Anne Hathaway built a strong portfolio in Hollywood with her leading roles in almost all genres. Like any other actor, Hathaway had her fair share of insecurities as an actress. Her fears peaked right after filming Love & Other Drugs, co-starring Jake Gyllenhaal. However, they lasted only for two weeks as she got the call for the film One Day. Hathaway shared that her worry came with the territory of being an actor, where a lot of things were beyond her control.
Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway in Love & Other Drugs
While Hathaway and Gyllenhaal’s film received mixed reviews from critics, the film was a commercial success. It explored the story of a medicine peddler Jamie who falls for a young woman suffering from an illness that could eventually lead to Parkinson’s disease.
Anne Hathaway Feared For Her Job Security After Movie With Jake Gyllenhaal Anne Hathaway...
Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway in Love & Other Drugs
While Hathaway and Gyllenhaal’s film received mixed reviews from critics, the film was a commercial success. It explored the story of a medicine peddler Jamie who falls for a young woman suffering from an illness that could eventually lead to Parkinson’s disease.
Anne Hathaway Feared For Her Job Security After Movie With Jake Gyllenhaal Anne Hathaway...
- 5/1/2024
- by Hashim Asraff
- FandomWire
Actor Anne Hathaway has experienced a lot of ups and downs in her career. She confided that she once had brief anxiety over not being cast in anymore future films right before she was hired for a dream role.
Anne Hathaway’s panic over her acting career only lasted for two weeks Anne Hathaway | Brendon Thorne/Getty Images
Hathaway starred alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in the 2010 feature Love & Other Drugs. The picture was a rom-com where Hathaway played the outgoing young woman Maggie, who lived with a debilitating condition, falling for a pharmaceutical salesman. Initially, it was a movie that Hathaway wasn’t sure about starring in. According to the movie’s director Edward Zwick, Hathaway didn’t think there was enough meat on her character to sign on.
“It took her a little while to decide whether she wanted to play the part, because she said the character, the...
Anne Hathaway’s panic over her acting career only lasted for two weeks Anne Hathaway | Brendon Thorne/Getty Images
Hathaway starred alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in the 2010 feature Love & Other Drugs. The picture was a rom-com where Hathaway played the outgoing young woman Maggie, who lived with a debilitating condition, falling for a pharmaceutical salesman. Initially, it was a movie that Hathaway wasn’t sure about starring in. According to the movie’s director Edward Zwick, Hathaway didn’t think there was enough meat on her character to sign on.
“It took her a little while to decide whether she wanted to play the part, because she said the character, the...
- 5/1/2024
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Director Ed Zwick has been talking about making the film Blood Diamond in his new memoir – and it marked a sad turning point for Warner Bros.
Director Ed Zwick has recently published his memoir of sorts, going by the name Hits, Flops And Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years In Hollywood. It’s a really entertaining and also quite candid account of a directing career that’s seen him steer films such as Glory, About Last Night, The Last Samurai and – relevant specifically to this story – Blood Diamond.
You might remember that one. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou, it was released in 2006 to reasonable success. Costing around $100m of Warner Bros’ money to make, it grossed $171m worldwide, earning five Academy Award nominations in the process.
Yet as Zwick reveals in his book, the film was not just a turning point in his own career, but that of Warner Bros too.
Director Ed Zwick has recently published his memoir of sorts, going by the name Hits, Flops And Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years In Hollywood. It’s a really entertaining and also quite candid account of a directing career that’s seen him steer films such as Glory, About Last Night, The Last Samurai and – relevant specifically to this story – Blood Diamond.
You might remember that one. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou, it was released in 2006 to reasonable success. Costing around $100m of Warner Bros’ money to make, it grossed $171m worldwide, earning five Academy Award nominations in the process.
Yet as Zwick reveals in his book, the film was not just a turning point in his own career, but that of Warner Bros too.
- 4/2/2024
- by Simon Brew
- Film Stories
We are somehow now into the spring season, and while cinemas have been a tad dull, noteworthy new books have arrived at a frantic pace. Here are some that should be on your radar, and please note that our next column will include, among other treats, a lengthy rundown of recent noteworthy novels.
The Art and Soul of Dune: Part Two by Tanya Lapointe with Stefanie Broos (Insight Editions)
Dune: Part One, the first of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptations of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic, spawned a handful of painstakingly crafted, info-packed hardcover books. The Art and Soul of Dune: Part Two takes the same approach that made these earlier texts so satisfying. Tanya Lapointe was on set every day, and her accounts of the pre-production, production, and post-production processes are captivating. The designs of Geidi Prime are standouts and supplemented with quotes like the following, from production designer Patrice Vermette...
The Art and Soul of Dune: Part Two by Tanya Lapointe with Stefanie Broos (Insight Editions)
Dune: Part One, the first of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptations of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic, spawned a handful of painstakingly crafted, info-packed hardcover books. The Art and Soul of Dune: Part Two takes the same approach that made these earlier texts so satisfying. Tanya Lapointe was on set every day, and her accounts of the pre-production, production, and post-production processes are captivating. The designs of Geidi Prime are standouts and supplemented with quotes like the following, from production designer Patrice Vermette...
