How Simon Pegg became a big fish He works with his heroes, lives out his childhood fantasies, and has real Hollywood clout. And the ‘nerd’ from Gloucester’s stock is still rising By Craig McLean7:00AM BST 29 May 2012 (TELEGRAPH)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yfDUv3ZjH2k

In the darkened interior of Shepperton Studios in Surrey, Simon Pegg wraps a robe around his fatigued body, stretches back on his personal recliner, and lets his entourage minister to his every need. Right now, this means a make-up artist tending to his tired eyes and a PR scuttling over with a message to the effect that, “we’ve had a note from Bruce’s people that he is supportive of the project”. Nearby lingers a former rock star and scion of an acting dynasty, hanging on his every word. But he’ll have to wait — Pegg is having his nails done. Next: a hairdo.

The actor/writer scrolls through his ever-present iPhone. What’s this? Another A-lister has been in touch? Yes indeed — Rastamouse is free for a meeting.

“Yup,” the actor nods coolly, “that’s the kind of company I keep these days.” It seems the Caribbean-accented rodent star of CBeebies is one of Pegg’s circle — probably because of Pegg’s infant daughter. “We met Mr Tumble the other week, too, at Legoland. He was ever so nice. He said someone who used to be Laurel and Hardy’s dresser got in touch and said he was a big fan of his slapstick.” Outside, it is August 2011, and wet. Inside it is day 23 on the 29-day shoot of A Fantastic Fear Of Everything, a small-scale British film in which Pegg plays lead character Jack, a children’s author-turned-paranoid slovenly wreck.

Pegg – last “seen” on-screen playing a Thompson twin in Steven Spielberg’s 3D, motion-capture Tintin – has worked hard to make this oddball comic film come to fruition. He’s been involved from its earliest days, and his association helped secure the support of Universal, the studio with whom Pegg made Shaun Of The Dead, Hot Fuzz and Paul. Now he’s crammed filming of AFFOE into the hair’s breadth gap in his schedule between completing work with Tom Cruise on Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol and beginning preparations to join, once more, the crew of the Starship Enterprise.


READ MORE:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/9285164/How-Simon-Pegg-became-a-big-fish.html

Peter Jackson says Del Toro’s The Hobbit would have been different to his (Movie Hole)

Author : "Caffeinated" Clint (Thursday, January 5th, 2012 at 8:07 am)
Tags: 3D, Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg, The Adventures of Tintin, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Tintin

Not surprisingly, considering it’s following back home, “The Adventures of Tintin” has shot to the top of the Aussie Box Office. Helps, of course, that said film had Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg as it’s creators.

Speaking to Melbourne’s The Herald-Sun today, Jackson talked a little about the future of the “Tintin” franchise and how he’s enjoying being back on Middle Earth for “The Hobbit”.

Firstly, Jackson explains how he became to take over directing duties from Guillermo Del Toro on “The Hobbit” and how the film has changed since swapping hands.

You’ve been editing the first Hobbit film, An Unexpected Journey over the Christmas break. You originally were not going to direct the films. When the job came back to you, did any part of you not want to take it because you thought you might be stuck in Lord of the Rings territory forever?

Not really. When Guillermo (Del Toro) was working on it I was producing it and working on the script – I was enjoying it, I wasn’t disliking it.

I thought it would be interesting to have a different sensibility directing the movie so you’d have somebody else’s version of a Middle Earth story. But by the time Guillermo left and we were wondering what to do, I just thought, ‘Well, I can imagine the version of The Hobbit that I’d like to see’.

It’s not necessarily the film he was going to make, but being part of the production for so long, at that point I’d sort of admitted to myself into the film to such a degree that it was fine to take over, I was completely OK with it.

We’ve got largely the same crew and quite a few of the same cast, so it was a reunion of sorts, which was kind of fun.

