MovieSet Behind the Scenes blog » chris walken

Producer Tommy Reid interview on ‘The Irishman’

Michelle — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:24:37 +0000

Producer Tommy Reid wanted to incorporate his experience growing up in Irish/Italian North New Jersey with his research into the real life characters of The Irishman. It’s been a long 12 years for Reid, bringing this film into fruition, but with a stellar cast and crew, The Irishman has the potential to be one of the epic gangster movies of our time. Ray Stevenson brings to life the exact qualities of Danny Greene’s robin-hood-type persona and the creative vision of Jonathan Hensleigh has united everyone’s efforts in a way only he can.

Clip description: Producer Tommy Reid talks about why he wanted to make the film, Ray Stevenson as Danny Greene, Director Jonathan Hensleigh and why the character Danny Greene is so compelling

more videos from The Irishman

The Irishman Synopsis

The Irishman chronicles the rise and fall of infamous Cleveland gangster Danny Greene (Ray Stevenson), who engaged in a power struggle with the Italian mob. Greene was as an upstart longshoreman union rep and later became a cocky, legendarily difficult-to-kill troublemaker in the world of organized crime in the 1970s.

Based on the real story of mobster Danny Greene, Christoper Walken will play the loan shark and nightclub owner Shondor Birns and Val Kilmer is a Cleveland police detective who befriends Greene.

The incredible ensemble cast includes Vinnie Jones, Marcus Thomas, Linda Cardellini, Laura Ramsey, Paul Sorvino, Mike Starr, Tony LoBianco, Vinnie Vella, Steve Schirippa, Jason Butler Harner, Robert Davi and Fionnula Flanagan.

The grass is greener on Danny’s side in ‘The Irishman’

Michelle — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 23:25:05 +0000

Danny Greene, an Irish American dock worker-turned-mobster who climbed the ranks and boldly took on the Italian mob was not a good guy, but we’ll be on his side in The Irishman. This is accomplished through the charismatic acting of Ray Stevenson and Director Jonathan Hensleigh’s work on the screenplay. Bart Rosenblatt gives us a little insight into the life of Danny Greene and by the look of The Irishman behind-the-scenes videos, this untold story is going to be a killer!

Clip description: Producer Bart Rosenblatt talks about the plot of the film, Director Jonathan Hensleigh and Ray Stevenson as Danny Greene.

Videos from The Irishman movie

Jonathan Dana talks The Irishman

Bart Rosenblatt on the production of The Irishman

The Irishman – Gaffer

The Irishman – Stunt Coordinator Interview

The Irishman – SFX Department

The Costumes of The Irishman

Marcus Thomas Interview – The Irishman

Steve Schirripa Interview – The Irishman

The Irishman – Showcase

Laura Ramsey Interview – The Irishman

Paul Sorvino Interview – The Irishman

Linda Cardellini Interview from ‘The Irishman’

Val Kilmer Interview from ‘The Irishman’

Vinnie Jones Interview from ‘The Irishman’

Vincent D’Onofrio Interview from ‘The Irishman’

Ray Stevenson discusses his character ‘Danny Greene’ in ‘The Irishman’

Hair and Costumes for The Irishman – Behind the Scenes Video

Exploding Cars in The Irishman – Behind the Scenes Video

Christopher Walken – Interview from the set of The Irishman

News about The Irishman movie

The Irishman, Book to Movie Interview with Author and Agent

Mob Writer: THE IRISHMAN: The Movie

Behind the scenes on ‘The Irishman’s’ Detroit set

Detroit’s New Gig Making Movies — On set with THE IRISHMAN

Cleveland Mob Figure Danny Greene’s Story Coming to the Big Screen

The Irishman releases exclusive footage to MovieSet

More photos from The Irishman stills page

‘The Irishman’ Much More Than A Gangster Movie

Michelle — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 22:36:40 +0000

Executive Producer, Jonathan Dana, gives MovieSet the inside scoop on The Irishman, a BIG story that needs to be shared!

