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A Wrinkle in Time – DVD/Blu-ray Giveaway Plus Q&A with Deric McCabe

Lolli — Tue, 05 Jun 2018 14:18:48 +0000

Disney invited me to Los Angeles last month as part of the #AWrinkleInTimeBluray, #HanSoloEvent, #ABCTVEvent and #PeterPanBluray press event. Travel, accommodations, and a review copy of A Wrinkle In Time blu-ray were provided, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. Amazon affiliate links are used in this post.

A Wrinkle in Time was one of the most impactful and memorable books from my childhood. Did you read A Wrinkle in Time when you were a kid? I read the books over and over again, then checked out every single book Madeleine L’Engle wrote because I loved her so much. I was so excited when the movie A Wrinkle in Time was announced, and now I’m equally thrilled to add the DVD/blu-ray to our home collection.

Storm Reid is Meg Murry, Deric McCabe is Charles Wallace Murry and Reese Witherspoon is Mrs. Whatsit in Disney’s A WRINKLE IN TIME.

About A Wrinkle In Time

More than 50 years after Madeleine L’Engle’s young adult novel “A Wrinkle in Time” was awarded the prestigious Newbery Medal, the big-screen retelling of this timeless classic takes audiences on a transformative journey, exquisitely illustrated through jaw-dropping visual effects, a stirring musical score and diverse, star-studded cast. Three celestial guides, Mrs. Which (two-time Academy Award® nominee Oprah Winfrey), Mrs. Whatsit (Oscar®, Golden Globe® and Emmy® winner Reese Witherspoon) and Mrs. Who (Emmy nominee Mindy Kaling), come to Earth to share their wisdom and love with struggling eighth-grader Meg Murry (Storm Reid) as she journeys across dimensions with classmate Calvin (Levi Miller) and younger brother Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe) in search of her father (Chris Pine), a world-renowned physicist who mysteriously disappeared four years ago.

A Wrinkle in Time is now available to own. Get your copy HERE or enter to WIN a copy at the bottom of this post.

PS – don’t miss these Wrinkle in Time printable activity pages!

Q&A with Deric McCabe (Charles Wallace)

Deric McCabe plays Charles Wallace Murry, Meg’s younger brother and co-adventurer in A Wrinkle in Time. He was delightful in the film, but even MORE delightful in person. What an amazing, positive, energetic, purely joyful boy! And FULL of personality!

We sat down with Deric for a Q&A session. Here are some of the highlights of our chat.

How did you get this part?

“They called me and so then I went there and then I was nervous and then they called me back and then I went there in a different scene and then I went back super nervous. And then I went back and back and back and back and back.”

So, it was a long process.

“Yeah.”

What helped you get through the nervousness?

“What helped me? My parents. They did because they were like, don’t worry. They may call you back. They’re going to call you back. And then the time where Ava called me, my mom was like ‘oh, here, it’s for you.’ And I was like, ‘Okay. Hello.’ Not thinking it was going to be Ava, and she’s like ‘hi.’ And I was like, ‘who are you?’ She’s like, ‘Oh, I’m Ava, the one that was doing the auditions.’ I was like ‘wow, hello.’ She was like ‘oh, I was wondering if you would like to work with me on A Wrinkle in Time.’ And I was like, ‘yes. That would be great.'”

Do you remember the moment when you knew you wanted to be an actor?

“This is going to sound really silly. But I was watching the Avengers with my dad. Hi. I was watching the Avengers with my dad and I just saw Scarlett Johansson and I was like oh, I want to do that. And I was like, and I’m going to meet her. So, then I was like, I think I want to do acting. So, they put me into acting and now here I am talking to all you mommy bloggers.”

Do you have siblings and what is your relationship with them?

“I have a baby brother. I tell him that Hulk is bad. No, this is the reason. I have a crush on Scarlett Johansson. And Hulk and Scarlett Johansson just did a movie and I said Hulk, bad, Scarlett Johansson, good. He’s two. And then I have a sister who’s 12 and she’s pretty nice with new people.”

Who are your other acting heroes?

“Okay, so I said Scarlett Johansson. And Chloe Bennett. Just them. You know, they are delightful. You know, I haven’t met them. They are hot and they love me even though they don’t know me. So, that’s one thing.”

What was something you learned in making this movie?

“Oh, I learned the place where they keep their snacks. It’s delicious.”

What was your favorite snack?

“Oh, candy. Oh, and the popcorn maker. Do you want to know why?

“The first time I met Oprah, they make this a really good popcorn and they make butter on it and put some cheddar on it and we were doing stunt practice for the cave, and they said sit down on a mat and then it wasn’t her turn yet. It was Storm, Levi and I’s turn and she just started eating my popcorn. And she was like, who’s popcorn is this? This is delicious. I’m like ‘oh, that’s me. Oprah’s eating my popcorn.'”

Mindy Kaling is Mrs. Who, Levi Miller is Calvin O’Keefe, Oprah Winfrey is Mrs. Which, Zach Galifianakis is the Happy Medium, Storm Reid is Meg Murry, Deric McCabe is Charles Wallace Murry and Reese Witherspoon is Mrs. Whatsit in Disney’s A WRINKLE IN TIME.

What were your experiences with Mindy Kaling and Reese Witherspoon?

“Mindy, I loved her because, but I didn’t love her only because I couldn’t talk to her. Because she’s always speaking quotes. I couldn’t hear her real words. I was like ‘hey how’s it going?’ And she’s like ‘blah, blah, blah, American.’ But it was only for the scene. But I did actually talk to her. We had some very good conversations.

“And then with Reese, that was amazing. She always gave me hugs on set. They always cut and we’d all just start talking and talking and talking. And then we film the scene. Cut. Talking and talking.”

What are some of your favorite memories from filming A Wrinkle in Time?

“Oh, the hallway seen. The stuntmen were pulling them and they couldn’t see because they couldn’t be in the shot so I stopped and they kept going and I fell on top of all three of them.”

Did they get that on film?

“On DVD. So, get the DVD everyone.”

What was your favorite scene of the movie?

“My favorite scene was the cabbage creature what’s-it scene where she’s just flying. We actually got to be in a robot arm. It’s just this arm colored blue and just juggles me. And then Levi got to do flips and Storm was in a harness. So that was cool.”

Do you have any advice for kids who want to get started in acting?

“Oh, when you don’t get any jobs, keep the faith. Yeah, I think that’s good.”

What is your biggest goal or wish that you have for your career?

“My biggest wish. Probably to work with Scarlett Johansson. Just to work with them (the Avengers), that would be amazing. Especially because they’re always superheroes and I want to be a superhero.”

Which superhero would you choose to be?

“I want to create my own. I don’t want to be another superhero. But I do want to be part of the Avengers. That would be great.”

What was the hardest scene for you to film?

“The end scene. It’s a little brain. That was disgusting. And I had to cry in it so that was hard. And Ava was like, ‘okay, we’re going to do this.’ And the brain was super sticky. It kept sticking to my back. So, I was thinking of something to try. And the wardrobe person comes up and says ‘hey, you have something in your back. Can you stand up and get it?’ And I’m like, ‘oh, I was just in the middle of almost crying.’

“‘This will just take a second.’ Five minutes later, ‘hey, you have stuff on your back. We don’t want that in the scene. Can I have it?’ I was just about to cry. Yeah, that was hard.”

How did you teach yourself how to cry?

“Thinking of my baby brother that was hurt, injured. I did have an acting coach. John, I love you. I had an acting coach that was on set with me every day.”

Deric McCage is Charles Wallace Murry in Disney’s A WRINKLE IN TIME.

How important was it to you to be a part of this film being part Filipino and Ava wanting a lot of diversity?

“It was really important. Not only that, but it was really important to me in the film because not only am I Filipino but this is my first big role. And I did, oh, yes, nodding heads, that’s great. It was my first big role that I’ve done so, that was really important to me.”

Where do you get your positivity from?

“Oh, my dad. I get that from my dad.”

Storm Reid is Meg Murry, Deric McCabe is Charles Wallace Murry and Levi Miller is Calvin O’Keefe in Disney’s A WRINKLE IN TIME.

About A Wrinkle in Time Blu-ray

Bonus features include BLU-RAY & DIGITAL HD):

• A Journey Through Time – Take an up-close look at the making of this magnificent movie with Director Ava DuVernay, Oprah Winfrey, and the cast and crew.
• Deleted Scenes (with optional director audio commentary)

Ant on a String
Aunt Beast
Meg Learns About Calvin’s Dad
Papergirl

• Audio Commentary

Director Ava DuVernay
Producer Jim Whitaker
Co-Screenwriter Jennifer Lee
Production designer Naomi Shohan
First assistant director Michael Moore
Editor Spencer Averick
VFX supervisor Rich McBride

• Bloopers
• Original Songs/Music Videos

“I Believe” performed by DJ Khaled featuring Demi Lovato
“Warrior” performed by Chloe x Halle

Bonus features may vary by retailer. Get your copy here!

