What can you tell us about your new movie?
I Am Number Four is an action-packed adventure entwined with a romantic story – and I play the role of John Smith. John wants to be a normal kid, but he is from a different planet and he has been given this destiny of becoming a warrior. John tries to find out who he is and what he wants to do with his life, but he has a bit of a tough time with it all. I think a lot of people are going to relate to what he goes through in the story because it’s about an outsider trying to fit in. We’ve all been there.

When were you an outsider?
Well, I think we’ve all been in that scenario where we’ve felt like we were alone or different. Everyone goes through that.

What was it like to work with Dianna Agron on the movie?
It was great. Dianna has an old-school movie star quality to her and I had an amazing time working with her, but I also had a great time working with the rest of the cast. Everyone on the set was amazing.

Who else stars in the movie with you?
An actress called Teresa Palmer is a young ball of energy and we also have a guy called Callan McAuliffe who is great. Working with everyone on the movie was phenomenal. We all fit together really well.

Can you live a normal life in Hollywood?
You can live a very normal life here. Los Angeles is a very magical place when you take the entertainment industry out of it. You have beautiful beaches and amazing mountains here. I’m a big rock climber. I head out into the mountains whenever I have free time. It’s amazing.

What else do you like about California?
There’s so much to explore here – and I love exploring. There are not many places in the world where you can get to the beach in an hour, the desert in two hours and snowboarding or skiing in three hours. You can do all that in California.

It sounds like you’re a very active, outdoors guys… Did you enjoy tackling such a physical role in I Am Number Four?
I loved it. I jumped off a cliff backwards for I Am Number Four, which was pretty cool. I’d never done that before. It took seven takes from different angles and luckily there were no injuries. I came close, though. My head nearly hit the rock at one point.

How high was the cliff dive?
The cliff was 60 feet high and it was extremely memorable. You know what? I’m a big kid at heart. Not many guys get to experience what I’ve experienced. I get to run around a movie set with guns and I get to jump off cliffs. It’s amazing. I had the time of my life shooting the movie.

How much training did you do for the role?
I spent months preparing for the stunts in the movie. It was a really physical role, but it was also a lot of fun. We practiced and practiced and practiced – but it was still a very nerve-wracking experience. I loved every minute of it.

Why did you sign up for the movie?
I was really excited to work on the movie for a number of reasons. First of all, I really wanted to work with the director, D.J. Caruso. He’s incredible. Plus, I really liked the premise of the movie. It’s been amazing.

I AM NUMBER FOUR is Available on Blu-ray & DVD May 24th!

Technorati Tags: I Am Number Four, DVD, Bluray, Interview, DJ Caruso, Alex Pettyfer, May 24

As a parent both the Teach My Baby and Toddler products are incredibly exciting. There is nothing that beats seeing your child learn something
new when they are that young. I am sure that had something to do with the decision to create these learning systems. Could you please tell us what convinced you that you needed to create the Teach My products?

I was at home with my 18 month old son and I wanted to teach him the basics. I went to lots of stores looking for an all-in-one solution. I
didn’t find anything, so I knew there was a gap in the market! Additionally, my son began to read at the age of 3 as a direct result of the box of teaching tools I had created. Parents began to ask me how I had taught him, so I knew an all-in-one learning kit would be a big success!

You created the first Teach My product in 2007, which led to the next product coming out in 2009. Do you have any other Teach My products in the works?

I’m currently in the final stages of creating Teach My Preschooler. I’m aiming for an August 2010 launch!

It has to feel great knowing that you’re helping kids to learn new things. How has the response been from the parents that use your products? Any
memorable responses you’d like to share?

I receive wonderful e-mails from parents all of the time raving about the virtues of Teach My Toddler & Teach My Baby. My favourite was a Youtube
video uploaded by a proud parent of her 15 month old son. It is really quite amazing how much he has learned just by using Teach My Toddler!

As a mompreneur are these the only products that you have created?

Teach My is my first run at being an inventor and a mompreneur.

What advice would you like to give to working mothers that want to educate their young children?

A healthy combination of reading aloud, trips to the library, educational cd-roms, educational DVD’s and of course, Teach My Baby, Teach My Toddler
and Teach My Preschooler (when it launches)!

If you could plug the Teach My products one more time, what would you want to remind my readers?

