Beth Behrs

Stunning American actress Beth Behrs has been acting since a very young age. Having learnt her craft treading the boards of theatre, the 26 year old has parts on screens since 2009 and landed the role of rich-girl-who-looses-everything Caroline Channing in E4’s hit new American import, Two Broke Girls. Joined on screen by Kat Dennings (who plays Max Black) the leading ladies struggle through the day working at a diner whilst chasing their dream of opening a cupcake shop. Created by Michael Patrick King – whose writing credits include Sex And The City, Will & Grace and Cybill – and comedienne/actress Whitney Cummings, the show has enjoyed unprecedented success, bagging a People’s Choice Award for “Favourite New TV Comedy” and a second season was commissioned before the first had been finished. WONDERLAND caught some time with Beth for a quick chat about the show and find out how she got involved in acting.

Is Two Broke Girls a fun show to be part of?
It is! Kat Dennings has become a great friend of mine and she’s so hilarious and talented and we shoot in front of a live audience. It’s fun when they clap and cheer or they’re cracking up. It’s such a cool thing seeing them react.

Do they ever not laugh?
We have an amazing writing staff – Michael Patrick King and all of our writers – who give us alternative jokes and that’s a cool thing as an actor because it won’t be rehearsed and you have to work with it right then. But we’ll always keep them laughing!

What attracted you to your character, Caroline?
I love that she’s not a stereotypical Upper East Side blonde. She is a fish out of water in the restaurant and there are things she doesn’t know, but she’s not dumb. She went to Wharton Business School and has this incredible savvy for money and business. I also love that the girls were never outwardly mean to each other even though they are from different walks of life. I think that’s really refreshing to see – especially to young women out there.

You’re playing a waitress in the show – being an actress, have you had lots of experience of being a waitress in real life? 
I have! I worked at an Americanized Mexican restaurant for a while called Chili’s. I’d work in the cocktail area and they served big beer glasses. On my first night I put all the beer glasses on one tray thinking I’d be fine to carry it and I spilt them all on a table of ten people. I went to the bathroom and cried. It was awful. I wasn’t the best waitress

The show has already won a People’s Choice Award and was commissioned for a second season before the first had finished airing – has the success surprised you?
When we were filming the pilot it was a special experience it felt like we’d been doing it for years which I’ve heard from other actors is very rare so I think we knew we had something special and we all loved each other and working together. At least we were having a good time and you hope that energy and specialness translates to the audience and I’m glad it did.

There has also been a bit of controversy attached to the show. Michael was accused of being too crude and touching on stereotypes – do you think some people have failed to notice it’s a comedy and not a documentary?
Yeah and I think Michael said before, everything the characters do comes out of a real place. There’s backlash with everything but we love what we’re doing and we believe in the show and the characters and it seems like the audience agrees.

Controversy is also good in that it means people are watching.
Exactly! We’ve said the word “vagina” on TV like it’s never been said before. Doing comedy is supposed to push boundaries but that’s what makes it new and innovative and exciting. I’m glad, at least, to be a part of that and this whole “women in comedy” loop that’s going on.

Vagina is hardly offensive at all. If you spent a day in our office you’d be shocked by the language you’d overhear.
[laughs] That’s honestly the truth! In most people’s day-to-day life the word “vagina” is not that big a deal but for whatever reason, saying it on network television was a big deal.

According to your Wikipedia, you’ve been acting since you were 4 – is this true?
It is true. I’ve been doing theatre since before I could read. My mom had to read my lines for my auditions. I used to watch The Sound of Music a million times a day and I fell in love with it and kept asking my parents to let me do something like that so they got me into theatre which was great.

You’ve been an ambitious actress your whole life!
Yes, definitely. And I still hope to come to the West End or Broadway eventually. My dream is to do a Broadway or West End musical. I love Les Miserables and The Sound of Music and Wicked. Although I’d also love to be in a new one – is Andrew Lloyd Webber writing a new one any time soon?

We’ll find out and get you a part.
I’ll cut you 10%

It’s a deal.

Two Broke Girls is on E4 Thursdays at 9pm. Beth Behrs will be in a new Andrew Lloyd Webber musical as soon as we have a word with him.

[Originally published on Wonderlandmagazine.com, April 2012]

Peter Vack

Admit it. We’ve all been there. After a particularly dry spell you end up going out, getting blind drunk and wake up the following morning next to the woman of your dreams only for her to up and leave wearing your favourite pair of jeans and passing you a fake number. You’re gutted to have been so brutally shaken off. And you want those jeans back. Yeah. We have been there. But can this really be the premise for an entire TV show? MTV think so and I Just Want My Pants Back, based on the novel by David Rosen, has turned out to be a surprise hit with its hilariously honest approach to modern day dating. Wonderland met its star, Peter Vack, who plays hopeless romantic Jason who wants to get the girl – and his jeans.

