WebProNews

Tag: Annette Bening

  • Al Pacino: Jennifer Garner Talks ‘Danny Collins’ and Working With Movie Icon

    Al Pacino stars in Danny Collins, which opens Friday in theaters nationwide. Jennifer Garner stars in the film, too, and during a recent interview with the Boston Herald, she discussed both the film and working with Al Pacino.

    “I feel like, well, it’s a lot of work to be Al Pacino. And he very deftly neutralizes that factor when you meet him. He is generally good at putting people at ease,” Jennifer Garner explained. “It looks exhausting to me–not that he makes it look exhausting–but he puts energy into making­ sure everyone feels supported and confident and good and not freaked out by his Al Pacino-ness. He’s not afraid to ask questions or not know the answers. And he’s quiet and complements you.”

    Danny Collins is inspired by a real-life letter the late John Lennon sent to an aspiring folksinger back in 1971. The letter didn’t arrive until more than three decades later. Al Pacino plays the lead role.

    “Danny Collins is anyone taking stock of their own life, anyone looking for a second chance or a fourth chance,” Jennifer Garner explained. She plays the role of Al Pacino’s character’s daughter-in-law.

    She called Al Pacino “a treat,” and said he hosted weekly Saturday afternoon gatherings in his backyard.

    “We would read through all the scenes coming up the next week and we’d improvise, talk, punch holes in it,” she said. “It felt very much like what you’d do in the theater. We talked­ about how we–Annette Bening, Cannavale, Chris­topher Plummer–were a bunch of theater geeks, although they all have way more experience than I do in that world.”

    It definitely sounds like Jennifer Garner got as much–maybe even more–out of working with Al Pacino in Danny Collins than she did starring in the film herself.

    Of course anyone in the film world would likely take a two-bit role in order to learn from someone like Pacino.

  • Jennifer Garner: ‘Danny Collins’ Press Tour Includes Visit With Jimmy Fallon

    Jennifer Garner has had a very busy week. As part of her Danny Collins press tour she visited Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show, and even gave him a friendly warning about children–and a hint at what he can look forward to as the father of two girls.

    Jimmy Fallon is dad to daughters Winnie and Frances, and Jennifer Garner asked him how the older of the two interacts with the younger.

    “She’s good, she loves the little one, and like, kisses her every day,” Fallon said.

    Jennifer Garner told the late night host to enjoy such moments, and warned him that they might not last.

    “Enjoy that. Take pictures, yes. No, I mean, they just have their, you know, they have their moments… You’re driving to school and you kind of hear a yelp. You look in the rearview mirror and there’s just like a pinch happening–a pinch for the ages,” she shared.

    On Wednesday, Jennifer Garner stepped out of ‘mommy mode’ briefly, and put on her incredibly sexy persona as she walked the red carpet at the Danny Collins premiere. She was gorgeous in a black strapless tea-length dress that no doubt made Ben Affleck remember that he did in fact marry a very sexy woman–and not just the mom of his three children.

    Jennifer Garner stars alongside Al Pacino, Julianne Moore, Annette Bening, and Jeremy Renner in Danny Collins. Al Pacino plays an aging rocker in the film–one who receives a long lost letter from the late John Lennon. The film opens in theaters nationwide on Friday, March 20th.

    It’s fun to see different sides of celebrities, and Jennifer Garner is one who doesn’t hide any of the facets of her life. She is first and foremost a mother, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. She showed her very emotional side during a visit to The Today Show where she talked about her mom and sisters.

    Kudos to Jennifer Garner for balancing her life so effectively. She is no doubt a wonderful mom, and as fans will be reminded when they check out Danny Collins this weekend at the movies, she’s a great actress, too.

  • Annette Bening Poses for Vanity Fair Sans Makeup

    Annette Bening posed recently for Vanity Fair magazine without wearing any makeup. She dished about the experience during a recent guest appearance on Live With Kelly and Michael.

    “We did one show when Kelly Ripa lost a bet to me and had to do the show without makeup,” Michael Strahan said. “And I know you posed for Vanity Fair magazine with no makeup.”

    An American master in both painting and photography–Chuck Close–photographed Bening, as well as other actresses, took what he called “raw portraits” using a “a rare and impressive 20-by-24-inch Polaroid camera”.

    “He’s one of the greatest artists in history,” Bening said. “And I knew if it was Chuck Close, he makes amazing portraits so once you’re asked to do something for Chuck Close, then you just say, ‘I’ll be there.’ That’s how I felt. He’s an amazing human being and a great artist. So it was really a thrill.”

