Actors/Actresses: April 2008 Archives

Billy Baldwin and I were just about to do an interview on the red carpet before the GLAAD Media Awards over the weekend but first he had to answer a very serious question from someone working for one of those In Touch/Us Magazine/Star rags. "What do you think of the Star Jones divorce?" Good sport Billy gave the silly question a go: "I don't know anything about it, i saw it in a headline. I know it was pretty quick, she wasn't married very long? That's too bad. I just had my 17th anniversary so I'm very excited about that."

Billy, of course, is married to singer Chynna Phillips who has been low-profile professionally in recent years as the couple are raising ther xx children. Billy, on the other hand, is more high-profile than ever with a juicy role on ABC's new hit drama "Dirty Sexy Money" as well as two new movies in release.

"I did "A Plumm Summer" and I was in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," just a little cameo but I'm great in it," he jokes.

I mention what a breakthrough his "Dirty Sexy Money" storyline is since Billy's state attorney general character is carrying on an extra-marital affair with a transgender woman who is portrayed by Candis Cane, a real transgender actress.

"It's been great, it's been a lot of fun," Billy said. "It comes very easily. i don't know what that means but it just comes very easily and very naturally. They write the scripts, we have the scenes, we play the scenes, we have this incredible affection for one another and sensitivity in our relationship and it just comes very easily for both of us. I think it's great. I love it."

Billy, who became a movie star at a young age in such films as "Backdraft," "Flatliners," and "Three of Hearts," had been looking for a regular TV gig for awhile: "I took a shot at a couple of pilots before and this was the first one that got an order and now we're off to the races. If we do what we did last season, it looks like we're going to be around for awhile so I'm very excited about that."

We also talked a little bit about Billy's very-public disagreement recently with his conservative Christian brother, actor Stephen Baldwin, about gay rights. I wondered if they usually duked it out this way. "The fights we have in real life are a lot worse than the quotes," Billy said. "We let each other have it all the time, Daniel and Alec and Stephen and I. That's the nature of a raucous, rowdy, Irish-Catholic upbringing. We sat around the dinner table and we talked about a lot fo things and fought about a lot of things."

Billy (pictured above with Stephen and Alec Baldwin in the late 80s) was doing an chatting with "Brothers & Sisters" writer Greg Berlanti while posing for the cover of Out Magazine when he was asked about some of his brother's conservative views which included being against same-sex marriage.

Billy said of his decision to publicly disagree: "I told him earlier, look I love what you're doing with your Christian agenda. So much good has come out of it for you and I'm really proud of you. But when you start mixing it with Christian right politics and the Bush agenda, you start getting into war and you start getting into issues that I find offensive and if you're going to that publicly, just be prepared because if I'm forced to, the gloves are gonna come off. And they did."

Imagine being a young actor just off your first big film and a director meets you with this job offer: you are to play a paralyzed soldier and not let on to anyone know - not even your co-stars or the film's crew - that you can walk in real life.

It happened to Lee Pace, the star of ABC's "Pushing Daisies" who filmed his part in director Tarsem Singh's epic fanstasy "The Fall," four years ago when he was not yet famous. He played a bedridden man in a hospital who befriends a young girl with a broken collar bone and starts telling her a vivid, fantastical story of exotic lands.

"I thought, 'Great! I'll really be acting now, great method stuff," said Lee, who was trained at Julliard. "I had only done one movie before this, he had seen 'Soldier's Girl' and thought I'd be perfect for this one. God knows why."

Lee talked about what a toll the role took on him - far more than playing Ned on "Daisies," a pie maker with the power to bring dead people back to life.

"It was really lonely," he said when we spoke a few days ago. "I could walk around but no one could see me. I couldn't have anyone over. I had to lie to everyone. Everyone thought I was paralyzed. I
wasn't the pie marker (on "Daisies") then so I could get away with it."

The other challenge was acting opposite then six-year-old Cantica Untaru, a Romanian girl who did know a word of English.

