Dean O'Gorman: Hitting the big time - New Interview about Trumbo, Career, and Photography

An interesting new radio interview with Dean O'Gorman about Trumbo, his career after The Hobbit, and his photography.

Click below for the interview:

Dean O'Gorman: Hitting the big time

Award Time: Richard Armitage, Hugh Dancy, Dean O'Gorman, Sean Bean

(Don't know who created this image - saw it in tweet from Kirk Whelan-Foran)

Great news from the Critic's Choice Award

GUEST ACTOR/ACTRESS IN A 

DRAMA SERIES

Richard Armitage 

 Hannibal – NBC

Congratulations Richard

ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Hugh Dancy – Hannibal – NBC

And

ACTING ENSEMBLE

Trumbo

Dean O'Gorman in the cast

(Trumbo cast also nominated for a SAG Award)

The Martian

Best Picture

Sean Bean in the cast 

 The awards will be held on January 17 at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. It will air simultaneously on A&E, Lifetime and LMN.

The Critics' Choice Movie Awards (formerly known as the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award) is an awards show presented annually by the Broadcast Film Critics Association (BFCA).

 The awards were originally named simply Critics' Choice Awards. In 2010, the word Movie was added to their name, to differentiate them from the Critics' Choice Television Award, which were first bestowed the following year by the newly created Broadcast Television Critics Association. The name Critics' Choice Awards now officially refers to both sets of awards collectively. (Wikipedia)

The Broadcast Television Critics Association was formed to represent the professional interests of those who regularly cover television for TV viewers. 

http://www.criticschoice.com/

Trumbo Review

I went to see the new movie Trumbo this holiday long weekend.  I will confess right away that my main interest in going to see this movie was to see Dean O'Gorman. 

For those that don't know, Dean O'Gorman plays Kirk Douglas in the film about blacklisted award winning screenwriter Dalton Trumbo.

The film of course has a political viewpoint, it's a political film. I mostly keep away from politics on this blog, and I certainly don't want to get into the politics of this one. But I recommend this film to everyone as a good film, good acting, true story. It's not just about Hollywood history, but part of American history, and Cold War history.

I haven't seen any of the shows that Bryan Cranston is famous for, but he made me believe he was this man, Dalton Trumbo. He was funny, tragic, and always human in portraying Trumbo. Lucky for the actor though that we may know this man's films, but few would know the look and sound of the real Trumbo. 

I liked the Trumbo family dynamics too. I especially liked the two young actors who played his oldest daughter at different ages, Madison Wolfe and Elle Fanning. 

Helen Mirren also had the good fortune that most film goers today won't have seen the real Hedda Hopper. Though a good performance, I thought at times she was a bit too extreme in showing Hollywood columnist Hopper's villainous ways. Scary how much power she and fellow columnist Louella Parsons had in their day. 

Not that the Hollywood media still doesn't have power to make or break careers. But now we have Twitter, Facebook, Periscope, Instagram, and who knows what else. 

I also have to confess that I grew up watching classic movies, from the time I was born probably! I know all these legendary actors portrayed in this film very well, know their movies well.What a challenging job for this group of actors. I'm glad none of them tried an impersonation of Edward G. Robinson, or John Wayne, or Kirk Douglas. That would not have been successful, and almost impossible to do without it looking a bit like a comedy act. So, to the actors and director's credit, they all played their characters as "regular" people, with a mannerism or two thrown in to make us acknowledge who they were playing. The one I had the most trouble believing as Edward G. Robinson was Michael Stuhlbarg. But I did believe in the troubles of Robinson as a man, confronted with a choice most of us are lucky we don't have to make. 

To me, Dean O'Gorman was very convincing as Kirk Douglas. He looks very much like the young Kirk. I thought O'Gorman's confident attitude and slight bravado on screen were much like Douglas the man and movie star I've seen in talk shows most of my life. It's a small role, but a pivotal role, in the film. 

And yes, Dean looks very good in the Spartacus....costume.

