SciFiAndTvTalk

24's Anil Kapoor - Bollywood's Finest

Anil Kapoor as Omar Hassan on 24. Photo by Kelsey McNeal and copyright of Fox.

This season of 24 is set in New York, where Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) is unwillingly drawn back into action just as President Allison Taylor (Cherry Jones) negotiates international security with Omar Hassan (Anil Kapoor), a determined Middle Eastern leader visiting the U.S. on a peace-keeping mission. As the new day unfolds, an upgraded CTU operates under the command of M.B.A.-schooled, razor-sharp head-honcho Brian Hastings (Mykelti Williamson), who supervises quirky Chloe O'Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub), expert data analyst Dana Walsh (Katee Sackhoff) and systems analyst Arlo Glass (John Boyd).

One of the most versatile and successful actors in India, Anil Kapoor has been entertaining audiences for more than 25 years. His talent, charm and professionalism have set the benchmark for a new generation of Indian actors. He has appeared in close to 100 Hindi movies and won numerous awards over the years, including four Filmfare Awards (the Indian equivalent of the Oscars) and much coveted National Award.

A native of Mumbai, Kapoor recently starred in the Academy Award-winning hit Slumdog Millionaire. The film was the actor's first feature released outside of India and a favorite of both critics and audiences. It was awarded a multitude of prizes, including the Academy Award for Best Picture, as well as BAFTAs, National Board of Review and Golden Globes. His additional credits include Race, Black and White, Welcome, Naksha, Chocolate, My Wife's Murder, Bewafaa, Arman, Rishtey, Lajia, Taal, Yuvvraaj and Salaam-E-Ishq.  Kapoor is married with three children. He has two daughters, one is a successful model and the other is a film student in New York, as well as a son who is a film student in Los Angeles. The actor divides his time between India and Los Angeles.

On January 14th, Mr. Kapoor graciously spoke with journalists, including myself, about his work as Omar Hassan on 24 and career in general. The following is an edited version of our conversation! Enjoy!

In the early episodes of 24,  Hassan is a very standup guy. Over the course of the storyline will we get to see what the problem is with his marriage and why he's having an affair?

Anil Kapoor - Actually it is not an affair, but kind of a relationship, which he feels is more like a minor relationship and, intellectually, he believes it's more of a friendship. While there is a possibility that it might develop later on into a relationship, it doesn't.  And, yes, you will see the details of his marriage when the other episodes progress and develop after the fourth episode.

So you think that his relationships with these women is a big part of the character?

AK - Absolutely, because he is a normal person who has his gray areas, which makes him very human and very real. So yes, of course, he has these relationships and he has his problems with the relationship with his wife and he has a relationship with this journalist.

Can you talk a bit about what it's like to work with Kiefer Sutherland and Freddie Prinze, Jr (Cole Ortiz)?

AK - I'd heard so much about 24 and Keifer, and it never felt to me as if he had done eight seasons of this show. It felt like he was working as if it was his first year, and his commitment and excitement was as if he had just started shooting 24. I was really impressed by his commitment and professionalism. It was wonderful to work with him and every line he speaks, every performance he gives, it looks as if he's Jack Bauer and not Kiefer Sutherland. He's completely into the skin of Jack Bauer; he's become more Jack Bauer than Kiefer Sutherland now when he's on-set. And working with Freddie Prinze, I could see that he was very eager and curious, as well as extremely hardworking, very sincere and a very good-looking guy. He fits the role and I think  24 is going to gain a great deal from his addition to and participation in the show.

How was Kiefer welcoming to you, and did he offer any advice?

AK - The first time we met he said he had seen Slumdog Millionaire and loved my work in the film, so those words of encouragement from Kiefer eased my mind and gave me a lot of confidence. When two actors meet and there is a mutual respect for each other's work, it makes the job much, much easier. This is only my second stint as a performer in the United States of America, but Kiefer never made me feel like an outsider, and that was really great.

Did you have any concerns about going on 24? To be honest, most Indian or minority actors on the show play terrorists, whereas your character is a much more positive and very standup guy. What did you think of all that when taking on the part?

AK - When I first heard about the role I became really inspired because it was not just your [typical] bad man, and I felt that here was someone who stands up for his own convictions and what he believes in. It's a very strong character and there all these layers and this complexity involved. Being from India, I was very fortunate to be given the opportunity to play this role of Omar Hassan and that it was on 24. I've read a lot of scripts in India as well as internationally, but the writing on 24 is very special.

