Lauren Bacall, Star of Hollywood’s Golden Age, Dead at 89

Lauren Bacall, whose seven-decade career made her one of the greatest stars in Hollywood history, died this evening in her New York home a month shy of her 90th birthday.

Born Betty Joan Perske on September 16 (a birthday we both shared) 1924, she set out to become a dancer before turning her sights to acting and attending the American Academy of the Dramatic Arts after her graduation from high school. While appearing in the occasional off-Broadway production she began modeling and, at age 19, caught the eye of film director Howard Hawks’ wife, who saw her on the cover of a magazine and suggested she be given a screen test. So impressive was her test that she was cast opposite Humphrey Bogart in the film “To Have and Have Not.” It was in this film that she introduced one of the most quoted lines in film history when she said “You know how to whistle, don’t you? You just put your lips together and…blow.” Despite their 25 year age difference, the two fell in love and were married a year later. The marriage would last until Bogart’s death in 1957.

She continued to co-star with Bogart in such classic films as “The Big Sleep,” “Dark Passage” and “Key Largo.” In 1953 she tried her hand at comedy, co-starring with Marilyn Monroe and Betty Grable in “How to Marry a Millionaire.” She spent the next decade or so alternating between film and television before heading to Broadway, appearing in the musical “Applause,” for which she won the Tony Award as Best Actress.

In 1973 she reprised her role in the television production of “Applause” and then returned to the big screen as part of the all-star cast of “Murder on the Orient Express.” She also starred opposite John Wayne in his last film, 1976’s “The Shootist.” In 1980 she appeared in the Robert Altman film “HealtH.” This movie was filmed in St. Petersburg Beach, Florida and I can remember some friends and I trying to sneak our way into the Don Cesar Hotel, where the film was shot, in the hopes of meeting Ms. Bacall, who my friend Scott Gilbert had a major school boy crush on. We were not successful.

She continued to work at her leisure, appearing in such films as “The Fan,” “Misery,” “Pret-a-Porter” and “The Mirror Has Two Faces,” for which she received her first and only Academy Award nomination, as Best Supporting Actress. Though she did receive the Golden Globe for her performance, the Oscar went instead to Juliette Binoche. . As the 21st Century loomed she began contributing her voice to various animated projects, including “Madeline: Lost in Paris,” “Howl’s Moving Castle” and was actually heard earlier this year in an episode of “Family Guy.”

In 2010 she received an honorary Academy Award in recognition of her central place in the Golden Age of motion pictures.

Val Lauren talks about working with James Franco on “Sal”

Val Lauren has done very well for himself, carving out an impressive career while staying just below the radar. That is all going to change thanks to his bravura performance as Sal Mineo in director James Franco’s bio film, “SAL.”
A longtime member of Playhouse West, Lauren is a frequent collaborator with his friend, Scott Caan, on various film and stage projects. He made his film writing and directing debut with the well received short film, “Help,” which I recommend you give a look at http://www.openfilm.com/videos/help

While getting ready for the release of “Sal,” which opened last week, Lauren took time out to speak with Media Mikes about Sal Mineo, changes in Hollywood and why James Franco has his cell number.

Mike Smith: How did you get involved with “Sal?”
Val Lauren: James Franco offered me the role out of the blue. I got a text from him saying that he would like me to play Sal Mineo. I had no idea the offer was coming so it really took me by surprise. That’s simply how it all started. I stared at my phone for a while and then I texted back “cool.” And the next thing you know we had jumped in feet first.

MS: Nice. The first thing I would have wondered is how James Franco got my cell number.
VL: (laughs) James and I are friends. We’ve had a collaboration as actors for many years now. We’re both part of the same theater company, Playhouse West, an acting school and repertory theater company in Los Angeles. That’s where we first met over a decade ago. We’ve collaborated together on characters we’ve played in our individual movies as well as on scenes in plays for the theater. It’s an ongoing joke that we’re regarded as the James Dean and Sal Mineo of the theater company. In fact, when James did the movie “James Dean” I worked with him for a couple of months helping to research the part and that’s where we both learned a lot about Sal Mineo. We considered writing a play about James Dean and Sal Mineo so that topic has always been there. After James read Michael Gregg Michaud’s biography about Sal he decided he wanted to tell a story about Sal Mineo and that’s what we did.

