A Big International Film?

A constant source of annoyance to me is that, since his big debut in Love Actually and Nanny McPhee, both films that got a big release in the U.S., there has not since been another film that actually made him more well known. Many people I know have never heard of him, while others (the great majority) forever link him to the aforementioned films. Sure, there was Bright Star in 2009, about the poet John Keats and his romance with a girl named Fanny Brawne, buyThomas only played a supporting role. And in Nowhere Boy, Paul basically took a backseat to the drama in John's family, and the U.S. release was only limited, and not nationwide.
But all that could change with the release of Death of a Superhero. It has just been announced that the film has been "snapped up" by film distributors in the U.S., Canada (where it originally premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival), and Latin America. This is especially big news, as not only is it a British film, and not all British films get major releases internationally, but it's an Irish independent film. It is also Thomas's first leading role. He stars in the film alongside Andy Serkis (of The Lord of the Rings fame) and Aisling Loftus.

"Thomas" songs-Paul songs

I decided to share some songs that I think remind me of Thomas by Paul with the Beatles and Paul as a solo artist. This isn't a complete list, but these are some of the songs I thought reminded me of him.

"I Will": This was the first of many songs Paul wrote for his first wife and soulmate, Linda McCartney. The couple were not yet married, but according to the book, A Hard Day's Write, Paul wrote it in anticipation of Linda's arrival in London to stay with him, whereas before, they had only seen each other for brief periods, as she lived in New York. I feel that the beginnings of their love story is similar to how my current situation is. I live in Hawaii, and Thomas lives in London.

"Two of Us": Another song by Paul for Linda, inspired by her laid-back, casual personality, a contrast to the uptight, go-all-the-time lifestyle he was used to, dominated by schedules and recording sessions. While I'm not entirely laid-back, I do think I am a lot different than the girls he is used to. When you see pictures of him at events with his mother and sister, they all look very dressed up, and you can tell his sister has an eye for good fashion. He also used to be in a relationship with a model. I on the other hand, have a more casual style of dressing, and prefer focusing on reading and studying, and the like, rather than on my clothes.

"I'm Looking Through You": Paul wrote this song as a message to Jane Asher, his girlfriend at the time. Their relationship is troubled as she puts her career as an actress ahead of their relationship. He seems to have been initially happy with her somewhat taking the lead and introducing him to London's social circles. In the song, he describes how she's changed and become a different person, a reflection of their troubled relationship. While I don't know much about Thomas's relationship with his former girlfriend, I believe she was a little too much for him to handle, as he was shy, while she was a little too outgoing.

"Every Night": This could be a reflection of Thomas's lifestyle. He has a busy life, and he goes to parties and premieres some nights, and maybe other nights might be spent with friends.

"Maybe I'm Amazed": This is one of my favorite songs written for Linda. Composed when the Beatles were disintegrating, and Paul went through a tough period when he wouldn't work, it expresses his thanks for Linda being there to help him get through that time. I would do the same for Thomas.

"In Spite of All the Danger": This song is a somewhat special "Thomas song", as it was featured in the film Nowhere Boy, in which he played young Paul, though he didn't sing or play guitar on the actual recording on the soundtrack. However, he is shown "singing" along to the song in the clip below.

Thomas Sangster-Bio and Trivia

Since I haven't done this before, and some people might not know a lot about him, I am going to share some information here.

Full Name: Thomas Brodie Sangster

Other names (sometimes credited as): Thomas Brodie-Sangster

Birthdate: May 16, 1990

Birthplace: London, England

Parents: Mark Sangster and Tasha Bertram

Sibling(s): One younger sister, Ava

Height: 5'101/2"

Trivia:

He can play guitar (right handed, and he learned left to play Paul in Nowhere Boy), bass, and drums.

Musician, friend and Nowhere Boy costar Sam Bell (who played George) sang Paul's vocals in the film.

Has mild dyslexia.

He auditioned for the first Harry Potter film.

He has a devoted following among fans, and a Facebook fan page for him currently has over 1,400 fans.

He shaved his head for roles twice in the past year. The first time was for the BBC film Some Dogs Bite, and the second time was in the film Death of a Superhero (in which he also shaved his eyebrows to play a cancer patient).

He likes a variety of music: including, Eminem, Queen, and the Rolling Stones (see his shirt in the photo above).

What Will Thomas Do Next?-A Suggestion

This is a follow-up blog to my previous one. As I mentioned before, Thomas chooses goes for roles he's never tackled before. His most recent film, The Baytown Disco, has him starring alongside such big names like Billy Bob Thornton and Eva Longoria, but as he plays a boy with cerebral palsy, he has no lines. His previous completed film, Death of a Superhero, has him doing the role of a cancer patient whose last wish is to lose his virginity. And among these more adult roles, there's still his kid-friendly voice role a Ferb on the Disney series Phineas and Ferb. This is merely a recent example of the variety of roles he's had in his approximately ten-year career. As his credits and the showreel on his profile on his agent's website show, he is not likely to be typecast and has done a variety of roles, many of them with very deep storylines.

I would be interested in seeing him in just about anything, but there is something in particular that I would like him to do. It would be cool if he did film adaptation of the book, Dracula, My Love by Syrie James, a romanticized version of the original story. He would be a good Dracula, as he is a dark character, but in this book, he also has a vulnerable, sensitive side.

