Moviefone Editorial

Tag: joel-edgerton

  • Joel Edgerton on Johnny Depp’s ‘Weird’ Transformation in ‘Black Mass’

    The critics aren’t the only ones impressed by Johnny Depp’s performance in “Black Mass.” His costars were in awe of the Oscar-nominated star’s dramatic physical and emotional shift as gangster Whitey Bulger too.

    “Johnny was transformed into Jimmy and then he brought the transformation from the inside,” Joel Edgerton tells Made in Hollywood about starring opposite Depp in the biopic. Describing Depp as his childhood idol, Edgerton adds that it “was kind of like a weird thing” to see such a departure from his usual self.

    Dakota Johnson, who plays Bulger’s girlfriend, agrees. “He’s such a magnetic person anyway that when we’re filming he sort of does morph into a different person. It’s remarkable.”

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  • Peter Sarsgaard on ‘Icy’ Gangster Whitey Bulger

    Ruthless gangster Whitey Bulger’s icy blue eyes aren’t the only things that are haunting about the notorious murderer—he’s got a stone cold presence too.

    “You get to see this guy—he has this ice going,” Peter Sarsgaard tells Made in Hollywood of the gangster played by his costar Johnny Depp in “Black Mass.” “I really think it’s the only way he could’ve gotten away with doing it so long.”

    Sarsgaard portrays Brian Halloran, who was murdered in 1982 by Bulger.

    “People had to be afraid— even people who turned him in had to be afraid,” Sarsgaard adds. “Fear is the operating principle.”

    In the biopic, Depp makes a transformative appearance as Bulger, a balding, mobster who is now incarcerated for life on charges connected to 19 murders, among other crimes.

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  • How Dakota Johnson Pulled Off that Baaahhston Accent

    Dakota Johnson was under a lot of pressure to nail a convincingly wicked kewl Boston accent.

    To pull off Beantown’s authentic sound for her role as Whitey Bulger’s girlfriend in “Black Mass” – playing opposite Johnny Depp – the Austin, Texas native tells Jimmy Fallon on “The Tonight Show” Wednesday that it was a matter of life or death.

    “If you mess it up, [Boston natives] might kill ya,” the “Fifty Shades of Grey” star jokingly admits.

    Not keen on upsetting Bostonians, Johnson says she practiced with a dialect couch and mingled with the locals. “I have a thing with eavesdropping,” she tells Fallon. “If I was at a restaurant or places, I would just listen to the accent and practice.”

    Naturally, the game-loving late-night host puts her ear and tongue to the test with a challenge on worldwide accents, from French to Australian – and she hits the accents out of the pawk.

    In the biopic, hunky Depp makes a transformative appearance as Whitey Bulger, a balding, blue-eyed mobster turned FBI informant. Presently Bulger is now incarcerated for life on charges connected to 19 murders, among other crimes.

    “It’s about Whitey Bulger,” she explains, “who made an alliance with the FBI to bring down the Italians in Boston and also he did a lot of terrible things.”

    “Black Mass” opens Friday.

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  • Psychological Thriller ‘The Gift’ Shows Karma Is Alive and Kickin’

    the gift 2015 reviewSPOILERS AHEAD! Don’t read this unless you want the twist revealed.

    “The Gift,” a mystery-thriller released August 7, stars Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall, and Joel Edgerton, who also steps in as first-time director. No blood and guts in this flick, one of the many positives about the movie, which kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time I watched it.

    Jason Bateman plays a successful family man who moves to California with his wife, played by Rebecca Hall, after landing a new job there. Everything seems fine, life is great — and getting better! — until an old high-school acquaintance shows up. Unbeknownst to us, Bateman was a bully in high school and spread a nasty rumor he made up that caused Edgerton to suffer mental and physical abuse at the hands of his own father; 25 years later Edgerton comes for payback.

    What I really liked about this psychological thriller is the karma aspect of it. Bateman, as an adult, was a successful salesman with a beautiful wife who made moves up the corporate ladder, but, 25 years ago in high school, he was a bully who put his victim through hell. Instead of peace in their new home, Edgerton is popping up un-announced several times, causing Bateman’s wife extreme anxiety and sleepless nights. Things really start to unravel for the couple as Bateman’s wife learns of his past horrible deeds and starts to question who she married. Bateman’s new friends find out how low he’ll go to get what he wants. He loses his job and has to question the paternity of his new child. Karma at its best!

    “The Gift” is a great psychological thriller and mystery movie that, in my opinion, should be watched by high school and adult bullies alike. It really shows how a person’s actions, and how we treat others — even as kids — can have lasting and sometimes devastating effects on others; even to the point where they carry that hurt around and seek revenge years later.

    Bullying is a real problem in middle school and high school, and “The Gift” puts a nasty little spin on how karma loves to visit when you least expect it. Nice job, Edgerton. Me likey.

    Wendell Escott is a student at El Camino Community College and a contributor to Moviefone’s Campus Beat. Are you a current college student with a love for all things movies and TV? Contribute to Campus Beat!

  • Johnny Depp Is Scary as Hell in New ‘Black Mass’ Trailer

    Black MassWho’s worse: a violent, cutthroat gangster — or the law enforcement that lets him get away with murder?

    That’s the set-up of the new trailer for “Black Mass,” the movie about notorious crime boss Whitey Bulger (Johnny Depp). The first teaser was all about Depp — gunning down people, menacing others, and generally being a badass gangster.

    This one gives us more of the plot: Whitey rises to power in South Boston, thanks to friends in the right places — including his brother, Billy (Benedict Cumberbatch), who’s a star politician. His biggest ally is FBI Agent John Connelly (Joel Edgerton), who looks the other way on Whitey’s criminal activities.

    Watch the trailer.

    “How come no one has nailed Whitey Bulger?” wonders Assistant U.S. Attorney Fred Wyshak (Corey Stoll). When Connelly brushes him off, asking what Bulger has done, an incredulous Wyshak replies, “Everything!”

    This new trailer shows us more of the other, non-Depp players in “Black Mass,” and they all look good, from Cumberbatch and Stoll to Jesse Plemons and Dakota Johnson. But this is Depp’s movie, and as in the first teaser, he looks incredible. He’s unrecognizable, which is a very good thing. Depp’s become a caricature of himself in recent year, and this could be the performance to bring him back into critical acclaim and awards contention.

    “Black Mass” opens in theaters September 18.

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  • ‘The Gift’ Trailer: Jason Bateman Is Just Not That Into You (VIDEO)

    The Gift
    Is there ever a polite way to tell a creepy high school acquaintance that you never want to see him again? According to “The Gift,” the answer is no — and also, that acquaintance is probably far creepier than you ever imagined.

    The thriller centers around married couple Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn (Rebecca Hall), who randomly run into Simon’s former classmate, Gordo (Joel Edgerton), and are soon barraged by expensive gifts left on their doorstep and multiple unannounced visits — seemingly all while Robyn is home alone. Simon tries to sever the rekindled friendship, but unfortunately for him and Robyn, Gordo isn’t going away without a fight (and kills their fish and throws a brick through their window, for good measure).

    You know someone’s in trouble in a movie when they actually say out loud, “I’m very happy,” so obviously that means Simon is doomed. As Gordo reminds him menacingly, “You think you’re done with the past, but the past is not done with you.”

    “The Gift,” which also marks Edgerton’s directorial debut, comes from “Paranormal Activity” and “The Purge” mastermind Jason Blum’s production company, Blumhouse. It’s due in theaters on July 31.

    Photo credit: YouTube

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