Drawing: Stanley Tucci

Posted on February 5, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Stanley Tucci

There was only a five minute window of opportunity to get the graphs of Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo and Stanley Tucci when they appeared briefly at the UK Premiere of SPOTLIGHT at the Curzon Cinema in Mayfair recently. The trio raced in with only a few minutes to spare before the film commenced and then had leave with similar haste for other media commitments.

However in that time I managed to get a couple of sketches signed, including Emmy winner and Oscar and Grammy nominated Stanley,who plays attorney Mitchell Garabediau in the film about the Boston Globe’s exposure of child molestation in the local Catholic Archdiocese.

Drawing: Julie Christie in Old Times

Posted on January 26, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Julie Christie

Thirty-three years after her first film, British actress Julie Christie made her West End debut at the age of 54, as Kate in a revival of Harold Pinter’s OLD TIMES in the summer of 1995.

Described as a ‘pop icon’ of swinging London during the 1960’s, Life Magazine hailed 1965 as ‘The Year of Julie Christie’ when she won the Best Actress Oscar and BAFTA for her role as amoral model Diana Scott in John Schlesinger’s DARLIING. It was also the year of her most famous role, Lara Antipova in David Lean’s international hit DR ZHIVAGO.

Fellow West End debutant Harriet Walter and Leigh Lawson completed the OLD TIMES cast which ran at the Wyndham’s Theatre for two months after transferring from the Theatre Clwyd in Wales.

“The actress’s warm, seductive presence is ideally suited to Kate. First glimpsed sprawled on a sofa, face beaming with almost unnerving serenity. Christie has a sphinx like allure, crucial to the evening,” wrote Matt Wolf in Variety.

There was no dramas getting Julie to sign my portrait of her as Kate. I simply popped it in the post and she returned it.

Drawing: Michael Keaton

Posted on January 21, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Michael Keaton

‘Mr Keaton will not be signing autographs,” we were told last night at the UK Premiere of SPOTLIGHT at London’s Curzon Cinema in Mayfair. Michael and fellow cast members Mark Ruffalo and Stanley Tucci were due to arrive at six, but were held up. (It’s always a curiosity why Premieres are scheduled during rush hours – yes plural – when the traffic in Central London is gridlocked). In essence they were right. It is a physical impossibility to sign autographs when you are not physically there. SPOTLIGHT is the true story of the Boston Globes expose on the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdioceses and a leading contender for the BAFTA and Oscar Best Picture prizes.

The air temperature nudged zero and below by the time they arrived at 7.20, ten minutes before the start of the screening. The paps quickly grabbed pics as the trio raced into the cinema with only Stanley managing to sign on the run. We all hoped that, in a gesture of goodwill, since many had waited in the icy conditions for three plus hours that they might be persuaded to do some graphing on exit.

The film intro lasted five minutes and they emerged in a hurry to get to more media commitments… but stopped to accommodate the gathering, including Mr Keaton who approached the pen near the cinema entrance and attempted to sign, but the barriers began to buckle as the throng surged towards him. Security quickly ushered him towards his waiting vehicle, which, just so happened to be in front of me. The Curzon premieres are unique events when they decide not to close the street. The cast are always dodging drive-throughs in order to satisfy the fans camped on the other side. Anyway he saw this drawing I did of him in the title roles from BIRDMAN and BEETLEJUICE and said, “Oh that’s really nice,” signing and dedicating it for me. After a sporadic handful of graphs he departed.

Trivia note: I found out that his birth name was Michael Douglas, can’t think why he changed it.

Drawing: Anna Karina

Posted on January 18, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Anna Karina

As part of the three-month ‘Jean-Luc Godard’ season at the British Film Institute on London’s Southbank, his muse and first wife, actress, model, singer, writer and director, Anna Karina was a special guest on Saturday. Regarded as the most influential and radical of the French ‘La Nouvelle Vague’ (New Wave) Godard challenged the conventions of traditional Hollywood and French cinema in the 1960’s and 70’s. He was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2010, but did not appear in person to collect it.

