Film pans Aussies on a role

Amy Harris, The Daily Telegraph, reports

An American actor has taken a swipe at Australia's growing dominance in the US TV pilot market by releasing a video spoofing how hard it is for local actors to crack the big time.

Reflecting on what has reportedly become a sore point for struggling US actors, American thespian Brian Guest filmed a short for the comedy video site Funny Or Die where he pretends to be Australian to secure a pilot gig after losing out to Aussie rivals in previous auditions.

The timely video comes as Australian actors have recorded their biggest-ever showing at the annual pilot season in the US, with 25 Aussie actors - including Luke Mitchell, Sophie Lowe, Adelaide Kane and Lincoln Lewis - scoring roles.

Guests' spoof video, which also appeared on the trade website Deadline.com, has attracted some serious feedback from people who claim the influx of Aussies has come at the expense of local talent.

"I'm happy someone is bringing this to light. I've been surprised how many major roles have been going to Aussie (and British) relative unknowns," wrote one Deadline commenter, known as 'Dan'. "We have hundreds of thousands of American relative unknowns here, particularly those actors that come from the theatre world, that for some reason don't get cast."

Another wrote: "The number of lead and key roles being played with faux American accents makes no sense."

Veteran Sydney casting director Faith Martin, who cast Russell Crowe in his first film The Crossing and most recently worked on Spartacus, admits Australians are at their most popular in US casting offices right now.

"I think it's because Australian actors are keen to go the extra distance and it also comes at a time when US (talent) managers are all really looking out for the next big Aussie," Martin told Confidential.

A very merry affair for little Bilbo's big premiere

Bilbo Baggins's adventure will span three epic films / Pic: Warner Bros Source: Supplied

Elle Halliwell, The Daily Telegraph, reports

The celebrity set was in holiday mode at the Sydney premiere of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey last night.

With most having begun their Christmas break, there were more than a few glasses of wine taken into the two George St Event Cinema theatres screening the 3D Peter Jackson epic, which opens on Boxing Day.

Sophie Lowe, Lincoln Lewis, Stephanie Rice, Maude Garrett and George Houvardas walked the red carpet in place of the film's Aussie stars Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving, who had already made an appearance at the film's world premiere in New Zealand.

"I thought it was great; it was really moving in parts but also funny and I was transported to a different world, which I love doing when I'm watching films," Lowe said.

Lewis said it was just one of the blockbusters he planned to see over the holidays. The Hobbit set a new record for a December release in its opening weekend, pulling in just shy of $100 million in the US as fans flocked to take in the prequel to the Lord Of The Rings saga.

Grannies with real glamour star in new Hollwood flick The Grandmothers

All-stars: Naomi Watts features in The Grandmothers Source: Getty Images

 

The Daily Telegraph reports

A ROLL-call of Aussie stars has been announced for the next locally-based Hollywood flick The Grandmothers.

Ben Mendelsohn and Gary Sweet are to join Naomi Watts and Robin Wright-Penn in The Grandmothers, which began filming on the mid-north coast this weekend.

With the Sydney production of The Great Gatsby wrapping up, The Grandmothers is set to be the next big Tinseltown production in town.

Watts and Wright-Penn will be joined by Aussie up-and-comers James Frecheville and Xavier Samuel who play their unlikely paramours.

Mendelsohn and Sweet lead the supporting cast and are joined by Sophie Lowe (Beautiful Kate, The Slap) and Jessica Tovey, making her feature film debut.

The eight-week shoot will begin in Seal Rocks and move to central Sydney.

It will be directed by Anne Fontaine, who had a major Hollywood hit with Coco avant Chanel.

Both French and Australian producers are also behind the flick, which is expected to inject thousands into the local economy and continue a strong run of Aussie-based productions putting Australia back on the film map.

Based on the Nobel Prize for Literature winner, The Grandmothers is described as a "heart-wrenching story of two lifelong friends who fall in love with each other's teenaged sons".

Frecheville, who found fame in his feature debut Animal Kingdom, will play the love interest of Wright-Penn and told Confidential this week that he is in good company.

"We have a very good team. It's going to be a great experience," he said.

The film's production begins as The Great Gatsby -- which has filmed in Sydney since last August -- finally wraps up.