Interview with Gabriela Pessions and Dimitri Leonidas of “Those About to Die” on Peacock by Suzanne 6/28/24
It was fun to speak to these two actors. You don’t want to miss this epic series, which stars Sir Anthony Hopkins (among many others). It has a huge cast. It’s filmed more like a movie than a TV show. If you loved “Spartacus” or “Gladiator,” you should love this one as well. I love the characters, the politics and the action. It starts 7/18!
All episodes premiering July 18 on Peacock, just in time for viewers to also watch the 2024 Paris Olympics (July 26 – Aug 11, 2024)
THOSE ABOUT TO DIE is an epic drama set in the corrupt world of the spectacle-driven gladiatorial competition, exploring a side of ancient Rome never before told — the dirty business of entertaining the masses, giving the mob what they want most…blood and sport. The series introduces an ensemble of characters from all corners of the Roman Empire who collide at the explosive intersection of sports, politics, and dynasties.
Directors: Roland Emmerich (Ep 101, 102, 103, 109, 110), Marco Kreuzpaintner (Ep 104, 105, 106, 107, 108)
Created by: Robert Rodat (Wrote Ep 101, 102, 103, 109, 110)
Executive Producers: Roland Emmerich, Harald Kloser, Gianni Nunnari, Robert Rodat, Stuart Ford, Lourdes Diaz, Miguel A. Palos Jr., Marco Kreuzpaintner, Herbert G. Kloiber, Martin Moszkowicz, Oliver Berben, Jonas Bauer, Charles Holland, Namit Malhotra.
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Iwan Rheon, Sara Martins, Tom Hughes, Jojo Macari, Moe Hashim, Johannes Haukur Johannesson, Rupert Penry-Jones, Gabriella Pession, Dimitri Leonidas, Emilio Sakraya, David Wurawa, Pepe Barroso, Gonçalo Almeida, Eneko Sagardoy, Romana Maggiora Vergano
Studio: AGC Television
Production Companies: Centropolis Entertainment, Hollywood Gang Productions, Street Entertainment
Format: Drama Series, 10 x 60 min episodes
Gabriella Pession plays “Antonia”. An American-Italian actress born November 2, 1977 in Florida, she starred in the TV show Crossing Lines 2013 to 2015. She was also best known for Wilfred (2011) and The Red Door (2017). In 2015, she received the America Award from the Italy–USA Foundation. In 2014 she had a son, Giulio, with her Crossing Lines co-star Richard Flood. They got married in 2016.
Dimitri Leonidas plays “Scorpus”. He was born on November 14, 1987 in England, UK to an English woman and a Greek father. He is an actor, known for Centurion (2010), Rosewater (2014), The Monuments Men (2014) and Riviera (2017).
Interview with actors Christie Burke, Stacey Read and Ryan Adams, and EPs Dean Devlin and Jonathan Glassner of “The Ark” on Syfy by Suzanne 6/26/24
It’s always enjoyable to speak with these actors and producers! They’re a good crew, both on- and off-screen. I’m a huge scifi fan, and I like how Devlin’s shows always have a lot of fun and action as well as good characters and drama. Season Two has even more going on than season one. It’s the TV equivalent of a popcorn movie. Sit back and enjoy! Season 2 starts tonight, 7/17, 10/9c on Syfy.
First video: Christie Burke, Dean Devlin and Jonathan Glassner
Season 2 Premieres Wednesday, July 17 on SYFY (10-11 p.m. ET/PT)
“The Ark” takes place 100 years in the future when planetary colonization missions have begun as a necessity to help secure the survival of the human race. In season two, after the brave crew of Ark One reaches their destination and finds it uninhabitable, they must survive long enough to locate a new home for themselves and all the ships that follow.
The series stars Christie Burke, Richard Fleeshman, Reece Ritchie, Stacey Read and Ryan Adams.
Dean Devlin (“Independence Day,” “Stargate”) and Jonathan Glassner (“Stargate SG-1”) are co-showrunners and executive producers alongside Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan-Wilson of Electric Entertainment. Jonathan English of Balkanic Media and Mark Franco of Electric Entertainment serve as producers.
Christie Burke
Lt. Sharon Garnet, “The Ark”
Christie Burke plays Lt. Sharon Garnet in the new SYFY original series, “The Ark.”
Christie Burke’s recent television credits include recurring roles on Netflix’s “Maid,” Netflix’s “The Haunting of Bly Manor” and CBC’s “Strange Empire.” Guest star credits include the CW’s “Two Sentence Horror Stories” and “Supernatural.” Burke can be seen in the upcoming EPIX series “Billy the Kid.”
Ryan Adams
Angus Medford, “The Ark”
Ryan Adams plays Angus Medford in the new SYFY original series, “The Ark.”
Ryan Adams graduated from ArtsEd in 2021 with a BA in acting. His theater credits include “All the Things” and “Dan in Totally Over You” at Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation Theatre, and “Ren in Footloose” and “Billy Casper in Kes” at Bury St Edmunds Theatre Royal.” He has had previous roles in short films, including “Orange Peel,” “Exposure” and “Asking Price.”
Stacey Read
Alicia Nevins, “The Ark”
Stacey Read plays Alicia Nevins in the new SYFY original series, “The Ark.”
Stacey Read was born and grew up in Zimbabwe, the daughter of a Zimbabwean mother and British father. She first started acting in her Senior School drama club and it was there performing in school plays that she found passion. She soon came to the UK to train at Performance Preparation Academy.
Interviews with Lucian-River Chauhan, Abigail Pniowsky and Barry L. Levy of “Me” on Apple TV+ by Suzanne 6/26/24 and 6/27/24
This is a fun superhero series with some teenage angst that is very realistic and honest. The actors do a phenomenal job (both young and old). I was glad to interview both the two lead actors, as well as creator/executive producer Barry L. Levy. I hope you can check out this cool new show that premieres July 12th!
Barry L. Levy
Suzanne: How did you come up with the idea for this show?
Barry: Absolutely. So I have three kids. I have a son named Ben, just like the lead in the show.
Suzanne: Okay.
Barry: And my oldest are identical twin daughters…
Suzanne: Oh!
Barry: And then, a couple of years younger, is my son. And so he was always a little tall for his age, and it looked like triplets. but it was never quite triplets, right?
Suzanne: Right.
Barry: And he could never figure out who he was supposed to be, because he couldn’t be them. And so it became a conversation… It became a bedtime story. And then it became the story we started working on as a family of, “Who does Ben want… if he could be anyone, who would he want to be in that, if he could be anyone transformed into… {by] shapeshifting?” And that’s really where it came from. And then this series, it’s not traditionally the kind of work that I do, but it was something that I could do as a love letter to my family, and really capture their lives.
I’m glad that you looked down at a pet because I swear to God, mine is going to drive me nuts. [Laughs]
Suzanne: Oh, mine has the “zoomies” at the moment. I forgot to give her allergy medicine this morning, I just realized…
Barry: That’s funny.
Suzanne: So that’s great. And your son doesn’t mind that he’s, sort of, the subject of your show?
Barry: I think he’s gone through the whole roller coaster (of emotions), but once he got to meet River, when we were shooting, I think he felt like he was in great hands. And it just changed everything. It really sort of put it to life, and I think (he felt that) it ceased to be him, and it started to become the character that River had created, and that really was freeing for everyone.
Suzanne: Oh, that’s great. Yeah, the casting is great. The kids are awesome. And the adults… it’s just all really, really great.
Barry: Thank you.
Suzanne: And I think it’s the kind of story that anyone can relate to, no matter what their age, because we all were that age at one point, right?
Barry: Yep. Well, we tried to find ways to sort of bring in a show that would be for the whole family, so that there are elements for parents, and there are things that are nostalgic, but there are also other elements of it that are really contemporary and speak to another generation.
Suzanne: Good. Yeah. Well, I think it worked. Are you the sole writer of the series, or are there other people who work on it with you?
Barry: So, I wrote four episodes. The rest of the episodes were written by the staff. So what had happened was that I was hired to write a pilot. They liked it. They wanted some more, so I wrote a second. And then, while we were building the room, I wrote a third to kind of get us going. And then we actually went back over those first three and made sure that we were really happy with what they were and built it all the way through ten (episodes), together in a room. So that was great.
Suzanne: I haven’t finished watching them yet because I’m moving (as I mentioned), but I like what I see so far. Are you already planning ahead for season two?
Barry: I mean, I certainly planned for season two well before we had a season one. So, we’ll have to see how audiences receive it, but I’m hopeful, and I’m excited for it. I would love the opportunity.
Suzanne: Yeah, I hope so. You know, it struck me as funny that it’s on Apple. To me, it seems like something that would have been on the old ABC Family Network (struggles to remember the new network’s name) because it’s so kid-friendly, family-friendly, and science fiction. They had a lot of shows like that in the past.
Suzanne: Yes. That’s the name. Yes. Is this your first time as showrunner?
Barry: It is, it is. I had run the writer’s room on another series, a few years back, and I really enjoyed it. I didn’t expect that I would enjoy it and find it as rewarding, but it was (working with) a really gifted showrunner, in that regard. [I realized] “Ooh, this is, this is really exciting. I’d love to do this.” And so here, here I am.
Suzanne: Well, that’s good. Were there any challenges in shooting the first season that you didn’t foresee?
Barry: I mean, there are always challenges. I think for us, trying tounderstand what everyone could do…because, the truth is, we recognized from the table reads the weeks before production that this cast was so much more on the ball than we ever could have imagined, and that we had to go back and write a lot of new material and sort of deepen things. Ultimately, it paid [off in] dividends. But the challenge was making sure that we could give everyone their just desserts, and what it felt like, what’s going to make the show go.
Suzanne: Right. And I was impressed by River, especially, at such a young age. I mean, how old was he when you started?
Barry: I think he was 13.
Suzanne: Yeah.
Barry: Something like that.
Suzanne: Yeah. It’s amazing. He seems like he’s got everything down.
Barry: Yeah. It’s also his personality. He’s so emotionally generous, and friendly. I gather you, you may see that for yourself if you get to talk to him, that he seems like an old soul. And I think we saw that (before we started). When I watched the movie he did with Riz Ahmed, Encounter, it was so clear that there was this sort of depth to him, and in his eyes, that we just knew [that] “This kid is incredible. We have to work with that.”
Suzanne: And, before you cast him, were you always looking for a particular, ethnicity, or did it not matter? Or were you going to cast whomever you thought was great?
Barry: It was entirely open. The casting director is a near and dear friend, Josh Einstein. He had done, “This Is Us,” “Love Victor,” and a lot of different shows. We said we needed performers who could carry a real emotional depth. And I think, even in the pilot, you see that, and what we found was extraordinary. And then the question, once we found River, was, who really felt like they could be the sibling to him? And Abby was just incredible.
Suzanne: Yeah. She’s great, too.
Barry: Yeah. So we were really blessed there.
Suzanne: Good. Well, I hope it’s a big success. I love it when the show is– well, I love science fiction, anyway, but I love it when a show is fun, and it’s got a great cast and interesting characters. That’s… so, you accomplished that.
Barry: Thank you. Thank you so much.
Lucian-River Chauhan and Abigail Pniowsky
Suzanne: All right. How are you two this morning?
River: We’re doing well, Suzanne.
Abby: Good, how are you?
River: Nice to meet you.
Suzanne: Good. Nice to meet you, too. Uh, I love talking about me! (laughs) Bad joke…bad joke. I’m sorry.
River: No, I love it.
Suzanne: I was talking to Barry yesterday, and he raved about you guys… just raved about both of you, so he seems nice.
River: I have to say, “Thank you for the kind words, Barry.. If you’re watching.”
Abby: Thank you, Barry!
Suzanne: Well, I was raving about you, too, cause I watched a lot of the episode, but you guys did a great job. Definitely. especially, and I’m sure it sounds condescending, “for your age.” So. Hey, enough compliments. So, what did you each enjoy most about filming?
River: I think for me, personally, I had never done a show with a bunch of kids that were my age. And so, that was, that was really interesting, to get a chance to experience… because, from the other shows, it’s a different atmosphere, and, with kids, you get a chance to play around a lot more and have fun. And it doesn’t always have to be so intense all the time. And I think that’s something that was really, really fun for me to experience. I think because I’m actually the only child. I have never had any sort of a brother-sister experience before, and so I was sort of able to build that and learn about that with Abby.
Suzanne: Oh, that’s great. Abby. What about you?
Abby: Yeah, I have to say, I completely agree with Riv. It was really fun bonding with all the kids on set, and especially bonding with Riv. Creating that dynamic… It was really cool, and I feel like at the end of the day, you, sort of, went home tired, but with a smile on your face. There was a lot of laughter on set.
Suzanne: That’s good Yeah, I’m sure you’ve heard the saying before: it’s not work if you love it.
River: Exactly. Yep.
Suzanne: And what would you say was the most challenging part of doing the show?
River: Ooh. I think, because we were filming in the middle of COVID 19. I think that was probably the most challenging. We sort of had to take all the precautions necessary, like testing every day, and wearing masks all the time, which definitely got annoying. But in hindsight, I’m kind of glad that we did do that because it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Suzanne: Abby?
Abby: I would say, probably, that we filmed by location (rather than in sequence), so we were kind of jumping between different episodes. So I think really staying present in the episode [and] understanding how I’m feeling between each episode, especially with the dynamic with Max and Ben, was really…it was a little difficult for me, but it was a nice challenge. I liked it.
Suzanne: Okay. And before you filmed this, were you a fan of superheroes, and comic books, and that kind of thing?
River: Oh, yeah.
Abby: …A fan. .
River: Oh yeah, . Uh, I’m a, I’m a big superhero guy. I mean , a personal superhero that I really look up to is “The Flash.” I love all things Flash , and his superpower is also really cool. So that would be a superpower [that] if I were to get one… that would be the one that I want. But no, I’m a big fan of watching superhero shows, and origin stories. But I think, with this one, it’s a little bit different because you get a chance to see it from a kid’s perspective, and not only just [with] the superhero aspect, but also something much deeper, like the relationship between Ben and Max.
Suzanne: What about you, Abby? Were you a fan of that kind of thing before?
Abby: Yeah, I think that superheroes are really cool. My personal favorite is Spider-Man. Uh, love him. Love the guy. Um, but I agree with Riv. I think that this one is a little bit different… that the superpowers are a big point in the story, but they’re not the only plot point.
Suzanne: Sounds like we got a little Marvel-DC competition going on here, though. (Laughs)
Have you heard anything about whether they would maybe make this into a real life comic book?
River: No, but now that you mention it, that Is like, like just, that just blew my mind, actually. Wow. That would be so cool.
Suzanne: They’ve done it with a few other shows. I can’t think of most of them [off the top of my head]. I know they did it with the character Nia from the “Supergirl” TV show. And I think she wrote part of it as well. She has her own comic now. So yeah, it can happen. Definitely.
River: Yeah, we’ll see. You never know what’s going to happen.
Suzanne: That’s true. We’ll put that out. I thought of that when I was talking to Barry. He could probably get it done.
River: Hey, you never know. You never know. I think it would be interesting to write it too. I’ve never actually written anything before. but it would be pretty interesting to get a chance to learn from, from Barry if he’s, if he’s up to that.
Abby: That’s what I was thinking.
Suzanne: All right. Okay. Well, thank you guys so much.
“Me” follows a 12-year-old kid named Ben who is in the throes of middle school (complete with bullies, crushes and school dances!) as he adjusts to a newly blended family AND the realization that he has super powers. Throughout the 10-episode season, Ben goes on a journey of self-discovery and learns what having super powers truly means. He finds an ally in his stepsister, Max, who helps him harness these powers and uncover the secrets behind the mysteries and tragedies of his community … all while he tries to come to terms with what it means to be Ben.
Cast & Crew
Lucian-River Chauhan
as Ben Vasani
Abigail Pniowsky
as Max Davis
Dilshad Vadsaria
as Elizabeth Vasani
Amanda Reid
as Carter Kennedy
Barry L. Levy
Executive Producer
Writer
Story By
Michael Dowse
Executive Producer
Director
Amy Welsh-Hanning
Executive Producer
Eben Russell
Executive Producer
LUCIAN-RIVER CHAUHAN
‘Ben’
Lucian-River Chauhan can currently be seen in the recurring role of Teo in the Netflix series AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER based off the hugely successful graphic novel of the same name. He will also next star as the title role in the Apple+ series ME which follows his character Ben as he navigates the complexities of 6th grade. The series will premiere this year. River was named a “must see performance” by EW for his lead role opposite Riz Ahmed in the Amazon feature ENCOUNTER from director Michael Pearce which premiered last year at Telluride and TIFF to rave reviews. The Hollywood Reporter also highlighted his performance in the film saying, “the astonishingly good Lucian-River Chauhan, who plays Malik’s adolescent son, Jay” and Screen International said “Both of the boys cast as Malik’s sons are impressive, but Chauhan, who plays the older Jay, is quietly remarkable.” Previously he recurred on the hit CBC series HEARTLAND for two seasons. He is also fluent in French.
ABIGAIL PNIOWSKY
‘Max’
Abigail Pniowsky is sixteen years old and has already built an impressive body of work. She will next be seen as the female lead of Apple TV’s first YA series, ME. She recently shot the lead role in the independent feature, AMERICAN BABY. Abby began her TV career as a lead in the Universal / Syfy show CHANNEL ZERO alongside Fiona Shaw and Paul Schneider. She appeared as a series regular opposite Kyra Sedgwick in the ABC series, TEN DAYS IN THE VALLEY. On the big screen, Abby played opposite Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner in Denis Villeneuve’s Oscar winning ARRIVAL, for which Abby attended both the Venice Film Festival and TIFF. She also starred opposite Yvonne Strahovki in the feature HE’S OUT THERE and opposite Heather Graham in THE REST OF US, which had its premiere at TIFF as well.
Interview with Demetrius Grosse, Nika King, and Bishop and First Lady Donna Martin of the film “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot” by Suzanne 6/28/24
This is a very powerful and uplifting story of a couple who changed the lives of many children, as well as the other people in their town. These are religious people, but the film is not too preachy, so if you’re not that into religion, it shouldn’t bother you. Faith is definitely the motivation for these people, in everything they do. Demetrius Grosse and Nika King turn in powerful performances as the real-life people Bishop and First Lady Donna Martin, who lived in a small town in Eastern Texas. After a tragedy in Donna’s life, she decides to adopt children. She and her husband not only adopt many children, but they get all of the people in their parish to do so as well.
It was a really interesting set of interviews. I’ve only interviewed the “real life people” in movies a few times. I was a foster child myself, and my mom was adopted as a baby, so this is an issue that hits home for me. Some scenes in the movie were hard to watch because some of the troubled children reminded me of other foster kids I knew. I told the actors and their counterparts about this, and how much the movie touched me. It was interesting to see how each paired group reacted completely differently! It was very unusual, to say the least. Let’s just say that the two ladies were much more relaxed and fun, and the two men were very serious.
The movie premieres today, July 4th. I hope you can go see it. Maybe it will inspire you to adopt children or foster a child who needs you. The foster care situation was bad 50 years ago when I was a child. It’s much worse today. I know that the Martins and everyone connected with this movie hope that their film gets people thinking about the foster care crisis.
This film is from Angel Studios. They produce the hit TV show “The Chosen” and many good, uplifting movies. They make great films with positive messages and outstanding acting, without being preachy or boring. They tell amazing stories.
The fight for kids begins July 4. Inspired by the powerful true story, Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot, follows Donna and Reverend Martin as they ignite a fire in the hearts of their rural church to embrace kids in the foster system that nobody else would take. By doing the impossible–adopting 77 children–this East Texas community proved that, with real, determined love, the battle for America’s most vulnerable can be won.
Tagline:
The Fight for Kids Begins July 4
Rating:
PG-13 for thematic material involving child abuse, some violence, language and brief suggestive material
Run Time:
2 hours and 09 minutes
Fast Facts:
Inspired by the true story of Bishop and First Lady Donna Martin, and their tiny Bennett Chapel church, in the town of Possum Trot in the woods of East Texas.
Twenty two families linked arms and courageously adopted seventy seven of the most difficult-to-place children in the local foster care system
76 kids were adopted between 1998-2000. Another was adopted in 2011. The Martins have 2 biological children and adopted 4 during this time period.
This act ignited a national movement for vulnerable children that continues today.
Executive produced by Letitia Wright (BLACK PANTHER)
Directed, written, and produced by Joshua Weigel (THE BUTTERFLY CIRCUS) for Peacetree Productions.
King’s talents as a comedian and actor are versatile and dynamic. She is best known for her comedic abilities, but in her breakout role playing Leslie on the Emmy winning HBO series Euphoria opposite Zendaya and Storm Reid, King showcases a much more dramatic side of herself. Nika also had her directorial debut in the short film, which addresses grief and mental health in the life of a Black married couple.
King’s comedy has landed her roles on Kevin Hart’s Guide to Black, the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal, Canada, the Netflix Is A Joke festival, and hosting Nika King & Friends, a monthly show at the Improv Lab in Hollywood CA. She has also acted, written and produced on award winning webseries Funny Married Stuff, which is currently streaming on KweliTV.
Beyond acting, directing, and stand up, King co owns Blue Tree Cafe, a vegan soul food restaurant with her mother in Ft. Lauderdale Florida. King was also compelled to establish a non profit that helps to improve the quality of life for individuals and families from underserved communities by compassionately serving their mental health and wellness through healthy eating.
Demetrius Grosse (Reverend Martin)
Demetrius Grosse is an award-winning actor and producer. After graduating from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree from its School of Drama and completed a visiting student program at the Howard University College of Fine Arts in his home city of Washington DC, Grosse took his craft to the international arena, studying and performing both classical and contemporary drama with the British American Drama Academy in Oxford, England. Grosse also performed in Cape Town, South Africa with UCT. At Portland Center Stage in Oregon, Demetrtius starred as Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee William’s American classic, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Off-Broadway, in 2010 performing Black Angels Over Tuskegee.
Grosse has appeared in the HBO series Westworld based on the 1973 film of the same name. He also appeared in Michael Bay’s feature film 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016). Grosse is known for taking on many complex characters from various backgrounds and from all different genres. His range is unparalleled. He made his TV acting debut in The Wire (2001), Numbers (2005), and is well known for his film roles in, Saving Mr. Banks (2013), This Is Martin Bonner (2013). His other television credits include AMC’s Fear The Walking Dead, Criminal Minds, ER, NCIS, Bones, Dexter, CSI: Miami, Frontier (Netflix), and Swagger for Apple+. Grosse also made appearances in The Inheritance (2011), and Hollywoo (2011).
Grosse has credits for producing Last Cry for Katrina (2013), Moonshiners, and A Quiet Fire (2009), and most recently, Survival. Demetrius stars as Clark Randall in the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries romantic comedy Spring Breakthrough. The film was produced under Hallmark’s Mahogany banner and had its on-air debut in 2023. Grosse resides in the US with his wife, their children, and a bearded dragon named ‘Shang-Chi.’
Interview with Tahmoh Penikett of “The Killer Inside: The Ruth Finley Story” on Lifetime by Suzanne 6/27/24
It was a lot of fun to speak with Tahmoh! He seems really nice and loves to chat. I’ve admired his work for a long time. He’s been in so many shows I’ve watched, so I’m a big fan. Don’t miss this Lifetime movie tomorrow, Saturday, 6/29! It’s a good story, based on real life events that are pretty shocking.