Clip description: Jonathan Dana, Executive Producer of The Irishman, talks about the plot of the film, the cast, what delighted him about the experience and why they chose to film in Detroit

More from The Irishman

Check out The Irishman sitelet for interviews with Val Kilmer, Vincent D’Onofrio, Ray Stevenson and Vinnie Jones.

If you missed it, check out the Christopher Walken interview in which he talks about playing Shondor Birns plus mini-featurettes about stunts, costumes and the SFX department. Don’t miss still photos from the set of The Irishman.

Videos from The Irishman movie

Bart Rosenblatt on the production of The Irishman

The Irishman – Gaffer

The Irishman – Stunt Coordinator Interview

The Irishman – SFX Department

The Costumes of The Irishman

Marcus Thomas Interview – The Irishman

Steve Schirripa Interview – The Irishman

The Irishman – Showcase

Laura Ramsey Interview – The Irishman

Paul Sorvino Interview – The Irishman

Linda Cardellini Interview from ‘The Irishman’

Val Kilmer Interview from ‘The Irishman’

Vinnie Jones Interview from ‘The Irishman’

Vincent D’Onofrio Interview from ‘The Irishman’

Ray Stevenson discusses his character ‘Danny Greene’ in ‘The Irishman’

Hair and Costumes for The Irishman – Behind the Scenes Video

Exploding Cars in The Irishman – Behind the Scenes Video

Christopher Walken – Interview from the set of The Irishman

News about The Irishman movie

The Irishman, Book to Movie Interview with Author and Agent

Mob Writer: THE IRISHMAN: The Movie

Behind the scenes on ‘The Irishman’s’ Detroit set

Detroit’s New Gig Making Movies — On set with THE IRISHMAN

Cleveland Mob Figure Danny Greene’s Story Coming to the Big Screen

The Irishman releases exclusive footage to MovieSet

The Irishman Synopsis

Based on the real story of mobster Danny Greene, Christoper Walken will play the loan shark and nightclub owner Shondor Birns and Val Kilmer is a Cleveland police detective who befriends Greene.

Give it up for the Gaffer – Interview from the set of ‘The Irishman’

Dave — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 21:33:02 +0000

MovieSet’s exclusive coverage of the production of ‘The Irishman‘ rolls on with a visit with the Gaffer – in other words, the chief lighting guy.

Join the head of the lighting department Anthony ‘Spike’ Simms behind the scenes to hear him talk about what he does as a gaffer, the challenges of working through adverse weather conditions in the Midwest, collaborating with cinematographer Karl Walter Lindenlaub to create a crime feel with different lighting techniques.

More ‘The Irishman’ videos

Lots more videos from ‘The Irishman’ to enjoy – here are a few to whet your appetite:

Christopher Walken – Interview from the set of ‘The Irishman’

Ray Stevenson discusses his character ‘Danny Greene’ in ‘The Irishman’

Vincent D’Onofrio in ‘The Irishman’ – Interview about his character John Nardi

Vinnie Jones in ‘The Irishman’ – Interview about acting as a Union Thug

Val Kilmer from the set of ‘The Irishman’ discussing the story and violence

Recent ‘The Irishman’-related News

Will Detroit be the Next Major Film Capital?

Talking Politics with Actor Robert Davi

1947 Dodge Desoto Deluxe From ‘The Irishman’ For Sale!

‘The Irishman’ Stunt Coordinator Talks Heat Exhaustion, Rubble & Road Rash

Will ‘The Irishman’ be the Next Big Mob Flick?

5 Questions with THE IRISHMAN’s Steve Schirripa

Vinny Vella – Mayor of Elizabeth Street

‘The Irishman’ Cleveland Mob history 101

MovieSet.com Continues To Be Innovative…

Vinnie Vidi Vici – Vincent D’Onofrio in The Irishman

Michigan moves from cars to stars Incentives turning state into Midwestern Hollywood

USA Today – Michigan Movies

All Things Cleveland Ohio: “The Irishman” A Movie About Cleveland Mobster Danny Greene

These are their Stories – Vince D’Onofrio talks about “The Irishman”

An Extra’s Story of a Day on Set with THE IRISHMAN

New Criminologist dives deep into ‘The Irishman’ in “Inside an Upcoming Major Hollywood Mob Flick”

Dave — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:58:53 +0000

While promoting the production of ‘The Irishman,’ we’ve found there are many disparate niches of fans for this film. For example, Vincent D’Onofrio, Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer, Ray Stevenson and many of the other actors have dedicated fan groups and dozens of fan sites and busy message boards.

