SciFiAndTvTalk

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!

Lennie James - In The Driver ' s Seat

[caption id="attachment_4307" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Number 147 (Lennie James) and his wife, 21-16 (Renate Stuurman) in The Prisoner. Photo copyright of Granada/AMC"][/caption] When some people arrive in a new city or town, one of the first things they do is jump into a taxi. After all, the person behind that wheel knows all there is to know about the local main streets and back roads, right? Nowhere is that perhaps more important than in AMC's six-part miniseries The Prisoner. As a cab driver in The Village, Number 147 is the one to seek out when looking to go from A to B in this exclusive community. There is so much more to him, though, than just his driving skills, as actor Lennie James, who plays 147, explains. "At the start of our story, my character is absolutely content and accepting of the rules of The Village in which he lives," says James. "He is a guy who will gladly tell you what you can and cannot say, where you can and cannot go, and what you can and cannot do. And within the confines of The Village, this man has found complete happiness with his wife [12-16. played by Renate Stuurman] and their child. 147 can't believe how lucky he is to not just love his wife, but have his wife love him and then bless him with a child. "In some ways it was a challenge to play a guy who is so content, but what I enjoyed most about the role was playing someone who really has no knowledge of his potential. 147 has no sense of what he can and cannot do, and from early on in the six episodes, is a man who constantly surprises himself." The original 60s Prisoner series focused on an ex-Secret Service agent (Patrick McGoohan) who wakes up in a remote seaside locale called The Village. His name has been replaced by a number, Six, and those in charge are intent on finding out the truth about why he resigned from his job. This re-imagined version of the program has its own Number Six (Jim Caviezel), who, like his predecessor, has a profound impact on certain villagers that he meets, including James' 147. "Besides 147's wife and child, my character's other main relationship is with Number Six," notes the actor. "When Six arrives in The Village, 147 acts as his guide in more ways than one, and his relationship with Six becomes, literally, life-changing. It changes everything about what he thought his life was and what he comes to realize his life could be. It's all due to the chance meeting, really, of Six getting into 147's taxi as opposed to 135's as it were." Keeping an eye on everyone in The Village, especially Six, is Number Two (Ian McKellen). Like his fellow villagers, he makes use of the local taxis, and at one point calls upon 147's services. "One of the scenes I really enjoyed shooting is one with myself and Ian McKellen, where his character is in the backseat of my character's taxi," recalls James. "The whole thing is played through the rearview mirror, and technically it was tricky because you have to look as if you're not looking at each other. Our two characters communicate exclusively through that mirror and have quite a bit to say to one another. I loved doing that scene, not only because I loved working with Ian, but also because of what was going on in it, which was something worthwhile." The Italianate resort village of Portmerion in Gwynedd on the coast of Snowdonia in Wales served as the setting for the original Prisoner. Going for a very different type of look, the producers of the 2009 remake chose to have James along with the rest of the miniseries' cast and crew shoot in South Africa. "The location was absolutely fantastic for the story, but it did hold some challenges for us as a cast and crew," says the actor. "We filmed all our exteriors in a place called Swakopmund, a turn of the century village where the desert meets the sea in Namibia. As Portmerion was in the original Prisoner, this place was very much an extra character that gave the miniseries a particular type of feel. "Swakopmund is a holiday destination, mostly for Germans, but when we were there it wasn't holiday season, so we were shooting in a sort of ghost town. There were a lot of empty houses and empty streets, all of which certainly added to our head space as far as playing the villagers. Again, though, there were times where everybody just felt like they were a long way from home." How familiar was the actor with Patrick McGoohan's incarnation of The Prisoner before he began working on this version? "I'm not old enough to have seen the series when it was first broadcast, but it was on a loop, it seems, during my childhood," he explains. "So I was very aware of it and must have seen, if not all the episodes, most of them at various times while growing up. [caption id="attachment_4309" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Number 147 finds his life of contentment in The Village turned upside-down. Photo copyright of Granada/AMC"][/caption] "I didn't go back and revisit the series for this production, though, because Bill Gallagher's [miniseries writer] scripts were so specific as well as different and I didn't want to put anything in the way of that." Born in Nottingham, England and having spent many of his younger years in South London, James once dreamt of giving a very different type of performance in front of an audience. "Like most English boys, I wanted to be a rugby player," says the actor. "When I was growing up, rugby wasn't a professional sport, but it was something that I wanted to play at the highest level I could. However, when I realized that I wasn't good enough, and before acting came into my life, I wanted to at least pursue a career that was sports oriented, such as a physiotherapist or occupational therapist. "As far as acting, I actually followed a girl who I really fancied into an audition. She wanted to be an actress and the director said I couldn't stay in the room unless I auditioned.  So I did and I got offered a role." A Raisin in the Sun, Two Gentlemen of Verona and Macbeth are among James' theater credits, while on the big screen he has starred in such films as Outlaw, Sahara, Snatch and Les miserables. On TV, the actor has appeared in several made-for-TV movies as well as guest-starred in shows on both sides of the pond including A Touch of Frost, Cold Feet, Spooks, Lie to Me and Three Rivers. James is probably best known for his regular roles in the British series Out of the Blue and the apocalyptic U.S. drama Jericho. "Out of the Blue was an ensemble cop show and I loved it," he enthuses. "It was one of my first big jobs and the first time I worked with Bill Gallagher. We did two seasons of it and, as I'm going to go on to talk about Jericho, one of the things both shows have in common is that they ended, I think, before their time. I'm guessing that whoever made those decisions, in retrospect, probably wouldn't have done the same thing again. "My character in Out of the Blue was a guy called Bruce Hannaford, who was kind of an uptight detective and a perpetual bachelor who dressed well and had a rather inflated opinion of himself. It was a great part to play in amongst a terrific cast including John Hannah [D.S. Frank Drinkall], Neil Dudgeon [D.C. Marty Brazil] and John Duttine [D. I. Eric Temple]. I had a wonderful time doing the series and made some very good friends along the way. The same can be said for Jericho, which was, again, a gift of a part for me, in amongst some fantastic actors." Of all James' roles, The Prisoner was one of his easiest to have booked. "The part was pretty much offered to me," says the actor. "I met with the people I would be working with just to see whether or not we were on the same page, and we were. As I mentioned, I worked with Bill Gallagher before, so it was one of those really nice audition processes where your prior work is taken into consideration and people are gracious enough to offer you the role and not ask you to jump through too many hoops." With some people in the entertainment industry, making sure they are always in the public eye is the definition of having a successful career. James, however, is among those who prefer to take a more down-to-earth approach to the profession. "For me, it's about the job," he says. "These days there is a generation of actors, some of whom seem to be getting into the business for the perks as opposed to the actual work. I very much enjoy the moments between the director calling, 'Action,' and, 'Cut,' when you're making the [acting] choices. And the actors who I admire and aspire to be like are those who enjoy that, too, and for who fame and celebrity are by-products and not the aim. "I truly love what I do and feel blessed that I've been allowed to continue doing it for the past 20 or so years." Steve Eramo The Prisoner continues tonight, Monday, November 16th @ 8 p.m. EST/PST and concludes at the same time on Tuesday, the 17th. Watch for an interview with Jamie Campbell-Bower (11-12). 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!