Jackson confirmed his plans to direct the “Tintin” sequel after he’s done with “The Hobbit” two-parter :

From the start there has been talk of at least three Tintin films, with you to direct the second one. Now that the film has done so well, is a sequel a forgone conclusion?
Well we’re just taking them one at a time, but the film’s certainly performed really great in the territories it’s screened in so far. So I think that the studio’s already pretty much got its heart set on a sequel.

Is that something you can’t even think about for at least another year, though, while your head is in Hobbiton?
The plan with another Tintin film is… you’d have to spend at least a year or 18 months developing the film from the point that we are now, so a lot of that development of the script and action scenes and things I can do while I’m in post-production on The Hobbit.
So the plan at this stage is to be in pre-production on the Tintin film while The Hobbit’s in post-production, and then once The Hobbit’s done I can do the motion-capture part of it.

Haven’t had a chance to see “Tintin” yet, what’s the word folks? Good?

http://www.moviehole.net/201251307-peter-jackson-says-del-toros-the-hobbit-would-have-been-different-to-his

Tags: 3D, Peter Jackson, Steven Spielberg, The Adventures of Tintin, The Hobbit, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Tintin

Box Offices, final weekend of 2011 - Tom Cruise Is No Meryl Streep (Neither's Anyone Else, for That Matter) (E-OnLine)

Today 11:53 AM PST by Joal Ryan

Paramount Pictures, The Weinstein Co.

For a second straight holiday weekend, Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocal led the box office.

But it was Meryl Streep's Iron Lady that really ruled.

Debuting at four theaters, the Streep Oscar vehicle, a biopic of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, averaged a New Year's weekend-best $55,000 per screen, BoxOffice.com reported.

Cruise's Ghost Protocol, meanwhile, continued to sell tickets at a nice clip, banking another $31.3 million.

With a domestic total of about $134.1 million, Ghost Protocol, just two wide-release weekends into its run, has already outgrossed the last M:I movie, Mission: Impossible III.

Overall, the weekend marked a solid end for 2011, and and solid start for 2012, with five films grossing at least $15 million each, up from three films last New Year's. Even New Year's Eve finally delivered, on its title as well as its all-star cast, with ticket sales double what they were Christmas weekend.

Among Steven Spielberg movies, Best Picture candidate War Horse once again showed more muscle than The Adventures of Tintin, at least domestically. Worldwide, it's Tintin that's the star.

Among awards-season hopefuls just getting started, the Iranian film A Separation ($66,598 at three screens, per BoxOffice.com) and Gary Oldman's Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy ($1.2 million at 57 screens) loomed large, while the Angelina Jolie-helmed Golden Globe nominee In the Land of Blood and Honey ($8,363 at two screens) struggled again.

Well, not everyone can be The Iron Lady. Or Streep.

Stay tuned Monday for four-day, holiday-weekend totals. For now, here's a rundown of the top movies, as compiled from the studios' Friday-Sunday domestic estimates and BoxOfficeMojo.com stats:

1. Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol, $31.3 million
2. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, $22.1 million
3. Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked, $18.3 million
4. War Horse, $16.9 million
5. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, $16.3 million
6. We Bought a Zoo, $14.3 million
7. The Adventures of Tintin, $12 million
8. New Year's Eve, $6.7 million
9. The Darkest Hour, $4.3 million
10. The Descendants, $3.7 million

Read more: http://www.eonline.com/news/tom_cruise_no_meryl_streep_neithers/283434#ixzz1iFL7eLJe

Brits At The Box Office: Jamie Bell, Simon Pegg, Daniel Craig, Benedict Cumberbatch & More! (Britscene)

 

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By Lockerz

Written on December 21, 2011 by Charlie Derry

This week we’re doing a Christmas round-up of films, so you know what will be on in theatres up until New Years Day. There’s three new releases to be looking forward to – The Adventures of Tintin, War Horse and The Iron Lady – and there’s also a few of last week’s films still doing well, with Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows placing itself at the top of the box office.

