Movie stars Winona Ryder and James Franco are getting together on the big screen!
Winona and James will star in The Stare, a Jay Anania-directed film that is the first project funded by Waterstone Entertainment, a new production and finance company formed by producers Jeff Kalligheri and Steve Bowen. Deadline Hollywood reports:
Watersone gets started with The Stare, a drama in which a playwright (Ryder) finds her mind beginning to warp as she struggles to launch her next production. She’s plagued by dreams and visions of being watched, but can’t decide if she’s at the center of a manipulative plot or simply losing her grip on reality. Franco plays one of the performers in the playwright’s production.
The film will start shooting May 6 in New York. I love the two are collaborating!
Who’s going to see this one?!??
In case you didn’t know, in 2010, Ryder was nominated for two Screen Actors Guild Awards, as the lead actress of When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story, and as part of the cast of Black Swan. Francohas been nominated for three Golden Globe awards, winning one, and received an Academy Award nomination for his work in 127 Hours.
Winona Ryder is one person who’s not surprised that Mel Gibson is one of Hollywood’s most-hated men at the moment. According to the actress, he was the same way fifteen years ago.
In an interview with GQ, Winona recalls, “I remember, like, fifteen years ago, I was at one of those big Hollywood parties. And he was really drunk. I was with my friend, who’s gay. He made a really horrible gay joke. And somehow it came up that I was Jewish. He said something about ‘oven dodgers,’ but I didn’t get it. ”
Ryder said at the time she had no clue what Mel was referring to, adding, “He’s anti-Semitic and he’s homophobic. No one believed me!”
Winona Ryder plays a role in the new Natalie Portman movie Black Swan, and Elle talks to her about growing up in San Francisco, being in the business for 25 years, and her dating life. Here are some interview excerpts from the January 2011 issue!
On the internet:
“I don’t use the Internet, but apparently you can find out everything on it. I have my e-mail on my BlackBerry, and that’s about it. I’ve never read a blog, ever. I feel like it’s taking away that great anticipation of seeing a movie. It used to be you’d hear, like, Al Pacino was making a movie, and you wouldn’t know anything about it. And nowadays, you know it all, like how much [the actors] are being paid. I would hate to see a picture of me and the caption reads, ‘Is she worth it?’ ”
On choosing her roles:
“If I don’t relate to the [project], even if it’s something that I should do, it’s hard for me to say yes…I’m the type who’d rather not work than work on something I’m not into. I’ve done that a couple of times, and I feel like I can totally see it in my performance.”
On dating a normal guy vs. an actor:
“I remember being at this bar called Tosca in San Francisco, and I met this guy one night. He was really cute, and we were talking, and then, like, he just said something about how he had always had a crush on me. And I was suddenly mistrustful about why he was talking to me. I wanted to be just a normal girl flirting with a normal guy. It’s like you meet people, and they know this stuff about you. It’s why you want to meet somebody who’s in the same business, only because they understand more. But you don’t necessarily want to be with another actor.”
Wow, what a cast! Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Kevin James, Channing Tatum and Queen Latifah all star in this new comedy from Ron Howard!
Since college, confirmed bachelor Ronny (Vaughn) and happily married Nick (James) have been through thick and thin. Now partners in an auto design firm, the two pals are vying to land a dream project that would launch their company. With Ronny’s girlfriend, Beth (Connelly), and Nick’s wife, Geneva (Ryder), by their sides, they’re unbeatable. But Ronny’s world is turned upside down when he inadvertently sees Geneva out with another man and makes it his mission to get answers. As the amateur investigation dissolves his world into comic mayhem, he learns that Nick has a few secrets of his own. Now, with the clock ticking and pressure mounting on the biggest presentation of their careers, Ronny must decide how and when he will reveal the truth to his best friend.
Looks like Winona Ryder is launching her own comeback story. The ’80s icon has landed a leading role in the Ron Howard-directed film, previously called Cheaters, starring Vince Vaughn and Kevin James. Sources tell EW.com that Ryder beat out a slew of other actresses in her drive to land the part of Geneva, Kevin James’ wife. She auditioned twice for the part, outshining the likes of Kate Beckinsale, Carla Gugino and Uma Thurman, who flew herself in for the audition.
Why is the role so coveted? Well it turns out the film is no tried-and-true fat guy/hot wife comedy. Rather, the movie, from screenwriter Allan Loeb (21), centers on two best friends, played by James and Vaughn. When Vaughn’s character discovers that James’ wife (Ryder) has cheated on his best friend, he confronts her directly and must decide whether or not he will tell his friend. (Thus, the film often pits Ryder’s character opposite Vaughn’s.) The movie is set to begin filming in Chicago in May.
Ryder, who recently wrapped Darren Aronofsky’sBlack Swan starring Natalie Portman, can next be seen in the CBS mini-series When Love is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story, a period piece that depicts the story of the woman who co-founded Al-Anon. She stars opposite Berry Pepper. It premieres April 25.
Winona Ryder and Barry Pepper have been cast to star in the Hallmark Hall of Fame movie “When Love Is Not Enough: The Lois Wilson Story.”
Production starts this week in Toronto; the longform will air later this season on CBS.
Movie is based on the true story of Lois Wilson, the co-founder of Al-Anon, and her relationship with alcoholic husband Bill Wilson, one of the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous.
The couple enjoyed an upscale lifestyle in the 1920s, but his drinking eventually led to their downfall. Eventually, her husband became sober — but Lois Wilson still struggled with her own issues surrounding his alcoholism. She eventually helped found Al-Anon in 1951 to help people whose loved ones battle addiction.
Winona Ryder says that she starved herself in order to cry on camera while playing the emotional charged role of Sandra in ‘The Private Lives of Pippa Lee’.
Winona says:
“I try to fill up on food in the morning because I won’t eat much for the rest of the day. Especially with this movie, it’s hard to stay really emotional on a full stomach. Like there has to be this weird craving going on if you have to cry. It’s a weird thing.”
Winona also said she was nervous about incorporating both humor and drama in the character:
” Part of what made me nervous about playing the part was the humour of the drama and making that work. I was very nervous and insecure about pulling it off. But then, I could use the insecurity because Sandra is insecure.”
The Private Lives of Pippa Lee is set for release on July 10 2009