- 3/21/2024
- by Christopher Schobert
- The Film Stage
It’s always nice to see the deserved films get recognition on the night of the Oscars, but there have been a more than few instances when things don’t go as fans imagined. While started as the ceremony to celebrate the best films, over the course of 96 years, there have been several notable snubs, including the Academy’s decision to crown Green Book over BlacKkKlansman.
But the most infamous snub in the Academy’s history, which changed the Award landscape for all the years to come, involves Miramax’s Shakespeare in Love, which defeated Saving Private Ryan.
Harvey Weinstein. Credit: The Graham Norton Show/BBC One
Harvey Weinstein’s Obsession to Taste the Oscar Glory
The 71st Academy Awards wasn’t just the regular yearly celebration of the best films of the year but was the climax of a months-long battle between Miramax and DreamWorks. While campaigning for movies...
But the most infamous snub in the Academy’s history, which changed the Award landscape for all the years to come, involves Miramax’s Shakespeare in Love, which defeated Saving Private Ryan.
Harvey Weinstein. Credit: The Graham Norton Show/BBC One
Harvey Weinstein’s Obsession to Taste the Oscar Glory
The 71st Academy Awards wasn’t just the regular yearly celebration of the best films of the year but was the climax of a months-long battle between Miramax and DreamWorks. While campaigning for movies...
- 3/10/2024
- by Santanu Roy
- FandomWire
Filmmaker Edward Zwick, whose credits include About Last Night, Glory, Legends of the Fall, The Siege, The Last Samurai, Blood Diamond, Defiance, Love & Other Drugs, Pawn Sacrifice, and Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (not to mention co-creating Thirtysomething), recently published a memoir called Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood (pick up a copy Here). This book contains some very interesting passages – like the one on Zwick’s Jack Reacher regrets, and another where he reveals how impressed Denzel Washington was by Matt Damon’s performance when they were on the set of Zwick’s 1996 film Courage Under Fire.
Zwick wrote, “As we finished Matt’s coverage, Denzel caught my eye and nodded approvingly. Later, he took me aside. ‘Who is that kid?’ he asked. I told him it was Matt’s first big role. ‘Damn,’ he said. ‘Better get my game on. He almost blew me off the screen.
Zwick wrote, “As we finished Matt’s coverage, Denzel caught my eye and nodded approvingly. Later, he took me aside. ‘Who is that kid?’ he asked. I told him it was Matt’s first big role. ‘Damn,’ he said. ‘Better get my game on. He almost blew me off the screen.
- 3/6/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Sure, Tom Cruise doesn’t look anything like the Jack Reacher character as described in the novels by Lee Child – but the average movie-goer didn’t seem to mind in 2012, when audiences showed up to make the film Jack Reacher, written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie (based on Child’s novel One Shot) a box office success. Made on a budget of $60 million, Jack Reacher earned over $218 million worldwide. It looked like Cruise had a new franchise on his hands. But sometimes bizarre decisions are made in the name of franchise filmmaking. With McQuarrie busy working on a different Cruise franchise (Mission: Impossible), the Jack Reacher sequel was passed over to Cruise’s The Last Samurai director Edward Zwick. A promising start. But then the questionable decisions began, resulting in a sequel – 2016’s Jack Reacher: Never Go Back – that fell short of its predecessor in every way.
Zwick reflects on...
Zwick reflects on...
- 3/5/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Edward Zwick hasn’t released a film since 2018 but he is back in the news for calling out Brad Pitt for “volatile” behavior on the set of 1994’s Legends of the Fall, the movie that helped launch the actor into superstardom. Now, a source close to the production has come forward to try to dispel Zwick’s recollections of the events, even calling the director a publicity hound.
In Zwick’s upcoming book, “Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood”, the director recalled a scenario in which Pitt showed “discomfort” and later the aforementioned “volatile” nature. “Days before shooting, we held a table read. Given the script’s dependence on narration and visuals, it didn’t play very well in the sterile conference room. I could see Brad’s growing discomfort as it went on. Hours afterward, his agent called the studio to say Brad wanted to quit.
In Zwick’s upcoming book, “Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood”, the director recalled a scenario in which Pitt showed “discomfort” and later the aforementioned “volatile” nature. “Days before shooting, we held a table read. Given the script’s dependence on narration and visuals, it didn’t play very well in the sterile conference room. I could see Brad’s growing discomfort as it went on. Hours afterward, his agent called the studio to say Brad wanted to quit.
- 2/25/2024
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Earlier this week, Crowe said he kept shooting Robin Hood despite two broken legs. Now, Stallone has upped the ante with a horrific litany of bodily abuses. Who will share their medical notes next?
One repeated theme in director Edward Zwick’s very good new autobiography Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions is the importance of practical effects. For example, when he made The Siege, Zwick managed to shut down both Times Square and Brooklyn Bridge for a few hours to deliver a palpable sense of verisimilitude. If it had been made today, “it will all be CGI and something ineffable will have been lost,” he says.
Zwick couldn’t have possibly predicted this, but by chance he happened to make his claim in the midst of a glut of actors admitting that they are so dedicated to preserving the ineffable that they managed to bugger up their bodies beyond all...
