The actor playing Nikolai* made me go wow, just wow! What a brilliant actor. He really impressed me in episode 3 especially in that scene with Nikolai's father. I feel so fond of his character now. He and Andrei are my 2 faves (heroes) on the show.
(* Jack Lowden, haven't seen him in anything before W&P, but am a fan now)
"What time is sunrise?"
"When I open this door."
He looks a bit like Norton. I was having trouble keeping the characters straight on the battlefield, especially under those "goofy" helmets.
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Helmet talk verboten?
shareI don't know how can anyone confuse Nikolai with Andrei (even in the battlefield scene). Both look completely different - different build, hair color, height, facial features.
"What time is sunrise?"
"When I open this door."
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Lowden looks nothing like Norton. Lowden is blond and babyfaced, Norton has nearly black hair and is stern and serious.
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You mean I wasn't watching Grantchester? I'm relieved Norton has now gone skinhead. It was very stressful keeping up with his various hair colors.
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Can't wait to see what Norton's first Hollywood movie role will be. He's looking for a great villain role. Tommy Lee Royce goes American?
James' skinhead look reminds me a bit of Wentworth Miller.
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They could have had a Bear Rape scene!
shareNikolai is young and impressionable. Doesn't make him a bad person. You can see how kind and fiercely loyal he is in his interactions with his family and friends. And how sad and regretful he was for hurting his father. He is also trying not to break Sonia's heart.
"What time is sunrise?"
"When I open this door."
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I have to agree; I think Jack Lowden is nailing his character (as per the book) more than any other actor in this series. He also lights up the screen.
Lowden is a brilliant young actor. A year and a half ago, at the age of 24, he won both the Olivier Award and the Ian Charleson Award for his portrayal of Oswald in Ibsen's Ghosts. The entire performance, which really is breathtaking, can be viewed here:
http://www.digitaltheatre.com/production/details/henrik-ibsen-ghosts
Trailer (excellent intro to his performance): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5f9J6bT-SM
Mind you, Lowden is as Scottish as they come, and in real life has a thick Scots accent.
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He also lights up the screen.
Lowden is a brilliant young actor. A year and a half ago, at the age of 24, he won both the Olivier Award and the Ian Charleson Award for his portrayal of Oswald in Ibsen's Ghosts. The entire performance, which really is breathtaking, can be viewed here:
http://www.digitaltheatre.com/production/details/henrik-ibsen-ghosts
Trailer (excellent intro to his performance): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5f9J6bT-SM
Mind you, Lowden is as Scottish as they come, and in real life has a thick Scots accent.
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In terms of previews and stuff, I hate any kind of spoiler so I'm not viewing anything in advance of the broadcasts.
Yes, I myself also want to view more of his work. A lot of his work has been on stage. He was supposed to be in Wolf Hall, but I couldn't find him in the PBS broadcasts; maybe he is in the full UK footage, but seems like a minor role.
I'm going to have to get copies of his major screen work thus far.
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By the by I just found this recent interview video about W&P, where you can hear his thick Scots accent:
http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/tv-news/news/jack-lowden-war-and-peace-is-lots-of-boys-chasing-girls-chasing-boys-chasing-girls-video
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Thank you, angelofvic! I just watched the video! Jack Lowden is wonderful and looked incredibly handsome in suit!
Wow, his Scots accent (no hint of it in W&P!). I love especially how he says "ehh..." and "family" LOL! So endearing...
The video made me smile silly the whole time... happy to see Jack and hear him speak in his natural accent. He seemed really earnest and the interview was really interesting too especially how he described Nikolai's character.
I think Jack's such a brilliant, brilliant actor. Watching him on W&P, one can tell how he embraced the character 100% and performed with every fiber of his being.
My 3 fave scenes of Nikolai would be:
1. The gambling scene where he got cheated by Dolokhov. You see him confident at first, then increasingly desperate once he starts losing money but unable to stop, followed by disbelief at his bad luck and finally, total despair. I started really, really noticing the actor from this scene on.
2. Of course, the scene with his father the next day... bursting into tears and asking for forgiveness. So incredibly genuine and moving. Really impressed me.
3. The scene with Marya in the finale (right before she confessed her feelings for him). He was acting proud and trying to maintain composure on the outside but internally in conflict with so many emotions (including love for Marya which he felt was impossible). We see all these on his face and in his tone of voice even as he behaved rather brusquely to Marya, declining her generosity. I like this character because although he can be immature and proud sometimes (well, fake pride really), he is actually very kind and has such a soft heart.
Thanks again for the vid!
"What time is sunrise?"
"When I open this door."
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Yes, I still think of all the actors and all the performances, Jack captured his character, as written in the book, better than any other actor captured theirs. And Nikolai is a tricky part to play -- changeable, many layers, many of them conflicting.
