Interview

Interview: Radha Mitchell on new Australian drama Blueback, facing her deep water fears, and the film’s family engagement

The last time Peter Gray spoke with Australian actress Radha Mitchell, the two discussed a considerably controversial film detailing female revenge in the aftermath of assault.  Narratives couldn’t be any further removed from each other with Blueback, an adaptation of Tim Winton’s acclaimed short story that follows a young girl who befriends a magnificent wild…

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Interview: Philippa Langley on her real-life story inspiring Steve Coogan’s The Lost King

Fascinated by the stories we don’t tell, and why we don’t tell them, Philippa Langley has a passion to tell distinctive and original narratives that challenge our perception of established truths. In 2012 she led the successful search to locate the grave of King Richard III through her Looking For Richard Project. Philippa conceived, facilitated…

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Interview: Antonio Banderas on revisiting his signature character for Puss in Boots: The Last Wish; “It’s a little more substantial.  A little deeper.”

Given the absolute phenomenon Shrek became upon its debut in 2001, it’s not hard to see why Antonio Banderas would want to join such a franchise.  But standing out in a cast that includes such comedians as Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy is another ballgame entirely, but he managed to not only shape his own…

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Interview: Harvey Guillén on finding his voice for Puss in Boots: The Last Wish; “It’s freeing and yet it’s terrifying.  And I love both of those feelings.”

As Puss in Boots: The Last Wish arrives in theatres (you can read our review here) to reintroduce us to the Shrek franchise’s feisty feline and his last-life effort to regain the 9 lives he mistakenly took for granted, Peter Gray spoke with series newcomer Harvey Guillén about finding his voice for his character Perrito,…

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Interview: Anna Diop and Nikyatu Jusu on navigating the horror elements of Nanny with lived-in emotion

In the psychological horror fable of displacement Nanny, Aisha (Anna Diop), is a woman recently emigrated from Senegal and hired to care for the daughter of an affluent couple (Michelle Monaghan and Morgan Spector) living in New York City.  Haunted by the absence of the young son she left behind, Aisha hopes her new job…

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Interview: The Other Fellow director Matthew Bauer on searching for the James Bonds of the world; “It brought up interesting identity questions.”

An energetic exploration of male identity via the lives, personalities, and adventures of a diverse band of men, real men across the globe all sharing the same name – James Bond. In 1952, when author Ian Fleming needed a name for his suave, sophisticated secret agent, he stole one from an unaware birdwatcher and created…

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Interview: Cam Gigandet on latest action film Black Warrant, being waterboarded, and intimidating co-stars

If you’re of the MTV generation then it’s safe to say you grew up with Cam Gigandet; and maybe you didn’t even know it.  A steady staple in the entertainment field heavy on catering to the teens and tweens of the 2010’s, Gigandet made a name for himself across the likes of such phenomenon as…

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Interview: Christmas Bloody Christmas writer/director Joe Begos on seasonal horror, practical effects and shooting on film.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and fiery record store owner Tori Tooms just wants to get drunk and party, until the robotic Santa Claus at a nearby toy store goes haywire and makes her night more than a little complicated. Santa Claus begins a rampant killing spree through the neon drenched snowscape…

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Interview: Director Sean Lahiff on new environmental horror film Carnifex; “I wanted to create a myth around these tree hollows and create a dread for the forest.”

As the Australian survivalist thriller Carnifex continues to terrify audiences across the country (you can read our review here), director Sean Lahiff is already hard at work in the editing room of another feature. Taking some time out with our Peter Gray to talk all things Carnifex – an original new environmental horror/thriller set deep…

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Interview: Elizabeth Banks on directing Cocaine Bear; “I felt like this film was almost the opportunity to make a revenge movie for the bear.”

Inspired by the 1985 true story of a drug runner’s plane crash, missing cocaine, and the black bear that ate it, Cocaine Bear is a wild dark comedy that finds an oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converging in a Georgia forest where a 500-pound apex predator has ingested a staggering amount of…

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Interview: John Leguizamo on playing Violent Night‘s villain; “The most fun you can have as an actor is chewing the scenery and having tantrums.”

As Violent Night looks to spread some seasonal beatings this year, Peter Gray spoke with the upcoming shock comedy’s own Grinch – John Leguizamo. From 87North, the bare-knuckle producers of Nobody, John Wick, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Bullet Train and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Violent Night is a coal-dark holiday action-comedy that…

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Interview: Tommy Wirkola on Violent Night, balancing comedy and tension, and how Home Alone informed much of the film’s brutality

When Peter Gray last spoke to Tommy Wirkola, the director had just released the trailer for his anticipated seasonal action/comedy Violent Night. Now with the film –  centred around a team of mercenaries who break into a wealthy family compound on Christmas Eve and find themselves unprepared for a surprise combatant in Santa Claus (David…

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Interview: Krew Boylan on “becoming” Dolly Parton in Seriously Red; “(She’s) a real critical part of my creativity.”

A festival darling for 2022, Seriously Red, a Dolly Parton-centric comedy from the mind of writer/actress Krew Boylan, is finally taking centre stage in Australian cinemas this week. In this rowdy and rambunctious musical dramedy, Red (Boylan) is a vivacious, clumsy and occasionally misguided redhead who is at a crossroads in her life. After misreading…

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Interview: Luca Guadagnino on new romantic horror film Bones and All; “We wanted to underline the idea of the love story.”

Bones and All is a story of first love between Maren (Taylor Russell), a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and Lee (Timothée Chalamet), an intense and disenfranchised drifter… as they meet and join together for a thousand-mile odyssey which takes them through the back roads, hidden passages and trap…

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Interview: Hushidar Kharas, head of Prime Video Australia and New Zealand, on searching for “the Prime Video Buff”

Australians are obsessed with content, with new research from Prime Video Australia revealing the average Australian has watched 67 movies and TV series this year alone. With tens of thousands of titles to choose from on Prime Video, choosing what to watch can be hard. And let’s be honest, sometimes you just want to leave…

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Interview: Patricia Clarkson, Andre Braugher and Jennifer Ehle on She Said; “It’s very hard to meet heroes and play them.”