After 24 do you have any plans to keep trying to get work in the U.S. whether in TV or movies or would you be interested in spending more time focusing on your film career in India?

AK - As an actor, especially the way the world is today where the communication is so easy, I don't think it's very difficult to juggle both worlds. And I think wherever it is in the world, I'm going to go where the material is exciting, especially if it's from the West because for me, it's much more challenging. I'm performing in a different language, and mostly I've been doing films in my local language, which is Hindi, and now here I get an opportunity to speak in English, which is my first language in India. Sometimes I would have difficulty working in films over there because I would think in English, but now I'm finding it much more exciting and easier  to work in films made in the West. So this is an exciting phase in my career, and this second TV experience [on 24] has been wonderful and absolutely terrific.

Could you tell us how you first became involved in 24 and getting this particular role?

AK - I feel it's thanks to Slumdog Millionaire, because they [the 24 producers] saw that the movie was such a huge success, critically as well as commercially. It swept all the awards and everyone was talking about it. I got rave reviews and I never really expected this kind of appreciation for my role. I'm sure people on 24 had seen and liked my work and that's the reason I was given this offer and I grabbed it.

If Slumdog Millionaire didn't happen, would you have tried out for a part like this?

AK - I don't think this would have really happened if Slumdog Millionaire never happened. Again, I think it's thanks to Slumdog Millionaire that I'm in 24 and it couldn't have been a better follow-up. On 24 I play something which is completely opposite to what I did in Slumdog Millionaire, and that's always exciting for an actor when you do something completely different and opposite in terms of a role. I've done over 100 feature films in India but I've never done TV there, so for me, this second time doing U.S. TV was something new, fresh, exciting, educational and I really loved every moment of it.

Was there anything in particular that you did to prepare for this role?

AK - Yes, I did. As a matter of fact, the most exciting part of all this was the preparation for the role, which I really loved. I play the leader or president of a fictitious country, which is supposed to be a Middle Eastern country, so I looked at a lot of world leaders, past and present, and researched their speeches, their body language and how to speak. I read a number of books as well on the United Nations as well as peace treaties, nuclear disarmament, etc. So all that really helped me. Also, even though I speak English, I had a dialogue coach. I had long sessions with him during the entire filming of 24, and he was of great help to me as far as figuring out how my character would speak. Because Hassan is British, or was educated in Britain, we gave him a bit of a British accent. So in 24 you'll find a complete change in the way I look, the way I walk, the way I talk and in my voice quality as compared to what I've done before.

Can you tell us a little bit about any other projects that you may have in the works?

AK - At the moment I am working on two movies in India, one is a comedy called No Problem, which is a mainstream Indian film and I play a cop, and then there's I Shall, which is based on Jane Austen's Emma. Both these films are almost in post-production and they'll be released this year. As soon as I return to India I'll be doing a play, which is going to tour all over the world.

What has made a career in this industry rewarding for you so far?

AK - I've been very fortunate from the first time I faced the camera, and it's always been in terms of satisfaction as well as financial stability, education and meeting people all over the world. I'm not a very academically educated person, but I think being educated is through people and people I work with and the work I've done in films, etc. So it's been very, very rewarding for me.

As noted above, photo by Kelsey McNeal and copyright of Fox, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

