GLOUCESTER CITIZEN
By The Citizen | Posted: November 08, 2014
Filming is set to take place at Gloucester Cathedral for the BBC drama The Hollow Crown.
Crews descended on the Cathedral on Friday to start preparing the building for filming.
The Citizen has managed to get a sneak preview of inside the film set.
It shows a beautiful display of flowers in the garden in the centre of the Cathedral.
The Hollow Crown is a series of British television films featuring William Shakespeare's History Plays - Richard II, Henry IV parts 1 & 2, and Henry V.
Benedict Cumberbatch is said to be playing Richard III and he could be in Gloucester on Monday with co-star Dame Judy Dench.
Because there’s only so much promotion any one actor can do…
Tom Hiddleston is certainly keeping himself busy. From his recent turn as Coriolanus at the National Theatre to Thor: The Dark World and Only Lovers Left Alive he’s an actor on many a cast list.
But of course with more parts come more promotional tours. From red carpet events to filmed interviews and award shows, Hiddleston has answered his fair share of questions.
Not that those questions are always enough to completely hold his attention, it seems...
LONDON -- Benedict Cumberbatch is to play Richard III in Neal Street Productions' film for the BBC.
"Richard III" is part of a series of Shakespeare's History plays, which also includes "Henry VI" in two parts. Dominic Cooke, who was artistic director of the Royal Court Theater from 2007 to 2013, will direct all three films.
Cumberbatch said: "I can't wait to work with Dominic Cooke again to bring this complex, funny and dangerous character to life."
The films, which will air on BBC Two, rep Cooke's screen debut. The plays were adapted by Ben Power, who is associate director of the National Theater.
Neal Street, which is led by Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris and Caro Newling, also produced the first series of Shakespeare's History plays for the BBC, "The Hollow Crown," which covered "Richard II" and "Henry IV," Part One and Two, and "Henry V." Power adapted the screenplays for "Richard II" and "Henry V."
The films are co-produced by NBCUniversal's Carnival and WNET. Rupert Ryle-Hodges ("Downton Abbey") will produce. Executive producers are Mendes, Harris and Nicolas Brown for Neal Street, Gareth Neame for Carnival/NBCU, and David Horn for WNET.
Harris said: "Neal Street Productions worked with Benedict on both 'Stuart: A Life Backwards' for the BBC, and the film 'Starter for Ten.' His range and dexterity as an actor make him the perfect choice to bring one of Shakespeare's towering characters to television.
Tom Hiddleston and Jude Law will compete for the best actor honour at this year's Olivier Awards, but there is no room for fellow Hollywood star Daniel Radcliffe on the shortlist.
Other nominees for the prestigious theatre awards include Dame Judi Dench who is shortlisted for best actress and Sherlock star Mark Gatiss whose performance in Coriolanus at the Donmar Warehouse sees him nominated for best supporting actor.
Dame Judi is nominated for Peter And Alice in which she starred opposite fellow Bond cast member Ben Whishaw.
Sam Mendes' musical of Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and the revival of Stephen Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along lead the field with seven nominations each.
Law and Hiddleston, nominated for the title roles in Henry V and Coriolanus respectively, face competition from Henry Goodman and another of Dame Judi's 007 co-stars Rory Kinnear.
Goodman is recognised for his performance in The Resistible Rise Of Arturo Ui at the Duchess Theatre, while Kinnear's Iago in the National Theatre production of Othello sees him shortlisted.
Radcliffe, who won best actor at the What's On Stage Awards for The Cripple of Inishmaan, is not shortlisted.
Your Tuesday just got a whole lot better, or at least a whole lot more shirtless Tom Hiddleston. Which, in my book, yeah, better.
Hiddleston, who has won hearts (and MTV News' Real Sexiest Man Alive award) with his portrayal of the villainous Loki in "Thor," "Marvel's The Avengers" and most recently "Thor: The Dark World" actually first auditioned for the hero role in those films.
As he told MTV way back in 2011, the contract he signed before his final audition said that he could be cast as either Loki or Thor.