The Killer Inside: The Ruth Finley Story follows Ruth (Hatcher) and her husband, Ed’s (Tahmoh Penikett), tranquil life in Wichita, Kansas which is suddenly turned upside down when Ed suffers a heart attack. As Ed fights for his life in the hospital, Ruth’s starts to receive mysterious threats, leaving her in a state of panic. With the city held hostage by the terror of the BTK killer, Ruth finds herself enveloped in paranoia, convinced that she will be the next victim, as the menacing phone calls escalate into chilling letters. Amidst the frenzy of the police’s pursuit of BTK, Ruth is abducted, sending shockwaves through the community. Yet her sudden reappearance shortly after the kidnapping leaves investigators baffled and scrambling for answers. As suspicion mounts and new evidence comes to light, the authorities entertain the unsettling notion that the perpetrator may be someone intimately connected to Ruth.
The Killer Inside: The Ruth Finley Story is produced by Housewife Productions Inc. for Lifetime. Navid Soofi produces with Tim Johnson and Stacy Mandelberg serving as executive producers and Lisa Alford as co-executive producer. The film is written by Katie Gruel and directed by Greg Beeman.
Tahmoh Penikett is a Canadian actor. He is known for playing Karl “Helo” Agathon on SyFy’s 2004 television series Battlestar Galactica. He has appeared in TV series Supernatural, Dollhouse, the Showcase time travel show Continuum, and as the antagonist Darius in the 2006 racing video game Need for Speed: Carbon.
Interview with Hunter King, star of “Two Scoops of Italy” on Hallmark by Krista 6/18/24
Speaking with Hunter was so much fun. It’s probably my favorite interview I’ve ever done because I was really familiar with her and her work on “Young and the Restless.” Seeing her in a different role in this movie was great.
She was so friendly and so much fun to talk to. I could have talked to her for an hour. She loves to read like I do, and so we shared our favorite books. She was so interesting, and I loved hearing about her experiences on this movie and her challenges she faced as well.
The movie airs Saturday, June 22 on Hallmark Channel, or streaming on Peacock.
Transcript (not edited yet)
Hunter King: Thank you so much for having me.
Krista Chain: Okay. My 1st question is, how did you decide to accept the part in 2 scoops of Italy? What was the audition process, or were you approached by someone to to look at the script? How did that all come about?
Hunter King: Hallmark approached me with the script, and immediately I heard Italy, and I was like, I’m in. Count me in but then I obviously went and read the script, and it was just so charming and such a
Hunter King: like such a sweet feel! Good love story! I love a Romcom such a sucker for a Romcom. So anytime I get the opportunity to do a Romcom, I immediately take it.
Hunter King: But I love the story arc. I love the character arc and obviously getting to take place in Italy is not not a bad day.
Krista Chain: That’s right. And so that answered my next question. I know sometimes when they film movies, they don’t actually film where it’s being set. So it was filmed in Italy.
Hunter King: It was filmed in Italy. I don’t know how I got so lucky to get to film a movie that is based in Italy and actually takes place in Italy. But I somehow I don’t know. I I won the lottery with this one. I really did. It was
Hunter King: more magical than you could even imagine. It was just
Hunter King: a dream come true.
Krista Chain: Well, the movie was excellent.
Hunter King: Thank you. Thank you so much. I’m so happy that you liked it. It was so much fun to film. It was really so like just a blast.
Krista Chain: It looks like it would have been a really good time.
Hunter King: Thank you.
Krista Chain: So what was your favorite part of the movie.
Hunter King: Oh, my favorite part of the movie there I mean, there were so many
Hunter King: fun scenes that we film Nicolet, my co-star. He was great. He was very patient with me, teaching me many Italian words in between in between takes. I just would constantly ask him what different things mean, and then somehow would not remember any of it. 20 min later would have to ask him all over again. A great patient teacher and a great Co star. But getting to film just in all these different amazing locations was just
Hunter King: just I don’t even know how to describe it. And some of the things that we did like. Vespa scenes were so fun because we couldn’t really ride the vesque class they needed to like get us
Hunter King: like the certain camera angles, so we’d be up on the back of a truck with the vespas drafted kind of on a trailer behind. It was just so much fun getting to shoot these different things, and there was so many fun experiences like that on this one.
Krista Chain: So you had never worked with your co-star before.
Hunter King: No, no! This was the 1st time.
Krista Chain: Oh, okay, we all had really good chemistry together.
Hunter King: Thank you. Thank you. Yeah, no, he was. He was lovely. He was great. And I give him major props because filming
Hunter King: a movie in your second language. I luckily only had to say a couple of Italian words, and that was difficult for me. So I was like, I don’t know how you’re doing this. That is so hard. And he handled it like such a pro. And just was, Yeah, I was. I was very impressed.
Krista Chain: Okay? And what was your biggest challenge in filming this movie?
Krista Chain: Did you have any obstacles or challenges.
Hunter King: I’m trying to think of my biggest. I mean, honestly, that sounds again, Mika having to film a whole movie in your second language, when I only had to say a couple of words, but I somehow always would botch the words, and the director would tell me, I’m like, Okay, wait, wait. Remind me how to say that like right before we would start filming.
Hunter King: And he’d be like, this is how you say this is how you say it. I’m like, Okay, okay? And then we’d go to film. And I somehow go back to saying it the wrong way. And I would do that so many times. Oh, my God! I felt so bad! And Mika is over here just handling it all like it’s a breeze, and I’m like I can’t even say 2 words in Italian without having to do it 5 different times. So that was probably the most challenging, and the most takes that I had to do was on the Times, that I would have to stay
Hunter King: forwards in Italian, and I would screw it up every time.
Krista Chain: So the biggest challenge was the language. Then.
Hunter King: Yeah, luckily I only had a little bit, but somehow it was still challenging for me. Yeah.
Krista Chain: I can imagine it would have been for me as well.
Hunter King: It was hard it was hard. But I’m I’m determined to get my Italian down, so that the next time I go there I can say more than how to order an espresso at a cafe.
Krista Chain: Is it was that the 1st time you had ever been to Italy.
Hunter King: I’d been to Italy once before, like
Hunter King: 1011 years prior and so now I feel like I appreciated it even more, and getting to be there for work was just
such an incredible opportunity that I will never forget.
Krista Chain: Well, I have also watched you and young and the restless.
Krista Chain: And so I was just wondering what is the differences in filming a movie and filming a TV show.
Hunter King: Well, I’d say the number one difference between the 2 is just the pace
Hunter King: with the young wrestles. We had to
Hunter King: an hour’s worth of a show in one day, and sometimes more, because we would film like a episode and a quarter or something like that every single day. And
Hunter King: the pacing was just so fast, and you had to. Some days. I had, I think, the most dialogue I ever had in one day was like 55 pages for the young, the restless. When you film a movie, you have, like, you know, 4 5 pages of dialogue that day so definitely the pace. And you get a lot more time and a lot more takes when you film a movie which is nice.
Hunter King: and that one, it’s almost like doing a play every single day is you got to know your stuff? You get one, maybe 2 takes, and then you’re moving on.
Krista Chain: Wow!
Hunter King: Yeah.
Krista Chain: That. That’s 1 reason I really wanted to talk with you today, because I have watched you for so long, and the young and the restless and then saw this movie. And so I really wanted to to have a chance to talk with you today.
Hunter King: Oh, I’m so excited that we’re getting to talk. Then I mean, I feel like the soap opera fans. It’s like
Hunter King: the best kind of fans because you guys are dedicated. You’re watching
Hunter King: single day, like you know the story you? I always said that the fans of the show know the show better than I do, cause they’ve watched for years that they’re like. No, this person was with this person, but then they cheated on this person, and now they have a baby with this person I’m like, Oh, my God! I didn’t even know that. So.
Hunter King: Major Boss.
Krista Chain: My grandmother got me into watching the soap operas.
Hunter King: I love that that’s so sweet. I love that.
Krista Chain: Yeah. When I was when I was young I used to stay with her some during the summer and stuff, and when I was sick from school, and she always had to watch Young and the restless.
Hunter King: Love that, and then they then you get hooked. You watch one episode. You’re like, now I need to know what happens, and.
Hunter King: That’s how they do it. Yep.
Krista Chain: That’s right. And so you I noticed in the movie that you were a chef. Do you have
Krista Chain: passion for cooking and baking yourself, or.
Hunter King: I’m learning. I definitely don’t have the same skills as Danielle for sure. Nowhere close. I have many different battle wounds, as I call them from cooking different burn marks or different cuts on my fingers and scars from accidentally cutting myself.
Hunter King: So I’m definitely nowhere near her level. But I do enjoy it, and I’ve started cooking more and more within this last year, and I’m getting better. It’s edible. That’s for sure. It’s edible, questionable. But we’re getting there slowly.
Krista Chain: That’s the main thing.
Hunter King: I just want to be good enough to eat. I don’t need to be Michelin Star just good enough to eat. That’s it.
Krista Chain: And that I have some. I have some burn marks, too, so.
Hunter King: You get it? Yeah, it takes time.
Krista Chain: So what are you? Some of your hobbies that you do in your free time, when you’re not working.
Hunter King: Oh, my gosh! I always feel so boring when people ask me about my hobbies. I’m like, I like my dogs. I love to read. I’m a really big reader. My boyfriend. And I, we love TV and movies. And so we do watch a lot of TV. We have a whole list of different things that we’ve been watching this year. And it’s
Hunter King: it’s a substantial amount. I’m like, okay, we need to slow down on the TV. Cause this is this is getting out of control. But we do love to watch. We have our favorite shows together. But I I’m a big, big reader, and surprise surprise. Most of the books I read are wrong coms, so I just I keep away from them. I love them so much.
Krista Chain: I love to read as well. What’s your favourite book?
Hunter King: Oh, I mean, I love Colleen Hoover. Just it starts with us. It ends with us, or it ends with us and starts with us. We’re both so good. Verity was incredible. Have you read any colleen Hoover books.
Krista Chain: I haven’t.
Hunter King: Oh, okay, you’re gonna be.
Hunter King: I’m telling you it’s gonna change your life. You’re gonna thank me. You’re gonna come back and you’d be like you were right. Go and read, it ends with us and then read, it’s it’s weird. It starts with it ends with us. Then it starts with us is the sequel, and then a totally different book. Verity.
Hunter King: another one of our books, which I think that that’s 1 of them is
Hunter King: oh, another good one but those are really good, so try those. But.
Krista Chain: Okay.
Hunter King: For you if you want some Romcom books. I got you.
Krista Chain: I I’ve been reading some freedom. Macfadden, have you read her.
Hunter King: No, I haven’t.
Krista Chain: The housemaid and the co-worker, the teacher.
Krista Chain: Those are. Those are the ones. I just finished the coworker, and it was really good. So I’m fixing about to start the teacher.
Hunter King: Ok, all right, I’ll put those on my list. I’ll definitely do that because I’m almost done with my book now, and I need a new one. Check out, Emily Henry, too.
Krista Chain: I’ve seen her, but I’ve never read any of hers either.
Hunter King: If you like. Hallmark, you’d love her books. They’re just so feel good and just make it just feels like you’re reading a warm hug it just they’re just delicious. You gotta read her books.
Krista Chain: I’ll definitely check her out.
Krista Chain: And have you ever worked with you said you had never worked with your co-star before.
Hunter King: No, I have not. This was our 1st movie together.
Krista Chain: Oh, wow! Well, who is someone that you would like to work with that? You’ve never worked with.
Hunter King: oh, my gosh! I mean there’s so many different
Hunter King: great people in Hallmark jonathan Bennett would be so fun. I’ve been a fan of his forever.
Hunter King: Tyler, big fan of his, would love to work with him. Well, I’ve said this before, and I’ve been so lucky with all of the people that I’ve worked with both men and women, just like some of the loveliest people. So if I ever got the opportunity to work with any of my co-stars again, and film either a sequel or another thing, I would jump at the opportunity, because I’ve been so fortunate to have made so many amazing friendships with the people that I’ve worked with, and they’re all not just like great actors, but great people as well.
Krista Chain: I I would think that would be one of the most fun parts of doing movies and stuff like that is getting to meet different people, and making friendships with different ones.
Hunter King: Yeah, no, that honestly, that’s probably my favorite part of getting to do movies and just meeting so many different people and people that you would never would have met, or that live in different places that live in Italy. Now.
Krista Chain: Rather.
Hunter King: In Canada. And so it does make you feel more connected to the.
Krista Chain: And go into different places.
Krista Chain: and I think I had one more question. Do you have any projects coming up that you can tell us about?
Hunter King: I have. Well, I don’t think I’m really allowed to say much about it. I haven’t filmed it yet, but I’m going to be filming a very fun homework movie soon that I cannot wait for. It’s like a dream job. I mean, all the ones that I’ve done have been amazing and just so much fun. And this one is gonna be no different. It’s just gonna be.
Hunter King: Oh, I can’t wait. I’m like bursting at the seams waiting to tell people about it, but it’s gonna be a good one, I promise.
Krista Chain: Oh, I can’t wait to see it!
Hunter King: Thank you.
Krista Chain: Well, thank you so much for talking with me today. And I really, I really did enjoy getting to meet you and talk to you today.
Hunter King: Thank you so much. Thank you for having me. I’m so glad that you got to watch the movie, and that you’ve watched the young the wrestlers for years, but it was so lovely to talk to you.
Krista Chain: Thank you so much. You take care of yourself and have a wonderful day.
Hunter King: Thank you. You, too. Have a good weekend.
HUNTER KING (Daniella) – Hunter King is best known for her work as a series regular on CBS’ Life in Pieces opposite Colin Hanks, Betsy Brandt and Thomas Sadoski. King can also be recognized as Summer Newman on The Young and the Restless, a role for which she earned two Daytime Emmys. In feature work, King starred in A Girl Like Her opposite Jimmy Bennett, which garnered incredible reviews for confronting bullying in schools. King was cast as the lead in ABC’s 2020 comedy pilot Prospect. Most recently, King wrapped shooting the lead in the indie feature Give Me Your Eyes. For Hallmark Channel she was last seen starring in The Santa Summit, as well as The Professional Bridesmaid, and A Royal Corgi Christmas. For Hallmark Mystery King also starred in Nikki & Nora: Sister Sleuths.
AN AMERICAN CHEF TRAVELS TO ITALY AND MEETS A HANDSOME GELATIERE HUNTER KING AND MICHELE ROSIELLO STAR IN TWO SCOOPS OF ITALY
A NEW, ORIGINAL MOVIE PREMIERING JUNE 22, ON HALLMARK CHANNEL
Shot Entirely on Location in Italy As Part of the Network’s June 2024 Passport to Love Programming Event
Chef Danielle Turner (King) is facing a dilemma of gastronomic proportions and might lose her restaurant unless she can come up with a new menu that will wow her investor. Desperate for epicurean inspiration she travels to Ostia Antica, an ancient Roman village. Danielle soon meets Giancarlo Donati (Rosiello), a charming local gelatiere facing his own crisis of the gelato variety. Giancarlo introduces Danielle to the flavors, the culture, the gelato and other charms of the quaint town and together they motivate and encourage one another. As Danielle’s falls for Italy, she discovers it might not be the only thing to capture her heart.
Two Scoops of Italy is from MarVista Entertainment in association with Cattleya. Larry Grimaldi, Hannah Pillemer, Fernando Szew and Todd Y. Murata are executive producers. Roger M. Bobb is co-executive producer. The movie is produced by Christina Giubbeti. Roger M. Bobb directed from a script by Eric Brooks and Nicole Baxter, from a story by Abdi Nazemian
Executive Producers: Larry Grimaldi
Hannah Pillemer
Fernando Szew
Todd Y. Murata
Co-Executive Producer: Roger M. Bobb
Producer: Christina Giubbeti
Production Credit: A MarVista Entertainment Production in association with Cattleya
Directed by: Roger M. Bobb
Written by: Eric Brooks and Nicole Baxter
Story by: Abdi Nazemian
Director of Photography: Patrizio Patrizi
Production Designer: Tiziana Liberotti
Edited by: William Lynch
Music By: Jamie Coleman
Costume Designer: Claudette Lilly
Casting by: Teresa Razzauti
Cast: Hunter King (Danielle Turner)
Michele Rosiello (Giancarlo Donati)
Sara Mondello (Elida)
Simone Colombari (Aldo Donati)
Ruby Kammer (Sarah Turner)
Michele Augusto Magni (Bruno)
Serge Pirilli (La Rana)
Alessia Franchin (Marta)
Davy Eduard King (Owen Bridges)
Lorenzo Padalino (Nico)
James Tumminia (Mario Chiellini)
Interview with Stars Jennifer Esposito, Annabella Sciorra and Domenick Lombardozzi of “Fresh Kills,” by Suzanne 6/6/24
This is a truly great movie, and I was honored to see it and interview three of its stars. Jennifer wrote, directed and starred in the movie. Annabella plays one of her relatives (aunt?), and Domenick plays her husband. I hope you can see this wonderful film.
In her writing & directing debut, veteran actress Jennifer Esposito (Crash, Summer of Sam, Samantha Who, Blue Bloods) brings the late 1980s/early 1990s Staten Island to vivid life through the lens of Rose Larusso (Emily Bader), an inquisitive young woman who discovers her father (Domenick Lombardozzi) is an emerging mafia kingpin. Rose’s growing desire to break free from the path set before her soon threatens her existence and alienates her from her closest allies: her mother (Esposito), aunt (Annabella Sciorra) and sister (Odessa A’zion). Smart, thrilling, and nuanced, FRESH KILLS turns the classic mob movie inside out, by taking audiences on a journey with two teenage girls, living in a mafia life filled with violence, fear, and rage. A closed off world that dictates who these young women are destined to become… unless they fight to break free.
JENNIFER ESPOSITO (Director, Writer, Producer, & Francine Larusso)
With a career spanning over 25 years, Jennifer Esposito is a Screen Actors Guild, Critics Choice and Hollywood Foreign Press award recipient. She has appeared in over 60 films and television productions, most notably the Academy Award-Winning film CRASH by Paul Haggis, SUMMER OF SAM by Spike Lee and WELCOME TO COLLINWOOD, by The Russo Brothers. Some of her TV work includes SPIN CITY, SAMANTHA WHO, BLUE BLOODS, THE AFFAIR, THE BOYS. and NORA FROM QUEENS. Jennifer makes her writing and directing debut with FRESH KILLS, in which she also produced and plays a supporting role. She was also the first to incorporate NFTs as a fundraising tool for independent films.
Annabella Sciorra is best known for her powerful Emmy-nominated performance as ‘Gloria Trillo’ in HBO’s THE SOPRANOS. She can currently be seen opposite Sylvester Stallone in Taylor Sheridan’s recently renewed Paramount+ series, TULSA KING, as well as in the Apple limited series, TRUTH BE TOLD, opposite Octavia Spencer and Aaron Paul. Other television credits include GODFATHER OF HARLEM (Epix), GLOW (Netflix), Marvel’s DAREDEVIL (Netflix), NEW AMSTERDAM (NBC) Marvel’s LUKE CAGE (Netflix), THE L WORD (Showtime), and LAW & ORDER: CI (NBC), among others.
On the feature side, Annabella will next be seen opposite Jennifer Esposito in the indie feature FRESH KILLS, which is premiering at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. Annabella also starred in the indie feature, BEFORE I GO, directed by Eric Schaeffer, as well as Fiona and Sophia Robert’s A VIEW OF THE WORLD FROM FIFTH AVENUE, opposite Whit Stillman and Logan Miller.
Annabella achieved leading lady status starting with Spike Lee’s JUNGLE FEVER and Curtis Hanson’s THE HAND THAT ROCKS THE CRADLE. Other feature credits include WHAT DREAMS MAY COME opposite Robin Williams and Cuba Gooding Jr., among numerous others. She received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Female Lead in Nancy Savoca’s TRUE LOVE.
Domenick Lombardozzi is an established actor known for his work on both the big and small screen alike with over sixty credits to his name, working with some of the world’s most talented filmmakers.
Lombardozzi starred as the head of the Genovese crime family, Anthony “Fat Tony” Salerno in Martin Scorsese’s critically acclaimed Netflix feature, THE IRISHMAN, opposite Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci about the rise and murder and subsequent disappearance of Teamsters president, Jimmy Hoffa. Lombardozzi completely transforms in the role from a man in his early 40s to a man in his late 60s. Lombardozzi credits De Niro and Chazz Palminteri for giving him his first acting role when he was just 15 years-old playing Nicky Zero in the classic 1993 film A Bronx Tale, which was De Niro’s directorial debut.
Of all his roles, Lombardozzi is perhaps most recognized for his role in the iconic HBO series, THE WIRE, where he portrayed ‘Detective Thomas ‘Herc’ Hauk,’ a loveably flawed Baltimore Police officer turned PI. Lombardozzi then took a comedic turn in HBO’s ENTOURAGE as ‘Dom’, one of the gang’s old friends who happens to be an ex-convict.
He also appeared in a season long arc on Showtime’s RAY DONOVAN as a troubled and damaged police officer, Courtney Kemp’s hit Starz series, POWER, as well as HBO/David
Simon’s WE OWN THIS CITY, and THE DEUCE where he plays legendary NY police detective ‘Jack Maple’. He most recently can be seen as Charles ‘Chickie’ Invernizzi on Taylor Sheridan’s TULSA KING for Paramount+, as Sylvester Stallone’s nemesis.
His other past television credits include: MAGNUM P.I., MRS. FLETCHER, MARVELOUS MS. MAISEL, YELLOWSTONE, MACGYVER, BILLIONS, SNEAKY PETE, THE GOOD WIFE, BOARDWALK EMPIRE, ROSEWOOD, and BREAKOUT KINGS. His other past film credits include: BRIDGE OF SPIES, FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME, FIND ME GUILTY, THE FAMILY, THE WANNABE, THE GAMBLER, BLOOD TIES, MIAMI VICE, and COLD PURSUIT.
He can next be seen in a season long arc in the second season of the hit Amazon series, JACK REACHER based on the Lee Child novels, and in Grant Singer’s Netflix feature crime thriller REPTILE opposite Benicio del Toro.
Interview with Jane Badler of the film “Trim Season” by Suzanne 6/6/24
It was awesome to speak with Jane. She seems really nice and is an amazing actress. I admit that I did gush a little, since I’m a huge fan of her from her days back in the 80’s when she played “Diane” in the scifi movies and TV show “V.” This is an entertaining horror film. Don’t miss it!
TRIM SEASON | The Ultimate Nightmare Blunt Rotation | Directed by Ariel Vida & Starring JaneBadler, Bex Taylor-Klaus, & Alex Essoe | In Theaters 6/7
Presents
TRIM SEASON
The Ultimate Nightmare Blunt Rotation…
From Award-Winning Filmmaker & Production Designer Ariel Vida
* In Theaters and On Demand June 7th, 2024 *
Presents
TRIM SEASON
The Ultimate Nightmare Blunt Rotation…
From Award-Winning Filmmaker & Production Designer Ariel Vida
* In Theaters and On Demand June 7th, 2024 *
Directed by Ariel Vida (“Vide Noir”)
Written by David Blair, Sean E. DeMott, Cullen Poythress, Megan Sutherland, & Ariel Vida
Produced by Aaron B. Koontz, Sean E. DeMott, Paul Holbrook, &JaneBadler
Executive Produced by Leal Naim&Jake Hearns
Co-produced by Cameron Burns
Starring: JaneBadler (“V”, Ricky Stanicky) Bex Taylor-Klaus (“Scream”) Alex Essoe (Starry Eyes, “Midnight Mass”) Bethlehem Million (Sick, “And Just Like That…”) Ally Ioannides (Synchronic) Cory Hart (“Fear the Walking Dead”)
Jobless and searching for purpose, Emma and a group of young people from Los Angeles drive up the coast to make quick cash trimming marijuana on a secluded farm in Northern California. Cut off from the rest of the world, they soon realize that Mona – the seemingly amiable owner of the estate – is harboring secrets darker than any of them could imagine. It becomes a race against time for Emma and her friends to escape the dense woods with their lives.