WIN! A Wrinkle in Time Blu-ray Giveaway

One reader will win a copy of A Wrinkle in Time (provided by Disney)! Simply enter on the giveaway widget below. US addresses only, please. This giveaway will close on 6/19/2018 at 11:59pm ET, after which a winner will be chosen at random and notified via email. Good luck!

Entry -Form

Want more? Click HERE to see all of my Han Solo Event/Peter Pan Bluray coverage.

How Joonas Suotamo Became Chewbacca – SOLO: A Star Wars Story #HanSoloEvent

Lolli — Wed, 23 May 2018 13:12:44 +0000

I am ever grateful to Disney for inviting me on an expense-paid trip to Los Angeles to attend the #HanSoloEvent and #ABCTVEvent in exchange for coverage on my blog. No other compensation was provided. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Even though SOLO is mainly a story about how Han Solo became “the” Han Solo, it is also a movie about the relationship between Han and Chewbacca – how it developed – and how Chewbacca’s character developed. Joonas has played Chewbacca before, but I was wondering how is it different in this film playing a younger Chewbacca, who was in the process of becoming the Chewy that we know.

Joonas agreed, “Right, he becomes the character. Because this movie happens in a time where the empire is expanding. And Chewbacca is in a very bad situation at the start of this film. So, I approached it as Chewbacca is very much looking for a way out and going on his own somewhere. ‘Cause he has a family. He has a commitment to his tribe. And I was very much looking forward to this, because he’s very different.

Joonas Suotamo – Photo courtesy of Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

“Kind of he walks around with worry on his shoulders, because he doesn’t know where this road will take him. And this movie also shows what that new life for Chewbacca is going to be and if he will take that. And it was very interesting to do, because he doesn’t have any kind of structure in his life at that point. And we talked with Alden. We talked a lot about the arc of their friendship and how to start that journey together so that the audience will see the development and also the downs and the ups of that relationship. And it was very important to get right, because we all wanna see how that relationship started.”

Alden Ehrenreich is Han Solo and Joonas Suotamo is Chewbacca in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY.

I know that the budding relationship between Chewbacca and Han Solo was one of my favorite parts of the movie. I certainly didn’t expect the situation in which they met for the first time! I can’t wait for my family to see the movie this weekend (opening May 25!) so we can discuss.

How Joonas Suotamo Became Chewbacca

Joonas Suotamo – Photo courtesy of Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

What a fun (and unconventional) story! Joonas explained, “I got the role out of the blue sky came a call one day from the Finnish Basketball Association, who had received a request for a person who has blue eyes, is seven feet tall. Yeah, anyone could find that guy. And so the casting (department) was pretty desperate at that point to find one. And they called me and I said immediately ‘I’m interested.’ Didn’t take a second to think about it. We didn’t know what the role was. So, I just said, yes, whatever it is, I’m in.

“And I filmed a video of me playing a caveman, half naked in my old high school gym. Just the kind of video where I go like [GRUNTS], just playing this cave man who gets shot in the knee with an arrow and stuff like that. They wanted to see if I could do the acting required for the film. And then, four or five months it took to really go through the process. And at the end of it, I received a call, ‘Congrats, you are gonna play Chewbacca.”

After he got the role, we wondered how long it took him to master speaking Wookiee? Luckily Joonas is a fast learner. He responded, “When they told me I’m gonna meet Harrison Ford the next day, it took me that 24 hours.”

Joonas Suotamo is Chewbacca in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY.

Speaking of meeting Harrison Ford, Joonas described their first encounter (before filming The Force Awakens), chuckling, “It’s great. I think I was so nervous that the first thing (I said) when I saw Harrison was, “Harrison, oh boy, I wasn’t even born when you guys made these films. And he did not like that very much.”

Just a few hours after initially meeting Harrison Ford, he walked on the set of the Millennium Flacon for the first time. He said that many people on the set that day were crying, but he held back the tears. He was very conscious of how his first encounter with Harrison had gone, so he was extra careful to be professional and on his best behavior.

Other than the fact that the set smelled oddly of a hardware store, Joonas said that exploring the Millennium Falcon for the first time was “…just the marvelous thing, because your mind goes back to the times you saw the movie and the first time Luke put on that helmet and battled against the floating ball, which I still don’t know how they did that. And it’s, you know all the angles that they used. And it’s wonderful to be there, because it’s part of everyone’s childhood and memories, those places.”

Me and Chewie in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon

“And now when the Millennium Falcon is new (in Solo) and well-kept and there’s a mini bar in the corner, there is a cloak cape closet — which is more like a luxury room than a closet, it’s just wonderful to see that difference. And it goes to deepening my appreciation for the ship, because it has a history now. And, boy, I just hope nobody ever tarnishes that very sweet décor on that ship. But I guess that’s a wish that’s not gonna (come) true.”

Joonas Suotamo – Photo courtesy of Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

From Basketball Player to Chewbacca

So how did a basketball player become Chewbacca, one of the most well-known and beloved characters ever? I never would have guessed how a sport could prepare a person for an acting role, but Joonas explained how his years as a basketball player shaped him into the right person to take on this character.

He said, “I think basketball certainly gifted me extra body awareness. And also the trips I made with various team and the national team of Finland and everything. I met so many wonderful players and people. And I grew up to become a very social guy. And I have always observed movements — because we had guys on our team who run with a very specific kinda way, and I’ve always loved the fact that we are different as humans. And I’ve always tried to imitate in a very loving way my teammates and how they run.

“And that has more than anything alongside with growing up with dogs and observing them when I was a kid but secretly prepared me for the role of playing Chewbacca.”

Me and Joonas Suotamo at the SOLO after party

Joonas’ next “secret” of how he was ripe for the role of Chewbacca cracked me up. He said, “We Fins have a very rich sauna tradition. So, I can withstand heat exceptionally well. Basically you could say I was born to play this role.”

Meeting the challenges of playing Chewbacca

Joonas said that one of the hardest things to get used to playing Chewbacca was being constantly poked in the eyes, since the costume is so elaborate.

But on a more serious note, he said that his biggest personal challenge with his role was “just respecting the legacy of Chewbacca, because he was played by Peter Mayhew, the legendary, original Chewbacca. And I want it to be so that the fans going to these films see the same Chewbacca who was in the original films, because Chewbacca is so loved and I would not want there to be a feeling that Chewbacca somehow feels different this time around.”

Joonas Suotamo and Peter Mayhew at the SOLO after-party

I could tell that Joonas felt very privileged to have had the chance to train and consult directly with Peter Mayhew. He explained. “I had a week long — we called it the Wookiee Bootcamp. (Trademarked, not to be used by — no, I’m just kidding.) And he showed me the original films and clips. And we looked at his walk, and he told me why he did it such a way and what he did and what was he thinking at the time. And it was so helpful, because I had done some studying up myself previously. And to hear from the master himself how and why did he do those things helped me tremendously in preparing for this role.”

It was wonderful to hear that Peter and his wife Angie met Joonas before he filmed his first Star Wars film, embraced him, and gave him their blessing. Joonas said that it was a “huge deal for me, because Star Wars is so beloved that I would hate there to be any kind of bad water when we do this. Because it’s a very significant thing and (it would) be hard to let go of something that you dedicated your life to and when the fans love you so much. But I’ve assured them that he’ll always be the original Chewbacca and there’s no one who can take away from him.”

Alden Ehrenreich is Han Solo and Joonas Suotamo is Chewbacca in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY.

Getting the “moves” right, especially with all of the action scenes in this and previous Star Wars movies, was very important to Joonas. He said, “The main obstacle (with the Wookiee suit) is the heat and the endurance throughout the day. But also it’s the fact that I gotta be careful with the suit. They don’t want me doing everything I can. If I would make a roll suddenly on the floor, Maria would be very, very angry with me. So, I have to be careful.

“But I also have to do what’s required of me by the director. And that’s something, because you gotta constantly be aware of the suit, how it moves and how it looks on camera. So, that’s why I have to go and look at the screens and after the takes and make people think that I’m sort of a diva or something. It’s just really I wanna make it look right. And I trust the directors, but I still want to see if I could do something myself to improve the next day. And that’s maybe the hardest thing. Because the moves of Chewbacca are very much something I can do as a basketball player.”

Joonas Suotamo is Chewbacca, Woody Harrelson is Beckett, Emilia Clarke is Qi’ra and Alden Ehrenreich is Han Solo in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY.

