Gilles Marini on Acting, Modeling and DWTS Season 15
From the “Gay South Florida” section of The Miami Herald we have this article/interview with Gilles.
“Imagine you, 30 years old or something like that, and this is your first job. That was my first job with the best actors in the world. Sally Field, Rachel Griffiths, he says. “There is nothing left to the unknown with Rachel. She’s very, very specific and so professional that it makes you feel you need to go back to acting class for six lifetimes. Dave Annable, Calista Flockhart, Rob Lowe, Ron Rifkin. It’s sick. I was the only one on the set who never won anything. And [director] Ken Olin said, ‘You are the superstar.’ I said, ‘C’mon Ken.’ It was the first time I could tell the world I’m a little bit more than Dante. And I have a lot more to prove.”
Marini first appeared on DWTS in 2009. He and his then-dance partner came placed second. Now he’s back, dancing with current partner Peta Murgatroyd.
Last week as part of his dance routine, Marini flew over the stage in a harness. “That was not scary at all,” said the one-time firefighter. “The scary part was the dancing. Actually, my zipper was open. I was up and I thought, ‘Oh my God, my zipper is open!’ And I closed it.”
Just after last week’s DWTS appearances, Marini and Murgatroyd flew to South Florida where he shot a Perry Ellis print ad campaign. He is spokesman for the company’s Axist clothing line.
At a North Miami Beach private dance studio, Marini and Murgatroyd rehearsed a Bollywood routine for Monday’s DWTS episode.
I saw a video too somewhere
http://www.local10.com/entertainment/Gilles-Marini-prepares-for-Bollywood-dance/-/1716846/16965124/-/hyubf5/-/index.html
The dance is looking very strong for me, Bollywood is not easy for sure
NOT looking very strong, even from Peta
I read his Parade blog today, the one demeaning Apolo and Shawn. He makes me sick. People actually look up to this guy?
Gilles is a piece of work alright. Earlier in the season I saw him as a buffoon, almost comical in his self-absorption, whining & endless self promotion – he was so ridiculous I could dismiss him easily.
But I agree with katarina, the Parade piece was sickening. The sneaky way he belittled Apolo and Shawn -of all people! -in a stupid attempt to make himself look better – changed him in my mind from buffoon to Underhanded Nasty Guy. I’m beginning to feel sorry for Peta.
Okay, I saw a Parade blog by him about Bollywood but somehow I’m missing the Shawn and Apolo part. Am I going blind?? What did he say and why am I missing it??
I think they are talking about that interview about the pepsi commercial , just got the name wrong.
Wow this is an interesting turn of opinions about Gilles. I remember when the all stars was first announced there were a majority of people excited about him and his new partnership with Peta. Maybe it was Cheryl and his status as an unknown that helped him put things in perspective. She set up clear boundaries when not on the dance floor. I don’t remember him doing so many interviews in season 8 and when he did an interview Cheryl would not hang all over him. Whenever Gilles was being too hard on himself Cheryl would incorporate things to help him relax. Like when she reminded him about using his acting abiltiy in his argentine tango or taking him to a soccer field to play soccer, one of his passions, to understand the jive.
What Peta needs to do is to find something to help him loosen up. It is very clear how serious he is with this competition. Back in season 8 he was just grateful for the exsposure but now his competitive side is comming out. I don’t think its a bad thing but he needs to watch what he says cause people do pay attention.
And is it me or is Gilles the most frail man ever. I don’t know whether or not his injuries are real so I won’t judge.
Are the people in the back helping them?
It’s very disappointing. I was in the camp that was excited about Gilles being in the all-star season. I was delighted that he was paired with Peta because I wanted to see as many new partnerships as possible. Unfortunately, he’s coming across so ugly this season. Maybe he’s changed or maybe Peta hasn’t been able to channel and focus his competitiveness in a positive way. In any case, I’m very turned off.
I wonder if this change in Gilles is resonating with the casual viewers/voters who make up the bulk of the DWTS audience?
@Cidra – “I wonder if this change in Gilles is resonating with the casual viewers/voters who make up the bulk of the DWTS audience?”
Good Question Cidra 🙂 I was wondering the same thing as well.
You aren’t really trying to make it sound like it’s Peta’s fault that Gilles is acting like a self absorbed desperate asshole, are you Camille?? And trying to give credit to Cheryl for how much we liked him back in his original season?? I think that’s totally bogus. He’s a grown ass man – Peta shouldn’t have to hold his freakin’ hand. I think what happened was Gilles got a taste of fame after being an unknown for years and not he feels much more entitled. I think he’s bought his own press. That’s the most significant difference between now and his first season – then he was an unknown. Now he thinks he’s hot shit.
