Posts Tagged ‘Tron Legacy’

Nextmovie.com has published a Q&A with Michael Sheen, where he talks about ‘bringing the crazy’ to his character Aro, from Breaking Dawn. He also talks about his other characters in movies such as Tron, and Underworld, and also talks briefly about the forthcoming Masters of Sex. The article begins with the author stating that Michael Sheen was “hands-down the most charismatic and humorous panel member” at the Breaking Dawn Part 2 press conference.

I have re-posted the questions and answer below, or you can go visit Nextmovie.com.

It’s safe to say that Aro is crazy in “Breaking Dawn – Part 2.” Can you speak about how his laugh speaks volumes about his mental state?
I like the idea that, at times, for someone who has been alive centuries and centuries, one of the biggest problems is boredom. He’s sort of seen everything and done everything. So when something new comes along, something surprising, then I think it would fill someone with delight. For a character who is so in control most of the time, there is something completely out of control inside. When something unexpected happens that delights him, that sort of hysterical quality can come out. In a laugh, it’s a perfect, economical way of showing that.

Is that kind of insanity delicious to play as an actor, or do you have to always be mindful of not pushing it too far?
I think you have to be judicious about how to show those elements because it can become slightly meaningless otherwise. You have to have a logic to how that character works. I like the idea that the character has been alive so long that he keeps himself amused by role-playing a little bit. I think he likes the idea that he’s this sentimental old fool who is a romantic at heart and a bit of a softie, but he’s not that at all — he’s a psychopathic killer underneath. To be able to play with those elements is quite fun.

When Aro touches someone, he can read every thought the person has ever had. If you could use that power on one person in the world, who would that be?
Wow. Gosh. I don’t know … I’ve played [Tony] Blair a few times, so I suppose that would be quite interesting just to find out what the real story is in there. At the same time, I think I’d rather allow people to keep their mystery for me. If you knew exactly what everyone thought, then there’s no mystery to people anymore. Part of the fun of life is interacting with people and not knowing what the truth is inside. Letting them reveal that to you is what binds you to people.

You’ve said that Aro is like a cross between the Pope and the mafia. When he’s not obsessing over the Cullens, how do you think Aro spends his time?
He’s just fighting boredom all the time. He’s probably read all the great literature and poetry of the world. I like the idea that he likes to read trashy romantic novels with Fabio on the cover. [Laughs]

Aro has always coveted Alice’s gift of seeing the future. Do you see a future in this franchise beyond “Breaking Dawn – Part 2,” and do you think you could be a part of it?
I don’t know how it could carry on, really. It’s come to the end of the story. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being a part of it and playing Aro, so I would always be open to doing something else. But sometimes you just have to let things finish. As bittersweet as it is to come to the end, part of the enjoyment is always the demise or its end, at least. I’m not sure how good an idea it would be to do any more. I’m sure Stephenie [Meyer] wants to write something different.

You have a daughter. What underlying message do you think these movies have for young girls?
I’m not sure if there is a message, really. Through Bella’s journey, it’s something that allows people to understand their own journey. For someone like my daughter, who is 13, who is growing from being a little girl to a teenager to a young woman, Bella’s experiences are similar to what other girls are going through. It can give you hope and some kind of guidance about how to navigate these sorts of experiences. Granted, people aren’t necessarily going through them with vampires and werewolves, but the kind of choices and dilemmas that Bella experiences and the choices that she makes are ones girls are making all the time.

Now that “Twilight” has wrapped, did you get to keep any of Aro’s period finery?
He had some nice threads! There were a couple of things that we never got to use that I kind of liked. There was this half cape that was kind of like what the Beatles wear on the cover of “Help” with little black capes. We were trying to get one of those, but never got a chance. I want to introduce the cape into modern society. That would be quite fun. In the end, I didn’t keep anything.

You’ve played a vampire in the “Twilight” series and Lucian the werewolf in the “Underworld” series. If those two characters faced off, who would be the victor?
Oh gosh, that’s a good question. Well, Lucian is stronger physically and a bit more rugged. Aro is probably cleverer. It would be a nasty, messy fight. If Lucian transformed into his Lycan self, I think it would be a fight worth watching. Aro would like to have Lucian curl up on a rug in front of a fire and Aro would be stroking him all night. Aro doesn’t want to fight. He’d want to spend a warm winter night with his shaggy dog on the rug.

Do you ever think about what happens to any of your characters after the credits roll? What do you think happens to Aro?
I think Aro still craves certain things about certain members of the Cullen family that he is desperate to collect. He probably still schemes about that and goes back to waiting for another opportunity.

You have had so many roles on stage and on screen. If given a chance, what is a character that you would love to play again? Maybe your “TRON: Legacy” character?
Yeah! I really enjoyed playing the “TRON” character — that would be nice to do again. A lot of things have changed at Disney since “TRON: Legacy,” so I don’t know about that. Or maybe Wesley from “30 Rock,” because it’s always fun to work with Tina [Fey].

