Thanks so much to our affiliate Nikki Reed Central for the heads up on this new Q&A with Jackson. Enjoy!

Gallery Link: Set 014

While Rob Pattinson and Taylor Lautner are wrapped up in the Twi-limelight, their co-star Jackson Rathbone is zooming along under the radar, carefully crafting his career as an actor, producer and musician. We sat down with the 25-year-old rising star to talk about his roles in not one but two of this summer’s biggest movies. First up, he reprises his role as Jasper Hale in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse and then stars in M. Night Shyamalan’s fantasy adventure, The Last Airbender.

SNMag: Tell us about your role in The Last Airbender…
Jackson Rathbone: I play a young warrior named Sokka who, along with his sister, discovers a mysterious boy trapped in the ice; they free him and end up on a quest to save the world. It’s a very fantastical story that originated out of the Nickelodeon cartoon and now it’s a live action epic fantasy.

SNMag: Did you have to do any training or physical prep for the role?
JR: There was a good two months of kung fu training in LA and then continued training while we were filming. But it was really fun, I loved it. That’s one of the really cool things about being an actor: you get paid to learn kung fu!

SNMag: What kind of stunts did you have to do?
JR: Mostly it was hand to hand combat. My character doesn’t have any special abilities…so I’d do a lot of scenes where I fight off guys with swords and spears and all I had to fight with was the boomerang. It’s a little bit nerve-wracking, even when it’s a plastic sword coming at you.

SNMag: How was your experience working with M. Night Shyamalan?
JR: It was amazing. The Sixth Sense is one of my favorite thrillers and I love Night’s other work. So it felt like great as an actor to be working with somebody I’ve respected and admired for years.

SNMag: What was your initial reaction when you were cast in Twilight?
JR: It’s a great book series and Jasper has such a lush backstory so I was just really excited. But then I started getting calls from my cousins and they were even more excited than me so that kind of upped the ante – playing a character that my family knows and are excited about seeing me portray on the big screen.
Continue…

1 Commented

The family that slays together, stays together.

At least that’s the case for the Cullen brood.

In “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” which hits theaters June 30, Seattle is ravaged by a series of killings caused by an army of newborn vampires controlled by revenge-seeking bloodsucker Victoria. To combat the threat against Bella ( Kristen Stewart) in this third installment of the franchise, the Cullens must band together and join forces with their sworn enemies, the wolf pack.

“The whole family is in a vulnerable position because of the love we have for Bella,” said Elizabeth Reaser, who plays matriarch Esme Cullen. “If she’s not OK, we’re not OK.”

In the past, we’ve seen the clan hit baseballs so hard that they can play only in a thunder storm, to block out the sound. And we’ve watched the buttoned-up human imposters welcome Bella into their home as the human girlfriend of one of their own — the handsome Edward.

“This time around, you get to see their true vampire-ness,” said Peter Facinelli, who plays head vampire Dr. Carlisle Cullen in the series based on the bestselling books by Stephenie Meyer.

What can we expect from the pale-faced Cullen family (which includes the Hale siblings) this go around? Here’s what the actors say audiences can expect from the story and their characters:

Facinelli: “For me, as Carlisle, it’s an exciting portion of the series. Carlisle is very compassionate and he has a lot of killing to do in this movie. I joke, after he kills the bad guys, he says he’s sorry in his head. And, you know, he’s calm and level-headed. He’s the rock of the family. He usually has a lot of information to draw from because Alice can see into the future and Edward can read minds. In this third movie, he’s not getting that information. Neither one of his sources are working, so he’s kind of flying blind.”

Ashley Greene (as Alice Cullen): “Yeah, she’s delicate and prissy at times, but Alice gets a little edgier with each installment. And with these vampires messing with her family and the people she loves, you’re going to see a bit of her toughness. It’s a reminder to the audience that even though we restrain ourselves at times, we’re still vampires and we’re dangerous. You’re going to see the dark, dangerous side of Alice.”

Jackson Rathbone (as Jasper Hale): “You’ll get to see a little bit of the root of what makes Jasper so withdrawn and quiet in the Cullen family. Fans will get some of Jasper’s back story in ‘Eclipse.’ I got to wear the whole Civil War gear and everything. There’s a bit of the softer and darker side of Jasper in this film.”

You can read the article in its entirety here at the L.A. Times.

2 Commented

SAUGUS, California — These days, there are people who would gladly name their first-born child Renesmee if given the opportunity to see June 30′s “Eclipse” two months early. Granted, Ashley Greene has connections that give her a level of access no normal Twilighter could achieve — but recently, she saw a chunk of David Slade’s upcoming film and couldn’t help geeking out like any other Stephenie Meyer fan.