RT: 100 Minutes
“A suspenseful, uniquely crafted story highlighting pain and sacrifice that should spark some powerful conversation around women and gender. Mesmerizing performances, an innovative story, beautiful stylistic choices, and a little bit of witchy weed make Trim Season a must-see horror film.”
– BLOODY DISGUSTING/Michelle Swope
“From Badler’s commanding performance that contributes to the uneasy atmosphere Vida expertly curates to the stomach-churning sequences of body horror, there is undeniable greatness here that’s well worth seeking out.”
– SCREEN ANARCHY/Kyle Logan
About Ariel Vida
Ariel Vida is a director and writer of the strange and fantastical, who has also production designed over a hundred shorts, music videos, and feature films. Her design work has received high honors, including ‘Best Production Design’ at Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival for Moorhead & Benson’s THE ENDLESS. Her music video directorial debut -Lord Huron’s The World Ender-was selected as a Vimeo Staff Pick and awarded ‘Best Music Video’ at several festivals. The videos for Lord Huron’s The Night We Met, which Ariel produced, and Childish Gambino’s Sober, which she art directed, have both been viewed over 100 million times on YouTube.A frequent collaborator with Rustic Films, Ariel’s most recent design work includes Amy Seimetz’s Neon Release SHE DIES TOMORROW, Spectrevision and Adam Egypt Mortimer’s ARCHENEMY, Alma Har’el and Bob Dylan’s SHADOW KINGDOM, and Moorhead & Benson’s SYNCHRONIC as well as their Sundance 2022 premiere SOMETHING IN THE DIRT, which Ariel also second unit directed.
Ariel’s feature directorial debut, VIDE NOIR – written and scored by the band Lord Huron – released in November 2022 through 1091 Pictures. Her first published short fiction will be printed in the upcoming genre anthology HAUNTED REELS alongside fellow filmmakers C. Robert Cargill, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Brea Grant, Owen Egerton, Gary Sherman, and more. TRIM SEASON marks Ariel’s second feature as director, and she’s currently developing many of her own scripts imbuing stylized action within vivid, fantastical worlds from dystopian sea-faring tales to warped, surrealist westerns.
Interview with Bryon James of “The Young and The Restless” on CBS by Suzanne 5/21/24
It was so great to speak with Bryton! He’s nominated for another Daytime Emmy this year, so I hope he wins. He seems like a very nice guy, and we all know what a talent actor he is. Please enjoy the video!
TRANSCRIPT (not yet proofread)
Suzanne: So, did you just come back from New Orleans?
Bryton James: I did. I did. Just got back yesterday. We had a fantastic trip. We were, raising money for the cancer support community and for World War II veterans.
Suzanne: Oh, nice.
And, it was, it was awesome. It was, myself, Christian, LeBlanc, Eric Braden, Katherine Kelly Lang, and, Kimberlyn Brown.
Suzanne: Okay. And, did you get to go into New Orleans and do fun stuff at all?
Bryton James: Oh, yeah, I was, I was in Ardenville and, and then New Orleans the last day, but, I mean, I had fun throughout. We were, we were staying in this beautiful house out in the country, real close to the bayou. And, um, it was fantastic. It was the 2nd time I’ve been to Louisiana and, I, I have been wanting to go back since the 1st time just because of the food.
Suzanne: Right, right. And Christian’s from there, so he probably showed you some fun places, right?
Bryton James: He showed us all the fun places. He’s a walking encyclopedia when you’re there with him.
Suzanne: That’s great. That’s great. Um, so congratulations on being nominated again for an Emmy.
Bryton James: Thank you so much.
Suzanne: How does it feel?
Bryton James: Oh, gosh, it feels it’s it’s it’s an honor.
Bryton James: It’s it’s an honor. It feels like the very first time that never gets old. Um, and, like I always say that just any kind of nomination or recognition when it comes to awards and Emmys. It’s it just means that the people that I admire and respect so much in this medium who who understand what it takes to do what we do, um, think that I’m doing a decent job.
Bryton James: And it means the world to me.
Suzanne: That’s great. Now, I know a lot of the fans, love you, I was reading a lot of message boards, so even when they don’t like What Devon is doing or how he’s acting. They always say, Oh, he’s such a great actor. I love her so much. That’s
Bryton James: all I hope for. That’s all I hope for.
Bryton James: Whether they like me or hate me, as long as they believe what I’m doing. That’s all it matters. And
Suzanne: do you display your Emmys at home?
Bryton James: I have them. I, you know, they’re up in my, in my bedroom, just on my dresser for, for the first, I mean, for a long time, my, my first Emmy was with my mom. She had it for years and years.
Bryton James: And then, I ended up back with it when she was moving. Um, So, yeah, no, I don’t, I don’t put them out and about, but they’re upstairs for me to see.
Suzanne: Okay, well, if you get another one, you, you should get a display case or something.
Bryton James: I, I might, I just, you know, or I might, give this latest one, I’ll give this one back to my mom so she can, she can have it in her new place.
Bryton James: I’ve been telling, Christian and, and Peter Bergman, um, the ones who have three, that they got to get four so they can make a table.
Suzanne: That’s right. There you go. That’s right. An Emmy table. That would be funny. Let’s do an
Bryton James: Emmy copy table. Um,
Suzanne: so I’ve been watching the show a long time. In fact, I started watching it in 1986, the year you were born.
Suzanne: Oh, wow.
Bryton James: Wow.
Suzanne: I’m old.
Bryton James: I would never have guessed that you were back that far with us.
Suzanne: Yeah, I know. I was in my last year of college, and I had been watching all the ABC soaps, because, They didn’t have, you know, VCRs too much back then, and the student center had a little, all the colleges had a little student union or student center where there was a TV that was usually turned to the soaps during the day, and ours was always turned to ABC soaps.
Suzanne: But then my last year transferred, and they showed Young and the Restless before All My Children, so. It started on the hat. So
Bryton James: they got hooked on the good one. That’s great.
Suzanne: They get you hooked. I’m very easily hooked. So I remember when you came on the show, you’d always, you always were, that’s what I was saying earlier about watching the Eclipse.
Suzanne: You were always such a great actor, even when you were young. You could see it in your first episodes. You had such great dramatic material and you, you know, I can see why you’re still, why they still keep bringing you back. Who were your greatest, influences, would you say acting?
Bryton James: Oh, gosh. I mean, overall, you know, I, some of my favorite actors are like, I used to, I used to recite the scenes from like the shining, cause I was such a fan of Jack Nicholson and.
Bryton James: Guys like Robert Downey Jr. and, but I mean when I got, when I got on Young and the Restless was the first time I really, I consider that my first acting job because even though I had done Family Matters, it was, you know, it was only a couple of lines here and there and it was all about timing and stuff like that.
Bryton James: I didn’t really understand what it meant to get better. Um, and then when I got to Y and R, I mean, I was immediately surrounded by, you know, the, the masters in this medium. And in particular, yeah, my storylines was, you know, a foster care storyline, which has, you know, enormous weight and seriousness and, um.
Bryton James: So immediately, Victoria Rowell and Christophe St. John and even, you know, Crystal, even though she had only been on for a couple of years at the time, I saw no difference in the levels, you know, between her and August and, you know, I, I felt right away this, this need to get better fast when I got, um, when I got to YNR.
Bryton James: But, um, but mostly I’d say, you know, Victoria Rao in particular, just because, um, the majority of the storylines that Devon went through in the first couple of years were real, um, stories that happened to Victoria. Real things that she actually experienced in her life. Um,
Suzanne: Hopefully not the lion attacking her.
Bryton James: Not the lion, not the lion. No, that’s, that took a step into fantasy a bit, but yeah. No, no. But now she was there to, you know, she, she, she mentored me a lot about, about how Devon and, you know, would be feeling going through a lot of things that I went through. Um, and then, you know, to have Christophe also to, to admire and look at as, as, you know, the father, my other father figure there, um, they were my two biggest ones for sure.
Bryton James: That’s
Suzanne: great. No, I, I, I interviewed, Christophe over the phone in 2015 and he was the nicest. One of the nicest people I ever talked to, and he was out running errands and taking his dog to the vet, but he still had total concentration talking to me. Oh, yeah. He’s one of the few back then, you know, they were all phone for me back then, that gave me his number.
Suzanne: He, he’s called with his own cell and said, call me if you need any follow up. No one does that. They’re like,
Bryton James: they have
Suzanne: like, practically no one does it. You know, they do a publicist and, you know, I have to call into a number or something like that. So that was, that just blew me away.
Bryton James: Hey, I’ll give you my number so you can have any follow up.
Suzanne: It was just so amazing to me.
Bryton James: But he is, I mean, that sounds like him. He was, yeah, he was absolutely one of.
Suzanne: Yeah.
Bryton James: Sorry. We had to cut out for just a
Suzanne: second. Yeah, he was great. And, you know, I had watched him before Young and the Restless. On generations when he starred in that as a young guy, Adam. And so I love seeing him as an even better character on young.
Suzanne: The rest is because Adam was kind of boring. He was like always a nice kid and everything, but Neil had all these layers. And so,
Bryton James: Oh yeah. You know, it was really crazy too. When, when, They had Telma Hopkins who played my father on Family Matters come on and do a few episodes of YNR. She was telling me about how in that studio, and in particular, I believe it was on stage 33, which is right across from where we film, was the first soundstage she ever worked on, on a television show.
Bryton James: And they had this variety show that they did with Tony Lando and Don. Yeah, I
Suzanne: watched that. I was in, I watched that.
Bryton James: She showed me an episode and a scene that she did with Christoph when he was, I think, 11 or 12 years old.
Suzanne: That’s cool. That’s right. And,
Bryton James: yeah. So to get to see that, that they, it’s such a small world.
Bryton James: Yeah.
Suzanne: Well, especially in Hollywood, I guess.
Bryton James: Oh yeah.
Suzanne: and, actually, the, one of the things I really loved about when Drusilla came on, you know, she was like a real person, you know, she’d been a street kid and all that. And, I was a foster kid, so I really loved her story and yours and enjoyed it a lot.
Suzanne: And I’m always grateful for the charity work that you both do. For kids and foster kids. So thank you.
Bryton James: Absolutely. I thank you. I thank you for those kind of words. And I thank the show also for, for taking that, that, that leap into doing the storyline. Actually, it also learned that that, um, Victoria Rao had approached, Bill Bell about doing a foster care storyline in the mid nineties, and they weren’t quite ready for it yet, which I’m thankful they weren’t because I think there would probably be a different Devon.
Bryton James: So
Suzanne: that’s funny. Um, so, you’ve had a lot of stories over the years, which were your favorites. Do you have any favorites?
Bryton James: Um, and I apologize for the noise. I’m having construction done inside. Okay, good. Um, my favorite storyline over the years, I think would have to be my, losing my hearing, um, just because, you know, to, to have to portray losing a sense, you really, you know, Can’t understand what that’s like unless you go through it.
Bryton James: So you really just, you know, you do as much studying as you can and, and homework and, and try to do the best job that you can do, but, um, really just because the challenge of it. And then one of my best experiences with a fan was I was out having lunch one day. They came by and left a note on the table, they’d written on a napkin and didn’t say anything.
Bryton James: They just left it and walked away. And, it was someone who also was deaf. And they told me how they had lost their hearing very early on in life. And they’d always watched Young and the Restless. And just commended me on the job that I was doing and portraying that. And that was, it meant the world to me.
Bryton James: That’s great.
Suzanne: Yeah, I have a friend a few years back. I remember exactly how many years she, she got meningitis, from a cat scratch. She has a bunch of cats
Bryton James: and
Suzanne: she lost part of her hearing. She’s, she lives the whole, you know, all of it, but it’s like one year or something.
Bryton James: Did she ever get any kind of hearing aids or, or the, I don’t think she does
Suzanne: enough to really make a huge difference in her life, but she almost died.
Suzanne: So it was pretty serious at the time. Yeah. So that’s a lot more common than you think. Yeah. You know, the cat scratch fever, it’s a real thing. Apparently it’s a
Bryton James: real thing.
Suzanne: So, um, yeah, about the death story. Okay. You were, you were a singer. You’re a singer and a musician. You played guitar since you were young.
Suzanne: and I seem to recall that Devon was interested in doing that and then he got, he was deaf. That didn’t, disappoint you that you didn’t get to do singing and musical things on the show after that?
Bryton James: No, not at all because, actually the only reason that they started incorporating music into Devon’s story was because they found out that I did music in real life.
Bryton James: And, I never really wanted to do music. I never like to incorporate music into Devon. Um, I, I, I love the idea of him, you know, wanting to be a producer and being behind the scenes, but as far as me singing or anything like that, no, no, I didn’t mind at all. It could have been
Suzanne: the next Danny Romalotti.
Bryton James: Nah, nah, I’ll leave that to the professionals.
Suzanne: I saw some of, I saw your video. It was really good.
Bryton James: That was another lifetime ago. So if I kept up the practicing, I would, I’d be more confident. But
Suzanne: right. Yeah, it does. You do have to keep practicing. What can you tell us about what’s in store for Devon coming up? I, I saw yesterday’s episode where he didn’t like that Billy sent the flowers and he popped the balloon.
Suzanne: That was really good.
Bryton James: Yeah, there’s, I mean, there’s gonna definitely be some more, escalation to the tension between Devon and Billy and just the whole working dynamic between Chancellor Winters. Um, that I think is, is going to lead to a big shakeup in the company. Um, I, I honestly don’t even know where that storyline is going to go.
Bryton James: I know what I hope for in Devon’s future is to, is to let him kind of be settled for a good amount of time with his love life. And, and so I want to, you know, walk down the aisle with Abby and really, you know, take on, take on the challenges together, take on challenges together as a couple and be the kind of 1 couple in love that you can look at and say, oh, there’s, you know, they don’t do bad things to each other.
Bryton James: And they’re, you know. They stay together. I really, I said in that interview and fans got on me about comparing us to Michael and Lauren, but I was saying that I want to eventually be the Michael and Lauren. I want Abby and Devon to be them because for such a long time, you couldn’t break those two up.
Bryton James: They didn’t cheat on each other. They didn’t do any, you know, so I’d like that. I’d like to see Abby and Devon. So. The romantic life grow.
Suzanne: Yeah, I was, I don’t want to be touched on a touchy subject here. But, you know, when, when they paired a long time ago, they paired, Neil and Victoria and then I guess fans in the South or something got upset about it.
Suzanne: And so they dropped it just like changed it completely.
Bryton James: Is that what happened?
Suzanne: Yeah, that’s, well, that’s what I read. I remember at the time, it seemed like they just dropped it abruptly. So, it’s, it’s such a different world today. And of course, for the better. And I doubt you get any hate mail for Tiff on,
Bryton James: no, I mean, if, if I do, I haven’t seen it, but, you know, even if there is, you know, you can’t, you can’t cater to, to that kind of thinking, you know, you, you gotta tell stories that, that evolve us, especially
Suzanne: in today’s world when there’s so much, I guess.
Suzanne: There and things are so of course, and, if you can bring back any character to the show, who would you bring? You can say more than one, if you don’t want to upset anyone.
Bryton James: Oh, sure. I, I would, um, I mean, I I’ve always, wanted. Victoria Rau to come back. I’ve always, you know, to see the, what happened to Drew.
Bryton James: We never found her body. So there’s always, even if you have found the body, there’s always an opening in soap operas to come back. Um, but no, I’d love to share the stage with Victoria again. And, and also, Daniel Goddard. He’s just such a great friend to me. And, um, um, always had so much fun on set and I know the fans love them too.
Bryton James: I’d love to see. Those two characters one day.
Suzanne: That would be great. I agree. And the actress, I can’t remember her name, is it? starts with an L. She played your sister and sang on the show. Oh, Lauren. Yeah, absolutely.
Bryton James: Gosh, Lauren, Lauren Lott. I, I want her to have her own show. That’s what I want. That girl is so insanely talented.
Bryton James: Isn’t
Suzanne: she?
Bryton James: She’s so amazing.
Suzanne: I, I interviewed her once for a, a potential Star Trek show that never came about, but we talked a lot about Young and the Restless and some other things. She’s just amazing.
Bryton James: Isn’t she fantastic? She’s just one of the best people I’ve ever met.
Suzanne: That’s yeah, she’s really nice.
Suzanne: She’s got a beautiful voice. Oh my gosh. So, um, let’s see. Nowadays, Devon is mostly involved in the corporate world. Um, are you content with that? Would you like, if he did something completely different? Like I remember when Neil, you know, just quit and went and opened a club. He’s done a lot. He did a lot of things like that.
Suzanne: Have something like that.
Bryton James: I agree. I can, I agree completely. We can bring back Indigo. no, yeah, that, that’s, For me, I’m, I mean, I’m always content with it. If they’re giving me storyline, regardless of what it is, if I’m working, I’m content and I love to be working. but I think any actor, um, always wants to be challenged.
Bryton James: So I would love to do something that’s completely out of the box, something that, you know, fans wouldn’t expect. And, Yeah. Something that. Come
Suzanne: the next Victor Newman.
Bryton James: We all want that. There’s only one. There’s only one. We all, we all aspire to. He
Suzanne: could, or he could have an evil twin, you know,
Bryton James: no more twins, no more twins.
Suzanne: Yeah. That was a little weird with Hillary and
Bryton James: Amanda.
Suzanne: So who else would you like to work on the show that you haven’t worked with very much?
Bryton James: Man, just about everybody. I mean, I know Josh Morrow, Nick and Devon are, you know, they’re, they’re friends on canvas and, and they, we’ve shared a couple storylines together a few years ago, but it hasn’t been much lately.
Bryton James: I’d love to see, you know, more of their friendship. Um, You don’t really see Devon and his friends, you know, he works with and love life and that’s it. Um, I’ve always loved working with and want to work more with Amelia. They had, they gave us a couple of scenes years ago, um, in, in the office and business dynamic that, but that was it.
Bryton James: And, we always have such so much fun off camera. I know we would be a blast to work on camera. Same with Josh. So.
Suzanne: Right. I think it would be great, especially since, Let’s see, I’m trying to remember the relationship, Abby.
Bryton James: Oh, Abby, they’re sisters. That’s my future sister in law. Yeah,
Suzanne: so you think they would interact, the Winters and the Newmans would interact a little bit more.
Bryton James: They’re in the family now, Dominic is a Newman slash Winters slash every other family.
Suzanne: Right, so, One more question. tell me about your app. I assume it’s pronounced disco. Yeah.
Bryton James: Yeah. Yeah.
Suzanne: Okay.
Bryton James: Let’s go. Let’s go. yeah, it’s, it’s, it’s an app that allows people to discover information and commonalities about the people around them in real time and then and be able to engage without having to physically approach.
Bryton James: So, for instance, like, if you, you know, you, you walk into a party or you go to, you know, any social setting, I realized a long time ago, the only option that 2 people have that any stranger has to get to know someone else is to have to walk up to them and shake their hand and introduce themselves and start a conversation.
Bryton James: You know, if you don’t have the time to do that, the ability, the confidence, um, you know, I wanted to, to try to figure out how to use technology to create a new bridge between strangers and
Suzanne: you and Daniel got and came up with this idea.
Bryton James: Yeah, yeah, he’s, I, I, I, was the, the idea spawned from me. I went to Daniel and got him on board and he became my business partner and we’ve been, we’ve been developing it and, we’re in the process of, of, getting it built.
Bryton James: We’ve, we built our, we self funded the build of a beta version that we tested over the, over a few years and, uh. And, yeah, it’s, it’s something to hoping people can expect. So,
Suzanne: you don’t have social anxiety, though.
Bryton James: I, no, I, I don’t. I don’t. I didn’t think so. You’re
Suzanne: pretty outgoing.
Bryton James: But, you know, I, I, um.
Bryton James: It’s funny because I was taught from a very young age of, and kind of coached on how to, you know, interact with people who would come up to me when I was starting on family matters. I was 3. 5 years old and people come up to me, you know, introducing themselves, you know, asking for autographs and asking me questions.
Bryton James: And I didn’t know at first, even how they knew me or what that was about until I learned what I did.
Suzanne: Right?
Bryton James: Um, and so, And then I, and so, you know, I was lucky enough and not everybody is lucky enough to have that kind of early age, you know, training on how to not, you know, to be confident. Um, but also I, I kind of had this realization that the people, any, the people who come up to, to, to me, or when I see them come up to other cast mates, they have this confidence when they feel like they know you because they do.
Bryton James: Sure. You know, in a sense, like we’re in their living rooms every day. So they, they. You know, and when you have a bit of information about someone, you know, you share commonality with somebody, you know, it gives them that that extra spark and extra bit of confidence to make a connection. And, um, I just wanted to be able to create that, for anybody.
Bryton James: So
Suzanne: you say it’s safe. How is it safe when you’re basically you’re meeting strangers and getting their information? How do you know that the person is giving you honest information and that they’re not trying to, I don’t know, scam you or something?
Bryton James: Sure. Well, well, like any app, we’ll have a verification process.
Bryton James: We’ll have anti catfishing, you know, um, features within the app and, and run the gamut of, of, of safety, you know, elements and features to make sure that, you know, who you’re engaging with is who they say they are. And again, you still. It’s up to the, at the end of the day, it’s up to the individual to make sure that they’re being responsible.
Bryton James: And there’ll be an age requirement to use the app and. Um, but yeah, we’re gonna, we’re gonna, we’re gonna make sure that we incorporate everything possible to make sure that we keep people safe on it.
Suzanne: Okay. And you said that you have several universities that are, um, what, investing in it or what are they doing?
Bryton James: Yeah, they, we’ve have several who’ve committed to, to adopting the app. Once we have it built, um, the last one we got was actually University of Kentucky. Um, to just agree to adopt and and and use it on campus for, um, for students who and faculty who may suffer from any form of social anxiety. And and have, you know, any kind of difficulties with making.
Bryton James: In person connections, we can all remember our 1st day of school, especially in college. You know, you, you, you’re on this campus and you’re, you’re everyone’s new. Your goal is to make, you know, you find your tribe and connections and your friends and it can be very, um, intimidating. And, yes, we, the schools have come on board to to adopt us as a tool for.
Bryton James: Students to use.
Suzanne: Well, it sounds very useful. I wish it had been around when I was first. We didn’t have phones and apps,
Bryton James: right? Yeah,
Suzanne: well, thank you very much for talking to me. I really enjoyed it.
Bryton James: Of course, thank you for taking time.
Suzanne: I have I met Victoria, when we were in Alabama, she. Was she’d written a book, one of her books, book tour.
Suzanne: And so I watched her speak and got an autograph and everything.
Bryton James: That’s fantastic.
Suzanne: And I’ve interviewed her a few times after that, but so I was
Bryton James: right.
