Category: Article

FOURTH AND FINAL SEASON OF EXPLOSIVE AND CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED DRAMA, KILLING EVE, RETURNS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 27 ON BBC AMERICA AND AMC+

January 01, 2022

Eight-Part Final Season To Also Air Mondays on AMC, Beginning February 28

AMC Networks today revealed the premiere date and first-look photos for the fourth and final season of the irresistible cultural phenomenon and award-winning drama series, Killing Eve. The must-watch conclusion to this epic journey will debut on Sunday, February 27 at 8:00pm ET/PT on BBC AMERICA, with the first two episodes also streaming that date on AMC+. In addition, episodes will premiere weekly on AMC beginning Monday, February 28 at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT.

After the emotional climax of Season Three, Eve (Golden Globe® winner Sandra Oh), Villanelle (Emmy® Award winner Jodie Comer) and Carolyn (BAFTA winner Fiona Shaw) are in very different places. Following Eve and Villanelle’s exchange on the bridge, Eve is on a revenge mission, while Villanelle has found a brand-new community in an attempt to prove she’s not a “monster.” Having killed Paul, Carolyn goes to extraordinary lengths to continue to chase down The Twelve and the person that ordered Kenny’s hit. This season follows our extraordinary women, each driven by passion, revenge and obsession, building towards a messy, nuanced and totally glorious series finale.

Laura Neal (Sex Education, Secret Diary of a Call Girl) continues the Killing Eve tradition of a new lead writer every season, following Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Emerald Fennell and Suzanne Heathcote. Neal is also an executive producer on season four.

Killing Eve stars Golden Globe®, SAG® and Critics’ Choice Award winner Sandra Oh, Emmy® and BAFTA winner Jodie Comer, Emmy® nominee and BAFTA winner Fiona Shaw and BAFTA nominee Kim Bodnia.

Executive producers for the upcoming season are Sally Woodward Gentle, Lee Morris, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Gina Mingacci, Damon Thomas, Laura Neal and Sandra Oh.

Killing Eve is produced by Sid Gentle Films Ltd. for BBC AMERICA. The series is financed and distributed by Endeavor Content.

About AMC Networks

AMC Networks is a global entertainment company known for its popular and critically acclaimed content. Its portfolio of brands includes AMC, BBC AMERICA (operated through a joint venture with BBC Studios), IFC, SundanceTV, WE tv, IFC Films, and a number of fast-growing streaming services, including the AMC+ premium streaming bundle, Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now and ALLBLK (formerly branded “UMC”). AMC Studios, the Company’s in-house studio, production and distribution operation, is behind award-winning owned series and franchises, including The Walking Dead, the highest-rated series in cable history. The Company also operates AMC Networks International, its international programming business, and 25/7 Media, its production services business.

About BBC AMERICA:

BBC AMERICA is a hub of innovative, culturally contagious programming including the Peabody Award-winning series Killing Eve starring Golden Globe^®and SAG^® Award-winner Sandra Oh and Emmy^® Award-winner Jodie Comer. The network is the definitive television home and co-producer of the most iconic natural history series including Planet Earth II, Blue Planet II, Dynasties, Seven Worlds, One Planet and upcoming Meerkat Manor, Eden (w/t), Frozen Planet II and Planet Earth III. BBCA transforms every Saturday into Wonderstruck, a weekly 24-hour destination for wildlife and wonder. A joint venture between AMC Networks and BBC Studios (the commercial arm of the BBC), BBCA’s influential shows such as Doctor Who, Orphan Black, and Luther, have attracted critical acclaim and earned Emmy^® Awards, Golden Globes^®, Peabody Awards, Critics’ Choice Awards, NAACP Image Awards, TCA Awards and more. BBCA is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile. Find out more by visiting press.amcnetworks.com. BBCA on social: YouTube – Twitter – Instagram – Facebook – Tumblr

About AMC

AMC is home to some of the most popular and acclaimed programs on television. AMC was the first basic cable network to ever win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series with Mad Men in 2008, which then went on to win the coveted award four years in a row, before Breaking Bad won it in 2013 and 2014. The network’s series The Walking Dead is the highest-rated series in cable history. AMC’s current original drama series are Better Call Saul, Fear the Walking Dead, Kevin Can F Himself, NOS4A2, Quiz, Soulmates, The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: World Beyond and the forthcoming series 61st Street and Pantheon. AMC also explores authentic worlds and discussion with original shows like Talking Dead, AMC Visionaries and Ride with Norman Reedus. AMC is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc. and its sister networks include IFC, SundanceTV, BBC America and WE tv. AMC is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile.

About AMC+

AMC+ is the company’s new premium streaming bundle featuring an extensive lineup of popular and critically acclaimed original programming from AMC, BBC America, IFC, and SundanceTV and full access to targeted streaming services Shudder, Sundance Now and IFC Films Unlimited, which feature content such as A Discovery of Witches, Creepshow, Riviera and Boyhood. The service features a continually refreshed library of commercial-free content, including fan favorites Mad Men, Halt & Catch Fire, Turn: Washington’s Spies, Hell on Wheels, NOS4A2, Rectify, Orphan Black, Portlandia, and series from The Walking Dead Universe, among many others. The service also offers a growing slate of original and exclusive series including Ragdoll, Kin, Gangs of London, The North Water, The Beast Must Die, Too Close, The Salisbury Poisonings, Spy City, Ultra City Smiths, Anna, and Firebite. AMC+ recently launched in Canada and Australia, and is available in the U.S. through AMCPlus.com, the AMC+ app, and a number of digital and cable partners.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

KILLING EVE Season: 3 - Jodie Comer as Villanelle, Kim Bodnia as Konstantin Vasiliev, Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri, Fiona Shaw as Carolyn Martens - Killing Eve _ Season 3, Gallery - Photo Credit: Paola Kudacki/BBC America — Jodie Comer as Villanelle, Kim Bodnia as Konstantin Vasiliev, Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri, Fiona Shaw as Carolyn Martens – Killing Eve _ Season 3, Gallery – Photo Credit: Paola Kudacki/BBC America

Review of “The Batman: The Complete Series”

Posted on February 25, 2022September 10, 2023 by TvMegasite Admin

DVD Review!

“The Batman: The Complete Series” (2004) (Blu-ray + Digital) Review by Suzanne 2/25/22

This is one of the best Batman animated series. The first great series was “Batman: The Animated Series,” which ran from 1992-1995. It was groundbreaking in terms of animation, story and Batman mythos. This series was also very good, but they did a completely different take on Batman. This Batman is younger. Batman, Alfred, Robin, Barbara and The Penguin are not big name actors, but they do a fantastic job. Rino Romano is great as Bruce/Batman. Alastair Duncan voices Alfred, who is very droll. Most of the rest ARE voiced by actors you’ve heard of, such as Ming-Na Wen, Mitch Pileggi, Gina Gershon, and Jason Marsden.

They really do a fantastic job of bringing out all of the characters and their personalities. If you haven’t seen this one, you should. It would also make a great gift. The Blu-ray version has many great features that I enjoyed watching. The new featurette, “The Dark Dynasty Continues,” explains all about the making of the series. It’s really informative and interesting.

MORE INFORMATION:

The Batman: The Complete Series Blu-ray

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has officially announced that it will release on Blu-ray The Batman: The Complete Series. The six-disc box set will be available for purchase on February 1.

Official studio description: The early years of the Caped Crusader get a closer examination as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) brings the fully-remastered The Batman: The Complete Series to Blu-ray for the very first time. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC, the 65-episode box set will be distributed by WBHE on Blu-ray+Digital ($69.99 SRP) in the United States, and a Blu-ray only package ($79.98 SRP) in Canada.

The six-time Emmy Award-winning series premiered on September 11, 2004 on Kids’ WB before eventually shifting to Cartoon Network for subsequent seasons. The Batman: The Complete Series follows 20-something-year-old Bruce Wayne’s early adventures as he balances his daytime persona as a bachelor billionaire with his nighttime guise as a caped crimefighter. Along the way, Batman is joined by allies Robin and Batgirl as they combat Gotham City’s Rogues’ Gallery, including updated versions of his familiar foes as well as a bevy of rarely seen villains like Killer Moth and The Everywhere Man. Join one of the most complex and intriguing character in comic book history for action-packed super heroic adventures that test the limits of this legendary character’s extraordinary physical prowess and super-sleuthing skills.

Executive Producer Alan Burnett led an extremely talented team that included producers Glen Murakami, Jeff Matsuda and Linda Steiner, and supervising producers Michael Goguen and Duane Capizzi. Brandon Vietti anchored a group of eight series directors, while the episode writers featured an all-star roster of scribes including Bob Goodman, Paul Dini, Stan Berkowitz, Steven Melching, Greg Weisman, Joseph Kuhr, Michael Jelenic, Jane Espenson, Paul Giacoppo and Len Uhley.

Rino Romano (Spider-Man Unlimited, Curious George) heads the cast as the voice of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Romano is joined by Evan Sabara (The Polar Express) as Dick Grayson/Robin, Danielle Judovits (Naruto: Shippûden) as Barbara Gordon/Batgirl, Kevin Michael Richardson (The Simpsons, American Dad!) as the Joker, Ming-Na Wen (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Book of Boba Fett) as Detective Ellen Yin, Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants) as The Penguin, Clancy Brown (The Shawshank Redemption, Dexter: New Blood) as Mr. Freeze, Alastair Duncan (Batman: The Long Halloween) as Alfred, Gina Gershon (Face/Off, Showgirls) as Catwoman, Jason Marsden (Transformers: Rescue Bots, Young Justice) as Firefly, Steve Harris (The Practice) as Detective Ethan Bennett/Clayface, Mitch Pileggi (The X-Files) as Commissioner James Gordon, and Adam West (Batman) as Mayor Grange.

Stars of cinema and primetime television populate the voice cast, which featured Louis Gossett Jr. (Lucius Fox), Mark Hamill (Tony Zucco), Chris Pratt (Jake), Dana Delany (Lois Lane), Ron Perlman (Killer Croc), George Newbern (Superman), Brooke Shields (Julie), Robert Englund (The Riddler), Brandon Routh (Everywhere Man), Peter MacNicol (Dr. Kirk Langstrom), Frank Gorshin (Hugo Strange), Diedrich Bader (Captain Slash), Patrick Warburton (Cash Tankinson), Jerry O’Connell (Nightwing), Dorian Harewood (Martian Manhunter), Billie Hayes (Georgia), Wallace Langham (Basil Karlo), Gwendoline Yeo (Mercy Graves), Edward James Olmos (Chief Angel Rojas), Christopher Gorham (William Mallery), Xander Berkeley (Paul), James Remar (Black Mask), John Larroquette (Mirror Master), Patton Oswalt (Cosmo Krank), Fred Willard (Instructor), Robert Patrick (Hawkman), Dermot Mulroney (Green Lantern), Keone Young (Hideo Katsu), Ian Abercrombie (Ewan), Dave Foley (Francis Grey), Miguel Ferrer (Sinestro), Henry Gibson (Bagley), Edie McClurg (Mrs. Brown), David Faustino (David), Kevin Grevioux (Solomon Grundy) and Glenn Shadix (Artie Brown).

In addition, the series featured a who’s who of popular actors destined for the voice actor hall of fame, including Phil LaMarr, Hynden Walch, Kevin Conroy, Jeff Bennett, Daran Norris, Lex Lang, Dan Castellaneta, Grey Griffin, Charlie Schlatter, Will Friedle, Townsend Coleman, Kath Soucie, Peter Jessop, Rob Paulsen, Maurice LaMarche, Jim Meskimen, Jim Cummings, Jennifer Hale, John DiMaggio, Cathy Cavadini, Bumper Robinson, Dee Bradley Baker, Carlos Alazraqui and Patrick Seitz.

Special Features and Technical Specs:

NEW The Dark Dynasty Continues (Featurette) – Explore the relationship between The Batman and his allies as he evolves from mysterious vigilante to the World’s Greatest Detective.
Joining Forces: The Batman’s Legendary Team-Ups (Featurette) – How the series’ producers adapted the DC “Team-Up-Tales” approach from the comic books to the screen.
The Batman Junior Detective Challenge (Quiz) – Alfred tests your detective skills with The Batman: The Complete Series challenge.
The Batman Junior Detective Exam: Level 2 (Quiz) – Pass The Batman test of knowledge with the level 2 exam.
Building Batman (Featurette) – Detective Ellen Yin investigates The Batman’s true identity.
Gotham PD Case Files (Featurette) – Highly confidential profiles of The Batman’s most dastardly foes.
New Look, New Direction, New Knight (Featurette) – Go behind the scenes to explore the development of The Batman television series.
The Batman: Season 3 Unmasked (Featurette) – Supervising Producer Duane Capizzi talks about the animated series.
The Batman: Season 4 Unmasked (Featurette) – A behind the scenes look into the making of Season 4.

Info from blu-ray.com

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.

The Batman chases The Joker in The Batman: The Complete Series (2004)

Interview with actors, director and writer of “State of the Union”

Posted on February 25, 2022February 25, 2022 by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

"State of the Union" panel

Interview with actors Brendan Gleeson, Patricia Clarkson, and Esco Jouléy; director Stephen Frears and EP Nick Hornby of “State of the Union” on SundanceTV by Suzanne 2/10/22

This was such a fun and funny TCA (Television Critics Association) panel to listen to. These are great actors in an emotional show. You should check it out if you can. It airs on Sundance and SundanceNow. They’re only 10 minute episodes, so it’s easy to watch, in that sense.

Brendan and Patricia were asked if they ever had to adjust the speed of their dialogue to keep the episode length to 10 minutes, or whether they ever went longer than 10 minutes. (I’m sure the editing would take care of this. It’s not like it’s live.) Brendan explained that their director kept them going at a fast pace. However, the way the dialogue is written makes them want to go fast. He found it “exhilarating.” Patricia agreed and said that they had to make the most of their “brilliant 10 minutes.” No time was wasted, and they love how director Frears kept them going. Esco jokingly imitated Frears, saying, “Faster. Faster.” Frears made jokes of his own that all esteemed directors Billy Wilder and Steven Spielberg ever said was “Faster!” This was a very fun panel with a lot of jokes and laughing.

A journalist asked if they felt the same frustrations as Scott did (ordering coffee, etc.) and whether they were on his side in the story, or more on Ellen’s side. Brendan replied that he wasn’t familiar with a lot of the subjects addressed in the show, such as using the correct pronouns. Esco helped him with that. He said, “it was very liberating to explore how gender has become such a kind of imprisoning definition.” He loves how the writing makes Scott very curious about things, even though he does complain a lot. Esco chimed in to say he learned from the script, too. Nick added that he didn’t have the same problems as Scott does in the show, but he does “completely understand the mindset,” which is how he was able to write it. He agrees with Brendan that he “discovered a lot of things through the writing and then through talking to Esco.” He explained that “I go into a complicated coffee order, then it’s difficult the first time, and then I order the same thing 3,000 times in a row.” This made everyone laugh. Nick quoted one of Scott’s lines, where he was yelling at himself for saying the wrong pronoun: “Oh, Scott, you stupid old man.” Nick confided that someone had pointed that out to him one time, and he said it to himself. So it worked out well to give it to Scott. Everyone laughed at that, too.

Esco admired how Scott was able to recover from making a mistake a recognizing that someone else wasn’t pleased by it. He said, “Because at the end of the day, we all want to be respected. This person just wants it differently than you and it’s like, okay, I’m going to go on this journey with you to respect you the best way I can because I appreciate you.”

Patricia joined in the conversation by explaining that there were non-binary assistants and others on their set, so they had to do in real life what their characters were doing on-screen, so it was “wonderful” and helpful for them to learn all of these things. She noted that it was “quite remarkable at times.” Nick joked that “I think it’s kind of a miracle that Brendan, Stephen, and I managed to get through it without Esco stalking off the set and never coming back.” Everyone laughed and joined in the joking. Esco complimented them all for being “amazing.” He points out that the intention matters. If someone isn’t being mean (just ignorant), then he’s happy to help them learn because he’s meeting them for the first time, too.

Patricia told Esco that he’s “one of the coolest people ever put on this planet.” She went on to compliment him more. Brendan added in his own praise, too. Esco talked about how we all “make assumptions” so it’s amazing how people can see you differently that you see yourself. In the show, Jay is able to “know Scott even more.” There was more joking around after that.

A journalist asked Nick if there was any difference for him, writing for men or women. Nick says that he just writes for people, and there are so many different kinds of people out there to write about. He starts with a character and then builds the story from there. He doesn’t think of them as being a particular gender. A writer’s job is to write everyone. Of writing people of different sexuality than him, he said, “you’ve just got to hope for the best, observe as much as you can, and get people to read.” He asks for help from others if he’s not sure about certain things, which he did for the part of Jay. He turned the question over to Patricia. She replied, “Oh, honey, I’ll take anything you want to write me, any day of the week.” This led to more laughter, of course. Then Patricia praised him a lot, saying, “I’ve never had such a delicious, glorious feast of words.” She says that his dialogue is very fast and funny. She added, “it moves so quickly between the emotional and the poignant and the poetic and then into brilliant comedy. It’s just all in one quick breath sometimes and it’s an actor’s dream. It’ll kill you, but it’s an actor’s dream.” There was more laughing.

Esco piped up that he really loved that he writes for humans because once he read the script and saw that Jay was a real person, he had to do it. He added, “it made me feel so three-dimensional.” Brendan joked, “I think it’s worth mentioning on top of that that men are humans, too.” He also praised Nick’s writing. He noticed that, “even when they’re chatting to each other, the whole idea of being able to learn and listen, and also then a certain generosity of spirit, I mean it’s what obviously has united this particular troop.” He said it was a “a joy” to work with these people because they were “so committed and so vigorous in what they were doing, but also emotionally brave.” He went on and on, but you get the idea.

Esco was getting emotional and said he missed them all, confessing that he felt all the feels at that moment. He just thought it was “amazing” and it made him feel “like a superhero and we were on the A-Team.”

Another press person asked Brendan and Patricia if the dialogue, which is sometimes “so raw and painful” ever made them feel things about their own lives or reflect on their own mistakes. Brenda replied that as an actor, you always have to use part of your own experience to fit your character. Patricia told us that it was never easy to say these type of lines as an actor, that it’s “brutal.”

Brendan added that he can really relate to Scott’s confusion, and Nick agreed. The press person agreed that it’s probably “a male thing…We’re all baffled. We’re all baffled in relationships.” There was a lot of laughing and agreeing.

Nick was asked a question that had nothing to do with the show. He was asked whether any of his other books would be turned into TV shows. He also asked his opinion about “Ted Lasso.” Nick refused to talk about “Ted Lasso.” He enjoys when he books become movies or TV shows, so it’s fine with him if it happens more. He said that back when he sold “High Fidelity,” it was a new experience for him. He related that he made “incredible friendships with people that I might not otherwise have met, one of them the director of this series and another one with the writer of the original movie.” It allowed him to learn about other industries. He mentioned that another TV series of his novel “Funny Girl” will be coming out later this year, so he’s enjoyed getting to know those people.

MORE INFO:

Emmy-winning State of the Union Renewed for a Second Season with New Cast on SundanceTV

BACK FOR A LITTLE MORE, THE EMMY AWARD-WINNING SHORT FORM SERIES STATE OF THE UNION RENEWED FOR A SECOND SEASON ON SUNDANCETV

CREATOR NICK HORNBY AND DIRECTOR STEPHEN FREARS REUNITE TO DELIVER A PROFOUND EXPLORATION OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS IN THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF GROUNDBREAKING SERIES FROM SEE-SAW FILMS

NEW SEASON PREMIERING LATER THIS YEAR ON SUNDANCETV AND SUNDANCE NOW STARS BRENDAN GLEESON, PATRICIA CLARKSON AND ESCO JOULÉY

NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES – January 27, 2021 – SundanceTV announced that it has renewed the Emmy®award-winning short form drama series, State of the Union, for a second season. Produced by See-Saw Films, Brendan Gleeson (In Bruges), Patricia Clarkson (Sharp Objects) and Esco Jouléy (High Maintenence) will lead the second installment of the innovative format, 10 episodes, each 10 minutes in length, which commenced production in January. The second season will premiere on SundanceTV and AMC Networks’ streaming service Sundance Now later this year.

Written by Nick Hornby (Brooklyn, An Education) and directed by Stephen Frears (The Queen, A Very English Scandal), State of the Union, cleverly explores relationships and the human experience. In this season, liberal campaigning Ellen (Clarkson) drags her traditional, self-made husband Scott (Gleeson) out of his comfort zone and into a hipster Connecticut coffee shop, where they have ten minutes before their marriage counseling session to drink a coffee, gather their thoughts and argue about everything from Quakerism to pronouns. Amongst the bickering they also discuss betrayals from their past, how they’re changing as people, and what the future of their relationship might look like in a changing world.

“The first season of State of the Union was a triumph of storytelling form, captivating audiences – 10 minutes at a time – by smartly and authentically exploring our fundamental humanity and curiosity around what makes people think, feel, love and interact,” said Dan McDermott, president of original programming for AMC Networks. “We are thrilled to once again partner with the great Nick Hornby and Stephen Frears, and welcome Brendan, Patricia and Esco, to break new ground in short-form storytelling with a series built on the most universal and unifying element of all – the human relationship.

“We are over the moon to be given another opportunity to work with Nick and Stephen on a new season of State of the Union with our friends at SundanceTV.” Said Jamie Laurenson and Hakan Kousetta, Executive Producers, See-Saw Films. “We are incredibly happy to welcome Brendan, Patricia and Esco to the team for a new story this season.”

Emmy Award-winning and multiple Golden Globe nominee, Brendan Gleeson recently played the role of Donald Trump in the CBS miniseries The Comey Rule and will soon be seen in the role of King Duncan in Joel Coen’s film adaptation of Macbeth. Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe- Critics’ Choice- and Emmy Award-winning actress, Patricia Clarkson was recently seen in the HBO limited series Sharp Objects and the sixth and final season of Netflix’ House of Cards. Burgeoning multi-talent Esco Jouley recently wrapped a role on the upcoming Starz series Blindspotting, from creators Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs, and was recently seen in HBO’s High Maintenance. Full Bios and Headshots

Jamie Laurenson, Hakan Kousetta, Iain Canning, and Emile Sherman are executive producers along with Hornby and Frears, with Sophie Reynolds producing the series for See-Saw Films. Kristin Jones, EVP of international programming for AMC and SundanceTV, is the executive in charge for SundanceTV. Endeavor Content is handling international sales.

The first season of State of the Union starred Oscar®-nominee Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl, A Private War) and Emmy®-winner Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids, Get Shorty) in an innovative look at a couple who meet for drinks ahead of their weekly marriage counseling appointments. The short form series premiered as an official selection of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and screened at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. State of the Union received three Emmy awards: Short Form Comedy or Drama Series, Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama (Pike) and Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama (O’Dowd).

About SundanceTV

Since its launch in 1996, SundanceTV has remained true to founder Robert Redford’s mission to celebrate creativity and distinctive storytelling through unique voices and narratives found in the best independent films. From delivering critically acclaimed Emmy®, Golden Globe® and Peabody Award-winning television featuring some of the world’s most talented creators and performers, to showcasing some of the most compelling and iconic films across genres and generations, SundanceTV is a smart and thought-provoking entertainment destination. SundanceTV is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc.; its sister networks include AMC, IFC, BBC America and WE tv. SundanceTV is available across all platforms, including on-air, online at www.sundancetv.com, on demand and mobile.

About Sundance Now

AMC Networks’ streaming service Sundance Now is for culture craving TV watchers looking for their next series to obsess over and offers a rich selection of original and exclusive series from engrossing true crime to heart-stopping dramas and fiercely intelligent thrillers from around the world, all streaming commercial-free. Adding exclusive new programs every week, Sundance Now has exclusively premiered several distinctive, critically acclaimed Sundance Now Original Series, including supernatural drama A Discovery of Witches; glamourous thriller Riviera; and critically acclaimed French spy drama The Bureau; plus Sundance Now Exclusives, such as Nordic noir thriller Wisting and British drama Des starring David Tennant; as well as riveting true crime series like No One Saw a Thing.

Follow Sundance Now on:

Twitter@sundance_now

Facebook@SundanceNow

Instagram@SundanceNow

YouTube@Sundance Now

About See-Saw Films

Academy Award®, BAFTA and Emmy Award winning producers Iain Canning and Emile Sherman founded See-Saw Films in 2008. With offices in London and Sydney, See-Saw specializes in international film and television production.

See-Saw’s film projects include this year’s awards contender Ammonite, written and directed by Francis Lee, starring Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan which was selected for the Cannes, Telluride, Toronto and London Film festivals. In 2016 they released the six-time Academy Award® nominated Lion, starring Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara, as well as The King’s Speech, which was nominated for twelve and won four Academy Awards® in 2011 including Best Motion Picture. Recent projects include Widows directed by Steve McQueen and starring Viola Davis. Upcoming projects include Operation Mincemeat, directed by John Madden and starring Colin Firth, Matthew Macfadyen and Kelly Macdonald; The Power Of The Dog, written and directed by Jane Campion, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons; and The Unknown Man directed by Thomas M Wright, starring Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris.

See-Saw’s television division kicked off with the multi-award winning first season of Jane Campion’s ‘Top of the Lake’. Campion returned with ‘Top of The Lake: China Girl’ starring Elisabeth Moss, Nicole Kidman and Gwendoline Christie which premiered at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for a Golden Globe. ‘State of the Union,’ written by Nick Hornby, directed by Stephen Frears and starring Rosamund Pike and Chris O’Dowd had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival 2019 and won three Emmy Awards. Recent projects include Samantha Strauss’ ‘The End’ for Foxtel and Sky Atlantic, starring Harriet Walter and Frances O’Connor. Upcoming projects include ‘The North Water’ for BBC Two written and directed by Andrew Haigh, starring Colin Farrell, Jack O’Connell and Stephen Graham; ‘Slow Horses’ for Apple TV+, starring Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden and Kristin Scott Thomas; and ‘The Essex Serpent’ for Apple TV+, directed by Clio Barnard.

Nick Hornby Bio

Nick Hornby is an Oscar®-nominated screenwriter and award-winning author. He won an Emmy for his short form series State Of The Union directed by Stephen Frears and starring Rosamund Pyke and Chris O’Dowd. He adapted Nina Stibbe’s memoir Love, Nina into a BBC1 television series and received Academy Award® and BAFTA nominations for his screenplay adaptation of Colm Tóibín’s novel Brooklyn, which was directed by John Crowley. The film starred Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson, Julie Walters and Jim Broadbent, received three Oscar nominations in total and was awarded BAFTA’s Outstanding British Film. Nick’s previous film and television projects include his Oscar and BAFTA-nominated adaptation of Lynn Barber’s memoir An Education, which was directed by Lone Scherfig and starred Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Dominic Cooper, Rosamund Pike and Emma Thompson, his adaptation of Cheryl Strayed’s New York Times bestselling memoir into the film Wild, which starred Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern, and his adaptation of his own memoir for the screenplay of Fever Pitch starring Colin Firth.

Nick’s best-selling books have served as a rich stream of inspiration for filmmakers: the British film of Fever Pitch was re-made by the Farrelly brothers, starring Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon; High Fidelity was directed by Stephen Frears, starring John Cusack and Jack Black, and in 2020 was re-imagined as a TV series starring Zoe Kravitz; About A Boy was directed by the Weitz brothers, starring Hugh Grant, Rachel Weisz and Toni Collette; A Long Way Down was directed by Pascal Chaumeil, starring Pierce Brosnan, Aaron Paul and Toni Collette, and his young adult novel Slam was adapted into an Italian language feature directed by Andrea Molaioli. Jesse Peretz directed an adaptation of his novel Juliet, Naked, starring Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke, and Chris O’Dowd.

Nick’s other novels include How to be Good (2001), Funny Girl (2014) and Just Like You (2020). His non-fiction work includes Fever Pitch, 31 Songs, and The Complete Polysyllabic Spree, a collection of Nick’s book columns for US magazine The Believer, to which he continues to contribute a bi-monthly column. Among other recognition for his literature, Nick received the EM Forster Award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters. In 2010, he co-founded the children’s writing charity The Ministry of Stories, located in East London and now expanding to other UK cities.

Stephen Frears Bio

Unanimously regarded as one of Britain’s finest directors, Stephen Frears has always embraced a wide variety of styles, themes and genres. He worked almost exclusively for the small screen in the first 15 years of his career, with programs such as One Fine Day by Alan Bennett and Three Men In A Boat by Tom Stoppard. Stephen’s more recent TV work includes Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight for HBO and Channel 4’s The Deal starring Michael Sheen and David Morrissey. In the mid-1980s he turned to the cinema, shooting The Hit (1984), starring Terence Stamp, John Hurt and Tim Roth. The following year he made My Beautiful Laundrette for Channel 4, which crossed over to big-screen audiences and altered the course of his career. After directing its companion piece Sammy And Rosie Get Laid and the Joe Orton biopic Prick Up Your Ears, he began working in Hollywood, with Dangerous Liaisons and the Grifters (for which he was Oscar®-nominated) among his most notable titles.

Returning closer to home, he directed The Snapper and The Van, two Irish films based on Roddy Doyle stories and, after a second spell of making American films (The Hi-Lo Country and High Fidelity), based himself largely in Britain. Frears showed his versatility with two vastly different movies – Dirty Pretty Things, a realistic account of immigrant life in London, and Mrs Henderson Presents, a nostalgic backstage comedy-drama. For his 2006 film The Queen he was again nominated for an Oscar. His subsequent films included Cheri and Tamara Drewe. He followed these with Philomena, starring Judi Dench and Steve Coogan, which won a BAFTA and was nominated for three others, along with three Golden Globe and four Oscar nominations; The Program, which starred Ben Foster as seven time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong; and Florence Foster Jenkins, starring Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant, which received various accolades including a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture and an Oscar nomination for Streep. Frears followed this with Victoria & Abdul, which starred Judi Dench, who received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance. Frears’ return to TV was with the acclaimed three-part BBC television series A Very English Scandal, which won Stephen a BAFTA for Best Director. He followed this up with an Emmy win for Nick Hornby’s short form series State Of The Union – starring Rosamund Pike and Chris O’Dowd; and most recently directed James Graham’s QUIZ for ITV starring Michael Sheen and Matthew Macfadyen.

Patricia Clarkson as Ellen and Brendan Gleeson as Scott - State of the Union _ Season2, Episode3 - Photo Credit: Laura Radford/See-Saw Films/Sundance TV STATE OF THE UNION Season 2 – BIOS
Brendan Gleeson (Cast, “Scott”)
Brendan recently played the role of Donald Trump in the CBS miniseries The Comey Rule. He will next be
seen in the role of King Duncan in Joel Coen’s film adaptation of The Tragedy of Macbeth, which is due
for release this year.
He played the lead role in three seasons of the acclaimed, Mr. Mercedes based on the Bill Hodges novel
trilogy by Stephen King.
Other recent projects include Frankie opposite Marisa Tomei and directed by Ira Sachs, The Ballad of
Buster Scruggs directed by the Coen Brothers, Paddington 2 directed by Paul King, Hampstead opposite
Diane Keaton and directed by Joel Hopkins, Live By Night directed by Ben Affleck, Justin Kurzel’s
Assassin’s Creed with Michael Fassbender, Vincent Perez’s Alone in Berlin opposite Emma Thompson,
Adam Smith’s Trespass Against Us, Sarah Gavron’s Suffragette with Meryl Streep and Carey Mulligan,
and In The Heart of the Sea directed by Ron Howard.
Other projects in recent years include Calvary directed by John Michael McDonagh, Doug Liman’s Edge
of Tomorrow with Tom Cruise, and Cartoon Saloon’s Song of the Sea, directed by Tomm Moore. He is
also well–known for his role as Professor Alastor Moody in the Harry Potter films, and for his portrayal of
Sergeant Gerry Boyle in John Michael McDonagh’s The Guard.
Brendan was nominated for Golden Globe and BAFTA awards for his role as Ken in Martin McDonagh’s
In Bruges, and won an Emmy for his portrayal of Winston Churchill in HBO’s Into The Storm, directed by
Thaddeus O’Sullivan. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe and BAFTA for this performance.
He is an accomplished musician, playing the fiddle and mandolin.

Patricia Clarkson (Cast, “Ellen”)
Academy Award nominee, Golden Globe Award, Critics’ Choice Award and Emmy Award–winning
actress, Patricia Clarkson takes on roles as varied as the platforms for which she plays them. This multi–
faceted approach makes her one of today’s most respected actresses.
Clarkson’s continuous innovative work in independent film earned her the 2018 British Independent
Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Sally Potter’s film The Party. In 2010 she received
rave reviews for her starring role in the award winning romantic drama, Cairo Time, which put her
career in the American spotlight. She won the Independent Award for Acting Excellence at the 2009
ShoWest Awards. In 2003, her role in Pieces of April earned her nominations for an Academy Award,
Golden Globe, SAG, Broadcast Film Critics and Independent Spirit awards. The National Board of Review
and the National Society of Film Critics named her Best Supporting Actress of the Year for her work in
Pieces of April and The Station Agent. 2019 garnered Clarkson the Golden Globe Award and Critics’ Choice Award for her role in HBO’s Sharp
Objects. Last year she was also seen at the helm of the Krewe of Muses Mardi Gras Parade, she was
honored with the Precious Gem Award at the Miami Film Festival, and honored with the prestigious
“Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema” from the 54th annual Karlovy Vary
International Film Festival.
Clarkson’s recent films include Isabel Coixet’s The Bookshop, the independent film drama Jonathan,
opposite Ansel Elgort, the final installment of the Maze Runner trilogy, the detective film Out of Blue
based on the Martin Amis novel, in which she plays the lead character, and Sally Potter’s film The Party.
Recent television projects include the HBO limited series Sharp Objects and the sixth and final season of
Netflix’ House of Cards. She will next be seen in State of the Union.
In 2014 she starred alongside Sir Ben Kingsley in Learning to Drive directed by Isabel Coixet. The film
won runner up honors for the People’s Choice Award at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival and
was released in August 2015 and opened to critical acclaim. Other recent films include the timely thriller
The East, opposite Brit Marling and Alexander Skarsgård, the comedy Friends with Benefits, in which she
co–stars with Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis and the Lone Scherfig directed drama, One Day with Anne
Hathaway and Jim Sturgess. In 2010, she was seen in the box office hit Easy A.
Clarkson and the cast of Good Night, and Good Luck. with George Clooney and David Straithairn,
received both Screen Actors Guild and Gotham Award nominations for Best Ensemble. Far From Heaven
won her a New York Film Critics Circle Award for Supporting Actress, All The Real Girls won her a Special
Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and The Safety of Objects earned her an Acting Prize at the
Deauville Film Festival. The Green Mile earned Clarkson and cast (including Tom Hanks and James
Cromwell) a Screen Actors Guild Best Ensemble Award nomination, and High Art earned her an
Independent Spirit Award nomination for Supporting Actress.
Other film credits include: Martin Scorsese’s thriller Shutter Island, Woody Allen’s Whatever Works and
Vicky Christina Barcelona, Blind Date with Stanley Tucci, Elegy, No Reservations, All The King’s Men, Lars
and the Real Girl, Simply Irresistible, The Pledge, Jumanji, Rocket Gibraltar and The Untouchables.
In 2011, Clarkson was seen in Lifetime’s Five, an anthology of five short films exploring the impact of
breast cancer on people’s lives directed by Jennifer Aniston, Alicia Keys, Demi Moore, Patty Jenkins and
Penelope Spheeris. She previously guest starred in the critically acclaimed HBO series Six Feet Under, for
which she won an Emmy in 2002 and again in 2006.
In December 2014, Clarkson returned to Broadway, after a 25 year hiatus from the stage, to star in The
Elephant Man, opposite Bradley Cooper and Alessandro Nivola. Following its successful run on
Broadway, the cast reprised their roles on the West End at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in London the
following year. That year, Clarkson was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle award for “Outstanding
Featured Actress in a Play” and a Tony Award nomination for her role in The Elephant Man.

Esco Jouléy (Cast, “Jay”)
Esco Jouléy is an actor, singer, dancer, clown, movement artist, and creator located in New York City.
Esco recently wrapped a role on the upcoming Starz series Blindspotting, from creators Rafael Casal and
Daveed Diggs. Recent credits include HBO’s High Maintenance, Netflix’s upcoming series Inventing Anna, Hulu’s Monsterland and Bravo’s In A Man’s World, where they appeared as a movement coach. Esco’s
theater credits include: Interstate, Runaways, Galatea, The Demise (Magic Theater Player), and Beowulf.
Esco was a resident actor at the historic Barter Theater for three and a half years and is an alum of the
ABC Discovers Showcase.
As a movement artist, Esco is the creator and performer of One, a mute character that lives in the same
world as the great artists Charlie Chaplin, Burt Williams, and Harpo Marx. Esco has used this character
to explore the language of movement and how one would communicate with people if one could not
speak. Esco is a Penn State University graduate with a BA in Integrative Arts and a minor in Dance. Esco
also graduated from the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC. Esco was awarded the Robert
J. Prindle and Doris P. Prindle Memorial Award and the Lauren M. Becker Memorial Award in creative
art. More information about Esco and their work can be found at escojouley.com, @escojouley,
onezlife.com, and @onezlife.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

Please visit our Law & Order page!

Patricia Clarkson as Ellen, Brendan Gleeson as Scott and Esco Jouléy as Jay - State of the Union_Season 2, Episode 10 - Photo Credit: Laura Radford/See-Saw Films/Sundance TV

Interview with “Law and Order” cast

Posted on February 24, 2022February 24, 2022 by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

"Law and Order" actors and producer on TCA panel

Interview with actors Anthony Anderson, Hugh Dancy, Jeffrey Donovan, Odelya Halevi, Camryn Manheim, Sam Waterston, and EP/Showrunner Rick Eid of “Law and Order” on NBC by Suzanne 2/11/22

I really enjoyed this TCA panel because it was a lot of fun. I love this show and have watched most of the episodes. I’m so glad that they’re bringing it back. Dick Wolf was originally scheduled to be on this panel, but unfortunately, he wasn’t able to make it.

NBCUNIVERSAL
WINTER 2022 TCA VIRTUAL PRESS TOUR
NBC -Law & Order
Anthony Anderson, Talent, “Det. Kevin Bernard”
Hugh Dancy, Talent, “Assistant District Attorney Nolan Price”
Jeffrey Donovan, Talent, “Det. Frank Cosgrove”
Odelya Halevi, Talent, “Assistant District Attorney Samantha Maroun”
Camryn Manheim, Talent, “Lt. Kate Dixon”
Sam Waterston, Talent, “District Attorney Jack McCoy”
Rick Eid, Executive Producer/Writer/Showrunner
Virtual via Zoom
February 11, 2022
© 2022 NBCUniversal, Inc. All rights reserved.

We were told this about the show before they ran a clip: “During its astonishing 20 year, 456 episode run, ‘Law & Order’ garnered 52 Emmy Award nominations and became one of the longest running primetime dramas in television history. Set and filmed in New York City, each episode follows the investigation of a crime by NYPD detectives and the prosecution of a defendant by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. ‘Law & Order’ returns to NBC on Thursday, February 24th, at 8 p.m.”

Executive Producer Rick Eid told us that Dick Wolf sent his apologies because he has laryngitis and was told to rest by his doctor.

For the first question, Camryn Manheim (Kate) talked about how one of the greatest things about being on the show is that “New York’s finest actors just come and play with you.” She thinks viewers will be as “surprised and excited” as she’s been to see them.

Sam Waterston (Jack) and Rick were asked about whether there were previous attempts to bring the show back. Sam asserted that there were. Rick wasn’t involved in the previous efforts, but Dick Wolf had been talking about it for a few years. Then this past summer, he was told that it was happening and asked if he would be interested in getting involved. He says that he “jumped at the opportunity.” Sam added that Dick was talking about it to him about around “five years ago too, and I don’t think he’s ever stopped talking about it.” He credits Dick’s “persistence and determination and his complete conviction that it was a terrible mistake to stop in the first place” with the show coming back. He also added that the audience kept watching all the “Law and Order” shows on TV, on streaming, on cable, etc. and so they’ve always had a “persistent appetite” for the show. He thinks they’re the reason the show is back.

A journalist mentioned that it’s great to have Sam and Anthony back, but he said that Sam had “teased” that some “fan favorite individuals” would be coming back and wanted to know if they could tell us anything about that.

Those of us who have watched the first episode in advance know that a certain actress will be returning for the first episode (we don’t know if it’s for future episodes as well or not).

Rick said that they can’t tell yet who the returning actors are, but “You’ll definitely see some familiar faces along the way.” He said that want to find ways to bring back former “Law & Order” actors.

Sam was asked if he had any idea how successful the show would be and that so many Broadway actors would love guest-starring on the show. Sam admitted that he had no idea how it would turn in to this massive juggernaut in multiple forms. Sam told us that he’s long wanted Dick Wolf to get a Tony award because of what the show has done for NYC actors, but so far they haven’t been interested in that. Anthony (Kevin) joked, “Hey, Sam. Can you talk to the Television Academy about giving me an Emmy? I’m 0 for 11. Could you make that phone call for me too, then?” and Sam joked back, “Oh, sure. I’ll take care of that.” Anthony replied, “Okay. All right. Thank you.” And Sam finished with, “If you can spare me, I’ll go do that now.” Everyone laughed. Maybe these two should get a comedy show on the side! They’re both very funny, as they showed throughout this panel.

Anthony and Sam were asked if it was difficult to get back into their character’s shoes are all this time. Anthony replied that it “felt like no time had passed at all.” He was glad to talk to Dick about coming back to the show. Coming back to NYC and putting on the same badge, in the same squad room and sound stages felt like “sitting in a well worn saddle.” Then he joked that “The hard part is working with someone like Jeffrey Donovan.” Jeffrey grinned, saying that he knew Anthony would say that. They joked around for a little bit, too. The three of them did a lot of joking around during the whole panel.

Sam and Anthony were also asked if it was difficult to do other acting jobs when they were “so tied” to the show. This was not a great question because of course, they’ve both been very successful since they left the show. Anthony was also asked how it felt to end the comedy “black-ish” and then jump back into a heavy drama.

