Good Morning, World

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A happy belated-by-two-days 30th birthday to the actor Jack O'Connell, seen here on the television program that gave half the British actors now working their beginning, Skins -- looking through that cast list now really is a wowza of a Who's Who. Jack! Nicky Hoult! Joe Dempsie! Dev Patel! Some actresses or whatever too!

I was too old to watch Skins at the time and I'm definitely too old to watch it now -- even looking at these gifs make me feel like Jeremy Irons asking Dominique Swan to sit on his lap on the rocking chair. Anyway I am very much looking forward to Jack's upcoming series The North Water with director Andrew Haigh and fellow actor Colin Farrell, where double-checking Jack's age is no longer a factor -- read more about that here, and a happy 30 to Jack! 

Me and Joe and Everyone Joe Knows

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Did any of y'all watch the 2013 limited series out of the UK called Southcliffe? The show's only available for rental on Amazon here in the US from what I can make out; I posted about it when it was announced and promptly entirely forgot it existed until two days ago, when a friend recommended I catch up with it -- the weird thing about that is the entire thing was directed by Martha Marcy May Marlene director Sean Durkin, and I just recently spent time wondering where the hell he'd gotten himself to without ever noticing ohh, he did do something between MMMM and the movie called The Nest that he just premiered at Sundance a couple of months ago. I think sometimes my eyes glaze right past TV work -- I am such a snob.

Anyway the show has a dream UK cast including Gendry boy pictured up top Joe Dempsie (see lots of Demspie at this link if you're so wisely inclined) Rory Kinnear, Shirley Henderson, Sean Harris, Eddie Marsan, Hayley Squires (we worship Hayley Squires in this household), and it's about a small town being terrorized by a man on a shooting rampage -- I am currently two episodes in and it is entirely, totally fucking me the fuck up. So I ask, as I started this post, have any of you seen it? If not, I recommend it. So far. Like I said I'm only half-way through.

More broadly than that though, I really want to know -- what are you guys watching? I have naturally been binge-watching a ton of things, everything in sight really, over the past few home-bound weeks, and I'm planning on doing a catch-up post about all of that proooobably next week. But I wanna hear from you guys! It's a goddamned pandemic -- leave me comments, tell me what you're watching, what you have watched, what you're currently enjoying. And after the jump I'll trade you a few more shots of our boy Joe Dempsie here...

Joe Dempsie Four Plus Times

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Joe got himself gussied up in some beach khakis for Esquire magazine -- you can read the chat with him right here, although they talk about things right up to this week's episode of Game of Thrones so probably don't if you're avoiding spoilers. At the end of the interview he mentions his new project, a spy drama for EPIX called Deep State that he's playing the lead on -- we'll keep our eyes out for news of that. Until then if you need more "Gendry Takes A Vacation" I made a few gifs out of the videos Esquire also shared after the jump...

Good Morning, World

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Trying to be a spoiler-free as possible I had a really hard time focusing on Gendry (Joe Dempsie) on last night's episode of Game of Thrones because of what was happening on the other side of the screen during this scene -- I couldn't believe my eyes! -- and so I went and made these gifs of Joe this morning just so I could focus on what I should have been focusing on the first time around. Meaning "Joe Dempsie's Heaving Bosom." I mean. It don't get much more heave-ier. I think he lifted some weights!

Gendry of Thrones

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A lot of big things happened on last night's season premiere of A Game of Thrones' final season which we won't get into -- there were dragons! But no elephants! -- but I was happiest about seeing Gendry (our boy Joe Dempsie) brought back into the fold. (This is not really a spoiler unless you're like way behind since he was back at the end of last season.) I smiled much like Arya did upon seeing him, with all the same "I'm gonna lose my virginity to him" notes built into my smile as hers, to boot. (It's a shame he does his blacksmithing with all those clothes on now, though. Where is the shirtless continuity, writers?) Anyway there's a new chat and photo-shoot with Joe at Essential Homme today -- click that previous link to read his words and hit the jump to stare at the pictures...