Have you noticed that Chewie is always wearing a bag? Have you ever wondered what was in his bag? Wonder no more, because I’ve got the answer!

Joonas revealed, “Mainly it’s empty, but on certain days when kids come visiting the set, I usually put some chocolates or some sweets so that I can then when — after they’ve come back — after they run away frightened when I appear — when they come back I usually bribe them with sweets.”

How fitting is it that Chewie’s bag would be filled with candies for kids visiting the set?!

Be sure to catch him in SOLO: A Star Wars Story, opening in theaters everywhere on May 25!

Joonas Suotamo Group Photo – Photo courtesy of Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

Website: https://www.starwars.com/films/solo

Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starwarsmovies

Follow our exclusive coverage by checking out hashtag #HanSoloEvent on social media or click HERE to see all of my Han Solo Event coverage.

Paul Bettany on His Role As Dryden Vos in SOLO: A Star Wars Story #HanSoloEvent

Lolli — Tue, 22 May 2018 17:47:06 +0000

Many thanks to Disney for inviting me on an expense-paid trip to Los Angeles to attend the #HanSoloEvent and #ABCTVEvent in exchange for coverage on my blog. No other compensation was provided. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

If you’ve been following my #HanSoloEvent coverage this week, then you’ll know that we clapped each time that the talent walked in to our room. It caught more than a few of them off guard, and Paul Bettany was no different. His reaction? With a huge smile on his face, he said, “Look at all you lovely people! Wow.” It’s kind of a treat to be greeted by THE Paul Bettany that way.

Paul Bettany – Photo courtesy of Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

He then proceeded to show us the lock screen on his phone (a picture of his wife when she was four years old), which he said he looks at whenever she’s “really annoying.” When asked how often he looks at it, he said, “Well…Poor thing, we’re in the process of moving right now and I’ve been doing back-to-back press tours so she’s not super happy at me. Yeah, she’s so glad that I’m in Los Angeles and not actually packing up tea chests, as you can imagine.”

His humor and honesty put us all at ease. And, really, he is such a GOOD GUY, despite the fact that he plays a really BAD GUY in SOLO that it’s hard not to love him.

Paul Bettany is Dryden Vos in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY.

Crossing Universes

Paul Bettany has been fairly busy lately, with the latest Avengers movie still in theaters at the time of the theatrical release of Solo: A Star Wars Story. I’m sure it’s a difficult decision to sign on to two demanding movies at the same time, so we asked Paul about how he got the role of Dryden Vos, and why he was interested in being involved in this Star Wars movie.

“This is a hugely embarrassing story which I shouldn’t tell you but I’ve got to tell you anyway. In 1977 I saw Star Wars. I was six years old and it took me out of the gray, miserable 1970’s London. London was really depressed in the ‘70s, by the way. So, it was just (amazing) to be taken away to that universe.

“But now I’m in the Avengers so I think there’s no way I’m ever going to be asked to be in Star Wars. Unless Ron Howard becomes the director. And that happened. And so, I texted him this, I said, ‘Hey, Ron, have you ever spent long winter evenings, like I have wondering why you’re not in the Star Wars franchise?’

“And that’s a true story. And he said, ‘Give me a moment.’ And two weeks later I was flying to London to shoot it.”

Paul Bettany – Photo courtesy of Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

I loved seeing the love and respect that Paul has for Ron Howard (they really are old friends). Later in the interview, Paul said, “Ron is as close to family as you get in this business. He’s put his hand out and helped me out so many times I can’t tell you. And seeing him be so accomplished . He’s just a fine, fine director.” Paul admired what Ron was able to do coming on the project after it had already started. He said that it could have been a tricky situation, but Ron’s ability with staging and his natural talent made the movie a success.

He continued, “He’s also amazingly inclusive and genuinely interested in everybody’s opinions about how things should be. That’s not to say that he doesn’t have his own vision. He’s just so confident that he is able to be really open and collaborative. And, you know, I think the sign of a really strong leader is when (people) are listening. That was beautiful.”

Paul Bettany – Photo courtesy of Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

Going back to the fact that Paul just happens to be in two of the biggest movies hitting the theaters this summer, he said that it felt “pretty great. It’s very nice going around the world selling something that people want to buy. I’ve done both. And this is a much nicer feeling than the other.”

But what was it like jumping between superhero and villain? Paul said that it wasn’t difficult to go back and forth between the two characters because he knows Vision so well. It also helped that, despite the fact that he was going back and forth between two cinematic universes and two different filming locations, he had support from the directors and producers of both films.

However, he did run into one little problem…”there were times when literally, the makeup crew on Star Wars were finding bits of purple still on me from playing Vision. Can I tell you, the amount of work it takes to get that stuff off?”

Marvel Studios’ AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR
Vision (Paul Bettany)
Photo: Film Frame
©Marvel Studios 2018

Speaking of makeup, we were shocked to find out that Dryden Vos’ facial scars are all CG – no makeup – and all done in post-production!

On playing a Star Wars villain, Paul said, “I really wanted to do something very different. And I felt like I could because the offshoot films, you know, they’re not encumbered with the same set of responsibilities that the main franchise (films) are encumbered with.

Paul Bettany described his character, Dryden Vos, as an “entrepreneur.”

“There is the possibility to have a more playful tone. I really wanted to sort of be quite loose with it. He is an entrepreneur. He knows who he is and is super happy about it. Like, (he has) no problems with being bad. I mean, he’s really, really gifted at hurting people. And some people are gifted at playing the piano or whatever and he’s really gifted at torture and murder. And he’s really okay with it. And that’s really fun to play because you’re just able to sort of close down all the conscious stuff and just be great at torture and murder.”

Paul Bettany is the GOOD GUY, insisting that our injured Leanette take his seat. Or better yet, SHARE it with him! – Photo courtesy of Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

A Life-Changing Role

Paul Bettany has said before that Star Wars changed his world as a child. We asked him if there was a moment on the set when it hit him that he was in a Star Wars movie.

Without a hesitation, Paul said, “Oh, yeah, there were many moments where I went, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’m in a Star Wars movie!’ I think because Ron and I were newcomers on the block, as it were. You know, everyone else had been in there for eight months or whatever. And we were still totally un-jaded by it. And I kept elbowing him and saying, ‘We’re making a Star Wars movie. We’re making a Star Wars movie!’ And my first day, in fact, I was on my starship.

I have a starship and I was coming down the spiral staircase and a super chic asymmetric cloak I think you probably all noticed. And an R2 unit went by me with champagne flutes on and I went, (wow), I’m in Star Wars. And that was amazing.”

Paul Bettany’s Most Important Role of All

My favorite part of our interview had to be be when Paul Bettany started talking about his children. We asked him what legacy he hopes to leave for his children. Instead of talking about what he has given to them, he talked about how proud he is of them.

Paul said, “I think the thing I’m most proud of with my kids is that they always say please and thank you. I have taught them (that) there is no separation between children and adults in our lives in terms of like going to a restaurant, you know, they’re with us. Their time spent on devices is really limited.

“They are not allowed devices in a restaurant. They have to ask questions and they have to be engaged with other people. I have a 20-year-old and I have a 14-year-old and what I noticed about them is that they have a confidence within themselves that I feel that I really lacked. I might be strict with them, which I have been about certain things, parties and all of that stuff as they grow up.

“And now my son, who’s 20, is off to college and doing his own thing but, deep down inside they appear to know that they’re just excellent company, you know, that they’re good people. So, I might be pissed when we might be having a problem but you know, they know how loved they are and how lovable they are. And I mean, and we have tried to inoculate them from all of the slightly weird and odd things that can happen having parents that do what we do.

Paul Bettany – Photo courtesy of Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

“I mean, when we all fly together, we fly in coach because my son one time in First Class said to me, “Dad, these seats are not…’ (and I said,) ‘You’re coming with me.’ And we fly in coach. You might see me in there because I’ll be the one with the scarf around me.

“They’re really aware of their privilege because I’m not willing to raise one of those children. I want them to know how rare this situation is and to prepare them for a life in which they can, hopefully, give back in a way that we’ve all received.”

Our group photo with Paul Bettany – Photo courtesy of Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

Can you see what an amazing dad he is?!

Be sure to catch him in SOLO: A Star Wars Story, opening in theaters everywhere on May 25!

Website: https://www.starwars.com/films/solo

Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starwarsmovies

Follow our exclusive coverage by checking out hashtag #HanSoloEvent on social media or click HERE to see all of my Han Solo Event coverage.

