt –“Same Mistake”
Conversation with Cecelia Ahern, author of the book
The Name of the Game is Snaps – A “How To” video
Additional Scenes

Universal Pictures proudly presents the new fantasy-adventure NIMS ISLAND, in cinemas this FRIDAY, MAY 2. Starring Abigail Breslin, Jodie Foster and Gerard Butler. Keep reading for full interviews with the Nim’s Island cast including Gerard Butler Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin

JODIE FOSTER GENERIC Q&A MARCH 2008

Jodie Foster is a two-time Academy Award winner, for The Accused and Silence of the Lambs, and her string
of dramatic credits include: Taxi Driver, which marked her first Oscar nomination at the age of 14, to more
recent films Panic Room, Flightplan, Nell and The Brave One. Now the 45-year-old Yale University graduate
is showing off her comedy chops in the adventure comedy film Nim’s Island, based on Wendy Orr’s 2002
novel. Nim (Little Miss Sunshine’s Abigail Breslin) is a feisty, young girl who lives on an uncharted island
with her father (Gerard Butler), a marine biologist. Her only friends are animals and the characters in the books
by her literary hero, Alex Rover, the world’s greatest adventurer. But when her father is lost at sea and her
island is threatened, she reaches out to him via email for help. In reality, the books are written by Alexandra
Rover (Jodie Foster), and she’s a nervous, reclusive woman locked away in a big city apartment who
reluctantly ventures out to rescue Nim. The down-to-earth but accomplished producer, director and actress is
also a mother to two sons, Charlie, 9 and Kit, 6.

How afraid are you of germs?
I am not afraid at all of germs. We have the 50-second rule at my house. If it falls on the floor and it hasn’t
been there for more than 50 seconds, you can pick it back up and eat it! I have no germ issues, no phobias
really – although I don’t like snakes very much!

How did you feel doing such a broad comedy after so much drama?
I don’t know why I don’t do it more often, except that people don’t want me for comedies. I think that good
comedies are really hard to write but its fun to explore the lighter part of your personality, but I had to really
knock down some doors in order to get this.

So did you really have to go after this role?
Yes, the directors were all for me but I think the studio was like, ‘Oh, really? Jodie Foster in comedy?’ I
understand and probably would make that decision too but sometimes though, when an actor is really
tenacious because they know that it speaks to them, you always have to be careful because you know that’s
going to be the person you end up with because when all the chips fall down, that’s the person that’s still
standing going, “I’ll do it! I’ll do it!”

Why does it speak to you so much?
There are a lot of reasons. I’ve wanted to make a movie that my kids could see, and that they could be a part
of, and that they would love and I’m tired of the kind of CGI digital laser beam stuff, and I think that kids are
yearning for this kind of ‘back to nature’ simple idea of building their own hut and making their own food.
This movie is about the idea of real independence; that you can take care of yourself as a kid. I also liked what
it said for young girls. But about halfway through the shooting, I realized all my dramas are about people
dealing with fear, and these solitary characters that are trying to find a heroism within themselves in order to
be fully flesh characters, and there’s a heroism that they didn’t know that they had, or that they learned through
this survival. And I was like, ‘wow, that’s exactly this character, except in a comedy!’ So it’s actually like
doing a dramatic performance and making fun of yourself.

Do you consider yourself an outdoor sort of person?
I’m surprisingly outdoorsy actually, but I like organized outdoor stuff. I like hikes that have little signposts. I
ski a lot but I don’t ski out of bounds. And I like hot showers and room service!

Did you have to do anything specific to get into shape for the action and water stunts in this film?
My life is pretty sporty so I love physical movies. I loved the stuff I had to do in Panic Room and Brave One
and I like being able to use my body in order to express myself, because it’s very primal and you don’t really
get that opportunity in life. Certainly women don’t get that opportunity that often.

There’s a line that says, “Courage is something you fight for everyday.” What do you fight for
everyday?
I think the one driving force for me right now is doing the right thing. What does that mean? When I was
younger, I made movies about doing the right thing, but they were quite black and white, because I was
younger. My idea about what that meant was very like, “Here’s a bad guy. Here’s a good guy.” And as time
goes on, it gets more and more complicated, and I’m more interested in the darker sides of that and the
complexity of that.

You said the movie has a nice message for girls; do you feel a responsibility to carry that to girls?
It touches me in that I was a girl, and that I didn’t know I could take care of myself. There really weren’t
models for me, and it’s wonderful to see a young girl in a movie who climbs a volcano and fixes a satellite
dish, and uses tools in order to build something. It’s great just to teach girls that they don’t have to depend on
someone else, that they actually have everything they need inside themselves and it’s not about brawn, it’s not
about having big muscles, it’s about their brains.

