Great Expectations star Jeremy Irvine reveals 'acting masterclass' with Colin Firth in The Railway Man - but says he doesn't want fame (COVENTRY TELEGRAPH)

 By David Bentley on December 10, 2012 9:12 PM

Jeremy Irvine is having the year of his life. No sooner had he made his film debut as the lead in Steven Spielberg's War Horse in January than he found himself being asked by director Mike Newell to play Pip in his adaptation of the Dickens classic Great Expectations, now on release in cinemas.


And then he was in demand yet again when Colin Firth wanted Irvine to play his younger self in upcoming war drama The Railway Man.

In The Railway Man - due out in 2013 (no UK release date has yet been announced) - Irvine plays the young Eric Lomax, a British army officer sent to a Japanese prison camp during World War Two and forced to work on the infamous Death Railway from Thailand to Burma. Firth portrays the older Lomax.

"I met Colin Firth and had dinner with him and he was the one that actually got me the role, which was nice," says the 22-year-old rising star.

"We kind of share the movie and he was so generous. We'd rehearse in his living room and I was thinking 'My God, this is the kind of acting masterclass you can only dream of when you're at drama school'.

"At the time, you're just working with someone who's really good at what they do and really interesting, and of course afterwards you go 'Wow, that was really kind of him'."


READ MORE: http://blogs.coventrytelegraph.net/thegeekfiles/2012/12/great-expectations-star-jeremy-irvine-on-his-acting-masterclass-with-colin-firth-in-the-railway-man.html

Colin Firth 'a little overwhelmed' by story of Eric Lomax (video)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PSn3s4HQz-4

Dinner with Colin Firth helped Jeremy Irvine land Railway Man role by Birmingham Post, Birmingham Post

Jeremy Irvine is having the year of his life. No sooner had he made his film debut as the lead in Steven Spielberg’s War Horse in January than he found himself being asked by director Mike Newell to play Pip in his adaptation of Great Expectations – then Colin Firth wanted him to play his younger self in upcoming war drama The Railway Man.

“Sometimes you read a script and spend a long time saying, ‘Oh well, maybe it could work this way’, but this was just such as ‘I’ve got to do this movie’ moment,” the 22-year-old says earnestly.

“I met Colin Firth and had dinner with him and he was the one that actually got me the role, which was nice.”

Irvine plays the young Eric Lomax, a British army officer who was sent to a Japanese prisoner of war camp during the Second World War and forced to work on the infamous ‘Death Railway’ from Thailand to Burma. The film is based on his memoir of the same title, and Firth plays the older Lomax.


“We kind of share the movie and he was so generous,” says Irvine. “We’d rehearse in his living room and I was thinking, ‘My God, this is the kind of acting masterclass you can only dream of when you’re at drama school’.

“At the time, you’re just working with someone who’s really good at what they do and really interesting, and of course afterwards you go, ‘Wow, that was really kind of him’.”



Read More http://www.birminghampost.net/life-leisure-birmingham-guide/birmingham-culture/film-news/2012/11/29/dinner-with-colin-firth-helped-jeremy-irvine-land-railway-man-role-65233-32326505/#ixzz2DeME4Bt1

I AM TORTURED BY THE SCREAMS OF POW ERIC LOMAX (EXPRESS CO.)

By David Paul

ERIC Lomax’s screams of pain as he was tortured still haunt those who were caged alongside him 70 years ago in a Japanese ­prisoner-of-war camp.


Tomorrow, in a small parish church, his family and friends will gather to pay their last respects to an extraordinary man who died aged 93, just months before his harrowing story is about to hit the nation’s cinema screens.

Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth is to star as Eric in The Railway Man.

Over the past year Colin has made two secret trips to Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland to get to know Eric, one of the most extraordinary characters to emerge from the Second World War. He endured ­barbaric treatment as one of thousands of Allied servicemen used as slave labour to build the Death Railway between ­Thailand and Burma.

Eric was among six men who were tortured for a week. Two were murdered and their bodies thrown into a latrine trench.

Eric had both arms broken and he was waterboarded.


READ MORE: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/351947/I-am-tortured-by-the-screams-of-PoW-Eric-Lomax

Colin Firth - The Railway Man Cast And Crew Mourn The Death Of Writer Eric Lomax 09 October 2012 (CONTACT MUSIC)

The war hero behind Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman's new movie The Railway Man has died, aged 93.

Eric Lomax's memoirs about working on the so-called 'death railway' in Thailand after he was captured by Japanese troops have been adapted into a new movie, starring the Oscar winners.

