Open Road sets date for 'Outrun'

'Outrun'Open Road Films has dated its first summer pic, the Dax Shepard romantic action-comedy "Outrun," for Aug. 24. Pic, which Shepard wrote and co-directed with David Palmer, follows an ex-getaway driver (Shepard) who, after agreeing to drive his girlfriend to Los Angeles, is confronted by the authorities and his former gang. Kristen Bell, Bradley Cooper, Tom Arnold, Beau Bridges and Kristin Chenoweth co-star. Producers are Andrew Panay, Nate Tuck, Kim Waltrip and Jim Casey. Open Road, whose only release so far, "Killer Elite," has cumed a modest $25 million this year, acquired U.S. rights to "Outrun" last month. "Outrun" is the fourth mostly male-targeted pic due out on Aug. 24, along with Warner Bros.' suspense thriller "The Apparition," with Ashley Greene and Tom Felton, Sony's Joseph Gordon-Levitt-actioner "Premium Rush" and Ethan Hawke-starrer "Sinister." Late August B.O. has become primo real-estate for some pics -- typically gender-specific titles like this year's femme hit "The Help" and male-driven "The Expendables" in 2010. Open Road's next release, Liam Neeson survival pic "The Grey," bows on Jan. 27, followed by horror film "Silent House" on March 9. Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com

Relativity pushes 'Safe Haven' to 2013

Relativity Media has pressed back the release of the Nicholas Sparks adaptation "Safe PlaceInch to February 14, 2013, positioning the Lasse Hallstrom-directed love story for fulfillment over Valentine's weekend. Pic was skedded to start June 1, 2012, though Hallstrom yet to start casting, the expansion delay was inevitable. "Safe PlaceInch follows a young lady who moves with a small New You are able to town to have the ability to escape her past. She quickly falls for just about any loving widowed father who heals her heart helping her escape the danger that expects her. Dana Stevens ("Capital of scotland - Angels") written the script, which Jamie Linden ("120 MonthInch) recently did a rewrite on. Sparks is creating with Relativity Boss Ryan Kavanaugh and Temple Hill Entertainment principals Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen, while Relativity prexy Tucker Tooley will professional produce. Hallstrom is not any stranger to Sparks' work, getting formerly helmed the bigscreen adaptation in the best-selling author's novel "Dear John," which Kavanaugh funded and Temple Hill produced. That pic made nearly $115 million worldwide. Relativity acquired the rights to "Safe PlaceInch in the heated investing in an offer war in August 2010, once the organization introduced it may be fast-monitoring the project. Grand Central Posting released it the following month, and Relativity provided marketing and marketing support through its Rogue Network together with other shops. Contact Rob Sneider at rob.sneider@variety.com

Brad Bird on Not Killing Tom Cruise While Making 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol'

Director Brad Bird makes a tremendous leap from animation (some little movies you may have heard of like 'The Incredibles') to live-action with 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol.' It's nearly as big as a leap as his leading man, Tom Cruise, makes in the film -- part of a breath-stopping swing on the world's tallest building as he attempts to get back to safety with a rope that's far too short. Considering that was Cruise doing his own stunts, that it was all being shot in IMAX, with helicopters, while dozens of tourists looked on might have given even a seasoned pro a heart attack, but Bird told Moviefone he actually pushed Cruise to go faster. For your first live-action movie, you decided to shoot it in IMAX, film in locations all over the world and have death-defying stunts. So, just a little movie. [Laughs] It actually wasn't that pre-thought-out. I was actually working on another film called '1906,' which is also big and complicated, and the story is just very challenging to pull together. And then the opportunity arose to jump onto this. I'd known J.J. [Abrams] for a long time and I met Tom right after 'The Incredibles.' One element that I shared with both of those guys is not only a tremendous respect for their talent and their work, but we all really love the medium of film. When we talk, we can talk about it until our eyes are glazing over. We enjoy it so much that a chance to work with both of them on the same project was really fun. Were you worried at all about killing your leading man in the showpiece stunt on the Burj Khalifa? The sequence that we shot on the Burj Khalifa ... the sheer number of pieces to that puzzle were staggering. Tom is hanging from a helicopter that could only stay up in the air for half an hour and the IMAX cameras can only shoot for a couple of minutes and if they run out of film, there's no room to reload, so they have to fly back to base. And there's a deck about halfway