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Post by nycfan on Jun 5, 2009 2:04:20 GMT
GE2, Thanks for this great interview with Rufus. I just read it through quickly, and I have a question..... The "high quality miniseries in Europe" that he mentions. Do you know if that does become a reality, would we be able to get it here in the US  ?? I'm reading through these posts again. I missed your question the first time around, Spice. The answer is a big YES YES YES - "in Europe" means it will be filmed there, but it will definitely be a major miniseries broadcast here in the U.S. I apologize again for being so mysterious, but Rufus made me sign a pre-nup.  Rai Oh goody goody goody! Oh, and the next time you speak to HIMSELF, please ask him if he'd be interested a 45-year-old, phat New Yorker with big brown eyes and beautiful dimples. Really. Please. Pretty Please. Pretty pretty pretty please! |
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Post by vmaciv on Jun 5, 2009 2:41:08 GMT
You gals in England are so lucky. If everything turns out well, you get Rufus on TV. No Fair No Fair
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Post by Famke on Jun 5, 2009 2:41:59 GMT
Sooryyyy........!!!! It seems since the pre-nup that Rai and Rufus are married....so bummer for us..yet...YAY that we get more (maybe extra) mysterious info!!!
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Post by numbat on Jun 5, 2009 4:06:13 GMT
Thanks GE2 - what fantastic interviews!!! The more i read & hear about Rufus, the more i love admire him. Intelligence, honesty, integrity, humour. That would be a "post natal thingy" according to Petruchio, lol.  Now i've only seen one episode of EH & whilst it was what got me hooked and here (thanks to Jacob Hood's sublime fingers holding a pipette), i can understand that it's not the kind of thing that a "real" actor like Rufus would want to do long term. Similarly Damian Lewis in Life - now that was a show that i watched religiously from the very opening scene to the very final episode (& sobbed helplessly for several hours when the final ended because i KNEW it was the end). But i don't think Damian was as heartbroken as me & he's now in London happily attending charity golf events while his wife makes Harry Potter (no THAT's one lucky woman - she has slept with both sexy Roof & lovely Damian, yet i (mystifyingly) have slept with neither!!!) Sorry...... anyhow, my point is that whilst US TV exec's seem to think it's a great idea to take fantastic overseas actors & put them in US cop procedurals, true artists of stage & screen like Rufus & Damian are never going to be satisfed. Hallelujah to that - as a mother of 3 i'm perpetually overemployed (read overwhelmed) and underused!!! Unfortunately i can't just turn my back & choose the bohemian lifestyle as he can (unless of course i run away with him & share his bohemian lifestyle!!!) & i think this is what i love the most. With all the "making of" doco's i've seen lately i was struck by how funny Rufus is when being himself & his naturally infectious laugh. He laughs all the time & it's absolutely delicious!!!  |
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Post by rueful on Jun 5, 2009 14:58:57 GMT
Thanks posting for these wonderful interviews, GE2. He's so interesting to "listen" to. So smart, so thoughtful in his answers, and of course so funny. He mentions a recent New York Times interview, but I haven't been able to find it online. Any of our New Yorkers see it? Rai, you do realize how much you kill us when you say things like that, don't you?  As much as she can get! |
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Post by vmaciv on Jun 7, 2009 4:40:21 GMT
I have watched almost all the Rufus Sewell movies that have appeared on US TV and of all of them that I have seen to date I actually like Dark City and Dangerous Woman. I do not think he gives himself enough credit and I actually believe if Proyuz could come up with an interesting script Rufus should consider Dark City redux. As for Downloading Nancy, I think some times great actors (and Rufus qualifies) can make terrible choices. The real issue with this film is that you do not care about the characters. I agree with one of the reviewers who believed inane direction was at fault but sometimes when an actor reads a part they need to consider if the characters are people that the audience can care about either way.
I sincerely wish to see much more of Rufus Sewell but I think that he plans to stay put in Europe for awhile so I think my ability to see him will be limited. I hope he finds roles that actually make him happy. But I also hope the bohemian in him begins to understand that skills must first be noticed and then they are respected. Katherine Hepburn was one of the greatest actresses of our time but she almost ran herself out of the business because she did not understand that the audience does count.