I have designed Teach My products to make life simpler for busy parents. I suggest just 20 minutes a day with Teach My Baby or Teach My Toddler. The
kits are a great way to spend focused one-on-one time doing something educational while having fun at the same time! www.teachmy.com

Technorati Tags: Teach My Baby, Teach My Toddler, Teach My Preschooler, Educational Products, Interview, Kids, Children, Learning, Products, Parents, Mom

First things first… There’s a rumor going around that you didn’t want a Hannah Montana movie. Is that true?
It is true! At first, I was a little concerned because I wanted to know how the show would work in a movie format. We wanted to make a movie that was more realistic than the show, along with some comedy and romance. I think we did a good job of doing that, but it was a little scary at the start.

Why was it scary?
Well, this is my first feature film where I’m the lead. I know there’s a first time for everything, but I want my first time in everything to be close to perfect! It’s not like any other movie because there’s a whole back-story in the television show that everyone knows about and we had to be true to that.

Did you have fun filming the movie?
I was scared out of my mind for half of the movie! Making a film is like learning the ropes all over again. Our television show can be a little unrealistic because it’s supposed to be crazy and fun – just like a normal kid sitcom. But a movie is different. It has to be more realistic.

What happens in the movie’s story?
Well, it’s about how Hannah and Miley have melted together. Hannah was just this alter ego, but Miley was the normal girl underneath the wig. It’s become a bit of a mess because the alter ego is ruining Miley’s life – so she is sent back to Tennessee to learn about where she came from and who she really is.

Does she change during the film?
Miley is growing up in the movie. She’s going through hard times and she’s trying to find herself – and I think that’s a beautiful part of the movie. It’s cool to see her change.

Is the movie a farewell to Hannah Montana?
No way! We’re not saying goodbye to Hannah just yet. We’re already working on a third season of the TV show and we’re in talks for a fourth season. I really hope we do Season Four!

Did you bring any ideas to the movie?
I’m really interested in films, so I was eager to help out. I talked about how a normal Tennessee girl should look and act. I didn’t want to see an exaggerated version of a cowgirl in a cowboy hat and boots. I had ideas on keeping it real – and that’s what we did in the movie.

Would you like to see the romance in the movie cross over to the TV show?
We’ve tried to keep the movie pretty separate from the television show. I don’t think we’ll bring any of the new characters from the movie into the show really. I think it would be better to keep them apart.

Why?
For starters, Hannah’s love interest in the movie is called Travis and he is a very mellow guy – but that wouldn’t work so well on a sit-com that’s filmed in front of a live studio audience. Hannah’s love interests need to be louder and more outgoing. And anyway, I think it’s good to keep it separate because it’ll feel like a never-ending movie otherwise!

Lucas Till – the guy who plays Travis in the movie – says you’re a very good kisser…
He said that? What a freak! I’m going to text him and tell him he’s weird.

Was he a good kisser?
He was OK. I think Lucas is adorable and all of the girls love him on screen. He’s a great guy, but the kiss was just a screen kiss.

Was the kissing scene embarrassing to film?
No, it’s not embarrassing. Kissing is something that everybody does! Hannah Montana is a funny comedy, but the kiss matures the movie a little bit. It’s something that people aren’t expecting, which is good.

What’s the message behind the movie?
The story shows how you need to be able to take the time to realize who you are and where you’ve come from. I know I have to do that in my life sometimes. It felt great to return home to Nashville to shoot the movie and be comfortable with who I am. Where you’re from reflects a lot of who you are and who you’ll become as you get older.

Did you learn anything while making the movie?
I did! I learned that it’s super important to stay true to yourself and your family. I’ve also learned that I’ve got a lot to learn about life, but that’s just part of growing up.

MUSICAL MAGIC!
The film’s soundtrack has been wowing fans around the world – but what exactly does Miley think of the mega music from the movie? Read on to find out…

Are you proud of the songs in the new film, Miley?
Of course I am! All of the new songs really suit the movie. In fact, I think they’re some of the best songs I’ve ever recorded. The music really lifts the film and I love them to bits.

What’s your favorite song from the film?
I really like “The Climb” because it’s about becoming a better person. That’s what Miley Stewart and Hannah Montana are both working towards in the movie, so it has a special place in my heart.

Tell us more…
Well, it’s about enjoying every moment in your life. I don’t know what’s waiting for me around the corner and I don’t know what else I’m going to be doing in the future – but you’ve got to enjoy things while you’re doing them. There are tough times and mountains to climb, but you’ve got to go for it.

Do you think there’s always going to be another mountain to climb?
Yes. I think there are always going to be things that you’re going to want to do. In the song, it doesn’t only mean a new dream or a new goal, but it means you’re going to stumble and you’re going to fall a little bit along the way. It’s about picking yourself back up and starting again.

These words sound very wise, Miley…
They are, aren’t they? Well, I’m sure there will be another mountain. It’s happened to me before and it will happen to me again. It’s just a part of learning. It’s part of life – and I look forward to tackling more of it in the future.

