On Set Interview

Jordin Sparks SPARKLE On-Set Interview

by Heather Warburton    Posted: May 9th, 2012 at 2:19 pm

Set in the motown-era of Detroit, Sparkle tells the story of a singing family of girls trying to make it big whilst facing the hurdles that success can bring.  Jordin Sparks plays the title character and is no stranger to sudden fame herself, having won season six of American Idol in 2007.  Back in November, I, along with a number of other journalists, visited the set of the film and we spoke to the cast and crew as well as watched a scene being filmed.  As evidenced by the movie poster, the film’s tone is definitely grittier, and more on par with Dreamgirls than Hairspray.

On set, we chatted with Jordin about how she got involved in the project, how she prepared for the role, and her excitement about the songs they’re bringing back from the original as well as the new ones R. Kelly has penned.  She gushes over working with her idol Whitney Houston and remarks how truly funny she was on set. Hit the jump for the full interview and here’s my set visit.

Jacki Weaver and Jim Piddock THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT Set Visit Interview

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: March 2nd, 2012 at 11:22 am

Back in late June, when director Nicholas Stoller’s The Five-Year Engagement was filming in Sonoma, California, I got to visit the set with a few other online reporters.  If you’re not familiar with the film, Five-Year Engagement “looks at what happens when an engaged couple, Jason Segel and Emily Blunt, keeps getting tripped up on the long walk down the aisle.”  The film stars also stars Chris Pratt, Alison Brie, Rhys Ifans, David Paymer, Mimi Kennedy, Jacki Weaver, Jim Piddock, Kevin Hart, Brian Posehn, Mindy Kaling, and many other familiar faces.

During our set visit interview with Jacki Weaver and Jim Piddock (who play Emily Blunt’s parents) they talked about the freedom of being on a set with so much improv, their characters’ relationships with the rest of the cast, Piddock’s character’s revolving door of Asian girlfriends, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to read or listen to the interview

Jason Segel and Emily Blunt THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT Set Visit Interview

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: March 1st, 2012 at 10:00 am

One of the many great things about both Jason Segel and Emily Blunt is how they’re willing to talk about anything and everything.  You bring up flatulence…they’ll talk about it.  How does a guy do a fake orgasm? Again, they’re in.  Thankfully, on the set of director Nicholas Stoller‘s The Five-Year Engagement last June, not only did we talk about both of those things, they discussed some comedically bad sex scenes, the freedom of making an R-rated film, the improv, how When Harry Met Sally and Annie Hall influenced the film, and so much more.

For those not familiar with the film, Five-Year Engagement “looks at what happens when an engaged couple, Jason Segel and Emily Blunt, keeps getting tripped up on the long walk down the aisle.”  The film stars also stars Chris Pratt, Alison Brie, Rhys Ifans, David Paymer, Mimi Kennedy, Jacki Weaver, Jim Piddock, Kevin Hart, Brian Posehn and Mindy Kaling.  Hit the jump to read or listen to the interview.

Alison Brie and Chris Pratt THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT Set Visit Interview

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: March 1st, 2012 at 10:00 am

If you’re a fan of Alison Brie (Community) and Chris Pratt (Parks and Recreation), director Nicholas Stoller‘s (Get Him to the Greek, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) The Five-Year Engagement was probably already on your must-watch list.  Thankfully, the film looks extremely funny and everything I saw on set tells me that it’s going to be a special film.  For those not familiar, Five-Year Engagement “looks at what happens when an engaged couple, Jason Segel and Emily Blunt, keeps getting tripped up on the long walk down the aisle.”  The film stars also stars Rhys Ifans, David Paymer, Mimi Kennedy, Jacki Weaver, Jim Piddock, Kevin Hart, Brian Posehn and Mindy Kaling.

During my group interview on set, Brie and Pratt talked about who they play (Blunts sister and Segel’s friend) and how their characters are the complete opposite of Blunt and Segel, the freedom of working with an R rating, how Brie perfected her British accent, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to read or listen to the interview

Director Nicholas Stoller and Producer Rodney Rothman THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT Set Visit Interview

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: March 1st, 2012 at 10:00 am

As the director of Get Him to the Greek and Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Nicholas Stoller has made a lot of people laugh poking fun at Hollywood and celebrities.  But in his latest film,  The Five-Year Engagement, Stoller is aiming at an all-new group of people to make fun of: normal folks.  For those not familiar with the film, Five-Year Engagement “looks at what happens when an engaged couple, Jason Segel and Emily Blunt, keeps getting tripped up on the long walk down the aisle.”  The film stars also stars Chris Pratt, Alison Brie, Rhys Ifans, David Paymer, Mimi Kennedy, Jacki Weaver, Jim Piddock, Kevin Hart, Brian Posehn and Mindy Kaling.

