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By Christina Radish
In the Universal Pictures intensely violent film Smokin’ Aces, written and directed by Joe Carnahan (Narc), mob boss Primo Sparazza (Joseph Ruskin) has taken out a hefty contract on Buddy “Aces” Israel (Jeremy Piven), who is a sleazy magician that has agreed to turn state’s evidence against the Vegas mob. Seizing the opportunity to use this small-time con to bring down a big target like Sparazza, the FBI places Israel in protective custody, under the supervision of two agents (played by Ryan Reynolds and Ray Liotta) who are dispatched to the Lake Tahoe hotel where Israel is hiding out with his bodyguards (one of whom includes Common, making his feature film debut).
When word of the hit fee hits the streets, spreading far and wide, it entices an assortment of degenerate psychopaths and assassins (including Ben Affleck, Peter Berg, Alicia Keys, Taraji Henson, Chris Pine and Martin Henderson, among others), all gunning for the bounty on Israel’s head. Soon, thugs-for-hire, deadly vixens and double-crossing mobsters have all joined in on the hunt, as they race to take out Israel and hit the jackpot.
Ryan Reynolds and Jeremy Piven join first-time actors Alicia Keys and Common, in talking to Mediablvd Magazine about their roles in Smokin’ Aces.
 Mediablvd Magazine> Ryan, this character is a bit different from what you've done in the past. What drew you to the project? Ryan Reynolds> I've certainly never been in a movie that's had this unique brand of unblinking violence before. That was new for me. But, it's like any other role. You tackle it in the same way, and you try to find the truth to it. I was really caught with this guy who was trapped in this bureaucratic FBI cluster-fuck, for lack of a better word, and because of that, loses someone that is very dear to him. For me, it was just about playing the truth of that, and I was alone throughout the movie because my character is sort of a rogue player and he kind of arrives to the party a little late, and in doing so, I didn't establish the special friendships that people seem to have made here. But, when all is said and done, it was great. I'm also just a huge fan of Joe Carnahan. He's such a charismatic individual, and he’s someone that applies every part of himself to the project that he's in. So, it was great for me.
Mediablvd> Your character is one of the only ones who is emotionally affected by the violence going on. Were there conversations about that perspective?
Ryan> No, that was just part of the story. He was the guy that was deeply affected by it, emotionally. He is put through the ringer, by the end of this adventure. That was the focal point for me, as the character. The climax for the character was my reason to do this movie. I wanted to really get inside of this guy and find out what made him tick. I haven't done a lot of films where I had to jump into something in this way. It took the most effort and was a departure from anything that I've been comfortable in.
Mediablvd> Alicia, assuming you've probably gotten offers to start your movie career before, what made you brave enough to say that you weren't going to do the cute little love interest role, and go for something as gritty as this?
Alicia Keys> Obviously, that was one of my most important things. I did not want to play a character that was a reflection of who I am. I also wanted my first film to be something where I was surrounded by an amazing cast. This fit that criteria to the fullest. I wanted to do something that was completely unexpected and totally out of the box, that was something that would blow people's minds and was the last thing on planet earth that anyone would ever think I would do. It was very exciting, and it totally took me out of my element and out of my comfort zone completely. It challenged me in a way that was very rewarding for me.
 Mediablvd> How did you go about actually developing your character, Georgia Sykes?Alicia> There was tremendous work that went into developing Georgia, in regard to the acting and digging into her. When I was with my coach, I called it therapy because she dug things out of me as a human being where I thought, “Wow!” But, I knew that if I didn't, or wasn't able to, address them there in that room with her, then I would never be able to address them on that set. That was intense work for me to do. I physically worked out, tremendously. Our gun training was extensive, to the point that my hands were cut and bleeding, and it hurt very badly. But, these were all things that were a part of developing Georgia and discovering what Georgia's story was, where she came from, what her life had been like that, why she felt that this was what she had to do and why it was her only option, and what it was about her relationship with men that would make Georgia feel these feelings. There were deep discoveries that went into pulling Georgia out of my understanding of who I wanted her to be.
Mediablvd> When you talk about going out of your comfort zone, what did you learn about acting that will inform you now as an artist and vocalist?
