New James McAvoy interviews: New York Times, Sydney Morning Herald

James was interviewed by Melena Ryzik at The New York Times Arts and Leisure Weekend back in January, and now, finally, the audio interview is online. It's a really great interview so if you want to listen just head on over to The New York Times website.

There's also a new interview James did with Time Out Sydney (via JMMB) to promote The Last Station which opens on April 1 in Australia. Below is an excerpt from the interview.

Your wife [Anne-Marie Duff] is in the film too. You must be excited to have a baby on the way.
Very excited! All the usual nerves, but we're very excited.

You've just completed The Conspirator. How was it being directed by Robert Redford?
The weirdest thing about Robert is that he forces you to call him ‘Bob'. It's a bit like calling Prince Charles ‘Chuck'.

Rumours are rife on the internet that you've been cast in The Hobbit. Are you Bilbo Baggins?
No, I'm not. I can tell you that for a fact. [Nick Dent]

Another interview with the Sydney Morning Herald:

McAvoy had been keen on the role for years, sticking with the project even as his own profile was raised significantly through not only The Last King of Scotland (2006) and Wanted (2008) but also Atonement (2007) and Becoming Jane (2007).

''It was one of those things that when the film finally came back and they said they had an opportunity to get it off the ground again, a lot of people expected me to say, 'No thanks, I've moved on in my career and I'm doing better now,''' McAvoy recalls. ''But there was no reason not to do it - it was a brilliant script and you shouldn't turn your back on good work.''

The work, adapted from a novel by Jay Parini, relies on the diaries kept by those who orbited Tolstoy.

''A lot of people might think that the high-strung portrayal of that household might be over the top or even made up but it really was like that,'' McAvoy says. ''It might not have been as funny as we portray it sometimes but it all went down like that. My character kept multiple diaries, so you could find an entry that reflected how your character felt in relation to a scene in the film.

''You knew that he wrote that down that very evening, just hours after the event.'' [SMH]

New Ewan McGregor interview + new photos

Ewan did an interview with the Daily Mail to promote The Ghost Writer which opens on April 16 in the UK. It comes with three photos from a photoshoot, and an excerpt from the lengthy interview is below.

McGregor was once a party animal who enjoyed all that London’s nightlife had to offer. He clearly felt it was getting out of hand, and hasn’t touched alcohol for years.

“This November it’ll be ten years since I gave up, and I don’t really miss it.”

He pauses, running a hand through his hair.

“Actually, occasionally I do. There are times when I think about it, but I always know that when I’m thinking about it there’s something wrong. The problem isn’t that I want a drink; it’s that for me - as it is for a lot of other people - drink was a way to dull the pain of something else. For people who drink a lot it’s a way of not dealing with emotions and feelings.”

What was he avoiding?

“I think it was growing up. It’s hard to say without making it sound dramatic, which it isn’t. I was just somebody who always liked to drink a lot. So now when I think about drinking I ask myself, OK, what is it? It’s not really that you’re thirsty for a beer, because you haven’t had a beer for ten years. It’s often something else that’s bothering me.”

McGregor, 38, grew up in Crie ff, Perthshire and his parents, Carol and James, are both teachers. For the last 15 years he has been happily married to French production designer Ève Mavrakis, and they have three daughters, Clara, 14, Esther, eight, and Jamiyan, also eight, who was adopted. He has an older brother, Colin, an ex-RAF fighter pilot who served in Iraq. The brothers are close, although they disagreed over the British Government’s decision to go to war in the Gulf.

“He was very gung-ho about wanting to go there, and I found that upsetting. Because I’m trained to be an actor, I was in a di fferent camp on that situation, and I find that quite diffi cult to reconcile. But I learned to appreciate that that was the path he took. I respect that, and I respect all our forces.

“I went out to Basra to meet some of them and I’m full of respect for their work. I don’t think it should be any other way. I worried about Colin more later on, because - and I don’t know if I should say this - I think he felt that they shouldn’t be there. I thought that was scarier than anything, the idea of being out there and flying and putting yourself at risk if you didn’t know why you were there. I thought that was pretty hardcore.”

McGregor swells with pride when he describes how his brother took him for a ride in a Tornado jet.

“We went barrelling down the runway and I was in the seat directly behind him, and because you can’t see what’s coming you can’t prepare for the G-force. You’re wearing a G-suit that inflates and pushes on your body, and it pushes the blood back. Without it you’d just pass out, as the G-force is unbelievable. It’s horrible.

“I was a little sick, but not too much. We did a lot of low-level stu ff and then he went up to 2,000ft, over the clouds, and I started to sweat and I was thinking, ‘Conquer it, conquer it!’ I managed to be all right, but then he asked me to change the frequency on the radio, and as I put my head down he veered o ff. I couldn’t get my head back up, and it’s horrible when you can’t see. I instantly threw up. When you land, you’ve got your little bag of sick on your lap, and the canopy comes up and the ground-crew fella comes up the ladder and he says, ‘OK?’ And you have to hand him the bag.” [Martyn Palmer via Best of Ewan]

Kevin McKidd ZMTV interview

The interview (via Kevin McKidd Online) is below.

