Exclusive interview with Gabourey Sidibe

HF: What do art and commerce mean to you?

GS: Art means expressing yourself and commerce is just a means of supporting yourself monetarily. If you’re lucky, your art can turn into commerce…or maybe if you’re unlucky as well.

HF: What and who inspires you?

GS: I’m inspired by music and children. Babies are the best! They haven’t been spoiled by the world and so their ideas are so fresh and selfless.

HF: What are your favorite moments in your career or life?

GS: Being asked to host SNL was a huge deal. I consider myself to be a comedy nerd and being asked to do a show that has launched so many careers and has changed so many minds about what’s funny and what isn’t was such an honor. To this day, I haven’t been able to get over being proud or scared. I’m still scared.

HF: Any future projects you can tell us about?

GS: Well Tower Heist is in theaters now, I will shoot the third season of The Big C on Showtime early next year and I have another film, a cool dark comedy that I am attached to, called What’s the Matter with Margie, that I hope to start filming next year, as well.

HF: Can you name an actor that you would love to work with?

GS: There are so many actors that I admire and would love to work with. It’s hard to choose one. I’m a huge fan of funny ladies so I’d have to say Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Kristen Wiig and Sarah Silverman.

HF: Aside from acting, what is your preferred method of artistic expression, if anything?

GS: I love to sing! I love music. I sing all the time without even realizing it. I also love to write. When most teenagers in my high school were getting high (and pregnant), my best friend Crystal and I would write stories for each other. It’s always been a great interest of mine. Whenever I have a bad day, it helps me feel better to write out the way the day should’ve gone.

HF: What is the best life lesson you have learned from a fellow actor?

GS: The best advice I received is from multiple actors: “Enjoy the ride and when you need to take a break, take it.”

HF: What is the best acting lesson you have learned from a non-actor?

GS: Lee Daniels, who directed Precious, always tells his actors to find the truth in a character. Pretty good advice. It means to make a character real.

HF: If you could be anything but an actor, what would you choose to be?

GS: Professional video game tester. That’s of course in the case that Professional-chocolate-taster is unavailable.

HF: Is there a performance that you have seen, either from your childhood or more recently, that has stuck with you more than any other?

GS: Cynthia Nixon was on an episode of Law and Order SVU. She played a woman with Dissociative Identity Disorder.  She was beyond amazing!!!! Also, Daniel Day Lewis in My Left Foot. Just mind blowing!

HF: Where would you like to find yourself in 5 years? In 15 years?

GS: I’m not the kind of girl that makes plans for years to come. If 5 years ago, someone had asked what I’d be doing this year, I would’ve given a completely wrong answer. That’s what life is about. Surprises! I just hope that in 5 years I’m even happier than I am today.

EXCLUSIVE IMAGES FOR THE HF MAGAZINE

PHOTOGRAPHER: MITCHELL NGUYEN MCCORMACK

FASHION DIRECTOR: JOSHUA SETH AT OPUS

STYLIST ASSISTANT: JON-MARC BALINT

HAIR: NIKKI PROVIDENCE AT JED ROOT

MAKEUP: TOBY FLEISCHMAN

COPY EDITOR: MURIELLE ZUKER

PRODUCTION: JENNIFER DEKLAVER

SHOT IN HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA

Exclusive interview with Callan McAuliffe

HF: What do art and commerce mean to you?

CM: “Calm” and “Concerned”, respectively.

HF: What and who inspires you?

CM: I’m often inspired by things I see in nature, for example – the panda. Despite impending doom in the form of deforestation, they just sit and eat bamboo. I don’t eat bamboo, but I love to sit.

HF: What are your favorite moments in your career or life?

CM: Picking a favorite moment in your career is difficult; picking one in life is even harder. My favorite moment in my career so far would definitely be the sword training I’m going through at the moment for Paradise Lost. My favorite moment in my life? Probably when I first read a paragraph. It was either about trains or mosquitoes… I can’t remember which.

HF: Any future projects you can tell us about?

CM: I’ll be in The Great Gatsby, directed by Baz Luhrmann, in which I play young Gatsby (older Gatsby played by Leonardo DiCaprio). I’ll also be in Paradise Lost, directed by Alex Proyas (of I, Robot), in which I play the archangel Uriel, and get to kill a bunch of demons.

HF: Can you name an actor that you would love to work with?

CM: I’d love to work with Johnny Depp.

HF: Aside from acting, what is your preferred method of artistic expression, if anything?

CM: Other than acting, my preferred method of artistic expression is drawing.

HF: What is the best life lesson you have learned from a fellow actor?

CM: “Don’t do drugs” – as generic as that sounds.

HF: What is the best acting lesson you have learned from a non-actor?

CM: You cannot be a master apple by learning from a carrot.

HF: If you could be anything but an actor, what would you choose to be?

CM: If I was anything but an actor I’d be some kind of field biologist. I’ve always wanted to work with nature out in the wild.

HF: Is there a performance that you have seen, either from your childhood or more recently, that has stuck with you more than any other?

CM: I recall the performance of Thomas the Tank Engine the most of any show from my childhood. It had an enormous impact on my life. Now whenever I see a classic steam-train, I imagine it has an enormous grey face on the front of it. I’m also a huge fan of Johnny Depp, and the different characters he plays. I suppose an ultimate goal of mine would be to have his versatility and range.

