The 32-year-old British actor is all over the silver screen with a flurry of releases, including “The Jane Austen Book Club” this month. Dancy landed on Broadway to star in the World War I drama “Journey’s End” this year and is spotted frequently about town with girlfriend Claire Danes. But though he’s well-exposed on both sides of the pond, it’s been a struggle getting his movie about the 1994 Rwandan genocide, “Beyond the Gates,” seen by U.S. audiences. He talked to the Resident about his hope for a second life for the movie via its DVD release this month, his plunge into New York’s nightlife, and the usefulness of a British accent. —Cotton Delo

Did you know much about the Rwandan genocide before you started shooting “Beyond the Gates”?
HD: No, I have to tell you, I knew next to nothing. I now consider myself to have been somebody who would be a typical member of an audience for this movie in that the words Rwanda, genocide, Hutu and Tutsi would all have reverberated a little bit, but I couldn’t have told you who was killing who. I don’t think I really understood what genocide meant. It was a very big learning curve for me.

What was the shoot like?
HD: It was not the way I expected it to be. Obviously I thought it might have been very emotional – very difficult, I should say – and it was very emotional, but it was also one of the most uplifting experiences of my life. To work with people who’ve undergone events this tragic and yet to be welcomed with open arms and to witness their amazing powers of survival – just the warmth, was amazing … I’m not enormously optimistic, but really, if you ever want a testimony to the human spirit, this was it.

This movie was made in 2004, and it’s only recently gotten a U.S. release.
HD: A movie like this, it takes long enough to make the thing and to persuade people to get it made. And then once you’ve done that, you get to start the struggle all over again to convince people to buy it and show it to people. It came out in the UK and then it grew and it came out in Europe, and then there was a pause, and finally it came to the U.S. God knows, I was proud to see it on the big screen in America, and I think that’s where it deserved to be.

Did the fact that “Hotel Rwanda” was made around the same time make getting a U.S. release more difficult?
HD: I think it probably did in this country. I think that unfortunately there’s more of a tendency in the market, if I can use that word, [to feel] that we’ve seen the Rwanda film now, and that story’s been told. And of course that’s not the case.

Did you move to New York to appear in “Journey’s End”?
HD: That’s right. Unfortunately they wouldn’t let me commute from London, so I was here for the first five months of the year, and on and off I’ve been back here one way or another since then.

(more…)

Posted on September 25, 2007 by Anna
Filed In News • The Jane Austen Book Club
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First thing’s first: I added even more shots from the LA premiere of The Jane Austen Book Club. Some are HQ, some aren’t, but enjoy either way!

I also added tons of media in both Audio and Video (and got my computer back - yay!). First off, I uploaded the NYPR interview between Hugh and Robin Swicord, which is about 18 minutes long and is pretty entertaining. I also added Clip 6 and 7 from Book Club which you can download or watch at HDi’s YouTube Channel. I also added two premiere clips, though Hugh is not interviewed, unfortunately.

Finally, I was browsing Amazon earlier and came across this little find. Hugh has apparently lent his voice to another project! This time, it’s an audio book for George’s Secret Key to the Universe, a book written by Stephen and Lucy Hawking. Check out the cover and a short description below.

Stephen Hawking, author of the multi-million copy bestselling A Brief History of Time, and his daughter, Lucy, explain the universe to readers of all ages. George’s parents, who have always been wary of technology, warn him about their new neighbors: Eric is a scientist and his daughter, Annie, seems to be following in his footsteps. But when George befriends them and Cosmos, their super-computer, he finds himself on a wildly fun adventure, while learning about physics, time, and the universe. With Cosmos’s help, he can travel to other planets and a black hole. But what would happen if the wrong people got their hands on Cosmos? George, Annie, and Eric aren’t about to find out, and what ensues is a funny adventure that clearly explains the mysteries of science. Gary Parsons’ energetic illustrations add humor and interest, and his scientific drawings add clarity; there are also eight 4-page full-color inserts of scientific photos.

Sounds pretty cool to me.