Suzanne: Oh, she’s just so much fun. She just like, she’s a total character, you know, but in a good way, like a person, you know, I
Bryton James: do all the personality in the world.
Bryton James: And, and that’s why, you know, fans gravitated to her character so much. Cause she brought that to the table. So definitely.
Suzanne: Oh, and when I did interview Christop, because he was, he did a series of movies with her for the Up Network where they
Bryton James: Oh, yes, yes, yes. Yeah.
Suzanne: And we had talked mostly about that as well as young, the rest.
Suzanne: So that was, that was a lot of fun seeing them together again. And I, and I agree with you. I wish they would bring her back, but I don’t know. Somebody said somewhere yesterday, they could say she had been living somewhere else with Amnesia. Of
Bryton James: course
Suzanne: they’ve done that Fun
Bryton James: time. We found, we found Malcolm, right?
Bryton James: Malcolm was supposed to be off in bed and. Yeah,
THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, the #1 daytime drama for 32 consecutive years, is a continuing drama revolving around the loves, enmities, hopes and fears of the residents of the fictional Midwestern town of Genoa City.
The series’ 50th season premiered Friday, Sept. 30, 2022, on the CBS Television Network, and is available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.
ON AIR: Weekdays (12:30-1:30 PM, ET; 11:30 AM-12:30 PM, PT)
ORIGINATION:Los Angeles
FORMAT:Daytime drama (HD)
ORIGINAL PREMIERE DATE:March 26, 1973
CAST (alphabetically):
Lauralee Bell
(Christine Blair Williams)
Peter Bergman
(Jack Abbott)
Eric Braeden
(Victor Newman)
Tracey Bregman
(Lauren Fenmore Baldwin)
Sharon Case
(Sharon Newman)
Doug Davidson
(Paul Williams)
Eileen Davidson
(Ashley Abbott)
Sean Dominic
(Dr. Nate Hastings)
Melissa Claire Egan
(Chelsea Lawson)
Cait Fairbanks
(Tessa Porter)
Conner Floyd
(Phillip “Chance” Chancellor IV)
Rory Gibson
(Noah Newman)
Camryn Grimes
(Mariah Copeland)
Mark Grossman
(Adam Newman)
Amelia Heinle
(Victoria Newman)
Elizabeth Hendrickson
(Chloe Mitchell)
Courtney Hope
(Sally Spectra)
Bryton James
(Devon Hamilton)
Christel Khalil
(Lily Ashby)
Allison Lanier
(Summer Newman)
Christian J. Le Blanc
(Michael Baldwin)
Kate Linder
(Esther Valentine)
Beth Maitland
(Traci Abbott)
Michael Mealor
(Kyle Abbott)
Mishael Morgan
(Amanda Sinclair)
Joshua Morrow
(Nicholas Newman)
Melissa Ordway
(Abby Newman)
Greg Rikaart
(Kevin Fisher)
Brytni Sarpy
(Elena Dawson)
Melody Thomas Scott
(Nikki Newman)
Zuleyka Silver
(Audra Charles)
Michelle Stafford
(Phyllis Summers)
Trevor St. John
(Tucker McCall)
Jason Thompson
(Billy Abbott)
Jess Walton
(Jill Abbott)
Kelsey Wang
(Allie Nguyen)
PRODUCED BY:
Bell Dramatic Serial Company in association with Sony Pictures Television
CREATORS:
William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell
CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCER/
HEAD WRITER:
Josh Griffith
SUPERVISING PRODUCERS:
John Fisher
PRODUCERS:
Matthew J. Olsen, Jonathan Fishman, Vivian Gundaker, and Elizabeth LeBrun
Interview with Patton Oswalt, host of “The 1% Club” on Amazon Prime Video and FOX by Suzanne 4/30/24
This was a wonderful interview! I’ve enjoyed Patton’s work ever since I saw him in “Justified” (one of the best shows on TV), where he played Constable Bob. He’s done so many wonderful shows and movies, as well as his great standup act. I don’t watch many game shows, but this new one is smart and funny. It’s very challenging. If you love “Jeopardy,” you should love this one, too. It airs tomorrow, May 23, on Prime Video, and then airs again on FOX, starting Monday, June 3.
They only gave me 6 minutes with him, so I was talking pretty fast. I hope you can understand me! Enjoy!
Coming to Prime Video On May 23, 2024* *All new episodes of The 1% Club will be available for Prime Video customers weekly starting May 23, and will also air on FOX, on Mondays beginning June 3.*US, CAN ONLY
‘The 1% Club’, where the questions have nothing to do with remembering little known facts, endless reams of dates or obscure quiz trivia, as instead they are all about applying logic, reasoning skills and common sense. The show begins with 100 contestants, who are then whittled down as they compete to make it to the end and answer a question only 1% of the country can get right, in hopes of winning up to 100,000 dollars.
Patton Oswalt continues to leave his distinctive imprint across all areas of entertainment, from his award-winning comedy specials to his many guest roles on television. His most recent comedy special We All Scream (which also marked his directorial debut) launched on Netflix in late 2022 and Oswalt was nominated for a Grammy for his comedy album. Last year, he also starred in the Magnolia Pictures comedy I Love My Dad, winner of the Grand Jury and Audience awards at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival. Oswalt was nominated for a Critics Choice Award for his performance in Jason Reitman’s film Young Adult, starring opposite Charlize Theron. In 2009, he also received critical acclaim for his performance in Robert Siegel’s Big Fan; the film was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and Oswalt earned a Gotham Award nomination for his performance. Oswalt has appeared in many films, including The Circle, alongside Tom Hanks, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Zoolander, both directed by Ben Stiller, Steven Soderbergh’s The Informant with Matt Damon, and alongside Seth Rogen in Jody Hill’s Observe and Report, as well as Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia and Todd Phillips’ Starsky and Hutch. Oswalt’s past television work includes memorable roles on Parks and Recreation, which brought him a TV Critics Choice Award, A.P. Bio, Veep, United States of Tara, Seinfeld (his TV acting debut), and many more. He is also very well known for playing ‘Spence’ on The King of Queens for nine seasons. Oswalt is also the narrator on ABC’s hit comedy The Goldbergs. He provided the voice for ‘Remy’ the rat in Pixar’s Oscar® winner Ratatouille, and his other voice credits include ‘Max’ in The Secret Life of Pets 2, Sorry To Bother You, the SYFY series Happy!, Rick and Morty, Archer, and BoJack Horseman. In 2020, Oswalt’s Emmy nominated Netflix special I Love Everything was widely applauded upon release, and he received a Grammy nomination for his comedy album of the same name. In 2017, he received Grammy and Emmy nominations for his album and Netflix special Annihilation, which addresses his own devastating loss and dealing with the unexplainable, while making it all painfully funny. In 2016, he won the Emmy for ‘Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special’ for his sixth comedy special Talking for Clapping and a Grammy Award in 2017 for his comedy album. He has been nominated for a total of six Grammys and four Emmys. Oswalt has shot eight TV specials and released seven critically acclaimed albums — in 2009, Patton received his first Grammy nomination for his album My Weakness Is Strong.
Credits
Executive Producers
Wes Kauble
Ryan O’Dowd
Krystal Whitney
Dean Nabarro
Andy Auerbach
Patton Oswalt
Craig Brooks
Ronnie Hysten
Interview with Mandela Van Peebles, Em Haine and Savannah Basley of “Reginald the Vampire” on Syfy by Suzanne 4/30/24
It was fun to speak to these actors again! Last time I spoke with them was for the TCA panel before season 1. This time I had more time with them, so that was great (although, not with the main star, Jacob Batalon, unfortunately). The show is a lot of fun. Even though it’s horror, it has a lot of humor. If you haven’t checked it out yet, you should. Enjoy these videos and don’t miss the season 2 premiere May 8 on Syfy!
Reginald Andres finally got his life together – when he was turned into a vampire. While he doesn’t fit into the stereotypical expectations of what a vampire looks like – he’s not chiseled or classically handsome – Reginald has found his place amongst an unlikely cohort that includes the cool vampire who sired him, the former vampire chieftain turned unexpected ally (or is she?), and his co-worker/former girlfriend. A show with a lot of heart and just enough blood, “Reginald the Vampire” proves the undead life is just as complicated as life itself.
“Reginald the Vampire” is produced by Great Pacific Media Inc., Modern Story Company, December Films and Cineflix Studios and executive produced by Harley Peyton, Jeremiah Chechik, Todd Berger, Lindsay Macadam, Brett Burlock and Peter Emerson. The series is based on the book series by Johnny B. Truant.
Mandela Van Peebles
Maurice Miller, “Reginald the Vampire”
Mandela Van Peebles will play Maurice Miller on the new SYFY series “Reginald the Vampire,” which premieres Oct. 5 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
Van Peebles most recently recurred on Taylor Sheridan’s drama series “The Mayor of Kingstown.” He recently guest starred on season 2 of “Wu-Tang: An American Saga” and appeared in the biopic “Salt N Pepa.”
Past film work includes a starring role in “Jigsaw,” the latest installment of the “Saw” franchise, and USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage.”
Other television work includes the 2016 Emmy Award-nominated miniseries “Roots.”
Em Haine
Sarah Kinney, “Reginald the Vampire”
Em Haine plays Sarah Kinney in the new SYFY series “Reginald the Vampire,” which premieres Oct. 5 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
Born in Vancouver, B.C., Haine is the only child of an Austrian father and French-Canadian mother. They eventually moved to London to study the Meisner technique at the Actors Temple. While in both New York and Los Angeles, Haine took up Improv at the Upright Citizens Brigade.
Haine’s first break came with the role of oddball Noreen Vanderslice in the critically acclaimed miniseries “Fargo.” Other TV credits include “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” and “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers.”
On the film side, Haine has appeared in “Deadpool,” “Tully” and the indie “Gregoire.”
Savannah Basley
Angela Hibbert, “Reginald the Vampire”
Savannah Basley plays Angela Hibbert in the new SYFY series “Reginald the Vampire,” which premieres Oct. 5 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.
Basley’s first TV role was in “The Art of More and she has subsequently appeared in multiple series, including “Tales from the Hood,” “Coroner,” “Utopia Falls” and “Wynonna Earp.” She’ll soon return for the second season of “SurrealEstate.”
Her first film role was in the 2015 short “White Lock,” which won the Special Jury Prize at the Amsterdam Film Festival.
Basley is a dual Canadian-US citizen, the daughter of a Canadian mom and an American military veteran.
Interview with Blake Crouch (Executive Producer, Writer, Showrunner) and Matt Tolmach (Executive Producer) of “Dark Matter” on Apple TV+ by Suzanne 4/28/24
This is a really great scifi series with lots of twists and turns. The next-to-last episode is mind-bending, and the finale is very satisfying. You will enjoy it. The cast is phenomenal. I was honored to interview these two. Blake Crouch created the novel (and many others) that this show is based on, and he’s also the showrunner (that doesn’t happen too often). He and Matt Tolmach are a great team. Enjoy the video below, but don’t miss this show!
Hailed as one of the best sci-fi novels of the decade, “Dark Matter” is a story about the road not taken. The series will follow Jason Dessen (played by Joel Edgerton), a physicist, professor and family man who — one night while walking home on the streets of Chicago — is abducted into an alternate version of his life. Wonder quickly turns to nightmare when he tries to return to his reality amid the mind-bending landscape of lives he could have lived. In this labyrinth of realities, he embarks on a harrowing journey to get back to his true family and save them from the most terrifying, unbeatable foe imaginable: himself.
RELEASE DATE:
Wednesday, May 8, 2024 exclusively on Apple TV+
The nine-episode first season will premiere globally with the first two episodes on Wednesday, May 8, 2024 followed by one new episode weekly through Wednesday, June 26, 2024.
ABOUT APPLE TV+:
Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for $9.99 per month with a seven-day trial. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.
Interview with actor Enrique Arrizon, co-creator Austin Winsberg and showrunner Sam Laybourne of “Acapulco” on Apple TV+ by Suzanne 4/12/24
I love this show because it’s very funny and has a lot of heart. It was my pleasure to interview Enrique again and to pick the brains of Austin and Sam. I hope you enjoy the show!
“Acapulco,” the hit bilingual Apple Original comedy series starring and executive produced by Emmy and SAG-Award winner Eugenio Derbez, returns to Las Colinas for season three on Wednesday, May 1, 2024.
In season three of “Acapulco,” it’s time to reconcile past mistakes and exciting new beginnings. In the present story, older Máximo (Derbez) finds himself returning to a Las Colinas he no longer recognizes. While in 1985, younger Máximo (Enrique Arrizon) continues his climb up the ladder of success while potentially jeopardizing all the relationships he’s worked so hard to build.
In addition to Derbez and Arrizon, the returning “Acapulco” ensemble cast includes Fernando Carsa, Damián Alcázar, Camila Perez, Vanessa Bauche, Regina Reynoso, Raphael Alejandro, Jessica Collins, Rafael Cebrián, Carlos Corona and Regina Orozco, with recurring guest stars Cristo Fernandez (“Ted Lasso”) and Jaime Camil (“Schmigadoon”).
Hailing from Lionsgate Television, “Acapulco” is inspired by 3Pas Studios and Pantelion Films’ box office hit “How to Be A Latin Lover,” and is produced for Apple by Lionsgate Television, 3Pas Studios, Zihuatanejo Productions and The Tannenbaum Company. In addition to starring in the series, Derbez serves as executive producer alongside Ben Odell. The series is created by Austin Winsberg, Eduardo Cisneros and Jason Shuman. Winsberg also executive produces with Sam Laybourne who serves as showrunner and executive producer. Jaime Eliezer Karas, as well as Eric and Kim Tannenbaum also executive produce along with Jason Wang on behalf of The Tannenbaum Company.
Cast & Crew
Season 3
Eugenio Derbez
Enrique Arrizon
Fernando Carsa
Damián Alcázar
Camila Perez
Chord Overstreet
Vanessa Bauche
Jessica Collins
Raphael Alejandro
Regina Reynoso
Rafael Cebrián
Carlos Corona
Regina Orozco
Cristo Fernández
Jaime Camil
Executive Producers
Eugenio Derbez
Benjamin Odell
Eric Tannenbaum
Kim Tannenbaum
Jason Wang
Austin Winsberg
Jaime Eliezer Karas
Sam Laybourne
Enrique Arrizon (Born in Ciudad de México, December 8, 1993) is a Mexican television actor and conductor. He studied performance at the Shakespeare and CasAzul Forum. In cinema he stood out in the film “The Daughters of April,” a film production for which he obtained recognition at the Cannes Film Festival. He was also known for renowned programs produced for Televisa and Cartoon Network. On television, he debuted on the Televisa soap opera, entitled “The Champion’s Chief.” Follow him on Instagram
Interview with Julian Works and Paulina Chávez of the film “The Long Game” by Suzanne 4/5/24
This is a really good movie, so you don’t want to miss it. It’s entertaining, it has great characters and acting, and it also has a lot of heart. It’s based on a true story, which gives it validity. Also, it resonates in today’s world, where there’s still a lot of prejudice against any immigrants, or any people with dark skin. I enjoyed speaking with stars Julian Works (who plays Joe Trevino) and Paulina Chávez (who plays his girlfriend, Daniela). You can also see Works in “9-1-1: Lone Star” – Season 5 premieres this Fall. I would have loved to speak to the other stars – Jay Hernandez, Dennis Quaid, Cheese Marin – as well. They all doing an outstanding job in the movie.
MORE INFO:
THE LONGGAME
Based On the Book “Mustang Miracle” By Humberto G. Garcia
Starring Jay Hernandez, Dennis Quaid, Cheech Marin
Executive Produced by Canelo Álvarez
WILL BE RELEASED IN THEATERS NATIONWIDE ON APRIL 12, 2024
In 1956, JB Peña and his wife moved to the small town of Del Rio, TX, partly for a job as a school superintendent, but mostly to fulfill JB’s dream of joining the prestigious, all-white Del Rio Country Club. So when JB is rejected on the basis of his skin color, he is devastated. But his world soon collides with a group of young latino golf caddies who work at the country club, and JB is inspired by the handmade course the boys built in the country to teach themselves golf. With little experience and even fewer resources, JB convinces the boys to start their own high school golf team, starting them all on a journey where they learn that it takes more than just golf skills to make history. Based on Mustang Miracle by Humberto G. Garcia.
Julian Works most recently starred in the Blumhouse anthology series “Into The Dark: School Spirit,” and recurred in the cable drama “The Affair,” opposite Dominic West. His additional credits include the drama series “American Crime,” as well as the feature films “Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones” and the Sundance Film Festival Award nominee “All She Can.”
Mexican American Actress Paulina Chávez (“The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia”, “Fate: The Winx Saga”) will star opposite Eva Longoria, Cheech Marin, and Jesse Garcia in the Disney+ feature film Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.
Chávez will play ‘Mia Garcia’, the 16-year-old sister to ‘Alexander’ who is every inch an independent minded, intelligent, eye-rolling teenager. Convinced that her 11-year-old brother Alexander has the worst luck in the entire world, Mia is frequently appalled and horrified as the family road trip disintegrates into disaster after disaster. But, oddly enough, when they’ve lost just about everything and it’s just the family and nature, Mia is the first one to appreciate the beauty of the world around them, which clearly touches her.From writer Matt Lopez and director Marvin Lemus, Alexander tells the story of 11-year-old Alexander Garcia who feels like he is the unluckiest kid in the world. The film is produced by Shawn Levy, Dan Levine, and Lisa Henson. Marisol Roncali and Chelsea Ellis Bloch serve as casting directors.
Chávez is best known for her breakthrough leading role as the titular ‘Ashley Garcia’, the world’s first and only 15-year-old robotics engineer and rocket scientist, in Netflix’s “The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia”. Most recently, she starred as the series regular ‘Flora’ in Netflix’s sci-fi/fantasy series “Fate: The Winx Saga.” A rising star in both film and television, her film THE LONG GAME is set to premiere at the upcoming SXSW Festival on March 12th, 2023. The film is based on the true story five young Mexican-American golf caddies who against the odds would go on and successfully compete against wealthy all-white golf teams in 1955 South Texas.
Born in El Paso, TX, at the age of six Paulina and her family moved to San Antonio, TX where she discovered her love of acting through her school’s theater program. She joined drama club in second grade and immersed herself in theatre, playing lead roles in Aladdin Jr., Beauty and the Beast Jr., The Little Mermaid Jr. among others. She began auditioning and booking roles for various short films, movies, voice-overs, regional commercials, as well as national TV commercials for Coca-Cola and ‘Food Feuds: Latin Food’ alongside award-winning chef Aarón Sánchez. She additionally landed co-starred as ‘Isabella’ in the thriller-series “Padre Pio” and landed the role of ‘Young Kim Kardashian’ in the TV series, “Scandal Made Me Famous”.
In addition to acting, Paulina’s other passion is music and she began taking vocal lessons at a young age in preparation for musicals. She counts a wide range of musical influences including Shakira, Alejandro Fernandez, Luis Miguel, and Billie Eilish. Paulina also played the violin in a San Antonio-based mariachi group which she continually praises for helping maintain her connection to her Latin roots.
When she is not acting or singing, animal lover Paulina enjoys spending time with her rescue cats Whiskey and Bublé. She is also an advocate for the Latinx community and focuses her attention on giving back. Paulina began offering a yearly scholarship for youth within her local San Antonio community in 2020. Is is currently working in partnership with The Salvation Army SA to select students for her scholarship ‘Be Your Own Kind of Genius’.
You can follow Paulina Chávez on Instagram at @PaulinafChavez.
Directed by Julio Quintana
Written by Julio Quintana, Jennifer C. Stetson & Paco Farias
Starring Jay Hernandez, Dennis Quaid, Cheech Marin, Julian Works, Jaina Lee Ortiz, Brett Cullen, Oscar Nunez, Richard Robichaux, Paulina Chavez
Produced by Javier Chapa, Ben Howard, Dennis Quaid, Laura Quaid, Marla Quintana
Executive Produced by Canelo Álvarez, Jay Hernandez, Phillip Braun, Jason Michael Gerber, Sherrese Clarke Soares, Alexis Garcia, Humberto G. Garcia, Christian Sosa, John Williams, Veronica B. Jones, Jennifer Kuczaj, Simon Wise, Colleen Barshop, Vincent Cordero, Carlos Osorio, Juan Pablo Solano Vergara, Simón Beltrán Echeverri, Brian Eddy, Jeff Grossberg, Jack Shemtov, Ricky Joshi, Jeff Moseley, Julio M. Quintana, Jennifer Kuczaj, Michael E. Hollingsworth, Matthew Dwyer, David E. Campbell, Tim Mahler, Carter Pope, Jesse Mandujano
Interview with Barbara Niven of “One Bad Apple A Hannah Swensen Mystery” on Hallmark Mystery by Suzanne 4/3/24
Barbara Niven seems very sweet, and it was a delight to chat with her. I had a friend sitting nearby listening, and after the interview, she said, “Wow, she sounds really nice!” While it’s true that actors are good at hiding their feelings, and they’re paid to pretend, I think that Barbara’s real-life kindness comes through in her roles and interviews. She clearly has so much fun playing Delores in these movies. Delores is a little kooky, but she means well. Make sure you watch the movie because it’s fun, and it’s a good mystery! It airs tonight, 4/5/24, as the 9th film in the series.
Summary: Hannah meets a new side of law & order as she investigates a murder and crosses paths with by the books prosecuting attorney Chad Norton. Meanwhile, Delores has a secret.
Press Release: ALISON SWEENEY STARS IN, WRITES AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCES
ONE BAD APPLE: A HANNAH SWENSEN MYSTERY
PREMIERING LATER THIS YEAR ON HALLMARK MYSTERY
Sweeney Reunites On-Screen with Victor Webster Who Joins the Cast of the
Long-Running, Fan-Favorite Franchise
Gabriel Hogan, Barbara Niven, Tess Atkins and Lisa Durupt Also Star
Alison Sweeney (Love & Jane, Days of Our Lives)
returns as everyone’s favorite baker-turned amateur sleuth Hannah Swensen and reunites with
her “The Wedding Veil” trilogy co-star Victor Webster (Mystery on Mistletoe Lane, A Christmas Cookie Catastrophe) for One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, premiering Friday, April 5 (9 p.m. ET/PT), on Hallmark Mystery. Sweeney wrote the script, which is based on the novel Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke, and is executive producer on the movie. Gabriel Hogan (Tacoma FD) Barbara Niven (Ms. Christmas Comes to Town), Tess Atkins (The Flash), and Lisa Durupt (Heartland) reprise their roles.
Hannah Swensen (Sweeney) has been asked to teach a baking class at the college in town, but her equipment is tampered with causing an explosion that the fire department rules an accident. Soon, a colleague ends up dead and Hannah begins to put together the puzzle of the mysterious circumstances surrounding the murder while being on the list of suspects herself. Hannah leans on her friends and family to collect the breadcrumbs of foul play and put them together, and meets a different side of law and order when she crosses paths with Lake Eden’s by-the book prosecuting attorney Chad Norton (Webster). “One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery” is from Lighthouse Pictures in association with Looking Glass Productions. Craig Baumgarten, Sweeney, Jamie Goehring and Shawn Williamson are executive producers. John J. Fluke serves as co-executive producer. The movie is produced by Kevin Leslie. B. F. Painter is associate producer. Shannon Kohli directed from a script by Sweeney, based on the book Apple Turnover Murder by Joanne Fluke.