"Hmm, even though my wig is blonde, I'm not sure it's going to end up that way," Hiddleston said he remembered thinking during the screen test.
Tom Hiddleston was voted the Most Attractive Man of 2013 by Hello! magazine readers in a recent poll, pulling 64% of the votes to beat Orlando Bloom and Eddie Redmayne for the No. 1 spot.
Jamie Dornan, Hugh Dancy, Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, Prince Harry, Johnny Depp, Olly Murs and Bradley Cooper rounded out the top 10.
The “Thor: The Dark World” actor has won several similar titles in the past few months.
Hiddleston, 32, was voted E! Online’s 2013 Celebrity of the Year, beating out “The Vampire Diaries” star Ian Somerhalder, Robert Downey, Jr. and Kate Middleton for the title.
E! Online writes: “Why do we think Tom is our Celeb of the Year? Well, we don't have enough space to talk about how funny, charming and completely captivating he is, both onscreen and off. For example, this montage of all the times he just had to dance for his adoring public. That's basically all you need to see to fall in love with him.
“Plus, this year Tom gave us a villainous performance we won't soon forget as Loki in Thor: The Dark World. And based on all the great projects he has lined up and the fact that Tom seems to only get more intriguing as time goes on, we know 2014 will be a great year for Hiddleston, too!”
Hiddleston was also named the Sexiest Man Alive in a recent MTV poll, beating out Justin Timberlake, Chris Hemsworth, Pharrell Williams, Aaron Paul, Kendrick Lamar, Michael Fassbender and One Direction.
The actor - who is currently starring on stage in Shakespeare's 'Henry V' in London - claims his four children; Rafferty, 17, Iris, 13 and Rudy, 11, with ex-wife Sadie Frost and four-year-old daughter Sophia Lee with model Samantha Burke, are ''in equal parts delighted and embarrassed'' by his job but also the force which keeps him grounded.
He told USA Today newspaper: ''[Acting] is what I get to do only in the hours I'm not [parenting], which is everything to me. My children keep me sane in what is a mad world - particularly mad if you choose to be an actor.''
'Henry V' runs until February, at which point 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' star is looking forward to being able to take some time off.
He added: ''I'll be unemployed as of then. It's not like I want to stop working - it's not like I can. You've got to pay the bills, like everyone else. [But] I'm not desperate. ''There's a certain physical demand to doing eight shows a week, and I haven't had a break in 18 months. By February I'll be quite ready for a break, and I'm going to take one.''
He is an actor who many consider to be the greatest in the English-speaking world during the twentieth century. Though Sir Laurence Olivier was based mostly in England, he made a significant number of Hollywood films. He was nominated for Academy Awards as either an actor, producer or director twelve times, winning twice, while also being honored with two special Oscars. In his long and versatile career, Olivier appeared in more than 120 stage roles, nearly 60 films and more than 15 television productions.
The son of a clergyman, he was well educated, and introduced to the arts at an early age. He made his acting debut at the age of fifteen at the all-boys, All Saints Choir School. He continued playing Shakespearean and other classical roles while in training. Olivier's next big step was joining The Birmingham Repertory company in 1926. He had also acted on Broadway and was recognized by the American film industry. He had his chance at early Hollywood stardom when he played the lead in Yellow Ticket. By the time he made Fire Over England, he was a hot commodity, made even hotter by his well-publicized affair with his costar, the beautiful and talented Vivien Leigh. Tongues wagged wilder than usual because both Olivier and Leigh were married to other people at the time. They later freed themselves in order to marry each other, a union that lasted for more than 20 years.
As a sought after actor, Olivier heeded the call to Hollywood again and was considerably more successful. He starred as Heathclifff in the scintillating romance, Wuthering Heights (1939), and became an international matinee idol. He followed that hit with several others, including Rebecca and That Hamilton Woman. Olivier's most productive period came from directing and producing. He did this, while also starring in Henry V (1944) and Hamlet (1948). He won Best Film and Best Actor awards for Hamlet from the Academy. No matter what country has produced his films, Olivier remains an international star whose talent belongs to all nations.