Out in cinemas today is The Adventures of Tintin, the first instalment in a planned trilogy of computer-animated motion-capture adaptations of George Remi’s series of comic strips. The film follows British actor Jamie Bell in the motion captured role of Tintin, as he discovers directions to a sunken ship and sets off on his first adventure, a treasure hunt. Directed by Stephen Spielberg and produced by Peter Jackson, the actors in this movie hold many more big British names too, including the talents of Daniel Craig (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), Andy Serkis (Lord of the Rings), Simon Pegg (Paul), Nick Frost (Attack The Block), and Toby Jones (Tinker Tailor). Tintin has been going great guns in international markets and it will be interesting to see if an American audience warms to this famous European comic book character. The Adventures of Tintin opens nationwide and you can watch the trailer below:

Steven Spielberg’s second film this holiday season is set for a Christmas Day release. War Horse follows the story of a young boy, Albert, played by Jeremy Irvine (TV’s Life Bites), and his horse, Joey. Despite being too young to enlist in to the cavalry, Albert heads to France when his horse is sold and sent into the trenches of War. Alongside Jeremy Irvine are fellow Brits Tom Hiddleston (Thor) as Captain Nichols, Benedict Cumberbatch (The Hobbit) as Major Stewart, with David Thewlis (Harry Potter), Emily Watson (Oranges & Sunshine), Johnny Harris (London to Brighton) and Peter Mullan (Tyrannosaur). You can get a good look at the movie, that is bound to be around come awards season, by taking a look at the trailer below, or you can watch 8 clips from the film in a previous post here.

The Iron Lady sneaks in to this year with a limited release from 30th December in Los Angeles and New York City, which will be just in time for the film to qualify as an Academy Award contender.

The film looks at the life of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher (played by Meryl Streep), and the price that is paid for power, as the Prime Minister in London in the 1980′s. It shows how she came from nowhere, smashing through the barriers of gender and class to make her voice heard in a male dominated world. The film stars British actors Jim Broadbent, Anthony Head, Richard E. Grant, and Olivia Colman, and will be released to a wider number of theaters officially on 13th January, 2012.

Also out today is the fourth instalment to the popular action franchise, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. We did mention this film, which stars British actor Simon Pegg in one of the main roles, in last week’s post as it had a limited release from 15th December. The film made $13.4M in 425 theatres, but with a full release today you will have a better chance of getting to see it. The film follows IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) who is carrying out an operation in Moscow when a terrorist bombing destroys the Kremlin, leading the US government to initiate a black operation known as “ghost protocol”, disavowing the entire Impossible Mission Force. Hunt must now go undercover with his new rogue team to clear their organization’s name. You can watch a new featurette spotlighting Pegg’s “ultimate IT guy” Benji and take a look at Pegg’s character in action in the clip below:

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was released yesterday too, starring British actor Daniel Craig in an English adaptation of Stieg Larsson‘s Swedish Millennium trilogy. Craig plays investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist, who is asked to help uncover the truth about a woman who has been missing for forty years. Her body was never found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder and that the killer is a member of his own dysfunctional family. This is where Blomkvist meets Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), a young female hacker, as we start to discover the disturbing truth about her past as well. The first Swedish adaptations of the novels, directed by Niels Arden Oplev, were a brilliant set of films, but it will be nice to see Fincher’s take on the trilogy, and also not to have to read any subtitles. This big budget production, which has had some amazing promotion over the last few months will of course open nationwide and you can get a good idea what the film is all about with the 8 minute trailer below:

Then there are the holdovers from the last few weeks. First up still in cinemas is Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows which is currently at the top of the box office after making nearly $40M in its first week. The film follows Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr) and his side kick, Dr Watson (Jude Law) who reunite and team up with mysterious gypsy Sim, played by Noomi Rapace (The Swedish version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) to bring down the evil Professor Moriarty, played by Jared Harris (Mad Men). After a strong box office performance in its first week, this will be showing nationwide and as well as the trailer below you can see our full coverage of clips and featurettes here.

