Hello everyone!
Just a quick webmaster note, there will be no site updates for two weeks as I will be away. I want to thank everyone for your continued support of this site and look forward to bringing you all the latest Anton news and images when I get back!
Anton Yelchin’s had a pretty darned good year at the movies — good notices in The Beaver, funnier reviews for Fright Night and better still for his new film, Like Crazy, a bittersweet long distance romance, largely improvised, with co-star Felicity Jones.
None of the movies have been big box office, but we wondered if he even noticed that.
“I try to stay away from reviews and box office news because no matter what your appraisal of your work is – I have moments where I’ve doubted whether I did a good job, and people liked it, and moments where I was satisfied that people didn’t respond to at all.
“You can’t go into the world of rottentomatoes. For every review that makes you feel good, there’s another one to make you feel lousy. You’re setting yourself up to be disappointed either way. My psyche isn’t strong enough to withstand that sort of outside critique. I take criticism at work, but one it’s done and there’s nothing you can change about it, why put yourself through it?”
The only way for the 22 year old Anton to top this year would be to shoot a certified blockbuster in 2012. Which he is. He’s back in the role of Chekhov in the second J.J.
Abrams Star Trek movie.
“I’m stoked. They always keep us in the dark, sorta till the last minute. What’s happening, who’ll be in it and what the film will be like. It’s good to know that we’re making it and that J.J.’s directing it, is all I can say.
I have no idea what Benicio del Toro is playing. I read online, like everybody else, that he’s been having conversations with J.J. No idea what level that’s at. J.J. won’t even tell him what role it would be. That’s J.J.!
“I would be honored to be on the same set with Benicio del Toro in ANY role. If that works out, it’ll be great.”
Yelchin doesn’t “remember” his own Russian accent (He was born in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg, in the former USSR). The one he has to recall for the movie comes from TV.
“I lost my accent years ago. My accent is just for the movies. Walter Koenig’s accent was so fun and wonderful to fool around with. It’s like the original series itself. It’s got this great camp quality to it. I embrace that.
“I love the original series. I didn’t know much about it until we did the first film, and I did so much research on it that I get excited by the idea of going back into all of that, looking at my notes on how to play Chekhov, watching his scenes again in the movies and the series.
“I’m honored to be able to pay tribute to Walter with these movies.”
Last night, Anton participated in the LA Times Young Hollywood Roundtable presented during the 2011 AFI Fest. Also on hand were Kirsten Dunst, Armie Hammer and Evan Rachel Wood. Head over to the gallery for the latest additions.
Gallery Links:
– Home > Movie Productions > Like Crazy > 2011 11 04 – 2011 AFI Fest: LA Times Young Hollywood Roundtable
The J.J. Abrams untitled Star Trek sequel may have found its villain. Variety reports that, while nothing is yet official, Benicio Del Toro is expected to be offered the role imminently.
Famous for his secrecy, Abrams has reportedly not yet revealed even to the actor what the role will be, though production is expected to begin this January.
Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho and Anton Yelchin are expected to all reprise their roles as members of the Enterprise crew with Abrams back in the director’s chair and a script again from Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. (Source_
In a recent interview, Like Crazy director, Drake Doremus spoke highly about the importance of finding the ‘perfect’ chemistry – and how it all started with Anton Yelchin before Felicity Jones:
“We started with Anton. When we wrote it, then we started thinking about who’s out there in their early 20’s that was an actor. He came to mind right away. He sort of embodied the characteristics of Jacob. And I met with him and I was just like, ‘Okay, great. Let’s do this.’ And then I started to think about Jenn, and [Felicity and Anton] were friends, and I talked to him about her. Felicity came in before me a couple days before we started shooting, really about a week beforehand. I had seen a bunch of different actresses with Anton—chemistry reads in Los Angeles; just wasn’t quite feeling right. And Felicity videotaped herself in her flat in London and she did the shower scene in the film that, as you know, is at the end of the film.”