Emilia Clarke: An Exclusive Interview with Qi’ra from SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY #HanSoloEvent

Lolli — Fri, 18 May 2018 19:20:56 +0000

Last week was INCREDIBLE. I’m still reeling from all of the excitement, and I’m LOVING being able to report back on all of the fun I had! Disney invited me on an expense-paid trip to Los Angeles to attend the #HanSoloEvent and #ABCTVEvent in exchange for coverage on my blog. No other compensation was provided. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Amazon affiliate links are used within this post and I may earn a commission for purchases made through my links.

I’ve never watched Game of Thrones, so I was unprepared for the level of devotion GOT fans have for Emilia Clarke. But after seeing her in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY and then spending time with her on Saturday, I’m not surprised at all that she has such passionate and devoted fans. She is as sweet as can be, and flawlessly portrayed Qi’ra, Han Solo’s long-time friend and love-interest.

Emilia Clarke is Qi’ra in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY.

Meet Qi’ra:

Qi’ra is deeply enmeshed in a life of crime as a member of a street gang on Corellia. Streetsmart, calculating and ambitious, she puts her early life as a powerless street urchin behind her and uses all her wits to move up in status within a prominent criminal organization.

About SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY

Board the Millennium Falcon and journey to a galaxy far, far away in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY, an all-new adventure with the most beloved scoundrel in the galaxy. Through a series of daring escapades deep within a dark and dangerous criminal underworld, Han Solo befriends his mighty future copilot Chewbacca and meets the notorious gambler Lando Calrissian, in a journey that will set the course of one of the Star Wars saga’s most unlikely heroes. The film stars Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover, Thandie Newton, Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Paul Bettany.

Emilia Clarke is Qi’ra and Alden Ehrenreich is Han Solo in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY.

Becoming a Star Wars Fan

Emilia wasn’t born when the first Star Wars movie appeared in theaters, but she grew up with an older brother who was a Star Wars fan and would make her dress up in Star Wars costumes for Halloween (even though she had no idea what they were really about).

EMILIA CLARKE – Photo courtesy of Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

Emilia said, “When Episode 7 (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) came out and I watched that with him, I became a fan because I suddenly realized what everyone must have felt in 1977 when (A New Hope) first came out. The enormity– like this is how a movie should be made.

This is what (movies) should look like. This is a blockbuster. The next level. So as soon as that happened I was like, ‘I need to be a part of this. This is how it’s done. This is how everybody should make a movie.’ So it was kind of from then on I just watched everything….and now I’m here.”

Fun side note: Emilia said that her Star Wars-fan brother screamed louder than she did when she was offered this role. I bet that was a fun day at their house!

EMILIA CLARKE – Photo courtesy of Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

Walking in Leia’s shoes

We wondered if Emilia was intimidated at all playing ‘the woman who came before Princess Leia.’ Her response was perfect: “Well, I just tried not to think about it. I’m not gonna’ lie. It’s scary enough standing under the Star Wars banner, but having that as well.

“(But) it’s before Leia so I don’t need to spend too much time worrying about it. Like, I don’t know what my next 10 years are gonna look like. So I can kind of step away from that. I’ll let Alden take all that heat. ‘You carry that one, honey.'”

Joonas Suotamo is Chewbacca, Woody Harrelson is Beckett, Emilia Clarke is Qi’ra and Alden Ehrenreich is Han Solo in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY.

Emilia recognized that this role carried a certain “weight” that her previous roles have not carried. She said, “Star Wars is challenging because you’re dealing with so much that it seems it’s almost history. It’s like hallowed ground, do you know what I mean? Making sure that you’re not gonna disappoint Star Wars fans is a big thing to carry and to make sure that you’re doing that right.”

Once you see her in this role, I’m sure you’ll agree – she handled the pressure well, and totally nailed it with her character. She mentioned that she felt like Han’s relationship with Qi’ra had a huge impact on the person he became later in life. First loves usually do shape us in ways that no one else can.

Emilia Clarke is Qi’ra and Alden Ehrenreich is Han Solo in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY.

On Playing Strong Women Characters

Perhaps my favorite part of our interview was what Emilia had to say about playing “Strong women characters” and being a role model for girls and other women.

Emilia said that she regularly gets asked about playing “strong women” and what she would love to see if for the vocabulary and the perception to change. She said, “We’re just women. You can take strong out of the equation, do you know what I mean? It just IS what we are; strength is within us as women. And it’d be wonderful if for the young girls who are watching me play these characters now just see that as a part of being a woman as opposed to it being a choice of like, ‘Oh, I’m gonna be a strong woman or I’m not gonna be a strong woman.’ You are, we all are. You have it in you anyway, so just go get it.”

Emilia Clarke is Qi’ra in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY.

On Being Directed by Ron Howard

Ron Howard is such a legend, and has such an amazing reputation (and by the way, I’m 1000-times more impressed by him now that I’ve met him!). I loved hearing Emilia’s experience working with him.

HOLLYWOOD, CA – MAY 10: (L-R) Actors Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Emilia Clarke, and Director Ron Howard attend the world premiere of “Solo: A Star Wars Story” in Hollywood on May 10, 2018. (Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Disney)

Emilia said, “Jon Kasdan, one of the Writers, (told the cast that Ron Howard was going to be directing the movie), and I kept being like, ‘You’re joking. I don’t believe you. This is just ridiculous. You can’t actually really expect me to believe that Ron Howard has chosen come and direct this movie.’ And that’s when (I realized), ‘Oh no, yeah of course. It’s a Star Wars movie.'”

She continued, “It was just a dream come true. He literally couldn’t have been better and just held us all in the most beautiful way and he made us all feel heard, which in a movie of this scale is so impressive.”

Emilia left us with her person mantra: KOKO (keep on keeping on). Good words to live by.

Let me know when you’ve seen SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY and what you think of Qi’ra in the movie!

Website: https://www.starwars.com/films/solo

Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starwarsmovies

Follow our exclusive coverage (with review and interviews coming) by checking out hashtag #HanSoloEvent on social media or click HERE to see all of my Han Solo Event coverage.

Alden Ehrenreich as the Young Han Solo: An Exclusive Interview #HanSoloEvent

Lolli — Thu, 17 May 2018 13:06:16 +0000

Disney invited me on an expense-paid trip to Los Angeles to attend the #HanSoloEvent and #ABCTVEvent in exchange for coverage on my blog. No other compensation was provided. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Alden Ehrenreich is a young Han Solo in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY, in theaters May 25. He is absolutely delightful on and off screen, and I loved having the opportunity to interview him this past week.

Just moments before he entered our room, THIS happened:

A post shared by Entertainment Tonight (@entertainmenttonight) on May 12, 2018 at 1:02pm PDT

It was quite amusing to see how flustered Alden was for quite a while after he walked in our room. I’m sure I wasn’t the only blogger in the room wishing that Harrison Ford would make another surprise visit during our interview slot! Oh, and if you were wondering, Harrison Ford told Alden that he loved the movie, thought he (Alden) did a great job, and predicted that Alden would make “hundreds and hundreds of dollars!”

Alden Ehrenreich had some big shoes to fill with this role, since Han Solo is such an iconic character that has only been portrayed by Harrison Ford. It was interesting for me to watch Alden as Han “become” the character that we know and love. He said that he felt an enormous pressure to get the role right, but said, “the kind of pressure is the same as it is on any movie, which is you want people to really like it. And the only recourse you have in the face of that is to concentrate on what you have control over, which is A) not very much and….basically I think there’s not a B. You concentrate on your task at hand, the character you’re tasked with. All you can ever really do is just try to pour your energy into that.”

Alden Ehrenreich. Photo courtesy of Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

He went on to say that this role was a “great exercise in learning in a very high stakes situation how to navigate how much you care about, or what weight you give to the opinions and thoughts of other people and how much you try to listen to yourself.” I’m grateful that he took this role so seriously, but that he listened to his heart when developing the character and making it his own!

One of the main questions we had for him was how much of role as a young Han was taken directly from Harrison Ford and how much of it was his own creation? Alden said, “Something that was really important to me was to make it feel like a real person, that you’re watching a real person going through something. And you also want to feel a kind of continuity that you could grow into that guy. I started by watching all the original movies, very early on, and trying to just absorb as much as of that as I could, so that when it came time to actually do it, I wouldn’t be thinking a lot about it.”

Alden Ehrenreich is Han Solo and Joonas Suotamo is Chewbacca in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY.

On piloting the Millennium Falcon, Alden explained, “That was really one of the best parts of the whole shoot. There’s kind of two things that are really cool. One is that you sit down and it’s really fun and you can’t believe you’re there and it’s really surreal. And that’s exciting and that’s what everybody comes and visits the set experiences. And the other thing is about two months in and you’re in there every day and you realize you know what button does what and you know how the yoke feels and you know how the chair sits and you kind of you feel like it’s yours.”

