Milling About

Filmmaker Ed Burns joins host Robin Milling to talk about marriage and relationships for his new film Newlyweds. Ed tells Robin what inspired the film's documentary style look at what makes or breaks a marriage. Ed also reveals his next film,  Fitzgerald's Family Christmas will harken back to his Brothers McMullen beginnings.

Hell on Wheels star Anson Mount raises hell as a meth addict in Cook County. Anson tells host Robin Milling how he did his homework for the hepped up junkie role and reveals movie magic about what doubles for cocaine! Mount who embodies the hottest cowboy since Clint in Hell on Wheels also talks about getting down and literally dirty to play the foreman Cullen Bohannan in the AMC series.

Actor and musician Jill Hennessy joins host Robin Milling to talk about her rock star role in Roadie. Jill tells Robin she knows the road all too well as she was a struggling musician busking for her supper with her guitar. She even had a band with her twin sister Jacqueline called none other than Jack and Jill!

Tommy director Ken Russell passed away in a hospital on Sunday, November 27, 2011 after a series of strokes. He is survived by his wife Elize. Russell directed several classic British films during his 55-year career, including spy thriller Billion Dollar Brain, The Who's rock opera Tommy, and Oscar-winning 1969 movie Women in Love. Host Robin Milling spoke with Ken Russell for Russellmania, a celebration of his films at Lincoln Center.  As you will hear, at 83 he was a man of few words, much preferring his work to speak for itself. Russell does say he'll always be proud of his Bad Boy of Cinema reputation.

Diner director Barry Levinson's son Sam was minus three years old when he father directed Ellen Barkin in her first major role. The irony has not escaped Sam over two decades later that he is now directing Barkin in his feature film debut Another Happy Day.

Beau Bridges, starring in The Descendants tells host Robin Milling he knows how to hang in Hawaii. Turns out Jeff's big brother has a second home on the big island after going to university there.  Beau fit right into the long-haired hippie lifestyle of his character!

The Son of No One director Dito Montiel leads an all-star cast including Al Pacino, Channing Tatum and Ray Liotta. Dito tells host Robin Milliing he wrote the story based on his mean streets upbringing in Queens, New York. Dito says he had a pinch me moment directing these heavy hitting actors. "I wrote this hoping somebody would like it and then I get a call, 'Ray Liotta wants to meet me. Al Pacino wants to meet me.' I'm like, 'oh my God, how do I get a picture with them?!' After I gushed and went crazy it turned into, 'wow we're really gonna do something.'"

Chicago actor Dennis Farina returns to his roots in The Last Rites of Joe May playing a down and out hustler. Dennis tells host Robin Milling what it was like to return to his old neighborhood and how he loves to take a little momento from each film. "I have a shirt that was worn by Gene Hackman in The Unforgiven that I wore in a movie. From The Rites of Joe May I have the leather jacket my character wore. When the wardrobe ladies came to me I said, 'this jacket is Joe May.'" Sadly, Dennis Farina passed away July 22, 2013 at the age of 69. On screen he might have played the tough guy, but off screen he was a gentle, soft spoken and lovely man.

David Boreanaz and Carla Gugino join Robin Milling to talk about playing real life couple Ed and Cathy Rush in The Mighty Macs. Carla discusses being inspired by Cathy who became the head basketball coach at a tiny, all-girls Catholic college. David reveals how he actually met Ed when he was going to highschool in Philadelphia.  

Stage and screen star Cheyenne Jackson joins Robin Milling to talk about his new film, The Green. Cheyenne shares his excitement about his new marriage to longtime partner Monte Lapka and his acceptance of being a role model to the gay community. Cheyenne talks about why he decided to tweet against 30Rock co-star Tracy Morgan's recent gay rants.

Fast & Furious star Tyrese Gibson is also a best-selling author and R&B crooner. He tells host Robin Milling how he takes to the curves on the new souped up Blu-ray Fast Five. Tyrese admits his love for silk pajamas shooting the video Stay for his upcoming CD Open Invitation, and advises how to navigate through life in his book How to Get Out of Your Own Way.

