Sandra Bullock - Blog 3

            I chose an interview conducted with Sandra Bullock regarding her role as Leigh Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side.  Leigh Anne Tuohy’s character exemplified the most selfless, caring person and needed an actress to fulfill these traits above and beyond.  Sandra Bullock did just so and completely captured the hearts of the audience by becoming Leigh Anne Tuohy in the movie.

            This interview remained around the topic of the movie entirely with a slight deviation towards the end for just a minute, speaking of her husband and his work.  I believe the main idea of the interview was to fully understand the task of becoming Leigh Anne Tuohy and understanding what emotions were required to become this character.  The interviewer said several times about how great of a role it was and how heart wrenching the movie was because of its accuracy.  The questions asked revolved around the impact of the movie and the character on Sandra Bullock herself, as well as the audience. The interviewer specifically says how she always believed Sandra Bullock was a “dynamo” and had great energy. I believe Sandra Bullock wanted to remain selfless and humble in the interview while the interviewer praised the work of Bullock as a whole and especially in the movie.  Sandra Bullock repeated several times how she did not know how she was going to fill the shoes of Leigh Anne Tuohy because she did not understand how Leigh Anne was how she was.  Sandra said how she would not have let what happened happen personally but was amazed that Leigh Anne Tuohy was able to. I have always viewed Sandra Bullock as an energetic and sincere actress. This interview concreted my view of her as a wonderful actress.  Her sincerity throughout the interview amazed me.  The tone of her voice while she spoke about the real people of Michael Oher and Leigh Anne Tuohy exemplified her love and passion of the actual story and making the movie real.  From the interview I could really tell Sandra was thankful she took on this role after saying “no” several times before agreeing to the job. The passion in her face as she spoke of the steps to learning how to be Leigh Anne Tuohy spoke wonders of Sandra Bullock as an actress.  She did not simply put half of her effort into this movie, but as she said, she spent her entire self on the movie and walked away knowing she spent herself. She explained that as she walked away she did not know if she did enough but she knew she at the very least spent herself. 

            The Blind Side exemplifies a magnificent true story and the passion from the actors really added to the movie as a whole.  Sandra Bullock’s energy far surpassed all expectations of her character.  Her passion for the story was greatly exemplified throughout the entire story and how she portrayed herself as Leigh Anne Tuohy.  This interview portrays Sandra Bullock as the great woman and actress she is.  

The interview: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nthTYFv-aEQ

Blog 3

Among the many interviews, that I have watched of actors it is right to say that Kevin Hart’s Interview is one of my favorite ones. I learnt various things from the interview after watching it. For instance, after keenly watching Kevin Hart’s interview there is a way that I can say he wanted to be portrayed to the people or rather the audience in a unique way. He appears to lack sympathy to the people that he talks about in his stand up. However, he tries so much to avoid coming off as a mean-spirited, mainly because he is also so hard to himself. In addition, this routine regarding the wild animals that are in the suburbs brought some unexpected terrors of his personal life and to that of his family. It is true from the interview that he had some challenges to win the audience over with his confession, which indicates his inability to stay with his wife in case she might be attacked by a mountain lion.

In fact, this interview of Kevin Hart differs much from the information that I knew about him previously. In the previous times, he is a person who I knew was comfortable playing gay but now it is as he is very uncomfortable. This has been depicted in this interview with the New York’s power whereby he openly declared to have turned the role that he was given because he was not comfortable anymore with the way the role was so flagrant.

In addition, when they proceeded to interview him whether he will ever in his time dream of playing the gay role again, he stood firm and declined. This shows the opposite of expectation of even the interviewer because little did they know that he would let it go in his life. He gives a reason of insecurity as the obstacle that made him neglect the role and suggests that it is not because of any disrespect. Therefore, this is ironical and openly depicts to us that initially he was a fun of the same role that presently he is escaping hence differentiating himself from what I knew about him previously.

The interview has shaped my perception on the actor in a different dimension that I initially did not know. For instance, through the interview, I have seen that sometimes when things do not go as per the expectations of the actors (and for this case Kevin Hart), there are likelihoods of the individual doing away with the same. When Kevin realized that due to insecurity, he cannot manage to proceed with his role he was forced to stop it and turn to other different things though not mentioned in the interview. Therefore, I perceive Kevin as a character who is a man of his words and principles. He decides to neglect the role believing that he cannot perform it a hundred percent. This is a part that I liked in the interview that shows how honest Kevin is in his life.

Lastly from the interview there are many main ideas and points that I can highlight but the most best one is that once one feels that he cannot manage to perform a given role assigned to him in life, it is good to be honest and leave it for those who can perform it correctly. This is what mostly the interviewer from my point of view was targeting. It is true from the interview that Kevin achieved it well and appeared as the best representative of the same concept. It is a lesson to everyone in life and ought to be always practiced.

Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston is one of the most photographed celebrities in Hollywood yet she always plays a similar role. She has mostly played comedic roles in romantic comedies or sitcoms similar to the famous “Friends”. Jennifer stated that she wanted to answer her own question of “Could she play a serious role?”. In her upcoming movie Cake she hopes to start a new chapter and wash away any doubts on if she has been “type casted”.

This interview seemed to be completely under Jennifer Aniston’s control. She has rarely ever been formally interviewed unless she had something specific to say. In this interview on January 4 of 2015 she wanted to show that she can act in really any role. I think she wanted to be portrayed as a serious actress that can play any role. She wanted to be portrayed as a real woman and not the characters she has played.

Although I have not seen her new movie Cake it does seem to be a very serious drama with real emotions and no more of the glamorous roles she has played. Jennifer Aniston has always played comedic and beautiful roles. In this interview she showed somewhat that she wanted to be known as a true and strong serious actress rather than “Rachel” from friends. This definitely changed my perception of Jennifer Aniston because I saw her as a whole and as someone that is just doing her job and she isn't like the characters she has played.

The interviewer helped Jennifer Aniston immensely. I think he could have been more critical and more inquisitive if he wanted to be. Since, Aniston does not do many in depth interviews I'm sure that when she does she makes sure the interviewer has the right questions and the ones she wants to be exact. For example the interviewer asked where all the emotion and depths of the character in her upcoming film Cake came from, she then replied that she played off her own emotion and it grew to find her true strength in acting. The interviewer then asked if there was any part of her that wanted to say “I told you so” to all the doubters. Aniston was hesitant and started with a “maybe” but then said “maybe a tiny one”. This portrayed Aniston to be humble and just an amazing actress with strength that she wants to explore.

The interviewer did of course ask about some tabloid drama. He started by asking if Aniston still talked to Brad Pitt, her previous husband which ended in a messy divorce and revenge against his next wife. Jennifer Aniston replied that they have “exchanged good wishes but it hasn't been consistent”. The interviewer did not seem satisfied so Jennifer added “do you still talk to your ex wife?”. This seemed to simplify and silence his urging questions about the tabloid drama.

This interview made Jennifer Aniston appear extremely gracious and relatable. The main take away was simply that she is much more than the girl next door. Furthermore explaining how she became an actress, her comedic start, her life despite all the rumors and that she had always wanted to be a serious actor and is now accomplished that.

Jennifer Lawrence Blog 3

Blog 3: Jennifer Lawrence

            Jennifer Lawrence is Hollywood’s “it girl” for here recent appearances as Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games film series. She always looks fabulous to the public eye, whether she’s making late night appearances in shows like Late Night and the Tonight Show, tackling the runway for one of her blockbuster films, or participating in interviews early in the morning on Good Morning America – like she is in the interview I chose to analyze. It is really hard to stop this girl on fire!

            In this particular interview, she is promoting the second installment of the Hunger Games series – Catching Fire. She sits down with Robin Roberts to discuss her recent life, and obviously the main goal for her is to promote her film. To do that however, Jennifer Lawrence needs to maintain her down-to-earth appearance to continue to appeal her fans. She talks about her decision making process when she was offered the role of Katniss, her recent trips to the emergency room, how it feels to be on set of the Hunger Games, and her view of cyber bullying. Each time when she spoke or answered a question of Robin Robert’s, she seemed very wholesome and unvarying, making her an easy person to relate to. Jennifer wants to be viewed as her ‘regular old self’. She is very relatable for most teenagers across the United States. For example, when asked about her workout/diet regimen on the red carpet Jennifer is quoted as saying, “You know they say that nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. I can think of a lot of things that taste better than skinny feels – potatoes, bread, a philly cheesesteak and fries…” So many teenagers today are obsessed with dieting and exercise, and sometimes harsh or extreme ways to loose weight. Jennifer is sending a message that what you eat doesn’t define you. She maintains that relatable image in this interview. My view of her remains the same: quirky, fun –loving, and wholesome.

            Robin asks questions that really help Jennifer open up to her about her experience of set and with her life in general. She tells Jennifer positive things her co-workers have said about her is past interviews that brought up some fond memories of playing with her cast mates. The questions Robin is asking are geared firstly to speak about the movie, and secondly to talk about Jennifer’s private life that has been made public. With questions about her private life, it is up to her to generate a response that helps them seem how they want to seem – they are on their own. Jennifer does an excellent job of keeping her genuine side out in the open.

            The main takeaway for me was that Jennifer Lawrence loves what she gets to do in life. She is genuinely happy, and uses her pull in the media to speak about issues she thinks are important. She loves her cast mates, and altogether loves her job of being an actress. The thesis for this interview for me was: “Yes, I am the girl on fire, and I’m just like you!”