Alden Ehrenreich is Han Solo and Joonas Suotamo is Chewbacca in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY.

Han and Chewbacca always had a great chemistry and camaraderie in the original Star Wars movies, so we were all curious how Alden and Joonas hit it off and developed their own chemistry and camaraderie for this movie (note: our interview with the “New” Chewie is coming next week). Alden’s answer was simple: TIME. Alden and Joonas ended up spending quite a bit of time training together (stunts, boxing, etc). They also played video games together in the hotel, but Alden swore that Joonas was much better than he was. It was clear that he loved working with his co-pilot!

Emilia Clarke is Qi’ra and Alden Ehrenreich is Han Solo in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY.

Regarding working alongside his beautiful co-star and love-interest, Emilia Clarke, he said, “So I haven’t seen Game of Thrones, but I’m definitely a fan of hers. She’s really wonderful, incredibly talented, and sweet as could be. I mean, she brought in baked goods for the whole crew every single Monday; the whole makeup trailer got fresh baked goods every week.

“And she was probably the person that I was most on this journey with, in a sense. Because we spent so much time together and our work just was so involved, that we ended up spending a lot of time together and it was a blast, it was really sweet and I’m very grateful to have that partnership with her.”

Alden Ehrenreich. Photo courtesy of Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

Alden grew up watching Star Wars and said that The Empire Strikes Back was his favorite Star Wars franchise film. “I love Yoda a lot. And I just think it’s really cool to have a movie with so much wisdom in it and this kind of deep philosophical background that’s put into terms that are so clear and communicable to so many people.” He said he grew up playing with all the Star Wars toys and action figures. “In fact,” he said, “when I got to do my screen test on the Millennium Falcon, it was so familiar to me from just imagining that I was on it as a kid, it kind of put me at ease. Walking through the hallway and the everything.”

How cool is that? He really was living every young Star Wars fan’s dream!

Alden Ehrenreich. Photo courtesy of Louise Manning Bishop / MomStart.com

ABOUT SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY

Website: https://www.starwars.com/films/solo

Like us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/starwarsmovies

Follow our exclusive coverage (with review and interviews coming) by checking out hashtag #HanSoloEvent on social media or click HERE to see all of my Han Solo Event coverage.

Alden Ehrenreich is Han Solo in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY.

Directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg Talk About Working on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Lolli — Wed, 31 May 2017 18:34:45 +0000

During the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales press even recently, I had the chance to sit down with Directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg to chat about their experience making the film. This spoiler-free interview was part of the Pirates red carpet premiere and press event. Travel and accommodations were covered by Disney but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

**Note: Interview photos are courtesy of Louise Bishop of MomStart.com. Movie stills are courtesy of Disney.**

For Directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, being a part of the iconic Pirates of the Caribbean franchise was a dream come true. Joachim and Espen grew up together. The childhood friends started making movies at an early age when they got a video camera (they still have some of those early films that they made together….I’m guessing that they are hilarious to watch!). Today, their children are growing up together (they have five kids between the ages of 9 and 13 between the two families) and Joachim says that the kids are best friends. What a blessing! I’m sure that their 10 year old selves had no idea where they would be at this stage in their lives.

When asked what they hoped that their own kids as well as kids watching the movie in theaters would take away from the film, Joachim said, “Something that was very important for us that we touch upon a little bit was the emotional core of the story and the kind of family theme that the film has. And, you know, a treasure is not always a chest of gold. It could be other things.”

Espen added, “Even for a pirate.”

“PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES”..The villainous Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem) pursues Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) as he searches for the trident used by Poseidon..Pictured: Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp)..Ph: Peter Mountain..© Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Joachim continued, “Even for a pirate. And I think that was like something we really fought hard to do because I really inspired by the first movie in the series that had that a lot, had a big heart. And then of course you have the adventure and you have the scares and you have the comedy you know. But yeah, I hope that the audience will moved by it as well.”

Joachim said, “When we grew up, we were very influenced by Hollywood adventure family movies, you know movies that inspired us to become filmmakers in the first place. And Pirates reminds us of that. It’s very much that fun movie that gives you energy and we both have kids. It’s something they can relate to and you know be a part of.”

The opportunity to work on the fifth installment of Pirates of the Caribbean didn’t just fall into their laps. In fact, Espen said, “We chased it. We really wanted to make this movie. And I think the basic reason as you know Joachim and I started making movies together when we were 10. Movies that inspired us back then were the Spielberg and Lucas and Zemeckis films. And this franchise just reminds us of that. And it has that unique blend of spectacle and humor and scary parts and also a lot of heart. So that meant a lot to us.”

Because they’ve been working together for so long, Joachim remarked, “You know, we don’t really know any other way of doing this than being together. For us, it’s a very natural process. And I think it’s a collaborative one. We include the actors and the crew and everyone as part of the discussion basically. And we try to create a safe work environment as you could say. You know, where everybody is welcome and everybody can be a part of the discussion. And that’s important to us. I think that’s probably one of the strong advantages that we have as a directing team.”

They explained that through the course of the four years that they worked on the film (which, they said, is a long production time even for a big movie), there were many different ideas and concepts that they explored.

Joachim said, “I think that probably one of the things that we had the most versions of is probably Jack Sparrow’s back story and his origin story — how he became Jack Sparrow and all of that. I remember we had 10, 15 versions of that. That was a long and grueling process because the mythology of Pirates of the Caribbean, the series and movies, it’s a complex mythology and you don’t want to step on anybody’s (toes). You know there’s a lot of fans out there that knows everything. And so it was important for us to be ahead of that and not mess with any previous back stories.”

They also wanted to blend Jack’s backstory with Captain Salazar’s, so that the revenge story woven throughout this film was very personal and emotionally bound.

One of the things that everyone wanted to know was what it was like working with Johnny Depp and what the chemistry on set was like. I can only imagine how hilarious it would be to work side by side with Johnny Depp, and how different each day would be.

Joachim said, “It’s amazing. He’s so funny. And I mean, what you see with Jack Sparrow is, it’s all Johnny. And he’s a genius. I mean for us he’s like up there with Chaplin and the other ones because his timing is just perfect and he has such a weird imagination. He comes up with the craziest ideas. And for us, the highlight was always going into his trailer in the morning and going through the scenes and the lines and trying to come up with even more cool stuff to do to make it even more funny. And of course when we started shooting he would do something completely different. And everyone was sort of thrown off but that also makes it come alive and funny.”

I thought it was interesting that they pointed out that Jack Sparrow, of all characters, stays the same throughout all of the movies. He never learns from his mistakes or his experiences. Jack is Jack (thanks to Johnny Depp!). We’re grateful that Captain Jack Sparrow is who he is!

Both Joachim and Espen would love to be involved in future Pirates of the Caribbean movies, should they be given the chance. They’re crossing their fingers that this movie is well received and the fans want to see more. I know I do!

Check out this featurette that showcases Joachim and Espen’s work on the film:

It was a pleasure to meet these down-to-earth and talented directors! They even stopped to take a group picture with us before they headed out.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is in theaters everywhere now. Make plans to see it in the theater soon (and I highly recommend seeing it in 3D or IMAX!). Be sure to check out the rest of my Pirates posts (more coming!).

Brenton Thwaites as Henry Turner in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Lolli — Fri, 26 May 2017 15:45:43 +0000

Last week, I sat down with Brenton Thwaites, who plays Henry Turner in the new Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (along with 24 of my fellow bloggers). This interview was part of the Pirates red carpet premiere and press event. Travel and accommodations were covered by Disney but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

**Note: Interview photos are courtesy of Louise Bishop of MomStart.com. Movie stills are courtesy of Disney.**

Brenton Thwaites is a newcomer to the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, but he fit in perfectly! I loved his role as Henry Turner, young adult son of Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner. He was a delight to interview – all smiles and very gracious! Here are a few things that we chatted with him about.

Take a look at this featurette. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is in theaters NOW! Be sure to check out the rest of my Pirates posts…movie review, red carpet experience, interviews, printables and more!

Question: What was it like stepping into such a role with Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner as your parents?

Brenton Thwaites appreciated the backstory that he came into his role as Henry Turner with. He said, “I feel as though as it was easier than not having them because they provided such a backstory for my character. We start the movie, Dead Men Tell No Tales, with the boy version in my character, basically saying, ‘I believe there’s a treasure that can break your curse, and I can spend more time with you.’ And he (Will Turner) says, ‘Okay, well if there is, go find Jack Sparrow. He can help you find it.’ And so I feel like the goal and obligation for my character has already been set, and that gives Henry a lot more drive and focus for the whole movie.”