Hurt Locker star Anthony Mackie joins Robin Milling to talk about his Don King-esque fight promoter in Real Steel. Mackie tells Robin he was so impressed with coach Sugar Ray Leonard he wants to portray his life story on film.

Boxing champ Sugar Ray Leonard joins host Robin Milling to talk about life in and outside the ring. Leonard talks about training movie star Hugh Jackman with all the right moves for Real Steel, giving him an A+ for his jaw smashing punch to WWE fighter Dolph Ziggler. Ray also tells Robin about his memoirs and what inspired him to write them.

In this candid chat from 2011, writing chanteuse Jackie Collins returns to her heroine Lucky Santangelo in her new book Goddess of Vengeance.  Jackie joins host Robin Milling to give her take on what she knows best about passion, power, celebrity and revenge! She had her first book, The World Is Full of Married Men, published in 1968. She went on to write more than 30 novels throughout her career, including 1981's Chances, which introduced fans to her most famous character, Lucky Santangelo. She also penned Hollywood Wives, which was adapted into a U.S. drama series by TV mogul Aaron Spelling in 1985, starring Candice Bergen and Anthony Hopkins. She entertained millions of readers and will always be remembered for her romance novels, but most of all her lust for life.

Filmmaker Gus Van Zant joins host Robin Milling to talk about his latest work, Restless. Van Zant, who is known for casting a virtually unknown Keanu Reeves in My Own Private Idaho has done the same thing with newcomer Henry Hopper. Van Zant talks about Henry's famous father, the late Dennis Hopper getting a chance to see his son in action.

WWE wrestling champion Triple H displays his acting chops outside the ring in the film Inside Out. Not one to be pigeonholed as a 'meathead' he tells host Robin Milling that his co-star Bruce Dern gave him invaluable advice telling him a famous tale of being stereotyped.  

Web Therapy star Victor Garber stars in the DVD Entitled. A college reunion of three wealthy businessmen takes a violent turn when their children are kidnapped. Victor tells host Robin Milling how watching his Alias co-star Jennifer Garner gave him the tools to deck Ray Liotta in Entitled's fight scene. "I cracked a rib so I'm a stickler for stunt people. I learned all about stunts watching Jennifer (Garner) in Alias do all that. She's suffering some war wounds still from that but it's always a risk. We never had any horrible things happen."

Director/writer John Sayles, a stickler for authenticity, went so far as to purchase the local rice crop and hire the locals as extras for his new film Amigo. He tells host Robin Milling, "We lived on the island of Bohol, about 40 minutes away from where we shot. On the island they still grow rice and still plough by caribou; they can't get a tractor onto this particular bit of land, so we bought their rice crop without a middleman and they got to harvest three quarters of it.   It was a good deal for the villagers. Plus, an awful lot of them ended up playing extras because they knew how to harvest rice."

It's a real treat to welcome Treat Williams to Milling About for his new television series, Against The Wall on Lifetime. Treat tells host Robin Milling that he's come full circle playing a cop since Prince of The City and ironically  made his film debut playing one in Deadly Hero. "It was James Earl Jones' first film also. He played an African king so James and I had our first film together which I'm very proud of actually. I remember walking the streets in uniform and thinking, 'I hope nobody wants my help because this gun is made of rubber!'"

Across The Universe star Jim Sturgess stars in the romantic tearjerker One Day. Aging 20 years in the film gave Sturgess a taste of where his own life would be in two decades. He tells host Robin Milling, 'It's impossible to say because life is changing all the time. I never expected to be here certainly a few years ago. With acting you're just sort of open for change constantly so I really don't know where I would be in 20 years or want to know. It's nice to play it out as it comes. It's interesting to think where my life would be inevitably with marriage and fatherhood; that stuff is not a million miles away when you start hitting your 30s so that whole chapter of my life is unopened yet.'