up and the tourists there look up and they see Tom Cruise hanging on the building above them and they're shooting video and saying "Oh, hi, Tom," and Tom's just straining and every muscle in his body is quaking and he's starting to lose blood in his legs. Tom's on a wire and he has to run to the side of the building and then he has to hold on and while they were doing it, the helicopter drifted and I saw a better angle for the second part of the shot. So I said, "Wait a second! Go back to that position you were in!" And Tom's like holding on the side of the building and he's like, "Are we ready?" and he's just straining his muscles. And the stunt guys are like, "Hang on a second longer, Tom, we're just changing the camera position." And meanwhile, Tom's hanging onto the building and the tourists are filming and it's madness, absolute madness, but I think it resulted in a pretty cool sequence. It's a very cool sequence. So you got no complaints from Tom about being pushed to the limit? The shot where he runs down the side of the Burj, he did it and they were being a little conservative and I said, "Can you go a little faster," and Tom's like, "Yeah, let's go a little faster," I said, "OK, I think we got it." But Tom could hear it in my voice that I hadn't gotten what I wanted, so he was like, "What is it?" So, I asked [meekly], "Can you go a little faster?" And he said, "You bet." So we did it and that's the one that's in the film -- he's racing down the side of the building. Which one of you was pushing harder to be more extreme, you or Tom? We equally like things pushed, but certainly if you want to push it, Tom is your guy. Did it ever hit you that Tom could easily plummet to his death if something went wrong? Everybody was in the frame of mind of just focusing on doing their job the best they could. That said, when I went back to the hotel that night and we'd gotten some of these amazing shots, at about 3 in the morning, my eyes snapped open and I sat up and went "Hooh!" I realized if anything happens to Tom, we've got no movie. But in the moment, the adrenaline was flowing... Oh yeah. I was just intent on getting the camera into the right spot and not on losing blood flow to Tom's legs. [Laughs] Was the goal for the fourth film to make it bigger than the the others? Yeah, I think we were all attracted to the idea of these set pieces. But the weird thing is ... this is the biggest 'Mission: Impossible,' but I was really inspired by the last 'Mission: Impossible,' which got more emotional and got into smaller moments. So I would say, hopefully, it's got some of the biggest 'Mission: Impossible' moments but also some of the smallest 'Mission: Impossible' moments in terms of character stuff. Hopefully there's everything under the sun. Producer Bryan Burk said you'd made a decision to "punch up" the humor on this one. I wouldn't say I'd "decided." I felt like ... a movie that I absolutely love is 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' and to me, there's a wonderful balance between humor and genuine suspense and action. And the humor doesn't cut any of the genuine adrenaline that the rest of the movie has. I hate movies where they kind of wink at you. There's a couple of exceptions, 'Airplane' being one of them, where the whole movie is one big wink. I think you have to invest yourself in the moment. The humor in a movie like 'Raiders' comes out of real situations and it comes out of character and that, to me, is the best possible blend of those things. If you're going to have a popcorn movie, you can't do any better than 'Raiders.' Some of those famous lines, Harrison Ford famously improvised. Were you open to letting your actors riff like that? Why would you have those guys, like Simon Pegg, if you weren't? Many moments in the film, people just popped out with [a line] on the spot. Everyone was very good about doing what was written, but they also knew that I was up for deviations. Sometimes I asked for things, or I'd change a line on the spot. Sometimes they'd say something spontaneously. One of the things people ask me is "What's the difference between live action and animation?" and spontaneity that can happen in a live-action film but it's very difficult if not impossible in animation. The whole medium is about pre-planning. So that was fun for me, absolutely. I loved that. So nothing they did ever threw you? No, no. I took classes in acting to better understand how to talk to actors. Before this? Years ago, before I did my animated films. I know what that kind of stuff is. And in my animated film, I improv'd with soundtracks. Usually, I'll write things on the spot or just say, "Oh, what if we change this?" Renner came up with a lot of lines that actually would up in the film. [Photo: Paramount] Follow Moviefone on Twitter Like Moviefone on Facebook

Israeli TV formats make mark in States

