The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies
The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies |
| Posted: 08 Jun 2013 08:13 PM PDT Happy 50th birthday to the dashing Johnny Depp! We take an in-Deppth look at his journey through the decades, with key moments from his life and award-winning career. 1963 - 1972 Born John Christopher Depp II in Owensboro, Kentucky on June 9, 1963, the indrawn child was the youngest of Betty Sue Palmer's and John Christopher Depp's four offspring. Depp has described himself as a "weird child", perhaps partly due to the stress of coping with an ever-changing environment. After all, his father's job as a civil engineer would see them changing addresses over 20 times - taxing even for adaptable Geminis - before the seven-year-old could call Florida home. 1973 - 1982 Adolescence hit Depp hard. By his dozenth year, Depp had self-harmed, lit his fair share of cigarettes, and experimented with drugs. To add rock n' roll in the equation, his mother's gift of an electric guitar would ignite the 12-year-old's lifelong love affair with music. However, that wasn't the only thing that went up in flames. In an attempt to imitate Gene Simmons' fiery stage theatrics, Depp is said to have accidentally set his own face on fire on July 15, 1975 after some tomfoolery with a gasoline-soaked t-shirt! Luckily, it didn't cause too much damage, and he blamed the injuries on a misadventure with fireworks. Less fortunate was his parents' divorce just three years later. Depp had the unenviable task of collecting weekly child-support money from his father, and the uncomfortable experience would eventually lead to a rift between the two. A school drop-out at 16, the bad boy pursued his dreams of rock stardom through The Kids, a garage rock outfit which enjoyed some amount of success before disbanding in 1985. 1983 - 1992 At the still-tender age of 20, Depp walked down the aisle with 25-year-old Lori Anne Allison on December 24, 1983. Their union ended in 1985, but Lori would introduce Depp to a former lover of hers in a meeting that proved life-changing for Depp. The ex in question was Nicholas Cage, who spotted a true National Treasure in Depp and introduced him to a Hollywood agent. A few film extra roles later, Depp landed his first major role in the 1984 horror classic Nightmare on Elm Street. By this time, Depp was taking acting seriously enough to improve his art through formal lessons. But it was Depp's portrayal of Officer Tom Hanson in the iconic television series 21 Jump Street from 1987 to 1990 that truly catapulted him to teen idol status. However, this was an image he resented and strove to shrug off, a feat he eventually pulled off with some much-lauded roles. They include the comedic musical Cry-Baby (1990) and perhaps most memorably, as the pale protagonist in Edward Scissorhands (1990), where he would meet longtime collaborator Tim Burton. An overexposed love affair with his co-star Winona Ryder in the latter also resulted in his (modified) Wino Forever tattoo today. 1993 - 2002 With highly praised performances as the eccentric Sam in romantic comedy Benny & Joon (1993) and the long-suffering, small-town lead in What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), Depp's career was on the rise even as his personal life took a downturn. Perhaps Depp found some solace in The Viper Room, where he relived his younger, guitar-playing days through P, his new band featuring names such as Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers. Even Adam Durtz from Counting Crows played bartender for a while. But on the Halloween of 1993, Depp's club was tainted by the death of young actor River Phoenix, who collapsed from a drug-induced cardiac arrest on its sidewalk after a wild night out. However, the nightspot remained popular. A highly public and passionate pairing with supermodel Kate Moss also made them familiar faces in the tabloids, and Depp's infamous hotel-room-trashing in New York took place during the course of their relationship. The couple would later call it quits in 1998. Happier unions to happen in this period was Johnny reuniting with Burton for a biopic on infamous B-movie director Ed Wood in 1994, and again in 1999 as kooky Ichabod Crane in the lush Sleepy Hollow. And who can forget his swoon-worthy turn as guitar-playing gypsy Roux in the charming Chocolat (2000) and sympathetic portrayal of notorious cocaine dealer George Jung in Blow (2001)? In the 1998 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Depp also played Raoul Duke, a character rooted in incidents experienced by famed journalist Hunter S. Thompson, which birthed a deep friendship between the two until Thompson's suicide in 2005. His longest relationship to date also began in 1999, when he met French actress Vanessa Paradis while filming The Ninth Gate. They would have two children together - Lily Rose-Melody Depp in May 1999 and John "Jack" Christopher Depp III in April 2002 - before parting ways in 2012. 