BARBARA NIVEN (Delores) – Barbara Niven is an actor, producer and speaker. She’s also a fierce advocate for human and animal rights. As a mother and grandmother, she knows there is nothing more important than saving this planet and all the beings that live on it.
During her acting career, she has appeared in more than 100 film and TV roles and 2500 TV and radio commercials. She also served three years on the National Board of Directors for the Screen Actors Guild.
For six seasons, Niven starred in the Hallmark Channel original primetime series Chesapeake Shores. She has starred in the Hallmark movie original USS Christmas, four installments of Hallmark Channel’s Christmas in Evergreen movie franchise in addition to Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ popular Crossword Mysteries, appearing in all installments. Niven starred with Alison Sweeney in the popular Murder She Baked franchise and reprised her role in Sweet Revenge: A Hannah Swensen Mystery in 2021 as well as Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, and A Zest for Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, both of which premiered last year. She also was in Hallmark Channel’s first original primetime series, Cedar Cove. Most recently, Niven starred the 2023 original movie Ms. Christmas Comes to Town, which was part of Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ Miracles of Christmas programming event. Other credits including starring roles in Christmas at the Golden Dragon, The Christmas Contest and North to Home for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. Her performance as Marilyn Monroe in HBO’s The Rat Pack continues to garner praise as “one of the top three portrayals of the blonde icon on Film & TV.”
Niven has also gained international acclaim as Hollywood’s Top Media Trainer and Video Marketing Coach. She created her Unleash Your Star Power!™ system so she could teach people how to hone their message, overcome fear and, use video and public speaking to dominate their niche.
Niven is also a celebrity speaker and best-selling author. Business and motivational topics include Unleash Your Star Power!, Be a Video Marketing Superstar, ACT As If, Live Your Dreams! And Eating Disorders and Pressures to be Perfect.
Niven is a huge animal welfare advocate, a National Ambassador for American Humane and was a regular presenter for Hallmark Channel’s televised American Humane American Hero Dog Awards\ each year. She currently has two rescued dogs named Norma Jean and Brando, and two rescued feral cats named George and Henry (named after her father, George Henry).
Her motto? “Live your passion, connect to your purpose, make a difference. And don’t give up five minutes before the miracle.”
Interview with George Lopez, Selenis Leyva and Al Madrigal of “Lopez Vs. Lopez” on NBC by Suzanne 3/28/24
This was a short interview, but it was a lot of fun. I was embarrassed that I had noted the wrong name for Selenis’ character, but Al made me feel better about it. Then Al gave a completely non-serious deadpan answer to the question I asked him! George then intervened with a comment about “Green Acres” (not really sure what the relevance was). After I thanked them for their time, George asked me if I had watched the new “Shogun” miniseries, so I replied, “No.”I should have said, “Not yet,” or “I would love to talk to you any time about TV shows, but they only gave me 5 minutes! Sorry!” I had to leave in the middle while he was talking because I didn’t want the NBC PR to be annoyed with me…
George Lopez and his daughter, Mayan, return to NBC to put the fun back in dysfunctional family comedy. This time there will be big life changes for Mayan and the whole Lopez familia while George takes his first step in sobriety. Get ready for another season of Lopez vs Lopez that will have you laughing, crying and shouting ‘ta loca!
George Lopez
George Lopez/Executive Producer, “Lopez vs. Lopez”
George Lopez plays himself and serves as executive producer on the NBC comedy “Lopez vs. Lopez.”
Lopez’s illustrious and multi-faceted career encompasses television, film, stand-up comedy and late-night television. Lopez has broken ground for Latino comics by embracing his ethnicity, confronting racial stereotypes, and fighting for his community on and off the stage.
Lopez can be seen in Snoop Dogg’s sports comedy “The Underdoggs” and the indie “How the Gringo Stole Christmas,” directed by Angel Gracia. Lopez joined the DC Extended Universe last summer in “Blue Beetle.”
He will release the third installment of his middle-grade novel series, “Chupacarter and the Screaming Sombrero,” in March and is currently performing stand-up in arenas across the country on his “ALLLRIIIIGHHTTT!” comedy tour.
Lopez has four HBO specials: “The Wall,” “It’s Not Me, It’s You,” Tall, Dark and Chicano,” which was nominated for a Best Comedy Album Grammy Award, and “America’s Mexican.” His acclaimed comedy concert “Why You Crying?” debuted on Showtime in 2004. He released his third stand-up CD, the Grammy-nominated “El Mas Chingon,” in 2006 and was nominated for his first Grammy two years earlier for “Team Leader.”
Lopez produced and starred in “Lopez,” a semi-autobiographical sitcom for two seasons on TV Land. In 2014, Lopez co-created and starred in the multi-camera ensemble comedy “Saint George” for FX. He hosted TBS’ inaugural late-night talk show, “Lopez Tonight,” for two seasons, marking his return to series television after co-creating, writing, producing and starring in the groundbreaking hit sitcom “George Lopez,” which ran for six seasons on ABC.
Lopez’s film credits include “Walking with Herb,” “No Man’s Land,” “The Tax Collector,” “El Chicano,” “Valentine’s Day,” “The Spy Next Door” and “The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.” He starred in and produced the drama “Spare Parts,” based on a true story about four undocumented Mexican American teens who team up to build a robot for a national competition. Lopez was the focus of the award-winning documentary “Brown Is the New Green: George Lopez and the American Dream,” as he struggles to stand for Latinos in a manner true to their realities and aspirations.
Lopez has lent his voice to a string of animated hit films, including “Gnome Alone,” “Escape From Planet Earth,” “Rio,” “Smurfs,” “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” and “Cats & Dogs.”
In 2004, Lopez’s autobiography “Why You Crying?” earned a spot on The New York Times bestseller List. Lopez released his second memoir in 2013, “I’m Not Gonna Lie and Other Lies You Tell When You Turn 50.”
Time magazine named him one of the 25 Most Influential Hispanics in America in 2005 and the Harris Poll named him one of the Top Ten Favorite Television Personalities. The following year, Lopez received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Selenis Leyva
Rosie “Lopez vs. Lopez”
Selenis Leyva portrays Rosie on the NBC comedy “Lopez vs. Lopez.”
Leyva is best known for her role as Gloria Mendoza on the Netflix critically acclaimed series “Orange Is the New Black.” She recently appeared alongside Michael B. Jordan in the hit film “Creed III.”
Leyva starred alongside John Boyega and Connie Britton in the film “Breaking,” which was nominated for an NAACP Image Award (Best Indie Film) and won the Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast in the U.S. Dramatic Competition. She also won a 2021 Gracie Award for her work on the Disney+ original series “Diary of a Future President,” which honors standout women in entertainment and news that addressed timely topics and social issues.
Leyva is an outspoken activist for LGBTQ+ rights and often is invited to college campuses to speak on diversity and inclusion. Selenis most recently promoted the release of her memoir, “My Sister: How One Sibling’s Transition Changes Us Both.”
Leyva was awarded the Anti-Violence Project’s 2016 Courage Award and the Stonewall Community Foundation’s Vision Award for inspiring visibility, advocacy and outspoken support for the transgender community. She has been featured in publications such as the Huffington Post, Time magazine’s Motto, People magazine’s Latina Love Project Series and Splinter.
Al Madrigal
Oscar, “Lopez vs. Lopez”
Al Madrigal stars as Oscar on the NBC comedy “Lopez vs. Lopez.”
Madrigal is best known as the senior Latino correspondent on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and whose film credits include “The Way Back,” starring Ben Affleck, and “Night School,” alongside Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish.
Madrigal has written for multiple series, including “I’m Dying Up Here” and “Broke,” and is currently developing multiple projects within his current deal at CBS Studios.
In 2022, Madrigal teamed up with AWA and former Marvel Editor in Chief Axel Alonso to release “Primos.” As an entrepreneur, Madrigal and fellow comedian Bill Burr founded the podcast “All Things Comedy.” The ATC network is producing several films and series, including “Old Dads” for Netflix and “Drugstore June.”
Interview with actors Sonequa Martin-Green, Doug Jones, David Ajala, Wilson Cruz, Mary Wiseman, and Blu del Barrio; and executive producers Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise of “Star Trek: Discovery” on Paramount+ by Suzanne 3/10/24
This was so much fun! I’m a huge Trekkie (since the 60s!), so it was great to speak to these actors on this press roundtable. I’m sad that the show is ending, but it’s an exciting last season. You don’t want to miss it. FINAL SEASON STREAMING APRIL 4!
One note: One of the interviewers is edited out because she kept asking spoiler questions. I might put her back in after the season is over, if I have time.
Sonequa Martin-Green (Captain Michael Burnham)
Doug Jones (Saru) and David Ajala (Cleveland “Book” Booker)
Wilson Cruz (Dr. Hugh Culber), Mary Wiseman (Sylvia Tilly), and Blu del Barrio (Adira)
Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise (co-showrunners/EPs)
The fifth and final season of STAR TREK: DISCOVERY finds Captain Burnham and the crew of the U.S.S. Discovery uncovering a mystery that will send them on an epic adventure across the galaxy to find an ancient power whose very existence has been deliberately hidden for centuries. But there are others on the hunt as well … dangerous foes who are desperate to claim the prize for themselves and will stop at nothing to get it.
STAR TREK: DISCOVERY season five stars Sonequa Martin-Green as Captain Michael Burnham, Doug Jones as Saru, Anthony Rapp as Paul Stamets, Mary Wiseman as Sylvia Tilly, Wilson Cruz as Dr. Hugh Culber, David Ajala as Cleveland “Book” Booker, Blu del Barrio as Adira, and Callum Keith Rennie as Rayner. Season five also features recurring guest stars’ Elias Toufexis as L’ak and Eve Harlow as Moll.
The series is produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment. Alex Kurtzman, Michelle Paradise, Heather Kadin, Aaron Baiers, Olatunde Osunsanmi, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth serve as executive producers. Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise serve as co-showrunners.
STAR TREK: DISCOVERY seasons one through four are currently streaming exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S., the U.K., Switzerland, South Korea, Latin America, Germany, France, Italy, Australia and Austria. Seasons two and three are also available on the Pluto TV “Star Trek” channel in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. In Canada, it airs on Bell Media’s CTV Sci-Fi Channel. STAR TREK: DISCOVERY is distributed by Paramount Global Content Distribution.
AVAILABILITY:
Premieres April 2024 on Paramount+ in the U.S. and international territories.
FORMAT:
Action/Sci-Fi (Filmed in HD)
STARRING:
Sonequa Martin-Green
(Captain Michael Burnham)
Doug Jones
(Saru)
Anthony Rapp
(Paul Stamets)
Mary Wiseman
(Sylvia Tilly)
Wilson Cruz
(Dr. Hugh Culber)
David Ajala
(Cleveland “Book” Booker)
Blu del Barrio
Callum Keith Rennie
(Adira)
(Rayner)
RECURRING GUEST STARS:
Elias Toufexis
Eve Harlow
Tig Notaro
David Cronenberg
(L’ak)
(Moll)
(Cmdr. Jett Reno)
(Kovich)
PRODUCED BY:
CBS Studios, Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS:
CO- SHOWRUNNERS:
Alex Kurtzman, Michelle Paradise, Heather Kadin, Aaron Baiers, Olatunde Osunsanmi, Frank Siracusa, John Weber, Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth
Alex Kurtzman and Michelle Paradise
Sonequa Martin-Green
Sonequa Martin-Green is a versatile actress who continues to evolve her impressive body of work with ground-breaking, complex roles and memorable performances across television, film and the stage.
Martin-Green will next be seen in Warner Brothers’ “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” starring alongside LeBron James and Don Cheadle. The film is a sequel to the 1996 film “Space Jam,” the highest-grossing basketball movie of all time.
Most recently, she starred in “The Outside Story,” a Brooklyn-based indie comedy-drama led by Brian Tyree Henry. “Billions” actor Asia Kate Dillon, Sunita Mani (“Glow”), Olivia Edward (“Better Things”) and Michael Cyril Creighton (“Spotlight”) also co-starred in the film, the directorial debut of writer/director Casimir Nozkowski. She also appeared in Netflix’s 2019 holiday film, “Holiday Rush.”
Martin-Green is widely known for her turn on AMC’s critically acclaimed, award-winning series “The Walking Dead,” where she captivated audiences in the role of the fierce and loyal Sasha Williams across five seasons. Additionally, she has taken many guest and recurring roles in fan-favorite television series. Most recently, she played prankster Rhonda on FOX’s “New Girl,” anti-magic Tamara on ABC’s “Once Upon a Time”and aspiring paralegal Courtney Wells on CBS’ Emmy and Golden Globe-winning drama “The Good Wife.” She has also been featured in the CBS cop drama “NYC 22,” Lifetime’s “Army Wives” and the CW’s “Gossip Girl.”
Previously, Martin-Green received rave reviews for her starring role in Emily Abt’s Sundance hit “Toe To Toe,” in which she played Tosha Spinner, a highly driven inner-city high school teenager. She was also featured in Victoria Mahoney’s film “Yelling to the Sky”alongside Gabourey Sidibe and Zoe Kravitz.
On stage, she is best known for her critically acclaimed performances in Des McAnuff’s “Fetch Clay Make Man,” where she starred as Muhammad Ali’s first wife, Sonji Clay. She also starred in off-Broadway’s “Outside People” at New York City’s Vineyard Theatre.
Martin-Green currently resides in Los Angeles, Calif.
Doug Jones
While famous for working under prosthetics in iconic feature film roles, Doug Jones is also a versatile character actor who has performed as himself in guest star roles on shows like “Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Teen Wolf,” “Z-Nation,” “The Neighbors,” “Criminal Minds,” “C.S.I.” and NBC’s horror anthology “Fear Itself.” A veteran of over 100 commercials, Doug was Mac Tonight, the moon-headed piano player in the long-running 1990s McDonald’s campaign. He also starred as the lead villain in “Hush,” an Emmy-winning episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” long considered a fan favorite. Doug was also a semi-regular guest judge on the hit SyFy Net reality series “Face Off.”
In 2005 he played the title role of Pan (as well as the nightmare character known as The Pale Man) in Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar-winning Spanish language fantasy/horror feature “Pan’s Labyrinth.” But it was his sensitive and elegant performance as Abe Sapien in del Toro’s 2004 box office hit “Hellboy” that brought Doug’s unique work to a wider audience. He went on to voice that same character for the Emmy-nominated Cartoon Network animations “Hellboy: Sword of Storms” and “Hellboy: Blood and Iron.” In 2007 Doug’s title role performance in “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” was hailed by fans and critics alike. 2008 saw Doug reprise his starring role (as well as two other characters) in “Hellboy II: The Golden Army,” once more under the direction of del Toro. He also starred in “Gainsbourg,” a stylized biopic of the famous French poet/singer/composer Serge Gainsbourg, in which he plays Gainsbourg’s dark alter ego. The film has won three Cesar Awards. Doug has also had prominent creature roles in “Crimson Peak,” “The Watch,” “The Bye Bye Man,” “Legion,” “Hocus Pocus” and many others.
Jones was a series regular on three seasons of TNT’s Spielberg-produced sci-fi series “Falling Skies” and recurred on Guillermo del Toro’s FX series “The Strain.” Upcoming, Jones will star opposite Sally Hawkins in del Toro’s “The Shape of Water.”
David Ajala
David Ajala most recently recurred on the CW’s “Supergirl” as iconic DC character Manchester Black, and starred in Syfy’s TV adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s 1980 novella Nightflyers. Past film credits include “The Fast & The Furious,” “Jupiter Ascending,” and “Starred Up”; past television credits include ABC’s “Black Box” opposite Kelly Reilly and USA’s “Falling Water.”
Ajala also appeared in the indie film “Kill Command.” Additional notable credits include “One Day,” starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess, “The Dark Knight,” starring Christian Bale and “Payback Season.”
Appearing in a wide range of television roles, Ajala was a rapper in the television series “Trexx and Flipside,” in addition to major guest roles in award-winning shows such as “Law & Order: UK,” “Death in Paradise,” “Silent Witness” and the wildly popular “Dr. Who.”
Ajala began his career performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Courtyard Theater in Stratford-upon-Avon. He’s performed in productions of “The Witness,” “Hamlet” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” among others at The National Theatre, Royal Court Theatre and The Almeida Theatre.
Wilson Cruz
Triple threat, award-winning actor, activist, “actorvist” and humanitarian are just a few terms used to describe Wilson Cruz. He appeared on the Netflix series “Thirteen Reasons Why” and in Hulu’s breakthrough GLAAD Award-winning original animated kids’ series “The Bravest Knight.” He is also the executive producer of the critically lauded docuseries called “Visible: Out On Television” airing on Apple TV+.
In 1994 Cruz won the hearts of audiences across the world and forever changed the LBGT landscape playing the first openly gay teenager on network television in his award-winning performance as Rickie Vasquez on the hit ABC series “My So Called Life”. His seminal and critically acclaimed performance celebrated its 25th anniversary in August 2019. “My So Called Life” was honored with the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Drama, and Cruz received the Emery S. Hetrick Award from the Hetrick-Martin Institute for Outstanding Contributions to LGBTQ Youth for his contribution. Cruz is also known for starring as Angel in the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical “Rent” in its West Coast premiere which earned him both the Ovation and Drama Logue awards before his reprisal of the role on Broadway.
Always a trailblazer, Cruz is recognized for playing one of TVʼs first transgender characters in an Emmy-nominated episode of “Ally McBeal” and gave a heart-rendering performance as part of a gay couple fighting for marriage equality on “Greyʼs Anatomy.” Other TV credits include: “Red Band Society” starring Oscar winner Octavia Spencer, “Party of Five” (ALMA Award for Outstanding Emerging Actor), “Rick and Steve,” “The Happiest Gay Couple in the World,” “Shameless,” “The West Wing,” “Noahʼs Arc,” “Pushing Daisies” and more. Film credits include memorable roles in “Heʼs Just Not That into You,” “Nixon, Party Monster,” “Johns,” “All Over Me” and “After Louie,” with Alan Cumming. During the pandemic, he created a series called “What’s Up with Wilson Cruz” as a way to stay connected to fans and participated in numerous benefits to raise money for charity.
As an “actorvist,” Cruz has received the Rand Schrader Distinguished Achievement Award from the Los Angeles LGBTQ Center, the Liberty Award from Lambda Legal, the Visibilidad Award from GLAAD, the Fusion Achievement Award from Outfest, the Latino Spirit Award for Achievement in Entertainment and Advocacy from the California Latino Legislative Caucus, the Harvey Milk Equality Award, the Lincoln Aston Public Service Award, Aston-Brooks Award and the Advocate Award from AdColor. He served as the director of entertainment industry partnerships and national spokesperson for GLAAD, currently serves on the board of GLSEN and devotes considerable time supporting other LBGTQ organizations as well. Wilson is a first generation American of Puerto Rican descent.
Mary Wiseman
After graduating from Juilliard, Mary Wiseman quickly went on to star opposite Keira Knightley in the Broadway production of “Therese Raquin.”
She was recently seen in Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story” opposite Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson.
Other television credits include the Netflix series “Longmire” and “The Characters” as well as Hulu’s “Difficult People.” She also appeared opposite Zach Galifianakis in the first two seasons of the FX series “Baskets.”
Other theater credits include starring in the world premiere of “Romance Novels for Dummies” at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. Prior to that, she starred in the Williamstown Theatre Festival’s production of “Off the Main Road” opposite Kyra Sedgwick, in the off-Broadway, Obie Award-winning production of “An Octoroon,” in which her performance was described as “delicious” and “comically inspired” and the off-Broadway production of “The Skin of Our Teeth” at the Theatre for a New Audience in Brooklyn.
Blu del Barrio
Blu del Barrio is a non-binary actor who uses they/them pronouns. Del Barrio was in their final year of studies at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) when they auditioned for and booked the role of Adira. Blu has been acting in theater and short films since the age of 7, and they’re incredibly excited to make their television acting debut in season three of STAR TREK: DISCOVERY.
Interview with Ryan Hansen of “Night Court” on NBC by Suzanne 3/22/24
It was so much fun to speak with Ryan! I learned that he’s from San Diego, among other things. It was one of my best interviews, I think. I look forward to seeing him again on the show, 3/26/24, the season finale. It sounds like a great episode! Check out our cool video!
Ryan Hansen is an American actor. He was born in Fountain Valley, California, and raised in El Cajon, California, but has since moved with his wife, Amy Hansen, to Los Angeles. His wife is a former roommate of Kristen Bell (star of Veronica Mars (2004)). Hansen is involved in the campaign, “Invisible Children”, and has appeared in the online series, “The LXD”, of which 50% of the profits are going to the Invisible Children Campaign.
He is best known for starring as Dick Casablancas on the noir drama series Veronica Mars (2004–2019), as Kyle Bradway on the Starz comedy series Party Down (2009–2010, 2023–present), and as Nolan in the horror remake film Friday the 13th (2009). Hansen also had a recurring role on the comedy series 2 Broke Girls (2012–2017) and the web series Burning Love (2012–2013).
Night Court
The eternally optimistic Abby Stone (Melissa Rauch) follows in the footsteps of her revered late father, Judge Harry Stone, as she takes on the challenge of overseeing the night shift of a Manhattan arraignment court.
Abby always sees the best in people and her passion for justice is undeniable. In her quest to bring order and dignity to the court and reign in its colorful crew of oddballs, she enlists former night court district attorney Dan Fielding (John Larroquette) to serve as the court’s public defender. Still exceedingly self-confident, Fielding must adjust to a new boss and a new job – defending the downtrodden. And, beneath his arrogant demeanor, there is an empathetic side to Fielding that Abby is determined to unearth.
They both must contend with Olivia (India de Beaufort), the court’s officious assistant district attorney. Driven and ambitious, she views the night court as a steppingstone on her way to bigger things. Donna “Gurgs” Gurganos (Lacretta) is the night court’s sharp-witted bailiff. Gurgs takes her job very seriously and is fiercely protective of her night court colleagues. Rounding out the staff is Wyatt Shaw (Nyambi Nyambi), the court’s new clerk. He’s a jack of all trades and devoted single dad trying to make it all work as a law student at the same time.
From executive producer and writer Dan Rubin (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), “Night Court” is based on the original hit series that ran for nine seasons on NBC. Melissa Rauch and Winston Rauch executive produce through their After January Productions. Mona Garcea oversees for After January Productions and John Larroquette serves as a executive producer.
“Night Court” is produced by Rauch’s After January Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.
Interview with Victor Levin, writer/creator of “Alice & Jack” on PBS and writer for “Extended Family” on NBC by Suzanne 2/22/24
It was very interesting to speak with Victor, who has written for so many wonderful shows. Tonight is the premiere of his miniseries “Alice & Jack,” which he created and has been working on for many years. I can tell, from this interview, that it was a labor of love. It’s not really my kind of show, but I will be sure to finish watching it. I did start watching “Extended Family,” on his recommendation here, and it is a very funny sitcom. Check them both out for yourselves and enjoy the interview!
