Interview with Mario Lopez and Jana Kramer of “Steppin’ into the Holiday” on Lifetime by Suzanne 11/7/22
This is a fun Christmas movie with a lot of dancing. I’ve spoke with Jana before, but not Mario. It was nice to chat with them both, of course. This is a better movie than the last one I saw him in. I didn’t realize that he got his start dancing when he was very young. I also didn’t realize that he’s from Chula Vista, which is right near where I grew up! It sounds a little bit like he had a cold during the interview because he was sounding congested and drinking a lot of water. I hope he feels better! Anyway, you should check out this festive movie. Two trailers below and then the interview.
Former Broadway star Billy Holiday (Mario Lopez) returns to his hometown for Christmas after being abruptly fired as the host-producer-judge of the hit TV series “Celebrity Dance Off.” While there, he encounters Rae (Jana Kramer), the charismatic owner of the local dance studio, where Billy’s 12-year-old nephew is her standout student. This Christmas, Rae is planning a dance recital fundraiser with the goal of taking her students to see a Broadway show in New York City. Billy volunteers to help Rae with the recital by reviving the town’s traditional Christmas Eve show, which was once a showcase for local talent. With Billy’s knack for producing and Rae’s knowledge of all things local, their collaboration clicks and romantic sparks start flying!
Cheri Oteri stars as Dallas, Billy’s high-powered, fast-talking, Hollywood agent. Dallas scrambles to find Billy work after he is fired by his boss, Wayne, played by Mario Cantone, a network executive who is equal parts charming and ruthless! Courtney Lopez , Mario’s real-life wife, also appears in the film as Joanna, the charismatic host of “Celebrity Dance Off,” who is tapped to replace Billy (her former fling) as executive producer and head judge after his popularity hits the skids.
Steppin’ Into the Holiday is produced by Via Mar and Roberts Media, LLC. in association with Motion Content Group. Jeff Stearns, Mark Roberts, Mario Lopez, Jana Kramer, Richard Foster and Chet Fenster serving as Executive Producers. David Kendall directs from a script by Aliza Murrieta and Peter Murrieta.
Mario Lopez is an American actor and television host. He has appeared on several television series, in films, and on Broadway. He is known for his portrayal of A.C. Slater on Saved by the Bell, Saved by the Bell: The College Years, and the 2020 sequel series. He has appeared in numerous projects since, including the third season of Dancing with the Stars and as host for the syndicated entertainment news magazine shows Extra and Access Hollywood. He has also hosted America’s Best Dance Crew for MTV. In 2012, he co-hosted the second season of the American version of The X Factor with Khloé Kardashian, and was the sole host for the third and final season.
Jana Rae Kramer is an American country music singer and actress. She is known for her role as Alex Dupre on the television series One Tree Hill. Kramer began her musical career in 2012 and has released two albums: Jana Kramer (2012) and Thirty One (2015). The albums produced seven charted singles on Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay, including the top 10 hits “Why Ya Wanna” and “I Got the Boy”. She competed on season 23 of Dancing with the Stars, finishing in fourth place. (These two biographies are from Wikipedia)
Interview with Erica Messer, Joe Mantegna, Kirsten Vangsness, Paget Brewster, A.J. Cook, Aisha Tyler and Zach Gilford of “Criminal Minds: Evolution” on Paramount+ by Suzanne 9/21/22
Two months ago, I was on a virtual TCA panel for “Criminal Minds: Evolution” on Paramount+ with all the stars of the show. The talent in attendance were Erica Messer (Showrunner, Executive Producer & Writer) and stars Joe Mantegna (David Rossi), Kirsten Vangsness (Penelope Garcia), Paget Brewster (Emily Prentiss), A.J. Cook (Jennifer Jareau), Aisha Tyler (Dr. Tara Lewis) and newcomer Zach Gilford (Elias Voit).
The showrunner introduced the panel, thanking us and telling us that the show premieres 11/24 with its first two episodes on Thanksgiving and then new episodes will drop weekly. There are ten episodes in total for the first season, which “explore what our heroes have been up to since February of 2020, which is the last time you saw them, or, as we call it, ‘the before times.'” The team has gotten closer in these tough times. They find that “there’s been a prolific killer on the loose since 2005” (played by Zach Gilford) who became a legend during the pandemic. He concluded, “We’re lucky to have Zach Gilford bring this one-of-a-kind unsub to life and have so many familiar BAU agents back on the show.”
Adam Rodriguez is also in the cast, but he couldn’t make it to the panel because he was directing.
I asked a question regarding what I’ve seen fans post about on social media, “I’ve read that a lot of the fans were really unhappy with the original finale, and I was wondering if that was taken into consideration at all when you restarted the show.” I didn’t ask any particular person to answer, so Messer started and then the actors chimed in. Her opinion was that fans didn’t want the show to end, so she thinks that was the main reason they were unhappy about the finale. She did add that “you can’t please everyone,” but they try to write the characters as honestly as possible and stay true to them, and that’s all they can really do. Tyler said that she thinks some fans are always unhappy about any finale, but she mostly heard from fans about how much they loved the characters (or as she put it, “this family.”). She feels that most of the fans were just mourning the loss of the characters after 15 years, but she heard mostly good feedback. Mantegna then said, “The only ones that should be upset are the ones that were dumb enough to cancel it in the first place.” Everyone laughed nervously after that. Messer said, with a chuckle, “Joe calls it as he sees it.” Then there was more laughter.
Cook admired the way the finale was written because it left things open – that they were still out there fighting crime, which left everyone with hope for the future, and that the show would return. She agrees that it’s hard to please all the fans at once.
The actors talked about how happy they were to be back doing the show. It was a “joyous” occasion when they first met up on Zoom. Messer revealed that they would have just one unsub for the whole season (Gilford’s character). She also told us that the idea of Gilford’s unsub came to her during the pandemic. She started wondering what serial killers would be up to during the pandemic.
The cast was asked whether any of the disturbing stories of the show have given them nightmares. Vangsness confided that they all bothered her, and Tyler said that her husband was worried that he would get nightmares from the show. Mantegna added that this version of the show is going to be much more disturbing. The show’s stories don’t bother him because he knows it’s not real. What bothers him is that the real-life law enforcement have to deal with these type of crimes.
Gilford shared with us that he does get very disturbed by what’s done on the show. His wife asked, “What’s wrong with you?” and he replied, “I was just doing this to people all day. Leave me alone.” Everyone laughed, and then he said, “it gets dark.” Vangsness joked “it gets hard on serial killers” and he repeated that in a joking, self-pitying way, so there was more laughter.
Tyler agreed with Mantegna, saying that she thinks fans find the show satisfying because the criminals are caught in the end by these “intelligent, hard-working, devoted professionals are out there working very hard every day to make the world safer for the rest of us.” She also echoed what he said about the real-life people who do the job.
Cook disclosed that the show delves more into the characters’ personal lives and how they’re affected by the horrible things they have to deal with.
Messer was asked about whether the show will be a lot darker, now that it’s on streaming instead of broadcast TV. She didn’t want to make it too dark because teenagers watch it, but it will have some curse words that they couldn’t say before. She feels that this is normal language that people would use in real life. She teased Mantegna, saying he speaks that way all the time. He agreed with a smile that it wasn’t much of a stretch for him.
They were asked about directing episodes of the show. Mantegna told us that he, Cook, Tyler and Rodriguez have directed some of the episodes (as they had in the past on the original show). He praised Gilford, whom he worked with a lot while directing, “he’s been a great, incredible addition to our show.” Mantegna also mentioned that it takes them 8 days to shoot each episode.
Gilford grew up in Chicago, so he shares that he was a bit star-struck working with Mantegna, whom he considers a legend. He shared a cute story that us non-actors may not appreciate as much. He said, “we’re shooting the scene, and he goes, ‘Okay, and then you’re going to walk over here, and then we’ll cut, and I’ll yell, Cut.’ And I was like, ‘Did you just like line-read your directing?’ He’s like, ‘I’m an actor. I can’t help myself.’ I could not stop laughing, because it was — I’ve never seen a director do that before.” The other actors all laughed, so they must have found it funny, too.
Tyler then complimented Mantegna on his directing and loves it when actors direct because they’re easier for them to work with. Paget added in her two cents, thanking them all for directing because she never wanted to do it.
Messer shared that David Rossi is the character most in crisis when the show begins, and she talked about what a great job Mantegna did with the story. She said that how his character is feeling causes “a ripple effect” that goes through everyone else.
She also told us that two characters from the previous season won’t be returning: Matt Simmons (Daniel Henney) and Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler). However, they are still mentioned – “gone but not forgotten.” That was very disappointing to hear because Reid is my favorite character. Their desks are still there, with things on them. She never said whether they would explain why the characters aren’t back. I guess we’ll have to wait and see!
In CRIMINAL MINDS: EVOLUTION, the FBI’s elite team of criminal profilers come up against their greatest threat yet, an UnSub who has used the pandemic to build a network of other serial killers. As the world opens back up and the network goes operational, the team must hunt them down, one murder at a time. Original cast members continuing their roles include Joe Mantegna, A.J. Cook, Kirsten Vangsness, Aisha Tyler, Adam Rodriguez and Paget Brewster. Zach Gilford joins the dynamic cast as a recurring guest star in a season-long arc.
PREMIERES:
November 24, Exclusively on Paramount+
GENRE / FORMAT:
Drama, Crime
STARRING:
Joe Mantegna
A.J. Cook
Kirsten Vangsness
Aisha Tyler
Adam Rodriguez
Paget Brewster
Zach Gilford
PRODUCED BY:
ABC Signature and CBS Studios
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS:
Erica Messer, Breen Frazier, Chris Barbour, Glenn Kershaw, Mark Gordon
Interviews with Eleanor Matsuura, Laila Robins, Josh McDermitt, Michael James Shaw, Seth Gilliam, Khary Payton, Lauren Ridloff and Ross Marquand of “The Walking Dead” on AMC by Suzanne 11/14/22
It was fun to speak to some members of the TWD cast! I’ve interviewed some of them before, but it’s always a treat. I was especially happy to speak with Seth Gilliam, who was awesome as the vet in “Teen Wolf”; and Michael James Shaw, who is great as Shaw in “Blood & Treasure.” I don’t watch TWD regularly (not a fan of zombies), but it’s a very good show. Everyone is really looking forward to the series finale tonight. It’s a bit sad for these actors who have been on it for so long. However, the interviews were very enjoyable – as you will see below.
The first roundtable interview was with Eleanor Matsuura (Yumiko), Laila Robins (Pamela Milton), Josh McDermitt (Eugene Porter), and Michael James Shaw (Mercer).
JAMIE OF SCIFIVISION: In your own opinion, what do you think is the most defining moment for your characters that changed them, and how did it change them, for each of you?
LAILA ROBINS: I would say when my son became a walker; I think that was a big one, to see him in that shape and form. And then again, I think, last night. Something shifts obviously when you shoot a child. So, I would say those two things.