Have you ever envisioned becoming someone else like your character does in the film?
I get to fantasize about characters that I would play. I don’t know that I would live them for the rest of my life,
but I definitely get to fantasize about characters that I would play. I always wanted to play somebody who had
this expertise at something that they had to practice for their whole lives. Like a world-class violinist or
somebody who speaks Portuguese and that’s something that I’ve never been able to do, which is to really train,
and spend eight weeks, or ten weeks learning how to play the trumpet, or learning how to do something to play
this other person. I think one of the biggest joys about acting that I didn’t realize as a younger person, but I
know now, is that so much comes from the physical. So much of what the character is really comes from what
they do, and what their obsessions are, and what their physical obsessions are, so in order to prepare to do a
movie playing a violinist, you’ve just got to play the violin and that’s pretty much going to tell you what it is.
I like that idea, and that’s something that I’ve always wanted to do.

In the film your character says, “You must be the hero of your own life.” Are you the hero, or do you
tend to look to other people?
I think I am. I think that I’ve been fortunate enough to have been given the confidence to think that I can
actually change my life, or I can at least be a force in my own destiny. That comes from a deep place; that’s
something that you’re born with, but that’s also promoted by your relationship with your parents. And for me,
that’s been the positive side of being a child actor—that at a very young age, I got to have real creative
relationships with adults that took my ideas seriously, and there was a real communication between us. I had
this idea, and probably from playing characters that were effective, I had this delusion that I was effective too.
When you have delusion long enough, it becomes a part of who you are.

Did you offer Abigail Breslin tips because of your own background as a child actor?
Well, I don’t really need to give Abigail any tips, she’s pretty solid; she’s got a great family and she’s very
well-adjusted, and she’s just a great kid. But there’s a lot about her that’s different than me. I can honestly say
that I feel Abigail was born to be an actress because she has this well of emotion that’s completely available to
her. I did not have that edge; it did not come naturally to me, it was something that I had to learn, and as an
adult, I’m not even sure I have learned that completely.

So would you say that acting helps you to be more extraverted?
Not necessarily extraverted, but at least to have a touch with your internal place. I think as a person, if I hadn’t
been an actor, I don’t know that I would have ever realized that side to myself.

How was it shooting in Australia and how much time did you really spend on an island?
There was an island but we were on a sound stage for a really long time. There are a lot of exteriors where
there’s no way you could do it anywhere but a sound stage. For example, to build a tree house like that -
which means cutting live trees someplace – and being able to put a 1000-pound camera, and 75 people up
there, you can’t do that in the forest, plus most of those shots were at night, so you have to have lights, you
have to have all that.

Where was the real island?
It was Hinchenbrook Island. It’s this huge, 300-mile island, and it’s completely uninhabited. It’s a nature
preserve tended to by the regional Aboriginal tribes, and there’s one little hotel that has 15 rooms and they’re
all in tree houses where some of us stayed. Otherwise, the crew came in from a hotel, and they came on a 45
minute-ride ferry everyday so they would arrive at sunrise, and they’d see this beautiful sunrise. The beaches
are just long, long white sand beaches, and you just go out, and there’s nobody there so it was just incredible
being there, such a blessing, and I’ve just never had a location quite like that.

Where did you do the water stunts?
Most of the exterior stuff was on the island but for the sea storms at night, obviously that was a tank. You
can’t do that in a real sea because the underwater stuff had to be in a tank because you’ve got a child, and
you’ve got scuba divers, and they have to be able to see in order to rescue you if something happens. So there
was some bit of it done on sound stages in Queensland.

What do you think the difference is between a child actor that makes it as a successful adult actor, and a
child actor who doesn’t?
I don’t know if that’s really the final goal. Do we all have to make transitions into being adult actors? I know
a lot of really great ex-child actors who are now real estate brokers and dentists, and they went on to do other
things in their lives. They had this career, and for whatever reason at 16 or 17, they changed it into something
else. I wouldn’t say that’s an unsuccessful story. The fear, of course, is you want to be a well-adjusted person,
and you hope that your child-actor will evolve into a well-adjusted person who’s sound and safe. But in terms
of actually making the transition, I think the key was to play characters whose age is not really the point of the
story, and when you turn 18 or 19, that allows people to see you as a character and not just as your age.

What were the most difficult scenes in the film?
Well, by far the hardest stuff we had to do but in some ways, the most interesting and the most fun, was the
stuff that was done in the tank. It was winter in Australia, so it was cold. It was 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning
and I’m only wearing a tank top. I couldn’t wear a wetsuit, or anything like that. Then there were all the wind
machines, and all the wave machines, and being underwater with all the scuba divers, and holding your breath
for hours and hours at a time, was just so cool. You really felt like you went through something when you’re
done for the day.

How was it working with this cast and crew?
One of the nicest experiences was watching Abigail change. She’s a great actress, of course, and she’s so
talented. But she’s a kid from Manhattan, and she had never swam in the ocean before. She was a little bit
afraid of things like heights too, so there were a lot of challenges for her and little by little, through the course
of the movie, it was sort of like having like a really great kids camp, where she had to learn how to do all these
things, and to get over her fear of heights. By the end of a take in the ocean one day, I looked at her and said,
“Come on!” and we jumped into waves, and she had no fears, and she didn’t want to get out. It was just a
different Abigail by the end of the movie. Gerry is a funny guy and I really had a great time with him.