MORE INFO:
Victor Levin was born in 1961 in New York, had a traditional upbringing in the suburbs, and attended Amherst College. In the 1980s, Levin worked at advertising agency Young & Rubicam, writing commercials for Jell-O and Dr Pepper before moving to Los Angeles at the urging of a friend. While writing ads, he had been practicing writing screenplays, so once he was west, he wasted no time breaking in to television. His first show was “Baby Talk” (ABC, 1991-92), based on the film “Look Who’s Talking” (1989). From there he moved to “Dream On” (HBO, 1990-96), then to “The Larry Sanders Show” (HBO, 1992-98), where he earned his first Emmy® nomination. “Mad About You” (NBC, 1992-99) was the show that Levin credited with really teaching him how a TV series is run. Levin worked on the series from 1994 to ’99, eventually working his way up to Executive Producer and earning two more Emmy nominations. His first produced feature film was “Win a Date with Tad Hamilton” (2004) starring Kate Bosworth and Josh Duhamel. He re-teamed with his “Mad About You” star Helen Hunt for her feature directorial debut, “Then She Found Me” (2007), which Levin co-wrote and which starred Hunt and Bette Midler. He earned another Emmy nomination as co-executive producer on “Mad Men” (AMC, 2007-2015) in 2012. Levin’s directorial debut, “5 to 7” (2014) premiered at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival to favorable reviews. The film was released by IFC Films in 2015.
Alice & Jack reveals how love plays out between two very different people over 15 years. The story explores the seminal question of whether the bonds between us are stronger than the forces that would tear us apart. “It’s more honest about human behavior than most romances allow,” says RogerEbert.com, and “[asks] audiences to think about subjects they think they know well and look at them from a different angle.”
The miniseries is created by Mad Men award-winning writer Victor Levin (Mad Men, Mad About You) and features moving performances Andrea Riseborough (To Leslie, Birdman) as Alice, a single woman invested in her career while grappling with a childhood trauma, and Domhnall Gleeson (The Revenant, About Time) as the scientist she meets in a bar. The cast also includes Aisling Bea (This Way Up), Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education), and Sunil Patel (Love at First Sight).
About Extended Family: Jim and Julia, after an amicable divorce, decide to continue to raise their kids at the family home while taking turns on who gets to stay with them. Navigating the waters of divorce and child-sharing gets more complicated for Jim when Trey, the owner of the Boston Celtics, enters the picture and wins Julia’s heart. Also streaming on Peacock.
Interviews with Beau Bridges, Rob Mayes, Stratton Leopold and William Wages of the film “The Neon Highway” by Suzanne 3/6/24
This is such a good movie, and the actors did an amazing job. It was really great to speak with them, and the writer/director and producer. I grew up watching Lloyd, Beau and Jeff Bridges, so it was an honor to speak to Beau. This is a role that seems meant for him, and he excels in it. I hope people remember it come Oscar time next year. I can’t believe he hasn’t won one already! He should have won for “The Fabulous Baker Boys,” at least. The focus of the movie is Rob’s character, Wayne, and then we meet Beau’s character, Claude, and the two carry the movie. I’m glad it was not too depressing, either, because so many indie movies are. I hope you can check it out because it’s a really inspiring and human story. It also has some outstanding music. Enjoy the videos! Rob is much more handsome in real life than he is in the movie! “The Neon Highway” premieres tomorrow, March 15, 2024.
Stars Rob Mayes and Beau Bridges
Producer Stratton Leopold and writer/director William Wages
THE NEONHIGHWAY, STARRING EMMY®, GOLDEN GLOBE AND GRAMMY® WINNER BEAU BRIDGES AND ROB MAYES SETS HEARTLAND THEATRICAL RELEASE ON MARCH 15, 2024
Presented by Mountain Movies and produced by veteran filmmaker Stratton Leopold (The Sum Of All Fears, Mission: Impossible II), THE NEONHIGHWAY will release theatrically on March 15. Directed by William Wages (Yellowstone, Lethal Weapon) and co-written by Wages and Phillip Rob Bellury (A Ride To Heaven, Remember This), the film stars Emmy®, Golden Globe and GRAMMY® winner Beau Bridges (The Fabulous Baker Boys, Eden), who was recently honored with the Icon Award from The Family Film & TV Awards, recognizing the significance of family entertainment.
THE NEONHIGHWAY also stars Rob Mayes (Legends, NCIS), Sam Hennings (The Work and the Glory franchise), Sandra Lee-Oian Thomas (Mr. Mercedes, Superstition), T.J. Power (Eat Pray Love, Offspring), Brett Gentile (We’re The Millers, The Walking Dead) and Ezekiel Bridges (Spiral, Mr. Mayor) along with GRAMMY® and CMA winner Pam Tillis as herself and Curb recording artist Lee Brice as Lamont Johnson.
About The Film: Twenty years ago, Wayne (Mayes), an aspiring singer/songwriter, was a heartbeat away from making it in Nashville when a car accident derailed his ambitions. Now working a 9-5 job and struggling to support his family, Wayne has a fateful encounter with waning country music great Claude Allen (Bridges) who reignites Claude’s musical dreams. Together they go to Nashville with one of Wayne’s songs, believing that with Claude’s fame and contacts, they can make it big. The problem is the industry has changed and no one is interested in the song – or Claude. Devastated and out of options, Wayne creates a way to get the song out to the public; not for himself, but for Claude.
“I couldn’t be more excited to bring THE NEONHIGHWAY to audiences throughout the country,” said Producer Stratton Leopold. “This film means a great deal to me, and after spending so much time working on mass entertainment it is a privilege to bring this film to audiences across the American Heartland, and to share a story about the music that fills our lives.”
Arturo Sandoval – Cuban-American jazz legend and multiple GRAMMY winner – composed the movie’s score with Curb Records releasing. The performance scenes were captured live as performed on set by musicians including Mayes, Brice and rising country newcomer, Grace Asbury.
The film’s first song and title track, “The NeonHighway” was released January 26th. The track was written by Dallas Davidson (“I Don’t Dance,” “Crash My Party”) and performed by two-time ACM winner and GRAMMY and CMA nominee, Brice.
THE NEONHIGHWAY opens March 15th in Los Angeles and in select markets including Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, Memphis, Nashville, Orlando, and San Antonio.
THE NEONHIGHWAY is a Mountain Movies production and is distributed by Freestyle Releasing. Stratton Leopold serves as producer with Lori Berlanga as Co-Producer. William Wages, Phillip Rob Bellury, and Craig Miller, Executive Produced.
From IMdB: Beau Bridges was born in Hollywood, and is the son of actor Lloyd Bridges and his wife, who was his college sweetheart, Dorothy Dean Bridges. Born just two days after the attack on Pearl Harbour, he was delivered by candlelight because of a power blackout. Named Lloyd Vernet Bridges III, his parents immediately started calling him Beau after Ashley Wilkes’ son in Gone with the Wind (1939), a book they were reading at the time. His younger brother, actor Jeff Bridges, was born in 1949 and a sister, Cindy Bridges, the following year.
Although only 5’10”, Beau played basketball for UCLA his freshman year. The following year he transferred to the University of Hawaii, but dropped out to pursue acting and got his first major role in 1967. During his first marriage to Julie Landifield, they adopted Casey Bridges and then had Jordan Bridges. He and his second wife, Wendy Treece Bridges, have three children from this marriage: Dylan Bridges (born 1985); Emily Bridges, (born 1987) and Ezekiel Jeffry Bridges.
Beau likes to play guitar and collects Native American percussion instruments. He also loves the ocean, including swimming and surfing. He is also active in environmental causes and handgun control.
From Wikipedia: Rob Mayes is an American actor, musician, and model. He is best known for starring as the title character in the 2012 horror comedy film John Dies at the End, as well as portraying Tommy Nutter in the short-lived comedy drama television series Jane by Design. He also played Barry in the 2019 film Maybe I’m Fine. Visit his website to hear and see more about this multi-talented actor/singer!
Interview with Nyambi Nyambi, India de Beaufort and Lacretta of “Night Court” on NBC by Suzanne 2/28
It was great to speak with these actors. I never miss an episode of the show. I was a fan of the old series, too. I spoke with India before, and Lacretta not too long ago, but it was nice to catch up with them and meet Nyambi. Tomorrow night’s episode should be great fun! “Night Court” airs Tuesdays, 8/7c on NBC.
India de Beaufort (Olivia)
It was fun to speak with India again! She didn’t seem to have as much of a British accent as she did on our previous conversation. She is a great, multi-talented actress. We only had a few minutes, and she answered all of my questions very quickly.
Lacretta (Gurgs)
Lacretta is very sweet and fun! We had a great chat, not only about her show but about “Star Trek!” She is down-to-earth, like talking to an old friend.
Nyambi Nyambi (Wyatt)
It was so nice to meet Nyambi, the “new guy,” and chat with him! They even let me go over the allotted time a little. He is a great addition to the cast.
The eternally optimistic Abby Stone (Melissa Rauch) follows in the footsteps of her revered late father, Judge Harry Stone, as she takes on the challenge of overseeing the night shift of a Manhattan arraignment court.
Abby always sees the best in people and her passion for justice is undeniable. In her quest to bring order and dignity to the court and reign in its colorful crew of oddballs, she enlists former night court district attorney Dan Fielding (John Larroquette) to serve as the court’s public defender. Still exceedingly self-confident, Fielding must adjust to a new boss and a new job – defending the downtrodden. And, beneath his arrogant demeanor, there is an empathetic side to Fielding that Abby is determined to unearth.
They both must contend with Olivia (India de Beaufort), the court’s officious assistant district attorney. Driven and ambitious, she views the night court as a steppingstone on her way to bigger things. Donna “Gurgs” Gurganos (Lacretta) is the night court’s sharp-witted bailiff. Gurgs takes her job very seriously and is fiercely protective of her night court colleagues. Rounding out the staff is Wyatt Shaw (Nyambi Nyambi), the court’s new clerk. He’s a jack of all trades and devoted single dad trying to make it all work as a law student at the same time.
From executive producer and writer Dan Rubin (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), “Night Court” is based on the original hit series that ran for nine seasons on NBC. Melissa Rauch and Winston Rauch executive produce through their After January Productions. Mona Garcea oversees for After January Productions and John Larroquette serves as a executive producer.
“Night Court” is produced by Rauch’s After January Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.
India de Beaufort
Olivia, “Night Court”
India de Beaufort plays Olivia in the NBC comedy “Night Court.”
De Beaufort’s TV credits include “One Day at a Time,” “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,” “Younger,” “NCIS: LA,” “Chicago P.D.,” “Necessary Roughness” and “One Tree Hill.” Other projects include “Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire,” “Kevin Probably Saves the World,” “Blood & Oil” and “Jane by Design.”
Additionally, she will be seen recurring in Netflix’s hit series “Firefly Lane.”
Voice credits include series regular roles in “All Hail King Julien,” “It’s Pony” and Nickelodeon’s “Max & the Midknights.” Additional voice credits include an arc in “Fast & Furious: Spy Racers.”
Retaining her fashion influence, her jewelry line June Riot sold out. She continues to lean into her design education, having shown her first fashion collection at New York Fashion Week in 2012.
De Beaufort resides in Los Angeles with her husband actor, Todd Grinnell; their son, Crosby; and dog Kid.
Lacretta
Donna “Gurgs” Gurganous, “Night Court”
Lacretta stars as Donna “Gurgs” Gurganous on the NBC comedy “Night Court.”
Born and raised in Kansas City, Mo., Lacretta made her stage debut at 14 at the Coterie Theater – an institution in which she holds great affection. It was there where she starred in numerous performances throughout the ’90s, such as “A Wrinkle in Time” and “101 Dalmatians.”
In 2011, she appeared in “Hairspray” at Broadway Rose in Portland. She then originated the role of Levora Verona in the Off-Broadway run of “Disaster!” in 2012 at the Triad in New York, and made her Broadway debut with the same role in 2016.
Following her on-stage success, Lacretta guest starred on “Law & Order,” “30 Rock,” “Broad City” and “Gotham.”
In film, Lacretta appeared in the romantic comedy “Second Act” before making her return to the stage in “Avenue Q” in the closing cast of their Off-Broadway run at New World Stages. She was also featured in the first national tour of “The Book of Mormon.”
In her off time, Lacretta loves gaming and is very active on Twitch TV. In 2022, she helped announce the first Streamers for Education Scholarship for Black Women going into the fields of STEM, Digital Media and film. She is also an avid cook and often shares recipes from “Cretta’s Kitchen” on her Instagram.
She currently resides in Los Angeles.
Nyambi Nyambi
Wyatt Shaw, “Night Court”
Nyambi Stars as Wyatt Shaw on the NBC comedy “Night Court.”
Nyambi Nyambi most recently co-starred as investigator Jay DiPersia in Paramount+’s “The Good Fight.” He also co-starred alongside Billy Gardell and Melissa McCarthy in the CBS sitcom “Mike & Molly,” portraying Senegalese waiter/café owner Samuel. Nyambi can be also seen in the recently released Billy Crystal and Alan Zweibel film “Here Today” as well as starring in the new indie film “The Sleepless,” available on Amazon Prime.
Nyambi’s TV resume includes “Mercy Street,” “Blindspot,” digital series “American Koko” and “Titans.” Additionally, Nyambi had voiceover roles in “The Death of Superman” and “Reign of the Supermen.”
Nyambi has participated in New York’s Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park. Working alongside Al Pacino and Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Nyambi starred in “The Merchant of Venice” and “The Winter’s Tale.” His additional theater credits include the first Broadway revival of August Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone” and the Classic Stage Company’s “The Tempest,” opposite Mandy Patinkin. He has worked with the Classical Theatre of Harlem and the Williamstown Theater Festival. Nyambi is a proud member of the Labyrinth Theatre Company based in New York.
Alongside Danai Gurira, Nyambi serves on the board for Almasi Collaborative Arts, an organization dedicated to developing emerging African artists.
Nyambi is a first-generation Nigerian-American, born on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Bucknell University before earning his Masters of Fine Arts from the Graduate Acting Program at New York University. He played basketball for four years at Bucknell and made the ESPN Dick Vitale “All-Name Team,” which honors the best names in college basketball. Post-college, Nyambi took on the role of coach and led basketball teams at teen camps.
Interview with actor/writer Don McLeod of “Fox and Hunter” and “Christmas Cab Ride” by Suzanne 2/21/24
This was kind of a funny interview because I had researched the wrong actor! There’s another actor with the same name, and I stupidly chose the wrong one. Fortunately, we had a good laugh about it. I hope you enjoy the interview! Besides being an actor and writer, he’s also a singer/songwriter and goes by the name Donny Mac.
When asked “where did you grow up” Don McLeod usually answers “I haven’t yet, but I’ve been getting older in Vancouver BC”. Don admits that he fell into the film and TV industry simply by wanting to try it out. In 2010, for the winter Olympics in Vancouver, he was asked to put on a songwriting contest and the city brought in actor Graham Wardle (from CBC’s long running TV series Heartland). They became good friends and Don credits Graham for opening his mind and the door to acting as a career. Graham also introduced Don to fellow actor Jesse Hutch who would eventually become Don’s business partner.
Don soon signed with an agent and would go on to book notable roles on series such as CBC’s hit “Heartland”, The CW’s “Tomorrow People”, “Arrow” and “Frequency”, Hallmark Channel’s “When Calls the Heart”, and Netflix’s “Travelers”. Most recently, Don has appeared in NBC’s “The Irrational” and History Channel’s “Project Blue Book”.
Before becoming an actor Don had a prolific career as a recording artist, writer and record producer. As a producer and award-winning song-writer he has worked with many amazing writers and artists including; Jim Vallance, Jim Riley, Vincent DeGiorgio, Brian Howes, Sean Hosien, Dane DeViller, Dallas Smith, Danny Craig, Dale Russell, Shaun Verreault, Trevor Guthrie, and Chin Injeti, to name a few. Don has crossed over his song-writing abilities to other mediums such as commercials and Film and TV soundtracks for such popular series’ such as “Highlander”, “Heartland” and “So You Think You Can Dance”. He has shared his ability with up-and-coming artists through record production, mentoring, teaching song- writing, performance coaching & artist development.
In late 2023 he finished recording his album titled: Donny Mac “A Journey Through The Story” which was produced by Jim Riley (Rascal Flatts) and mixed by GRAMMY-winning engineer Sean Neff.
Since meeting in 2012, Don joined forces with Jesse Hutch to create Stone Rabbits Productions. Together they have written 24 film and TV scripts/concepts. Two notable projects include a feature film titled “Christmas Cab Ride” which has been green lit for production and an episodic called “Fox and Hunter”, an undercover buddy cop action comedy starring Don McLeod as John Hunter and Jesse Hutch as Blake Fox. Both are slated to film in 2024.
Project
SERIES: FOX AND HUNTER
ABOUT THE SERIES: FOX AND HUNTER follows
the daily life of high energy BLAKE FOX (Jesse Hutch), and his veteran partner JOHN HUNTER (Don McLeod), along with a full undercover unit as they are repeatedly detoured from their work by discussions, explosions, foot races, car chases, personal issues and evidence.
CHARACTER: John Hunter
CHARACTER DESCRIPTION: John is a hard-edged, focussed, calculating, and efficient lone wolf. He has a mysterious and physical presence and keeps to himself. No one seems to know where he came from. He has a moral code, keeps his private life private and is definitely NOT interested in making friends. To say he’s pissed off and feels disrespected when the BOSS forces him to take a partner is a massive understatement.
When I was younger I was on multiple track and field teams, was captain of the wrestling team and wanted to be a professional athlete. I had no interest in acting or being a musician.
As much as I enjoy food and consider myself a foodie. I’m an extremely picky eater. That said, garlic mashed potatoes can be devoured almost any day. And unprocessed, home style REAL chocolate peanut butter ice cream… YES PLEASE!
April 20th 1992 I was pronounced dead after a serious car accident, then a little over an hour later discovered alive.
I have a weekly video series called “Prayer Walks”. Where I go to different locations to walk in nature, ask questions about faith, discus various challenges life has and of course pray. There are currently 72 episodes that occur in trails from Vancouver BC to Key West Florida and in-between.
To prepare for a role, I once locked myself in a warehouse and fasted for two days.
For other films and general self improvement. I trained weapons, tactics, survival and combat with military special forces operators for over 5 years.
I’ve trained in Krav Maga, Jeet Kun Do, Jujitsu, Kempo, Kali, sword fighting and knife fighting.
I went over 10 years without cooking a meal at home.
I almost never get sick. I get a sniffle for a week once every couple years.
Interview with Maria Russell of “Jury Duty” on Freevee by Suzanne 1/25/24
It was lovely to speak with Maria. I binge-watched the show, which I hadn’t really heard of, for some reason, even though it was a big hit last spring. I’m so glad I did because it’s hilarious and unique. I hope you can watch it if you haven’t already. I really hope that they find a way to have a second season, too. Please watch and enjoy the video, too. This is an audio-only video, but I’ve made it into a video slideshow of photos of Maria.
This transcript still needs more editing!
Maria: Hi, Suzanne.
Suzanne: Hi, uh, I watched the show last night. I somehow missed it last spring when everyone else was, I don’t know. So many shows to watch,
Maria: I know,
Suzanne: but it was great. I loved it. I enjoyed it. So unique and it’s funny.
Maria: So funny. Thank you so much. It was a wild ride.
Suzanne: I’ll bet. uh, when the, the press release I got said, uh, docu series, similar to the office. I’m like, uh, not at all like that. It’s way back. Yeah, exactly. It’s very unique indeed. And who would have known it would become part of pop culture. It’s. Really bizarre and amazing. It’s really, the only thing I could think of that was similar is there was a reality show years ago. I don’t think it lasted more. And it wasn’t that successful called Joe Schmo where it was like a reality show. But the joke, I was the only one who didn’t know that everyone else was actors. But it wasn’t.
Maria: Yes. I, I heard of it. I never got to see it though.
Suzanne: Yes. I never saw it. I never saw it either. I just saw like the ads for it and I thought,
Maria: Oh, got it.
Suzanne: This is again, way better. So, so, uh, tell us about your character, uh, Inez.
Maria: Yes. Inez de Leon is fabulous. She’s this self-proclaimed boss babe with a real passion for fashion. And when she finds out that, that there’s a position for, foreperson, that’s her goal. She wants to be foreperson. and then she sadly loses that role to Ronald, no hard feelings, but then she ends up finding her new purpose in this courtroom, this jury and being the lunch-ordering queen, and also, the point-person to coordinate all of the outings like going to Margaritaville.
Suzanne: Right. And, uh, but you’re not, I mean, you’re playing the character, but….
Maria: Yes, that’s what’s weird about this show. It’s like you’re playing the character, but then you’re really you. So it’s strange.
It is strange. And, and honestly, we have, I have this conversation many times that I always say that we’re all kind of like our characters in a way. And the beautiful thing about this show and even starting out with it is that the producers and directors and everybody involved really gave us carte blanche to really, create this, these, give us creative freedom to create these, these characters from the ground up.
Suzanne: Well, that’s good.
Maria: Yeah, no, it was wonderful because, one thing that they did say was that be careful of going way too far off because then we’re going to have to remember everything because, this went on for three and a half weeks. So what I, I had to, what I did was every night I would go home and write down everything that Ronald and Inez spoke about because I had to keep track of the lies. Or the not truth or what I told him, so I had to just be very wary of that because he caught on, he was really smart, he was really sharp, so he would remember a lot of things. And I was, Inez and Ronald were very close, so I had to remember everything, like, on the show at the time I was married and in real life, Maria. And on the show, I was divorced, but I still had my wedding ring on because I, Maria couldn’t get it off because Maria gained weight during COVID. So I kind of use that as also as part of my, uh, part of my backstory.
Suzanne: Well, that’s cool. I noticed that in the last episode when they did a lot of flashbacks and talking about stuff that there were scenes we didn’t get to see in the show, and I hope that maybe they’ll do a DVD if they haven’t already, so that we can see a lot of the stuff that they cut out, because I’m sure there’s lots they cut out, because it’s a lot.
Maria: Oh my gosh. I think we were, yeah, I think we were saying it’s probably like more than 50 hours.
Suzanne: Yeah, when he wants to see the boring courtroom scenes that you had just to throw off the scent,
Suzanne: I read a good article yesterday. An interview with James Marsden. So there was a lot of information there that I enjoyed reading. so was it, was it nerve wracking at all? Uh, I know you got to create your character and there was a lot of improv involved, right?
Maria: Oh, oh yeah. 90 percent of it was. Improvised because and then the rest of it, there were suggested lines or scenarios. But again, we were, we were at the mercy of Ronald because we didn’t know what he was going to say or do. So, Ronald goes to the left, we have to go to the left, so a lot of it was the unknown.
Suzanne: Wow.
Maria: So. Yeah. It was, it was quite scary at moments because you didn’t want to be the one to, to blow them up. Yes. To blow up the whole thing.
Suzanne: Oh my gosh. I can’t imagine what they would have done if you, if somebody had done that, it’s like, or what if Ronald had turned out not to be the, such a nice guy, that would have been all different.
Maria: Yes. Yes. I mean, literally at any given moment, the gig could have been up, the jig would be up.
Suzanne: Yeah. Well, you lucked out that it wasn’t. So had you done some improv before?
Maria: Yeah. So my, I’ve done a lot of, hidden camera shows. I did a lot of sketch. I had a Broadway show that it was, Thought of bright autobiographical called little Tina Christmas special. So I had improv in my background, but is as far as long form improv. I didn’t, more of a comedic actress. That’s my, that’s my background really. But, sketch and creating characters.
Suzanne: Yes.
Maria: That’s my, that’s my, my, my space.
Suzanne: So, Are you all still keeping in touch? Good friends? You get together? What?
Maria: We do. I’m actually going to see Ronald over the weekend. Yeah. And, and Tricia, we’re going to go play pickleball. So yes, we all very much love each other. We’re on different group text, uh, texting chains, and we all very much love and support one another. It’s, it’s like this little family. It’s like this little club too, because, doing the show. We had to have such a level of trust for one another and that we’re going to have each other’s back because it was scary. Like, I think more than anything initially, it was scary because it was, everything was just the unknown and you really, the pressure of, of messing it up, of blowing it up, that was, scary, but at the same time there had to be. This, this part of yourself to surrender to the moment and just be in the moment. And then that’s when the nerves would go away.
Suzanne: Oh, that’s, you sort of got lost in your character a little bit.
Maria: Yes, exactly. Exactly.
Suzanne: Yeah. You hear about all the time. Actors say, Oh, we were like a family. I don’t think it’s true most of the time, but you had such a unique experience that I think it probably is true.
Maria: Oh, it’s really true. Yeah, it’s like this club because this, we had to really have each other’s backs like completely and implicitly because like I said at any moment. Ronald would find out or, or, or be curious about something or question something. And so we were always, there for each other. And yeah, that’s why, it’s a little bit different than any other show, because this one was like, we had to have this complete surrender to one another as well.
Suzanne: Yeah. Yeah, that’s it’d be kind of like making a movie, except you were on more and together more.
Maria: Yeah. Yeah, exactly. Exactly.
Suzanne: So, besides the sort of working without a net aspect, what was the hardest part of working, uh, making the show?
Maria: Wow. I think there’s a few things I think. as much as I, it was. really one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I think the most difficult part was, is that what you guys don’t get to see is that, is that after the show, after I’m sorry, not after the show, after each day, after we wrapped each day, it’s exhausting because our call time, we would have to show up at the Huntington Park court at around five or six Hair and makeup ready. Okay camera ready So you couldn’t get ready there. We had to be ready, ready to rock and roll. And we would end around five or six, but it was, there was never a cut. There was never a break. So, not like in a regular show film where, there’s a break. Okay. Now you guys have, two hours for a break or whatever it is. There’s no cuts. So it’s like you had to be completely present at all times. So I think that was the difficult time. Cause I remember I would be like. I don’t want to talk to anybody. I don’t want to see anybody and the weekends. I just want to go to sleep. I just want to like veg out because we would have to take notes. What did Ronald say? Is there something important that we should know for the next day or we’re not, we’re no longer doing the scene because Ronald, Ronald. So we’re cutting this out and adding this. So it was literally, I mean, day to day, it would change.
Suzanne: That sounds very stressful and exhausting, but at least work paid off and you got a big successful show. Very funny. And I don’t say that lightly because, although I do like to laugh, a lot of today’s comedies, I don’t find very funny. I’m older, so I like the old ones. I agree with you though. Very funny.
Maria: Thank you. I appreciate that.
Suzanne: So besides the fact that it was successful and you made these friends, what was the best part of making the show?
Maria: Oh gosh. I think the best part of it was, I mean, it’s going to sound so like Pollyanna. The friendships made. With all these wonderful actors and I think it, it shows because there was such chemistry with all of us and we didn’t test together either, by the way.
Suzanne: Wow.
Maria: We didn’t, we didn’t test. We met for the first time during rehearsal day one. So it was, we, we all connected on so many levels and I think it’s, it’s such a rarity to have that, I mean, at least for me and I get along with everybody, but it’s just such, it’s such a deeper connection with, with your, with your cast mates just because of the nature of the show and, and it’s special. So I would, and, and also I have to say with, with our producers and directors, they had our backs at all times. I mean, we were so lucky to have them so lucky to have them because we never felt like we were going to fall. whenever, I mean, we may not have known what we were doing at times. They’re like, do you know what you’re doing? And they’re like, no, I’m like me too. I don’t know what, what are we doing? So, but we never felt like we weren’t taken care of. So that was really important. We didn’t feel alone.
Suzanne: Yeah. When they showed the people on behind the scenes, behind the cameras and everything, it looked like they were really had a tough job, but they were on the ball looked like,
Maria: Oh, 100%. They were with us. 100%. So that was nice to know that there was. there. that you weren’t, you weren’t alone.
Suzanne: Yeah. Have you ever been in jury duty in real life?
Maria: No.
Suzanne: Wow.
Maria: I almost did. But then, so I got picked, but then they settled. Oh, so I never got to experience it.
Suzanne: Uh, yeah, you’re not missing much.
Maria: Yeah.
Suzanne: Well, I was unfortunately in a really bad experience. But the good thing about it is that now if they call me for jury duty, I just talk about how horrible it was. And they’re like, okay, you don’t have to. There you go. See, now you use my trauma.
Maria: Yes, I love it. I love it.
Suzanne: Do you think you might get a second season? You think they’ll be able to come up with something to do it?
Maria: Listen, the optimistic Maria says absolutely a hundred percent, but who knows, I know, part of me is like, yes, let’s do a second season. That would be amazing. And then the other side, the other part of me is like, We have something so special. I don’t know if we’d be able to recreate that again. And I don’t know if I would want to, because it was so special. It was one of a kind and I don’t know.
Suzanne: Yeah. Yeah. It’s almost like I think in order to do a second season, they’d have to wait a while and then have a completely new group of people, because otherwise people would know.
Maria: And see, I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t want that. I wouldn’t want that. I would want it to be me. No second season if it’s not all the same cast. Forget about it.
Suzanne: Well, it’s like an anthology show. Let’s call it that.
Maria: Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Suzanne: So, are you, are you still in, Tacoma FD and are you working on season five yet?
Maria: So we did the fourth season. It’s now available on Netflix, which is really cool cause it was just on true TV. Um, so fourth season we did. And is now airing and I didn’t, I haven’t heard anything about a season five yet. So I’m hoping, I’m hoping, but, I don’t know, right. Fingers crossed.
Suzanne: Yes. Now that’s a funny show, too. I haven’t had time to watch it very much, but the little bit I’ve seen of it, it’s been very good.
Maria: Oh, my God. It’s so fun. And it’s, oh, my God. Those guys are hilarious. My Lord.
Suzanne: So do you have anything else coming out that you’d like to tell us about?
Maria: Well, I can’t talk about it per se, but I am going to be working on a film in March, which is very exciting, but I’m not able to talk about it.
Suzanne: Yeah. But yeah, that’s good. I’m glad you have more, more to do.
Maria: Yes, it’s exciting. And, with the strike over, it’s kind of, it pushed everything. It kind of, with the award season too, it’s been, it’s been very busy on that front. So things are starting to pick up a little bit more now too, which is great because, the whole year basically was like,
Suzanne: Yeah, I know. I didn’t have a lot of interviews. Yeah, you guys were all on strike.
Maria: We couldn’t talk about anything.
Suzanne: Yeah, no, I was, I had like directors and, and, uh, producers, writers. I mean, it was interesting. Don’t get me wrong, but I have very many. So, yeah. Okay. I’ve had enough of you. No, it’s just, I like, actually, I wish I got to speak with more writers because they’re the ones that like create the show and they know more about the stuff going on. But, but I like to talk to actors. So it’s hard.
Maria: I know. I know. I know.
Suzanne: Well, I really appreciate you talking to me today
Maria: and of course it was so nice talking to you, Suzanne.
Maria Russell (Mexican/Lithuanian descent) stands out in the comedic realm, gaining prominence through her role as the self-proclaimed boss babe ‘Inez De Leon’ in the acclaimed series “Jury Duty” on Amazon Freevee/AmazonPrime. Vying for the role of foreperson, she sadly loses to Ronald, but finds her purpose as the lunch ordering queen and coordinating all the fun outings for the jury.
This documentary-style show, a runaway hit starring James Marsden, offers a behind-the-scenes look into the American jury trial system. The series has garnered significant acclaim, earning numerous award nominations, including recognition at the Golden Globes (Best Musical/Comedy Series), Emmys (4 nominations), Independent Spirit Awards (Best New Scripted Series), and the prestigious honor of Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series. Additionally, the AFI Awards have recognized “Jury Duty” by including it in their top 10 television series of 2023 and winner of a 2023 TV Critics Award.
Maria has built an illustrious career in both television and film, earning her international acclaim, while establishing a solid foundation in Hollywood. On the television front, her versatile talent has graced hit series such as MTV’s “Teen Wolf,” ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” CBS’ “Criminal Minds,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” and recurring roles in the award-winning soap operas “General Hospital” and “The Bold and the Beautiful,” among others. Recently, Maria showcased her comedic prowess in HBO Max’s “Tacoma FD,” portraying the loveable, yet assertive ‘Lt. Salazar’
In the film realm, Maria is best known for her role in the Warner Bros. award-winning horror film “Lights Out,” produced by James Wan. In this chilling production, she shared the screen with acclaimed actors Teresa Palmer, Gabriel Bateman, and Maria Bello. Up next, Maria stars in the film “In Flight,” alongside Cristo Fernández (Ted Lasso) and Tiffany Smith (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3). Additionally, she has left her mark in the independent film circuit.
Annually, Maria graces the stage in the Off Broadway sensation, “The Latina Christmas Special,” a production she co-wrote and stars in at The Soho Playhouse in New York. Her captivating performance and the show itself have garnered widespread acclaim, earning Critics Choice recognition from the Los Angeles Times for five consecutive years.
Maria showcases a diverse array of talents, highlighting an acting range that spans from lighthearted and unconventional comedy to fearless, unapologetic humor, as well as compelling and intense dramatic performances. Throughout her career, Maria has consistently aimed to forge connections with people. Looking ahead, she aspires to extend her impact by venturing into producing and directing, driven by a passion for crafting characters intricately woven into meaningful stories, with a particular emphasis on narratives centered around redemption.
With a foundation in classical ballet, Maria brings a wealth of professional dancing experience that spans various genres, including ballet, jazz, Latin/salsa, and hip hop. Beyond the dance floor, she passionately engages in diverse forms of fitness, such as kickboxing, Bar Method, and pickleball. An avid globetrotter, Maria is on a mission to explore the world, having already visited 16 countries. As a bilingual (Spanish/English) actress, she not only expresses her love for the performing arts but also extends her affection to animals.
Maria currently calls Los Angeles home, sharing her space with her beloved Maltipoo and Schnoodle, affectionately named Boris and Natasha.
Interview with Jon Lindstrom of “General Hospital” on ABC by Suzanne 2/15/24
It was great to interview veteran actor Jon Lindstrom, who has his first novel, “Hollywood Hustle” out for only 10 days, and it’s already a best seller on USA Today’s Booklist! He’s most known for playing Kevin Collins, and his evil twin Ryan Chamberlain, on “General Hospital” since 1992 (off and on). He was on the soap “Santa Barbara” before that, and of course he also played Craig on “As The World Turns” (where he met his wife, Cady, who played Rosanna) and reprised his roles of Kevin and Ryan on “Port Charles,” the GH spinoff. He’s also been in quite a few films, and many primetime series, most notably “Bosch” on Prime Video and “True Detective” on HBO.
There are many more questions I could have asked him, but we were already on Zoom for a half an hour – I didn’t want to keep him longer. I felt that he was generous enough to speak to me as long as he did. I would have liked to have heard more about his working with Genie Francis (Laura); about playing Ryan; about working with Alley Mills (Heather); about those pitches he mentioned; about Cady; and more. Buy his book here! If you love detective novels, you should enjoy this one. Of course, you can also watch him on “General Hospital” on ABC and HULU.
THIS TRANSCRIPT STILL NEEDS EDITING!
Suzanne: So, thanks for being here today.
Jon: It’s my pleasure to be here. Thanks for asking.
Suzanne: Are you feeling okay? I saw you had a cold….
Jon: Well, you can kind of hear it in my voice. I’m a little froggy, but I’m feeling better today than I did yesterday.
Suzanne: So, when did you, start writing your book and how long did it take you to finish it?
Jon: Oh boy, that’s kind of a loaded question. all in all, it took about four years, but I, I have to qualify that because I had written for about a year and was making good progress. And then all of a sudden the show I’m on being general hospital decided to bring back a dead twin. And suddenly I was working so hard I didn’t have time to write.
I was up every day at 530 to go to the studio and pull off double duty as Kevin and Ryan on GH. So I had to put it down for about a year. And then COVID hit and I was able to pick it up again for about six months. And then of course, the first shows to go back into production during COVID were soap operas.
Suzanne: Right.
Jon: I guess means we’re just a little bit expendable.
Suzanne: You did have strict COVID protocols and vaccine requirements, so..
Jon: We had very strict COVID protocols. Yeah, we, we were a lot of masks. Daily testing, a lot of swabs in the nose. but. We picked up right where we left off. So I had to put the book down again, and that was probably another six months.
And then it took me another year or so through several drafts, working with editors and getting it into shape to actually submit. So all in all, the writing process took about two years, but the entire span was about four.
Suzanne: Okay. And did you have any difficulties getting it published?
Jon: Amazingly, no. I mean, I look at my experience, and my experience really was much easier than I think most people.
Now, of course, I do have a little bit of a platform, in terms of followers and, at Insta and Twitter, and I, I just can’t seem to call it but, excuse me, I, I, I did go to at the behest of an author who I had narrated because I have this little side hustle narrating audio books, which is great for me because I just, I love books.
But one of those authors was the great Alex Finlay he’s one of the best thriller writers, I’ve ever read. I wrote to him to thank him for. The inspiration to get me over that hump and start actually writing a book. And he wrote me right back within five minutes and we’ve since become good friends. but he told me flat out, John, if you’re serious about this, you have to go to the book conferences.
And being that you’re a crime writer, which falls under Thriller Mysteries, you need to go to Thriller Fest. Which is in New York every June. And it’s, it’s huge. Takes over the entire hotel, the Sheraton Hotel in New York City. And, so I went. And that’s where I actually pitched agents. About 12 of them.
Cause there’s a thing they’re called pitch fest. And I recommend anybody do this because there’s just something about sitting down in front of someone. And not only do they get a sense of you, you get a sense of who they are. And I met my agent there. I sat down with a woman named Liza Fleissig from the Liza Royce Agency.
And as soon as I sat down, I liked her. And I think she liked me because we sat and we talked for a few minutes before we even got to my pitch. And that’s who I eventually went with. And she was able to get a deal within a few months. And we had a few offers. Settled with Crooked Lane Books because they just Kind of totally got the book.
Suzanne: So it sounds more like what you do to pitch a series or a movie nowadays than the old time where you just sent in your manuscript.
Jon: Yeah, I, that’s where I had a bit of an advantage because I have pitched movies and TV show ideas and things. So I knew, I knew the basics of how to pitch. When they say five minutes, that means get it down to three because you need a couple of minutes for them to ask questions if they’re interested.
Suzanne: Sure.
Jon: I got my pitch down to one minute, 45 , . I, pardon me, I really wanted to be succinct and straightforward and really nail it. And, and fortunately that worked for me. I had, I pitched 12 agents. I had 12 or requests for the manuscript. So what made you wanna write a detective novel? Is that your favorite genre?
Yeah. Yeah. It’s just, one of my favorite writers was, was Elmore Leonard. I used to read his stuff all the time. and I, and I love the, the OGs of the genre, the Raymond Chandler’s, Dashiell Hammett’s, James Cain, those guys just invented something that’s very specific to Los Angeles.
About that darkness that that lurks underneath the sun and the palm trees and it’s a it’s a really to me. It’s just a really layered fascinating kind of. Setting for stories. So I’ve always loved it. So I just kind of, and right. But, I’ve been living most of my adult life here, except for a few years in New York.
I’ve been here in Los Angeles since I was 20.
Suzanne: Yeah.
Jon: And so I, I know it pretty well.
Suzanne: Oh, by the way, congratulations on getting on the USA Today bestseller list.
Jon: Thank you.
Suzanne: And also congratulations for being on General Hospital over 30 years. That’s amazing.
Jon: Going on 32…
Suzanne: Off and on, but still.
Jon: Yeah, Yeah. I, I go and I come back, but you know what, as long as they keep asking Right. , why not?
Suzanne: That’s right. Well, I, I been watching off and on since 84, mostly on, and so I remember when you started on the show, .
Jon: Wow. 84.
Suzanne: Yeah. I was in college.
Jon: So that’s when people get home.
Yeah. Yeah. If you don’t have grandma or mom watching, it’s college that doesn’t, it’s either college or I watched you with my grandma.
Suzanne: So, what are some other, favorite authors or influences on your writing that you haven’t mentioned yet?
Jon: Well, film noir, definitely. my, my favorite Saturday night now is to stay home and watch TCM. because it, You know, Eddie Muller and Noir Alley comes on every Saturday night. and he digs into a very deep library of, of film noir in that canon that, that was really unlike anything else that was ever made before or since.
You know, it was post war malaise. They were lower budget, so they often had to shoot at night when the rest of the studio was asleep. Wow. There was a lot of night shooting and a lot of use of light and shadow and, beautiful, uh Cinematography. So I, I just, I don’t know. There’s something about that genre where your main character is, is faced with a choice of Do it or don’t do it.
If I do it, whether it’s for love or lust or greed or whatever, even altruism. If I do this as a very good chance, it will end me.
Suzanne: Yeah.
Jon: And he does it anyway. So I, there’s something about having to make a choice like that, that I find very interesting.
Suzanne: And, you were in Bosch, one of my favorite shows. what about Michael Connolly? Did you read a lot of him?
Jon: Oh yeah, I was a big fan. I got turned on to Harry Bosch back in the 1980s, when he started writing them. And, so yeah, to get a season of Bosch as one of his bad guys, was, was, was a bit of a dream come true. And he’s a lovely man. He, he was on set all the time.
So sorry for this cold, but, he, he’s a, he’s a big guy, now I’m 6’1 and he’s, I gotta look up at him, he, but he was the crime writer for the L. A. Times for many years, and he, he’s another one who really gets this city, and really understands how to accurately portray crime here.
And how it gets just kind of somebody asked me the other night. We have our launch event at Book Soup up on Sunset Boulevard, and there was a woman there who I didn’t know, but she asked a really good question. She said, what’s the difference between L. A crime and New York crime? And I thought, wow, that’s, I never thought of that.
But when I, once I did, I remember being down in Soho and I lived in New York and I came out of a restaurant or something right across the street was an armored car that was waiting for the guys to come out and deliver the money. And I see him come out and this crowded street and the guy, has his hand on the handle of his sidearm.
And he looks both ways and looks all around and then signals the guy to come out and they quickly got into that car, that armored car and took off. and I thought that’s the difference. It’s like New York, it’s going to be in your face. If you’re going to hit that place, you’re going to hit it right in the middle of Soho on a Tuesday afternoon.
And it’s, it’s like crime in your face. Whereas here. It’s all it’s easier to kind of hide it under so it’s all spread out. It’s so spread out here that it can happen. And it’s like, if, if a crime falls in the forest, it’s anyone here,
Suzanne: I imagine it’s harder for them to find the culprit too, because if they’re staying in the area, because they have so much more land to cover. Whereas in New York, if they’re going to be in that area, it’s a lot easier.
Jon: And everybody knows you in New York.
Suzanne: Yeah, that’s true.
Jon: Here, again, there’s another layer of this kind of hidden world. You know, I mean, fortunately, I know my neighbors. We all look after each other. But, that’s not always been the case in most places I’ve lived in LA.
Suzanne: No, in California, the whole thing is like that. I grew up there. I’m from San Diego. So we almost never knew my neighbors. Yeah, now that we’ve lived strange phenomenon and it’s, it’s, it was funny because to me that’s normal because that’s how I grew up. But we’ve lived in the South. I’m in Arkansas right now.
We, I know, and my husband just thinks it’s weird because California, but it is nice to know, especially during the pandemic when we were out walking the dog and. Everyone was like, oh, hi, because they were so happy to see, to see anybody, anybody, anybody, but their kids and their family. But, yeah, so that’s awesome.
I understand that completely. and we’re actually moving to New York in June. we, we lived there a long time ago, when I got into GH actually, when I was in college.
Jon: So, are you moving to the city?
Suzanne: No, but we’re going to be about half an hour from there.
Jon: I understand.
Suzanne: We don’t actually know what town we’re moving to yet. We have to find a place, but he’s going to work at SUNY Old Westbury. Oh, great. Congratulations. Thank you. Yeah, I’m really looking forward to it. I want to be in a city again, in a small town here. I won’t know my neighbors.
I read some of the book. I haven’t had time to finish it, but, to me, the description of when sounds a lot like Steve Burton, at least physically.
Jon: Steve was– no, no, no. Steve was not an inspiration at all. There was a Steve, but it was Steve McQueen.
Suzanne: Oh, okay. Well, then they have a lot in common [physically].
Jon: It’s not Steve Burton. Steve, Steve’s way too muscled for Win, Winston green. Now, my inspirations for Wynn were, were Steve McQueen, Kevin Costner, in terms of physicality. and I, I do describe him in there that a director that Winston had worked with described Winston Green as a landmine that’s been stepped on and you’re just waiting for you to step off before he blows, he’s wired tight.
There’s a, there’s an edge to him. but sadly, the other inspiration was, was really Tom Sizemore and some of the other people in my business who have, who came to town with just brilliant talent. I mean, just, you would take Tom Sizemore, just look at his work and Saving Private Ryan and Heat and, he was working with the very best of the best because they wanted him and, and his demons got him.
And, and it really sidelined his career and, yeah, it was very sad, but it’s, that’s, I’ve known a lot of guys like that, just their lives and careers have taken a hard left due to. Due to substance abuse and some made it and some didn’t. Yeah, well, I’d like to see Winston as somebody who made it and got himself together.
but he’s just hanging on. All he’s doing, he’s just hanging on to just trying to keep some stability. So now I hit, I’ll, I’ll let Steve. No, sorry, Steve.
Suzanne: Well, I think if I recall, it was the blue eyes and the buzz cut and I don’t remember what else, but it just sounded like him.
Jon: So I thought more of Steve McQueen in “Bullit.”
Suzanne: No, I can see that. Now that you say that. Just to touch on, you’re talking about sad things, the GH family set, whatever you want to call it, has had a lot of loss in the last year. has that really changed, how things run there or?
Jon: Well, no, it hasn’t changed how we run anything. It’s just, I think we’re all just really aware of how fragile and, and, How quickly something can end.
it’s too bad that people have to pass away before you’re reminded of these things. But yeah, we’ve taken some real hits this year behind the camera and in front of the camera and. You know, we miss them all. So, we just try to appreciate each other when we’re there, I noticed nobody, nobody raises their voice, nobody’s, popping off out of anger.
I noticed a lot, right?
Suzanne: Yeah. There’s a, the fans are very sad too.
Jon: Yeah. Yeah. There was a, there was a huge outpouring from, from people and, and we really, we all heard it and saw it and felt it, very of that. Yeah, I, I know .
Suzanne: All right. so that wasn’t on my list, but I just had to mention that.
So as a first time author, would you say that you’re still learning?
Jon: Oh, definitely, definitely. Yeah. I’m, I’m struggling with book two.
Suzanne: I just, yeah, if you’re gonna, that was my next question. Are you planning to write more?
Jon: Yeah, I, I, book two and book three, I mean, I pitched this really as. a series, maybe all of which would have the word Hollywood in the title.
They’re all crime novels. But, and I tried to keep everything grounded the way Elmore Leonard did, that’s like, this is a real world, that you find these people walking through. but yeah, I, I’m, I’m hoping to, I, suddenly being a bestseller and seeing four stars from everywhere from Amazon to Barnes and Noble, gives you a nice kick of confidence.