Showtime has restored critical darling 'Homeland' using the Israeli skein 'Prisoners of War.''Who's Still Standing' debuts on NBC.'Traffic Light' stood a 13-episode work on Fox.The ascendance of Israel's fast-growing TV industry just like a supplier of series ripe for remakes by U.S. producers is buttressed by its readiness to think about chances on unusual styles with implies that might be cheaply produced.Showtime's terrorist drama "Homeland," using the Israeli series "Hatufim" ("Crooks of War"), might be the most recent to own made an impact with audiences and experts. The Claire Danes starrer, of a U.S. soldier whose loyalties will be in question after he returns home getting gone missing in Iraq, remains restored for just about any second season. Other Israeli suggests which have spurred the attention of U.S. customers have dedicated to periods from the mental health expert and patients (HBO's "In Treatment," which went for 3 seasons), together with rapport comedy between three pals as well as the women inside their lives (Fox's "Traffic Light," that have a 13-episode run taken).Put in this mix the other day is NBC gameshow "Who's Still Standing?" (see review, page 24), featuring mind-to-mind trivia battles between one primary competitor and 10 rivals. If participants have no clue the best reaction to an problem, a trap door opens and so they literally quit of the sport.InchIt is an easy-to-explain format and eye-catching," states Peacock alternative topper Paul Telegdy. "When you're in a position to experience plus a gameshow in the language and wish to consider what's happening, this can be a pretty strong indication" that it's going to translate.Lisa Shiloach-Uzrad created the first Israeli series, titled "Still Standing," with Amit Stretiner. Shiloach-Uzrad, who also brings out the Israeli reality competition series "The Frame" for the CW next season, qualities the present uptick in adaptations of Israeli programs to a lot of factors, like the energy of Israel's youthful, fast-growing TV industry. Until 18 in the past, Israel had only government-controlled public broadcasting. Using the development of a commercial broadcaster in 1993 one more private outlet 10 years later, Israeli TV increased being more competitive."Frequently it requires one success story being observed in order to become legitimate option, but 'In Treatment' could be an amount,Inch states Shiloach-Uzrad. "It gave us an chance to place a ft directly into exhibit that which you have.""Still Standing" can be a worldwide player. Another season in the original Israeli version remains bought, and five foreign models in the series air globally, including in the united states and Chicken. Aircraft aircraft pilots for French and German systems will probably be shot early next season. Ben Bailey ("Cash Cab") hosts NBC's edition.Tim Crescenti, leader of Small World Intl. Format Television, is experienced in buying foreign formats and re-creating Tv shows around the globe, including "I Managed to get a Japanese Game Show," which broadcast for just two seasons on ABC. According to him once-insular areas are becoming thinking about developing for foreign areas."Because you'll find minimal programming options to acquire by having an Israeli funnel, (Israeli producers) recognized they must be more creative and think outdoors of Israel," Crescenti states.Showtime entertainment leader David Nevins, who states the "Homeland" deal became a member of together through WME agent Ron Rosen, who introduced the idea to clients Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, credits the privatization of broadcasting for Israel's creative surge, and states he sees Israel just like a "culture of storytellers.""It's switched to become fertile territory for sophisticated television," according to him. "There is a inclination to draw in interesting figures.""Homeland" producer Alex Gansa thinks the comparative youth in the Israeli TV marketplace is a considerable aspect in why its shows are becoming looked for-after characteristics by U.S. nets."They aren't boxed into in any manner of telling tales yet," according to him. "There's a freedom and freewheeling style that's very attractive to people within America. We frequently finish track of narrow-minded about things -- doctors, lawyers, police procedurals -- as well as the Israelis, among others, have broken free of that."Simply, that could be because of Israeli shows' lower budgets, an problem Shiloach-Uzrad also cites becoming an inspiration for creative solutions. Gansa states "Hatufim" is perfect for under $200,000 per episode."When there is not the financial outlay, there's a real freedom to check a new challenge,In . according to him, "which we've the advantage of watching to determine if they're effective." Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Another Weak Weekend: New Years Eve #1 But Underperforming; So Is The Sitter #2