MS: In researching the part where you able to speak with any members of Sal Mineo’s family or his last partner, Courtney Burr?
VL: I was. I spent a wonderful afternoon with Courtney Burr. Michael Gregg Michaud is a friend of Courtney’s and one day he asked me if I wanted to meet him. Of course I said yes. So we went over to Courtney’s home and spent the day together. Courtney told me some great stories about Sal and about their experiences together. He had a chair…a beautiful chair…in his house that Sal had given him as a gift. He let me sit in it, which I was very nervous to do. I didn’t want to knock it over or break it. He told me about their time together. We really just talked a lot about Sal. I can really see why Sal loved him. I can also see why Courtney loved Sal. He was great in helping to inform and reinforce me about the man that I had been given the responsibility to represent.

MS: Though he didn’t flaunt his sexuality, Sal Mineo never shied away from the fact that he was gay, even in an industry that, almost four decades after his death, people do their best to stay closeted. Do you think that affected his later career choices? I mean, his last movie was “Escape from the Planet of the Apes.”
VL: It absolutely demolished him. Technically he was the first known actor to come out. He didn’t make a big thing out of it but he did not make any efforts to really hide it. He would do interviews with gay publications, which at the time were relatively unheard of. He would not stay undercover. This absolutely destroyed him in the business. Friends of his that were actors and actresses and directors were afraid to even hang out with him because they would not want to be guilty by association. And I found that just appalling that it happened. I’m very happy that, almost forty years after his death, we don’t have to hide ourselves. Not only in Hollywood but in life. People have finally started to wise up and say, “what’s the big deal here?” There has been a lot of growth since then. Although there are always pockets of people that are slow to catch on I think we’re on our way to sanity.

MS: As a writer/director yourself can you give us a critique of James Franco as a director?
VL: (laughs) I think he has a very interesting and specific lens through which he views things. I think he has a very unique perspective on how he likes to tell stories. I think he’s brave to venture out and try new things at a time when we often see the same kind of movies told in the same kind of format. He has very specific ideas on what he wants to explore, which is an attribute I find in the greatest directors that I admire. I applaud him for exploring areas that, frankly, other people are too afraid to touch.

MS: There had been some talk about you making your short film, “Help,” into a feature film. Is that still the plan?
VL: I believe that the story in that short film was told in full. We may make it as a feature and we may not. I’m still not sure. I’m really proud of the film as it is and I think that I’d like to make other movies now and tell other stories and let “Help” be what it is. Yes, it’s a short film. It is 40 minutes long. But I believe that the story I wanted to tell has been told.

MS: What else are you working on?
VL: Right now I’m directing a play that just opened called “One Hundred Days of Yesterday” that was written by Scott Caan. We’ve done about a dozen plays together….ones he wrote…ones I directed…ones we starred in. This is one that he wrote that I’m directing with two great actors. My next movie coming out is called “The Last Knight” and it’s based on this great Japanese tale of the 47 Ronin, who were a group of warriors that set out on a mission to avenge their master.

MS: I’ve got to end this by saying I thought your performance in “Sal” was brilliant. I’m making sure I use that word in my review as well. I think it’s so hard to play a real-life person that is so well known because people go into the film with a preconceived notion of how that person is. I think you captured Sal Mineo perfectly.
VL: You just made my day, man! Thank you so much. That really means a lot to me.

Lauren Graham and Ray Romano talk about working together on NBC’s “Parenthood”

Lauren Graham and Ray Romano are starring in NBC’s “Parenthood”. Lauren has been playing the role of Sarah with the show for going on its fourth season. Ray has recently joined the chat this season playing the role of Hank. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Lauren and Ray about working together on the show and their chemistry between the characters. “Parenthood” airs Tuesdays at 10:00 pm on NBC.