HANNAH MONTANA THE MOVIE will be available on Disney Blu-ray and DVD on August 18th!

Technorati Tags: Hannah Montana, Blu-Ray, DVD, Interview, Miley Cyrus, Disney, The Hannah Montana Movie

QUESTION: How was the sci-fi robot costume you wear in Bedtime Stories?

RUSSELL BRAND: Being a golden robot as I was in this film was difficult because they are very diligent and assiduous with the make-up job, even painting the inside of my mouth golden! In spite of what we learned from Goldfinger that covering a person’s body in gold paint can lead to death. There was one area of skin that had not been covered in gold paint. I went for a wee at one point and saw a golden robot alone doing a wee in a trailer and my genitals looked ridiculous! Also you are forced into quadriplegic acceptance by the intensity of the make-up job, imprisoned as it were in a shell of immobility. You also have to have your meals through a straw and I just sat and watched Mike Leigh films in my trailer. Then I would forget what I was doing because I would be getting into Secrets And Lies or something and then I’d see myself in the mirror and go…wooohhh! I’m a golden robot!

QUESTION: For Bedtime Stories did you have to rein in your more adult comic leanings? And is there an R-rated version of the film?

RUSSELL BRAND: That would be inappropriate to have an R-rated version of a Disney film. It may damage the marketing procedures for this, the main one. For me the parameters were quite helpful in that it stops you from going to your typical comedic go-to places. Generally, I find when doing comedy that it helps to dismiss the first 10 thoughts that I have in case they lead to a quagmire. But it is not mentally hard because in my life I have friends who have kids. Mainly what was good was that working with Adam Sandler and the others was educational. I loved it really. It is really nice to see myself doing something in a film and it is not all rude.

QUESTION: How would you describe the Adam Sandler factor?

RUSSELL BRAND: I have a very intelligent and risky answer…I think that Adam Sandler is how America likes to see itself. It is a powerful country, charismatic, attractive, occasionally makes mistakes, but eventually puts them right.

QUESTION: What do you think of the power of comedy and why did you start doing stand-up?

RUSSELL BRAND: I was training to be a normal actor out of drama school where they taught the likes of Paul Bettany and Colin Firth how to do the acting that they now do so well. I was trying my hardest to do serious acting, but always people would laugh at that acting. That hurt my feelings. So I thought if I can rework this as something that is supposed to elicit laughter it will be good for my ego. It turns out it was!

QUESTION: While you were making Bedtime Stories what lengths did you have to go to watch West Ham’s soccer games? And did the others understand your passion?

RUSSELL BRAND: Yeah they did because Adam Sandler is obsessed with sport. In fact it seemed to be prioritized over making the film! There were screens everywhere showing basketball and football games and stuff like that – next to the monitor that I was trying my hardest to do my acting on. I would ask if my acting was all right and they say that they’d just scored a hoop or they have done a touch down. So they did understand the significance of West Ham United in my life. Seeing the matches was difficult. You have to watch them a lot on the internet. But in the USA some of the sports TV channels show games on a Saturday, so you can get some. Plus on Sky Plus Match of the Day and Sunday Supplement are available, so I can see a lot of comment. But the understanding of sport was one of the things that made me very comfortable in that environment and enhanced my masculinity! (jokes) Sport? I like sport, too. We are not so different! (jokes) Give us a cuddle! Give us a movie! And he did because it turns out that one of my next movies will be produced by Adam Sandler. In that movie I play a con man who is trying to get away from some gangsters and is posing as a priest in a small American town. It’s bloody deep! (jokes)

QUESTION: When are you going to make a drama in the USA?

RUSSELL BRAND: Probably the next time I make a phone call over there. (jokes) I’m doing The Tempest – that’s dramatic, Shakespeare wrote that! As soon as someone in the USA gives me a chance I’ll be all over it, I would love to do a drama.

Note: The photo is from the Official Star Wars Blog. Check out more pictures of theirs here.

Technorati Tags: Bedtime Stories, Russell Brand, Interview, Film, Movie, Family, Disney, Comedian

ADAM SHANKMAN: The thing about working with kids and animals is an actor’s fear because they don’t want to be upstaged by the cuteness. The kids are always going to steal the scene. In this one we encouraged that. Anytime we weren’t funny enough we would go to the guinea pig. The animals were so incredibly well trained that they were a dream. Those elephants were unbelievable. One of the elephants would wrap his trunk around the little boy and carry him around. The kids were a little uppity at first because it was hard for them to keep a straight face while working with Adam because he would make them laugh so much. But by about Week 3 they were totally bored with him! (jokes)

QUESTION: There are Brits, Aussies and Kiwis on screen. Did that make for Commonwealth Vs USA rivalry?