ELEANOR MATSUURA: For me, I’d say it’s probably seeing my brother, my brother’s picture on the wall looking for me at the beginning of this season. My god, that was the first episode of this season. It feels like a second ago. Yeah, I think, for Yumiko, that was the beginning of, I mean, it was the beginning of drawing everyone into the Commonwealth by virtue of making the group that I was with stay in that moment. But it was this glimpse into her past, this pull that was keeping her from leaving with the group. And, yeah, an opportunity to sort of see where she came from, and how that’s unfolded in this season with the courtroom stuff, and representing Eugene, and it felt like the past and the present, were all just brought together, like smashed together. So, I would say, yeah, probably for all the seasons I’ve done, that’s probably been the most pivotal moment for Yumiko, seeing that picture on the wall.
MICHAEL JAMES SHAW: Oh, for Mercer, I think a defining moment in this last couple of episodes is when his sister Max refuses to sign the forced confession. I think that sets him into motion, and he’s plotting things in his own head but not really allowing people in, but he’s definitely still starting to make moves at that moment, because she’s everything to him, and if he lost her, I don’t think he’d have any purpose anymore. So, yeah, that’s a big moment for him. It shifts the balance.
JOSH McDERMITT: I mean, it’s hard, just because I feel like the guy is changing so much throughout. And we’re talking about just season 11. Right? We’re not talking about for the series?
JAMIE OF SCIFIVISION: No, I’m meant overall, if it’s something else important.
JOSH McDERMITT: That is such a hard question to answer.
JAMIE OF SCIFIVISION: [laughs] Then do this season. We’ll make it easier.
JOSH McDERMITT: Yeah, well, I’ll tell you, this season, I mean, there were kind of two moments, but they were kind of joined together, so more like a sequence. But it’s just finding out the truth about the decoy Stephanie, who turned out to be Shira, and who Max really was. I think that that brought him down to his lowest point, but then meeting Max kind of brought him up again and gave him a new outlook on life, even though it’s kind of the outlook that he wanted, when he came to the Commonwealth, but it was definitely when he felt like all hope was lost that he did see this little tiny light off in the distance, and that light has grown to then shine the light on all the misdeeds and the bad things going on in the Commonwealth. I really think that kind of sequence, those two things together, were were defining moment for at least the season.
TONY TELLADO OF SCIFITALK: For all of you, what was it like to kind of break new ground into The Walking Dead and to actually have courtroom drama, as opposed to hunting walkers and all that? What was the vibe on those days? That must have been pretty neat to shoot something so different like that? It’s for everyone.
ELEANOR MATSUURA: It was wild. It was so weird. I mean, I found it weird. I know I spent most of those scenes next to Josh. So, I remember we would turn to each other a lot and be like, “This is wild, right?” Because we could almost look down the barrel of like, if we’d had even more time and more episodes; say this part of the storyline had happened at a different like earlier or something, this could have gone way far down into like a whole courtroom drama. It just was so bizarre. I mean, just when I thought the Commonwealth couldn’t get any weirder, I was standing in a courtroom. I mean, I suppose there’s been so much talk about Yumiko as a lawyer, how good she was, it’s like, I sort of feel like we had to see her in action at some point. It was inevitable that we’d get the courtroom scenes. And in some ways, even though it was weird, I wish we’d we had gotten to delve into them even more, but, I mean, if I found it strange, Josh, you must have found it even more strange. I mean, mind you, this shows taken so many different iterations, maybe it’s not weird to you anymore.
JOSH McDERMITT: Well, I mean, the show continues to surprise me in the new territory we jump into, and this was no different. It always feels weird when you don’t have blood and guts [on you]. When you can work on the stage and not be sweaty.
ELEANOR MATSUURA: And your clothes are clean.
JOSH McDERMITT: Yeah, like that’s great, and really, to just kind of be still and not not have a bunch of action and business that you’re supposed to be doing where you’re walking around and taking a horse and putting the horse over there. You know, it’s like, you can just sit at a table and just do your thing. That was weird. But I know we have a lot of people on the show, cast and crew, who have all done courtroom dramas, you know, other series at some point. So, that was fun to talk to them, because there is a specific way you kind of have to shoot a courtroom scene to keep it interesting. I mean, the storyline isn’t always interesting enough. There’re camera movements; there’s a pacing to it. There’re all these other things. So, it was nice to, in a sense, do an episode of Law & Order without ever having to leave Atlanta, Georgia.
LAILA ROBINS: [laughs] Okay, I’ll piggyback on that. I’ve done so many Law & Orders, and I’ve worn so many suits and so many high heels. I was praying for a job where I thought, “Oh, I get to be out in nature and the woods.” Watch out for what you wish for [laughs], because when you’re shooting out there under the sun in Atlanta with a wig on and a wool coat and boots and a gun. It isn’t so pretty. I was like, “Oh my God, thank God we’re back in the courtroom.” [laughs]
MICHAEL JAMES SHAW: It was surreal the whole time. We kept looking at each other like we’re in The Twilight Zone. You know, just, what show are we doing today? [laughs] It was good fun though, good fun.
SUZANNE OF TVMEG.COM: Hi, guys. I wanted to start with Mike. It’s great to see you. I love your show Blood and Treasure, and your character on there is just amazing.
MICHAEL JAMES SHAW: Thank you.
SUZANNE OF TVMEG.COM: So, do you think that most of the fans will like the ending?
MICHAEL JAMES SHAW: They’re going to love it. [laughs] I loved shooting it. Yeah, I can’t really say much about that, but some shit’s going down, and it’s good.
SUZANNE OF TVMEG.COM: Anyone else like to give their opinion on that?
ELEANOR MATSUURA: …It’s so hard to answer. I feel like we’ve been asked this a lot, and I always try and summarize like, are we going to be able to please, every single person on the planet? I don’t know. I don’t know if we are, but then this show wouldn’t have gotten this far without people’s total commitment to it. Like it’s eleven seasons of a show. That is a huge amount of time, I think. And I really do think if you’ve dedicated your life to the show, and the way that so many people have, and you’ve come this far, I don’t think you’re going to be disappointed with the end. You might have certain things that you would have hoped turned out slightly differently. You might have bits and pieces that might not be the perfect package, but I do believe in the integrity of how we finish the show, and I feel like it’s a good ending, even though we know that we’ve got a bunch more spin offs, which I’m sure people can, like, fill their boots if they need to go and get more, if they didn’t feel like they were satisfied with what we’ve done. Yeah, and that’s all we can say. We tried to finish it out in the best possible way that we could. Yeah, and I believe in the integrity of that, like whether or not everybody will think it’s the perfect ending, that would be an impossible thing to quantify, but I think we’ve given it a damn good shot.
LAILA ROBINS: Yeah, I think it’s a very emotional show. All of these people who have invested themselves in watching it, I’m just thinking of all the actors who have been there for eleven years and how they must feel. I can’t even get my head around that idea, knowing that you won’t see each other as often as you normally do, and that they’re a real family. I mean, I’m a late comer. I even feel emotional about it. I can’t even imagine someone like Josh saying goodbye to it. It’s unbelievable.
BRIAN: Josh, this question is for you. You have been on the show since season four, and then you mentioned how the show has changed a lot; your character has changed a lot. So, what are some of the few things you’ll miss about playing Eugene?
JOSH McDERMITT: Definitely, what you just said, the fact that he hasn’t been a stagnant character. I think every time you kind of jump onto another production, and you’re playing a new character, you fall in love with that character, and you hope that the writers change the person a lot to keep it fresh, because, as human beings, we do change ourselves. But I think this one’s going to be hard to top with that sort of thing, just because it wasn’t just season to season, but sometimes it felt like episode to episode he was having new revelations about himself and that sort of thing. I definitely definitely miss that about it. I would just hope that other characters I end up doing can hold a candle to Eugene, because even if they’re half as fun playing, I’ll have a great time with it.
JAMIE OF SCIFIVISION: For each of you, what do you think is your character’s biggest regret?
JOSH McDERMITT: I think for Eugene [laughs] much like the defining moment, there’re too many. [laughs]
JAMIE OF SCIFIVISION: [laughs] Sorry.
JOSH McDERMITT: No, it’s, it’s fine. I mean, it just speaks to kind of the question that [the other journalist] just had about just how everything changes, and it’s very fluid, and that’s what makes it fun. But I think for Eugene, a very big regret for him is that he didn’t do more to help – help his group get around Negan and the Saviors, I guess, that Glenn and Abraham died. Eugene is the type of guy who will continue to think through problems, game-plan, figure out a way to get in the cracks so that he can continue to survive, or the people that he cares about can succeed, and that’s one where he lost. He really lost, and I think that does eat at him, because of what happened. In the end, he lost two people that were very close to him. And honestly, it wouldn’t surprise me if that’s a big regret for a lot of the characters on the show. It still haunts everybody. I mean, from Maggie all the way down to Judith. She was a baby at that point, or a kid, a little kid. So, it just I think that was probably his biggest regret, that he didn’t he wasn’t able to do more.
LAILA ROBINS: I guess for Pamela it has something to do with not being the best mother somehow, my inability to communicate with my son or to get through to him or to guide him properly or to have him care about the family’s legacy or somehow to inspire him, that I lack the ability to inspire my own son to greatness, I think is a regret. And obviously, what it led to, his demise, and ultimately, his death. But I think she does take that responsibility.
MICHAEL JAMES SHAW: I guess. Mercer’s biggest regret is that he didn’t put eyes on Hornsby sooner.
LAILA ROBINS: He’s slippery! [laughs]
MICHAEL JAMES SHAW: It could have saved us a lot of trouble. He could have saved us all a lot of trouble. That little snake. [laughs]
LAILA ROBINS: You were just wowed by his outfits. You weren’t looking deep enough. You got all caught off in his outfits. [laughs]
MICHAEL JAMES SHAW: Where’s he getting these fabrics from?
LAILA ROBINS: Pink!
ELEANOR MATSUURA: That’s a hard one to answer. I think probably it’s something to do with not being able to do enough, because something about Yumiko is that she’s relentless. She truly doesn’t ever give up, even in the face of such adversity, when you sort of think there’s just like – there’re so many moments with Eugene and Pamela where you see her, and you’re like, “There is literally no way out of this.” And even even though she knows it’s kind of pointless, she just keeps going and going and going. So, I’m thinking to myself, “Well, I wonder where that comes from?” And because the pivotal moment with her brother, like I spoke about before, seems to be such a important core thing for Yumiko, I guess there must be something from her past that may be something that we haven’t seen in the show. It would be something that I have probably been playing without even consciously realizing it, just like this feeling of like, you could see it, it’s like striving to be the best, because she comes from this very prestigious, educational background, but I don’t think she sees it like that. I don’t think it’s about the competitive [nature], trying to be the best. I think it’s about more not feeling enough, therefore not giving up. I’m sorry; I know that’s not a direct answer to your question. That’s the best way that I can answer.
TONY TELLADO OF SCIFITALK: What life has been like after The Walking Dead is over and kind of transitioning to leaving the air, leaving Atlanta and all of that and kind of going back to some semblance of real life? What’s that been like, for all of you?
