Today, June 10, 2020, would have been the 98th birthday of Hollywood star Judy Garland. Read on to find out more about her legendary career and troubled personal life.
Daniel Radcliffe starred in Harry Potter for a decade. What was he in before becoming The Boy Who Lived?
Along with Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley, Hermione Jean Granger is one of three main characters in the Harry Potter series.
She was played by Emma Watson in all eight films, growing from an 11-year-old Muggle-born first year to a young woman and powerful witch.
Hermione is the favourite character of both author JK Rowling and screenwriter Steve Kloves, who scripted seven of the movies.
One of Hermione’s most defining traits is her intelligence. From very early on, it is clear that she excels when compared to her classmates by quite a mile.
In fact, this intelligence almost led to her being Sorted into Ravenclaw, the Hogwarts House which values this quality.
When she was younger, this intelligence came across as being stuck-up or bossy, which often rubbed people the wrong way. Thus, Hermione found it difficult to make friends.
Although introduced almost immediately after Harry boards the Hogwarts Express for the first time, she enters his life as a friend much later compared to Ron.
As ardent Potter fans will remember, the two boys befriended Hermione after they survived a troll attack together.
From then on, Hermione’s intelligence became a great asset to the group. Whether it was something small to helping with homework… to much later, when it was a matter of life or death.
Although petrified into unconsciousness at the time, it is Hermione’s research that helps Harry figure out that a Basilisk was roaming Hogwarts’ pipes during Chamber of Secrets.
In Prisoner of Azkaban, Hermione’s time-turner helps save two innocent lives; Sirius Black, who had been wrongly imprisoned for murder over a decade earlier and the hippogriff Buckbeak, who was being unfairly sentenced to death.
In Order of the Phoenix, it was Hermione who had the idea for what later became the Dumbledore’s Army, a group that played an important role in the fall of Lord Voldemort.
Finally, in Deathly Hallows, it is clear that Harry and Ron would have struggled on the quest for Horcruxes had Hermione not been there whether it be sourcing shelter, healing splinching or getting out of dangerous situations.
While typically listed third (i.e. Harry, Ron, Hermione), Ms. Granger was ultimately an invaluable part of Harry Potter’s life, on some occasions saving him as well as being a true friend.
Animation, as an art form, offers actors a new type of challenge. Using only their voices, they are tasked with bringing cartoon characters to life in a way that viewers could almost believe they were seeing real people.
While some actors are solely voice performers, such as the likes of Frank Welker, Billy West, John DiMaggio, Tress MacNeille and many others, some actors known for live-action work occasionally head into the booth.
Read on to find out about ten well-known live-action actors who have voiced cartoon characters.
Tia Carrere (Lilo and Stitch)
Hawaiian-born Tia Carrere is known for playing Cassandra Wong in the two Wayne’s World films and appearing in General Hospital.
Carrere has ventured into reality television, starring on Dancing With The Stars and The Celebrity Appearance.
In 2002, Carrere voiced Nani Pelekai, older sister of the female title character in the animated feature Lilo and Stitch.
She would go on to reprise this role in subsequent straight-to-DVD movies as well as a television series.
Will Friedle (Kim Possible)
Will Friedle played the eccentric, dimwitted older brother Eric Matthews for all seven seasons of Boy Meets World, a live-action sitcom.
Since that series ended in 2000, Friedle has mainly focused on voice acting.
One of his best known projects in terms of vieweship is Kim Possihle, in which Friedle voiced the title character’s best friend/sidekick/love interest, Ron Stoppable.
Drew Barrymore (Family Guy)
Barrymore famously starred in ET: The Extra Terrestrial as a child actress and has appeared in other films such as Scream, Charlie’s Angels, Donnie Darko and Fever Pitch, to name just a few.
Between 2017 and 2019, she starred on the Netflix horror-comedy series Santa Clarita Diet.
Since 2005, Barrymore has been a recurring guest voice on Family Guy, where she has voiced Jillian Russell, the airheaded ex-girlfriend of Brian Griffin.
Patrick Warburton (The Emperor’s New Groove)
Patrick Warburton is known for numerous live-action films and television series.