Finally Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is still going strong and is expanding into more and more theaters. In its second week of release it grossed half a million dollars in just 16 theaters across the country – an average of $28.5K per theater. Based on the novel of the same name written by John le Carré, Tinker Tailor is set in London in the 1970s when secret agent George Smiley (Gary Oldman) is brought out of retirement to help identify a mole who has infiltrated the Secret Intelligence Service headquarters. With its Brit packed cast of Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Benedict Cumberbatch and John Hurt, this espionage thriller will continue to expand over the coming weeks and well into awards season, you can see if it is coming to a theater near you here.

http://www.britscene.com/2011/12/brits-at-box-office-jamie-bell-simon-pegg-daniel-craig-benedict-cumberbatch-more/30954

'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' Trailer Debuts With 'The Adventures of Tintin' (I Am Rogue)

 

Friday, 16 December 2011 11:32 Written by Jordan DeSaulnier

As last month came to a close, a very trusty rumor suggested that The Adventures of Tintin's Stateside release would include the first trailer for our next cinematic jaunt to JRR Tolkein's Middle Earth. That rumor came from no less a source than Elijah Wood, who reprises his The Lord of the Rings role as Frodo Baggins in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and it just made sense. We're a year out from the first prequel's theatrical date, and The Adventures of Tintin is produced by Peter Jackson, who is once again adapting Tolkein's material with the two-part take on The Hobbit. Now, Warner Bros. has helpfully confirmed that the new film by Steven Spielberg will indeed by preceded by our first look at The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

The adaptation of Herge's world-famous cartoon character arrives in theaters on Wednesday, December 21st, so that's when you'll be able to put your peepers on footage from The Hobbit. The Adventures of Tintin is Spielberg's first 3D film, and his first motion capture effort, boasting lifelike animation by Weta Digital, the visual effects company founded by Jackson. Weta also happens to be responsible for The Lord of the Rings, Avatar, and The Hobbit.

The prequel is also shot in 3D, at 48 frames per-second, no less. So again, this all makes sense. There's no word yet on when exactly the trailer will be available to view online in any official form.
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey sees the return of many invaluable players from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, most notably Peter Jackson, as well as screenwriting and producer partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. Their screenplay also includes contributions from Guillermo del Toro, who was attached to direct for some time.

Amongst the actors returning are Wood, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Hugo Weaving, Andy Serkis, Orlando Bloom, Bret McKenzie, Ian Holm, and Christopher Lee. Newcomer Martin Freeman leads the cast as the younger Bilbo Baggins, and he's joined by fellows newbies Luke Evans, Benedict Cumberbatch, Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Aidan Turner, Brian Blessed, Stephen Fry, and Richard Armitage, amongst many others.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is set for December 14, 2012, followed by The Hobbit: There and Back Again a year later on December 13, 2013.

http://www.iamrogue.com/news/movie-news/item/5472-the-hobbit-an-unexpected-journey-trailer-debuts-with-the-adventures-of-tintin.html  I Am Rogue

Most anticipated holiday films

By: Kevin Romani | November 30, 2011 | ShareThis

Courtesy of MCT

For the first time in recent years, this year’s holiday movie season may end up offering more high quality films than those released during the summer.

This winter, both major franchise and independent films will be competing against each other in the last month of 2011. December is the month that typically sees the most Oscar contenders released, as studios want their films to be fresh on the minds of the Academy Award voters for the final stretch of the year. 

Several major filmmakers have pictures coming out this winter, most notably Martin Scorsese, David Fincher and Steven Spielberg. Scorsese’s family film “Hugo” is already in theaters, and has received favorable reception from critics. Spielberg has not one, but two films coming out around Christmas.
Here are five films that should be well worth a trip to the theater for this winter.

The Adventures of Tintin

Spielberg’s first directed film to be released this winter is “The Adventures of Tintin,” which will be released on Dec. 21. After Spielberg’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark” hit theaters in 1981, a critic compared the film to the European “Tintin” comic strips. Spielberg’s work has come full circle, as early reviews for “Tintin” are calling it Spielberg’s most exciting film since “Raiders.”

