Jonathan Crocker

It was like capturing a picture of the Yeti or the end of a rainbow. But in the middle of a lecture at Columbia university in March 2009, one student with a camera-phone finally snapped it: James Franco asleep. Head hung back on his shoulders. Jaw gently unlatched. Hands folded over his notebook.

So this dynamo actor/student/artist/writer/model/ joker was human, after all. But Franco wasn’t sleeping. He was busy. Busy answering the question, the same question he would keep asking Danny Boyle. Read the rest of this entry »

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Which places on Earth would still love to visit?

There are few out there that I know I should see before I die. But let’s not talk about it, because otherwise I’ll find a horde of tourists there.

So where is your favourite place on Earth?

Of course I’m very fond of the jungle, of Amazonia, but as a landscape and for the people, I really like the arid north east of Brazil a lot. Read the rest of this entry »

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There’s a story that Billy Wilder (legendary Oscar-winning filmmaker) once told Billy Bob Thornton (impoverished LA waiter) that he didn’t look pretty enough to make it as an actor. Thornton didn’t care. Firstly, he didn’t really want to be an actor anyway. Secondly, he looked interesting. And interesting beat pretty any day of the week. The first Billy would live just long enough to watch the second Billy (actor, writer, director) win an Oscar and marry the hottest woman on the planet. Read the rest of this entry »

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Is there anything controversial in your new autobiography?

No, not really. I mean, there’s whole thing about Meredith Catsanus… I’m sure that particular girl wouldn’t have minded me telling the story.

Go on…

I kind of say, ‘This isn’t going to be a tell-all. I’m not going to talk about my first sexual experience.’ But then I do, about touching this girl’s boobs. And I didn’t want to name her. I do name a lot of friends from childhood – because I didn’t touch their boobs. Read the rest of this entry »

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Reviews for Prince Of Persia and Clash Of The Titans weren’t great. How do you feel when that happens?

The worst thing is when you’re in stonkingly bad flops and they’re all in the same year and you think, ‘Oh well, that’s my career over.’ You never know.

How come you’re in so many movies this year?

It’s just sort of worked out that way, even though we finished Prince Of Persia in 2008. Someone said to me the other day, ‘Oh my God, you’re everywhere!’ And I just thought, ‘I don’t want this!’ Read the rest of this entry »

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Do you like to be called Leo or Leonardo?

Either one is fine. Leo is probably the only nickname I’ve had. Most people call me Leo.

Didn’t they try to make you change your name?

Yeah, there when I was 11 years old when I first wanted to be an actor professionally. We went to an agent and they wanted to change my name to Lenny Williams. Read the rest of this entry »

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Robert Rodriguez, Nimrod Antal and the cast of Predators reveal why they ain’t afraid of no reboot…

Robert Rodriguez (producer):“Do I have an opinion of the Alien Vs Predator movies? Yeah, just enough to go, ‘We don’t want to go that route!’ They killed off the Predators with the AvP movies, but they knew they had a classic Hollywood monster and wanted to bring it back. They needed a filmmaker that was a big fan. I am. Read the rest of this entry »

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Is Woody Allen a hero of yours?

Yes, he’s an idol. For sure. Maybe, one of my few.

Woody has a lot of female muses. Do you?

I think my only muse is my mother. Her voice is the most accessible to me in my life. I can hear her screaming at me many times during the day. ‘LARRY! PUT A JACKET ON! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? WHAT, YOU’RE GOING OUT IN THIS, IN THIS WEATHER WITHOUT A JACKET?’ Read the rest of this entry »

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Do people still struggle with your surname?

Oh, definitely, man. Yeah, that’s like my favourite thing ever: the many mispronunciations of the name Gyllenhaal. Gill-en-hale, Gyle-en-hall, Gyle-en-hale. Particularly when somebody does know what you’ve done and they’re like, ‘YOU’RE JAKE GALLILIANHOOL! Yeah? Oh, I love your work!’

Does it bother you?

No, I forgive them. It’s an absurd last name. It’s Swedish. Read the rest of this entry »

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“Maybe this is going to be one of your best interviews,” says Jean-Claude Van Damme, on a shaky phone line from Hong Kong. Well, why not? There’s a hell of a lot to talk about. His rivalry with ponytailed face-smasher Steven Segal. The time he blinded a stuntman by sticking a thumb in his eye. The time he got an erection on TV. And, mostly, his comeback from career-death in one of the coolest indie movies of 2008. Part comedy, part biopic, part heist movie, JCVD hands Van Damme the most complex and fascinating role of his career: himself. Read the rest of this entry »

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