While the production was filming at the Beltane Ranch in Somona, California last June, I got to visit the set with a few other online reporters and take part in a group interview with Stoller and producer Rodney Rothman.  While both were very busy, they gave us a huge amount of time and discussed everything from where the idea came from to improv to working with a big ensemble cast and everything in between.  Trust me, if you’re a fan of moviemaking, or a fan of Stoller’s, it’s a great interview.  Hit the jump to read or listen to it.

Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum 21 JUMP STREET Set Visit Interview

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: February 15th, 2012 at 9:01 am

Both Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum have made the jump into producing in the past couple years, and each has an executive producing credit on 21 Jump Street.  That’s encouraging, because turning 21 Jump Street into a quality movie is not a given.  Hill even admits as much—his first reaction when Sony pitched him on the remake was, “I don’t know, that sounds kinds of stupid.”  But Hill found promise in the idea that the story is fundamentally about the chance to relive high school: “Thinking you would get it right this time, and having all the answers, but immediately reverting back to the insecurities you had the first time around.”  With the action credentials of fellow producer Neal Moritz (Fast Five) and the comedy chops of directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs), the creative team was able to produce a remake they are proud to put their names on.  By all accounts the result is a wicked funny buddy cop movie.

A group of us movie bloggers had the chance to interview Hill and Tatum on set in New Orleans near the end of the shoot.  They talk about their characters, what brought them to the project and what they wanted to do with a 21 Jump Street movie, their admiration for Lord and Miller, plus what it was like for Hill to do action and for Tatum to try comedy.  Read what they had to say after the jump.

Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller 21 JUMP STREET Set Visit Interview

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: February 15th, 2012 at 9:00 am

Directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller have proven themselves in the field of animation. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Clone High are hilarious at the rapidest possible pace. The question is whether those skills will transfer over for their first live-action movie, 21 Jump Street. Based on early word of mouth, Lord and Miller successfully created a wicked funny buddy cop comedy.

A group of us movie bloggers had the chance to interview the directors on set in New Orleans near the end of the shoot. They discussed their influences in the genre (Beverly Hills Cop, 48 Hrs., and the left-field choice Running Scared), their approach to adapting the original series, how the movie fits in with the series continuity, the value of test screening, and their “F-bomb problem” with the R-rating. Read what they had to say after the jump.

Producer Neal Moritz 21 JUMP STREET Set Visit Interview

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: February 15th, 2012 at 9:00 am

Neal Moritz is the go-to producer for action movies these days. In just the first half of 2011, he released The Green Hornet, Battle: Los Angeles, and Fast Five, which together grossed more than $1 billion worldwide. In remaking the 1980s TV show 21 Jump Street, Moritz lends so much credibility to the action side of this action-comedy.

A group of us movie bloggers had the chance to interview Moritz on set in New Orleans near the end of the shoot. He talked about the approach to adapting the show, the promise he saw in directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller (this is their first live-action feature), how he got “25% more on the screen” by shooting in New Orleans, plus what Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill brought to the project as actor/producers. Read what he had to say after the jump.

Dave Franco 21 JUMP STREET Set Visit Interview

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: February 15th, 2012 at 9:00 am

In 21 Jump Street, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill play two young cops who go undercover at a high school.  When they attended school together several years ago, Tatum was a popular jock, and Hill was more of a nerd.  But the second time around, the cool kids accept Hill into their group and reject Tatum.  This happens because Dave Franco, playing one of the popular kids who sells drugs, is not your typical movie cool guy.  Instead he’s more eco-friendly and anti-sports.

A group of us movie bloggers had the chance to interview Franco on set in New Orleans near the end of the shoot.  He talked about the backstory for his atypical character, the comedic benefits of improv, and how it feels to still be playing high schoolers when he’s 25.  He also defined what it means to be “Eskimo bros” for the innocent among us.  Read what he had to say after the jump.

Brie Larson 21 JUMP STREET Set Visit Interview

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: February 15th, 2012 at 9:00 am

In 21 Jump Street, Jonah Hill goes back to high school as an undercover cop alongside Channing Tatum, where he becomes smitten with Molly (played by Brie Larson).  Things have changed since Hill’s character went to high school, and he is baffled by some of Molly’s progressive views, in particular her open relationship with a schoolmate played by Dave Franco.  However, the true obstacle in their budding relationship is the age difference, since Hill plays an adult police officer romantically interested an underage girl.  That indicates you won’t find the typical romance that’s shoved into buddy cop movies in Phil Lord and Chris Miller‘s very R-rated remake of 21 Jump Street.

A group of us movie bloggers had the chance to interview Larson (22 years old, FTR) on set in New Orleans near the end of the shoot.  She talked about her character, her research into polyamory, the unusual casting process, and the influence of older films on Molly’s wardrobe.  Read what she had to say after the jump.

