David Tennant, Anna Gunn interview on making 'Gracepoint'

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
By James Hibberd on Sep 15, 2014 at 3:46PM   @james_hibberd



Imagine if a Time Lord and Skyler White teamed to solve a young boy’s murder in a small Northern California town? That’s what it’s like for fans of Doctor Who and Breaking Bad approaching Fox’s Gracepoint, which takes David Tennant and Anna Gunn, beloved for playing for iconic cable TV roles, and puts them into a big broadcast prime-time crime series. For Tennant, the role means embracing the unusual, perhaps unprecedented, step of reprising the same character he played in Broadchuch, the U.K. version of the show (though Fox has added a different ending for Gracepoint). For Gunn, it means leaving behind an Emmy-winning performance of a tightly-wound character that was both career-making and fan-divisive. Below the actors take our questions about Gracepoint, which debuts on Fox on Oct. 2.

EW: Let’s start before Broadchurch. What was each of your all-time favorite mystery show?

ANNA GUNN: We always said Cagney & Lacey was our inspiration. That was something that made us laugh nonstop, not because this is like Cagney & Lacey, though we could be a team like that—

DAVID TENNANT: And I’m playing Tyne Daly.

GUNN: Yeah, I’m the blonde and you’re the brunette. So that’s my ridiculous answer.

TENNANT: I’d go with Murder One. That was such a novelty because it was one story told over a number of episodes, like Gracepoint.

GUNN: That was great.

Is there anything you see actors doing in detective shows that you tried to avoid?
GUNN: I interviewed a couple different people and went on a ride-along. They pointed out clichéd things on TV shows, and I think the major thing for me was that so much of being a good detective is watching and listening very carefully and less about putting overt pressure on a suspect. It’s not really the way that’s done in the real world. So much of it was really about watching and listening and being an observer rather than cliché about the hard-boiled detective strong-arming anybody.

TENNANT: Because the story is as much an emotional story as it is a procedural story, and as much about people as murder, hopefully you avoid cliché by being true to that emotional life.

Anna, had you seen the original before you started on Gracepoint?

GUNN: I saw the original and was just head over heels for it. It was brilliant. I know that some of the actors did not watch it because they didn’t necessarily want to be influenced, and was a little worried about having somebody else’s brilliant performance hanging in your head. But in this case [Broadchurch co-star] Olivia Colman and I are so different from each other and I thought it would serve me to watch it. Plus I was just intrigued and I’m really glad I did watch it because its a good show and just watching the choices she made was very helpful for me. It informed a lot of the things I ended up doing.


READ MORE HERE: http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/09/15/david-tennant-anna-gunn-gracepoint/

'Gracepoint' Fox: David Tennant Questions Killer's Identity In New Featurette [VIDEO]

ENSTARS
By Vanessa Frith, EnStars
on Sep 01, 2014 06:39 AM EDT

The American reimagining of ITV's Broadchurch will feature Tennant as Detective Emmet Carver, an out-of-towner whose new job takes him to a small California coastal town and pairs him up with Detective Ellie Miller (Anna Gunn). Together, the two must solve the mystery of a young boy's death while the entire town falls suspect.

"Gracepoint is, more than anything else, a whodunit," explained executive producer Dan Futterman in a new featurette. "You learn who everybody is in the town and how they're related to each other. You find out somebody's died and you know, all those people we just met, it's probably one of them that's responsible for this."

The American reimagining of ITV's Broadchurch will feature Tennant as Detective Emmet Carver, an out-of-towner whose new job takes him to a small California coastal town and pairs him up with Detective Ellie Miller (Anna Gunn). Together, the two must solve the mystery of a young boy's death while the entire town falls suspect.

"Gracepoint is, more than anything else, a whodunit," explained executive producer Dan Futterman in a new featurette. "You learn who everybody is in the town and how they're related to each other. You find out somebody's died and you know, all those people we just met, it's probably one of them that's responsible for this."