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Dean O'Gorman's "No Man's Land" Exhibit Opens in Frankfurt

Masculinity, vulnerability and the First World War are his subjects. "I use only natural light," he told us, and remembered, "a farmer allowed me to work with the bulldozer to field soil so, so it muddy and rutted looked like a battlefield."


http://www.top-magazin-frankfurt.de/news/no-mans-land-von-dean-ogorman/

Getting ready.. @braubachfive pic.twitter.com/QGE2zrtzmS

— Dean O'gorman (@Deanogormano) October 4, 2015

 http://www.fnp.de/lokales/frankfurt/stadtgefluester/Hobbit-Fotograf-zeigt-seine-Bilder;art51666,1628564

Congratulations Dean 

Una Ultima Vez

  
" ...it was largely due to him that the Kingdom under the Mountain was restored...we might now only hope to return from the victory here to ruin and ash. But that has been averted ...because I met Thorin Oakenshield one evening...not far from Bree."  Gandalf talking about Thorin to Frodo, Pippin, Merry, and Gimli. (Unfinished Tales, J.R.R. Tolkien)

Screencaps from Heirs of Durin

and RichardArmitageNet.com 



(crop of Fili, Thorin, and Kili is mine)

Dean O'Gorman to Play Kirk Douglas in "Trumbo" (update 9/26/14)

Very exciting news - according to Dark Horizons Dean O'Gorman has just signed to play Kirk Douglas in the biopic  "Trumbo" starring Bryan Cranston and Helen Mirren.

Congratulations Dean!  

"Dalton Trumbo, one of the highest-paid screenwriters in Hollywood during the 1940s and early 1950s who was blacklisted when he refused to testify in front of the House Un-American Activities Committte.


Kirk Douglas starred in and executive produced "Spartacus" and hired Trumbo to write the script. He also gave Trumbo credit under his own name, that gesture chipping away at the negative stigma placed on the blacklisted writers."

More from Dark Horizons:

http://www.darkhorizons.com/news/34012/dean-o-gorman-is-kirk-douglas-in-trumbo?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

They're filming now in New Orleans.

Kirk Douglas around the time of filming "Spartacus" - I see the resemblance:

 Update 9/26/14 from Dean O'Gorman Online - US

Article from New Zealand Herald:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=11331506

"It's a major coup for O'Gorman who auditioned for the role only a month ago by Skype from his home in Auckland.

Two weeks later, he was flown to Los Angeles by director Jay Roach (Austin Powers, Meet the Parents) and screen-tested in person. Then came the fittings for the facial prosthetics, including the famous Douglas chin dimple, and the 1940s wardrobe.

"The movie is a huge boost for Dean's profile. He's extremely honoured to be working alongside such a stellar cast, who all signed on knowing he's one of the lead roles," said his New Zealand agent, Imogen Johnson.

"It's a testament to Dean's reputation. He's humble and hard-working. People love working with him and he's always in demand."  From www.nzherald.co.nz

The Hobbit 30 Day Challenge - Day 25

Favorite Scene In The Movie?

This Challenge was created before The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey premiered. Now we have not one, but two movies, and many more scenes to love.  I'm picking a scene from each film, favorites among favorites.

From The Hobbit: AUJ the scene at Bag End between Thorin and Balin.  It's a beautifully acted scene between two very good actors. For me it remains a favorite because it sets up the "father"/son relationship between Balin and Thorin*. This theme, this underlying relationship, clearly much more than a monarch and his trusted counselor, becomes even more important when they reach the Lonely Mountain. 

Looking forward to more memorable scenes between Richard Armitage and Ken Stott in the third film. 

  

A favorite scene from The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is again about "father and sons" or in this scene, uncle and nephews. It's the first time that we really see Kili and Fili relating to Thorin as the only father they've really known.  (In case someone reading this doesn't know, Thorin is brother to Dis, Kili and Fili's mother.) In the scene between Fili and Thorin, we see the younger dwarf breaking down emotionally, appealing to his uncle not his king, and we see Thorin trying to control his emotions and act as leader.  The next moment that follows we hear Fili for the first time call Thorin "Uncle" and if we listen closely we get a memory of their life together before the quest, "stories you told us".  I'm getting my extra boxes of tissues ready for the third film. 

*Note: In the novel The Hobbit, Thorin is older than Balin, not so clearly in the films. 

Screencaps are mine or from Richard Armitage Central.

The creator of the Challenge:

http://peregrint.tumblr.com/post/14786959121/my-the-hobbit-30-day-challenge

http://peregrint.tumblr.com/

The Heirs of Durin - How do I Love Thee! Richard Armitage, Aidan Turner, Dean O'Gorman Interviews

Fun and Informative Interview with the best brother team in Middle-earth

I'm adding the above interview from Warner Bros France with Richard Armitage to my list of favorites from the DOS Premiere Press onslaught. 

Uncle Thorin, I'm falling in love more and more, and I haven't seen the movie yet.

I really want all of them to go back to New Zealand for more pick-ups next year, they all seem to have had such fun, and bonded as friends, and they all want to see each other again, and work together again, I hope they do.  

(and I think Aidan is wearing the Durin family T-Shirt!)

Thanks to Middle Earth News, Richard Armitage Central, 

Warner Bros France, Collider 

New Interview with Dean O'Gorman: The AU Interview at Supanova 2013

Dean O'Gorman has given another interesting interview for an Australian online site, theaureview.com. I think it gives a bit of insight into what not just Dean but the entire dwarf cast and their leader have been experiencing since the premiere of AUJ.  Dean is always thoughtful with his answers and always modest. 

Here are a few excerpts I found interesting and a link to the entire interview below. 

Okay, so obviously, The Hobbit has been doing amazing things…one of those things being giving you the opportunity to travel and attend events like Supanova. Have you had time to reflect on it all?

No, not at all!

Do you think it’d be a scary thing if you did? Overwhelming?

I don’t really think I could ever really get a perspective on it, because I’ve got such a different way of looking at this, because I’ve been so involved in the process. At things like premieres and, to a lesser extent, things like the conventions, I experience the reach that these films have. I don’t know, I don’t really think about it because it’s not really a lot of point in thinking about it, you know? People that weren’t doing the film would tell me lots of their opinions on what this was going to do, or what this meant, but nobody really knows until things happen or not. I don’t really think about it because I don’t feel like I can think about it with any kind of objectivity.

****

Was it one of those things where, once taking on a job like this, everything else and any further project need to be brought into mind and perspective? Does it cut the amount of time you have to get involved in other projects?

I have been…we only finished shooting in August and we did have some hiatuses, but I was shooting for a TV show on those hiatuses, so I really have been fortunate to be really busy. It does mean other things, even just general life things… I’ve been living out of a suitcase so I do feel quite discombobulated. You know, over the next few months or whatever, things will settle back down to relative normality and I can get on…If anything, the experience has shown me that you just never know where your life’s going to go, you know? I guess actors are more prone to that, because you can get a job out of the blue so quickly and it changes things, but it’s a really good example for me. In the next few years…who knows where I’ll be or what to expect, really.

***********

(He was asked about being one of the "Hot Dwarves")

[Laughs] No! I can just bask in the glory of Aidan’s handsomeness! I don’t know, what people find attractive and what people don’t…That’s the thing with The Hobbit, like The Lord of the Rings, some people approach it from ‘the world’, from the Tolkien world, so they like 'characters' from within that world. I don’t necessarily think it’s about me, I think it’s about how they perceive the character and how attractive that character is to them. I look a bit different too…well, I’d like to think that I look a bit different! But yeah, I don’t know…

I’m going to be mentioning in this write up, ‘As he shrugged casually…’

Ah yeah, "He shrugs…", I mean it all became relative too, because the other dwarves had hardly been hit with the handsome stick, had they? Apart from Richard Armitage, I don’t really think I had a fierce comparison with, like...Gloin! [Laughs] Although in the Dwarven world, ironically, Fili and Kili would be seen as having to grow into their looks. The hairier and wrinklier they are, the more they’re expected. I mean, Dwarvish women, according to that world, have beards and that’s considered pretty hot!

*******

To read the entire interview click on the link below:

http://www.theaureview.com/interviews/dean-ogorman-of-the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug-usanew-zealand-2013

Dean O'Gorman's pic from fuckyeahdeanogorman.tumblr.com

Aidan Turner and Dean O'Gorman Say Richard Armitage is Inspirational - Boston Comic-Con August 3 and 4, 2013

Aidan and Dean are asked if Fili and Kili will be as majestic as Thorin in the next Hobbit movie.

Listen to their wonderful answer- starts at 2:40

and Aidan agrees Thorin is Majestic

I love the Hobbit cast

and especially the heirs of Durin

Fashion Report: Hot Dwarves Casual - Visions in Gray

Aidan Turner (Kili) on the way to Boston this weekend on Friday?

Richard Armitage (Thorin) at the airport in San Diego, Aug 2012

From the French Armitage Army

Obviously Dean O'Gorman (Fili) is the fashion rebel in this 

Dwarf Family

Pics from various sources, Boston Comic-Con, Google Images

Obsession

"Love is the bread of life"

Feeling a little romantic. A photo/vid with my three favorite men these days. Mostly Richard Armitage, some Aidan Turner, and a dash of Dean O'Gorman in their pre-Hobbit roles.

Music: Obsession - Bebo Valdes and El Cigala

Richard Armitage images from Richard Armitage Central, vid clips my own. Aidan and Dean from Google Images.

More Dean O'Gorman About The Hobbit from Dunedin Armageddon 2013 Event

More of Dean O'Gorman at a Hobbit Fan Event recently. He is truly a natural at this, very relaxed, funny and charming. 

Beware, there is one spoiler if you haven't read the book.

According to Dean he thinks none of the Dwarves would win a Mr. Sexy Middle Earth contest.  I disagree!

I think the Durin males would win by a landslide!

Screen Talk Interview with Dean O'Gorman from 2012

Found this lovely interview with Dean O'Gorman posted in 2012. He talks about different roles he's played on film and TV since the age of 17, mostly in Australian and New Zealand productions.  Don't know when the interview was recorded, maybe before he was cast in The Hobbit, but he doesn't mention the film, so that might be the case.

Interview from NZ On Screen:

http://www.youtube.com/user/nzonscreen?feature=watch

Meeting Richard Armitage at The Hobbit New York Premiere Gala Party December 6! Meeting Others in the Cast Too

 Richard Armitage, The Hobbit New York Premiere. Not my photo!

It was some enchanted evening, December 6, 2012.  I will try to write about my impressions of the New York and US Premiere and Gala Party for The Hobbit now when still fresh in my mind.  I’m not going to write any detailed conversations I had or was part of with Richard Armitage, or any of the other actors. First because it was a private party, though I know the cast was there because it was part of their PR/Marketing duties for the film. Second because I didn’t take any notes on our conversations or interactions and my memory is imperfect and I don’t want to misquote anyone.  I will write about what I most remember, or moments with meeting the cast that touched me, surprised me, or made me laugh.  But first here,  below, the highlight of the evening, meeting Richard Armitage!

The afternoon tea with those going to the red carpet and evening film and party would not have been so delightful without sharing the experience with lovely RA friends.  I hope that we have other opportunities to meet again.  Richard Armitage is a very lucky man to have such wonderful fans.

I arrived early morning in New York City on December 6 after only three hours of sleep and over three hours of travel, looking forward to seeing The Hobbit and hopefully meeting some of the cast, and one cast member in particular. It’s no secret to anyone that even drops in accidentally on my blog that I’m a fan of Richard Armitage. First thing I did was walk from my hotel to the Ziegfeld Theater to see the preparations. The marquee had Bilbo and The Hobbit in all its glory, the press tent was under construction, and they were starting to put up the barricades for the red carpet. (Photos later once I get them out of my camera!). Excitement is building for the night to come.

I’ll cut the long story of how we all got to this point, but that evening, after what seemed like weeks of planning, three of us found ourselves sitting in the Ziegfeld Theater waiting to see The Hobbit in all its new 3D, 48fps, glory.

We have popcorn and 3D glasses in hand waiting for Peter Jackson and the cast to walk in and take the stage for an intro.  What seems like a long wait, all of a sudden there’s Peter Jackson and all the cast, including Ian McKellen , Martin Freeman, and Elijah Wood. Then we spot the very tall man with a gray checked suit.  Richard Armitage has entered the theater.  Peter Jackson and the studio executives make their intro speeches and then the entire cast comes on stage. (See really bad photo below from my old phone).  Then they move out and spread out throughout the theater. We hope Richard will sit in the empty seat in front of our row, but though he does sit on our side of the theater,  he grabs a seat halfway down.  The lights go out and the film begins.

(I’ll have my thoughts on the film the weekend it opens here in the US)

After three hours that seemed to go by in half the time, the lights come up and we’re ready to move out to the buses taking us to the Gala after party.  But before we wait to see if we spot RA or any of the cast coming near us or behind us (we are seated  at the last orchestra row in the back).  As Andy Serkis comes by behind me, I tell him Gollum was great, and he smiles and thanks me. Then I spot Ian Mckellen and also tell him how wonderful it was. He also smiles and thanks me.  I don’t see anyone else near.  We leave and get on a bus for the gala after party at Gustavino’s.

 

I was lucky that my fellow RA friends attending with me are all young and attractive women, and in a room full of men I hope they don’t mind me saying that it helped us meet so many of the cast. Big old me was very happy to tag along and share in all of this.

 

One of the first of the cast we meet is Graham McTavish, who plays Dwalin.  We have a very animated group conversation with him about his character, working on the movie,  the brotherhood of dwarves, and our impressions of the film. McTavish is an attractive man in person and very much the charmer. I think someone needs to cast him in a film as a leading man. He’s not at all intimidating in person, very friendly.  During the course of our conversation with him, without any prompting from us, he brings up Richard.  As if by magic, Richard Armitage, who I didn’t notice in the room before, is now in an open alcove adjacent to the main party room where we all are.  One among us, asked Graham if he will introduce us to Richard. Next thing we know we’re being whisked by McTavish to the alcove, and he personally does introduce us all to Richard.

What happens when fantasy meets reality? I’m not quite sure what Richard said in the first few moments we saw him, since my brain and body had a brief total meltdown. There I was, we all were, standing only a few inches from him.  I’m  5’5” and I think the top of my head may have reached his shoulder at most. We identified ourselves as fans and he seemed genuinely happy about that.  I believe I joked with him that we were about to shout “Look Back at Me” across the room to him, and he laughed a bit nervously.  But what followed was truly amazing.  

We had what we all described afterwards as a real conversation together. Imagine a group of people gathered after a film to discuss what they had just seen, and what scenes were their favorites, and just sharing the experience.  That’s the way it was.  

 I have to say that after that first meltdown moment Richard put me at ease right away.  I think I actually involuntarily touched him twice in his arm, something I tend to do with friends when I’m trying to acknowledge my understanding or agreement of something they said.  Somehow it didn’t seem awkward at all, and he was perfectly comfortable and enjoying our conversation with him.  He really loves this film, and the entire experience of filming it. We even got a little insight into a particular scene in a future Hobbit film that I will not divulge here, but maybe when the film comes out.**  He has a beautiful smile, he should smile more often in films. 

I could have talked to him for the entire evening,  but after a while his PR person, who was standing next to him (I think the same blonde woman we've seen with him at other premieres) signaled that they had to move on.  Richard apologized for having to leave us because he now had to “go to work.”  It was really a charming way to tear himself away, flattering to be excluded by his words from the “meet and greet” work of the evening. Always the gentleman it was his polite way to close this encounter and move on. 

How did he look in person? Richard Armitage is a beautiful, beautiful, man. The word handsome does not do him justice.  Even the word gorgeous is inadequate.  Does he look more handsome in person? He is thinner than he seems to be on television or movie screens, long and lean.  I think standing next to him you feel his warmth and humor as a person, and that enhances his physical beauty.  Add charm, wit, and intelligence  and Richard is in a category all by himself.

We didn't take his picture or ask for an autograph at that moment, and I think we all agreed it would have been wrong.  We had been having a genuine conversation with him and asking him for either would have broken the spell.  I felt we all parted really as friends who happened to meet up at a party. 

I didn't take any photos that evening, except for the bad one you see above taken with my terrible phone. We weren't allowed to take cameras to the gala, and as a matter of fact we were told when we entered the party we couldn't take photos.  But the other ladies in my group did take photos, and two of them with Richard later in the evening, and I’m sure they will share.   