Whitney Houston and Producer Debra Martin Chase SPARKLE Set Visit Interview [Updated With Audio]

by Heather Warburton    Posted: February 13th, 2012 at 9:24 am

It was just in November when a group of journalists and I spent a day at a church in the outskirts of Detroit, where the film Sparkle was shooting.  We spent half a day in interviews with the cast until finally it was announced that “Ms. Houston” was here.  There are rumors of what charisma is like: Being in Whitney Houston‘s company, the air took on a sharper more pronounced feel, everyone was seemingly in a trance in her presence because it was that absorbing.  With warm glowing skin and exquisite features, visually she was arresting, but it was her candor that was so affecting.  Equally ready to hand out praise or tough love, she seemed compelled to speak the truth.  Her exuberance for the project sprung from her great respect for the civil rights movement (the era in which Sparkle is set), as well as the potential for this film to showcase a beautiful image of African Americans.  This is a film, she conveyed, that will make families want to go to the movies.  Her charm is one that now in the current landscape of calculated personas, feels antiquated and unmatchable.  After a day of interviews, I recall noting what a self-possessed sense of ease Houston had; from both the brief time with her and the conversations with her castmates, she seemed a natural leader who had visibly, and yet quietly, charmed and encouraged the rest of the cast.

Hit the jump for the full interview between Houston (also an executive producer on the film) and Debra Martin Chase, her producing partner on Cindarella and The Preacher’s Wife .  They talked about why they wanted to do the project, what it was like for Houston to be in front of the camera again, the soundtrack, and so much more.

Writer-Director Paul W.S. Anderson RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION Set Visit Interview

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: January 19th, 2012 at 12:02 pm

Last month I got to visit the set of Resident Evil: Retribution with a few other online journalists when the production was filming in Toronto.  While it was near the end of the shoot and everyone was trying to film the beginning of a big action scene in the 3rd act, during a break in filming we got to speak with writer-director Paul W.S. Anderson.  During our extended interview, Anderson talked to us about what still excites him about the franchise, the decision to bring in fan favorite characters like Leon Kennedy, Ada Wong, and Barry Burton, the action sequences, the new and returning cast, if he knows where the final Umbrella Corporation base is located, the soundtrack, and so much more.   Hit the jump to either read or listen to what he had to say.

Milla Jovovich RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION Set Visit Interview

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: January 19th, 2012 at 12:02 pm

Last month I got to visit the set of Resident Evil: Retribution when the production was still filming in Toronto.  While the majority of interviews were done either on set or really close by, when we got to speak with Milla Jovovich, it was actually in her trailer right outside the soundstage.  Imagine a group of ten online journalists sitting on the floor of a trailer in a circle around Jovovich.  It was an interesting sight.

Anyway, while Jovovich has been on Twitter during the entire shoot answering fan questions about the movie, I actually found her guarded during our Q&A and careful with how much she wanted to say.  While she clearly didn’t want to reveal the twists and turns of the film, she was really happy to talk about the returning cast, the 3D, the action scenes, the new zombies, the big Alice and Jill fight, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to either read or listen to what she had to say.

Li Bingbing RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION Set Visit Interview

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: January 19th, 2012 at 12:01 pm

Ada Wong is one of the most popular characters in the Resident Evil video game universe.  However, while she’s been in a large percentage of the games, she’s never made an appearance in any of the movies.  But that’s all about to change.  That’s because when writer-director Paul W.S. Anderson was coming up with the idea for Resident Evil: Retribution, one of the things he really wanted to do was bring in some of the characters that the fans have been waiting to see.  So if you’ve been waiting to see Leon Kennedy, Ada Wong, and Barry Burton, on September 14, you’ll get your chance.

Last month when visiting the set of Resident Evil: Retribution I got to participate in a group interview with Li Bingbing (she’s playing Ada Wong).  During the interview she talked about playing such a fan favorite character, wearing the outfit, the relationship between Ada and Leon, how she got cast, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to either read or listen to what she had to say.

Sienna Guillory RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION Set Visit Interview

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: January 19th, 2012 at 12:01 pm

After making a small cameo in Resident Evil: Afterlife, it’s no surprise that Sienna Guillory is back as Jill Valentine in Paul W.S. Anderson‘s Resident Evil: Retribution (which arrives in theaters this September).  Also, as one of the main characters in the video games, it makes a lot of sense to have her return to the films.

Last month I got to visit the set of the fifth installment with a few other online reporters and we interviewed Guillory in between setups.  During the interview she talked about the fight scenes, what she was filming that day, Jill’s transformation since we last saw her in Apocalypse, if she thinks she’d get to be in a sixth film assuming they make it, and a lot more.  Hit the jump to either read or listen to what she had to say.

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