He wrong. 🙂
#10 Heidi Bullseye!!!
Lurk here often but wanted to mention that there is still a language/translation thing with Gilles and also that I think underneath he is very worried about continuing to get work, support his family, etc. I do think that he needs to realize that for all of the “stars” who appear, their job opportunities come not from winning but from lasting long enough to make a good impression, letting their personalities shine through (for sports stars – showing that they can transition into something like broadcasting, acting, whatever. Someone needs to sit him down and tell him to relax – everyone already likes him – it is clear that he is overwhelmed by the worry that by not winning he won’t get jobs or something – he needs to have people tell him how he is coming across and think about his words (just like when Emmitt was trash-talking – it didn’t go over that well whereas he may have thought it was just like on the football field.
One more thing to say about Gilles and then I promise I’ll hush for the duration.
When I saw how much he’d started to bug me, I began to think about good ole William from Cuba and how much the 2 of these men have in common on the surface: both tall, good looking model/aspiring actors, same age range, strong ties with ABC, heavily promoted, paired with previous MBT winners, sexy foreign accents. Both have young children to support; both work hard in practice and take the show seriously,both express gratitude for their opportunities.
Yet when given the chance, William showed himself to be modest, humble, and definitely not infatuated with himself. Yes he played the sex angle in his dancing;that seems to be the script he was given. But in interviews and backstage interactions, he came across the opposite of Gilles. He demurred; he was shy. He often seemed embarrassed by the swooning audiences, the beefcake angle, the heavy sexual promotion that ABC and Cheryl were doing – to the point of leading interviewers away from that angle with self-deprecating humor or raising the subject of his family.
I didn’t vote for him, but like others here, I resented Cheryl and ABC instead of William for the way he was promoted and presented,and was disappointed that C didn’t try to showcase more of his true personality and natural appeal.
The point of this comparison is, like PH says, Gilles is a grownup. He has choices about how he presents himself; he has absolute control over his tweets and how he answers interviewers. If he were at all curious about how he’s coming across, he could ask some people he trusted and take their advice – instead of asking his followers what they thought of his torso-revealing costume for Monday, and announcing to whoever is listening how unique and fabulous and precedent setting his next performance will be.
Obviously I don’t know either one of them, but from the things they have shown us from their participation on DWTS, I’ve seen enuf of Gilles and ended up respecting William.
Even if just standing still, Peta will look great. I expect a wonderful routine.
Of course I’m not saying its Peta’s fault at all Princess Heidi. Like you said Gilles is a grown man and can control his own words and actions. However I do think its inappropriate for both of them to hang all over each other when Gilles has a wife and she has a boyfriend but as far as dancing I think Peta is doing a great job with choreography and showing Gilles’ strong points. She is a reliable and patient partner.
But unlike Peta, Cheryl was a task master and I remember her doing an interview talking about how she didn’t tolerate his whining. So I think her no nonsense attitude helped Gilles dial back on the attitude while Peta is more light hearted and may be too charmed by him to really tell him off. At least so far from what I’ve seen from the video packages. She might ge tough on him as the season progresses.
I also stated how him being new to the spotlight also played a big role in his humility. He was very appreciative for the exposure and was sincerely nervous about how people would receive him in every dance. Now he is more comfortable on dwts, doing interviews and showing his personality so he seems to be cutting loose. I actually don’t think his comments were that bad. But like I said before, he needs to be careful about what he says because he can come across as snobbish.
#15 Ruh Roh!
I’m hiding behind the couch before PH responds.
Oh Camille. Making excuses for poor widdle Gilles. And using the opportunity to inflate Cheryl more than she’s already been inflated. Spare me. He’s an asshole.
Did I read the article correctly? Did Gilles say that the director of Brothers and Sisters called him the “superstar” on that show? I certainly don’t remember him being nominated for an Emmy for his work on that show (unlike two of his co-stars) or being a primary character.
Gilles was worried about his pants being unzipped? Gee, didn’t his claim to fame come from unzipping his pants? I think Gilles needs to zip something, but it’s not his pants…
Touche, RJ…touche 😉
He got famous for being NAKED. Who cares if we see his undies. 😀
Haha! I’m new to this site so I’m guessing your not a fan of Cheryl. Thats alright. We all have different opinions. Thats one of the reasons why I like this site.
I didn’t get to see Gilles and Peta dance tonight but it sounds like more people are getting tired of Gilles and his intense desire to win. I know he promised his daughter that he would get her the mirrorball but what else does he gain from it. Its a cheap looking trophy with no value to it. The best thing he can do for his daughter is to go out and have fun.