Question: What was it like working opposite Johnny Depp and the iconic Captain Jack Sparrow?

Brenton didn’t hesitate to say, “It was terrifying. It’s still terrifying. It’s always terrifying because you never know what he’s gonna say or do, and it always results in humiliation for me. So you are always entering a scene, thinking ‘this guy now is five movies worth of Jack Sparrow.’ And he’s on the ball and kind of irreverent and impulsive. You just anticipate what he’s gonna do and say, so that’s great because, as an actor, it kind of improves your acting in the sense that you’re always open and free and relaxed to go with the flow, but also pretty terrifying.”

“PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES”..The villainous Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem) pursues Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) as he searches for the trident used by Poseidon..Pictured L to R: Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario), Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites)..Ph: Film Frame..© Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Question: What was it like working on Disney films, especially now that you’re a father?

Brenton Thwaites had a little girl after filming Pirates of the Caribbean and said that being a dad certainly changed his perspective! He said, “It’s great being a part of Disney because, as a studio, it really plays for the younger audiences. I did a movie in 2012, released in 2014, called Maleficent which is something I can’t wait for my daughter to see. Pirates may take a while just because it’s quite scary, you know? One year at a time. I don’t even know about letting kids see movies yet, you know?”

Question: What was it like coming in to the Pirates franchise as a newcomer?

Because so many members of the Pirates of the Caribbean cast have done this several times before, we wondered if the existing cast would value a newcomer’s input. Brenton said, “I think they did value my input as an actor, as an newcomer. There were so many different characters coming into this one to make it a fresh new thing, and I think all the old-school dudes really wanted to make it fresh and exciting and, it’s something they hadn’t done before. So Javier coming on board, myself, Kaya, and the two new directors who had primarily done independent films were supported and encouraged on this one.”

“PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES”..The villainous Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem) pursues Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) as he searches for the trident used by Poseidon..Pictured L to R: Carina Smyth (Kaya Scodelario) and Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites)..Ph: Film Frame..© Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Question: What was it like when you first walked onto the set?

Brenton laughed, “I was thinking, wow, it’s really rained, because my first day on the set, it had been pouring for months or weeks, and the town of Saint Martin, which was about twenty minutes west of the studio, was covered in mud. They kinda used it in the movie which is really cool and dramatic, and adds to the dirtiness of the pirate’s world, but I remember thinking, ‘I’m gonna have to get some new shoes.’

I had a scene where my character, Henry, is hiding behind a pillar, and he’s spying on Jack Sparrow, and I remember thinking, ‘Wow, what a perfect way to start the movie, and to see Jack Sparrow drinking rum in the middle of the street, and the whole parade of red soldiers trying to catch him.'”

“PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES”..The villainous Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem) pursues Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) as he searches for the trident used by Poseidon..Pictured: Henry Turner (Brenton Thwaites)..Ph: Film Frame..© Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Question: The visual effects are amazing. What was it like to see the finished film?

Brenton said, “Well, the visual effects side of things was, for this one, mostly kind of behind the actor’s consciousness. In Maleficent, it was a lot of work that we would have to do with our imaginations to kind of be specifically creating creatures that weren’t there. On Gods of Egypt, we did the same thing. But on Pirates, we were lucky because all of Javier’s makeup; all the ghosts were there. They looked fantastic.

The sets were real. You know, they, they had beautiful set pieces that allowed us to play and feel like we were actually in the space. The CGI, I guess I was surprised to see Javier’s hair. But yeah, it was mainly in the background, the CGI stuff which gave it this great depth of field when you watch it. But for us, we were lucky that we had so much given to us on the day.”

Question: What was a typical day on set like?

Brenton explained, “Typically a day on a set for me is– I get picked up eight o’clock, so I get out of the house at seven; I run down for a quick surf; I get out of the surf at eight; rush home; I’m half an hour late. So my driver speeds down the highway and risks our lives trying to get to work on time. And then I get made up and sit in the trailer for five hours, and then we start working.”

He told us that there was a lot of sitting around and waiting on set because the directors liked to be prepared for anything that they might want to add in. Brenton said, “Logistics, sets change, and everyday there was something crazy happening. For this one they liked to give the directors all the tools to play around with, and so we would all come to work; Javier would get made up; Geoffrey would get in makeup, and we would all be ready in case they wanted to do some improvised shot or something; they could kinda use any actor at any time. So it was cool way of shooting.”

Question: You had a lot of scenes with Johnny Depp. Did he do things to make you laugh?

Brenton laughed and said, “Everything (he did made us laugh). Listen, if you guys look closely, me and Kaya, behind the scenes are trying not to laugh.” He agreed that we should probably expect a lot of bloopers.

Question: Did you have a favorite filming location?

Brenton said, “We shot at about five or six different locations; mainly the studios. I was talking about Saint Martins Square twenty minutes west of the studios where all the mud was. We shot there for a good month and a half, and we shot in Northern New South Wales; they had a beautiful beach- both Hastings Point for our entrance into, our entrance into Saint Martins, I think, the coastal element.

“My favorite location was up on Hamilton Island, shooting out on the Great Barrier Reef. We had some days we shot at a beach called White Haven Beach which is beautiful squeaky beach. When you walk on the sand, it squeaks, which is not so good for the sound, but it’s great for effect, and it looks beautiful, and I think we had the most fun right there.

“Javier’s like a five year old kid, you know? As soon as he finished a scene, he’d be stripping off, jumping in the sea, playing, and fighting in the sand. It was the funniest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Question: What do you hope audiences take away from this film?

Brenton said, “I just hope they’re entertained. This is the kind of movie that never loses its drive and has so many action pieces, set pieces; comedic elements; romance; supernatural; there’s something for everyone in this movie. So I hope everyone takes something from it and connects with the characters.” Brenton personally wished that he could have taken a rowboat from the set to give to his mom to make a vegetable garden in.

See Brenton Thwaites as Henry Turner in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, in theaters everywhere!

Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbossa in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Lolli — Thu, 25 May 2017 17:16:59 +0000

Last week, I traveled to Los Angeles as one of 25 bloggers covering the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales red carpet premiere and press event. Travel and accommodations were covered by Disney but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

**Note: Interview photos are courtesy of Louise Bishop of MomStart.com. Movie stills are courtesy of Disney.

Geoffrey Rush returns as the pirate Captain Barbossa in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, which comes to theaters this weekend (5/26)!! This exclusive bloggers-only interview is spoiler-free!

Question: You played different part of you in this film. How did it feel to take on a different Barbossa?

“PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES”..The villainous Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem) pursues Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) as he searches for the trident used by Poseidon..Pictured: Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush)..Ph: Film Frame..© Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Geoffrey replied, “Well, it’s sort of something that happened over the first four films, you know. I think in the first one, before I actually entered into the story, he was described rather fearfully by the two pirates that are now my assistants. ‘He’s spat out from the mouth of hell.’

“To me that was the key line. I thought, whenever I enter into this story, if you don’t see that, then he’s a liar. So, he was pretty much the dark villain of the piece. And, you know, he had to break the curse. I think it was a great twist of the story that we were actually having to put all of the treasure back to reverse the curse, (after) which I then enjoyed having all my senses back for about 30 seconds. Then I got shot.”

He then went on to talk about Johnny Depp, who he obviously admires and respects a deal, and the iconic character that Johnny created in Captain Jack. He said, “Johnny was the king of the independent films…great characters like Edward Scissor Hands and What’s Eating Gilbert Great and all of the things that he did.

For him to create such a unique, unpredictable pirate — there’s nothing like it in literature or cinema. And he got nominated for a Best Actor, which is just fantastic, you know. ‘Cause adventure films just don’t really get a look in on that territory. But I remember him telling me when we shot the first film, he said, ‘You know, we can’t be stereotypes. We’ve gotta create really imaginative kind of people that an audience will get very engaged with.’

And he said, ‘I’ve been toying with the idea of, like the British rock stars of the ‘60s ’cause pirates always had sort of clear-cut identities. You know, the real Black Beard used to have fuse wire burning in his beard that when people saw him they thought he was the devil. So, that would go from ship to ship from port to port. With Barbossa I wanted to make him very arrogant and very pompous and very superior and maybe a bit slightly self-diluted about how bright he actually is.”

“PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES”..The villainous Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem) pursues Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) as he searches for the trident used by Poseidon..Pictured: Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush)..Ph: Film Frame..© Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

In this latest movie, as Geoffrey explained, “I sort of became like a politician. I was the guy getting the global pirate G20 meeting. And that was fun to play, because he he’s a control freak and he loves thinking he’s the most powerful person on the planet. And then I worked for the king. I liked that in Pirates 4. And I really insisted that I have a very elaborate wig and lovely makeup and a beauty spot.

