Not afraid to show off his political side, Ben Affleck is giving his take on the current U.S. Presidential campaign. Hitting the road promoting his political thriller Argo , the director and star of the film compared Republican nominee to past hopefuls who did not make it to the White House. A past ardent supporter of liberal causes and a full-fledged Obama fan four years ago, Affleck only offered tepid support for the incumbent. “I think Republicans really had a chance to win,” Affleck told A.P. during an interview about Argo . And they kind of ended up with like a sort of Mike Dukakis, Al Gore, Bob Dole type – who just couldn’t get people to see him as a real person somehow. Romney just had such trouble coming off as just like the kind of person you see at the grocery store. And I truly believe that has cost him the election.” Affleck went on to add that it looks “quite unlikely” that the Republican hopeful will unseat Obama, saying “negative momentum” can at some point cause a downward spiral for a campaign. “You start making mistakes and then all your advisers tell you, ‘You’ve got to raise your arms more!’ ‘You’ve got to talk deeper.’ So people just get into becoming robotic.” Still, if Affleck shares the same enthusiasm for Obama as in the first go-around, he is clearly holding back, saying that with hindsight his opinions have changed. “”I voted for Obama last time although he got to be all things to all people then,” Affleck said. ”And now he’s got a record which makes it really different … I obviously have more complicated feelings.” Affleck has often thrown his hat in the political sphere, doing lobbying in Washington and traveling abroad for various causes. He’s also said he wouldn’t rule out a future run for an elected office in the future. And his latest film, which debuted last month at the Toronto International Film Festival has already prompted talk of possibly multiple Oscar nominations. The film recalls an international crisis that many attribute for the failed re-election bid of Jimmy Carter in 1980, ushering in the Reagan era. Directed and starring Affleck, along with Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin and John Goodman, Argo is set as militants take over the U.S. embassy in Tehran in the aftermath of the 1979 Iranian Revolution. While 52 Americans are held, six others escape and hide in the Canadian ambassador’s residence. The film recalls a plan hatched by the C.I.A. and specialist Tony Mendez (played by Affleck) to help the six to escape Iran. [ Source: Associated Press ]
DC’s answer to ‘Avengers’ might see the ‘Argo’ filmmaker in the director’s seat, according to a new report. By Josh Wigler Ben Affleck Photo: Phillip Massey/ WireImage
Also in Thursday morning’s round-up of news briefs, following news of today’s Venice Film Festival lineup comes word Ben Affleck’s Argo is heading to another European film event. British independent films score their best numbers in years; and a Weinstein Company veteran returns to head their publicity department. Robert Pattinson to Star in The Rover Guy Pearce is also attached in the project by Animal Kingdom writer-director David Michod. Set in Australia, the story is a futuristic Western about Eric who has “left everything, everyone and every semblance of human kindness behind him, as he’s forced to join an injured gang member, Rey, to hunt down Rey’s gang after they steal the last of Eric’s possessions,” THR reports . Dark Knight Rises Crosses $300M Mark Worldwide The film also had the biggest opening day of the year in France where it took in $2.7 million. The tentpole opened in the U.S. and 17 other markets let weekend, moving into an additional 40 this week, THR reports . Ben Affleck’s Argo Heads to San Sebastian The film will have its world premiere at the Spanish film festival in September, screening out of competition. The film, a hostage thriller set in Tehran in 1979, is Affleck’s third as a director, Variety reports . U.K. Independent Films Have Best Year in a Decade British independent films performed better last year than at any other time in more than a decade with overall box office revenues breaking the £1 billion barrier for the first time, new figures show, The Guardian reports . Dani Weinstein Returns to The Weinstein Company as Publicity Chief She left in 2010 to join ID PR, but is now returning as president of publicity at TWC. She is replacing a position left by Sarah Greenberg Roberts who left earlier this year, Deadline reports .