SATURDAYAM: I sound like a broken record because it’s anotherdisappointing domestic box office. And thesecond weekend in a row where the overall movie total won’t make more than $80M for possibly 2011′s lowest haul. It’s also down 8% from last year.No surprises in the Top 10 since Warner Bros’ New Years Eve was expected to unseat Summit’s Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 which spent three straight weeks at No. 1. But what is alarming is that the latest in thisholiday-themed franchise is coming in way less than the $20M which the studio predicted. New Year’s Eve hit a brick wall on the late shows last night and flattened out considerably.”Not much champagne for that opening,” one rival exec snarked to me. Especially with all those name actors and actresses cast in the season’s only romantic comedy. Showing yet again that in 2011 stars and derivative storytellingdon’t attract moviegoers right now. Audiences gave it a ‘B+’ CinemaScore. Fox’s The Sitter came in second and actually did some business late and in the West so the numbers came back a bit.Butit’s worse than even the lowered expectations going into this North American weekend.Audiences gave it only a ‘C+’ CinemaScore. Good thing this Jonah Hill pic cost next to nothing.Deadline Hollywood will be holding its movie awards season ‘The Contenders’ event this Saturday and Sunday: 1. New Years Eve (Warner Bros) NEW [3,505 Theaters] Friday $5M, Estimated Weekend$14.5M 2. The Sitter (Fox) NEW [2,750 Theaters] Friday $3.7M, Estimated Weekend $10M 3.Breaking Dawn Part 1 (Summit) Week 4 [3,605 Theaters] Friday $2.4M, Estimated Weekend $7.7M, Estimated Cume $259.3M 4. The Muppets (Disney) Week 3 [3,328 Theaters] Friday $1.6M, Estimated Weekend $7M, Estimated Cume $65.7M 5. Hugo (Paramount) Week 3 [2,608 Theaters] Friday $1.5M, Estimated Weekend $6M, Estimated Cume $33.3M 6.Arthur Christmas (Sony) Week 3 [3,272 Theaters] Friday $1.4M, Estimated Weekend $6.5M, Estimated Cume $33.4M 7. The Descendants (Fox Searchlight) Week 4 [876 Theaters] Friday $1.3M, Estimated Weekend $4.3M, Estimated Cume $23.5M 8. Jack and Jill (Sony) Week 5 [2,787 Theaters] Friday $870K, Estimated Weekend $3M, Estimated Cume $68.4M 8. Happy Feet Two (Warner Bros) Week 4 [2,840 Theaters] Friday $840K, Estimated Weekend $4M, Estimated Cume $57.1M 10. Tower Heist (Universal) Week 6 [2,069 Theaters] Friday $734K, Estimated Weekend $2.3M, Estimated Cume $74.1m Specialty Openings: Paramount has The Adventures Of Tintin for domestic, and Sony for overseas. The Steven Spielberg/Peter Jackson collaboration is having a great start in North America’s Quebec after a very successful European run.(Tintin Passes $200M International; Will U.S. Audiences Board The Bandwagon?) AnotherEuropean hit, Focus Features’Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, begins its North American run and is looking at a Friday gross of $90K with a big per screen average of $22,671 in its4 runs (2 in NYC, 2 in LA). Estimated weekend gross is $313K.Focus said Tinker Tailor “really popped” – selling out invirtually all theaters from the late matinee shows into the prime hours through 9 PM.Its estimated weekend opening would make it the 3rd highest ranking filmopening on 4 screens on record. Paramount’s Young Adult is in 8 theaters based on per screen averages:Friday $89K, Per Screen Average $11,208. Young Adult at first looked soft but picked up. Paramountpoints out that itout-grossed the expansions of both The Artist and Shame on half the screens. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Focus Features) NEW [4 Theaters] Friday$90K,Estimated Weekend $313K, Per Screen Average $22,671 Young Adult (Paramount) NEW [8 Theaters] Friday $89K, Estimated Weekend $314M, Per Screen$11,208 The Adventures Of Tintin (Paramount)NEW [70 Theaters] Friday $366K,Estimated Weekend $1.3M, Per Screen $19,869, Cume $1.4M Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl (Yash Raj Films) NEW [80 Theaters] Friday $65K, Estimated Weekend $215K, Per Screen $815 I Melt With You (Magnolia) NEW [2 Theaters] Friday $1K, Estimated Weekend $3K, Per Screen $389 Shame (Fox Searchlight) Week 2 [21 Theaters] Friday $83K (-24%),Estimated Weekend $277K, Per Screen$3,993, Estimated Cume $775K My Week With Marilyn (The Weinstein Co) Week 3 [244 Theaters] Friday $215K,Estimated Weekend $747K, Per Screen$3,062, Estimated Cume $5.1M The Artist (The Weinstein Co) Week 3 [16 Theaters] Friday $77K,EstimatedWeekend $280K, Per Screen$4,817, Estimated Cume $873K A Dangerous Method (Sony Classics) Week3 [4 Theaters) Friday $20K, Estimated Weekend $122K, Per Screen $5,141, Estimated Cume $480K Melancholia (Magnolia) Week5 [135 Theaters] Friday $64K, Estimated Weekend $238K, Per Screen $474, Estimated Cume $1.8M Like Crazy (Paramount Vantage) Week 7 [162 Theaters] Friday $53K,Estimated Weekend $251K, Per Screen $327, Estimated Cume $3M

Allison Janney on The Help, Her Mentor Paul Newman and Overindulging in Eggnog This Holiday Season