Forgive the length of the message and I hope it is taken in the spirit that it is intended. Rufus has such potential to be one of the greatest actors of our time but I actually believe he needs to take a little different view of his profession. Your audience needs very much to care about the role. The irony is that when he was playing villains the audience may have hated him but the characters were so alive that you loved to hate him. And that is the difference in those roles and in the role he played in DN.
Any way I am really heart broken because as a New Yorker I am going to be left out of the Rufus thing for a while. As I said before NO FAIR!!!
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Post by numbat on Jun 7, 2009 7:11:03 GMT
Mmmm, well that review (the NY Times one) isn't very encouraging is it!!! I guess we'll have to wait until one of us can actually see it though before we can comment - when movie critics rule the world we all need to be worried.
I guess it must actually be quite hard to pick a good movie to appear in - you would want the script to give you something creative to work with but at the same time you have no idea how the film will "look" or be directed, or how well your fellow actors will perform. And i guess once it's made it's too late to change your mind - all you can do is throw your weight behind it & hope for the best!!! There's nothing worse than a disgruntled actor who does nothing but whinge & moan about their latest movie - at least Rufus seems to have good grace & a fantastic sense of humour about it - his comment about sitting in the cinema watching the door open & close was a classic!!!
I'm still looking forward to seeing it - if i ever get a chance - thank goodness for dvd's!!!! And vmaciv, if you think it's not fair to be out of the Roof loop living in NY, think about me - i live in the most isolated state capital city in the world - i've got no hope!!!
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Post by eleanor on Jun 7, 2009 10:22:28 GMT
It's a difficult one this because I think Rufus is the kind of person that is selfish in respect of doing what he wants to do. I don't mean that he is a selfish human being, I mean that his work as an actor and the roles he chooses to play are NOT based on what the public wants and perhaps never will be. I don't really think he entirely cares what the public thinks he should do, as long as he is making films and playing the roles that he enjoys. It is the experience of the part that drives him. Perhaps that is why after all these years of being an actor, Rufus has not succumbed to Hollywood or mega amounts of fame, purely to satisfy the public; he does exactly what he wants to do and he is true to himself. Remember, Rufus said that when there are times of lack of money, lean times when nothing is going on, these occassions can be where he reflects upon himself and his life and perhaps are the best of times for collecting his thoughts. I thoroughly respect him and his decisions and I do understand the reasons why he conducts himself in this way and in his career and I like it. Rufus is not 'the norm' and I hope he stays that way, mega fame or not. I hope that he continues to find and enjoy those roles that give him what he most needs to satisfy himself artistically and to have the life that he wants.
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Post by rueful on Jun 8, 2009 15:10:32 GMT
Regarding Rufus's mention of a NYT interview, nycfan answered:
Thanks for looking, nycfan. Maybe he did the interview but it wasn't published. Please let us know if it pops up.
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Post by kate2009 on Jun 9, 2009 4:17:47 GMT
As far as what I've been happily reminded of is my nature, and my nature as an actor is I'd rather have lack of financial security, lack of security all around with the faint glimmer of very, very exciting, incredibly disparate things in my future. Sooryyyy........!!!! It seems since the pre-nup that Rai and Rufus are married....so bummer for us..yet...YAY that we get more (maybe extra) mysterious info!!! you do realize how much you kill us when you say things like that, don't you? |
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Post by dvikib on Jun 24, 2009 3:33:20 GMT
The miniseries that Rufus mentioned in his interview above is a go according to Entertainment Weekly (U.S. magazine). It will be 8 hours in length but the odd part is that although European stations are picking it up, no U.K. or U.S. stations have grabbed it yet. news-briefs.ew.com/2009/06/donald-sutherland-ian-mcshane-rufus-sewell-doing-pillars-of-the-earth-miniseries.html Donald Sutherland, Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell doing 'Pillars of the Earth' miniseries Jun 9, 2009, 08:51 AM | by Jennifer Armstrong Donald Sutherland, Ian McShane, and Rufus Sewell will star in Pillars of the Earth, a smallscreen adaptation of the historical novel that will play as a Thornbirds-style miniseries event, according to The Hollywood Reporter. But while most large European stations have signed on to air the film -- produced by Munich-based Tandem Communications and Montreal-based Muse Entertainment -- so far there are no takers stateside or in the U.K. The eight-hour series based on Ken Follett's bestseller, which is set in 12th Century England among war and religious strife, will be directed by Sergio Mimica-Gezzan (Heroes, Saving Grace). It starts shooting June 22 in Hungary and Austria, with a premiere date of late 2010. McShane will play Waleran; Donald Sutherland, Bartholomew; and Rufus Sewell, Tom Builder. The cast also includes Matthew Macfadyen as Prior Philip, Sarah Parish as Regan Hamleigh, Hayley Atwell as Aliena, Eddie Redmayne as Jack, and Gordon Pinsent as the Archbishop. John Pielmeier, who adapted the novel for the screen, will also play the role of Cuthbert. |
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Post by castaneasativa on Sept 7, 2011 16:42:23 GMT
hi girls, I haven't seen the film yet... i'm sorry if it's already posted, but this interview on Downloading Nancy really hit me in my heart... I learned it is not a 'cola light'. Rufus' words in this discussion made me almost cry. RUFUS SEWELL DEFENDS CONTROVERSIAL 'NANCY'.
