Eckhart on Batman, Nolan on Gyllenhaal

About.com writer Rebecca Murray interviewed Aaron Eckhart, recently cast as ill-fated Gotham City District Attorney Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight, at the premiere of 300 in Los Angeles. You can read the entire thing here, but I wanted to share a couple of quick highlights:

Rebecca Murray: Is the opportunity to work with Christopher Nolan what appeals to you about working on The Dark Knight? Is that the reason you signed on?

Aaron Eckhart: “It’s certainly one of them. It’s a huge, huge, deal. I love his work. I think he and his brother just wrote a firecracker of a script. And the cast – everything is first-class. The series, I’m looking forward to working on. Batman Begins, everything is just top notch.”

Rebecca Murray: And working with Christian Bale and everyone who has already done a Batman movie together?

Aaron Eckhart: “I’m looking forward to it. I’m very excited about working with him and Heath Ledger and Gary Oldman, and everybody. That’s something I think about a lot.”

Rebecca Murray: Do you approach playing a character based on a comic book any differently than you’d approach any other character?

Aaron Eckhart: “No, not at all, because you’re a human being and three-dimensional with thoughts. That’s the key, I think, is to make him as human as possible because that way the audience completely forgets that they’re watching anything but just the story unfolding in front of them. Even like tonight, watching this movie … I mean, they’re not going to be cartoon characters. They’re going to be real people with thoughts and feelings and emotions.”

Rebecca Murray: Is there going being a lot of special effects and make-up effects with your character?

Aaron Eckhart: “I think there will be a certain amount of that …”

I like that he thinks it’s “a firecracker of a script.” And the make-up quote, of course, refers to the fact that Harvey gets acid thrown on his face and the disfigurement is so traumatizing that it unleashes a second, murderous personality (that still has its own twisted sense of morality). The result is the classic (and tragic) Batman villain known as Two Face.

Filming begins in April, so hopefully new casting information will be coming soon. No official announcement has been made about Maggie Gyllenhaal taking over for Katie Holmes yet, either. (And I still maintain that she’ll be Selina Kyle and not Rachel Dawes.)

I actually had a dream last night that I rented The Dark Knight and Katie Holmes was in it, which made me happy because I knew that when Maggie showed up later, she’d be Selina Kyle. And show up she did, with a cute, short haircut. Heath Ledger’s Joker looked pretty cool in my dream, and he was trying to blow up a space shuttle. I’m sure Batman stopped him, but I woke up before it happened.

And I wonder why I don’t have a girlfriend.

Update

According to Variety, Maggie is in! (And I still don’t believe she’s playing Rachel Dawes.)

Update

The Hollywood Reporter talked to Christopher Nolan, who said, “I’m extremely excited to work with an actress of Maggie’s caliber, and she’s a great addition to the cast as we continue our story.” Whammy! Thanks to Melissa for the link.

Gilmore Sounding Board no. 148

Episode no. 148: “Gilmore Girls Only”

Rory saying that she likes it when they show pictures of the “fooooood” at Winkie’s diner was only the cutest thing ever, right?

Indeed, it was definitely Alexis Bledel’s night to shine. She got to be not only kookier than usual but also stronger than usual, and it feels really good to a) see Rory standing up for herself against Logan and b) the writers stepping back from the dangerous “let’s make Logan an ass” ledge by episode’s end. Because there at the beginning they had me worried. If the writers play their cards right, they’ll have Lorelai learn a lesson or three from how strong and confident Rory has been this season as she continues her journey back to the confident Lorelai Gilmore I flipped so hard for when I started watching the show.

Like last week’s show, this one had a lot of heart. Lane and Zack asking Luke to be the twins’ godfather was supremely sweet, as were Zack’s attempts get close to Luke in the hopes that some of Luke’s fatherly instincts would rub off on him. Todd Lowe has never been anything less than massively entertaining as Zack, and he really did well tonight. (I also loved his insistence that Luke join the family high five at the dinner table.) Another thing I like is that both Lorelai and Luke have had separate but equally challenging and meaningful journeys this season. When they finally reunite I hope we get to see two people who are finally grown up enough to be ready for each other. Hopes are high.

Richard’s jogging suit was as funny a visual as Lorelai’s Tony Soprano line, and as always Kelly Bishop reminded us why there’s more than just two Gilmore girls who deserve to be included in the show’s title. (I loved the thing at the end with Emily thinking Will Smith was “attractive,” and how she changed it to “charming” after Lorelai started kidding her about it.)

Coming up next (but probably not until April) is the show’s 149th episode, “Hay Bale Maze,” which features the annual Stars Hollow Spring Fling and reportedly sees Lorelai doing something that she hasn’t done in a long, long time. Can’t wait.

What did you think?

Update

“Hay Bale Maze” airs April 10.

More Tetris

I found a new one. It’s fraught with peril. The background messes with your eyes, and when you go to the next level or get a congratulatory note, the words cover the playing board so that you can’t see anything for a second.

I scored 4,240 with 186 lines. Level 13.

Let’s see how you do.

March 8

6,525 points, 269 lines, level 18.

March 20

7,635 points, 237 lines, level 17. Fewer lines, but more points due to smarter combinations.