JOSH McDERMITT: I cry less. That’s a big one. [laughs] I mean, I still cry. It’s just less. It’s been nice for me to come home and reconnect with people. It’s hard to maintain some relationships when you’re away. Texting and calls do so much but it’s it’s really that face to face interaction is what I think we were craving, and so it’s nice to be home and to be in my own home, to be in the nice Los Angeles weather and that sort of thing. There’s a peacefulness about being at home; it’s kind of nice.
LAILA ROBINS: It’s been nice to come back to New York and catch up on all the plays my friends are in, shows that I wanted to see before they closed, theaters having a tough time these days. So, it was fun to to go see some plays, but it is weird when you’re on a set for a long time. It’s almost like a safe zone, because your your life is scripted, and I always find that weird slight anxiety when I’m wrapped for the day. As to, “Oh, now I’ve got to go be myself.” [laughs] I’m boring, you know? So, it’s been interesting to reenter and kind of go, “Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Here I am; here I am,” when you’re playing a character more than you’re being yourself. Also, that was the other thing I wanted to say, that why I couldn’t think of it. It was during COVID, so we weren’t as social as perhaps we might have been as a cast. I mean, one of my regrets is I didn’t get to hang out with all the actors or really get to know them all that well, because we were unable to do that, perhaps, as much as normal. So, that was a regret.
MICHAEL JAMES SHAW: To speak on that, life since The Walking Dead, so we wrapped the show, and I stayed around in Georgia practicing jujitsu, and I broke my knee. Yeah, I have a theory that if we would have just kept shooting the show, I never would have broken my knee. But I ended up having meniscus surgery back in August, and now I’m like, 80% recovered, killing it, but if we would have kept shooting The Walking Dead, I probably wouldn’t have broke my knee. [laughs]
ELEANOR MATSUURA: I was just going to say, when I first joined the show, my first child was, I think, six months old, so, really tiny. So, we moved my whole family. We uprooted, and we moved to Atlanta, and everything just felt like my life had been sort of just flipped upside down and all just like shaken about. Then, over those these last four years, I totally fell in love with Atlanta. I totally fell in love with Georgia. Then, I had my just had my second baby. I mean, I was pregnant most of the shoot of this last season. So, it’s so integrated into my life, the show, it’s become like our families; it’s just a part of our life that it’s feels weird now that I’m not going to be like trundling back to Atlanta next month. It’s really weird. It’s weird, because that has been the rhythm that I’ve been used to for the past four years. Yeah, I think it’s just been starting to hit me these last few episodes. I really think it will only truly hit me hit me the finale next week, when when we’re all together. Then, like Josh was saying, sort of just seeing the faces, everyone’s faces in real life for the last – not for the last time. Of course, we can all like meet up and whatever, but it’s different, because it’s like, this is our celebration of the show. We’re not going to have another like, “Oh, okay, I’ll see you next month, see you next season” kind of thing. It’s ended now. So, it’s like, for me truly, I’m just getting used to this, almost a whole new rhythm of life.
SUZANNE OF TVMEG.COM: Josh, when did the filming actually wrap, and what were your feelings when you finished with it?
JOSH McDERMITT: It was in the spring, but I don’t remember specifically. Sometime in March or April, I guess. And what was the second part of your question?
SUZANNE OF TVMEG.COM: What were your feelings when you had to finish filming for the last time?
JOSH McDERMITT: Oh, yeah. I mean, it was overwhelming. That’s something that’s been a part of my life as a job for the last decade and even longer as a fan of the show. Like, I felt overwhelmed when Seinfeld ended [laughs]; you know, maybe more so with this just I have a more personal connection to it, but, yeah, it was just it was overwhelming, but kind of like what Eleanor was just saying. I mean, I’m looking at their faces right now, and we can call and chat anytime and like, you know, I could go to New York, and Laila and I could go see a show. So, these people are not out of my life. It was just kind of this, “Oh, this chapters done, but the story continues, in a sense that that’s kind of how I was overwhelmed, I think.
SUZANNE OF TVMEG.COM: Now you’re making me cry. [laughs]
JOSH McDERMITT: Good. That was my goal.
BRIAN: With the three spin offs that are upcoming, will you guys be watching any of them? Any of them at all?
ELEANOR MATSUURA: Sure.
LAILA ROBINS: Yeah.
MICHAEL JAMES SHAW: Hell, yeah.
ELEANOR MATSUURA: Yeah, definitely.
MICHAEL JAMES SHAW: I want to see what happens in New York.
JOSH McDERMITT: I’ll only watch it if they give me a screener.
MICHAEL JAMES SHAW: Better call Pix.
JOSH McDERMITT: I mean, I’ll help you write the blog about it.
The next interview was with Seth Gilliam (Gabriel Stokes), Khary Payton (Ezekiel), Lauren Ridloff (Connie) and Ross Marquand (Aaron).
We were only able to ask one question each for this second group of actors. They were entertaining, though.
BRIAN: Your character Gabriel has changed so much since we first see him in season five. So, how much have you enjoyed seeing his character grow over the years?
SETH GILLIAM: I’ve really enjoyed it. It was a fantastic challenge and kind of like yearly pay off playing Gabriel, because there were so many changes, either subtle or outright drastic changes, to his nature over the course of the last, I guess, it’s been seven seasons now. It was not something that I foresaw. I’ve said before I thought that he was walker bait. I thought he was dead in three episodes. I thought this man is not long for this world. I had not read the comics, so I didn’t have any any history or knowledge about the character, but I just thought that he was a plot device to get somebody of more importance killed. So, all of the different changes and platforms that he’s been able to climb over these past seasons has really been extremely exciting to play, and I feel very, very fortunate to be the guy who got to take the ride with him.
JAMIE OF SCIFIVISION: So, for each of you, in your own opinion, what has been your character’s defining moment, and how has it changed them?
KHARY PAYTON: It’s always been Shiva for Ezekiel, because, to me, Shiva dying, it coincided with Ezekiel losing half of his Kingdom in the war, in all out war, and I think he has been fighting to come back from that ever since. So, even when I was mourning Shiva on the show, you know, because it was a CGI Tiger, she was always, for me, the embodiment of the Kingdom itself. So, when I was grieving her and mourning her, it was Ezekiel mourning his people and his worth as a leader, and as a person, for thinking that the power of positive thinking means that everything’s always going to be okay, and coming to find that really, it’s about persevering. It’s not that everything’s going to be okay; it’s how you get through and still make life worth living. But yeah, it all goes back to Shiva for Ezekiel.
LAUREN RIDLOFF: I was just thinking about for my character for Connie. I was thinking about when Connie actually saves the baby, but then I thought also about the episode that we shot, “On the Inside.” I think that truly was Connie’s defining moments, because I know that there’re so many times that people ask, “Okay, so Connie is a survivor. She’s arrived, she’s strong, she can fight. She can save the baby. She has a good heart.” But the burning question was, “How exactly did she survive?” So, I think that on that episode, it gave people an opportunity to see how Connie navigates that world. I really loved the way that episode focused on some specific things that involved conversations I had with Greg Nicotero before we actually shot that. When I first read the script, it had Connie just walking down the hall and looking around the hall, but I told Greg, “Well, as a deaf person who has nothing but her eyes to rely on, she would find other ways to navigate. She would need more information,” because at this point to survive, you need all the information you can gather about what’s happening around you. So, to get more information, Connie would use her hands. She would probably put her hands on the wall and feel the vibrations, you know, feeling the floor creek if somebody’s walking behind her. I think that’s how Connie would gather that information. There’s no way that Connie would just walk down the hall. It just wouldn’t happen, because all her vulnerability is going to be what’s behind her back. She would probably put her back up against the wall and use her hands to to guide herself so she can keep her eyes on both angles. So, I think that kind of specific information played out on the screen so well. I feel like I was just excited to actually finally show everybody how kind of Connie had survived.
ROSS MARQUAND: Yeah, I think where Aaron loses Eric was definitely the one that shifted him completely, because in that one episode he loses his longtime partner of God knows how many years. I mean, it’s arguably one of the longest relationships that we ever see on the show, rivaled probably only by Rick and Laurie, but in that episode, he obviously loses his partner, which devastates him completely, but he also gained a daughter. I think when Rick comes out of the Sanctuary – not the Sanctuary, but whatever that compound is, after just having killed her father, Rick comes out with this baby, and I think Aaron is so lost in this moment that he needs to take the baby and just do something and tether himself to this new life, because he’s lost. He’s just like a cyclone of emotions this point, and if he doesn’t tether himself to somebody or something, he’s just going to go off the deep end, and he’s just going to lose his mind. So, it’s a beautiful moment where a man who has lost everything all of a sudden gains this new responsibility. I think it’s wonderful that he’s taken on this role. At first, I was surprised that the showrunners wanted me to really raise this kid, but now I look back, and I think it was just perfect. It was a perfect and very logical transition for him after having just lost his partner.
SETH GILLIAM: I think it was when Father Gabriel lost his vision, not fully, but in his right eye. It seems to coincide with him seeing things a lot clearer and being a little more devout in his belief in himself and his decision-making process and his courage level and his conviction levels. I think he went partially blind and gained a bit more insight into himself.
KAREN: What can you tease about the finale, and also what was the experience like to film that last episode and to also put these characters away?…And for each you?
KHARY PAYTON: You go ahead. You go ahead.
SETH GILLIAM: No, I was talking, but you’re the king. So, you go ahead.
KHARY PAYTON: You’re stupid you’re stupid. But I mean, I’m going to start by saying we’re not teasing a goddamn thing. You waited twelve years for this episode. You are going to wait another five. We’re not teasing anything. I’m not telling you if the grass is green or brown. I’m not telling you if the dirt is is gravelly, or if there’s if it’s smooth. I’m telling you nothing. It was too cold that day. It was too cold that day for me to be teasing anything. No, but seriously, that’s really how I feel. I mean, I feel like so many people, they want us to tell something, but to the crew and the cast and everyone that has waited this long, I think patience is a virtue. That’s what I will say. I will also say that I have still not mourned the end of this whole thing. I’m not sure if I will. Maybe when I see everybody at the finale, I will finally have some kind of cathartic experience, but Cristian tried to do this, like, two years ago, when we started filming this last season. She started to tear up, and I was like, “Don’t you do it. Don’t you do it, girl. I am not going to cry for two years.” and I think I shut it down. I shut it down. Ever since then. I might just end up being a blubbering mess on Sunday, but I have yet to truly come to terms with letting things go.
KAREN: Anybody else?
KHARY PAYTON: She, she just skipped right over me. She was like, “Yeah, somebody else tell me.
KHARY PAYTON: I love it. I love it, man. I love you guys right now. Your silence is like love to me. It is sweet ambrosia.
SETH GILLIAM: Much like Khary, it’s still not over for me. The work part is over, but the relationships aren’t over. The show hasn’t finally finished airing. There’s still a finish line ahead. So, I’m not going to sit down on the track and unpack my bags just yet. I’ll cross the finish line and then see how I feel late next Sunday night.