Some examples include Seinfeld, Rules of Engagement, The Tick, Ted, A Series Of Unfortunate Events and Scream 2.
In 2000, Warburton first voiced Kronk in the animated feature The Emperor’s New Groove. He also played Kronk in the spin-off television series, The Emperor’s New School, between 2006 and 2008.
Christy Carlson Romano (Kim Possible)
Christy Carlson Romano is no stranger to Disney, having starred in the sitcom Even Stevens (alongside a young Shia LaBeouf) between 2000 and 2003.
In 2002, Romano starred alongside fellow Disney sitcom star Hilary Duff (Lizzie McGuire) as well as Shawn Ashmore in the Disney Channel Original Movie, Cadet Kelly.
Between 2002 and 2007, Romano voiced the title character on Kim Possible.
Kevin McDonald (Lilo and Stitch)
Canadian comedian Kevin McDonald is known for the sketch series The Kids In The Hall, which aired from 1988-1995.
McDonald has guest-starred in a number of sitcoms including Friends, Ellen and That 70s Show.
In the world of animation, McDonald is known for being the voice of Wendy Pleakley in Lilo and Stitch.
Ashley Johnson (Recess)
Ashley Johnson has had a successful acting career, both as a child and an adult.
She has starred in the sitcom Growing Pains (1990-1992) and the crime drama Blindspot (2015-present), playing Patterson in the latter.
Although known for providing the voice of Ellie in the video game The Last Of Us, Johnson’s breakthrough animation role came much earlier.
Between 1997-2001, Johnson voiced Gretchen Grundler on Recess, reprising the role in the feature film and various straight-to-DVD movies.
Kelsey Grammer (The Simpsons)
Kelsey Grammer is perhaps best known for playing Frasier Crane in the long-running, classic NBC sitcoms Cheers and Frasier.
However, since 1990, Grammer has provided the recurring voice of Sideshow Bob, Bart Simpson’s nemesis in The Simpsons.
As a side-note, one of Grammer’s appearances on The Simpsons featured the introduction of Sideshow Bob’s father and brother.
The characters were played by John Mahoney and David Hyde Pierce respectively, who filled the same roles to Grammer’s character on Frasier.
Lacey Chabert (Family Guy)
Chabert starred as Claudia Salinger on Party Of Five between 1994-2000.
Other early roles include appearances on All My Children as well as featuring in films such as Lost In Space, Daddy Day Care and Not Another Teen Movie.
Between 1999-2000, Chabert was the original, uncredited voice of Meg Griffin on Family Guy during the first season. Complications with scheduling on Party of Five as well as needing to focus schoolwork led to her exit.
Chabert’s voice has been featured in archived recordings in situations such as flashbacks or when Stewie Griffin has time-travelled.
Andrew Lawrence (Recess)
Andrew Lawrence has appeared in multiple projects as a child and adult. These include the series Brotherly Love (with his real-life brothers, Joey and Matthew Lawrence).
Lawrence has also appeared in Disney Channel Original Movies such as The Other Me and Jumping Ship, starred in Oliver Beene and has had guest star roles on Hawaii Five-0 and Melissa and Joey (which starred his brother Joey).
Between 1998-2001, Lawrence became the second voice of TJ Detweiler on Recess after the original actor, Sleepless In Seattle‘s Ross Malinger, went through puberty.
Lawrence, like Ashley Johnson, reprised the role in the 2003 feature film School’s Out as well as some direct-to-DVD movies before he too went through puberty and could no longer play TJ.
Ezra Miller played Barry Allen/The Flash in 2017’s Justice League. He appeared alongside other classic DC Comics heroes such as Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman.
In the three years since the film’s release, a solo Flash film has been in development with Miller expected to return. However, various obstacles have prevented the film from getting made. The current scheduled release date is July 1, 2022.
However, concerns around Miller himself have also played a factor in the film’s delay. Namely, his major role in another Warner Bros. franchise, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, where he plays Credence Barebone.
In early April 2020, a video surfaced of Miller appearing to choke a woman while at a bar in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Should Miller be replaced for any of the above reasons, here are five choices for who could replace him.
1. Grant Gustin
Let’s get this one out of the way.