One repeated theme in director Edward Zwick’s very good new autobiography Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions is the importance of practical effects. For example, when he made The Siege, Zwick managed to shut down both Times Square and Brooklyn Bridge for a few hours to deliver a palpable sense of verisimilitude. If it had been made today, “it will all be CGI and something ineffable will have been lost,” he says.
Zwick couldn’t have possibly predicted this, but by chance he happened to make his claim in the midst of a glut of actors admitting that they are so dedicated to preserving the ineffable that they managed to bugger up their bodies beyond all...
- 2/22/2024
- by Stuart Heritage
- The Guardian - Film News
Tom Cruise introduced the character of Jack Reacher in the film industry, but his portrayal was marred with certain issues that left fans feeling he did not really nail the role. Alan Ritchson, who picked up the character in the Prime Video series, looked the part and absolutely delivered an incredible performance.
Alan Ritchson in Reacher
Still, the original Jack Reacher director does not put the blame on Cruise. He admitted the mistake was on his side and knew the actor was only miscast. However, he expressed interest in making another film if the Mission: Impossible actor wants to reprise the role.
SUGGESTEDAlan Ritchson Was Convinced ‘Reacher’ Would Be Offered to Dwayne Johnson After Franchise Rejected Him the First Time
Jack Reacher Director Blames Himself For The Franchise’s Demise
In his recently published memoir, Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood, director Edward Zwick detailed the...
Alan Ritchson in Reacher
Still, the original Jack Reacher director does not put the blame on Cruise. He admitted the mistake was on his side and knew the actor was only miscast. However, he expressed interest in making another film if the Mission: Impossible actor wants to reprise the role.
SUGGESTEDAlan Ritchson Was Convinced ‘Reacher’ Would Be Offered to Dwayne Johnson After Franchise Rejected Him the First Time
Jack Reacher Director Blames Himself For The Franchise’s Demise
In his recently published memoir, Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood, director Edward Zwick detailed the...
- 2/18/2024
- by Ariane Cruz
- FandomWire
Acclaimed filmmaker Edward Zwick opened up about his experience and journey in Hollywood in his bombshell mémoire Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions. Having a great bond with Tom Cruise, Zwick even mentioned the actor numerous times in his narrative. But his greatest revelation about Cruise came during his appearance on THR podcast.
Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai
Joining The Hollywood Reporter’s It Happened in Hollywood podcast, for the show’s season five premiere, Edward Zwick recalled teaming up with Tom Cruise. Meanwhile, he noted how the actor seemingly does not like being left out in pictures. Therefore, recalling how Cruise used modern technology to fabricate an image, Zwick revealed a hilarious incident.
Edward Zwick Recalled Meeting Three A-list Directors
The Last Samurai director Edward Zwick is currently the hot topic in Hollywood, as he came up with his mémoire Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions, narrating his journey in the entertainment industry.
Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai
Joining The Hollywood Reporter’s It Happened in Hollywood podcast, for the show’s season five premiere, Edward Zwick recalled teaming up with Tom Cruise. Meanwhile, he noted how the actor seemingly does not like being left out in pictures. Therefore, recalling how Cruise used modern technology to fabricate an image, Zwick revealed a hilarious incident.
Edward Zwick Recalled Meeting Three A-list Directors
The Last Samurai director Edward Zwick is currently the hot topic in Hollywood, as he came up with his mémoire Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions, narrating his journey in the entertainment industry.
- 2/18/2024
- by Krittika Mukherjee
- FandomWire
Filmmaker Ed Zwick — whose new memoir Hits, Flops and Other Illusions has just come out — joined The Hollywood Reporter‘s It Happened in Hollywood podcast for the show’s season five premiere.
Zwick has directed some of Hollywood’s biggest stars in films like 1989’s Glory (starring Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman and Matthew Broderick), 1994’s Legends of the Fall (with Brad Pitt) and 2006’s Blood Diamond (with Leonardo DiCaprio).
But it was in teaming up with Tom Cruise that Zwick felt the full force of what it meant to be making a movie with arguably the most powerful movie star on the planet. No expense was spared for the period epic set in Japan — and as Zwick reveals, Cruise was heavily courted by other A-list directors while he made his film.
“We’d been in Japan for a couple of weeks — we shot at a beautiful monastery for about two weeks,...
Zwick has directed some of Hollywood’s biggest stars in films like 1989’s Glory (starring Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman and Matthew Broderick), 1994’s Legends of the Fall (with Brad Pitt) and 2006’s Blood Diamond (with Leonardo DiCaprio).
But it was in teaming up with Tom Cruise that Zwick felt the full force of what it meant to be making a movie with arguably the most powerful movie star on the planet. No expense was spared for the period epic set in Japan — and as Zwick reveals, Cruise was heavily courted by other A-list directors while he made his film.
“We’d been in Japan for a couple of weeks — we shot at a beautiful monastery for about two weeks,...
- 2/15/2024
- by Seth Abramovitch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio’s love life has been a constant topic of conversation not only due to his star status in the film industry but also due to the remarkable age gap with some of his partners. The actor has been linked with some of the most beautiful women, often including Victoria’s Secret models, from Gisele Bundchen, whom he dated on and off for six years, to Gigi Hadid, Bar Refaeli, Helena Christensen, and Eva Herzigova.