Gendry, Again

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To be honest there's not a lot I remember from the last season of A Game of Thrones -- I'm hoping HBO does a killer recap for us because it's been so long! -- so I hope that Joe Dempsie doesn't mind that I don't remember his character Gendry finally reappearing after having vanished for several seasons. I loved Gendry, or so I thought, so you'd think I'd recall him showing back up, but... nothing. 

Anyway I was reminded of his return over the weekend when I saw him featured in the new issue of Men's Health, which is where those two photos come from -- you can read his chat right here. And then I was further reminded of Genry's triumphant return when there he was, stomping about...

... for a hot sec in the brand new trailer for the final season of the show, which just dropped today. Game of Thrones returns on April 14th -- here watch this:

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Good Morning, World

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If you've been wondering where Gendry has gotten himself to (especially after watching the great big brand new trailer for the next season of A Game of Thrones and he's nowhere to be seen)  well the answer appears to be - he's been wandering the woods naked as a were-person? Okay perhaps I'm mixing up Joe Dempsie projects - perhaps I just miss Joe Dempsie so damn much... 

... this werewolf thing actually pre-dates his spin on Thrones; it's called The Fades and it aired in 2011. (It is available to stream on Amazon right now.) Joe's been working steadily, at least, and it seems everything he does takes the opportunity to take his clothes off for a second or two - I guess being introduced on Skins does that to one's career. After the jump we'll share a little gallery of a few examples, oh and a happy 30th birthday to Joe today...

Nikolaj Coster-Waldau Ten Times

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It's two months tomorrow until the seventh season of A Game of Thrones premieres and I'm using these photographs of Nikolaj (via, thx Mac) to fend off my irritation at George R. R. Martin right now, who's off writing pilot scripts for five - yes, five - TV spin-offs while his book series wilts on the vine. I've made fun of people for nagging at him before, but this is a bit much, George. That said...

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GIVE ME A GENDRY SPIN-OFF
OR GIVE ME NOTHING AT ALL#GameofThrones @joedempsie pic.twitter.com/ReHOauWdFL

— Jason Adams (@JAMNPP) May 5, 2017

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... if that tweet contains any truth I might be less irritable. Slightly.
Until then hit the jump for the rest of these photos of Nicky...

Gratuitous Joe Dempsie

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When I saw it was Joe Dempsie's birthday today I figured I'd just wish him a quick one with a couple of pictures and then say something about how I wish they'd bring his ass (and his other sweet bits) back to A Game of Thrones already - poor Gendry's been out there floating on that damned raft forever. 

But then I looked and saw that I actually had a shit-ton of Joe pics in my Joe folder just sitting there gathering dust - I guess I'd set them aside for his triumphant return or something? Anyway it seems more important at this point in time just to remind the show's runners that he exists and is dangling, dangling, dangling in the wind.

We demand Gendry! Maybe (spoiler!) Arya can bump into him now that she's headed back to Westeros - she's gonna need a damned ride across the water and last thing we saw, dude has a boat. Anyway say a prayer for Joe, and then hit the jump for sixty-ish more him...

Quote of the Day

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"It was such an important scene, we shot it from so many angles. I think I washed his body 50 times. There would be a lot of people who would be very jealous, including my mother and sister. I was joking about that with him – ‘if only my mother could see this’ – and he loved that."

-- I edited that quote from Carice Van Houten (aka Melisandre on A Game of Thrones) to take out a spoiler from this past week's episode (and there are more spoilers at the link), although I'm pretty sure everybody knows what went down by now. I don't want to be the one to ruin anything though, since even though I saw it coming from outer space I still had it definitively spoiled for me since I had to wait 24 whole hours to watch the damn episode. God forbid you wait 24 hours! 