“I’m so excited about it!” Greene told us recently when we visited her on the set of “The Apparition,” a supernatural thriller that marks her first starring role.

In mid-March, Ashley was called in for “automated dialogue replacement,” a process used by movies in post-production to have actors dub in lines that need to be tweaked or added to the finished film. In order to do so, actors are typically shown the completed footage so they can time their line readings correctly.

“A month ago, I got together with David Slade and we did the whole ADR thing,” Greene recalled. “And every time I’m in ADR, I’m like, ‘Why don’t you just roll the scene? I just need to see the whole scene.’ ”

Naturally, we’re guessing any good Twilighter would do the same. As a result of Ashley’s “thorough” approach to ADR work, she was among the first to enjoy some soon-to-be-classic “Eclipse” goodies.

“I got to see a lot of footage from it,” Ashley said. “And it looks really amazing.

“For one, the werewolves just look incredible in this one,” Greene said, adding that the beastly transformations of Jacob Black and his buddies are much improved over their “Breaking Dawn” manifestations. “They looked good in the last one, but of course we’re always trying to outdo ourselves, and so they look really incredible.

“Then, the whole fight sequence that I’ve seen really looks amazing,” Greene said of another of her favorite moments in the film, which is expected to bring more action and blood than any of the previous “Twilight” movies. “We worked our tails off for it.”

Singling out one more moment, she added: “I definitely think there is one scene in particular between Jackson [Rathbone]‘s character Jasper and my character Alice that I think everyone is going to like.”

With just over two months left before the eagerly anticipated film’s release, Ashley left her “Twilight” fans with some encouraging words: “I don’t think anyone will be disappointed.”

Source

Can’t wait to see the J/A scene! ;)

9 Commented

SAUGUS, California — Less than a month after Kristen Stewart confirmed to us the three leading candidates to direct “Breaking Dawn,” word has leaked that “Dreamgirls” filmmaker Bill Condon may have emerged as Summit Entertainment’s top choice for the final “Twilight” tale.

As Twilighters continue to hold their breath in anticipation of a big announcement likely to come soon, we spoke with another Stephenie Meyer fan who has a more personal stake in the decision: The lovely and talented Ashley Greene. Hard at work these days filming her first starring role in the supernatural thriller “The Apparition,” the woman sometimes known as Alice Cullen took a break from shooting to give us her breakdown of the big three “Breaking Dawn” candidates.

“They didn’t get to where they are by making mediocre, boring films,” Ashley said of her excitement over the names. “I think they would all bring incredible elements to the films, and that’s what I think we’ve been doing the whole time. You’ve seen such a difference between Catherine [Hardwicke], and then we went to Chris Weitz and then David Slade, and it’s progressively getting a little darker.

“They are all incredible directors,” she added. “I think we’d be very happy with all of them.”

Gus Van Sant: “I became excited about Gus Van Sant not too long ago, because I was reading a script that Bryce Dallas Howard was actually producing [with him called 'Restless']; she was talking to me a little bit about him and the film as a whole,” Ashley said of the avant-garde filmmaker behind everything from blockbusters (“Good Will Hunting”) to bizarre indie flicks (“My Own Private Idaho”). “I think Gus Van Sant would be pretty amazing.”

Sofia Coppola: “In ['Breaking Dawn'] in particular, there’s this whole thing about Bella finally just getting to be with Edward and her going through pregnancy and her having a child, and it’s a lot of stuff from a female point of view,” explained Greene, saying that the “Lost in Translation” filmmaker could inject a welcome return to feminism unseen since Hardwicke left the franchise. “I definitely think that would be kind of cool.”

Bill Condon: “I haven’t seen ['Gods and Monsters'] … I actually haven’t seen ‘Dreamgirls’ either,” Greene sheepishly admitted of Condon’s 1998 and 2006 Oscar-winning masterpieces, joking nonetheless that if he wanted to add some song-and-dance numbers to “Breaking Dawn,” she wouldn’t complain. “I wouldn’t mind; I think if he were to direct, I’d be right there in his ear going, ‘So you know, I used to dance and I can sing.’ I definitely wouldn’t mind doing a musical. It’s one of the things I definitely plan on doing [in my film career].”

Source

What do you all think about the potential directors?

2 Commented

Here’s a recent interview taken by IESB with Ashley.

Just last week, a handful of online websites, including IESB, got to chat with Twilight star Ashley Greene. During the interview, she spoke about her role in the upcoming indie Skateland, about the dramatic events in small-town Texas in the early ’80s, that force a 19-year-old skating rink manager to look at his life in a very new way, and how bummed she was to miss its premiere at Sundance.