READ MORE HERE: http://www.enstarz.com/articles/45159/20140901/gracepoint-fox-david-tennant-questions-killers-identity-in-new-featurette-video.htm

Hugh Laurie maps tour behind second album

BOSTON MUSIC SPOTLIGHT

Hugh Laurie will return to North America this fall for a tour in support of his sophomore release Didn’t It Rain. The English actor best remembered as the star of FOX’s “House” turned blues musician will stop in Boston for a performance at the Wilbur Theatre on Tuesday, October 29. Tickets for the show, which range in price from $45 to $79, are now on sale through Ticketmaster.

Didn’t It Rain, Laurie’s second studio album and follow-up to 2011′s Let Them Talk, was released in the United States earlier this month after a May release for Europe. Like its predecessor, the album contains several blues songs but unlike the previous album, branches into the genres of Jazz and R&B, among others. Laurie once again plays piano and guitar and provides vocals, with the Copper Bottom Band playing additional instruments. Didn’t It Rain was recorded in Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles with Grammy Award winning producer Joe Henry (Bonnie Raitt, Susan Tedeschi). It also features several special guests including Tah Mahal, Gaby Moreno and Jean McClain


READ MORE HERE: http://www.bostonmusicspotlight.com/news-hugh-laurie-maps-stateside-tour-behind-second-album-boston-concert-wilbur-theatre-october-2013/

JAMES PUREFOY talks Season 2 of The Following at Comic Con

TV/FILM/WEB

Sean Bean, James Purefoy: Abigail Breslin answers Wicked Blood‘s call (MOVIEHOLE)

 

After her showy turn in “The Call”, young Abigail Breslin is set for a bigger gig, playing the female lead in writer/director Mark Young’s crime thriller “Wicked Blood”.

Sean Bean, James Purefoy, and Alexa Vega are already set for the pic. Story tells of a teenage girl, Hannah (Breslin) who makes an enemy out of her fearful crook Uncle Frank (Sean Bean), who runs the illegal family business with an iron fist, when she falls for his rival (Purefoy).

Vega, of “Spy Kids” and “Machete Kills”, plays Breslin’s sister.

Read more at  http://moviehole.net/201364079exclusive-abigail-breslin-answers-wicked-bloods-call

JAMES PUREFOY: ‘The Following’ finale spoilers: Assorted teases from James Purefoy (CARTER)

We don’t need to tell you at this point that Monday night’s season finale for “The Following” is going to be intense. Odds are, you have already seen the last 14 episodes, and know just what the Fox series is building up to: An epic showdown between Ryan Hardy and Joe Carroll. Is it going to be their last stand? That is what is still unclear. There’s only so long that viewers are going to want to watch Hardy chase after one villain, especially since it further steps over the bounds of realism to have a serial killer out there for years on end without a capture.

The teasers we have to share now from James Purefoy (via E! News), are vague at the moment, but nonetheless insight....

READ MORE: http://cartermatt.com/58621/the-following-finale-spoilers-assorted-teases-from-james-purefoy/

James Purefoy: The Following Spoilers - Get Out of Town Written By Jon Lachonis on April 15th, 2013 at 4:17 pm (TVOM)

THE FOLLOWING: Joe (James Purefoy, R) and his followers have an escape plan in the "The End is Near" episode of THE FOLLOWING airing Monday, April 22 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2013 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Barbara Nitke/FOX

With only three episodes remaining, The Following has been building to an epic confrontation between Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) and Joe Carrol (James Purefoy).  The FBI is closing in on his location and if you've caught the previews of tonight's episode, "Havenport",  you probably know they are about to get a big boost from one of Carrol's most trusted insiders:  Roderick himself.

So what will the setup for The Following's finale be?  Will Ryan and his Federal compadres descend on Joe's compound Waco style and force Joe into a desperation play, or has the psycho prepared for this all along.  Thanks to a collection of images from next week's penultimate episode "The End is Near" we have some tantalizing details of what is to come.  Not major spoilers, mind you, but enough to set the stage for what is bound to be an incredible finale for The Following.