Lomax's book was published in 1995.  He died early on Monday (08Oct12).

Andy Paterson, the producer of the film adaptation of his book, tells the Bbc, "The cast and crew of The Railway Man are deeply saddened to hear of Eric Lomax's death. All our thoughts today are with his family.

"Whilst we are heartbroken that he will not be with us at the premiere, he lived long enough to see some early images from the film and to share our hopes that this new version of his story will help ensure that the men who suffered with him - and the families who had to cope with the legacy - would never be forgotten."

READ MORE: http://www.contactmusic.com/news/the-railway-man-cast-and-crew-mourn-the-death-of-writer-eric-lomax_3317659

Colin Firth:'Death railway' POW Eric Lomax dies 07:12 Tue Oct 9 2012AAP (MSN NZ)

Former prisoner of war Eric Lomax, whose moving memoir about working on the "death railway" in Thailand has been turned into a film starring Colin Firth, has died at the age of 93.

Lomax, who was captured at the fall of Singapore in 1942, was among thousands of servicemen who were used as slave labour by the Japanese on the railway.

He later came to terms with his treatment by meeting his interrogator many years later and writing about his experiences in his book The Railway Man.

Lomax, who was originally from Edinburgh, died on Monday in Berwick-upon-Tweed.

Rachel Cugnoni, of his publisher Vintage Books, said: "The Railway Man was one of the landmark books of the 1990s.

"It tells Eric's incredible and moving story with grace, modesty and exceptional humility.

"It is a book that stands as a testament to the great capacity of the human spirit for forgiveness."


His book has been adapted this year for a forthcoming movie in which Oscar-winning star Firth plays him in later life. Jeremy Irvine plays him in his younger days.

Lomax was a signals officer who was captured with many other Allies in Singapore and held at the island's Changi jail. He was eventually taken to the Thai town of Kanchanaburi where he worked on the railway link to Burma.

The horrific conditions of the prisoners as they built the line, with a terrible loss of life, famously formed the basis of David Lean's 1957 film The Bridge On The River Kwai.

Lomax endured savage beatings when guards found a radio he had helped to build.

He went on to become a lecturer at Strathclyde University, but was haunted by his treatment and met the interpreter who had interrogated him while he was tortured, Takashi Nagase, after he wrote about his remorse in a book.

Lomax's wife, Patti, contacted Nagase and both men returned to Kanchanaburi to meet in 1993 and eventually became friends.

Andy Paterson, the producer of the new film, said: "The cast and crew of The Railway Man are deeply saddened to hear of Eric Lomax's death. All our thoughts today are with his family.

"We remember with great pleasure Eric and Patti's visit to the set in Berwick-upon-Tweed, just a few months ago.

READ MOREhttp://news.msn.co.nz/worldnews/8544880/death-railway-pow-eric-lomax-dies

Colin Firth finds 'bliss' in Queensland (THE CANBERRA TIMES)

Oscar winning actor Colin Firth talks to reporters on the Gold Coast about his new movie The Railway Man which is being filmed in Queensland, saying "it has just been bliss".

http://media.canberratimes.com.au/national/selections/colin-firth-finds-bliss-in-queensland-3386989.html?&exc_from=strap

Colin Firth discusses new film Rae Wilson, APN Newsdesk | 19th June 2012 1:46 PM (Fraser Coast Chronicle)

COLIN Firth will always remember Ipswich as the place he was dragged across a rail yard, thrown in a cell and kicked.

He joked he was not sure he had the full picture of the area when he spoke to media at the Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast on Tuesday.

The Oscar-winning King's Speech actor is in Australia to film the historical film The Railway Man.

Though the film, relating the experience of a prisoner of war on the Burma Railway, was predominately filmed in Asia, some of it has been produced at the North Ipswich Railyards and around the Gold Coast.

Firth said it was difficult to play such a tortured role while he was staying on the Gold Coast.


read more:  http://www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au/story/2012/06/19/colin-firth-discusess-new-film-ipswich-gold-coast/

Colin Firth's tortured role as a WWII prisoner of war was difficult to pull off while living in 'paradise' by: Fiona Purdon From: The Courier-Mail

"We are all in love with the Gold Coast, it's hard to get inside the mind of a tortured person, surrounded by paradise and relaxed and chilled people, it's been bliss, it's hard to go to work and work yourself up into a state of torment," Firth said.