“The Adventures of Tintin” is a major collaboration between Spielberg and producer Peter Jackson (“The Lord of the Rings” trilogy). The film follows the young titular reporter Tintin and his globe-trotting adventure in search of a lost treasure. “Tintin” is Spielberg’s first directed animated film, as it was filmed using motion capture and has an animated style akin to “The Polar Express” and “Beowulf.” Spielberg and Jackson foresee this as the first film in a trilogy, where Jackson would direct the second and the third as a possible co-direction between the two masterful filmmakers. “Tintin” should offer relentless action that will be sheer entertainment for all ages.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

A Swedish adaptation of the “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” was made in 2009, and was considered a success from loyal fans of the best-selling novel. Producer Scott Rudin was smart enough to know there could still be a major market for an American remake, and brought on the brilliant David Fincher (“Fight Club,” “The Social Network”) to direct.

The trailers for “Dragon Tattoo” have been loud, fast paced and visually arresting. Fincher is one of the best active directors in creating an uncomfortable mood for a film, and it certainly appears he has done it again with “Dragon Tattoo.” The tagline “The feel bad movie of Christmas” says everything potential audience members need to know – the film will be violent and disturbing, but will be one heck of a ride. “Dragon Tattoo” will be released on the same day as “Tintin,” Dec. 21.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

The first two installments of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise were perfect examples of style over substance. Both films were sporadic and filled with over-the-top action without a sense of story.

“Mission: Impossible III,” however, took a different approach than the first two films. Director J.J. Abrams (“Lost,” “Star Trek”) firmly believes that a film or television series is nothing without strong characters. He made the third film more about these interesting characters than about the gadgetry and explosions. While Abrams is not directing the fourth installment, “Ghost Protocol,” he supervised over the script writing process and remained on as an executive producer.

Brad Bird (“The Incredibles,” “Ratatouille”) is making his live-action directorial debut with “Ghost Protocol.” Like Abrams, Bird likes to focus his stories on the characters. His animated features were outstanding technical feats, but are most memorable due to their emotional impact and intelligent narratives. The look and cast of this new film are both impressive, and “Ghost Protocol” has a good chance of being the action hit of the winter. “Ghost Protocol” gets a theatrical release on Dec. 21 as well, but can be seen on IMAX screens on Dec. 16. Those who see the film in IMAX will be privileged with the special treat of seeing the opening sequence to next summer’s highly anticipated “The Dark Knight Rises.”

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

The British production “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” may be a key player at the Oscars this year, like “The King’s Speech” in 2010. Adapted from the novel by the same name, the film version looks to be an intense political thriller akin to Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation.” With an outstanding cast led by Gary Oldman, Oscar-winner Colin Firth, John Hurt and Tom Hardy, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” will be sure to feature memorable performances. Based on the novel, the film will likely be a thought-provoking story that will reflect contemporary political issues. “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” will arrive to theaters on Dec. 9.

War Horse

Steven Spielberg has used the phrase “one for them and one for me” in years where he has directed two films. He first accomplished this feat in 1993 with the release of “Jurassic Park” and “Schindler’s List.” “Jurassic Park” wowed audiences and was a blockbuster smash, while “Schindler’s List” represented the maturity in Spielberg as a filmmaker as he offered one of the most impressive cinematic feats in history with the harrowing tale set during the Holocaust. The “one for them” is a crowd pleaser and the “one for me” is a film Spielberg has a deep personal connection with that he wishes to present on screen.

“The Adventures of Tintin” is the 2011 version of the “one for them” and “War Horse” is the one for Spielberg. Set in the backdrop of World War I, “War Horse” follows a young boy and his horse as they survive in the war torn European theater. The cinematography of this film seen in the trailers looks beautiful, with wide shots of the European landscape and the countless soldiers spread throughout. “War Horse” can be seen on the big screen beginning on Christmas day.

Massachusetts daily collegian
Kevin Romani can be reached at kromani@student.umass.edu.