You’re reuniting with your “30 Rock” co-star Tina Fey on the romantic comedy “Admission.” What can you tell us about that?
That was directed by Paul Weitz, the brother of Chris Weitz, who directed “New Moon” when I first played Aro. It’s set in Princeton, and Tina plays the admissions officer of Princeton and I play her English professor boyfriend. In some ways it’s similar to the dynamic on “30 Rock,” so it was good to kind of revisit that. Tina and I have a shorthand and it was great to get back into that dynamic again. We did some improvised videos to promote [the movie].

Tell us about Showtime’s “Masters of Sex,” which you are producing and starring in.
It’s a series that we did the pilot for earlier this year that is based on real people, William Masters and Virginia Johnson, who in the late ’50s and early ’60s were pioneering sex research. A lot of their work was controversial and, when it was published, led to a huge reaction and the sexual revolution. Their private lives were very complicated and unusual. Their story plays out over the decades and their lives reflect the changes in society over that period of time. It’s a fascinating story with a lot of potential, so I’m looking forward to it.

Another year almost over dear friends, so I thought I would take this opportunity to look back at some of the highlights of 2011 before it is over.

January
	At the start of the year, Michael was seen on TV, first in Shooting The Hollywood Stars with British photographer, Rankin, where he portrayed the iconic film star, Charlie Chaplin; then later we saw Michael being honoured with a Best Actor award at the LA BAFTA Britannia Awards that had taken place back in November.
	The dates for Hamlet were announced, and false rumours were abound that Michael had been cast as Blofeld in the next 007 film.
	News broke that the forthcoming ‘Passion’ play would be made into a feature length film, as Michael arrived in his home town of Port Talbot to begin preparations with the community for the Passion.

February
Tickets went on sale this month for both Hamlet at the Young Vic, and also for National Theatre Wales’ Passion
.Michael Sheen received the James Joyce award from the  Literary and Historical Society of University College, Dublin, followed by a Q&A. He also made an appearance at Treat Trust’s gala dinner to raise much needed cash to fund a world-class health and rehabilitation centre in Wales.
National Theatre Wales launched a web community for NTW13 (the Passion Play) as a means to keep the public informed of the progress of the play and to encourage the community to get involved in the project.

March
	Beautiful Boy premiered at Dallas Film Festival to great critical acclaim. Michael continues to visit sections of the Port Talbot community, including the RNLI.
	The viral campaign for the Passion commenced with the launch of Port-Talbot.com, and news that a local Port Talbot man had gone missing. He was later seen in a video for Comic Relief along with other Welsh celebrities miming to a parady song called ‘Newport State of Mind’.
	The rumour that this site broke, of Michael Sheen gaining a voice over guest spot on the forthcoming series of Doctor Who was confirmed by the episode’s writer, Neil Gaiman.

April
Tron Legacy, the sequel to the classic Disney sci-fi film of a cyber world ran by a master program, was released on DVD and BluRay.Jesus Henry Christ premiered at Tribeca Film Festival and the official website launched.
The press surrounding the Passion reached fever pitch. Michael spent a few very busy days appearing on multiple TV and radio shows, including Fern, BBC Breakfast, This Morning, Radio 2 with Simon Mayo and a Q&A at The Laugharne Weekend.
Finally, during an uncommonly warm and sunny Easter weekend, the whole of Port Talbot became the backdrop for the Passion.Michael stayed in the character of ‘the teacher’ for the whole 72 hours of the performance, which featured 1000′s of local people, as well as Welsh rockers, the Manic Street Preachers.

May
	Midnight In Paris opened this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Michael and his co-stars do a lot of publicity through out the month as the film gets a limited release in the US.
	A portrait of Michael appeared at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters’ annual exhibition.Michael appears as the voice of the House in a Neil Gaiman penned episode of Doctor Who.
	Midnight In Paris continues to do well at the Box Office, to go on to be Woody Allen’s highest grossing movie.
	Michael Sheen delights Twilight fans when he reads out some fan fiction during an interview on VH1 Buzz.

June
Beautiful Boy gets limited US release and generated potential Oscar buzz throughout the media.
A BBC making of documentary called Passion of Port Talbot airs on BBC One. It followed Michael as he worked with the locals of his home town in the production of the Passion play.
A teaser trailer of Breaking Dawn was released, showing Michael as the character of Aro and a release date for Resistance was announced.

July
	Doctor Who series 6, which features the episode Michael appeared in as House, is released on BluRay and DVD.
	Michael Sheen takes a turn at DJing on BBC 6 Music, and got to spend an hour talking about, and playing, his favourite songs.
	Michael is snapped at the premiere of Deathly Hollows along with his daughter, and her mother, Kate Beckinsale.
	Behind the scenes images from a photoshoot by photographer Steve Carty. The photos were to be used as promotional images for Michael’s upcoming Hamlet production.

August
Beautiful Boy is released on DVD in Sweden before anywhere else.
Rose Theatre in Kingston On Thames announced that as part of their Time To Talk series, there would be holding a Q&A with Michael in the following January.
During a press interview promoting Midnight In Paris, Michael Sheen revealed that he would also be appearing in the untitled Terrence Malick project.
In a series of 4 episodes, Michael reads letters from renowned Kenneth Tynan, as part of a BBC Radio 4 program.