Jason has phenomenal luck with the ladies and is bed hopping each episode – are you as successful with women in your own life?
If only I could be as successful as Jason! The cool thing about him is if you look at the raw facts of his life you would think he is a player. A smooth talking Don Juan type, but I feel like his success with ladies comes from a much more pure place and each new sexual encounter Jason really believes “This could be the one”. He’s not a womanizer even though he does get a lot of action.

Are those characteristics that you can relate to as well?
Being a pure hearted romantic? Oh yeah. [laughs] I mean I’m not exactly like Jason, but I’m definitely a romantic guy. Although there are probably people who would read this and go “No he’s not!”

Oh really? You have some bad history?
I have no history. My reputation is completely unblemished. And I want that written in print! Peter’s reputation is unblemished!

The sex scenes in the show are always a bit awkward – are they just as awkward to film?
It’s interesting. I do think that the show touches on this sort of fantasy of how sexy your 20s are and how everyone seems to idealize this urban lifestyle of young, cool, attractive people hooking up all the time. And I like that Pants shows you that world but it shows how awkward and bizarre it is. There is definitely an underbelly of the single free life that is you might be talking to someone in a bar and they seem normal and then you get home and your in bed and you realize that the world is full of weirdos.

In the UK, Pants means underwear what would the show be like if it was titled I Just Want My Underwear Back?
That’s funny. It would be a totally different show. It would be about a guy who has one pair of underwear that got stolen and then he was uncomfortable having his bear bottom on the harsh denim of his jeans. It wouldn’t be a comedy but it would be a deep meditation for someone expressing their dislike for freedom ‘down there’. I want to be constrained. At least that’s how I feel. It’s really important for me to wear underwear.

The way the show is written is very realistic and honest and seems very genuine – do you feel you could be friends with Jason and everyone?
That’s the thing that first struck me – especially between a male female relationship like the one with [Jason and] Tina (played by Kim Shaw, Jason’s best friend). It’s something so specific and interesting what happens when a man and a woman are just friends with no romantic tension and I think Dave Rosen just nailed that. When I read the script I thought I was reading a transcript of two friends with real history. That’s the kind of truth an actor is looking for in a script.

According to your twitter, you are Piers Morgan’s understudy – how is that going?
Normally he’s fine and he doesn’t need me to go on, but sometimes he does but then I kill it. It is just a side gig but I like it. [laughs] It was meant to be a throw away joke and be funny but I guess I do actually like him. That’s the thing about Twitter. You write something very off hand and “You mean I actually have to answer for what I write?” That’s why I’m not very good on twitter because I’ll come up with something I think is funny to but then I’ll think about it for half an hour and end up not tweeting it which I think flying the face of the whole tweeting handbook. I think I overthink for twitter.

Don’t deliberate, just let it out.
I think those are great words to live by – “Don’t deliberate, just let it out”. I think you should end the interview with that. If there’s something we came to it’s that.

[Originally published on wonderland magazine.com, April 2012]

Sam Jackson

It has been five years since Skins first hit UK screens to terrify Daily Mail readers with its depiction of modern day teens as drink, drug and sex obsessed delinquents. The show has gone on to win a number of awards, provide huge ratings, spawn an American remake and manages to geniusly keeps things fresh by renewing the cast every other series. Returning this week to E4 for a brand new sixth season, the kids are just as wild and debauched as always. We caught new recruit Sam Jackson – who plays energetic, fun-loving Alex who joins the group at a point when they’re feeling a bit low – to talk to him about this latest character, find out how he got the job and discuss his name-sake, Samuel L.

How did you get your role in the Skins?
My agent sent me info on a new part for series 6. Was lucky enough to get an audition with Jane Ripley (the casting director) in London. Then get got called back for a second one, which went pretty well. Then later in the week, got a phone call saying I hadn't got it but a few hours later got another one saying I had got it. Was a bit of a roller-coaster.

Were you always a fan of the show?
Yeah definitely. It was ground breaking when it first came out wasn't it? I watched all of the previous series and enjoyed every one of them. I love how every two years, we get a switch of cast. I think the show is unique in that way.



How does it feel to have joined the cast?
Yeah it's great. When you're watching it on TV, you never ever think of yourself being a part of it. So joining was pretty surreal at first. I had an amazing time filming, everybody is really nice to you. So it's sad, now that it's all over and everyone's moving onto to other stuff. It went ridiculously quick. 



What do you like most about your character, Alex?
I think I like how genuine he is. What you see is what you get with Alex. None of that two-faced bitchy girl stuff you sometimes get with other characters. I also love his attitude towards life. He cares and looks out for the people he's close to, but equally he lives life to the full. Parties hard and does some all-round mental stuff.