Mike Gencarelli: What drew you to “Parenthood” and what can we expect to see you do on the show?
Ray Romano: Well I was a fan of the show. I watched the show since the beginning and I was on my show while it was on. I just like the tone of it and there’s nothing quite being done like that on television. knew Jason Katims, he created the TV show. I knew him and we had been in touch. He was a fan of my show. I was a fan of his show. Then unfortunately my show no longer existed. And in between trying to find out what to do next I had been speaking to Jason and I believe I put it out there first. Kind of jokingly I said, “Hey, if you ever find something for me I work cheap.” And he took me up on it and cheap it is but I’m still happy to do it. And what am I going to do on it? I mean, if you’ve been watching up to now you kind of get who the guy is. We’re going to see a little more of him and I guess find out a little more about him.

MG: Is there something about him that kind of drew you to do this character and do you relate to him in some way?
RR: I like the character. I do like the character because first of all I like how he’s introduced and I like how they’re writing him. We don’t really kind of find out about this guy. As it goes along we find out a little more and more and he’s a flawed person. He’s a troubled guy and yet I guess we’re finding out the good in him. Lauren’s bringing that out – Sarah I guess is finding that out. But I like it because I also haven’t really played that much. In Men of a Certain Age, I wasn’t Ray Barone but it was kind of close to the vest I guess. And this is somebody a little different, so yes I do enjoy playing him that’s for sure.

MG: With the kiss between Hank and Sarah, how awkward was it for the two of you to play that romantic awkwardness?
RR: Take it away. Take it away Lauren.
Lauren Graham: I don’t think it wasn’t awkward. Look, that stuff can always be awkward but what I like about it is these loaded moments that are confusing I think are the most interesting of life. It’s like I think there’s all these mixed feelings and I don’t know, hopefully we capture just kind of two people trying to connect. And people more often than not kind of did sound perfect and so I don’t know. I like that.
RR: Well I like doing it because first of all, awkward I can play very – that’s in my wheelhouse. It’s very easy for me to be awkward especially around women. But with this guy that’s why I like this because it had to be awkward but filtered through Hank, which was totally different than anything I’ve done, with Ray Barone or even Men of a Certain Age or anything. It was awkward without – there was like a little bit of refusing to accept that it was awkward kind of. So I felt that that scene was really unique and felt good when we did it.

MG: Since you’ve had so much success in your career, how do you relate to Hank’s bitterness about where he’s at right now?
RR: Success is only in the eye of the beholder. First and foremost I’m a comedian so I’m never really happy with myself for what I’ve done. You’re always looking for something, for the next thing and you never think you really got it. So it’s kind of a dichotomy. You’re successful but you don’t accept and you don’t really believe it. I don’t know if I connect to the bitterness but I do connect to the feeling of wanting, you know, there’s an artistic need for something, to accomplish something more and falling short of that. Believe it or not I do kind of connect to that so, it’s easy to kind of tap into that. I mean, it’s not all about money. My wife has all the money.

MG: Lauren, since Sarah had the kiss with Hank is that going to change things with Mark?
LG: Hopefully it’s sort of neither one nor the other. I think it made her resolve a little stronger to try to keep her life on the track that she’d planned and hoped for and finally looked like, she’s about to achieve. By the way we still don’t really know what is going to happen, nor does the creator of the show if we, believe what he said. I mean, one of the funny things about this show is he kind of adjusts as things go along, and kind of picks up on the threads that are interesting to him more than maybe they do on most shows that are – which is not to say it’s not planned. So the line I’m trying to play is confusion. And I think it’s justifiably confusing what’s happening. But yes in that moment I think she was like, “This felt like a sort of step outside the lines. Let me bring myself back.” But I don’t know that it’s going to work.

MG: Ray, Hank was obviously overwhelmed when he met the Bravermans. What was it like for you jumping into this show with this enormous ensemble?
RR: Well I got to tell you, I guess I’m kind of in the business and I’ve done this and I’ve seen all the bells and whistles and I know what goes on. And yet I – like I said I was a fan of the show. And I still on the first day it was just with you Lauren but the third day was when I had a scene with the whole cast and it was a weird feeling. It was a feeling of because first of all I was just like a viewer. I was like, “Wait a minute.” You really get wrapped up in that this is the Braverman family. I’m like, “Well wait a minute. I know it’s not. I know that guy and him. I’ve worked with him and whatever.” But yes I was a little bit – I don’t know if star struck is the word but it was a little surreal that I’m in this world that I’ve just been watching and been wrapped up in. I do still get intimidated by certain things, and I was slightly intimidated on that day because also just on a regular level of this is the first time they’re seeing me I want to not screw up. I want to do well and I want to fit in. You know, they’ve been together and they’ve got their rhythms and the tone and everything, and I want to make sure my character fits into the show and the universe that they’re in. But everybody was nice except for a few. No I’m kidding. No everybody was great and it was fun.