LAUREN RIDLOFF: I guess this is kind of like a real long goodbye, and I don’t think that it will ever get to that point. I just feel like this is a goodbye that’s just going to keep going on for another twelve years. I mean, we finished shooting this back in March. Well, first week of April we were done shooting it. Since then, I’ve seen Seth; I’ve seen Norman. I’ve seen other cast mates every now and then. We get together to do a lot of interviews like this. And now the show has been coming out, so it hasn’t really sunk in yet. I’m really looking forward to this Sunday, because that actually means finally, hopefully, most of the cast will be able to get together and look back on all of the work that we’ve done. It’s such a huge honor to be a part of this. This is a cultural phenomenon, in my opinion, and I was part of that narrative, and what an honor it has been. I had a chance to watch the final episode. I finally got to see it, and it’s big. The finale is huge, and I think that we the viewers will feel content and satisfied, but at the same time, I don’t want people to expect it to just be a nice bow at the very end, because it’s still going to go on, just like real life; nothing really ends.
SUZANNE OF TVMEG.COM: My question is for Seth. Can you talk a little bit about how playing this character has helped you both personally and professionally?
SETH GILLIAM: But that would make me somewhat of a bore, wouldn’t it? Just another actor talking about himself?
SUZANNE OF TVMEG.COM: No…
SETH GILLIAM: I’ve had an opportunity to see parts of the world I never thought I would. I’ve met people from all walks of life that I did not imagine when I first started out as an actor being able to have access to. I’ve seen places I didn’t think I’d see; I’ve met people I did not imagine meeting. I’ve had fantastic exchanges and experiences and conversations with people both about the show and about my life [directly related] to the show, or indirectly related to the show. I’ve made friends for life. My life has been enhanced and enriched in ways that I can’t really measure from being a part of the show. I guess that’s why I haven’t closed the book on how I feel about it, because I am so full from the experience that I’ve had on the show that I have no place to put up a wall with it, you know? And I don’t remember what the second part of your question is, because I’m trying to keep it short.
SUZANNE OF TVMEG.COM: Professionally…?
SETH GILLIAM: Professionally. Yeah, I’ve done a couple of films and a play since the movie ended, that I don’t believe I would have been able to do, that I would not have been the first choice for, if they’ve not seen my work on The Walking Dead. So, we’ll see if that continues moving forward, but it’s worked so far.
SUZANNE OF TVMEG.COM: Thank you. I’m looking forward to the Teen Wolf movie a lot, and I love seeing your Facebook posts.
SETH GILLIAM: Oh, thank you. Thank you. We have a lot of fun on Facebook, and Teen Wolf is going to be fantastic.
SUZANNE OF TVMEG.COM: I’m really looking forward to it.
SETH GILLIAM: Cool, thanks.
TONY TELLADO OF SCIFITALK: Unlike from an acting standpoint, because some of the group is still with the Commonwealth, and some of the group is on the outside, do you guys mention that to each other in passing or to kind of keep the integrity of both those kind of performances, not kind of acting, knowing in the back of your mind that you know where it’s going on their end? It’s a little convoluted question, but I’m just curious how you kind of stay in your own moments and not overlap?
ROSS MARQUAND: It’s interesting, because I think a lot of frustration, not like a genuine frustration, but just more like a shucks kind of frustration, that we’ve had this last season is that it’s been so chopped up in terms of groups. I mean, we’ve kind of fallen into these little cliques this last season, and I really haven’t hardly seen Lauren or Khari at all this season, I think. And I can’t say if I will in the last episode, but I’m barely seeing a lot of people that I usually work with, or would like to have worked with more. And it’s very interesting, because I feel like, of course, we get the scripts ahead of time, and we get to read what happens, but it is very interesting to just keep track of every different group and where they are and how they’re fitting into this giant storyline. I mean, Angela and Scott laid out this incredibly ambitious and very involved final season, and there’s just so much going on. I mean, it’s espionage and things falling apart, both internally in Commonwealth, and outside of it as well. Then, how do we fit into all these groups? Who do we trust? There’re a lot of moving parts, and that is a great question. I don’t think we’ve ever really had a a strong consensus to a large degree of where everyone is at all times, but we, of course, get the scripts, and that’s the only real clues that we have of where everybody is.
SETH GILLIAM: Well, you didn’t mean to infer or imply that you didn’t enjoy working with the actors that you were working and hooked up with this season.
ROSS MARQUAND: No, I mean, I mostly worked with you.
SETH GILLIAM: That’s why I need clarity.
ROSS MARQUAND: And I am implying [that]. I mostly worked with you
SETH GILLIAM: [laughs]
ROSS MARQUAND: So, I am, yes.
SETH GILLIAM: I just wanted to be clear. I just wanted to be clear. Yeah, it’s a lot to keep a track of. Ross is smarter when it comes to that kind of stuff than I am. I pretty much just learn my lines and hit my mark and hope that the editing would tell the story that that I was not taking on. I think there are so many things that you can concern yourself with as an actor to begin with, that when you start thinking of structure and minute plot details that aren’t directly related to you and your character in the moment, you can get a little lost planning ahead and missing the moment that you’re in. So, I did not undertake it, because as you know, as I said, I try to keep it simple, stupid.
LAUREN RIDLOFF: Yeah, I also wanted to say, like Seth, I have to say, just watching you and some of the actors and other cast members, it’s such an intuitive sense for you at this point. And I felt like so many of the cast members already know their character so well, that it didn’t quite matter what was happening in the script. At that point, they just know how their character would respond in that specific moment. I definitely looked up to that and tried to incorporate that into my character as much as I could. Just over the last three seasons, now she’s developed. It was challenging and confusing, especially this season, just because we’re doing so much cross boarding, and the rewrites were insane. The scripts kept changing. The sides we got were sometimes different day to day. So, just looking at, you know, Norman, and looking to the other experienced actors, and they would just roll with it, and I always tried my best to kind of follow the experience that they had, the veterans of the show, but then I started to realize that part of my confusion was natural. That naturally just contributed to the storyline for the final couple episodes, because it is confusing, and you can feel that people are confused, and I think that’s just real. For me, putting all of that together, it’s definitely like a puzzle, a huge jigsaw puzzle without seeing the actual photo on the box to see how it’s supposed to come together. So, we just have no idea. We’re just trying to search for the pieces that fit.
KHARY PAYTON: I think, at the end of the day, our job is to stay true to our character and their journey and that the pieces will come together, and sometimes it’s frustrating. Honestly, one of my favorite things is to frustrate the hell out of Greg Nicotero. They’re like, “I can’t do that.” You know damn, well Ezekiel can’t do that, And the beautiful, lovely exasperation of a man who is trying to please everyone, and I tear it all down, so we can build it back up. But seriously, our job is to stay in the moment, and the best thing that we can do, I think, for the production and for fellow cast mates when we’re standing across from each other, is give them a moment of truth that they can play off of, and, thankfully, one of the strengths of this show is that they have found people who give you truth when they’re playing these characters, and it’s awesome to see. It’s awesome to continue to be surprised by all of my cast mates, I mean, these three people here included. It’s humbling to be a part of a group of truth sayers in what many call “just a zombie show,” but there’s truth in this blood. Honestly, there’s usually truth in blood [laughs], but even in this fake blood
SETH GILLIAM: You lost me Khary. What the fuck are you talking about? What about blood? What the fuck are you talking about?
KHARY PAYTON: You know what? Next time I see you, we will have a drink my friend. I love you.
AMCN NOVEMBER STREAMING FEATURES TWD CONCLUSION AND DEBUTS OF AMC+ ORIGINAL GANGS OF LONDON S2 AND NEW BBCA SERIES MOOD
October 19, 2022
New York, NY – October 19, 2022 – This November, AMC Networks’ targeted streaming services will feature a number of highly anticipated series debuts and sendoffs, including the series finale of the pop cultural phenomenon The Walking Dead, along with a simulcast of the series’ epic finale event in Los Angeles and supersized, live Talking Dead, on November 20 at 9pm ET; the eagerly-awaited new season of AMC+ Original Gangs of London debuting November 17; the season finale of critically acclaimed Anne Rice’sInterview with the Vampire on November 6; the two-episode debut of BBC America’s Mood on November 6; and season finales of popular IFC Original series, Documentary Now! and Sherman’s Showcase, on November 9 and November 23, respectively.
This month also features new AMC+ exclusive film premieres rolling out every week, including French love triangle thriller starring Juliette Binoche, Both Sides of the Blade (November 4), sudsy comedy starring Rachel Bloom and Melissa Fumero, Bar Fight! (In theaters and on AMC+ November 11), Western murder mystery starring Gabriel Byrne and Thomas JaneMurder atYellowstone City (November 18), and Shudder Original film, Blood Relatives (November 22), from writer/director/star Noah Segan (Looper, Knives Out).
The company’s targeted streamers also set to bring viewers an extensive catalogue of compelling dramas, fan-favorite franchises, highly anticipated films and timely collections on AMC+, Acorn TV, ALLBLK, IFC Films Unlimited, Shudder and Sundance Now, and the newly acquired anime-focused HIDIVE, all month long.
The Walking Dead
Series Finale on AMC+ and AMC Sunday, November 20 at 9pm ET
After 11 seasons of survival, it all comes down to this as the television legacy concludes its epic run. Witness The Walking Dead series finale along with an exclusive look at red carpet arrivals, props, costumes, and a live taping of the Talking Dead where special guests will reveal what’s ahead in The Walking Dead Universe.
About AMC Networks:
AMC Networks (Nasdaq: AMCX) is a global entertainment company known for its popular and critically-acclaimed content. Its brands include targeted streaming services AMC+, Acorn TV, Shudder, Sundance Now, ALLBLK, and the newest addition to its targeted streaming portfolio, the anime-focused HIDIVE streaming service, in addition to AMC, BBC AMERICA (operated through a joint venture with BBC Studios), IFC, SundanceTV, WE tv and IFC Films. AMC Studios, the Company’s in-house studio, production and distribution operation, is behind some of the biggest titles and brands known to a global audience, including The Walking Dead, the Anne Rice catalog and the Agatha Christie library. The Company also operates AMC Networks International, its international programming business, and 25/7 Media, its production services business.
Interview with Melissa Joan Hart, Emily Kinney, Justin Gaston, Rita Moreno and Marissa Jaret Winokur of “Santa Bootcamp” on Lifetime by Suzanne 11/7/22
This was a very fun movie and more original than your average Christmas movie. It was a great honor to speak with Rita Moreno because I grew up singing along with the “West Side Story” Broadway album, and I loved the movie. She played Anita in the movie and won an Oscar for it. She’s the only EGOT I’ve ever interviewed. It was also nice to speak to the others, of course, especially Justin Gaston, who was on “Days of Our Lives” and is married to Melissa Ordaway (Abby on “Young and The Restless“). They were all fun, but Rita was hilarious in her answers.
MORE INFO:
Lifetime Site and Preview When event planner Emily Strauss (Emily Kinney, The Walking Dead) is hired by mall magnate Ed Mancini (Patrick Cassidy, Castle) to stage the ultimate Christmas Gala for his most important investors, Emily finds herself being sent to bootcamp – Santa Bootcamp – to find the perfect Santa and the inspiration she will need to make the evening a success. While there, Emily meets Belle (Rita Moreno, West Side Story), the bootcamp’s drill sergeant with a heart of gold, who helps Emily rediscover the magic of Christmas and find romance along the way. Additional stars include Tony® award winner Marissa Jaret Winokur, Justin Gaston, John Schuck, and deaf actors Deanne Bray and Zyra Singleton.