Do you have a similarly wild lifestyle to the Skins characters?
Sometimes yeah...It's probably not as relentless as in Skins. The thing is with Skins, it always picks out the highlights, the wild parties and all that. You never see the horrendous hangovers the next morning, which makes sense because nobody wants to watch that for entertainment do they?



Is it a bit frustrating being called Sam Jackson? If anyone Googles you, Samuel L Jackson appears...
Who's Samuel L Jackson? Never heard of him....Oh that other actor guy? Suppose I've just gotta work hard to see if I can get my name ahead of his!

Do people ask questions like "what was it like working with Quentin Tarantino in Pulp Fiction?"
Funnily enough, they don't. I don't share many similarities with him really- apart from the name. You'd have to be pretty stupid to get us mixed up. Especially if you've actually seen Pulp Fiction. I mean come on- we're poles apart.

Do you ever get mistaken for anyone else?
Apart from Samuel L Jackson? No not really.

[Originally published on wonderlandmagazine.com]

Jeremy Irvine

Steven Spielberg's latest, War Horse, sees the veteran filmmaker returning to his classic, heartfelt best. A tale of friendship, adventure and bravery, War Horse (based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo) is the story of Joey – a young colt from Devon who is sold into the armed forces in World War I and chronicles his incredible journey through Nazi occupied France. Jeremy Irvine – who just 18 months ago was playing a tree in the chorus of a stage production, without any lines – was plucked from obscurity by Spielberg to front the film as Joey’s first owner and trainer, Albert, who also joins the war and longs to be reunited with his horse. We talk to the 21 year old actor about his experience making this film and find out how it feels to front a Spielberg movie as a first project.

War Horse was given a Royal premier in London earlier this week – what was it like having Prince William and Princess Kate in the audience?
First of all – what an honour. I had a lovely chat with William and Kate and we all got to go back to the palace for drinks afterwards and at one point I found myself having a glass of wine with Prince William and going ‘this is so, so strange!’ They’re lovely people and what an honour that they came to a cinema to see my fat face on the screen. But we also had almost 400 service men and women turn up which really got me. I was speechless. Really speechless.

Was Joey at the premier as well?
One of the Joey’s. There were about 14 [to make the film], although I think for the good of the carpets in the cinema it was probably best that he didn’t come in to see the movie. I was amazed there wasn’t a horrific bodily accident from the horse at any point.

It is a well known fact of cinema that you should never work with animals – was Joey a difficult co-star?
I don’t think at any point were we ever not able to get something because of a horse misbehaving. These are the most highly trained animals in the world – they are acting horses. All the horses have bigger CV’s than me! One of them was Seabiscuit. I remember when I first started learning to ride with one, I’d get off and it would start doing stretches. I learnt very quickly that there has to be that mutual respect thing otherwise on camera when you’re in that close up and there is nowhere to hide, if that relationship isn’t real with that horse then it’s going to be very obvious to people who are watching so it was important to spend two months before we started filming to spend all day with them, building relationships and learning how to work with them.

Were there ever any mishaps on set where a horse did have a “bodily accident” in front of everyone and they had to shout “cut”?
Yes, of course. And they always pick the moment when you are in your most intense close up to do the biggest fart you have ever heard.

Would other co-stars, such as Emily Mortimer [Irvine’s on-screen mother], ever have that same reaction during an emotional scene?
[Laughs] No! Emily was great. I mean, she still likes to eat hay, but she was lovely.

The cast includes some terrific actors, Mortimer, David Thewlis, Benedict Cumberbatch, and to be directed by Speilberg in your first role – how does that all feel?
I never really know what to say to this. You know? It’s, like, being in a first movie and being in a Spielberg movie. I had nearly two years of not getting any work. I was auditioning and wasn’t even getting call backs for commercials, let alone for a movie.

Did you ever get close to giving up?
When you are at those really low points – and it’s quite a lonely business because you’re self employed and on your own a lot – unless you really, really want it then you are going to get to one of those points where you think of doing something else.

You quit LAMDA, right?
I did a year and then I didn’t get back into LAMDA after that, actually. But I made a decision early on that I wanted to get away from the crowd. I had a friend who was a camera man and so we went away and filmed a showreel and I went around agents myself and told them it was for professional work. I did that for eight months and nobody was interested and then eventually a lovely agent did take me on and the second audition that they put me up for was War Horse.

Are you still in touch with anyone from drama school?
Yeah, yeah, they’re all my very close friends.

Are they not seething that you landed a Spielberg film as a first job?
Of course not! They are all wonderfully talented and I’m sure they will do very well as well. But it’s one of those industries where a lot of it is about being in the right place at the right time. I owe all of this to that one lucky break. A lot of wonderful actors that I know haven’t had that lucky break and maybe never will. But it’s about being ready when that moment comes.