Did you children go with you to Australia?
Yes, they were on the Gold Coast with the mini-golf, and the outback rodeo show, and they loved it! It was
fantastic; they got to pet the koalas, emus and the kangaroos; I got all these pictures of them just hanging out
with the kangaroos so it was fantastic!

Could you relate to Alexandra as a practical person who also daydreams for a living?
I am a pretty practical person, but I’m an actor too, so I, of course, have that side of me. I like Alexandra. I
also like creating in this very solitary world. I like to thin and don’t necessarily need somebody else to be a
part of that process. I sometimes like to keep it from other people and have it just be mine so I suppose that’s
the part of Alexandra that I like.

What do you like most about your children, and being a mom?
I like watching them surprise me, and I like to see the parts of them that are completely separate from me that
have evolved just because of who they are. I love watching them discover the world in a new way, and be
gifted at something that I’m not necessarily so good at. My older son has an amazing sense of humor. He’s
just so funny. He’s always come up with jokes, even since he was a baby when he could hardly talk. And my
younger son is very special. He likes really sour pickles, and he likes ginger, and he likes truffles and he won’t
eat any chicken! So they have such different ways of being, and I love them both for things that are completely
opposite from me.

How hard is it to juggle motherhood and your career? Can you have it all?
Well, you can do everything, but you can’t do everything well. I think we all struggle with that, especially with
kids because it’s not a black or white area. Your first assistant cameraman is either in focus, or out of focus,
but it doesn’t work like that with kids. It’s not just like, “You did it right,” or “You did it wrong.” There’s a
whole complicated journey in between.

How do you raise boys in this era of feminism?
Well, men have their places as well. Freedom is a nice thing for men to learn, that they don’t have to
constantly protect and worry about other people, and that they can actually make free choices that are right for
them. It’s not about what’s expected for them. They have a different route. I think that’s something that I’ve
always been interested in.

GERARD BUTLER Nim’s Island Generic Q&A March 2008

Gerard Butler plays not one but two pivotal roles in the adventure comedy film Nim’s Island, also starring
Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin. Based on Wendy Orr’s 2002 novel, the film stars Butler as Jack, a marine
biologist who lives on an uncharted island with his daughter Nim (Breslin). When Jack is lost at sea, leaving
Nim alone on the island, she reaches out via email to the only other hero she knows through her favorite books
– adventurer Alex Rover. In reality, the books are written by Alexandra Rover (Jodie Foster), a nervous,
reclusive woman locked away in a big city apartment, who is encouraged by her alter-ego come to life Alex
Rover (Butler), to reluctantly venture out to rescue Nim. The 38-year-old Scottish actor is best known for roles
in blockbusters such as: Lara Kroft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, Timeline, Reign of Fire and 300,
although he also recently played a more romantic role in the film P.S. I Love You, with Hilary Swank.

Talk about the two characters you play in the film, Jack and Alex Rover?
Jack is Nim’s dad. He’s a scientist who is crazy, passionate about the smallest things in life. Jack has huddled
up and stowed himself away in this island that he really doesn’t want anyone to know the whereabouts of, so
they can live their life in peace. Nim and Jack have a great relationship. They are best friends. Jack gets
himself into a bit of trouble by going out on one too many adventures. Alex Rover himself is an adventurer,
who kind of lives as an alter ego to Jodie Foster’s Alexandra Rover. He is the epitome of courage, motivation,
inspiration and good humor.

How did it come about that you were considered for both roles?
I never went in for either but they offered me one role and my agent said, he’s not going to do that but why
don’t you offer him both roles and then it might be a more tempting proposition’. So they said, ‘OK, we will
do that.’ Then when I read the script, we all agreed it could not have been anything different, that one person to
play both roles just seemed like the perfect way to go about this and get more into that fantastical element of
the story. So that’s when I decided to come aboard.

How tough was it to play both parts? Were you switching between the two on the same day?
Very rarely, but it was unavoidable. They made me a promise; look, we are really going to avoid you having to
play both roles in the same day as much as possible, but there are going to come times when we are going to be
adding a bit of a false beard here with a hair plucker there! There were times when we were wiping off a
seven-minute sunburn and then putting on seven minutes more, or we’d be putting on the wig, taking off the
wig. In fact, there was one time when I had to swap twice. I had to have the wig on, and then change to Jack
and take the wig off then go back to Alex Rover and have the wig on and that was a huge pain in the ass!

How did you approach playing such a swash-buckling character like Alex Rover: seriously or tongue-in
cheek?
It was a bit of both. There were times when it was tongue-in-cheek and times where it was serious. There were
moments for instance when I’m dealing with Nim or towards the end with Alexandra that it gets far more
intimate and meaningful. Although it was a serious message, it was delivered in a very fun way. The second
Jodie and I got together and started playing these parts, we realized that this was how it had to be done. You
always try to play it in same respect usually, but you understand that there is humor lying in there and you
cannot get too heavy with it. It doesn’t need that. The message is better passed on by lightening it up.

