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July 5, 2009

Gil Birmingham Interview


TH: Being soooo multitalented (acting and being a musician with a band), which talent do you think you do best?

Gil: I started out as a musician. I have played the guitar and sang since I was 10 years old. For me, acting became a natural extension of the same creative energy that comes from my music. Acting is my life. Music is my passion. I don’t think I could give either of the up.

TH: Being brought up in a Military household how did it affect your childhood and family process then, how does it affect you and your family now?

Gil: Growing up in a military family is difficult because you move around so much. I would just start to make friends and then we would pick up and move. It was difficult not being able to put down roots.

TH: Since you moved a lot when you were young, what is the best lesson that you learned from that experience?

Gil: Living in different states and going to a long line of different schools taught me how to adapt to change and different people and circumstances. I believe that the people who succeed in life are those who can adapt to changing surroundings and create goodness amidst the chaos that we sometimes encounter in the world.

TH: Tell us about your bet in Tweeter? How did you Feel about the results?

Gil: I had just joined Twitter when the whole thing started, so I did not know what a powerful medium Twitter is for developing a closer relationship with my fans. I went from having only a dozen followers when I started to more than 27,000 in less than 10 days. And the work that fans put into getting more followers for me…Wow! I am blessed to have such a tremendously supportive fan base. We didn’t make the goal, but thousands of followers are still joining every day.


TH: Tell us about your personal experience of being cast in the Twilight Saga. Did you ever expect to be cast and did you ever think it would be this big?

Gil: Twilight was one of the most fun and rewarding acting experiences I’ve had so far. I knew when I signed on that it would be a significant film with a huge following. I have been swept away by all the attention and all the fans.


TH: Being an actor, what parts of yourself have you incorporate into Billy Black's character, and what part of Billy, have you taken with you into your everyday life?


Gil: Billy Black is an awesome character to play. We are both down with the kids and we both try to keep it real. An actor always digs deep inside himself to draw out the personal experiences that bring life to the character he plays. I am not Billy, but there is a part of him in me and vice versa.


TH: What character would you have chosen to portray if your Native American heritage had not played a factor in how you were cast?

Gil: Billy.


TH: Like most of the cast in Twilight, how has the Franchise changed your life?

Gil: Twilight has been an amazing ride for me. The volume of fan mail, emails and requests has increased so much that it’s becoming more and more difficult for me to personally respond to fans. I don’t get caught up in all the hype. I’m still the same Gil Birmingham I was before Twilight, only I get a lot more mail.

TH: Have you read all the books in the Saga? If so, what is your favorite of the four, and why?

Gil: Right now, New Moon is my favorite because it focuses more time on the werewolves and the transformation.

TH: If you have read Breaking Dawn, do you think that Stephenie Meyer should begin a new story line with the lives of Renesme and Jacob?

Gil: That would be a very interesting story, but it’s up to Stephenie to decide.

TH: On a personal note, did the story of these two star crossed lovers touch you in some way? Would you consider Edward and Bella’s story as one of the best fictional Love Stories ever written?

Gil: The idea of star-crossed lovers goes back to the beginning of time, way before Shakespeare’s Montagues and Capulets battled it out in Romeo and Juliet. What Stephenie did was take a traditional literary concept and put it in a uniquely modern fantasy with werewolves and vampires.

TH: What do you think of the young men who were cast as La Push's wolf pack?

Gil: They were all well cast for the roles. I’d worked with Chaske before, but being on the set with all of them and getting to know them, they all are very talented and very dedicated to their craft.

TH: You’ve worked with Chaske Spencer before in Dreamkeeper, how did you feel when you found out he cast in the movie as well? Did you think he’d make the best Alpha (referenced to Stephenie’s leader of the pack)?

Gil: I also worked with Chaske in Steven Spielberg’s Into the West. I thought he was a great choice for the Alpha. He’s an accomplished actor, who has a stage presence that will make him commanding in the role of Sam.
TH: Last Question…This is something that we call T-Hub Fast Ball. With this, we would like you to please describe some of your cast-mates in one word.

Gil: Unfortunately, I can’t adequately describe any of the cast members in just one word.

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