Meet the guys of "Burlesque"

(This is a press release)

Burlesque

Joining Cher and Christina Aguilera in Columbia Pictures' finger-snapping, eye-popping and atmospheric musical “Burlesque” are three of the most talented actors working in Hollywood today: Cam Gigandet (“Twilight,” “Never Back Down”), Stanley Tucci (“Easy A,” “Julie & Julia”) and Eric Dane (“Valentine's Day,” TV's “Grey's Anatomy”).

Cam Gigandet, who also stars in Columbia's upcoming “Priest” and “The Roommate,” portrays Jack, the confidante and fellow musician of Ali, played by Aguilera. “The preparation that he brings into the room every day is pretty extraordinary,” director Steve Antin says of the young actor. “This very handsome, young guy with an incredible body swaggers into the room and you expect somebody really different than the person that you get to know. He’s a quiet, introverted, very thoughtful guy. He has a process that’s really interesting. He really cares about his craft and cares about what he’s doing, and he comes prepared.”

Burlesque

Gigandet took breaks from “Priest,” which also shot on the Sony lot, to see the progress of the building of the set and to observe rehearsals for Burlesque’s many musical numbers. “I had my whole cowboy get-up on, and I walked over there and they were dancing and rehearsing and it was so wild!” Gigandet recalls. “I don’t know what I had in my mind, but it was much smaller. The grandness of it and the attention to detail was just amazing. It just blows my mind how well it’s done and how gorgeous the lighting is.”

Stanley Tucci portrays the Burlesque Lounge’s stage manager Sean. Says Tucci, “Sean is Tess’s (Cher) right-hand man, confidante, ex-lover, and best friend, who will do anything for her and for this art form that they both love.”

Burlesque

The filmmakers were enthusiastic to have Tucci join the production: “He just makes the character real, funny and organic, and natural. He doesn’t have a moment, not a nanosecond on film that isn’t truthful and honest. It doesn’t matter what you ask him to do, or what you ask him to say, or what he does on film. That’s a fundamental, intrinsic talent that you can’t teach somebody and you can’t learn. He’s so compelling to watch because it’s just so honest.”

The ensemble has its share of characters that stand in the way of the success of Ali and Tess. For Eric Dane, his character wasn't a villain, just a survivalist coping with complicated circumstances.

Dane plays the wealthy developer Marcus who plans to buy the Burlesque Lounge. “He’s described at the end as not the bad guy, just the wrong guy,” says Dane. “You walk a fine line. You can end up being that villainous sort of antagonist. This character in particular, in this movie, could be that guy. I don’t want him to be that guy.”

Opening across the Philippines on Feb. 2, “Burlesque” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visit http://www.columbiapictures.com.ph for trailers, exclusive content and free downloads. Like us at www.Facebook.com/ColumbiaPicturesPH and join our fan contests.