Sam gave this answer that sounded like he’s probably used it many times in interviews: “ever since I saw this on a crosstown bus on 57th Street, a quotation from Satchel Paige that said ‘Keep on running and don’t look back because somebody may be gaining on you,’ and that’s kind of been my motto about show business ever since.” He added that he’s always done more than one acting job at once, whenever he can. When he was doing “Law & Order” before, he would do stage or other projects.

Anthony let us know that after ending 8 seasons of “black-ish,” joining this show again “was a no-brainer.” He hopes that in 20 years, they’ll be asking him for a “black-ish” reboot. He’s always been a “Law & Order” fan, so he thought it would be foolish not to return. He also said that having Sam back, and the two of them being familiar to viewers, and to join with the other new cast members, was an added bonus.

Rick Eid was asked about the trailer we saw, which hinted at the fact that there might be changes in the way they do policing and with criminal justice. He pointed out that “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” has also addressed this a little bit. He wondered how this show will approach that.

Rick replied that they’ll try to “reflect the world we live in now.” He believes that “2022 is a unique moment in time and our stories and our characters reflect what’s happening in society.” Police business is different than it was when they left the air in 2010, and so is the way the D.A.’s do their business. There’s more awareness of certain things than there was before. He hopes they reflect this in their stories.

Sam admires the way Rick has been telling exciting stories, addressing all of the current conflicts rather than ignoring them. He says, “he’s just walked up, straight up to one after another. Every show is a shock.” Sam pointed out that the press were ignoring the other actors.

The next press person asked Odelya (Samantha) and Jeffrey (Frank) what it was like to step into a show with such great history and a large fan base. Hugh (Nolan) took the question and joked that it was the opposite of that “well worn saddle” Anthony described. There was much joking and laughing after that. He said, seriously then, that figuring out how the show works has been wonderful. Odelya answered the question as well, saying that being here “still feels like a dream, like, you know, someone pinch me.” She grew up in another country and has been watching the show with her mom since the 90’s. She wanted to be a lawyer on the show ever since. Her mom told her that she just wanted to play a lawyer on TV, and now here she is. She gushed that she’s learning a lot from the others and enjoying it all.

Jeffrey said, completely deadpan, “They don’t let me have a saddle. I’m not sure why. I think it has something to do with Anthony saying that I can’t have things.” Everyone in the panel was laughing. It was really hysterical. He went on to say that he’s a huge fan of the show and the cast. He watched back in college at NYU in the 90s, and he always dreamed to be a guest-star on the show.

Camryn answered that her first job when she graduated from NYU in 91 was, in fact, at “Law & Order.” She noted that it’s hard to believe that it was 30 years ago. She’s played three different characters on the show. She explained that they’ve updated the show in many ways, and the stories are very current, but they have “that same old precinct. Nothing is updated. I mean, the phones are still from, you know, Edison’s time.” She praised the cast, saying she loves them, and they keep her laughing. She feels very lucky to be there and can’t wait for the people at home to see it. She’s proud to be part of it.

Sam and Anthony asked if there was anything they could tell us about where their characters are since we last saw them. He or she also asked if the others can tell us anything about their characters. Great question!

Sam told us that, “Dick always says that action is character, and the actions of McCoy are being defined by Rick, and it’s different and interesting, and it’s great to find out.” He said you found out about your character from “the next script.”

Anthony loves that they don’t share too much about the characters’ personal lives, so you can watch the show at any time and not feel lost. It’s about solving the crime, the story moving along and then “bringing law and order to the world.” He thinks this is part of the special “magic” of the show.

Sam chimed in to say that one of the great things about the show is that the characters are just working and doing their jobs, so everyone can relate to that.”

The next person asked about that very topic because the other “Law & Order” series focus on the personal lives of the characters. He asked if they’ll do this with this new season.

Rick agreed with Sam that the action is the character. “People’s characters are sort of defined by the decisions they make and the choices they make.” He allowed that there may be some other relatives or backstories of the characters, but the crime stories are put first. We may see how some of the histories of the characters influence how they make certain decision. He hinted that in the first episode, this happens with Samantha (played by Odelya).

Rick was also asked if there will be crossovers with the other “Wolf Franchises” and other “Law & Order” spinoffs. Rick didn’t want to say much, he just said that it could happen.

A reporter asked Anthony if he had a hard time adjusting to just being an actor rather than executive producer, like he was on “black-ish.” Anthony had no trouble with it at all. He knows that they all have different jobs at different places. He confided that he learned a lot about the way show business works the last time he was on “Law & Order,” which he used when he worked on “black-ish.” He credits this show for making him “more well-rounded entertainer.”

Hugh joked, “Although he did say to me on my first day, ‘I’m the star, and never forget that.’ So take it how you will.” Then Anthony joked, “Well, when Sam is not around, I am. When Sam is not around, I am.” There was more joking around and laughing.

The next journalist asked if the show will address hate crimes against Asians because it was recently in the news that the real-life New York City D.A. prosecuted the highest number of them. Rick admitted that they don’t specifically have that story planned, but they have stories about hate crimes. They could address the Asian angle of it in the future.

After that, the cast teased Rick for a bit.

Another person in the press asked a rather obvious question that had already been addressed by asking how much the show was going to “draw directly from the headlines.” Sam answered that it would be a “huge” amount. He said that it must be difficult for the writers to figure out which ones to choose first because “There’s so much.”

Hugh addressed the question, and quoted what was said earlier, about how they hope the “engine of the show” can spark debate in any moment and reflect what’s happening in the real world. There was more joking around after that.

Sam concluded with, “I think the interview part ended. I think all of the journalists have gone home,” and everyone laughed. It was, indeed, the end.

MORE INFO: Trailer

The Original Returns "Law & Order" Key Art -- (Photo by: NBCUniversal) NBC is bringing back one of its most treasured and honored dramas with the 21st season of “Law & Order.” The series, which will continue the classic bifurcated format that was created for its original run, will once again examine “the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.”

Sam Waterston, Anthony Anderson, Jeffrey Donovan, Camryn Manheim, Hugh Dancy and Odelya Halevi star.

Dick Wolf is creator and executive producer. Rick Eid, Arthur Forney and Peter Jankowski are executive producers.

“Law & Order” is produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.

breaking news | September 28, 2021

• NBC is bringing back one of its most treasured and honored dramas with the 21st season of “Law & Order.” The series, which will continue the classic bifurcated format that was created for its original run, will once again examine “the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders.”

• “There are very few things in life that are literally dreams come true,” said creator and executive producer Dick Wolf. “This is mine.”

• “‘Law & Order’ is quite simply one of the most iconic shows in television history, and the idea of continuing its legacy and partnering with Dick on an all-new season is nothing short of exhilarating” said Susan Rovner, Chairman, Entertainment Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming, “This is great news for NBC as well as TV fans everywhere.”

• “The return of the flagship ‘Law & Order’ series for a pivotal 21st season is a proud moment for Dick and a proud moment for us, his studio partners,” said Pearlena Igbokwe, Chairman, Universal Studio Group.
• The series was nominated for more than 50 Emmy Awards and won in 1997 for Outstanding Drama Series.

• A premiere date and cast will be announced at a later date.

• “Law & Order” will be executive produced by Dick Wolf, Rick Eid (writer/showrunner), Arthur Forney and Peter Jankowski.

• The series will be produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Wolf Entertainment.

Anthony Anderson

Det. Kevin Bernard, “Law & Order”

Anthony Anderson plays Det. Kevin Bernard on the 21st season of the NBC drama “Law & Order.”

An Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated actor, Anderson is the star and executive producer of ABC’s multi-award nominated sitcom “black-ish.” He also currently hosts the ABC game show “To Tell the Truth” and “House Haunters.” Anderson is also executive producer of both “black-ish” spinoffs “grown-ish” and “mixed-ish” as well as “Road Trippin,’” which airs on Snapchat.

Anderson has numerous other TV and film credits, including “Transformers,” “The Departed” and “Hustle & Flow.” A winner of seven Image Awards, Anderson has also hosted the NAACP Image Awards for the past eight years and in 2020 was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Jeffrey Donovan

Det. Frank Cosgrove, “Law & Order”

Jeffrey Donovan plays Det. Frank Cosgrove in the 21st season of the NBC drama “Law & Order.”

Donovan is perhaps best known for his leading work as former CIA operative Michael Westen on the Emmy Award-nominated USA series “Burn Notice” for seven seasons. Donovan received strong notice playing North Dakota off-kilter mobster Dodd Gerhardt in FX’s critically acclaimed second season of Noah Hawley’s “Fargo” and was cast as series lead Charlie Haverford, a tarot reading con-artist, on Hulu’s “Shut Eye.”

On the film side, Donovan recently filmed a sequence of back-to-back films – “National Champions” for director Ric Roman Waugh and starring opposite J.K Simmons; the Western ”Surrounded,” opposite Letitia Wright and Jamie Bell; the hostage drama “892,” opposite John Boyega and Michael Kenneth Williams; and the family drama “First Love,” opposite Diane Kruger. Past features include “Wrath of Man” for director Guy Ritchie, “Let Him Go,” alongside Kevin Costner and Diane Lane; and Noah Hawley’s “Lucy in the Sky,” alongside Natalie Portman and Jon Hamm.

His other film credits include “Soldado,” opposite Josh Brolin and Benicio Del Toro; “Villains,” opposite Bill Skarsgård and Kyra Sedgwick; and “Honest Thief,” opposite Liam Neeson,” Denis Villeneuve’s “Sicario,” Clint Eastwood’s “J. Edgar” (playing Robert F. Kennedy) and “The Changeling,” Rob Reiner’s “LBJ” (as John F. Kennedy) and Ric Waugh’s “Shotcaller.”

Camryn Manheim

Lt. Kate Dixon, “Law & Order”

Camryn Manheim plays Lt. Kate Dixon on the 21st season of the NBC drama “Law & Order.”

Manheim is best-known for her Emmy Award-winning and Golden Globe Award-winning role on “The Practice” as well as roles on “Stumptown,” “Waco,” “Ghost Whisperer,” “Person of Interest,” “Utopia,” “Criminal Minds,” “Code Black,” “Masters of Sex,” “Two and a Half Men,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Extant,” “Chicago Hope,” “Harry’s Law,” “Younger,” “Hand of God,” “The L Word,” “Will & Grace,” “Ally McBeal,” “Family Guy” and “The 10th Kingdom,” among others.

Manheim was also nominated for a Golden Globe for her portrayal of Gladys Presley in the CBS mini- series “Elvis.”

Her feature film credits include “Cop Car,” “Return to Sender,” “Slipstream,” “An Unfinished Life,” “Without Men,” “Twisted,” “Scary Movie Three,” “Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion,” “Happiness,” “The Laramire Project,” “Dark Water,” “The Road to Wellville” and “Eraser.”

Manheim made her Broadway debut in Deaf West’s Tony Award-nominated production of “Spring Awakening.” She also won an Obie Award for Craig Lucas’ “Missing Persons” at the Atlantic Theater Co.

She received her M.F.A from New York University.

Hugh Dancy

Assistant District Attorney Nolan Price, “Law & Order”

Hugh Dancy plays Assistant District Attorney Nolan Price on the 21st season of the NBC drama “Law & Order.”

Dancy received critical acclaim for starring as Will Graham in NBC’s “Hannibal,” receiving two Critics’ Choice Award nominations for Best Actor in a Drama Series. He also starred in Hulu’s “The Path” opposite Aaron Paul and Michelle Michelle Monaghan and most recently wrapped production on the Apple TV+ anthology series “Roar” with Nicole Kidman, Cynthia Erivo and Issa Rae.

Dancy will next star in the upcoming film “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” which Focus Features will release in theaters in March.

Odelya Halevi

Assistant District Attorney Samantha Maroun, “Law & Order”

Odelya Halevi plays Assistant District Attorney Samantha Maroun in the 21st season of the NBC drama “Law & Order.”

Halevi most recently landed a major role in the DC Entertainment film “Black Adam,” opposite Dwayne Johnson, set for release in 2022. Additionally, Halevi just wrapped a major recurring role on Freeform’s “Good Trouble” as well as a pivitol role in the Amazon series “Good Girls Revolt.”

Notable guest-star credits include “New Girl,” “Mike and Molly,” Midnight, Texas,” “NCIS,” MacGyver” and “Why Women Kill.”

Halevi’s grandparents immigrated to Israel from Yemen where she was born and raised.

Sam Waterston

District Attorney Jack McCoy, “Law & Order

Sam Waterston plays District Attorney Jack McCoy in the 21st season of the NBC drama “Law & Order.”

Waterston was born in 1940 in Cambridge, Mass., where his father was a language teacher and his mother a landscape painter. He attended Brooks and Groton prep schools before earning a scholarship to Yale University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1962. Later that year, Waterston made his New York debut at the Phoenix Theater in “Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama’s Hung You in the Closet and I’m Feelin’ So Sad.”

Over the next five decades, Waterston’s career has included a plethora of film and television credits as well as repeated returns to the stage. His trophy case includes an Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award as well as an OBIE and Drama Desk for theater. Other accolades include an Academy Award nomination for his role as journalist Sydney Schanberg in 1984’s “The Killing Fields” and six Emmy nominations for his roles in “I’ll Fly Away” and “Law & Order.”

Waterston co-starred on Aaron Sorkin’s “The Newsroom” for HBO and soon can be seen in the final season of Netflix’s “Grace and Frankie,” opposite Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Martin Sheen. In 2022 Waterson will be featured in the Hulu limited series “The Dropout,” opposite Amanda Seyfried and William H Macy.

A passionate activist for decades, Waterston is currently Chairman of the Board of Oceana, the world’s preeminent ocean conservation NGO, and also serves on the Board of Refugees International.

Rick Eid

Executive Producer, “Chicago P.D.”; Executive Producer, “Law & Order”; Executive Producer, “FBI”

Rick Eid is executive producer and showrunner of the hit NBC dramas “Chicago P.D.” and “Law & Order,” as well as the CBS drama “FBI.”

His prior credits include “Law & Order: SVU,” “CSI,” “Hostages,” “The Guardian” and “Dark Blue.”

Eid has also written essays for a variety of blogs and magazines. Prior to his writing career, he was a corporate attorney specializing in mergers and acquisitions at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom.

He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

LAW & ORDER -- "The Right Thing" Episode 21001 -- Pictured: (l-r) Camryn Manheim as Lieutenant Kate Dixon, Anthony Anderson as Detective Kevin Bernard, Jeffrey Donovan as Detective Frank Cosgrove -- (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC)

Interview with Tommy Davidson

Posted on February 22, 2022March 16, 2023 by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Tommy Davidson

Interview with Tommy Davidson of “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” on Disney+ by Suzanne 2/15/22

It was a lot of fun to speak to Tommy! Not just because I’m so familiar with his earlier work, but because he’s just a funny guy who frequently breaks into funny voices. We definitely bonded over growing up in the 70’s, watching cartoons.

Suzanne: Can you tell us how “The Proud Family” reboot came about?

Tommy: It came about [from] a phone call, and it was a phone call that took about fifteen years to get made. All of a sudden, I get a phone call from Ralph Farquhar and Bruce Smith. If they’re calling me, I know it’s “The Proud Family”. We were down for 15 years; we were up for for six, and here, we get an opportunity to do something so beautiful, again. I get this call, and I’m going, “Are you kidding me?” And they’re like, “We’re not kidding you, man. We’re not kidding you.” So, of course, I said “Yes.” We all said, “Yes.” We all met over at Disney Studios, all the actors that were in it, who we love so much, and the new ones. We all met over there at Disney Studios and just laid out our voices just to get everything back into balance. It was the same feeling. It was the same feeling, but better, because now we’ve got new adults. We got a whole world of kids that are now 29-30. We got a whole new world of kids in a new world that we have, an animated series that deals with everything that’s in real time in this real world, and it’s still just for the kids.

Suzanne: Great, and which network is it on, and how many episodes are there?

Tommy: It’s actually on Disney Plus.

Suzanne: Disney plus, okay.

Tommy: Yeah, it’s actually on Disney Plus.

Suzanne: And how many episodes are there?

Tommy: You know what? I don’t know how many episodes, but it’s enough for us. I believe we’re up to like 20.

Suzanne: Okay, that’s good.

Tommy: I’m glad you asked me, nice and early.

Suzanne: And how much voice work had you done before you did the original Proud Family?

Tommy: Oh, really? Okay, that question. [laughs] Now, you’re going to take me back. Yeah, you’re gonna take me back to my Datsun 610. I’ve been doing voice work ever since I got to Hollywood in ‘87 and was doing voice work, doing dubs for movies. I moved into doing cartoon voices for “Ren & Stimpy” and for “The Simpsons.” I did animated work and would come in and get like thirty bucks per session to cover all of the different voices in all these different cartoons. So, I played character voices. So, the main [one] that I nailed was this one, is The Proud Family.

Suzanne: When you were a kid, were you one of those kids that was always doing silly voices?

Tommy: Not only that, I was the expert at cartoons. I’m one of those kids that – we didn’t have cartoons at nighttime unless it was the holidays, so if we’re seeing a cartoon at night, we’re going, “This is a cartoon that’s on in the nighttime!” because we had to wait for Saturday morning or after school. So, I grew up with all the mainstays. I was there when “Scooby Doo” premiered. I was there when “Hong Kong Phooey” premiered. I grew up on on “The Wacky Races” and “The Pink Panther” and all the Warner Brothers cartoons, all the Hanna-Barbera, from “The Jetsons” all the way through to “Magilla Gorilla.” So, it was like the [unintelligible] and all this, so my whole childhood was enriched by cartoons, and, of course, the main cartoon was “The Jackson Five” cartoon. Jackson Five and “Fat Albert,” because those were the first cartoons that really focused on an African American audience.

Suzanne: I watched those. I’m like two years older than you.

Tommy: Okay, okay.

Suzanne: I grew up with all those, and then sometime during the weekdays in the afternoon, you had the reruns of the old ones, like “Bugs Bunny” and “Road Runner.” All those.

Tommy: Oh, yeah. We know those by heart.

Suzanne: Yeah.

Tommy: We know those so much.

Suzanne: Yeah. And which guest stars were you most happy to see for this new version?

Tommy: Nas X with his really edgy and crazy career, and groundbreaking. It was just good to see him. And the episode is fun. It’s funny, is colorful, and it’s palatable. You know, it’s right on time.

Suzanne: Great. Go back a little bit again. Do you ever still see the people that you worked with on “In Living Color?”

Tommy: Oh yeah, all the time. We pass each other, like not even ships in the night, like on a roller coaster. Vroom. The roller coaster going the other way. “Where you going?” “I’m going to New York.” “I’m going to California.” Vroom. You know, we’re just passing each other. I just ran into Marlon Wayans at a comedy club. I texted everybody yesterday, because it was an article about our halftime Super Bowl special that we did that was groundbreaking. So, everybody texted me back and said “Wow, I didn’t see this.” We still are in tandem.

Suzanne: That’s great. I know they tried to reboot it in 2012. Do you think they’d ever tried to do it again with the some of the original cast, where you do a special or something?

Tommy: Well, that’s one of the things that really rests on Keenan Ivory Wayans who’s really the brainchild and the genius behind this. If he called us right now, we’d all stop and go and do it. It’s like the Avengers. We’re like the Avengers. You know what I mean? We all get in our vehicles and start, you know, dun dun dun [unintelligible] stuff and we all come in. Like the Avengers, we all meet, and there’s the big fella over here, and Captain America over here, and Black Panther over here, and we’re ready for action.

Suzanne: That’s great. Yeah, my husband and I used to watch “In Living Color” every week. We just loved it. So, it’s great to meet you.

Tommy: Yeah, the best. Thank you so much. We changed society more than I thought. I mean, you look at TV now, and what we did now is just a staple. Everything is filled with color. Everything is filled with hip hop. Everything is filled with this progressive kind of comedy. Everything has it, and all of our writers went out into the market and created shows like “Friends” and “Martin.” I mean, you can’t really watch TV without someone from “In Living Color” [either] as a director or writer, someone being right there. I did Cedric the Entertainer’s show the other night, “The Neighborhood,” and lo and behold, one of the executive producers was Keenan’s assistant.

"Strictly Business" DVD cover Suzanne: Wow.

Tommy: I mean, we have deep roots.

Suzanne: We also saw your your movie, “Strictly Business,” and really enjoyed that, and it was a huge hit. I think nowadays they would probably do a sequel or two, right?

Tommy: I would like that. I would really like that, just to see where Bobby and his partner are now. I did that on purpose; I did that movie on purpose. I had a choice to do whatever movie I wanted to do, and I chose that, because I thought it was a good story about just a regular brother from the hood, from the projects in Harlem, who gets with a business grad from Harvard, and they go to a black bank, get a loan, and start their own business, all over a hot chick. I mean, how can you beat that?

Suzanne: Right, and that was very of the time too.

Tommy: Oh, yeah. There was not really a movie like that for us at that time for African Americans, for that spectrum of society. There wasn’t really. So, that was the first one. So many Joseph C. Phillip, Halle Berry and Tommy Davidson in "Strictly Business" promo still CEOs, African American CEOs of companies and business owners, they’d always come to me and say, “When I was a kid,” or “when I was in school, that movie made me want to be in business.”

Suzanne: Wow. That’s great. That’s quite an effect.

Tommy: Yeah.

Suzanne: It’s wonderful. I was watching some of your other interviews. You had quite an interesting personal history growing up. Would you ever consider making that into a movie or a TV series, like Chris Rock did with “Everybody Hates Chris?”

Tommy: I’d like to do something like that, but what I’d like to do in particular is probably do a docu-comedy so that I can cover every aspect of what that brings to bear in reality for me. And the way that society is now, that could make a really, really heavy impact, which is bringing forth the information from what I experienced with the beautiful people that were around me and developed me into this human that I am.

Suzanne: That sounds interesting too, either way. And when people see you, and they recognize you, what do they must recognize you for now?

Tommy: You know, it’s hard, because everybody has a different one. Everybody has something different. So, they’ll recognize me from doing Varnel Hill on “Martin,” or they’ll recognize me from being Oscar Proud on “The Proud Family,” or they’ll recognize me from doing the million talk shows that I do. You can’t tell what movie they’re gonna say they love. You know, “I loved Woo.” “I loved Booty Call.” “I loved Ace Ventura with you and Jim [Carrey].” You know, “I loved Bamboozled with Spike Lee.” You never know. Or there’s somebody who just loved the character that I did on In Living Color, if it’s the simple cook in the back, “Pick it up!” [unintelligible] There’re so many different things, that I’m the lucky one. I’m the lucky one, because I can never really get too down, emotionally, because there’s always somebody coming up to me with a bright face going, “The thing you did with – ” you know, “My grandmother’s right here. She wants to meet you,” or “My cousin’s here; can you meet him?” I always get an uplift.

Suzanne: That must be very rewarding.

Tommy: Yeah, yeah, I like to call it “closed-heart surgery”. You know, there’s open-heart surgery where you’ve got to open it up, and you’ve got to get in there. Well, me as a comic traveling on the road, and me doing movies, I can actually affect the heart in a positive way, just right where it is. You know, “closed-heart surgery.”

Suzanne: That’s great. That’s a good phrase. And is there anything else that you’d like to tell us about “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder?”

Tommy: We’re louder and prouder. We’re going into the new millennium. Penny’s in high school. The father’s going crazy, like I did with my daughters when puberty started kicking in and boys started coming around. I’m like, “What is going on here?” And Oscar is in that state where he’s like, “You can wear that dress, but you’ve got to wear tennis shoes with it!” [laughs] He’s just like, “What are these? What are these, rubber bands?!” and it ends up being – you know what I mean? So, it’s like it’s actually autobiographical for me, too. I have a fifteen year-old. I also have a twenty nine year-old girl. So, raising her, and they’re totally two different generations, but it’s just basic fun. That’s the beautiful thing about it is that with all the complexities in this society, right now, The Proud Family still focuses on simple, all-American ethics. All-American ethics, the kind that I’ve watched on The Brady Bunch or Andy Griffith or The Flintstones or Leave It to Beaver, or Bewitched. Every episode ended up like, “I learned something about being good. I learned about being a good person.”

Suzanne: Yeah, that’s good.

Tommy: I’m glad that’s not out of style.

Suzanne: No, especially not with kid shows.

Tommy: Yeah, right, especially not, yeah.

Suzanne: And do you have any other projects coming up that you can tell us about?

Tommy: Oh, yeah, I just released my first single, called “Sweet Reunion.” You can catch it on YouTube, Apple or Spotify or anywhere. I’m finally getting into the music industry, which I’ve been wanting to do all my life. I’m working with musicians all over the world, and that’s just a beautiful thing. I launched a book, right before the pandemic and during the pandemic, where I got a chance to really talk about my life and my journey and how I came into this world, and that’s a beautiful thing, too. I’m touring with Mike Epps around around the world. I developed my own film and television company. So, we’re getting into developing projects around the industry, and [I have] a little girl, a little ten year-old girl.

Suzanne: You’re busy.

Tommy: My recent production, you know?

Suzanne: And you’re about to go on “The Wendy Williams Show,” right?

Tommy: Oh, yeah. Oh yeah. She’s an old friend. We knew each other before her show, and she’s like me; she’s a loyalist. Like once a friend, you’re a friend. I’ve done her show so many different times, and she’s such a wonderful person and has a lot to offer. She somehow balances gossip with goodness. I don’t know how that’s done, but it’s done

Suzanne: Was that your baby we just heard?

Tommy: Yeah.

Suzanne: Hi. What a cutie. Well, I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me this morning.

Tommy: Thank you. Thank you so much. It’s always a pleasure to be representing in the market where I come from, which is basically the 70s.

Suzanne: Yeah, 70s rule.

Tommy: 70s rule. We got bused together to school and changed everything. So, thank you.

Suzanne: All right. Thank you very much. Talk to you later.

Tommy: You too. Bye.

Interview Transcribed by Jamie of http://www.scifivision.com

MORE INFO:

Known for a myriad of iconic filmed content, TOMMY DAVIDSON continues to bring a fresh take to each and every project he in which he stars or participates in. First up this month is his newest tv project, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder, in which Davidson returns as the patriarch, ‘Oscar Proud,’ in the fan favorite, iconic series with the 2022 reboot exclusive to Disney+.

Here’s a quick preview at the official clip!

Davidson, who tours the country endlessly selling out arenas from coast to coast, every weekend, is joined on the Proud reboot with his co-stars reprising their roles: Kyla Pratt as Penny Proud, Paula Jai Parker as Trudy Proud, JoMarie Payton as Suga Mama, Cedric the Entertainer as Uncle Bobby, Karen Malina White as Dijonay Jones, Soleil Moon Frye as Zoey Howzer, Alisa Reyes as LaCienega Boulevardez, Carlos Mencia as Felix Boulevardez, Maria Canals-Barrera as Sunset Boulevardez and Alvaro Gutierrez as Papi in the animated family sitcom from acclaimed creator/executive producer Bruce W. Smith and executive producer Ralph Farquhar, who led the original series.

Guest-starring 2022 voice cast includes: Lizzo, Lil Nas X, Chance the Rapper, Normani, Leslie Odom Jr., Tiffany Haddish, Lena Waithe, Anthony Anderson, Gabrielle Union, Debbie Allen, James Pickens Jr., Courtney B. Vance, Jane Lynch, Marsai Martin, Jaden Smith, Glynn Turman, Lamorne Morris, Brenda Song, Tina Knowles, Eva Longoria, Holly Robinson Peete, Al Roker and more. All previous seasons of “The Proud Family” are now also available on Disney+.

For more on Tommy, go to his website: https://www.thetommydavidson.com

The Proud Family launches on Wednesday, Feb. 23^rd.

Disney+ Orders “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder,” the Long-Awaited Revival of the Groundbreaking Animated Series

February 27, 2020

Bruce W. Smith and Ralph Farquhar Return to Helm All-New Episodes with Original Voice Cast

Disney+ has ordered the long-anticipated revival of the groundbreaking animated series “The Proud Family” which, 18 years after its Disney Channel premiere, is still beloved for its characters, stories and multilayered humor and for its messages about inclusion and cultural diversity in a smart, modern way. The new animated family sitcom “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” is currently in production at Disney Television Animation with Academy Award-winning creator/executive producer Bruce W. Smith and executive producer Ralph Farquhar, who led the original series, at the helm, reuniting them with Calvin Brown, Jr. who is co-executive producer and story editor.

All previous seasons of “The Proud Family” are currently available on Disney+.

In a joint statement, Smith and Farquhar said, “In our minds, the show never really went away, as we still had tons of stories left to tell. It’s the perfect time to bring back this show, and we can’t wait to take fans, old and new alike, on this journey with us.”

Picking up the story of its central character Penny Proud, the new series will also include her madcap family: parents Oscar and Trudy, twin siblings BeBe and CeCe, and her grandmother Suga Mama (and Puff!). Of course, it would not be “The Proud Family” without Penny’s loyal crew Dijonay Jones, LaCienega Boulevardez and Zoey Howzer, among others.

Disney+ and Disney Television Animation also released concept art featuring the main characters from the upcoming series.

Reprising their voice roles are: Kyla Pratt as Penny Proud, Tommy Davidson as Oscar Proud, Paula Jai Parker as Trudy Proud, Jo Marie Payton as Suga Mama, Karen Malina White as Dijonay Jones, Soleil Moon Frye as Zoey Howzer and Alisa Reyes as LaCienega Boulevardez. Cedric the Entertainer will also return as Uncle Bobby Proud.

“The show’s humor and relatable stories are as relevant with audiences today as ever,” said Agnes Chu, senior vice president, Content, Disney+. “Our audiences have loved rediscovering their favorite episodes of ‘The Proud Family,’ and we’re excited Bruce, Ralph, Calvin, and the returning cast are creating new stories for their new home on Disney+.”

Gary Marsh, president and chief creative officer, Disney Channels Worldwide, said, “The genius of the original ‘Proud Family’ series was that, under the guise of a family comedy, it provided a brilliant social commentary on our life and times. With this new series, Bruce and Ralph will once again challenge everyone to think differently about the world we share.”

About Disney+

Disney+ is the dedicated streaming home for movies and shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, National Geographic, and more. From The Walt Disney Company’s Direct-to-Consumer and International segment, Disney+ is available on most internet-connected devices and offers commercial-free programming with a variety of original feature-length films, documentaries, live-action and animated series and short-form content. Alongside unprecedented access to Disney’s incredible library of film and television entertainment, the service is also the exclusive streaming home for the latest releases from The Walt Disney Studios. Visit DisneyPlus.com to subscribe and/or learn more about the service.

About Disney Television Animation

Disney Television Animation (DTVA), established in November 1984, is an industry leader in the creation of animated television for preschoolers, kids and tweens across Disney-branded channels and platforms. The animation studio is home to hit television series including “DuckTales,” “Phineas and Ferb,” “Gravity Falls,” “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” “Sofia the First,” “Elena of Avalor” and the “Mickey Mouse” shorts.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

Tommy Davidson

Interview with the cast of “All-American: Homecoming”

Posted on February 21, 2022 by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

"All-American: Homecoming" poster

Interview with actors Geffri Maya, Peyton Alex Smith, Sylvester Powell, Cory Hardrict, Kelly Jenrette, Camille Hyde, Mitchell Edwards and Netta Walker, and executive producer Nkechi Okoro Carroll of “All-American: Homecoming” on The CW by Suzanne 1/27/22

This was a really fun panel. These actors really seem to enjoy their work and have a lot of congeniality with their fellow cast and crew. I watch MANY shows on The CW (mostly superheroes). I watched 5 episodes of this new spin-off. It started slowly but started to get better by the end of the third episode. It’s basically a soap opera set in a fictional HBCU, just as the original show is a soap opera set in a high school. That one is mostly about football. This one is about baseball and tennis. I’m sure you’ll recognize a lot of the actors from the first show. However, you can watch this and enjoy it even if you’ve never seen the show from which it’s spun off.

Nkechki (whom they refer to as “NK”) answered the first question from a journalist about what role will HBCU* experiences play in the series. She said Bringston University, where the show is set, is a character itself on the show. Even though it’s not a real institution, it seems real because it’s the “life force of the show” and it’s everything for the students. She also asked whether the show is still about football, and whether there are new characters (besides the ones from the original show). NK answered that show is about tennis and baseball, as well as about “HBCU life in general.” She also took a moment to praise the cast as beautiful and amazing. She can’t wait for us to get to meet the characters of the show because she feels like they’re her friends. She continued on to explain that the cast is mostly new people who represent “”the absolute spectrum of what it is to be young and Black and at an HBCU.”

I then asked her if there was a particular real-life campus that she based Bringston on. She replied, as expected, that it’s “an amalgamation of a few different campuses.” She complimented their production designer as “brilliant” because they sat down and envisioned what they wanted, and then they brought it to life. Viewers who went to an HBCU should recognize the campus as being similar to the campuses in DC, Atlanta and other places. NK confided that she didn’t go to an HBCU, so she wanted to create her own. I asked a followup question about whether she directed her actors to train in tennis and baseball ahead of time, or did they hire actors who already knew how to play. As I’d hoped, she asked the stars Peyton and Geffri to give their two cents. Peyton, whom you may know from “Legacies” on The CW, plays baseball star Damon Sims. Geffri plays tennis star Simone Hicks. I was happy to be in a conversation with Peyton because I was so unhappy when they wrote him out of “Legacies.” Now I see that it was for the best because he’s able to go on to bigger things in this show.

Peyton joked, “Uh, honestly I’m just a natural-born talent in like whatever I do.” There was laughter and NK jokingly said he was going to let him talk. Geffri told us truthfully that she hadn’t ever held a racket until they found out about this backdoor pilot. Once they knew it was going forward, she found a good tennis coach and started working hard on the sport. She said that tennis is “beautiful” and that it takes respect and work with your “full mind, full body and full spirit.” She hopes we can see it and feel it. I assured her that it worked out great from the four episodes I saw.

Peyton then answered more seriously. He used to play but hadn’t played baseball in about 17 years. When they shot the pilot, he was very scared as soon as he got up on the mound, since he was playing “super athlete.” After that, he and Sylvester worked on pitching and batting with a scouting coach with the Atlanta Braves. They did a lot of work not only baseball, but just working out in general as well. Then he flew to Bellingham, Washington to work with the college kids there at Western Washington University. He said he “had no idea that was a place.” Ha ha! I have a friend who teaches there, and I felt the same way when I heard he was moving there. “Where the heck is Bellingham?” Anyway, he said it was great to see the kids in their environment, and it not only helped him with playing but with his acting. He gave an example: “we see how those kids react to the coaches.” He gave baseball props because he discovered that it’s not an easy sports. He used to think it was boring to watch, but now he knows more about it and finds it interesting. NK then praised him for being “so incredibly locked.” I’d never heard that term before, but I assume she means that he’s very focused.

NK then praised Camille. She really nailed the part in her audition, and then she was asked if she played tennis, almost as an afterthought, and she answered with a list of her tennis accomplishments. They were shocked but knew they found the right actress to play Thea. They never have to use her double because Camille is “unbelieveable.” She’s their expert, in fact, if they want to know how they’re portraying tennis correctly.

Camille said that it was lucky for her that she and her character had a lot in common. She never lost a match when she was in high school. She brought some of that “can’t lose” attitude in her acting as well. The mentality includes, “even if we come close to losing and we win, it wasn’t good enough. So you train harder, you work harder and that’s, that’s definitely just scratching the surface of what it means to be a college tennis athlete. Um, there’s never enough serves you can hit in a day. There’s never enough drills you can do in a day. That’s how I was until, you know, my hands are bleeding and the blisters were all popping on my feet, but you know, that’s what it means to be a college athlete.” She says they definitely earned their respect.

The cast was also asked by a journalist about whether they tell people when they go in to audition whether they can play the sport or not. He said he would be worried that someone said he got it wrong if he wasn’t very good at it.

Cory joked, “Fake til you make it.” He was joking, but Geffri confided that she was always told to say yes on auditions when asked if she could play something, and then go practice to make it real. She did say that it “just depends on the person.” Peyton said he’s seen that go wrong before where someone said they could play basketball but had to leave, embarrassed. Mitchell admitted that happened to him. He told the people at the audition that he could play basketball, but he couldn’t. He was terrible. Sylvester jokingly consoled him by reminding him that he’s a football player. Then Geffri joked, “But you know what they said, Mitch? They said, That boy got beautiful skin, though.'” They joked around some more.

Cory added in that you should always tell the truth, get the job, work hard and “keep your faith.”

Geffri admitted that she told them for this part that she can’t play, but she promised to learn. NK confirmed that Geffri did say exactly that. They just hoped that would be enough so that they could do the spin-off. Geffri joked that she would never tell NK no. She jokingly said, “’Are you an astronaut?” Yes. I am going to spacecamp. Yes.'”

A reporter asked how good they think they’ve become. Peyton joked that after the series was over, in about 6 years, he’s going to play professional baseball. Geffri teased that he woudl be going pro in the spinoff of the spinoff.

Geffri then answered seriously that she definitely sees growth in everyone’s playing. She already knew Camille before the series and thinks that she has grown as a person. She thinks, while “there’s always room for improvement” she thinks she’s improved at tennis and will continue to work hard at it because it “requires dedication.” She added that it’s also very fun to play.

NK praised them all for their hard work, which she saw in the many hours of footage that she had to edit for the series. They had very little notice to get in shape for the pilot and learn how to play well. She applauded them for not only their hours of commitment to playing but also acting, learning lines, and showing up for long days of shooting. Also, some of them had to learn to dance. Netta plays Keisha, who’s a dancer and choreographer, so she had to really work hard to “nail the routines we give her,” and Mitchell has to sing as well. She saluted their “bringing excellence, which is the theme of the show.” She felt honored for them to all bring their A games to the series.

Peyton also added that he felt if he worked really hard on the baseball, then it became easier, so then he could focus more on his character and the art of acting.

Another journalist asked about what the characters find out or learn as they go through this time in their lives where a lot of change happens.

Netta talked about playing a college age young person on the show, which she can really relate to because she made a lot of the same mistakes and going through self-discovery. She feels like they’re doing it in a way that’s not filled with bias, which is unusual. Then having the “extra layer of Black excellence on top of it” makes it even more enjoyable. She told us that when you’re at an HBCU, you have to be at your best: “you gotta be on. You can’t slack, edges better be laid, hair better be pressed, outfits better be on top, and everyone’s been doing it for it.” She’s happy to be playing Keisha, who’s the top girl socially at the school.

Cory cracked that Keish is the one they all wanted to be in college; “She’s the “it” girl.” Netta joked back at him that he couldn’t possibly think that way because his face “is perfectly symmetrical”.

Camille added that her face is symmetrical, too, but she credits everything to their stylists, who put together their clothes, hair, makeup, etc. It makes their jobs easier because it “represents us in our community and Black excellence and the hair and you know, how much, you know, young, Black culture, a lot of it is hair. A lot of it is style.” She believes that it will translate well on the screen. Geffri agreed with that and went on at length about HBCU and the black excellence they represent. She feels privileged to show what this life is like to young kids who might be thinking about going to college.

Cory took the opportunity to praise NK for creating this world. He’s happy to be a “positive influence in these young male figures lives, and especially this Black experience.”

NK redirected the praise toward the cast, saying that she capture “lightning in a bottle” with all of them. Meeting Geff, in particular, inspired her to create this world. There was a lot more to this panel, but you get the idea about the show and how much this cast loves each other.

*HBCU refers to historically black colleges and universities, in case you didn’t know. Famous examples include Spelman, Howard and Xavier University.

MORE INFO:

"All-American: Homecoming" poster “ALL AMERICAN: HOMECOMING”

Mondays (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET) on The CW

ALL AMERICAN: HOMECOMING is a young adult sports drama set against the backdrop of the HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) experience at Bringston University, where Black excellence is a way of life. The series follows Simone (Geffri Maya, “All American”), a young tennis hopeful from Beverly Hills who is trying to fight her way back to great after some time away from the court, and Damon (Peyton Alex Smith, “Legacies”), an elite baseball player from Chicago who is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. After Simone’s aunt Amara Patterson (Kelly Jenrette, “Manhunt”), a journalism teacher and activist, exposes a scandal that threatens to derail the school’s beloved baseball program, new coach Marcus Turner (Cory Hardrict, “The Chi”) is determined to bring a championship back to Bringston the honest way — with Damon’s help. Damon will adjust to his new normal with fellow baseball player and childhood friend JR (Sylvester Powell, “Five Points”) by his side. Meanwhile, as Simone struggles to find her footing, she will get a little guidance from Thea (Camille Hyde, “Katy Keene”), the super-competitive queen bee of the Bringston tennis team, and Keisha (Netta Walker, “Come as You Are”), the school’s unofficial mayor, who will help Simone learn how to live her best life. As they contend with the high stakes of college sports, Simone and Damon will also navigate the highs, lows, and sexiness of unsupervised early adulthood at a prestigious HBCU.

ALL AMERICAN: HOMECOMING stars Geffri Maya as Simone Hicks, Peyton Alex Smith as Damon Sims, Kelly Jenrette as Amara Patterson, Cory Hardrict as Coach Marcus Turner, Sylvester Powell as JR, Camille Hyde as Thea Mays, Mitchell Edwards as Cam Watkins and Netta Walker as Keisha McCalla.

ALL AMERICAN: HOMECOMING is from Warner Bros. Television and CBS Studios in association with Berlanti Productions, with executive producers Nkechi Okoro Carroll (“Rosewood,” “The Resident”), Greg Berlanti (“Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Riverdale”), Sarah Schechter (“Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Riverdale”), David Madden (“You”) and Robbie Rogers (“All American”).