Star-making turns in ‘The Lucky One’ and ‘Argo’ make actress One to Watch in 2012. By Amy Wilkinson Taylor Schilling and Zac Efron in “The Lucky One” Photo: Warner Bros. Ryan Gosling. Rachel McAdams. Liam Hemsworth. To think, you may have never known their names if it weren’t for one of the weepy romances by Nicholas Sparks, the writer behind “The Notebook,” “The Last Song,” “Dear John” and more. And as we ring in a new year of cinema, we find yet another actress toying with the lever on Sparks’ star-making machine: Massachusetts native Taylor Schilling. Fans of NBC’s short-lived medical drama “Mercy” may recognize the 27-year-old as nurse Veronica Flanagan Callahan, though she’s since hung up her scrubs, making the transition from TV to film in earnest this year with roles in the Sparks adaptation “The Lucky One” and Ben Affleck’s “Argo.” We chatted with the actress about her breakout 2012 and whether making out underwater is as hard as it looks. MTV News : Does this year feel like a particularly big one for you? Taylor Schilling : Last year felt like a big year. This year feels just kind of like riding the wave. I did some fun work last year, so I’m excited to see how it shakes down. MTV : Has transitioning from TV to film been an intentional career move for you, or were those simply the roles that were coming your way? Schilling : When I audition, I take the parts that I get that I like. I feel so grateful that those have been these kind of amazing film roles. And I have to say that there is a big difference [between TV and film]. On a film set, for me, there’s so much more time to process what’s going on than there is on a television set. There’s more wiggle room to try things and fail and try again and get to the heart of what’s going on in the scene, which is really fun for me. It’s what I like to do. MTV : First up for you this year is “The Lucky One,” co-starring Zac Efron. Let’s cut to the obvious question: Is kissing Zac as amazing as one might imagine? Schilling : Oh my gosh. I’m not going to let you down. It’s not a bad way to make a paycheck. MTV : My favorite Nicholas Sparks movie motif is the rain-drenched makeout scene. From the trailer, it appears you and Zac share a steamy smooch under a showerhead, which is a bit of a twist. What I’m wondering, technically speaking, is if there’s any special choreography to ensure you don’t drown with all that water falling on you? Schilling : [Laughs] No, there didn’t seem to be a problem. MTV : Well, you’re clearly a talented, well-trained actress. Do you have a favorite Nicholas Sparks movie? Schilling : I love “The Notebook.” I think that’s my favorite one. It really is a classic now. I don’t know if I could say. I haven’t seen all of them yet, to be honest. I think I need to do some research before I can honestly answer that question. They’re just such nice stories. They’re so romantic. You get lost in them. It’s such a beautiful fantasy. It’s not real life. It’s this precious world where things kind of fall into place. MTV : You also have “Argo” coming out this year. What is Ben Affleck like as a director? Schilling : It was one of the easiest experiences I’ve ever had on a set, and it was one of the happiest sets I’ve ever been on. He’s incredibly smart, and he kind of made me as an actor — I never felt left behind. It’s like he knows what it’s like and he’s there with you every step of the way. It’s pretty incredible, that whole experience. MTV : I have to imagine some of that comes from his background as an actor. Schilling : Absolutely. Absolutely. He just really knew how to articulate what he wanted, and then I felt really safe and free because I think that when a director has been an actor, he really understands the vulnerability of sort of being in front of the camera and has the ability to make the set very safe. He completely understands what that process is like. So that’s rare. MTV : What challenges does your character Christine face in “Argo”? Schilling : Christine is holding down the fort while her husband [played by Affleck] is off kind of doing some big adventurous things. She’s doing the best she can to maintain her home and her relationship, to do right by her child. She’s trying to negotiate what the best plan of action is for her as a woman and to take care of her son and where her relationship fits into that. MTV : So you’ve got both Ben Affleck and Zac Efron as leading men this year. How are you going to top that? Is Brad Pitt next? Schilling : I don’t know. I don’t know where it goes from here. Brad Pitt, bring it. Check out everything we’ve got on “The Lucky One” and “Argo.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com .
Also in this Tuesday edition of The Broadsheet: George Clooney isn’t the Man from U.N.C.L.E. … Anne Hathaway gets her own Les Miserables rumor… Ben Affleck adds three to Argo … and more ahead.
Here#39;s Jennifer Garner out with soon-to-be-big sister Seraphina: Garner and Affleck, both 39, have each spoken of being hands-on parents. Garner said juggling acting and motherhood gave her a “split personality.” Already parents to two beautiful daughters, Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck are getting ready for another baby! She#39;s pregnant, according to reports! The couple, along with Violet, 5 1/2, and Seraphina, 2 1/2 – are “thrilled” to be expecting their third child, they confirmed to
Nick Ashford, who helped establish a gold standard for R&B duets with wife Valerie Simpson, died Monday in New York of throat cancer. He was 69. Ashford & Simpson penned and produced many ’60s hits for Motown’s Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” “You’re All I Need to Get By,” “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” and “Your Precious Love” were also among the twosome’s creations. Nick Ashford also wrote hits for Chuck Jackson, The Shirelles, Maxine Brown, the Fifth Dimension and numerous other artists of the era. Ray Charles’ 1966 No. 1 R&B hit “Let’s Go Get Stoned” was his breakthrough record. They would later write and produce Diana Ross’ biggest solo hits, including her signature “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand).” They also wrote Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman,” which was later recorded by Whitney Houston. Basically, they were mega-hitmakers. Ashford’s death comes amid news that another famous songwriter, Jerry Leiber , passed away yesterday as well. Both will be missed. [Photo: WENN.com]
Already parents to two beautiful daughters, Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck are getting ready for another baby! She’s pregnant, according to reports! The couple, along with Violet, 5 1/2, and Seraphina, 2 1/2 – are “thrilled” to be expecting their third child, they confirmed to the Associated Press. Here’s Jen out with soon-to-be-big sister Seraphina: Garner and Affleck, both 39, have each spoken of being hands-on parents. Garner said juggling acting and motherhood gave her a “split personality.” “[I] feel like half my brain is somewhere else all the time, but when the camera’s rolling, I pull it together and focus for two minutes,” she has said. “Then I kind of turn back to a ditz again.” A ditz and a great mom. Congratulations to the happy couple … and sorry to J. Lo, who won’t be getting back together with Ben anytime soon. [Photo: WENN.com]
Also in this Friday edition of The Broadsheet: Ben Affleck lines up his next directorial effort with help from George Clooney… Bond 23 potentially adds another heavy hitter… Lone Star ‘s Kyle Killen gets another shot… and more ahead.
Breaking Sports Video
