MAOW Update: All the usual + Ethan Hawke mentions MAOW and Zac
Long-time Linklater friend and collaborator Ethan Hawke was interviewed recently by New York magazine and in it he discusses briefly Linklater, Me and Orson Welles and Zac. Here is what he had to say:
Over drinks at a bistro in the Maritime Hotel, however, we’re not talking about Stoppard or Shepard or Mendes or Lumet. We’re talking about Zac Efron. Hawke and Linklater are close friends, and Linklater’s latest film, Me and Orson Welles, released in November, stars the unknown British actor Christian McKay as Welles, and the very well-known Efron-who became famous in High School Musical-as Welles’s young protégé. And herein lies a dilemma.
“The irony is, from Rick’s point of view, he wants to make a period film. He wants McKay to play Orson Welles. So you need a star to be in it somewhere,” Hawke says. “Here’s the answer: We’ll get Zac Efron to play the young kid. Because they audition him, and you know what? He turns out to be a really good actor. So that’s the reason Rick gets the money to make the film. But that’s also the reason people struggle to take the movie seriously.” This is a predicament that Hawke knows all too well. “A part of my heart goes out for these guys like Zac or [Twilight’s] Bob Pattinson. I wish them well,” he says. “The world is very mysterious. It has the appearance that it’s rooting for them and giving them everything they want. Instead, it’s setting a huge trap. And it’s very difficult to get out of.”
A couple of nominations to add to the tally:
Christian was nominated for Best Actor by the London Evening Standard British Film Awards. Winners will be announced February 8th. His category and competition:
Tom Hardy, Bronson
Christian McKay, Me And Orson Welles
Alex MacQueen, The Hide
Andy Serkis, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
Christian was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor by Denver Film Critics Society:
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds (winner)
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christian McKay, Me and Orson Welles
AND GOOD LUCK ON TUESDAY CHRISTIAN!
Reviews
KPBS Film Club: Me and Orson Welles (transcript and/or downloadable audio review)
Bowling Green Daily News, "Theater lovers will enjoy ‘Me and Orson’"
The Daily Athenaeum, "Cast excels in ‘Welles’"
World Socialist Web Site, "Me and Orson Welles, but too much of the former"
Hill Country News, "'Me and Orson Welles' delights with interesting story"
Blog: Kay Fabe
Blog: The dark side of the moon
Blog: Hey, this is me...
Blog: The Tattler
Blog: Confessions of a Teenage Film Buff
Blog: Blog, Tarsier, Blog
Blog: Macrobert
Blog: Marissabidilla
Blog: Eric Lundegaard
And articles
I'm just going to link these because they are basically interviews/articles with Christian. But I know some of you love to read them because he is such a great storyteller!
Vanity Fair, "Sleeper Oscar Contender Christian McKay on Channeling Orson Welles" by Krista Smith
The Wrap, "'Promising Newcomer' Christian McKay Channels Orson Welles" by Steve Pond
NY Times Carpetbagger Blog, "Being Orson Welles" by Melena Ryzik
LA Times Gold Derby Blog, "Curious Oscar wild card: Christian McKay" by Tom O'Neil (with video interview)
PRX, "ME AND ORSON WELLES: Richard Linklater and Christian McKay talk about making the film." (downloadable audio file)
Santa Monica Daily Press, "Screenwriting couple make good with 'Me and Orson Welles'" by Taylor Van Arsdale
There is a great article about Christian meeting Norman Lloyd (Cinna in the Mercury production of Julius Caesar) here which has this great pic of the two:
And one last thing. All along watching twitter for Orson Welles mentions occasionally I'd see Orson Scott Card mentioned. And oddly enough a few days ago he randomly showed up in my Google alerts too, lol. I expected it to be nothing but when I read the link, it ended up being this:
David: What was the last movie you saw?
OSC: Me and Orson Welles. It was so brilliant I went back right away, this time with my wife and daughter, and saw it again. A great script, great directing, and above all absolutely brilliant acting, especially by Christian McKay in the title role - though all the other actors do a splendid job as well.