Can you talk about the specific challenges for each role?
The biggest challenge was gauging it right, especially between both of us and not going too far to the comedic
side and making these roles caricature, but at the same time, not getting too heavy with them. For Jack, I think
it was just dealing with the sea. It was winter in Australia, so there was a cold wind blowing in there and there
were times when I was standing all day just soaking wet – not even wet – but soaking wet because the scenes I
was doing I had just been in the water. So literally, I had to be dripping with water. Either water falling off me,
or I was lying in cold water at the bottom of the boat because supposedly I had just been knocked out. I spent a
lot of time lying in freezing water, or diving into the sea, which was freezing. Of course, I could not have
anything on like a wet suit, so that was a bit of a pain in the ass. Some of it was in the studio, but even in the
studio when you are just sitting about, nothing is worse than being in wet clothes unless it is a hundred degrees
and even then, it is a pain in the ass. It never was a hundred degrees. On the sea, I felt like I was in a
refrigerator at times.

Jack is quite the fixer and very self-reliant. How are you in that department?
I’m clueless. I was thinking that I better never get lost at sea. If anything were to happen to me out at sea, I
would be so lost. I don’t know if I would be more scared of dying or just embarrassed at how hopeless I was.
Fixing things is not my thing, which is weird because as a kid I was great at that sort of thing, but somewhere
along the line, I must have quit.

Have you spent much time on the water sailing?
I have not really spent much time sailing. I have sailed a little bit and when we were in Australia I sailed with a
whole team of people around Sydney Harbor, which was the most beautiful experience, but no, in terms of
knowing what I was doing on the sea, I did not at all.

You went from one extreme to another with your characters. What was that like?
I find that whenever I am doing films, I sit back and think, what did I get myself into? There are times you just
suddenly get a hold of yourself and you think what the hell am I doing here? To be honest, that is a bit like me
in my life. I am constantly thinking how the hell did I get here or where did this come from? You constantly
evaluate the weirdness in one day and how you have swung from one thing to another. That is kind of what
happens in this movie. OK, today I am out at sea freezing. OK, today I am in the studio with Jodie and I am
trying to drag her out of a door. OK, today spiders are attacking me. OK, today I am being carried around by a
bunch of natives. OK, just give me your best shot, whatever you have got!

Was this film a completely different energy for you compared to your other films?
Yes. I have done other films like Dear Frankie and P.S. I Love You but in some ways, the bigger, more macho
roles that I do stand out more. I do a lot of different roles, but those 300-Gladiator style films are just the ones
that stick more in your memory for good or bad reasons.

You’re not a dad in role life, so how did you develop that rapport with Abigail? Was it important?
It was important, but sometimes the most important thing is realizing that you don’t have to work at
something. From the second we hung out we hit it off fantastically. I literally fell in love with this girl. That is
the kind of girl that makes me want to have a daughter. I can hang out with this girl all day. We have so much
fun. She can be my daughter. She can be my friend. She just is so cool. The first time we read, Mark Levin, the
director, literally had tears flooding his eyes. He was just so happy to see us reading this together because he
said we were so great together.

What was it like to work with Abigail?
She is more grown up than half of the grown ups I have worked with. And yet as much fun. My final day,
Abigail painted something on canvas for me. It was beautiful and I was so touched. But when she gave it to
me, part of it was not dry yet, so when I was sitting it was rubbing against me, and I had paint all over my
pants. But it was beautiful that she did this painting for me but I felt bad that I ruined it!

Did you work with the pelicans, seals and sea lions like Abigail?
I did, but not as much as her. It was interesting. Sea lions are huge and they were like four times the size of
Abigail. I didn’t realize how big they were until you get up close and then you can see how these things could
do so much harm if they wanted to. I had to do a scene where I was running down with a massive bag towards
one, and they were like, “OK, can you just stop and swing your bag over your head and put it down and get
down next to the sea lion?” And I was thinking this thing is going to bite my head off if I do this! He’s this big,
cumbersome, slimy thing and I’m coming down towards him with this flat thing that he probably thinks is his
sister and I am coming after him and he probably wants to bite my head off. The pelican, talk about a life of its
own. We never knew what that thing was going to do. I did a scene and it flew behind me instead of to my
side. He was literally behind me and could have ripped my ear off. You couldn’t actually see his body because
he was behind my body and he raised his wings and literally it looked like I had wings. It is hard to play a
scene with a bloody pelican behind you that nips people!

How did you get along with Jodie Foster?
It was easy getting along to be honest. That woman, considering what an amazing talent she is, is so easy
going. That was one of the most refreshing things about this film was to realize how cool she was and how she
didn’t dominate and didn’t try to control and just let things flow, which for me is the best kind of space to
work in. So we both just immediately got along and worked together great and I felt so relaxed working with
her and this was just one of those things where we started doing the scenes and we were like, ‘this is
awesome!’