Alicia> I felt that I rediscovered how tremendously close the two worlds are. I grew up in the theater. My mother is an actress. I was always around the world of acting, and I was always amazed by the way that people would come in looking one way and transform completely, to the point where I couldn't recognize their language and their accent, the way that looked, and even their hair and their faces changed, in becoming the character. So, I think that I reconnected to the way that that affects me so much when I see a film that moves me, in one way or another. That connects so much to what I do as an artist as well. The two are very close, in regards to drawing on your life experience, drawing on something that you understand and transforming it into something that you give to the world.
Mediablvd> Common, what about for you?
Common> I just learned to be a freer artist. I think that acting made me more comfortable with myself because I started getting more in tune, by doing roles or even just being around people. That gave me a certain confidence and I started digging into parts of myself that I had probably ignored, and don't really get to express because Common is an artist that is conscious and is aware and is trying to put a positive energy to the world. Being able to be acting and doing other things has opened me up as an artist, even from a visual standpoint, as far as writing goes.
Mediablvd> Jeremy, this is a very emotional film for you, all of your scenes. Can you just go in and out of that easily, or do you stay in that mode for the whole day?
Jeremy Piven> That's just what you live for as an actor. When we met on this role, Joe said, “Do you want to go deep?” I've waited my entire life for that moment. I had been doing it onstage in Chicago for a couple hundred people, and so, I’ve always known that I have an emotional instrument and I'm accessible in that way. I’m a big cry baby, so I knew that I could tap into that. Also, even though a character like this is far from my experience, there are a lot of metaphors there, when you have a guy like this, who is looking at himself in the mirror ,and wondering who he is and if he's a charlatan. Any one of us have had moments where we question ourselves, so these things are not too far from something that we can get in touch with. You just have to make it real and go to that place. We had a moment where I had to get really emotional and I wasn't quite clicking in the way that I wanted to do. Joe asked me to put this little twist into it that threw me off balance for a little bit, so I had to call upon some other stuff. I connected on a very deep level, and that ends up being in the movie. The whole thing was just a complete gift. Joe and I knew that if you didn't care about this guy, if he had no heart, if he didn’t have some potential as a human being, and if it wasn't a tragedy, then all the hard work that everyone puts into trying to kill him wouldn't mean as much. You needed to have that central character be tragic. It was just an honor to be able to live fully through that guy.
 Mediablvd> How long did it take you to learn all the card tricks that your character does? Did you work with a magician to learn them? Jeremy> Paul Wilson was the guy that I worked with for the magic, and the thing that he said that was the most important was that you have to actually pull a trick off in front of people, and he was absolutely right. I went to the Magic Castle, and I actually did a trick. It is addicting. I've been on the stage my entire life, as an actor, but it's another level. I had never really been around cards, so I really had to work extra hard, and always have them in my hand. They’re like worry beads for the character.
Mediablvd> How did you develop that on screen bond you have with Common, and if you have remained friends?
Jeremy> Absolutely, to the point where I'm stalking him. It's actually awkward for him. No. The synchronicity is pretty heavy. I met him backstage before his show, and he had this poetic energy on stage that was very soulful and peaceful, and yet I saw this element of danger. He was so theatrical in his presence and his cadence, as a rapper, which is so similar to human speech when you're in front of the camera. And, he has this duality, as an artist, which is something that you can’t direct or teach someone to do. So, I knew that he could do it, probably before he even confirmed himself. I just called Joe immediately and said, “This guy is just so perfect.” He had already auditioned and was the front runner and was killing it, so it was really clear, anyway. The synchronicity was amazing. We just connected. We're both from Chicago and are kind of kindred spirits. Immediately, I felt very comfortable with him and it was almost as if we went to high school together, or something. Where had a kind of shorthand. Both Common and Alicia are superstars, and then they come to a new arena and they're students and were very open to the whole process, which says a lot about them as human beings. That is the reason why they're such great artists. It's a collaborative medium, and they get that. It was so fun to do this because Common was doing this for the first time, and so I got renewed about it as well. There's not a weak link in this film. I was really, really proud watching it because it's a true ensemble piece. Everyone is really strong.
Mediablvd> Common, after having worked together in this capacity, do you and Alicia have any plans to do anything together, musically?