MG: Lauren, do you have any interest in getting behind the scenes at all?
LG: I do for sure. It’s actually more helpful to have someone who is on the inside who knows the show and who knows how we rehearse and how we sort of find the scenes. So yes that would be of interest to me for sure. I think that it would be great to direct an episode.

Interview with Lauren Bowles

Lauren Bowles is known best for her role of Holly Clearly in HBO’s “True Blood”. She recently appeared in “Curb Your Enthusiasm” with her husband Patrick Fishler. Media Mikes had a chance to chat with Lauren about here role in “True Blood” as well as working with the Farrelly Brothers.

Mike Gencarelli: What do you like most about working on “True Blood”?
Lauren Bowles: The craziest part about it is I was a huge fan before I was even cast to be on the series. The first time I walked on to the Merlot’s set wearing the short shorts and the iconic t-shirt, I truly felt like I was Dorothy walking out into Oz. I was this ultimate fan that somehow infiltrated this world. It was absolutely surreal and it’s been a dream come true!

MG: How do you prepare for your character, Holly Clearly?
LB: There’s not that much that goes into but I do have my Aunt Josie who helps me Southern my accent up some, as she is from North Carolina. She’s not quite a Bayou girl but I have family from the South, so it’s helped with the accent. I always make sure that I know the scene and my lines as well as having the right emotion. I did do some reading on the Wiccan religion also.

MG: How is it working with the rest of the cast?
LB: This is where I am going to sound like I am telling you udder bullshit (Laughs) but it is the most awesome set. You can generally get all the best scuttlebutt from hair and make-up. So on my very first day I asked them for the skinny and they told me everyone is awesome. She was truly right as there are no bad apples. I am so happy to be on the set as it’s very blissful. I have worked a long time in this business and this type of set up is very rare.

MG: What can we expect from your character Holly throughout the rest of the season?
LB: I can’t really say too much however I can tell you that she is definitely learning the scope of her witchcraft power and at some times is conflicted by it. I can also say that there also might be a little loving coming Holly’s way.

MG: How do you feel that this show has compared to the other that you have worked on in the past?
LB: It so unique. There are a couple shows that I have been a regular on but lately I have been doing a lot of guest spots. When you get that one shot where you can develop a character it’s so much nicer. The major bonus “True Blood” has over a lot of network formula based shows is that it’s really character driven.

MG: You have worked with Farrelly brothers on a couple films can you give us a little back ground on those?
LB: I have actually worked with them on three projects and there are not enough accolades I can give them! They are just really great guys and I love them so much. They are obviously these huge Hollywood comedy directors but you would never know in meeting them. They are just so chill and relaxed. They like to cast well and let the actors have fun. What they will do is shoot one scripted take and then let the actors go from there. I love working with them!

MG: Do you have any other projects coming up?
LB: My husband, Patrick and I just did and episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” which just aired. It was great that we both got to be in it as we never get to play husband and wife. The end the season shooting for “True Blood” was just so crazy. So I am just relaxing and spending some time with my daughter for now but I am planning to do some theater work in the coming Fall.

Interview with Cris D’Annunzio

Cris D’Annunzio recently starred in the acclaimed short film “Clemency”, which showed at the 2010 Sundance Festival and won several awards from other film festivals. He wrote and co-starred in the Ray Liotta and Rory Culkin film “Chasing 3000”, which follows the real-life story of two brothers driving across country to see Baseball Hall-of-Famer Roberto Clemente get his 3,000 hit with the Pittsburgh Pirates. While the film was made in 2008, it will get its official release in Summer 2010. Movie Mikes had the chance to talk to Cris to discuss “Chasing 3000” and his flourishing career.

