What convinced director Dan Algrant to cast a Gossip Girl guy in the role of Jeff Buckley? I got the chance to chat with Algrant while he was promoting Greetings From Tim Buckley at the Tribeca Film Festival. Find out why he was so adamant that Penn Badgley could fill Buckley's musical shoes and lead the drama.
Imogen Poots may not have known much about Tim Buckley when she started on Greetings From Tim Buckley, but after filming the musical biopic with Penn Badgley, she's an expert. I sat down with the actress at the Tribeca Film Festival, and she talked about the musical icon she'd love to play and what it was like working on a story about two late legends.
Penn Badgley is keeping busy after Gossip Girl, promoting his new film, Greetings from Tim Buckley, at the Tribeca Film Festival. I got the chance to sit down with him and discuss his role as the famous late singer/songwriter Jeff Buckley, as well as his experience with playing music. Take a look!
Famed musician Jeff Buckley's story is one that ends in tragedy, but the trailer for Greetings From Tim Buckley chooses to focus on a portion of his life before his untimely death. Penn Badgley plays Jeff in the drama that centers around the 1991 tribute concert he performed in to honor his father, folk singer Tim Buckley (Ben Rosenfield). Tim had passed away years before, due to a drug overdose, and though Jeff agrees to play the concert, he's not completely on board with the undertaking. Despite their physical similarities, Jeff doesn't want anything to do with the memory of his estranged father who he had only met twice.
Badgley is best known for playing Dan on Gossip Girl and his portrayal of Jeff Buckley seems to be a step in the right direction toward meatier roles. I'm less interested in the obligatory romantic angle (courtesy of Imogen Poots, playing a concert intern), but what I do find impressive are the few moments from the concert at the end of the trailer. That is Badgley singing, and guess what? He's not bad. And that's saying a lot because Buckley's soulful vocals are hauntingly unique. Watch the trailer after the jump.
Gossip Girl star Penn Badgley is playing real-life singer Jeff Buckley in the upcoming biopic Greetings From Tim Buckley, and the film's Facebook page has the first shots of the actor in character. He's got the guitar and the earnest singer-songwriter expression. No word on how well his version of "Hallelujah" is yet, but check out the images of him now.
Penn Badgley is really breaking out of his Gossip Girl mold for his next role: the actor is set to star as musician Jeff Buckley in the upcoming film Greetings From Tim Buckley. The film will chronicle the relationship between Jeff and his father Tim, who abandoned him at a young age.
This is obviously a huge role for Badgley, and the actor expressed his excitement in portraying the "Hallelujah" singer, saying,
To play a man who was singularly gifted as an artist, greatly misunderstood & mythologized as a human being... It's something very special and sacred. I'm going to give all I can to this project.
Jeff Buckley fans, do you think Badgley will do justice to the musician's memory? Weigh in!