So you were trained as a lawyer and wound up as an actor. How did that happen?
Perhaps going into the wrong career, developing a drinking problem and then following my dreams if you can
ever describe all that in under 20 words, then that was pretty much it! I’d always known I wanted to get into
acting, but the legal training had taken over and then things just got crazy in my life and the decision was made
for me and I moved down to London and just caught a couple lucky breaks. I stepped into a film, got a
manager in LA and then a couple years later came out and then just went from there.

ABIGAIL BRESLIN Generic Q&A March 2008

Abigail Breslin has been in front of cameras since she was three years old and made her first commercial for a
toy company. The eleven-year-old star who plays the feisty loner Nim in the adventure comedy film Nim’s
Island has also played Mel Gibson’s daughter in Signs, Kate Hudson’s niece in Raising Helen and Toni
Collette and Steve Carell’s daughter in the Oscar-nominated film Little Miss Sunshine. Nim’s Island is the
story of two women from opposite ends of the world who must find strength in one another to save themselves
and the island. Jodie Foster plays children’s author Alexandra Rover, who writes books about a world
adventurer named Alex Rover. Abigail Breslin plays Nim, an independent girl living on an uncharted island
with only her father, a marine biologist, and a host of native animals for company. When her father goes
missing at sea, she emails her favorite author and asks for the help of Alex Rover. However Alexandra Rover
is a recluse who hasn’t left her San Francisco apartment in years, so she nervously embarks on a journey to
save her biggest fan and teams up with Nim to then save her island from other unwelcome visitors.
.
How did you feel being transported into this adventure after growing up in New York City?
I thought that I was a really good swimmer, until I got there, and they told me to do all this stuff, and I couldn’t
do it! The stunt crew were really nice, and I started to respect them because they work so hard, and do so
much, but there was a pool at the studio and they would take me there and we’d practice doing all this stuff.

What was the scariest part for you?
Well, there was this one scene in the water where I rescue Jodie and they put this black tent over the water,
with a metal bar and these huge tires, and that was kind of scary. And they took down the bar, but once it was
over I felt a lot better.

What are some other things that you had never done before that you got to do and learn on this movie?
Well, I got to ride on a sea lion which was really fun! That was probably the funniest thing I got to do! And I
learned that sea lions don’t like their whiskers, their face, or their head touched.

What about the zip lining from tree to tree?
It was really fun! It was a little bit scary because it was really high up, and I’m a little bit afraid of heights, but
it was still really fun!

So how’d you overcome your fear?
Here’s the thing, when you do it, you have to look straight ahead, and you can’t look down. But the thing was
the camera was straight ahead and I didn’t want to hit it but I never did!

Do you have animals in real life?
Yes, I have two dogs, two cats, and a turtle. And one of my cats is named Blue Reed, and he’s in our room
over and he’s so cute! And we named him Blue Reed because he’s a Blue Siberian, and my brother likes Lou
Reed, so that’s why we named him that. And then other cat’s name is Amy, and she’s really cute. And then
my dogs’ names are Curtis and Stormy, and my turtle’s name is Manny.

If you could reach out to a hero like you did in a movie, who would it be? Who is your hero?
I guess my family are my heroes. And they live in the same house as me so it’s not hard to reach out to them!
.
What are your favorite authors? What books mean a lot to you?
My favorite book is Anne of Green Gables, and that was a really good book.

What was it like to work with Jodie Foster?
She was really, really nice. She was a lot of fun and helped me a lot.

One of the things that is said in the film is “Courage is something you fight for everyday.” Is there
something you fight for, or are you courageous?
Well, I’m definitely not as brave as Nim, but I guess doing anything that you’re scared of takes courage to
finally do. I think Nim was courageous but I wasn’t as much.

How do your friends react now you have become so well-known after Little Miss Sunshine?
You know, I don’t think they saw the movie. They didn’t really care that much. We don’t really talk about it.
I’m home-schooled, but even when I talk to my friends on the phone, I’m like, “Oh, I’m doing a movie,” and
they’re like, “That’s great Abbie, anyways…” So they don’t really care that much!

What was it about Nim that made you want to do this?
I just thought she was really brave, and she took care of her island, and she does so much, you know, and even
though she’s scared, she still protects her island. I just thought she was really cool.

How good would you be if you were stuck alone somewhere?
I wouldn’t be really good; I can’t find my shoes half the time. I’m like, “Mom! Where are my sneakers?”

How was it working in Australia for you?
I really liked Australia. It was actually winter when we got there and we were expecting it to be warm, but it
was actually a little bit chilly. But not too bad, and it was really fun! And everybody was really nice there.

Is it true Gerard snuck up on you and pretended to be an animal on the island?
Oh, we were all staying in treehouses on the island and walking upstairs and he was in his tree house, so when
you’re walking up there are a bunch of steps and bushes. So we were walking up and we heard this noise and
we were like, “Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh!” And we screamed and put up a flashlight and it was Gerard! And
he started cracking up. He thought it was really funny!