Ray Stevenson as Danny Greene in 'The Irishman'

There are folks who have a personal association with the Cleveland mob wars and others who care mostly that the film is made in Detroit. Then of course, there are mafia movies fans AND also the historians and researchers who adeptly chronicle every nuance of the situations, characters and compare/contrast the reality with the movies.

A perfect example of the latter is the New Criminologist who published an deep-dive article into the story by Ron Chepesiuk called The Irishman: Inside an Upcoming Major Hollywood Mob Flick.

For those who are following *everything* MovieSet releases from The Irishman, you are really gonna enjoy Chepesiuk’s discourse. Here’s the set-up to whet your appetite:

"To Kill the Irishman" by Rick Porrello

What is it that attracts us to Mafia movies like steel clips to a magnet? Most of us have seen The Godfather, a movie considered by many to be the greatest ever made. But it’s just one of a long line of great Mob flicks that extend back to Hollywood’s early years where we had such classics as Public Enemy Number 1 and Little Caesar. Just in past two decades or so Hollywood has released such great flicks as Casino, Donnie Brasco, GoodFellas, Jackie Brown, A History of Violence and The Departed, among others.

With so many superb mafia flicks around, we might ask: Has Hollywood seen its best days when it comes to this genre of movie? The quick answer is, no way.

Titled simply The Irishman, the movie depicts the story of Danny Greene, an Irish-American mobster who takes on the La Cosa Nostra in a vicious and violent gang war that had the bodies piling up on the streets of Cleveland in the 1970s.

Vincent D'Onofrio as John Nardi in 'The Irishman'

Chepesiuk also relates some additional insight to Greene’s personal habits:

The quirky Irishman was handsome, obsessed with physical fitness and followed a strict diet of fish, vegetables and vitamin supplements. To minimize his hair loss, Greene underwent painful hair transplants.

“Green took his personal hygiene very seriously,” Porrello explained. “He even had a nail brush in the union bathroom to keep his manicured nails scrubbed clean.”

Greene had no problem with using car bombs to blow his enemies to smithereens, but he was also known as an animal lover who put out food for birds and squirrels.

Read the whole she-bang by Ron Chepesiuk at The Irishman: Inside an Upcoming Major Hollywood Mob Flick – Like the author of the article, we’re very curious to see how the film is treated by historians since it happened in such recent times. He also mentions a documentary in post-production about the same characters detailed in the book by Rick Porrello “To Kill the Irishman: The War that Crippled the Mafia.”

You can read the book to find out what happened and watch the movie to see how Hollywood treats the story. We will reveal, though, that the subsequent Mafia war had consequences beyond Cleveland. Besides leading to the murder of dozens of gangsters, the war also created a chain reaction in which the Mob remained in perpetual war not only in Cleveland but also Milwaukee, Kansas City, Los Angeles and other cities across the country.

Meanwhile, Greene became a legend.

Porrello concludes his page turning narrative with a lyrically Irish sounding refrain from The Ballad of Danny Greene: “One day he’ll lie, as all we must, some will laugh but most will cry. His legend will live on for years, to bring his friends mixed pleasure.”

If you haven’t caught onto this movie yet, peruse this archive of video clips from explosions to interviews:

‘The Irishman’: Interview with Costume Designer Melissa Bruning

Hair and Costumes for ‘The Irishman’ – Behind the Scenes Video

Exploding Cars in ‘The Irishman’ – Behind the Scenes Video

Christopher Walken – Interview from the set of ‘The Irishman’

Ray Stevenson discusses his character ‘Danny Greene’ in ‘The Irishman’

Vincent D’Onofrio in ‘The Irishman’ – Interview about his character John Nardi

Vinnie Jones in ‘The Irishman’ – Interview about acting as a Union Thug

Val Kilmer from the set of ‘The Irishman’ discussing the story and violence

Linda Cardellini on set of ‘The Irishman’ playing Joan Madigan

Laura Ramsey on set of ‘The Irishman’ playing Ellie O’Hara

Paul Sorvino on set of ‘The Irishman’ playing Tony Salerno

‘The Irishman’: Interview with Costume Designer Melissa Bruning

Kyle Zahar — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:33:06 +0000

Check out our latest ‘The Irishman‘ Video.