He even got the "Hurrah!" spot-on, with his chest bursting with pride. There's a GIF of that now floating around the internet. :-)
The Wikipedia article on him has another interview with him, in the external links. It's longer and there's no noise, and you can really hear his very strong Scots accent! Somewhere in the footnotes there's also the Irn-Bru advertisement that he did when he was like 18 or something -- quite funny.
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Yes, I still think of all the actors and all the performances, Jack captured his character, as written in the book, better than any other actor captured theirs. And Nikolai is a tricky part to play -- changeable, many layers, many of them conflicting.
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I love that quote from Leslie Manville (who is mindbogglingly good in that Ghosts production)!
Here is the Irn-Bru ad from 2009 I'm talking about (it was a citation/footnote, not an External Link):
There's one that is full width but a bit fuzzy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtP60NNC0Ak
And one that is clear but squished:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5ocaypgRHM
Here is the radio interview from 2012. Scroll to 2:20 (it's from 2:20 to 13:00) http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01j5nw0
It's mainly about the play Chariots of Fire. Also a good way to hear his natural Scots accent.
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Here is the radio interview from 2012. Scroll to 2:20 (it's from 2:20 to 13:00) http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01j5nw0 It's mainly about the play Chariots of Fire. Also a good way to hear his natural Scots accent.
Here is the Irn-Bru ad from 2009 I'm talking about (it was a citation/footnote, not an External Link):
There's one that is full width but a bit fuzzy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtP60NNC0Ak
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Here's another little quote from a co-star about working with Jack. This time from Aisling Loftus, who played Sonya in W&P:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-3365952/Hollywood-beauty-isn-t-War-Peace-star-Aisling-Loftus-reveals-s-finally-ready-Tinseltown.html
(do Control+F lowden to find it)
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Angelofvic, thanks very much for the fast reply! I will check out all the links you provide. I really want to know everything about Jack!
Thanks again!
"What time is sunrise?"
"When I open this door."
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I've been investigating all of his filmography that's viewable. It seems his role on Wolf Hall was cut, and he's only in it for about 30 seconds, and has no lines (I had to watch twice to find him).
He is one of two leads in The Passing Bells, which is viewable on Vimeo:
https://vimeo.com/brendanmaher
It's a 2.5-hour miniseries, a bit thin because it's aimed at teenagers and a young audience, but it's nice to see him.
I watched '71 (2014) on Amazon Instant; he has a fairly sizeable part but only for the first 20 or so minutes, after which the film goes on to follow the lead character in a different plotline.
I've ordered the DVDs of the TV series The Tunnel, which should arrive soon. It's a crime/detective show and he plays the lead's son. I'm not sure how big his part is.
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He's only 25 and has already won an Olivier! British actors are so well trained and accomplished, and if they are attractive and charismatic....I guess that's why British actors have made such a big impact in the U.S. Looking forward to seeing his future work.
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I wonder if he will be tempted to come to Hollywood and/or do an American accent. I'm not entirely sure he could handle an American accent; but then again Carey Mulligan does one fine.
Something in me doesn't want him to move to Hollywood, because you know Hollywood is ... Hollywood (ick). LOL
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Something in me doesn't want him to move to Hollywood, because you know Hollywood is ... Hollywood (ick). LOL
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One more interview. This one's a bit more interesting because it's just him talking; no interviewer:
http://www.nytimes.com/video/theater/100000000785714/a-closer-look-at-black-watch.html
It's from 2011 and is about the play Black Watch, which is about the eponymous legendary Scottish military regiment, in this case serving in the recent Iraq war.
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Thank you, angelofvic for taking the time and being so kind in posting all the links.
I clicked this NYT interview first (will check out the other links you provided later ). I also read the NYT critic's review, "Tale of the Iraq War, Still Resonating".
I enjoyed both the interview and article very much. The interview especially, "reaffirmed" my view that Jack's a really unique, one of a kind, amazing young man (+ a super talented actor!). I can't believe how mature and wise he sounded in the interview, he must be only 20 or so when he did "Black Watch" in 2011? He introduced the "Black Watch" history really well and it was nice to learn where he was born too, LOL! I was also moved at the part where he 'discovered' his great-grandfather had been in the "Black Watch". Jack's closing words were perfect too, I thought. They were true and showed what a humble person he is. This actor has no ego whatsoever, just a lot of admirable qualities and I have such a positive, positive view of him.
Thanks again!
"What time is sunrise?"
"When I open this door."
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Yeah, he was 20 at the time of that interview.
I really enjoyed it, too. He does seem very mature for his age. I agree with all that you wrote. I was particularly impressed that he said, after mentioning what pride Scotland has in the Black Watch regiment, that "I'm sure it's the same for all nations", or something like that. Really humble and mature and very intelligent.
And I liked the part when he said something like "We can't get too attached/proud (about being in the regiment, while on stage), because we're just actors, and we don't really know what it was like" or something like that.
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And I liked the part when he said something like "We can't get too attached/proud (about being in the regiment, while on stage), because we're just actors, and we don't really know what it was like" or something like that.
Really humble and mature and very intelligent.