Burdened by ill health for more than a decade, Olivier fought cancer and other ailments while working at a furious pace. He was knighted in 1947, and in 1970 he was made "Baron Olivier of Brighton," for services to the theater, which allowed him to sit in the House of the Lords. If that wasn't enough, in 1981 he was given the Order of Merit. In America, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences bestowed its version of knighthood on "Lord Larry," awarding him a special Oscar "for the full body of his work, the unique achievement of his entire career and his lifetime of contribution to the art of film.
Born: May 22, 1907, Dorking
Died: July 11, 1989, Ashurst
Spouse: Joan Plowright (m. 1961–1989), Vivien Leigh (m. 1940–1960), Jill Esmond (m. 1930–1940)
Children: Tarquin Olivier, Tamsin Olivier, Richard Olivier, Julie Kate Olivier
Actor TOM HIDDLESTON suffered crippling headaches during his poverty awareness challenge as he was forced to battle his addiction to caffeine.
The Thor star spent a week surviving on just £1 a day to support a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) campaign in aid of starving children, and he had to give up tea and coffee to keep within his tight budget.
Hiddleston admits cutting out caffeine made him feel ill, but he eventually found he could live without it.
In a piece for Harper's Bazaar magazine, he writes, "I realised that I have an addiction to caffeine and coffee. For most of the morning on the first few days I found it very hard to concentrate on simple tasks, without a cup of coffee. This won't come as news to anyone who has ever tried to go cold turkey - and to stop taking a substance they are addicted to. But after a few days, my head cleared, and I found a more sustainable equilibrium."
Hiddleston, who completed the Live Below The Line challenge last month (Apr13), admits the scheme helped him become a better cook and stop being so wasteful with food.
He adds, "(It) made me think about food in an entirely different way. I had to plan better, to budget better. I didn't waste a penny, or a crumb. It was a test of mind and will power... I had to cook my own meals and not buy food on the go...
British actor Tom Hiddleston has vowed to live on just $1.50 (£0.93) a day for one week to support a United Nations (U.N.)Children's Fund (Unicef) campaign in aid of starving children.
Hiddleston tweeted, "(This week) I start living Below The Line to help Unicef stop children suffering from hunger. Take the challenge too. The World Bank defines poverty as living on less than £1 a day. The challenge is to buy all the food and drink you need to survive for five days with just £5 (£1 per day)."
The Brit added that he was going to "miss coffee very much" and shared photos of his first pared-down meals, including toast and a plate of rice and vegetables.
As someone who has played the villain in both Thor and The Avengers, nobody knows what it’s like to be a Marvel bad guy better than Tom Hiddleston (A.K.A. Loki, Thor’s spiteful brother).
So when Hiddleston weighed in on Christopher Eccleston’s performance as Malekith the Accursed in Thor: The Dark World, we were interested to hear what he had to say.
In a recent interview with Red Carpet News TV (which comes to us via Comic Book Movie), Hiddleston was effusive in his praise of Eccleston and hinted at the complex relationship between Loki and Malekith. Check out the key responses below:
“Christopher Eccleston is one of Britain’s greatest actors, he brings a degree of commitment, intelligence, conviction and complexity to everything he does. I think he really got his teeth into this thing [playing Malekith]. It’s hard to say anything without giving away too much. Christopher has enormous presence, which is very distinguishable on stage as well as film. It’s one of those things you can’t really define, you just can’t stop watching him when he’s on screen. I think he’ll be absolutely magnetic [in the movie]. Malekith has his own ambition. Whether or not Loki can coincide with or contradict, subvert or enhance that ambition remains to be seen.”
Okay, so we can’t read much into this interview because it’s not like Hiddleston is going to bash one of his co-stars. However, the way that Hiddleston hesitated before talking about the relationship between Loki and Malekith raises some interesting questions.
