UNITED KINGDOM: Director Ridley Scott leads star cast at London screening of 'The Counselor'

Record ID: 845103

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: Director Ridley Scott leads star cast at London screening of 'The Counselor'
  • Date: 3rd October 2013
  • Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (OCTOBER 03, 2013) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) ACTOR MICHAEL FASSBENDER, ON WORKING WITH BRAD PITT, SAYING: ''It was awkward yeah. No he was cool he came into a few rehearsals and pretended he'd left something in the room but you know those guys are consummate professionals but those scenes are always kind of awkward to be honest so i
  • Embargoed: 18th October 2013 13:00
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  • Location: United Kingdom
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  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA38DU6W8R14ZJ64VOZ4T932N73
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  • Story Text: Award winning director Ridley Scott was full of praise for his A list cast of 'The Counselor' at a special screening of the film in London on Thursday (October 3).
    He was joined on the blue carpet by stars of the thriller including Michael Fassbender and husband and wife actors Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz.
    "They're great,'' Scott told Reuters at the event. ''I mean tennis was my thing, it's great to knock up with them because they're all great tennis players,'' he said.
    Completing the all star line-up are actors Cameron Diaz and Brad Pitt.
    German-Irish actor Fassbender plays the title role, connecting with Bardem's character Reiner and Pitt's Westray in a corrupt business deal that spirals out of control.
    Fassbender who has recently worked with Pitt on the highly anticipated '12 Years a Slave' and the well received 'Inglourious Basterds' joked that he's ''kind of like his stalker now.'' "He's one of those guys who we really need in the industry in terms of his generosity to other actors and to filmmakers, you know the fact that he was very integral in getting '12 Years' (12 Years A Slave) made so yeah he is an amazing guy."
    Penelope Cruz plays Fassbender's love interest in the film, which also features her husband Bardem.
    ''It was awkward yeah,'' joked Fassbender, when asked about filming romantic scenes with Cruz. ''No he (Bardem) was cool, he came into a few rehearsals and pretended he'd left something in the room, but you know those guys are consummate professionals, but those scenes are always kind of awkward to be honest, so it's not a threat to Javier, I am sure he's very comfortable with his marriage.'' Known for liking their privacy, Bardem and Cruz arrived separately at the event, and in fact they don't share any screen time together in the film either.
    The Counselor is written by Cormac McCarthy, the mastermind behind 'No Country For Old Men' and 'The Road'.
    It was his role in 'No Country For Old Men' that won Bardem an Academy Award for best supporting actor, when asked if he's started to think about award season this time around he said awards are great but meaningless: ''You have to be aware that it doesn't mean anything, it's impossible to measure talent, you can measure speed, but to say who makes a better performance than the other that's not fair, but at the same time I am human being, I have vanity like everyone else, so it would be great.'' Looking radiant only a few months after giving birth to her second child with Bardem, Cruz explained she wanted to be part of the project because of Scott and McCarthy.
    ''I really wanted to work with Ridley, because I have known him for many years but never worked with him before, I admire him so much and like him a lot as a person. And because and I love Cormac McCarthy's work, this is the the first time he writes a script which is not based on any of his books, his script he wrote from zero and I loved it.'' Cruz and Bardem now have two children, two-year-old Leonardo and 3 month-old Luna, when asked if it's easy being a working mum, Cruz said it's all about planning: ''No, I mean you have to plan in a different way. But you find a way.'' 'The Counselor' is set to be released in the US on October 25th and in the UK on November 15th.
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