    “I bet it’s your favorite photo shoot because one of the most dreaded things about the photo shoot would be the time it takes with the hair and the makeup and the whole thing,” Kelly Ripa said. “It’s like time-consuming.”

    Annette Bening in no way disses glamour or makeup, however.

    “You know, glamour is really fun,” she said. “Getting all dressed up and putting on fancy clothes. All of that’s a great thing but oddly, it doesn’t really have a lot to do with acting most of the time.”

    She continued saying, “And a lot of the things, we’re peeling, hopefully, layers away and showing something that’s inside, hopefully, that people can relate to in a story so it’s more akin to what we do a lot of the time.”

    In addition to appearing sans her makeup in Vanity Fair, Annette Bening will star in a new film with Ed Harris called Face of Love. The above trailer shows she might just have yet another hit movie to her credit. And even though she surely wears makeup in the film, fans won’t find her any less fabulous.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Annette Bening Offers Tips on Acting

    Annette Bening proffered words of wisdom to her fellow actors Tuesday at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, where she was honored for her past work as well as for her latest feature, The Face of Love. It was during a question and answer segment of AFI Fest’s Conversations program that Bening shared tidbits of advice from her very successful career.

    Naming ‘listening’ as the first and foremost helpful hint for actors, Bening shared a time when she was called out by her director during a rehearsal when she clearly wasn’t listening to what her acting partner was saying. Her embarrassment was a price well paid, however. She also says drawing the line between fact and fiction is of utmost importance to actors–not just for their performances, but for their overall emotional well being as well.

    “When you’re involved in it in a neurotic way…if you’re still crying when the curtain comes down, that’s a problem. That has to do with something else. I think it’s healthy to be able to stop and let it go,” she said.

    Annette Bening’s final piece of advice for fellow actors pertained to something that takes place after the fact. Actors read reviews. Sometimes those reviews will send them jumping for joy, while others make them want to refuse to take the stage for their next performance. She tells actors to, “believe the good ones and ignore the bad ones.”

    Bening is best known for films including The Grifters, American Beauty and The Kids Are All Right. She won Golden Globes for both The Kids Are All Right and American Beauty.

    In her film, The Face of Love, Annette Bening plays a vulnerable character who is on the verge of breaking. She plays opposite Ed Harris. The Face of Love did well at the Toronto Film Festival.


    Just imagine being a fledgling actor–or perhaps one with a few notches on your belt–and receiving acting tips from Annette Bening. What an amazing gift her words of wisdom would be.

    Image via Wikimedia

  • Annette Bening’s Transgender Son In PSA

    Annette Bening’s Transgender Son In PSA

    Stephen Ira Beatty, the son of Annette Bening and Warren Beatty, has set out on a mission close to his heart: to help all people receive equal healthcare, including transgender and non-conforming people.

    Stephen was born Kathlyn Elizabeth Beatty and is the oldest of four children. It was not until last year that he came out to the public. He said he started making his transition at the age of 14 and did so successfully with the support from his friends and family. Although his parents have never publicly spoken about his transition from Kathlyn to Stephen, Stephen is speaking out and has joined with GLAAD and the Sylvia Rivera Law Project in a PSA promoting equal health care coverage.

    According to GLAAD’s official website, “GLAAD works with print, broadcast and online news sources to bring people powerful stories from the LGBT community that build support for equality. And when news outlets get it wrong, GLAAD is there to respond and advocate for fairness and accuracy.” The Sylvia Rivera Law Project also describes their mission on their official website: “The Sylvia Rivera Law Project works to guarantee that all people are free to self-determine gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without facing harassment, discrimination or violence.”

    In the video, Stephen is seen speaking directly into the camera, and is talking about how he hoped to be welcomed when he made the move to New York. He is talking about New York’s health care policies that exclude transgender and non-conforming people.

    “I grew up outside of New York, but I’ve always known I’ve wanted to move here for the city’s vibrant artistic community,” Stephen says in the PSA. “As a trans person, I would hope that I’d be welcomed but many trans people aren’t because we don’t have the basic healthcare coverage we need to survive.”

    While many may not see the need for transgender medicine (such as hormones), Ronica Mukerjee, a family nurse practitioner says it is vital for their transitional needs.

    “Trans medicine is a medically necessary intervention,” she says. “Many people believe that providing hormones for trans patients is cosmetic but as a medical provider I can tell you how crucial it is for trans people to have knowledgeable trans-friendly providers.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons