Interview: “Baby Driver” Actor CJ Jones

Posted on July 20, 2017 at 8:00 am

“Baby Driver” has great action and music, but the heart of the film is in the quieter moments with Ansel Elgort’s character, Baby, and his deaf foster father, played by deaf actor CJ Jones. I spoke to Edgar Wright about working with Jones, and so I was especially glad to see this interview with Jones by Haben Girma. Here’s an excerpt:

Haben: Film is very visual. Deaf culture and American Sign Language are very visual, too. Do you think being Deaf gives you an advantage over hearing actors?

CJ: Oh, that’s an interesting question. Well, Haben, it is not about being hearing or Deaf, it is not about being black or white, it is not about labels. It’s about talent, integrity, uniqueness, and passion. I got the role because I demonstrated that I have the talent the director was looking for. I fit his vision. He was very happy that he made the right decision hiring an authentic Deaf actor.

Here’s a clip from Bleeding Cool:

SAG Lifetime Achievement Winner: Lily Tomlin

Posted on January 29, 2017 at 8:00 am

Congratulations to tonight’s winner of the Screen Actors Guild award for lifetime achievement, Lily Tomlin!

From her appearance on “Laugh-In” as Ernestine the telephone operator and Edith Ann the little girl to her subtle, complex, witty performances in films from “Nashville” to “All of Me,” “I Heart Huckabees,” “Nine to Five,” “The Incredible Shrinking Woman,” the recent “Grandma” and her Netflix series with longtime friend Jane Fonda, “Frankie and Grace,” her Tony-award winning one-woman show “The Search for Intelligent Life in the Universe,” and her voice work as the teacher in “The Magic School Bus,” Tomlin has given us decades of humor, insight, and a deep humanity.

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Where You’ve Seen Her: Anna Kendrick

Posted on October 14, 2016 at 3:49 pm

Anna Kendrick is one of my favorite performers and she is terrific as always in “The Accountant.”

I first saw her singing “Life Upon the Wicked Stage” from “Show Boat” with “Cabaret’s” Kit Kat Girls in “My Favorite Broadway.”

She sang another too-old-for-her Broadway classic, “Ladies Who Lunch,” in “Camp,” where she played an “All About Eve”-style teenager who temporarily poisoned her rival. (NSFW language) With the ultimate disappointed middle-age belter, she slayed.

She was sensational with the rat-a-tat dialogue of “Rocket Science,” as a champion high school debater with an instinct for the jugular.

And really broke into major star status with “Up in the Air” and the “Pitch Perfect” movies.

She has quietly become one of the most versatile and appealing performers working today. She provided the voice for the annoying older sister in LAIKA’s “ParaNorman,” appeared in the raunchy comedy “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates,” and turned in thoughtful, sensitive performances in indie films like “Cake” (with Jennifer Aniston) and this year’s “The Hollars.” She was a therapist in “50/50” and Cinderella in “Into the Woods.” She even appeared in the “Twilight” series. Coming up next: the romantic comedy “Table 19.” Can’t wait.

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Listen to Star Autobiographies

Posted on April 20, 2016 at 8:00 am

Lisa Rosman has a great list of moviemaker autobiographies to listen to on audiobooks. These are not necessarily the biggest stars with the splashiest careers. They are the ones with the most interesting stories, and the ones that are best read by ear rather than eye. I’d add Rob Lowe’s Love Life and Stories I Only Tell My Friends.

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The Off Camera Show

Posted on February 13, 2016 at 8:00 am

Anyone who loves movies should subscribe to the Off Camera Show on YouTube. This short black and white clips from interviews with filmmakers and musicians are exceptionally insightful, thanks to thoughtful questions from Sam Jones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yufDSkOjWXo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98dG2dGqs6E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hRcLh_sLYY

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