[Originally published on wonderlandmagazine.com, January 2012]

Steve McQueen and Michael Fassbender

“Shame” is the haunting new film from director Steve McQueen, giving an unflinching account of one man’s spiralling descent into sex addiction in New York. Michael Fassbender (reunited with McQueen following “Hunger”, 2008) plays protagonist Brandon Sullivan whose addiction threatens to derail his entire life, while his situation is complicated by the arrival of his sister Sissy (Carey Mulligan) who imposes herself – along with her own troubles – on him for an extended stay. With his work life made difficult by a sleazy boss (James Badge Dale as David) and a mesmerising work colleague (Nicole Beharie as Marianne) offering possible normality, “Shame” is a fearless exploration of 21st Century desires, failings, obsessions and relationships that includes graphic scenes of sex (including eye-watering full frontal nudity from Fassbender) that have caused quite the stir amongst critics and viewers alike. Joining the director and main star in London, Wonderland begins with light conversation before moving onto the films darker content.

We read that the budget for this film was $6.5 million US dollars. How much of that budget went into creating the screen filling CGI penis?
[Pause followed by laughter]
Michael – All of the budget! I think we had point five left to make the film.
Steve – We thought we’d do 3D but that would have been way too expensive.
Michael – [laughs]
Steve – There was a funny story, there was this woman who said “I have seen your film literally about fifteen times” and I said “Why?” and she goes “I’m someone who goes to the movies with the blind and so I have to describe it to them” and I said “Really?!” and she said “yes!”. I don’t know if she had to describe Michael’s penis but let’s not go there!

The film addresses the very serious topic of sex addiction. What was it that attracted you to this subject?
Steve – The idea that someone could get so addicted to something that was so intimate but actually did not want the intimacy – the paradox of that was fascinating to me. Just talking to [script writer] Abi Morgan [Sex Traffic, The Iron Lady] about it, it was interesting to investigate what a sex addict is and once we delved into it, we saw the evidence of how serious and devastating it is. It’s similar to drug addiction or alcohol addiction and it really does take a toll on someone’s life.
Michael – Of course this is something that should be looked at and should be pretty relevant and contemporary to today but nobody had talked about it in a film. It just seemed really obvious that this is something that is worth investigation. [Having worked together on Hunger] I knew I was going to be in the best of hands and it was going to be dealt with accordingly, uncompromisingly and also respectfully.

How did you go about researching for the film?
Steve – We couldn’t get an “in”, as such, in London as people wouldn’t speak to us. It’s almost like when people were diagnosed with HIV in the early 80s, it’s a situation where there is a stigma to sex and people don’t want to speak – especially to the media. So we had to go to New York and speak to an expert in the field who in turn introduced us to addicts and former addicts and it was one of those situations that through those conversations and research that we got an idea of what it was to be a sex addict and make very close relationships with people who were, or are, sex addicts.

What were the more shocking things that you discovered?
Steve – Certain things were worse than in the film, of course. I mean you can imagine someone being locked in a room for 72 hours, looking at porn and masturbating all day.
Michael – I think the most affecting or disturbing thing is the sense that – whatever the addiction – it’s a loss of control. The fact that a guy can’t get through the day without masturbating in the bathroom at work and he’s surfing the internet and dragging up these porn sites on his work computer – he’s not an idiot, he knows he’s going to get caught doing it, but he can’t help himself. The choice has been taken away because the condition has taken over. That for me is what’s most disturbing.

We left the cinema feeling a little depressed about the state of the characters in the film – are they all hopeless? Brandon is an addict, Sissy clearly has her own troubles and then Brandon’s boss –
Steve – I think Marianne is a symbol of hope and she is quite healthy. Sissy and Brandon come from the same place. And David is a bit of a jerk.
Michael – The fact that Brandon is someone who is aware of his condition, that’s already hopeful and he’s trying.
Steve – It’s a difficult world and I’m not making Walt Disney pictures here. If you want to see a happy ending go and see any of those American movies that are probably being put up for an Academy Award right now. I’m trying to make a movie about real life – which is not easy sometimes for people who have certain kinds of conditions – but what is admirable about [Brandon] is that he is a likeable person and he’s trying. Not everyone is Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire, you know what I mean?

Has making this film had any impact on your own sex lives?
Michael – Very much so. It’s kind of made me appreciate the relationships that I have been in and that I like intimacy. It had never kind of occurred to me that this could be a condition and to see how devastating it can be having met people –I feel grateful. I feel lucky.
Steve –You do come away feeling very lucky. But they say you are always just one drink away.


[Originally published on wonderlandmagazine.com, Jan 2012]