“The teeth were always the same. And then, unfortunately, when he put on the courtly makeup with his crusty skin, he didn’t look any prettier. So that sort of shift has always been there. And I did it love it when I read the fifth script that he had become so wealthy. And I like that it brought out the vulgarity. Barbossa isn’t somebody with any sense of personal style whatsoever, you know.”

“And Penny Rose offered me a costume, and I said this is great. He wouldn’t care if he mixed checks with stripes. And what else does he spend his money on, you know. I love the fact that the wooden leg is a great way to show how ridiculously wealthy he is. It’s a bit like Saddam Hussein having gold everywhere on the bathroom taps and probably shaped like fish or something, you know. Ridiculous. And then the extra bit where they brought in a sort of deep secret from even before the first film started that there was something that Jack and Barbossa knew about.

“And I don’t know. I probably needed to go through therapy to un-repress that memory but he had obviously blocked it out, but I looked back at all the other films and just looked at it in the light of if that secret had been there, it’ll all still make sense. The obsession for the grandeur of his own persona is someone masking this guilty secret that he has.”

Question: You and Johnny have a great back and forth. Was that natural, or did you have to work on that?

Geoffrey Rush answered, “The scripts are always pretty good. We’ve sort of decided now that the Black Pearl is our mutual girlfriend and we both want her. Then chances are that Jack Sparrow will end up with the ship, but that sense of harmony’s never always gonna stay there.”

Question: Did you actually have to walk with the peg leg on?

Geoffrey responded, “No. I think back in the days when Robert Newton played Long John Silver I think he did with the leg strapped up, which would have been painful. So, I went down that path and talked to a prosthetician who specializes with amputees. And the engineering they do now — if you see people that have a leg from the knee down, it’s molded beautifully in titanium or whatever. It’s amazing engineering. But he said it takes these people maybe 12 to 18 months to really get all their musculature and their core muscles to kind of realign and to train it to be a good part of you. And when I had it strapped up, I couldn’t stand up. I mean it was just impossible. And I said you know what? I’ll act the leg. Because I wore a blue screen stocking that I made sure that we made the heel of it like the point that it would be. And I just got good at having — that leg had no life in it.”

“PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES”..The villainous Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem) pursues Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) as he searches for the trident used by Poseidon..Pictured L to R: Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem)..Ph: Film Frame..© Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Question: What was it like acting with a monkey?”

Geoffrey explained, “The monkey’s trained to really have no relationship with me — because if it did it would just be looking for things to eat in my wig. They’re very loyal to their owner if trained correctly. So, the monkey is completely in the hands of the trainer. And the trainers are brilliant. They’re able to sort of throw in all the instructions in and around the dialogue.

“I remember on the first film we’d shot the first meeting with Elizabeth Swann and I’d come down with the monkey on my shoulder, and we had a big dialogue between us. And suddenly when they came in for the close shots, there was this massive, deep, black-skinned guy called Isaac Singleton Junior. He was this gentle giant but from somewhere like Louisiana I think, and he hadn’t been there in the earlier shots. And the monkey was kinda going I don’t like this person and, you know, and I thought, oh, what are we going to do, ’cause we’ve shot some of the dialogue and close-ups and everything.

“And the trainer said I think it’s okay. She had this idea of just squirting a water pistol onto Tara’s chest. She had a little vest and everything. So everything looks like she’s looking at Elizabeth Swann, listening to the dialogue.” Of course, sometimes that little water pistol missed the mark and hit Geoffrey instead of the monkey, which was “hilarious.”

“PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES”..The villainous Captain Salazar (Javier Bardem) pursues Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) as he searches for the trident used by Poseidon..Pictured L to R: Captain Hector Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) and Jack (Monkey)..Ph: Film Frame..© Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

He then went on to tell the story of seeing one of the monkeys after about 5 years (between films). He was worried that the monkey wouldn’t remember him after so long, but amazingly, the monkey saw him from across the room and immediately recognized his former pal. “I said to Martin, would he remember me over five years? He said, yeah, he’d remember the smell of your ear wax.”

I could have listed to Geoffrey all day! He is a natural story-teller! As we took our group shot with him at the end of the interview, he joked that maybe he could come back in a future film with 25 mommy blogger wives! He left us by stating that this was the most fun he’d had on the entire trip!

Javier Bardem on His Role as Captain Salazar in Pirates of the Caribbean

Lolli — Wed, 24 May 2017 15:46:10 +0000

This past week, I was able to travel to Los Angeles as one of 25 bloggers covering the Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales press event. As part of that event, we interviewed actor Javier Bardem, who played Captain Salazar – the new villain in this installment. Travel and accommodations were covered by Disney but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Note: Interview photos are courtesy of Louise Bishop of MomStart.com

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales opens in theaters across the US on May 26!!

About Javier Bardem and his role as Captain Salazar:

Academy Award® winner Javier Bardem plays the fearsome Captain Salazar, a multidimensional antagonist for Captain Jack, known as “El Matador Del Mar” (“The Killer of the Sea”). Salazar and his crew of the “undead” are ridding the Caribbean of pirates (but always leaving one man alive to tell the tale) with the ultimate goal of exacting revenge on Captain Jack Sparrow.

While preparing for his role, Javier Bardem came up with the idea that Captain Salazar was “like a wounded bull, full of rage and a strong need for revenge. One of the things that attracted me as an actor to play it is because Salazar has a point. I can understand his mentality. Of course, he’s a villain, but we can also find empathy for him.”

Directors Rønning and Sandberg commented on Javier’s role as well. “It was a challenge because you read about Salazar on the page and he’s dead,” says Rønning. “He’s not really a ghost in the traditional sense of the word, but he’s cursed to walk in some kind of a middle ground. So, it was important for us to give that character depth. And that’s why we felt so lucky when we got Javier Bardem to play Captain Salazar. We were excited about what he could bring to it.”

“It was great working with Javier Bardem creating Salazar because he brought something new to the table in his way of portraying the two different Salazars that we meet: the live Salazar
and the dead Salazar,” says Sandberg. “He chose to play the living Salazar like a matador, and then the dead Salazar like the wounded bull. So that was his way of seeing his arc and it made for a really interesting character.”

Get a sneak peek of Javier Bardem as Captain Salazar in this clip:

I could have listened to Javier Bardem talk all day. Despite the roughness of his character in the movie, in person he was sweet and jovial, with a huge smile on his face the whole time. Here are just a few of the things we chatted with him about:

What was it like to talk through the black goo coming out of your mouth?

Javier explained, “They told me it was supposed to be like chocolate, chocolate my a**… I went to play the first scene, I think it was with Geoffrey Rush and it starts to pour out of my mouth and he was very disgusted. I thought it was like a rage pouring out, right? It’s not blood. It’s like the rage of the character coming out, like something more physical, like a bull. I’d always thought the character was like a bull, like a wounded bull with the blood and moving like wounded and out of breath and with a very strong idea for revenge.”

Was it difficult to portray so many emotions through all of that makeup?

“Very good question,” Javier said. “That was one of my concerns to see if my facial expression can go through the mask, but these guys won the Oscar for “Mad Max,” and they did an amazing job. Once I had the mask on the face, I realized that I could express myself through it, which is important. Otherwise, your performance is killed by it.

One of the things that these special effects people have done so well in this movie is that they brought magic into the performance without killing it, like the hair. It’s fantastic. It’s there but it doesn’t kill the physicality of the performance.”

How did you become involved in the project?

Javier explained that he got involved in the movie back in 2010, when he went to the “Pirates 4” set in Hawaii to see his wife, Penelope Cruz. He said, “I was very jealous because I was seeing all this amazing production taking place: the water, the special effects, the boat, the sword fighting. I wanted to be one of those. So, I said to Jerry (Bruckheimer), ‘Jerry please, give me a job.’

Lest you think it was really that easy, Javier went on to say, “I said that because I thought that he was going to say ‘yeah, right,’ but then he called me five years after and I was so surprised and honored because as a movie goer, I love the franchise. So, I knew that production wise and experience wise it was going to be great. Now it was a matter of what’s the story and what can I bring to the character, and when they gave it to me, I thought it was this great thing about one same character played in two ways, 1) he’s alive and it’s all about pride and it’s all about honor and 2) when he’s dead, it’s all about betrayal and pain and revenge. I liked it. It has some powerful moments, the movie itself.”

What was it like working with Johnny Depp and what was the chemistry like on set?

Javier started his answer with the story of the first time he met Johnny Depp, back in 1999. Johnny was dressed as a drag queen on the set of a movie he was working on at the time, and Javier saw him from behind, with a long blond wig on, and thought that he was a beautiful woman with a very nice bottom. He said, “And then since then, we’ve been good friends. He was a gentleman then. He was super nice, very caring, very funny, and don’t give himself too much importance at all.”

