Hey, an Actor!

Hold your horses, listenership. The Brothers Wilson have a short announcement on the fate of Cate Blanchett month, and the (most excellent) reasons behind it. So please use the next few weeks productively and re-listen to all of our 2018 output to compile your ballot for the 2018 Tomlinson Awards which are now open! Ian and Pandy will be back before Christmas to bring you the featured subject of International Year, with Pandy dropping a very subtle hint as to who it may be.

This month Pandy and Ian go toe-to-toe with The Muscles from Brussels himself: Jean-Claude Van Damme! In Pandy's front room, The Brothers Wilson chart the rise and fall of everyone's favorite kick-ass Belgian, focusing on recent low-key comedy Welcome to the Jungle, self-indulgent twaddle Double Impact, and amazingly bad / terribly brilliant video game adaptation Street Fighter. Questions also raised in today's episode include: In which of these films was JCVD coked out of his mind throughout filming? To whom will the brothers send either flowers or a pencil? And, what do the next two years of Hey, an Actor! have in store for Ian and Pandy? All this, plus Pandy has to blow his nose throughout the episode. Happy October!

Having garnered feedback as to which Hollywood actors the podcast community would be uncomfortable with The Brothers Wilson tackling, this episode sees our hosts cover the people's choice from the previous Tomlinson awards: the decidedly unproblematic Tom Cruise! Always mindful of the podcast's legal budget, this episode covers the respectable Michael Mann crime thriller Collateral; the film Ian forgets he's reviewing by the end in Top Gun; and the film for which Pandy reveals far too much about himself in the quest for the perfect review, which is Eyes Wide Shut. Also on the docket is a frankly shocking Harvey Keitel impression, thoughts on James Nesbitt's film career, inspirations for Wilson baby names, and the fundamental debate as to whether Stanley Kubrick is, in fact, rubbish. Finally, our hosts put up the 2019 future of the podcast to a vote. What say you, listeners?

Summer is over, Ian has regained his editing duties, and Pandy is going back to work. What can possibly cheer up The Brothers Wilson and, by extension, the listeners of Hey, an Actor? Why, the delectable Salma Hayek, of course! Starting with her early crossover hit into American film with her female lead in Robert "RobRod" Rodriguez's sophomore trilogy entry Desperado. This episode also charts her Academy Award-nominated role as the titular star of Frida, and her latter career dramatic turn as the equally titular Beatriz at Dinner. Listen closely to find out in which film Hayek plays a Fembot, and which of our featured films works best as a Captain Planet prequel. Pandy also returns to his jingle-making excesses, the feedback section is almost entirely forgotten, and the hosts discuss the sexual eroticism of Alfred Molina. Happy autumn, everybody!

"What's the in the sky? Is it a spy? Is it a replicant? Is it a dolphin?" No, Peter. Calm down! It's everyone's favorite Dutch actor: Rutger Hauer! In episode 55 of Hey, an Actor! The Brothers Wilson really do go from the sublime (Blade Runner) to the ridiculous (Hobo with a Shotgun) via the WWII film (Soldier of Orange). As Ian and Pandy trot down Rutger Road they find all sorts of exciting nuggets of fun, including the joys of an intermission, Chad Kroeger, how one film reminds Pandy of a sobering Julius Caesar lesson, and Ian's latest parasites. Also, a fellow Earth-2.net contributor's previous treatment is revisited, another Earth-2.net contributor is (nearly) referenced by Colin Mochrie, and another Earth-2.net contributor is outed as the show's only Patreon supporter (despite this show not having Patreon).

Jackie Chan is the featured actor for this very warm Pandy editing special, including the limited return of jingles! In this highly choreographed episode The Brothers Wilson marvel at Chan's out-of-type acting in the recent Netflix film The Foreigner, gasp at the sheer physicality and badly dated jokes in Police Story, and endure Chris Tucker's voice in Rush Hour. Also, questions that are answered include: What happened at friend-of-the-show Richard Paterson's stag do? Why is Jackie Chan the Prince of Gotham? Which supporting actor in one of the films is also a high-profile pornography star? And stay tuned for the end-of-show musical spectacular.

International Year on Hey, an Actor! leads to a focus on South Africa's very own Charlize Theron, recorded on the 30th birthday of our very own Andrew "Pandy" Wilson! The birthday boy and his brother of ill-repute take in their subject's Oscar-winning performance as a real-life serial killer as dramatized in the 2003 film Monster, as well as early career hit The Cider House Rules, and recent spy action thriller Atomic Blonde. Stay tuned to the end to see why one supporting actor's name is so bothersome, whilst The Brothers Wilson again grapple with the dynamic of recording in the same room! And where in the world will the next actor choice take our hosts?

The Brothers Wilson finally dive into world cinema as part of International Year, as they look at actress, martial artist, and Bond girl Michelle Yeoh. From the nuanced performance in the lead role of Aung San Suu Kyi biopic The Lady to West-pleasing wire-fu action flick Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and the all-out insanity of 1980s Hong Kong martial arts movie Yes, Madam, this month's selection is certainly diverse! Also, there's the imagery of British commentator Katie Hopkins as a martial artist, discussion of when biopics should be produced, and the next spin of the globe as Ian and Pandy look out for their next international representatives.

In honor of Pandy's stage commitments at time of release, Hey, an Actor! enlists the help of Dame Angela Lansbury to make sense of their shared theatrical credit of The Pirates of Penzance. The Brothers Wilson not only cover this famed 1983 theatrical movie, but Lansbury's Oscar-nominated turn in The Manchurian Candidate, and her starring role opposite HAA's patron saint David Tomlinson in Bedknobs and Broomsticks. The episode features perhaps its strongest film recommendation since Smokey and the Bandit, as well as multiple references to English actor Jim Dale, and where the Tim Allen sitcom Home Improvement improbably correlates with one of our featured films. Additionally, Pandy uses the episode to road-test new characters such as Jakko Warner, EmailBot, and Statistician Vincent, whilst Ian is reunited with one of TABHAL's greatest running jokes: Rex Smith and his acting masterclass.

They said it couldn't be done. They said it shouldn't be done. But The Brothers Wilson have defied expectations to present the 50th episode of Hey, an Actor! Dedicating this milestone episode to Lebanon's greatest actor, Keanu Reeves, the hosts look at 80s comedy classic Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, modern action-revenge classic John Wick, and seminal sci-fi action special effects showcase The Matrix. All your favorite features are here: jingles, The Heather Graham Moment, a Pandy parody, Joaquin Bottom! Also: The debut appearance of Evie Wilson, Ian introducing Pandy to the nadir of 21st century WWE gimmicks (The Boogeyman), and Pandy's unique method of making everyone's name smutty. And the show even finds the time to plug a good cause, if that is a truly adequate description of Pandy's singing society: https://www.gofundme.com/piratesofnorthampton.