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almosthistoric just completed our very first fic-exchange fest! There are six new fics posted for the Valentine's Day theme.
lesmisicons“It’s in discussion. Honestly, that’s probably gonna be part of what the tests are about, to see what that does. It’s always interesting – how do you actually convey thought through song? We’re used to the convention on stage. In film, we used to be used to it, and now sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. You need to be fresh and really look at the material. I think [Hooper’s] basically gonna do it, screen it, look at it, and see if it adds something genuinely or not. I mean, the strength of Les Mis is in its characters and the emotion, so if it aids that, fantastic. If it doesn’t I’m sure we won’t. It is not like there are massive special effects in Les Mis, you know?”
A Broadway-nut himself, Jackman talked about some of his favorite songs from the stage production of Les Miserables:
“Who Am I? I love. That’s a great one. Bring Him Home is great. Both of those songs are mine. God, I don’t think there is a bad song in that whole piece.”
Will your shirt be remaining on, for Les Miserables?
JACKMAN: I actually told that story to Tom Hooper, because one of the first scenes actually shows him in the prison camp that he’s in, being punished and whipped, and stuff like that. I said, “I can tell you right now, if you have me with my shirt off, people are going to say, ‘You were just doing what Jackman demanded in his contract.’” And he said, “I don’t think we need to do it without your shirt,” and I said, “Good.” So, when you see the movie, you’ll see.
Is it intimidating to take on something like Les Miserables, or is that the fun of it?
JACKMAN: Yeah, but that is the fun of it, exactly. It’s intimidating, and that’s the fun of it. I feel, you have to be a little bit intimidated or a little bit nervous. The percentage is probably 80/20. If 80% of you is really, really confident you’re going to nail it, and 20% of you is genuinely, really not so sure, that’s the kind of percentage you need to push yourself on, to do better than you’ve ever before. If it’s 100%, then I feel the audience can feel it. I feel like Jean Valjean is one the great literary figures in musical theatre. It’s one of the most famous characters of all time. Whoever is playing it, it should be them at their best, you know? That’s why I’m singing everyday and have been for awhile. And, that’s why I auditioned for the part. I rang Tom Hooper and I said, “Tom, I’m coming in and I’m auditioning for you.” He said, “Well, I actually haven’t made my deal yet.” I said, “I don’t care. I’m coming in now.” That audition was three hours. This was not one where I was going to sit back and wait to see if it came to me or not. I chased it.
How many times have you seen the musical?
JACKMAN: Three times.
[Director Tom] Hooper is keeping his options open about whether the cast will pre-record songs.
‘There’s the option of recording live or lip-synching and I’ve been down the lip-synching route with the video of Oklahoma!’ Hugh told me.
‘I think singing live might work better with this, but Tom won’t make a decision just yet.’
Hooper is assembling his own version of the screenplay and overseeing the casting of other key roles, having already decided on Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway and possibly Helena Bonham Carter.
Reports about Emma Watson playing Cosette are incorrect. She won’t be doing the film.
Hooper’s also looking for 17 and 18-year-olds to play the student revolutionaries — not actors in their 20s.
Hugh hopes to work with Hooper for four or five days next month in London to refine the Jean Valjean character he’ll play in Les Mis.