Javier said that he often had to cut in the middle of scenes because Johnny was being so hilarious that he couldn’t help but laugh (which would not have fit his character). However, despite the constant laughter he said that he couldn’t hate Johnny because “he’s a great colleague and a beautiful guy.”

Of course, we got to take a quick picture with Javier at the end of the interview. He seemed more excited to take a picture with US than we were to get a picture with him. So much fun!

An Afternoon with Bambi and Thumper {Donnie Dunagan and Peter Behn}

Lolli — Tue, 23 May 2017 22:14:44 +0000

Last week, I had the opportunity to travel to Los Angeles for the Pirates of the Caribbean red carpet event, where we were able to spend a day celebrating the 75th anniversary of the iconic Disney movie, Bambi. I am still in awe that I interviewed the original voices of Bambi and Thumper. All travel and accommodations were covered by Disney, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Bambi was released in 1942 during World War II, and still holds the number 3 spot on the American Film Institute’s “10 Top 10” greatest animated films of all time. As of May 23, and in celebration of it’s 75th anniversary, Bambi joins the Walt Disney Signature Collection on Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere, followed by the Blu-ray, DVD, and On-Demand release on June 6. You can pre-order the Blu-ray/DVD on Amazon (affiliate link)!

The Signature Collection release includes a variety of bonus material, including recordings of Walt Disney discussing the challenges and triumphs during the production of Bambi; deleted scenes and characters; stories and effects that Bambi had on the studio, other films and artists, and so much more.

There is also an exclusive Disney Movie Rewards offer for a tank top featuring the Paul Felix art inspired by BAMBI, which will be available via Disney Movie Rewards with every digital purchase/redemption of BAMBI. For more information on the promotion, click here.

Meeting the Voices Behind Young Bambi and Thumper

What a privilege and honor to sit down with Donnie Dunagan (voice of young Bambi) and Peter Behn (voice of young Thumper). I think the most endearing part of the interview came at the very end, when Donnie got teary-eyed and had the entire room of bloggers feeling weepy, too. We laughed and we cried together. It was incredible. Here is just a small window into the things that we learned from Donnie and Peter.

Peter got the part of Thumper mostly thanks to his father, who wrote screen plays in the 20s and 30s. Peter was 4 years old at the time that he got the part, though recordings took place on and off over a two year period. Peter never actually auditioned for the part of Thumper. In fact, his dad brought him in to the studio to audition for the part of Bambi, but was told that his voice wasn’t right for the part.

I absolutely loved Donnie’s story about how he ended up in “show business.” I’ll let him tell the story in his words:

“How many remember studying in school (about) the depression? It was grim. Ladies, I promise you, you cannot imagine. It was grim.

We were dirt poor. And I mean, certified dirt poor in the South. And my mother would take me down to the corner about two blocks away where a wonderful man danced on the corner on Saturday with a Victrola that you crank up and put on the sidewalk.

And I’m standing there at 3 ½, four years old. People were there laughing about this wonderful man dancing on the corner for nickels and pennies. And I started imitating him. And I was barefoot. He had tap shoes. He’s cheating, right? And I’m barefoot. And I start dancing. Then they decided to put me in a talent contest. People went to talent contests in those days in local theaters because they were dirt poor and there was no entertainment.

I won the darn thing, which was a miracle. And I sang to a song I think called a tisket a taskit with a paper bag as my hat and a stick from a tree as my cane. Won the darn thing. In the audience was a wonderful man who was….a bona fide genuine talent scout in those days.”

He came to California after the talent scout discovered him and was in a few movies. Then, he says, “Mr. Disney called my mom on our kitchen phone.”

Donnie had an agent at the time, but, as he puts it, “this guy was born with a bad attitude and he was rude to my mother all the time. And I’m five years old. And he didn’t want us to do Bambi. He said, ‘oh, you can’t do that, that’s an animated cartoon thing.’ So I fired him. I fired him at five years old. My mother was very nervous about it but it worked really good, right.”

Neither Donnie nor Peter went on to have careers in theater. Peter Behn had a career in real estate and building houses. Donnie Dunagan went into the US Marine Corps.

Interestingly, because Bambi came out before the age of Blu-ray players and digital releases or even VHS players, neither of them saw the movie much while they were growing up. They both saw Bambi in the theater at the premiere, but then didn’t see it again for many years.

Donnie shared quite a funny story about when Bambi was re-released in 1977. He was a retired commander in the Marine Corps Boot Camp. Bambi started appearing in the newspapers, and the rumor was that Disney was going to add credits and show it at the Base theater. Donnie was terrified that all of the drill instructors and captains working under him would see his name in the credits and give him a hard time for being Bambi.

Donnie said, “I could just see them, those drill instructors and captains working for me. ‘Dear mom, guess what. My commanding officer is Bambi.’ Bambi was a champion guy, right? He beat up the bad dogs and everything. But most of the young people then had not seen it. They thought Bambi was a little crazy guy on the ice. I pushed my chicken button. I didn’t say nothing.”

When asked what it was like working with Walt Disney, Peter Behn responded: “Well, bear in mind, Disney by that time had really become quite a businessman and it wasn’t just Bambi that he was working on. I did meet him a couple of times but not on a regular basis. He wasn’t one dealing directly with me anyway.

Anyway, he was with me and showed me the little Disney zoo that they had. At one time they had deer and some rabbits and other creatures so the animators could actually see the anatomy of the animals and help them with their drawings. And so I do remember being out there at that time. And he was a very nice man.”

Donnie added, “Let me share with you a different bit of a experience then say along Peter’s excellent sharing with you. Only because I had been in seven other films as a young kid. Sometimes if you’re quiet they forget you’re there, you know. It never really happened with me but my wife here would argue with that. I was very disappointed in some of the studio activities with the people who were supposed to be the leaders, the executives, the owners, the number one producers.

Sometimes they would come around, different jobs and I was in a whole bunch of them, right? And the employees and cameramen and sound guys would say ‘oh my, here comes the boss. Watch out here comes the boss.’ What does that tell you about leadership? It means you’re seeing artificial things, right? I’m an old troop commander. I understand that word leadership reasonably well, okay? Mr. Disney was not like that.

He had his sleeves rolled up and he was working and they introduced us to him. We had a great time. Most of the time I saw him, he was participating in things. He wasn’t, ‘oh my gosh here comes the boss.’ He was, ‘Here comes Walt, here comes Mr. Disney, he’ll help. Ask him about this. Ask him about that.’ That’s called leadership. Very different. And that’s why Disney was successful.”

When asked what it was like to see their own facial expressions expressed on the animated characters’ faces, Donnie said, “Remember when the mother is shot? Thank goodness off-camera. When that recording was required I did not do it as well as I should have.”

His sound coach told him to say his lines again. And again. Still, there was not enough emotion in his cries for his mother.

Donnie went on to say that a very bright young lady told him, “Your mother is in trouble.”

“Now, she didn’t tell me this is fun. She said your mother’s in trouble. Donnie, your mother’s in trouble. Call your mother, call your mother. That caught my attention pretty quick. You know I’m just a kid, right. Mother, mother, mother.”

The last question asked was, “What do you envision and hope for the legacy of Bambi going forward? This is the 75th anniversary which is amazing to me. But going forward into the future, what do you see for Bambi? What do you hope it accomplishes in this world?”

Peter piped up quickly, “Well, very frankly one of my strongest feelings about the movie is the amazing fact that back in the 30s, Walt Disney was so far ahead of his time in the environmental concerns. I think the movie is truly a very strong statement in favor of protecting the environment and the concern that man was ruining it or even make it worse which unfortunately I personally believe.

It’s one of my strong beliefs that we have to do everything we can to keep it from getting worse. But it’s just, it’s a forward awareness and thinking that Walt obviously brought to the movie. He had to know what he was doing. I think it was very strong. And I think as time goes on perhaps that aspect of the movie will resonate and become even more important and people will be more aware of that aspect of the movie. At least I hope so.”

Donnie added, “If I live to be 1000 years old I couldn’t say it better than Peter did. The environmental profile, the forests, the reckless fire is spoken to by children in schools now. And I listen to them. And they pick up on that right away. Here’s an extension of Mr. Walt Disney’s Bambi, okay. I get one of these by children every month from all over the world, (along with) at least 2 to 3 handwritten letters a week from children all over the world. If this doesn’t tell people that Bambi is forever, I’ll do push-ups in that parking lot for you.”

Make sure to check out the new Collection release of Bambi available now!

And just for fun…here’s a fun little gif that we made before the interviews!