Santa Bootcamp is directed by Melissa Joan Hart, who also serves as executive producer, long with Irene Dreayer, Gina Rugolo Judd, and Paula Hart. The film is produced by Hartbreak Films Inc with a script written by Michael J. Murray.
Interview with Noah Wyle, Gina Bellman, Beth Riesgraf and Aleyse Shannon of “Leverage” on Freevee by Suzanne 11/2/22
I always enjoy speaking with the actors from this great show! This was my first time speaking with Noah Wyle, who joined last season. Note that there are three different short interviews below. Season 2 drops on Free Nov. 16. I’ve seen the first three episodes, and they were even better than last season. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
Noah Wyle (Harry)
I’ve enjoyed most of Noah’s roles in “ER,” “Falling Skies” and “The Librarian,” so it was awesome to speak with him. I felt like he was not in the best mood (I’m sure it must be exhausting to go through so much press each time), but he definitely warmed to me.
Beth Riesgraf (Parker) and Aleyse Shannon (Breanna)
These two were in great spirits and fun to speak with. They shared the wonderful news about Aldis being in more episodes this season.
Gina Bellman (Sophie)
Gina was lovely to speak with. Unfortunately, the audio and video was not the best quality. I hope you can enjoy it, anyway!
MORE INFO:
Amazon Freevee’s Hot Heist Drama Series Leverage: Redemption Returns on November 16 Exclusively in the U.S. and UK
Sep 29, 2022
The official Season Two trailer and key art now available
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
CULVER CITY, California—September 29, 2022— Amazon Freevee announced today the return of its fan-fueled heist drama Leverage: Redemption premiering on November 16 exclusively in the U.S. and UK. Leverage: Redemption follows a Robin Hood-esque team of criminals as they stage elaborate cons against wealthy and powerful individuals on behalf of clients who have been wronged. The second season consists of 13 episodes with the first three episodes available immediately and a new episode releasing each Wednesday until the season finale on January 25, 2023. The fan-favorite first season of Leverage: Redemption is also available on demand and as a FAST channel on Amazon Freevee.
In Season Two, corporate bad guys and dirty dealers are stepping on the little guy in their quest for money and power and the Leverage team is back to teach them a lesson. No matter the danger, when someone needs help, they provide…Leverage. This time around, their criminal skills are put to the test by everything from a husband-and-wife team running a multi-level marketing scam and a shipping magnate dumping boatloads of plastic waste to a music producer who abuses his position over vulnerable women. This season also sees an old friend of Sophie’s unexpectedly coming out of the woodwork, making her question her choices.
Leverage: Redemption stars Gina Bellman as Sophie Devereaux, Beth Riesgraf as Parker, Christian Kane as Eliot Spencer, Aldis Hodge as Alec Hardison, Noah Wyle as Harry Wilson, and Aleyse Shannon as Breanna Casey. Season Two guest stars include Pierson Fodé, Alanna Masterson, Anand Desai-Barochia, Steve Coulter, and Doug Savant.
Kate Rorick serves as co-showrunner and executive producer, alongside co-showrunner and executive producer Dean Devlin, and executive producers Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan-Wilson of Electric Entertainment. John Rogers and Chris Downey served as consulting producers.
About Electric Entertainmen Headquartered in Los Angeles, Electric Entertainment is an independent studio headed by veteran producer Dean Devlin along with his partners Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan-Wilson. Electric Entertainment also houses acquisitions and sales divisions, with domestic sales headed up by Steve Saltman and the international division headed by Sonia Mehandjiyska. Electric also has a satellite office located in Vancouver, Canada.
Among Electric’s hit television series are The Librarians and Leverage, which ran for four and five seasons respectively on TNT, The Outpost, which premiered its fourth season on The CW in 2021, and is now streaming on Amazon Freevee, and Almost Paradise, which is currently streaming on Amazon Freevee after having premiered on WGN America. Season two of Almost Paradise is currently in production. Electric’s new series The Ark is currently in post-production for the SYFY Channel. Electric’s spin-off continuation of Leverage,Leverage: Redemption, is currently streaming in the U.S. and the U.K. on Amazon Freevee, as one of the service’s first original programs.
Electric’s Feature Films have included Bad Samaritan starring David Tennant and Robert Sheehan, the award-winning film Say My Name starring Lisa Brenner and Nick Blood, the critically acclaimed documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?, and most recently The Deal starring Sumalee Montano and Emma Fischer. Electric also acquires, distributes and sells worldwide rights to Electric’s produced and acquired content, as well as theatrical films from around the world, including Blood On The Crown, starring Harvey Keitel and Malcolm McDowell, Heavy, starring Sophie Turner and Daniel Zovatto, Rob Reiner’s historical biopic LBJ, starring Woody Harrelson, and Book Of Love, starring Jessica Biel and Jason Sudeikis. The company’s domestic distribution division, headed by Steve Saltman, is a full-service operation serving all significant outlets with various rights to films and series including: TVOD, EST, AVOD, SVOD, PTV, Linear Basic Cable and Broadcast.
Amazon Freevee, formerly IMDb TV
Amazon Freevee is a free ad-supported streaming video service with thousands of premium movies and TV shows, including Originals and FAST channels, available anytime, for free.
Expansive Catalog: Amazon Freevee offers viewers ambitious Originals, including Bosch: Legacy; Emmy-winning court program Judy Justice; reality design series Hollywood Houselift with Jeff Lewis; comedy series Sprung; music documentary Post Malone: Runaway; heist drama Leverage: Redemption; spy thriller Alex Rider; and the sports docuseries UNINTERRUPTED’s Top Class: The Life and Times of the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers. Combined with an always updating library of broadly appealing hit movies and TV shows across a wide selection of genres, and a catalog of more than 100 FAST channels, Freevee delivers customers the content they would expect to see on a paid service.
Free: The entire catalog of content on the service is free. No paid subscriptions necessary.
Instant Access: Freevee is available as an app on Fire TV, Fire Tablets, and as a free Channel within Prime Video, across hundreds of devices. Freevee content can also be accessed within the “Free with Ads” tab and “Live TV” tab on Prime Video. Freevee is available as an app on third party devices including Roku, Samsung smart TVs (2017-2021 models), Apple TV 4K, Apple TV HD, Comcast’s Xfinity Flex, Xfinity X1, Chromecast with Google TV, NVIDIA SHIELD and other Android TV devices, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 consoles, as well as LG Smart TVs (2018-2021 models). The app is also available on iPhone, iPad, and Android mobile devices.
Ep 201 – The Debutante Job (Premieres 11/16)
Logline: The team pulls Harry back into the fold to help a journalist investigating the corrupt president of a small eastern European nation. But when the journalist is grabbed, our team has to infiltrate a London Ball to extract him.
Ep 202 – The One Man’s Trash Job (Premieres 11/16)
Logline: The crew finds out that a shady plastics exporter whose dumping threatens local waters is smuggling black market antiquities on his barges, and plots to relieve him of his ill-gotten gains.
Ep 203 – The Tournament Job (Premieres 11/16)
Logline: The team has to infiltrate an e-sports tournament to stop a ruthless team owner from mentally and physically abusing his young players.
Noah Wyle
Harry Wilson
Noah Wyle is an actor, writer, producer and director. He is a multiple Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award nominee and winner best known for his work throughout twelve seasons on NBC’s celebrated and critically acclaimed medical drama ER. In his role as Dr. John Carter, Wyle became known to audiences worldwide. Wyle recently wrapped a starring role in Leverage: Redemption for IMDb TV, Amazon’s free streaming service.
Most recently, Wyle starred in Ava DuVernay & Greg Berlanti’s limited series The Red Line for CBS. His work garnered him a Critics Choice Award for Best Actor in a Limited Series. Wyle’s other recent work includes Matthew Weiner’s The Romanoffs, TNT’s critically acclaimed sci-fi series Falling Skies and his long-running TNT series The Librarians, on which he also served as an Executive Producer.
Wyle’s credits include the critically acclaimed roles as Steve Jobs in the Emmy-nominated Pirates of Silicon Valley for TNT. He starred in Oliver Stone’s 2008 drama W in the role of Secretary of Commerce Don Evans. Wyle appeared in the Rod Lurie-directed drama Nothing But the Truth alongside Angela Bassett and Kate Beckinsale. In 2009, he was seen in William Olsson’s An American Affair, which starred Gretchen Mol. He also starred in and associate-produced The Myth of Fingerprints for director Bart Freundlich. Wyle’s additional feature film credits include Warner Brothers’ White Oleander, Columbia Pictures’ Enough, Donnie Darko, Swing Kids and Aaron Sorkin & Rob Reiner’s A Few Good Men.
Gina Bellman
Sophie Devereaux
Gina Bellman is a New Zealand-born British actress known for her work on both sides of the Atlantic. Bellman has recently reprised her leading role in the exciting new season of Leverage: Redemption for IMDb TV, produced by Amazon Studios and Electric Entertainment.
The original five seasons of Leverage for TNT earned her a Saturn Award Best Supporting Actress nomination and a passionate fanbase as the glamorous and ingenious grifter Sophie Devereaux.
Recent roles include Karen in NBC’s Emerald City and crime boss Elena Markedis in the critically acclaimed Sky series Bulletproof alongside Noel Clarke and Ashley Walters.
She starred opposite James Nesbit in the BBC, Golden Globe-nominated limited series Jekyll, and has a cult following for her portrayal of Crazy Jane in the multi-award-winning comedy series Coupling – both written by Steven Moffat.
Her television work includes leading roles and guest appearances in many productions such as Henry IX, Ripper Street, The Wrong Door, Waking the Dead, Hotel Babylon, Jonathan Creek, Ted and Ralph, Only Fools and Horses and Blackeyes.
Film roles include – Permanent Vacation, Zerophilia, Sitting Ducks, Pressure Points, Married Unmarried, Seven Days to Live, Paranoia, Silent Trigger, Everything I Like, Secret Friends, Leon the Pig Farmer and King David.
Bellman has appeared regularly at the Royal National Theatre in award-winning productions such as The Crucible: director Mike Leigh’s Two Thousand Years: Cleo, Camping, Emmanuelle & Dick and From Morning to Midnight. Her West End theatre includes The Rocky Horror Show, Hamlet, Speed the Plow, Twilight of the Golds and Orson’s Shadow, in which she played the part of Vivian Leigh and as Marilyn Monroe in Insignificance.
Bellman appears regularly at Literary festivals reading poetry and is a repertory performer with educational charity Word Theatre.
Beth Riesgraf
Parker
Beth Riesgraf is best known for starring in TNT’s award-winning drama, Leverage opposite Timothy Hutton, Gina Bellman, Aldis Hodge and Christian Kane; and in USA’s Complications opposite Jason O’Mara, Jessica Szohr, Gregory Fears and Lauren Stamile. Riesgraf recently starred in the CBS All Access show 68 Whiskey, produced by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. She will reprise her role as Parker in the reimagination of Leverage: Redemption for IMDb TV. She also directed multiple episodes for the upcoming series.