Anyway we're not here to talk about spoilers, we're here to talk about being jealous of washing Naked Kit Harington, which we all are. (At that same link Kit describes the process of shooting this scene as "a teenage boy's wet dream" so you know, let your mind's wander.) Damn you, Carice! First you get to molest Joe Dempsie and now this. If I'd have realized what a coup that role was gonna be I'd have auditioned for it. I'd have made a super Melisandre. Or at least the one she looks like after she takes off her necklace.

Quote of the Day

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JJ shares an interview with Khaleesi herself Emilia Clarke and the topic of nudity on A Game of Thrones comes up, of course it does, but this time around it's specifically of the dude-nudity sort! Here's what she says when asked why we didn't get to see the Full Momoa during their love scene:

"Oh, I did. I saw his member, but it was covered in a pink fluffy sock. Showing it would make people feel bad. It’s too fabulous. No, I don’t know why. But I’d like to bring your memory back to Mr. Michiel Huisman and I copulating for the first time, which began with me saying, ‘Take off your clothes,’ and then you got to see his perfect bottom.”

As if we'd forgotten that, Khaleesi.

Who do you think we'll see naked this year?

I am really hoping that Gendry comes back

- I need some Joe Dempsie in my life.

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Joe Dempsie Four Times

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(via) Click here and here for lots more Joe - I kind of have a moment every week with Game of Thrones where I'm sad that Gendry didn't show up, don't you? Just doing some sweaty iron-work in the background, or whatever. I think Prince Oberyn could probably find some way to make use of Gendry's services...

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I Am Link

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--- Melisandre's Menfolk - Because I was totally correct when I decided right off the bat with Black Book that the actress Carice Van Houten's one of the world's bestest people, here she is in an interview about the upcoming fourth season of A Games of Thrones going on about how the show needs more male nudity. Huzzah give her an Emmy! I'm far too lazy to check through our archives and double-check this but I'm 99.44% sure that she's gone on about this before, too. I love you, Carice! (Relatedly click here to see that scene where she helped us out and stripped Joe Dempsie half-naked.)

--- And Speaking of Thrones, in honor of V-Day over at io9 they posted a special feature from the 3rd season's DVD set where that master of mutilation ceremonies George RR Martin talks about the weddings of Westeros and beyond. 

--- Back It Up Franco - In a chat with Cinema Blend Dave lets it be known that he shows off his ass in the upcoming Zac Efron Seth Rogen frat comedy Neighbors. He says in the movie he has "his first real sex scene," which I guess means he discounts that time he fucked himself up the ass, sadly. That was real for me!

--- The Eyes Of Steven Soderbergh - If you were wondering what Steven Soderbergh did with himself last year, The Playlist has you covered - here's a list of literally every single thing he watched or read and the day he watched or read them. I wish he'd scribbled in notes about what he ate for each meal and the respective bowel movements too; I don't feel like I quite know him without that information.

--- Sex Cult - Furry wonder Thomas Jane has joined the cast of The Veil, a horror movie about cults (cults are really hot right now) that's coming from the same production house that brought us the Insidious movies, the Purge movies, the Paranormal Activity movies. This movie may or may not be found-footage, but it deals with a camera crew so it'll probably be at least partially so. The guy who directed that Punisher short film with Jane that got a bunch of attention last year is directing.

--- Here Comes The Haderach - I've been chomping at the bit to see Jodorowsky's Dune, the documentary about cult filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky's aborted attempt to make a Dune movie way back when. It's out in about five weeks, and here's the trailer. I don't need to watch the trailer, I don't need convincing, I've been on board with this movie since the first time years ago that I heard this Dune was even a thing.

--- Peaky Hardy - Has anybody seen the BBC crime drama Peaky Blinders (what a name) that stars Cillian Murphy? I feel as if a lot more people will be watching it now that Tom Hardy has joined the cast for the second season. So many big stars on TV these days, it's getting ridiculously hard to keep up.

