Moviefone Editorial

Tag: Parker Posey

  • Parker Posey: How ‘Staring at a Wall’ Can Help an Actor

    Parker Posey: How ‘Staring at a Wall’ Can Help an Actor

    She studied drama at State University of New York at Purchase before making a name for herself in 1993’s cult hit “Dazed and Confused.” But Parker Posey’s greatest lessons learned to hone her craft have come from spending time to those who are closest to her.

    “Acting — a lot of it — is about observing and listening and being interested in your family, friends, storytelling, things that are funny about people; just paying attention,” the 46-year-old explained to “Made in Hollywood.” “You can do anything by yourself staring at a wall, just entertaining yourself and being interested.”

    If her advice sounds quirky, it’s because she’s put it to test on the big screen many times over in praised comedic performances—and her skills are on show in Woody Allen’s latest offering, “Irrational Man,” in theaters on Friday.

    In the dark comedy she stars as Rita, a married chemistry professor at a small town Rhode Island college who begins an affair with Abe, played by Phoenix, the school’s new philosophy professor who murders a complete stranger in a bid to renew his own passion for life. Stone re-teams with Allen, following last year’s “Magic in the Moonlight,” as college student Jill, who finds romance with her professor Abe.

    “Irrational Man” landed in theaters last month. Watch the trailer below.

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  • Parker Posey Laments Loss of the True Indie Movie Era

    Parker Posey starred in 32 independent movies throughout the 1990s and became the leading face of small budget, creative films. Nearly 22 years since her first major role in a feature film, 1993’s “Dazed and Confused,” the 46-year-old says that the independent film movement as she knew it is long gone, infiltrated by Hollywood heavy hitters and studios that wield influence to control how projects are developed and feted for moviegoers.

    “I was called ‘Queen of the Indies’ by Time magazine (1997),” she tells Made in Hollywood. “Around that time, the whole [industry] changed — a kind of a studio-indie film, a stindie kind of formed.”

    “Financers looked at movie stars whose films made lots of money that they would cast, so bigger stars were also looking at independent directors because that was where the good material was. And then Hollywood movies became more action-franchise — so more movies based on cartoons or superheroes became popular as the true independent movie with the auteur director-writer-producer able to cast who he wants in the movies was lost.”

    She continues: “The producers would say, ‘you have to have these actors in your film to get financing or you can’t get your movie made,’ so just the way movies are made changed.”

    Though the rest of the industry has changed dramatically, it’s still business as usual for Woody Allen. In his latest project, the writer-director continues his time-tested method of handpicking his cast in “Irrational Man,” of which Posey stars opposite Joaquin Phoenix and his budding muse Emma Stone.

    The dark comedy sees Posey as Rita, a married chemistry professor at a small town Rhode Island college who begins an affair with Abe, played by Phoenix, the school’s new philosophy professor who turns to violence to renew his passion for life. Stone re-teams with Allen, following last year’s “Magic in the Moonlight,” as college student Jill, who finds romance with her professor Abe.

    “Irrational Man” lands in theaters on Friday. Watch the trailer below:

    20063350

  • Parker Posey Calls Woody Allen a ‘Real Maestro’

    It’s been said that Woody Allen’s greatest additions to the cinematic canon are the complex female characters he writes. And like many Hollywood actresses, Parker Posey was eagerly awaiting her turn as one of the four-time Oscar winner’s muses.

    For the indie darling, appearing in “Irrational Man” marked an experience that was as creatively rewarding as it was challenging.

    “His expectations are very high. He knows what’s real and what’s not. You don’t want to disappoint,” Posey tells “Made in Hollywood.” “It’s a challenge, but also I cherished it — that I got to say some of these lines in a Woody Allen film. And to be one of his women—which I loved; I’ve been a fan of his movies my whole career.”

    In “Irrational Man” Posey plays Rita, a married chemistry professor at a small town Rhode Island college who begins an affair with Abe, played by Joaquin Phoenix, the school’s new philosophy professor who does something very, very bad. Emma Stone re-teams with Allen, following last year’s “Magic in the Moonlight,” as college student Jill, who finds romance with her professor Abe.

    It seems Posey’s foray into the Allen catalogue will continue as it has been reported that she will star in his untitled next film opposite Jesse Eisenberg, Blake Lively and Kristen Stewart.

    “The thing about working with a real maestro is that you can trust that whatever happens is enhancing your performance,” Posey says, adding, “I couldn’t ask for anything better.”

    “Irrational Man” hits theaters on Friday. Watch the trailer below:

    20063350