READ MORE: http://www.tvovermind.com/the-following/the-following-spoilers-get-out-of-town-208001

James Purefoy on 'The Following' violence: 'Concerns are preposterous' Published Tuesday, Feb 19 2013, 5:48am EST | By Morgan Jeffery (DIGITAL SPY)

James Purefoy has argued that concerns about violence in his show The Following are "preposterous".

The English actor plays serial killer Joe Carroll on the Fox drama, which has attracted some criticism for airing violent scenes on network television.

James Purefoy has argued that concerns about violence in his show The Following are "preposterous".

The English actor plays serial killer Joe Carroll on the Fox drama, which has attracted some criticism for airing violent scenes on network television.

READ MORE: http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/s202/the-following/news/a459880/james-purefoy-on-the-following-violence-concerns-are-preposterous.html

JAMES PUREFOY: 'The Following': Joe Carroll Gets Under Ryan Hardy's Skin (Exclusive Video) 12:55 PM PST 2/8/2013 by Philiana Ng (THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER)

In a scene from Monday's The Following, exclusive to The Hollywood Reporter, Ryan (Kevin Bacon) squares off against notorious serial killer Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) to get information from Joe about Maggie's (Virginia Kull) connection to the location of Claire Matthews' (Natalie Zea) kidnapped son Joey.

Ryan and Joe have a lot of history, the origin of which is established in this past Monday's episode, but the interrogation in "Mad Love" is still fraught with tension.


READ MORE: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/following-sneak-peek-ryan-hardy-joe-carroll-419717

The Following Video Looks At Kevin Bacon And James Purefoy's Characters Author: Kelly West (CINEMA BLEND)

Among the handful of shows that we selected as the top new series we can't wait to start watching this winter is Kevin Williamson's suspenseful looking Fox thriller The Following. Fox has wisely been sharing promotional content for the drama over the last couple of months, and among the more recent videos is one that talks about the intentions of serial killer Joe Carroll and Kevin Bacon's character, FBI Agent Ryan Hardy.

The Following stars Kevin Bacon as an FBI agent who's brought out of retirement to pursue convicted serial killer Joe Carroll (James Purefoy). In addition to escaping, Carroll's also been developing a group of devoted followers , which explains the title of the new series.

The video below features clips from the drama, some of which should be familiar if you've seen the previously released trailers and previews. But it also includes series creator Kevin Williamson as well as Bacon and Carroll as they talk about the series.


READ MORE:http://www.cinemablend.com/television/Following-Video-Looks-Kevin-Bacon-James-Purefoy-Characters-51033.html

James Purefoy and Kevin Bacon offering glimpses of "The Following"

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

http://video.msnbc.msn.com/access-hollywood/47557508/#47557508

'House' season finale spoiler alert; 'Fringe' renewed for fifth and final season Jessica Banov (FAY OBSERVER)

With "House" hurtling toward a series finale on May 21, fans have speculated about how it will all go down. Will Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) become a softie as the sun sets on the show? (Doubtful). Some wondered whether his lingering health and addiction issues would harm him in the end. Alas, it seems like a revelation from last week's episode will define the last four episodes.

Here is your requisite **SPOILER ALERT** for those of you who don't want to know.

Ready? OK. House's best friend, Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard), who happens to be an oncologist, dropped a major bombshell in the last few seconds of last week's episode.


READ MORE:  http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2012/04/30/1172817?sac=fo.life

Hugh Laurie: 'I'm pretty hopeless at goodbyes' By Jay Bobbin April 19, 2012 (ZAP 2 IT):52 PM ET

Hugh Laurie confesses that filming the series finale of "House" has been "a troubling period" for him. The antithesis of the caustic doctor viewers have loved to hate for eight seasons, the pleasant, warmly humorous British talent is trying to deal with wrapping up production this week on the Monday-night FOX drama.

The network is being guarded with details of the May 21 farewell, though reports suggest returns by past co-stars including Olivia Wilde and Kal Penn. In any case, Laurie is feeling the impact of the end. "Generally speaking, I'm pretty hopeless at goodbyes," he tells Zap2it, "and I'm mostly not very good at hellos, either.

I think I'm all right with the in-between stuff, but this is a very long, protracted goodbye to a character and to about 300 people I've worked with for eight years. This has been very emotional, and it continues to be."