September
	The cast list for Hamlet at The Young Vic is released.
	Michael appeared on BBC Radio 2′s Breakfast show with DJ Chris Evans to start off his publicity for Hamlet.
	Due to an early high demand, more tickets for Hamlet went on sale.

October
Beautiful Boy is released on DVD in US. Midnight In Paris gets a UK and European release, as well as being able to pre-order on DVD in US.
A new poster is released for Resistance. An in depth interview with Michael appears in The Times and in The Guardian as part of his Hamlet promotion.
He also appeared on Jonathan Ross’s ITV show.
Michael Sheen and Bill Mitchell win Theatre Awards UK’s Best Director for the Passion.Previews of Hamlet open at The Young Vic

November
	After official press opening night, and Hamlet’s direction receives mixed reviews, but the feeling that Michael Sheen’s performance was nothing short of tortured brilliance was unanimous. The performances continue to rave reviews and sell out audiences.
	It is announced that Prince Charles will attend the premiere of Resistance, which receives a sadly limited release within the UK.
	Michael unveils a blue plaque from English Heritage on the late Richard Burton’s London Home.
	A new promo image of Michael Sheen as Aro for Breaking Dawn is released.

December
WhatsOnStage awards have Michael shortlisted twice for their 2012 awards. Once for Hamlet, and again for the Passion.
Michael makes an appearance on BBC Radio 4′s Great Livesseries to talk about author Philip K Dick.Hamlet continues to wow Hamlet audiences at The Young Vic, and continues to sell out.
Michael appeared alongside Joanna Lumley and Samuel West at an Index On Censorship held an event at the Serpentine Gallery in Hyde Park to highlight the plight of political prisoners in Belarus.

There are a few people who require a special thanks. One such group call themselves the Sheenian Sisters – @mariamuser @teamaro1 @nouarraa @Evangelinered @fulvia_malacart @gginsp @LucianaLycanus @Margarita_Q @NadyJdB @Redfoxi – thank you ladies for all your support in the twitterverse.

More twitter love to @Merlange @Lilyfreeman @magooglersriot, and @YVTeaBitch.

A really big thank you to my husband who supports me and who graciously, and without envy, accepts that he is not the only man in my life.

Finally, a massive thank you to my sista-from-another-mista @Caryn69. The most bodacious of babes, and a true and loyal friend.

Our competition to win a copy of Tron Legacy on DVD is now closed. The lucky winners were drawn from the correct entries using Random.org.

Please join with me and congratulate @Keithbwalters and @sleep_flower.

Thank you to all those who entered. Never fear if you didn’t win – you can now pick up a copy at your local retailer, as Tron Legacy comes out on BluRay and DVD in the UK today. It comes out in many different formats and combinations, so I am sure there will be something there to please everyone.

You can order from Amazon using the links I have included below. Please use these if you can, as the site receives a small commission, which goes towards our NSPCC collection.

Tron & Tron Legacy BluRay

Tron Legacy [DVD]

Tron Legacy DVD + Bluray 2 Disc

Tron Legacy 3D BluRay +BluRay + Digital copy

Tron Legacy is available on Disney DVD in the UK as from 18th April. To celebrate this fact, a new competition is launched today where you can win a copy of Tron Legacy on DVD.  Check out the competition page here.

Answer a few simple questions, and submit your answers. The winner will be selected from amongst the correct answers received.

TRON: Legacy, the family action movie event of the year, is available to buy on Disney 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray and DVD from today in the US.

The high octane sequel to the 1982 cult classic, TRON: Legacy tells the story of Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), who when investigating a strange signal that appears to have been sent by his long lost dad, finds himself pulled into a digital world where his father Kevin (Jeff Bridges) has been stuck for 20 years.  Michael Sheen makes a small, but memorable, appearance as Castor, the owner of the End Of Line club in the virtual world of the Grid.

Blu-ray Bonus Features

• The Next Day: Flynn Lives Revealed
• Music Video – “Derezzed” written, produced and performed by Daft Punk
• First Look at TRON: Uprising, the Disney XD Animated Series
• Launching the Legacy
• Visualizing TRON
• Installing the Cast
• Disc Roars
• Learn How to Take Your Favorite Movies on the Go
• Discover Blu-ray 3D with Timon & Pumbaa

DVD Bonus Features

• First Look at TRON: Uprising, the Disney XD Animated Series
• Visualizing TRON
• Installing the Cast
• Discover Blu-ray 3D with Timon & Pumbaa

Remember, if you can order (and pre-order) through the Amazon links on the project page, this helps towards our charitable collection. Please see our Charity page for more information.

UK fans can pic up Tron Legacy from 18th April 2011. Keep an eye on our competitions page for a chance to win Tron Legacy on DVD

A new Tron Legacy video clip has been added to the Video Gallery.

This is a short clip about why Michael Sheen was chosen to appear in Tron Legacy, and what the cast and crew felt he brought to the film.