Check out these highlights from recent behind-the-scenes interviews with The Prisoner crew and casting directors Kate Rhodes James and Moonyeenn Lee.

"We gave Ruth Wilson a good, clear view of the vein she would have to inject by pumping up the real-life model's arm so that his veins extruded more than usual." -- Clinton Smith (Prosthetics Artist)

"Let me tell you something: you can buy blood from Hollywood -- it's called 'Hollywood Blood' -- and if you can see the difference between our blood and theirs...Well, you can't." -- Mickey Kirsten (Special-FX Supervisor)

"If it's a wooden structure and it's going to be blowing up into pieces, it can't have nails or screws in it because those are things that even if you're wearing padding, they could still injure your performers or crew." -- Grant Hulley (Stunts Coordinator)

"Two is a really iconic role. It was a huge responsibility to get it right, and we wanted an international star." -- Kate Rhodes James (Casting Director, U.K.)

"For The Prisoner, we needed S.A. actors who would be able to perform either a passable American or English accent, and this narrowed our search." -- Moonyeenn Lee (Casting Director, South Africa)

Itching to know what's in store for you in November? Check out The Prisoner trailer and watch these behind-the-scenes interviews for clues.

"You do feel that when you're there, somewhat, whether you're enjoying it or not, you're not quite sure how to get out." -- Ian McKellen (Two)

"How none of us have become injured yet, I do not know." -- John Whiteley (93)

"We are at Stage 1. Jim is doing a scene inside. This is his apartment." -- Jessica Haines (554)

"I love my bus. This is the bus of The Village." -- Jeffrey R. Smith (16)

"She's married to Two, who's played by Ian McKellen." -- Rachael Blake (M2)

Rob Millar of the props team gives us a close-up of the "continuity stubble" on the chin of a prosthetic head, and explains how blood will be extracted from a fake arm that looks alarmingly real.

What's not explained is just how these props will be used in The Prisoner and why that prosthetic head resembles Jim Caviezel...

Clinton Smith has been fooling friends and family with gory skin-and-bone special effects since he was a kid. Now as the director of Cosmesis, a Cape Town-based effects company, he has happily settled in the movie industry. In collaboration with his associates at CFX Productions, he created some amazing prosthetics for The Prisoner. Recently, I had the opportunity to ask Clinton about his work -- and about a disembodied head, which I saw floating around in a props truck while we were filming.

Q: How did you create the prosthetic head used in The Prisoner?

We didn't have time to make a sculpt of Jim Caviezel's real face so we found a replacement model who matched Jim's proportions. We molded their features, created a cast and then poured in a platinum-cured silicone rubber called Platgel 10. Once the rubber was set, we painted the skin and then started on the stubble. We pushed individual strands of dyed yak hair into the jaw and neck area, and then shaved it close to resemble Jim's stubble.

Q: And the prosthetic arm?

Continue reading "Q&A - Clinton Smith (Prosthetics Artist)" »

For Mickey Kirsten, blowing up stunt people and controlling the weather are all in a day's work. I first met the special effects coordinator last October during The Prisoner shoot in Namibia where I was acting as multi-media producer for AMCtv.com. At the time, Mickey showed me his favorite blood-squirting tricks, the most film-friendly explosives and a few pieces of Special FX paraphernalia. Now that the show is in post-production, we met again in a quiet cafe in Cape Town where he explained (among other things) why traditional effects are often better than CGI.

Q: It amazes me that they still blow up people in movies. Why don't they use CGI?

A: No way! Water, fire and explosions always look much better if they're real. Unless a lot of money goes into computer graphics, they just don't crack it -- it looks fake.

Q: I saw some overhead shots of Six walking through the desert with sand blowing in these crazy patterns. Was the camera crew just lucky that day?

Continue reading "Q&A - Mickey Kirsten (Special FX Supervisor)" »

If you missed it during the Season 2 finale of Breaking Bad, here's your first peek of Ian McKellen as Two and Jim Caviezel as Six in this all-new Prisoner trailer.

What kind of people crave fiery explosions and being flung into thin air? Meet stunt performer Fleur van Eeden, who explains the thrill of the spill as she tells us how she started her career. You'll also catch George Bailey (Jim Caviezel's stunt double) eating desert dirt in this exclusive behind-the-scenes video.

Stunt coordinator Grant Hulley talks about casting Jim Caviezel's double and the importance of working in tandem with the special effects (FX) team.

Q: What were your responsibilities for The Prisoner?

A: You need try to keep your actors as safe as possible and that's one of our responsibilities as stunt coordinators on set. We were often working in areas that were high up in the mountains, and the actor had to basically scramble up the rocks. We had to make sure it was going to be safe: If we needed to put up safety lines then we would; if we needed to clear the shale and the rocks so that they didn't flip, that's what we had to do as well. We also had a stunt double, who was on full time, so if there was anything, we were there to jump in.   

Q: What did your casting process entail?

A: The people that are hired to work with me are stunt people that I've worked with before. As a stunt coordinator, that's probably the most important: Knowing your crew and knowing their limitations so that you don't push someone past what they're comfortable with.

Q: How did you know George Bailey was the right guy to serve as Jim Caviezel's stunt double?

Continue reading "Q&A - Grant Hulley (Stunts Coordinator)" »

Moonyeenn Lee discusses South African actors and her casting process for The Prisoner.

Q: Are there any well-known South African actors in The Prisoner who will be new to US audiences?

A: Yes. To name a few, there's John Whiteley (93), James Cuningham (70), and Leila Henriques (Winking Woman). Jessica Haines (554) is also known here. She was recently cast in the movie Disgrace with John Malkovich, and I think American audiences will continue to see more of her.

Q: Did you discover any new talent casting for The Prisoner?

Continue reading "Q&A - Moonyeenn Lee (Casting Director, South Africa)" »

Kate Rhodes James lets us in on The Prisoner casting process and her thoughts on group chemistry.

Q: How did Ian McKellen get cast as Two?

A: Two is a really iconic role. It was a huge responsibility to get it right and we wanted an international star. Someone mentioned Sir Ian McKellen for Two and we all thought it was a terrific idea. So we sent the scripts to him and due to the fact that the scripts were utterly sensational, he was onboard.

Q: And Jim Caviezel as Six?

Continue reading "Q&A - Kate Rhodes James (UK Casting Director)" »