Happy Birthday Robbie Coltrane

Today is Robbie's 60th birthday. Best wishes!

'Bounty Hunter' European premieres + vote for MTV Movie Award nominees

MTV is giving the public the chance to choose the nominees for the 2010 MTV Movie Awards. You have to register to vote, and voting ends April 9. Gerard Butler is up for Best Villain, Best Ass Kicking Star, and Global Superstar. The following films are also up for nominations: Law Abiding Citizen (Best WTF Moment, Best Villain), The Bounty Hunter (Best Kiss), The Ugly Truth (Best Kiss). Thanks to GerardButler.net for pointing this out.

There are photos of Gerard and Jennifer Aniston at European premieres for The Bounty Hunter.

Champs Elysee Paris premiere on Sunday, March 28.






Berlin premiere at Cinemaxx and photocall. The Bounty Hunter opens in German cinemas on April 1.

Ewan McGregor voicemail charity auction

Charity Buzz is hosting a charity auction for Children Mending Hearts. Ewan McGregor is among the celebrities taking part, with the top bidder getting a voicemail recording message from Ewan:

McGregor is one of the most astounding actors of our lifetime, starring in major movies such as “Trainspotting,” “Moulin Rouge” and the “Star Wars” prequels. He also helped to define the ’90s youth generation and became the poster boy of the British film industry.

This item is a great gift for any true McGregor fan. What better way to impress your friends and family than to have Obi Wan greet them on your voicemail? His seductive Gallic tones would surely entice any caller. And not only shall you be getting the gift of Mr. McGregor’s delectable voice, but you shall be giving a voice to the many poverty and at-risk children that Children Mending Hearts help on a daily basis.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for any “Ewan’s Angel,” and one that will help support a better life for an “Angel” at Children Mending Hearts.

The bidding for Ewan McGregor’s voicemail ends on April 6 at 1:08 p.m. [Amanda Mc Keever]

Weekly schedule for Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

Mo 3/29: Joel McHale, Ben McKenzie
Tu 3/30: Greg Kinnear, Amanda Righetti
We 3/31: Wanda Sykes, Anna Torv
Th 4/1: Robin Williams, Jonathan Dancy
Fr 4/2: John Corbett, Joss Stone

Source

Gerard Butler on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Gerard's appearance from last night is posted below in two parts.

Part 1


Part 2

John Barrowman GMTV interview

A brief March 23 GMTV interview with John Barrowman talking about Desperate Housewives.

Ewan McGregor not in new Madonna movie; may have small part in 'Nanny McPhee'

Ewan McGregor had reportedly signed up for Madonna's new film W.E., but a representative for Ewan says that he is not doing the film. Thanks to Mandy for the information.

Ewan McGregor’s involvement in Madonna’s “W.E.” first swirled after Perez Hilton reported the story. The blogger wrote, “McGregor will play Edward VIII who abdicated the throne in 1936 to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson. We absolutely adore her as a musical artist, but we’re not holding our breath for a hit film. But maybe she’ll prove us wrong with these casting choices?” [AcesShowbiz]

It appears that Ewan has a small part in Nanny McPhee & The Big Bang, the sequel to the 2005 film. The film opens on Friday, March 26 in the UK. A film synopsis is below.

This time Maggie Gyllenhaal is single mum Isabel Green (hubbie Ewan McGregor is off to fight the Hun in WW2) with three out of control nippers to contend with and two insufferably posh evacuee cousins about to arrive on their farm. Also in the cast are Rhys Ifans as Isabel’s spivvish brother-in-law, Maggie Smith plays a docile shop owner and Ralph Fiennes is a stiff-upper lipped War Office commander. [The List]

TV casting news: Alan Cumming and Dougray Scott join CBS

According to TV Guide Alan Cumming is set to return to CBS' The Good Wife as a series regular. He is currently guest starring as Eli Gold, a campaign manager for State Attorney Peter Florrick (Chris Noth).

Dougray Scott was recently cast in The Quinn-Tuplets, another CBS drama. The show is about "five adult quintuplets (Amber Tamblyn, Anna Chlumsky, David Giantoli, Kenneth Mitchell and Sam Witwer), whose entire childhood was documented on TV." Dougray Scott will play, Michael Adatto, the filmmaker of the documentary who married their mother.

Gerard Butler on Jay Leno and Ellen DeGeneres + more

You can check out Gerard's appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno below.







Gerard's appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show earlier today courtesy of gbgals.



Gerard and some members from the How to Train Your Dragon cast talk to E! News.



Don't forget that Gerard's appearance with Jimmy Kimmel will air tonight on ABC.

David Tennant narrates 'How to Train Your Dragon' featurette

David Tennant voiced the character Spitelout in How to Train Your Dragon and now you can listen to him narrate the featurette "Intro to Dragons". The animated film opens in Australia on March 25, the US on March 26, and the UK on March 31.

Gerard Butler accepts Fun and Fearless Award

Gerard accepted Cosmopolitan's Fun and Fearless Males award a few weeks ago and you can check out his acceptance speech below.