Aussie Egan signs Hollywood movie deal

[a state of mind]

Aussie Egan signs Hollywood movie deal

16:49 AEST Tue Jul 19 2005

AAP

Former Home and Away actor Chris Egan has signed a three-picture deal with Hollywood studio 20th Century Fox.

That's on the back of his debut films Decameron: Angels and Virgins and Alpha Male and US TV miniseries Empire and pilot The Prince.

The three-picture deal is for the Christopher Paolini written Eragon trilogy, which also stars John Malkovich and Jeremy Irons.

"It is like Lord of the Rings but it is about dragons," said Egan, who played Nick Smith on Home and Away from 1999 to 2003.

"It is just going to be magic."

Production on Eragon will begin in Budapest, Hungary next month and Egan took a break from pre-production and costume fittings to visit his family in Sydney this week.

Eragon marks the directorial debut for special effects guru Stefen Fangmeier, whose previous works include Lemony Snicket's: A Series of Unfortunate Events and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

Egan has been cast as Eragon's cousin, Roran.

"This young boy basically stumbles across this dragon egg and it becomes this dragon and they are like soulmates," he said.

"And there are all of these people who surround the boy as we battle against evil."

Egan arrived in Sydney at the weekend and heads back to Budapest on Saturday to begin a month-long shoot for his part in the first Eragon film.

"I am actually not much in the first film but in the second one I come back and it is this whole battle to save the woman I love," he said.

One thing that doesn't sit so comfortably with Egan is the fact that he has to grow his hair for the role.

"It is going all girly and weird," he laughed.

"I think they want to put extensions in my hair or maybe a wig, we are still discussing all this at the moment."

Egan left Home and Away in 2003 and virtually went straight to Hollywood where he bunked in with fellow Australian actor Justin Melvey for six months.

He then landed a string of roles and developed friendships with the likes of Decameron co-stars Hayden Christensen and Mischa Barton, Empire actor Trudy Styler (Sting's wife), and Matt Le Blanc, who produced The Prince.

"It has been a really good few years of growth personally and in my career and to work out what I want to do and what I want, especially from these people," he said.

Egan said it was a good time to be an Australian in Hollywood.

"I consider myself very lucky," he said.

"International people in Los Angeles are extremely popular. As soon as you are an Australian or from Britain, I think they think you can just do a better job."

But Egan also likes to think his success has a lot to do with persistence and hard work.

"I think it was more the hard work."

[Andy]

Egan scores an Away goal

Daily Telegraph

20 July 2005

FORMER Home and Away actor Chris Egan has signed a three-picture deal with 20th Century Fox.

The deal is for the Christopher Paolini-written Eragon trilogy, which also stars John Malkovich and Jeremy Irons.

"It is like The Lord of the Rings but it is about dragons. It is just going to be magic," said Egan, who acted in Home and Away for four years.

Production on Eragon will begin in Budapest, Hungary, next month.

Egan left Home and Away in 2003 and virtually went straight to Hollywood where he bunked in with fellow Australian actor Justin Melvey for six months.