--- Free Page - Over at The Film Experience Nathaniel shares the awesome news that Ellen Page's long delayed movie Freeheld, a true story about a lesbian couple dealing with terminal illness and pension benefit problems, is back on, and it will co-star Julianne Moore and be directed by Peter Sollet, who made the great movies Raising Victor Vargas and Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist.

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Good Morning, Joe Dempsie

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There are a whole lot of sexy bastards on A Game of Thrones, but with all due apologies to Jon Snow and his brand spanking new and beautiful volcano abs, I think that Joe Dempsie (aka Gendry) might be the sexiest bastard of them all. I began to suspect it that first time they showed him doing his metal-work without anything protecting his upper half, which may be dangerous but all the same sure is appealing; then I really had it cemented for me when he and his so very nearly everything dallied with the Red Priestess.

And now this, this is just pretty much the icing. The underline. The highlighter, and gold star for excellent effort. These are from this 2011 short film called Happy Clapper, which you can watch in full over on Vimeo. And then you can hit the jump where I have capped the entire opening sequence involving, as you see, Joe and his itty bitty most adorable comic book briefs. S'good. S'real good.

Quote of the Day

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Our pal Sean T. Collins, who does the recaps of A Game of Thrones for Rolling Stone, has also been interviewing the show's actors one after the other, and this week he's made his way to Joe Dempsie, the attractive young gentleman who plays the bastard slash swordsmith Gendry. You may recall we recently gave his scene with the red priestess Meliandre a proper grautitizing? Yeah that was nice. Well I'm tempted to say that Sean asked the following question just for my benefit, but Sean's always made good on demanding equal gender exploitation, bless his soul, so I'm sure this question was for the benefit of the world and not (only) my lonesome.

Sean: This is awkward to bring up, but you're a good-looking guy. I think that's safe to say.

Joe: [Laughs] Thanks, Sean.

Sean: My pleasure! There's a sense that with your character, and then this season also with Robb and Jon and Jamie, that there's now a movement within the show to show off the male characters the way the female characters have been shown off.

Joe: When you have those scenes where you take your tunic or whatever off, people go berserk. I'm curious what that's like as an actor. It's kind of weird, because from my personal point of view, you don't really want to do nudity unless it's appropriate, and unless it's relevant to the storyline and it makes sense to do it in the scene. There's a scene in Season Two where I'm forging a sword with no top on for no apparent reason. It's amazing what a bit of soot and shaving can do for muscle definition, honestly. I didn't recognize that torso.

I think David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss, the showrunners] still try to . . . there is a bit of a responsibility to try and even up the balance a little bit. You can't let the ladies do it all. But I think they do try and keep it within reasonable parameters. That scene where I'm forging the sword, I'm saying that it's gratuitous, but the idea they wanted to convey was that . . . it was more for Arya than anything to do with my character. It was them trying to imply that Arya's becoming a woman now and she's dealing with feelings that she's maybe not experienced before. I think they just want to hint at that – I'm saying "subtly," but . . . [Laughs] But it's not something I want to make a particular habit of. 

When I was cast as Gendry, I didn't have any of the physical attributes the part required. I was astounded that I got the role, to be honest. But David and Dan said, "We need to die his hair black . . . and it'd be great you hit the gym before we start filming." So I was told to get in shape. I suppose you've got to look like you're made of steel for nudity. You've got to get some arms on you. The reaction is not something I pay too much attention to. You don't want to be a torso. You don't want that to be what you're known for. I think if it's overshadowing your acting, you need to up your game a little bit. 

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Today's Fanboy Delusion

Today I'd rather be...

... making Gendry squirm.

When they showed Joe Dempsie shirtless in the first season I didn't really get why they made Gendry such a hunk - he hasn't had a whole ton to do in the books so far. I mean I didn't mind, it was just unexpected. But now I see they had a whole thing sorted out...

And what a thing! Hit the jump, I've capped the whole scene (well exept for the shots with the leeches, because yuck times three).