Gustin has played Barry Allen on television for The CW since 2013. Initially on Arrow and then, the following year, received his own show titled The Flash.
Due to having played the part for so long, fans of the series are loyal towards Gustin and want him to continue on the big-screen. Even some of his co-stars have likewise endorsed Gustin.
However, multiple factors such as a busy full-time schedule and the fact that the film Flash is set in a different universe, prevent Gustin from taking on the role.
That being said, Gustin is a talented actor who could have taken the part under different circumstances.
2. Lucas Till
Till has been a dream casting for comic book fans of The Flash due to him being an accurate depiction for how Barry Allen appears in this medium.
His previous film work includes X Men: First Class, Hannah Montana: The Movie and Monster Trucks.
Currently, Till plays the lead role of Angus ‘Mac’ McGyver on the reboot of the popular 1985-1992 action-adventure series which starred Richard Dean Anderson.
Like Gustin, Till’s TV commitments would make it unlikely that he would have enough time to do this film.
3. Tye Sheridan
Sheridan has appeared in a number of acclaimed film projects, including Mud (with Matthew McConaughey), Joe (with Nicolas Cage), the X-Men film series (as Scott Summers/Cyclops) and as the lead, Wade Watts/Parzival in Ready Player One.
Interestingly, he starred alongside Miller in the Stanford Prison Experiment.
His age, body of work and experience would make him a top candidate for any major role, including The Flash.
4. Dacre Montgomery
Montgomery recently left the Netflix hit Stranger Things, after his character Billy Hargrove was killed off.
This newfound freedom allows the talented actor to explore opportunities that were not prevously available while contracted to the show.
Australian-born Montgomery has also already made his big screen debut, in 2017’s Power Rangers.
5. Nick Robinson
Robinson is known for his role as Ryder Scanlon on Melissa and Joey and various films including Jurassic World, Love, Simon, The 5th Wave and Kings of Summer.
He already has a somewhat tenuous link to The Flash, having worked with Grant Gustin on the 2017 film Krystal, directed by William H. Macy.
Due to his familiarity as a young star in films and on television, someone in Robinson’s position would be an ideal choice to take on such as iconic role as The Flash.
What do you think of these choices? Who would you pick to play The Flash?
While many characters appeared in the Harry Potter books and films, author JK Rowling regards a selected few (and the actors that played them) in a unique way.
Of course, the three main characters are the Boy Wizard Harry Potter and his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. These are undoubtedly the most familiar to fans of the series, whether readers or viewers.
That being said, several others have featured prominently alongside the trio, a point which JK Rowling herself has acknowledged.
At the London premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 in 2011, Rowling referred to seven cast members as the ‘Big 7’ of the series.
They are Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson , Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, Bonnie Wright and Tom Felton.
What have the seven gotten up to since leaving the world of Potter behind?Read on to find out.
Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter)
Immediately after leaving Hogwarts and the Boy Who Lived behind, Radcliffe followed up the eight-part series with 2012’s The Woman In Black, a horror film on which he reunited with Potter co-star Ciaran Hinds (Aberforth Dumbledore).
Other films that Radcliffe has appeared in since include Horns, Imperium, Now You See Me 2, Kill Your Darlings and Swiss Army Man.
He has also played young Dr. Vladimir Bomgard and Craig/Prince Chauncley respectively on the television series A Young Doctor’s Notebook and Miracle Workers.
Additionally, Radcliffe has also appeared on Broadway in How To Succeed Without Really Trying. He also starred in other plays such as The Cripple of Inishmaan, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and Lifespan Of A Fact.
Speaking to Variety in February 2020, Radcliffe stated that he was not interested in reprising the role of Harry Potter in the Fantastic Beasts films.
Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley)
Grint’s post-Potter projects have encompassed film, theatre and TV. He appeared with late co-star Alan Rickman (Severus Snape) in 2013’s CBGB.
His other film projects include Into The White and Postman Pat: The Movie.
On the television front, Grint has starred in the series Sick Note, Servant and Snatch, also serving as a producer on the latter.
In 2013, Grint made his stage debut in Jez Butterworth’s Mojo.