Costume Designer Melissa Bruning sits down to talk about creating the illusion of reality in a period piece through proper wardrobe selection. She discusses her research into the clothes of the era and introduces the wardrobe staff that keep the continuity of the cast’s clothing correct from scene to scene.

The Irishman Synopsis

‘The Irishman’ chronicles the rise and fall of infamous Cleveland gangster Danny Greene (Ray Stevenson), who engaged in a power struggle with the Italian mob. Greene was as an upstart longshoreman union rep and later became a cocky, legendarily difficult-to-kill troublemaker in the world of organized crime in the 1970’s.

Based on the real story of mobster Danny Greene, Christoper Walken will play the loan shark and nightclub owner Shondor Birns and Val Kilmer is a Cleveland police detective who befriends Greene.

News about ‘The Irishman’ movie

Marcus Thomas & Steve Schirripa Interviews from the set of ‘The Irishman’

Dave — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 22:38:10 +0000

MovieSet.com Exclusive: Next up from the set of ‘The Irishman‘ filming in Detroit come interviews with Marcus Thomas (Bill McComber) and Steve Schirripa (Mike Frato) in this based-on-real-life story of an Irish/Italian mafia conflict in Cleveland.

First off, join Steve Schirripa on the set of ‘The Irishman’ to hear what he has to say about his character Mike Frato, the star studded cast, and the plot of the film.

Steve Schrippa in 'The Irishman'

Next, go behind the scenes of ‘The Irishman’ to hear actor Marcus Thomas talk about his character Bill McComber and his characters relationship with Danny Greene played by Ray Stevenson.

Steve Schrippa in 'The Irishman'

The Irishman Synopsis

Based on the real story of mobster Danny Greene, Christoper Walken will play the loan shark and nightclub owner Shondor Birns and Val Kilmer is a Cleveland police detective who befriends Greene.

‘The Irishman’ – Behind the Scenes Showcase

Dave — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:22:42 +0000

MovieSet.com Exclusive: Next up from the set of ‘The Irishman‘ filming in Detroit features a montage of scenes from this based-on-real-life story of an Irish/Italian mafia conflict in Cleveland. Take a peek behind the scenes of ‘The Irishman’ to see not only explosions, stunts, and special effects, but also shots of actors Ray Stevenson, Vinnie Jones, Val Kilmer and Linda Cardellini working on the set.

See all the videos, stills and news from the set of ‘The Irishman’ after the break …

The Irishman Synopsis

Based on the real story of mobster Danny Greene, Christoper Walken will play the loan shark and nightclub owner Shondor Birns and Val Kilmer is a Cleveland police detective who befriends Greene.

News about ‘The Irishman’ movie

Paul Sorvino on set of ‘The Irishman’ playing Tony Salerno

Kyle Zahar — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:19:25 +0000

“His reckless, ‘no one can touch me’ attitude is interesting”

MovieSet.com Exclusive: Next up from the set of ‘The Irishman‘ filming in Detroit is another MovieSet exclusive video featuring actor Paul Sorvino (‘Repo,’ ‘The Genetic Opera’) in the role of Tony Salerno in this real-life story of an Irish/Italian mafia conflict in Cleveland.

News about ‘The Irishman’ movie

The Irishman Synopsis

Based on the real story of mobster Danny Greene, Christoper Walken will play the loan shark and nightclub owner Shondor Birns and Val Kilmer is a Cleveland police detective who befriends Greene.