READ MORE:  http://blog.zap2it.com/frominsidethebox/2012/04/houses-hugh-laurie-im-pretty-hopeless-at-goodbyes.html

Martin Clunes: 'Doc Martin' star Martin Clunes on the making of the British series April 12, 2012 | 11:19 am (LA TIMES)

"Doc Martin," the globally popular British series about an antisocial big-city surgeon working as a general practitioner among boundary-disrespecting neighbors in a Cornwall fishing village, has just begun its fifth season.

Over the last couple of years it has become a staple feature of American public broadcasting -- the second episode of the new season premieres locally tonight on KCET -- and has been widely available online, offered free to subscribers of Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu Plus. Acorn Media, which has released the previous four seasons on DVD, will add the fifth in June. (I earlier wrote about the series here.)

Martin Clunes (whose "William and Mary," an earlier series in which he plays a cuddly undertaker, has also become a PBS favorite) stars as Martin Ellingham, the eponymous doctor. Caroline Catz is Louisa, the teacher he inarticulately loves, nearly marries and, at the close of Season 4, has a child with. This year also sees the arrival of the great Eileen Atkins ("Cold Comfort Farm," "Cranford" and a co-creator of "Upstairs Downstairs") as Martin's Aunt Ruth, a psychiatrist who shares his dry, logical, suffer-no-fool-gladly temperament.

I spoke with Clunes recently, by phone to his home in England. He is clearly a different man from the one he currently plays on television. You should imagine hearty laughter coloring his responses below.

Your character is unusual, in that it's a variation on a different Cornwall-based doctor named Martin you played in the film "Saving Grace" and two subsequent TV movies. Can you talk about how you got from there to here?

Martin Clunes: It was quite simple and sort of market-led. Sky, which is Fox I guess over here, had some money in "Saving Grace," and Elizabeth Murdoch, Rupert's daughter, set up a thing called Sky Pictures, which was terrific because it meant the industry was very buoyant and lots of people were making films [for television]. And we got picked up -- they did some research and thought that the character of the doctor in "Saving Grace" had legs, and so they asked us if we'd make some films based on him. And then they folded while we were making them.

We sort of knew somebody at ITV, which is an independent broadcast channel over here, and said, "Are you interested in picking up this franchise, 'cause we're kind of set up." We'd made these two films ["Doc Martin" (2001) and "Doc Martin and the Legend of the Cloutie" (2003)]. The tone of it, the kind of dope-smoking aspect, didn't appeal to them, and they didn't think it would suit their audience. But they said they didn't mind me being a doctor in that place. So we had the license to take it apart and create something from the ground up. We didn't want to do the "Doc Hollywood" thing of "smart town city doctor being amazed and bemused by his quirky neighbors"; we kind of wanted to turn that on its head, and that was a small community united in horror by this vile GP.



Read More of the Interview:  http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2012/04/martin-clunes-talks-doc-martin.html

House Fans can take part in series Finale and Retrospective on April 21 Written By Sara Bibel (ZAP 2 IT)

As HOUSE counts down to the series finale this spring, fans can become a part of the history of this critically-acclaimed, fan-favorite show in two ways: they can submit original content which could be chosen to be included in the one-hour HOUSE retrospective special and they can enter the HOUSE SERIES WRAP PARTY Sweepstakes for a chance to attend the show’s finale party in Los Angeles.

The HOUSE series finale airs Monday, May 21 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT), immediately after the one-hour HOUSE retrospective special (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Have you ever wanted to record an original song or create an original video about HOUSE? Have you ever thought about reciting an original poem or choreographing a dance to reflect how the show has moved you over the last eight years? If so, now is your chance to be recognized by HOUSE star Hugh Laurie and the producers!

Fans from around the world can send in original video, photos and audio to www.fox.com/House/finale. Your material could be chosen to be included in the one-hour retrospective special. The deadline for submissions is Friday, April 13.


READ MORE:  http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2012/04/03/house-fans-can-take-part-in-the-series-finale-and-retrospective-on-april-21/127389/