At the age of 17 Hanne Karin Blarke Bayer hitch-hiked from her native Copenhagen, arriving in Paris, poor and unable to speak the local language. While sitting at the trendy ‘Les Deux Magots’, an advertising agent approached her to do some photos. The cafe was considered the ‘hotbed of the artistic and intellectual elite of the day’, whose regulars included Pablo Picasso and Ernest Hemingway. She went on to model for Pierre Cardin and Coco Chanel, who helped devise her professional name Anna Karina. Godard first noticed her in the Palmolive soap ads, which depicted her in a bathtub covered in bubbles. She featured in seven of the French auteur’s films, including UNE FEMME EST UNE FEMME in 1960, for which she was awarded the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival. Anna worked with other directors, including George Cukor, Tony Richardson, Franco Brusati and Andre Delvaux. She is also an accomplished singer, with major hits.’Sous Le Soleil Exactement’ and ‘Roller Girl’, stage actress and writer with four novels published.

Anna participated in Q+A sessions for BANDE A PART (1964) and VIVRE SA VIE (1962) as well as introducing LE MEPRIS (1963) on Saturday. She also introduced SINGING IN THE RAIN’ (1952) on Sunday as part of the BFI’s Screen Epiphany series. It was a busy schedule for the 75 year old, but when she arrived she graciously took the time to sign a string of vintage memorabilia for a handful of admirers and my sketch.

Drawing: Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant

Posted on January 16, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Leo Dicaprio

After five acting Academy Award nominations, Leonardo DiCaprio is this year’s clear front-runner to collect the elusive golden gong for his portrayal of legendary frontiersman Hugh Glass in THE REVENANT. With 12 nominations, including Best Picture and already collecting three top Golden Globe Awards, the film is set to continue that success at next month’s Oscars.

Leonardo has previously signed a drawing for me, but I was giving the 4B a bit of a workout early this week and the latest Empire mag happened to be lying at my desk, open at an article I had finished reading about Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s epic western adventure. Since the UK Premiere was scheduled for the Empire Cinema in Leicester Square on Thursday with Leo attending, I thought, “why not?” and scribbled this montage.

Thursday was cold… very cold… and got colder as the talent arrivals drew near. Standing for three hours was cause to question my motivation… as I often do these days. The crowded pens did offer some consolation, a hint of body heat, but not much. By the look of the film and from what I read about Leonardo’s physical endurance during the making of it, the air temperature was probably a tad on the tropical side for him. The man himself duly arrived and as usual ‘did the line’, including my sketch with his distinctive and precise (Leo holds the sharpie very close to the tip… probably the closest of all the A-listers) graph.

Drawing: Matthew Perry in ‘The End of Longing’

Posted on January 15, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

matthew-perry

Matthew Perry’s debut play as a writer, THE END OF LONGING starts its run at London’s Playhouse Theatre early next month. It marks Matthew’s first return to the West End since 2003 when he appeared in the acclaimed SEXUAL PERVERSITY IN CHICAGO, directed by Lindsay Posner, who returns to helm this production.

While that’s very good news for London theatre-goers, it’s not so good for fans of FRIENDS, ending speculation of getting all six cast members of the hit series together in person for next month’s reunion in the planned NBC tribute to veteran director James Burrows.

Matthew is joined on stage by Lloyd Owen, Christina Cole and Jennifer Mudge in this ‘hilarious dark comedy’ about four people searching for meaning as they enter their forties during one crazy night in an LA bar.

I managed to catch up with Matthew as he popped out for a ciggy break from rehearsals this week ahead of the 2 February opening and my siggy break to get this sketch signed.

Drawing: Harrison Ford as Han Solo

Posted on December 18, 2015 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Harrison Ford has returned to the character that catapulted the star into immortality. The veteran actor reprises the role of Han Solo along with many of the original cast members of the 1977 STAR WARS film in the latest and 7th episode of the behemoth franchise THE FORCE AWAKENS.