Jamie Bell excited for Filth film

 

(UKPA) – 5 hours ago

Jamie Bell has said he can't wait to start work on Filth.

The Tintin star is set to play Ray Lennox alongside James McAvoy as lead character Bruce Robertson and Alan Cumming as his boss Toal in Jon S Baird's big-screen adaptation of Irvine Welsh's controversial novel.

"That's going to be great. James McAvoy is playing a great character in that. Hopefully we will be starting that at the beginning of next year," he said.

Jamie is a huge fan of Irvine, who will be producing Filth: "I read it and love the book. I love all of Irvine's work. I consider him such an interesting character and he always puts so much substance into all of his books."

It's an edgy change of direction for the 25-year-old Scottish actor, who recently appeared in period piece Jane Eyre, action epic The Eagle and sci-fi adventure Jumper.

"I don't like to be pigeon-holed, I don't want to categorise myself as one particular actor," he continued.

"It's always great for an actor to show range. You always want to do something different and I'm very lucky that I have had those kinds of opportunities to do that kind of stuff. It's really exciting."

Jamie added: "The choices I make are always driven by the filmmaker, who has the beginning and final say on what the movie is going to be. They are the visionary in front."

Copyright © 2011 The Press Association. All rights reserved

Jamie Bell's rise to fame - British actors are cleaning up in Hollywood

It’s a great time to be a British actor. We’re cleaning up in Hollywood

Tintin star Jamie Bell on life after Billy Elliot

Going like a train ... Jamie Bell is the star of Steven Spielberg's new Tintin film

Exclusive

By GRANT ROLLINGS

Published: Today at 02:07

IT'S ten years since Jamie Bell beat Hollywood A-lister Russell Crowe to the Best Actor Bafta

 

 

 

BORN: Billingham, Stockton-on-Tees, March 14, 1986.

FAMILY: Single mum Eileen. Never knew his dad. Older sister Kathryn.

CAREER: Started dancing at six. Best Actor Bafta for Billy Elliot in 2001.

FILMS: King Kong (2005), Hallam Foe (2007), Jumper (2008), Defiance (2008), Jane Eyre (2011), The Eagle (2011), Man On A Ledge (2012), Filth (2012).

 

Jamie was just 14 when he pipped the Gladiator star to the prize thanks to his stunning performance in ballet drama Billy Elliot.

And now the Brit has just filmed the biggest part of his career — the lead role in The Adventures Of Tintin, the latest blockbuster from legendary Steven Spielberg.

He is part of a group of young UK actors taking Hollywood by storm, including Andrew Garfield, the new Spider-Man, and Henry Cavill, who is taking on the role of Superman.

But 25-year-old Jamie, from Billingham, Stockton-on-Tees, is just glad he is still acting a decade after becoming a child star.

He says: "I'm still working, thank God. Touch wood. I didn't think I'd still be acting ten years after the Bafta. I don't think anyone expected it.

"Now there are tons of English actors over in LA. We are all part of the same team. It is a great time to be an Anglo actor. We are getting a lot of work, we are stealing it from them. It's great.
"There is some really great work which is getting done. It is a great time to be from this part of the world."

Back in 1999, schoolboy Jamie was picked from 2,000 young hopefuls to play Billy Elliot by director Stephen Daldry for his film about the son of a miner who secretly attends ballet classes. The movie was nominated for three Oscars and became a massive worldwide hit.

Child star ... Jamie Bell won a Bafta for playing Billy Elliot

Warner Bros

Jamie, who went on to star in Hallam Foe, King Kong, Jane Eyre and The Eagle, says: "If I hadn't got that role I would have pursued trying to get out of my home town and trying to have a life in the creative arts.

"I would have pursued dancing because I was kind of good at it and that might have helped me get out of Billingham.

"I would have tried to get into college and get a job and done pretty much everything everyone else does.

"Billy Elliot was definitively life changing. It was lucky, but luck is preparation met with good timing.

"I did dance for six years. That's the important thing. Everything you want to achieve you have to work for.