Click here to purchase “Chasing 3000” DVD

Mike Gencarelli: It has not been an easy road for “Chasing 3000.” How do you feel now that it is finally hitting the big screen?
Cris D’Annunzio: It’s interesting. Obviously I’m very excited that it’s finally coming out and hitting the big screen. And yet there’s also…I don’t know how to describe it, it’s not disappointing…I just feel a little bad that it’s taken the film so long to get out there because it’s a really sweet film. I mean, it premiered three years ago at the Tribeca Film Festival. I judge certain things by my wife and my kids’ reaction and they just loved it. I think it’s a nice family, kid oriented film. It’s too bad that it had to take the route it took to get here but, with that being said, I’m really thrilled that it’s going to get a release. Hopefully it will pick up some steam after people see it and it should do real well on home video.

Mike Gencarelli: You co-wrote the screenplay with Bill Mikita. How was that experience?
Cris D’Annunzio: Any creative/artistic endeavor has it’s challenges. Ultimately the story really came to me through Bill. It’s loosely based on his life and growing up with his brother, who is the oldest surviving person IN THE WORLD with MS. The story really touched me when he first told it to me and my experiences with my own sister who, unfortunately, passed away a year and a half ago…she had a disease called Lupus…the experiences that I had growing up. My parents divorced and my mom basically took my sister and I and left. It’s a lot like the story in “Chasing 3000.” Oddly enough, what brought my sister and I closer together was baseball. We both shared a fondness for baseball. The Mets were our favorite team. The experience of writing it with Bill…with both of us bringing our personal situations and our personal histories into it…it’s interesting that we’re talking about this over the 4th of July weekend. It was nine years ago, over the 4th of July weekend, that we locked ourselves in an office at Warner Brothers and wrote the script over a long three day weekend. It’s kind of interesting when you have two grown men sitting in a room crying a lot and writing. It was a good experience.

Mike Gencarelli: You play Principal Motley in the film. Tell us about your character?
Cris D’Annunzio: What happens in the film is that the two boys, played by Trevor Morgan and Rory Culkin, move with their mom to California. They grew up in Pittsburgh and moved to California primarily because the younger brother has this disease and the warmer weather is better for his lungs. Of course the older brother becomes despondent and misses his friends and has a lot of teen angst. He starts to not do well in school and get in trouble and I’m kind of the principal who…not necessarily sets him on the right course but…disciplines him, puts an ultimatum to him. He kind of makes him realize that California is not the place he needs to be in at this moment. So he and his brother “borrow” their mother’s car and head across the country to see Roberto Clemente get his 3000th hit. Hopefully you’ll see it…hopefully a lot of people will see it. The casting director did a fantastic job of assembling a pretty well known cast. It has Ray Liotta and Lauren Holly and Ricardo Chivara from “Desperate Housewives.” The story, I think, touched a lot of people and that really touches me. I think that’s why a lot of people got involved in this project.

MG: Tell us about your one man play “Digging Up Dad”? Any plans to return to the stage?
CD: I just completed the run about a month ago…we ran for about three months. The play was an autobiographical solo show about my relationship with my father and his mysterious death at an early age…he died when he was 48 under very mysterious circumstances. The story is really about me trying to come to terms with that and also the fact that my mother left him when I was 12. At that age I was still developing my knowledge and my opinions about my father and it wasn’t until after he passed
that a lot of his life and what he did and was involved with…it wasn’t until then that I became aware of them. I grew up with it and I was aware of it. And I’ll use the word “mafia” but today I can’t whole heartedly tell you or anybody with any certainty that there is such a thing as the mafia, at least not in the way we think it should be based on what we see on television and in the movies. Maybe that was what my father was involved in but my father certainly wasn’t John Gotti. If anything he was…I would liken him to Paulie Walnuts from “The Sopranos” which was about the level of involvement that he was at.

MG: Your short film, “Clemency” has been hitting the festival circuit. Tell us about it?
CD: It’s a little project that I’m very excited about. It’s an interesting piece. It’s been playing the festival circuit but it’s kind of been categorized as a horror film but it’s really more of a mystery/suspense thriller. The way it’s shot and edited is a lot like the film “Se7en.” It’s about a sociopath in the mountains of West Virginia that abducts and murders some girls. One sister actually escapes and comes back many years later. The guy has spent many years in prison on death row and right before he’s scheduled to be executed he receives clemency from the governor who rules him insane. The sister who survived comes back and poses as a reporter. She gets in to interview him and ends up killing him. I play the murderer, which is a 180 degree turn from the character I play in “Chasing 3000.”

