Could Matt Passmore be the new Simon Baker?
Matt Passmore & Kiele Sanchez, The Glades
US reviews for The Glades liken Matt Passmore to Simon Baker, but he doesn’t mind one bit.
Since he first appeared in the US cable series The Glades, Australian Matt Passmore has been frequently compared to Simon Baker. After all, both have the lead role in a crime procedural, passing themselves off as Americans; Passmore takes the observations as a compliment.
“Obviously you’re always going to get comparisons. But I’ve always said it’s not a bad person to be compared to. He’s a phenomenal actor and doing extremely well. I think he’s better looking than I am, so hell, compare me to him all you want!” he laughs. Matt Passmore, who has appeared in McLeod’s Daughters, The Cut and Underbelly, has attracted good reviews for the show which airs on cable network A&E, playing a Chicago cop who moves to Florida.
“The accent’s never been too difficult for me, just a standard American. I was going to go into a South-Western Chicago accent. But the executive producers made the decision that they didn’t want to make it that exclusive. So I put it a little bit more up in my nose, and threw a couple of things in, but it’s not exactly authentic Chicago,” he says. Matt prefers to keep the accent all day on set so that it becomes second nature and he can focus on the work. But even guest actors are surprised to then discover he is an Aussie.
“You get a funny reaction even from crew, or people who had no idea. And then you break out into the Australian accent. They think ‘Have you been trying to fool us?’ There’s a funny suspicion: ‘Have you been trying to fool us all day?’ “It’s not just an accent, it’s a rhythm. It’s not just your R’s and vowels. There’s a definite rhythmic nature to the American accent you have to embrace,” he says. “Sometimes we have guest actors and I’ll be chatting to them, having a good time, and then at the end of the day I say (in an Aussie accent) ‘Awesome! Great!’ and there’s always that little ‘Have you been foolin’ with me all day?’ look.” (more…)
New Faces for 2010 are Standouts for 2011
Every year there are new faces introduced to the general viewing audience via television series and/or movies at the box office. This year is no different with very unique and diverse actors and actresses coming to the forefront to capture the attention of audiences all over the country (and in some instances the world).
Here are the stand outs for 2010:
Gemma Arterton
1. Gemma Arterton – While Gemma made heads turn as Strawberry Fields in the 2008 James Bond movie Quantum of Solace, she also starred as Tess Durbeyfield in the 2008 TV mini-series Tess of the D’Urbervilles and in the box office movie Pirate Radio in 2009. But it has been her work throughout this year that has put her on the map. She starred not only in The Clash of the Titans but also Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and the independent movie Tamara Drewe. She is currently filming Men in Black III.
Isaiah Mustafa
2. Isaiah Mustafa – The guy from the Old Spice commercials who was “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like” caused waves across the nation, putting this actor on the map. He appeared as Greta #3 on an episode of Chuck and then had a role in the Tyler Perry movie Madea’s Big Happy Family. Next up he will be seen in the 2011 box office movie Horrible Bosses.
Chloe Moretz
3. Chloe Moretz – This talented 13-year-old has quite a resume for someone so young, including the TV series Dirty Sexy Money and the 2005 box office film The Amityville Horror and (500) Days of Summer. But it was her role as Hit-Girl in the box office movie Kick-Ass that really got her noticed. She also appeared in the films Diary of a Wimpy Kid and the horror flick Let Me In. Among her 7 upcoming projects is the Kick-Ass sequel.
Maggie Q
4. Maggie Q – Already a superstar in Asia, Maggie is making a name for herself on American TV in the CW series Nikita. Her box office credits include Live Free or Die Hard, Mission: Impossible III, Deception and Balls of Fury. She will soon be seen in the box office film Priest. (more…)
Oprah Winfrey headed a List of Visiting Celebs while in Australia, Matt Passmore
Matt Passmore, Oprah Winfrey Show
OPRAH WINFREY – The world’s unsurpassed talk show queen touched down in early December for a week-long trip to Australia, bringing about 300 lucky audience members with her. The Ultimate Australian Adventure wraps up the 25th and final season of Winfrey’s talk show in grand style. After touring the country – taking in the likes of Hamilton Island and Uluru – Winfrey finished off her trip in Sydney where she recorded two of her world-famous shows at the Opera House.
MATT PASSMORE - Another local boy done good, Matt Passmore returned to our shores to promote his new hit show in the US. Passmore seemed to have barely passed border control before he landed his first big gig in Hollywood this year. He’s fast becoming a household name across the US after his crime drama The Glades broke viewing records on the A&E Network. Famous for roles on Underbelly, McLeod’s Daughters, Last Man Standing and The Cut, The Glades was Passmore’s second job since heading overseas. He’s now bringing in bigger viewing than fellow network stablemates Gene Simmons, Steven Seagal, Dog the Bounty Hunter and David Hasselhoff ever have.
ED WESTWICK – The slick and suave star of Gossip Girl made a quick pit-stop in Sydney in June to set hearts aflutter. Here to promote a new mobile phone service, Westwick handed out his temporary number to the nation, encouraging them to text him while he was in town. Whether it was that phone he was playing with or not, Westwick spent at least one entire interview checking his messages and responding. (more…)
Livestream.com Q&A Video with Matt Passmore and Kiele Sanchez of A&E's The Glades
The night of that finale, series stars Matt Passmore and Kiele Sanchez, who play Jim Longworth and Callie Cargill, answered questions from fans and media alike, including a question from TV Squad.
Here’s their up-close and personal Q&A: Livestream.com Q&A with Matt Passmore and Kiele Sanchez of A&E’s The Glades.[amazon-product alink="0000FF" bordercolor="000000" height="240"]030726999X[/amazon-product]
Matt Passmore Heads for 'The Glades' on W Channel, Australia
Matt Passmore, The Glades, W Channel
Why did no one tell me sooner that The Glades, the new series from A&E, starred someone from McLeod’s Daughters? My interest level would have jumped 5 levels instantly! OK, I guess Facebook was trying to tell me by putting those “If you like Leverage, check out The Glades” ads on my page, but I pretty much ignored them. Instead I was left to figure it out on my own while editing the Nice Girls Guide for July’s new and returning shows. Imagine my surprise when I went to pull a photo for The Glades and none other than Marcus Turner was looking out at me.
Matt Passmore, who played nice guy Marcus on McLeod’s Daughters during the final couple of seasons, is the lead in The Glades. Here he’s playing a Chicago cop who gets in trouble for sleeping with – I’m sorry, allegedly sleeping with his chief’s wife and is forthwith banished to Florida where he joins the state police. The title of the show refers to the Everglades, of course, and I assume there will be some alligators and swamps and bugs involved in the storylines. It also sounds like Matt’s character, Jim, is a really smart guy who knows it and doesn’t mind rubbing it in other people’s faces. So he’s hot and arrogant. I’m in.
At least for the first couple of episodes. If the show is any good, I’m thinking this could be the perfect companion for True Blood, another Sunday night show set in a sleepy, sultry small town that harbors a lot of secrets. Come to think of it, Leverage is also on Sundays. Maybe Facebook was on to something here.
Check out this video of Matt talking about the character, sadly not in his native Australian accent. The Glades currently on W Channel, Australia.
by Melissa
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