"She was cautious and as it went on, she got real close to my character," Lee said. "She would take care of me, draw me little pictures, she would play with my nose and talk in a way that was absolutely private. It's like she had no idea she was being filmed. My job was kind of getting her to talk and be un-self-conscious and improvise with her a lot."

"The Fall "goes into limited release on May 9, marking the first time it can be seen outside the film festival circuit.

"When I had my very first meeting with Tarsem, he said, 'This is the kind of movie that they will teach about in film school.' I thought, 'Yeah, every director says that.' But it really is. He has made a movie that is absolutely incredible and I played a little part in doing that. It's layered and complicated. It's a really, really special movie."

Lee has managed to land a series of parts in quality films and television shows including the recent "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" (above) opposite Amy Adams and Frances McDormand, and in the upcoming "Possession," he gets above-the-title billing for the first time with co-star Sarah Michelle Gellar.

His first film was a stunner based on a true story: In 2003's "Soldier's Girl," Lee played Calpernia Addams, a transgender woman dating Army soldier Barry Winchell (Troy Garity) who was murdered because of his sexuality and his relationship with Addams.

"I didn't come to the audition dressed in drag, I was just wearing a T-shirt and jeans," Lee recalled. "I knew how to connect and mean what I say. I don't know how to play a drag queen."

After he was cast, he told director Frank Pierson and he was having a difficult time finding his way into the drag queen element of the character: "Pierson just said, 'Play the woman and the story will be clear. All I had to do was play the integrity of it, falling in love with someone else, getting away from her past. All I had to do was focus on is falling in love. After that, the make-up people will do their job."

"I'm really proud of that film. When I broke it to my parents that I was playing Calpernia, my mom was like, 'Oh, well, at least you're not playing a killer.' When I got cast in 'Infamous,' I was like, 'Guess what mom.'"

In "Infamous," Lee and Daniel Craig portrayed the two killers Truman Capote wrote about in his book "In Cold Blood" and the movie dramatized his research of the film. The movie had the misfortune of being released a year after a nearly identical film, "Capote," won Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Oscar for his portrayal of the famed writer.

The film was shot before Craig was cast as the new James Bond but things were already in the works for him to become the next 007.

"We shot a sequence in Waco and I did this drive back with him and he was on the phone talking to someone about the Bond thing," Lee remembered. "It was all coming together at that time. He was great to work with, he absolutely transformed himself."

With a string of good movie parts behind him, Lee was not even thinking of doing any television when "Pushing Daisies" creator Bryan Fuller approached him. The two men had worked together in Fuller's previous series, the short-lived "Wonderfalls."

"'Wonderfalls' burned me on the whole TV thing, The network did not support us and the show was shot in Toronto and I was hesitant to get back into it. But too many things were right about this. The material and the script was good and knowing Bryan Fuller, I had real faith in how he would develop it. It's scary signing that kind of contract but I'm really glad I did it. It's been a strong experience all the way around."

"When I first read the script, I was like, 'This is gonna be a hit. I knew that if we made it, it was gonna be a hit, a show that people watched. So, the real debate was, 'Am I comfortable being the lead of a popular TV show. You have a very different life. People get you on TV for free in their homes, you are more approachable when you are in airplanes, people watch me in restaurants. I'm really tall and people think, 'That tall guy looks like the pie maker."

Lee will resume his pie baking when "Daisies" resumes production in June for its second season of episodes. The first season got off to a strong start but was cut short because of the the writers strike and unlike other ABC shows like "Desperate Houewives" and "Grey's Anatomy," was not rushed back into production to make fresh spring episodes.

"It's given us time," he said of the break. "The writers have a chance to look at our season and see what worked and what didn't work. There are some things that could use some tinkering. We're not (a procedural show) like 'CSI' or 'Law & Order,' we have to go by our taste and our instinct with it."