Riesgraf’s other notable TV credits include a recurring role in Stranger Things and as Dr. Maeve Donovan on Criminal Minds. She has guest-starred on numerous shows, including Seal Team, The Mentalist, My Name is Earl, Without a Trace, NCIS, Killer Woman, Perception, The Librarians and How I Met Your Mother.
On the big screen, Riesgraf was last seen in In Search of Fellini opposite Maria Bello and Ksenia Solo. Her previous credits include starring opposite Rory Culkin, Martin Starr and Jack Kesy in Shut In; the silent independent film The White Door opposite Giovanni Ribisi, which she also co-produced; the feature film Alvin and the Chipmunks; and the independent films Nobody and Let’s Be Civil Kenneth. She can also be seen in the web series Caper opposite Harry Shum Jr., Abby Miller and Hartley Sawyer on the Geek & Sundry channel.
Aleyse Shannon
Breanna Casey
Aleyse Shannon will soon be seen starring in Netflix’s anticipated Feature Film Beauty, written by Lena Waithe and directed by Andrew Dosunmu. She recently wrapped production as a series regular on IMDb TV’s Leverage: Redemption. Shannon starred alongside Imogen Poots in Sophia Takal’s Blumhouse-remake of Black Christmas. She received her BFA from the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University. Immediately upon graduating, Shannon had booked a season-long arc in the first season of CW’s reboot of Charmed, a fun guest lead on CW’s Anthology Series Night Time, and a supporting role in the feature Inez & Doug & Kira, directed by Julia Kots.
Credits
Co-Showrunners and Executive Producers
Kate Rorick
Dean Devlin
Executive Producers
Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan-Wilson of Electric Entertainment
Consulting Producers
John Rogers
Chris Downey
Cast
Gina Bellman
Christian Kane
Beth Riesgraf
Aleyse Shannon
Noah Wyle
Aldis Hodge
Interview with Showrunner Terry Winter, Executive Producer David C. Glasser, and Executive Producer/actor Sylvester Stallone, and actors Andrea Savage, Martin Starr, Jay Will and Garrett Hedlund of “Tulsa King” on Paramount+ by Suzanne 9/21/22
I really enjoyed this virtual panel. It was for the Television Critics Association, and I was so lucky to be chosen as the first to ask a question, which is always great (sometimes I’m lucky if I get even one question on these big panels). I loved being able to talk to Sylvester Stallone, who stars in this show. I admit that it would have felt weird to call him either “Sylvester” or “Sly,” so I addressed him as “Mr. Stallone.” The other reporters must have liked that idea, because from then on, they called him that as well.
TULSA KING: A New Original Series with an Unconventional Twist
Virtual Panel Discussion Unveils Exciting Details about the Highly Anticipated Paramount+ Show
TULSA KING, September 21, 2022 – The Paramount+ original series TULSA KING is set to captivate audiences with its unique blend of genres and compelling storytelling. During a virtual panel discussion via Zoom, the show’s executive producer, showrunner, and writer, Terence Winter, along with executive producer David Glasser, executive producer and Academy Award nominee Sylvester Stallone, and the talented cast members Andrea Savage, Martin Starr, Jay Will, and Garrett Hedlund, shared insights and anecdotes about the upcoming series.
The panel began with Kate Mann, a member of the Paramount+ publicity team, expressing gratitude to Andrea Savage for joining despite her battle with COVID-19. After a lighthearted exchange about the different degrees of COVID, the discussion delved into the world of TULSA KING.
Terence Winter provided an overview of the show’s premise, introducing Dwight “The General” Manfredi, a seasoned New York mob capo. Released from prison after 25 years, Dwight expects compensation for his loyalty and sacrifices. However, he is unexpectedly sent to Tulsa, a place that feels worlds apart from his familiar surroundings. Tasked with rectifying past mistakes, rebuilding his life, and forming an unconventional crew, Dwight faces an existential journey in an unfamiliar setting.
The panelists engaged in a lively Q&A session, offering valuable insights into their experiences and the show’s unique elements. Sylvester Stallone, who plays Dwight “The General” Manfredi, spoke about his involvement in the show and the immediate connection he felt with the project when approached by Taylor Sheridan, the show’s creator. Stallone praised the fast-paced nature of television production and highlighted the endurance and dedication of the crew.
Stallone answered my question about how he became involved in the show: “It’s kind of interesting because I met {creator Taylor Sheridan] a while back, actually riding horses in California. And he was just working on ‘Sicario’ at the time, and I wanted him to write the screenplay for ‘Rambo’ because I was getting lazy. Anyway, we moved on in life. And then he became very, very successful with… ‘Yellowstone.’ And one day, he just had this idea, called me up, pitched it to me in like three seconds. I went, “I’m in.” It was very fast.”
When asked about the appeal of playing a gangster and being a storyteller in that world, Stallone emphasized his long-standing fascination with the genre and his desire to portray a different type of gangster character. He described Dwight as an educated individual who appreciates the classics and possesses a unique set of traits not typically associated with gangster portrayals.
The cast members also shared their thoughts on the show and their respective characters. Andrea Savage expressed her excitement about working in a new world and highlighted the multi-dimensional nature of Dwight’s character. Martin Starr discussed his departure from his usual roles and the intriguing dynamics his character experiences when encountering Dwight. Jay Will expressed his appreciation for the relatability of his character’s journey of self-discovery, while Garrett Hedlund highlighted the unique bond between his character and Stallone’s character.
Throughout the discussion, Terence Winter emphasized the departure from traditional gangster narratives and the infusion of different genres. He described the show as a blend of the western and gangster genres, bringing together two tried-and-true themes to create an entirely new and captivating experience for viewers.
David Glasser, another executive producer, discussed the choice of Tulsa as the setting for the series. He explained that Tulsa provided the perfect backdrop for Dwight’s journey, as it contrasts significantly with his New York origins. Glasser praised the location’s wide-open spaces and distinct atmosphere, which helped immerse the audience in a new and unfamiliar world.
As the panel came to a close, the cast members expressed their hopes for the series. Garrett Hedlund and Jay Will emphasized the uniqueness and relatability of the show, while Martin Starr highlighted the dark comedy infused throughout the series. Andrea Savage praised the vulnerability and humor brought by Stallone’s portrayal of Dwight, while Stallone himself hoped that audiences would perceive the show as a departure from traditional mob narratives and find resonance in the characters’ stories.
The virtual panel left audiences eagerly anticipating the premiere of TULSA KING on November 13th, exclusively on Paramount+. With its unconventional blend of genres, captivating storytelling, and a stellar cast, the series promises to be an enthralling addition to the television landscape.
MORE INFO:
PARAMOUNT+ DEBUTS TEASER TRAILER FOR NEW ORIGINAL SERIES “TULSA KING” STARRING ACADEMY AWARD® NOMINEE SYLVESTER STALLONE
PARAMOUNT+ DEBUTS TEASER TRAILER FOR NEW ORIGINAL SERIES “TULSA KING” STARRING ACADEMY AWARD® NOMINEE SYLVESTER STALLONE
Creator and Academy Award Nominee Taylor Sheridan Serves as Executive Producer Alongside Academy Award Nominee and Emmy Award® Winner Terence Winter
“Tulsa King” Premieres Nov. 13 on Paramount+; Paramount Network to Air Episodes 1 and 2 on Nov. 20 Following an All-New Episode of “Yellowstone”
Produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios
Paramount+ today released the teaser trailer for the upcoming original series TULSA KING, starring Academy Award® nominee Sylvester Stallone. Creator and Academy Award nominee Taylor Sheridan serves as executive producer alongside Academy Award nominee and Emmy Award® winner Terence Winter (“The Sopranos,” “The Wolf of Wall Street”), who also serves as showrunner and writer. Produced by MTV Entertainment Studios and 101 Studios, TULSA KING will premiere with two episodes on Sunday, Nov. 13 on Paramount+.
TULSA KING follows New York mafia capo Dwight “The General” Manfredi (Stallone) just after he is released from prison after 25 years and unceremoniously exiled by his boss to set up shop in Tulsa, Okla. Realizing that his mob family may not have his best interests in mind, Dwight slowly builds a crew from a group of unlikely characters, to help him establish a new criminal empire in a place that to him might as well be another planet.
The series also stars Andrea Savage (“I’m Sorry”), Max Casella (“The Tender Bar”), Martin Starr (“Silicon Valley”), Domenick Lombardozzi (“The Irishman”), Vincent Piazza (“Boardwalk Empire”), Jay Will (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), A.C. Peterson (“Superman & Lois”) with Garrett Hedlund (“The United States vs. Billie Holiday”) and Dana Delany (“Body of Proof”).
Paramount Network will host a linear airing of TULSA KING’s first two episodes on Sunday, Nov. 20, immediately following a new episode of YELLOWSTONE. All remaining episodes will be available to stream weekly on Sundays, exclusively on Paramount+. TULSA KING will also premiere on Paramount+ in Canada on Nov.13, followed by a premiere in Australia and the U.K. on Monday, Nov. 14. The series will air later this year on Paramount+ in Latin America and in additional territories upon the launch of the service.
The series is executive produced by Taylor Sheridan, Terence Winter, Sylvester Stallone, David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle, Bob Yari, David Hutkin, Allen Coulter and Braden Aftergood.
TULSA KING is the latest addition to Sheridan’s growing slate on Paramount+, which includes 1883, MAYOR OF KINGSTOWN and the upcoming series 1923, BASS REEVES, LIONESS and LAND MAN.
About Paramount+
Paramount+, a direct-to-consumer digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service, 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 CBS News Network for 24/7 news and CBS Sports HQ for sports news and analysis.
George Lopez returns to television with a show loosely based on his real life. George plays a man who lost his construction business and his house because of the pandemic. George moves in with his daughter Mayan (played by his real-life daughter Mayan Lopez). The relationship between George and his daughter is strained and Mayan goes to therapy to deal with the issues she has because her parents got divorced, and the fact that her father was not around much growing up. George is hoping to build a relationship with his daughter by remodeling her kitchen. George makes a tik tok video to tell Mayan he is broke and homeless so Mayan and her husband let George move into their house to live with them. Mayan and George must adjust to living with each other and while this show sounds like a drama it is a comedy.
The show is funny with most of the laughs coming from Mayan Lopez who is very funny. The show highlights how different generations can learn from each other it also has some touching moments. The show begins what NBC calls its Friday night comedy hour which is followed by Young Rock. If you want to laugh you will enjoy this show it is worth watching although I am not sure how well it will do on Friday nights.
The rest of the cast other than George and Mayan needs time to find their rhythm.
Interview with Jeff Rake of “Manifest” on Netflix by Suzanne 11/2/22
It was fun to speak to Jeff again. Last time was in a short junket for NBC. This time I had 20 minutes, so I was able to ask all of my questions. He was great about answering them, too, as you’ll see in this video. He gave very thoughtful answers. Many of my questions came from “Manifest” fans on Facebook and Twitter, so it was nice to have them help me out.