Laura Ramsey on set of ‘The Irishman’ playing Ellie O’Hara

Dave — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:16:04 +0000

“This guy, he did bad things, but it was sorta his job”

MovieSet.com Exclusive: Next up from the set of ‘The Irishman‘ filming in Detroit is another MovieSet exclusive video featuring actress Laura Ramsey (‘The Ruins,’ ‘Lords of Dogtown’) in the role of Ellie O’Hara in this real-life story of an Irish/Italian mafia conflict in Cleveland.

Laura Ramsey as Ellie O'Hara in 'The Irishman'

The graceful blonde actress talks about fleshing out her character Ellie O’Hara, the girlfriend of Danny Greene (note: see Linda Cardellini in the role of Joan Madigan, Danny Greene’s wife).

She points out that, “When I first arrived, John (Writer/Director Jonathan Hensleigh) and I had a meeting and discussed who this girl really was, they don’t really know about her much at all.”

This discussion evolved into her character’s relationship with Danny Greene (Ray Stevenson) about which she says that their time together was some of the only time in which Danny could “open up” and “be excited about life.”

She also mentions working with Ray Stevenson saying, “Ray a great energy to be around” and clals him a generous and wonderful actor.” She provides insight into her experience working on the set of ‘The Irishman’ saying, “we all sort of collaborte and dicuss what we’ll do from scene to scene. Nothing is set in stone and that is the most amazing way to work anyways.”

News about ‘The Irishman’ movie

The Irishman Synopsis

Based on the real story of mobster Danny Greene, Christoper Walken will play the loan shark and nightclub owner Shondor Birns and Val Kilmer is a Cleveland police detective who befriends Greene.

Linda Cardellini on set of ‘The Irishman’ playing Joan Madigan

Dave — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:01:58 +0000

“Joan was someone who loved someone very much”

MovieSet.com Exclusive: Next up from the set of ‘The Irishman‘ filming in Detroit is another MovieSet exclusive video featuring actress Linda Cardellini (‘Scooby Doo,’ ‘Grandma’s Boy,’ ‘Brokeback Mountain’ TV’s ‘ER’) in the role of Joan Madigan in this real-life story of an Irish/Italian mafia conflict in Cleveland.

In a visit with Linda Cardellini on set of ‘The Irishman,’ she discussses playing Joan Madigan, the wife of lead character Danny Greene (Ray Stevenson) and mother to his children.

Ms. Cardellini (looking like the perfect housewife in costume), says, “For me playing the character, Joan was someone who loved someone very much and saw a lot of potential in him and that potential could go to greatness and that greatness could lead to something positive or something negative and I think he chose the negative road and I think thats the story of her disappointment.”

She also explains her enjoyment of working with Stevenson saying, “Ray’s great, we have a lot of fun. We try to add a little something extra or something silly and make sure the early years for them look especially fun.

Linda also mentions director/writer Jonathan Hensleigh’s familiarity with the script in his head which helps the actors work quickly and points out that, “Everybody’s here cause they love the script and everybody’s working really fast and hard and doing some amazing things.”

Finally, she mentions the realism of the period set saying, “when you look at the cars and art direction, props and costumes and hair you realize this is a community effort to make it look like we are back in the 60s and 70s.”

The Irishman Synopsis

Based on the real story of mobster Danny Greene, Christoper Walken will play the loan shark and nightclub owner Shondor Birns and Val Kilmer is a Cleveland police detective who befriends Greene.

Val Kilmer from the set of ‘The Irishman’ discussing the story and violence

Dave — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:24:57 +0000

“A great fireball of violence and tragedy”

MovieSet.com Exclusive: Next up from the set of ‘The Irishman‘ filming in Detroit is another MovieSet exclusive video featuring actor Val Kilmer in the role of Joe Manditski in this real-life story of an Irish/Italian mafia conflict in Cleveland.

In between takes, Val Kilmer (star of ‘Top Gun’ ‘The Doors’ and many others) compares the story of ‘The Irishman’ to ‘Good Fellas’ saying both movies are well-written stories with inside info into the Mafia. He goes on to say that this is a story “which could only happen in America” and adds insight to Danny Greene (played by Ray Stevenson) saying “saw himself in that unique, local patriot way.”

