 |
| Jon Bon Jovi's Movies. |
| Moonlight and Valentino (1995) |
| The Leading Man(1996) |
 |
 |
 |
| While Jon isn't making multi million selling rock albums or touring the world with his band, he likes to make movies. It has become a huge passion to him but unlike most singer/songwriter/rock stars turned actors, Jon is rather good at it! - He has a great admiration for Sean Penn and Ed Noton as well as John Cuisack. Jon is one of the busiest and most versatile performers working today. Between juggling his music and acting careers, the dedicated artist consistently delivers quality performances whether it be on the stage singing with a guitar or in front of the camera as an actor. His film career began in 1995 with his critically-acclaimed performance in Moonlight and Valentino. The Motion Picture Club honoured him with the prestigious Premier Performance Award for his impressive acting debut. |
| Jon secretly studied the craft over several years by working with top acting coach, Harold Guskin. He was so nervous at his first audition that he almost ran out before he was called. However,thankfully he hang in there and won his first small role in 1995 for a movie called "Moonlight and Valentino." Despite having a well known cast of big names such as Elizabeth Perkins, Whoopie Goldberg and Gweneth Paltrow, the film didn't do that well but it did earn Jon good reviews with film and music critics alike. Jon would later comment that he would much rather do a hip movie rather than a hit one! He was also adamant that he would not under any circumstances be giving up his day job! |
| Jon's next movie project was John Duigan's "The Leading Man ". John had wanted him for the leading role for a long time and was even prepared to wait while he finished up a world tour with the band. The film was shot in London, England and Jon brought his family over to live in a rented house in Wandsworth. He really enjoyed living in England and even considered putting down some roots and buying a place. This was Jon's first major part in a movie and he relished it. It afforded him the chance to play an interesting character called Robin Grange, a sexy American actor with a dark past, comes to London and is hired to star in a play called "The Hitman." The play's author, Felix Webb, (Lambert Wilson) pays him to seduce his elegant wife (Anna Galiena) so that he doesn't feel so guilty about leaving her for his mistress, the beautiful Hilary Rule. (Thandie Newton.) A few good twists and some humour coupled with scenes of a topless Jon make this a must see for Bon Jovi fans and film buffs alike. Although it wasn't a major hit, it did receive critical acclaim with Jon receiving good reviews, as did the rest of the cast including Thandie, who later went on to co-star with Tom Cruise in "Mission Impossible 2." |
| Living in London gave Jon the inspiration he needed to write and record a solo album titled "Destination Anywhere." By working with British producers Dave Stewart (of Eurythmics fame) and Steve Lironi, (Black Grape) he achieved a sound far removed from that of his band. Jon being the ever innovative genius that he is, wanted to make a short film incorporating and featuring the songs on the album. So with a little help from his friends, Demi Moore, Whoopie Goldberg and Kevin Bacon, "Destination Anywhere" came to life, premiering on MTV in 1997. |
| The movie offers started flooding in but Jon was very careful with which ones he would accept. He wanted to be taken seriously as an actor and said that he was prepared to shave his head or even go nude if that's what the part required, but he wouldn't be singing as he prefered to keep his music and acting totally seperate. |
 |
 |
Set against the backdrop of the London stage, this seductive mystery stars Jon Bon Jovi as Robin Grange, a charming American celebrity working in London on a new theatrical hit. Felix Webb (Lambert Wilson) is the playwright of the new piece, who is having an affair with the young leading lady of the show, Hilary Rule (Thandie Newton). When Robin offers Felix an intriguing solution to his marital woes, the deperate playwright finds himself trapped in a deceitful game that mirrors the actions of the play they are producing. |
 |
| He nailed that scene in the very first take. Jon said, "Are you sure you don't want another one?" I said, "Why? You know, you did it. You just hit it out of the park." --David Anspaugh about the pizza parlor scene, Bravo Profile 2001 |
| Rock stars dip into movies with the same attitude they apply to groupie sex--good for a quick thrill, not the long haul. Jon Bon Jovi is an exception. He had an engaging bit in Moonlight & Valentino in 1995 and damn near steals the upcoming Ed Burns film No Looking Back, in a supporting role. Bon Jovi takes center stage in TLM, playing Robin Grange, a cocky American movie star out to prove himself as a serious actor on the London stage.... Bon Jovi flashes out the role with rare poise and magnetism. Most stars from other media want to be loved onscreen and therefore choose sympathetic parts. Robin is a charming prick at times, but he is a prick nonetheless and that's how Bon Jovi plays him. He lets us see Robin's subtle skill at manipulation... Watching Bon Jovi ease into an acting career is even more of a kick. He's no Oscar contender yet, but he's no joke either. The kid from New Jersey is now 36 and on his way. --Peter Travers, Rolling Stone. (1998) |
| Rocker Jon Bon Jovi continues the careful building of his film career with The Leading Man, a witty English romantic comedy not likely to attract a large swath of his fans. It is nonetheless a shrewd artistic choice, one that shows just how easily he can command the screen in unexpected material for him. --LA Times, 3/6/98 |
| Rock stars, as a rule, don't make very good movie stars. They're so accustomed to viewing themselves as the hottest thing in the room that they instinctively turn the tinest moments into extravagant gestures of self-regard. But, Jon Bon Jovi in The Leading Man, proves he's the rare celebrity musician who knows how to underplay... Bon Jovi, as Robin, ends up seducing everyone in sight, including the audience. --OG, Entertainment Weekly |
|
 |
| The Leading Man. (1997) |