2003 - 2013 As Depp entered his forties, his career surged to even greater heights. From 2004 to 2011, Depp would play one of his most memorable personas, swaggering Captain Jack Sparrow, for the duration of the blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean series to date. In The Curse of the Black Pearl, the charming character also netted him a Screen Actors Guild award in 2003 for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role. Those eager for more of Sparrow will have to wait for the fifth chapter in the series, slated for release in July 2015. Other star turns include portrayals of Peter Pan author J. M. Barrie in the critically acclaimed Finding Neverland (2004), eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka in the Roald Dahl classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) and charismatic bank robber John Dillinger in Public Enemies (2009). His take on a vengeful barber in 2007's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street also showcased the actor's serious vocal chops, and Depp's performance bagged him the 2008 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. After his split from Paradis last year, Depp has since moved on with actress Amber Heard - who was his co-star in the The Rum Diary (2011) - though there's no telling if their pairing will be as tempestuous as his former love affairs. What's certain is that with his charisma and true chameleon quality, Depp will grace the silver screen in one convincing skin after another for many more years to come. |
| Jackie Chan seals prints at famed Hollywood theater Posted: 08 Jun 2013 05:31 PM PDT LOS ANGELES: Hong Kong film star Jackie Chan became the first Chinese actor Thursday to have his hands and feet cast in wet cement at Hollywood's famed Chinese Theatre, alongside generations of Tinseltown icons. He was joined by American actor Chris Tucker, his co-star from the "Rush Hour" movies, in the ceremony in the courtyard of the TCL Chinese Theatre, as hundreds of fans screamed from across Hollywood Boulevard. Chan, who has starred in over 100 films and directed 20, recalled first coming to the then Grauman's Chinese Theatre - it changed its name this year for sponsor Chinese company TCL - two decades ago, invited by film action hero Sylvester Stallone. "Twenty years, ago, 1993 ... I was not on the red carpet, (I was) on the side, and I saw there are so many stars doing interviews. I had nothing to do. I was standing there looking around to see the handprints. "I thought to myself, when will I have my own things? During all those years my dream (grew)," he said, before thanking his co-stars, TCL, and - to cheers from the crowd - "the fans around the world, you make my dream come true." The honor is considered even more exclusive than that of being given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the stretch of sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard lined with star-shaped plaques to entertainment greats. Chinese tourist Haoyahh Wei, looking on, said: "He always makes the greatest movies in the world, and always has creative ideas to put in his new movies .. always has something fun to give to his fans. "We all love him. He is a very kind person, he always helps others," he added. LA resident Ivette DeLatorres added: "He's one of the very few actors that actually does his own stunts. I mean he's willing to get on set, break his leg, get a cast on and the very next day show up on set and keep on going. "That's amazing," she added. Tucker recalled when he did the first "Rush Hour" film with Chan in 1998. "We traveled around the world... from Asia to Australia to Europe and immediately he helped me get known internationally. "It was just an honor to be in a movie with him. That was a comedian's dream. He's been a mentor, a big brother. He's the best guy in the whole wide world," he added. Chan was born in Hong Kong and began his international movie career in the early 1970s, going on to fame with hits including "Dragons Forever" (1988), "The Legend of Drunk Master (1994) and "Little Big Soldier" (2010). The 59-year-old - who stuck his face into the Tinseltown cement, as well as his hands and besocked feet - also worked as a stunt coordinator for martial arts legend Bruce Lee. The courtyard of the TCL Chinese Theatre is paved with the hand- and foot prints of decades of Hollywood greats, from Humphrey Bogart and Bette Davis to Jane Fonda and Brad Pitt. Chan said that, in addition to being the first Chinese actor honored, he was actually the first to have his handprints done twice. "Twelve years ago I did the handprint, but somebody stole it," he said. "Then that's the second time. I really want to thank you." - AFP |
| Posted: 09 Jun 2013 06:48 AM PDT Playing the iconic role of Superman is no easy task. Henry Cavill takes it all in his stride. WITH the trademark red cape, red boots and an "S" on his chest, this superhero is unmistakably Superman. However, Man Of Steel has introduced substantial tweaks to the classic Superman look as we know it. For starters, gone are the "red briefs" Superman of days past donned on the outside of his suit. The new version has evolved to a more robust-looking textured suit, a deeper shade of blue and a modernised glyph. Conceptualising the suit began with the costume designers and illustrators drawing dozens of versions, with the red briefs "getting smaller and smaller, until one day they were just no longer there", according to the film's production notes. In an interview at Warner Bros in Burbank, California, Henry Cavill, who plays the well-loved character in Man Of Steel, describes putting on the suit as "very special, a real experience". "There was an energy the suit gave off that made it special," he says. "The suit is incredibly regal as it is, but there is something else about it that you can't quite explain. I think it is the love for the character and the thought that goes into the hands of each person who puts the suit together, that makes it something truly special. Certainly for