After approximately eighty roles in television and film, four Emmy awards, two Tony nominations and countless Kaiser Permanente ads, the inimitable Allison Janney has certainly earned her place among Hollywood’s best character actresses. In her most recent film, the Civil Rights-era comedy-drama The Help — Tate Taylor’s adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s novel — the Ohio-bred thesp channeled her own mother to play the worrisome mama bear to Emma Stone’s boundary-pushing protagonist. In lesser hands, Charlotte Phelan could have been a thin character — a Southern woman more concerned with her daughter’s marital prospects than her happiness — but Janney summoned fear, humor and subtlety for a fully-fleshed and fully-flawed character who earns her personal growth. In celebration of The Help’s home-video release this week, the quadruple Emmy winner phoned Movieline to reminisce on her character’s cure for lesbianism, her one television role that changed lives and the time Paul Newman cast her in college — all while suffering a bit of a holiday-season hangover. You’ve been in so many films and television shows; do you ever just turn on the television and flip through five consecutive channels that are airing Allison Janney projects? No! I’ve never had that happen. I have seen that American Beauty or one of my movies is on but I’ve never seen them coincidentally on at the same time. That would be amazing. Do you stop and watch? No, I usually don’t, I have to tell you. I’m one of those actors who doesn’t like looking at themselves. Years after I can. I can look at Drop Dead Gorgeous now and say, “Oh my God! I know I was playing trailer trash but I didn’t look so bad.” I can look at American Beauty. I just need some time to transpire. That being said, if I do watch, it won’t be to watch myself. It’ll be to have all of those memories come back and to remember what it was like filming. That’s what lingers. The Help was based on a book, but did you base your character on anyone you know in real life? I think most of my characters have my mother’s sensibility in there. She’s someone who always inspires me and informs my characters because I think she is heartbreakingly funny. She doesn’t try to be funny but her commitment to the things she thinks are important sometimes [are funny]. When Charlotte tells [Emma Stone’s character] Skeeter that there is a root tea that could cure her if she is a lesbian. Those moments are just very fun for me to play. I love playing the tragically uninformed and stuck-in-their-ways types. I also related to Charlotte in that I have too much fear in my life. I’m afraid of change. That’s how I really got into her character — because I knew what it’s like to not want anything to change. That’s all life is though is change. I just want to hold onto things too tightly and I think that Charlotte would too. I was so grateful to Tate for giving her some redemption at the end since that wasn’t in the book. It was wonderful to get two moments — the one when I dress down [Bryce Dallas Howard’s character] Hilly and throw her off of the porch and the moment where she finally sees her daughter for who she really is and not for who she wants her to be. That was a great moment to get to play. She was a really rewarding character to play because I got to do a 180 and completely change. She was an amazingly complicated character to get to play. What’s your history with Tate? This movie was kind of like a family business. Tate and I have known each other since 1988. Octavia [Spencer] as well, and of course [author] Kathryn [Stockett] and Tate grew up together in Jackson. We knew Kathryn through Tate. Brunson Green, who is one of the producers is a dear friend of ours too. We’re all really good friends. We made a lot of really low-budget movies on weekends or whenever we got together, so for this to happen is just an unlikely Hollywood story. It’s very satisfying — the loyalty and friendship, which were some themes in the movie too. I’m glad you were able to film in Mississippi and not Los Angeles as Mississippi. That was so important. That informed the acting and the characters. Being down there just felt more authentic in your role. To be in these houses and these great locations — people opened up their homes and we were filming in these big, old houses with beautiful wrap around porches. It really was 114 degrees and you’ve got corsets on. I feel like now, if I ever have to do a show on Broadway that is set in the South, I will know what that is. It just really gives you a good foundation. It feels like you’re in a different country down there, I swear. Knowing the history of what happened down there — it’s just a shameful part of our history. To be down there — I don’t know what I’m trying to say. I’m sorry, I’m so hungover. [Laughs] What did you do last night? I went to a tree-trimming party and I think