What do you like to do when you’re not acting?
I like shopping. I like to read. I like swimming. There’s a place called “Color me Mine” and it’s really fun
because you decorate your own ceramics and give them to people as gifts. I like to go to the movies too!

How did you feel like working with lizards? Were you afraid of them?
I wasn’t! I liked them, but the first time I had one on my shoulder I was a little scared. And during camera
tests, it would always kind of plant itself on me, and then they would ask if I could stand up straighter, and
make me turn around while it dug its claws in! But I started to get less afraid and liked them a lot by the end.
I’m afraid of spiders so that would have been a different story!

So do you want to be an actress when you grow up?
I either want to be an actress or a veterinarian.

Were all the animals you worked with real?
Some seals were animatronics, so they worked by remote controls, but they really looked like they were really
moving their head and everything. But they are oily, you know, when you touch them they’re really oily. And
they had the stuffed sea lions and the animatronics sea lions on the beach. So the animatronics is there, and
they use oil, and there’s this one scene where I’m lying down on top of them, and one of them was real, and
one was fake. But I got up, and my whole and my whole back were covered in oil!

What was one of your favorite scenes?
When I got to dance with a seal lion. That was really fun. We practiced it a little bit, but they showed me the
moves to do, and it was really fun!

How was the mountain climbing aspect?
That was fun. Part of it was done by my stunt double, Holly, but I did part of it too on a rock wall.
Was it really your first time in the ocean on this film?
Yep, the first ocean I have ever been in was in Australia. I did like it but I gulped a lot of salt water. I also got
to snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef, so that was really cool.

Do you have any other projects coming up?
I have a movie coming out called Kit Kittridge: An American Girl, and I’m doing a movie with Cameron Diaz
right now called My Sister’s Keeper. Cameron Diaz is really nice.

Do you enjoy doing schoolwork?
I like school, but I don’t like math. My favorite subjects are art and reading. I’m making a sock monkey right
now.

What kind of music do you listen to?
I like the Jonas Brothers, I like Hannah Montana and I just started liking Jack Johnson. I think he’s really
good.

Are there parts about acting you don’t like?
I don’t like doing crying scenes because I don’t like to be sad.

What stunts did you get to do yourself in this film?
I got to rock climb, ride on a sea lion, running, zip line, swimming – so a lot!

Are you more confident after this film?
Exactly! I’m not afraid of heights anymore! I could go out on a balcony and only be a little bit scared.

Here is My interview with Cecelia Ahern as originally printed on our sister site Enchanted Entertainment, I would Just like to thank Cecelia for taking time out of her very busy schedule to answer my questions, it is very much apreciated.

Review, retransmission, disclosure, copying, modification or other use of this interview is strictly forbidden without written Consent from Rebecca Bowden & Cecelia Ahern.

For those who don’t already know, could you please tell us a little about yourself and what you do?
I’m an author, I live in Dublin Ireland and I’ve written four books. The first is PS, I Love You, the second is Where Rainbows End/ Love, Rosie and the third is If You Could See Me Now. I just finished writing my third last week. That’s me, in a nutshell.

Could you tell us a bit about your writing process, and roughly how long it takes from start to finish for each of your books?
Each of my books have taken different lengths of times. PS I Love You only took me three months to write which was very fast but I literally didn’t stop writing that book. It was my first and I had no expectations of what was going to happen; I just sat down and began writing a story that was so alive in my head. I had no intentions to write a book or to have one published but I felt compelled to put pen to paper. It flowed very quickly from pen to paper. I wrote from ten pm till 6am and I would sleep all day. Then at 3pm I typed into the computer what I had written by longhand the previous day. My second book took five months, my third book took nine months…The more successful the books are the more promotional trips, interviews and meetings I have to do. This means that it takes away from writing time so that the process is getting longer. But the process of writing my books has more or less remained the same, I write longhand, mostly throughout the night.

Your first book, “Ps I love You” seems to have touched the lives of so many people, with it’s main character Holly dealing with the grief of losing a loved one and somehow finding the strength to carry on with her life with the help of letters left by Gerry her deceased husband. Did you get many people contact you after having read the book and been through the same sort of grief as Holly?
Yes I did receive so many letters from people telling me of similar stories and I appreciate everyone who did send them to me. The idea for PS I Love You came to me due to a number of reasons but none of those reasons were because I had heard familiar stories or due to personal experience. I just created an idea that I thought would be a really wonderful way of being able to maintain contact with someone despite the fact that they have left us. As soon as the book was published people wrote to me explaining how their husbands or wives had done similar things like left letters, arranged for flowers to be sent on birthdays prior to their deaths, left presents in the attic to be found the following Christmas. There were many very touching stories and people found that they could identify with Holly’s character and her situation. Even while I was doing book readings all around the world, people of all ages came to the events to share their stories with me. A few people even told me their counsellors had recommended the book. That’s an amazing thing for me to learn but the book’s message is one of hope, it’s about turning a devastating situation that we all have to deal with in life, into something more heartwarming and uplifting.