Common> I've been blessed to perform some shows with Alicia, and I was also featured on her Unplugged album. We're artists, and I respect her as a woman and as an artist. When the time is right, we might connect like that. If she had a song, or if I had a song, I would be down for that.
Alicia> It's a beautiful thing because rarely are you able to establish a relationship with a person where you get to know them. Here, though, I can call him on the phone and say, “Hey, what's going on with you? Where's your head and how is everything with you?” To be able to have that without having to go, “By the way, can we get on this music together real quick?,” is amazing.
 Mediablvd> What does acting give you that your music does not?Alicia> Personally, I feel that acting is not so totally different from singing and being a musician because the way that I write a song, it's a memory, or a moment in my life. Three years later, when I'm on stage signing that same song, I have to recall what it was about, at that moment in my life, that made it real for me, and bring that back to the moment on stage, to make it real for you. To me, that is the same technique that I use in a very basic way for acting as well. So, I find that they're very similar, which is why it's not such a stretch, or a leap. But, what acting does bring that music doesn't bring is the opportunity to be completely different, in every way, from who we normally are. To have the opportunity to be the complete opposite of who I am when I wake up in the morning, is the excitement of it. I think that personally allowed me to access places in myself that, perhaps, I had never accessed before because they are not who I am, on a daily basis. That is the part of it that I love tremendously.
Common> I have to agree with Alicia. For me, it's just another way to express myself, as an artist. I had to battle with myself for a minute about wanting to establish myself as an actor. I don't want to be seen as this rapper/actor, but I realized that if you're an artist, you're an artist. You can express that through music, through painting, through photography, or through acting. This is just another way for me to express myself. Overall, as far as artistry goes, it is a similar expression. Alicia answered it when she said that you basically discover other things about yourself that you probably wouldn't have, just writing songs sometimes.
Mediablvd> Ryan, can you talk about what is going on with The Flash?
Ryan> It's a $180 billion movie, if they do it. I don't know how that stuff works and I don't really get involved with it. I think that, if they're going to do it, they're going to see it through the eyes of Wally West and it's inanimate world. I honestly don't know that much about it. It's just a huge undertaking. So, I would love to wear a red unitard sometime, but I can do that on my own.
Mediablvd> Alicia, what kind of character do you play in The Nanny Diaries?
Alicia> Her name is Lynette and, in every way, she is tremendously different from Georgia, which is a reason why I chose to do that film. She is way more bohemian. She is the earth of the movie and is the one person that has sense. It’s a great film. I love it very much. Working with Scarlett Johansson was fantastic. And, being able to take a character that wasn't precisely like me, but still so different from where I just came from, was a tremendous experience. That's what I want to continue to do.
Mediablvd> Jeremy, do you have a goal, or vision, for your future, and are you on a track with the things that you want to achieve?
Jeremy> I never really get too far ahead of myself, but there is a lot of stuff out there. For so much of my career, I've been trying to find little things and make something out of it. This role was one of those gems. This is the best role that I've ever had in my life. It was just a true gift to be with this cast, and to have Joe be at the helm was magical. As far as the rest of it, I started a company and I'm producing some stuff right now, and I’ve gotten the rights to some stuff. I wrote a script and I've been whispering in directors’ ears for a really long time. I'd love to direct. I know that everyone says that, but for me, it's true. And, I'd love to get the girl in something, if that's possible.
Mediablvd> Do you know anything about season four of Entourage yet?
Jeremy> I know a lot about it just because it's going to be 20 episodes and we've already shot some of them. To me, it's the best stuff that we've done because I get to do so much. HBO does something that most networks don't do, which is to give a show a chance to find their voice. Unfortunately, with networks, everyone is worried about their jobs and they pull shows based on ratings. Back in the day, shows like Seinfeld didn’t have ratings, out of the gate. So, I think the show is hitting it's stride, and the best stuff is in the season to come. Ari Gold will rise like the Phoenix. You can't count him out of it.
Mediablvd> Do you think that the boys were right to fire Ari?
Jeremy> One of the things that you should never is judge your characters, so I don't have any distance, to be honest with you, because I'm so in that Ari Gold space, in terms of trying to flesh him out and give him as much integrity as possible. I don't see the totality of it. My view of it is totally skewed. I say that they were wrong. |