"All that hard graft from 15 to now has been hard work."

Together? ... Jamie Bell and Rachel Evan Wood, star of The Ides Of March

Splash

And that determination has led Jamie — who lives in LA and is rumoured to be dating US actress Evan Rachel Wood — to working on a £85million movie with one of the greatest directors of all time.

The actor reckons he got the role of the young Belgian reporter in The Adventures Of Tintin, which is released tomorrow, because he has been a big fan of the character since he was a child.
He says: "Having an understanding of the Tintin universe helped. Being European was also a big part in getting the role.

"The youthfulness with a bit of wisdom behind it, I think I still managed to play that quite well."

---

Grumpy ... Andy Serkis is Captain Haddock

PLANET PHOTOS

TINTIN befriends the Captain, played by Andy Serkis, when he gets kidnapped. Haddock is a cynical and grumpy old drunk who often has vital information but needs to sober up to remember it. He is quick to bring excitable boy reporter Tintin down to earth with a tipsy but dry comment.

---

The Adventures Of Tintin is Spielberg's first attempt at a performance capture 3D movie. Jamie's facial and body movements were captured by a special camera and fed into a computer, which then transformed him into a digitally-enhanced version of the cartoon character.
And this means Jamie won't be instantly recognisable by fans as the face of the blockbuster's main star.

Jamie says: "There is a level of anonymity that comes with this role.
"It's not me. I can still walk down the street.
"There are elements of me, the way I raise my eyebrow, but you still have to know Jamie Bell very well to recognise me. It is the spirit of me, it is the emotionality of me.
"But being the lead in a Spielberg movie and still being able to walk down the street after it comes out is really amazing. It's a gift.

"But there were lots of challenges still. Pitching up the voice and getting it right. Especially in the morning, Tintin just didn't work. I was a far too gruff northern Englishman."

---

Thompson and Thomson ... Nick Frost and Simon Pegg are the detective duo

FUNNYMEN Nick Frost and Simon Pegg are the bumbling, mustachioed detective twins. Their clumsy ways and witty comments provide many funny moments as they accompany Tintin on his travels.

---

Despite Jamie hitting the big time and living in Venice Beach, Los Angeles, for the past four years, he has no desire to be a megastar and shuns glitzy clubs and events.
He said: "I don't really tap into the LA lifestyle that much. I do the counter-LA lifestyle.
"It's not Hollywood, which is going out to bars and dinners. I prefer the California lifestyle — it has coastline, mountains, vineyards. I love ruralness.

"I was just up in Scotland for three days. I built fires and walked along rivers. I am not desperate for life change. I want to continue to keep working without having people watching over me. There is a level of mystery you need to maintain.

"I think there are far more interesting people to be thinking about than me."
Next up for Jamie is a cinematic adaptation of Irvine Welsh's dark book Filth, a far cry from his pirouetting days. So does that mean dancing is now firmly in Jamie's past?
He says: "The dancing market is a bit niche. I have had friends in the street dance movies and they can do things I can never do.

"Is dancing even big now? There is Glee and High School Musical, which is part of the X Factor generation thing.
"It is not making a statement like Billy Elliot did, which is, 'If you want to express yourself you can'.
"I don't think the 15 minutes of fame thing is something I particularly like."

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Nemesis ... Daniel Craig stars as Ivanovich Sakharine

BOND star Daniel Craig stars as the Russian villain who is Tintin's nemesis. Believing Tintin has stolen one of his priceless treasures, he holds the young hero captive on a Morocco-bound ship. He is a shadowy figure and will let nothing stand between him and his quest for gold.

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The hard-working Northerner is going to stick it out in LA with his fellow Brit stars for now.
He says: "I miss family and friends, obviously, because it is a long way away. Apart from that, it is the Sunday roast I really miss.
"That's a problem in LA, a roast is too many carbs for them.
"But right now, as a young man aged 25, you need to be where the work is. Period."
And there is going to be plenty more of that coming Jamie's way