The Prisoner ' s Jamie Campbell Bower - Teen Angst

[caption id="attachment_4369" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Jamie Campbell Bower as Number 11-12 in The Prisoner. Photo copyright of Granada/AMC"][/caption] Imagine having a life where pretty much everything you want is within easy reach and all you have to do is ask for it. In AMC's re-imagined version of The Prisoner, Number 11-12 wakes up to that every day as a resident of The Village. The son of Number Two, the overseer of this residential "paradise," and M2, his idealistic mother, this 17-year-old is among the privileged and is being groomed to one day take over his father's duties within The Village. It sounds like the perfect situation, maybe not for 11-12, but it was one that actor Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays 11-12, could not wait to jump into. "There had been rumors of The Prisoner floating about, and then I got a phone call from my agent telling me, 'I think you should go out for this.' He's rarely wrong, so I did," recalls Bower. "I received four pages of audition sides from one of the episodes, and as I read them something really struck home with me. There was just something quite moving about the material and this idea of family and the connection between 11-12 and his father, Two, played by Ian McKellen. "So I was very excited about the project to begin with, and it was, I think, a rainy Tuesday afternoon when I went down to London's South Bank next to the Thames for my audition. Whatever I did must have worked because I received another call telling me that I got the role, which was brilliant." [caption id="attachment_4371" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="11-12 with his father, Number Two (Ian McKellen). Photo copyright of Granada/AMC"][/caption] While a life of privilege may sound enticing to some, especially a young person, it is rarely all that is cracked up to be. And as typically happens, no one seems to have asked 11-12 what he wants. "With my character, it's that classic case of, 'I don't want to be the prince any more. I want to be an ordinary person," says Bower. "But then he also thinks that one day he might inherit The Village, so like most people his age, 11-12 is definitely feeling some angst towards his father. As for his relationship with his mother, M2 [Rachael Blake], it's very distant. He loves her dearly, but he never sees her. His mother is just this entity in the house they live in, and 11-12 strives to have a much closer bond with her. "So as you might imagine, 11-12 is quite highly strung and emotionally charged. He also has this feeling that he's missing something in his life, but he doesn't know what it is. Acting-wise, maintaining that high level of intensity and emotion wasn't easy. In fact,there was one particular scene that I did with Vincent Regan [Number 909] that screws up my character in a major way. We shot it over an entire day and I had to be incredibly emotional most of that time. Again, it was tough, but it was also a challenge and one I enjoyed because it really helped me to grow as a person as well as an actor." [caption id="attachment_4372" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Not a good day in The Village for 11-12. Photo copyright of Granada/AMC"][/caption] Much to his surprise, a frustrated 11-12's eyes are opened to an entirely new set of possibilities for his future, thanks to The Village's newest resident and The Prisoner's lead character, Number Six (Jim Caviezel). "Six's arrival throws a bit of a spanner into the works of The Village," notes Bower. "He comes along and forthrightly and outwardly says, 'This isn't all there is' and 11-12's reaction to that is, 'Well, maybe he's right.' So his interaction with Six is one of curiosity as well as questioning and trying to understand why it is that this man is saying what he's saying. And I think 11-12 ends up believing in and trusting Six." While their onscreen personas are caught up in the turmoil of what is happening to them, The Prisoner's cast as well as crew could not have enjoyed their time together more, Bower included. "Everyone involved in this project is incredibly talented and fun," enthuses the actor. "Working with Ian McKellen is an absolute joy and a pleasure. The same is true of working with young British stars like Hayley Atwell [Lucy/4-15] and Ruth Wilson [Number 313]. We all became good mates and helped each other out, patted one another on the back when we needed it, and laughed at each other when we didn't need it," he jokes. "We spent four-and-a-half months together in South Africa. Not many people can say that, apart from those who live there, and we had a really nice time." Bower was 14 when he decided that he wanted to become an actor, and four years later made his feature film debut in director Tim Burton's Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. "I had just turned 18 and was at boarding school in the English countryside," he says. "I was sneaking out at five o'clock in the morning through my house master's backdoor and getting into a car that was waiting for me outside the school gates to take me to set. I'd then return to school around seven at night and go back to bed. [caption id="attachment_4373" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="11-12 shares a rare moment with his mother, M2 (Rachael Blake). Photo copyright of Granada/AMC"][/caption] "I did that for about two weeks and then I made the decision that I should probably just leave school and not bum a free bed off them every night. So that's what I did, and it was an incredibly terrifying experience for me, being just 18 and working alongside people like Tim Burton as well as Johnny Depp, Alan Rickman and Timothy Spall. It was also a phenomenal opportunity and it gave me such an amazing starting point that I could never have dreamt of, so I was very, very lucky." Besides The Prisoner, Bower can also currently be seen as Caius in the latest installment of the hugely successful teenage vampire tale The Twilight Saga: New Moon. "I was in Los Angeles not too long ago and they were casting for New Moon," says the actor. "My American agent asked me if I would like to audition for it, and I said that I'd kill to audition for it. So I met with [director] Chris Weitz and then I got a call offering me the role of Caius, which I was really excited about. "Caius, along with Michael Sheen's character of Ar0, and Marcus,who is played by Chris Heyerdahl, are the leaders of an ancient Italian vampire coven known as the Volturi. We shot in Vancouver and I was there for about three weeks working with actors like Michael, Chris, Dakota Fanning [Jane], Rob Pattinson [Edward Cullen] and Kris Stewart [Bella Swan]. It was a real treasure of a role for me and another great set of actors to work with and learn from." [caption id="attachment_4374" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Change is in the air when 11-12 crosses paths with Number Six (Jim Caviezel). Photo copyright of Granada/AMC"][/caption] The actor has a lead role alongside Keira Knightley and Colin Farrell in the upcoming film London Boulevard and has guest-starred in an episode of the new British Fantasy TV series Game of Thrones. Harry Potter fans can also look forward to enjoying Bower's performance in the two-part Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. "I play Gellert Grindelwald, who's an old friend of Dumbledore's [Michael Gambon]," he says. "They have this idea that they can create a utopian wizardry world, and then there's a big fight and something awful happens," teases the actor. "So it was another fun project, and 'fun' is one of the things about this job that's important to me. I hope I can continue doing this up until the point that it isn't fun any more. That's when people become jaded and become the person that they never wanted to be. I think growing as an actor and a performer is a wonderful thing to behold, and feeling like you're learning as well. That's especially important for young actors like myself who have chosen a different path. We haven't gone to university, but, instead, have decided that acting is what we want to do, and as long as you're learning while doing it, then I think that's the main thing that will keep you happy." Steve Eramo The Prisoner concludes tonight, Tuesday, November 17th @ 8 p.m. EST/PST. As noted above, all photos copyright of Granada TV and AMC, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Ruth Wilson Talks About The Prisoner