MG: Tell us about your upcoming web series, “Vampire Mob”?
CD: The first episode aired this past week and it runs six episodes. It’s done by some people I got involved with when I did my one man show, the Ruskin Group Theater. Every month they do what they call a “cafe” play. Five writers come in on Friday morning and they’re given a theme and two head shots and are told to write a ten minute play based on the theme and based on the two actors they’ve been given the pictures of. They write the play in the morning, give the play to the actors at noon. They rehearse it from noon until six and then they have the opening night performance at seven and the closing night performance at nine that evening. One of the writers, Joe Wilson, had written a play loosely based on a vampire hit man for the mob and that gave him the idea to do the web series. It’s about a mob hit man who gets shot and makes a deal with the devil not to die. But in choosing to live forever he also has to choose to be a vampire. He figures that since most of the work he does is at night anyway this would be perfect for him!

Click here to purchase “Chasing 3000” DVD

Interview with Paris Themmen

Paris Themmen played Mike TeeVee in 1971’s “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”. Paris took time out on his birthday to talk to OnlineCasinosSpelen and discuss how it was working on the film, what he has done since and how he is hoping for a 40th anniversary cast reunion.

Click here to purchase “Willy Wonka” merchandise

Mike Gencarelli: How did you originally get the role of Mike TeeVee in “Willy Wonka”?
Paris Themmen: I started acting when I was six.  My mother brought me into an agent and I went up for a commercial.  The first commercial I ever went up for was for Jiff Peanut Butter where I had to sit on top of a mountain of peanuts.  Of course it was just an angled chicken wire creation.  I hooked the first commercial I went up for and then the second commercial was for a product called “Crazy Bubbles.”  I was the only six year old who could say “Crazy Bubbles Bubble Blowing Bubble Bath.”  I could say it three times fast so they hired me.  In those days there weren’t many child actors in New York.  So I kept doing commercials.  Eventually I booked a Broadway show called “Mame” with Ann Miller as Auntie Mame.  So I was doing a lot of commercials and theater in New York…I did Circle in the Square…and when I was around eleven years old I auditioned for the film.  As I recall there was at least one call back…not a lot.  As I said, there weren’t really a million child actors in New York…maybe me and a few others.  I had a call back and I remember being in a phone booth with my mother and getting the news and both of us being very excited that we were both going to go to Munich, Germany to film the movie.

Mike Gencarelli: What was your most memorable moment on the set of “Willy Wonka”
Paris Themmen: My most fondest memory was the chocolate room.  Unlike Julie who didn’t like it because, strangely, she doesn’t like chocolate, I loved the Pure Imagination room.  As you may have heard elsewhere, the reaction shot that they took of us from the top of the stairs was a true reaction shot.  It was a closed set and we had never seen the room before.  So when they opened the doors…unlike today where they digitize things or build them in portions…it was all laid out for us.  We were probably 30 or 40 feet above it looking down at the whole room…the river flowing, the waterfall flowing, the boat moving.  I think that was the first day we saw the Oompa Loompas.  It was such an amazing feeling to be looking down at what the crew had been laboring on.  To see the fruits of their labors was amazing.  That was probably my favorite moment on shooting the film.