Leonardo DiCaprio in a still from The Wolf of Wall Street
And filmmaker Edward Zwick has revealed the potential reason behind this recurring pattern in his memoir. He shared that the Oscar-winning actor was found going through the pages of Victoria’s Secret catalog on the set of the 2006 film Blood Diamond.
Edward Zwick Revealed Leonardo DiCaprio’s Dating Methods
Edward Zwick and Leonardo DiCaprio collaborated on the 2006 film Blood Diamond. Starring DiCaprio...
Leonardo DiCaprio in a still from The Wolf of Wall Street
And filmmaker Edward Zwick has revealed the potential reason behind this recurring pattern in his memoir. He shared that the Oscar-winning actor was found going through the pages of Victoria’s Secret catalog on the set of the 2006 film Blood Diamond.
Edward Zwick Revealed Leonardo DiCaprio’s Dating Methods
Edward Zwick and Leonardo DiCaprio collaborated on the 2006 film Blood Diamond. Starring DiCaprio...
- 2/14/2024
- by Laxmi Rajput
- FandomWire
Filmmaker Ed Zwick mentioned in his memoir about how he helped Hollywood star Tom Cruise nail an emotional scene in ‘The Last Samurai’ by speaking about family.
Cruise tapped into his emotions on ‘The Last Samurai’ by thinking about his son Connor.
In Zwick’s memoir ‘Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years’, the director recalled his observations about Cruise’s soft spots while filming the 2003 period drama.
He said he noticed Cruise was “sweet and attentive” to a young actor in an earlier scene and that he was close to his then 8-year-old son Connor, whom he shares with ex-wife Nicole Kidman, people.com.
Aiming to evoke more natural emotion from Cruise for a scene, Zwick pulled the actor aside and asked him to talk about Connor.
“‘Tell me about your son,’ I said. He looked at me, surprised. I knew Connor had just returned to L.A.
Cruise tapped into his emotions on ‘The Last Samurai’ by thinking about his son Connor.
In Zwick’s memoir ‘Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years’, the director recalled his observations about Cruise’s soft spots while filming the 2003 period drama.
He said he noticed Cruise was “sweet and attentive” to a young actor in an earlier scene and that he was close to his then 8-year-old son Connor, whom he shares with ex-wife Nicole Kidman, people.com.
Aiming to evoke more natural emotion from Cruise for a scene, Zwick pulled the actor aside and asked him to talk about Connor.
“‘Tell me about your son,’ I said. He looked at me, surprised. I knew Connor had just returned to L.A.
- 2/14/2024
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
To paraphrase all those singing nuns, how do you solve a problem like Jack Reacher? If you're Christopher McQuarrie, you hire your movie star pal, Tom Cruise (despite the actor's notable height difference from the character as depicted in author Lee Child's novels — more on that later), and make a fabulous, still-underseen '70s-style political thriller/neo-noir film. If you're showrunner Nick Santora, you develop a TV series for Prime Video, hire the biggest Mack truck-looking dude you can, and make "a sharp, self-aware action caper," as /Film's own Valerie Ettenhoffer described it.
However, if you're Edward Zwick, you team up with your old "The Last Samurai" cohort Cruise and attempt to follow up McQuarrie's film with something a little bit different, seeing if there may be more to Reacher beneath his brooding brutality. Sadly, this approach failed to connect with audiences when Zwick's film, "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,...
However, if you're Edward Zwick, you team up with your old "The Last Samurai" cohort Cruise and attempt to follow up McQuarrie's film with something a little bit different, seeing if there may be more to Reacher beneath his brooding brutality. Sadly, this approach failed to connect with audiences when Zwick's film, "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back,...
- 2/13/2024
- by Bill Bria
- Slash Film
About 20 notebooks are socked away in producer-director-writer Edward Zwick’s office in no particular order, full of odd magazine clippings and notes. During the pandemic he rooted through them and rewatched his work, looking for the nuggets and details that would become his memoir “Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood.”
He chronicles a television career with longtime Bedford Falls partner Marshall Herskovitz — together they created “Thirtysomething,” “Once and Again,” and “My So-Called Life” — but much of the book tracks Zwick in the movie business, from Demi Moore and Rob Lowe in “About Last Night” in 1986, “Legends of the Fall” with Brad Pitt in 1994, “The Last Samurai” with Tom Cruise in 2003, “Blood DIamond” with Leonardo DiCaprio in 2006, and his last outing with Cruise, “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” in 2016.
Zwick and I have talked many times over the years; we reconvened over Zoom to parse his book,...
He chronicles a television career with longtime Bedford Falls partner Marshall Herskovitz — together they created “Thirtysomething,” “Once and Again,” and “My So-Called Life” — but much of the book tracks Zwick in the movie business, from Demi Moore and Rob Lowe in “About Last Night” in 1986, “Legends of the Fall” with Brad Pitt in 1994, “The Last Samurai” with Tom Cruise in 2003, “Blood DIamond” with Leonardo DiCaprio in 2006, and his last outing with Cruise, “Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” in 2016.
Zwick and I have talked many times over the years; we reconvened over Zoom to parse his book,...
