Welcome to the Shrine to Actors

Sunday night’s Empire Awards wasn’t all about Viggo Mortensen and Sean Bean. There happened to be a few other phenomenal actors there as well. I linked last time to the great Empire interviews at the awards ceremony, conducted with good humor by Chris Hewitt. Now here are a few screencaps from the interviews so you get a better look at the stars that attended, and had their fill–literally–of the Jameson’s sponsored Empire Awards.

That’s Gerard Butler up above, star of 300, The Phantom of the Opera, and the Empire Award winner RocknRolla.

Up next we have Helena Bonham Carter, winner of the Best Actress Empire Award for Sweeney Todd.

The lovely Best Newcomer Award nominee, Jim Sturgess of 21, The Other Boleyn Girl, and Across the Universe.

We also had Tom Felton, looking a lot less evil than his onscreen counterpart, Draco Malfoy of Harry Potter.

Also the complete opposite of his Harry Potter character, Lucius Malfoy, the amiable Jason Isaacs. Incidentally, Isaacs recently presented an award to Empire Award Icon winner Viggo Mortensen at the Chicago Film Festival.

Empire Award Best Newcomer winner Gemma Arterton, of Quantum of Solace and RocknRolla.

The ever-adorable James McAvoy, who won the Empire Award for best Sci-fi/Superhero for Wanted. Presented the award by the equally adorable Bambi (Jamie Bamber), McAvoy said “Oh my god, I got an award from the CAG! Er, not everyone’s going to get that.” We fans of Bamber’s Battlestar Galactica get it, James, we get it!

Jim Sturgess with actress Olga Kurylenko, there to accept the Empire Award for Best Thriller for Quantum of Solace.

Another one of giggly Gerard Butler…

And the duo that were reportedly laughing themselves silly all night, Empire Award icon winner Viggo Mortensen and presenter Sean Bean. As you can see, the constantly laughing Viggo is moving too much to even get captured on film…

Hope you enjoyed a glimpse at the action and mirth at this year’s Empire Film Awards. Visit the Empire Awards home page for all the Awards gossip and more photos.

PHOTOS: Screencaps of Empire interviews c2009, Empire.

This sounds like wonderful news for Gerard Butler fans. The Scottish actor is set to play famed poet and lyricist Robert Burns, considered the national poet of Scotland and preserver of Scottish heritage. Robert Burns collected Scottish folk songs and often rewrote or expanded upon them, his most famous adaptation being “Auld Lang Syne”.

The Times UK reports that like the famous Kilmarnock Edition of Burns’ poetry, individual investors are committing money to back this small film entitled Burns. Robert Burns’ life was filled with ups and downs and changes of occupation to keep him afloat while he wrote and composed, so it should be interesting to see how much the film can cover. The movie will focus on two of the important love affairs in his life: his wife Jean Armour, as well as Agnes McLehose, a society lady with whom he exchanged passionate love letters under the pseudonyms “Sylvander” and “Clarinda”. Apparently Burns had quite a number of affairs, many of them at the same time.

It will definitely be appealing to see Gerard Butler in a Scottish film, as a poet, songwriter, romantic, and lover. The film will be shot in Scotland this year, in Edinburgh and Burns’ hometown Ayrshire. Another good sign is that the script is being penned by Alan Sharp, author of the rousing Liam Neeson epic Rob Roy. Financing finally seems secure for a film that has been bounced around for nearly a decade, with Ewan McGregor and Johnny Depp both viewed as early options for the Robert Burns role.

Gerard Butler’s modest numbers at the box office weren’t enough to convince investors of this small film’s potential until the movie 300s smashing success. So it was that a magnificent Spartan warrior paved the way for an 18th century Scottish poet.

Read the Times UK article here .

Gerard Butler screencaps

Dear Frankie, c2004 Pathé Pictures International, Miramax Films.

300, c2006 Warner Bros. Pictures.