I did this sketch of Harrison as Han ages ago for nostalgic reasons and just in case our galaxies collided to get it signed. The force is always strong when he’s around so it’s often difficult battling to get his graph. I missed out on the red carpet at the European Premiere in Leicester Square on Wednesday evening but as I got my lucky break last night.

By chance I was strolling down the alleyway that separates Leicester Square and Chinatown, as one does, when I spied the usual pack of autograph dealers and a collection of silver cars parked at the stage door to the Vue cinema. It was a media screening of the film attended by some cast members including Mr Solo. This was going to be a battle of cosmic proportions – the force of the security pushing me from the front, the siggy SS crushing me from behind. I was stuck in a Star Wars sandwich! When he emerged, things went a bit manic.

Harrison is one actor that does not need to be told to ‘break a leg’ given his horrendous accident on the set that fractured his left peg during filming at Pinewood Studios and then the right was broken in a plane accident. At this point in time it was touch and go as to which limb I was about to snap… not the lucky break I was expecting! From the relative safety of behind the car he calmed the situation, telling everyone to be patient and he would sign for us. I was first with my new sharpie, then he proceeded to sign for the others with the said new sharpie. My last image was Han Solo holding my pen in the back seat of the car as it sped away. I continued my stroll down the alleyway, a smile on my face, great graph in my bag and my sharpie cap in hand.

Drawing: Lupita Nyong’o

Posted on December 17, 2015 by Mark Winter / Chicane

This is what I call an ‘on the run rendering’, a last minute sketch done in a little more than a minute… maybe 5, when I suddenly realised that Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o was attending the European Premiere of STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS in London last night, which I was fortunate enough to get a wristband to mingle with the force on the red carpet.

I had drawn a sketch of Lupita from her off Broadway role in ECLIPSED at the Public Theatre earlier this year, but nothing has returned yet, so I thought, never let an ‘in person’ chance go by. I only had time to look up an image on my phone and quickly sketch it on the train heading to the Premiere. I was positioned at the drop off point, but as you would expect with such a large and impressive guest list it was mayhem.

Lupita got out of her car and they took her straight to photo area for the paps to get their pics. Usually not a good sign for graphemes. However she came back and signed for all of us, including this sketch in bronze sharpie no less. For those interested the fashion icon was wearing a Proenza Schouler mess dress … oh yes and metallic blue lipstick.

Drawing: Verne Troyer

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Verne Troyer

He may be one of the smallest men on the planet at 2 foot 8 inches, but he’s one of entertainments biggest names and the nicest celeb you could ever meet. Best known for his role as Mini-Me in the AUSTIN POWERS franchise, Verne is currently playing Lofty the Pirate in the New Wimbledon Theatre’s panto PETER PAN, where he signed my sketch last Saturday.

Drawing: Nigella Lawson

Posted on December 11, 2015 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Nigella Lawson

As you know, in my next life I want to be a chef. In order to prep for that I have included in my list of vices viewing TV cooking programmes and sketching a few of my favourite foodies. I couldn’t miss out one of the most influential food writers and broadcasters, Nigella Lawson.

My opportunity came last night when she was part of The Guardian Live series at London’s Emmanuel Centre, where she was interviewed and introduced her new book, SIMPLY NIGELLA. It was also an excellent opportunity to exercise my festive spirit and buy a copy of her book for my mum’s Chrissie present. I stood in line while the large throng had their copies signed and got the obligatory selfies, reaching her with only a few left in the hall. ‘Oh there’s such an eerie silence now’ she said. That was before I piped up.

As she was signing my book and we were chatting away I asked her if she could also sign my sketch. Awkward moment. She explained that it was not something she could do and the official looking person told me, ‘Books only’. But the festive spirit prevailed and Nigella very kindly said ” I’ll just pop this in the corner,” and she signed a ‘thank you’ and simply ‘Nigella’. And I’ll pop mum’s pressie in the post.