- 2/9/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The closest comp to Ed Zwick’s new memoir Hits, Flops And Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood is William Goldman’s Adventures in the Screen Trade, where he posited a definitive piece of advice on the elusive formula for hit making: “Nobody knows anything.” Although he didn’t create the “if you want to send a message, try Western Union” line that has many authors, Zwick spent a career trying to defy that adage, in directing, writing and producing a long list of great and meaningful films and TV series topped by the Oscar winning Shakespeare in Love and Traffic, to Glory, Blood Diamond, About Last Night, Defiance, The Last Samurai, The Siege, thirtysomething, My So Called Life and many others.
Comparing his book to Goldman sets a high bar. Like the scripter of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid did, Zwick might fawn over great actors like Denzel Washington,...
Comparing his book to Goldman sets a high bar. Like the scripter of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid did, Zwick might fawn over great actors like Denzel Washington,...
- 2/7/2024
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Director Edward Zwick has reflected on directing Brad Pitt, 60, in ‘Legends of the Fall’. In his upcoming memoir, ‘Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Forty something Years in Hollywood’, the ‘Blood Diamond’ director wrote that the 1994 film was “in limbo” after Tom Cruise, who was in talks to play Tristan Ludlow, dropped out due to issues with the character’s “ethics”.
In an excerpt from his upcoming memoir, the director wrote, “I never gave up hope on getting Legends made, however, and was always looking for the right actor to play Tristan”, reports ‘People’ magazine.
The excerpt has been published by ‘Vanity Fair’. After meeting with Brad Pitt, Zwick observed that he “had a genuine passion for the script and a strong attraction to the character.”
“Growing up in rural Missouri, he had known men like Tristan, he said. When he left the meeting, I felt I had found the right actor.
In an excerpt from his upcoming memoir, the director wrote, “I never gave up hope on getting Legends made, however, and was always looking for the right actor to play Tristan”, reports ‘People’ magazine.
The excerpt has been published by ‘Vanity Fair’. After meeting with Brad Pitt, Zwick observed that he “had a genuine passion for the script and a strong attraction to the character.”
“Growing up in rural Missouri, he had known men like Tristan, he said. When he left the meeting, I felt I had found the right actor.
- 2/7/2024
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
An excerpt from director Ed Zwick’s new memoir “Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood” (published by Vanity Fair) reveals the tensions that existed on the set of his 1994 Western epic “Legends of the Fall.” Zwick writes that he had a rocky relationship with leading man Brad Pitt, who was cast in the role of Tristan Ludlow after Tom Cruise dropped out. Pitt’s agent allegedly called Zwick after the first table read “to say Brad wanted to quit.”
“It fell to [producer] Marshall [Herskovitz] to talk Brad off the ledge,” Zwick writes. “It was the first augury of the deeper springs of emotion roiling inside Brad. He seems easygoing at first, but he can be volatile when riled, as I was to be reminded more than once as shooting began and we took each other’s measure.”
“Sometimes, no matter how experienced or sensitive you are as a director,...
“It fell to [producer] Marshall [Herskovitz] to talk Brad off the ledge,” Zwick writes. “It was the first augury of the deeper springs of emotion roiling inside Brad. He seems easygoing at first, but he can be volatile when riled, as I was to be reminded more than once as shooting began and we took each other’s measure.”
“Sometimes, no matter how experienced or sensitive you are as a director,...
- 2/6/2024
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
[Editor’s Note: Stay tuned later this week for IndieWire’s one-on-one interview with Anne Thompson and Ed Zwick about the stories he shares in “Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions.”]
Brad Pitt almost walked away from his 1994 leading role in “Legends of the Fall,” according to director Ed Zwick.
In an excerpt from Zwick’s “Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood” (via Vanity Fair), the filmmaker recalled getting into arguments with Pitt on set, with the Oscar winner at one point needing to be talked “off the ledge” of leaving the project.
Per Zwick, Tom Cruise was initially in talks to lead the film as character Tristan. However, the actor dropped out over personal qualms with the character’s motivations. Pitt was instead cast. Yet following a table read just days before shooting, Pitt’s agent said the actor wanted to quit.
“I could see Brad’s growing discomfort as it went on,” Zwick wrote...
Brad Pitt almost walked away from his 1994 leading role in “Legends of the Fall,” according to director Ed Zwick.
In an excerpt from Zwick’s “Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood” (via Vanity Fair), the filmmaker recalled getting into arguments with Pitt on set, with the Oscar winner at one point needing to be talked “off the ledge” of leaving the project.
Per Zwick, Tom Cruise was initially in talks to lead the film as character Tristan. However, the actor dropped out over personal qualms with the character’s motivations. Pitt was instead cast. Yet following a table read just days before shooting, Pitt’s agent said the actor wanted to quit.
“I could see Brad’s growing discomfort as it went on,” Zwick wrote...
- 2/6/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio has reportedly passed time looking “through a Victoria’s Secret catalogue” on the set of one of his blockbusters. Details of actor’s penchant for dating models around half his age was revealed by filmmaker Edward Zwick, 71, who shared the anecdote while writing about directing the Oscar-winner on 2006’s ‘Blood Diamond’ alongside 53-year-old Jennifer Connelly, reports aceshowbiz.com.
Zwick said in his new book ‘Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood’: “It seems Leo was currently between gorgeous girlfriends. One morning I walked into the makeup trailer as I often did to discuss the day’s work with him.”