me, it became much more than just putting on a costume. When I put the suit on in the morning, it really does help transport me to the character." He candidly shares that the suit could be "sometimes physically uncomfortable" and "the lack of a fly on it didn't help". But one thing that Cavill doesn't need on the suit, however, is built-in muscles, because he already has them. Trainer Mark Twight was quoted as saying in the production notes: "Henry said that he wanted to look the same outside the suit as he did when he was wearing it. He didn't even need body makeup for those scenes where he had his shirt off because he had done the work and he wanted that work to show." The audience is certainly treated to a fair bit of that hard work in Man Of Steel, most notably in the scenes with a dishevelled-looking Clark Kent wandering around in the frigid cold without his shirt. To develop the physique the role required, Cavill engaged in months of training. This physical transformation was the biggest challenge in taking on Superman, he says. "It took five months to get to a certain state, and then another two to get to the shirtless state. It was a lot of hard work," says the British-born actor, who confides that he was a chubby kid who was once taunted in school for his heavy-set frame. "To that kid who called me 'Fat Cavill', it was probably hilarious, but it meant a lot to me. It taught me an awful lot about the importance of words, and to think before I speak because it can actually matter a lot to someone," he muses. The actor describes the transition from his younger self to his present day physique as "a great journey". "It has given me a real insight, and I'm glad I didn't look like how I looked in Man Of Steel for my entire life because it has given me a respect for the amount of work it may take to transform a body." Fans are creating quite a fanfare over 30-year-old Cavill, and it is not difficult to see why. As strikingly attractive off screen as he is on screen, Cavill also comes across as eloquent and charismatic in person. But on being seen as the next sex symbol, Cavill is adamant that he will "never accept that". "If it happens, I think it is going to be odd, certainly. I don't think people should see me as a sex symbol, I'm really just Henry. And all I'm doing is telling a story," he says. Mummy's boy Not unlike his Clark Kent persona, Cavill says he maintains a close relationship with his mother and calls her "the most awesome mum on the planet". "I adore her. She is an amazing woman who gave nothing but love to us. "It is tough with five boys at home, but my mum's a tough cookie. I think you will see it with all my brothers, that we are all really positive people because we were given that love constantly as kids, even though my mum may have just wanted to throw us across the room sometimes!" relates the fourth of five boys. When asked which superhero he would like to be, assuming he has not yet played Superman, Cavill picks Batman, because "he is a cool character and is a superhero with no superpowers". However, he says that if he had to choose one of Superman's superpowers to bestow upon himself in the real world, he wants the ability to fly. "It would make things so much easier. No waiting in line in security, no sitting on a plane for 11 hours, and if your loved ones need you, you are there!" he says. While the origins of Superman can be traced to an alien world – though it is a story that Clark Kent does not know of until later in life – Cavill points out that the one thing that both Clark Kent's adoptive parents on Earth and his biological parents from House of El, on Krypton (where he is known as Kal-El), have in common is their steadfast resolve in "doing the right thing". "His entire upbringing is based upon this family which teaches him to make the right decisions when he can. He is clearly House of El genetically, that is why he has his powers. But he has no real induction to House of El until late in life," explains Cavill. "When he finally gets introduced to House of El, his true heritage if you will, it is more about leading from the front, be who you are, proudly, and do the right thing with it. So, the one thing that runs through these two families is to do the right thing, and it is interesting that one just says lead from the back, and another says lead from the front." Taking on such an iconic character is no easy work, and Cavill knows it. There are just so many people to please, an uphill task because the character of Clark Kent/Superman is one that many hold close and dear. "Honestly, I tried to ignore the pressure because I thought that would get in the way of doing the job efficiently and accurately. But having thought about it, many people have grown up with Superman in different ways, and they have different connections with the character. He belongs to them in their heads and in their hearts," he reflects. Cavill has big shoes to fill, and he is fully aware that it is likely impossible to please everyone. But he has done all he can, and has given it his all. "The biggest pressure was trying to get everything right – to look like the character, to feel like the character, and to get across the soul of the character, to all those who do hold him in their hearts. And will do, hopefully, forevermore," he concludes. ■ Man Of Steel flies into cinemas nationwide on June 13. Look out for Amy Adams' take on playing Lois Lane in Star2 on the same day. Related Stories: |
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