HF: Where would you like to find yourself in 5 years? In 15 years?

CM: Were I to magically jump five years into the future, I would hope to have a balanced film career. Were I to magically jump 15 years into the future, I would hope to have a hover-board like the ones in Back to the Future.

EXCLUSIVE IMAGES FOR THE HF MAGAZINE

PHOTOGRAPHER: MITCHELL NGUYEN MCCORMACK

FASHION DIRECTOR: JOSHUA SETH AT OPUS

STYLIST ASSISTANT: JON-MARC BALINT

GROOMER: BARBARA GUILLAUME AT EXCLUSIVE ARTISTS

SHOT IN HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA

Exclusive interview with Evanna Lynch

HF: What do art and commerce mean to you?

EL: I don’t really think about the commerce side, there’s too much thinking in that and thinking is what kills art. To me, art is about constantly stepping out from your comfort zone, being always on your toes, learning and growing. It never ever ends and it’s therefore kind of torturous but then so rewarding. I think real artists are the bravest people as it is such a solo and precarious journey. There’s no wrong or right. There is no recommended route and no template for what’s good and what’s bad in art, and that’s kind of terrifying.

Personally I think I’ve always been attracted to art because of how its pursuit can transform you as a person. When I was younger I was naturally very shy and held back by so many self-generated fears. But I also had this desire to express myself and my ideas; to create. But it’s impossible to create and even consider that your own ideas matter enough to be expressed if you’re crippled by shyness and fear and self-doubt. Fear will stop you from ever putting a pen to paper. So, eventually if you let that need to express become strong enough, you’re forced to grow into a confident, assertive individual. You have to keep telling yourself your voice matters or you will fail altogether.

HF: What and who inspires you?

EL: People who can be completely content and creative by themselves, who don’t need others to feel inspired. As an actor, I spend a lot of time travelling alone and living alone and it used to make me very lonely but you have to turn that loneliness into a chance to discover your individuality and be a consistently positive, creative person. You can’t find that in other people. I think people who crave attention, those girls that go from one guy to the next and are never alone, are shying away from their own creative purpose because they can’t stand the oddness of their own company. That’s why I find myself inspired by people like Michael Jackson and my character from Harry Potter, Luna Lovegood; they’re oddballs to our society, but in truth they’re completely natural and self possessed. Both of them are strong and bold enough not to conform to what their peers expect of them. That’s why Michael Jackson exceeded everyone else’s expectations creatively. He brought something new and radical to his music and performances; he brought himself.

I read a lot of artists’ biographies, too. I’m kind of fascinated by their arrogance. That’s one trait that almost every great artist possesses. Van Gogh was a great artist but he wasn’t arrogant and I think the lack of that quality is why his life was so tortured and painful. Artists are such sensitive souls that if they listened to their own rational minds, the fearful, paranoid part that tells them they suck, they would never be crazy enough to paint. That’s why they need a steely shell of arrogance that tells them they can produce something fresh and original. I’m a sensitive person but I could never be arrogant enough to be a good artist. But I like reading about those people in the hope that eventually I may pick up some of their steeliness.

HF: Can you name an actor that you would love to work with?

EL: I’d love to work with Kirsten Dunst. She is so talented. I’ve admired her for years. You think she’s this fun, light-hearted blonde at first but underneath that she can portray such profound sadness and pain and damage. You can tell she’s had her ups and downs and she’s not afraid to pour all that into her work. I also really admire Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He’s brilliant in everything. And I read an article about him recently that mentioned a production company he runs that gets people to collaborate on projects via the Internet. I was so impressed by that because he’s breaking down the idea that the film industry, Hollywood, all that gab, is impenetrable.  People have this false idea that it’s composed of an elite group of powerful people, when really it’s all just about creative people working their asses off.

Mostly I’d like to work with my friends again. I’d love to work with anyone from Harry Potter again as we had such an unbelievable time together. I think the reason the Potter films are so good, too, is because everyone gelled so well. When you’re with people you trust, you don’t care how ridiculous you look. I’d love to work with my Potter friends again because the trust is already there and we could be as ridiculous as possible.

HF: Aside from acting, what is your preferred method of artistic expression, if anything?

EL: Dancing! I love dancing. It kills me that I’m under 21 and can’t go out and dance in America!! It’s so freeing and fun and is a much more effective way of bonding with people than talking. Dancing really brought me out of myself when I was younger because you have to be confident to be a good dancer. You have to do the moves with heart or you end up looking really foolish.  I’m dying to be in a musical someday! I think musicals are the most complete form of art because of all the movement and dance. I tried to get into dance college a few years ago but was rejected. I guess my style was a bit too alternative. But I still love dancing.

HF: What is the best life lesson you have learned from a fellow actor?

EL: Stop thinking.

HF: What is the best acting lesson you have learned from a non-actor?