[caption id="attachment_4281" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Ruth Wilson plays the beautiful and troubled Number 313 in The Prisoner. Photo copyright of Granada/AMC"][/caption] IN early 2006, Ruth Wilson exploded onto the scene by winning the title role in the BBC's major new adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre - her first job out of drama school. She went on to gain a BAFTA TV nomination for Best Actress in 2007 and was also brought to the attention of Hollywood with a Best Actress nomination at the Golden Globe Awards. Suddenly labeled as the new "British bright young thing," the actress next appeared onstage in Maxim Gorky's The Philistines at the National Theatre in London. This was followed by playing the leads in two critically acclaimed feature films, Capturing Mary, in which Wilson appeared opposite Dame Maggie Smith and David Williams, and A Real Summer, written specifically for the actress and which she performed alone as a monologue. In The Prisoner, Wilson plays Number 313, a doctor who plays a key role in the day-to-day running of The Village. The following is an AMC Q & A with the actress about her involvement in the miniseries. Who is 313? Ruth Wilson - She is a strange figure, a doctor in The Village. She initially meets Six [Jim Caviezel] in Club More - at that point,you have no idea who she is. She next appears in the hospital where Six is waking up, and gradually the relationship between him and 313 grows. She is always there, always around. She has been assigned to look after him by Two [Sir Ian McKellen]. It is part of her job and she doesn't think much of it. It is only when she is talking to Six, and he starts making her question herself, that all her doubts about living in The Village are exposed. The women in this version are more interesting than the rather two-dimensional characters in the original The Prisoner. 313 is real; she is always changing and has no secrets. What attracted you to the role? RW - I find her fascinating to play every scene - there are so many unsaid things going on. Each scene I have to play for the scene. She has a sophisticated, neat, intelligent look. She is a clever woman, but is tortured by everything she has to do. 313 is someone who is pivotal to the way The Village works and fundamental to making it work successfully. She is overcome with guilt. I've tried to play her real. In Episode One, she has to build up a relationship with Six to get him to open up to her. She is not as she seems. [caption id="attachment_4282" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Numbers Six (Jim Caviezel) and 313. Photo copyright of Granada/AMC"][/caption] What is her relationship with Six? RW - They have the same doubts and the same questions. She becomes his confidant. In Episode Three you find out that 313 is a dreamer - she dreams of another place which, in The Village, is a crime and she is forced to deny this. She can't help being drawn to Six. It is the same with Two - she is drawn to him. In the earlier episodes, she has grown closer to Six and found out how dangerous he is. He has made her dangerous to herself, and she is struggling to hold on to who she is in The Village. She has to obey Two otherwise she will suffer the consequences. She almost has to make a choice between The Village and Six. Describe 313 as a dreamer? RW - As a dreamer, she becomes more and more tortured by her dreams. She can't work out what they are and they keep coming back to her. She's like an outcast - someone who is secretly hiding who they are. [In latter episodes], she becomes more honest and finds out who she really is. Two makes her face her dreams and nightmares. How did you find working with Ian McKellen? RW - It's great working with Ian because there is a real playfulness that he has. His character is the baddie, but he has loads of depth. Two abuses 313 and manipulates her, but she is drawn to him as a father figure. She opens up to him. [caption id="attachment_4286" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Number 313 on-call in The Village. Photo copyright of Granada/AMC"][/caption] The Prisoner debuts with two episodes on Sunday, November 15th @ 8 p.m. EST/PST and continues at the same time on Monday, the 16th and Tuesday, the 17th. Watch for more Q & As as well as cast interviews as the week goes on. As noted above, all photos copyright of Granada TV and AMC, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Writer Bill Gallagher Talks About The Prisoner