Awesome!
Over drinks at a bistro in the Maritime Hotel, however, we’re not talking about Stoppard or Shepard or Mendes or Lumet. We’re talking about Zac Efron. Hawke and Linklater are close friends, and Linklater’s latest film, Me and Orson Welles, released in November, stars the unknown British actor Christian McKay as Welles, and the very well-known Efron-who became famous in High School Musical-as Welles’s young protégé. And herein lies a dilemma.
“The irony is, from Rick’s point of view, he wants to make a period film. He wants McKay to play Orson Welles. So you need a star to be in it somewhere,” Hawke says. “Here’s the answer: We’ll get Zac Efron to play the young kid. Because they audition him, and you know what? He turns out to be a really good actor. So that’s the reason Rick gets the money to make the film. But that’s also the reason people struggle to take the movie seriously.” This is a predicament that Hawke knows all too well. “A part of my heart goes out for these guys like Zac or [Twilight’s] Bob Pattinson. I wish them well,” he says. “The world is very mysterious. It has the appearance that it’s rooting for them and giving them everything they want. Instead, it’s setting a huge trap. And it’s very difficult to get out of.”
A couple of nominations to add to the tally:
Christian was nominated for Best Actor by the London Evening Standard British Film Awards. Winners will be announced February 8th. His category and competition:
Tom Hardy, Bronson
Christian McKay, Me And Orson Welles
Alex MacQueen, The Hide
Andy Serkis, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll
Christian was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor by Denver Film Critics Society:
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds (winner)
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christian McKay, Me and Orson Welles
AND GOOD LUCK ON TUESDAY CHRISTIAN!
Reviews
KPBS Film Club: Me and Orson Welles (transcript and/or downloadable audio review)
Bowling Green Daily News, "Theater lovers will enjoy ‘Me and Orson’"
The Daily Athenaeum, "Cast excels in ‘Welles’"
World Socialist Web Site, "Me and Orson Welles, but too much of the former"
Hill Country News, "'Me and Orson Welles' delights with interesting story"
Blog: Kay Fabe
Blog: The dark side of the moon
Blog: Hey, this is me...
Blog: The Tattler
Blog: Confessions of a Teenage Film Buff
Blog: Blog, Tarsier, Blog
Blog: Macrobert
Blog: Marissabidilla
Blog: Eric Lundegaard
And articles
I'm just going to link these because they are basically interviews/articles with Christian. But I know some of you love to read them because he is such a great storyteller!
Vanity Fair, "Sleeper Oscar Contender Christian McKay on Channeling Orson Welles" by Krista Smith
The Wrap, "'Promising Newcomer' Christian McKay Channels Orson Welles" by Steve Pond
NY Times Carpetbagger Blog, "Being Orson Welles" by Melena Ryzik
LA Times Gold Derby Blog, "Curious Oscar wild card: Christian McKay" by Tom O'Neil (with video interview)
PRX, "ME AND ORSON WELLES: Richard Linklater and Christian McKay talk about making the film." (downloadable audio file)
Santa Monica Daily Press, "Screenwriting couple make good with 'Me and Orson Welles'" by Taylor Van Arsdale
There is a great article about Christian meeting Norman Lloyd (Cinna in the Mercury production of Julius Caesar) here which has this great pic of the two:
And one last thing. All along watching twitter for Orson Welles mentions occasionally I'd see Orson Scott Card mentioned. And oddly enough a few days ago he randomly showed up in my Google alerts too, lol. I expected it to be nothing but when I read the link, it ended up being this:
David: What was the last movie you saw?
OSC: Me and Orson Welles. It was so brilliant I went back right away, this time with my wife and daughter, and saw it again. A great script, great directing, and above all absolutely brilliant acting, especially by Christian McKay in the title role - though all the other actors do a splendid job as well.
Awesome!