  

Link to the interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoggnotRoAI

Interview with Miles Teller

Actors and actresses utilize interviews as opportunities to showcase certain sides of themselves. It gives them a chance to self-promote in a way. The interview becomes an environment in which actors can have control over what kind of image they are putting forth to the public. It is so often the case that stories and information about actors and actresses get skewed by gossip columns and magazines. Interviews let them put out what information they want. They get to show the audience how they would like to be perceived.

In an interview with Jimmy Fallon, Miles Teller promotes certain character traits and provides insight into part of his life outside of Hollywood. The interview plays off of his role as a son and grandson. Jimmy Fallon questions Teller about his mom and his grandma and Teller goes on to talk about his relationship with his grandma and how the women in his family are his biggest fans.

Another side of Miles that we see in this interview is his capacity for humor. He makes a number of lighthearted jokes during the interview. This also serves the purpose of advertising his abilities as a comedic actor which is useful during this interview because it was an interview for his movie That Awkward Moment, which is a romantic comedy. I have seen the movie That Awkward Moment, but before that I saw Miles Teller in The Spectacular Now. These two movies were very different, yet he does an excellent job in both roles, proving his diversity as an actor. The interview did not necessarily shape my perception of Miles Teller, but it reinforced the ideas I had about him. He just seemed like a cool, laid back, nice guy.

These characteristics are highlighted through his interactions with Jimmy Fallon as well as the audience. He pals around with Fallon and even jokes that his mom thought they would be good friends. He also makes a remark about working with Zac Efron and how he is used to the screaming girls going crazy for his co-star. All in all the interview represented Miles Teller as humble and lighthearted. He is painted as someone who would be fun to work with. The interview looked at both his personal life, showing his relationships with his mom and grandma, as well as his professional life. It even included a clip from That Awkward Moment.

Often times we forget that there is more to an interview that the words that are exchanged. Body language is equally as important in revealing information about the person being interviewed. One of the things I noticed about his body language during the interview was that he kept fidgeting slightly. This indicated to me that he was nervous. It wasn’t annoying fidgeting, but it was obvious. I thought this made it even more personal and endearing. Here you have this big shot actor, and he’s nervous to be interviewed by Jimmy Fallon. It was really cute and definitely played on the audience’s pathos, making  Miles Teller seem just  like any other normal person.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-93OaZF60vY

Blog 3

Leonardo DiCaprio Interview 

In the interview I chose with Ellen DeGeneres and Leonardo DiCaprio, there are definitely messages given off to us as the audience and viewers. For example, Leo is portrayed as a very down to earth, adventurous, and even caring in the interview. He is able to talk about his successful acting career in a subtle way without putting himself in the spotlight. Along with giving compliments to both the audience members and Ellen DeGeneres herself, he didn’t come across as self-absorbed like many other actors and actresses can be. Because their lives are constantly exposed to the public eye through the media, this self-absorbed attitude is something that most likely comes along with being famous. It is easy for actors and actresses to fall into this stereotype. Leonardo’s portrayal is definitely the opposite of this, making him seem extremely down to earth. He also gives glimpses of risky situations that he has been in before, which portrayed him as an adventurous person. He can also be seen as brave from these experiences as well. In addition, he is also portrayed as caring because of his philanthropic and environmentalist work. Before watching this interview I figured that Leonardo DiCaprio was probably like most other actors in the self-absorbing way. After watching it, though, it was obvious that he has been able to overcome this shallow attitude that most actors and actresses possess. The way Ellen maneuvers the interview with Leo helps shape our perception of Leo as a well-rounded and successful person. It is evident that Ellen is a big fan of Leo’s from the way she talks about him in their interview. She brings up the story how they first met and says she knew he would be successful one day because he was so charming. Along with that, she even provides proof of his hard work by confirming his 3-movie streak that happened in only a year and a half. After asking him about the current “break” in his career, Ellen made a lighthearted joke, showing her support in his career choice. Throughout the entire interview she continues to compliment him on his successful performances in his various movies, calling one of the movie sequences in Wolf of Wall Street, “genius.” Ellen also brings up Leonardo’s environmentalist work, which is protecting sharks. By bringing this to our attention, it is makes it easier to respect Leo as an actor, producer, and passionate citizen. The main take away from this interview focuses on the many successes that Leonardo has had during his life. Not only in movies, but in other areas like volunteer work as well. I also think that we were meant to get a glimpse of the free spirit he possesses and the kind of person he really is. He doesn’t present himself in a way that puts him above anyone else, but rather equal to everyone. It is important to be aware of these characteristics in an actor or actress so that we can respect their hard work and dedication even more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihkAKCOzjUg