SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2015 Top moments from the 65th Berlin film festival

he 65th Berlin film festival headed into the home straight paparazzi, said playing the photographer who helped make James Best preparation for a nude scene: British actor Jamie Dornan Friday after premieres from some of the world’s top directors Dean into an icon in Anton Corbijn’s movie had made him spare a for “Fifty Shades of Grey”. The gala screening of “Fifty Shades” was Tand stars. Ahead of the gala awards ceremony Saturday, thought for the snappers in the bushes. “I do feel like being a the hottest ticket of the festival and Dornan, whose chiseled chest when a jury led by Hollywood director Darren Aronofsky will hand paparazzi for a second-I do empathize with their plight,” the 28- was on display in the movie’s abundant sex scenes, said he wished out the prestigious Golden and Silver Bear prizes, AFP picks out year-old said with a laugh. “I was filled with self-loathing, wretched- he had had more time to work out to get ready for his close-ups. some of the top moments on and off screen: ness-I wanted to really kind of harm myself at the end of every day.” But he added: “I actually spend quite a lot of time naked so that Best ‘method’ approach to acting: Juliette Binoche, for Best performance standing in for an absentee director: US doesn’t feel like that big a deal to a British person.” “Nobody Wants the Night”. The Oscar-winning French actress, after filmmaker Terrence Malick for “Knight of Cups”. The famously reclu- Best Englishman: British actor Ian McKellen for “Mr Holmes”. the premiere of her much-maligned film which opened the 11-day sive Texan hasn’t given an interview in several years and does not McKellen called the role of the master sleuth Sherlock Holmes liv- festival, said that getting into character for the role of Arctic explor- attend his own premieres. His stars Christian Bale and Natalie ing in retirement in the English countryside and haunted by regrets er Josephine Peary during the shoot on the sun-kissed island of Portman were left to represent the film at the festival and field “a part and a half”. “He’s one of the great Englishmen and he never Tenerife required special props. She told reporters that she ordered questions at a packed press conference. But it didn’t stop an lived-it’s astonishing,” McKellen told reporters after a press screen- a refrigerated meat truck to the set to spend time in to get into a Eritrean reporter from putting a question to Malick. “I have a ques- ing. But he said his recurring role of Gandalf the wise wizard in the frosty mood. “We had to create the chills because it was really tion for the director...” he said, drawing a big laugh from the assem- “Lord of the Rings” series was of the same ilk. “Of course I always bloody warm in the studio,” Binoche said. bled journalists. Bale and Portman blinked in silence at the expec- think that Gandalf is really an Oxford professor who puts on a false Best revenge with a movie role: British actor Robert Pattinson tant newsman until the actress responded tartly: “The director’s not beard to go and meet small people,” he joked. for “Life”. The “Twilight” heartthrob, who is often hounded by the here.” Best spontaneous casting: German director Werner Herzog for “Queen of the Desert”. The famously eccentric Herzog recruited a vulture found by the side of the road during the on-location shoot in Morocco, to appear in a scene in which the stars of the film, Nicole Kidman and James Franco, share their first on-screen kiss. Franco said he assumed the bird of prey had been trained and was startled when it “actually snapped at Nicole one time”. “That kind of bonded Nicole and I,” the American actor said, smiling at Kidman. Best technical feat: “Victoria” by German director Sebastian Schipper. Set in Berlin, the film follows a group of underclass youths and a Spanish student who get caught up in a bank heist gone wrong. The movie, which generated major buzz during the festival, was shot in a single take of two hours and 10 minutes. It took the filmmaker three tries until he pulled it off. “We had this huge amount of self-confidence and we thought we’d be able to do this,” he told reporters. “When I realized we were heading toward the abyss, we just carried on.” The Berlin film festival wraps up tomor- row with the screenings of the fests most popular features. — AFP

(From left)Australian actress Cate Blanchett, British actress Lily James and British actress Helena Bonham Carter pose for photographers dur- ing a photocall for the film “Cinderella” presented in competi- tion of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival. —AFP

Will Smith: ‘After Earth’ was the biggest failure of career

ill Smith has opened up about “After Earth,” have looked at myself in that way. I was a guy who, the 2013 sci-fi film in which his son Jaden when I was 15, my girlfriend cheated on me, and I WSmith also starred, calling it the “most painful decided that if I was number one, no woman would failure” of his career. The comment, in an interview ever cheat on me. All I have to do is make sure that no with Esquire, came after the reporter referenced a one’s ever better than me, and I’ll have the love that “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” quote from Smith’s TV aunt, my heart yearns for. And I never released that and who advised his character on an episode, “Don’t let moved into a mature way of looking at the world and success go to your head and success go to your heart.” my artistry and love until the failure of ‘After Earth,’ “That was a valuable lesson for me a few years ago when I had to accept that it’s not a good source of cre- with ‘After Earth,’” Smith said. “That was the most ation.” painful failure in my career.” Smith said when he received box office numbers The Sony/Columbia picture, directed by M Night the following Monday, he was “devastated for about Shyamalan, made $27 million on opening weekend 24 minutes,” and shortly after, he received a call that and grossed a global $243 million on a reported pro- his father had cancer. “That put it in perspective- duction budget of $130 million. In comparison, in viciously.” After a 90-minute treadmill session imme- 2008, “Hancock,” the Smith-starring fantasy drama diately following the news, Smith had an epiphany. from Sony/Columbia, raked in $624 million globally “That Monday started the new phase of my life, a and made $62 million on opening weekend. His rom- new concept: Only love is going to fill that hole,” com “Hitch” made $368 globally and $43 million on Smith said. “You can’t win enough, you can’t have opening weekend. Smith said “Wild Wild West,” a pic- enough money, and you can’t succeed enough. ture that also opened with $27 million, was still a bet- There is not enough. The only thing that will ever ter experience. “Wild Wild West” made a $52 million satiate that existential thirst is love. And I just profit on a reported $170 million production budget, remember that day I made the shift from wanting to whereas “After Earth” resulted in a $113 million profit. be a winner to wanting to have the most powerful, “‘Wild Wild West’ was less painful than ‘After Earth’ deep and beautiful relationships I could possibly because my son was involved in ‘After Earth,’ and I led have.” — Reuters him into it. That was excruciating,” the 46-year-old said. Then he contemplated the importance of having films that topped box office charts. “I never would