Was Ps I Love You based on any personal experiences?
The main concept of the book ie, Holly’s husband dying and leaving a package of letters for her, is not due to personal experience but there are many things in the book which are, such as all the emotions Holly experiences. My books are emotion-driven and so in order to write about situations I haven’t experienced, I go to all those feelings that are similar It was mainly driven by my own fear of losing my loved ones. That fear drove me to imagine a more positive way of saying goodbye, and that came in the form of PS I Love You.

“Where Rainbows End” had a very different writing style, being in the form of emails and letters exchanged by Rosie & Alex, was it hard to make this transition to a totally different writing style and did you draw inspiration for the book from anywhere in particular?
I saved all of my emails leading up to my getting my first publishing deal. I have the email I sent off of my first few chapters of PS I Love You to my now agent, I have the emails of correspondence between us for those few months, I have the email from my editor when I got my first book deal. When I had finished writing PS I read back over my collection of print-outs and realised that these emails were telling the story all by themselves. So much of our communication these days is done through email, we introduce ourselves and form friendships with people we can’t put a face to. I have a love of written words, I think they’re so precious as they can be kept forever and never taken back and so I have kept letters and postcards sent to me ever since I was a child and every once in a while I go through the shoebox of memories and read the story of my life, the people that were in it at the time, the places I had been, the situations I was going through. Bank statements, college results, valentine cards all told the story of my life without needing a narrator and so I decided to write the book in the format whereby letters, emails, postcards, and birthday cards tell the story of someone’s life. It was a challenging way to write the book but it was hugely enjoyable and readers really feel like they’re reading private letters and hearing private thoughts that they wouldn’t usually be privy to. The readers get to be the fly on the wall throughout the entire story and it’s a different experience, not just for me writing it, but for the readers too.

Your most recent book, which I have just finished reading seems to play more on the idea’s touched upon in Ps I Love You in which Elizabeth is given a helping hand (much like Holly) from an unlikely place, you seem to have taken it one step further however creating the brilliantly loveable character of Ivan! What did the book mean to you, and was it a fun writing experience?
It was a very enjoyable experience. Ivan is one of my favourite characters that I’ve created. He has a wonderful philosophy on life, he’s very positive and fun-loving and he brought me out of my bed during the day to write which was unusual for my writing process. It was about taking a character, Elizabeth, who was deeply cynical, who didn’t believe in anything, who found it difficult to step outside the circle of routine in her life and trying to make her believe. She found it difficult to play with her nephew, Luke, of who she was a reluctant mother to. She didn’t understand childish ways, couldn’t bring herself to his level in order. I love the attitude that children have towards life; that anything is possible, that they can be whoever and do whatever they want to do. They believe in imaginary friends and magic and nothing we say can change their minds. Yet when children grow up they leave these thoughts behind, becoming more cynical and following what we perceive to be the rules of life. “If You Could See Me Now,” takes away the rules. It takes away the rules of what it means to be a person, of what it means to be an adult or child, of what it means to live. Sometimes it just means throwing away the rule book and letting your hair down and Ivan shares this way of thinking with Elizabeth and Luke.

We have read on your website that Walt Disney are making “If you could see me now” into a film? Also that “Ps I Love You” is being made into one by Warner Bros?? Could you fill us in on all the info about this please?!
Yes this is true! Wendy Finerman (of Wendy Finerman productions) is going to produce the movie and they are currently in the process of hiring a director and cast. It’s very exciting and it’s a process I’m very much looking forward to being involved with. Walt Disney have bought the rights to If You Could See Me Now with Hugh Jackman set to play the role of Ivan, which is hugely exciting. They plan to make it into a musical/ movie with the same makers of Chicago behind it.

What sort of research did you have to do for each of your books?
A lot of reading up on whatever subject matter I’m writing about. For PS I Love You I learned about brain tumours, what were the symptoms, treatments, operations. I had to find out what the final stages would have been like for Gerry and what Holly would have been through. For Where Rainbows End/ Love Rosie, As it spanned entire lifetimes I read up on Alex’s career as a heart surgeon, how many years of studying etc and for Rosie, as a single mother, what was she entitled to. With If You Could See Me Now I read up on child psychology. Why is it that they have imaginary friends, how long do they have them for and what were the expert opinions on it.

How has your life changed since becoming a hugely successful author?
Well whether I had become an author or not, my life was going through big changes anyway. I had just finished college, was living at home, was trying to decide what to do with the rest of my life. At the same time I wrote PS I Love You, got a publishing deal, a career, travelled the world, moved out of home…it changed a lot. But the most important and amazing thing that happened was that I found a career, a successful career that I absolutely adore and one that people seem to appreciate too!