Sir Ian McKellen Talks About The Prisoner

[caption id="attachment_4182" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Sir Ian McKellen as Number Two in The Prisoner. Photo copyright of Granada TV/AMC"][/caption] IN the 1960s British TV series The Prisoner, a character named simply Number Two was the overseer of The Village, a remote seaside community that welcomed new "residents" but rarely allowed anyone to leave - at least alive. When an ex-British Secret Service agent, Number Six (played by actor and series co-creator Patrick McGoohan), was brought to The Village against his will, Number Two was assigned the task of finding out the truth behind why Six resigned from his job. Over the course of the show's 17-episode run, no less than 17 actors and actresses portrayed Number Two, with Leo McKern appearing three times and Colin Gordon appearing twice. Some stories featured more than one Number Two, including It's Your Funeral, in which two incarnations of the character played major roles in the episode, while images of two others were seen as well. This Sunday, November 15th, AMC will air the first two episodes of its six-part miniseries remake of The Prisoner. Award-winning British stage, feature film and TV actor Sir Ian McKellen assumes the role of Number Two and, like his predecessors, is equally dogged when it comes to finding out Number Six's (Jim Caviezel) true agenda. In the following AMC press Q & A, Sir Ian McKellen talks about the 2009 miniseries and his role in it. Why did The Prisoner interest you? Ian McKellen - This is the sort of thing I would enjoy watching myself and that is always the test. It also arrived at the right time - I wanted to work and, to top it all, it brought me to Cape Town. Now, it's more intriguing than when I first read it. It's a thriller and unlike the original series, this is much more about what Six wants to escape from and why he can't escape. There are clues from the very first scene in the opening episode. Who is Two? IM - In the original series, Two was running The Village. More than that, he was played by a different actor for each episode, but this time there's just me playing the part. Two appears to be in charge of The Village and he has the qualities of someone who might well be that. If you like The Village, you'd accept him as your leader and revere him, but if you don't like The Village, you'd think he is a monster. I personally don't think he's creepy at all. [caption id="attachment_4183" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="A pensive moment for Number Two. Photo copyright of Granada TV/AMC"][/caption] What about Two's family? IM - It is no secret that Two has a family. He has a son in his late teens and he has a wife who's comatose and with whom he is madly in love. So he has a wife who he can't really talk to, and a son who doesn't want to talk to him. He loves them both and it is his love for them both that sets the whole story rollicking along. Does he bring Six to The Village to take over from him or does it become his motive as the story goes on? You never know with The Village. Why is The Prisoner so compelling? IM - Once you get involved with something as good as this you find out things you didn't know before. I read online about people who indulge in mutual dreaming. Sometimes the dreams are identical. I suppose Bill Gallagher [who wrote this re-imagined version of The Prisoner] knew that, and if he didn't, is very perceptive to these things. What I like about The Prisoner are all the oddities, the strangeness and the peculiarities. Portmerion [the setting in which the original 60s Prisoner was shot] doesn't look real. It's a fantasy. Bill Gallagher's Prisoner is set in a more believable place and one that clearly has a style to it. Swakopmund has the feel of a prison, with the mighty Atlantic Ocean on one side of the town and desert on the other side. Are there similarities to the original? IM - There are references back to the original and there are characters that appear in the original that appear in this. I don't think it is any secret that Rover is back. In this, as opposed to the original, we discover where Rover comes from. Questions are answered. People who enjoyed the original might ask why have you cast an American and not an Englishman in the central role? It all will be answered. The Prisoner is being re-imagined by a group of people who are fans of the original. [caption id="attachment_4185" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Two shares a family moment with his son, 11-12 (Jamie Campbell Bower) and wife, M2 (Rachael Blake). Photo copyright of Granada TV/AMC"][/caption] What do you think The Prisoner is about? IM - It is about relationships in the context of things which preoccupy us. It is about the nature of government today, about the state of mental health, about conspiracy theories. It is a thriller because exciting things happen, and if you are interested to know why they happen  you would want to watch the next episode. The story plays with current observations just like the original did. 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!