EL: Take care of yourself, respect yourself, be happy with yourself. When you’re happy with yourself, then you can forget yourself and truly inhabit another character’s mind. I think insecurities set actors at a huge disadvantage as it’s then impossible to detach from your own mind and be someone else. Little things, like when I neglect my appearance, I find it difficult to have a conversation with someone because I’m thinking about myself, not the other person. And acting is all about thinking about the other person, letting the external become more important than the internal. You have to be a generous person. Personally, I consider it part of my job to look after my health and happiness. It takes discipline but it’s the only way you can be free of yourself enough to act.

HF: If you could be anything but an actor, what would you choose to be?

EL: I would love to be in the circus. I’d most love to be an acrobat, but really anything in the circus would be amazing. I just adore that lifestyle. Moving from place to place, never settling, working constantly on your craft, performing unbelievable acts for people all over the world. Never being in a secure situation. Always learning. I have so much respect for the circus performers and for the lack of ego in that profession. They are the best at what they do, so incredibly talented and hard working and they’re doing it just for the love of it, not for acclaim or accolades. The film industry frustrates me in that sense. It forces you to want to impress everyone and care what others think. To be successful in film you have to have impressed a lot of people. And thinking too much about what others think drives you crazy, you have to learn to detach from that when you leave an audition or a meeting but it’s hard. So to me, the circus seems like the ideal form of performance art, because it’s based solely on your talent and how hard you’re prepared to work to be on that stage. It’s basically just you and your craft.

HF: Is there a performance that you have seen, either from your childhood or more recently, that has stuck with you more than any other?

EL: I will never forget my first Cirque du Soleil experience, at Quidam in Dublin about four years ago. There was one act, a contortionist elevated up above the audience, entwined in two long pieces of silk, raveling and unraveling and bending and twisting and falling so gracefully to a song called “Let Me Fall.” It was so breathtaking. And I remember watching the girl making these incredible, terrifying shapes with her body and a piece of silk and it occurred to me that no one in the audience even knew her name. And I felt ashamed that some people knew who I am when I haven’t a fraction of that kind of talent. But then I realized that those performers are above all that, they don’t need the approval and support of the masses, and that must be the most wonderful, freeing, blissful feeling in the world. Watching people like that inspires me to work hard.

HF: Where would you like to find yourself in 5 years? In 15 years?

EL: I want to be surprised by whatever I’m doing. I’d like to look back in 5 years time and laugh because I could never imagine I’d be doing what I’m doing. You never anticipate the best things that happen in life. Like when an amazing new friend or guy comes into your life but you never could have dreamed them up and you didn’t realize they were missing in your life. I think what I want most out of life is adventure and learning. I kind of like my life to be unpredictable so I’m always being pushed. I’d like to be happy, too, but really learning and growing is paramount and you have to be ok with a certain level of discomfort for that.

Although, I have some conventional ambitions, too. I’d definitely like to be married in 10-15 years. I’d like to have a partner in crime. I’d love to have made more movies and have a strong network of friends within the industry who I can be creative with. I’d like to have written a book too, though maybe I’ll give myself 20 years for that… And I hope to be a better driver. I just got my license a few months ago and as it stands, lives are at risk.

EXCLUSIVE IMAGES FOR THE HF MAGAZINE

PHOTOGRAPHER: MITCHELL NGUYEN MCCORMACK

FASHION DIRECTOR: JOSHUA SETH AT OPUS

STYLIST ASSISTANT: JON-MARC BALINT

HAIR: NIKKI PROVIDENCE AT JED ROOT

MAKEUP: DESIRAE CHERMAN AT STARWORKS ARTISTS

COPY EDITOR: MURIELLE ZUKER

PRODUCTION: JENNIFER DEKLAVER

SHOT IN HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA

“We are so happy to be representing Dito. He is one of the rare, real character based story tellers in town. Big talent work with him because they know he will get the best out of them. He’s an amazing film maker”. – Trevor Engelson, Dito’s Manager, CEO Underground Films and Management (www.undergroundfilms.net)

Exclusive interview with Dito Montiel, award-winning director of A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints and the upcoming The Son of No One

HF: Growing up in Queens, did you relate at all to Saturday Night Fever’s depiction of kids from the boroughs traveling into the big city?

DM: You know, I used to love going to Manhattan, but in that movie, if I remember correctly, going to Manhattan is the journey, it was an accomplishment just to go; get your friends to say ‘yes’ to going on the train. I just used to like going. I mean, since I was little, really little, well me and my friend Antonio and the kids I grew up with, we used to hop the train and go to 42nd Street and watch karate movies because there was Bruce Lee almost all day long, so we loved that. And then going to play video games…then I’d always want to stay and they’d always want to go right back to Queens.

HF: What kind of trouble did you get yourselves into, kicking around New York in the 80’s?

DM: A lot. I got the scars to prove it.

HF: Did you have any idea what you wanted to be while you were growing up?

DM: No. Not at all. I mean, I wanted to play baseball for the Cincinnati Reds for some unknown reason. I did like the Mets a little bit, but the Reds used to win a lot so… The Mets never won.

HF: As far as discovering your own voice, how did you find music?