• 29 x September 20th: “The Jane Austen Book Club” Los Angeles Premiere

Posted on September 25, 2007 by Anna
Filed In Audio • News • Public Appearances • The Jane Austen Book Club • Videos
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British actor Hugh Dancy puts his success in the States down to luck.

Speaking at the Los Angeles premiere of new movie The Jane Austen Book Club, Hugh revealed Hollywood hasn’t gone to his head: “I’ve just been very lucky with my career but my day-to-day life is really the same as it ever has been.”

“I wish I could say I was bathing in ass’s milk or something but I’m really not.”

Emily Blunt - who also stars in the film - couldn’t make the premiere, but her American co-stars stepped out on the red carpet, including former NYPD Blue star Jimmy Smits and Judging Amy actress Amy Brenneman.

The plot focuses on six Californians who start a club to discuss the works of Jane Austen, only to find their relationships - both old and new - begin to resemble 21st century versions of her novels.

It may be set in America but Hugh, who’s one of the films few Brits, confessed he’s no plans to up sticks from the UK: “I don’t live here, I still am back at home and I kind of think your life changes as much as you want it to, so I’m still doing the same thing and seeing the same people - no changes.”

Source: This Is Nottingham

Posted on September 24, 2007 by Anna
Filed In News • The Jane Austen Book Club
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Hey, guys, I’m finally around. Unfort., my computer is not, and I don’t know how long it’ll be til I get it back, but hopefully not forever as I want to be able to update the website with as much media as I can. As I’m home now, I’ll reply to e-mails much faster and I do have a way of updating pages on my mom’s computer, it’s just not nearly as convenient.

I also managed to add some more shots from the LA premiere of The Jane Austen Book Club! If you’ve managed to see the movie, definitely post what you thought of it somewhere on the site. Remember, it opens wide October 5th, so just a few more weeks! By that time, I should hopefully be able to upload more clips, media, the list goes on.

In the meantime, enjoy the gallery additions.

• 01 x Session 24
• 01 x Evening: Promotional Stills
• 42 x September 20th: “The Jane Austen Book Club” Los Angeles Premiere

Posted on September 23, 2007 by Anna
Filed In Gallery Updates • Public Appearances • The Jane Austen Book Club
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Hugh Dancy’s latest film, “The Jane Austen Book Club,” draws upon the titular author’s works, but in it, the sexy Mr. Dancy isn’t exactly a modern-day Mr. Darcy.

The romantic comedy, which opened Friday, follows the love lives of six members of a California reading group; Dancy is the club’s lone male, a computer geek named Grigg.

“He’s kind of nerdy, and a bit clumsy,” says Dancy of his character. “It’s not like he swoops in and grabs the girl. He’s a normal, slightly odd guy who’s comfortable in his skin.”

Having transplanted himself from London to New York last year for the Broadway production of “Journey’s End,” Dancy has stayed on in the city, where he’s helping girlfriend Claire Danes prepare for her Broadway debut in “Pygmalion” this fall (the pair began dating soon after filming the recent drama “Evening”).

Now playing catch-up on “all the really great theater” he missed while being onstage himself, Dancy says that during his downtime he and Danes skip the usual pursuits associated with high-profile acting couples.

“I think I’m quite old-fashioned in that respect,” the English actor says. “I’m in the [acting business] because I want to do the job, not to [help] open restaurants.”

His job in “Journey’s End” helped the production win a Tony for Best Revival of a Play, and added clout to the 32-year-old’s growing rep. (He did British TV before acting in films such as “Black Hawk Down,” “Ella Enchanted” and “King Arthur.”)

Dancy’s 2008 schedule will include another literary-minded work - he’s a voice in a kids’ cartoon TV project based on Edgar Allan Poe stories - but working with Danes now that they’re linked would be a challenge worthy of Jane Austen, he muses. “I’ve never acted with someone I knew [that] well,” says Dancy. “Maybe that would be strange.”

Source: New York Daily News

Posted on September 23, 2007 by Anna
Filed In News • The Jane Austen Book Club
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