Mike Gencarelli: Do you still keep in touch with the cast and crew?
Paris Themmen: Mostly by email, but yes.  Here are the people I’ve seen in the last 20 years:  I’ve seen each of the four other kids, I’ve seen Diana Sole, who played Charlie’s mom. I’ve seen Rusty Goff, who played the lead Oompa Loompa.  I’ve seen Mel Stuart, who directed the film.  I’ve seen Frawley Becker, who was the script consultant.  I think for people that were directly associated with the movie…that’s it.  No wait!  I saw Leonard Stone one day.  I was doing commercial counseling sessions and he came in as a commercial actor for me.  And that’s it.  I know a lot of them have passed…like Jack Albertson.   Oh, and I did see Gene (Wilder) once.  I saw him about a year ago at a Barnes and Noble signing for his book.  And the thing about being Gene is…I was eleven, the other kids were thirteen.  People ask me who was nice and who was mean.  Julie, surprisingly, was a very well mannered, well behaved British young woman.  Peter, true to form, was a very gentle and well behaved young man.  Michael didn’t speak a lot of English and Denise was a lot like me…sort of a hardened child actor.  But I was two years younger…and I was trouble.  I was rambunctious and precocious everywhere on the set and Gene remembered this.  He tells a story about being asked about a part in the additional footage on the DVD when someone asks “what about me” and he replies “oh, he was definitely a brat.”  Then he pauses, looks into the camera and says, “But Paris…You know I love you now,” in a very Gene Wilder sort of way.  And another one that I love…Gene was asked what he thought about working with the kids and he said, “four of them are great and one of them I’m going to kill tomorrow!”  Wait a minute, my girlfriend is correcting me.  He says “Four of them are fantastic, one of them I’m going to shoot in the head tomorrow!”  (laughs).  So years later I go to this book signing and I say, “Hi Gene, I’m Paris, I played Mike TeeVee” and he says, sure as rain, “Oh…you grew a brat.”  So that’s his recollection of me. And I told him that I’d like to think I’ve had time to change and he said, “yes, of course…I’m sure you have.”  But like I say I was sorta precocious…much like my character.

MG: After “Willy Wonka”,  you didn’t do a lot of other films.  Why?
PT: The real question is, “Paris, what have you done since?”  There are a couple of answers.  One:  After the film I went back to Broadway in a play called “The Rothchilds.”  I also did the first national tour of the show.  I did a couple more commercials.  I basically worked from six to sixteen.  Then I got my degree in theater at NYU and they didn’t want you to work at that time.  They wanted you to be process oriented, not results oriented.  So they really didn’t want you to work.  Then I got out of college, got distracted and discovered other things.  I did a few commercials in my thirties and I was in the background of some films, mostly because I was working in film production.  The other side of that question is what have I done NOT as an actor and…that is a lot.  I’ve travelled all over the world…I backpacked through sixty different countries on six continents.  Particularly in some very exotic locations like Borneo, the Sahara Desert, the Amazon, the Great Pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal.  Just try to imagine the cool adventurous things you’d want to do in your life…I’ve done many of them.  Swimming with sharks…piranhas.  I’ve done some sky diving.  I’ve also had some great business experiences…managing money with Smith-Barney…being a real estate broker…film production, like I said.  I worked in casting for awhile.  I was what they call a Walt Disney Imagineer, during when they were building Euro Disney.  I’ve started two or three businesses.  So I haven’t been just sitting in my room contemplating my navel.  I’ve been out doing things.  In terms of major motion pictures that people will remember…that’s it…one film, “Willy Wonka”.  One good film.

MG: With next year being the 40th anniversary of the film, how do you feel about its impact over the years?
PT: I agree with you that the film has had a life of its own.  And it’s been passed down from parents to children throughout the years.  The script that Roald Dahl wrote appeals not only to children but also to adults, with many adult references, so the parents don’t mind watching it with the kids.  And they are in fact excited about bestowing it upon their children.  And as the film has grown there are very old Wonka fans now and there are very young Wonka fans now.  So in terms of my reaction to that I think it’s great.  I think it deserves to be where it is.  Obviously at the time none of us expected that it would be that way.  But watching the film I understand its enduring popularity.

MG: Ok, the dreaded question, have you seen the remake from 2005? Your feelings?
PT: Here’s my experience with the new film…there was a time right after it came out when people would ask me “what do you think of the new film” and I would say, “Oh, I think it’s great!”  I don’t remember exactly what I said but I know I was positive.  But as the years go by and I speak to fans who tell me that they prefer the old one I feel more and more comfortable expressing my opinion which is that the new one had some things about it that I liked…things like the squirrels.  And by that I mean Veruca getting eaten by squirrels, which was true to the book.  I liked the pink Seahorse boat.  I thought the chocolate looked more authentic in the river then ours.  But I thought that there were many ways that they missed in the new one.  Chief among them is the relationship between Wonka and Charlie.  I felt that, although the new movie is called “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” the focus in fact was more on Willy Wonka, while the old movie was called “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” but the emphasis was more on Charlie.  In terms of the relationship with Wonka, I think that one of the key moments in the old film was in the end when Gene says “My boy you’ve won,” and there’s this great moment that happens between him and Charlie.  To me that’s the heart of the problem in the center of the film.  The choices Johnny Depp made, and far be it from me to judge Johnny Depp…he’s one of our finest actors…created such a neurotic persona so that there was no relationship between Wonka and Charlie.  I thought that was the biggest problem.