DM: Honestly, everything I’ve ever done – I’ve just fallen into everything. It’s sort of odd; it’s like Mr. Magoo lifestyle, you know? Music was – I mean, it’s a weird long story, but the quick of it is I was a messenger in Manhattan – a foot messenger – and we used to shave our heads all the time, and in my friend Antonio’s basement, we had one little record player, and we used to put everything on fast speed, and put the lights out and throw things at each other and I got hit with a weight. I had a black eye and a shaved head, and I went to work and my friend Joe said there was a club where people played records really fast, and they’d go nuts, and I said, “That sounds really fun,” and I ended up going to a club called Irving Plaza and then CBGB’s. And a guy – Billy – said, “Hey I’m making a band. I live in Queens,” and I was like, “I do too,” and he had a guitar. He lent me his guitar and I started playing one note at a time, and there was a club called the A7 club back then, on Avenue A and 7th Street, and everyone used to just play, so we just started playing. And getting on stage was really fun, and making noise… I knew a lot of guys in the neighborhood who were great, and they were practicing and practicing and practicing Led Zeppelin riffs until they were blue in the face, but I was already playing shows, so I always had this strange do-it-yourself attitude because of that. Probably I was like, ‘I’d rather play than practice, and I’d rather write than read, and I’d rather make a movie than see one.’ You know? It’s a weird way of thinking but…

HF: So when did you first decide to make a movie rather than see one?

DM: It’s very odd, that. I started writing because I always wrote songs, because I was not a good enough guitar player to play other people’s songs, so I just wrote my own. And then I started – I just like to write, so I started writing, just, weird stories. I don’t know, odd things. At one point I had like 20, and I remember being in bookstores, seeing books, and they were like 200 pages, and I was thinking, “Hey, if I could make 180 more pages, I could make a book.” And so I just kept going. And then this guy I used to work at Tower Records with in New York had a job as a publisher at this small publishing company, and I sent him my random weirdness and he said, “Oh, we’ll put it out.” And they put it out and zero people bought it, maybe ten. Then, you know, a few people read it and I – look the stories go on, but I was out here (Los Angeles) and I worked for a guy out here who was friends with Robert Downey, the actor, and I knew Robert from over the years, seeing him around and he’s always been super cool, like, you know, a nice guy, you know? And I made these really weird videos with my friends. We worked for a dub room out here, just a crappy job, not a crappy job, I actually worked for a pretty cool guy there. And my friend, who I worked in the dub room with, started making little weird videos that didn’t make any sense and we put them in iMovie, and he would start cutting them and it was really fun and it would be like a minute long, and I’d say “This is really fucking weird and cool,” you know, and it was the same as with writing, I was like “Well, this is four minutes. It was pretty good. If we can make it an hour and thirty minutes, it’s a movie,” you know? So we started having this odd fascination that we could possibly make a movie. We just started making odd three minute films, you know, anything. They were just thoughts. And then Robert was coming in and out – Downey – and I would say, “Hey check this out,” you know, every time he would come in, and he’d say “Ah!” I mean, he’s the only guy wacky enough, like me, that he would say, “We could make a movie!” And I would say, “I know!” (laughs) You know, it was crazy, you know, so he said, “Let’s do it!” So I said, “Fuck yeah,” and then I got really nervous because I was like, “Oh shit, now a real movie star wants to do this, so I have to actually know what I’m doing.” With just me and my friends I could just hold the camera and here we go. With Robert, I started getting nervous, but he’s pretty cool so… He was just weird enough to join the weird circus, and, you know, we ended up making the movie which is just… odd.

HF: This was the beginning of A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints?

DM: Yes. Yes, it was.

HF: Having never written a screenplay before, what drove you to adapt A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints yourself?

DM: Fear. It was simply out of fear. You know? I thought, “Oh, this could be fun,” and I didn’t want anyone to take my fun away, you know? When Robert brought in a woman named Trudie Styler, who is Sting’s wife, she said, “You know, we’ll get someone to adapt your book as a script,” and I said “I think I can do it,” and she said, “Well listen, I’ve got this great writer, who wrote the movie with Ben Kingsley.” Sexy Beast. And the writers from it said that they’d write my movie, and I said “Oh no, then I’m never gonna get a chance,” and she said, “Well they’re busy for a month and as soon as they’re done, they’re gonna write it and if you don’t like it – if we don’t like it – you’ll get your shot.” And I thought, “Well I’m never gonna get my shot,” so I wrote a really fast script, 150 pages of insanity.

Trudie read it, and to her and Robert’s severe credit, they saw through the madness of no order or anything. They said, “Hey, there’s something here; we’re gonna give it a shot.” And then somebody passed that script on to the Sundance writers lab and they accepted it. They called up, and I really thought it was like a Learning Annex thing, and I thought that it was gonna cost money, and I said, “How much is this?” And Michelle Satter, who’s the best, said “It’s free.” And I said, “Whaddya mean free? What about getting to Utah?” And she said, “We’ll fly you there,” and I’m like, “What?” And I didn’t believe it, but it was real, and next thing you know, you’re in Utah. I’m a big fan of Sundance labs for any actor, director, writer.

HF: How did you end up also directing the movie?