Firth wrapped up his three days of Queensland filming on Monday and was leaving Australia after today's press conference with co-stars Sam Reid, playing a Pow, and Hiroyuki Sanada, the Japanese torturer of Firth's character Eric Lomax.



READ MORE:http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/colin-firths-tortured-role-as-a-wwii-prisoner-of-war-was-difficult-to-pull-off-while-living-in-paradise/story-e6freon6-1226400918395

Extras playing British POW's in Colin Firth movie leave set after being pushed around by 'Japanese guards' for 13 hours (for £2.80 an hour) by Andrew Drummond (MAIL ON LINE)

By ANDREW DRUMMOND

The prisoners of war were at breaking point. All day long they had been kept at a Thai railway marshalling yard in the tropical heat, covered in grime, drenched in sweat, prodded and pushed by  Japanese guards shouting from the tops of cattle trucks that the prisoners were expected to board.

The wagons were there to transport them to the infamous Death Railway running from Thailand to Burma – but the prisoners couldn’t take any more.

The Mail on Sunday has been told that, ignoring shouts of ‘Wait’ and ‘Hold on’, they walked off... the film set.

It was the last day of shooting on The Railway Man, a film starring Oscar-winners Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman.

Based on the book of the same name by British war veteran Eric Lomax, it is an account of how he came to terms with his treatment by Japanese torturers in Thailand 70 years ago.

Colin was happy to pose for pictures on set with some of the extras, who refused to do overtime because of the poor pay

Both Firth and Kidman were happy to pose with fans and Australian tourist Gary Gibbs and his wife couldn't believe their luck when they bumped into the pair while on holiday in Thailand

The Railway Man is the story of Lomax, a Scottish officer in the Royal Signals who was tortured by the Japanese Kempeitai military police after being taken prisoner in Singapore in 1941 and sent to work on the Death Railway.

The trauma affected him for most of his life and he was treated by a foundation for victims of torture.

Eventually he found peace after tracking down the Kempeitai interpreter, Nagase Takashi, who was at all his interrogations and beatings.

Firth plays Lomax the returning veteran, with Jeremy Irvine taking the role of younger Lomax. Kidman is his wife Patti.

The so-called mutiny in Bangkok is unlikely to affect the way the industry treats extras in Thailand. Film companies come to Thailand for its cheap labour and pick up extras to play foreigners in films by word of mouth, or through leafleting bars.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2160374/Colin-Firth-movie-The-Railway-Man-Extras-leave-set-pushed-Japanese-guards.html#ixzz1yAHECTsk

Colin Firth: Modern 'mutiny' on Death Railway: Extras playing British POW's in Colin Firth movie leave set after being pushed around by 'Japanese guards' for 13 hours (for £2.80 an hour) By ANDREW DRUMMOND (MAIL ON LINE)

Jeremy Irvine, left, and Colin Firth, right, pose on set in front of a steam train at Hualamphong train station in Bangkok, Thailand. Both actors play former POW Eric Lomax at different stages in his life

The prisoners of war were at breaking point. All day long they had been kept at a Thai railway marshalling yard in the tropical heat, covered in grime, drenched in sweat, prodded and pushed by  Japanese guards shouting from the tops of cattle trucks that the prisoners were expected to board.
The wagons were there to transport them to the infamous Death Railway running from Thailand to Burma – but the prisoners couldn’t take any more.

The Mail on Sunday has been told that, ignoring shouts of ‘Wait’ and ‘Hold on’, they walked off... the film set.

Extras standing along the train lines at the Bangsue train yard in Bangkok, Thailand on the set of The Railway Man. They ultmately refused to do overtime and left the crew with a few, mainly Iranian extras posing as European POW's




And just as it had affected the real Second World War prisoners on the Burma-Siam railway – also the subject of David Lean’s 1957 Oscar-winner The Bridge On The River Kwai – The Mail on Sunday has been told that the tropical heat, lack of food and relentless orders were too much for many of the 100 extras playing British victims of Japanese brutality on set in Bangkok.

It’s said most just walked off, leaving only 17 Iranians and a handful of backpackers to finish shooting in the Bangkok darkness.


The last straw came with an announcement by German production manager Ralf Eisenmann that overtime would be paid at 200 baht (£4) an hour and extras would get just half that for transport home after midnight.

It’s said to have made many extras unwilling to continue despite pleas by managers.
Fortunately for the film-makers, enough extras in British PoW uniforms remained to complete the final scene.

Extras playing the Japanese guards were too polite to complain.