“I found him in the chair waiting for his turn and noticed he was paging through a Victoria’s Secret catalogue. ‘What are you doing?’ I asked. Connelly was in the chair beside him. Without even looking over, she said, ‘Shopping.’ “
Zwick added there...
Zwick said in his new book ‘Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood’: “It seems Leo was currently between gorgeous girlfriends. One morning I walked into the makeup trailer as I often did to discuss the day’s work with him.”
“I found him in the chair waiting for his turn and noticed he was paging through a Victoria’s Secret catalogue. ‘What are you doing?’ I asked. Connelly was in the chair beside him. Without even looking over, she said, ‘Shopping.’ “
Zwick added there...
- 2/5/2024
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
As My So-Called Life nears its 30th anniversary, Executive Producer Ed Zwick took a walk down memory lane Saturday to remind folks about working on the before-its-time drama that starred Claire Danes.
In a long X thread, Zwick shared an “origin story” about how he was first drawn to the work of Winnie Holzman before he would end up co-EPing her script with longtime producing partner Marshall Herskovitz. Zwick chronicles his work on My So-Called Life, as well as thirtysomething, The Last Samurai and Glory in his upcoming book “Hits, Flops and Other Illusions,” out in February.
“Kristy McNichol played ‘Buddy,’ an adolescent girl on ABC-tv’s Family,” Zwick began. “I’d write surly teenage dialogue and get network notes on my scripts with the initials N.O.B. meaning “not our Buddy.” I vowed someday I’d get to portray real adolescence.”
“Marshall wrote a provocative pilot for Showtime called “Secret Seventeen” about unruly,...
In a long X thread, Zwick shared an “origin story” about how he was first drawn to the work of Winnie Holzman before he would end up co-EPing her script with longtime producing partner Marshall Herskovitz. Zwick chronicles his work on My So-Called Life, as well as thirtysomething, The Last Samurai and Glory in his upcoming book “Hits, Flops and Other Illusions,” out in February.
“Kristy McNichol played ‘Buddy,’ an adolescent girl on ABC-tv’s Family,” Zwick began. “I’d write surly teenage dialogue and get network notes on my scripts with the initials N.O.B. meaning “not our Buddy.” I vowed someday I’d get to portray real adolescence.”
“Marshall wrote a provocative pilot for Showtime called “Secret Seventeen” about unruly,...
- 12/23/2023
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
A River Runs Through It (screenshot), Fight Club (20th Century Fox), The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (Paramount Pictures)Graphic: The A.V. Club
The remarkable thing about Brad Pitt, who turns 60 on December 18, isn’t the 85 and counting IMDb acting credits under his belt, although that’s a pretty impressive number.
The remarkable thing about Brad Pitt, who turns 60 on December 18, isn’t the 85 and counting IMDb acting credits under his belt, although that’s a pretty impressive number.
- 12/18/2023
- by Jack Smart, Don Lewis, Ian Spelling, Courtney Howard, Brent Simon, Brandon Kirby, Brett Buckalew, Mark Keizer, Murtada Elfadl, and Luke Y. Thompson
- avclub.com
The American Society of Cinematographers has announced the honorees for its 38th Annual Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography Gala on March 3, 2024. They are: Don Burgess, ASC; Steven Fierberg, ASC and Amy Vincent, ASC.
Burgess, Robert Zemeckis’ longtime collaborator, will be recognized with the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. While his latest work is Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, directed by James Wan, Burgess is best known for shooting Zemeckis’ Oscar-winning Forrest Gump, for which he earned ASC Award and Oscar nominations. The duo have also collaborated on such films as last year’s live-action Pinocchio, Flight, Contact, Cast Away, What Lies Beneath, The Polar Express and the upcoming Here.
Burgess’ other credits include Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, the first Aquaman, Brian Helgeland’s 42, Allen and Albert Hughes’ The Book of Eli, Gary Winick’s 13 Going on 30, Jonathan Mostow’s Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Billy Crystal’s Forget Paris.
Burgess, Robert Zemeckis’ longtime collaborator, will be recognized with the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award. While his latest work is Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, directed by James Wan, Burgess is best known for shooting Zemeckis’ Oscar-winning Forrest Gump, for which he earned ASC Award and Oscar nominations. The duo have also collaborated on such films as last year’s live-action Pinocchio, Flight, Contact, Cast Away, What Lies Beneath, The Polar Express and the upcoming Here.
Burgess’ other credits include Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, the first Aquaman, Brian Helgeland’s 42, Allen and Albert Hughes’ The Book of Eli, Gary Winick’s 13 Going on 30, Jonathan Mostow’s Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Billy Crystal’s Forget Paris.
- 11/28/2023
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
A Live Nation Entertainment shareholder has sued the company as well as the individual members of its board of directors over clams that the ticket and concert promotion giant intentionally misled them and failed to disclose anticompetitive practices.
Mark Zwick, who claimed to be a current investor in Live Nation, filed a suit in federal court in California on Friday, bringing forward similar allegations as were included in a separate class action lawsuit filed in federal court three months ago.
The new suit referenced the previous class action as well...
Mark Zwick, who claimed to be a current investor in Live Nation, filed a suit in federal court in California on Friday, bringing forward similar allegations as were included in a separate class action lawsuit filed in federal court three months ago.