The actress also talked about the difference between working with Chris Weitz for The Twilight Saga: New Moon and David Slade for the next installment, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, and how she would love to try her hand at comedy, musicals and action.

Q: Can you talk about Skateland? Did it hurt not to be able to be at Sundance for it?

Ashley: I did really want to be there. For anyone who doesn’t know, Skateland is an independent film I did, directly after Twilight. It’s a movie that takes place in the 1980′s. It was directed by Tony Burns and, when it got into Sundance, I actually cried. I was in New York, doing press for New Moon, and that was the one thing I wanted and needed. We had Twilight, and I had just signed on to do The Apparition, and I was a lead in a studio film, which was incredible. And then, I said I would love for one of my films to go to Sundance. I will not go to Sundance unless I have a film there because sometimes it’s kind of a circus. So, it got in, I was ecstatic and then the snow ruined everything.

We were starting rehearsals for The Apparition, and I had to be there for the whole film. We had a lot to discuss and go over. And, it became a concern, at the last minute, that either I was going to get snowed in at Sundance, or I was going to get snowed out of Berlin, and I wasn’t going to be able to make a flight in. I also would have already been in Berlin for two day, have to go back to go to Sundance, and then go back to Berlin two days later. It just would have been exhausting and not a good way to start off a film. As much as I wanted to be there, and I was bummed that I wasn’t there, I was also excited to be a part of this and understood, if there was any other way, I would have been there. On both sides, as far as Skateland goes, and as far as the studio goes for The Apparition, everyone was working really hard to get me there. It was one of those things that didn’t work out, but I figured that it was in Sundance and it was going to do what it was going to do. It was still going to get press, and it has. And, I got to go to SXSW, so it all worked out.

Q: For The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, did David Slade give you a syllabus or mission statement, the way that Chris Weitz did for The Twilight Saga: New Moon?

Ashley: No, he definitely didn’t give us that. But, each of the cast did sit down and have hour-long, sit-down conversations with him, probably two or three times, going over the whole script and us highlighting anything that we wanted to talk about. He went about it a different way, but he was also very open about forming some type of collaboration. The directors have their own vision. They don’t want to change our characters, but their vision may be a little different. Obviously, David Slade has a little darker spin on it than Chris Weitz may have had, so we had to find a way to mold them together.

Q: Have you read the new novella that Stephenie Meyer has coming out?

Ashley: Are you talking about the fifth book (Midnight Sun), that didn’t come out? I read some of it, probably during Twilight, before that whole thing happened and it got out.
Continue…

3 Commented

If you’re dying to see more fight scenes in the next “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” trailer, you’re not alone. Star Jackson Rathbone also wants to see more vampires battling it out in upcoming teasers for the film, which comes out (not that you need to be reminded) on June 30.

“There are some really cool action scenes,” Jackson told Hollywood Crush. “We worked with some amazing stunt men and women who were so incredible and just a lot of fun to work with and collaborate with. They taught me a lot. So I hope to see a lot more of the action [in the next 'Eclipse' trailer].”

Though we don’t learn much about Jackson’s Jasper Hale in “Twilight” and “New Moon,” his background is explored much more in “Eclipse.” “I’m excited for a step up with Jasper’s character,” Jackson said. “It’s been two, three years and now I get to kind of go outside and show a little bit more of what makes Jasper tick. We get to go into his back story — see where he came from, who he was before, what makes him who we see in the first film of ‘Twilight,’ what makes him seem like he’s always in pain, why he’s always in pain … because he is.”

So why, exactly, is he in so much agony? “He’s almost depressed,” Jackson said. “He wants to live a good life. He wants to be part of the Cullen family. He is the newest to this vegetarian vampire way of life, and he’s still trying to be part of that and address his inner demons and what he used to be. It was really fun to be able to express that.”

Jackson credits director David Slade, whom he called “amazing,” with helping to show how Jasper evolved into his present self. “I’ve always been a fan of his, especially his first film, ‘Hard Candy.’ I thought he did an incredible job with ’30 Days of Night,’ so when I first got there, I talked his ear off about ’30 Days of Night’ and how he got a couple of shots and all that.”

Some of Jackson’s favorite scenes to film were the ones that explore Jasper’s origins. “Whenever we got to go into Jasper’s back story,” he said, “I got to don the Civil War regalia and ride a horse. It had been years since I’d been on a horse, so it was fun. I used to ride when I was in Texas.”