DM: Well, at the labs we got to a point where we were ready to make it and then Robert was on board with the idea of me directing, which, was another hurdle and the quick of it was Trudie, once again, took a crazy risk and said, “Go shoot a short with Robert and if we like it, you can direct the movie,” and I was like, “Robert, we gotta go shoot something,” and he said “Okay,” and we went over here in West Hollywood – my friend has a music rehearsal studio called Smashbox – and we went over there and I said “Phillip, can we rent a room for two hours? Like 15 dollars an hour? 30 bucks?” And Robert went in there and I put a camera in there and we filmed him and he was unbelievable that day, just unbelievable. I just wrote this random nuttiness; he sat there and he read it – it was the most beautiful acting I’d ever seen. And then I shot some kids that never acted before and we made a short and then, luckily, they liked it enough and then we made a movie. That’s the weird story.

HF: When it came time for casting, was it difficult to cast actors as real people from your life?

DM: Well a really good learning process for me, once again, was Sundance Labs. I was also, actually, in the directors lab. They picked me when they saw these weird shorts, and you could bring in three actors, which is great for actors to go to. But they cast the rest of your ideas with locals, and they cast this guy named Charlie – he’s a big guy, HUGE – to play this role to shoot a scene which, in the movie, was between Robert Downey and Eric Roberts, where they see each other in prison, right?

I had an actor named Michael Wright, who I love, and he’s playing the role that Robert played, and Michael is just one of my favorite actors, I love Michael. And the prison role, they cast him locally, so I don’t know who it is, and this huge guy walks in, big white guy in overalls. It was the worst idea I’d ever heard in my life. I said, “You’ve gotta be kidding me.” So this guy, Charlie, comes in and he’s doing it at the most monotone lull. I’m like, “Charlie, you have to talk loud.” “Okay.” He’s trying to do it. He can’t. We do it five times. I go to the other side of the room, “You have to talk loud enough for me to hear!” He’s quiet. So finally, I go over to Michael, the other actor, and he says, “You know, he’s a big guy Dito, why don’t you just let him talk? That’s his way.” I said, “All right,” and then he did it…And he did it so incredible, I can never let go of it. As much as I love Eric Roberts’ performance, Charlie’s still haunts me.

Ever since then, I’ve let go of what I think actors are supposed to look like and everything. I think if I write a role for a man and a woman wants to do it in the movie – I just did, Juliette Binoche plays a role I wrote for Roger Guenveur Smith – a man, a woman, any race. I’m not trying to be politically correct, but if you write a good role, everybody understands it, should understand it to some degree. Human is human. That really has been the most fun thing for me about movies.

HF: Tell us about your next movie The Son of No One

DM: The Son Of No One was an idea from an incident that happened many years ago…a notion. I was at my friend White Vinny’s apartment in the Ravenswood projects where we use to rehearse in apartment 1c in our teenage hardcore band. Junkies used to constantly come in to smoke dust and terrorize little White Vinny. One day, one we really hated and were afraid of, named Hanky, was found dead in the hallway. When the cops took him away they were all smoking, laughing and one was even eating a sandwich. My other friend, Black Vinny, who later ended up in the psychiatric ward of Elmhurst hospital looked at me and said (regarding the cops), “No one cares. No one cares about any of us.”

As a kid it didn’t affect me because I knew what he meant. We were all disposable. The junkies, the parents… us. Everyone. It’s an awful way to exist, knowing no one cares. A theme that never left me. All my movies, in one way or another, center around a character that often can be overlooked or simply… thrown away. In Saints there were a few, Frank The Dog Walker, Antonio; in Fighting there was Harvey; and in The Son of No One it was all of us, particularly Black Vinny, beautifully portrayed by Tracy Morgan. I don’t pretend to be any kind of activist or any of that. I write what I know or what I was or am affected by. And this theme, about throw away people, particularly this very personal one in this movie, has haunted me since I was a kid. So in many ways this is a movie about ghosts.

HF: What was it like to work with someone like Al Pacino?

DM: Al Pacino is fuckin’ the man! I mean, I just love him to death. I mean, I love everything about that guy. He’s the real deal. The first day – we shot this pretty fast – he had a five-page scene where he’s the only one talking. That’s it. A little boy’s listening, just him talking, five pages, we had half a day of shooting – not even – and I remember saying to the 1st AD, “Listen, we can’t do this. I have no rehearsal with him,” you know, this is Al Pacino! I’m flipping out and he shows up, he’s like, “Let’s just rehearse it once,” and I was like, “Okay,” and he does it, and I don’t care about perfection, but he literally missed two words. Like two words in five pages! And it ends and he goes, “I think I missed two words, right?” That’s even crazier, that he knows he missed two words, you know? Then I was like, “Why am I shocked that Jordan just showed up and dunked on me.”

HF: As an artist, you seem to be in your New York Period. Any other periods on the horizon?

DM: Well I’ve got a book that’s coming out. It’s out here [Los Angeles]. It’s about this guy who’s a clapper. A guy named Eddie. He sits on Gower. It’s about a guy named Eddie who takes the bus back and forth from the Valley and he claps in the audience. 50 bucks a show. It says “applause,” he claps, it says “laugh,” he laughs. It’s a very simple life. A love story happening there, too; in love with a girl named Judie who works in the all-night gas station, trapped in the box, there’s a little weird turn… We’ll see what happens with that one. It’s not the easiest movie to make. But none of them are.