[caption id="attachment_4273" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Jim Caviezel stars as Number Six in AMC's re-imagined version of the classic British TV series The Prisoner. Photo copyright of Granada/AMC"][/caption] AFTER a rather itinerant life, working in all manner of jobs - from window cleaner to welder - Bill Gallagher studied at the University of East Anglia, under Malcolm Bradbury and Rose Tremain. Subsequently, he taught drama and dramatic writing at the university before becoming a fulltime writer. His first stage play, Darkle, won The Sunday Times Playwriting Award. Raised in the ship-building community of Newcastle, Bill now lives in Norfolk and has two children. With a passion for television drama, his credits include Maigret, Clocking Off, Hero of the Hour, Out of the Blue, Moving Story, Conviction, Four Fathers and Lark Rise to Candleford. Bill is the winner of Trik Awards and Monte Carlo Awards, and has been nominated for BAFTAs and Royal Television Society Awards. As a young boy, Bill saw The Prisoner during its original broadcast and was mesmerized by it, without understanding why. It has since haunted him in many ways that few dramas have. The following is a brief AMC Q & A with the writer. How did you get involved with the re-imagining of The Prisoner? Bill Gallagher - I had a phone call from Granada Television. It was such a surprising call...and I found myself having this bizarre conversation about reworking The Prisoner. I knew immediately I wanted to do it. I won't claim to have been a longtime fan of the original series, but I had seen it once as a boy. It had such an impact on me. It was so strange and so unfathomable. It disturbed me like no other TV show. That stayed with me for a long time. That all came back to me, so I knew immediately I wanted to do it. And then the prospect of doing it terrified me. What terrified you? Was it that the show had such a cult following? BG - Partly, I respect the original. I am inspired by the original. But, it's never about redoing it and pleasing the people who love the original. They love the original because of what it is. It was the scale of the task. It is such a mind-boggling concept. I knew I couldn't just make a conventional drama built on conventional structures. I knew it had to be different. [caption id="attachment_4274" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Exactly what are Number Two's (Sir Ian McKellen) true motivations? Photo copyright of Granada/AMC"][/caption] Talk about the character of Two and his backstory. BG - In the original series, there was a series of Twos and he was The Village authority figure. what I was interested in was to stay with this man and to open up the battle between Six [Jim Caviezel] and Two [Sir Ian McKellen] and to get to know Two. Who is this man? What is his mission? What are his moral challenges? If he is a man with a vision, and that vision becomes The Village, then what are the costs to him? What happens when this man has a family? I was really interested in the character of Two and that couldn't be achieved by replacing Two each week. His actions tell us who he is, but I was also interested in finding out why he does what he does, and what it has cost him. How did you imagine the character of Six and his journey? BG - Six begins from a premise that's already given to me by the original series: there is a man cast into this strange place, he wants to escape, he rails against authority, and he's determined to assert his own individuality. For me, it's the man himself and his history. What if Six was a lonely man? What if he was a man who didn't know how to form relationships? What if he was a man whose work separated him from the world? What are the challenges that are thrown to Six himself, in his own beliefs, in his own ideas, in his own failings? The series is a hero's journey. That journey is an attempt to escape, an attempt to overcome the monster that is Two. But also, it's a challenge to overcome the monster in himself. The Prisoner debuts with two episodes on Sunday, November 15th @ 8 p.m. EST/PST and continues at the same time on Monday, the 16th and Tuesday, the 17th. Watch for more Q & As as well as cast interviews as the week goes on. As noted above, all photos copyright of Granada TV and AMC, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