“But she actually got in her shower and put up a tripod and went through the emotional journey of what her character was going through in that moment. She sent me the tape and I saw the tape and flipped out and immediately called her and asked her, ‘How soon can you get to LA?’ She said, ‘I can get there tomorrow.’ And then she came and we started rehearsing. Seven days after she met Anton they were frolicking on the beach together, and they were in bed together… It was really surreal. They just had that magic between them. They were willing to go to the place that they needed to go in order to make Anna and Jacob really feel alive.”
Read the Complete Interview: www.firstshowing.net
They’re in some of this fall’s most-talked about films and each, in his or her own right, stands among the most buzzworthy actors of their generation: Armie Hammer, Anton Yelchin, Evan Rachel Wood and Kirsten Dunst.
And at this year’s AFI Fest, all four will gather to discuss their careers during the Los Angeles Times’ second annual Young Hollywood roundtable, moderated by staff writer Amy Kaufman.
During last year’s panel — which featured Oscar nominees Carey Mulligan and Jesse Eisenberg and new Spider-Man Andrew Garfield — the up-and-comers discussed everything from how to ease red carpet anxiety to the experience of working with veteran filmmakers.
Many of this year’s participants may be able to shed light on the latter topic. Hammer, for one, is starring alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in the upcoming Clint Eastwood-directed biopic J. Edgar, which is the opening night film at 2011?s AFI Fest. The actor, 25, earned acclaim last year for his portrayal of two characters — the jilted Winkelvoss twins — in the Oscar-nominated Facebook flick The Social Network.
Wood, too, has been directed by some of Hollywood’s A-listers. The 24-year-old — who plays a sultry intern who seduces Ryan Gosling’s character in the recent film The Ides of March — was Woody Allen’s muse in 2009’s Whatever Works. She also played Mickey Rourke’s daughter in The Wrestler, and has appeared on HBO’s popular television series True Blood.
Dunst, meanwhile, has had her share of top directors as well, from Brian De Palma to Neil Jordan to Michel Gondry. Her most recent film, Melancholia, has taken some heat after director Lars von Trier made some controversial comments at a Cannes Film Festival press conference that suggested he was a Nazi. The outrage that followed, however, did not overshadow Dunst’s performance and she was awarded the festival’s best actress prize. Dunst, 29, has been acting since she was a child, and was nominated for a Golden Globe award at age 12 after starring opposite Brad Pitt in Interview With the Vampire.
Yelchin has recently been turning heads for his performance in the intimate romantic drama Like Crazy, which was beloved by audiences at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Earlier this year, the Russian-born 22-year-old played Mel Gibson’s son in The Beaver and starred in a remake of the ’80s horror flick Fright Night.
The roundtable will take place at 6:45 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 4, at the Mann Chinese 6 Theater in Hollywood. The evening is in partnership with AFI Fest. Tickets are free, but you must RSVP at the AFI Fest site.
If you have a question for one of the panel participants, submit it on the LA Times Facebook page. They will select some to ask during the roundtable. They will also videotape the conversation, so check back for clips from the event on 24 Frames next month.
More Information/Purchase Tickets: www.afi.com
Also on October 25th, Anton attended the Like Crazy premiere in Los Angeles. Attending the premiere with Anton was his co-star Felicity Jones and director, Drake Doremus. Head over to the gallery for the latest additions.
Gallery Links:
– Home > Movie Productions > Like Crazy > 2011 10 25 – “Like Crazy” Los Angeles Premiere
On October 25th, Anton attended the Like Crazy press conference held in Los Angeles. Head over to the gallery for the latest additions.
Gallery Links:
– Home > Public Appearances > 2011 > 2011 10 25 – “Like Crazy” Press Conference
To honor his memory, Anton’s family and friends created this foundation to empower and support young people age 7 to 27 who are engaged in creative arts, but who face career challenges due to debilitating disease or disability.