I watched a screener of Robert Gant's new flick "Kiss Me Deadly" in preparation of our interview next week. It was great to see him in a lead role like this as an ex-spy turned photographer who is dragged back into his old life. He is strong and sexy and in just about every scene! Robert dons his best James Bond tux for Instinct's May cover to promote the upcoming spy flick which debuts next week on here! Networks and co-stars Shannen Doherty. "Our movie shows that the gay guy can kick ass," he tells Instinct, "that the gay guy can be the hero."

Here is some video from his cover shoot:

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VIDEO BONUS: I came across this episode of "Nip/Tuck" on which Robert guest stars. It's so bizarre and the woman who plays his horny elderly wife is an absolute hoot!

I launched a Facebook page a few months ago and really enjoy the connection to people - old friends, new friends etc. But the wonderful actress Martha Plimpton, who I loved in "Running on Empty" and "Last Summer in the Hamptons," hates it. She gives the most hilarious quote about the social networking site in the new issue of "The Advocate" which interviewed her for its "Big Gay Following" feature.

Plimpton: "I went to Facebook for literally two days and it nearly ruined my life. MySpace doesn't announce to the entire (expletive) universe every goddamned move I make. MySpace doesn't send e-mails to people without asking my permission. Facebook is horrible. People can write how they know you -- or how they think they know you, which I hate. It's a constant barrage of fucking pointless noise. It made me so stressed out for two days that I honestly felt like, If I don't get off of this thing, I might end up in an institution.

That just cracks me up. It's the most passionate she is during the entire Q&A which she seems sort of bored with until Facebook is brought up. Then she just blows a fuse!

Here is a link to the whole thing. Trust me, this is the best answer she gives.

Some people think your gay card has to be revoked if you're not a fan of "Sex and the City" and of the character of Samantha Jones in particular. Well, I get to keep mine because I love the show and Samantha and Miranda, Charlotte and Carrie as well. In fact, last New Year's Eve when me and my pals couldn't get right into The Abbey and Here lounge I joked to the doorman, "I'm Samantha Jones" in the same way that Kim Cattrall, who plays the powerful PR woman on the show, did in so many episodes enabling her to bypass so many long lines.

Well, it didn't work for me but then I'm not Samantha or Kim. The Advocate features Kim on its cover and has sent me a few excerpts to share with you...Enjoy!

On her "Sex" character: "People book me on jobs and expect Samantha to show up," which can be exasperating. Why me? Cattrall must think. No one expects Kristin Davis to arrive at an event as a relentlessly sunny type-A husband hunter. For some reason, Samantha's personality stubbornly adheres to its vessel, possibly because it represents an ideal, the kind of person we like to imagine there'd be more of, if the world were a different place. It's such a powerful persona that Cattrall refers to Samantha in the third person without even seeming to notice she's doing so. "She has a tremendous fan base," she says of her character, as if talking up a colleague.

On marriage and children: For all her desire to put some distance between herself and Samantha, there are undeniable parallels. "I'm a woman of a certain age who doesn't have kids and never really settled down," she says. When she talks about children, she's refreshingly unapologetic about brooking no quarter for them. "I enjoy kids but not for long periods. I think they're adorable and funny and sweet, and then I have a headache." And she once told a journalist she thinks marriage is antithetical to sexual passion. "My perception is, the times I've been in long-term relationships and not taken care, there's been a price to pay, and we start looking somewhere else because the person next to you in bed is pissed off."

On the tabloids: When the show ended, rumors swirled about an ongoing catfight between Cattrall and the other three women, particularly Sarah Jessica Parker. People wanted to know why she didn't seem friendlier with them. "Do you get along with your colleagues all the time?" she asks me. "If you're spending 18 hours a day [at work], the last thing you want to do is go and have a drink with the people who you just -- you just need to get away."

