Coming soon...
"The main
sort of premise is these five six stories in which young people
under 18s sort of got in this situation where they were binge drinking
and something happened where their lives were wrecked (hence the title)
or they wound up dead or raped or something horrible [happened]. I took
real stories and I did a lot of research on it and based a lot of stories
on things that actually happened.
And I sort of changed the timeline around, similar to what they did with 'Memento' and 'Irreversible'. Only, instead of working backwards, I worked from the beginning and the end to the middle so you get the end of the story, then the first part of the story, then the bit before the end, then the second bit, so I finished with the decision, because being a drinker myself, I know there's always a decision that you make to carry on drinking. You sort of go, I should go home now, I know this is wrong, and you make that conscious decision, and I wanted everyone to see the consequences and recognize the lead up to the decision, see the consequences and be left with the decision so the audience would still feel like they had a choice, they could still change the consequences if they had to.
And the reaction from the youngsters that watched it was really good, they really got into it because it was working with that strange time zone and giving them a lot to think about other than going 'don't do this', which, as soon as someone says that, what're you gonna do, you're gonna fucking do it. So instead of preaching, I wanted them to be left with a sense of control and the fact that they could change the consequences by making a different decision when they were put into those circumstances."
And I sort of changed the timeline around, similar to what they did with 'Memento' and 'Irreversible'. Only, instead of working backwards, I worked from the beginning and the end to the middle so you get the end of the story, then the first part of the story, then the bit before the end, then the second bit, so I finished with the decision, because being a drinker myself, I know there's always a decision that you make to carry on drinking. You sort of go, I should go home now, I know this is wrong, and you make that conscious decision, and I wanted everyone to see the consequences and recognize the lead up to the decision, see the consequences and be left with the decision so the audience would still feel like they had a choice, they could still change the consequences if they had to.
And the reaction from the youngsters that watched it was really good, they really got into it because it was working with that strange time zone and giving them a lot to think about other than going 'don't do this', which, as soon as someone says that, what're you gonna do, you're gonna fucking do it. So instead of preaching, I wanted them to be left with a sense of control and the fact that they could change the consequences by making a different decision when they were put into those circumstances."
A
Celebrity Close-Ups Exclusive Interview
by: Brenda Meyer
It's one of the dirtier secrets in Hollywood that actors are just not very interesting people. Sure, they look great, make more money than the rest of us, and get to pretend to be really cool people for a living, but, as themselves, they're just not the sort of people you'd like to have a drink with in a bar. Most actors are too aware of the camera, of their image, of trying to hit a soundbyte instead of actually engaging in conversation during interviews, too intent on focusing only on themselves instead of the world and people around them. There are exceptions, but they're few and far between.
Welsh actor Gareth David-Lloyd, who plays Ianto Jones on the BBC hit series 'Torchwood', is definitely an exception to the rule. He was recently in Los Angeles to take some meetings before heading down to San Diego for Comic Con, and, in a city where an honest reaction is as rare as rain in the summer, Gareth's unvarnished brand of no bullshit forthrightness was a breath of fresh air. Especially when it came to talking about actors who take themselves too seriously.
"At the end of the day, I'm in it because I use [acting] as a vent," he declares. "I enjoy playing psycho gang leaders...so I don't become a psycho gang leader in real life. It's a vent, it's a need, it's philanthropy, it's a form of ADD as well. And no matter how arrogant it sounds, every actor always gets a buzz when they've made someone impressed or happy or given them something.
"I dont really have a huge respect for a lot of actors when they're asked 'why'd you become an actor', and they're all, oh, well, it's because I have this extraordinary talent. It's bullocks, it's because [you've] got a mild form of obsessive schizophrenia, and need to vent otherwise [you] could go crazy."
His honesty doesn't stop at critiquing his own profession, either. "L.A. is a great town," he tells me (at the time of our interview, he'd been here a total of four days), "but I wouldn't want to live here. I don't think I'd ever do an Anthony Hopkins, although I'm sure he had his reasons for moving over here. But, I don't think I could live over here too much...I've got no real urge to conquer America, but I would love to work here."
