Benedict Cumberbatch on His Name / Plus, What Advice Did Meryl Streep Give Him?

Did you know when Benedict Cumberbatch first started, he used his father's stage name "Carlton".

[Here's why he kept his born name] "When I started, I just assumed I couldn't be called Benedict Cumberbatch... but then, one day, I told someone in the business what I was really called and they said, 'That's great, that's something you can use to stand out.'"

[On Advice from Meryl Streep] "I asked her how she approached the multiple layers of her part. And she said, 'I don't know. I don't have a process. It changes with every job, doesn't it?' And I thought, Oh, thank God, to hear her say it. This whole thing about technique or method? It's bullshit. People say, 'Oh, you're so precise.' But within that I work very hard to give every part a heartbeat. I learned a lot from just watching Meryl in repose. It was a bit like a Sherlock deduction actually."

Source: Imdb.com

And in the humorous video below, we have J.J Abrams and Conan O'Brien showing Benedict in a cut shower scene in an effort to answer charges of sexism in the latest Star Trek movie.

Watch Kristen Bell's Audition for "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" (2008)

After graduating from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, Kristen Bell made her Broadway debut in 2001 as Becky Thatcher in the short-lived The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. In 2002, she performed on Broadway again in the revival of Arthur Miller's The Crucible, also starring Laura Linney and Liam Neeson. After the popular series Veronica Mars, she made her first splash on the big screen as Sarah Marshall in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Click this link to watch her audition tape for the film.

Below is a reel of outtakes from the film. Enjoy.

How did Jennifer Lawrence Get in Shape for the Role of Katniss Everdeen in "The Hunger Games" l Plus, Watch her Funniest Moments on TV!

True. We've already had plenty of Jennifer Lawrence related posts. However, I thought I'd post this video since many of our readers are very interested in the physical transformations of actors preparing for a role. The video below goes into how Lawrence trained for The Hunger Games; and not just about general getting-in-shape workouts. We're talking sprinting, learning how to climb trees, archery skills, etc. As an added bonus, I've also posted a sizzle reel of Lawrence's funniest moments on television talk shows. Enjoy!

How did Benedict Cumberbatch Prepare for the role of Sherlock Holmes? Watch the Video

I saw Star Trek Into Darkness recently. While it was an exhilarating, thrill-a-minute movie with great acting, the scene chewing performance by Benedict Cumberbatch is what I fondly think of most. Within the last few years, he's quickly rose through the ranks of Hollywood films, and with good reason. There isn't too many young, scene stealers within that age group. Downey Jr and Depp won't be around forever, so it's a delight to see a new face take the stage.

Today, we have an interview segment in which Benedict explains how he prepared for this juicy part in the modern BBC adaptation series Sherlock (2010). He spills out many details here, including dieting, working out, cheek-bone sharpening, etc. He will also portray the voices of both Smaug the Dragon and the Necromancer in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Watch Gabourey Sidibe's Audition for "Precious" (2009)

Gabourey "Gabby" Sidibe had no interest in acting for the longest of time. In fact, Gabby was pursuing a degree in psychology at Mercy College when a friend of hers called her up about attending an audition. That audition, of course, was for the film Precious, directed by Lee Daniels. She ended up being cast in the lead part as Claireece "Precious" Jones. The inspiring film was too grim for me to get through, but it wound up being a critical success and got Gabby an Oscar nomination! Watch the audition that started it all below.

How did Henry Cavill prepare for the Role of Superman in "Man of Steel" / Watch the video!

Henry Cavill is best known for his role as Charles Brandon, the First Duke of Suffolk in the Showtime series The Tudors. However, I first saw him in The Count of Monte Cristo starring Jim Caveziel as the Count. Henry played a small but important part as Albert Mondego. He was probably no more than 16 at that time. Anyways, in a previous post, we discussed the excruciating exercise and diet Henry underwent to become Superman. Well today, we have a video which expands on this. Among other things, Henry Cavill talks about the preparation involved during the production of Man of Steel-- between the scenes. Following that, I've also included a 13-minute behind the scenes segment for the film which I found to be fascinating. I can't wait!

Watch "Imagining Total Recall", a Behind the Scenes Documentary (1990)

One of Arnold Schwarzeneggar's earliest starring vehicles, Total Recall is a cult classic of the Adventure genre. Did you know all of the film's crew got sick with food poisoning during production? In fact, the only ones who didn't were Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ronald Shusett. Schwarzenegger escaped because he always had his food catered from the United States. He did this ever since getting food poisoned during the production of Predator.