The Future Is Bright

He already has a few completed films that have yet to be released publicly. A few have been had their world premiere at festivals, such as the Death of a Superhero, which had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, or Hideaways, which premiered at the Tribeca Festival at between the end of April and beginning of May. He also finished filming The Baytown Disco this summer.

But what other roles await the 21 year old? He always goes for roles that are "completely different" from the last thing he did, proving his versatility, so the field is wide open. What he'll choose to do next is a mystery.

Back to the Beginning-Little Drummer Boy

Despite being a relative unknown at the time, and appearing alongside such famous and established stars like Hugh Grant (a distant cousin on his mother's side), Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, and Colin Firth, he still stands out. While still not nearly as well known as some of his contemporaries from this film, he got where he is today because of that part.

And though you wouldn't expect it, Thomas is surprisingly professional when it comes to meeting celebrity co-stars. He bonded with Hugh, Emma, Liam, and Colin, going on to star in a few more films with a few of them, as is common in the British film industry. He also developed a friendship with Olivia Olson, who played his girlfriend in the film, and they reconnected in the past few years when they were both cast in voice roles on the Disney Channel cartoon Phineas and Ferb. While they don't get to see each other, because he records in England, and she in the U.S., she says, "I talk to him on the phone, though. We had to talk about the whole Ferb-Vanessa situation ’cause it’s pretty funny.” She is referring of course to the fact that, like their love actually characters, his character Ferb, has a crush on her character Vanessa. The writers of the show even sneak in a few references to the film, as is evident here.

Music in the Family

Music is clearly a family affair in Thomas's family. His father Mark taught him to play drums for his breakout role in Love Actually. His mother Tasha has a ballet background, and the need to express her haunting thoughts led her to form a band called Winnet, Tasha's nickname from her ballet days.Thomas later joined the band as the latest, but likely most permanent, in a revolving door of bass players.

The current lineup of the band consists of Tasha on lead vocals, Thomas on bass, Joe Volante on guitar, Jack Stanley on piano, and Leo Fedorcio on drums.

You can find out more about them on their official site and Myspace page.

A New Direction

Back in 2007, when he was interviewed for his then-current film The Last Legion, Thomas was already 17 with years of acting experience behind him, but a still-youthful face and a relatively wholesome child star career. He was then asked if he planned to do more racy, adult roles in the future, to which he replied, "Whatever comes".

And something has finally come for our youthful looking friend. Prior to this year, his most "adult" role was playing teenaged Paul McCartney in Nowhere Boy, a role that required minor cursing, but it's still relatively tame compared to his latest project.

His most recent film is called Death of a Superhero, in which he plays a teenager dying of cancer, who lets out some of his "complicated" feelings via racy cartoons. The trailer is evidence of some of the racy content of the film. But there is also a good message beneath the inappropriate content. According to Thomas, it's "life-affirming", and encouraged him to think of the positive things in life.

How Ferb-ulous!

Thomas made a name for himself with films like Love Actually, but his voice reaches the widest audience on the Disney cartoon Phineas and Ferb. Despite the recent Platy-Bus Tour and wider availability of consumer products with the face of main characters' Phineas and Ferb's platypus pet Perry, it's Ferb (and Thomas) that many fans seem to look forward to.

As Ferb rarely speaks, fans become excited when he does, in order to hear him speak in his posh English accent. There is even a wikipage of all of Ferb's lines!

And though Perry the Platypus is widely represented, Ferb isn't forgotten. The main characters, Ferb included, are featured on clothing, as plush dolls (some of which talk), action figures, school supplies, snack foods (PEZ dispensers, anyone?), in books, and even have their own bimonthly magazine!

That is truly Ferb-ulous indeed!

Playing a living legend

Though Paul McCartney was less than happy about some of the aspects of the way he is portrayed, Thomas Sangster, who played the teenaged McCartney in the John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy, is no disappointment. While nothing can outdo the real thing, especially in terms of a music legend who changed the music world, Thomas, along with the film's star Aaron Johnson as John Lennon, do a pretty good job at portraying the roots of the Lennon-McCartney team. While Thomas does not get much screen time (between ten to fifteen minutes total throughout the whole film) and the plot mainly follows Lennon's trouble family life, Thomas does make a lasting impression, as shown in this scene from the film.

Thomas clearly met the challenge of playing such a well-known figure head-on, and even if he didn't get much screen time, he says it was 'daunting', and the music aspect was the frustrating part, as was picking up on tiny mannerisms that hardcore Beatles fans notice, but in general, Thomas did a wonderful job.

Thomas Sangster-How he's grown up!

For many devoted fans such as myself, it seems only yesterday that now-21 year old British actor Thomas Sangster was the cute kid in films such as Love Actually and Nanny McPhee. Thomas has obviously grown considerably since then becoming an unwilling heartthrob and hero to fans across the world. Sangster, who recently did press for the U.K. release

of the Disney Channel film Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension, is like his cartoon alter-ego, Ferb, in a few ways.

In an interview with First News, he said that he like his character is quiet and doesn't speak unless he has something important to say.