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

All American: Homecoming -- "Start Over" -- Image Number: AHC101a_0697r.jpg -- Pictured (L-R): Rhoyle Ivy King as Nathaniel Hardin, Geffri Maya as Simone Hicks and Netta Walker as Keisha McCalla -- Photo: Ser Baffo/The CW -- (C) 2021 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Interview with the cast of “The Endgame”

Posted on February 21, 2022February 22, 2022 by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Morena Baccarin and Ryan Michelle Bathe of "The Endgame" on NBC

Interview with actors Morena Baccarin, Ryan Michelle Bathé, Costa Ronin and executive producers Jake Coburn and Nick Wootton of “The Endgame” on “NBC” by Suzanne 2/11/22

This was part of a larger NBC panel for TCA. I really enjoyed watching this show because it’s exciting. It really keeps you on the edge of your seat. The actors are really good. I would have watched it just because Morena Baccarin is always good. You may know her from “Firefly,” “Gotham” or the “Deadpool” movies. She’s always outstanding. Ryan Michelle Bathé does a good job as the heroine. Noah Bean is also in the cast; I loved him in many roles, such as “Damages” and “Nikita.” I interviewed Costa Ronin before, and he’s an excellent actor and nice person. Make sure you check it out! It’s a little bit like “Blacklist,” mixed with “Killing Eve” and “Blindspot,” and a dash of “Queen of the South.” Yet it’s definitely its own thing.

Most of the questions were directed at Morena Baccarin, so I asked a question for both women. Most of the good questions had already been asked. First, I told them how much I loved the show. Then I asked, “Did either of you have much input into either your character or the clothing that you get to wear in the show?” They kind of laughed at my question, which is fine. Morena replied that they did have conversations beforehand about their characters and how these two women related to each other. Their two characters are so tied together that you can’t have one without the other. She also said that “the clothing is very important to this character.” When we first see Elena, she’s “coming out of this box in a dress,” so they had trouble, at first, finding the right gown so that she could amazing. The effect she described is, “it’s a very strange and incredible moment to see this international arms dealer being captured in a giant ball gown.” She had tried on many dresses and hadn’t found the one she liked. She was on the Upper East Side of New York for a doctor’s appointment. She had some time to kill, so she walked into the Carolina Herrera shop and saw the dress immediately. She said to herself “That’s the one,” tried it on and sent the producers a photo of it. They did look into other options, but this was the one that she felt gives you the right feeling that they wanted Elena to invoke in the audience when they saw her coming out of the box. EP and showrunner Nick Wooton agreed. Once she found that dress, they tried to see if anything else came close, but nothing did. Morena joked, “And now I’m stuck with this dress forever.” Nick joked with her but then made it clear that she does change clothes at some point. Morena asked if Ryan had anything to add, but Ryan made her own joke by saying, “No. Val is just a bit of a sparrow… just rolls around in the dirt with the pigeons and just, kind of, gets on, stomp, stomp, stomp.” I think she was just saying that Val’s clothes are no big deal compared to Elena’s. It was a funny way of saying it, though.

Here are the questions asked by other journalists on the panel. Most of the questions were directed at Morena, since most people are probably more familiar with her work. Here are the questions for her. She was asked how it was being the lead of the show (since this is her first lead role). Morena thinks that she and Ryan are equal leads on the show and that Ryan gets more screen time than she does. She noted, “it’s fun to be No. 1 on the call sheet, but the work is definitely not all on me.”

She was also asked what about the script or character attracted her to it. She answered that she always wanted to play a larger-than-life character who plays for “high stakes.” Also, she liked the humor in the series and felt that it was a page-turner as she read it. She also enjoyed that it’s about two people who happen to be women. They’re both “after the same thing,” even though they’re on opposite sides.

Next Morena was asked if she had to do any type of physical stunt work or training for her, or what things she did to embody the “beautiful essence” of Elena. Morena told us that the accent was the biggest thing for her that she had to embrace and work very hard to perfect. It’s not one she’s done before, but it was “a lot of fun to create this part.” Going back to my question, she confirmed that she had a lot of discussions with the producers about the accent, who the character was, etc. She thinks Val has a lot more action to do than Elena.

Morena was asked if she thinks Elena will be an anti-hero that “the audience will root for.” Morena joked that the dress made her do “weird things” and then seriously agreed that she believes that Elena is not really a villain because she’s fighting for a good cause. Any “villain” has to have good reasons in their minds to do what they do. Usually it’s because of someone they’re connected to, which is the case here. She believes that anyone who watches the first episode or two will be rooting for both Elena and Val. Nick chimed in that the first arc of the show starts of looking like there’s a good guy and a bad guy, and then the series explores their characters, and some gray areas. Then there’s a “gradual shift over this ten day period of time.” It might end up in a very different place.

Morena was asked what new challenges the role has brought to her (which is a similar question to the one she was asked before). She answered it differently, though. The character is very complicated, so they get to explore who Elena is, what makes her tick, and “her emotional arc and life.” She’s always asking Nick what Elena’s motivation is in each episode so that she could make sure to know what drives her and to make her real, not like a cartoon. She’s had trouble with the accent and gets help from Costa with that. She stressed that, “the acts that are happening around her that she’s orchestrated are enormous.” She also had to make sure to “have fun” with the part. If she doesn’t have fun, then she loses the audience. It has to be “grounded in reality” and not too out there, so she’s always questioning whether she’s acting too broadly or not. She compares it to being in “bumper cars” while trying to find Elena.

Ryan was asked some questions. She was previously in “Boston Legal” and “All Rise” as lawyers, and now she’s an FBI agent. In real life, she went to Stanford and NYU. She was asked if she ever wanted to be a doctor, lawyer, etc. and how she decided to become an actor. Interesting question. Costa joked, “You could have had a real job is what he’s saying.”

Ryan replied that she did consider becoming a lawyer and an FBI agent. She also wanted to become a pilot in the Air Force and fly fighter jets, but she was told she couldn’t do that (probably because it’s very tough to get to do that job, especially for women). There were many things she wanted to do, but that led her to become an actor because then she gets to play all of these things. She’s glad that she doesn’t have to actually arrest or shoot anyone. Then she joked, “Jake and Nick know about my shooting” and Nick replied, “Steady aim. Steady eye. She’s dead eye.” Well, I wish I had asked whether he was being facetious or not.

Ryan was asked about graduating from Stanford. Issa Rae also came from there. She was asked if she saw that other black students were going there to build the drama program. She was also asked how she feels about starting a new show when her husband’s show is ending (she’s married to Sterling K. Brown of “This Is Us”). Ryan praised Stanford and their “wonderful alumni community.” She noted that it was a Stanford woman that gave her “my first big job in Hollywood.” She told us that she’s sad about the end of the Pearsons and his show, just like she feels “all of America is.” She said that Sterling has made “great friends” there. She thinks that her starting a new show dovetails nicely with his ending and feels it would be too difficult to both be starting 2 new shows at the same time.

Another press person asked her about Val’s motivations on the show because she seems so “pure.” He wondered what else she’s about. Ryan let us know that each show is a new day in the story, so time passes differently there than out here in the real world. Her description made total sense, “”it’s like if you dropped into the worst five days of someone’s life, you would think that that five days was it, and you wouldn’t know that they like cheeseburgers” (for instance). She joked that she and Morean really tried to get it into the show that she likes cheeseburgers. Morena cracked her own joked, “We have a pitch for you after this,” so Nick replied, “Done. It’s already written.”

Ryan continued to explain that we don’t know too much about Ryan at first because she’s just so focused on these tough days in her life, not anything else that’s going on in her life. “right now,” she explained, “she’s got to get her girl and, in the process, unravel an international government conspiracy.”

Another reporter told Ryan how much she adores her and that she’s happy to see her in this cool show. She asked if she’s correct to assume that this is a type of Robin Hood story. Ryan agreed with that, and Morena agreed that there are definitely aspects of that other story. Ryan added that it has to do with what Elena does with the money, but she’s not allowed to tell us about it.

Nick explained that the story is more about the corruption going on in public institutions, that is “in plain sight.” Elena is pointing out the flaws in the systems. The real world flaws are informing their “narrative.” They have no shortage of real world issues to use for future episodes because of everything that goes on in the world.

Another fan of Ryan’s asked whether she would have time to be on “All Rise,” now that it’s on OWN, as well as “First Wives Club,” since she’s in this show. Ryan confided that she just loves “All Rise” and the people there. She especially praised star Simone Missick, whom she called a “queen” and compared her to “Nefertiti.” She hopes they can make the schedule work for her to be on “All Rise” as well.

Poor Costa had been largely ignored, so it was nice to see that someone finally asked him a question. He was asked about his character and what made him want to take the role. He’s played a criminal in many shows, such as “The Americans” and “Homeland.” Costa admitted that it’s “the best script I have read in the last two years.” He’s very excited to be part of it. It’s more than just a crime show. It combines many elements. It does have a lot of action, but there are “quiet moments” which show why the characters are doing things. It’s not a one-note show. He compared it to a symphony, saying, “you have a little bit of this, you have a little bit of that.” Each episode brings more incredible story. He really praised the writers and said he’s proud to be part of it.

Executive Producers Nick and Jake were asked if the series was shot in New York, or whether it was just a few external shots. He also asked if there were any financial considerations, such as tax credits, or if shooting was affected by the pandemic.

Nick confirmed that it was shot entirely in NYC. He joked, “Money has never entered into the conversation for one second about this show. It is shockingly carte blanche.” Nick loves the city. His mom was “born and raised in The Bronx,” and he’s spent a lot of time there. He described why he thinks it’s best place for any crime drama: “the density of humanity, the beauty of the sky line, the water, the range of socioeconomics. Everything about New York lends itself to a great show, as we’ve seen a thousand times and we’ll see many times more. To me it’s the most exciting city in the world to shoot in.” They did get tax credit but could have shot it somewhere cheaper. They chose New York instead.

MORE INFO:

"The Endgame" on NBC starring Morena Baccarin and Ryan Michelle Bathé A pulse-pounding high-stakes two-hander about Elena Federova, a recently captured international arms dealer and brilliant criminal mastermind who orchestrates a number of coordinated bank heists throughout New York City for a mysterious purpose. Her antagonist is Val Turner, the principled, relentless and socially outcast FBI agent who will stop at nothing to foil her ambitious plan. The gripping heist drama reveals how far some people will go for love, justice and the most valuable commodity in the world: the truth.

Morena Baccarin, Ryan Michelle Bathé, Costa Ronin, Jordan Johnson-Hinds, Kamal Bolden, Noah Bean and Mark Damon Espinoza star.

Nicholas Wootton writes and executive produces. Jake Coburn, Julie Plec, Emily Cummins, Andrew Schneider and Justin Lin, who directed the pilot, will also executive produce.

“The Endgame” is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, with Nicholas Wootton Productions, Jake Coburn Productions, My So-Called Company and Perfect Storm Entertainment.

Morena Baccarin

Elena Federova, “The Endgame”

Morena Baccarin plays Elena Federova on the new NBC drama “The Endgame.”

Baccarin recently starred in the film “The Good House” and has a role in the upcoming “Last Looks,” an action-suspense film opposite Charlie Hunnam. She is best known as the female lead in the “Deadpool” franchise. Other film credits include “Greenland,” “Ode to Joy, “Framing John DeLorean” and “Spy.”

Baccarin captured the attention of audiences and critics for her Emmy Award-nominated performance in “Homeland,” alongside Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkin. She began her career in “Firefly,” was a series regular on “Gotham” and the sci-fi drama “V,” and recurred on “The Mentalist.”

Baccarin is actively involved with the International Rescue Committee (IRC), whose mission is “to help people whose lives and livelihoods are shattered by conflict and disaster to survive, recover and gain control of their future.” She also sits on the board of Waterwell, a civic-minded theater company that inspires audiences and students to change the world they live in.

Baccarin was born in Rio de Janeiro and moved with her family to New York at the age of 7. She is a graduate of the prestigious Juilliard School and resides in New York with her husband and two children.

Ryan Michelle Bathé

Val Turner, “The Endgame”

THE ENDGAME — Season: 1 -- Pictured: Ryan Michelle Bathe as Val Turner -- (Photo by: Zach Dilgard/NBC)

Ryan Michelle Bathé stars as Val Turner in the new NBC drama “The Endgame.”

In 2020, Bathé starred in the Emmy Award-nominated Amazon film “Sylvie’s Love” and CBS’ “All Rise.” Since 2019, she has starred in the BET+ series “First Wives Club,” based on the 1996 film. Her many television credits include “The Rookie,” “Empire,” “This Is Us,” “Army Wives,” “Retired at 35,” “ER,” “Boston Legal” and “How I Met Your Mother.”

On stage, Bathé has performed in Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” and “Much to Do About Nothing” at the Old Guthrie Theatre and Old Globe Theatre, respectively. She also co-starred in the musical “The Hot Mikado” at the Ford Theater in Washington, D.C.

Two years ago Bathé launched Down on Maple Productions and signed a first-look deal with ViacomCBS MTV Entertainment Group. The partnership covers content created and/or developed for television and new media with the focus on identifying emerging talent and underrepresented voices.

She is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, an organization whose members are dedicated to sisterhood, scholarship and service. Combining her passion for helping children and philanthropy, Bathé is also a passionate member of Alliance of Moms, a membership-based program that supports pregnant and parenting teens in foster care in Los Angeles County.

Bathé was born in St. Louis and raised in Stamford, Conn. She graduated from Stanford University and earned her MFA in acting from New York University. She currently resides in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.

Costa Ronin

Sergey Vodianov, “The Endgame”

Costa Ronin plays Sergey Vodianov in the new NBC drama “The Endgame.”

Ronin, who was born and raised on the west coast of Russia, recently completed principal photography on the independent feature “ISS,” starring opposite Chris Messina. He was recently be seen in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” and is best known for his roles in the hit drama series “The Americans” and “Homeland.”

Other TV credits include “Splitting Up Together,” “Extant” and “Gotham.

Nick Wooten

Executive Producer, “The Endgame”

Nick Wootton is an Emmy Award-winning television writer and producer. He has written for various critically acclaimed drama series, including “Chuck,” “Prison Break,” “Law & Order,” “NYPD Blue” and “Scorpion.”

Wootton won the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series in 1998 for his work on “NYPD Blue.”

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

Morena Baccarin and Ryan Michelle Bathe of "The Endgame" on NBC

Interview with Garcelle Beauvais, Alison Thornton, Malia Baker, and Emma Tremblay

Posted on February 19, 2022 by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Lifetime panel with Garcelle Beauvais, Alison Thornton, Malia Baker, and Emma Tremblay

Interview with Garcelle Beauvais, Alison Thornton, Malia Baker, and Emma Tremblay of “Caught in His Web” on Lifetime by Suzanne 1/10/22

This was a very interesting movie about high school girls being cyber-stalked. Garcelle Beauvais plays the police detective that helps them. It was a part of a larger Lifetime Panel with many other movies. It’s an interesting movie to watch. My question is toward the end.

MODERATOR: Hi, everyone, and welcome to our very last panel of Lifetime’s press day. I’d like to introduce the cast of “Caught in His Web.” Please welcome Garcelle Beauvais, Alison Thornton, Malia Baker, and Emma Tremblay. Let’s go ahead and get to our first question from Karen at Sci-Fi Vision. Karen?

QUESTION: Hi, everybody. I really enjoyed the film and the twists on this problem. I wanted to ask you guys, Garcelle, as a parent, I think you have teenagers at home, and the rest of the cast, all you are young ladies, either high school age or it’s not that far behind you, and I wanted to ask how much you were aware of this type of problem in high schools.

GARCELLE BEAUVAIS: First of all, I want to say hi to the cast. I love these girls.

All: Hi.

GARCELLE BEAUVAIS: For me, one of the reasons why it was so important not only to be a part of it but to get the word out is because it can happen, and I’m always trying to use things as cautionary tales for my boys. And I always say don’t ever give your personal information to anyone but obviously these girls did, and they just got targeted. I think this film is really important.

ALISON THORNTON: Yeah. I um — I had friends in high school who had their photos shared, unfortunately. I feel like it’s something that is really common nowadays. Sending a picture is like currency, especially I think in the age of COVID when everyone’s separate. So I think that it’s a really important message.

EMMA TREMBLAY: I grew up in a house where my parents were very aware of what I was doing online just for my own safety and protection, and I’m just grateful that I had that support system and I never had to experience anything as traumatic as what we go through in this movie because it’s terrifying because it’s totally real and happens and I was just lucky enough to be aware of it as I grew up and just avoided that danger.

MALIA BAKER: For sure. I mean I agree. I feel like especially being a young girl in today’s society, you have to normalize kind of almost connotation of this can happen, and if you take pictures, it’s kind of inevitable for that to happen and I feel like this movie just dives deep into it on a great level, and it’s really important, and I’m glad that we’re able to share the message.

QUESTION: Great. Thank you very much.

MODERATOR: Thank you, Karen. Our next is from Starry Constellation Magazine. All right. We can come back to you in just a few moments. How about we go to Noah Wilson. Noah?

QUESTION: Hello, everyone. It’s so great to be here with you guys to speak a little more about “Caught in His Web.” Garcelle, I want to ask you first. I feel like this is so relevant in today’s world because so many are trapped in crazy things on the internet and social media. But what made this movie project, one day, you definitely were game to do?

GARCELLE BEAUVAIS: Well, I had never worked for Lifetime believe it or not. I’ve been in the industry for 100+ years. So that definitely was an opportunity that I didn’t want to pass. But like you said, it’s such an important thing. We share so much of our lives on social media that you would think that these young girls could have some privacy when needed, and the fact that you share — if you share one photo — you know, nowadays, people can change things. They can even do videos and, you know, edit them so it looks like you’re doing something. So to me, it was really, really important, and having 14-year-old boys, I try to stress to a point where they’re like, “Mom, not everybody’s bad.” And I’m like, “No, not everybody’s bad but there’s a lot of people who want to take advantage,” and I feel like that’s what this movie speaks about. Even if you’re a great kid, great grades, you abide by the rules, this can also happen to you, and I think that’s the message too.

QUESTION: Garcelle, have you ever come across a sticky situation being on social media, being a public figure in the public eye?

GARCELLE BEAUVAIS: Yeah. Absolutely. I think I’m always careful. Now, I don’t post in real-time. If I go to an event, I will post the next day so I’m not literally at the event when I post just out of caution. But I also feel like, for me, when I posed for Playboy, that was a really big deal for me because not a lot of black women get to be on the cover and it was a big deal, and I only shot, you know, my top. I only exposed my top, and I feel like there are pictures out that people have edited that are not me. So that can — it can ruin a career. It can ruin your life. If certain things are put out there that are not your image or not what you’ve done, and so it’s just scary all around. Although social media can also be great but that aspect I think is really scary.

QUESTION: Lastly, to all of the girls that are on here right now that are part of the film, “Caught in His Web,” what did you guys learn personally from Garcelle? Did you learn anything and take anything away from her?

ALISON THORNTON: Yeah. I mean watching how Garcelle composes herself on set is really inspiring. I remember we were doing a scene — I can’t say what it is because it’s a spoiler but there was a note that I feel like I was having trouble understanding, and I did a take, and then I did a different take trying to incorporate the note, and then I remember we just had a moment where I spoke to her about it, and then we spoke to Hannah, the director, and she’s so good at being assertive in terms of asking for what you need and clarification and also just being so warm to everyone and so supportive on set. It made for such a wonderful and open environment to work with which I was very grateful for.

GARCELLE BEAUVAIS: Aw, thank you. I love that. They were so great. I love all of them equally.

EMMA TREMBLAY: I can totally bounce off of what Alison said because I feel the exact same way. Garcelle made set just so comfortable and, of course, I was like, oh, my gosh, I’m working with Garcelle. And she was just the sweetest, most wonderful woman to work with, and just you were all incredible.

GARCELLE BEAUVAIS: Thank you.

MALIA BAKER: I definitely agree with everything you girls just said. I’d also say there was this one — there was a few days actually where the call sheet got messed up, and our scenes were all being switched around, and I remember Garcelle had this huge monologue, and she was ready but they changed some of the lines, and she was trying to get it ready but by the time that we were filming, she got them all down, and I think just thinking on my feet, and like you guys said, being assertive, knowing what I want, and not being afraid to ask for it. It’s really important on set, and I feel like you can kind of get shuffled into that, no, it’s okay, thank you. That kind of realm. So it’s great to learn.

QUESTION: Thank you guys so much. Congrats on the film.

EMMA TREMBLAY: Thank you.

MALIA BAKER: Thank you.

MODERATOR: Up next, we have April Neal. April?

QUESTION: Hi, everyone. Thanks for doing this. Okay, so when I watched the film, and I’m a parent, all I could think about, and I want everyone’s input on this, is that smartphones, not cellphones but smartphones that have internet connectivity, there should be an age limit because it seems to amplify the worst of all of the things that we experience growing up, and kids are notoriously bad at containing themselves and exercising caution with something that easy to use. I wanted your opinion. Garcelle, especially you, and also the cast. Would there be an age for the younger cast? Would there be an age acceptable for you to have just a cellphone and not a smartphone and then make the transition when you’re more emotionally able to handle the responsibility that you guys go?

EMMA TREMBLAY: You go ahead.

ALISON THORNTON: I actually think that that’s a great idea. I mean I personally didn’t get a smartphone until I think I was 15. But yeah. I think what you said is a really great point because I remember even when I was younger, I would send silly photos to my friends on Snapchat and whatnot, and people would screenshot them without me knowing, and I think that — I remember having someone come to my school and talk about this actually and say on an app like Snapchat, you think that what you’re sending is gonna disappear in a few seconds, and it doesn’t even occur to you that people — like, whenever you send something like that, even if it’s a silly photo or something that you wouldn’t want everyone to see, you don’t know whose eyes are gonna be on it, and even at 13, 14, I, for some reason, that didn’t click in my mind. So I think I mean having just a normal cellphone, not a smartphone maybe is fine just for emergencies if you’re taking the bus home or whatever but I mean, for me, I probably would’ve — I think 15 was a good age for me to get my smartphone just for emails and whatnot.

EMMA TREMBLAY: Yeah. For me, I was 12. It was just when I started walking to school by myself, so my parents were like, okay, now you can have a phone. And I feel like just being introduced to social media and the internet and a slower way and just a good environment was really nice. Just not having that exposure to discover myself, I feel like that’s just really dangerous because there’s so much on the internet that is just endless, and it’s kind of scary to think that there could be little kids out there just seeing things that they shouldn’t be seeing. It’s a scary place.

MALIA BAKER: Sure. Yeah. I agree. I mean I think it’s definitely a debatable topic. I have a younger sister who’s 11, and I was around 11, 12, when I got my first phone, and she has one now, and there was always gonna be that kind of protectiveness I think when she has that, and a lot of with the apps nowadays, like Alison said, you can just send things, and you don’t know that they’re being screenshotted or like Emma said, you can discover a lot of things that you shouldn’t necessarily be discovering at that young of an age. But I feel like on the other flip side of it, there’s a lot of great things that you can be creative with or just share information that you think is important if you want to use your voice. Even just looking up photos of puppies. There are great aspects to it but as long — I think they come hand-in-hand with some of the scarier parts, and I think they’re both really important to take into account.

GARCELLE BEAUVAIS: Yeah. I agree with everything you guys are saying. As a parent, it’s scary. The minute you hand your kids a phone, whether it’s 11, 12, 13, and it’s just scary because they have access to everything, and you can do the parental codes, and I’m sure you guys can agree that there’s ways around those parental codes. (Laughs.) And so I worry. I worry all the time, and you can’t live your life in fear but I think you can also be aware of some of the pitfalls. And I hope this is what the movie does. I am having a screening at my house when this airs with my kids and their friends because I really want the message out there.

MODERATOR: Thank you, April. We’re gonna move onto our next question from Jay Bobbin.

QUESTION: Hello, everyone. Just curious about the nature of Whoopi’s involvement in this. Obviously, she’s talking about issues every day on “The View,” and she’s very invested in what she chooses to deal with subject-wise. Could any of you who had direct contact with her on this talk about the nature of her involvement?

GARCELLE BEAUVAIS: Unfortunately, because she’s so booked and busy, she wasn’t on set. She was working in New York on “The View” of course. But I think she chooses her projects carefully. I would assume she has grandchildren and this was probably a topic that she could connect to and spread the word.

QUESTION: Thank you very much. Loved you in “Flight” by the way with Denzel Washington, Garcelle.

GARCELLE BEAUVAIS: Thank you.

QUESTION: Thank you.

MODERATOR: Thank you, Jay. Up next, we have Luanne Lee. Luanne?

QUESTION: Hi. Garcelle, you acted as sort of a mentor to the girls when you were making this film. But do you have any cautionary tales for them about being an actor?

GARCELLE BEAUVAIS: Let me just tell you. These young ladies have their heads on right. They are professional. They are sweet. They are kind, and I love their relationship. I don’t know if you guys even knew each other prior to this but I felt like there was an instant kinship between them. I would say, for me, always show up prepared, and cautionary tales, if something doesn’t feel right to you in your gut, there’s probably a reason, and always follow that.

QUESTION: Thank you.

GARCELLE BEAUVAIS: You’re welcome.

MODERATOR: Thank you. Up next, we have Rick Bentley.

QUESTION: Thank you. Emma, Alison, and Malia, you’re three young women dealing in this crazy social media world to begin with. But then you add in that layer that the three of you decided to get into acting at a young age. Did you have more conversations with people about how the social media world was going to increase for you because of that or did it create more concerns? Have you put up more firewall? How has that sort of ramped up what you were already dealing with as young women anyway?

MALIA BAKER: Yeah. I mean I feel like having social media is kind of the automatic go-to especially when you are more in the public. It can be terrifying. I was not a natural social media dealer. I didn’t have Instagram or Snapchat, and then when I got into acting, they were like, you need to get these things, and I was like, oh, great. That sounds amazing. So it wasn’t a natural ease into this whole big world, and I feel like growing up, like you said, kind of getting into this industry at a younger age, it is a necessity, and as great as it can be, it can also be like Garcelle mentioned earlier, a little scary, posting things in the moment or having your locations on. There are just certain priorities that need to be taken care of and accountability that needs to be had when we’re thinking about all the aspects of this.

EMMA TREMBLAY: For me, social media was really — it was easy to get into because my parents were like just with me the whole time and explained everything so well and explained all the dangers and all the positive things, and so, for me, yeah, it was a really nice introduction into it, and I have a good relationship with social media, and I’m thankful for that because like I’ve always said, it’s a scary place.

ALISON THORNTON: Yeah. I would agree with both of you guys on that. I, like Malia, it wasn’t natural for me to be on social media. I wasn’t on it before I was acting, and even now, sometimes it feels like there’s this weird pressure to post and to keep people up to date with what I’m doing which I’m still kind of coming to terms with. Sometimes I do silly things like I’ll post something and then five seconds later, be like, “No, I can’t post that,” and then delete it right away. So I’m still navigating social media but we’ll see.

EMMA TREMBLAY: We all are.

GARCELLE BEAUVAIS: We all are.

QUESTION: Thank you very much.

MODERATOR: Thank you, Rick. And we actually have time for one more question, and I’m gonna give that to The Hollywood Times.

QUESTION: Hi, Garcelle.

GARCELLE BEAUVAIS: Hi.

QUESTION: I know sextortion is an ongoing issue here, and I was just wondering, how much of this film — and maybe you can give an example — is based on actual events?

GARCELLE BEAUVAIS: Oh, well, it definitely is based on actual events. I think what’s happening is that we’re all sort of learning how to navigate this social media world, and I think with kids, remember when you were a kid? I think everything was rosy and you were so hopeful and full of life and trusted people. And I think the cautionary tale is not that you can’t trust people, especially if you’re in high school because you need to make friends but it’s what you share with people, and if someone’s asking you to share something inappropriate, it’s probably inappropriate to do so, and I have two 14-year-old boys, and I try to tell them if someone sends you a picture of someone, do not forward that picture to another friend because that’s how it all gets started. So it’s real events but then applied to how modern and how dependent we are on these devices that we hold onto all day.

QUESTION: Okay. Thank you very much.

GARCELLE BEAUVAIS: You’re welcome.

MODERATOR: I actually lied. We do have time for more questions. So let’s get some more in. Suzanne?

QUESTION: Hi. How are you guys doing today?

GARCELLE BEAUVAIS: Good. How are you?

QUESTION: All right. Thanks for being here. I was going to ask… Garcelle, can you talk to us at all about the development as far as your part of it, the development of the movie?

GARCELLE BEAUVAIS: Yeah. For me, when I got the script, I was fascinated. At first, I thought how does someone get to control your life like that? And it was really a deep dive into how people hack the information they get, what they do to it, identity theft. I mean it was a lot in terms of going down that rabbit hole and realizing how much someone can have an effect on your life, someone who’s not even in your home, who you don’t really have contact with. So, for me, it’s really getting into that mindset that I wanted to understand what the girls were going through but at the same time, I felt like my character was not tech savvy and had to learn a lot as she went along. So it was about learning a lot but then letting it go so that it didn’t appear that I had all the answers. Does that make sense?

QUESTION: Yes, it does. Thank you. And the actor that played the hacker girl that helped out was really good, too.

GARCELLE BEAUVAIS: Yeah. She was really great. Morgan was really great.

QUESTION: Thank you.

MODERATOR: Thank you, Suzanne. Up next, we have Abby.

QUESTION: Sorry. I’m sorry. I thought you said the other one was the last question. For Ms. Beauvais, I think you would be the point person on this question. Too often, the law enforcement doesn’t even take actual rape seriously much less sexual harassment. What is there about this case even in the story that had the law enforcement taking it seriously?

GARCELLE BEAUVAIS: Well, I think the fact that my character sort of pushed that along because, at first, even when Alison’s character went to the precinct to report it, it was kind of brushed aside. Like, okay, these girls say these guys are — this guy is coming after them but there wasn’t really any concrete proof, and especially, I would have to say in the tech world, sometimes, a lot of adults, me included, don’t know everything that these kids can get into. So it’s always with law enforcement, I feel like until something bad happens, they really can’t do anything about it. But I felt like my character at least took it seriously enough and I think it was maybe because of the connection of these young girls to sort of delve a little deeper and see what she could find out and hopefully catch this guy.

QUESTION: Have you ever been inspired by anything, bad interactions you’ve had online to look further into who the heck is this idiot?

GARCELLE BEAUVAIS: No. I just block and delete. (Laughs.) I don’t have that much time. But I just think it’s unfortunate that somebody who you don’t even know — not a real interaction with can really ruin your life, and I think that’s a cautionary tale for all of us, really, whether you’re young or old.

QUESTION: Thanks very much.

MODERATOR: Thank you. And, finally, our last question is from Right On Digital. Right On?

QUESTION: Hello? Hi. Can you hear me? Okay. My question is this: this is a hypothetical question. If you all were going to a high school or junior high school to speak to the students in reference to the fact that this film has come out, what is the message that you would like to relate to the young people that would hear you speak?

GARCELLE BEAUVAIS: You guys want to go first?

ALISON THORNTON: That’s a really good question. I think that, personally, what I would say is my biggest takeaway from shooting the movie is just pay attention to the power that people, especially women in this case, can have when they believe each other and when they support each other. I think that a lot of the times today, there’s this culture of being a savage and being cold and not necessarily being nice to each other, and I think that this movie is really empowering because it kind of shows the opposite effect of that and how there’s way more power united and how you can actually take down predators and you can just go to such intense lengths when you just believe people and support them.

MALIA BAKER: I agree with Alison 100%. You said it perfectly. And I feel like this film has such in-your-face kind of messaging. Nothing is really kind of filtered in a sense that you need to look really, really hard for the underlying meaning of the film. It’s there and being united and having young women especially being united on this front, there’s amazing moments in the movie where you see that happening, and I feel like, going forward with this film and with other ones in general, it’s just really empowering to see it, especially coming from kind of the same perspective on the world as I think a lot of young people watching this movie will feel.

QUESTION: Okay.

EMMA TREMBLAY: I personally love what Alison said and what I was kind of thinking is my favorite part of the film is just the fact that these girls are so much stronger together and just the way that they form their team is so beautiful and fun to watch, and I’m so glad that I got to work with Malia and Alison as my two classmates. They were incredible. And then Garcelle as well. We were just a great team. We were a great team together.

GARCELLE BEAUVAIS: We were a great team. And I think what I would — I agree with everything these young girls have said but I also feel like it can happen to anyone. I think that’s what I would say in my conversation with the students is that it can happen to anyone. Just be careful.

QUESTION: Thank you for such wonderful answers. Very inspiring.

MODERATOR: Awesome. Well, thank you, and thank you to the “Caught in His Web” panelists along with all of our amazing other panels today for joining us. With that, Lifetime’s press day is officially concluded. Thank you, everyone. As a reminder, transcripts and recordings will be available beginning tomorrow. If we didn’t get to a question, please email us at lifetimepr@aenetworks.com, and please be sure to tune into all of our incredible movies all season long. Follow us on social @lifetimetv and @lifetimetvpr. Have an incredible week.

MORE INFO:

"Caught in His Web" poster

Inspired by actual events, Caught in His Web tells the horrifying story of Emma (Alison Thorton), Olivia (Malia Baker) and Gabby (Emma Tremblay) who are each unknowingly tormented by a mysterious cyberbully by the name “Blake.” Infiltrating each of their lives by hacking into their cell phones and computers, “Blake” coerces them to send nude photos and continually harasses them and tracks their every move. Feeling extremely alone and experiencing anxiety, depression and fear, the girls later discover they are not alone in being tormented. They decide to join forces and enlist the help of Detective Holland (Garcelle Beauvais), in the hunt to unmask their harasser and end their nightmare.

Caught in His Web is produced for Lifetime by Cyber Productions, Inc. in association with Johnson Production Group. Whoopi Goldberg (The View, The Stand, A Day Late and a Dollar Short), Tim Johnson (Sleepwalking in Suburbia, Toxic Skies), Stacy Mandelberg (Invasion, Haunting Sarah), Jason Egenberg (Des & Lou, Unthinkable), Jack Heller (Mainstream, Zombieland 2), Tom Leonardis (A Day Late and a Dollar Short, Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley), Brendan Deneen (Gangland Undercover) and Scott Veltri (Mainstream) are executive producers. Caitlin de Lisser-Ellen is co-executive producer. Hannah Cheesman (Succor, The Boathouse) directs from a script written by Danielle Iman (Riverdale, Pretty Little Liars).

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

Emma (Alison Thornton), Olivia (Malia Baker) and Gabby (Emma Tremblay)

Interview with Javicia Leslie, Meagan Tandy, Billy Gardell, Folake Olowofoyeku and Clayton Echard

Posted on February 18, 2022February 18, 2022 by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Warner Bros. TCA panel with actors from "Batwoman," "The Bachelor" and "Bob Hearts Abishola"

Interview with Warner Bros. actors by Suzanne 2/14/22

This was a fun panel for TCA (Television Critics Association) put on by Warner Brothers. I enjoyed the one they did last year, so I knew I would love this one, too. They didn’t disappoint. Last year’s was about comedy, and this year’s was about romance (since it was held on Valentine’s Day). It was called “With Love, Warner Bros. Television Group” and featured some of their best romances from their current shows: Javicia Leslie (Ryan Wilder) & Meagan Tandy (Sophie Moore) from Batwoman, Billy Gardell (Bob) & Folake Olowofoyeku (Abishola) from Bob ❤ Abishola, and Clayton Echard from The Bachelor.

I never miss an episode of “Batwoman” or “Bob ❤ Abishola,” so it was great to see the actors here. I’ve spoken with Javicia before, but it was great to see Meagan Tandy as well. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to ask a question this time around, but I enjoyed being there.

With Love, Warner Bros. Television Group

Javicia Leslie, Batwoman

Meagan Tandy, Batwoman

Billy Gardell, Bob ❤ Abishola

Folake Olowofoyeku, Bob ❤ Abishola

Clayton Echard, The Bachelor

2022 Virtual Tour

Los Angeles, CA

February 14, 2022

First, Javicia and Meagan were asked if they feel any special responsibility, since they’re the “first black lesbian leading couple on a superhero show.” Javicia answered that the whole show was a huge responsibility and featured many firsts. They make sure that they present themselves in a good way, both on- and off-camera, especially since their audience includes many children. It’s important to them to show a positive representation. Meagan agreed with that. She realized, after talking with teens, that having LGBTQ and black women on their show is a lot bigger than just the actors. She tries to tell the stories as authentically as she can. She was also asked about going from loving Kate to being with Ryan. She admitted that it was a “love rollercoaster” for Sophie, since she was married to man and in the closet in the first season. Then she had to deal with her feelings for Kate, and then all that happened with Kate leaving, and then Ryan coming into the picture. She said that it was “quite the journey for her,” but it’s been fun for her as an actor.

Javicia was asked whether she had been more concerned beforehand about taking over the physical part of playing Batwoman, or the emotional parts (with all of her family and romantic relationships). Javicia said she was most worried about whether the fans would approve of her or not, since she’s a superhero fan herself and loves “Batman.” She wasn’t worried about the physicality because she had done martial arts before, which is fun. She’s a dramatic actor, so she loves crying and all that. She loves that there are many fans of the show who love “Batwoman,” even if they may have lost some comic fans who don’t like that it’s not the Batman or Batwoman that they knew from the comics. She’s proud to be a part of this “new representation.” She tweets with her fans all the time, and they make it worth while for her. She’s “honored” to be a part of the show’s fanbase.

All of the actors were asked, which TV shows they used to watch that taught them “the most about love and how it gave you more perspective.”

Ryan and Sophie kissing on "Batwoman" Javicia spoke about the show “Martin” and how the characters Martin and Gina teased each other. It showed her that you need to have friendship and laughter in a relationship. She also mentioned watching the show “Family Matters” and other shows from that time.

Meagan said that she watched those shows, too, but her favorite was “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” because it was about a whole family’s love for each other, not just a couple. Her friends all loved the Disney movies with princess, which she didn’t like. Now they tease her because she’s in her 30’s and not married, but she has a boyfriend, so she hopes they’ll make it work. Javicia spoke encouraging to her about her boyfriend, saying, “Y’all will,” which was very cute. Then Meagan replied, “We’ll see where he takes me to dinner tonight,” and everyone laughed.

Meagan was asked about Sophie falling for two Batwomen and whether that’s her “type,” and also whether she’ll be talking to the writers about suiting up, like everyone else has. Meagan chattered about how originally she wasn’t going to be with Ryan, but then they changed their minds. Also, she was with Julia, who had also dressed like Batwoman, so it was really three Batwomans that Sophie was with. She joked about it, saying she probably has a bit of a fetish. She said that she doesn’t know about getting any kind of superhero suit. She was wearing the Crows uniform, but now that’s gone. She finished with, “So, for now, it’s just the suit of love,” which made everyone laugh.

Javicia and Meagan were asked what they thought people loved about superheroes – is it the need to be protected, or the need to be strong? Why do we fall in love with them? Javicia thinks that her partner is a superhero because a great partner puts your needs before their own, which is “attractive” and “sexy.” So is maybe having kids one day. She thinks that having a person out there saving everyone and helping people makes them attractive and you feel protected and it “just feels like home.” She said it seems to be the same kind of theme with all of them. Meagan agreed with that. She also observed that previous Batman actors were always portrayed by someone “who was really hot,” which made her desire them a bit. She also said that having a protector who is kind and honest, who wants to save people and “doing bigger work than themselves.” She hopes that might inspire people to be like that. Then there’s the fantasy aspect of having a super suit that keeps them protected.

Billy was asked about his Ozempic commercial and whether it was made, in part, to advertise his show. Billy seemed a bit taken aback by the question. It was a very odd question. Billy told us honestly that he didn’t do the commercial for that reason. He had developed Type 2 diabetes, and he had been on a medication that helped him. They asked him to try their medication, so he did, and he waited a year to make sure it worked before he agreed to do the commercial. It helped him get healthier, and not he doesn’t have to take ANY medication. He was able to “turn the corner,” thanks to the medication and being on the right track. He figured he would do the commercial to help others who might need help as well. He just wanted to hold himself accountable to it. He added, “I had to take that journey.” The journalist who asked that question told him that he did look great (and he does!).

Billy and Folake were asked about the possibility of their characters having a baby together on the show. Billy talked in general about how you have to have the discussion with your partner in marriage about whether you’re going to have children, and when, and that the relationships evolve and change. He said that their ages might be factor, and they might have to discuss that. He gave the example of whether Bob would be asking Abishola, “are you gonna be changing my diaper and the baby’s diaper?” Everyone laughed at that. He then praised the show, saying that “it’s never preachy.” It’s just two people in love and trying to do the best they can to be open and honest with each other, to be a strong couple. He told us that he’s been married for 22 years in real life. Folake talked about how much she has enjoyed the season, especially when they went to Nigeria. She says she watches those scenes over and over and loves how they were able to “share a Yoruba wedding with the world.” She also previewed that there are some good scenes coming “with the entire cast.” They’re going to have “a sock commercial,” which will be “really entertaining.” Neither of them really answered much about the baby plot point. They were obviously trying not to share any spoilers.

It was interesting to hear Folake’s real accent. She’s from Nigeria, but she went to boarding school, so she doesn’t have nearly as much of an accent as Abishola does.

In answer to the TV question, Billy talked about how much he loved “The Honeymooners” growing up, which his dad shared with him. He said that at the end of the day, Ralph knew that no matter how much he had messed up, his wife loved him, which made him a little bit more humble. He thinks that’s still a great message. Folake said that she used to watch Spanish telenovelas with the other girls at school, so that’s where she got most of her TV love experience.

Bob and Abishola kissing at their wedding on "Bob Hearts Abishola" They were each asked what they liked best about their real-life “sweethearts”. Folake replied that hers are her cats, which are named Bob and Abishola! She said, “They’re very adventurous and they can take on coyotes!” Billy said that he likes best about his wife that she stays with him. He went on a bit about how great she is: “She’s an amazing woman, and she has always been my rock.” He says that you should always do whatever your wife says. (As a wife, I agree with that)

They were also asked if they were surprised that the show has been embraced so well, given America’s problems with race. Billy said that he wasn’t surprised because the show is about love, and “love is always the secret sauce.” He said it so beautifully, that the audience knows it’s about love, and how the two love each other but have crazy families, and the show is also about how these families merge and can look past their differences. He stated, “it’s the common thread that we all share. In this world, all anybody wants is someone to love, somewhere to live, and a way to pay for that. If you keep it that simple I think people identify with it.”

