USA: Helen Mirren,Toni Collette and others walk the red carpet at the New York "Hitchcock" premiere

Record ID: 220974

  • Title: USA: Helen Mirren,Toni Collette and others walk the red carpet at the New York "Hitchcock" premiere
  • Date: 19th November 2012
  • Summary: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 18, 2012) (REUTERS) ( * BEWARE FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY **) VARIOUS OF ACTRESS HELEN MIRREN AND HUSBAND ON RED CARPET POSING FOR PICTURES MIRREN SPEAKING TO REPORTER ACTRESS TONI COLLETTE SPEAKING TO REPORTER ACTRESS SCARLETT JOHANSSON POSING FOR PICTURES JOHANSSON SPEAKING TO REPORTER (SOUNDBITE) (English) SCARLETT JOHANSSON,
  • Embargoed: 4th December 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVA78FB2CO4OUFP9TRI3V45XBA27
  • Story Text: A star studded cast including Helen Mirren, Toni Collette and Scarlett Johansson attend the New York premiere of "Hitchcock".


    The softer side of director Alfred Hithcock is explored in the new film about the love story between him and his wife Alma Reville.
    The film, simply called "Hitchcock", follows the pair as they risk their own money and reputation to make "Psycho" after studio heads decline to financially support the movie.
    Sir Anthony Hopkins straps on a fat suit and a bald spot in order to transform into the legendary director. Dame Helen Mirren plays his supportive and loving wife Alma Reville.
    Both Jessica Biel, who plays Vera Miles and James D'Arcy who portrays a young Anthony Perkins, were shocked by Hopkins makeover.
    "He was completely covered in makeup, prosthetics, a fat suit, brown contact lenses. It really help because if he would have looked like Anthony Hopkins I'm not sure I would have done very well in terms of holding my nerve," said D'Arcy.
    "He got lost in the makeup and in the prosthetics so we all got lost. And he just transforms himself and sort of disappears into this man. And when he would take his prosthetics off at the end of the day you would almost be shocked, 'oh that's what he, oh my God, that's who he is, and that's what he looks like,'" Biel told Reuters.
    Scarlett Johansson stepped into the role of film star Janet Leigh. In order to prepare, Johansson spoke with Leigh's daughter, actress Jamie Lee Curtis.
    "She's a wonderful woman and wonderful actress and a very open and giving person and she really was so generous with me. I'd imagine it must be strange to have somebody playing your mother especially a mother that was absolutely beloved and completely involved, you know. And I just wanted to reach out and say I had every intention of honoring her mother," Johansson said.
    Hopkins was supported by a quartet of famous female stars. Biel said being able to act alongside Johansson, Mirren and Toni Collette, who plays Hitchcock's secretary in the movie, was like theater camp.
    "Everyone supporting each other, learning from each other, playing, having fun, testing things out, you know, 'what do you think about this, what do you think about that?' It was, it was a family, it was not a competitive world at all, we were all here to make a incredible film," Biel revealed.
    Director Sacha Gervasi made his feature film directorial debut with the movie. He said that his fearless attutide and a push form Hopkins helped him say yes to the project.
    "I just was like screw it, I'll have a go. I'm really pleased I did and it couldn't have happened without Anthony Hopkins and he was the one who said to me, 'you have no experience, you're completely crazy, and I'm in.' And I love that spirit and that was the Hitchcock spirit," he said.
    Throughout the film, numerous nods to Hitchcock can been seen, including Gervasi making a Hitchcock-like cameo.
    However Gervasi said it almost didn't happen: "If you look really hard yes, but it was Mirren who screwed it up because she said 'you've got to do a cameo'. So I showed up in a hat and a suit and she looked at me with Toni Collette, looked at me and said, 'you look like a third rate book maker from Brighton' and laughed in my face. So I said 'Mirren I'm cutting myself out and it's your fault'."
    "Hitchcock" will open in select theaters on November 23rd and throughout the U.S. in December.
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