Jim Caviezel Talks About The Prisoner

[caption id="attachment_4148" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Number Six (Jim Caviezel) finds himself a long way from home in The Prisoner. Photo copyright of Granada/AMC"][/caption] "I am not a number, I am a free man!" That was the battle cry of the title character in the 1967 - 1968 British spy drama/science fiction TV series The Prisoner. Starring and co-created by actor Patrick McGoohan, the show tells the story of a British Secret Service Agent who, after resigning, is kidnapped and taken to a secluded (and inescapable) seaside locale called "The Village,"  where his abductors use all manner of psychological techniques to try to figure out exactly why he resigned. This Sunday (November 15th), AMC begins airing a three-part re-imagined version of The Prisoner starring Jim Caviezel (The Passion of Christ, Final Cut) in the title role. The following is an AMC Q &A with the actor, who talks about his involvement in the project. What was the appeal of the role of Six and the series in general? Jim Caviezel - The challenge for me was taking on an iconic role in a series of such cult status and making it my own. It is a hugely ambitious TV project. It is surreal, complex and challenging for the audience. How would you describe your character? JC - Six is stubborn, persistent, curious and clever. He is always looking for answers, refuses to conform and never gives up hope. Six is constantly looking for a way out of The Village - either physically or psychologically. In each episode, he tries to escape by different means. Does it make it harder or easier playing an iconic lead? How do the Sixes in the original Prisoner and this new version differ? JC - Although it would be foolish not to recognize the original character created by Patrick McGoohan, the Six I play is very much a contemporary man dealing with issues that affect us now. He does have some similar characteristics with the original Six, like his defiant nature and his complex antagonistic relationship with Two [Sir Ian McKellen]. But we learn more about his life before The Village. We also see him building strong relationships with other Villagers through the six episodes. [caption id="attachment_4151" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Number Two (Ian McKellen) is determined to extract the truth from Number Six. Photo copyright of Granada/AMC"][/caption] Were you a fan of the original series of The Prisoner? JC - I purposely decided not to view the original series. I wanted to find my own interpretation for the role without being influenced by what had been done before. How do you eel about shooting a remake? Do you think it will inevitably invite comparison with the original and, more specifically, invite comparisons between your portrayal of Number Six and Patrick McGoohan's? JC - Yes, it is inevitable that comparisons will be made, but our series is more a reinvention than a remake. It looks at the situation with a fresh eye, and deals with issues that affect us now, and the character is very contemporary. The creative team is keen to remain faithful to the spirit of the original, but both the structure and the character have been reworked. Hopefully, audiences will be able to enjoy it as a separate piece of contemporary television. What was it like filming with Sir Ian McKellen? JC - He is a superb actor and we had enormous fun playing adversaries. What did you think of Namibia? JC -The space, the desert and the dunes are awesome. The town of Swakopmund is a strange and interesting place - an authentic German town in the desert of Africa. [caption id="attachment_4156" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Six appears to have made a friend in 313 (Ruth Wilson). Photo copyright of Granada/AMC"][/caption] The Prisoner debuts with two episodes on Sunday, November 15th @ 8 p.m. EST/PST and continues at the same time on Monday, the 16th and Tuesday, the 17th. Watch for more Q & As as well as cast interviews as the week goes on. As noted above, all photos copyright of Granada TV and AMC, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!