Our talk, over drinks at one of those swank L.A. joints that boasts a great wine list, but wears its shallow celebrity-loving heart on its sleeve (and where Gareth and I drew barely a glance), ranged all over the place. From a shared love of music and the art of the written word to the hilarity of worshipping celebrity culture Gareth is a wicked mimic to the evils of reality television, our chat felt less like an interview and more like the sort of late night conversation one would have with friends in some no-name, seedy diner.
Gareth boasts boyishly charming good looks and an unfailingly polite way about him, but he also has a surprisingly dry, biting sense of humor, and isn't afraid of using it. He also has a keen grasp of language (his debut play, 'Wrecked', which he wrote and directed, is still playing in theatres across Wales), especially when talking about sincerity in art, whether it be music or acting. "Bob Dylan couldn't sing, neither could Jimi Hendrix. [But], they were sincere, and that's the most important thing. I think you can have the most beautiful voice in the world, but if what you're doing is to promote yourself...it always shows.
"That's why I fucking hate pop music," he continues, words tumbling forth, almost too fast for him to keep up. "That's why I hate 'X Factor' and these talent shows... It's for kids and I find it paper art, and quite offensive, actually. I think it's a big money-making machine and I've got no qualms about showing my negative attitude towards it."
Music is a big passion in Gareth's life, and we spent quite a lot of time talking of our shared admiration for bands as diverse as Tool and Muddy Waters. This passion also manifests itself in a more concrete way when he's not busy saving the world on 'Torchwood', Gareth also fronts a blues-based hard-rock band called Blue Gillespie (you can visit their myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/bluegillespie). Their sound is clearly influenced by bands like The Doors and more modern, Southern-metal bands like Down, but they also have a bit of a punk sensibility as well. YouTube footage of their concerts shows a band that's up on stage just looking to have a good time, play some good music, and hopefully get a free drink or two out of the deal.
"Blue Gillespie comes out of frustration, that's why it's blues based," he says, when I ask about the band and what sort of songwriter he thinks he is. "I mean, I love the blues anyway, it's aggressive and some of it's quite brutal. It's quite depressing, but I use that as a vent, even though I'm not that musically talented."
When I ask him if he'd consider music as a full-time gig, like fellow actor-turned-musician Jared Leto, he dismisses the notion with a laugh. "We're sort of a side project for my acting career and a side project for them [the rest of the band], since their main project is Disgracelands, and we're enjoying ourselves and seeing what comes from that. It's an energetic release, I suppose, and so we're filling the time when a) I'm not acting and b) when they're not gigging."
He would love to bring the band with him to the U.S. to play a few dates, saying that he has a feeling they'd fit in better stylistically here than back home in their native country. But, in the meantime, he's got a career he enjoys, and one he would also love to see flourish in the States.
"I want to come here, try it out, and if America doesn't like me, then they don't like me, but at least I'll have had a go. I want to experience different parts of the world, and I want to work over here [in America], because I'm such a fan of the shows they've made over here 'The Sopranos', 'Six Feet Under', 'My Name Is Earl', actually, 'Sex & The City', I quite like as well... I'm passionate about watching them. I'll spend 6 or 7 hours a night watching shows back to back."
When I point out that most of those shows were on HBO, he just grins and leans in close to the recorder, saying succinctly:
"I would love to work for HBO."
by: Brenda Meyer
It's one of the dirtier secrets in Hollywood that actors are just not very interesting people. Sure, they look great, make more money than the rest of us, and get to pretend to be really cool people for a living, but, as themselves, they're just not the sort of people you'd like to have a drink with in a bar. Most actors are too aware of the camera, of their image, of trying to hit a soundbyte instead of actually engaging in conversation during interviews, too intent on focusing only on themselves instead of the world and people around them. There are exceptions, but they're few and far between.
Welsh actor Gareth David-Lloyd, who plays Ianto Jones on the BBC hit series 'Torchwood', is definitely an exception to the rule. He was recently in Los Angeles to take some meetings before heading down to San Diego for Comic Con, and, in a city where an honest reaction is as rare as rain in the summer, Gareth's unvarnished brand of no bullshit forthrightness was a breath of fresh air. Especially when it came to talking about actors who take themselves too seriously.
"At the end of the day, I'm in it because I use [acting] as a vent," he declares. "I enjoy playing psycho gang leaders...so I don't become a psycho gang leader in real life. It's a vent, it's a need, it's philanthropy, it's a form of ADD as well. And no matter how arrogant it sounds, every actor always gets a buzz when they've made someone impressed or happy or given them something.
