Jesse Eisenberg at "Holy Rollers" premiere in New York

Justin Bartha, Ari Graynor and Jesse Eisenberg at "Holy Rollers" New York Premiere on 10th May 2010


"Holy Rollers" extended trailer starring Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Bartha and Danny A. Abeckaser, directed by Kevin Asch

Jesse Eisenberg attending "Holy Rollers" New York Premiere on 10th May 2010

Jewcy: How did you come into this role? What about this role and this film appeals to you?
Jesse Eisenberg: It was two-fold. One, I thought it was interesting in the way that it would be challenging because I didn't know that much about the Hasidic community at the time. The other part of it was that I thought that I could do it. I found an emotional way in, so what was compelling was learning about this community and playing this character that I thought had a very real conflict but in a very neat circumstance, which is being part of this community that I was always intrigued by.

You say that you felt like you'd be able to play this character. What about this character is so relatable to you?

JE: His conflict in the movie is what one might call a universal conflict. He feels like he doesn't want to go down the path that has been set for him to either be a rabbi, to marry this girl who wants eight children or to work in his father's textile store. He doesn't want to do any of those things, and that's a very understandable conflict. I feel this all the time, even though my career path hasn't been set for me, I feel indecisive or uncomfortable. So, I thought that was really relatable. At the same time his emotional state is much more heightened than mine because he gets involved in a much darker underworld. It's a heightened version of this universal experience.

What were some preconceived notions of Hasidim that you had before starting the film, and how did those notions change?

JE: I definitely did have those. I assumed that they were sexist. I assumed that they were racist in many ways because they are so isolated. I assumed that they were all fervently religious. I discovered that a lot of that wasn't the case. Some of them felt conflicted about their faith, and not everybody thought about women in the way that we assume an isolated group might. I realized that they are not this monolithic group, they are actually a very diverse group of individuals that have their own feelings about faith and life and society. There are even some, like Sam, who didn't feel as religiously fervent as the generation prior to them hoped they would.

Holy Rollers - Medicine videoclip

How did you prepare for the role? What kind of research did you do?

JE: The day after I read the script I went to Borough Park to see if I could realistically play these people. Can I talk like them? Can I walk like them? Can I even look like them? And I thought that day, yes I can but it would take a lot of research. So I read a lot of great books about Hasidic Jews who have left the community, and also it took about two years to raise the money for the movie so I had about two years where I was involved but not filming. I went to Borough Park and Williamsburg and Crown Heights and tried to speak with anyone who would talk to me; often that came down to the Chabad group, who are very interested in speaking to secular Jews. Occasionally I told them what I was doing but they never really asked. If they asked I told them, but they really didn't ask. They were open and welcoming, but not because I was filming a movie. I guess they want you to become a little more religious if you are a secular Jew.
Jesse Eisenberg as Columbus in Zombieland (2009): Hollywood Backlot - Behind the scenes

Did being in this environment and playing this character raise any questions for you about Judaism?

JE: I dropped out of Hebrew school when I was twelve so shooting this movie really made me want to go back to temple and be religious again. But then, I had to go shoot the zombies". Source: www.jewcycom

Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart's blazing hot love scenes in Eclipse

Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner in USA Today Photoshoot.

"Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart express their love on the big screen during the June 30 premiere of Eclipse, they will be bringing the sexy big-time.
According to an Eclipse insider, the co-stars and rumored real-life couple—who play Edward Cullen and Bella Swan in the hugely popular Twilight series—are amping up the passion for the latest installment:
Kristen Stewart in Vogue US magazine, June 2010. She wears a skirt and shirt by Isabel Marant and a pair of Jill Stuart boots.

"Expect their love scenes to be blazing hot."

“They’re as excited to be working together as the fans will be to see them...The idea of spending everyday together on set is a dream come true for them." Source: www.celebuzz.com

Prince of Persia Sand of time: Jake Gyllenhaal meets Daniele Rizzo

Prince of Persia Sand of time: Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Sir Ben Kingsley meet Daniele Rizzo

Jake Gyllenhaal: the reluctant romantic in Prince of Persia

Jake Gyllenhaal on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross on 7th May,
2010 in London.
Scans of Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton in Sci Fi Now, courtesy of wetdarkandwild.com

"I had Jake picked out from the beginning because not only did I know he was a terrific actor, but he also has a great sense of humour, a rebellious nature and is someone who's constantly going to surprise you," he surmises. "I thought he was the sort of actor an audience would plug into, because there's a sense of mystery to him, so they'd want to know more.

