Tag: Laura Dern
Laura Dern on Acting With Honesty (“99 Homes” Interview)
Credit: Hooman Bahrani / Broad Green Pictures
Laura Dern is a national treasure, and after last year’s Oscar nominated work in Wild, she knocks it out of the park once again in 99 Homes. During the interviews for the film, I asked Dern about the keys to making her characters feel absolutely real.
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Reese Witherspoon Brings “Life Experiences” To ‘Wild’ Collaboration
Opening December 5, Wild stars Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line) as Cheryl Strayed, a woman who hikes over a thousand miles on the Pacific Crest Trail on a journey of self-discovery. Laura Dern co-stars on as Cheryl’s mother Bobbi.
The picture, based on Cheryl Strayed’s bestselling memoir, is directed by Dallas Buyers Club filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallee. This should be the second year of awards consideration for Vallee, as Wild is getting tons of Oscar buzz, especially for Witherspoon’s performance.
Still, Wild isn’t just about a virtuoso performance from Witherspoon, as the actress talks about the joys of collaborating with her fellow filmmakers:
“That’s the thing about making a film. It’s not about one artist and what they want to accomplish. It’s a collaborative medium. We are only as good and connected as we feel to the central idea of what we’re trying to accomplish.
But (it’s) also what we bring to the table as our life experiences. It’s what enhances your work and it’s what connects you to the people you’re working with. So I think it’s hard when you don’t connect with people, which I’ve had that experience before and it’s really hard.”
Click on the media bar below to hear the audio version of Witherspoon’s answer:
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‘When The Game Stands Tall’ Hits Blu-ray & DVD in December
When The Game Stands Tall (115 minutes, PG), the football story inspired by coach Bob Ladouceur’s (Jim Caviezel) storied run with the De La Salle High School Spartans, heads to Blu-ray Combo Pack and DVD December 9 via Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and AFFIRM Films (it hits Digital HD on November 25).
The De La Salle High School Spartans’ 151-game winning streak still hasn’t been shattered, and the picture deals with Coach Ladouceur and his team’s attempts to bounce back when they encounter their first lost in over 12 years. The project also stars Michael Chiklis (American Horror Story), Alexander Ludwig (Vikings), and Laura Dern (Citizen Ruth).
Blu-ray and Digital HD owners will receive these exclusive special features:
- Scene commentary with director Thomas Carter and Coach Bob Ladouceur
- Six deleted and extended scenes
- The featurette “Undefeated: Making When The Game Stands Tall“
- The featurette “Gridiron Action” which takes a look at the film’s thrilling football sequences
- “The Heart and Soul of a Program” takes a look at Coach Bob Ladouceur and the De La Salle High School Football program.
Blu-ray and DVD Special Features include:
- Commentary with director Thomas Carter
- “Undefeated: Making When The Game Stands Tall” featurette
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Jim Caviezel Goes The Distance In ‘When The Game Stands Tall’
Person of Interest star Jim Caviezel, who starred as a shady warden last year in the Sylvester Stallone/Arnold Schwarzenegger feature Escape Plan, dons the white hat once again in the sports film When The Game Stands Tall.
In the fact based film, Caviezel plays Coach Bob Ladouceur (he’s known as Coach Lad), a man who led the De La Salle High School Spartans to 151 straight wins. When The Game Stands Tall also looks at how Coach Lad united his team through tragedy and heartache. Even in the darkest of times, Coach Lad relied on his resolve, family, and faith to carry the way.
Jim Caviezel’s didn’t take the role simply because the movie has a faith based message. “I took it because it’s a great story,” said Caviezel. “Does it have faith elements in it? Yes. But at the end of the day, so did To Kill A Mockingbird. So did Ben-Hur and Braveheart. I’m looking for stories that are moving to me that have some sort of redeemable quality to it.”
With a body of work that includes the first rate features The Thin Red Line, The Count of Monte Cristo, and The Passion of the Christ, Caviezel has carved a creatively gratifying career. But before he became a movie star, the actor was a 21-year-old waiter looking for a little bit of direction. Thankfully, James Stewart was one of the men who stepped in his path.
Click on the audio below to hear Caviezel relay an important conversation he had with Stewart in regards to making movies.
When The Game Stands Tall, co-starring Michael Chiklis as assistant coach Terry Eidson, is now playing nationwide.
