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Hollywood.com Interviews Hayley Atwell of ‘Captain America’

Natalie — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 18:08:12 +0000

Ah, Hayley Atwell. Don’t you just adore her? She is yet another classy lady of the silver screen who makes the firearm savvy-femme look fabulous. And btw, could her costumes be any more amazing? Hollywood.com caught an exclusive interview with the lovely Miss Atwell that I thought you would enjoy. Check it out:

Hayley Atwell on ‘Captain America’ and Her Action Heroine, Peggy Carter

By Matt Patches , Hollywood.com Staff | Tuesday, October 25, 2011

With all the testosterone injected into the veins of today’s superhero movies, Captain America: The First Avenger packed a particularly strong punch with the inclusion of the strong-willed, gun-toting female heroine Peggy Carter. She may have fallen for the slab of muscle known as Steve Rogers, but Peggy isn’t a pushover–the government agent will gladly scream orders to underling soldiers or take out a few Nazis when necessary.

Peggy’s empowerment comes courtesy of newcomer Hayley Atwell, who is undeniably stunning but doesn’t let her looks stand in the way of a forceful performance. Atwell’s the real deal and Captain America is proof that she has a lengthy career ahead of her.

I had a chance to chat with Atwell on the making of Captain America (which hits Blu-ray today on a set we very much approve of), and she was more than happy to discuss everything it took to bring Peggy to life:

So I heard you’re currently on vacation.

Hayley Atwell: Yes, I’m freezing. I’m in the Highlands of Scotland, on a mountain and it’s minus six. It’s the only place I can get reception! It’s usually lovely and cozy here when you’re inside by the fire with a glass of wine, but getting reception…impossible.

Well, you’re a tough lady. You can stand the cold, you can fight pseudo-Nazis. Sounds like little you can’t do. And your character Peggy’s similar, a butt-kicking kinda gal from an era where that type wasn’t too common. Were their actresses or characters from the past that you tried to emulate or went to for inspiration?

HA: Yes! I love Lauren Bacall and how strong she is on screen. And I looked to Katherine Hepburn, who had this incredible muscularity to them. Not necessarily in the position where we are today but…back then there weren’t so many great positions women could be in terms of jobs, but within themselves in characters they could still be incredible strong and powerful.

But I really took it from is on the page. She was a strong woman and I really related to that. I could start getting in to the mindset of Peggy Carter quite easily. I loved playing strong roles like that.

But she also has a little romance with Steve Rogers. How were you able to strike a balance between a softer, romantic woman and still leading an army in to battle.

HA: You know, the costumes help quite a bit. She’s a very practical woman, in the sense that she needs to get the job done. And she does that really well. On the other side of it she can put on red lipstick and a red dress and go out to the pub at night. It’s kind of what’s written on for you and as an actor you do what’s on the page and you bring it to life as much as possible. I didn’t put too much thought into it. You do what’s expected for you.

…
Hopefully you got back to firing guns and making things explode afterward. You end up in a lot of action in this movie–how much prep and training did you go through in order to come out of each day in one piece?

HA: [Laughs] Yes, that’s always a good start. We had two months of training, physically, before we started shooting. That was with an ex-Marine who took me through circuit training and integral training and got me physically very fit, strong. Along side of that I was doing shooting practice, not only so I had good aim but so I could be comfortable with a gun, handling it.

And once the pistol shooting went well, Joe [Johnston, director], who always has a twinkle in his eye and always wants to come with something to try, comes up and says, ‘how do you feel about using a machine gun?’ And I jumped at the chance. ‘Yes, I’ve been promoted! I’m so happy!’ So then the machine gun came out and it was thrilling, so exciting. So it was just a matter of how much I felt capable of doing and having fun with it.

To read the full interview, click this link:

https://www.hollywood.com/news/hayley_atwell_captain_america_first_avenger_interview/7979282

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Glamour and The Gun: Our Top 10 List

Natalie — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 09:52:58 +0000

The Academy Awards on Sunday night marked the finale of “Awards Season,” as they call it here in Hollywood. The red carpets have been walked, The Golden Globes, Grammys, SAGs and Oscars have officially been divvied, and the after parties have most definitely been crashed.

Since the dawn of the motion picture era, Hollywood has always had a strange fascination with firearms. As the legendary film director Jean Luc Godard famously said, “All you need for a film is a girl and a gun.” We at Girl’s Guide absolutely agree.

Of course, just like most things that come out of Lalaland, as we locals affectionately call it, Hollywood’s perception and representation of guns is at best, a little skewed. Most firearms owners, for example, don’t know how to “bend a bullet” quite like Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy. And the last time I checked, no one really shoots laser guns a la Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford. Still, audiences all over the world can’t help but line up to see the next incarnation of filmic firearms.

Since Hollywood loves to celebrate itself (and oh how we love to watch), let’s jump on that bandwagon, shall we? Here’s a look my Top 10 list of the most glamorous gun moments in movie history.

10) Thelma and Louise – Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis star in this, the quintessential “girl and a gun movie.” Sad ending, but a super fun ride. Not to mention the three magic words: Brad Pitt cameo.

9) Charlie’s Angels Full Throttle – Demi Moore. Dual Desert Eagles. Done.

8 ) You may think I’m crazy about this one, but the fact that somehow Sigourney Weaver managed to fight off oozing creatures from space and do it with an undeniable gritty glamor is pretty impressive. Alien from 1979 definitely makes the list.

7) The Matrix- After watching this film, who among us didn’t want to be Trinity?

6) True Grit – Hailee Steinfeld kept it super duper classy in this Cohen Bros remake. And wasn’t she just adorable at the Oscars? Can’t wait to see more from this little starlet.

5) Termiator 1 & 2 – Linda Hamilton as Sarah Conner. Again, a gritty but totally fantastic leading lady. And can someone please find me her trainer’s phone number?

4) Bonnie and Clyde – Faye Dunaway is cool and totally glam in this 1967 film.

3) Wanted – Angelina Jolie does it again.

2 ) Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back – Carrie Fisher is a legendary icon in this film. You know you’re doing something right if you can make millions of girls everywhere wear buns over their ears. Hats off to you, sister.

1) As time goes by, Casablanca continues to be, in my humble opinion, the greatest movie ever. It just doesn’t get any classier than the gorgeous screen siren, Ingrid Bergman. Bonus: though it technically only shows up in one scene, she knows how to use that revolver. Better look out, all you Nazi bad guys!

Those are the Top 10 on my list. Did I miss one? Leave me your thoughts in the comments below.

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Angelina Jolie’s a Pistol-Packin’ Mama

Natalie — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 23:15:29 +0000

This article found on Gun Owners of America’s website is an oldie but a goodie. We here at Girl’s Guide are huge fans of the movie Wanted (for personal reasons) and we’re also huge fans of Angelina Jolie. Come on, how many humanitarian mothers-of-six could make bending a bullet look that good? Our hats are off to this lovely lady who saves the world (okay, in the movies) and stands up for her Second Amendment rights.

“If anybody comes into my home and tries to hurt my kids, I’ve no problem shooting them.” That’s Angelina Jolie, revealing her up-with-the-Second-Amendment maternal instincts to Britain’s Mail on Sunday.

And, as an added warning, the protective mom of Maddox, 6, Pax, 4, Zahara, 3, Shiloh, 2, and the still-baking, Brad Pitt-spawned double buns in her oven, points out that she “bought original, real guns of the type we used in ‘Tomb Raider’ for security.”

“Brad and I are not against having a gun in the house, and we do have one,” acknowledges Jolie, who is out stumping for the soon-to-be-released thriller, Wanted, in which she plays a weapons-wielding assassin. “And yes, I’d be able to use it if I had to. I could handle myself. I think there are certain combat skills that would come out. I tend to want to throw an elbow.”

Says the goodwill-promoting earth mother, “There’s a side to me that people know is humanitarian, and there’s a side to me that’s a mommy. But there’s also the side that likes to get down and dirty and run and jump around and fire guns.”

And while it’ll probably be several years before any of her tots see her popping a cap or 50 in Wanted, she’s not going to shield them from violence on the big screen.

“It’s just not a reality in this day and age to say, ‘I’m never going to let my kids watch a movie that has a gun in it,’” explains Angelina. “It’s important to know that this exists. But I’m very clear with my children about who’s a good guy and who’s bad.”

Story continued here.

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Classic Classy/Not Classy

Natalie — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 12:20:10 +0000

CLASSY:

Not necessarily practical, but certainly quite cute. And Classy. Girl’s Guide salutes you, sister!

NOT CLASSY

Definitely not classy. In fact… just kinda weird. It’s as if Betty took a serious wrong turn somewhere in her rivalry with Veronica over Archie. Geez. Can’t people just respect the classics?

You may know by now that I think shooting in bikinis is ridiculous. There is only one person who gets away with that and her name is Sydney Bristow. Bazooka Betty, here, is clad with little more than three pink triangles and some strange ballet/gladiator slipper-sandal thingys? Oh right. And the goggles. Where did she get those… “Hellboy’s” Nazi Germany?

There are so many things wrong with this picture. Please, for the love of God, do not emulate this artist’s fantasy.

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Classy/Not Classy — Don’t Try This at Home

Natalie — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 07:11:58 +0000

Please note: Women in the movies and on tv have a team to make them look good. Literally, a team: Hair, makeup, wardrobe, tailors, trainers, nutritionists, chefs, plastic surgeons, aestheticians, manicurists, hair “technicians”, psychiatrists, directors, cinematographers, editors, and photo departments. And we probably left some out.

This team allows stars to pull off looks that would otherwise not work for a normal female. At least not in public. Here are some of the looks in question:

Linda Hamilton in Terminator. Perfect for the character, but if you do it, you’ll be hard pressed to look anything but greasy.

Charlize Theron in Aeon Flux. Gorgeous lady, no doubt. In this context, not all that goth looking. But that is exactly what the neighbors would say when describing you to the police if they saw you walking out of the house with a gun in this getup.

Exhibit A-

The real Trinity from The Matrix :

NOT the real Trinity from The Matrix:

See what we mean?

We think we’ve made our point.

Oh, and P.S. – NEVER wear pleather. Ever.

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Clint Eastwood sports the Gun of the Week

Natalie — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 01:30:22 +0000

The inaugural “Gun of the Week” title is an important one. After all, there are so many to choose from! After, well let’s be honest, very little debate, we decided to go with (drum roll please….)

The .44 Magnum Revolver

Accuracy: Awesome

Manufacturers: Colt, Smith & Wesson, Ruger

Bullet: .44 calibre, of course (0.429in./10.9 mm in diameter)

Interesting Facts:

*all guns are chambered for the .44 Magnum case

*In 2006, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the .44 Magnum, Ruger introduced a special 50th anniversary Blackhawk revolver.

Famous movie moments: You’ve probably already guessed a couple of them, but they never really get old. Most of them involve the great Clint Eastwood:

Click here to view the embedded video.

"'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?" Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry

For a more in-depth look at the .44 Magnum, click here : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.44_magnum

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