At the end of the evening,  two of us who didn't have a photo with Richard, decided we really wanted one.  I had last seen him, and I’m talking maybe close to 1:00am at this point, turning the corner just a few feet from me towards the stairs. We went down to the bottom level of the party to see if he was there. The cast seemed to have a private area somewhere, because all of them would come and go from the main party room where we all were.  We sat for a while, but decided he must have left.

 

I had my special moments!

Going back upstairs, we ran into Dean O’Gorman (Fili) and Aidan Turner (Kili). It was fun to see they were hanging out together at the party.  Two handsome men in person too, Dean had an informal tuxedo (my limited knowledge of men’s fashions) and Aidan a dark suit. Aidan had his back to us, and was in conversation with someone else, so we started talking to Dean.  He’s very charming, on the quiet side,  also very natural, no pretense at all in him.  At one point in our conversation I was telling him how I liked him so much as Fili and he leaned down and kissed me, twice, one on each cheek.  You don’t know how surprised I was at that moment! Dean O’Gorman kissed me! 

Stay tuned for shortly you’ll see a Dean O’Gorman tab at the top of my blog.  I’m going to follow this charming and handsome man’s career from now on.

I turned to Aidan at that moment, didn't want to leave without talking to him. He had his back to me and I touched him on the shoulder.  He turned around and at first I thought he was a bit annoyed and was not going to talk, but then he turned around fully and we all had what I can only describe as banter with Aidan Turner.  He’s a wild man that one,  same as his marvelous curly hair.

It was a magical evening.

Right now as I sit writing this there is one moment that is in my heart.  Only a few seconds in a long evening that will be with me forever. During our conversation the four of us had formed a semi-circle around Richard, and I was on the end, closest in the alcove to the larger party area just beyond. As Richard Armitage was departing from us in my “direction” after our group conversation I said to him something like “It was truly a pleasure to meet you.”  He stopped and looked into my eyes. Time stopped. To my surprise he took my right hand in his left hand. He then wrapped those long fingers around my hand and gave me a strong yet gentle and affectionate squeeze.  He let go, merging into the larger party to meet and greet.   

** Dec 27, 2014: Wasn't sure if I should recall this part of our RA conversation that happened over two years ago now. It has stayed with me waiting for the moment to see the scene on screen, but of course filtered through two years. I think we had asked Richard about working with Peter Jackson (this was during Hobbit AUJ premiere) and as an example he talked to us about filming the scene we all knew from the book of Thorin finding out Bilbo has betrayed him with the Arkenstone and in a rage almost throwing him off the the top of the mountain.  Richard said they had many takes, filming the scene in different ways, that is PJ's way. But he thought there was one take, one time, when he and Martin had let their emotions take over and it had been very real (I'm paraphrasing of course from what he said) and Richard hoped PJ would use that take. Watching the scene now I of course have no way of knowing, and no way of asking RA, and I'm sure it's a conversation he has no memory of whatsoever now. I do wonder though. 

(Stay tuned, I’ll have a future post on meeting almost all the other dwarves, Martin Freeman and Elijah Wood, and others at the party)

http://whiterosewritings.blogspot.com/2012/12/meeting-men-behind-dwarves-hobbit-new.html

12/9/2012 - One of my premiere companions shares her own experience of the magical night:

http://heiress2nothrone.wordpress.com/2012/12/09/my-own-unexpected-adventure-attending-the-hobbit-premiere/

Note: This is only my side of the story of that night, there were four of us there together, and countless others in attendance. I only speak for myself, and no one else. Everyone has their own story to tell, I just happen to have a blog. Thank you for reading. 

  

New Thorin Pics! More Richard Armitage, Aidan Turner, and Dean O'Gorman -New Apple App

I want and iPhone or iPad right now!!!!

What a handsome family:

Fili and Kili

Update 9/8/12 Thanks to The One Ring Net
and Apple Apps of course

Uncle Thorin

Thanks Warner Bros. and Apple for great new pics of Aidan Turner and Dean O'Gorman and Richard Armitage

___________________________________________