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

David Tennant describes working on Broadchurch remake Gracepoint as "a very peculiar experience"

DAILY MIRROR
Feb 22, 2014 15:34 By JJ Nattrass

David Tennant and Anna Gunn in US Broadchurch remake

David Tennant has described working on the Broadchurch US remake Gracepoint as "a very peculiar experience".

The Scottish actor, who has also taken on the mantel of Doctor Who in his career, was being interviewed by Entertainment Weekly about his experience of fronting the ITV crime drama as well as playing the lead in its Stateside version.

Dave said: "There is no precedent for this. It's so familiar, yet completely new.

"It's a very peculiar experience."

Fox boss Kevin Reilly has previously revealed that Gracepoint will not be a straight remake of its UK predecessor.

David elaborated: "Certainly the pilot episode sticks very closely to the original, [but] as the story goes on it eases out a bit, there's extra twists and turns, some characters are more developed."

It looks like he's finding his feet on set and seems to be getting on famously with co-star Anna Gunn, labelling the Breaking Bad actress as "very sparky".



http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/broadchurch-remake-david-tennant-describes-3172307#ixzz2uAzDp1y9 
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Sir Anthony Hopkins to Bryan Cranston: “Best acting I have seen – ever.”

STARCASM

OCT, 14, 2013

AUTHOR: DARREN O 

Sir Anthony Hopkins is widely considered one of the greatest actors in cinematic history. In a 2005 poll, Hopkins was selected as the greatest British actor of all time. If you want to get more modern, Hopkins comes in at #8 on IMDB’s list of the greatest 100 actors of all time from anywhere.

What I’m trying to say is that Hopkins’ credentials are pretty top-notch, so when he shares an opinion about the profession of acting people tend to listen. In a remarkable fan letter from Hopkins to Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston, the living legend exalted the latter’s performance as Walter White using a heaping, helping load of superlatives that you’ve got to read to believe.

Dear Mister Cranston.

I wanted to write you this email – so I am contacting you through Jeremy Barber – I take it we are both represented by UTA . Great agency.

I’ve just finished a marathon of watching “BREAKING BAD” – from episode one of the First Season – to the last eight episodes of the Sixth Season. (I downloaded the last season on AMAZON) A total of two weeks (addictive) viewing.

I have never watched anything like it. Brilliant! Your performance as Walter White was the best acting I have seen – ever.

I know there is so much smoke blowing and sickening bullsh*t in this business, and I’ve sort of lost belief in anything really.

But this work of yours is spectacular – absolutely stunning. What is extraordinary, is the sheer power of everyone in the entire production. What was it? Five or six years in the making? How the producers (yourself being one of them), the writers, directors, cinematographers…. every department – casting etc. managed to keep the discipline and control from beginning to the end is (that over used word) awesome.

From what started as a black comedy, descended into a labyrinth of blood, destruction and hell. It was like a great Jacobean, Shakespearian or Greek Tragedy.

If you ever get a chance to – would you pass on my admiration to everyone – Anna Gunn, Dean Norris, Aaron Paul, Betsy Brandt, R.J. Mitte, Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Steven Michael Quezada – everyone – everyone gave master classes of performance … The list is endless.

Thank you. That kind of work/artistry is rare, and when, once in a while, it occurs, as in this epic work, it restores confidence.

You and all the cast are the best actors I’ve ever seen.

That may sound like a good lung full of smoke blowing. But it is not. It’s almost midnight out here in Malibu, and I felt compelled to write this email.

Congratulations and my deepest respect. You are truly a great, great actor.

Best regards

Tony Hopkins.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyQz9sroYBI

READ MORE HERE: http://starcasm.net/archives/247528