According to some folks in the know (i.e. lucky people who have seen parts of the film), Jackson gives one of breakout performances in “Eclipse.” Jackson, however, brushed off the compliment, saying it was a little too soon to judge.

“I’d say wait for the film before you compliment me,” he chuckled.

Source

5 Commented

Jackson never gets enough media coverage, so it’s great to see him give an interview with Reelz Channel in which he discusses “Eclipse” and The Last Airbender. Check it out and captures in the gallery!

Gallery Link: Reelz Channel Interview

1 Commented

New Moon co-star Michael Sheen interviewed Ashley for Interview magazine. Along with the interview come three gorgeous photos. Check them out in the gallery and the interview below!

Gallery Link: Session 041

In the Twilight movies, Ashley Greene plays the saga’s resident good-girl vampire, Alice Cullen—all pixie haircut and motherly touch, not a hint of bloodlust in her earnest high-school demeanor. Greene’s career—and her life—has changed dramatically since she was cast in the blockbuster series. For one thing, teenage girls shake uncontrollably and burst into tears when they see her on the street. For another, it was just a couple of years ago that the 22-year-old Greene was struggling to land guest spots with no dialogue, and almost had to leave Los Angeles and return to her hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, where she’d originally planned to study psychology and law. But now, she’s booking movies faster than she can make them—including her first big lead, in the upcoming supernatural thriller, The Apparition. Michael Sheen, Greene’s co-star in Twilight and New Moon, recently caught up with the actress.

MICHAEL SHEEN: Okay. This is my first question. This is the only really serious one, and then the rest are quite funny. The first one is: As an elf, raised by humans, have you found a lot of discrimination against the fairy folk here in Hollywood?

ASHLEY GREENE: Well, I think they’re just jealous that I sparkle and speak elfin and have cute little pointy ears.

SHEEN: It’s true.

GREENE: So, yes, there’s discrimination. But I really don’t care.

SHEEN: You do get described as pixie-like a lot. In my younger days, I used to get described as sort of elf-like. I think it’s probably a lot easier to deal with that if you’re a pretty girl, rather than a sort of average-looking boy.

GREENE: I’m sorry about your adolescence.

SHEEN: Thank you. Well, look, let’s take a second and go back to the beginning, Ashley Greene. You grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. Is that correct?

GREENE: That is correct.
Continue…

3 Commented

Interview has named Ashley as one of the 20 most beautiful people of the decade.

With five films scheduled to come out in the next year, it’s safe to say that Ashley Greene is riding the momentum from the absurd Twilight wave. The young vampire with the psychic abilities—she also has the power to make girls literally break down in tears in public—has already survived a sex-tape scandal, so that’s out of her teen idol system. But how far into her own future can she see? From where we’re standing, the near-future, at least, looks promising.

ASHLEY GREENE: “I grew up in a house that would be perfect to set a horror movie in. It was out in the country, right on the water. I’m glad I never got to see scary movies when I was young. Otherwise I would have imagined things coming out of the lake.

Also on the list is Robert. You can check out the list in its entirety HERE.

4 Commented

New article/interview from USA today!

New Moon star Ashley Greene is still getting a grip on her rise to fame — but with a full slate of upcoming projects, she’s making sure her career extends beyond vampires and werewolves.

“Instantly we have this fan base, instantly we have these careers and people know who we are,” says the actress, 22, who likened the rush to “instant happiness. … People now actually care about what projects I’m in.”

Greene was 17 when she moved to Los Angeles from Florida after graduating high school a semester early, and now, after being cast as prescient vampire Alice Cullen in the film adaptation of Stephenie Meyer’s vampire romance series, Greene’s visibility has skyrocketed. In addition to the release of Twilight: Eclipse June 30, Greene has two additional wrapped films under her belt.

Just like the first two Twilight movies, Eclipse has a different director, David Slade, who Greene says is “definitely different from Catherine (Hardwicke) and Chris (Weitz). He is technically the most specific director that I’ve ever worked with.” Greene says fans of the franchise should expect Slade to “bring a darker element to this film. He seems to kind of specialize in that.”

That darker side includes Alice as well. “In (Twilight), you see that quality about Alice that makes her so lovable is she’s so positive and upbeat. In (New Moon), you see how she takes these uncomfortable situations and she’s sassy and she brings light to a dark scene,” Greene says. “In (Eclipse), you get to see a little bit of a darker side when her family is in danger. You get to see once again that she is an animal and she’s not human.”

As for adding non-vampire films to her résumé, Greene will be at Sundance in January for the premiere of Skateland. “The fact that we’re going to Sundance is a validity factor for an actor doing something you’re passionate about.”

Continue…

4 Commented