Folake agreed that the show is all about love, which is what we all want. She also added that it was always going to be successful because it has Chuck Lorre in charge, and his whole production team that is so well-run. She finished with, “everyone is on their A-game, myself included, because we want to live up to that standard.” Billy agreed to that, too. She says it’s not surprising at all, and she thinks it has effects worldwide. It does very well in Africa and India.

Billy was also asked how much weight he’s loss, and he told us that he’s lost 102 pounds. It really does show. He joked that he would like to go on “The Bachelor” next year.

Folake also added her own comments in to the question about why we like superheroes so much. She thinks that is makes a great escape for viewers to just imagine being in that world. She also complimented the show, saying “this generation of Batwoman is like literally the Batwoman of my dreams. I wish I grew up on this shit. I wish I was a kid growing up watching you guys. It is so awesome. You guys are doing a great job.”

Billy loves the superhero stuff and sharing it with his son. He thinks there’s a “hopefulness with it, and I think that’s what superheroes give you, and it’s the feeling of safety. You feel like, wow, I wish someone was out there looking out for us like that.” He also agrees that it’s a way for people to escape, like Folake said.

Clayton was asked how he’s celebrating Valentine’s Day this year (even though he can’t tell us with whom he’s celebrating). He was also asked whether the show helped him with his holiday plans or if they hindered them. Clayton answered that he was recovering today from a “really fun weekend,” so he was drinking a lot of water and trying to save his voice, which was “a little shot.” He said that the dates on the show were “incredible” and he certainly did some things that set the bar very high, but of course he has to be realistic in the future (and on his own budget).

Clayton Echard kissing a blonde woman — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnlLc4EMRz0
HED: ‘Bachelor’ Colton Echard Says ‘I’m In Love With 3 Women’ In Explosive 1st Look At Season 26

Clayton was also asked about what he learned with being on the show, especially about dating, relationships and what he might not have been doing before. Clayton gave the question some thought before answering. He admitted that he learned a lot, and watching it now on TV has also taught him a lot. He said that learning how to “pick up on body cues” was something that he had previously missed because there is a lot you can miss if you only pay attention to verbal cues. He added that he’s learning more about himself and “how to be a better person” so that he do better in the future.

Clayton replied to the question about TV shows to say that “Spongebob Squarepants” was the one that showed him the most about love. He enjoyed the friendship between Spongebob and Patrick. It showed him that “good friends stand by each other.” He said that we all want that love from both friends and family. Meagan agreed with him about it, saying she watched that show, too.

Clayton also answered about the superheroes. He said that “we’re all dreamers in some aspect, and so as kids we’re told to dream big. And that’s where these superhero movies really allow us to – as we grow up on them, watching them fight and all that – see their super powers. We hope, as we’re kids, to be able to have those same super powers.” We know that we can’t really be that way, but when we’re grownups, we remember that time, back when we were kids and thought we could be Batman or Superman.

MORE INFO:

About WarnerMedia

WarnerMedia is a leading media and entertainment company that creates and distributes premium and popular content from a diverse array of talented storytellers and journalists to global audiences through its consumer brands including: HBO, HBO Max, Warner Bros., TNT, TBS, truTV, CNN, DC, New Line, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies and others.

JAVICIA LESLIE

Ryan Wilder in “Batwoman”

Javicia Leslie stars as Ryan Wilder, a goofy, relatable, and street-smart lesbian who transforms into the hero Gotham’s been missing in The CW’s highly anticipated new drama “Batwoman.”

Leslie is known to television audiences for her role as Ali Finer on “God Friended Me” and Paris Duncan on “The Family Business.” On the feature film front, she recently tackled the lead role in hilarious new comedy, “Always a Bridesmaid,” penned by NAACP nominated Yvette Nicole Brown. Leslie also directed two short films this year, “Black Excellence” and “Howl.”

Born in Germany and raised in Maryland, Leslie graduated from Hampton University where she appeared in several productions including “Seven Guitars,” “For Colored Girls” and “Chicago.” As driven philanthropically as she is in her career, Leslie started The Chandler Foundation which gives back to youth in her community. When not filming, she spends her free time with her dog and staying healthy through her passion for fitness.

MEAGAN TANDY
Sophie Moore in “Batwoman”

Meagan Tandy stars as Sophie Moore, a high-level private security agent and one of Gotham’s staunchest protectors in The CW’s highly anticipated new drama “Batwoman.”

Tandy’s television appearances include roles in “Survivor’s Remorse,” “Teen Wolf,” “Jane By Design,” “Baby Daddy,” “The Mayor,” “Red Band Society,” “Necessary Roughness” and in the breakout critical darling “UnReal,” opposite Shiri Appleby and Constance Zimmer.

On the big screen Tandy starred in John Gulager’s remake of the iconic “Piranha 3DD,” “Unstoppable” and “The Trap,” opposite Queen Latifah and Mike Epps.

At 19, Tandy entered and won the Miss California Teen Pageant. One year later she was named Miss California, USA.

Billy Gardell
Bob in BOB ♥ ABISHOLA

Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Birthday: August 20

Emmy Award-nominated actor and comedian Billy Gardell starred with Melissa McCarthy in the hit Network series “Mike & Molly” as Officer Mike Biggs from 2010-2016. The series continues to air in syndication. Also, he had a recurring role as Herschel Sparks on YOUNG SHELDON, on the Network, and starred as Col. Tom Parker on the series “Sun Records.” In 2016 he received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Game Show Host on “Monopoly Millionaires’ Club.”

Prior to “Mike & Molly,” Gardell co-starred in the critically acclaimed series “Lucky.” His other television credits include “Yes, Dear” and “Judging Amy,” both on the Network, “My Name Is Earl,” “The Practice,” “Monk” and “Gary the Rat,” among others.

He made his major motion picture debut alongside Anthony Quinn and Sylvester Stallone in “Avenging Angelo,” and had a memorable scene with Billy Bob Thornton in the film “Bad Santa.” Also, he appeared in “You, Me & Dupree.”

As a stand-up comedian, Gardell took the long road to Hollywood, stopping at every small-town lounge, military base and comedy club along the way. His comedy act took him to Los Angeles where his dedication to acting and stand-up comedy allowed him to grow consistently in both arenas. His stand-up show is a powerhouse with its grounded, down-to-earth point of view that strikes a strong chord with American audiences. Stories about his rough childhood, wild adolescence and new family life are executed with the skill of a master craftsman.

In 2011, his comedy special “Billy Gardell: Halftime” premiered on Comedy Central. His next special “Billy Gardell Presents Road Dogs” premiered on SHOWTIME in 2013.

A native of Pittsburgh, Gardell currently lives in Los Angeles. He loves Steeler football, stand-up comedy and his wife, Patty, and son, Will. His birthday is August 20. He can be followed on Twitter @BillyGardell and Facebook @billygardell.

Folake Olowofoyeku
Abishola in BOB ♥ ABISHOLA

Birthday: October 26

Nigerian-born actress Folake Olowofoyeku has won the hearts of critics and audiences as Abishola in BOB ♥ ABISHOLA. She received the 2019 Breakout Actress in TV Award for her work on the series on behalf of the Sync Con Honors. Her additional television credits include a recurring role on “Transparent” and guest roles on “The Gifted,” “Modern Family,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” “Westworld,” “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” among others.

Olowofoyeku’s feature film credits include “When They Could Fly,” which earned her a Best Actress award at the prestigious ReelHeART International Film Festival in Toronto, “Central & Broadway,” for which she won Best Actress in a Fashion Film at the CinéFashion Film Awards, “Female Fight Club,” “The Bride,” “The Child Within” and “Hellbenders-3D,” among others.

As a voiceover artist, Olowofoyeku voiced the Priestess on the video game “Vader Immortal: A Star Wars VR Series – Episode 1.” Olowofoyeku’s other passion is music.

Olowofoyeku grew up in Lagos, Nigeria and spent time in London. Her native language is Yoruba. The youngest of 20 children, she always dreamt of being in the arts, a dream that went squarely against the wishes of her parents, Chief Babatunji and Chief Mrs. Felicia Olowofoyeku, who insisted on the family profession of law and politics. During a summer vacation in New York City, unbeknownst to her family, she began to pursue her goal as a student at City College of New York, where she distinguished herself on the basketball court competing with CCNY’s Beavers in the NCAA and earning a B.A. with honors in theater. Additionally, she earned a diploma in audio engineering from the Institute of Audio Research (IAR).

Currently, Olowofoyeku resides in Los Angeles. Her birthdate is Oct. 26. She can be followed on Twitter and Facebook @TheFolake and on Instagram @the.folake.

Clayton Echard

The Bachelor

DOB : April 29th – St. Louis, Missouri

Clayton Echard, who was first introduced as one of Michelle Young’s suitors in season 18 of “The Bachelorette,” not only connects romantically with the captivating Minneapolis school teacher but is also a favorite of Michelle’s middle school students. Ultimately, however, Michelle sends Clayton home, leading to one of the most emotional and heart-wrenching moments in “Bachelor” history. In that one touching moment, Clayton’s genuine desire to find a partner and start a family shines through, and never has it been so evident that one man deserves a second chance at finding that great love.

Nicknamed “Claynos” by his friends in the house due partly to his sculpted physique, Clayton grows stronger with every rose, opening himself up to Michelle in ways he never thought possible. This Midwestern man proves he is so much more than just a good-looking guy with a rock-hard bod. He’s a throwback romantic who’s not afraid to put himself out there for love.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

Warner Bros. actors panel

Interview with Lorna Watson, Jerry Iwu, Max Brown and Will Trotter

Posted on February 12, 2022February 12, 2022 by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Lorna Watson, Jerry Iwu, Max Brown and Will Trotter of "Sister Boniface Mysteries" on BritBox

Interview with stars Lorna Watson, Jerry Iwu, Max Brown and producer Will Trotter of “Sister Boniface Myseries” on Britbox by Suzanne 2/9/22

BritBox logo The Britbox Winter TCA panel started with the “Sister Boniface Mysteries,” which had premiered February 8, the day before, in the U.S. (in the UK, it premieres March 11 on the UKTV Drama channel). It’s a fun, quirky show, despite being a murder mystery. We had all three major cast members in attendance, as well as the producer, Will Trotter.

Sister Boniface (played by “The IT Crowd”‘s Lorna Watson) is an unusual nun who drives a Vespa around the small town of “Great Slaughter” and helps the local police solve murders. In the spirit of shows like “Murder, She Wrote” and “Grantchester,” this small town happens to have many murders. Although the series takes place in the 1960’s, Sister B. has advanced knowledge of forensics and a PhD in chemistry. The policemen, DI Sam Gillespie (played by Max Brown, whom you may recognize from “Beauty and the Beast” as well as many other shows) and DS Felix Livingstone (played by Jerry Iwu, “Sex Education”), are grateful to have the good sister’s help (as unusual as it is). The show is smartly written and is not only a good mystery series but explores issues that are still relevant today, such as sexism, racism, class division and more. However, the show is not at all preachy or heavy-handed.

Although Sister Boniface is very intelligent, Watson believes that she is quite innocent and has a “childlike element” as well as often being “silly.” Watson admits that she, too, can sometimes be “surprisingly naïve.” She has never played such a smart character before, so it was a “real joy” to put on the habit again. Getting into character was easy because the nun’s habit helped so much. She dubbed it a “quite transformative costume.” She also shared that the costume is quite freeing because she doesn’t have to spend much time in makeup. Before shooting, she spoke with the other characters playing nuns about where they would place their hands and so forth.

At Trotter’s urging, Watson told us an amusing story. When the director of the first episode, Paul Gibson, saw her, he acted like he didn’t know her because she was dressed as herself, not as Sister Boniface. He had no idea how she really looked out of the nun’s habit. He later came by and apologized. Lorna is hopeful that others will be the same way, so that she will be able to keep her anonymity if she runs into fans.

Watson told us that she had only ridden a Vespa once before, while on vacation. It took her quite a while to get used to driving it on the show to make it look natural. She also did a wheelie, but not on purpose. Brown joked with her about running the Vespa into his police car and how huge the Vespa’s sidecar is. Iwu joked that he “never felt terrified” while riding in the sidecar with her.

Iwu’s character Felix arrives in town in the first episode, expecting to be working in London, much to his disappointment. Eventually, the mistake is corrected, and he heads towards London, but of course, predictably, he ends up staying (I don’t think that’s really a spoiler). Not much else in the show is predictable, I’m glad to say. My only other observation about Felix is that he certainly wears a lot of suits for someone who came from a tropical country like Bermuda! Every TV show seems to have someone like Felix that arrives new into the situation so that he (and we) can be told what’s going on. Iwu told us that Felix observes about the town, “this is insane. Why is everyone killing themselves or killing each other?”

Brown noted that they all had great chemistry. The series started filming with episode 4, but they all “fell into our characters and our relationships” immediately. Watson agreed that they did “form a bond very quickly”. Brown observed that having all of these characters around in nun’s habits made them all want to behave better on set, but Watson and the other nuns felt that it was a very relaxed set. Brown and Iwu joked that a group of nuns is called a “gaggle.”

The cast was asked which mysteries they liked to read or watch. Brown told us that his favorite mysteries to read are the classic Sherlock Holmes stories, but he’s also looking forward to the upcoming Hugh Laurie series, “Why Didn’t They Ask Evans?” (which comes out this spring on Britbox). Iwu grew up with “Murder, She Wrote.” Watson grew up with “Columbo” and also enjoys the Miss Marple movies. She joked that now she can solve the mysteries with her “new forensic skills.”

Trotter observed that the combination of Watson’s “fabulous face,” which he described as “owl-like,” combined with the habit and the glasses, gave them a lot of character to work with. He said, somewhat facetiously, “the blinking of the eyes every now and again are just like little messages to the directors: cut there, cut there, closer there.” Her pushing her glasses up on her nose became part of the quirkiness of the character. He also spoke a little bit about why we love mysteries so much, particularly this type, which he called “cozy crime.”

Trotter assured us that the Catholic Church has been fully supportive of “Father Brown” and most likely will for this show, too, because it doesn’t put them in a bad light, and the nuns are three dimensional characters (not caricatures). Also, the show is very light and fun. It doesn’t have blood and gore or other dark things.

The convent in the series is shot at a school, “Princethorpe College,” which used to be a convent, so it looks authentic. It has a chapel and stained-glass windows. Trotter’s children went there because he lives nearby. The rest of the show is mostly “shot in the Cotswolds” which is also where “Father Brown” is shot. He praised the area, which is “fantastic” with many large churches, homes and “beautiful rolling countryside.” He called the area “timeless,” which makes it great for shooting this show, set 50 years ago. He explained that “all the stone is the same and the architecture is just beautiful.” It was made “in the 16th century and so on.” Watson was “super-excited” to be there and to see where Sister Boniface sleeps each night, and to see her crime lab/winery. Iwu praised the locations they use as “beautiful” but observed that the convent in particular has a calming effect.

At the very end of our interview, Trotter revealed that the series has been renewed for season two (or as the Brits call it, “Series 2”). Everyone was happy and excited to hear it. Don’t miss this wonderful series, especially if you love mysteries.

MORE INFO:

Photos from "Sister Boniface Mysteries" on Britbox

From the makers of Father Brown and Shakespeare & Hathaway – Private Investigators comes this light-hearted murder mystery series starring a Vespa driving, crime solving Catholic nun: Sister Boniface. It’s the 1960s and police forensics are rudimentary. Luckily the residents of Great Slaughter, nestled deep in the British countryside, have a secret weapon. Sister Boniface. This nun might be predisposed to forgive – but she’s also one hell of an amateur detective. If there’s evidence to be found, Boniface will find it, with a little help from dashing maverick DI Sam Gillespie and buttoned-up Bermudan DS Felix Livingstone, who’s horrified to be stuck in the eccentric world of Great Slaughter.

poster for "Sister Boniface Mysteries" — Sister Boniface Mysteries
Picture Shows: L-R – Ruth Penny (MIRANDA RAISON), DS Felix Livingstone (JERRY IWU), Sister Boniface (LORNA WATSON), DI Sam Gillespie (MAX BROWN), WPC Peggy Button (AMI METCALF)

Lorna Watson Bio
Lorna Watson is an actress and writer, known for The IT Crowd, The Wrong Door and Horrible Histories.
She has a strong background in comedy as the co-creator of the sketch comedy show, Watson & Oliver.
Most recently, Lorna reprised her role as Sister Boniface from the popular Father Brown series. She stars
in the upcoming BritBox Original spinoff series, Sister Boniface Mysteries.

Jerry Iwu Bio

Jerry can currently be seen as the guest lead Oba in the latest series of SEX EDUCATION for
Netflix.
Following this, he will be seen as the series regular role of DS Felix Livingstone in The Sister
Boniface Mysteries for Britbox/BBC Studios which will premiere in early 2022.
After graduating from Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, he went straight into
filming Innocent (Series 2) for ITV opposite Katherine Kelly and Shaun Dooley. Alongside this, he
filmed a significant role in Intruder for Channel 5 and ITV Global.
Prior to this, he played the role of Neville in the IFTA-nominated Conor McDermottroe’s
feature Halal Daddy opposite Sarah Bolger and Colm Meaney.
Whilst at Central, he played the leading role in Sophie Treadwell’s Machinal directed by
Suzanne Gorman.
His other credits include Hastings in Richard The III, Stanley in Street Car Named Desire, Orsino
in Twelfth Night and Tuzenbach in The Three Sisters.

Max Brown Bio
Max Brown is an English actor with an impressive career spanning across film and television. He
first appeared on screens in 2001 to play Danny Hartson in BBC’s Grange Hill. Since then, he
has appeared in several hit television shows including The Royals, Mistresses, Agent
Carter, Spooks (MI-5) and Foyles War. Some of Max’s most notable roles include Edward
Seymour in The Tudors for Showtime and Evan Marks in the CW’s Beauty and the Beast series.
He has also been seen in films including the Downton Abbeymovie for Carnival Film &
Television, 29/29 and Stone Village Films’ Turistas and Flutter for Sunrise Films. Most recently,
Max played DI Sam Gillespie in Sister Boniface Mysteries, a new BritBox Original series.

Will Trotter Bio
After nearly 30 years with the BBC, in 2014 Will took up the role of Head of Midlands Drama.
From his office in the Drama Village, Birmingham, he is responsible for overseeing a team
of over 200 people and delivering over 130 hours of Television Drama every year.
Alongside the hugely successful Continuing Drama – Doctors, Will has consistently
developed and produced new returning series including Land Girls, Father Brown, WPC
56, The Coroner, and Shakespeare & Hathaway – Private Investigators and most
recently Sister Boniface Mysteries. In the past year he also developed and Exec Produced a
four-part serial of Oscar Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost for BYU.
Will specialises in pre-watershed crime that has an international appeal – Father Brown
currently sells to over 230 territories, Shakespeare and Hathaway was the most viewed
new TV series in its first year of the BBC Showcase event. Essentially though Will thrives on
making great drama and exploiting ideas commercially and as part of BBC Studios.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

poster for "Sister Boniface Mysteries"

Review of “Legacies: The Complete Third Season”

Posted on February 10, 2022September 10, 2023 by TvMegasite Admin

DVD Review!

“Legacies: The Complete Third Season” Review by Suzanne 2/10/22

I loved this spin-off from “The Vampire Diaries” and “The Originals.” I never miss an episode every week. I’m happy to have the DVD for season 3. I’m sure I’ll get the last season (season 4) as well. I’m still in denial that it’s all over. In this third season, some of the characters die or disappear. It sets things up nicely for season 4, especially with this really huge thing that happens to Hope. It has a great season finale.

Unfortunately, there’s only one special feature, called “Thank You, Georgia: Legacies.” It’s fun to watch, but I wish they had more. You can definitely watch this whole series without ever having watched TVD or TO, but it does help to watch those first.

MORE INFORMATION:

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

Announces Upcoming TV Titles from Warner Archive Collection in February

Burbank, CA (January 20, 2022) – Warner Bros. Home Entertainment brings consumers the opportunity to own more fan-favorite programming from the past several decades from the Warner Archive Collection. In February, Legacies Season Three will be released via Warner Archive.

Legacies: Season Three

Available on DVD 2/15/22

Set in The Salvatore Boarding School for the Young & Gifted LEGACIES tells the story of a new generation of supernatural students as they learn what it means to be special in a world that wouldn’t understand their gifts. In season two, Hope Mikaelson reunited with her former Headmaster, Alaric Saltzman. Working together, Hope and Dr. Saltzman ultimately rejoined The Salvatore School to lead their Super Squad of powerful vampires, witches and werewolves into battle against a dizzying horde of fantastic and deadly monsters birthed from the Malivore Pit … and their old nemesis, The Necromancer, who was determined to resurrect Malivore. As season three begins, Hope has risked everything to pull her friends back from the brink of a monstrous prophecy that threatened to doom them all. But when a heartbreaking loss shatters her whole world, Hope Mikaelson will be forced to fight fate itself.

About Warner Archive Collection

Warner Archive Collection (WAC) continues to serve as host to some of the most beloved films, television series and animated entertainment in history – and many are now available on Blu-ray. WAC’s canon runs the gamut from restored and remastered Blu-ray classics such as The Thing From Another World, The Big Sleep, The Thin Man, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, Days of Wine and Roses and Yankee Doodle Dandy to adored TV offerings such as The Jetsons and Jonny Quest (on Blu-ray), Step by Step and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (on DVD) to theatrical animation on Blu-ray, including the remastered and restored Popeye The Sailor: The 1940s Volumes 1-3 and Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, to animated TV series headed by Blu-ray releases such as Teen Titans: The Complete Series, Justice League Unlimited, Batman: The Brave and the Bold and Young Justice, as well as a wealth of classic animated series on DVD including dozens of Hanna-Barbera classics. WAC offerings can be found via warnerarchive.com and your favorite online retailer.

About Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) brings together Warner Bros. Entertainment’s physical and digital distribution businesses in order to maximize current and next-generation distribution scenarios. An industry leader since its inception, WBHE oversees the global distribution of content through packaged goods (Blu-ray Disc™ and DVD) and digital media in the form of electronic sell-through and video-on-demand via cable, satellite, online and mobile channels. WBHE distributes its product through third party retail partners and licensees.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.

scenes from Legacies season 3

Interview with Amber Riley and Raven Goodwin

Posted on February 5, 2022February 5, 2022 by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Amber Riley and Raven Goodwin

Interview with Amber Riley and Raven Goodwin of “Single Black Female” on Lifetime by Suzanne 1/10/22

This was from a Lifetime Press Day about a month ago. I enjoyed it, and this is a fun thriller. I saw the original movie “Single White Female” a long time ago, so I don’t remember it all that well, but I think it was just as scary as this one. It was great to chat with these ladies. Amber Riley was fabulous on “Glee” years ago and continues to show her wide range of drama, comedy and music. I’m not as familiar with Raven, but she’s done many movies and was also on “Glee” in a smaller role. Both women did a fantastic job in this movie. Their hair, makeup and costume people also did a phenomenal job making them look more like each other, too.

QUESTION: Well, hello, and welcome to our third panel of the day. We have both of our amazing stars Amber Riley and Raven Goodwin for the upcoming premiere of “Single Black Female.” Hi, Raven. Hi, Riley.

RAVEN GOODWIN: Hey.

MODERATOR: All right. Shall we get started?

RAVEN GOODWIN: Yes.

MODERATOR: Let’s go ahead and we will actually start with Noah Wilson. Noah?

QUESTION: Thanks, guys. It’s so great to be here with you. By the way – oh, my gosh – you ladies look fabulous. Can I just say it right now on the Zoom of the Zoom?

AMBER RILEY: Yeah.

RAVEN GOODWIN: Thank you.

QUESTION: So, Amber, my first question comes to you. The casting was spot on, as your costar joining you right now, Raven Goodwin, could, I feel like, be your real-life sister as the two of you favor in the movie, and so many fans will watch it and think the same thing. So how is it like to work with Raven and create this movie together really as a dynamic duo?

AMBER RILEY: Honestly, it was amazing. Number one, Raven and I are already friends and have been for years, because my industry twin, and I would see her pop up on my IMDB. Like people would mix us up, or like the Getty images like when we would do red carpets and, so. And then I was already a fan watching her career coming up. So we took a picture years ago. We went to Essence Festival and literally manifested doing this, doing a movie together. Thousands of comments and likes are under that picture of us saying like, “Come on, Hollywood, put us in a movie together already.” Like so this was a literal dream come true and manifestation of something that we wanted, so it was amazing.

QUESTION: Now, Raven, a lot of fans have said to us they feel like they have been waiting for this movie for such a long time. What do you want fans to, most importantly, think about when they watch this movie through its full length?

RAVEN GOODWIN: You know, for me, having two voluptuous, like, dope, black women star in a thriller it’s kind of unheard of. So I want them to have fun watching the film. I feel like it’s, you know, that’s the thing about thrillers. We want to be spooked. We want to be, you know (fake screams), and I want them to really be weirded out and really — I want them to talk to the screen. I want them to have the experience of watching that cult classic thriller that you just can’t take your eyes off of. That’s what I want.

QUESTION: Thank you, ladies, so much. I appreciate it. Have a good day.

RAVEN GOODWIN: Yeah, you too.

AMBER RILEY: Thank you.

RAVEN GOODWIN: Thank you.

QUESTION: Bye-bye.

MODERATOR: Thank you. All right. And next up we have Jay Bobbin.

QUESTION: Hello, ladies. How are you?

RAVEN GOODWIN: Hey, good. How are you?

QUESTION: Thank you for doing this. Good. Thank you. You know, going back to the comment about people have been waiting for this for a long time, “Singe White Female” was thirty years ago. Are you surprised this did not happen sooner than now?

AMBER RILEY: (Laughs.)

RAVEN GOODWIN: I mean, I feel like timing is everything. I feel like it’s a good time for it. You know, “Single White Female” is a classic. It’s such a fun film. So this coming now, I just feel like it’s perfect timing, honestly. Yeah.

AMBER RILEY: Yeah. I was kind of surprised, because it is such a cult classic —

RAVEN GOODWIN: Yeah.

AMBER RILEY: That when I got the email, and I was reading that they were doing it I was like has there ever — like has there been a remake of this? Or is this the very first one? But, yeah, like Raven said, yeah, timing is everything, and I think it’s going to be — I think people are going to be pleasantly, pleasantly surprised. It’s worth the wait.

QUESTION: And following that quickly, if I could, being that it has been thirty years do you feel there are things that can be done with the concept now, you knowing what the full content of the movie is, do you think certain things can be done now that maybe could not have been done in the three decades in between?

RAVEN GOODWIN: I feel like the first –Like “Singe White Female” was pretty wild. (Laughs.) It was really out of control. So, no, I mean, I feel like, yeah, I feel it’s just about the same of shock value to me. But it’s just going to be during this time and, you know, black girls, (laughs).

QUESTION: Thank you very much. Thank you.

MODERATOR: Thank you, Jay. All right. Up next, we have Karen from SciFi Vision. Karen, you can unmute.

QUESTION: Hi, I have a question for Amber. One of the keys to this movie is your performance, which starts out pretty restrained and then gets a little crazier and a little crazier until kind of bonkers near the end, and I was wondering how much fun was it to get in touch with your inner Simone, and was she always there or was it tough to find her?

AMBER RILEY: You just asked me if I’m a little loony? I feel like that’s what you’re —

QUESTION: No, no. We all have a few thoughts now and then.

AMBER RILEY: No, actually, it was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun, and there were some moments where I actually disturbed myself, because I had to tap into, I had to tap into (laughs) — Raven is like, oh, my God. No, I had to tap into uncomfortable moments that I would never do and get outside of myself, and when you can get outside of yourself you really, in those moments, feel like an actor, you know what I’m saying? And so it was fun, and we all have those sides, like we all have those thoughts, and common sense kicks in and morals kind of kick in, but I kind of I had to put all of that to the side, and even though it was uncomfortable it was also sometimes a great feeling to take years of aggression and feelings that you have and kind of just put it into that moment.

RAVEN GOODWIN: Yeah. We got into the transpo van, and she was like, “Raven, you want to see my scary face?”

(Laughter.)

RAVEN GOODWIN: It was scary, (laughs).

AMBER RILEY: Total weirdo, total weirdo.

MODERATOR: Awesome. Thank you, Karen. Did you have another follow-up?

QUESTION: I’m sure people are going to love it. Thanks.

MODERATOR: Thanks, Karen.

QUESTION: Well, I didn’t want to take too much time. I wanted to ask Raven, you had to play the flipside of that and be really afraid for your life near the end of it. I assume you’ve never been in such a position. So what was it like playing — to be really (audio glitch).

RAVEN GOODWIN: I mean it’s something I always dreamed out. I love horror and thriller films, and I always wanted to be the girl running and (gestures) like dragging my leg and looking back and falling and that’s just, you know, something I always wanted to play with. So I had a lot of fun with it, and it was really fun to be opposite of Amber and her in that — I mean, it was funny because we’ve known each other for over a decade, so there were times where we just wanted to laugh, and it was hard to be afraid of her, because she’s like a sister. So but for the most part it was just I just had fun with it. I just made sure I had a good time playing Monica. Yeah.

QUESTION: Thank you very much.

RAVEN GOODWIN: Welcome.

MODERATOR: Thank you, Karen. Next up we have Suzanne. Suzanne, feel free to unmute.

QUESTION: Hi. I really like this movie. It was so much fun and a good, intense, horror movie. So can you tell us what things they might have done? You said you already looked a bit alike. What else did they do to try to make you look more alike —

AMBER RILEY: (Audio glitch).

QUESTION: Hello?

MODERATOR: You might have cut out. Can you repeat the question?

RAVEN GOODWIN: Yes.

QUESTION: I’m sorry. Can you hear me now?

MODERATOR: Yeah.

RAVEN GOODWIN: Yes.

QUESTION: Okay. I was saying… what things did they do to try to make you look more alike besides how you already look?

AMBER RILEY: Well, in the beginning, I mean, I think hair and makeup. Shoutout to our hair and makeup team. I think that they kind of conceptualized with production, and they all had the conversation about what our hair and our makeup would look, and there were different stages, too. I know for my character there were different stages from her kind of going from a plain Jane to you’ll see her trying to kind of morph into Monica’s — wait, am I Monica or — You know the whole movie I always forgot which character I was.

RAVEN GOODWIN: You’re Simone. I’m Monica.

AMBER RILEY: I’m Simone. You’re Monica. Okay. Yeah. Her morphing into Monica. So, yeah, shoutout to the hair and makeup team. They did an amazing job.

RAVEN GOODWIN: Yes. Killed it.

QUESTION: And have you ever played a psycho girl before?

AMBER RILEY: On TV and in film? No.

RAVEN GOODWIN: Ah, (laughs).

AMBER RILEY: Ask my fiancé. He may have something else to say about that.

RAVEN GOODWIN: Hilarious.

QUESTION: Thank you.

MODERATOR: Thank you, Suzanne. All right. Up next we have the “Hollywood Times.”

QUESTION: Hello. Can you briefly describe the casting process? Did you already have actors in mind?

RAVEN GOODWIN: I did. I mentioned Janet Hubert as my mother. That was like something I was very kind of adamant about. We’ve built such a amazing relationship since 2019. That’s when I met her, and we just clicked. So I wanted to work with her again, and I think we have amazing chemistry on and off the screen, and I didn’t know that Amber loved her — well, obviously, we all love her — but I didn’t know Amber loved her so much, and she wanted to meet Amber. So it was just a good collaboration and meeting of the minds. You know, Korin and Monique, they worked, our producers, they worked really hard to get Janet onboard, and then when we found out K. was — K. Michelle was joining the cast, I just though it was perfect, and then we have Devale Ellis and just new talent and classic talent, legendary talent in this film, so I just really cannot wait for everyone to see how the cast comes together and the chemistry, because it was pretty good, pretty good chemistry there.

QUESTION: Thank you, Raven.

RAVEN GOODWIN: You’re welcome.

MODERATOR: Thank you. Up next we have Ronda. Ronda, feel free to unmute.

QUESTION: Hey, hi. Congrats, Raven, on your recent nuptial. But for both of you guys what were the qualities of each of your character — for Raven, you, Monica — and Amber, you, Simone, that you like had no difficulty relating to, that was more like your own?

AMBER RILEY: That we had — I’m sorry. It dropped out a little bit for me. That we had — what was that —

QUESTION: No difficulty relating to. What characteristics did your character have that were similar to your own?

AMBER RILEY: Oh. I think, for me, it was I had to tap into insecurities that I had about myself, and I know, for me, growing up there weren’t many people that looked like me. So when I found a singer or an actor, which most of them were in theater, I wanted to model after that person, and so that insecurity that she has, that insecurity that Simone has, not feeling good enough and wanting to be Monica, I did tap into that, back into that kind of that little girl that was like I aspire to be someone else. I don’t want to be me. I don’t know who I am. So I think that kind of not knowing where you are and going back into that insecure, unmolded person, I don’t even know if unmolded is a word, it is now if it isn’t, (laughs) that that was (audio glitch @ 01:01:43).

RAVEN GOODWIN: Unmute, Amber.

QUESTION: You muted, Amber.

AMBER RILEY: My bad. That was easier for me to grab. That was the end of what I said.

(Laughter.)

RAVEN GOODWIN: For me, you know, Monica in the film, in the beginning of the film, she loses her dad. So the grieving piece for me, my dad died in July, and we shot the film in late September, early October. Was it October? So the grieving piece is where I connected with Monica, all the moments where we had to bring back that piece of her life that would never be the same. I had to tap in, and although it was difficult it was kind of healing to kind of go through that with Monica kind of at the same time and just kind of empathize and sympathize to what she was going through at the time.

QUESTION: Thank you. Condolences to you as well.

RAVEN GOODWIN: Thank you, thank you, thank you.

MODERATOR: Thank you, Ronda. We actually have an email question in. We know that this movie does take a dark turn, but were there any memorable moments during filming that you both enjoyed?

RAVEN GOODWIN: Of course. Like we said, we’ve known each other for years. So if it was us taking our wigs off at random times, I mean, especially —

AMBER RILEY: Raven cannot keep that wig on.

RAVEN GOODWIN: I cannot keep my wig –I want to take this one off right now. I cannot keep the wig on. I will take my wig off in between breaks. Us playing music in the trailer. We had a scene with K. Michelle, myself, and Amber when it was kind of towards the end of production, and we just sat in my trailer, and we just we did what black women do best. We kee-kee’d. We, you know, it might have been some spirits. (laughs) And we ate, and we just had —

AMBER RILEY: (Fo’ sho @ 01:03:51).

RAVEN GOODWIN: Look, look, and we just had a amazing time. So memories like that you can’t really get back. Also, Janet being terribly afraid of the fire on set was just “huh-larious.” She looked like a little kid. All you see is the back of her head like this (gestures)(just getting @ 01:04:07). She’s ducking —

AMBER RILEY: Making sure it did not get out of control.

RAVEN GOODWIN: It sure did not get out of control. So just memories like that I’ll hold on to for the rest of my life. I’m super grateful for this experience, yeah.

AMBER RILEY: I think, for me, it’s the fact that we got to do most of our own stunts, and I — First of all, Raven is really strong. I need y’all to understand that if I ever go anywhere with Raven she’s handling the heavyweight, and I’m handling the lightweight and, period, because the girl was dragging me.

RAVEN GOODWIN: Oh, my God.

AMBER RILEY: She’s so strong. But, honestly, us being plus-size black women in a thriller, and we got to get physical, and we got to — And the team, I’m so sorry that I don’t know our stunt coordinator’s name, but our stunt coordinator and the stuntwomen that was teaching us what to do and stepped in, they were so hands-on, so amazing, professional, really taught us how to be safe but also make everything look so real, and everything looks so real and so great. So, for me, yes, the kee-keeing and all of that was absolutely amazing, which I expected that anyway, because everybody in the film was really dope. But, on top of that, just from the work that we did, that day of doing stunts was very difficult. It was really hard. (laughs) It was really hard but (audio glitch @ 01:05:42) —

RAVEN GOODWIN:
Holes in walls, it was just crazy, (for real @ 01:05:45) —

AMBER RILEY: Oh, my God. Just from the stunts, it looks amazing, it looks amazing.

RAVEN GOODWIN: It does.

MODERATOR: Wonderful. Well, that is actually all the time that we have today. So thank you, Amber, and thank you, Raven, for joining us today. Don’t forget “Single Black Female” premieres Saturday February 5th at 8/7 Central. And please stay tuned for our upcoming panel, “Line Sisters.”

(Thank yous and good-byes.)

AMBER RILEY: Love you, Raven.

RAVEN GOODWIN: Love you.

MORE INFO:

Reeling from the death of her beloved father and a difficult breakup, Monica (Raven Goodwin), is ready to move forward with her life as she tries to land the new hosting job for an afternoon talk show. When she hires a new assistant, Simone (Amber Riley), the two quickly become close friends as Simone moves in next door and completely immerses herself in Monica’s life. But underneath her sweet exterior, Simone harbors a dark secret and as time goes on cracks in her façade begin to appear. Monica decides to sever ties once and for all with Simone, but Simone has other plans and is determined to take over Monica’s life for good. K. Michelle also stars.

Single Black Female is directed by Shari Carpenter and written by Tessa Evelyn Scott and Sa’Rah L. Jones.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

Single Black Female poster

Review of “Catwoman: Hunted” (Digital/Blu-ray/4K Ultra HD)

Posted on February 5, 2022September 10, 2023 by TvMegasite Admin

DVD Review!

“Catwoman: Hunted” (Digital/Blu-ray/4K Ultra HD) Review by Suzanne 2/5/22

This is another great DC superhero animated movie. They do such a wonderful job with them. In fact, their live action movies should be as good as these are, but sadly, they always miss the mark. I love the story, and this has fantastic animation and style. It’s very cool. It has a 60’s sort of vibe, but it’s anything but old-fashioned.

Catwoman takes the protagonist lead in this movie as she tries to steal a valuable emerald. She’s not the only one trying to steal it, however. Other familiar characters include Batwoman, Tobias Whale, Black Mask and Leviathan. There is plenty of action and very fun dialogue. They did a great job on the casting. This is not for children as it’s kind of violent.

There are two special features. One is “When the Hunter Becomes the Hunted” and the other is “Catwoman: The Feline Femme Fatale.” They’re both worth watching for any fan. This 4K Ultra edition also comes with a Blu-ray disk and a digital code for downloading it. Every DVD should have all of these options!

MORE INFORMATION:

CATWOMAN: HUNTED

ELIZABETH GILLIES, STEPHANIE BEATRIZ LEAD STELLAR CAST
IN A NEW DC ANIMATED MOVIE WITH AN ANIME TWIST;
AVAILABLE ON 4K ULTRA HD™ BLU-RAY COMBO PACK,
BLU-RAY™ AND DIGITAL ON FEBRUARY 8, 2022

CATWOMAN: HUNTED HEADS ROBUST SLATE OF DC-THEMED FILMS AND SHORTS COLLECTIONS COMING IN 2022

Everyone’s favorite felonious feline takes action, adventure and theft to new heights – and in an entrancing anime style – in Catwoman: Hunted, an all-new DC Animated Movie. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, DC and Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, the feature-length animated film is set for release on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack (USA $29.99 SRP; Canada $34.99 SRP), Blu-ray (USA $24.99 SRP; Canada $29.99 SRP) and Digital on February 8, 2022.

Catwoman: Hunted kicks off an impressive slate of DC-centric animated films coming in 2022 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Following Catwoman: Hunted, the 2022 releases include two new entries to the popular DC Universe movies and DC Animated Movies canons – Green Lantern: Beware My Power and Battle of the Super Sons – as well as a film for younger fans, Teen Titans Go! & DC Super Hero Girls: Mayhem in the Multiverse. The year will also see the presentation of DC Showcase – Constantine: House of Mystery, the latest compilation of animated shorts anchored by a story involving the Hellblazer himself; and the highly anticipated 4K Ultra HD release of Batman: The Long Halloween – Deluxe Edition, which ramps up the R-rated action across both halves of the acclaimed film, now melded together as one dynamic thriller.

In the all-new original Catwoman: Hunted, Catwoman’s attempt to steal a priceless jewel puts her squarely in the crosshairs of both a powerful consortium of villains and the ever-resourceful Interpol, not to mention Batwoman. It might just be enough to contain her. Or not.

Elizabeth Gillies (Dynasty, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll, Vacation) and Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, In The Heights) lead the cast of Catwoman: Hunted as the voices of Catwoman and Batwoman, respectively. Also featured is Jonathan Banks (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul) as Black Mask, Steve Blum (Cowboy Bebop, Star Wars Rebels) as Solomon Grundy, Lauren Cohan (The Walking Dead, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) as Julia Pennyworth, Keith David (They Live, The Thing, Gargoyles) as Tobias Whale, Zehra Fazal (Young Justice) as Talia al Ghul and Nosferata, Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek: the Next Generation) as King Faraday and Boss Moxie, Kirby Howell-Baptiste (The Good Place, Barry) as Barbara Minerva/Cheetah, Kelly Hu (Arrow, X2: X-Men United) as Cheshire, Andrew Kishino (Batman vs. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) as Mr. Yakuza and Domino 6, Eric Lopez (Madagascar: A Little Wild) as Domino 1, Jacqueline Obradors (Bosch, NYPD Blue) as La Dama, and Ron Yuan (Mortal Kombat 11) as Doctor Tzin.

Catwoman: Hunted is directed by Shinsuke Terasawa (Gintama, Yo-kai Watch) from a script penned by Greg Weisman (Young Justice, Gargoyles). Producer is Ethan Spaulding (Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms) and Executive Producer is Sam Register.

The Catwoman: Hunted 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack features an Ultra HD Blu-ray disc in 4K with HDR and a Blu-ray disc featuring the film; the Blu-ray Combo Pack features the film in hi-definition. The 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack and Blu-ray Combo Pack include a digital version of the film.