On the delay of the film: Cattrall was reported to have held up production of the film after the three other actresses signed on, and she reiterates a number of reasons for doing so: Her father was diagnosed with dementia; she couldn't see the script before signing; when she did see the script, she didn't like it. "I didn't think it was that great," she says. "I'm glad we waited four years for a much better story line for all four characters." And of course, the money. Cattrall doesn't dispute that she held out for more, but she says it wasn't out of jealousy over Parker's higher salary, as was widely reported. "I never expected to be paid what Sarah was being paid," she says. "Sarah's a producer. But I felt that the offer was not worthy of what the three of us had contributed, and I spoke up about it. You know, my dad was a big union guy. He felt that the workers should get a part of it."
She insists that reports she was only doing the movie for the money took her words out of context. Still, she's candid about the fact that this is her nest egg, and she's not getting any younger. "I'm a woman in my 50s. I'm not living with some multimillionaire. I'm it. Negotiation is about getting more money, and I think, Would they have a problem with this if I were a man? You look at James Gandolfini. He stood up and said, 'Hey, I'm worth it.' " Her hard line appears to have worked. In March the Post reported that not only had Cattrall gotten a raise, but so had Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon, thanks to her bargaining efforts. "Enough said" is all she'll say in response to that. "It's like, 'Oh, don't make any waves. Just be a good girl and take it.' And you know, I'm happy with my deal, ultimately. I feel like I stuck my neck out. I fought. I don't ever want to be on a set where I feel undervalued."

To read more from the article, go to Advocate.com

Brandon Routh's voice sounded a little rough on the phone the other day and he quickly explained why: the actor who plays the Man of Steel in "Superman Returns" had a cold.

I lamely blurted out that he should "drink lots of fluids and stay away from Kryptonite!"

It wasn't the first time he'd heard that in recent days, but gave me a courtesy laugh anyway.

Brandon is excited to be one of the leads in the independent movie "Lie to Me," a romantic drama about a couple navigating the hazards of an open relationship. It opens the Newport Beach Film Festival on Saturday.

"Don't take the kids," he advised. "It's an interesting date movie, maybe even an interesting first date. It puts it all out on the table and raises a lot of interesting subjects for people - things that are really important and what people my age are going through. Mainly, am I ready to commit to one person?"

Brandon, 28, already knew one of his co-stars pretty well since he was engaged to Courtney Ford when they made the film and the couple were married last November.

"She's really amazing," Brandon said of his wife's work in the movie. "We have some really great, fun scenes and it was exciting to be able to work with her and see how amazing she is in this film and to know we can both set aside who we are in our relationship."
"We had a lot of conversations about that topic (of fidelity) with ourselves and the rest of the cast. It's a topic that is very interesting: What is commitment? What is love? Are we afraid of love?"
The couple will be among the cast and crew at the Newport festival on opening night and Brandon is eager to get the crowd's reaction: "I'm proud of the movie. Any time your name is attatched to a movie, it's scary. You don't know how it will turn out. But it's exciting too."

The world of independent movies and getting attention for them on the film festival circuit is obviously worlds apart from headlining a big studio film like "Superman Returns."

"Yeah, it's a little bit different, you don't get all the glitz and glamour - but that's all right. It's a lot of fun to be able to work with people who are passionate about their film. It gives you a lot more chance to really experience the character sometimes without the pressure of all the money."

Before "Superman," Brandon was simply a working actor looking for his big break. Landing the lead in a summer blockbuster that grossed more than $200 million domestically can change your career - and your life - pretty darn quick.

"To some extent, I rolled with it," he said. "I'm pretty calm most of the time by nature. It is certainly a lot of exposure and takes getting used to. What takes the most getting used to is when that goes away a little bit and going back to real life. My life contains both of these scenarios. There's a time to be in the spotlight and out of it. It's balancing those parts of life and now I have the opportunity as well to do some great work and prove to people that I can do many other things."
And what about the next movie in the "Superman" series? Brandon said director Bryan Singer is in the process of meeting with writers. He's eager to return to the character and to work with the director again.

"Bryan was very open to communicating about the character and was very collaborative with me. We talked endlessly about the character and what he's going through. On set, we were on the same playing field. He's a genius and it's exciting to see him work. I think ('Superman Returns') is a beautiful film. I'm really, really proud of it and very excited to continue."