More recently, it was announced that Grint is expecting his first child with his girlfriend Georgia Groome.
Emma Watson (Hermione Granger)
Once known as bookworm Hermione Granger in the Potter series, Emma Watson has played many other roles in the years since leaving her behind.
Most notably, she appeared as the lead in films such as Beauty and the Beast, The Bling Ring and Circle.
Watson also had co-starring roles in The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, Noah and Little Women.
In 2015, she appeared in British sitcom The Vicar Of Dibley, playing a character named “Reverend Iris”.
Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy)
Felton has also experimented with both film and TV projects since moving on from Draco Malfoy and his pure-blood beliefs.
In the same year that Deathly Hallows Part 2 was released, Felton appeared in Rise of the Planet Of The Apes as Dodge Landon.
His other feature film projects include Ophelia, Feed, Against The Sun, Megan Leavey and Risen.
Felton has also starred in US network television with starring roles as Erich Blunt on the first season of Murder In The First and as Julian Albert on season three of The Flash.
In 2018, he appeared in the YouTube Premium series Origin in the main role of Logan.
Matthew Lewis
Lewis starred alongside Timothy Spall and his real-life brother Anthony Lewis in BBC drama The Syndicate. Also for BBC, he appeared in Bluestone 42.
In 2016, Lewis starred in the series Ripper Street as DS Samuel Drummond.
Other TV roles include a guest stint in Death In Paradise and a main role on Girlfriends in 2017.
Lewis married his girlfriend Angela Jones in 2018.
Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley)
Since walking-off camera after Harry Potter, Wright has opted to stay behind it by pursuing directing. Between 2012 and 2019, she has directed various short films and music videos.
Wright has also acted in films such as After the Dark, Before I Sleep and Who Killed Nelson Nutmeg?
In 2012, Wright graduated from the London College of Communication with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Film and Television Production.
Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood)
Like her former co-stars, Lynch also continued acting after Harry Potter came to an end.
She had a cameo appearance in 2019’s Madness In The Method while also starring in GBF, My Name Is Emily and the BBC television film, Danny and the Human Zoo.
In 2018, Lynch participated in Dancing With The Stars, being partnered with Keo Motsepe and finishing third in the competition.
Since November 2017, Lynch has also had a podcast called TheChickPeeps, which is co-hosted by Potter co-star Robbie Jarvis (who played young James Potter).
Skeet Ulrich rose to fame in Hollywood with the 1996 horror classic Scream, directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. His biggest project at the time was The Craft, which also starred future Scream lead Neve Campbell.
Throughout his career, we have seen Skeet Ulrich prove his range in multiple projects that differ in genre, content, target audience and even the type of character he is playing.
Ulrich played the memorable teen killer Billy Loomis in Scream, whose actions are ultimately pivotal to the film’s events. The cast also included Drew Barrymore, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Matthew Lillard and Neve Campbell.
At the time of Scream‘s release, Ulrich was 26 and had been working professionally in Hollywood for seven years.
As expected with a major Hollywood hit, Ulrich went on to land more roles on the back of Scream’s success — he appeared in The Newton Boys (1998) with Matthew McConaughey and Ethan Hawke in which he played their on-screen brother, Track Down (2000) with Tom Berenger and The Magic of Ordinary Days (2005) with Keri Russell.
Arguably, it can be said that Ulrich’s greatest success over the past decade has been in television, beginning with his lead role as Jake Green in Jericho, a post-apocalyptic drama on CBS that ran for three seasons. Interestingly, this show also starred a pre-Walking Dead Lennie James.
Ulrich also played the role of Rex Winters, a Police Detective, in fifteen episodes across the Law and Order franchise on NBC – one as a guest star on Special Victims Unit with the other fourteen as a regular on Law and Order: LA.
(Bottom) – Rex Winters
In 2017, Ulrich landed two key roles — real life abductor Brian David Mitchell in the acclaimed Lifetime television film I Am Elizabeth Smart which tells the story of the then 14-year-old’s kidnapping by a family acquaintance, opposite Alana Boden as Smart. The real Elizabeth Smart found the film so accurate that she cannot watch it for a second time.