"I wasn't looking for a muscle-bound hunk though, so when Jake took on the whole business of doing the action scenes and the stunts himself, that was a revelation," acknowledges Newell.

"He really worked his socks off and turned himself from an actor into an action hero.

"He did a lot of the stunts and big action sequences himself. I'm eternally grateful for that, because the film wouldn't have had the continuity, or turned out like it has if he'd called the stuntman every time he stepped off the pavement. In fact, we had to stop him doing some stunts because he wanted to do everything - even when it was too dangerous."
Gemma Arterton and Jake Gyllenhaal in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time (2010) - Behind The Scenes Featurette: Destiny

Aside from the action-packed, swashbuckling antics, there's another side to Gyllenhaal's character: the reluctant romantic. The challenge of sparring in a series of amusing "will-they-won't-they" scenes with Arterton was relished by both.
"I loved the banter between the two of them," smiles Arterton. "There are some brilliant scenes where she's toying with him and he's toying with her, just taking the piss out of each other.
Gemma Arterton at "Prince of Persia" London Press Conference on 9th May 2010.

"I was looking for somebody very exotic - someone different from Jake's desert lot - and I'd even thought about going to Bollywood, because I wanted that wonderful, liquid-eyed, dark-skinned look. But then Gemma came along and read for me and I just thought she was terrific - even though she was entirely unknown at the time." Source: www.nzherald.co.nz

Happy 22nd Birthday, Nikki Reed!

Nikki Reed as Rosalie Hale in Twilight saga "Eclipse".
Nikki Reed - Young Hollywood Awards Photobooth
Nikki Reed - Patrick Fraser photoshoot.
Nikki Reed & More Celebs Get Grilled On The Young Hollywood Awards’ Red Carpet!
Nikki Reed tells us why she would NEVER want to be a vampire!

Jake Gyllenhaal and Ben Stiller: Humorous Approach

Jake Gyllenhaal at Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time UK Premiere on 9th May, 2010 in London.
"I love my work and care about it,” Jake Gyllenhaal said in this recent interview. “But I’m beginning to have a great sense of humor about it because I just don’t feel like there’s any need to take it all that seriously.”With that declaration, Jake proceeded to give mostly tongue-in-cheek answers to questions. The actor’s jesting mood also stemmed from the movie he was promoting, “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time.” After all, when you’re talking about a movie that was adapted from a video game, you can’t be all that serious". Source: jakegyllenhaal.us

Jake Gyllenhaal and Dustin Hoffman in "Moonlight Mile" (2002).
Dustin Hoffman and Ben Stiller in "Meet the Fockers" (2004)

Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor at "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa" premiere in Los Angeles, October 2008.
"Ben Stiller claims laughter is the best way to a successful relationship.
“For me, laughter is such a huge part of a relationship”, he said. “My wife has a great sense of humor. What I like is to try to make her laugh". Source: www.showbizspy.com

Ben Stiller and wife Christine Taylor won’t be following the trend of renewing wedding vows for their tenth anniversary, which takes place tomorrow.“If your relationship is in good shape and you’re communicating with each other and you’re close, then that’s what’s important”, says the actor, 44.

"In the film, which was written and directed by indie auteur Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale), the 44-year-old Stiller plays Roger Greenberg, a toxically bitter erstwhile musician. Anxious, self-absorbed and socially inept, Greenberg is the distillation of the omega male roles that have made Stiller famous. From the brainless but “really, really, really ridiculously good-looking” male model Derek Zoolander to the hapless, humiliated son-in-law Greg Focker, Stiller’s body of work has been a study in short-fused, long-suffering loserdom". Source:www.cbc.ca

Comedienne Whitney Cummings and actor Ben Stiller at the 12th Annual Young Hollywood Awards at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre on May 13, 2010 in Los Angeles
“I’m so old that when I was young, there was no such thing as the Young Hollywood Awards”, he quipped while presenting an award to comedienne Whitney Cummings.

Ben Stiller (Crazy 'Bout My Baby)

A musical video featuring images and stills of films starred by Ben Stiller (Permanent Midnight, Zoolander, Night at the Museum, The Heartbreak Kid, Tropic Thunder, Greenberg, etc.), featuring Christine Taylor, Jennifer Aniston, Malin Akerman, Michelle Monaghan, Natalie Portman, Amy Adams, etc.