In the new romantic comedy "Kiss the Bride," James O'Shea plays a bisexual guy about to marry the girl of his dreams. But just before the wedding, his best friend and lover from high school - shows up at the wedding after 10 years away. He forces the groom to examine his past and his future..

I talked to the young and talented actor about the movie last week and got the most serious questions out of the way first: Did he knw going in how often he was going to be shirtless in the film?

"There was never a part of the casting process where I had to strip down. I don't know if they just made assumptions," he explaine..

They assumed correctly since he looks pretty terrific in every scene. Still, he wishes he could "go back and work out more before the start of the process."

The love scenes between he and co-star Philipp Karner were very intimate and he said director C. Jay Cox made it comfortable for the actors on those days of filming - especially a flashback scene that has them as high schoolers playing a game of strip Battleship they called "Battle Strip." You know, your ship sinks, you take something off.

"It was challenging because we had to play 16 year old versions of ourselves and wanted to be true to the sincerity of the moment. I think it went pretty well, It's a tribute to the chemistry we had."

Tori Spelling plays his fiancee in the movie and he describes the former "90210" star as "very professional and nice and down to earth. People might have preconceived ideas but she's really friendly and self-deprecating. She was very easy to work with."

The film has already helped boost O'Shea's career since it enabled him to get an agent who booked him roles on such series as "NCIS" and "Ghost Whisperer."

"I had a better year because of it. Now it's coming out and i'm hoping that it will get some attention."

James and Philipp are very good in their roles and make you believe in the love story. But neither actor will discuss teir sexuality at this point so I couldn't tell you if they are straight or gay: They want to keep us guessing! We already know that tori, pregnant with her first child during filming and currently pregnant with her second, is straight obviously.

"Kiss the Bride" will begin an exclusive LA run on Friday and the Regency Landmark on LaBrea at Melrose.

What a kick it was talking to Rosie Perez Friday morning.

Our telephone interview was for a column I'm running next month connected to the DVD release of the film "The Take" but I had to jump the gun with some of the other things we talked about.
I told Rosie that as much as I have enjoyed her performances in such films as "Fearless" (for which she was Oscar nominated) and "Do the Right Thing," I especially love seeing her as a guest on talk shows.

"I love it too!" she said. "I remember the first time I was on with Arsenio Hall and I was so nervous. I was shaking and he just held my hand. The pre-interview went out the window because my mind went blank and I just started talking to him."

And so began her popularity as a guest on the talk show circuit.

"David Letterman is one of my favorites. Every time I go, I still get nervous. But it's electric."

So what does Rosie think makes her such a hit on Letterman and other shows?

"I feel that maybe it's because I'm Latin I feel like l'm holding court in my living room with my family, telling jokes and having a ball," she said. "I forget about plugging stuff. You just gotta have fun. I love to entertain."
I also wanted to know how her Broadway experience was last fall when she starred in "The Ritz" in the role Rita Moreno played in the 1970s film version.

"It was exhilarating," she said, "and the hardest thing I ever did. I thought I was gonna die. I dropped 10 pounds - it made me look fabulous by the way! Doing farce is very challenging."

She remembers going home after rehearsal one day and the Marx Bros. movie "Duck Soup" was on.
"I love the Marx Bros. and I just burst into tears wondering, 'How did they do it? The timing was impeccable."
But she was able to pull herself together and triumph during her Broadway run.

I reminded Rosie about a very funny story she had told about an expletive-filled phone message she had gotten from Rita Moreno when she took the role in "The Ritz" that ended with the remark, 'And change your f***** phone message!"

She said that, ironically, she is planning to see Moreno perform in New York this week: "I was talking to her husband, Lenny, and this is the first time since the phone call, to tell him I would be there Saturday night. And (Rita's) in the background saying, 'Who's that?' 'Oh, hi Rosie!'"