He also began a guest role on CW’s Riverdale – a teen drama based on Archie Comics – as FP Jones, father to regular character Jughead (Cole Sprouse. The character’s popularity amongst fans led to Ulrich becoming a series regular from the second season onwards.
As well as Riverdale’s fourth season that began in October, Ulrich will also be appearing in the upcoming film Bios alongside Tom Hanks, Caleb Landry Jones (Get Out) and Laura Harrier (Spider-Man Homecoming), which is due for release in 2020.
Released in 2007, only twelve years ago, Bridge to Terabithia is, in my opinion, a seminal children’s film that kids should definitely watch at some point in their lives. While the title and some of the story focuses on an imaginary fantasy land, there are very real themes of friendship, family, compassion and grief at play in the movie. Young people also learn quite directly that the real world is not always a happy place – it can be cruel and unfair, hence why the imaginary land of Terabithia is thought into existence.
Although Bridge to Terabithia is under the Walt Disney Pictures banner, it is in fact much more poignant than a first-time viewer might give it credit for. This adaptation may be just over a decade old however the source material – Katherine Paterson’s novel of the same name – was released three decades earlier in 1977.
As the title alludes to, I recently watched Bridge to Terabithia for the first time as someone over the age of eighteen. It had been a very long time since my last viewing and the whole experience took me back into what it was like to be younger and carefree, in the age range of the lead characters.
As with any beloved story, endearing and memorable characters are a key reason for Bridge to Terabithia’s long-standing success and place in the hearts of millions. Josh Hutcherson and AnnaSophia Robb played their respective roles – Jess and Leslie, amazingly well especially considering how young they were during filming.
Not only does their on-screen friendship feel real and authentic, both Hutcherson and Robb truly embodied their characters in such a way that despite many years having passed since I first saw the film, I never forgot Jess, Leslie and what they went through together. I was genuinely moved by the story depicted on screen and the film means a lot to me, for that reason.
Looking into the film as an adult also offers a much different perspective to when I was younger and less knowledgeable about the world. For example, issues such as the financial issues in Jess’ family, the shock that Leslie does not believe in God and the fact that the bullies (especially Lauren Clinton’s Janice Avery) are much more complex human beings than they initially appear.
I always liked May Belle as a character and being an older sibling myself, I can relate to Jess’ annoyance at times of her trying to tag along. While many aspects of the story are timeless, it is in fact May Belle that reminds me exactly how much time has passed since Bridge to Terabithia was made — I have seen Bailee Madison in many other projects and she has obviously grown up. In fact, after my recent viewing, I went on to Instagram and one of the first pictures I saw was Madison celebrating her twentieth birthday. Time flies!
I also appreciate Robert Patrick’s performance and what he brought to the film much more now than I did when Bridge to Terabithia was first released. As a parent in a Disney film, it is easy to simply regard him as the obligatory adult presence in the child character’s life. However, as I have said, now having more understanding of different perspectives helps me see Jack Aarons as a hard-working man trying to provide for his family.
Of course, Leslie’s ultimate and tragic fate near the end of the story is a source of great sadness for many people. Some have questioned why her death was necessary and have even made comments about the author, Katherine Paterson, for killing their favourite character.
Due to Leslie being based on a real-life friend – Lisa Hill – of Paterson’s son, her death was never in question. This is what makes AnnaSophia Robb’s performance even more impressive — she had to make Leslie memorable, lovable and leave enough of an impression on the audience so what happened would be deeply felt. Leslie was a young, intelligent, vibrant girl with her whole life ahead of her. Again, being only twelve at the time and having all of that to factor in and think about is truly remarkable.
Josh Hutcherson also showed the beginnings of acting chops that would grow even further over the next decade. His performance as Jess in the latter stages of the film is some of his best work, in my opinion though I consistently enjoyed the character throughout Bridge to Terabithia.
Anyway, those are my thoughts and musings which I hope you enjoyed reading. I had forgotten how much Bridge to Terabithia impacted me and how it had helped me learn about the harshness in reality, until this recent viewing.
I feel like most people in my generation saw this film at some point and now, the kids of 2019, watching it can learn the same lessons we did back in the day. Some stories just cannot be forgotten.