Finally, he adds that “you think you know what’s happening, there some nice twist which care all true, then it just becomes a great fireball of violence and tragedy.”

A late night shot on the set of 'The Irishman'

News about ‘The Irishman’ movie

The Irishman Synopsis

Based on the real story of mobster Danny Greene, Christoper Walken will play the loan shark and nightclub owner Shondor Birns and Val Kilmer is a Cleveland police detective who befriends Greene.

‘The Irishman’ Blows Up in Detroit, Cleveland and Beyond

Dave — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:28:02 +0000

As cast and crew of ‘The Irishman‘ work through the production cycle, all sorts of audiences are grabbing a hold of this compelling story and creating coverage from many points of view.

Cast taking a break or acting? Looks like a good Bar-B-Q either way

Some are excited that films are coming to stimulate the Michigan economy, others are ticked off that Ohio didn’t offer tax breaks to the production and missed out. Many come with an interest in the mob and mafia in general while others were “there” during the bomb wars in Cleveland and one man was mentored by Christopher Walken’s character Shondor Birns and expresses his point of view on the scruples of the real-life characters. Then there are the Vincent D’Onofrio fans – legions of rabid enthusiasts with an apparently insatiable appetite for VD’O pics and videos.

To help you explore all the facets of this particular Irishman’s story, here’s a clearinghouse to browse through and enjoy. But first, we’ve were scooped! Some wily filmmakers in Detroit stealthed onto set to capture an explosion and got the eye of MLive.com’s Jessica Nunez who wrote ‘Behind the scenes on ‘The Irishman’s’ Detroit set‘, on July 01, 2009:

MovieSet.com, an online social movie network that often gets exclusive rights to behind-the-scenes footage of major motion pictures, just posted production videos of “The Irishman,” which is filmed in Detroit and stars Christopher Walken and Val Kilmer.

According to PR Newswire, MovieSet’s videos are the “first-ever behind-the-scenes footage” of the film.

That’s not exactly true. Remember this pyrotechnic car explosion near Eastern Market that local production company Slickfire caught on film?

Big ups to Slickfire.com (@slickfire on Twitter) for staking out the set and catching some great guerrilla style coverage. Be sure to watch til the end when the firemen come out to douse the smoldering embers. Will be extra cool to see that shot in the movie after seeing how it was put together.

Ms. Nunuez provides some insight to the man who tells us about the explosion:

“Regardless, the MovieSet videos are based on interviews with some of the crew members, including lead makeup artist Kimberly Jones and transportation coordinator John White, who’s sporting a Detroit GM shirt and whose accent says he’s probably a southeast Michigan native.”

More about ‘The Irishman’

Here’s a round-up of sites who have something to say about The Irishman – from one point of view or another:

Pra quem reclamava de não ver o Bob na Direção… The Irishman o novo filme do V.D.O. « Vincent D´Onofrio

Val Kilmer, Christopher Walken filming “The Irishman” in Detroit – MLive.com

International Entertainment News: MovieSet.com Debuts Behind the Scenes Footage From ‘THE IRISHMAN’

Movies About Cleveland – Filmed Elsewhere | The Daily Bragger

Danny Greene Collinwood Movie | The Daily Bragger

The Irishman Film At River Rouge – Updates – MIFILMTOURAGE — Michigan Film News

Christopher Walken, Ray Stevenson, and Val Kilmer Fling Car Bombs with ‘The Irishman’ – Cinematical

These Are Their Stories: Vincent D’Onofrio Talks About “The Irishman”

The Irishman: Behind the Scenes Footage – FilmoFilia

LATEST MOVIE TRAILERS AND NEWS: The Irishman Movie Behind The Scenes Footage!!!