In our continued coverage for She Said, the new drama from Universal Pictures detailing New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor and their breaking of one of the most important stories of a generation, one that helped launch the #MeToo movement and shattered decades of silence around the subject of sexual assault in…

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Interview: Carey Mulligan, Zoe Kazan and director Maria Schrader on She Said; “I think it changed our own awareness of what’s going on around us and our own behaviour.”

New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor broke one of the most important stories in a generation – a story that helped launch the #MeToo movement and shattered decades of silence around the subject of sexual assault in Hollywood. This story that altered American culture forever is being detailed in the new film…

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Interview: Claudia Doumit on labour of love, Dylan & Zoey; “This film feels like a safe space for trauma.”

Australian-born Claudia Doumit may best be known for her deceptively sinister turn as Victoria Neuman in the television series The Boys, but it’s roles in films such as Dylan & Zoey that should truly keep her on the map. As the indie drama releases in US theatres and On Demand, Claudia spoke with our Peter…

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Interview: Delikado documentary filmmaker Karl Malakunus on battling climate change and defending the Philippines’ last ecological frontier

Director Karl Malakunus is a filmmaker and journalist who has been based in Asia, covering environmental issues, conflict, natural disasters and political upheavals, for two decades. Karl is the Asia-Pacific Deputy-Editor-In-Chief for Agence France-Presse based in Hong Kong.  He is a Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program Fellow and a recipient of the SFFILM Vulcan Productions…

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Interview: Todd Lasance on crossing over from television to film, dream projects and attempting comedy

From the beaches of Home and Away to starring opposite Michael B. Jordan in Without Remorse, by way of the acclaimed sword-and-sandals epic series Spartacus, Australian actor Todd Lasance is another homegrown success story carving his own international career. In the lead up to the Brisbane and Adelaide legs of the Supanova Comic Con &…

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Interview: Lincoln Lewis on auditioning, career aspirations and surviving Hollywood

Whether it was his tenure as sensible teen Geoff Campbell for 567 episodes on long-running Australian soap series Home and Away, his turn in the acclaimed Tomorrow When the War Began, or his recurring role as the love interest to one of the country’s most notorious underworld figures in Underbelly: Razor, the fourth season of…

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Interview: Hannah Barlow and Kane Senes on creating horror film Sissy from a deeply personal space

After earning a swarm of likes from SXSW audiences earlier in the year and from the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), where it earned nominations for Best Film, Best Direction, and Best Lead Actress (for Aisha Dee’s committed performance), the social media slasher Sissy is ready for local audiences to like and…

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Interview: Krew Boylan and Daniel Webber on opening the Brisbane International Film Festival with Seriously Red

After wowing audiences at South By Southwest earlier in the year, before spreading some serious joy in her homeland, writer/actress Krew Boylan got all dolled up for her, appropriately enough, Dolly Parton-inspired comedy Seriously Red, a film about taking chances, following your dreams, and channelling your inner Dolly. As Krew and her co-star Daniel Webber…

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Interview: Director Gina Prince-Bythewood and the cast of The Woman King

As The Woman King continues to dazzle Australian audiences, Peter Gray spoke with director Gina Prince-Bythewood and cast members Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atin and John Boyega  ahead of its premiere at this year’s Toronto Film Festival. Following on from his chat with Viola Davis and Thuso Mbedu, Peter discussed working together on location, the importance…

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Interview: Viola Davis and Thuso Mbedu on the importance and brutality of The Woman King

The Woman King is the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen. Inspired by true events, the film follows the emotionally epic journey of General Nanisca (Viola Davis) as she…

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Interview: Keith Thompson on writing Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris; “I looked at the story as a way to honour that generation of women”

An “exercise in kindness and couture”, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (read our review here) is the cinematic warm embrace we need in this age of blockbusters.  The enchanting tale of a seemingly ordinary British housekeeper whose dream to own a couture Christian Dior gown takes her on an extraordinary adventure to Paris, the film…

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Interview: Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne on The Good Nurse; “He’s America’s most prolific serial killer, and you’ve never heard of him”

Based on an incredible true story centred in the world of hospitals and health care, about how one woman’s growing suspicion of her co-worker led to America’s most prolific serial killer being brought to justice after 16 years of quietly killing patients across the US, The Good Nurse is a chilling true crime story that…

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Interview: Billy Eichner and Luke Macfarlane on Bros and embracing the “conventions” of a happy ending; “Are we not allowed to be happy?”

Taking his confronting, wise-cracking comedy from the street to the screen, Billy Eichner (Billy on the Street) is shattering the glass ceiling on queer comedy with the first major studio production to champion an all LGBTQ cast in Bros. As the romantic comedy sets its local release (Universal Pictures will release the film on October…

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Interview: Lead Producer Xavier Manzanares on Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope’s Newest Features

With the recent release of Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, we got the chance to chat with Lead Producer Xavier Manzanares on the newest features and mechanics of the highly anticipated Mario + Rabbids sequel. What systems and mechanics have made their way over from the first title, and what changes have been made to…

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Interview: Nick Stoller on directing Bros, crafting a vehicle for Billy Eichner, and respecting the queer community

The first major studio production to feature an all LGBTQIA+ cast, Bros is a smart, swoony and heartfelt comedy about how hard it is to find another tolerable human being to go through life with.  A collaboration between the ferocious comic mind of writer/star Billy Eichner and director Nicholas Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, the Bad…

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