Read more:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2160374/Modern-mutiny-Death-Railway-Extras-playing-British-POWs-Colin-Firth-movie-The-Railway-Man-leave-set-pushed-Japanese-guards-13-hours-2-80-hour.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Colin Firth spotted in Brisbane and Gold Coast Jacinda Tutty June 12, 2012 (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD)

The Gold Coast's Fellini Ristorante posted this photo on Facebook yesterday with the caption 'and guess who was in last night'.

Colin Firth's much touted visit to Ipswich has turned into doorstops in Brisbane and Gold Coast with the movie star spotted wining and dining in the cities.

On Monday night he had dinner at Ristorante Fellini on the Gold Coast and staff posted a photo of the occasion on Facebook last night.

He was also spotted on Sunday night at Tartufo at Brisbane’s Emporium, run by Tony Percuoco, brother of the owner of Fellini Ristorante, Carlo Percuoco.


Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/colin-firth-spotted-in-brisbane-and-gold-coast-20120612-207rq.html

Colin Firth brings star power to Ipswich Jacinda Tutty June 12, 2012 - 5:14PM (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD)

Move over Hollywood, Ipswich is about to hit the big screen thanks to a new movie starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman.

Famous for his role as the swoon-worthy Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, Firth stars in The Railway Man - an adaptation of the memoir by Eric Lomax who was a prisoner of war forced to work on the notorious Burma Railway.

The project will be partly shot at Ipswich's Workshops Rail Museum and on the Gold Coast.
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Filming has begun in Ipswich, with Firth set to arrive on Friday.

Ipswich Mayor Paul Pisasale has been making preparations for the visit.

“I'm very excited to be welcoming Colin Firth to Ipswich," he said.

"We've been holding it under wraps for a while now but we hope he has a pleasant experience. He's excited about meeting me and I'm excited about meeting him.


Read more:http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/firth-brings-star-power-to-ipswich-20120612-207rq.html

Colin Firth turns on the charm in Brisbane From: The Courier-Mail June 12, 2012 12:00AM (COURIER)

On Sunday Firth spent time mentoring an exclusive group of Brisbane actors in a Q&A session with actress Sigrid Thornton at the Cremorne Theatre, QPAC.

Sunshine Coast actress Meisha Lowe won a ticket to the event after applying through Actors Equity.

Lowe told Confidential Firth labelled his role in The Railway Man "emotionally challenging."


She said Firth told the audience he decided as a 14-year-old he wanted to be an actor and still "wondered when he should grow up and get a real job".

Following the Q&A, Firth, Thornton, director Chris Brown and a group of friends dined at Italian restaurant Tartufo at Emporium in Fortitude Valley, a haunt often frequented by celebrities.

Tartufo owner Tony Percuoco has met Ethan Hawke, Kate Hudson and Michael Buble at his restaurants but Mr Darcy had him "starstruck".

Living up to his sex-symbol status, Percuoco told Confidential Firth was without his Italian-born wife but spoke perfect Italian to the waitresses.

"Very rarely do I get starstruck but last night he had the whole persona. He spoke Italian perfectly."

READ MORE:  http://www.couriermail.com.au/entertainment/confidential/colin-firth-turns-on-the-charm-in-brisbane/story-e6freq7o-1226391525008

Colin Firth: Hollywood stars film next week Rebecca Lynch | 8th June 2012 7:43 PM (FRASER COAST CHRONICLE)

FILMING for one of 2013's Hollywood blockbusters is due to begin in Ipswich next week, The Queensland Times can reveal.

Heart-throb Colin Firth, together with Swedish icon Stellan Skarsgard and War Horse star Jeremy Irvine will be on location at the city's railway workshops from the middle of the week, according to the film's publicist Tracey Mair.

But Ms Mair said that Aussie screen legend Nicole Kidman would not joining her male co-stars in the city, after having previously said all the leads would be travelling to Ipswich.

"Kidman's scenes were actually completed in Scotland, the UK and Thailand, but the rest of the cast, including Firth, will be filming on the Gold Coast and in Ipswich mid-next week," Ms Mair said.

Since The Queensland Times first revealed The Railway Man would be filmed in Ipswich, a major online news site dubbed the city an "unlikely location" for the filming of a major movie.


READ MORE: http://www.frasercoastchronicle.com.au/story/2012/06/08/hollywood-stars-film-next-week-ipswich/

Colin Firth thanks hotel owner for cake gift (BERWICK ADVERTISER)

Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman amongst film crew and extras take a strole along 

Berwicks walls while filming an adaptation of Eric Lomax's The Railway Man

Published on Friday 25 May 2012 11:00

A HAND-WRITTEN letter of thanks from Oscar winning actor Colin Firth is to be framed by a Berwick hotel owner who sent him a cake in the shape of a steam train.