Benedict Cumberbatch plays Christopher Tietjens in Parade's End, a BBC/HBO/VRT co-production. (HBO)
British actors Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston have both won awards at the South Bank Sky Arts Awards, Tuesday, March 12, 2013, in London. Strictly speaking, Cumberbatch’s award was an indirect one. He starred in Parade’s End, which won the Best TV Drama Award. Would it have done so if he were not in it? Would it have garnered as many viewers? I don’t think so, and neither does Susanna White, who directed the series. She told Britain’s Radio Times: “I think Benedict is one of the finest actors of his generation. And we were really lucky to get him because without him, Parade’s End would be nothing like it is.” Parade’s End is set in the days before, during and after World War I and is based on a series of novels by Ford Madox Ford. It can be still be seen on HBO and HBO Canada. (Click to see the HBO schedule, or the HBO Canada schedule.)
As for Tom Hiddleston, The Guardian reported that he: “. . .picked up the Times breakthrough award for his acting in The Hollow Crown and films including War Horse and Avengers Assemble.”
The Hollow Crown was a four-part BBC series of Shakespeare’s plays: Richard II; Henry IV, Part 1; Henry IV, Part 2; Henry V. Tom Hiddleston was in all of them except for Richard II. He played Prince Hal, son of Henry IV, and then went on to play Henry V. The series was shown in Britain in 2012 as part of that country’s Olympic celebrations, and will be shown on PBS in the U.S. (much) later this year. Hiddleston played the troubled villain Loki (fangirls love to love him) in Thor and the film that’s simply known as The Avengers in other countries. It’s called Avengers Assemble in Britain to distinguish it from the TV series that starred Diana Rigg and Patrick Macnee. (Oh! The Internet says that Macnee is 91. Bravo! ) READ MORE: http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/2013/03/12/benedict-cumberbatch-and-tom-hiddleston-win-new-awards-and-their-loyal-fan-armies-rejoice/
Tom Hiddleston is slowly starting to build an impressive resume for himself in Hollywood, but he admits that there's no one he looks up to more than Daniel Day-Lewis. The Thor 2 star recently won the Best Breakthrough at the South Bank Sky Art Awards, but he has maintained that he has a long way to go before he's in the league of actors like Day-Lewis.
While discussing his recently wrapped films, including Thor 2 and Only Lovers Left Alive, Hiddleston admitted that he's trying to find theater work next. He explains that he's sifting through scripts, saying, "I always try to stay true to a code about choosing work. I never want to just do a job for a job's sake, I want to do it because it is something I believe in."
Sir Kenneth Branagh and Richard Briers worked together on various classic plays Credit: PA
Sir Kenneth Branagh has paid tribute to Richard Briers, saying: "He was a national treasure, a great actor and a wonderful man. He was greatly loved and he will be deeply missed."
They worked together on Henry V, Peter's Friends, Much Ado About Nothing and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein during their lengthy association.
Tom Hiddleston is sexy and modest. A nice combo. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles)
More than 25,000 people cast their votes for the Total Film magazine’s annual “Sexiest Actor” poll which landed Anglo Fan Favorite 2012 Tom Hiddleston (Thor) at number one. Robert Pattinson, who won last year, came in at number two.
Total Film got a chance to interview Hiddleston and get his reaction to the win. First things first, Hiddleston asked the magazine, “I suppose my question is: Are you sure? If you are sure, then I am very flattered.”
It’s nice to know you can always count on English self deprecation. Yep, Tom, you are the winner!
With that settled he goes on to explain his surprise saying, “One of the great flaws we all share is that we think everyone else is cool,” said Hiddleston when learning about his win. “Everyone else is sexier, everyone else has all the answers. That was me too.”
Total Film suggested his playing sexy characters may up his sex appeal. Hiddleston defers credit to the hair and make-up department who does him up for the character Loki in Thor saying, “I just play the character: his intellect; his lone wolf independence; his mischief. Mischief is danger, I suppose; mischief is edge.”