The new suit referenced the previous class action as well...
- 11/10/2023
- by Ethan Millman
- Rollingstone.com
About a week before the finale, the Washington Post ran its own plea to keep the show on the air, with the headline, “A TV Show Worth Saving.” Writer Judy Mann shared her love of the show, which she said offered just as much to her as to her teen daughter. “It’s important that Angela make mistakes, that she’s allowed not to be a nice person,” [series creator Winnie] Holzman, who spoke to Mann for the piece, said. “I believe in the kind of storytelling where people aren’t always flawless,...
- 6/27/2023
- by Thea Glassman
- Rollingstone.com
In 2023, anti-drag laws are being debated in at least 14 states, including Tennessee, the first to officially ban “adult cabaret performances” — which includes male or female impersonations — in public spaces or in the presence of children. But in 1980, drag formed the centerpiece of a new ABC sitcom.
Bosom Buddies is notable for being the first big break for Tom Hanks, then 24, and paired him with relative newcomer Peter Scolari, then 25. They played Kip Wilson and Henry Desmond, respectively — two pals who assume female alter-egos named Buffy and Hildegard in order to live in an affordable women’s hotel in New York City. The show was conceived almost by accident by Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett, the duo behind a raft of 1970s hit sitcoms including Happy Days, Mork & Mindy and Laverne & Shirley.
Buddies was pitched to ABC as a male version of the latter, reminiscent of “a sophisticated Billy Wilder comedy.
Bosom Buddies is notable for being the first big break for Tom Hanks, then 24, and paired him with relative newcomer Peter Scolari, then 25. They played Kip Wilson and Henry Desmond, respectively — two pals who assume female alter-egos named Buffy and Hildegard in order to live in an affordable women’s hotel in New York City. The show was conceived almost by accident by Thomas L. Miller and Robert L. Boyett, the duo behind a raft of 1970s hit sitcoms including Happy Days, Mork & Mindy and Laverne & Shirley.
Buddies was pitched to ABC as a male version of the latter, reminiscent of “a sophisticated Billy Wilder comedy.
- 3/18/2023
- by Seth Abramovitch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
After a notably aggressive Oscars campaign by Miramax, John Madden’s romantic period comedy-drama Shakespeare in Love cleaned up at the 1999 Academy Awards, winning seven awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress for its lead Gwyneth Paltrow, who sobbed her way through an instantly-iconic acceptance speech in a bespoke pink Ralph Lauren dress.
But Paltrow was only cast in the role of Shakespeare’s fictional lover Viola de Lesseps after Julia Roberts exited the movie stage left, halting production for many years, and producer Ed Zwick has been revealing how that all went down in a new essay for Air Mail.
According to Zwick, it was Roberts’ attachment to the project that originally secured funding for Shakespeare in Love. “The mere possibility of having the Pretty Woman wearing a corseted gown got the studio excited enough to cough up the dough,” he wrote.
Unfortunately, things soon went pear-shaped after Roberts...
But Paltrow was only cast in the role of Shakespeare’s fictional lover Viola de Lesseps after Julia Roberts exited the movie stage left, halting production for many years, and producer Ed Zwick has been revealing how that all went down in a new essay for Air Mail.
According to Zwick, it was Roberts’ attachment to the project that originally secured funding for Shakespeare in Love. “The mere possibility of having the Pretty Woman wearing a corseted gown got the studio excited enough to cough up the dough,” he wrote.
Unfortunately, things soon went pear-shaped after Roberts...
- 3/8/2023
- by Kirsten Howard
- Den of Geek
Julia Roberts may be America’s sweetheart, but that allegedly wasn’t so in Britain on the making of “Shakespeare in Love.”
“Shakespeare in Love” producer Edward Zwick penned an essay for Air Mail revisiting Roberts’ demands during the casting process for the Oscar-winning film. Roberts was up for the lead role of Viola de Lesseps, which eventually went to Gwyneth Paltrow who won Best Actress for her performance. However, Roberts’ unique approach to chemistry reads in part cost Universal upwards of $6 million at the time, Zwick claimed, before Miramax took over the film.
“The mere possibility of having the ‘Pretty Woman’ wearing a corseted gown got the studio excited enough to cough up the dough,” Zwick wrote, adding that Roberts was determined to star opposite Daniel Day-Lewis despite Day-Lewis already being committed to “In the Name of the Father” at the time.
“He’s brilliant — he’s handsome and intense.
“Shakespeare in Love” producer Edward Zwick penned an essay for Air Mail revisiting Roberts’ demands during the casting process for the Oscar-winning film. Roberts was up for the lead role of Viola de Lesseps, which eventually went to Gwyneth Paltrow who won Best Actress for her performance. However, Roberts’ unique approach to chemistry reads in part cost Universal upwards of $6 million at the time, Zwick claimed, before Miramax took over the film.
“The mere possibility of having the ‘Pretty Woman’ wearing a corseted gown got the studio excited enough to cough up the dough,” Zwick wrote, adding that Roberts was determined to star opposite Daniel Day-Lewis despite Day-Lewis already being committed to “In the Name of the Father” at the time.
“He’s brilliant — he’s handsome and intense.
- 3/7/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Gwyneth Paltrow won the Oscar for best actress thanks to her role in “Shakespeare in Love,” but it was Julia Roberts who was originally courted for the role of Viola de Lesseps. Producer Edward Zwick recently published a first-person essay for Air Mail about the the making of “Shakespeare in Love.” The director behind “Glory” and “Legends of the Fall” championed the film from the beginning, coordinating with Marc Norman on the original script and getting famed playwright Tom Stoppard to come onboard to do a re-write. Zwick also bore witness to Julia Roberts joining and abandoning the project in spectacular fashion.
According to Zwick, Universal Pictures only agreed to put down money for the film when Julia Roberts expressed interest in starring in the lead role. As Zwick wrote, “The mere possibility of having the ‘Pretty Woman’ wearing a corseted gown got the studio excited enough to cough up the dough.
According to Zwick, Universal Pictures only agreed to put down money for the film when Julia Roberts expressed interest in starring in the lead role. As Zwick wrote, “The mere possibility of having the ‘Pretty Woman’ wearing a corseted gown got the studio excited enough to cough up the dough.
- 3/6/2023
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Warner Bros. has acquired the Stephen King bestseller Billy Summers.
While in development, the feature project will be produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way. If this comes out great, it could be a project for Abrams to direct with DiCaprio playing the title character.
Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz are writing the screenplay.
This was originally packaged as a ten-episode limited series, shopped around to cable networks and streamers, as we first told you last February, but the decision was made that Billy Summers would work better as a feature.
Billy Summers is a hitman who is looking to retire and takes one last highly lucrative job to feather his nest. The job requires him to embed himself in a quiet town, where he pretends to be an aspiring writer (he actually pours himself into the prose). He sets up in an...
While in development, the feature project will be produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot and Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way. If this comes out great, it could be a project for Abrams to direct with DiCaprio playing the title character.
Ed Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz are writing the screenplay.
This was originally packaged as a ten-episode limited series, shopped around to cable networks and streamers, as we first told you last February, but the decision was made that Billy Summers would work better as a feature.
Billy Summers is a hitman who is looking to retire and takes one last highly lucrative job to feather his nest. The job requires him to embed himself in a quiet town, where he pretends to be an aspiring writer (he actually pours himself into the prose). He sets up in an...
- 2/3/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro and Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
(Welcome to Best Actor Ever, an ongoing series where we explore the careers and performances of the greatest performers to ever grace the screen.)
If the young Denzel Washington had his way, the now 68-year-old Mount Vernon native would have a bust in Canton's Pro Football Hall of Fame. The man who would be Malcolm X, Rubin Carter, and Alonzo Harris initially had his sights trained on the gridiron before he enrolled at Fordham University in 1977, where he was a skilled enough athlete to play under Coach P.J. Carlesimo for the school's junior varsity team. "He would run us all day, and make us work," Washington told the New York Times in 1998. "But you know what? We were always prepared for the fourth quarter, and we hardly ever lost. Some of the things I learned from him, I still apply myself."
Washington knew by this point that a pro sports...
If the young Denzel Washington had his way, the now 68-year-old Mount Vernon native would have a bust in Canton's Pro Football Hall of Fame. The man who would be Malcolm X, Rubin Carter, and Alonzo Harris initially had his sights trained on the gridiron before he enrolled at Fordham University in 1977, where he was a skilled enough athlete to play under Coach P.J. Carlesimo for the school's junior varsity team. "He would run us all day, and make us work," Washington told the New York Times in 1998. "But you know what? We were always prepared for the fourth quarter, and we hardly ever lost. Some of the things I learned from him, I still apply myself."
Washington knew by this point that a pro sports...
- 1/27/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Click here to read the full article.
Lenny Von Dohlen, star of Twin Peaks and Electric Dreams, has died. He was 64.
He died Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles after a long illness, according to his longtime manager Steven J. Wolfe.
Von Dohlen made his film debut in Bruce Beresford’s Tender Mercies, a performance that landed him the leading role in MGM/UA’s Electric Dreams.
He also scored leading roles for Under the Biltmore Clock, Blind Vision, Jennifer 8, Ed Zwick’s Leaving Normal, David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me and the title role in Billy Galvin, where Von Dohlen starred opposite Karl Malden.
Born in Augusta, Georgia and raised in Goliad, Texas, Von Dohlen grew too tall to realize a childhood dream of becoming a jockey.
So after majoring in drama at the University of Texas, he turned to theater. In New York, he created roles in Asian Shade,...
Lenny Von Dohlen, star of Twin Peaks and Electric Dreams, has died. He was 64.
He died Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles after a long illness, according to his longtime manager Steven J. Wolfe.
Von Dohlen made his film debut in Bruce Beresford’s Tender Mercies, a performance that landed him the leading role in MGM/UA’s Electric Dreams.
He also scored leading roles for Under the Biltmore Clock, Blind Vision, Jennifer 8, Ed Zwick’s Leaving Normal, David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me and the title role in Billy Galvin, where Von Dohlen starred opposite Karl Malden.
Born in Augusta, Georgia and raised in Goliad, Texas, Von Dohlen grew too tall to realize a childhood dream of becoming a jockey.
So after majoring in drama at the University of Texas, he turned to theater. In New York, he created roles in Asian Shade,...
- 7/8/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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