Catwoman: Hunted – Special Features
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray and Digital

-When The Hunter Becomes The Hunted (New Featurette) – When does the hunter become the hunted? In this case it’s when Selina Kyle steals the “Cat’s Eye” emerald and Batwoman informs her, “Congratulations, Selina, you just became Leviathan’s No. 1 target.” Those targeting Catwoman include wave after wave of assassins, ninjas, and Super-Villains – from Tobias Whale, Black Mask, Cheshire and Nosferata to Solomon Grundy, Talia al Ghul and Cheetah. In this all-new featurette, our experts break down the backstory of each integral villain.
-Catwoman: The Feline Femme Fatale – Watch the documentary on Catwoman’s history.

Looking for a refresher course on animated Super Hero entertainment before seeing Catwoman: Hunted? HBO Max has a rich catalog of DC-centric films and series readily available for viewing!

ABOUT MOVIES ANYWHERE
Movies Anywhere is a digital movie platform that enables movie fans to discover, access, and watch their favorite digital movies in one place. Movies Anywhere brings together a library of nearly 7,500 digital movies from Sony Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Film, The Walt Disney Studios (including Disney, Pixar, Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm), Universal Pictures (including DreamWorks and Illumination Entertainment) and Warner Bros., and will continue to expand the consumer experience as more content providers, digital retailers and platforms are added. By connecting participating digital retailers that include Amazon Prime Video, the Apple TV app, FandangoNOW, Google Play and Vudu, movie fans can now bring together their digital movie collections (whether purchased or redeemed) in one place and enjoy them from the comfort of their living rooms, and across multiple devices and platforms, including Amazon Fire devices; Android devices and Android TV; Apple TV, iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch; Chromecast; Roku® devices; and popular browsers. Movie fans can also redeem digital codes found in eligible Blu-ray and DVD disc packages from participating studios and enjoy them through Movies Anywhere. Movies Anywhere – your movies, together at last.

ABOUT DIGITAL
Digital movies or TV episodes allow fans to watch a digital version of their movie or TV show anywhere, on their favorite devices. Digital movies or TV episodes are included with the purchase of specially marked Blu-ray discs. With digital, consumers are able to instantly stream and download movies and TV shows to TVs, computers, tablets, and smartphones through retail services. For more information on compatible devices and services, go to wb.com/digitalmoviefaq. Consult a digital retailer for details and requirements and for a list of digital-compatible devices.

BASICS
PRODUCT SRP
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack $29.99 USA, $34.99 Canada
Blu-ray $24.99 USA, $29.99 Canada

4K/Blu-ray Languages: English, German, Spanish, French
Blu-ray Subtitles: English, German, Spanish, French, Dutch
Running Time: 79 minutes
Rated PG-13

About Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Inc.:
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) brings together Warner Bros. Entertainment’s physical and digital distribution businesses in order to maximize current and next-generation distribution scenarios. An industry leader since its inception, WBHE oversees the global distribution of content through packaged goods (Blu-ray Disc™ and DVD) and digital media in the form of electronic sell-through and video-on-demand via cable, satellite, online and mobile channels. WBHE distributes its product through third party retail partners and licensees.

ABOUT DC
DC, a WarnerMedia Company, creates iconic characters, enduring stories, and immersive experiences that inspire and entertain audiences of every generation around the world and is one of the world’s largest publishers of comics and graphic novels. As a creative division, DC is charged with strategically integrating its stories and characters across film, television, consumer products, home entertainment, interactive games, DC UNIVERSE INFINITE digital subscription service and community engagement portal. For more information visit dccomics.com and dcuniverseinfinite.com.

About Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation (WBA) is one of the leading producers of animation in the entertainment industry, producing and developing projects for multiple platforms, both domestically and internationally. WBA’s current series include Animaniacs for Hulu, Green Eggs and Ham and Wings of Fire for Netflix, Aquaman: King of Atlantis, Batman: Caped Crusader, Batwheels, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, Harley Quinn, Jellystone!, Little Ellen, Looney Tunes Cartoons, My Adventures with Superman, Tiny Toons Looniversity, Tom and Jerry in New York, Velma and Young Justice for HBO Max, DC Super Hero Girls, Teen Titans Go!, ThunderCats Roar for Cartoon Network, Dorothy and the Wizard of Oz, Scooby-Doo! and Guess Who?, The Tom and Jerry Show and Yabba-Dabba Dinosaurs! for Boomerang. WBA is also in production on a series of animated longform movie specials for ACME Night, WarnerMedia Kids & Family’s family programming block on Cartoon Network and HBO Max. Programs include Did I Do that to the Holidays? A Steve Urkel Story, Merry Little Batman, and an Untitled Looney Tunes Cartoons movie. The studio is currently in production with New Line Cinema on the upcoming original anime feature film, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. WBA’s full-length theatrical film, Teen Titans GO! to the Movies, was released in summer 2018. As home to the iconic animated characters from the DC, Hanna-Barbera, MGM and Looney Tunes libraries, WBA also produces highly successful animated films — including the DC Universe Movies — for DVD, Blu-ray® and digital media. One of the most-honored animation studios in history, WBA has won six Academy Awards®, 40 Emmy® Awards, the George Foster Peabody Award, a BAFTA Children’s Award, an Environmental Media Award, a Parents’ Choice Award, the HUMANITAS Prize, two Prism Awards and 21 Annie Awards (honoring excellence in animation).

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.

scene from "Catwoman: Hunted"

Review of “DC’s Stargirl: The Complete Second Season”

Posted on February 5, 2022September 10, 2023 by TvMegasite Admin

DVD Review!

“DC’s Stargirl: The Complete Second Season” Review by Suzanne 2/5/22

I love any superhero show, and I grew up reading comics about the Justice Society, so I never miss “Stargirl.” This season is not as light and fun as previous seasons. Things get pretty dark and harrowing for the young heroes, but I’ll bet you can guess how it all turns out in the end. No spoilers here! My only complaint is that they seem to be taking a really long time to build their superhero team and get it all together. They’re teens, so the writers are taking their time in getting them to mature and accept their roles.

There are three special features on the DVD. One is a gag reel. Another is “Never Alone: Heroes and Allies,” and the other is “Thank You, Georgia: Stargirl.” They’re very enjoyable. You don’t have to have watched previous seasons of the show to enjoy this one, but I think it helps a great deal because there are many characters and plot points. I can’t wait for season 3!

MORE INFORMATION:

Conquer the Darkness

DC’S STARGIRL: THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON

Contains All 13 Action-Packed Episodes from the Second Season, Plus Gag Reel!

The Epic Battle Is Unveiled February 8, 2022 With the Release of the Blu-ray™ & DVD

BURBANK, CA (November 16, 2021) – It’s time to suit up and get ready to face the darkness with the release of DC’s Stargirl: The Complete Second Season on Blu-ray and DVD on February 8, 2022 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. Prepare to shine with an exhilarating ride with all 13 episodes from the second season plus a featurette, and gag reel. DC’s Stargirl: The Complete Second Season is priced to own at $24.98 SRP ($29.98 in Canada) for the DVD and $29.98 SRP ($39.99 in Canada) for the Blu-ray, which includes a Digital Copy (US Only). DC’s Stargirl: The Complete Second Season is also available to own on Digital via purchase from digital retailers.

DC’s Stargirl follows high school sophomore Courtney Whitmore (Brec Bassinger) and her stepfather Pat Dugan (Luke Wilson) as she leads an unlikely group of young heroes to take on the legacy of DC’s very first Super Hero team, the Justice Society of America. In the thrilling second season, Courtney and her friends take on one of the most frightening adversaries in DC’s mythology – the dark entity of corruption known as Eclipso (Nick Tarabay).

With Blu-ray’s unsurpassed picture and sound, DC’s Stargirl: The Complete Second Season Blu-ray release will include 1080p Full HD Video with DTS-HD Master Audio for English 5.1. Featuring all 13 episodes from the second season in high definition, as well as a digital code of the season (available in the U.S. only).

DC’s Stargirl stars Brec Bassinger (Bella & the Bulldogs, All Night), Yvette Monreal (Rambo: Last Blood, Faking It), Anjelika Washington (Tall Girl, Young Sheldon), Cameron Gellman (Heathers, 20^th Century Women), Trae Romano (Robbie, 555), Hunter Sansone (Safety), Meg DeLacy (The Fosters) and Nick Tarabay (Spartacus), with Amy Smart (Just Friends, The Butterfly Effect) and

Luke Wilson (Old School, Roadies). Jonathan Cake (Chuck) has a recurring role as Richard Swift aka The Shade.

Based on the DC characters and created for television by Geoff Johns, DC’s Stargirl is produced by Berlanti Productions and Mad Ghost Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television with Geoff Johns (Titans, Wonder Woman), Greg Berlanti (Batwoman, The Flash, Supergirl), and Sarah Schechter (Riverdale, All American, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow) serving as executive producers.

BLU-RAY AND DVD FEATURES

Gag Reel (Exclusive to Blu-ray and DVD)
Never Alone: Heroes and Allies

13 ONE-HOUR EPISODES

Summer School: Chapter One
Summer School: Chapter Two
Summer School: Chapter Three
Summer School: Chapter Four
Summer School: Chapter Five
Summer School: Chapter Six
Summer School: Chapter Seven
Summer School: Chapter Eight
Summer School: Chapter Nine
Summer School: Chapter Ten
Summer School: Chapter Eleven
Summer School: Chapter Twelve
Summer School: Chapter Thirteen

DIGITAL

DC’s Stargirl: The Complete Second Season is currently available to own on Digital. Digital purchase allows consumers to instantly stream and download to watch anywhere and anytime on their favorite devices. Digital movies and TV shows are available from various digital retailers including Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Vudu and others.

BASICS

Street Date: February 8, 2022

Order Due Date: December 18, 2021

BD and DVD Presented in 16×9 widescreen format Running Time: Feature: Approx. 9 Hours 32 Minutes Enhanced Content: Approx. 28 min

DVD

Price: $24.98 (29.98 in Canada) 3 Discs (3 DVD-9s)

Audio – English (5.1) Subtitles – English SDH

BLU-RAY

Price: $29.98 SRP ($39.99 in Canada) 3-Discs (3 BD-50s)

Audio – DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 – English BD Subtitles – English SDH

About Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc.

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) brings together Warner Bros. Entertainment’s physical and digital distribution businesses in order to maximize current and next- generation distribution scenarios. An industry leader since its inception, WBHE oversees the global distribution of content through packaged goods (Blu-ray Disc™ and DVD) and digital media in the form of electronic sell-through and video-on-demand via cable, satellite, online and mobile channels. WBHE distributes its product through third party retail partners and licensees.

About DC

DC, a WarnerMedia Company, creates iconic characters, enduring stories, and immersive experiences that inspire and entertain audiences of every generation around the world and is one of the world’s largest publishers of comics and graphic novels. As a creative division, DC is charged with strategically integrating its stories and characters across film, television, consumer products, home entertainment, interactive games, DC UNIVERSE INFINITE digital subscription service and community engagement portal. For more information visit dccomics.com and dcuniverseinfinite.com.

DC’s STARGIRL and all related characters and elements are trademarks of and © DC.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

The opinions in these articles are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of TVMEG.COM or its other volunteers.

scene from "DC's Stargirl: The Complete Second Season"

Interview with Hugh Thompson

Posted on February 3, 2022February 3, 2022 by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Actor Alan Thompson of "Reacher" on Amazon Prime

Interview with Alan Thompson of “Reacher” on Amazon Prime by Suzanne 2/2/22

This was such an interesting and fun chat with the actor who plays Sergeant Baker on the new show “Reacher.” I hope you enjoy the interview (and the series) as much as I did.

Here is the video!

Suzanne: So, tell us about your audition for the role of Sergeant Baker on Reacher.

Hugh: You know, it came to me through my agency, and as soon as I read it, I thought “Oh, wow.” Actually, I read for a different role, initially. So, I looked at it, and immediately ran out and got the novel. I got the first novel I could get my hands on, because I really wasn’t that familiar with the series as a book. You see the movies and etc. So, I wanted to go back to the source material, and I picked up a novel called Blue Moon, and as soon as I started reading, I was like, “Oh, that’s what it’s about.” I finished the novel in like a day, because it’s such a great piece, such a great character, and such a great way of looking at the world. So, I read through it, and then, you know, with these things, sometimes you go, “Oh, I did my best, and it’s too bad.” I got a call, and the sides for Baker come in, the audition for Baker comes in, and I thought. “Okay, cool.” So, I went, and I read that, and there’s a bit more of an extensive scene, and so I thought, “Wow, this is going to be fun. This is going to be fun, because the the writing is so strong.” There were all kinds of things to play in it, where a lot of times you’ll get scripts, and it’s fairly murky as to what you’re actually doing, or what you’re going to do. This is just so clear and so crisp right off the start. So, I went and laid it down, and, yeah, all the stars aligned, and I was on a jet to Toronto for five months in the middle of COVID lockdown.

Suzanne: That must have been fun.

Hugh: Woohoo! Yeah, I got [unintelligible] work; I got sprung from my apartment. I was like, “Oh my God, I get to go and get to see people. Amazing!”

Suzanne: So, where was it filmed? And did it take all eight months to film it?

Hugh: They filmed over five months. I got to Toronto. So, what we did was we flew in to Toronto, I guess in April, in the beginning of April, and then that was all the lockdown stuff [where] you have to clear COVID restrictions, [etc]. We started filming, and we wrapped just in the beginning of August. So, a five months stretch, and they did eight episodes in about four months. So, it was a tight schedule, but we were actually filming in a converted onion field north of Toronto. [laughs] They built this amazing set up there. It’s just crazy. The carpenters and all this production. When I went there the first day, it was like, “This is nicer than my hometown. Bigger than my hometown.”

Suzanne: So, they built the whole town in that field?

Hugh: Yeah, it was crazy.

Suzanne: Wow.

Hugh: It was crazy, like there was a gas station, a cafe, the police station, and we filmed inside these things. I was like, “Oh.” I was talking to a friend of mine who’s on the show and became a friend of mine on the show, Jonathan, and I said, “Jonathan, you’ve got to go out and see this set before we get up there, because if you don’t, all you’re gonna be doing is being like, “Oh, this is awesome!” So, we went up and took a tour, and they paved streets and the whole thing, so it was really fun, really fun to play on something that was, I think, at that time, it was the biggest operating backlot in North America. It was just this massive production. So, yeah, it was fun. It was really fun to be a part of it.

Suzanne: And had you worked with any of the cast or crew before?

Hugh: I hadn’t. You know people by reputation; you know people by their work. I kind of make it a point not to IMDb people like crazy before I work like, “I saw you in that, and that’s not what you were doing before.” But as soon as you get there, you realize the level of the game is high. The people that were involved from the top down, obviously Alan is – and right from the beginning, you realize you’re there with someone who’s just got everything in hand, and he’s perfectly cast. I thought he was [great]. And obviously, people get into that physical thing, but the big thing about him is he is just such a good actor. He’s such a smart guy, and his timing, his sense of humor, his ability to capture that – it’s deadpan, but it’s also you understand there’s something going on behind that thought process Reacher has, in the books, because he’s an intelligent guy. He’s always figuring stuff out. He’s always looking. He sees a lot more than you think he sees. So, you know, it was really interesting watching the way that he works. And just you look at Willa and Malcolm and John, and I don’t IMDb people, but Bruce McGill plays the mayor.

Suzanne: Oh, love him. He’s awesome.

Hugh: He is an animal. He’s just so great to just to watch the way he goes through his day, having that much experience and just being such a good positive force on the set. I remember – the TV series, the original MacGyver, he was in that series. He played a character named Jack Dalton. I was in the Salvation Army one day, and I saw a DVD set of MacGyver, so I haul these things home and force my son to watch this. So, Jack Dalton was his favorite character, right? So, we’re sitting there, and I remember watching the show and going, “Oh, you see that guy, that guy that plays Jack Dalton? That guy knows what he’s doing. He’s a great actor.” Because it’s tough stuff. You know, as Bruce says, I’m an expert at exposition. So, much more than that. So, anyway, we finished watching the series, and then I looked at the cast list, and I checked out this thing in Deadline, and there’s my picture next to Jack Dalton. So, it was great. It was a great thing. So yeah, it’s always fun. We had fun, but everyone I worked with there was just, as a unit, they’ve been such a good team.

Suzanne: Yeah, Bruce had a great role on Rizzoli & Isles. He was awesome on that.

Hugh: He can do anything; he can do anything…Just to watch that level, the amount of experience and just how to get a day done, how to go through your day. I mean, I’m obviously an old fossil myself, but you’re constantly learning from good people like that, and he was really generous and really fun.

Suzanne: Yeah, as far as Reacher, you were saying he watches a lot. He reminds me of, he’s like one part Batman, one part Sherlock Holmes. There’re probably other parts in there. I watched all eight episodes, just so you know.

Hugh: Yeah, someone was talking – he’s like Clint Eastwood and Cary Grant, kind of like that. He’s got that physical assurance, because he doesn’t have to try to be a tough guy, doesn’t have to try to be anything. I don’t get that kind of energy from Alan as a person or [Reacher] as a character. I mean, if you do something that’s out of line, he’s going to adjust your dials and then just walks away and [doesn’t] look back. Yeah, it’s not a big deal for him, but that intelligence is something that you can’t fake it, right? He’s that guy.

Suzanne: Did the cast have anyone there to help them with the southern accents?

Hugh: Yeah, we did. We did have a dialect coach. And it’s always a tough thing I know – because…if you’re in that area, there’s a million different variations of what you hear and it’s just to try to put something together that doesn’t pull people out of the story as much as you possibly can, and it’s always a balance, a trade off. If you go for strict authenticity, it just becomes a little bit much.

Suzanne: If you can hear how people really talk here, no one would want characters to talk that way. They probably couldn’t understand them for one thing, and then they’d be going, “What?”

Hugh: It’s the same here. Like I did a show here years ago called Black Harbor, and it was an episodic, and I went down to the south shore of Nova Scotia, and I came back with the way that these people talked, and I came back to the producers with it, and they said, “No, no, that’s not gonna happen. Don’t start.” I was down there. I mean, I’m from here, and I could not understand what these guys were talking about. It’s completely different. And, you know, people say, “Okay, what’s the Nova Scotia [accent], what’s a Canadian accent? “And I’m like, “Which one? Which one of the forty do you want?”

Suzanne: Yeah, that’s an American conceit, like, there’s one Canadian accent. We have a thousand different accents and Canada has one.

Hugh: [speaks in an accent] It’s not the same. So, it’s pretty funny. It’s pretty funny. But, yeah, hopefully it comes out that there’s a sort of – but there is a variation between someone who’s raised in an urban environment and your age and your income level, all that kind of stuff really plays into it. So, yeah, I got to lean into it a little bit more, and, you know, hopefully, it all smooths out and looks like we’re all around from the –

Suzanne: General era, yeah. I found here that the older the person is, the less I can understand them. The lower in income or class or whatever, the less I can understand those, so it actually makes a big difference, but I actually thought your accent of all the people on the show, I thought yours was the best.

Hugh: Oh, that’s very kind of you.

Suzanne: I actually expected you to have a southern accent, when I got on the phone with you, because the others came and went, or they were too soft or whatever, but yours –

Hugh: It’s tough, because I actually used a model of a guy on YouTube where this guy – it’s just so hilarious. He’s fixing power saws or chainsaws…and it was so funny. And we had our dialect coaches going, “No, you can’t do that. [It’s] just way too much.” I mean, the people would go crazy. So, you do pedal it down. I mean, again, if you try to do what this guy was doing on on screen, it would be like, “No, no, it can’t happen,” because he’s just unintelligible at certain points. But yeah, the way that he presented things, the way that he latched on to things, was really interesting. The way he grouped words, and the way that his thought process worked was interesting. For Baker, I see him as someone who grew up there, and maybe didn’t have the best education, maybe didn’t have a lot of other options in life than to do what he was doing. So, you know, I really wanted to to try to bring that into the voice as much as possible.

Suzanne: Yeah, and I’ve lived in Georgia before too, but I’m not an expert on accents, even though I’ve lived all over the south. I can’t tell them all apart; it’s just when I hear it here I go, “Oh, yeah, that’s a little different than Alabama or whatever.

Hugh: Yeah, me too. It’s like…sometimes If you’re dealing with someone who actually lives in that community – like here, there’s urban Cape Breton. There are people there who if you’re talking to them, they could tell you what street you lived on. They know exactly. So, I have hopefully a decent ear, but I’m not like that; those people are like [unintelligible]. It’s pretty amazing.

Suzanne: Like the Professor Higgins on My Fair Lady, they can tell exactly what part of London you were from.

Hugh: Yeah, yeah.

Suzanne: So was there anyone there that you hung out with during the shooting or that was that impossible because of COVID?

Hugh: It was pretty tough. Again, Bruce was generous enough one day we just we got out – because you just didn’t want to be the guy that’s holed up with a case of COVID-19 and just deep six [a whole] two weeks of shooting, but we did get to get out at one point later on when things kind of in Toronto started to back off a little bit, and we did get to go out for an outdoor sort of meal. I got to hang out with Bruce for a night, which was really fun to talk to him, but that was a tough part of it too. The camaraderie that you usually get going, “Oh, let’s go out; let’s do something,” that just wasn’t happening. Or maybe it was happening and they just didn’t invite me. [laughs]

Suzanne: Right now I’ve been hearing that same thing when I’ve been talking to a lot of different actors for movies and TV shows, that they miss that camaraderie and getting together with the other people, especially you’re holed up together for months.

Hugh: Yeah, that’s it, like you would get out to set, and everybody would be bursting to tell you their stories, because we had nothing else going on, but it was really fun. I mean, being on set with that life was really kind of interesting, because I think people did get to open up a little bit more than a lot of times they do, because there was that sense that we’re kind of in a little spaceship and we’re all trying to get to August 1st or August 3rd or whatever the final day of shoot was, because it’s precarious to be in that environment where you needed to just be aware of it. You have a responsibility to kind of make sure that things stayed medically “okay.”

Suzanne: When they were making that town, they should have made the town bar a functioning bar and put outdoor seating for you guys, then you would have a place to hang out.

Hugh: I don’t know if you’ve seen [this, but] the little cafe where [Reacher]’s trying to eat [his pie] [unintelligible]. It’s way nicer than a lot of cafes I’ve had meals in, for sure.

Suzanne: Yeah, I really wanted a pie by the end of watching that!

Hugh: Me too.

Suzanne: I read that the books’ creator, Lee Child, the author, he’s also an executive producer. Was he on set at all? Did you get to meet him?

Hugh: Again, with COVID, it was really tough, because he was only able to get there…and even Nick Santora, the showrunner, he was kind of remote from LA a lot of times. So, a lot of the questions would go back and forth between at that time, because it was tough to travel. It’s tough. It’s tough to go there. And again, people were really, really conscious of anybody who would be going back and forth…Although all the vaccinations and all that kind of stuff were still underway at that point, but I think they just tried to keep it to a minimum. You can do this kind of stuff now where you can have a conversation with someone and not have to be in the same room, but it was disappointing too. You don’t get to meet [everyone]. It’s always nice to meet those people.

Suzanne: And what are you working on right now? Are you up there or are you at home?

Hugh: Yeah. Yeah, we were just about to begin a feature here called Dancing on the Elephant, and it’s based on a play that was produced here, and it’s about a guy – well, again, this is this the actor saying, “It’s about a guy who drops his mother off at an assisted living facility,” but it’s really not about a guy – [laughs] I [play] the guy who drops her off, but it’s not about me. That’s one of the things that it’s basically about; she she gets into this assisted care facility, and she doesn’t like it, so high jinks ensue.

Suzanne: So, it’s comedy?

Hugh: Yeah, and we were just about to go, and unfortunately, things got kind of wacky here with restrictions and COVID.

Suzanne: Omicron, yeah.

Hugh: Yeah, they’re going to push ahead with that now until the spring, but it may be October by the time we get going, so, you never know; you never know. I think, now, things are going to hopefully loosen up, and we just have to find a way to work and do that, but with a production, you’ve got to make sure that you can complete [it]. It’s tight.

Suzanne: Do you have any other things in the works?

Hugh: There’re a couple of things coming here to – I work on stage a lot, too. I work as a theater actor, so I’ve got a project coming up in October that I can’t really say too much about, because I haven’t really agreed to it yet, but I just came off stage, I try to do that. I try to stay acting on stage, because I just feel like it’s a really good grounding – Lee Child, he said, “There’re three rules in performance, and it’s the audience is always right, the audience is always right, and the audience is always right.” So, it’s just that I love doing that, because there’s no net, and you just stand up there, and it’s you and the writing and your fellow actors and your light. So, I am looking forward to that. And there’re a couple of big projects coming here in the summer. So, I’m back and forth to Toronto, basically, via Zoom and all the rest of it. So, something will turn up. Something will turn up.

Suzanne: Okay, good, good. Your character’s kind of interesting, because I was watching it, knowing that I was going to be interviewing you. So, I was watching for you, and your character’s always there somewhere. It’s like, you don’t really notice him big time until the end of the [season], but he’s always there, and they refer to him several times. So, it’s funny, because he’s kind of there, but…he’s just one of the guys until later.

Hugh: It’s interesting, because you look at the series as a whole, and that’s what the books do. I mean, in some ways there’ll be a certain thing that you should have noticed, or you should have sort of…there’s clues to what actually unfolds, and it’s interesting trying to play that too, because we’re all part of a unit. Everyone’s trying to tell a story, and it’s just there’re so many elements going on at that one time. You just have to make sure that you’re in your own lane, kind of making sure that you’re fulfilling what’s asked of you. Yeah, I don’t want to – I’ll get my Amazon subscription canceled if I go too far.

Suzanne: No spoilers, no spoilers, no, but yeah, there’re a lot of characters too. So, it’s hard to keep track and kind of figure out who’s who.

Hugh: Right. It’s just a massive show. There’re just so many things going on. I was sitting there going, “That’s wild.” like that. And I love – I mean, when you look at the first couple episodes, just I think they did a great job of just trying to – you know, you’ve got this cliffhanger, this cliffhanger; there’s a way that you can jump forward and go through them. So, hopefully the audience agrees.

Suzanne: Yeah, I think they will. I mean, especially anyone – I mean, I haven’t read the books, but from what I can tell, they stick pretty close to the book, so I think anyone who’s found the books will like them at the very least, but I think other people who like those type of shows, you know, action, that kind of thing and mysteries, I guess it’s kind of a mystery, but it’s, I think, a bit more of an action show than a mystery show or a cop show.

Hugh: Yeah, there’re a lot of people who like these books. Yeah, it’s crazy. Like I was out mowing the lawn just before I left…and my neighbor stops over, and I’m going, ‘Well, I’m just going to go up to do this…” She asked me what I was doing. I said, “I’m gonna go up to do this,” and she starts jumping up and down. She’s screaming; she’s pounding on my back going, “That’s awesome!” I thought, “Okay.” So, it was interesting, and then when you read the books, you understand that there’s that sense of a person who just has his own sort of code and sticks to the code, no matter what. It’s an appealing way to look at the world…It’s not always that simple in real life, and so I think there’s a real way that you can attach to that kind of narrative, but, again, it comes back to your real life. It does make you think about what you would defend and what you would do if you see something wrong. And Reacher, when he sees something wrong, [laughs] it doesn’t go well for the wrongdoers.

Suzanne: The rest of us might go, “Well, maybe I should call the police, or maybe I shouldn’t get involved.” He acts. He’s like Batman. I mean, that’s what Batman would do, right? Or any hero. That’s what he is. He’s a hero.

Hugh: Yeah. Alan, that’s the thing about it, he just carries that with him…as a person, he’s just, “Okay, if you’re gonna do that, then I’m going to do this, and I’m not going to get attached to it too much. I’m just going to actually get it done and sort of walk away, because that’s what has to happen here.” So, I think that’s a fun part of it.

Suzanne: Oh, and I was so glad that – let’s put it in a spoiler free way – no animals were killed. It looked like that was going to happen, but it didn’t, because I get so mad when they do that on shows, and I’m, “I’m never watching the show again.” It’s kept me from watching some good shows.

Hugh: Yeah, that whole thing – yeah, it’s funny, because there’re certain things – I was in a series called Chapelwaite. It’s Stephen King. It is still on Epix. So, you go into that, and I’m the worst. Like, I go into the stuff, the vampire stuff, all that scary stuff. I can’t stand [it] [laughs] I can’t watch this.

Suzanne: The scary stuff, or like, the more romantic stuff like Vampire Diaries?

Hugh: It’s pretty scary vampire stuff. So, I was in the series, and I took my son to set, and we were sitting there, and even though we’re shooting this thing, I’m sitting there going, “This is creepy.” It’s like there’s all these dead people all over the place. So, I really have a hard time watching stuff that’s like that, but it’s fun to play it.

Suzanne: I’m that way about zombies. I can’t take all the zombie shows. They creep me out.

Hugh: Yeah, and that’s like every second show.

Suzanne: I know. Believe me, I know.

Hugh: Yeah. Chapelwaite may not be for you then, because it’s kind of one of those. It’s a little bit on the line, but again, that’s another thing where, you know, Adrian Brody was the lead in that. And this guy, he’s one of the leaders, same thing. They’re workers; they’re actors. They’re there to do the work, and it’s not like – so it really was fun to work with him, and Alan’s the same way. It’s the same sort of – they’re just about getting the best of the scene.

Suzanne: In your experience, are most actors that way?

Hugh: To be honest, it varies. I mean, the great thing about Alan was that you went through, and you know there were days he had to be just dead tired, just the scheduling in that thing was crazy. And I think [laughs] everyone starts out that way, but you get tired, and it was remarkable to watch it just on set and off set. He was just a leader, always ready with a go forward attitude, and that’s tough to maintain over close to five months of shooting, where he’s [in almost all the shots].

Suzanne: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, that’s good. You don’t want to hear about people who are the opposite and full of themselves, who can’t take the work.

Hugh: I guess everyone has their days…but it just makes fun to do. I think, as I get older, it’s like I just want to do things that are fun, and because you just do better work. You just do better work. There’s no question about it. I mean, when it’s fun, you can be involved in something that’s pretty heavy duty, and then, when they call “cut,” and someone tells a joke, and it’s like, okay, cool…And the set was loose; it was really fun, and we kept it loose. It’’s a fun thing to watch.

Suzanne: Yeah, there’s a lot of humor in it.

Hugh: Yeah. [laughs] I mean, just some of the stuff, you’re sitting around and talking about stuff, he’s a funny guy. He’s a funny guy. So, that that really helps.

Suzanne: Okay, well, I think I’ve taken up enough of your morning, and I appreciate your meeting up here with me and giving me a little perspective into the world of Reacher and into your world.

Hugh: Yeah, absolutely. No problem. It’s a pleasure.

Interview Transcribed by Jamie of http://www.scifivision.com

MORE INFO:

Hugh Thompson Trailers:

REACHER SEASON 1

CHAPELWAITE

Canadian muti-faceted actor, Hugh Thompson (Chapelwaite) is making his return to the small screen alongside Alan Ritchson in the upcoming Amazon original series, REACHER, premiering Friday February 4^th. The 8-episode series is based on Jack Reacher, the main character from Lee Child’s international bestselling books. Hugh was most recently seen as George Dennison on the Epix 10-part limited series CHAPELWAITE, adapted from Stephen King’s short story, ‘Jerusalem’s Lot’ alongside Adrien Brody and Emily Hampshire (Schitt’s Creek). "Reacher" poster

Ritchson stars as the title character in the series, produced by Amazon, Skydance Television and Paramount Television Studios. The first season, written, exec produced and showrun by Nick Santora, is based on the first Jack Reacher novel, The Killing Floor, which is set in Georgia. Thompson will play Baker, the head cop of Margrave, described as a man that enjoys his position of power but hates Detective Finlay (Malcolm Goodwin).

In addition to his work in film and television, Hugh has appeared in just about every major theatre in Canada including Toronto`s Royal Alex, Montreal’s Centaur Theatre, The Citadel Theatre, The Grand Theatre, and Festival Antigonish. He won a Gemini Award for his work in the TV movie Blessed Stranger and a 2013 Merritt Award for his performance in Whale Riding Weather, from playwright Bryden MacDonald directed by Thom Fitzgerald. He’s also had heavy recurring roles on Canadian productions, Diggstown and Pure.

Hugh Thompson photos

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

Hugh Thompson as Sgt. Baker in "Reacher" on Amazon Prime

Interview with Benmio McCrea

Posted on January 31, 2022February 1, 2022 by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Actor Benmio McCrae interviewed by Thane Pullan

Interview with Benmio McCrae of the upcoming movie “The Descendant” by Thane 1/19/22

It was great to interview Benmio. I enjoyed listening to his experiences with plays and world travel.

Thane: What attracted you to acting?

Benmio: Well, I started out very young as a kid. I was always kind of hammy, I think, around the house. Growing up, I’m Jewish, and I used to go to Synagogue, and every year we would do these Purim plays. I think that was my first experience being on any kind of a stage. They would take Broadway music and change all the lyrics and to tell the story of Purim. So, that was my first introduction to any kind of performance.

Then, later on, I had a big brother from a big brother program that introduced me to theater. He took me to my very first professional play. It was a play called The Miser by Moliere; it was a farce. It was very funny. I think I was maybe thirteen or something like that. I was pretty young. That play blew my mind. It was amazing [and] so funny, and I think that was it. That was the spark. I was kind of up and running from there.

Then, not too much after that, I ended up at a performing arts high school called Kappa, which is a Philadelphia high school for creative and performing arts. It was really like, if you ever saw the movie Fame, with all the kids performing, that’s exactly what our school was like. It was a real melting pot of kids from all different parts of the city coming together, all different talents, and just [excited] to be there in that environment and learning all different arts. I was a dance – well, actually, I was a theater major, and then I ended up having as much dance as I did theater. So, that was my introduction, really, in high school. It started in high school.

Thane: You’ve been an actor, director, and producer. Would you direct or produce another project?

Benmio: Absolutely. I’m really focused on on the acting thing right now, but I enjoy directing and producing. I definitely help a lot of colleagues with their projects. We did a family project called Aquarium. Our kid wrote the script and was in it. Jordan Phillips, he’s a Carnegie Mellon grad. Then, my wife produced that, and I directed, so we kind of shared all the creative duties on that project. That was really exciting, because we got to premiere at Slam Dance, and, ultimately, we took it to Cannes and around the festival circuit in Europe. It was a whole lot of fun.

I really love the creative process in general. Making movies and television is, I think, a privilege. You get to play in a big sandbox every day with a lot of other creative people in making this visual art and art that can heal people and move people. It’s really something. So, I really value what we’re able to do and in cinema and theater.

Thane: You said in a previous interview that you felt blessed to be a part of an emotional episode of 911. What did you like about that experience?

Benmio: Well, that was based on [this] heart wrenching situation where there’s an accident, and there’s a confusion with two girls, one who they thought was brain dead and the other one they thought was alive, and then the episode ended up being a reverse situation. So, it was a heart wrenching situation for the parents, particularly, you know, thinking that your kid is alive and then discovering your kid has succumbed to the injuries, and it was a flip flop for the two families. So, it was very, very emotional. The day that I was filming, I was playing the doctor. By the time they got to my scene, everybody had been basically cried out the whole day. It’s very emotional, and I think all the actors in this, in all the various scenes – I know the actors playing the parents just were touched deeply by the subject matter. So, again, that’s one of those situations where you get to tell a very real meaningful story, and hopefully you do it justice.

Thane: Do other actors give you tips on how to get parts, and if so, can you share any with us?

Benmio: Sure. I occasionally will recommend colleagues or people for parts, if I know someone’s looking for a particular actor, or if I know someone who’s going to be particularly good for a role. I have no problems recommending friends or even actors that I don’t necessarily know that well, but I know their work, recommend them. It’s happened in reverse as well, but in terms of really how to get parts, it depends. I mean, everything really does come through the agents for the most part. So, you’re somewhat waiting on auditions, but you can reach out. If you know about a project, you can reach out to directors; you can reach out to casting agents. That’s really the best way is making yourself known, so that people have an opportunity to see your work. So, if it’s not in something that’s already mainstream, you can get your stuff out there on smaller projects. Film Festival films are very good vehicles for getting seen and notice and getting your work seen. The key is really just having people aware of you. I think that’s the biggest thing. So, whatever you can do to to generate exposure, particularly for the work, that’s a good thing.

Thane: If you could choose, which kinds of roles would you play?

Benmio: That’s a good question. I’ve done a little bit of both dramatic and a little bit of comedy. I think comedy scares me a little bit more, because I think I’ve done it less, but the times where I have done comedy, and I really like it, I just really focus in on the filmmaker, the director, what they want in the scene. I just have to kind of allow myself to be a vehicle for that vision between the writer and the director and just trust as far as comedy, because I don’t myself know what’s particularly funny. I can’t really see myself in the scene, but the times where I’ve been able to do comedy and really commit to what they want, it’s really paid off. That’s been great. So, I’d say I’m drawn more to dramatic roles. I play a lot of doctors and cops particularly, but that’s not to say that there aren’t funny cops or funny doctors either.

Thane: If you could work with anybody who would the person be?

Benmio: So many good actors out there these days. Denzel, Ben Kingsley, [unintelligible], Ruth Negga. There’s just a lot of actors that I admire, and I don’t necessarily have a short list of any particular one that I’ve been dying to work with, but I respect the work in general, and I hope I get to work with all of the mainstream actors that are out there.

Thane: How has the pandemic affected your career?

Benmio: Well, it’s certainly slowed things down in a certain sense. The auditioning has changed quite a bit, because everything is kind of via self tapes, because you get your audition, you get the script, and then you kind of have to tape yourself at home, and that’s the first step. So, that’s very different.

So, at the beginning of the pandemic, that was a big shift for everybody in the industry, and then everybody kind of had to make space in their homes and get equipment, lights whatnot, to be prepared for that. So, I’d say that was the biggest shift in the industry.

But the past year actually has been fruitful, being able to work on a number of projects. I got to work with my wife on a commercial. It’s a Cologuard commercial that’s running now quite a bit, and we’re in it together. That was shot during the pandemic. So, that was kind of exciting and fun.

I remember I did an episode of Good Treble, and it was one of my first, I guess, roles back to work in the midst of the pandemic, and I just felt so awkward, because there was that long period of time where nobody really touched anybody. We didn’t touch each other. So, I remember like from the first moment on set, one of the actors wanted to shake hands in the scene, and it was just very awkward to just touch and to be touched in the midst of pandemic. We’ve gotten over that, but that first one was really fun. It was really interesting, I’ll say.

Thane: You have acted in both plays and screen productions. Are plays more difficult, since you only have one take?

Benmio: Well, I mean, it’s not necessarily one take; it’s one continuous performance, but the thing about theater is you’re doing in front of a live audience. It’s very alive, and you have a much longer rehearsal period, whereas on television, sometimes you don’t even get rehearsal. You get a little bit of rehearsal on set, or maybe you’ll get a day to rehearse, or if you’re lucky, maybe a week to rehearse on a big project, but in a theatre production, you will typically get maybe almost a month to rehearse. That’s a long time to kind of create and craft the characters. You kind of really have an opportunity to get it really into your bones. So, it’s totally different. I think everyone starts on stage, and some people will continue to have good stage careers in addition to their film careers; particularly, a lot of the Brits do, and I do admire those who are able to kind of go back and forth. That’d be great.

Thane: You’ve been a world traveler, what are your favorite places to visit?

Benmio: Well, I always say I’m a city kid, and [I’m] really drawn to the bigger cities. I like them, because they remind me of home. So, Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, London. But if I had to pick maybe [a few] favorites, maybe right now, I would say, Rome, Paris, [and] London. I haven’t been to any of the Asian countries yet. That’s a to do list.

Thane: Can you tell us about any upcoming projects you’re involved in and what they are about?

Benmio: That’s a good question. I have three, Apple, Amazon and Sony Pictures, but I can’t actually talk about them yet. So, unfortunately, there’s not much I can say about them, other than, hopefully, they’ll be coming out soon, because I don’t have any release dates either. 911 was, I guess, my last released project, and so hopefully I’ll hear within the next month or so one of the release dates on one of the projects. The feature film for Sony is expected I think maybe towards the end of 2022. So, hopefully the studio will step up and make some sort of advanced announcement and release a teaser, so I can start talking about it.

Thane: How can people find you on social media?

Benmio: My website is the best place to get me, benmio.com, and I kind of keep it updated with all the stuff that’s up and coming.

Thane: This is the end of the interview. Thank you, Benmio.

Benmio: Thane, it’s been a real pleasure, and I thank you for having me on your interview. I appreciate it. You be well and Happy New Year. Thank you, sir. Take care!

Here is the Video!

Interview Transcribed by Jamie of http://www.scifivision.com

MORE INFO:

Benmio McCrea is an actor and producer, known for Bosch (2014), Aquarium (2015) and Criminal Minds (2005).

He has new movies coming out in 2022 via Sony Pictures and Amazon.

Previous interviews: The Philadelphia Weekly and The Official Black Magazine

His website, Instagram and IMDB

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

Actor Benmio McCrae

Interview with Eugene Byrd

Posted on January 30, 2022January 30, 2022 by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Interview with Eugene Byrd of the movie “Immanence” and many TV shows by Suzanne 1/28/22

This was a very fun interview! I always liked Eugene in the many series I’ve seen him in since “Bones,” but this chat with him showed just how much fun he can be and why he’s such a great character actor who can do film, TV, comedies, drama, scifi, voiceovers – anything. He’s really versatile and laid-back. If you like horror, you’ll probably like this movie, “Immanence.” It has a mixture of horror and supernatural/religious phenomenon. Do make sure you watch him in “Secrets of Sulphur Springs” and the other projects mentioned.

Suzanne: So, tell us how your role in this movie came about?

Eugene: Well, I got a phone call from a really good friend of mine, Michael Beach (the star of “Immanence”), and Michael was like, “Hey, listen, man. I’m gonna get you. So, just come on and play with me, man; play with me. Let’s play. Let’s do this thing together. Let’s do it, and you’ll just have a good time.” And I was like, “First of all, who is this?” But then I was like, “Listen, man, if you really like this script, and you really think it’s a good idea -” because I had met Kerry and Summer at an event, and it was really great. I hadn’t seen the script. I heard him talk about it. I had no idea. Then, Beach called me and said, “Yeah, I want you to do it.” I said, “Okay, cool.” I hadn’t seen the script. I took him at his word, and his word was good, because, I ended up enjoying Davis and the idea that this script was playing with.