Jeff: Well, thank you so much.
Suzanne: Good, good, good. I have some questions, and I haven’t watched the fourth season episodes yet…
Jeff: Okay.
Suzanne: So there’s no worry about spoilers.
Jeff: Okay.
Suzanne: My sister-in-law… I have to tell you… (and I told you this last time, but you won’t remember, probably) My sister-in-law and her husband just love “Manifest.”
Jeff: Right.
Suzanne: It’s the only show they watch, I think.
Jeff: Wow.
Suzanne: Yeah. I like it, but I have to watch so much [for my work]. I’m always behind on everything…
Jeff: Right. Tell them I said, “Thank you.”
Suzanne: I’ll make sure they see this video. So, my first question is: Is this really the last season?
Jeff: Is this really the last season? Well, as far as I know, this is really the last season. We wrote these episodes to the very end of the journey. We’re going to answer everyone’s questions by the time you get to the end of the next block, right? So, we’re releasing block one right now. Block two will come out sometime in the spring, I suppose, and we’ve finished shooting those episodes. We just finished shooting episode 420 a couple weeks ago, and we’ll be editing those for the next couple months. We’ve taken the story all the way to the end. We have, uh, hopefully answered all the questions people are wondering about. Um, I love these characters. I would love to keep telling stories about them. So you never know what the future holds. This should get us all the way to the end of the “Manifest” story.
Suzanne: So if it’s a huge hit, and Netflix says, “We want more,” you can write more?
Jeff: Well, these are great, complicated characters, and I’d be delighted to take them on another journey. So you never know.
Suzanne: Okay. Cool. Do you think fans will be happy about the ending?
Jeff: I hope so. I hope so. I think that… I personally think it’s very satisfying. The few folks who have…hardly anybody has seen the episode because it’s still in the edit bay and we’re tinkering with it… But those who read the script… of course, the actors and the crew…maybe they’re too close to it, but, but, uh, you know…
Suzanne: Mm-hmm.
Jeff: The insiders all felt that it was very satisfying, and very powerful emotionally. I think that it fulfills the promise of the “Manifest” pilot and the initial premise. There are a lot of camps among our fandom. You know, people rooting for this couple, people rooting for that couple….everybody has their favorites in terms of the characters. And then, on the science side, people have their theories. And on the mythological side, people have their theories. We make choices that, I think, a lot of people are gonna be able to say, “I was right.” And other people will say…
Suzanne: You can’t please everyone. [Laughs]
Jeff: We wrap it up in a way that won’t please everyone. Right. Because to the extent that certain people were right, I guess other people will feel like they were wrong, but we’re not so specific and so on the nose that I think people are gonna walk away saying, “I was wrong.” There’s a level of ambiguity that will allow people to draw conclusions, but not so ambiguous that I think they’re gonna feel like, “Well, you didn’t give us answers.”
Suzanne: Yeah, right.
Jeff: You know what I mean? So I think we kind of reach a happy medium where people will be able to draw conclusions in a way that they’ll feel like we created closure. Um, so we’ll see. You know, I’ll be curious to see what people feel.
Suzanne: Why was the last season split into two parts?
Jeff: You know, we still had a lot of story to tell, and I think that Netflix wanted to honor that, and therefore, were very generous in giving us 20, which I very much appreciated. I would’ve happily taken as many they were willing to give us.
Suzanne: Mm-hmm.
Jeff: We needed a certain amount of time to shoot all these episodes. I needed time to write all of them, and I needed a break in-between. It would’ve been too challenging for us to write 20 (episodes) nonstop.
Suzanne: Sure.
Jeff: ..to write and shoot 20 non-stop. We needed a break, and we took a break – a writer’s hiatus…it wasn’t, actually, really a hiatus. We needed a production hiatus so that the writing could continue and catch up.
Suzanne: Okay.
Jeff: And I think that’s probably why airing them was split up in two.
Suzanne: My sister-in-law’s favorite character is Jared, and she wanted to know why we saw less of Jared in the third season.
Jeff: Interesting. Um, not by design, not by design. I think, you know… did we see less of Jared? If she says we saw less of him, then I believe her. Um, I don’t know. I think that…
Suzanne: The story?
Jeff: Yeah. The story just led us in certain directions. We were developing the Angelina character more predominantly, and that probably just squeezed some other characters off the screen a little bit, but not at all by design. We love Jared.
Suzanne: Okay. Okay. And I posted on a couple of Facebook groups about “Manifest,” and on Twitter…so I have some questions from there.
Jeff: Oh, okay.
Suzanne: Several people asked, “Do you have more projects in mind after this one finishes?” They want to follow you… [Laughs]
Jeff: Ha-ha! I love that. I love that. Um, when “Manifest” was canceled… I, of course, as an anxious television writer, started thinking about, “Well, what’s next?” You know?
Suzanne: Mm-hmm.
Jeff: Yeah, I have a couple other ideas. I’m always thinking and started developing another supernatural drama (which has proven successful for me this time around). I started working on that when we were no more. And then, I had to put my pen down on that when we were saved. When this wraps up, maybe I’ll turn my attention back to that; see what I can do with that.
Suzanne: Great.
Jeff: I’ll keep them posted.
Suzanne: Yes, definitely. Beth asked, “Do you feel that you had to leave out anything important to finish it in four seasons, rather than more?”
Jeff: Yeah, good question, Beth. Uh, I don’t think so. You know, the thing about the combination of our show being a relationship drama, a mythological drama, but also a police drama, allowed us to be somewhat flexible in our storytelling. And in particular on the procedural side of the show. If we had had an extra season, we probably would’ve spread out our mythology more. Uh, in other words, made it thinner and dropped mythology clues…
Suzanne: Mm-hmm.
Jeff: …over more episodes. That is to say, mythology clue in episode three, save the next mythology clue for episode six.
Suzanne: Mm-hmm.
Jeff: Another one in episode 10, and in the meantime, told more cop stories. You know what I mean? In between, told more police stories. And as a result of our having less episodes, we probably told a few less procedural cop stories and inundated you with more mythology stories… Um, and packed them in a little bit more, you know…
Suzanne: Right.
Jeff: Gave you more mythological clues. Episode four, episode six, Episode eight, episode 10. And so, you probably got more bang for your buck on the mythology and science side, and so we didn’t drop anything inherent to the overall mythology of the show. We might have just denied you a few cop stories.
Suzanne: I think my sister-in-law suggested that you should have a spinoff with…
Jeff: Right.
Suzanne: As a police show, with Michaela and Jared.
Jeff: Yeah, I hear that.
Suzanne: [Chuckles] Jan asks if you have a favorite episode. That’s a tough one, I know.
Jeff: Episode seven in this new block, uh, directed by Josh Dallas, as a matter of fact, is pretty good. I mean, you’ll have seen it, probably, by the time you watch this. There’s a really adorable story between Cal (you know, older Cal, Ty) and another passenger named Violet. It’s pretty irresistible. And then there’s some other cool stuff happening around that. But that story between Ty and Violet, which leads them to a karaoke bar…
Suzanne: [Laughs]
Jeff: It’s pretty hard to resist. Does it make it my favorite episode of them all? I don’t know. And that’s not even the lead story of the episode. Is it? Maybe it is, but uh, it’s pretty great.
Suzanne: Oh good. More karaoke is always good for me, so…
Jeff: Right. There you go.
Suzanne: Love it. You know, sometimes people don’t use their real name on Twitter, so this guy’s Twitter username is “Manifest Stoner.”
Jeff: Oh yeah, I know Manifest Stoner.
Suzanne: You know him? Okay, good.
Jeff: Yeah.
Suzanne: He asks, “How do you maintain levity in a show where the emotional stakes are so high?”
Jeff: Yeah. Well, you’ve probably noticed that I really enjoy my levity. Whenever there’s a stupid joke, I probably wrote that. And sometimes we, kind of, cross the line and go a little too far. Often the other executive producers will go, “Should we edit out that line? Like, does that feel appropriate, given how grave the rest of the episode is?” And I’ll say, “No, we gotta leave that in because sometimes even on a really sad day, funny stuff happens.”
Suzanne: Yeah.
Jeff: So, um, you know, that’s why the character Troy exists. That’s why the character Egan exists. I just have a soft spot for dumb jokes and… not-so-dumb jokes. We have some really funny jokes.
Suzanne: Yeah.
Jeff: But in all seriousness, you know, I think that’s how we get through life.
Suzanne: Sure.
Jeff: It’s like, you know, you go to a funeral, and then you go back to the person’s house, and you make each other laugh. You know? And that’s how we get through life.
Suzanne: Right. Like that classic “Mary Tyler Moore” episode where they all start laughing at the funeral…
Jeff: Yeah. Yeah. Exactly.
Suzanne: Any show has to balance the drama and the comedy…
Jeff: You have to, you have to.
Suzanne: Yeah. Otherwise it’s too unrelentingly sad…
Jeff: That’s really important to me. We balance it just by throwing it in there and seeing what works; and when it does, we let it stick.
Suzanne: Okay. Cristina (spelled without an H) asks, “Whose character has changed the most in season four?”
Jeff: Yeah. Yeah, that’s a good question. Um, let me think for a second. Olive changes a lot. Olive is kind of forced by circumstance to become Mom, and Luna did a great job at taking that on. I thought that was a really exciting arc for her to have, to really be the grown up, and, uh, that was cool for us to write. And it was fun for her to take on that challenge, and she really rose to the occasion.
Suzanne: Great. And Christina (with an H) asked, “Of all the characters’ storylines, which one is the one you think will surprise us more in season four?” Similar question.
Jeff: Yeah. Well, certainly Olive’s, but let me think if there’s another one. (long pause) I know Egan is a supporting player, but he becomes a much more prominent player in season four and takes surprising and important turns. I think that that’ll be surprising…let me think if there’s anyone else…Yeah, for Jared– someone was asking about how we underplayed Jared? Jared has an important role in this season, and I think really comes through for Jared fans.
Suzanne: Okay, that’s fine. If you can think of any more, you can let me know.
Jeff: Okay.
Suzanne: From Sarah: “Was the death of Pete the tipping point for Angelina’s delusion that Eden was her guardian angel? She seemed relatively okay up until that point.”
Jeff: That’s a really good question, and I think that’s a really good theory. I don’t know that we were thinking about that, consciously, but looking backwards, I think you’re right – that might have pushed her over the top. And she talks a lot about that in the series, after the fact, in this block Of episodes, and in the block to come — in the final block, she will look back with historical perspective, and she talks a lot about how everyone abandoned her. And, maybe it’s unfair to say that Pete abandoned her. He didn’t try to abandon her, but one way or another, she was kind of taken away from him. Or he was taken away from her. And so it’s a sort of abandonment, and that was pivotal in her dissent into darkness, wasn’t it? So I think that’s a very good point.
Suzanne: Okay. I just have one more question, and you sort of answered it before when we were talking about, uh, changes…Rail asks, “Why did you kill Grace?”
Jeff: Yeah.