The cake was sent to Firth during filming in Berwick and Holy Island of The Railway Man in which he plays war hero Eric Lomax who still lives in the town.

Elizabeth Middlemiss, who sent the cake as a welcome present, said she was “thrilled to bits” by the handwritten letter she had just received.

She had ordered the cake from local baker Robert Whitton, who also baked one for Nicole Kidman, as she had been told that leading members of the cast were to stay at Sallyport, her boutique hotel on Bridge Street.

However only the camera crew turned up while the stars stayed at Tillmouth Park Hotel, near Cornhill.

Although disappointed, Elizabeth decided to give the cakes to the camera crew to take to the stars.

“I gave them a note with them and suggested to Colin that if he didn’t want to eat it himself then he could maybe give it to Eric who is now 92. After all he is the real hero,” she explained.


READ MORE: http://www.berwick-advertiser.co.uk/lifestyle/lifestyle/the-guide/firth-thanks-hotel-owner-for-cake-gift-1-2317458

Colin Firth:Town’s teenage film fans track down The Railway Man (SCOTSMAN.COM)

Published on Saturday 19 May 2012 02:21

HOLLYWOOD A-listers Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman have posed for pictures with fans while filming in North Berwick.

The stars were in the East Lothian town to shoot scenes for their The Railway Man, based on Eric Lomax’s book about his experiences during the Second World War, when he was a Japanese prisoner of war, and his reconciliation with one of his captors afterwards. .

Scenes were shot in a house in Tantallon Terrace and on the nearby beach yesterday.

Sylvia Beaumont, who was among those star-spotting, photographed Kidman and Firth chatting with local children.

She said: “I was down walking my dogs and just stopped because I’ve always got my little camera in my pocket. I spoke to both of them and asked if I could take their pictures. They both said: ‘Of course’.

http://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/film/town-s-teenage-film-fans-track-down-the-railway-man-1-2305271

Colin Firth: Top film stars swap Hollywood for Holy Island (NORTHUMBERLAND GAZETTE)

Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman amongst film crew and extras take a strole along Berwicks walls while filming an adaptation of Eric Lomax's The Railway Man

Published on Friday 18 May 2012 06:00

HOLY Island Causeway is in the news again this week, but rather than stranded motorists, the focus was a pair of Hollywood superstars.

Oscar-winners Nicole Kidman and Colin Firth were in north Northumberland last week filming for The Railway Man.

The film is based on the book by 92-year-old Berwick resident Eric Lomax, who was captured during the Second World War at the fall of Singapore and was forced to work on the infamous Thai-Burma ‘death railway’ as a prisoner-of-war.

Firth has already visited Mr Lomax twice and took the opportunity to meet him again after filming wrapped on Friday.

The filming on Holy Island took place last Thursday, before the famous pair spent the night at Tillmouth Park Hotel, near Cornhill.

They were joined by Kidman’s two young daughters Sunday and Faith, along with their nanny.


READ MORE:  http://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/local-news/top-film-stars-swap-hollywood-for-holy-island-1-4555162

Colin Firth is seen beside Forth at North Berwick (EAST LOTHIAN NEWS)

Published on Thursday 17 May 2012 18:00

Hollywood actor Colin Firth was near the Firth of Forth this week to film his new movie.

He was shooting scenes for The Railway Man, in which he stars with Nicole Kidman, at a house in Tantallon Terrace on the seafront at North Berwick.

Mr Firth, famed for his roles in blockbusters such as The King’s Speech and Pride and Prejudice, plays Edinburgh-born prisoner-of-war Eric Lomax and Ms Kidman, his wife Patti.


READ MORE:  http://www.eastlothiannews.co.uk/news/local-headlines/firth-is-seen-beside-forth-at-north-berwick-1-2297989

Colin Firth: The Railway Man Set

Colin Firth was looking his usual delicious self on the Scotland set of The Railway Man today (May 14th), a film that follows a victim of World War II’s “Death Railway” as he tracks down those responsible for his torture.  Stellan Skarsgard, Nicole Kidman and Jeremy Irvine also star in the Jonathan Teplitzky-directed flick, based on a true story.

READ MORE:  http://socialitelife.com/love-actually-to-get-a-sequel-photos-05-2012