Suzanne: Okay, great. So, no audition necessary. That’s good.

Eugene: No, those are the best things, when you get that offer, when you get a friend beg you. I love when Beach has to beg me, “Come on, man, do something.” I’m like, “Yeah, I got you by the ropes.”

Suzanne: So, did they give you any backstory at all on your character or just the script?

Eugene: Beach gave me the backstory. Then, when I talked to Summer and Kerry, they gave me the script, but I had already signed on. I already trusted my friend, because I know he has really good taste, and especially when it comes to independent films, and doing something that’s very interesting and different. So, once I got the script, I started to delve into Davis and say, “Okay, he’s the fun guy.” He’s the guy that likes to have fun, make jokes. But obviously, he changes, as everybody does, as the script goes on.

Suzanne: I noticed that your character is kind of the “dumb guy” who has to ask everything–

Eugene: I don’t know that I’d call him a dumb guy [laughs]

Suzanne: Wait, let me finish. “Dumb” in the way that he doesn’t know all this science stuff. So, they have to explain it to him, and in doing so they’re explaining it to us. So you’re that guy.

Eugene: Yeah, I’m the audience, but it’s funny, because he still says, “So, you guys are chasing aliens?” And they’re like, “No, see, we’re after these extraterrestrials.” And I’m like, “Aliens. I don’t know why you can’t just drop it down in layman’s terms.”

Suzanne: Right. It’s a pretty small cast. Did that make it more fun, having such a small cast?

Eugene: Oh, it made it more fun, because at least two of the people I knew, and and then I knew Summer and Kerry, but not fully yet. I knew Asenneth’s husband, and then I just met Kasia. I think what it did for us is that everybody’s personality worked it [together] in that way. Sometimes everybody’s personality – but you’re on a boat together, for twelve hours, from 4pm to 4pm. If you don’t get to know each other and get to have fun, you’re gonna be miserable.

Suzanne: So, you filmed on an actual boat?

Eugene: Oh, we filmed on an actual boat. This was an actual boat, and we were on the actual water. And I was not excited about it, because I can’t swim, and I don’t like boats. So, this was a lot of faith. They kinda lied to me. They kind of lied to me a little bit and didn’t tell me we’re going out on the water. Then, they kind of let it out that, “Oh yeah, we’re getting on the water,” and I’m like, “What are you talking about?” [unintelligible] on a boat. They’re “Like no, we got to go out.” Yeah.

Suzanne: Well, I’m not a good swimmer, but I do like boats, but I guess you couldn’t have a life jacket or anything on while you were filming…

Eugene: I didn’t wear one, because I was like, “You know what? I’m just gonna jump off the boat immediately onto the pier,” if there’s a pier. If there’s no pier, then, “Well, you know what? Life was good.” [laughs]

Suzanne: And have you done any horror movies before?

Eugene: Yes. Well, I guess you could call – I’ve done a couple, but the one that I did that everybody knows, Anacondas, which I guess is action, horror, comedy in a weird way. So, I had done that. And I’m a huge fan of horror films, so that was the other thing. I was like, “Yes, I’ll do this.” And I was working on a horror film with a friend of mine, too, independent. So yeah, this was right up my alley.

Suzanne: Oh, that’s good. At the beginning of the movie, some of the characters are not religious, and some are. Where does your character fit into that range of beliefs?

Eugene: You know, with Davis, I played a more sort of, like, he grew up with a religious background, but he doesn’t really follow anything. He’s pretty much a tech guy. He believes in money and believes in those type of things, but it didn’t take him long to fully believe, to know that something was up. I think that’s a lot of people these days. There’s spirituality, and there’s an underlying belief, but you kind of leave it away as you get older and you pursue different things, and that’s how I played Davis.

Suzanne: And if this isn’t too personal, where do your own beliefs fit into that?

Eugene: I grew up Baptist. I’m spiritual. I’m spiritual, because I grew up Baptist, and I have a lot of ideologies that are around me, like my manager when I was growing up was Jewish. My mom’s best friend was Seven Day Adventists. I went to Catholic school. So I mean, you could pretty much – I dated a Buddhist. So, you can put all of these pieces together and know that I had a lot of influences – oh and one of my best friends is Muslim. Do you see what I’m saying? So, for me, I don’t really follow a denomination.

Suzanne: Okay. Yeah, I live in a Baptist town right now, a small southern town in Arkansas.

Eugene: Wow. I don’t even know how to put that together. It’s a lot.

Suzanne: No, I know. I’m from San Diego. So, it’s very different.

Eugene: It’s extremely different.

Suzanne: Yeah. Were there any particular challenges for you in doing the role?

Eugene: No, I mean, other than the boat, and possibly having to swim? No, no other challenges. I mean, it’s always a challenge. When you’re taking on a role where science and religion are a part, and you’re playing this sort of, “How do I play this guy?” but when it came to being an actor, no challenges. When it came to me being on that boat and then dealing with different people trying to figure out how – It ended up being like smooth in that respect.

Suzanne: What about as far as COVID? Was that a problem at all?

Eugene: There was no COVID. Well, COVID wasn’t known yet.

Suzanne: Oh, wow. This was filmed long ago.

Eugene: This was the end of 2019. I think we heard that there was something, but it was overseas, but no, we had no COVID issues.

Suzanne: Oh, well, that’s good. I can’t imagine filming in a small area with a bunch of people.

Eugene: It wouldn’t even have happened, because well, it could have, because, some of the people stayed down in the area. They didn’t go back home. So, it would have been a version of the bubble. I guess everybody goes into this thing, and they don’t leave it for about sixteen to twenty days. So, I guess we could have done it that way, but yeah, we didn’t know anything about COVID at that time.

Suzanne: And now you’d just all be vaccinated and tested frequently and that kind of thing.

Eugene: Tested like crazy, but at the same time, I don’t know. If you’re in the bubble, you can’t move. You can’t go see family or friends, and you test once or twice in the beginning. I don’t think COVID would have been an issue at that point.

Suzanne: How long did it take to film?

Eugene: It was sixteen days. I could be wrong. I’m trying to remember– I think it was sixteen days. And it was all night. All night shoots. So, it was switching straight from [day] and that’s it. So [unintelligible] every day.

Suzanne: Wow. Yeah, it’s –

Eugene: Six days a week.

Suzanne: It’s a nice atmosphere, kind of claustrophobic and night and everything.

Eugene: Yeah.

Suzanne: It made for good horror atmosphere. I see that you’re doing some voiceover work with Spidey and His Amazing Friends. Do you enjoy doing voiceover?

Eugene: Yeah. I loved doing voiceovers. It’s so freeing, because there’s no worry about how you look. You know, I don’t have to go through hair and makeup. I could go in in my pajamas, and not have to brush my teeth. I [did] brush my teeth though, [laughs] but I don’t have to go and be something in front of the camera; I just have to let my voice and my acting do the talking, and that’s a lot of fun. And doing Spidey and His Amazing Friends for Disney has been a lot of fun, just because I could play in a comic book world. I’m a nerd. I grew up a huge comic fan. The fact that I’m playing Miles Morales’s father is crazy to me. It’s fun.

Suzanne: That’s good. And you’ve been in so many shows, including The Cosby Show, when you were just a teen. Do people recognize you for that, or mostly for your newer shows and movies?

Eugene: I think if you grew up on The Cosby Show, or you grew up on the shows I did when I was younger – you know what, I do get called out for it quite quite a bit, but they’re usually either older, closer to my age, or just a little – but closer my age, but rarely do I get younger people like in their twenties going, “You were on Cosby,” because it’s been off the air for so long, and there’s no way they would know, unless they watch TV Land, and then I’ll be surprised they know it.

Suzanne: How old were you when you started acting? You were pretty young, right?

Eugene: Yeah, I started off when I was seven years old. So yeah, it’s been a long time. This year – wow – will be my fortieth year.

Suzanne: You’re lucky that not only do you still look very young and can play really young roles and have most of your career, but you’re not one of those child actors that either had terrible problems or look unusual. Some of the child actors, they look like children, and then when they grow up, they look kind of weird.

Eugene: I do look kind of weird. I got lucky in the fact that I never took this business – you know, I looked at it as fun. Then, when it became a job, I had to reorder, because I think every child actor has to reorder exactly what it is, because when you’re a child actor, your job is your life. You know, you’re an actor, so you kind of identify yourself as an actor and then what all those things mean. But I can’t sit there and say that I haven’t had my own issues with it, because you’re trying to re-identify yourself, and you’re trying to make sure you have longevity. I think a lot of people [are] trying to be stars, or they were stars, and then they are no longer stars, and they had to deal with that aspect. Luckily for me, I’ve always been sort of in the middle. I’ve been a known actor, but I’ve never hit the stardom level where I can’t walk down the street, and then all of a sudden [I can’t].

Suzanne: Yeah, I’ve seen you on a lot of shows, but I don’t think I really – no offense – didn’t notice you until –

Eugene: I appreciate that, though.

Suzanne: – until your role in Arrow. That was such a great role for you. Even though it was a superhero show, did you feel that challenged you more than some of your earlier roles?

Eugene: Roles are challenging, because they’re a role I haven’t played. So, there’s always a different psychology attached to each character that I enjoy, or I try to push myself a little further in certain roles when I get them. And by the way, I did not take offense to that, because I pride myself on people not knowing, because the fact is I try to disappear in my role. I try to play my roles honestly, and if you don’t remember me, that’s cool, but if you start going, “Wait a minute…” that means there’s some recognition, but you don’t know what it is, and I’m fine with that, just because I’d rather keep my anonymity a little bit. I think that’s [where] a lot of actors, a lot of people have issues. That’s what happens; they lose that anonymity, and they can’t move around the world the way they would like.

Suzanne: It’s got to be difficult, a lot of pressure on people.

Eugene: I know a few people who have exploded, and it’s been difficult for them. Yeah.

Suzanne: Getting back to Arrow, I mean, it was a great role with you and and the guy that plays Diggle, your brother?

Eugene: We’ve played brothers before.

Suzanne: Oh, you did?

Eugene: Yeah. We did a pilot together called The Proud Family, and it was with Gabrielle Union and Essence Atkins and Selma Hopkins, and it was a really great cast. We just didn’t get picked up, but David and I kept in touch as friends. And then one day…he was like, “Hey, I want you to play my brother,” and I was like, “Oh, Okay.” I knew he was in Arrow, but I was like, “Man, that would be a dream come true.” And it was fun, because I got to play a duplicitous character, which I feel like I’ve [done] a lot [laughs], but it’s like I’m like playing the duality of a guy who’s evil, and then all of a sudden, he’s good, but he never was good. He was always [evil]. So, that was fun. That was fun.

Suzanne: Yeah, it was good. It is very surprising. We never knew he was, but he was always sympathetic, because you were playing him, and you’re very likable on screen. I also loved your character on Bones, that seemed very similar to the role you played on Crossing Jordan.

Eugene Byrd as Clark in "Bones" — BONES: Brennan (Emily Deschanel, R) and Dr. Clark Edison (guest star Eugene Byrd) continue to investigate who framed Booth for murder in the “The Lance to the Heart” episode of BONES airing Thursday, Oct. 2 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2014 Fox Broadcasting Co. Cr: Jordin Althaus/FOX

Eugene: Right, which, I think, helped me, gave me a quick way to jump in. Because Sydney is a little bit – actually, Sydney was way more open than Clark ever was. Clark was always super buttoned up very much like Bones, you know, and the fact that “I don’t share my personal life; this is about the work,” and then as time goes on, he starts letting himself be loose and being more of a personable person in that show. I love that show. That was like one of my favorite shows I ever did. I did it for ten years, and I have two of my best friends from that show.

Suzanne: Okay, can you tell us which ones?

Eugene: Pej Vahdat, who was Arastoo, and Michael Grant Terry, who played Wendell. So, they’re two of my closest friends.

Suzanne: He’s on another show. I can’t think of which one.

Eugene: Pej?

Suzanne: No, Michael.

Eugene: Michael did Roswell.

Suzanne: Yeah, I think just something else though. I can’t remember it. Never mind.

Eugene: He did a Lifetime – was it a Hallmark or a Lifetime show? I want to say it was Hallmark.

Suzanne: I think it is something on Showtime or STARZ, but I can’t remember.

Eugene: He’s got something he was doing, but those are only two I know we’ve talked about. If it’s something else, he’s gonna be mad at me that I don’t know. [laughs]

Suzanne: It’s fine. You can’t be expected to remember all these shows.

Eugene: Pej right now is doing like a thousand things. Sometimes I’m like, “Which one is this again?”

Suzanne: Well, I’m glad to hear that the Squints are still friends.

Eugene: We all are. You know, the beautiful part about that show is we all had great chemistry with each other, and that’s rare. That’s rare where the recurrings have great chemistry with the regulars, and it feels like we’re all regulars.

Suzanne: No, definitely. And do you have any other projects that you’re working on that you can tell us about?

Eugene: Oh, that I could tell you about? Well, you know, actually, they’re all on right now. They’re all coming out. Today is The Legend of Vox Machina, a cartoon for Amazon Prime, where I play Captain Jared. And then Secrets of Sulphur Springs. Just everything else I can’t even talk about yet.

Suzanne: I love that show. You’re coming up on that?

Eugene: My character showed up fully last week, and today –

Suzanne: Oh, I haven’t watched last week’s yet.

Eugene: You see him way more today.

Suzanne: Okay, cool. I haven’t watched last week’s yet. I know it’s a kid’s show, and I don’t have any children –

Eugene: But here’s the funny thing, I watched it. It’s more for everyone. I’ve realize that, because before I even did it, I was like, “This is a kid’s show. All right, I’ll just do it.” Then, I worked with the kids, and I worked with the other actors, and two of them I knew, well, three; three people I knew on that show. And I was surprised. I was surprised how accessible it was for adults and that the kids were just natural. I got to work with Elle Graham most of the time; she plays Savannah, the little blonde girl. Well, she’s not little, that girl’s tall. [laughs] I had such a great time working with that cast and that crew. So, I’m glad you like it. It just surprised me.

Suzanne: Yeah, I don’t remember why I started watching. Oh, because the people who wrote it used to write in soap operas, and I watch soap operas.

Eugene: Ah, yes. That’s right. I think Tracy did – I don’t know about Charles. Charles did 90210, which is what I did. I did the original 90210.

Suzanne: He’s been on a lot of those types of things, and I think daytime briefly too. But yeah, I like that show. I’m always telling people watch the show.

Eugene: The funny thing is because they think it’s a kid show, they’re not thinking that you’re going to watch something that’s still appealing to you as well and that’s wholesome and interesting. I wouldn’t have believed that either. If you asked, if you told me.

Suzanne: Yeah, well, I have a lot of science fiction friends, and so, I would tell them, “it’s got time travel!”

Eugene: It does, and I’m curious what you’re gonna think about this season we’re doing right now, this season that just came out. It’s interesting, and it deals with, obviously, time again, but there’s an even deeper mystery now.

Suzanne: Well, they’ve got to change it up every season. And anything else that you’d like to say to your fans?

Eugene: Thank you for supporting me all these years, and there’s some stuff coming up. I can’t talk about it, but it should be very, very interesting.

Suzanne: All right, great. Well, thank you for joining me today. I really enjoyed it.

Eugene: I had a great time.

Here is the video version of it.

Interview Transcribed by Jamie of http://www.scifivision.com

MORE INFO:

Buffalo 8 has announced the acquisition of IMMANENCE from filmmaker Kerry Bellessa. The thriller/horror film will be available on demand a several digital streamers, including iTunes, February 4.

While investigating a meteor strike in the Bermuda Triangle, a team of radio astronomers discover a mysterious signal in the deep sea that could be the world’s first contact with extraterrestrials. After witnessing various impossible phenomena, the team becomes convinced that something is trying to communicate with them.

Aboard their boat is Jonah (Michael Beach, Aquaman, “S.W.A.T.”), a loner with a mysterious past and cryptic motives. His faith leads him to suggest that this communication may be a manifestation of divinity, a hypothesis which the scientists immediately reject.

Soon the communications go from inexplicable to terrifying, threatening not only the team’s beliefs, but also their lives. When chaos culminates in an ominous revelation that makes everyone a threat, the team must fight for sanity and survival in a nightmare against the ultimate evil.

IMMANENCE: Fast FactsRelease Date: Friday, February 4, 2022
Genre: Thriller/Horror
Rating and Run Time: Not rated (R equivalent), 90 mins.
Short Summary: Radio astronomers discover a mysterious signal in the deep sea that could be contact with extraterrestrials. After several terrifying manifestations threaten their beliefs, the team must fight to survive the ultimate evil.
Director: Kerry Bellessa
Writers: Kerry Bellessa And Joshua Oram
Producers: Kerry Bellessa, Summer Bellessa, Michael Beach
Cinematographer: Oscar Ignacio Jiménez
Starring: Michael Beach, Summer Bellessa, Eugene Byrd, Anthony Ruivivar, Kasia Pilewicz, Asenneth Del Toro, Jamie Mcshane

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

Interview with Corey Reynolds and Alan Tudyk

Posted on January 25, 2022January 25, 2022 by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Corey Reynolds and Alan Tudyk of "Resident Alien" on Syfy

Interview with Corey Reynolds and Alan Tudyk of “Resident Alien” on Syfy by Suzanne 1/10/22

This was a short but fun call. I always love talking to these guys! They’re so fun to listen to, and so funny, both on and off the show. I gave them a rather weird question, but they handled it very well, like the professionals they are. Don’t miss the season premiere January 26 on Syfy!

Question: This year, it looks like you guys have been set up as more foes than allies. What can you tell me about the investigation?

Corey: Well, you know, at the end of last season, we found out who killed Sam Hodges, and this season we’re going to delve more into the why. You know, what exactly was the actual, the first, human Harry Vanderspeigle? What was he up to, and what type of chaos did Alan’s character inherit by taking over his life.? But [there’s] still a tremendous amount of hijinks that takes place as we pursue said leads in the case.

Alan: Yeah, as foes, out of respect, they both have their amount of being idiots. Out of respect.

Corey: Fact.

Alan: Fact. So, as foes, I think that’s where the hilarity that ensues comes from, is that they’re both idiots, but, I mean, we started off as foes from the very beginning.

Corey: Yes. You know, it’s the joke you made about the black truck from the very, very first moment that they met that set the tone in a way that they’re still trying to recuperate from.

Alan: From the first “kung kung.”

Suzanne: Hi, guys.

Corey: Hi Suzanne.

Alan: Hey.

Suzanne: So, on the videos– we’ve seen a promo video. A lot of you guys [the cast] were saying that you believed in aliens, or that you saw aliens or ships. Recently, NASA was working with theologians and faith leaders to discuss how aliens visiting Earth might affect religion and religious people. Sorry, it’s such a deep question for early in the morning, but… how do you think people might react to the idea that humans are not the only sentient beings in the universe?

Alan: Corey, I think you probably –

Corey: I think we – I can’t remember exactly who said it; it might have been Reagan. I hope I’m right. someone’s going to look me up and either say I’m an idiot, or “my God, he knew that; he’s a genius,” but he said something about the arrival of aliens being a good thing, because basically, it would unify all of humanity. It would help us to see ourselves as a race of beings as opposed to beings of different races. And I’d like to believe that that’s what would happen, but over the last couple of years, there’s been this pandemic that’s taken place that I think has been a stress test of society, that in a lot of ways we’re failing. So, honestly, aliens could either be the thing that unites everyone or could be the thing that makes everyone go, “Okay, fuck. It’s a free for all. Let’s just tear it all and burn it all down.” So, I don’t know, but I know they exist, whether or not they want to come here – You know, I mean, I’m not getting on a cruise ship right now. It’s a giant soup of nastiness. So, we might be the COVID cruise ship of planets to aliens. You know what I mean? They may not want to go here, because we’re so polluted and rude and sick and angry and all of these things that we should be better at. So, I wouldn’t come here. I wouldn’t go house shopping in a fucking shed that’s built by the railroad tracks either. So, I don’t know that aliens would want to come here, if I’m being honest. I just ate up all the time with that.

Suzanne: I like that, the COVID cruise ship…

Corey: …of planets. That’s probably what we are.

Suzanne: Alan, what’s your take on that?

Alan: Oh, you know, I would love it if aliens would come here and help us with our problems….I don’t think we understand what would… what would happen. I don’t know. If they wanted to come here and remove carbon from our atmosphere or something like that, that would be great. Otherwise, they could just leave it alone as far as I’m concerned. I don’t think it’s going to be good. Soylent Green is people. You know, that’s mainly where I stand. Soylent Green is people.

Suzanne: All right. And as a short follow up, what– how is it working with Nathan Fillion again, the octopus voice?

Alan: Oh, it’s fantastic. It’s fantastic. He’s great this season. He’s a puppet. I mean, he is also CGI, but there’s a actual puppet on set in the tank that is being puppeted by people. And just having a Nathan Fillion octopus puppet that I’m having arguments with, and that’s my job; I’m pretty, pretty excited about that.

Suzanne: Great. Thank you guys so much.

Question: So, really quickly, one of the things I love about the trailer is that Mike’s just not buying this whole alien thing, and I don’t think he’s kind of bought it from the very beginning. So, kind of for the both of you, do you feel like that’s going to continue to be to Harry’s advantage this season, or are we gonna see Mike sorta kind of lean over a little bit and maybe start believing a little more?

Corey: Al, you want to field that?

Alan: No, no, you go for it.

Corey: I think he has a healthy skepticism of UFOs, and I don’t see that – without getting into too much of the season, but I don’t see that changing very much. I think Mike’s very much into what he can see, smell, taste, touch, you know?

Alan: Also, simultaneously, Sheriff Mike would suddenly believe in the Chupacabra?

Corey: Oh, absolutely! And he believes in Bigfoot.

Alan: Then there’s that!

Corey: You know, he says that Bigfoot lives up in Seattle. And he also believes that women love buckets.

Question: So that’s the line.

Corey: You know, the aliens line is the line he won’t cross. That’s the one –

Alan: They don’t love buckets? This is news to me. That explains why Christmas was so bad in the Tudyk household.

Corey: Yes, the ladies love the buckets.

Alan: I got my wife several buckets for Christmas. Hmm.

Corey: [unintelligible]

Alan: No, no. Dang it.

Corey: So yeah, I think his skepticism of aliens remains pretty firm thus far.

Alan: Lucky for me.

Publicist: All right. We’re just trying to get you guys back on schedule.

Corey: Oh, I understand. I ran a little long on my alien answer.

Publicist: No, no, you’re good. You’re good. It makes it so hard when when they’re around tables to be quick. This next one is a one on one though, so I’m hoping we can kind of try to get us back on [track].

Alan: TV week, you’ll see probably in Canada. It’s amazing. Like my wife and my dogs were attacked by a coyote by Stanley Park, and my mother in law heard about it across the country on her nightly news.

Publicist: Yeah, everyone picked that up

Alan: And then like suddenly my wife disappeared from the stories very quickly. There’s just I think me who was attacked.

Publicist: Isn’t it funny how that happens?

Alan: Yeah.

Publicist: He should be joining any moment.

Alan: Man, I’m terrible at the new Halo.

Corey: I’ve been playing with my kid. We finally got the new Xbox X series. His Xbox that was so fucking overpriced. You pay like 750 bucks each for those things, because we have to get to, you know, because we both play, so that was part of the hang up was needing to get two of them at the same time. I threw it on – he’s been playing the online mode. I’m not there yet, because I don’t want to get murdered by eight-year-olds. You know what that means? You know, these ten-year-olds are killing us.

Alan: Yeah, man. I’m destroyed they’re like playing a different game. I can’t. I’m last place every time, and I put so many hours into this game. But now the game has changed enough – what you want to do when you have a new a new version of it, Ii’s changed enough that you have to relearn it. But I think I’ve crossed the threshold. Old man.

Corey: I’m with you, dude.

Here is the video version of it.

Interview Transcribed by Jamie of http://www.scifivision.com

MORE INFO:

Resident Alien poster

Based on the Dark Horse comics, SYFY’s “Resident Alien” follows a crash-landed alien named Harry (Alan Tudyk) whose secret mission is to kill all humans. In season two, Harry is once again stranded on Earth where he must confront the consequences of having failed his people’s mission to destroy the human race. On his new quest to protect the people of Earth, Harry struggles to hold on to his alien identity as his human emotions grow stronger by the day. In an adventure that takes Harry and Asta (Sara Tomko) all the way to New York City, Asta brings Harry into the arms of someone he can call family. While back in Patience, Sheriff Mike (Corey Reynolds) and Deputy Liv (Elizabeth Bowen) find themselves closer to unraveling the mystery of Sam Hodges’s murder. “Resident Alien” also stars Alice Wetterlund, Levi Fiehler and Judah Prehn.

From UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Amblin TV and Dark Horse Entertainment, “Resident Alien” was adapted to television by executive producer Chris Sheridan. Mike Richardson and Keith Goldberg of Dark Horse Entertainment, Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank of Amblin TV, Robert Duncan McNeill, Christian Taylor and Nastaran Dibai also executive produce.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

Trailer: Vanished: Searching For My Sister

Alan Tudyk and Corey Renolds in "Resident Alien" on Syfy

Interview with Carolyn Hennesy

Posted on January 21, 2022August 21, 2023 by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Carolyn Hennesy

Interview with Carolyn Hennesy of “General Hospital” on ABC and “Vanished: Searching for My Sister” on Lifetime by Suzanne 1/19/22

This was such a fun call! Carolyn is very sweet and friendly. I really enjoyed chatting with her. You can probably tell that by reading or listening to us gab.

Don’t miss her movie this Saturday, January 22 on Lifetime. She does play a small part, but it’s worth watching. It’s a good suspense drama.

Suzanne: It’s nice to meet you.

Carolyn: Nice to meet you, too.

Suzanne: I want to let you know that my site TVMEG.com has been around for twenty-five years, and I’ve been interviewing TV actors, directors, producers, for about fifteen years. So, I just wanted to let you know… I’m not some rank amateur, even though, today I feel like one.

Carolyn: Jacqueline would never set me up with a rank amateur. I knew that from the start.

Suzanne: Oh, good, good. Just to let you know. I’m also a General Hospital fan, and I’ve been watching since 1984.

Carolyn: Wonderful.

Suzanne: So, I’m very excited to speak with you. I watched the Lifetime movie, it was very interesting. Tell us how this part came about for you.

Carolyn: It’s very simple. I told the director, Timothy Woodward Jr., who directed and is one of the producers of Studio City with Sean Canaan, I said to him one day on the set of Studio City, I said, “What’s our next project? What are we doing together?” And he said, “Well, interestingly enough, I’ve got this feature that’s going in Atlanta,” and I said, “Terrific, when do I show up?” And he laughed, and then he said, “You show up at this time.” So, yeah, I just basically told the director. I said, “We’re going to do something together. What is it?” This was it.

Suzanne: Well, that’s good that it worked.

Carolyn: Right. I mean, it’s so rare that you kind of bypass the audition process. It’s actually becoming a little more frequent for me, but this is one of those wonderful times where he just said, “Yeah, this is your role. Show up on set at this time.”

Suzanne: Well, that’s great. Well, he knew you already. So, why bother having an audition? He knows what you can do.

Carolyn: Yeah, and he knew what I was like to work with. He knew my set behavior and set protocol until it’s over. So yeah, all worked out. I was a proven commodity.

Suzanne: Right. And where was it filmed, and how long did it take?

Carolyn: It was filmed in Atlanta, and I was there for about – I was in Atlanta for I think it was a week all told. Actually, probably more like ten days. I think I was in Atlanta for about ten days. Now, that was my portion. The filming, I think it was a three week shoot. I believe it was a three week shoot.

Suzanne: And all done in Atlanta?

Carolyn: Yeah, well, on the outskirts of Atlanta, in various locales.

Suzanne: All right, great. And how was it playing a police detective, and have you played one before?

Carolyn: Have I ever played a police detective before? That’s a very good question. [laughs] You would think I would remember that. I might have. I just can’t remember at the moment.

Suzanne: No, I understand. I understand completely. Once you’ve done things many, many times. I’ll be like, sometimes I’ll get an interview request. “Oh, I would love to interview that person.” Then, “wait, wait. I interviewed them already, like 2012. Oops. I completely forgot.”

Carolyn: Yeah, people will say, “Carolyn, have you ever played a lawyer?” It’s like, “Have I?” Yes, in fact, I play one now.

Suzanne: Right, and was it very different from playing a lawyer, playing a police detective?

Carolyn: Well, this particular police detective is very stoic, very calm, very skeptical, a little jaded, a little hardened. So, there wasn’t the usual [unintelligible] that I have with Diane Miller or basically any of my other characters, almost any of them. She was a little more grounded, a little more stern, and just hard. You know, she’s seen it all; nothing surprises her. Nothing shocks her; that kind of character. And basically, Jasmine had the bulk of the dialogue in our scene. Kind of, not quite a “yes man,” but she’s the kind of person that doesn’t speak except when she really has something to say. She doesn’t talk for the sake of talking.

Suzanne: Well, that’s good, less dialogue to have to memorize

Carolyn: Oh, this seems really easy. Jasmine does most of the talking. I just say, you know, “Hold up there, Missy,” or something like that. Yeah, it was a little easy.

Suzanne: You just had to sit there and look pretty; that was your role.

Carolyn: I had to sit there and look as pretty as I possibly could, you know, three in the morning in the cold and rainy Atlanta.

Suzanne: Yeah, it can get cold rainy there. We used to live about three hours from there, so, yeah.

Carolyn: It can get cold and rainy, and you think, “Well, listen, this is Georgia.” You just don’t accept cold and rainy out of out of the Deep South, you just don’t. Then, when it happens, you think “Well, my goodness.” You know, it’s like Wisconsin, but the hair and the makeup people were top of their game, as was wardrobe, basically everybody, but the hair and makeup people were really first class. So, I never really had to worry about looking good, looking my best, actually.

Suzanne: Good. Yeah. Funny thing about the Deep South, it’s a large area, and the weather is crazy. I’m in Arkansas, and today it’s in the 60s, and last week we had snow. So, you never know. You just never know.

Carolyn: That’s what they say about the weather. “Just wait ten minutes. It’ll change.”

Suzanne: Yeah, I mean, it’s not like I grew up in Southern California, so it’s nothing like that at all.

Carolyn: And it’s interesting, because it was bitter cold this morning, and when I say “bitter cold,” you know.

Suzanne: No, I know. So, you and Jasmine, you play partners. Did you do to do anything to get to know each other better or to make you work more like partners beforehand?

Carolyn: Beforehand, no. It sort of came afterwards. She’s just a lovely individual. She’s so wonderful, so professional. And again, she’s one of these people that she’s been in the business so long. She’s seen it all. She’s done it all, but she makes cheesecake, and she brought in a couple of cheesecakes for the hair and makeup department, or, actually, that’s what that’s where they landed. Everybody was coming in to get some of Jasmine’s cheesecake. But then we started talking about some of the restaurants and some of the things to do in Atlanta proper, and my favorite restaurant in Atlanta. Maybe it’s the top three in in the United States, for me. It’s called Mary Mac’s Tea Room.

Suzanne: I know where that is. Yeah, I stayed at the hotel right across the street from there.

Carolyn: Well, Jasmine lives catty corner. So, I was there once on my own, as I am want to do, because [they] basically do anything. But after filming, I think I was to leave the next day, and I think it was a Monday, or we had one more day of filming, I can’t remember what it was, but Jasmine met me there. I’ve got pictures of more food on that table. They just kept bringing us stuff. We were ordering it but they just kept loading [up our plates]. Jasmine and I basically ate our weight in fried chicken and tomato pie and broccoli souffle. We just had the best time. And of course she was recognized. She’s recognized all over America. And she’s so gracious, so lovely. Then, every once in a while, somebody would look at me and go, “Oh, I know you, my kids watch Jessie.” I am like, “Thank you. Thank you very much.” Jasmine was like, “She’s on General Hospital.” [laughs] Thank you, Jasmine, my publicist.

Suzanne: You’ve done so much. So, you’re bound to be noticed for something.

Carolyn: But everyone loved A Different World. So, she still gets recognized. And she’s, again, so lovely, and that voice is so unique. [unintelligible] It’s Jasmine’s curse to bear, and she does it with great aplomb.

Suzanne: And this movie has two actors from early 90s hits sitcoms and three soap actors. So, was there any joking around about either of those things?…[Jasmine and] Tatyana Ali, from Fresh Prince.

Carolyn: …Again, one of the more lovely professional, gracious, funny individuals that I’ve ever worked with. She’s just lovely. She and Jasmine were basically the only ones I really worked with.

Suzanne: Tatyana was also on The Young & the Restless and of course, Justin (Bruening) was on All My Children.

Carolyn: That’s right. Again, I didn’t work with a lot of them, or didn’t closely with a lot of them. I worked certainly with Jasmine and Tatyana, but you’re absolutely right.

Suzanne: And I was wondering if you had any joking around about that or about the sitcom thing?

Carolyn: No, no, not really, because, again, I didn’t really work with them.

Suzanne: That’s fine. Did you see Tatyana when she was dressed up as both Jade and Kayla, and did you know it was the same actress?

Carolyn: I did not see her dressed up as Kayla, but I saw photos, I should say that. I saw photos, and yeah, a different person. And from what I understand, she navigated those waters just expertly.

Suzanne: Yes, she did.

Carolyn: She really did. I actually can’t wait to see the film. I’ve not seen it. [laughs] I’ve seen little bits and pieces, but nothing of her as Kayla.

Suzanne: The reason I asked is because I’d read an article where Justin was saying when he saw her dressed up as Kayla [he] didn’t recognize her and didn’t know who that person was and thought it was some other actress and had not been talking to her. Then, once once she spoke, he’s like, “Oh, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t talking to you.”

Carolyn: Right, right. It was a complete and utter transformation. There again, that’s due in large part to the hair and makeup people. They work magic.

Suzanne: Now, I have a question about GH, and you can feel free to say “no comment” or “move along” or whatever. I’m wondering about the mood of the cast and crew right now, because I know you had some actors leave, and there was some public fighting. Has this affected anyone?

Carolyn: You know what’s interesting? I.. actually, I go back to work a week from tomorrow. I have not been there…I was there one day before Christmas, and things were fine. I’ll just say “fine.” The mood was not elevated. The mood wasn’t depressed. Was it a different dynamic onset? Yes, it was, because everyone knew what happened. So, we all have a job to do. Everyone was professional enough not to discuss it, at least the actors that I worked with that day, and I actually only worked with Laura Wright, who is a consummate professional.

Suzanne: I was going to say, it’s probably the scene that was on this week, where Diane and Carly talk around stuff.

Carolyn: Yes. We have become gal pals. Who would have thunk it? Who would have thought that Carly and Diane could become close friends? And yes, we are.

Suzanne: Well, I guess after it’s been long enough.

Carolyn: Exactly, exactly, after long enough. Diane gets to know somebody long enough, and you know, we’re bosom buddies.

Suzanne: Well, I mean, even Sam and Carly were friends, and they did some terrible things to each other a long time ago.

Carolyn: Right! It just goes to show. Then, give it a few years, they’ll change back, and then their twin will come on the scene, and everyone will be confused, and then they’ll be possessed, or they’ll be in a coma.

Suzanne: And touching on that note, I had asked some GH fans on various Facebook groups if they had any questions for you. Many, many fans said to say that they love Diane, and that you’re a great actress. They didn’t say great. They said wonderful and a lot of other compliments I didn’t write down. They just love you, and they wish you had a bigger role in the show. I told them that wasn’t up to you.

Carolyn: No, it’s not up to me, but I wholeheartedly agree. Yes. And tell them, bless them for all of those wonderful comments, and I wholeheartedly agree.

Suzanne: And a few wanted to know if Diane might get another love interest soon. If you can tell us that or if you know anything about that?

Carolyn: Not that I know, but there again, I’m not on the fifth floor, in on those decisions. So, I will say that I did an event with Chris Rogers over the weekend, and Tristan looked at me and said, “We should really get together on the show.” And I said, “You can make that happen. You can go to Frank Valentini and say, ‘Guess what I’d like?’”

Suzanne: That would be an awesome couple. That would be great.

Carolyn: Wouldn’t that be so hilarious?

Suzanne: It would be so funny.

Carolyn: It would be so much fun.

Suzanne: Yes, definitely. I’ll have the fans start a petition.

Carolyn: Start a petition, exactly. Diane and Robert. Yeah. What should happen should be that we should butt heads in court and realize exactly how smart each other is and how fun each other is and how capable, and it should it should progress from there.

Suzanne: Right, or with Martin; that would also be good.

Carolyn: I would love that. I mean, my gosh. Michael Knight, come on. Michael Knight whose skin is better than a twenty-five year old, for God’s sake. I don’t know what he does. He must have a painting going to hell in an attic somewhere. I’m just saying.

Suzanne: Yes, I was so glad to see him join. I know there’re lots of All My Children fans who are so glad to see him join the show.

Carolyn: Yeah. So am I.

Suzanne: This was what I was going to touch on from what we were talking before about Diane and her friends. Sylvia wants to know if Diane will be having any scenes soon with Alexis, and whether they’re still besties.

Carolyn: Well, I do not know if I’m having scenes soon. As I say, I know I’m working a week from tomorrow, but I don’t know what those things are yet, as far as I’m concerned, and I think as far as Diane’s concerned, we’re still besties. Absolutely. You know, you don’t find someone like an Alexis on the show and then kind of let them go. I do wish that the powers that be had let Diane in a little bit more on Alexis’s stay in prison, be a little bit more involved in her recovery. So, I do wish that, but there again, I just stand on my mark and say my lines. [laughs]

Suzanne: You do your job, keep your head down, and hope for the best.

Carolyn: Keep my head down, show up on time, make sure I’m wearing the right shoes, and [unintelligible].

Suzanne: So, here’s a question, again, this wasn’t on the list, but it just occurred to me, because I thought about this before. Why do they have women on TV wear high heels? We can’t see your feet.

Carolyn: Well, honestly, for me, I can only speak for me, it actually helps. It elongates the leg. It makes you stand a little straighter, at least it does for me, and it completes the look. Certainly with Diane wearing a suit, or if you’re wearing a gown, sometimes you will see the feet, that’s number one, but number two is it completes the look, and for this actress, it helps fully flesh out the character.

Suzanne: Well, that makes sense…

Carolyn: And believe me, I wouldn’t I wouldn’t put on slippers or sneakers or low flats if I was in court and you couldn’t see my feet. I would never do it, because you want to hear the “click click click” as Diane walks back to her seat. You want to hear the “click click” as she’s rising and walking into the center of the courtroom. It’s very deliberate, and you know something profound is going to come out because of the way she walks in those heels, and that’s all part of the dynamic of that character in that moment, because you want to be able to use every tool that you’ve got.

Suzanne: Right, it’s part of the TV magic in a way, because fans wouldn’t necessarily notice it, but if it was gone, we’d probably say something is off. We might not notice the “click,” but if it was gone, we’d be, “Huh, what is wrong?”

Carolyn: Exactly. “What’s she got on her feet?”

Suzanne: Another fan, and I think her name is Hueann, loves your red hair and wants to know what your secret is for looking so young.

Carolyn: $200 a month.

Suzanne: Getting your hair done?

Carolyn: [laughs] Yes. My secret for looking so young? Well, that is all attitude. That’s just attitude. If you have the correct attitude for your own brain, then you could walk down the street wearing a gunny sack, and the next day, people would be wearing gunny sacks. It’s all attitude and the way you approach life and the way you approach your age, and etc, etc, etc. So, I’m very lucky that I do have what I think is just a great attitude towards living, and that keeps me young. Also, I work out on a track. So, that keeps me young too.

Suzanne: Right. Yeah, actually, I think you’re almost exactly – your birthday is in February, right?

Carolyn: No, June.

Suzanne: Oh, June, okay. So, you’re about six months younger than I am. I saw that. I was like, “Oh, okay.” That was just funny.

Carolyn: When is your birth date?

Suzanne:
Oh, December 3rd, ‘61.

Carolyn:
Oh, great.

Suzanne: So, I know what you mean when you talk about forgetting stuff. It seems to get worse as I get older. I’m lucky if I know what I had for lunch yesterday.

Carolyn: Truly.

Suzanne: One last question. Maggie wants to know, which client of Diane’s would you say is the one that causes the most trouble, and which client causes the least trouble? Or what would Diane say?

Carolyn: The most trouble is a toss up between Jason Morgan and Sonny Corinthos, and the least trouble – Does she have a client that causes her the least trouble? There is no such thing as the least trouble in Port Charles, certainly not with Diane’s clients. They’re all wonderful, fabulous train wrecks.

Suzanne: You mentioned the possession thing earlier, that would be great. I know they don’t want to do something like that on GH anymore. I love the stuff in the 80s when they did things like that. I wish they would bring that kind of thing back like when they had the alien. I don’t know if you saw that.

Carolyn: I remember a little bit, and there was an island and someone was a Mayan princess.

Suzanne: Yes. Felicia was a Mayan princess. No, not Mayan; she’s an Aztec princess.

Carolyn: Aztec princess. So sorry. So sorry.

Suzanne: Yes, in fact, I started watching in ‘84, like I said, and it was before Felicia came on, and [there] was something to do with a necklace. There’s always a necklace, right?

Carolyn: There’s always the necklace.

Suzanne: Aztec necklace and she was dressed as a boy and hiding under Frisco’s bed.

Carolyn: As one does.

Suzanne: Exactly, but that wasn’t nearly as odd as when Robin got involved with the Ancient One in the Asian quarter and they discovered Casey the Alien, and he had some magical crystals from his planet, and the bad guys in the Asian quarter had them, something to do with that. I don’t remember the exact story, but it was very – I love that.

Carolyn: …The fans will remember.

Suzanne: Yes, the fans will. Well, I’m a fan but like I said, I have to look everything up.

Carolyn: Oh, of course, yeah, me too. That’s so funny.