WBNX Blog » Blog Archive » WBNX star is key player in Cleveland mob film

Isabelle Drake…the nicer side of naughty: The Irishman, Book to Movie Interview with Author and Agent

Star Life Talk and Gossip » Blog Archive » MovieSet.com Debuts Behind the Scenes Footage From ‘THE IRISHMAN’

Untitled & Unlicensed: Vincent D’Onofrio in The Irishman – Interview about his character John Nardi

The Irishman: Behind the Scenes Footage – FilmoFilia

More Vincent: The Irishman releases exclusive footage to MovieSet

Ray-Stevenson.com

mob speak: Irishman: The Movie

Cleveland Mob Figure Danny Greene’s Story Coming to the Big Screen | Cleveland Leader

Reel Blog: MovieSet.com Debuts Behind the Scenes Footage From ‘THE IRISHMAN’

Any coverage we missed? Simply add a comment or a trackback in your post to share.

Vinnie Jones in ‘The Irishman’ – Interview about acting as a Union Thug

Dave — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 22:43:04 +0000

“Working in the Garbage”

MovieSet.com Exclusive: Next up from the set of ‘The Irishman‘ filming in Detroit is another MovieSet exclusive video featuring actor Vinnie Jones who plays character Keith Ritson in this real-life story of an Irish/Italian mafia conflict in Cleveland. You might recognize the (thuggish looking) UK-born actor from his roles of ‘Big Chris’ in’Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ or the Manchester United freak-fan ‘Mad Maynard’ in ‘EuroTrip’.

In between takes with actors Christopher Walken, Vincent D’Onofrio and Ray Stevenson, Jones talks about his enthusiasm over the film’s script, the dynamic between the Director Jonathan Hensleigh and the rest of the cast plus points out Ray Stevenson’s presence in the lead role and their rapport in developing their roles. He also describes his character’s plot situation as a union guy who helped Danny Greene bring the 200+ garbage companies in Ohio under one organization, often by using violence as a tool of persuasion.

Vinnie Jones and other cast members of The Irishman take a break on set in Detroit

Videos from The Irishman movie

Hair and Costumes for The Irishman – Behind the Scenes Video

Exploding Cars in The Irishman – Behind the Scenes Video

Christopher Walken – Interview from the set of The Irishman

Ray Stevenson discusses his character ‘Danny Greene’ in ‘The Irishman’

Vincent D’Onofrio in The Irishman – Interview about his character John Nardi

News about The Irishman movie

The Irishman, Book to Movie Interview with Author and Agent

Mob Writer: THE IRISHMAN: The Movie

Birch Run dog gets movie role in THE IRISHMAN

Behind the scenes on ‘The Irishman’s’ Detroit set

Detroit’s New Gig Making Movies — On set with THE IRISHMAN

Cleveland Mob Figure Danny Greene’s Story Coming to the Big Screen

The Irishman releases exclusive footage to MovieSet

The Irishman Synopsis

Based on the real story of mobster Danny Greene, Christoper Walken will play the loan shark and nightclub owner Shondor Birns and Val Kilmer is a Cleveland police detective who befriends Greene.

‘The Irishman’ Explodes! Many 70s-era sedans sacrificed in new gang war film

Dave — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 13:00:05 +0000

Young actor Trevor who plays The Cleveland Kid in The Irishman pointed out how much enjoyed seeing Danny Greene (Ray Stevenson)’s cars blow up on set. With this “joy of explosion” in mind, here’s a re-cap of photos of classic 70s-era sedans in various states of explosion plus a video from the Transportation Director explaining the nuances of blowing up cars. See more on The Irishman sitelet on MovieSet.

Car exploding in The Irishman

Car on fire in The Irishman

Cadillac post-explosion

Lincoln Continental Ready to Go

Behind the scenes still of car explosion in The Irishman

Pyrotechnics in The Irishman

In this clip, John White, the transportation coordinator for “The Irishman” blows up Danny Green’s First car in the flick, a 1965 Cadillac Sedan De Ville.

See more on The Irishman sitelet on MovieSet.

The Cleveland Kid is in ‘The Irishman’ – and looking tough

Dave — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 19:02:59 +0000

Trevor is a young actor who snared a role in ‘The Irishman‘ shooting Detroit. He shared some of his impressions from set with MovieSet along with a menacing mugshot which shows the kid means business.

Here’s what he has to say:

Trevor as the Cleveland Kid in The Irishman

I really enjoyed being on the set of the Irishman. It was an amazing experience! This movie was a perfect fit for me because I am half Italian and half Irish. I loved working with Ray Stevenson and Johnathon Hensleigh. It was great. I liked watching Danny Greene’s car blow up !!! It went about 20 feet in the air!

