Jonathan Pryce, who has done memorable work for 40-plus years, hits a career high in “The Two Popes,” a complex look at Francis, played by Pryce, and Benedict, portrayed by Anthony Hopkins. Though Pryce has played well-known figures before, such as Juan Perón in the 1996 “Evita,” he was hesitant to take on Pope Francis because “it was a great responsibility,” but he liked Anthony McCarten’s script and wanted to work with director Fernando Meirelles. The Wales-born actor has appeared in high-profile projects including the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series, Bond film “Tomorrow Never Dies” and “Game of Thrones,” as well as smaller-scale works like last year’s “The Wife” opposite Glenn Close. Variety first reviewed him Aug. 20, 1975, in a National Theatre revival of W.S. Gilbert’s “Engaged.” In conversation, Pryce is thoughtful about his influences while also exhibiting self-deprecatory humor. He is starring on Broadway in Florian Zeller’s “The Height of the Storm,...
- 11/22/2019
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Obituaries of the character actor Peter Postlethwaite reveal the role played by the Everyman Theatre in his success
Talent can look like a fluke. An actor with eyes that draw you in, a voice that rings in the memory – these things seem to be good luck, a gift. But this is only part of the story, as obituaries of Pete Postlethwaite prove.
The Warrington-born actor became one of our most successful character stars after appearing, fairly late in his career, in The Usual Suspects and Brassed Off, before being adopted as a favourite Hollywood turn, gracing films such as the Jurassic Park sequel and last year's Inception. It was back in the 1970s, though, that Postlethwaite's acting had really got going, as one of a gang of performers and writers working at Liverpool's Everyman Theatre.
The venue in Hope Street on the site of a former chapel was the seedbed...
Talent can look like a fluke. An actor with eyes that draw you in, a voice that rings in the memory – these things seem to be good luck, a gift. But this is only part of the story, as obituaries of Pete Postlethwaite prove.
The Warrington-born actor became one of our most successful character stars after appearing, fairly late in his career, in The Usual Suspects and Brassed Off, before being adopted as a favourite Hollywood turn, gracing films such as the Jurassic Park sequel and last year's Inception. It was back in the 1970s, though, that Postlethwaite's acting had really got going, as one of a gang of performers and writers working at Liverpool's Everyman Theatre.
The venue in Hope Street on the site of a former chapel was the seedbed...
- 1/10/2011
- by Vanessa Thorpe
- The Guardian - Film News
Oscar-nominated British actor with a vast range who could move between comedy and tragedy with ease
The actor Pete Postlethwaite had a face that elicited many similes, among them "a stone archway" and "a bag of spanners". These unflattering descriptions, plus his tongue-twisting surname, would suggest an actor with a career limited to minor supporting roles. But Postlethwaite, who has died of cancer aged 64, played a vast range of characters, often leading roles, on stage, television and film.
He was at ease in switching the masks of tragedy and comedy. The working-class martinet father he played in Terence Davies's film Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988), which Postlethwaite credited as his big break, can be seen as paradigmatic of his career. Postlethwaite powerfully conveyed the father's double-sided nature: at one moment he is tenderly kissing his children goodnight, the next he is ripping the tablecloth off in a rage.
Postlethwaite was...
The actor Pete Postlethwaite had a face that elicited many similes, among them "a stone archway" and "a bag of spanners". These unflattering descriptions, plus his tongue-twisting surname, would suggest an actor with a career limited to minor supporting roles. But Postlethwaite, who has died of cancer aged 64, played a vast range of characters, often leading roles, on stage, television and film.
He was at ease in switching the masks of tragedy and comedy. The working-class martinet father he played in Terence Davies's film Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988), which Postlethwaite credited as his big break, can be seen as paradigmatic of his career. Postlethwaite powerfully conveyed the father's double-sided nature: at one moment he is tenderly kissing his children goodnight, the next he is ripping the tablecloth off in a rage.
Postlethwaite was...
- 1/4/2011
- by Ronald Bergan
- The Guardian - Film News
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