AMC ' s The Prisoner Debuts In November

[caption id="attachment_3983" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Two totally opposite numbers - Six (Jim Caviezel) and Two (Ian McKellen) in AMC's The Prisoner. Photo copyright of Granada/AMC"][/caption] A man wakes up in a mysterious place where people have numbers instead of names, and all traces of his former life are renounced as delusions. Welcome to The Village, the setting of AMC's second original miniseries television event, The Prisoner, premiering Sunday, November 15th from 8 p.m. - 10 p.m. EST/PST. The six-part miniseries airs over three consecutive nights, with two episodes each evening beginning at 8 p.m. EST/PST. AMC's reinterpretation of the 1960s cult classic by Patrick McGoohan tells the story of one man's desperate quest to find his way back to his former life and reclaim his freedom. A co-production of AMC, ITV Productions and Granada, The Prisoner combines a wide range of genres, from Espionage to Sci-Fi, into an adrenaline pumping, edge-of-your-seat thriller that will ultimately make you question what you think is real. Forty years ago, McGoohan's original 1967 series - a riff on Cold War politics - changed the scope of the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres. Now, AMC's re-imagining explores and questions contemporary issues of power and control; family and love; privacy and security. What is the value and the price of freedom? Who is watching and controlling whom? What is love? Reflecting the same verve, complexity and uniquely disturbing commentary of the original, The Prisoner is an investigation into modern alienation, the corruption of power, rights of the individual, and the mysteries of the human condition. [caption id="attachment_3986" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The Village's iconic penny-farthing bicycle logo - an homage to the original Prisoner TV series. Photo copyright of Granada/AMC"][/caption] The Prisoner follows a man (Jim Caviezel) who resigns from his job and wakes up to find himself inexplicably trapped in a strange and surreal place, The Village, with no memory of how he arrived. As he frantically explores his new environment, he discovers that Village residents are identified by number, have no memory of any prior existence, and are under constant surveillance. Called by the number Six, the man is driven by the desperate need and desire to know what The Village is, why he is there, and who controls it. Is he being brainwashed or debriefed? Most importantly, Six needs to find a way to escape and return to his previous life. The Village is controlled by one man - the sinister and charismatic Two (Ian McKellen), who goes to extreme measures to convince Six that there is no other place but The Village. In order to hold onto his identity, Six engages Two in a battle of wits and challenges the oppressive nature of The Village. When he befriends a doctor, 313 (Ruth Wilson), and a taxicab driver, 147 (Lennie James), Six must fight the temptation to assimilate the hidden truth behind The Village, and in doing so, Six must also confront some dark truths about himself. [caption id="attachment_3990" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Number Two takes a little stroll through The Village. Photo copyright of Granada/AMC"][/caption] "With great affection and respect for the original The Prisoner, AMC set out to re-imagine McGoohan's brilliantly captivating story with the goal of creating a landmark television event," said Charlie Collier, president of GM and AMC. "Just like our other originals which explore, among other themes, the mystery of human behavior, The Prisoner not only entertains, but also addresses larger life questions and asked whether we, as humans, can ever be truly free." Shot on location in Swakopmund, Nambia and South Africa, The Prisoner stars Jim Caviezel (Passion of the Christ, The Thin Red Line) in the title role of Six, a part that was originally made famous when played by McGoohan; two-time Oscar nominee Ian McKellen (Lord of the Rings, The Da Vinci Code) as Two; Hayley Atwell (Brideshead Revisited, Mansfield Park) as 4-15; Ruth Wilson (Jane Eyre, Capturing Mary) in the role of 313; Lennie James (Jericho) as 147; Rachael Blake (Lantana, Tom White) as M2, the wife of Two, and Jamie Campbell Bower (Sweeney Todd, The Twilight Saga: New Moon) as 11-12, the son of Two. [caption id="attachment_3991" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Six finds himself in a sticky situation. Photo copyright of Granada/AMC"][/caption] The Prisoner debut will be complemented by a variety of exclusive material available on AMC's extensive Prisoner blog, www.amctv.com/originals/the-prisoner. Fans can watch the original 1960s series, which aired from 1967-1968, in full-screen, and check out episode re-caps, a photo gallery, trivia quiz, talk forum, and behind-the-scenes, making-of-video diaries. AMC co-produced The Prisoner with UK producer Granada and ITV Productions. Granada International will distribute the series worldwide. Trevor Hopkins (Dracula, Poirot) is producer, and Michele Buck (Sex Traffic), Damien Timmer (Housewife 49) and Rebecca Keane (Lost in Austen) are executive producers for ITV. The miniseries is written by Bill Gallagher (Conviction, Clocking Off, Lark Rise To Candleford) and directed by Nick Hurran (It's A Boy Girl Thing, Little Black Book). As noted above, all photos copyright of Granada  and AMC TV, so please no unauthorized copying or duplicating of any kind. Thanks!