MG: Do you ever think we will see another cast reunion any time soon? Perhaps for the 40th anniversary?
PT: There is some talk of doing something but I really can’t give specifics until things are nailed down.  But, yes, we’re definitely talking about doing that, either at the end of this year, which technically be 40 years since we shot the film or in 2011.

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Interview with Sarah Clarke

Sarah Clarke is known for her role as Bella Swan’s mom, Renee, in “The Twilight Saga”. She also co-stars in TNT’s new dramady “Men of a Certain Age” and will return for Season 2 this Fall. Movie Mikes had a chance to talk with Sarah to discuss the “Twilight” craze that is currently overtaking the world.

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Mike Gencarelli: How do you feel about being a part of the “Twilight Saga”?
Sarah Clarke: Well it is mind blowing. You just kind of go and do your work though. I am fortunate that because I do have a family and I feel like I am in my own little world with that. But every once in a while I peek out and to be a part of something like this, it is fun. But I enjoy being able to switch back and forth.

Mike Gencarelli: Tell us about your role in “Eclipse”?
Sarah Clarke: They obviously want to focus on the vampire love affair going on. The mom, poor thing, is down in Florida trying to wrestle everything that is going on. I really like what they have established with our relationship. I felt like our scene in “Eclipse” really gave us something to work with.

Mike Gencarelli: Your fans have some devotion to these films, I haven’t seen this type of fan craze since like “Star Wars”.
Sarah Clarke: I know! I think what it is, is that people are excited because they have these books in their mind for so long. They have read them over and over and are getting to see it come to life. It’s great.

MG: Were you a fan of the book series before you became involved?
SC: No I didn’t know about the books. I feel the books started it but the movies have definitely made this a bigger phenomenon. Fans have really come to this franchise in droves. You don’t even have to be a fan of the books as much any more. You get people from all sides and it is great how things can grow exponentially and make it even bigger.

MG: Have you actually watched the movies so far and do you have a favorite?
SC: They are all great in the way that the story is built. I still hold the first one to be the most fascinating because its when everyone is introduced. What I liked about “Eclipse” is you are given a glimpse into their back story. Like Emmett and Rosalie. You get that in the first book though a little bit. It is really rich for cinematic experience though.

MG: How was it working with the the cast on both films?
SC: It was great. Mostly all the stuff I’ve done is with Kristen (Stewart) and Rob (Pattinson). The first movie, I am on the phone and then I go to the hospital with them. In “Eclipse”, they visit me in Florida. So my main experience has been with Kristen. I feel that she is such a strong actress. So grounded in the face of everything that is going on. It was really easy to feel maternal towards her [laughs]. She is such a lovely person.

MG: For us non-readers, what should we expect from your character in the next chapter, “Breaking Dawn, Part 1”?
SC: I can’t give you anything. It is never the same [laughing]. Whatever my character is doing in the book, they could change it for the movie. I do known they get married. We all know that from the book. Mothers are always involved when there is a marriage.

MG: You worked on one of my favorite new shows of 2009, “Men of a Certain Age”, tell us about working on that?
SC: It was fantastic. I am going to be coming back next season as well. Ray (Romano), Scott Bakula and Andre Braugher are phenomenal. I worked mainly with Ray. He is just so much fun. They gave me such fun stuff to do. I can only hope the same fun will continue this coming season.

MG: You played Nina Myers in “24”, with the show finally seeing its end, how do you feel?
SC: I did. It was like an end of an era to see the show end. When I went to the finale party it was great to see so much of the crew that was still involved. The fact they they were able to keep it such a viable show for eight seasons is great. We didn’t think it was going to get past second two.

MG: What do you have planned next?
SC: “Men of a Certain Age” and the next “Twilight” are what I have going on for the rest of this year. I want to get my new born daughter pretty established before I embark on anything too time consuming. If something comes around I can’t pass it up, I will do that. But otherwise I am set for the year.

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