Suzanne: That would be great if they did something like that nowadays. I don’t know if the fans would like it. They seem to be more into realism.

Carolyn: They do seem to be, don’t they? But it would be a little fun.

Suzanne: It would be.

Carolyn: It would be a boat load of fun. A boat load of fun, I’ll tell you that. Especially If Diane saw an alien, and no one believed her.

Suzanne: Well, you would think of all people you might believe Diane, because she’s so no-nonsense and down to earth.

Carolyn: That’s absolutely true. That’s absolutely true. It’s like if Diane walked in and said, “I just saw a spaceship.”

Suzanne: Or they’d wonder what she drank — if she drank too much at her lunch.

Carolyn: Exactly, and, you know, Diane’s been known to do that. It’s that simple.

Suzanne: Yeah, I guess the closest they’ve come in modern times was when they sort of touched on the vampire thing, but they were sort of cagey about it. It’s like, did it happen? Didn’t it happen. And it was Lucy, so nobody believed her.

Carolyn: Well, no, I mean, would you? I mean, let’s face it, she’s an alien herself.

Suzanne: Yeah, exactly. Well, she was a vampire hunter. Well, I appreciate your talking at me.

Carolyn: I loved it. Let’s do it again.

Suzanne: All right, and I am telling everybody about the movie, and I hope you get lots of people watching, and we look forward to the next one.

Carolyn: Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. We’ll talk at you again, okay?

Suzanne: Thank you. Bye bye.

Carolyn: Thank you so much. Bye bye.

Here is the audio version of it.

Here’s our panel interview with Tatyana Ali, Justin Bruening, Carolyn Hennesy and Treach!

MORE INFO:

VANISHED: SEARCHING FOR MY SISTER

Premieres Saturday, January 22^ndat 8p/7c

Twins Jada and Kayla (both played by Tatyana Ali) could not be more opposite: Jada being the mild- mannered sister with an office job, and Kayla the wild child. Recently divorced from her husband Warren (Justin Bruening), Kayla asks Jada to watch her daughter while she sets up her new apartment. But after a few days with no word from Kayla, Jada begins to worry and reports her sister missing. With no leads and the police investigation at a standstill, Jada takes matters into her own hands. She disguises herself as her sister and gets pulled into a world of drugs and deceit in order to learn the shocking truth about what really happened to Kayla.

Vanished: Searching for My Sister also stars Jasmine Guy, Carolyn Hennesy and Anthony “Treach” Criss. The film is produced by Big Dreams Entertainment and Leslie Greif serves as executive producer. Tim Woodward Jr. directs from a script written by Christina Welsh.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

Our Other General Hospital Interviews

Carolyn Hennesy in "Vanished: Searching For My Sister" on Lifetime

Interview with Tatyana Ali, Justin Bruening, Carolyn Hennesy and Treach

Posted on January 21, 2022March 2, 2023 by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Lifetime panel

Interview with Tatyana Ali, Justin Bruening, Carolyn Hennesy and Treach of “Vanished: Searching For My Sister” on Lifetime by Suzanne 1/10/22

This was an intriguing movie with many different actors. The panel was for Lifetime with quite a few panels that day. This was the only one where I didn’t get to ask a question. It’s okay, though. There were many great questions asked. I enjoyed seeing this great cast. Jasmine Guy is also in the movie, and she’s fabulous. I was just happy to see Justin Bruening again (as he was great as Jamie on “All My Children“) and Carolyn Hennesy (she plays Diane on “General Hospital“). Tatyana does a fine job with her dual role as sisters Kayla and Jada. Also, I didn’t know that “Treach” was the leader of the rap group Naughty By Nature. Please also see my one-on-one interview with Carolyn Hennesy!

MODERATOR: Hi, everyone. Welcome to our “Vanished: Searching For My Sister” panel. Today we have Tatyana Ali, Justin Bruening, Carolyn Hennesy and Treach. Thank you guys all for being here.

CAROLYN HENNESY: Thank you.

MODERATOR: Our first question is an email question, and it comes in asking for the entire cast how was this movie standout compared to other projects that you’ve all acted in?

TREACH: Well, for me, I had the honor of working with a legend like Tatyana right there. I’ve grown up, I was watching her. You know the history so just to have the pleasure of getting on there is really when you know Jasmine Guy and Justin, these great actors, you got to understand you’ve got to really come here prepared, because they are legendary these guys here. So it was just a whole different vibe with just knowing that you were in great hands. You know when you step on a set with production and everything, you see how it’s rolling you’re like, yeah, this is one of them right here.

CAROLYN HENNESY: Well, for me, it was really cold in Atlanta, so there was that. My trailer had no heat so that was fun, but it was all the more exciting to get inside when we did have those scenes inside. Yay! And be able to work with Tatyana, and Tatyana on this panel is the only one that I worked with, because my scenes were with her and Jasmine pretty much primarily. And so Jasmine’s just everything you would expect her to be. She’s a hoot-and-a-half, and she’s so, she’s a consummate professional as is Tatyana, but Tatyana was not quite as funny, because she was threatened with she’s going to be killed at any moment, her character. So she was very, very serious, and we were kind of coming at her with don’t do what we all know you’re going to do and that is double as your sister. So it was really a tremendous amount of fun to keep it fun and light on the set, and then when the cameras rolled we were just in it, but I was pretty much cold all the time, so that was me.

(Laughter.)

Tatyana Ali as Kayla, pretending to be Jada JUSTIN BRUENING: I didn’t have that problem but working with Tatyana was amazing. Watching her transform into two different, entirely different people was just phenomenal. I mean, there was even a moment when she did her whole transformation into Kayla, and we were sitting across from each other, and like we had on masks on and stuff, but I didn’t know it was her, because I’d never seen her. I mean, I just worked with her twenty minutes before that, and I was like sitting across from this woman. I’m like, “Who’s that?”

(Laughter.)

JUSTIN BRUENING: “They just let anybody in on this set. It’s just strange.”

TATYANA ALI: I remember that. We had such a rapport during the whole shoot, and I was like, “Wow, is he having a bad day? Like what, why are you staring at me that way?”

JUSTIN BRUENING: I’m shy. I was shy. I didn’t know who that was. It’s a new person. Nobody introduced me. I felt bad. Yeah, it was great.

TATYANA ALI: For me, what was different about this one, the cast is so amazing, and the crew, and I just had an incredible time working with everybody. Treach, there was a point when it was one of the scenes in the trailer when you kind of grip me up in the club, and I don’t even know if you noticed, but I had to take a moment afterwards, because you are scary. When you want to be. You’re so like kind and wonderful, and you just scared the bejesus out of me, like, for real. Yeah, just working with everybody was amazing. Especially, I was so excited when I read the script, like the fact that it’s based on a true story and that this really happened, that a woman really went undercover as her twin. All of that was so exciting. I love the notion of not allowing your loved one to remain a statistic or not be cared about; that someone would fight so hard to make sure that her sister, who has been through addiction, been through all these things, that her life mattered. I really loved that and so into it, and then right before I started working I was like, “Oh, my God. What did I get myself into?” But y’all saved me, so thank you.

(Laughter.)

MODERATOR: Thank you, everybody. Our next question is from Rick Bentley.

QUESTION: Thank you very much. Tatyana, do actors when they start their career think, “Oh, boy. I hope one day I get to play a twin?” Or “Oh, my God. I hope I don’t ever have to play a twin?”

Kayla (Tatyana Ali) and her ex-husband, played by Phillip Mullings, Jr. TATYANA ALI: (laughs) Maybe, “Oh, my God. I don’t ever have to play — I hope I don’t ever have to play a twin.” I, actually, no, it was really a wonderful sort of like experiment, and especially in the kind of truncated schedule that we have there were days when I went back and forth between the sisters, and it can make you feel a little bit crazy. Like our makeup and hair department and costumes, they were really like a refuge for me on those days. But it’s fun. You kind of have to use literally like everything you know or think you know or might guess at to, not just create two people, but then also a relationship, the relationship between them, the history between them. That was really fun, actually. It’s kind of like you might not hope to do it, but it could be a dream to be able to do it.

QUESTION: A quick follow-up. Did you color code your script or did you put markers to who you were for the day?

TATYANA ALI: I’m super anal. I always color code my script even if it’s one person.

(Laughter.)

TATYANA ALI: So, yeah, I keep a binder. I’m not at the iPad script yet phase —

JUSTIN BRUENING: Yeah.

QUESTION: Thank you very much.

MODERATOR: Thanks, Rick. Our next question is from “Right On! Digital.”

QUESTION: Hello? Can you hear me?

TATYANA ALI: Hi.

TREACH: Hi.

JUSTIN BRUENING: Hi.

QUESTION: Okay. Hi. My question is for Tatyana. We’ve known about your work for years, and we’ve publicized you many times in “Right On! Magazine.” You talked about the fact that it can make you a little crazy playing two characters in one. What was it like actually preparing for a role where you’re actually playing two people, because that’s an enormous amount of responsibility to have that much dialogue. So what was your secret to actually preparing?

TATYANA ALI: Just, you know, it’s similar to the way I prepare for just playing one role except you just double it. They both have their, they’re sisters, so they have their shared pasts, and they’re sisters, so they also have things that only the two of them know that the rest of the world don’t know. They both have their own wishes and desires and hopes and dreams, and so it’s all it’s the same, it’s just more. And so even with when I was kind of prepping for it and doing my own rehearsals like I just tried to kind of schedule the time, so there’d be like days working on one, and then days working on the other so I didn’t have to get confused. And then their style, like, for me, once I start, once I am in their hair, in their clothes, and then all of the things, their walk or their body language, all those things that I tried to –I always work on those things but just with twins it’s like I was trying to differentiate them a little bit more, but once all those pieces come together then it’s kind of like they kind of, it meets somewhere. I felt that I guess that’s how it happened.

(Laughter.)

QUESTION: All right. Well, thank you. Hi, Treach.

TREACH: Hello.

QUESTION: And one —

MODERATOR: And — Oh, sorry.

QUESTION: May I ask Treach a question while we have him?

MODERATOR: Of course.

QUESTION: Okay. Treach, hi.

TREACH: Hello.

QUESTION: Cynthia from “Right On! Magazine.” What was it like on the set? Is there a fun fact you can tell us about, something that we wouldn’t know because we weren’t there?

TREACH: Yeah. I mean, there’s certain times you get into stuff, like you’ll have a scene. Like, for instance, I was rolling upon a motorcycle. I’m not even half good on a pedal bike.

(Laughter.)

TREACH: So I got to really show my acting skills. I had to find, okay, the clutch and when I do should I look (audio glitch @ 00:38:07), but I know people that ride motorcycles and stuff, so I had to do what I knew they do without doing nothing.

(Laughter.)

TATYANA ALI: You look good on that bike.

TREACH: Thank you. But the movie magic makes things happen. So I know, like, certain, like I said, it was certain things that I naturally don’t do at all. When I do a movie it’s so fun to me because I got to really make sure they think I know what I’m doing.

QUESTION: Okay. Thank you.

TREACH: You’re welcome.

MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question is from Abbie Bernstein.

QUESTION: Sorry. It took me a second to find my unmute. Good morning. Thank you all for doing this. Question for anybody or everybody who’d like to take it. Is there any difference between doing a Lifetime thriller and a different network or an indie film with thriller subject matter and the same schedule and budget? Is there anything specific to working for Lifetime?

CAROLYN HENNESY: There’s a lot more blood on an independent.

(Laughter.)

JUSTIN BRUENING: Yeah.

CAROLYN HENNESY: It’s the truth. It’s the absolute truth.

JUSTIN BRUENING: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

CAROLYN HENNESY: And the things you can get away with on an independent thriller, um hm. Yeah, the Lifetime audience would pass on that, so.

JUSTIN BRUENING: Yeah.

CAROLYN HENNESY: But (audio glitch @ 00:39:33).

QUESTION: Is there —

TREACH: You know, for this type of movie, like, everyone goes to Lifetime to watch these types of movies, but the masses, one thing that’s beautiful about Lifetime, the masses is going to tune in.

CAROLYN HENNESY: Yeah.

TREACH: They have a long list of anything that like what comes on Lifetime I’m here. So it’s just a honor to be on Lifetime, because you know that following, that cult following is goin’ be there for you.

Justin Bruening and Tatyana Ali JUSTIN BRUENING: Well —

QUESTION: Is there any — Oh, sorry.

JUSTIN BRUENING: I was going to say that’s a tough question, because I think our Director Tim Woodward sort of filmed it like an independent, like I think he went for that.

CAROLYN HENNESY: True.

JUSTIN BRUENING: So I think there’s some stuff that ended up on the cutting room floor, speaking of blood.

(Laughter.)

JUSTIN BRUENING: There was a little bit, but — a lot — but, yeah, I mean, I think that — I think he really — that I think he set that as his benchmark, and he went for that, but I think that we had to tone it down for Lifetime, for that audience, but I think we filmed it the same way we would film an independent film.

TATYANA ALI: Yeah. I’ve worked with Lifetime many times now, and I always feel really supported by the network and by the executives. That’s always a really good feeling, and they stay in communication while you’re filming and that’s awesome but to also know, it’s true, there’s this very wide audience, and there’s something about Lifetime. Like I always think about my cousins and my family because I know they’re going to be watching it. Like I can’t, I got to make them proud. Like they are (audio glitch @ 00:41:09), everyone’s going to be texting me while it’s on, and there’s something about that that’s actually really special.

CAROLYN HENNESY: I think also with it being Lifetime — very often in an independent you don’t get the justice that you want at the end. Things are left unresolved, and sometimes you can leave the theater or whatever you’re viewing it on unsatisfied, that’s not going to happen with a Lifetime thriller. Things are going to be wrapped up. Everyone’s going to be happy and vindicated, and you’re going to end up being thrilled during the movie, but all will be well at the end pretty much, or maybe not this with this one. I don’t know —

QUESTION: Does it affect your performances in any way?

CAROLYN HENNESY: Say that again?

QUESTION: I’m sorry. Does it affect your performances in any way either knowing there isn’t going to be that much blood or that everything is going to be resolved at the end? Do you play with more fervor and less frustration? Or do you perform it the same way you would perform a more ambiguously ended material?

CAROLYN HENNESY: Whatever is honest for the character is how you go.

JUSTIN BRUENING: Um-hm.

CAROLYN HENNESY: So it doesn’t matter if it’s a soap opera.

TATYANA ALI: That’s right.

CAROLYN HENNESY: Or a Lifetime or a Darren Bousman “Saw” franchise films. It’s all, for me, for me. I mean —

JUSTIN BRUENING: Yeah, I agree with that.

TATYANA ALI: Yeah, ditto.

QUESTION: Thank you very much.

TREACH: You’re welcome.

MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question is from Luaine Lee.

QUESTION: Tatyana, which twin was more difficult to play and why?

TATYANA ALI: Huh, you know, I guess I would have to say Jada, because I certainly get to play her more, but often during the film, and it sometimes led to a little bit of confusion when we were filming, I spent a lot of time playing — I spent a lot of time — I’m sorry. Did I leave? I spent a lot of time playing Jada pretending to be Kayla, and those were probably the most challenging parts, playing someone you love, kind of Jada putting on Kayla’s wigs, going out into Kayla’s world which, you know, she’s heard of but never really participated in, just the longing to know what’s happened to her sister and to find her. I think Jada pretending to be Kayla was the most challenging, for sure.

QUESTION: Were you scared to do it?

TATYANA ALI: I was excited at first and then as I got closer and closer, yeah, I was scared, but that, I’ve come to learn that that’s — If I’m not intimidated by what I’m trying to do then I’m almost like not that excited about it, so nerves to me are like a good sign that I’m stretching myself. So, yeah, I was.

QUESTION: Thanks.

MODERATOR: Thank you. We have time for one more question and that’s going to be from Noah Wilson.

QUESTION: Hello, everyone. It’s so great to be here with you guys. Tatyana, I do want to ask you, taking on two roles could you ever see yourself doing it again?

TATYANA ALI: (laughs) I had a lot of fun doing it. I would love to do it on a project where we had more time. It was hard to switch on the same day. That was really hard to go back and forth on the same day, and when I was prepping for it I saw a lot of films where actors played multiple characters and twins and sisters and even read a lot of interviews of the process, but we had three weeks, so. I would. I would try it again. I thought it was — I was exhausted when it was done, but it was thrilling, and I really liked playing a character like Kayla, even for the short period of time that I do in the film. I’ve never really, I’ve never been able, given the chance to play somebody like her, and she really stole my heart.

QUESTION: Yes. Well, I enjoyed you in “A Picture Perfect Holiday” and I cannot wait to see you in “Vanished: Searching For My Sister.” Thank you so much, guys.

CAROLYN HENNESY: Thank you.

TREACH: Thank you.

JUSTIN BRUENING: Thank you.

MODERATOR: Thank you so much to all the panelists and everyone that attended. Please tune in to “Vanished: Searching For My Sister” on January 22nd at 8/7 Central. Thanks you guys.

TATYANA ALI: Love you, guys. Good to see.

TREACH: Thank you.

CAROLYN HENNESY: You too, honey.

JUSTIN BRUENING: Thank you.

TREACH: Love y’all. Peace.

TATYANA ALI: Bye.

JUSTIN BRUENING: Happy 2022!

Check out our one-on-one interview with Carolyn Hennesy!

MORE INFO:

"Vanished: Searching For My Sister" on Lifetime poster Twins Jada and Kayla (both played by Tatyana Ali) could not be more opposite: Jada being the mild-mannered sister with an office job, and Kayla the wild child. Recently divorced from her husband Warren (Justin Bruening), Kayla asks Jada to watch her daughter while she sets up her new apartment. But after a few days with no word from Kayla, Jada begins to worry and reports her sister missing. With no leads and the police investigation at a standstill, Jada takes matters into her own hands. She disguises herself as her sister and gets pulled into a world of drugs and deceit in order to learn the shocking truth about what really happened to Kayla.

Vanished: Searching for My Sister also stars Jasmine Guy, Carolyn Hennesy and Anthony “Treach” Criss.

The film is produced by Big Dreams Entertainment and Leslie Greif serves as executive producer. Tim Woodward Jr. directs from a script written by Christina Welsh.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

"Vanished: Searching For My Sister" panel for Lifetime

Interview with the cast of “Wolf Pack”

Posted on January 20, 2022July 16, 2023 by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jeff Davis, Rodrigo Santoro, Bella Shepard, Chloe Rose Robertson, Armani Jackson, and Tyler Lawrence Gray, stars of "Wolf Pack" on Paramount+. Photos from https://www.paramountpressexpress.com of the premiere night.

Interview with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jeff Davis, Rodrigo Santoro, Bella Shepard, Chloe Rose Robertson, Armani Jackson, and Tyler Lawrence Gray of “Wolf Pack” on Paramount+ by Suzanne 9/21/22

Sarah Michelle Gellar stars as Kristin Ramsy in "Wolf Pack" on Paramount+. Photos from https://www.paramountpressexpress.com I really enjoyed this TCA panel because I’m such a huge fan of Sarah Michelle Gellar from her work on both “All My Children” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Also, I really loved showrunner Jeff Davis’ other werewolf show, “Teen Wolf.” The young cast seems very nice as well. I hope this will be a great show and a huge hit!

WOLF PACK Takes the TCA Panel by Storm

Virtual via Zoom, September 21, 2022 – The highly anticipated TCA panel for the new original series, WOLF PACK, took place yesterday, introducing an exciting lineup of talented cast members and producers. Led by showrunner and executive producer Jeff Davis, the panel included executive producer and renowned actress Sarah Michelle Gellar, along with Rodrigo Santoro, Armani Jackson, Bella Shepard, Chloe Rose Robertson, and Tyler Lawrence Gray.

The virtual event, hosted by Brian Bahr from the Paramount+ Communications Team, kicked off with introductions and a warm welcome to the panelists. Each member shared their excitement for the upcoming series and their roles within it. Rodrigo Santoro as Garrett Briggs and Lanny Joon as Officer Jason Jang in "Wolf Pack" on Paramount+. Photos from https://www.paramountpressexpress.com of the premiere night.

Jeff Davis expressed his enthusiasm for the show, acknowledging that he didn’t expect to work on another series about teenage werewolves so soon. However, he expressed his excitement about the captivating story and the talented cast involved. Davis revealed that WOLF PACK offers a unique tone, setting itself apart from his previous work on “Teen Wolf.” To provide a glimpse into the series, two exclusive clips were showcased during the panel.

The first clip featured Armani Jackson as Everett, portraying a pivotal hospital scene following a harrowing encounter with an animal. The intense sequence offered a glimpse into the horror elements that define the show. Davis emphasized that WOLF PACK would offer a fresh and distinct take on the werewolf genre, promising an engaging viewing experience.

The second clip showcased Sarah Michelle Gellar’s return to the horror genre, much to the delight of fans. Davis expressed his eagernest about Gellar’s involvement, highlighting her significant contribution to the show’s chilling atmosphere. The clip also featured the other main cast members, including Rodrigo Santoro, who impressed the audience with his entrance.

After the clips, the floor opened for questions. One question directed to the younger actors revolved around the impact of Gellar’s previous work, particularly her iconic role in “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” Tyler Lawrence Gray and Armani Jackson confirmed their familiarity with the show, expressing excitement about working with Gellar.

The panel continued with discussions about character development and the overall premise of the series. The cast members provided insights into their roles and how their characters cope with the transformations they experience throughout the show. Each actor shared their enthusiasm for the complex and relatable journeys their characters undertake.

When asked about her return to the horror genre, Sarah Michelle Gellar explained her initial hesitation and how the unique aspects of WOLF PACK enticed her to accept the role. Gellar praised the script’s ability to address important topics like anxiety, depression, and the impact of technology on youth. She also highlighted the show’s exploration of environmental issues, particularly the backdrop of wildfires, drawing from her personal experience during the Los Angeles fires.

Jeff Davis discussed the adaptation process, acknowledging the inspiration from Edo van Belkom’s books but emphasizing the show’s departure from them. He expressed a desire to create a new universe with a distinct tone, unique mythology, and edgier storytelling. Davis emphasized his enthusiasm for exploring adult themes and showcasing diverse and inclusive characters.

Chloe Robertson as Luna Briggs; Tyler Gray as Harlan Briggs; Armani Jackson as Everett Lang; and Bella Shepard as Blake Navarro in "Wolf Pack," Episode 108, Trophic Cascade. Streaming on Paramount+. The panel concluded on a lighthearted note, with the cast members and producers sharing playful banter. Sarah Michelle Gellar jokingly expressed her initial reluctance to undergo extensive makeup and prosthetics, while Jeff Davis and the rest of the panelists playfully discussed the inclusion of actors named Tyler in werewolf shows.

The TCA panel for WOLF PACK showcased a promising and dynamic series that merges horror, complex character arcs, and thought-provoking themes. With an exceptional cast and experienced producers at the helm, the show aims to captivate audiences and push the boundaries of the werewolf genre. Fans eagerly await the premiere of WOLF PACK to witness the thrilling and transformative journey that lies ahead.

MORE INFO:

"Wolf Pack" key art

PARAMOUNT+ ORIGINAL SERIES “WOLF PACK” TO PREMIERE THURSDAY, JAN. 26; ADDITIONAL CAST ANNOUNCED

Official Teaser Trailer Revealed Today During New York Comic Con

Series Produced by MTV Entertainment Studios

Official Teaser Trailer HERE

Oct. 7, 2022 – Paramount+ today announced that the original series WOLF PACK will premiere Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023, exclusively on the service in the U.S. and Canada. The series, written and produced by Jeff Davis, will premiere the following day on Friday, Jan. 27, 2023 on Paramount+ in the U.K., Australia, and Latin America. Premiere dates for other Paramount+ international markets will be announced at a later date.

Paramount+ also revealed the series’ official teaser trailer during today’s joint TEEN WOLF: THE MOVIE and WOLF PACK panel at New York Comic Con. The WOLF PACK panel featured a conversation between writer and executive producer Jeff Davis, executive producer and cast member Sarah Michelle Gellar and cast members Rodrigo Santoro, Armani Jackson, Bella Shepard, Chloe Rose Robertson and Tyler Lawrence Gray. The panel was moderated by Rotten Tomatoes editor Jacqueline Coley.

Additionally, the streamer announced that Bailey Stender (“iCarly”), Chase Liefeld (“Chang Can Dunk”), Hollie Bahar (“Westworld”), Lanny Joon (“Baby Driver”), Rio Mangini (“Everything Sucks”), Stella Smith (“Stargirl”), Zack Nelson (“Loot”) and James Martinez (“Love, Victor”) will join in recurring roles. Additional casting includes Amy Pietz (“Caroline in the City”), Bria Brimmer (“Doom Patrol”), John L. Adams (“The Dead Zone”) and Sean Philip Glasgow (“Diary of a Future President”).

Based on the book series by Edo Van Belkom, WOLF PACK follows a teenage boy and girl whose lives are changed forever when a California wildfire awakens a terrifying supernatural creature and drives it to attack a highway traffic jam beneath the burning hills. Wounded in the chaos, the boy and girl are inexplicably drawn to each other and to two other teenagers who were adopted sixteen years earlier by a park ranger after another mysterious wildfire. As the full moon rises, all four teens come together to unravel the secret that connects them – the bite and blood of a werewolf.

Written and executive produced by Jeff Davis, the series is a part of his multi-year deal with MTV Entertainment Studios. Davis is also writing and producing the upcoming Paramount+ original film TEEN WOLF: THE MOVIE. In addition to Davis, Joe Genier, Mike Elliott and Karen Gorodetzky serve as executive producers for Capital Arts. Jason Ensler, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Christian Taylor serve as executive producers.

About Paramount+

Paramount+ combines live sports, breaking news and a mountain of entertainment. The premium streaming service features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel. The service is also the streaming home to unmatched sports programming, including every CBS Sports event, from golf to football to basketball and more, plus exclusive streaming rights for major sports properties, including some of the world’s biggest and most popular soccer leagues. Paramount+ also enables subscribers to stream local CBS stations live across the U.S. in addition to the ability to stream other live channels: CBSN for 24/7 news, CBS Sports HQ for sports news and analysis and ET Live for entertainment coverage.

For more information about Paramount+ and TEEN WOLF: THE MOVIE, please visit www.paramountplus.com and follow @ParamountPlus on all social platforms and Teen Wolf’s Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.

About Paramount Media Networks & MTVEntertainment Studios

Paramount Media Networks & MTV Entertainment Studios is one of the preeminent media entities in the world that connects with global audiences through its nine iconic brands – MTV, Comedy Central, VH1, CMT, Pop, Logo, Smithsonian, Paramount Network and TV Land – as well as MTV Entertainment Studios which produces acclaimed series and movies and the award-winning, Oscar-nominated MTV Documentary Films.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

"Wolf Pack" cast pose; Photos from https://www.paramountpressexpress.com of the premiere night.

List of Serials on Zee Keralam Worth Watching

Posted on January 19, 2022January 19, 2022 by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Chembarathi

Article by Jaya 1/6/22

Zee Keralam echoes the vivid spirit of every Malayali and offers content that motivates people to rise above odds and craft their destiny. The channel has always retained the essence of authentic Kerala with shows that resonate with cultural nuance and lifestyle. The content library includes fiction, non-fiction or reality that are different in storyline and scale. With deep, culturally rooted, and family-inclusive programs, Zee Keralam brings together generations and keeps them engaged. A pioneer in providing Malayalam entertainment online, Zee Keralam is available on YuppTV. The world’s leading OTT platform for streaming South-Asian content, YuppTV brings exciting and enthralling content for its users with more than 300 TV channels. Get ready to watch Zee Keralam on YuppTV and enjoy an enhanced viewing experience.

Let’s check out popular serials streaming on Zee Keralam.

Chembarathi

Starring Thara Kalyan, Amala Girish, and Stebin in lead roles, Chembarathi revolves between an arrogant, wealthy Akhilandeshwari and her son Anand, in love with Kalyani. While Akhilandeshwari wants her son to marry a rich girl of her stature, unforeseen events lead to Anand and Kalyani marriage. When she learns about the wedding, she despises Kalyani and creates problems that start disrupting her relationship. With an engaging storyline and a stellar cast, Chembarathi is receiving appreciation from all corners. In recent developments, Sivaramakrishnan is glad to see Das coming back home, and Kalyani appreciates Aravind’s concern for Anand. Meet Kalyani and her family from Monday to Thursday at 9 pm. Watch Zee Keralam on YuppTV and get your daily dose of entertainment.

Kaiyethum Dhoorathu

This family drama revolves around Siblings Krishna Prasad and Krishna Priya, who share a great bond. Prasads wife, Durga and Priya also share a loving relationship but turns bitter in a strange shift of events. The twist in the tale arises when Priya’s daughter Kalyani and Durga’s son Aditya fall in love. In the new episodes, Priya is seen disturbed remembering the mess that happened in Tulasi engagement. The rest of the story is about Durga’s attempts to separate the couple, Tulasi struggles to win Durga’s acceptance, the revelation of a big secret and much more. Watch Kaiyethum Dhoorathu streaming on Zee Keralam at 6:30 pm from Monday to Saturday.

Mrs. Hitler

People call Devakrishnan, aka DK as Hitler due to his arrogant attitude towards others. He adopts three sons after his wife Supriya passes away. On his 40th birthday, he decides to marry again in 15 days to fulfil his late wife’s wish. While everyone in the family is excited about his marriage and the arrival of Mrs Hitler, a comedy of errors introduces Jyothirmayi to DK. What follows after is the crux of the story. Shanavas Shanu and Megha Vincent essay the role of Hitler and Mrs Hitler accompanied by Ponnamma Babu, Anjali Rao, Akshaya Raghavan and others. Meet Hitler and his wife at 8:30 pm from Monday to Saturday on Zee Keralam.

Karthika Deepam

Karthika Deepam tells the story of an orphan girl, Karthika and is later adopted by Kannan and Pavithra. Unexpected problems arise in the new house, and her joy of coming into a family is short-lived. A determined Karthika faces all her adversities and stands firm. Snisha Chandran plays the lead role of Karthika in the serial, and seasoned actors like Yedu Krishnan and Vivek Gopan essay other vital roles. Karthika Deepam is aired at 7:30 pm from Monday to Saturday.

Make your family time more memorable while you watch Zee Keralam on YuppTV. With a vast content library, YuppTV is sure to entertain you at the comfort of your home. Subscribe to YuppTV and catch all the Malayalam entertainment online on YuppTV now.

MORE INFO:

Zee Keralam

Zee Keralam is an Indian Malayalam language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. The channel was launched on 26 November 2018 and it is ZEE’s fifth channel in the southern region. The channel is headquartered in Kochi, Kerala.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

Kaiyethum Dhoorathu

Interview with actors from “Safe Room”

Posted on January 14, 2022January 14, 2022 by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Nicole Ari Parker and Nik Sanchez

Interview with actors from “Safe Room” on Lifetime by Suzanne 1/10/22

This was from another Lifetime Press Panel on Zoom. It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed this movie, too. It was a good, suspenseful drama. The actors did a great job. I was the third questioner below.

MODERATOR: Please join me in welcoming the cast of “Safe Room.” We have with us today the stars Nicole Ari Parker, her husband Boris Kodjoe, who not only stars in the movie but is also making his directorial debut, Drea De Matteo, Mackenzie Astin, and the talented Nik Sanchez.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: Woo hoo.

BORIS KODJOE: Hey, what up?

NICOLE ARI PARKER: What up?

MODERATOR: I’m going to get us started immediately with questions from the floor and, once again if you’d like to ask a question please raise your hand, and we have a lot already, so I’m going to get started. The first question goes to Jay Bobbin. Jay, if you can unmute your line.

QUESTION: Hello, thank you very much. Hi, everyone. Thanks for doing this. Boris, when you’re doing something like this the space you have to work with is somewhat limited, obviously. Can you talk a little bit about the challenges and how you meet those to keep your camera moving within such a finite space and keep things active and just keep things in motion?

BORIS KODJOE: That’s a great question. You know, one of the things that I discussed with my DP, Jay Feather, who’s a genius, who — We discussed expanding out of the room by way of creating visuals that pull you in and that create a different sort of angle and a different vision. And so we talked to Luie Garcia, who is our amazing production designer, and she really created magic in that room and every wall, if you noticed, every wall was different, and everything sort of looked different that gave us a different perspective. When the camera was where the front door was and looked into the room there was an amazing wallpaper, I don’t know if you remember, that sort of took us out of the room into nature, but it was definitely at the forefront of my mind, because I didn’t want the audience to feel like we were constricted, and then it’d turn into sort of like a boring thing every time they head into the space.

QUESTION: Thank you.

MODERATOR: Our next question goes to Rick Bentley.

QUESTION: Thank you very much. And, Nicole, I have to imagine that the easiest part of doing this role was the motherly instinct to protect. Can you just talk about was that set, and you just had to work on all the other aspects?

NICOLE ARI PARKER: Well, when I met Nik Sanchez it was very easy to love him and want to protect him. So, yes, I am a mom, but also that does not always translate when you have to — when the movie’s cast, but Nik was so generous with me, because when you’re playing a parent it’s not just the title of mom. It’s the small things, the way you touch your son or your daughter, the way you hug them and talk to them, and I really wanted to respect Nik’s space, and he let me violate him with kisses and hugs.

[LAUGHTER]

NICOLE ARI PARKER: So, yeah, it was a wonderful experience to work with such a talented young actor playing my son.

QUESTION: If I can quickly ask Nik to respond.

NIK SANCHEZ: Yeah.

QUESTION: How was it working with Nicole?

NIK SANCHEZ: Well, she was amazing. She felt like a real mom to me, and both Boris and Nicole knew that this was going to be like their first movie project, so like they made sure like before, we had lunch together, and like they made sure that I felt comfortable and knew what was going on and, immediately, I already like knew that me and Nicole were going to get along, and it really felt like I had two moms on set because like, yeah, they were just amazing, and you and Nicole was amazing.

QUESTION: Thank you.

NIK SANCHEZ: Yeah.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: Shout out to your mom, Naomi, who is incredible and also very kind and patient with me because part of revealing a relationship is what happens in private and between a mother and a son or a mother and a daughter. How do you really be there for your kid in crisis, and then in the confines of shooting it like what is the aspect that we can show in this moment. And Naomi, Nik’s mom, said these are the kind of things I do when I’m at home with Nik and Damaya (SP), and this is how I solve a crisis, and so I’m really grateful for her presence on set.

MODERATOR: Thank you, and thank you, Rick. The next question goes to Suzanne with “TVMeg.”

NICOLE ARI PARKER: Hi, Drea.

DREA DE MATTEO: Hi, Nicole. You look really, really, really cute right now.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: So do you.

DREA DE MATTEO: I was going to text you, but I’m like I’m just going to stay still. I’m going to be cool.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: I was thinking the same thing. I was like —

DREA DE MATTEO: I was like she looks smokin’.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: Thank you.

MODERATOR: Suzanne, go right ahead with your question.

QUESTION: Okay. Can you hear me now?

BORIS KODJOE: Yeah. Hi, Suzanne, speak up.

QUESTION: Okay, hi. Sorry. So I really love this movie. It’s such an interesting idea and has so many twists and turns. You didn’t know what was going to happen next. Boris, did you write the movie or just direct it, just to clarify for me real quick?

BORIS KODJOE: No, I did not write the movie. The movie was written by the amazing — I keep pronouncing her name wrong. Help me. Her name is… sorry. I did not write the movie. I made some tweaks and changes to accommodate the location and some of the aspects we have to deal with. Also, in terms of the characters I made some changes to accommodate all the amazing actors we have but, no, I did not write the movie and before you leave us I will have the name of the incredible writer who wrote this movie.

QUESTION: All right. And what attracted you to the script?

BORIS KODJOE: The mother/son relationship is what attracted me to the script. Obviously, there are circumstances that are high stakes and dangerous and suspenseful, which lent itself to heighten the stakes to the point where it’s life or death. But, to me, at the core was the mother and son relationship, because when you have a child on the spectrum, as a parent, you constantly put out fires. You deal with and you manage your child, and there’s a whole lot of things we project on our children, but throughout the movie the relationship between the mother and the son changes, and she really sees him in a different light, because he steps up and at the end, I can’t give it away, but really comes into his own.

QUESTION: Yes, thank you so much.

BORIS KODJOE: And her name is Nneka, by the way. Nneka, Nneka — How do you pronounce it? Gerstle?

NICOLE ARI PARKER: I think it’s Gerstle.

BORIS KODJOE: Nneka Gerstle is her name.

QUESTION: Thank you so much.

MODERATOR: Thank you, Suzanne.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: And it’s N-N-E-K-A.

BORIS KODJOE: N-N-E-K-A, Nneka.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: Watch her be like my name is [SOUNDS LIKE: Neeka Ga-still-lay].

(Laughter.)

DREA DE MATTEO: This is my favorite conversation.

MODERATOR: The next question goes to the “Hollywood Times.” If you could unmute your mic.

QUESTION: Oh, good morning. I have a question for Boris, and then I have a follow-up for Nicole. How was it stepping in behind the camera and directing the film? Did you find it challenging to direct and star in the film?

BORIS KODJOE: Thanks for the question. Actually, that was not the most challenging part. The most — Hello?

QUESTION: That’s not me talking.

BORIS KODJOE: Okay. Can you hear me?

QUESTION: Yeah, I can hear you.

BORIS KODJOE: The most challenging part for me was to get all my ideas and my vision into this very sort of constrained schedule. We didn’t have a lot of time, and it made it very challenging for me, and I had to be very creative with —

NICOLE ARI PARKER: Very quickly.

BORIS KODJOE: –with Jay Feather, my DP. We had to figure out ways to tell the story and to respect my vision while not going over budget. That was the most challenging part to me.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: You were also really nervous to meet Drea.

BORIS KODJOE: Yes, I was very nervous to meet Drea.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: Because she’s the bomb.

BORIS KODJOE: That was the second most challenging part of shooting this movie.

DREA DE MATTEO: Oh, because I’m so scary.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: We did not know how sweet and kind and shy and delicate she was. You know, she has this massive presence and persona —

BORIS KODJOE: Persona, yes. She’s a delicate flower.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: She’s totally a delicate flower.

BORIS KODJOE: On a meadow, somewhere in a black forest. I had no idea.

DREA DE MATTEO: It’s the eyebrows, the mean eyebrows.

BORIS KODJOE: But we had a lot of challenges. We had flooding on the set. We had an active shooter in the neighborhood who made it really hard for us to continue.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: We had the cicadas, the 17-year, yeah.

BORIS KODJOE: Cicadas came and descended down —

NICOLE ARI PARKER: Right on the house with the sound department, and we can’t shoot anything.

BORIS KODJOE: And we had the camera truck stolen, so —

NICOLE ARI PARKER: Well, just the, the entire truck wasn’t stolen, just the cameras in the camera truck.

BORIS KODJOE: In the camera truck.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: Yeah.

BORIS KODJOE: Yeah. So a lot of challenges but with these beautiful people here that you see, and the quarterback next to me, I was able to pull through; Jay Feather, the DP; obviously, Dominique Telson, our producer, and we got it done.

QUESTION: Nicole, you’ve shared seamlessly, actually, shared the screen with Boris over a decade, but was it easy taking direction from him because he is your real husband? And do you feel like he made it a point to try and exceed your expectations?

NICOLE ARI PARKER: Well, I think that we have such a great rapport back and forth because we did meet on “Soul Food” twenty years ago in a TV setting, so we know how a set runs. My first impulse was to collaborate, so he would tell me something day one, and I would be like, “Well, actually, if you just push in and then da-da-da-da-da,” and I realized like halfway through the sentence, because everybody was silent — I think, Mack, you were there that day — I just, in that moment, I was like we’ve got one take, and we have to do it in four minutes, okay? And he is the captain of the ship, and I have to just let him do it. So I pushed back like day one, scene one.

BORIS KODJOE: Yeah.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: And then after that I just did what he said.

BORIS KODJOE: Well, she realized that a lot of preparation went into setting up these shots and, you know —

NICOLE ARI PARKER: Yes.

BORIS KODJOE: — I had the confined space, time, a lot of things to deal with, and I think she realized that I had through those things numerous times, and I had plan A, B, C, D, E, F, G ready to go.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: Yeah. And I looked Mack’s face. I was like, “Because you’re an actor, right? Mack, you get it. You get what I’m saying, that if you just run in and then fall he can just shoot it from…” and Mack just looked at me like (Makes face.)

MACKENZIE ASTIN: Got to make this day, got to make this day —

BORIS KODJOE: He pled the fifth, he pled the fifth.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: He (totally pled the fifth @ 00:14:07).

BORIS KODJOE: He pled the fifth. He was hiding behind his mask. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: Thank you both for doing this today.

BORIS & NICOLE: Thank you.

MODERATOR: The next question is an email question for Drea. Drea, you have a huge fan following from “The Sopranos,” and in this movie you play the villain Rocco, who’s also a tough-talking type. Did you like playing Rocco?

DREA DE MATTEO: I really, really did. I think, well, this has been the month of me playing psychopaths, just the beginning of it. So I think I’m used to playing a victim, so it was nice to victimize somebody else. There’s a real freedom that comes with being a psychopath. You’re just not careful about anything, nothing is calculated. Everything is just, you know, it just all hangs out. So, yes, I really enjoyed being able to be this awful human being. There’s no redeeming qualities here.

MODERATOR: Thank you, Drea. The next question is from Karen Moul. Karen, if you can unmute your mic.

QUESTION: Hi, everybody. Hi from Baltimore. I’m calling you from my place in Baltimore.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: Hi, Karen.

BORIS KODJOE: Hey.

QUESTION: In fact, Mack and I are neighbors and go to the same restaurant.

MODERATOR: Ask a question.

BORIS KODJOE: Wow.

QUESTION: When I read about this movie I thought Drea De Matteo and Mackenzie Astin as the heavies, that’s a little unexpected, and then halfway through the film I thought these two need like a spinoff like a workplace comedy with these characters, and I wonder if you could talk about where you guys found your chemistry together and for these two characters, and how you enjoyed playing them together.

DREA DE MATTEO: Go Mack.