So I’m looking back to, I’m getting ready to get back into it.
Suzanne: I bought two of them. I bought the–
Jon: Oh thank you
Suzanne: Kindle version and the, audio version.
Jon: Oh, alright. Which I recorded in my basement.
Suzanne: I know… Oh, in your basement?
Jon: In my basement. Yeah. I have a little collapsible frame with these acoustic blankets.
Suzanne: Wow.
Jon: It’s not a whisper room, which is like silent, but it is fine. But I still have to, I have to suffer helicopters and dogs and leaf blowers. Yeah. , things like that.
Suzanne: I’m torn between… I’m not a big books on tape, what they call, I don’t know what they call them now, audios, fan, because I read really fast, but I wanted to hear your voice and, and hear it that way while, while I was, doing other things.
Jon: So I, I keep going back and forth, but I really liked the accents that you do and the voices.
Oh, great. Thank you. Thanks.
Suzanne: You have a lot of practice from all the voiceovers.
Jon: Yeah, I had a little bit of a, an easy runway to get on that airfield.
Suzanne: I have a tough question. So you can feel free not to answer it. If you don’t like it. I’ve read many good reviews and a few bad ones. Some criticize you for being overly descriptive. Is that writing style or do you plan to cut back on some of the description in your future novels?
Jon: You know, I would say what’s the matter? You never read Stephen King because, if there’s anybody who knows how to, how to, describe a place and place is very important, listen, you got to take, you got to take the bad with the good and you’re not going to make everybody happy.
There was one guy who, who took issue with my, my description of. Of firearms.
Suzanne: Oh, I saw that one.
Jon: Yeah. Yeah. and you know what? He’s fair enough. He can have his opinion, but I grew up around guns and his point was technically correct. Right? There are automatic weapons. But those are divided into semi automatic and fully automatic.
But when you discern between an automatic weapon or a revolver as in a single or double action revolver, you don’t need those descriptions. Everybody knows what you’re talking about. So, it’s funny. He knocked me off half a star for that, but you know what, Hey, listen, the guy’s got his opinion and that’s what he’d like to read.<br />
and that’s fine. That’s totally fine. the point is he, he still liked the book and the story, so, I say thank you , are you, you can’t, you can’t get bogged down in this, you know?
Suzanne: Yeah.
Jon: This thing of, I mean, that’s one guy, and, and he’s entitled to that opinion as is anybody who says, he overwrites the description.
Well, it is about la it’s also about Hollywood, so you don’t, you can gloss over.
Suzanne: You’re right.
Jon: Don’t have. You don’t have to get mired in it, it says you have to do that too. Yeah, that’s, it, they’re different writing styles and you can’t say one different styles and different tastes and that’s, that’s fine.
I mean, somebody who really knows LA, I can see why they would go, Oh man, this is really overwritten. You know, but somebody who doesn’t, and I hear this more than I hear the opposite there, they really appreciate the, the description of characters and backstory and setting and, and all that stuff. <br />
So, like I said, you can’t, you can’t please everybody.
Suzanne: And as an actor, as an actor, you’re used to people criticizing you and rejecting you and. Giving you bad reviews, all that stuff. So yeah, it’s over the average writer.
It just, yeah, it just comes with the, it just comes with the territory.
Suzanne: Now, talking about GH for a minute, do you, still enjoy playing Kevin even without Ryan?
Suzanne: NNow, talking about GH for a minute, do you, still enjoy playing Kevin even without Ryan? Jon: Yeah, well, I like Kevin very much. I think Kevin’s a really good guy. I think that there’s, there’s been kind of a, we, we’ve kind of lost a little bit of Kevin along the way, remember when Kevin was, was first around and we had first gotten rid of. Of Ryan. Kevin was an artist. He was a psychiatrist, but he was an artist who lived in a, in a lighthouse and painted all the time to paint out a demon and, and we’ve kind of, we’ve kind of veered away from that. And, we have some new writers coming in now. So I think that I, I think we’re going to have some, um. I think there’s going to be some changes, in how Kevin, but I mean, that’s a long answer, but to answer your question, I love playing Kevin. I love, I love playing Kevin. I love playing Ryan. I love, I love working with Genie. I love working with Lynn Herring and, and Ken Shriner and everybody that, that goes along in Kevin’s world. You know, he’s, to me, it’s just fun.
Suzanne: There’s so many great, stories that Kevin has had over the years. Although my favorite, I have to say, is on Port Charles. I believe it was the Miracles Happen, book, they called it, when he and Lucy got remarried and the little girl came, showed up. Yeah, but even though later, I think they took the little girl away and he got divorced and all that stuff, but that was my favorite because it was so Christmassy and so happy and, and like, we rarely get enough of those moments.
Jon: Yeah, that’s true. You know, I, I love doing, I love doing Port Charles. It was like, it was like the little half hour that could, and I’m, I know that there was somebody at the network paying attention, but it never felt like that. It always felt like we could. It was like our secret corner of daytime TV where we could do whatever we wanted.
I saw the, the executive producer the other day, Julie Hayden Carruthers, and she, she said the same thing. It goes, I, I know there was somebody at the network, but every time we said we’d like to do this, they just said, okay. You know, that’s great, and we got the vampires and we got the six week books that tell a novella style and really fun things. <br /> Suzanne: Oh, yeah. I’m such a huge fan of that show. but I just, I just occurred to me, didn’t Kevin write a novel, “General Homicide?” And it foretold your future.
Jon: There you go.
Suzanne: Let’s hope nobody gets killed in a way.
Jon: I, I, I wanted to, and it’s, they would never go for it. But, but I had this idea that Kevin could walk into the room and, and Laura is, is reading Hollywood hustle.
I said, Oh, what’s your reading? Oh, it’s Hollywood hustle. I said, Oh, how is it? Oh, it’s good. Oh yeah. Is it better than general homicide? And have her say, better.
Suzanne: That’s funny.
Jon: Kevin will take a double take.
Suzanne: Yeah, I guess the thing that most annoys me about it is that Kevin has a daughter out there that they never mention, Livvie. I mean, she might be dead. Vampire or something.
Jon: She looks just like Kelly Monaco.
Suzanne: II know. She could do a twin role, you know. You’re good.
Jon: Yeah. But it’s just. Yeah, there’s a lot of things that we left on the, on the floor. You know, with the. Yeah. With, General, General Homicide slash Port Charles.
Suzanne: So, how different is it now on GH as opposed to when you started over 30 years ago?
Jon: Well, the main thing that’s changed is the structure of production because, the, budgets everywhere have just been constricted to the point of not being choked. But, and this is true, I mean, virtually on every show that I work on because I do a lot of work outside of General Hospital.
Suzanne: Mm hmm.
Jon: You know, everything is just so damn expensive now that sometimes it can feel like if you cut 10 off the budget, you wouldn’t be able to make the week, but somehow they managed to do it. I think Frank Valentini is a terrific producer. You know, the, the shows themselves, the airtime has been cut down from, I think, 49 minutes and change the rest of being advertising during the hour down to about 36 minutes and change.
So, And yet, ABC keeps pumping money into it. You know, it was right before the pandemic. I think I went up to the editing bay and they were putting in a brand new Abbott system. So the, the network is still investing money into that show. They feel it’s, it’s viable for the future. So. You know, the main thing is, you have to show up with your track shoes on. You don’t get to kind of feel your way through scenes and rehearsals anymore. You need to, you need to show up and do your job quickly and efficiently.
Suzanne: And, so now that you’re a writer, is it, is it harder for you to say other writers lines?
Jon: No.
Suzanne: Oh, you don’t say, Oh, I wish they would have written it this way, or…?
Jon: No, but I mean, we have a lot of permission to just transpose or paraphrase things as long as you get the thought across because the writers in daytime are very good and they know the rule. If it doesn’t move the story forward or expose character, get rid of it.
And they’re pretty good at trimming things down to those two rules. So. There’s really not much you have to change. And if you were to change it, you might be messing up something that’s gonna happen tomorrow, so.
Suzanne: Right, right. And so you posted that you’re playing the president in a new movie. Can you tell us about the new movie?
Jon: Oh, it was a, what is, it’s called a Proof of concept Short.
Suzanne: Oh, okay. So it’s not yet a movie.
Jon: Yeah, I was asked to come down to, to Dallas and play the president for a day while they put together, um. A, essentially a proof of concept real that would show that this movie could work. On a as a film. So I spent the day. It was something. That’s why I have a cold right now because I pushed myself a little too hard over the last week or two. yeah, so I spent the day working with Jesse Metcalf. Who’s a lovely guy. I had worked with him on something before, 8 or 9 years ago. And, and, and then I had to deliver a page and a half monologue as the president and I did it in one take.
Suzanne: Wow, that’s great.
Jon: Well, that’s that. So daytime comes in handy.
Suzanne: Oh, yeah. I was going to mention when we were talking about Bosch…. They have a lot of former daytime stars on there.
Jon: Oh, sure. Yeah, they, that’s what was beautiful about Bosch. They, they didn’t there’s other places that will say, oh, they were on daytime. We don’t want to Bosch doesn’t care. Yeah, you’re either right for the part or you weren’t. And if you were right for it, they didn’t mind what your background was. As long as, as long as you could walk and talk and not trip over the furniture, they were happy. They wanted people who knew what they were doing.
Suzanne: II mean, it’s such a silly, prejudice to have because you guys usually are better actors and better prepared and know everything and can do so much than.
Jon: Yeah. I, listen, I liken it to, to people who knock country music usually don’t even listen to country music. And the same people would go, Oh, well they’re on soap opera.
They don’t, what do they know? They don’t know anything.
Suzanne: Or the people who say, Oh, rap.
Jon: Yeah, I think. Yeah, exactly. You know, the fact is you can dance to rap, may not be able to dance to a death metal, but you can dance to rap.
Suzanne: There’s a lot of people my age who are prejudiced against it because we didn’t grow up with it. And this new thing came along and took over the radio.
Jon: That’s it. Our parents hated the Beatles too.
Suzanne: Exactly. I think my mom loved the Beatles, but that was, I think she’s an outlier. So, is there anything else that you’d like to tell us about your book or GH or any other upcoming work that you have?
Jon: You know, I’m a, I’m a busy guy. I, I try to put everything up online. If you’re curious about what I’m doing, what book signings I’ll be doing, I’ll be doing one, actually. I don’t know when this goes up, but I’ve got one on the 17th of February in Glendale with Michael Easton. who is a terrific, in his own right. Yeah, and Michael’s just such a talented guy, but we’re going to sit down and talk at the Barnes and Noble over there.
Suzanne: Right.
Jon: Two o’clock, Saturday, February 17th. The Americana at Brand. Then I’m going to be flying to New York for the 27th, at the Mysterious Bookshop. I’ll be in Portland. Actually, technically, Beaverton at Powell’s bookstore, because it’s the Beaverton place they do their mystery and thriller events. And, and then we’re looking at, Petaluma, St. Louis, Raleigh, North Carolina, Phoenix.
Suzanne: Wow. You’re not home much.
Jon: I’m not home much. I, I’m a busy guy.
Suzanne: But I know your wife is not home much, either. She’s always flying somewhere.
Jon: she’s always flying somewhere. And I, I have to show the new cover. And the publisher sent that to me there where it says USA Today bestseller.
Suzanne: Oh, great. That’s great.
Jon: Was that backwards to you? Does it look?
Suzanne: No, it looks fine to me.
Jon: Oh, okay. It looks backward on my side, but that’s.
Suzanne: Technical stuff.
Jon: Oh, I’m very excited. I meant to mention that. yeah, I just happened.
Suzanne: I’m behind on about a little less than a month, but I happen to see that Kevin and Laura are going to, adopt ace.
Jon: Yes, yes.
Suzanne: Kevin got put in the hospital by aces by aces mother.
Jon: Yeah. You know, I do wish we had a little more Kevin as may time work out their stuff. But, cause I, and I love working with Avery Pohl. I think she’s just a. but yeah, I, I like that they decided to do that and based on what I’ve seen online, boy, there’s a lot of grandparents out there who are taking on their grandchildren to raise.
Suzanne: Yeah.
Jon: So if we’re going to do it, I hope we do it in a, in a real way. Where it’s, it’s a, it’s a huge undertaking for anybody to be a parent and, I’d like to see it. So, but, like I say, we’ve got new writers coming in. They’ve already started. So we’ll see what, yeah, see what they decide to do. You know, we’re all pretty excited.
Suzanne: II just don’t want the, Laura and Kevin to be stuck in the grandparent mode and not doing anything else.
Jon: No, we’ll try and avoid that.
Suzanne: Yeah, I hope so. All right. Well, thank you so much for talking to me. I really enjoyed it.
Jon: My pleasure. Thanks. Thanks so much for having me today.
Suzanne: I’ll send you a
Jon: again, sorry about this froggy voice.
Suzanne: Oh, it doesn’t sound that bad, honestly.
Jon: okay.
Suzanne: II have to send you a picture. I have, that I took, years ago, like 99. I went to GH convention that they have the, fan club events and I have a picture with you, so…
Jon: Oh, great. Send that to me.
Suzanne: I’ll love to. Alright. I’m gonna try to get this out as soon as possible. I’ll let you know.
Jon: Okay. All thanks. Thank you so much.
MORE INFO:
Hollywood Hustle: A Thriller Hardcover – February 6, 2024
From 4-time Emmy-nominated actor Jon Lindstrom of General Hospital, Bosch, and True Detective fame, comes a gripping debut thriller.
Set in the dark underbelly of the LA film industry, Hollywood Hustle is the perfect read for fans of Alex Finlay and Jeffery Deaver.
Winston Greene, a has-been film star, wakes one morning to find his six-year-old granddaughter at his bedside—traumatized, unattended, and gripping onto a thumb drive. She comes bearing video proof that her mother, Win’s troubled adult daughter, has been kidnapped by a murderous gang demanding all his “movie money” for her safe return. But what they don’t know is…his movie money is long gone.
Unable to go to the police for fear the kidnappers will make good on their promise to kill his daughter, Winston turns to two close friends—a legendary Hollywood stuntman and a disgraced former LAPD detective.
There’s no easy way out for Winston or his daughter—the gang is violent and willing to do anything to get the money they’re after, and Winston begins to realize that to get his daughter back, he’ll have to beat the kidnappers at their own game.
This propulsive and tense thriller will transport readers to the seedier side of LA, depicted in bold prose by a Hollywood insider.
Jon Robert Lindstrom is an American actor, writer, director, producer, and musician. He is well known for his roles of Kevin Collins and Ryan Chamberlain on the ABC Daytime soap opera General Hospital and its spin-off Port Charles.
Please visit Jon’s site or social to see his next book signing or other events!
Celebrating its 60th anniversary, “General Hospital” continues its tradition of passion, intrigue and adventure that has depicted the ongoing lives of the diverse and evolving citizens of the fictional town of Port Charles set in upstate New York. The glamour and excitement of those who have come to find their destinies in this familiar seaport town intertwine with the lives, loves and fortunes of beloved, well-known faces. As always, love, danger and mind-blowing plot twists abound on “GH” with contemporary storylines and unforgettable characters.
Interview with Reza Diako of “The Chosen” on The CW by Suzanne 2/2/24
It was great to speak with Reza. He’s got a lovely voice, and he’s very handsome, but he’s also an amazing actor, and I think we’ll see even bigger things from him in the future. I hope you enjoy this interview, and his new role as Philip in “The Chosen.” You can watch it in theaters, and later it will be streaming on the Angel Studios site, on this website, or other sites, and probably on The CW.
Meet a fisherman struggling with debt, a woman wrestling with demons, and a gifted accountant ostracized from his family and people. See how Jesus changes lives, works His first miracles, and embarks on His ministry to change the world. See Jesus through the eyes of those who knew Him. The Chosen is the first-ever multi-season series about the life of Jesus and the highest crowd-funded TV series project of all time. Watch the show that millions of people won’t stop talking about.
Mission
The Chosen, the first multi-season show about Jesus’s life, hopes to take you deeper into gospel stories by retelling and expounding on the character and intentions of Jesus and those who knew Him.
Reza Diako is an English/Persian actor of Austrian nationality and Iranian origin. He has taken over the role of ‘Apostle Philip’ in the worldwide influential TV series “The Chosen.” A historical drama based on the life of Jesus and those who knew him, the popular series returns in February via its fourth season with a singular viewing experience releasing bi-weekly in theaters. On the big screen, Reza has two upcoming projects: the indie film “The Astronaut” (Kate Mara and Laurence Fishburne) as ‘Ethan Marshall’ the director of NASA and “Reading Lolita in Tehran” alongside award-winning actress Golshifteh Farahani and Zar Mir Ebrahimi. The film is based on the best-selling memoir, and Reza portrays ‘Bahri’, an intellectual literature student caught in the middle of his role as a leading member of the student Islamic society at the University of Allameh Tabatabei in Tehran, and his deep love and respect for both literature for his professor, Azar Nafisi (Golshifteh Farahani), under the backdrop of the early days of Iranian Revolution and the Iran/Iraq War in the early 1980s.
Format: Drama Series, 10 x 60 min episodes
s Dean Devlin and Jonathan Glassner of “The Ark” on Syfy by 
Christie Burke
Stacey Read
LUCIAN-RIVER CHAUHAN
The Killer Inside: The Ruth Finley Story is produced by Housewife Productions Inc. for Lifetime. Navid Soofi produces with Tim Johnson and Stacy Mandelberg serving as executive producers and Lisa Alford as co-executive producer. The film is written by Katie Gruel and directed by Greg Beeman.
such an incredible opportunity that I will never forget.
HUNTER KING (Daniella) – Hunter King is best known for her work as a series regular on CBS’ Life in Pieces opposite Colin Hanks, Betsy Brandt and Thomas Sadoski. King can also be recognized as Summer Newman on The Young and the Restless, a role for which she earned two Daytime Emmys. In feature work, King starred in A Girl Like Her opposite Jimmy Bennett, which garnered incredible reviews for confronting bullying in schools. King was cast as the lead in ABC’s 2020 comedy pilot Prospect. Most recently, King wrapped shooting the lead in the indie feature Give Me Your Eyes. For Hallmark Channel she was last seen starring in The Santa Summit, as well as The Professional Bridesmaid, and A Royal Corgi Christmas. For Hallmark Mystery King also starred in Nikki & Nora: Sister Sleuths.
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Patton Oswalt continues to leave his distinctive imprint across all areas of entertainment, from his award-winning comedy specials to his many guest roles on television. His most recent comedy special We All Scream (which also marked his directorial debut) launched on Netflix in late 2022 and Oswalt was nominated for a Grammy for his comedy album. Last year, he also starred in the Magnolia Pictures comedy I Love My Dad, winner of the Grand Jury and Audience awards at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival. 
on screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Vision Pro, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and at 
THE 
Executive Produced by Canelo Álvarez, Jay Hernandez, Phillip Braun, Jason Michael Gerber, Sherrese Clarke Soares, Alexis Garcia, Humberto G. Garcia, Christian Sosa, John Williams, Veronica B. Jones, Jennifer Kuczaj, Simon Wise, Colleen Barshop, Vincent Cordero, Carlos Osorio, Juan Pablo Solano Vergara, Simón Beltrán Echeverri, Brian Eddy, Jeff Grossberg, Jack Shemtov, Ricky Joshi, Jeff Moseley, Julio M. Quintana, Jennifer Kuczaj, Michael E. Hollingsworth, Matthew Dwyer, David E. Campbell, Tim Mahler, Carter Pope, Jesse Mandujano
Lopez vs Lopez
Ryan Hansen is an American actor. He was born in Fountain Valley, California, and raised in El Cajon, California, but has since moved with his wife, Amy Hansen, to Los Angeles. His wife is a former roommate of Kristen Bell (star of Veronica Mars (2004)). Hansen is involved in the campaign, “Invisible Children”, and has appeared in the online series, “The LXD”, of which 50% of the profits are going to the Invisible Children Campaign.
Victor Levin was born in 1961 in New York, had a traditional upbringing in the suburbs, and attended Amherst College. In the 1980s, Levin worked at advertising agency Young & Rubicam, writing commercials for Jell-O and Dr Pepper before moving to Los Angeles at the urging of a friend. While writing ads, he had been practicing writing screenplays, so once he was west, he wasted no time breaking in to television. His first show was “Baby Talk” (ABC, 1991-92), based on the film “Look Who’s Talking” (1989). From there he moved to “Dream On” (HBO, 1990-96), then to “The Larry Sanders Show” (HBO, 1992-98), where he earned his first Emmy® nomination. “Mad About You” (NBC, 1992-99) was the show that Levin credited with really teaching him how a TV series is run. Levin worked on the series from 1994 to ’99, eventually working his way up to Executive Producer and earning two more Emmy nominations. His first produced feature film was “Win a Date with Tad Hamilton” (2004) starring Kate Bosworth and Josh Duhamel. He re-teamed with his “Mad About You” star Helen Hunt for her feature directorial debut, “Then She Found Me” (2007), which Levin co-wrote and which starred Hunt and Bette Midler. He earned another Emmy nomination as co-executive producer on “Mad Men” (AMC, 2007-2015) in 2012. Levin’s directorial debut, “5 to 7” (2014) premiered at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival to favorable reviews. The film was released by IFC Films in 2015. 
About Extended Family: Jim and Julia, after an amicable divorce, decide to continue to raise their kids at the family home while taking turns on who gets to stay with them. Navigating the waters of divorce and child-sharing gets more complicated for Jim when Trey, the owner of the Boston Celtics, enters the picture and wins Julia’s heart. Also streaming on Peacock.
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changed and no one is interested in the song – or Claude. Devastated and out of options, Wayne creates a way to get the song out to the public; not for himself, but for Claude.
Biography
Maria Russell (Mexican/Lithuanian descent) stands out in the comedic realm, gaining prominence through her role as the self-proclaimed boss babe ‘Inez De Leon’ in the acclaimed series “Jury Duty” on Amazon Freevee/Amazon Prime. Vying for the role of foreperson, she sadly loses to Ronald, but finds her purpose as the lunch ordering queen and coordinating all the fun outings for the jury.
Suzanne: NNow, talking about GH for a minute, do you, still enjoy playing Kevin even without Ryan? Jon: Yeah, well, I like Kevin very much. I think Kevin’s a really good guy. I think that there’s, there’s been kind of a, we, we’ve kind of lost a little bit of Kevin along the way, remember when Kevin was, was first around and we had first gotten rid of. Of Ryan. Kevin was an artist. He was a psychiatrist, but he was an artist who lived in a, in a lighthouse and painted all the time to paint out a demon and, and we’ve kind of, we’ve kind of veered away from that. And, we have some new writers coming in now. So I think that I, I think we’re going to have some, um. I think there’s going to be some changes, in how Kevin, but I mean, that’s a long answer, but to answer your question, I love playing Kevin. I love, I love playing Kevin. I love playing Ryan. I love, I love working with Genie. I love working with Lynn Herring and, and Ken Shriner and everybody that, that goes along in Kevin’s world. You know, he’s, to me, it’s just fun.
Meet a fisherman struggling with debt, a woman wrestling with demons, and a gifted accountant ostracized from his family and people. See how Jesus changes lives, works His first miracles, and embarks on His ministry to change the world. See Jesus through the eyes of those who knew Him. The Chosen is the first-ever multi-season series about the life of Jesus and the highest crowd-funded TV series project of all time. Watch the show that millions of people won’t stop talking about.