EXCLUSIVE IMAGES FOR THE HF MAGAZINE

COLOR STUDIO IMAGES AND COVER: MITCHELL NGUYEN MCCORMACK

B&W LOCATION COVER: YANN BEAN

INTERVIEW: OLIVER SINGER

SHOT IN HOLLYWOOD CALIFORNIA

Exclusive interview with Austin Stowell

HF: What and who inspires you?

AS: My family has always been my major source of inspiration. My grandparents and parents gave me and my brothers the tools needed to succeed and the confidence to believe we could.

HF: What are your favorite moments in your career or life?

AS: After I hung up the phone with my friend who had just convinced me to leave the East coast for LA, life rushed into me like I had rarely felt before. Everything felt so fresh and invigorating.  I knew I was ready for the next chapter of my life.

HF: Any future projects you can tell us about? 

AS: Promoting Dolphin Tale has kept me busy as of late, but I’m like 99% of other actors out there right now.  Just trying to lock down the next job.  I love auditioning though. Acting is acting whether it’s up on the screen or in a casting office with just one other person.

HF: Can you name an actor that you would love to work with?

AS: Phillip Seymour Hoffman.  The guy has such a wide range of talent and never fails to impress.  He can be funny, solemn, enraged, and anywhere in between.  I dare you to tell me a poor PSH performance.

HF: What is the best life lesson you have learned from a fellow actor?

AS: While working on Dolphin Tale, I had the opportunity to spend some time with Harry Connick, Jr. off the set.  I’ll never forget when he told me, “All you need in life is your family, friends, and your wits.”  Harry’s a pretty happy guy, so it’s hard to argue with that. Keep it simple.  Don’t get lost in the BS is what I think he means.

HF: What is the best acting lesson you have learned from a non-actor?

AS: My mother taught me to go live my life the way I want to. Whatever I want to do when I wake up in the morning, I should just go do it.  Live everyday like it’s your last, because one day, it will be.

HF: Do you feel you grow more as an actor when you work alongside longtime household names, like in Dolphin Tale, or when you are working with other young, emerging artists, like in AWOL?

AS: It would be impossible working with folks like Morgan, Harry, Ashley, and Kris to not learn from them. They are true professionals and lead by example. They’ve taught me how to make it in the long run. On the other hand, working with a group of up and comers like Liam, Aimee, and Teresa is an education to say the least. We’re all figuring out this industry day by day and learning from each other’s accomplishments and mistakes. The combination and application of knowledge from those two worlds is what has helped me grow so much over the past year.

HF: If you could be anything but an actor, what would you choose to be?

AS: I’ve always wanted to be a camp director.  I love kids and would be so thrilled to be a part of their developmental stage in becoming self sufficient, productive adults.  There were so many people in my journey to becoming a young man that I would love to thank.  I believe the best way to do that is to return the favor to children looking for their guide along the way.

HF: Is there a performance that you have seen, either from your childhood or more recently, that has stuck with you more than any other?

AS: Unless it’s a one-man show, great performances are always about the cast around an actor. One of my favorite ensemble pieces is The Big Lebowski. As zany and out-of-this-world as those characters and the situations they’re in are, the actors are all so alive and real in them. Bridges, Goodman, Buscemi, Moore, Huddleston, Reid, and, of course, PSH. God, those guys are so good, but only because of one another.

HF: Where would you like to find yourself in 5 years? In 15 years?

AS: To be really honest, I’ve never liked this kind of question.  I want to be happy.  I’m happiest when I’m surrounded by my friends.  As long as I’ve got them, everything else will work itself out.

EXCLUSIVE IMAGES FOR THE HF MAGAZINE

PHOTOGRAPHER: MITCHELL NGUYEN MCCORMACK

STYLIST: ASHLEY PHAN-WESTON

AUSTIN WEARS EMPORIO ARMANI SUIT AND SHIRT

SWEATER AND SHIRTS THROUGHOUT: AMERICAN APPAREL

GROOMER: ERICA SAUER @ EXCLUSIVE ARTISTS MANAGEMENT

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“Working with Mark and Adam has been one of the most fulfilling creative experiences of my life. Their unflappable internal barometer of quality story telling gives a freedom and security I’ve rarely found on film sets.” – Chris Evans

Exclusive interview with Puncture’s brothers Adam and Mark Kassen and Chris Lopata

HF: What do art and commerce mean to you?

AK: When making a film you always have to keep commerce in mind, as long as you want more people to see your movie than your mom.

MK: Necessary balance and mutual respect.

CL: I never really think about the two together or separately.  I do what I do as honestly as I can. Art is expression and commerce is getting paid to do it.

HF: What and who inspires you?  

AK: People who are able to stay positive in the most difficult of circumstances.

MK: Bold, honest creativity.

CL: Risk takers and bold thinkers.  And outlaws.

HF: What are your favorite moments in your career or life? 

AK: Showing our film Puncture to my Dad and his friends, in the hospital, a few days before he passed away.

MK: The night that Little Willy, a play I wrote and starred in, opened off-Broadway.

CL: My favorite moments in my career are ones that have yet to happen.  I’m always looking to grow. In life, it’s hands down spending a Sunday morning with my family eating bacon.

HF: Any future projects you can tell us about?

AK: I’m currently posting a film I produced called Big Sur, directed by Michael Polish, starring Kate Bosworth, Josh Lucus, Rhada Mitchell and Jean Marc Barr. Based on the Jack Kerouac novel.

MK: I’m working on a few things.  Not sure which one will go first so I’ll keep my mouth shut for now…

CL: I recently finished an original screenplay that Michael Keaton is set to direct.

HF: Can you name a person that you would love to work with?

AK: Love to work with Aaron Sorkin.

MK: I’d love to work with Baz Lurhman.  From everything I’ve read, his process of exploring the material seems fantastic.

CL: Jack Nicholson.

HF: Who in life do you have the utmost respect for?

AK: Our Nurses.

MK: In the “real world” outside of the business, the person I have the most respect for is my Dad. He was a great person.

CL: My wife. We have three great kids and if it were left up to me they’d eat pizza and gummi bears every meal.  She’s the glue that keeps all of our lives together, and that’s not an easy job.

HF: Aside from writing/directing what is your preferred method of artistic expression, if anything?

AK: I doodle.

MK: Playing Piano

CL: Drawing and painting with my kids.

HF: What is the best life lesson you have learned from a fellow writer/director?

AK: To listen.

MK: Don’t be afraid of other people’s ideas. You never know where the magical, great stuff will come from, so if you’re lucky enough to have a great community of artists around you, use them.

CL: Never say no to a great idea.

HF: What is the best lesson in directing/writing you have learned from a non writer/director?  

AK: Prepare everything to a tee, and then when you get to set, be ready to throw it all away.

MK: Same thing basically. Every smart person has something dumb to say and every dumb person has something smart to say.

CL: Don’t forget to brush your teeth.

HF: If you could be anything but a writer/director, what would you choose to be?

AK: Psychologist.

MK: Yoga instructor.  If I was a yoga instructor, I’m sure my back would feel a lot better right now. Maybe I would go into politics and teach yoga on the side… or start a cult.   That’s sort of the same as yoga and politics combined anyway.

CL: Competing in the World Beard and Moustache Championship – Full beard freestyle category.

HF: Is there a performance that you have seen, either from your childhood or more recently, that has stuck with you more than any other?

AK: Alec Baldwin – Glen Gary Glen Ross… He was such a fantastic dick.  It was awesome.

MK: Mark Rylance, in the Broadway play Jerusalem. It was one of the most amazing acting feats I have ever seen.

CL: When I was a kid I was staying with my father one summer. I was younger than my brother and stepbrother and stepsister so I couldn’t go out with them.  I ended up staying home alone and watching a VHS tape of The Warriors 48 times over 2 months. Huge impact on me.

HF: Where would you like to find yourself in 5 years? In 15 years?

AK: Directing and producing movies and television, and other media, that have some social impact…. all with my own iPad app.

MK: Doing what I’m doing now… but getting paid more and taking the occasional exotic vacation.

CL: Writing and directing movies.

EXCLUSIVE IMAGES FOR THE HF MAGAZINE

PHOTOGRAPHER: MITCHELL NGUYEN MCCORMACK (COLOR)

PHOTOGRAPHER: YANN BEAN (B&W)

COPY EDITOR: MURIELLE ZUKER

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Exclusive interview with Martijn Lakemeier

HF: What do art and commerce mean to you?

ML: For me there is a clear difference between them. Although I prefer to make a lot of art house work, I haven’t decided yet which of the two I prefer looking at.

HF: What and who inspires you?

ML: Everything I see, everything I do, everything I experience is what helps me get better in what I love to do. I consciously remember those little things in life that make you a better actor.

HF: What are your favorite moments in your career or life?

ML: Winning a Golden Calf for best actor in 2009 is definitely a favorite moment in my career. And another smaller production I did this year, Dagen Van Gras, was also a very important experience for me where I learned a lot, which makes it one of my favorite (long) moments in my career as well.

HF: Any future projects you can update us on?

ML: In the spring of 2012, three different Dutch TV series are coming out.

HF: Can you name a person that you would love to work with? Who in life do you have the utmost respect for?

ML: I would love to work with Cees Geel. And actually, rather for a play than in a film. Because I believe acting is so much more pure on a stage in front of a great audience than on a film set with a huge camera as your audience.

And I have the utmost respect for Yorick van Wageningen. He’s been a great friend to me since 2008, when I did my first movie Winter in Wartime with him. He has taught me a lot about this world and his friendship means a lot.

HF: Aside from acting, what is your preferred method of artistic expression, if anything?

ML: Music, of course. But for a more artistic one I’d choose painting/drawing or dancing/movement without any vocals. Expressions can be very clear and pretty in these ‘methods’. But for all three, me being the audience, not the performer. You don’t want to see my drawings. There isn’t any expression in it at all.

HF: What is the best life lesson you have learned from a fellow actor?

ML: Be honest and grateful. It’s not what she literally told me, but that’s what I learned from working with and knowing Gaite Jansen. She is just always honest and grateful and that makes her an amazing person.

HF: What is the best acting lesson you have learned from a non-actor?

ML: That you must never imitate. Because imitation is very easily done when you’re playing a stereotype character.

HF: If you could be anything but an actor, what would you choose to be?

ML: An extra. Definitely. They’re great.

HF: Is there a performance that you have seen, either from your childhood or more recently, that has stuck with you more than any other?

ML: Yes, that’s the new film 170 Hz with Gaite Jansen in it. I saw it recently and it’s about 2 deaf teenagers falling in deep love with each other. Absolutely beautiful and so well performed.

HF: Where would you like to find yourself in 5 years? In 15 years?

ML: In 5 years, as an ex student from the academy of dramatic arts. In 15 years, I hope to have seen a lot from the world, and I hope to be able to perform in any method of artistic expression on an international level. In Dutch we’d say: Where there’s a will, there’s a way. An ability to make it happen.

EXCLUSIVE IMAGES FOR THE HF MAGAZINE

PHOTOGRAPHER: PIETER HENKET

PRODUCTION: ROGER INNISS FOR BOOM PRODUCTIONS INC

SHOT IN NETHERLANDS

“When I saw Miles’ pre-screen taped audition for Rabbit Hole I thought he was some kid who had wandered in off the street. His eyes burned into me. He was so vulnerable, fascinating, real.  It was only later I realized that he was actually an incredibly skilled actor. Nicole Kidman instantly agreed. This was the guy we were looking for to play opposite her for some of the most affecting scenes of the film. Plus he’s a sweetheart, a cut-up and he can dance like Michael Jackson. I feel so proud to have brought him to the world’s attention. It’s going to be seeing a lot of him.” John Cameron Mitchell, director of Rabbit Hole.

“In a sense, Miles and I both started working together at the beginning of our respective careers. I met Miles while teaching a workshop at NYU where he was a student at the time. I myself was 24 and newly promoted at my company as a talent manager…feeling unsure of how exactly I had ended up being asked to teach at NYU. I’m still not sure. But, when Miles finished the scene he had prepared, I knew right then and there that I had discovered a star. It’s a feeling I’ll never forget. All I could think to myself was this guy is hands down one of the most insanely talented people I’ve ever seen… What’s wrong with him?!?! I just couldn’t believe he didn’t have a manager or agent. Turned out there were several that had met him already. But, lucky for me, they were all pretty stupid because they all passed on signing him. I am proud to call myself Miles Teller’s manager. He’s a great actor, a great person, and a great friend, which makes doing my job pretty f*n awesome.” Michael Kaleda, manager @ Bold MP.

“Miles radiates joy on screen and there is a light that surrounds him.  He is comfortable in his own skin, which makes people gravitate towards him. Of course, one immediately picks up on his comedic skills, but with a flip of a switch, he can go to the dramatic side and blow you away.” Tracy Brennan, agent @ CAA

Exclusive interview with Miles Teller

HF: What does art and commerce mean to you ? 

MT: I think that great film can be both commercial and artistic. One should not refute the other. A commercial film means that it is treated towards a broader audience, but that doesn’t mean the subject matter and focus of the film is innately general and uninspiring. In the same way an Artistic film shouldn’t feel exclusive and alien to those who watch it. Great films can be watched over and over for their universal themes and engaging human relationships. I hope to achieve both commercial success and be proud of my work.

HF: What and who inspires you?

MT: I find myself inspired by the smaller moments in life. When I catch those subtle moments which are completely organic and unperformed. I am inspired by those who face great obstacles and face them with faith and the desire of the human will to overcome. My Uncle is in his 50′s and has been a quadriplegic since the time he was 17, and he is one of the most positive people I have in my life. He has been an incredible inspiration to me.

HF: What are your favorite moments in your career or life?

MT: When I was cast in a guest star spot on ‘The Unusuals’ that was a special moment for me. It was my first professional gig and at the time, I was a Senior at NYU and was constantly being reminded about the cold harsh post-academic world of an aspiring actor. All of my friends came over and we watched it when it came on television and it was a proudly uncomfortable viewing experience. As far as in my own life goes, I’m proud of the person that I am. I have a very close relationship with my family and friends which keeps me grounded. They are my foundation and I would be very unfortunate not to have them in my life. 

HF: Any future projects you can update us on?

MT: I am currently in the middle of filming “21 and Over” so that is the next project for me at the moment. There are a few movies we are trying to get at the moment but for now it’s all up in the air. I have received a few direct offers but my next gig will probably end up in the hands of the audition gods, and that’s fine with me. 

HF: Can you name a person that you would love to work with? Who in life do you have the utmost respect for?

MT: I love to work with passionate people. I’d love to be directed by the likes of the Cohen Brothers, Spielberg, Scorcese, Eastwood but also, it could be an unknown independent director who has that same fiery passion for filmmaking. On “21 and Over” I’m working with Jon Lucas and Scott Moore, two first-time directors and it has been an extremely rewarding experience. When you love what you’re doing and want to collaborate with others to make the scene better, that’s when the mind gets to really work. 

EXCLUSIVE IMAGES FOR THE HF MAGAZINE

PHOTOGRAPHER: MITCHELL NGUYEN MCCORMACK 

FASHION DIRECTOR: ASHLEY PHAN-WESTON

GROOMER: BARBARA GUILLAUME AT EXCLUSIVE ARTISTS 

SPECIAL THANKS TO : WILLIAM MORRIS ENDEAVOR , Daniel Weiner at BWR

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