"I dont really have a huge respect for a lot of actors when they're asked 'why'd you become an actor', and they're all, oh, well, it's because I have this extraordinary talent. It's bullocks, it's because [you've] got a mild form of obsessive schizophrenia, and need to vent otherwise [you] could go crazy."
His honesty doesn't stop at critiquing his own profession, either. "L.A. is a great town," he tells me (at the time of our interview, he'd been here a total of four days), "but I wouldn't want to live here. I don't think I'd ever do an Anthony Hopkins, although I'm sure he had his reasons for moving over here. But, I don't think I could live over here too much...I've got no real urge to conquer America, but I would love to work here."
Our talk, over drinks at one of those swank L.A. joints that boasts a great wine list, but wears its shallow celebrity-loving heart on its sleeve (and where Gareth and I drew barely a glance), ranged all over the place. From a shared love of music and the art of the written word to the hilarity of worshipping celebrity culture Gareth is a wicked mimic to the evils of reality television, our chat felt less like an interview and more like the sort of late night conversation one would have with friends in some no-name, seedy diner.
Gareth boasts boyishly charming good looks and an unfailingly polite way about him, but he also has a surprisingly dry, biting sense of humor, and isn't afraid of using it. He also has a keen grasp of language (his debut play, 'Wrecked', which he wrote and directed, is still playing in theatres across Wales), especially when talking about sincerity in art, whether it be music or acting. "Bob Dylan couldn't sing, neither could Jimi Hendrix. [But], they were sincere, and that's the most important thing. I think you can have the most beautiful voice in the world, but if what you're doing is to promote yourself...it always shows.
"That's why I fucking hate pop music," he continues, words tumbling forth, almost too fast for him to keep up. "That's why I hate 'X Factor' and these talent shows... It's for kids and I find it paper art, and quite offensive, actually. I think it's a big money-making machine and I've got no qualms about showing my negative attitude towards it."
Music is a big passion in Gareth's life, and we spent quite a lot of time talking of our shared admiration for bands as diverse as Tool and Muddy Waters. This passion also manifests itself in a more concrete way when he's not busy saving the world on 'Torchwood', Gareth also fronts a blues-based hard-rock band called Blue Gillespie (you can visit their myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/bluegillespie). Their sound is clearly influenced by bands like The Doors and more modern, Southern-metal bands like Down, but they also have a bit of a punk sensibility as well. YouTube footage of their concerts shows a band that's up on stage just looking to have a good time, play some good music, and hopefully get a free drink or two out of the deal.
"Blue Gillespie comes out of frustration, that's why it's blues based," he says, when I ask about the band and what sort of songwriter he thinks he is. "I mean, I love the blues anyway, it's aggressive and some of it's quite brutal. It's quite depressing, but I use that as a vent, even though I'm not that musically talented."
When I ask him if he'd consider music as a full-time gig, like fellow actor-turned-musician Jared Leto, he dismisses the notion with a laugh. "We're sort of a side project for my acting career and a side project for them [the rest of the band], since their main project is Disgracelands, and we're enjoying ourselves and seeing what comes from that. It's an energetic release, I suppose, and so we're filling the time when a) I'm not acting and b) when they're not gigging."
He would love to bring the band with him to the U.S. to play a few dates, saying that he has a feeling they'd fit in better stylistically here than back home in their native country. But, in the meantime, he's got a career he enjoys, and one he would also love to see flourish in the States.
"I want to come here, try it out, and if America doesn't like me, then they don't like me, but at least I'll have had a go. I want to experience different parts of the world, and I want to work over here [in America], because I'm such a fan of the shows they've made over here 'The Sopranos', 'Six Feet Under', 'My Name Is Earl', actually, 'Sex & The City', I quite like as well... I'm passionate about watching them. I'll spend 6 or 7 hours a night watching shows back to back."
When I point out that most of those shows were on HBO, he just grins and leans in close to the recorder, saying succinctly:
"I would love to work for HBO."
MPAA
Accredited
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© Copyright - Celebrity Close-Ups. All rights reserved.
WWW: http://www.celebritycloseups.com