More from The Irishman

Ray Stevenson discusses his character ‘Danny Greene’ in ‘The Irishman’
Christopher Walken in The Irishman – Interview from the Set
Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs’, ‘Bruno’ and ‘The Irishman’ – Behind The Scenes #55
The Irishman – Stills, Videos and more from the set in Detroit
The Irishman – First look at video from the new Mafia film

Ray Stevenson discusses his character ‘Danny Greene’ in ‘The Irishman’

Dave — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 19:21:52 +0000

“The Robin Hood of Collinwood”

MovieSet.com Exclusive: From the set of ‘The Irishman‘ in Detroit comes a MovieSet exclusive video featuring actor Ray Stevenson who plays the lead character Danny Greene in this real-life story of a mafia conflict in Cleveland.

Amongst clips of the on-set action, Mr. Stevenson discusses the personality of his character saying he was a loner but also very charismatic. He points out that people called Greene “the Robin Hood of Collinwood” as he gave away turkeys at Thanksgiving and Christmas to show that, “It wasn’t about the money, there was a higher goal.”

Stevenson points out that, (unlike other gangster movies) “… these people actually have lives so it kinda matters when they die – even though they are on the wrong side of the law.”

He discusses Greene’s style including green suits, green pens and the importance of the costumes in the film. Finally Stevenson points out the exceptional script which attracted him to the project and gives credit to the entire crew of The Irishman saying, “this film belongs to everyone from the drivers to the people who made the food.”

More from The Irishman

There’s more to come from The Irishman including unique interviews from Vincent D’onofrio, Val Kilmer, and Vinnie Jones. If you missed it, check out the Christopher Walken interview in which he talks about playing Shondor Birns plus mini-featurettes about exploding cars and hair and costumes. Finally, don’t miss the gallery of still photos from the set of The Irishman.

Videos from The Irishman movie

Hair and Costumes for The Irishman – Behind the Scenes Video

Exploding Cars in The Irishman – Behind the Scenes Video

Christopher Walken – Interview from the set of The Irishman

News about The Irishman movie

The Irishman, Book to Movie Interview with Author and Agent

Mob Writer: THE IRISHMAN: The Movie

Birch Run dog gets movie role in THE IRISHMAN

Behind the scenes on ‘The Irishman’s’ Detroit set

Detroit’s New Gig Making Movies — On set with THE IRISHMAN

Cleveland Mob Figure Danny Greene’s Story Coming to the Big Screen

The Irishman releases exclusive footage to MovieSet

The Irishman Synopsis

Based on the real story of mobster Danny Greene, Christoper Walken will play the loan shark and nightclub owner Shondor Birns and Val Kilmer is a Cleveland police detective who befriends Greene.

Christopher Walken in The Irishman – Interview from the Set

Dave — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 16:48:27 +0000

On Set with Christopher Walken

In this MovieSet.com exclusive clip, Christopher Walken sits down between takes on the set of The Irishman filming in Detroit to discuss his role as Shondor Birns. In the interview, the noted actor refers to himself the “world’s worst impersonator” and points out, “I don’t know what the real Shondor was like but the one in the movie will be a lot like Chris.” Mr. Walken also mentions the familial atmosphere on set of The Irishman since he’s worked with some of his fellow actors previously in New York.

See the full Christopher Walken interview and enjoy more exclusive video clips from The Irishman on MovieSet.com.

Shondor Birns and the Cleveland Mafia

Christopher Walken describes Shondor’s situation in the movie, “He was big figure in Cleveland … Shondor has some guys working for him who get arrested and he needs some help so Danny (Greene played by Ray Stevenson) gets into it. He also relates his tendencies of playing “people that were” in movies and notes his surprise at learning that Shondor Birns was a real person – after accepting the role.

Video capture from interview with Christopher Walken on set of The Irishman

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Visit The Irishman on MovieSet.com for more news, plus exclusive video clips, and photo stills from set.

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