EXCLUSIVE Rufus Sewell, Downloading Nancy Interview by Paul Fischer.Downloading Nancy was one of the more controversial films screened at last year's Sundance Film Festival. This intense, dark and disturbing film revolves around housewife Nancy (Maria Bello) who, sick of her life and marriage to a controlling husband [Rufus Sewell] she just wants it to be over and done with, but rather than kill herself, she hires a stranger from the Internet to do the job for her. But fate takes a strange turn when she meets her killer (Jason Patric) and the two fall in love. Rufus Sewell talks frankly to Paul Fischer about the film, its themes and the state of his career.
QUESTION: So, this must he been a very tough character for you to get into. And I'm just wondering what the attraction - was it the character, or the nature of the story that interested you?
RUFUS SEWELL: I think, to be perfectly honest with you, I think - why do you think it was a tough character for me to get into?
QUESTION: Well, I guess being such - I mean, do you see him as being a totally unsympathetic character?
RUFUS SEWELL: No. No, I don't.
QUESTION: Okay. Well, let's start from there. Why?
RUFUS SEWELL: I mean, was there even a totally sympathetic character in this film, by the way?
QUESTION: Well, you're right. I mean, that's one of the problems, I suppose.
RUFUS SEWELL: Yeah. Especially one of the problems with a provincial audience.
QUESTION: But, do you think that audiences need to empathize with characters for a film to work?
RUFUS SEWELL: To work commercially, possibly. I don't know. I empathize - I mean, what people empathize with is a matter of what their barriers are, and what the triggers are with them, and what subjects they consider - you know, taboo. And I certainly empathized with my character when I read it. Because I just thought he was a completely lost person, with all of the guilt and fear and - you know, resentments of an old person, but he feels it very, very badly. And his reaction to being with someone in that much pain is, he can't F***ing deal with it. He can't see. You know. And he just shuts off. And this is some - you know, you see - it's, unfortunately, the end of a relationship that had a beginning, had a middle, and has ended up in this horrible stalemate, with two people who hold each other in contempt.
QUESTION: When you play scenes like that with Maria, what are the difficulties that you face as an actor, and as a person, to try and create this relationship between - I mean, she's such a nice person, Maria. You're both very nice people. What do you do, to create that sense of emotional detachment that is necessary for this?
RUFUS SEWELL: Well, I think you just try to be as honest as possible. And when I say "as honest as possible," it's as honest and possible about what you are really like. And I know you aren't playing yourself. But each of us, you know, I think if we're really, really honest, can find examples of our own life in which - you might not have done the same thing. But we can find reactions that we've been through, we can find things that we've done, that might have been similar in impulse. Even if on paper, they look completely different. And I can certainly look back at the relationships and see - you know, we've all, one way or another, treated someone badly or been treated badly. Or cut off from someone, or held someone in contempt, or worried about ourselves, when we should have been worried about the other person. Or taken offense when really, we should have seen that someone's in pain. You know, all of those things. And if we're really honest about ourselves, then we can step away from judging the person we're playing. You know? And I think if you step away from that, then it's easier just to be in the moment.
QUESTION: Do you think audiences reacted the way they did to this movie at Sundance because they tend to be too judgmental about these characters?
RUFUS SEWELL: Oh, no, certainly not. Personally, I did find the audience - because I was only at one showing - to be surprisingly provincial. You know. In their reactions. I mean, I don't care if people like it or not, but I'm very proud of the film. I think - you know, succeed or fail, by whichever criteria one uses, it's the kind of project that I would like to continue to succeed or fail in. And I don't mean I need to be in heavy dramas, or I need to play characters like that. I mean, just being challenging, different stuff. You know.
QUESTION: The thing that I loved about it was that it's a film that really did take an extraordinary amount of risks.
RUFUS SEWELL: Yeah. These people - you know, people do have these problems. These things do happen. There are people like that. I mean, it's not - you know, people walk out of this. But they won't walk out of things where much, much worse things happen. It's just the way - the closeness, the unrelenting way in which you're asked to look at it. You know. Maybe we could have put more jokes in. But as far as I'm concerned, I actually - to some extent, as far as the director's concerned, played it for laughs.
QUESTION: What is it that you are looking for as an actor? I mean, you've been in this business now such a long time, Rufus. And you've played such a variety of characters. The older you get, are they harder to find?
RUFUS SEWELL: No, they're getting easier to find, because I think it's taking a very long time for people to realize that I'm not a type. You know, one way or another over the years, people have tried to change their minds about what type I am, and still the occasional wanker will try to tell me what type I am. And I think the older I get, the easier it becomes for people to realize that I'm an actor.
QUESTION: Do you see yourself as a character actor? Or do you see yourself as a combination of a character actor and leading man, and fusing those two?
RUFUS SEWELL: I think I was more insistent on the fact that I was a character actor, when I was - growing up, from my 20s. Because I think there was more pressure on me because of the way I looked, to fit into a certain thing. I was very uncomfortable with - I'm a little more comfortable with myself now, and I could actually - quite happy now, the experience I have, of playing leading roles, and romantic roles. But I think I'm kind of a leading character, or character leading. So I think there's a lot of roles like Dark City or Dangerous Beauty, or whatever, that if they were to come my way now, I'd be a lot less frightened of them.
QUESTION: Why did you decide this is a time for you to do television?
RUFUS SEWELL: Because I wasn't being offered anything else. I mean, you know. For me, I felt - I wasn't getting offered anything else that wasn't on a horse, pre-20th century, without at least a hint of a crown somewhere. You know. And for me, the idea - the possibility of showing people that I could exist in a modern idiom, be an American, be possibly a nice guy, was something that might kind of shake things up for me. And the truth is, no matter what people might have said about the season, the series that I did, no one questioned my existence.
QUESTION: What did the visibility of that television show - what has that done for your career at this point?
RUFUS SEWELL: Oh, probably nothing. I don't know. All I know is that with the advent of it not being picked up, I'm very excited at the prospects of doing other things. But for me - I don't know why I've done most - you know, it seemed like a good idea. And I did discover that I find the prospect of doing one job for a long time a little bit fearsome. So, I feel - even though it's a shame that it didn't get picked up.
QUESTION: What about the theatre? Do you have any aspirations to return to the theatre?
RUFUS SEWELL: I do indeed, yes. There's a couple of I've been talking about doing, possibly next year. But for me - I mean, it suddenly dawned on me that if the series was incredibly successful, then the prospect of my future theatre career would look a little bit more difficult. And that scares me. So, I'm quite - though, you know, there were many things about the series that I loved doing, and I liked all the people I worked with, part of me is very excited about it not going on.
QUESTION: What are your plans at the moment? Do you have anything that you're working on?
RUFUS SEWELL: Well, there is a project which is still TV, actually, but it's like a very high-quality mini-series with some really, really good people.
QUESTION: Contemporary?
RUFUS SEWELL: Not contemporary, no, but a really, really nice part. So, you know. As it is, I have to express myself and show the different colors I want to show within the realm of what comes my way. And the longest period I've spent unemployed have been waiting for those things, you know? And I will again. And I'm quite ready for that.
QUESTION: Are you as passionate about acting as you were when you were in your 20s?
RUFUS SEWELL: Probably more.
QUESTION: Right. Where do you think that comes from?
RUFUS SEWELL: Frustration. Also, I think I've kind of developed in a way that I'm very happy about. There've been so many things that could have led to other things, but didn't quite, and surprises and dips, et cetera, et cetera. But I've ended up, I think, getting better, in a way that my love for it, my excitement about it, my enthusiasm for what I do, kind of is greater now. I'm less cynical now than I think I was. I'm less scared.www.femail.com.au/rufus-sewell-downloading-nancy-interview.htm |
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