MACKENZIE ASTIN: Well, I’ll go ahead and say that I think like the universe helped establish the chemistry. Drea and I have known each other for about twenty years now. An old friend of mine that I worked with ended up working with her and connected us, and we became friends. So I actually sort of got this job because Drea recommended me, so there’s an instant chemistry boost right there, but we’ve known each other twenty some-odd years now, so that stuff’s sort of already in there, which is great, actually. And the opportunity to work together after being friends for so long absolutely destroyed our friendship. (Laughter.)

BORIS KODJOE: Karen, I want to jump in here real quick because, yes, it’s not true. He didn’t get the job because Drea recommended him. He got the job because —

NICOLE ARI PARKER: He got the audition because Drea recommended him.

BORIS KODJOE: Exactly. He got the audition because Drea recommended him.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: And then killed it.

BORIS KODJOE: And he slaughtered and incinerated the audition.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: And I’m from Baltimore, and my mother and father still live in Baltimore, so I was like you got to give it to Baltimore, man. You got to give it to Baltimore.

BORIS KODJOE: No, he came in and it was scorched earth.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: Yeah. He shut it down.

BORIS KODJOE: He took the role.

MACKENZIE ASTIN: Well, a lot of stuff conspired to make it all come together for which I’m super grateful, because it’s not that often that a job comes to town, and it was good to get onboard.

QUESTION: Well, Dominic and Rocco were a lot of fun and very scary, so thanks a lot.

MODERATOR: Thank you, Karen. The next question is from Noah Wilson.

QUESTION: Hello, everyone. It’s so great to be here with you guys. Boris, I wanted to ask you my first question. Congratulations on this being your directorial debut. It being with Lifetime, could you ever see yourself direct more movies with Lifetime down the road, because this is such a fantastic film. So many are going to love to “Safe Room.” It’s so intense.

BORIS KODJOE: Wow. Thank you. Thank you, Noah.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: Wow.

BORIS KODJOE: Thank you for these kind words, and I was delighted to work with Lifetime. Tanya Lopez was amazing. She really supported the project. She loved it, as well as Mekita Faiye who was our executive over there. It was a delight. I’m forever grateful for them for thinking about me for this movie and, hopefully, yes, absolutely. I’d love to do more work with them.

QUESTION: Now how was it like to not only direct but star in the movie with your wife and get to work together as partners on this, because you don’t see a lot of Hollywood stars get to work with their husband or wife in a movie, so how was that like?

BORIS KODJOE: That’s true. Like my wife said earlier, we met on a set, so we were very much accustomed to the environment of a professional setting, and we thrive in that setting, and so working with her again was a dream because, first of all, she makes me better, and she is, you know, she was a top dog, and her energy and her professionalism sort of transcended the whole set. Everybody had to step it up a notch when she stepped on set, and I love to see that. And I’m forever grateful for these people here on our Zoom. They really came to play, which I loved. All I had to do was really set the stage and then get out the way. They were all phenomenal.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: I think Nik kind of stepped up everyone’s game.

BORIS KODJOE: Yeah. Definitely.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: Yeah.

BORIS KODJOE: Nik’s energy —

NICOLE ARI PARKER: He was like that’s not your line.

BORIS KODJOE: Yeah. He was very specific about everybody’s lines.

NIK SANCHEZ: Thank you.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: Are you (audio glitch @ 00:19:36).

(Laughter.)

QUESTION: No, you guys, I want to ask the rest of the cast that are on the Zoom chat how is it like to take direction from Boris? Did you guys think he nailed down his first directorial debut?

NICOLE ARI PARKER: No pressure.

MACKENZIE ASTIN: Yeah.

DREA DE MATTEO: Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, I —

MACKENZIE ASTIN: Hundred percent.

NIK SANCHEZ: Yeah.

MACKENZIE ASTIN: I don’t want to take up too much space in this, but I definitely — and I definitely talk too much — but like this guy, I don’t know, I absolutely loved it. This guy had a plan, and when stuff went wrong he had a way to counter it, and when stuff went wrong the second time he had a way to counter that. I don’t know where it comes from, but it was a treat to work with a guy who is such a natural at leading a team.

BORIS KODJOE: Wow. Thank you.

DREA DE MATTEO: Yeah. I mean, I’ve been on too many film sets, TV sets for sure, and I thought that Boris seemed like he had been doing this longer than all of the seasoned directors I’ve ever worked with.

BORIS KODJOE: Oh, my goodness.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: And I knew like, and it was funny when you were talking about Nicole, like, “Well, I want to do it like this,” and I was just like I’m just going to park and bark. I’m going to do whatever he says to do. I don’t know. Park and bark. Here I go. I’ll make anything fit into a tiny space, so it was easy. You really are awesome, Boris.

BORIS KODJOE: Thank you so much.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: You really are. Like there’s a confidence that you have that’s like and which it just there was no question. Okay, if he says do this then I’m going to do this. I don’t care.

(Laughter.)

MODERATOR: Thank you all. I’m sorry. We have to move on to our next question, because we just have a few more minutes left and we are trying to get through as many as possible. But thank you, Noah, and thank you to the cast.

QUESTION: Thank you, guys.

MODERATOR: The next question is for Starry Constellation Mag.

BORIS KODJOE: Wow.

QUESTION: Hi, guys. Nik, what was it like for you doing a character that’s on the spectrum? Did you study much about this in order to portray the character properly?

BORIS KODJOE: Hang on a second, hold on.

NIK SANCHEZ: Well, I mean, like playing an autistic, sorry, since I am autistic playing autistic just feels like, you know, a man playing a man. It’s part of who I am, but what I most like about playing Ian is the fact that it helps me learn more about like myself, and my own aspects of my own autism, and what other people on the spectrum go through, too. And Ian loves a lot of things like videogames, STEM, like gadgets, cars, basically, you name it. He’s a big geek, but I love those similar things. Ian and I are very similar when it comes to our character and our traits, and I really enjoyed playing this role. It made me feel like that if I was in a similar situation like he was I would be able to be brave and confident just like he was.

QUESTION: Well, it was wonderful to watch you. You really excelled in this role.

NIK SANCHEZ: Thank you.

BORIS KODJOE: Well said.

MODERATOR: Thank you so much, Nik. Thank you. I think we have room for one more question, and that will be the “Hollywood Times.”

QUESTION: Hi, there. One more time. Thank you. Do any of the writers or actors have experience dealing with children on the autistic spectrum, and how did you all ensure the authenticity of Ian’s character?

BORIS KODJOE: Well, first of all, we did a lot of research and partnered with organizations who support children and young adults on the spectrum. We wanted to make sure, again, we wanted to make sure that this comes across with full authenticity and truth, and that’s why I fought to hire and actor who was on the spectrum. And Nik, he superseded any expectations that I had going into this project, and I was so delighted and grateful to have him onboard. He really, like Nicole said, he made everybody step up around him and not just in front of the camera, but also just the energy on set changed when he stepped on the set, which is amazing to watch. Representation is everything. It is truly important, because it creates normalcy around whatever we’re talking about, in this case, autism. And we wanted to shed a light, because we want to make sure that young actors on the spectrum are supported, and the opportunities increase in the industry. It’s much needed. It’s time, and it’s completely normal. The problem has been that we project too much on these performers, on these kids, young adults, and that’s our own problem, and this experience has been eye-opening for me in that we should talk less and listen more, and Nik has taught us a whole lot in those four weeks we spent together.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: And it also helped us understand, and you, as a director, you were saying how you would hire Nik for anything.

BORIS KODJOE: Yeah.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: It wouldn’t have to be the narrative around a child or a teenager on the spectrum; that his talent and his work ethic were so tremendous that he could, you know, play any role in any film —

BORIS KODJOE: Yeah. Hundred percent. So specific. So prepared. So professional. I aspire to be like Nik.

(Laughter.)

NIK SANCHEZ: What?

BORIS KODJOE: To be honest with you. And I thought I was prepared and disciplined being German.

NICOLE ARI PARKER: Oh, man.

NIK SANCHEZ: (Inaudible @ 00:25:25) like that.

QUESTION: Wonderful answer. Thank you. And thank you to the “Safe Room” team.

MODERATOR: Thank you to the entire cast of “Safe Room.” It’s been great having you. I really appreciate it and thank you to the press for asking your great questions. Just a reminder, “Safe Room” premieres Saturday, January 15th at 8/7 Central on Lifetime.

MORE INFO:

Preview

Safe Room centers on recently widowed Lila Jackson (Ari Parker) and her 14-year-old autistic son Ian (Sanchez). Since the death of her husband, Lila is grateful for their kind neighbor Neil Hargrove (Kodjoe), who looks out for them. After Ian accidentally witnesses a break-in in the house across the street and records the horrific murder of the homeowner, Lila becomes embroiled in a deadly struggle to protect her son from intruders Dominic (Astin) and Rocco (De Matteo), who will stop at nothing to retrieve the video evidence of the crime and silence them. Hiding and trapped in a makeshift panic room created by her late husband, Lila and Ian must use all of their strength and intelligence to outsmart the intruders to save themselves.

Additional cast members include Monica Calhoun who appears as Officer Armani and Julito McCullum as a repairman.

Lifetime has worked with the organization RespectAbility in review of the script to ensure as much authenticity as possible in the portrayal of Ian. The role of Ian is played by Nik Sanchez who is on the autism spectrum. As part of Lifetime’s advocacy efforts, resources to learn more about autism will be provided at the end of the film.

Safe Room is produced by Astute Films for Lifetime. Executive producers include Dominique Telson and Karen Kaufman Wilson. Boris Kodjoe directs from a script by Nneka Gerstle.

LIFETIME ANNOUNCES AIRDATES FOR “SAFE ROOM” AND “VANISHED: SEARCHING FOR MY SISTER”

– 11/16/2021 –

LIFETIME SETS AIRDATES FOR
NEW ORIGINAL THRILLERS FOR JANUARY 2022

SAFE ROOM
DEBUTS JANUARY 15
STARRING NICOLE ARI PARKER, DREA DE MATTEO,
MACKENZIE ASTIN, NIK SANCHEZ
AND BORIS KODJOE, IN HIS DIRECTORIAL DEBUT

VANISHED: SEARCHING FOR MY SISTER
PREMIERES JANUARY 22

STARRING TATYANA ALI, JUSTIN BRUENING, JASMINE GUY,
CAROLYN HENNESY AND ANTHONY “TREACH” CRISS

LOS ANGELES, CA (Nov 16, 2021) – Lifetime unveils airdates for two new suspense-filled original movies— Safe Room and Vanished: Searching For My Sister—scheduled to premiere on back to back weekends in January 2022. Marking his directorial debut, Boris Kodjoe directs real-life wife Nicole Ari Parker (Chicago P.D., Empire), Drea de Matteo (The Sopranos), Nik Sanchez (The Rookie) and Mackenzie Astin (The Magicians) in the home invasion movie Safe Room (formerly known as Safe Space), premiering Saturday, January 15^th at 8p/7c. The following weekend, the chills and thrills continue with the story of a sister who poses as her missing twin in Vanished: Searching For My Sister, starring Tatyana Ali (Love That Girl) playing both twins, Justin Bruening (Sweet Magnolias) and Jasmine Guy (Grey’s Anatomy). Vanished: Searching For My Sister premieres on Saturday, January 22nd at 8p/7c.

Full movie descriptions below.

SAFE ROOM
Premieres Saturday, January 15^TH at 8p/7c

The Lifetime thriller, Safe Room, centers on recently widowed Lila Jackson (Nicole Ari Parker) and her 14-year-old autistic son Ian (Nik Sanchez). Since the death of her husband, Lila is grateful for their kind neighbor Neil (Boris Kodjoe), who looks out for them. After Ian accidentally witnesses a break-in in the house across the street and records the horrific murder of the homeowner, Lila becomes embroiled in a deadly struggle to protect her son from intruders Dominic (Mackenzie Astin) and Rocco (Drea De Matteo), who will stop at nothing to retrieve the video evidence of the crime and silence them. Hiding and trapped in a makeshift panic room created by her late husband, Lila and Ian must use all of their strength and intelligence to outsmart the intruders to save themselves.

Safe Room is produced by Astute Films for Lifetime. Executive producers include Dominique Telson and Karen Kaufman Wilson. Boris Kodjoe directs from a script by Nneka Gerstle.

VANISHED: SEARCHING FOR MY SISTER
Premieres Saturday, January 22^nd at 8p/7c

Twins Jada and Kayla (both played by Tatyana Ali) could not be more opposite: Jada being the mild-mannered sister with an office job, and Kayla the wild child. Recently divorced from her husband Warren (Justin Bruening), Kayla asks Jada to watch her daughter while she sets up her new apartment. But after a few days with no word from Kayla, Jada begins to worry and reports her sister missing. With no leads and the police investigation at a standstill, Jada takes matters into her own hands. She disguises herself as her sister and gets pulled into a world of drugs and deceit in order to learn the shocking truth about what really happened to Kayla.

Vanished: Searching for My Sister also stars Jasmine Guy, Carolyn Hennesy and Anthony “Treach” Criss.

The film is produced by Big Dreams Entertainment and Leslie Greif serves as executive producer. Tim Woodward Jr. directs from a script written by Christina Welsh.

About Lifetime
Celebrating over 35 years of entertaining audiences, Lifetime is a premier entertainment destination for women dedicated to offering the highest quality original programming spanning award-winning movies, high-quality scripted series and breakout non-fiction series. Lifetime has an impressive legacy in public affairs, bringing attention to social issues that women care about with initiatives such as the long-running Stop Breast Cancer for Life, Stop Violence Against Women, and Broader Focus, a major global initiative dedicated to supporting and hiring female directors, writers and producers, including women of color, to make its content.Lifetime Television®, LMN®, Lifetime Real Women® and Lifetime Digital™ are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A+E Networks. A+E Networks is a joint venture of the Disney-ABC Television Group and Hearst Corporation.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

“I Know What You Did Last Summer” TRAILER

poster for "Safe Room" on Lifetime

Interview with Fiona Rene

Posted on January 13, 2022November 12, 2024 by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Fiona Rene of "I Know What You Did Last Summer" on Amazon Prime

Interview with Fiona Rene of “I Know What You Did Last Summer” on Amazon Prime by Thane 12/27/22

I was excited to ask Fiona about the technological aspects of her work as technology interests me.

Thane: Are you pleased with how I Know What You Did Last Summer turned out?

Fiona: Yes, I am. I don’t know if you know this, but we didn’t know who the killer was while we were shooting until the very end. So, I myself was very surprised by the whole ordeal.

Thane: Were there any scenes that were challenging to play?

Fiona: You know, it’s always interesting doing intimate scenes with someone that you have just met. So, obviously, that was a little, you know, intense. And I think one of my favorite scenes that we shot was when I had to go into the cave, because I had to actually squeeze through a whole bunch of little crevices, and it really it felt very realistic. That was probably the most intense, those two.

Thane: Overall, what has been your favorite role to play and why?

Fiona: Oh, what a good question. I don’t know. I don’t know if you have seen this, but I played a character named Sarah Bernhardt in a video game for PS4 and virtual reality called The Invisible Hours, and my character is French, and it took place in like the early 1900s. So yeah, that was probably my favorite thus far, but I love playing cops, don’t get me wrong.

Thane: What drove you to get into acting?

Fiona: I’ve been doing it ever since I was a kid, and I moved around a lot when I was younger. Every year we moved, so it was kind of difficult to make friends, and acting was always the thing that was consistent in my life that made me feel like I could have fun and play without being super nervous or scared all the time. So, it really made me feel comfortable, and that’s the best feeling in the world, right? Whenever you actually feel like you’re accepted, and you’re comfortable, and now I could never stop, ever.

Thane: How do you feel about the current state of diversity in Hollywood?

Fiona: It’s getting better. It’s consistently getting better, and there’s so much more room to grow. I really like that people of color are being seen for roles that don’t put them in boxes as much as they used to, but we still have so much more work to do. And I also feel very proud, because I’ll be it, we’re not perfect, and Hollywood has so much to learn still, but I feel like we are coming from a small town in Oklahoma where the diversity is very rare, and you don’t have a lot of different cultures there. The Midwest, it is predominantly white, so I think we’re making moves, and I think that we’re doing it in a really good job, but I think that it’s slow, but it’s supposed to be slow, because if we went any faster, it’s like we would be missing steps. Great question.

Thane: Is there any actor and/or director who you want to work with?

Fiona: Mike Flanagan…Burton Bernie. In the Marvel world, I think that they could really use me. Burton, Bernie and Mike Flanagan, I love horror. I’m such a big horror fan. So, I Know What You Did Last Summer was super fun, but I wouldn’t mind getting into a little bit more deeper psychological horror.

Thane: Are you inspired by any actors or actresses?

Fiona: Oh gosh. Yes. I think, you know, this might be a little on the nose, but JLaw, Jennifer Lawrence, when she came out, and she made such big waves, it really inspired me to know that I can kind of just be myself: sarcastic, I don’t have to be in the best mood all the time, I don’t have to put on a face all the time, I can be curvy, like, there’s lots of lots of inspiration that I got from her. And also, maybe not named actors, but actors that are working in improv. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of like Groundlings and UCB, but they’re like improvisational theater groups that are kind of around LA, and there are a lot of people that every day, they’re grinding. They’re going to the theater; they’re playing games. They’re working with other actors. That’s the most inspiring people that aren’t getting paid thousands of dollars yet, but are still just grinding, because they love their craft. That’s probably the most inspirational, aside from so many amazing actors and names. [Margaret Qualley from] the show Maid. I don’t know if you’ve seen Maid. It’s about a girl who is very poor. She goes through domestic violence. The actress who played that, oh, blew me off my feet. But yeah, a lot of the time I’m inspired not by named actors, but by actors that I meet, that are just grinding every day.

Thane: As an acting coach, does it bother you if you see actors on set that are not doing a great job with their acting?

Fiona: That’s a hard question, because define “what is doing a great job?” I am bothered as an acting coach; I am bothered when I see actors take it so seriously that they forget to play, especially, you know, when you go method, and whenever you get into the role so much that you’re so focused that you’re no longer part of the community on set, but you’re just in your own zone. I think that’s the hardest, and that’s when I get the most disappointed, because they could be doing a great job. They can be acting the character off the wall, but if they’re making it uncomfortable, difficult, and not fun for all the people that they’re working with, that’s when I get upset, or disappointed, you may say, because it really, our job is to not only put on a good performance for the audience, but also to create a good energy in the space that we’re working. I hope I answered your question.

Thane: Tell us about your workshop method for being acting in immersive environments.

Fiona: Okay, I get really excited talking about this. There’re lots of different mediums nowadays, right? Video games, virtual reality, TV, RPGs, movies, so many different kinds of ways to experience storytelling, that it’s really interesting for the actor, especially whenever you’re just starting, because you can get a job doing voiceover. You can get a job doing virtual reality, augmented reality, TV, and there are lots of technical difficulties and differences between these mediums, but there’s not a lot of difference between character preparation, and a lot of actors can get thrown off with the technical differences that they let those technicalities affect their character performance. So, Method for Being is really about helping you define your character, helping you define your role, what those differences are, and how to put those into any medium, no matter the technical difference. So, whether you’re on stage in front of fifty thousand people, you’re playing the same authentic character as you would be if you got cast as the same thing, but in a TV show or video game.

Thane: You have experience with virtual reality, which is great, because I am a nerd. Do you think there’s potential for independent producers to create their own productions utilizing virtual reality technology?

Fiona: Yes, 100% I mean, especially someone who’s differently abled, I think that there is a platform there where you can really have a voice, for sure. The one thing about VR is that it’s such complicated storytelling, because there’s such an open world; it’s not so linear, and there’s pros and cons to that, right? Pros being, there’re not a lot of people; not everyone in Hollywood knows how to tell a nonlinear story. So if you really can understand how that world works, then you really got a one up. The cons to that is that, because there are not many people in Hollywood that understand nonlinear storytelling, it takes a little bit more effort to get people to listen, but I think right now is the time for independent producers and independent storytellers that don’t maybe have as much experience as your Joe Schmo on TV making series every day to pump their own content. There’s so much more space for new content. So, yes.

Thane: What are the advantages of using AR/VR as opposed to traditional 2-D Productions?

Fiona: Well, one, it’s 2-D on television screens in movies. There’s a fourth wall, and the audience is on the sidelines watching. Whenever we play in VR and AR, the audience now becomes a player in the story. The audience now has agency; the audience now has the ability to change things up. I don’t know if you know about We Are OFK, the game that I’m in that’s coming out 2022. It is a narrative video game, but just like in the 90s, when you play or you read a choose your own adventure novel, there’s so much more ability for the audience to affect how the story changes. And it’s not as easy to do that on a 2-D platform, because you still feel separated with the screen, but when you are in VR, and AR, when you turn your head and you look to that side of the room, you see that side of the room. You become the filmmaker yourself. So, there’s so much more agency for the audience, that it really becomes an interactive experience, as opposed to something that you’re just watching. You’re now a part of the story; you have choice. That’s so exciting to me, because I think storytelling in general is so collaborative, that whenever not only are you you’re collaborating with your fellow artists, but now you’re collaborating with your audience, that’s just that’s just so dope to me.

Thane: As an actor and/or producer, do you have to think about different things when you do productions in newer technologies? What are the main things?

Fiona: That was a complicated question. I almost want you to ask it again, because you said actor or producer. And, you know, the producer’s job is to really get hands on, and there’s a huge, a huge difference between what a producer would be doing in let’s say, a VR production, as opposed to what a producer would be doing in a TV production, lots of differences, the way things are handled. I mean, there’re different kinds of producers as well, the producer that makes sure everyone’s doing their job on set versus the producer that is budgeting out the money and making sure money goes to different places. A virtual production would have different jobs that a producer would have to hire for, as opposed to a 2-D production, but I think – and that’s where Method for Being comes in. For the actor, there shouldn’t be that much of a difference. The actor should know what their “moment before” is. The actor should know how to focus and ground themselves so they are able to become the character that they need to become. The actor should know who they’re talking to. What’s the relationship to the person they’re talking to, and where are they? Those things no matter whether you’re doing a green screen mocap suit or you’re out in the middle of the wilderness, those should be the same. So, to answer your question, yes and no.

As stated in this article, https://www.swisswatch.is/product-category/richard-mille/rm-018/ you can browse your selection of available deals on smartphones and top brands and explore the service plans that best suit your needs.

Thane: Is there anything else that you want to share with the TVMEG.COM audience?

Fiona: Let’s see. Make sure to check out I Know What You Did Last Summer and We Are OFK on PS4 and PS5, 2022. You’ll see me in – I’m about to shoot a couple of episodes of a few other shows at the top of the year, so I should have some new content coming out soon. And thank you just so much for spending time with me talking about this stuff. I’m a geek too. So, I’m with you. I could talk about interactive storytelling all day long.

Here is the Video!

Interview Transcribed by Jamie of http://www.scifivision.com

MORE INFO:

Multi-faceted, Chinese-American actress, voice artist, immersive director and educator, Fiona Rene will star in her Fiona Rene of "I Know What You Did Last Summer" on Amazon Prime first series regular role in the highly-anticipated Amazon Original series “I Know What You Did Last Summer” which all episodes are now streaming to 240 countries and territories worldwide. The Sony Pictures produced series will premiere with the first four episodes premiering at once on October 15th and the remaining four will come out weekly, with the finale episode Friday, November 12th. Written by Sara Goodman (“Gossip Girl”) and executive produced by James Wan (SAW, THE CONJURING), the gory yet sexy series, based on the 1973 novel by Lois Duncan, is a YA mystery thriller series with elements of horror, comedy and drama and is a modern take of the 1998 movie adaptation. In a town full of secrets, a group of teenagers are stalked by a mysterious killer a year after a fatal accident on their graduation night. Rene plays the role of “Lyla”, the police chief of the small town who works to piece together clues to find the killer.

Rene is best known for her role as Kara Lee on ABC’s “Stumptown,” her first recurring role in which she played Michael Ealy’s love interest. Her other credits include ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” FOX’s “LA’s Finest,” and The CW’s “Jane the Virgin,” in which she played the role of ‘Celeste,’ a lesbian mother who goes on a playdate with Jane (Rodriguez) and her son. Rene is also a successful voiceover actor in animation, radio, promo, narrative and commercial. She has voiced for the Freeform network’s “The Bold Type” and “Good Trouble” along with several other animation projects. She is also best known for being one of the hosts in LATV’s “Get it Girl” where she dives into fun, culturally relevant, provocative and attention-grabbing conversation. Alongside acting, Rene has worked extensively in theater and animation in addition to voiceover work and has worked as an interactive performance director, creative consultant, and performance manager.

Born in Montana, Rene and her family moved often and lived in many different places growing up. At the age of 13, Rene and her family moved from Michigan to Texas where she eventually graduated from high school at the age of sixteen and attended Austin Community College and then Oklahoma Baptist University. Moving from school to school, she struggled making friends but soon found her calling as an actor through augmented and virtual reality storytelling. She started working at a haunted house and learning prosthetics while teaching acting at the same time. Rene made her directorial debut alongside writing and casting her first immersive show with 13th Floor Entertainment in 2008. After relocating to London, Rene worked as an actor, acting coach and director, "I Know What You Did Last Summer" poster directing and casting for Le Manoir de Paris, France for 5 years until she moved to Los Angeles. Since then, she has worked nonstop as an actor and director and has much experience working on long tours as well as abroad. Through the Disney Talent Mentorship program, she became an artist residence at Technicolor where she creates interactive content for their augmentative and virtual reality department.

Rene created several immersive haunted house experiences and also directed and co-wrote an immersive interactive theatre experience called THE WILLOWS, a 2-hour experience that takes guests through a sprawling 10,000 square foot mansion in Los Angeles. This allowed her to create her own concept and began teaching workshops on “Method for Being: Acting in Immersive Environments,” an interactive masterclass for actors and storytellers designed to explore the commonalities of character building and world building, between the mediums of stage, film, television, voiceover, motion capture, live immersive/interactive, VR and AR. The workshops also explore the critical similarities and differences between creative processes like Audience POV, special awareness, motivation-based movement, linear/multi-liner/multiverse and open world storylines. Her clientele includes ABC/Disney, private and public schools, universities, theatre companies, design summits, conference, and also teaches one-on-one personal sessions to enhance the actor’s and storyteller’s creative process and confidence in their craft. Rene was also on the Board of Directors for The Game Academy in San Rafael, a company empowering learners to achieve social, emotion, cognitive, and academic success through engaging, interactive role-playing games for kids and students who are on and off the spectrum, helping them interact socially and emotionally.

In her free time, Rene lives a healthy and fit lifestyle weight training and practicing spiritual meditation. Having struggled with mental illness, she has found stability through art and acting and works to help others dealing with mental health. She also loves to spend time with her adorable cats Lily & Denver.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

Fiona Rene of "I Know What You Did Last Summer" on Amazon Prime

Interview with cast of “Naomi”

Posted on January 11, 2022March 15, 2023 by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Mary-Charles Jones, Kaci Walfall and Camila Moreno of "Naomi" on The CW

Interview with actors from “Naomi” on The CW by Suzanne 1/6/22

This was a great panel with the cast and creators of the new teen superhero show on The CW. I love all of their superhero shows, so I was very grateful to be there. There was a lot of youth and passion in our little Zoom press panel.

THE CW NETWORK

Naomi

Cast Zoom: Ava DuVernay (EP), Jill Blankenship (EP), Kaci Walfall “Naomi,” Cranston Johnson “Zumbado,” Alexander Wraith, “Dee,” Mary-Charles Jones, “Annabelle,” Barry Watson, “Greg,” Mouzam Makkar “Jennifer,” Daniel Puig “Nathan,” Camila Moreno “Lourdes,” Will Meyers “Anthony,” Aidan Gemme “Jacob,” 2022.0106

Here’s the description of the series that we were given in the panel:

“This is a truly fresh take on the superhero genre from executive producers Ava DuVernay and Jill Blankenship. And we’re so happy you’re joining us today to hear from them and our incredible cast. The DC drama Naomi follows the journey of a cool, confident, comic book-loving teenager as she pursues her hidden destiny. When a supernatural event shakes her hometown of Port Oswego to the core, Naomi sets out to uncover its origins with a little help from her fiercely-loyal best friend, Annabelle. She also has the support of her adopted doting parents, veteran military officer, Greg and linguistics teacher, Jennifer. After an encounter with Zumbado, the mysterious owner of a used-car lot leaves her shaken, Naomi turns to tattoo-parlor owner, Dee, who becomes her reluctant mentor. While unraveling the mystery about herself, Naomi also effortlessly navigates her high school friendships with kids on the military base, as well as local townies, including ex-boyfriend and high school jock Nathan, Annabelle’s long-time loyal boyfriend, Jacob, proud townie, Anthony, and fellow comic book enthusiast, Lourdes, who works in a vintage collectible shop. As Naomi journeys to the heights of the Multiverse in search of answers, what she discovers will challenge everything we believe about our heroes. Don’t believe everything you think. This is… Naomi. New series, Tuesday, January 11. Only on The CW.”

I was able to ask just two question because it was a large press panel with many journalists. First I asked the show’s star, Kaci, if she had been a fan of this (or any other) comic book prior to the show. She answered that she’s an “avid reader,” but not of comics. However, she did love The CW superhero shows, such as “Supergirl” and “The Flash.”

I love Barry Watson because I used to watch “7th Heaven,” where he played the hunky oldest teen boy. Here, he plays Naomi’s adoptive dad on the show. I asked him if he’d ever played a military man before. He replied that he hadn’t, as far as he could remember. He added that he does come from “a bit of a military family,” but this is his first time playing someone in the military.

Ava DuVernay chimed in to say how much she likes him “with the salt and pepper beard.” She said it’s a shame that he can’t wear it on the show, since he’s in the military. Then she mused that they might have to find a way to write it in the show. I had just been thinking the same thing, that he should keep the beard because he looks great with it. I thought, “Should I say that? Do I have time?”… so I’m glad she said it! She said that he looked “fantastic.” He grinned modestly. I’m sure he’s used to women complimenting him. He said that this is “how I roll.” Like so many men, he doesn’t shave when he’s not working. I don’t normally like beards, but it looks good on him. She joked again that she’ll have to write it in the script. He agreed and revealed that “shaving it every day hurts my face.”

DuVernay was very chatty during the panel and had a lot of energy. I could tell that she’s really the driving force behind the show as well as its biggest cheerleader. I can see now why people are so inspired by her.

Jamie asked where the show might fit in the DCU and whether it might be involved with some of the CW crossovers. Executive Producer Jill answered that this is the third DC show she’s worked on, and she loves how they have something for everyone. She doesn’t think that anything is “ever off the table” (including a crossover). That’s great to hear.

Max asked Ava and Jill about where the idea came from to develop the series and what their experiences were with comics beforehand. Duvernay informed us that through her production company Array, which is via Warner Brothers, she had been involved with a DCU movie “New Gods” (unfortunately, this film had been canceled because it conflicted with the “Justice League” movie). She also worked with them on another new show, “DMZ,” which comes out on HBO Max later this spring. Then she heard about a new comic about a black girl superhero, so she really wanted to be involved with it. She liked it because it was different from other superheroes, since this girl is figuring out her destiny and who she is. She praised Jill as one of the “top two best writing partners I’ve ever, ever had,” so she wanted her for the show, and they started working on it. Then she went on to heap loving praise on all of the cast and crew and said they’ve had a good time creating the show together.

Max then asked a second question, for Kaci, about what her audition process was like; he also asked the producers why they chose her. Kaci described her audition. She sent in a self-tape and didn’t hear anything for 2 weeks. Then Ava emailed her and wanted to do a Zoom call with her and two others. She did some scenes with them and answered questions, and then they flew her to L.A. She went with her mom out to L.A., where they had her do some readings (for chemistry). Then they talked about the show over lunch and got to know each other. A week later, Ava phoned her to say she got the part. This sounds like a very thorough audition. They never answered his second question, unfortunately.

Fred was called on next. Ava recognized him from when he was a publicist and she used to pitch (story ideas) to her. Awww, that was nice. Ava said he was very sweet and that they’d both been doing this a long time.

Fred asked Kaci whether the fact that Naomi just discovered her powers gives her a little leeway into training a little bit, and he also asked her how extensive her physical training has been.

Kaci agreed that she has been able to ease in to the training. She’s finding things out as Naomi does and is able to grow over time. She credits her stunt coordinator, Elizabeth, for telling her that she’s just at the right place (the same as the character). She just works out to stay fit and keep her energy going, but Naomi gets better every episode.

Fred followed up with asking Alex about his own physical training for the role of Dee. Alex admitted that while he was “pretty athletic,” he’d given up on heavy training and martial arts for a few years, so he had to start training again. He pointed out that it feels very good, and he feels that he’s back on track.

Ava disappeared for a moment to get her charger, just as Rick was going to ask her a question, so everyone laughed because it was a funny moment. He asked her whether she thinks first of the scifi elements of the story, or the coming of age stuff first, and what have been the pitfalls, as well as positive things about adapting a popular comic to the screen.

Ava answered that she thought of it first as the coming-of-age story and that’s what she loves most about it. She believes that all comic book stories are “really personal human stories about the … journeys that we all take, written in with issues of heroism and … magic.” The best ones are the ones we can relate to. She shared some of her favorite scenes in the show. There was one she was editing today that brought a tear to her eye. She was getting emotional editing this “young adult drama.” There’s another scene where Naomi and Cranston talk about love that made her cry. She also spoke highly about Barry and Mouzam, who play Naomi’s parents. She praised them for having “an edge” and “mystery. She added that Naomi has three love interests (one a girl). Lastly, she said that her favorite couple is Jacob and Annabelle; she said they might get a spinoff one day. All of these things make it more than just a superhero show to her.

Jill answered the other part of the question. She’s a fan herself of the comic book and loves how “characters jump off the page.” She’s excited to honor the writing in that and how the story progresses, yet still “expanding the world even beyond the comic.” She added that seeing this wonderful cast bringing it to life has been “spectacular.”

Judy asked Cranston and Alex to describe their characters, whom have known each other a long time and lived in the same town for years. She wants to know what their relationship is and whether they wrote their own backstory for them. Cranston relayed that he had been told that his character doesn’t like Dee, and we’ll find out why. Also, “the feeling is mutual,” but they may have to work toward a common goal. Ava praised him for avoiding any spoilers, saying “Well done!”

Alex doesn’t agree that Dee hates Zumbado. Dee keeps to himself to avoid any kind of drama, which he’s been through before. He just knows that Zumbado will be responsible for any problems that might come up.

Judy pointed out that the series relies on Naomi’s relationship with her friends, so she asked each of the young actors what they did outside of the set and hanging out together to get their chemistry. Ava asked Mary Charles to start. She shared that she and Kaci had done one scene together over Zoom for the pilot (so they could work looking like best friends). Then they started doing a group Zoom with the other younger people. She revealed that they “did very teenagery icebreakers,” such as asking each other’s “star signs” and what their favorite ice cream flavor was.

Camila remembers that and said she really liked “this amazing group of people. She thought that building this relationship was going to be very easy. She’s blessed to part of it and says that they’re a very likable group.

Ava pointed out that this is Daniel’s first job. Puig agreed that making the chemistry with them all was “awesome” and reminded him of hanging out with his high school friends. He feels that they’ll all be close forever. Will was wearing a suit, so Ava pointed out that he was “”looking so debonaire” and asked him his thoughts on it. He noticed that at the beginning, they were all just working on their characters and anxious to get started, but then they were told to get to know each other, which made him more excited. He said that they were all “wonderful” and that getting to know them has been “such a joy.” He echoed Daniel’s sentiments, saying, “I really feel a connection with every single one of you, and it’s been nothing but fun. ”

Ava called on Aidan last. He said there was some awkwardness when they did their first table read, but since then, they’ve all been building on their relationships. He feels that “everybody wants to be here and [is] open and engaging.” It makes him feel “humbled” to be included. Then Ava praised them all and talked about how they support Kaci, which is “extraordinary.” She said that Kaci is the star and lead of the show, and they all work to rally around her, even though she’s only 17 and the youngest person in the cast. She complimented her on handling things with such “grace.”

Abbie asked Ava if she’ll be addressing issues such as “race and civil rights” in a real or metaphorical way, since that’s what she’s done in previous projects. Ava says they will be doing it with a process she calls “normalization,” which means having diversity of race, gender and class as if it’s an every-day thing and not anything out of the ordinary. She feels this is a “radical revolutionary thing.”

Abbie also asked Kaci about how she views her character, whether it’s through being excited that she has superpowers or something else. Kaci replied that the show is very realistic, so she asks herself the question of what she would do if she had superpowers. She wouldn’t necessarily be “joyful,” which is how the character is dealing with the issue. Being a teenager, she doesn’t want to be “different.” Abbie went on to ask whether Naomi feels that she has a greater responsibility to protect her community (now that she has superpowers). Kaci believes anyone with powers would feel that way. Being 16, it may not be a good thing to have to struggle with, which she does throughout the show.

Jim asks about Naomi’s flirting and romances in the show and whether we’ll see some of that as a story point in the first season. He feels that some viewers might be struggling with their own sexuality and want to see that addressed.

Jill, adding on to what Ava said about normalization, replied that she admires how the younger people today are very different when it comes to sexuality. She finds their “attitude towards sexuality and toward this sort of aversion to labels so inspiring.” They do use that through the season, grounded in the reality of their show.

Ava asked Barry and Mouzam to give their opinions on this, since they’re playing Naomi’s parents. She reminds us that there’s a conversation in the first episode where they’re talking about the other teens that Naomi is involved with. Mouzam agrees with Ava that there are many different people in the world, and their characters raised Naomi to believe that “love is love.” They have great communication between them. She praises their family dynamic and how Naomi can be free to be herself and that it’s all coming from reality. Barry agrees and says they have “an openness” to everything and they really want their daughter to be happy, more than anything.

Jim had a follow-up question. He calls the teens the “Scooby gang.” Ava chimed in to say that the kids don’t know that ancient reference, but they all do (of course, because “Scooby-Doo” has run in re-runs and remakes forever, and the phrase has been used many times, over and over, in the media). Kaci said that they do call themselves that already.

Jim asks them if they knew the backstory of their characters, whether it was in the script or not. Camila answered that they have great access to asking Jill questions. She and Ava are very open about answering their questions. She’s very curious about her character’s background and personality. Aidan agrees. He comes from the theater, where there’s always an end, so they don’t have as much opportunity to explore their characters. This show has been fun because they’re all on a journey together. Every time he opens his script, he learns something new about the characters.

Ava piped up again to say that they gave Mary-Charles, Will and Daniel the most background material. She mentions who the characters each are. She doesn’t like giving them too many details because they want the actors to help fill in those gaps. They listen to the younger actors and how they speak, so they use some of the slang terms they use. Jill agrees that she feels “10% cooler just from my text exchange …with these actors.” Mary-Charles backed them up by saying that what is really great is that they listen to them in a respectful way about how they speak and whether this or that is still trendy to say.

Dawn asked Ava and Jill what made Kaci just right for the role (which is great, since that question was asked earlier and never answered). Ava says that besides the talent, she looks for a person that has certain qualities because she has to work closely with them, possibly for years. She asks if she wants to be in a relationship with this person. She knew after Kaci auditioned that she is “flat out incredible, beyond good enough” as an actor. She had to fly her out and meet her, have a meal and get to see who she was as well. Even though Kaci was only 16 and just had a little theater experience, she had a great “work ethic, the professionalism, the talent, the vibrancy, the charisma, all of it.” She also liked her as a person. She knew Kaci would be able to shoulder the responsibility of being the title character of a TV show. She feels very lucky to have found her, and she felt the same way about other actors she found for roles in her TV and movie projects (which she listed). Jill also added how impressed she’s been with Kaci. She sometimes forget she’s 17 “because she’s so thoughtful. She’s so mature. She’s so considerate and such a great leader, as Ava said that again, it’s just, she’s exceeded my wildest expectations, personally.” Kaci blushed a bit and smile at all of the nice things they said about her.

Ava also added that the rest of the cast was also great. They all like each other in real life, which is not always the case. She complimented Cranston, Alex, Barry and Mouzam again.

There was more, but this was a really long interview. I’ll add the rest later if I see anything worth adding, but you get the idea. I hope you enjoy the series!

MORE INFO:

NAOMI

Tuesday (9:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET) on The CW

From Oscar® nominee/Emmy® winner Ava DuVernay and Jill Blankenship (“Arrow”), and starring Kaci Walfall (“Army Wives,” “Power,” “The Lion King” on Broadway) in the title role, the DC drama NAOMI follows the journey of a cool, confident, comic book–loving teenager as she pursues her hidden destiny. When a supernatural event shakes her hometown of Port Oswego to the core, Naomi sets out to uncover its origins, with a little help from her fiercely loyal best friend Annabelle (Mary-Charles Jones, “Kevin Can Wait”). She also has the support of her adoptive, doting parents, veteran military officer Greg (Barry Watson, “7^th Heaven,” “The Loudest Voice”) and linguistics teacher Jennifer (Mouzam Makkar, “The Fix”). After an encounter with Zumbado (Cranston Johnson, “Filthy Rich”), the mysterious owner of a used car lot, leaves her shaken, Naomi turns to tattoo parlor owner Dee (Alexander Wraith, “Orange Is the New Black”), who becomes her reluctant mentor. While unfolding the mystery about herself, Naomi also effortlessly navigates her high school friendships with kids on the military base as well as well as local townies, including ex-boyfriend and high school jock Nathan (Daniel Puig); Annabelle’s longtime, loyal boyfriend Jacob (Aidan Gemme); proud “townie” Anthony (Will Meyers, “Bad Education”); and fellow comic book enthusiast Lourdes (Camila Moreno), who works in a vintage collectible shop. As Naomi journeys to the heights of the Multiverse in search of answers, what she discovers will challenge everything we believe about our heroes. Based on the characters from DC, NAOMI is written and executive produced by Ava DuVernay and Jill Blankenship (“Arrow”), and executive produced by Sarah Bremner and Paul Garnes of ARRAY Filmworks. Amanda Marsalis (“Echo Park,” “Queen Sugar”) directed and co-executive produced the pilot episode. The series is from ARRAY Filmworks in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda