Filed in A Gentleman in Moscow Gallery Updates Interviews

Mary Stuns in New ‘Contents’ Photo shoot!

A brand new photo shoot with Mary has been released for Contents Magazine! Along with the gorgeous new photos, Mary also did an interview & I have posted some highlights from it below. Be sure to head to the gallery to check out the beautiful new photos in high quality!

Are there any particular narratives that you find yourself gravitating towards?

I always need to be able to feel an emotional pull towards a story, and to understand it on some sort of deeper level than might appear on the surface. It always changes depending on where I am at in my life. As I get older, universal themes resonate with me like love, loss and parenthood- A Gentleman in Moscow is a perfect example of that. It’s this sweeping epic but ultimately it’s about the simplest of connections and how much they mean in our lives.

You act alongside your husband in A Gentleman in Moscow. What has it been like to work with your partner?

It’s truly a joy in every way. He is my favorite actor, and the person I love to be around the most. Having the opportunity to become the Count and Anna together felt like a real privilege- to be acting together and in roles that lit us both up as artists; there’s really nothing better.

How do you think the historical costuming in the show contributes to its broader themes?

Our costume designer Sam Perry did such an incredible job. The attention to detail is stunning and adds so much to the authenticity of every moment. I could not have felt like Anna without Anna’s clothes- it was integral to everything. When I put them on, I felt the history of the garments in a way that aided me so much in bringing her to life.

Has the historical costuming influenced or inspired your own style in any ways?

I definitely took a few of the pieces home with me, and I honestly wish I could dress like that every day. Modern life doesn’t quite allow for it from a practical standpoint though, which is unfortunate.

You play an actress in the show. Has any of your own personal experience informed how you approach the character?

There are definitely moments in the show where we focus on Anna’s career and the affects on her emotionally as she goes through various ups and downs. It was all incredibly relatable. The stakes for Anna are so much higher than I could ever imagine, as being in or out of favor could have such dire ramifications for her. Somehow Sam and Ben managed to keep those stakes but also make her journey feel very current and relevant to so many of the conversations around women in the industry now. It resonated with me so much, and I was thrilled to explore that in the show.

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Filed in A Gentleman in Moscow Gallery Updates TV News

‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ Episode 3 Screen Captures and Ep 4 Teaser

I apologize for the delay, but I have finally gotten around to screen capping Mary’s scenes in episode 3 of last week’s ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’. I did over 300 caps, so please enjoy! Below, you can also see the teaser for episode 4, premiering this Friday and as always, full set of pics can be found in the gallery.

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Filed in A Gentleman in Moscow Gallery Updates

A Gentleman in Moscow Episode 2 Screen Caps

I have added screencaps of Mary’s first appearance in episode 2 of ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ that aired this past Friday. Episode 3 will air on April 12. Head to the gallery to check out the caps and stay tuned! Below, I’ve also added a promo for the upcoming ep.

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Filed in A Gentleman in Moscow Interviews TV News

Latest Interviews with Mary

Below are three newly released interviews Mary recently did. The first one is one with The Independent where she talked about her career shift and if she’d ever return as Huntress.
Be sure to click the link to read the entire article!

For Winstead herself, it wasn’t until her early thirties that she was able to, in her words, “say screw it”. She credits Smashed with transforming her career, and helping her let go of the anxiety drilled into her as a young actor. “In those days, we were all looking at box office numbers and only doing films and not TV or streaming,” she says. “It feels like the power of that has been taken away now. It was a very lonely and confusing time to be young and starting out in this industry,” she says. “I had many instances of going into a meeting and if I wasn’t smiley enough or coyly flirting enough – they’d say I was cold. There was that undercurrent of, ‘She didn’t flirt with me, so I didn’t like her.’ That happened all throughout my twenties.”

On playing Helena Bertinelli/Huntress in Birds of Prey:

“I love that film, even if it’s polarising. It’s got people who love it, and people who didn’t love it so much. And it wasn’t a flop by any means, but I think it also wasn’t quite enough of a success to keep on with it.” She was under contract to play Huntress in multiple sequels, but she doesn’t think any will now be made. “Which is unfortunate, because I loved playing her. But I was really thankful that I got to do something left of centre in the superhero world. We got to be a bit weird. But that also sort of explains why my movies don’t make money, because I tend to choose the weird ones.”

On her latest role in A Gentleman in Moscow playing Anna Urbanova:

“I’ve always loved playing characters like her, who are thinking about what to do, how to get to the next day, how to keep the job and stay afloat and sometimes literally stay alive.”

She breaks into a smile, satisfied.

“I’m inspired by the survivor in her.”

In another interview with S Magazine, Mary delved more into her career and how she relates to her character Anna:

I love your versatility as an actor—be it Scott Pilgrim, Die Hard, Final Destination or Kate. As an artist, what is it that you are looking for in your career when this project came along?

“Gosh, I think that this project was just one of those rare dream projects that brought everything together for me. First and foremost, it’s an incredible story. The novel is absolutely beautiful, funny and epic. The show really captures all of those emotions that the book really kind of lays out in this saga. And then to get to do such juicy, fun, and complex role alongside my husband—I just couldn’t really imagine anything better.”

It feels like you’re having a lot of fun with the character, especially when we start off and then we go into it. Can you talk a bit about that?

“I did. I had so much fun being a diva. I mean, she’s like the ultimate diva of her time and to get to really luxuriate in that and embrace it, and really stand firm in that kind of confidence, it’s a rare thing; you don’t really get to behave like that in real life. So I love getting to do that on screen. It’s great.”

You said the script really captured what it feels to be an actress. How so?

“I think there were certain elements that were explored on the show, in particular, how Anna has to navigate her relationships with men in how it relates to her career, her roles, and whether or not she’s going to get them and all those things. I think in terms of looking at my career, when I started out, and when I was a bit younger, I think I read these scenes and went, ‘Oh, wow, they really kind of nailed what that feels like to be a young actress kind of worrying about saying and doing the right thing, or making a misstep, and basically having your career mostly being in the hands of men and how that feels.’ So I was really impressed with how Ben and Sam were able to kind of create those scenes that weren’t really in the book, and bring them to life in a way that felt very current and resonated quite a bit.”

Continue reading Latest Interviews with Mary

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Filed in A Gentleman in Moscow Gallery Updates Interviews

New Pics of Mary in Canada and New Podcast Interview

I have added some new photos of Mary from late last month when she was in Canada doing a press stop for ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’. During her 2 day trip to Canada, Mary did 16 interviews in five different locations, plus a special screening event and celebratory party at The Paradise on Bloor. Head to the gallery to see the new photos!

Additionally, while Mary was there, she also did a great new podcast interview which you can listen to by clicking HERE.

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Filed in A Gentleman in Moscow Interviews

Latest Mary Interviews and Episode 2 Promo

Below, I have added the newest round of interviews with Mary that has been released.

Mary also did an interview with The Globe and Mail while she was in Toronto promoting the show which you can read in full by clicking the link.

On another note, a new promo for episode 2 has been released and the new ep will be out this Friday.

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Filed in A Gentleman in Moscow Gallery Updates Interviews

Mary Photographed for The New York Times

With A Gentleman in Moscow streaming on Paramount+, a brand new photoshoot Mary did with The New York Times has been released. The shoot was done when Mary and Ewan were in NYC earlier this month on March 11. Be sure to head to the gallery to check out the new pics! If anymore get added, I will update this post. Below, I’ve also posted some excerpts from the interview, but you can read the interview in full by clicking the link above.

How did you get involved with “A Gentleman in Moscow”?
MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD:
You [Ewan] had hinted, cheekily, that there was a great female character in there. Reading the book, I just thought, ‘Oh my God, what a great, juicy opportunity that would be to play her.’ But I was very tentative because the last thing I wanted was to try to win a role and then have somebody think I was trying to get something out of being married to you. I just wanted to quietly say, “I think it’s a great role if you think I’m right for it.”

What about Anna? Is she a good actress?

WINSTEAD Anna believes that she is. I do think she takes it very seriously. It’s something positive in her life that gives her a sense of purpose. She does hang in there, even if she’s not always a star. That has to count for something.

They have a superb meet-cute, when the count tames Anna’s Russian wolfhounds. What’s their initial attraction?

WINSTEAD I instantly find him very intriguing. The way that he handles my dogs, it sparks a little something. Our repartee makes me further intrigued. Then hearing about him and knowing that he’s imprisoned in this hotel, the mystery is interesting to me as a woman who gets bored very easily by most men that I’m around. Over time, that leads to much, much more.

It’s so lovely how much time it takes. It’s many years into their relationship before they realize they’re in love. There’s something beautiful about that slow progression. Especially for Anna. She resists that feeling. But it hits her like a wave.

Mary, earlier you alluded to a downside of working together, in that people might think you were offered a role for reasons other than your talent.

WINSTEAD Of course, there’s always going to be one person on the internet who makes that comment, but I’m secure enough to not worry about that because I know the truth, which is that people want to work with me. When we were first together, I was up for a role in something that he was in. They were worried we would bring some sort of drama to the set, which we thought was very funny because we’re not very dramatic people. But you have to let time deal with that. Now it’s clear that we’re a pretty levelheaded couple, that we’re not going around smashing vases. Other than that, it’s really been just upsides, which is that people who know us and like our work are happy and excited to put us together occasionally, which is a really lucky thing for us.

MCGREGOR There’s no downside in terms of actually doing it. It’s only great to go to work together, get to work together, come home together. It’s as good as it could be, really.

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Filed in A Gentleman in Moscow Gallery Updates Interviews

New interviews and Character Poster

In 24 hours, Mary’s new limited series ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ will begin streaming on Paramount+ and with the premiere just hours away, a couple more interviews are still being released. The first one is a new video interview with The Toronto Sun:

Next, Mary did an interview with Yahoo! where she spoke about what drew her to the character of Anna.

“She’s a real hustler, a real survivor, and those are the kinds of people that I love to play, because they’re so interesting, and they’re so active, and they’re never really just sitting back and letting life happen to them. They’re always trying to think about how they can kind of advance. When I signed on to the show, I think I only had the first couple episodes to read, … and how Anna was going to be presented in the show, … I thought, … ‘This is so much fun,'” Winstead said. “To get to be this brash, brazen woman who’s fully in her diva confidence, it’s not really the way that we get to behave in real life. So it’s really liberating to step into someone’s shoes like that.”

“I certainly could see myself in her, in terms of her being an artist that has to navigate an industry that’s not always about the art, there’s so many other things at play. There were things about her I could relate to, and then other things that I could just really empathize with, and made me really love her.”

You can read her full interview here.

Mary and Ewan also did a video interview where they talked about working together and talked about what their son is currently into. It’s so cute! So happy for them. Their portion of the interview begins around the 6:05 mark.

While at the Toronto premiere earlier this week, Mary was also asked why she thought viewers might sympathize with Ewan’s character and enjoy watching the show:

“It’s about the connection of people in the smallest of ways where you really go into the microcosm on what these people go through in their day-to-day lives. I do think that people are searching for connection right now. There is a feeling of isolation for a lot of people, and I think that the show does speak to that. We’re in a world where we’ve come out of a pandemic, and we’re watching a man who is isolated in his own way, who has to learn to find connection again with humanity and closeness. I hope that people come away feeling hopeful and that it makes them feel a certain warmth towards their loved ones, neighbours, and people who are within their direct orbit.”

In another interview with The Canadian Press, the two stars talked about why they each loved working with one another:

And finally, a character poster of Mary as her character film actress Anna Urbanova has been released. I have added it to the gallery. Anyone else super excited for the show to finally begin? 🙂

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Filed in A Gentleman in Moscow Interviews TV News

New ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ Review and Interview

With A Gentleman in Moscow premiering this Friday, a brand new interview and review has been released. The first is a quick clip of Mary in a new interview asking her and Ewan why they each picked this new series to be the third project they decided to work together on.

In other news, a new review of the limited series has come out via THR and they praise both Ewan & Mary’s acting in the show:

He and real-life spouse Winstead have a chemistry that starts out amusing and becomes rather sweet and well-earned, and Winstead’s take on an actress going from budding ingénue to of-a-certain-age in the blink of an eye is a poignant parallel to the show’s empire rise-and-fall backdrop.

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