I ended up trimming myself a little bit. Sorry! What were you asking? Let’s change direction: As an actor, are you able to use your acting abilities in real-life situations? Are you a convincing liar or able to dial in a dramatic performance with a customer service rep to get your way? You know what, I’m terrible without a script in front of me. I can’t. I wish! That’s why I’m an actor though because I love having everything written out for me and I can just say it. Even just talking to you now, it’s frustrating because I can’t ever finish a sentence or finish a thought. It’s very frustrating. I wish. My friends though — they would tell you that I can be overly dramatic, especially after a couple of egg nogs. [Laughs] You starred in the last Diabo Cody-Jason Reitman collaboration. Have you seen Young Adult yet? I have not, and I can’t wait to see it. I know it’s going to be amazing. I wish I could have been in it, but I can’t wait to see it. They were both so wonderful to work it. I can’t wait to see The Descendants too. There are a lot of good movies this year! The Artist, I want to see that. What else? I’m excited for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. That’s right! When does Mission Impossible come out? I think next Friday in IMAX. Oh, it’s going to be in IMAX? That’s going to be fantastic. I will wait in line to see that. It’s amazing that in spite of your lengthy filmography, you haven’t worked with Tom Cruise yet. You’re right. I’ve never worked with him, and I don’t think I’ve ever met him either. Nope, I never have. I used to work out with Katie [Holmes] at Barry’s Boot Camp, here in the Valley. She was in the same class as me. But that’s the closest I’ve been to Tom Cruise. It’s been five years since The West Wing ended, yet that series is still very dear to a lot of people. Do you carry any bits of C.J. Cregg with you? I love her. I wish that I carried more of her with me than I actually do. She is kind of my hero. What a great woman to get to play! I wish that she could have lived on and done other things. She’s just such a truly great role model for women and that’s one of my characters and one of those instances where you felt like you got to give back. I feel like I really got to inspire young girls. I get so many letters and see people on the street who come up to me and say, “Oh my God. You changed my life. I was majoring in this and I changed it to this and now I’m going to work in Washington.” Aaron Sorkin really inspired a lot of people with that show. Getting to play C.J., that was an important female role on television and I am still really, really proud of it in a different way than I am of my other characters. Like in Mr. Sunshine, I loved my character, but she was the exact opposite. C.J. will always be the role that I’m maybe most proud of in terms of what it said to the world. Are you looking to get back into television? I am. I’m looking at some other shows now figuring out what’s going to become a reality for me. I very much want to be back on television and I’m actively looking for the right script for me. I’m chomping at the bit. I’m a worker bee — I need to be working all of the time, so I’d love to find a home for awhile on a good television show. Are you thinking drama? Premium cable drama? Oh, I’ll go either way. I don’t care. I particularly like things that have a healthy dose of comedy and drama. I like things that are a little messy and complicated, not just punchline-punchline-punchline. I’m not a fan of [the sitcom format] as much. I don’t know if I’ve ever done that, other than, I suppose Mr. Sunshine. As long as the writing is great, I will go anywhere. Finally, is it true that Paul Newman cast you in one of your first plays while you were in college? Yes it is. He had gone to Kenyon College and he came back to christen the brand new theater there by directing the first play. I read for him, he cast me and he and Joanne Woodward kind of became my mentors as I started off in this world of acting. When I came to NY, Joanne got me into the Actor’s Studio. She directed a group of actors and formed a company and gave us the opportunity to act as a young actor. Usually, you have to find agents. Everything is such a catch-22 when you’re starting out with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward’s support — it’s a great leg up in this business. I know you have about four movies in post-production. Which one are you most excited for audiences to see? The Chris Colfer movie, Struck By Lightning is a beautiful, beautiful movie that I’m very proud to be a part of. Josh Radnor’s movie Liberal Arts is going to Sundance, and I’m excited about that. I’m anxiously awaiting both of those movies, and I think that they are going to do really well. [Top photo: Getty Images; Help photo: Dale Robinette/DreamWorks II] Follow Julie Miller on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.

