Cinema’s Charismatic Rebel
tMF profiles the ambitious, fearless and award-winning Irish actor Jonathan Rhys-Meyers.
By Jed Medina

"If there's a good script and a good part, you can be guaranteed that all the best actors in the world are trying to get it. There's no such thing as once you get to a certain stage, everything becomes easy. Everything becomes harder; you want the best roles, the biggest roles. And so does everyone else," observes Jonathan Rhys-Meyers.

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The 30-year old Irish actor is known for speaking his mind- he is quite vocal about a number of issues- from the failings of the film industry to dealing with directors with huge egos to the irrelevance of celebrities & the lack of real talent in some of today’s biggest box-office stars.

Rhys-Meyers also suffers from the media’s perception and its apparent fascination with his looks, relegating his strong performances on the background. I have watched him for years now, enjoying a lot of his movies. I have also read a number of his interviews and there’s one thing that really impressed me. Rhys Meyers is driven to succeed as an actor.

In a State of Independence
Joseph Gordon Levitt, definitely one of today's most talented- with amazing performances in Mysterious Skin, Brick, The Lookout- in tMF profile!
by Kathleen Sydenham

“The movies I watch and the music I listen to and the books I read - those are important to me. It's very important to me, and I don't know what I would do without those things. And so to be a part of that exchange is about as meaningful to me as anything I can think of. “

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A quote from Joseph Gordon Levitt on how much he value being part of an art form that celebrates life itself- cinema! In this age where a lot of young people are obsessed with ‘celebrities’ here is one honest-to-goodness actor who frowns upon the very existence of supermarket tabloids and celebrity gossip shows.

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Free Spirit
tMF takes a closer look at the versatile actor, Melvil Poupaud!
by Jed Medina

“I could have been very frightened because I’ve never done these kinds of scenes before and I’m quite shy, but I wasn’t. I was becoming the character and I thought it was useful for the part to see Romain wanting to make love to his boyfriend. And I knew the scene would be well shot, not vulgar or voyeuristic” says Melvil Poupaud about playing gay in Francois Ozon’s Time to Leave.

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In the film, Poupaud plays Romain, a high-profile, gay fashion photographer struggling with inoperable brain cancer. The film demonstrated that Poupaud could hold himself alongside legendary actress Jeanne Moreau.

A Beautiful Mind Speaks! 
The gifted actor Paul Bettany in a special tMF profile!
by Dee Dee Baldwin

"But I wouldn't want anybody to know that much about me. Do you know what I mean? People that I absolutely have nothing... I don't mind singing to people that I know, but I have no interest in having an audience. So the good thing about acting is that you can watch Gangster #1 and you can think "He's an aggressive little bastard" but you don't know…. or you can watch Beautiful Mind and go "I bet he's that cocky and full of himself?" but not actually know because I'm not being myself now. You know what I mean?" declared Paul Bettany in a recent interview.

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For an actor who has played both good and bad guys in some of today's coolest films, Mr. Bettany is a definite favorite for an interview. He's one of the most insightful and interesting actors and knows how to answer any and all questions, be they silly, challenging or mundane. It would be cool to do an interview with him, although one can't help wondering if he might spring a surprise or two if he found an interviewer's questions dull.

Best Actor 
tMF takes a closer look at today's best actor, Romain Duris! 
by Jed Medina & Kathleen Sydenham

Long before Hollywood took notice, Romain Duris has been wowing audiences in Europe with some of the best performances ever by an actor of his generation. Exploring and portraying roles that are risky and rewarding, unconventional and formulaic, Duris has the tendency to immerse himself into his parts, taking on characters as unique and as interesting as himself.

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The Believer
Ryan Gosling was awesome in Half Nelson, terrific in Lars and the Real Girl- now what's next for this talented Canadian?
by Jed Medina

Ryan Gosling was once asked what it takes to be an actor. He replied:

"Acting isn't that hard, really. I mean, I think that people make a big deal about it, but you just kind of try to say your lines naturally. You try to make them sound like you're saying them for the first time, but that's about it. I think that it's an interesting job. I think that you can sort of have your own personal journey and you know, you can just kind of apply that to whatever characters you're playing."

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I can picture him as Henry Latham in Marc Forster's Stay, where he played a disturbed suicidal teen and in the recently acclaimed film Half Nelson where he played a teacher with a drug habit and I can easily understand why he's such a good actor.

With the nomination for Best Actor in this year's Oscar, it is but another testament to his growing reputation as an actor to be reckoned with.