What advice would you give to any of our members looking for a career in writing and do you have any tips on getting published etc?
It’s difficult to give tips on writing as so many people have very different styles, routines and processes. I think that finding your own style is the most important. There is so much paperwork and legal ties involved in publishing that you would be wise to find an agent, someone who is working for you and looking out for your best interests. If you find an agent that connects with your work well then they will know where to take you and what the important next step is. But most importantly I think people should write because they are passionate about it, because they feel compelled to do it and not for any other reason. It’s important to find your own voice, write what you want to write, not what you think people want to read and you’re already unique. In writing you get many knock-backs but keep trying, it’s amazing how one person can think your book is the best they’ve ever read and another can’t even get passed the first chapter. Keep going because there are people out there who will connect with your work.

Are you writing anything new at the moment? If so, can you give us any hints as to what to expect?
No hints allowed! I just finished writing my fourth book at the moment and I’ll begin the editing process shortly. But I do have a novella out at the moment titled “Mrs. Whippy.” It’s for the Open Door Series, a series of books written for an adult literacy programme and proceeds go to CARI charity.

Many Thanks to Cecelia for this great interview.

PS I LOVE YOU is Available to rent and buy on DVD on 12 May 2008 courtesy of Momentum Pictures, this must-own DVD is an irresistibly charming romantic comedy about the enduring power of love, when sometimes the only thing left to say is PS I love you.  A tear jerker that will, in equal measure, have you laughing out loud, you’d better start stocking up now on the tissues as your heart strings are tugged for all they’re worth.  As the director states, “This is a love story, but it’s also a journey of self-discovery.  It’s a story about friendship and family and about how love can be so strong that it stretches across life and death.”

Russell Crowe features in the latest edition of “Empire” magazine, which hits the shelves on the 28th of september, here is a sneak preview of his interview:

Russell Crowe’s friendship with Denzel Washington was sealed over cigars and brandy 12 years ago. Back in 1995, Crowe was making the futuristic thriller Virtuosity, playing cyberkiller Sid 6.7 opposite Washington as the cop who has to stop his rampage. “About half way through the shoot Denzel came to my trailer one night with two cigars and a bottle of cognac,” recalls Crowe. “He knocked on the door and was like, ‘shall we have a drink?’ And I was like ‘cool, come on in.’
“So we sat there and we were chatting for about half-an-hour, 40 minutes, and I always remembered something he said, and for me doing American Gangster is a partial payback for that. “He said, ‘you know, I’ve never said this to any other actor, but man, I wish I was playing your role.’ So when I got the Gangster script – and I knew how much Denzel wanted to do it – I read it and the thing is, what’s great about it is the character of Frank Lucas. On the page it was Frank and really there wasn’t any other half at that time, there was nothing going on. And that conversation, all those years ago, came to mind, because I’m reading it going ‘man, I wish I was playing Frank Lucas!’ So the process of getting involved in this is really a form of repaying him, a certain loyalty from 12 years ago.”
Crowe’s happy to admit he felt the character of Richie Roberts was underwritten and desperately needed beefing up. Ridley Scott agreed, and they worked on the character together. “But you know we’ve done that before. We did it with Gladiator and to a lesser extent we did it with A Good Year.”
Scott and Crowe’s working relationship is underpinned by a deep friendship. American Gangster is their third film together and they are already committed to at least two more – Body Of Lies, the political thriller now filming with Leonardo DiCaprio, and Nottingham, scheduled for next year and which promises a new take on the Robin Hood story, with Crowe as the Sheriff. “I’ve loved that story since I was a kid and this is a really interesting way of doing it,” he explains. “I’m not saying anymore, but it’s not what you might expect.”
Crowe sees his relationship with Scott as something that’s developed organically, and which hasn’t been as tied to his movies as he might perhaps have preferred. “It’s just come about naturally. We probably should have worked together again straight after Gladiator because we knew then that we really enjoyed each other’s company and we enjoyed the way each other works.”
“But I suppose it’s not a usual thing and he went off and did his stuff and I went off and did mine. I mean, he did call me about things, like Black Hawk Down and Kingdom Of Heaven. I was going to be doing that for a couple of years but it just worked out that Cinderella Man was being shot at the exact same time that he wanted to go with that.
“But sort of after that cycle when he did those movies without me around, we just sat down one day and talked and we both came to the conclusion that we liked being on a set with each other, you know? I don’t want to disparage anybody else I’ve ever worked with, but I just really like the way he makes a film.
“He has a great respect for the medium and how much it costs. He takes a very working class attitude towards it and I appreciate that and I enjoy it too. I like to get to work and know that we are going to achieve something every day.:
Scott throws his hands up in mock surprise when Empire passes on this compliment a few days later, just before they are due to start Body Of Lies. “Did he say that?” he cries. “Shit, I’ll remind him of that when the shit hits the fan next week!”

Ironically this months Empire is also running a feature about the top 20 cops as voted for by their readers, which Crowe features in for his role in La Confidential, coming in at the No.4 spot. First place honours go to Dirty Harry, with some surprising additions you will have to read Empire out 28th September to find out who they are.

from November’s issue of Empire out this Friday!