Casting 3 Celebrity Airplane Snafus That Should Be Movies

I love when celebrities can’t behave on airplanes. Travel is the only occasion where they can’t hide from plebes, and I imagine it hurts them tremendously even to acknowledge the tiny plastic cups of Diet Coke around them. Or the little Wheat Thins packets. Three recent celebrity snafus on airplanes deserve full cinematic adaptations (including one that just occurred a couple days ago), and I’ve decided to cast them before Jason Reitman can turn their traumas into Oscar material starring George Clooney and Vera Farmiga. Come fly with these lunatics! Alec Baldwin Working Title: Wars With Friends Cast: Colin Firth as Alec Baldwin, Amanda Peet as befuddled flight attendant Charmaine Elliston, Joan Allen as Twitter Vice President Damiana Wood Synopsis: Alec Baldwin is a hugely successful thespian who loves the craft of acting, the perks of celebrity, and the art of 140-character quips. But more than anything, he loves Words With Friends, the iPhone app that connects him with other game players and reminds him of his dear grandmother Elsie (Candice Bergen, in flashback), a no-nonsense war bride who used to tell her stuttering grandson Alec, “Use your words, Al. They’re beautiful.” When an uppity flight attendant (Peet) tells Baldwin he must turn off his phone mid-flight, Baldwin spins into a rage of wounded pride and repressed memories. Instinctively, he drops off Twitter to reclaim his sanity, but Twitter Vice President Damiana Wood (Allen) knows that she must keep Baldwin on Twitter to ensure its relevance for the next decade. Will she prevail? Or will Alec never overcome the silence — and the regained stutter — inflicted by one brash, but ultimately loving American Airlines flight attendant? Gerard Depardieu Working Title: #1 Passenger Cast: Channing Tatum as Gerard Depardieu, Marisa Tomei as passenger Fern Trellice With the assistance of makeup artist Rick Baker, Channing Tatum comes alive as Gerard Depardieu, the French icon who just wants respect when it comes to his urinary habits. Aboard a flight to France, Tatum finds himself needing badly to relieve himself; unfortunately, transcontinental diamond thief Fern Trellice (Tomei) has locked herself in the plane’s sole bathroom with a urinary tract infection, as the stress of her work is finally taking a toll on her body. As Depardieu makes a scene at the front of the plane — “Je veux pisser!” — and theatrically pees himself, can Fern survive the gut-wrenching pain, sneak back to her seat with $50,000 worth of Smithsonian gems, and woo the brash, but ultimately loving Depardieu? Naomi Campbell Working Title: Runway on the Runway Cast: Zoe Saldana as Naomi Campbell, John Goodman as attending police officer Theodore McFadden, and Stanley Tucci as Campbell’s long-suffering assistant Petey Perkins Synopsis: In this kooky comedy, Naomi Campbell (Saldana) attempts to boost her image by visiting third-world countries with her fun-loving assistant Petey (Tucci). Unfortunately, Campbell cannot board an airplane without finding several issues with her flight — the air is too crisp, the seats are too gray, the passengers are too angular (and in the wrong way) — which means Petey receives the brunt of her rage. In a hilarious sight gaga, Petey is pummeled with dozens of Campbell’s cell phones on each flight. At her worst, she’s told to disembark the plane and meet with attending officer Theodore McFadden (Goodman), who looks beyond Campbell’s impatience to find a joyful philanthropist who loves to learn. In order to make up for causing over 500 in-flight ruckuses, Campbell must arrange a fashion show on Heathrow’s largest runway — and not scream or kill someone when it turns out her best friends George Michael and Manuel Noriega can’t even make it that day. Follow Louis Virtel on Twitter. Follow Movieline on Twitter.