ADAM SHANKMAN: There were no rivalries. It was amazing. I think this is the most international cast that Adam has worked with. We were very blessed in having people like Richard Griffiths and Guy Pearce and Jonathan Pryce. I don’t think it started out like a goal; it was just how it happened.

QUESTION: How would you describe the Adam Sandler factor?

ADAM SHANKMAN: I think it is every guy who bucks the system, who goes against it. Adam is a humble guy and that translates on to the screen. I think that is a lot of what it is. I know that is why I fell in love with him originally. In the process of making a movie you have to watch it hundreds of times and it can get to be torture at a certain point. But what was very sweet was that every time we watched the movie and the Disney logo appeared and Adam would go…I am just happy with that.

QUESTION: Was there any pressure from Disney regarding the tone of the film?

ADAM SHANKMAN: I think we made a more sophisticated Disney movie but with a little bit of edge in there. But it comes off the charisma of a sophisticated cast.

QUESTION: How important is DVD today?

ADAM SHANKMAN: Now it seems like two-thirds of any film’s audience is on DVD. One of the things that struck me is that when I go back and look at DVDs of my work they look so much more beautiful than they did on the movie screen. I know that this one is absolutely going to look better on DVD. There is nothing better than the experience of going into the theater, but there is no denying the importance of DVD and its far-reaching effect.

QUESTION: Are you a DVD collector?

ADAM SHANKMAN: Yeah! Every time I do a movie I go out and buy 100 DVDs to put in my trailer, so that I always have something to watch when we are in down time.

QUESTION: How did you persuade Guy Pearce to do a movie in which he is constantly made fun of?

ADAM SHANKMAN: It was really important for me to surround Adam with as many sophisticated people as I could. I had met Guy through a friend. He was a huge fan of Hairspray and we got on famously. I knew this character had to be slick and smarmy and I thought why not cast Guy Pearce? I thought he would never do it, but we should offer it to him. So I sent him the script and he called and said he could do it. I couldn’t believe it was happening. I think it was because he had done a lot of really intense things back to back. He did it and I said I just needed the villain to be the Cruella De Vil of the piece and he knew what movie he was in.

QUESTION: Why cast Lucy Lawless?

ADAM SHANKMAN: When she auditioned she came in wearing this crazy red wig. She was hysterical. One day near the end of the movie when we were shooting the blowing up of the school, she was bored. All of a sudden, I looked up during the filming of a crowd scene and there was Lucy in a hat and sunglasses, walking around with the extras. She always added such fun stuff. There is a lot of stuff with Lucy and Guy that was cut out of the movie, but I hope it will be on the DVD. It was so funny! They had this crazy relationship in the movie.

QUESTION: And you persuaded Courtney Cox to do a cameo?

ADAM SHANKMAN: That was something that I don’t think she would have done for anyone other than Adam because they are very close. I used to be the on-set choreographer for Friends so I knew the cast of that show pretty well and Courtney and Coco, her daughter, are huge fans of Hairspray. So I think that she just wanted to be with us.

QUESTION: Your movies have made more than half a billion dollars! So how does it feel to be the golden boy of American film comedy?

ADAM SHANKMAN: I don’t know what to make of it. It doesn’t make any sense to me. I don’t remember it all happening. My movies do really well in hard times and I sort of feel bad about that, but if I help make escapist fare during distressing times then that is not so awful. I am delighted that I get to work…period. I certainly do not take this for granted. This was a movie I made for my nephew and niece and I feel really good about that. What attracted me to Bedtime Stories was the notion of being able to make five movies within one movie. Not everyone gets to make a space movie, a western, a gladiator movie, a medieval costume movie inside one comedy…which is what I hope kids find delightful about it. The movie does not seem preachy but the message in Bedtime Stories is about talking with your kids, communicate and open up with imagination. We are living in a time when thinking needs to change. That is the only way the world is going to evolve.

QUESTION: What are your plans?

ADAM SHANKMAN: Next I have been hired by Disney to do an original musical that was written by the guys who did the music for Hairspray.

QUESTION: This looks like being the year of 3-D. Why is it so cool now?

ADAM SHANKMAN: Yeah, but I still don’t get it but if everyone else gets it then I’m cool with it. I am still struggling with shooting digitally like I did with Bedtime Stories.

Technorati Tags: Bedtime Stories, Adam Shankman, Interview, Movie, Disney, Q&A, film