Suzanne: Actually, I think he said it like, “Why did he kill Grace? Why?” (mournfully). [Laughs]
Jeff: Yeah. Well, you have to kill your babies sometimes, for art. It was the most terrible thing that we could imagine, right? That’s why… we needed Angelina to commit the most grievous act that we could imagine. And reciprocally, we needed the Stone family to suffer the most grievous act that we could imagine in order to take the story in the direction that we needed to go. I think I talked about this a bit earlier. (I’m getting my interviews confused, so maybe I didn’t…) The ultimate arc of “Manifest” and the ultimate theme of “Manifest” is about redemption. And that ties into the idea of forgiveness, right? And for any of us who are spiritual, however that spirituality manifests for you, the idea of personal redemption and personal forgiveness– forgiveness of others, forgiveness of yourself — ties in so inherently to the show, and you’ll see that very clearly with Michaela’s arc in the final block of 10, and with Ben’s arc in the final block of 10. And so, in Ben’s case, we had to pull him down that rabbit hole to suffer the most insufferable… Is that the right use of insufferable? I don’t know. Uh, the most…the worst….
Suzanne: The worst way you can suffer.
Jeff: The worst way you could suffer. Plainly spoken.
Suzanne: Yes.
Jeff: Thank you. Uh, he had to suffer like no one could possibly suffer… unimaginable cruelty. Yeah. Uh, and then see if he had the power of forgiveness, right? Like most world religions speak about, and I think they all speak about it for a reason, right? Because that’s the hardest thing that a person can be asked for in life, right? To forgive the unforgivable. And if you can forgive the unforgivable, you can do anything.
Suzanne: That’s true.
Jeff: And we will see that asked of Ben, in regard to Angelina, and we’ll see that asked of Michaela in regard to forgiving herself, right? She’s been trying to forgive herself since season one, in regard to Evie, and there’s nothing harder. There’s nothing harder. Anyway.
Suzanne: All right.
Jeff: I don’t know if that’s a satisfying answer….
Suzanne: No, that’s good. No, that’s a good answer. Thank you so much. I really appreciate your talking to me.
Make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in their full, upright positions because Manifest Season 4 Part 1 will be landing on Netflix soon.
We couldn’t let 8/28 pass without sharing some exciting news about our favorite Flight 828 passengers. It’s been a turbulent journey — that even included a cancellation — but we can confirm that Manifest Season 4 will premiere on Netflix on Nov. 4.
Fans of the supernatural series (which is produced by Warner Bros. Television) will remember that Season 3 ends on multiple cliffhangers: Ben’s (Josh Dallas) wife, Grace (Athena Karkanis) is murdered by troubled passenger Angelina (Holly Taylor), who also kidnaps their baby , Eden. Cal (Jack Messina) disappears after touching the plane’s tail fin and then returns five years older (now played by Ty Doran), cryptically stating, “I know what I have to do now.” And we get a quick glimpse of the flight’s captain when he reappears in the cockpit, only to vanish seconds later and take the remains of the plane with him. So where do we pick up?
“When you turn on the next episode, it’s two years later, and not only is Ben still deeply in the depths of depression and trauma over the loss of his wife, but you’ll of course recall that that was only half the tragedy,” series creator Jeff Rake tells Tudum. “The other half was the kidnapping of his infant daughter and tragically, two years later, she’s still missing.”
While Ben crawls his way out of “the terrible and torturous hole that he’s plunged himself into,” Cal is trying to figure out where he’s been and why. “There’s sort of an amnesia there, and it’ll take these episodes and adventures that he’s put on throughout this journey to piece it back together,” says Rake. “And that’s just on the mythological side. On the emotional side, he looks like he’s a grownup, but psychologically, he’s still a little boy.”
About that mythological side, Season 4 promises to unpack more of the overarching mystery of what really happens to the passengers during the moment of turbulence and why they’ve been chosen to experience callings ever since. “As exhausting and crazy-making as these callings [are] and the responsibility of being an 828er is, it’s not just about them,” says Rake. “The interconnectedness of all of us, and how small actions can have implications that cascade outward and touch the whole world is what the show is about.”
Interview with Executive Producers Bruce Helford and Debby Wolfe, and actors George Lopez, Selenis Leyva, Mayan Lopez, Al Madrigal, and Matt Shively of “Lopez vs. Lopez” on NBC by Suzanne 9/15/22
I enjoyed speaking with these actors because they’re all very funny. Because it was a TCA panel, I was only able to ask one question, so I chose to ask George and Maya what it was like to work with each other (since they’re father and daughter in real life). I would have loved to chatted with Al as well. It’s a pretty funny sitcom, and it’s based on their real lives. For some reason, George was wearing sunglasses during the entire interview. I thought that was strange, since we were all indoors.
NBC UNIVERSAL 2022 TCA PRESS TOUR
LOPEZ VS. LOPEZ
Selenis Leyva, Talent
George Lopez, Talent/Executive Producer
Mayan Lopez, Talent/Producer
Al Madrigal, Talent
Matt Shively, Talent
Bruce Helford, Executive Producer
Debby Wolfe, Showrunner/Executive Producer
In a virtual press conference via Zoom at the NBC Universal 2022 TCA Press Tour, the cast and producers of the upcoming series “Lopez vs. Lopez” gathered to discuss the highly-anticipated show. The talent-filled panel included Selenis Leyva, George Lopez, Mayan Lopez, Al Madrigal, Matt Shively, Bruce Helford, and Debby Wolfe, who shared insights into the show’s creation, its autobiographical elements, and the significance of representation in the Latinx community.
“Lopez vs. Lopez” is a working-class family comedy that delves into themes of dysfunction, reconnection, and the rollercoaster of emotions that come with family dynamics. The series is set to premiere on Friday, November 4th, at 8 p.m. on NBC, with subsequent episodes streaming on Peacock the following day.
During the panel, a clip from “Lopez vs. Lopez” was shown, giving the press a glimpse of the show’s humor and heart. The cast and producers, seated in two rows on the Zoom call, were ready to answer questions and discuss their experiences working on the series.
Mayan Lopez, who plays a version of herself on the show, was asked about the autobiographical elements of her character and the similarities to her real-life relationship with her father, George Lopez. Mayan shared that her parents divorced about ten years ago, and there was a period of estrangement between her and her father for approximately three years. However, the pandemic brought them back together, and they started creating TikToks as a way to reconnect. This eventually led to the birth of the idea for “Lopez vs. Lopez.” Mayan emphasized that while her character’s story reflects her own experiences, it also draws from the stories of the show’s writers and explores the cultural aspects of Latino parent-child relationships.
George Lopez, both talent and executive producer on the show, was asked about the differences between “Lopez vs. Lopez” and his previous show, “George Lopez.” He highlighted the evolution of comedy, changes in social media, and the availability of talented actors, making the production process easier. Bruce Helford, executive producer, added that the casting landscape has changed significantly, allowing for more diverse and talented performers, particularly within the Latinx community.
Debby Wolfe, showrunner and executive producer, praised George Lopez and his previous show for paving the way for Latinx talent and opening doors for diverse stories. She emphasized that “Lopez vs. Lopez” continues that legacy, bringing together a talented cast and crew to share authentic and relatable experiences.
Selenis Leyva, who plays a fictionalized version of a real person in the show, spoke about her approach to the role and the blending of her own experiences with the character. She highlighted the complexity and talent of George Lopez and Mayan Lopez, emphasizing that while they play versions of themselves, their performances require depth and skill. Debby Wolfe clarified that Selenis’ character, Rosie, is a fictionalized blend of various Latina moms, drawing inspiration from her own mother and other Latina writers in the room.
The panel also discussed the unique experience of working with family members. Mayan expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work alongside her father and called it a gift and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. George Lopez shared his admiration for the talented cast and the joy of being able to work with his daughter. The show’s executive producer, Bruce Helford, praised the genuine connection between George and Mayan on and off-screen, noting that their real-life bond shines through their performances.
Matt Shively, another cast member, discussed his role as Quinten on the show and how it differs from his previous comedic roles. He mentioned the emotional depth required for his character and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to work with the talented ensemble.
Throughout the panel, the importance of representation in the Latinx community was a recurring theme. Debby Wolfe acknowledged the progress made in recent years but stressed the need for further advancements in on-screen and behind-the-scenes representation. She highlighted the responsibility of “Lopez vs. Lopez” to tell authentic stories and open doors for Latinx talent.
In conclusion, the cast and producers expressed their excitement for “Lopez vs. Lopez” and its potential to resonate with audiences, sparking conversations and connections within their own families. They recognized the significance of being part of a show that represents the Latinx community while telling universal stories of flawed, yet loving families.
“Lopez vs. Lopez” is poised to make its mark as a groundbreaking comedy, continuing the legacy set by George Lopez and opening doors for diverse storytelling and representation on television.
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George Lopez is back in primetime and this time he’s bringing his real-life daughter, Mayan. This hilarious and heartwarming comedy tells the story of a working-class old-school Latino who moves in with his modern Gen Z daughter as they rebuild their dysfunctional relationship one argument at a time. It’s old vs. new, father vs. daughter, Lopez vs. Lopez.
“Lopez vs Lopez” is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group in association with Mohawk Productions, Travieso Productions, Mi Vida Loba and 3 Arts.
George Lopez
George Lopez/Executive Producer, “Lopez vs. Lopez”
George Lopez plays himself and executive produces the new NBC comedy “Lopez vs. Lopez.”
Lopez has broken ground for Latino comics by embracing his ethnicity, confronting racial stereotypes, and fighting for his community on and off the stage. He will join the DC universe in 2023 in the superhero film “Blue Beetle.”
Lopez’s “OMG Hi!” comedy tour concluded in the fall. He has four HBO specials on his resume: “The Wall” (2017), “It’s Not Me, It’s You” (2012), “Tall, Dark and Chicano” (2009), which was nominated for a Best Comedy Album Grammy Award, and “America’s Mexican” (2007).
On television, Lopez produced and starred in “Lopez,” a semi-autobiographical single camera sitcom for two seasons on TV Land. In 2014, Lopez co-created and starred in the multi-camera ensemble comedy “Saint George” for FX. He hosted TBS’ inaugural late-night talk show, “Lopez Tonight,” for two seasons, marking Lopez’s return to series television after co-creating, writing, producing and starring in ABC’s groundbreaking hit sitcom “George Lopez,” which ran for six seasons.
Lopez’s extensive film credits include “Walking with Herb,” “Western No Man’s Land,” “The Tax Collector,” “El Chicano,” “Valentine’s Day,” “The Spy Next Door” and “The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl.” He starred in and produced the inspirational drama “Spare Parts,” based on a true story about four undocumented Mexican-American teens who team up to build a robot for a national competition. Lopez has lent his voice to a string of animated films, including “Rio,” “Smurfs,” “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” and the “Cats & Dogs” franchises.
In May 2004, Lopez’s autobiography “Why You Crying?” earned a spot on The New York Times Bestseller Top 20 List. Lopez released his second memoir in 2013, “I’m Not Gonna Lie and Other Lies You Tell When You Turn 50.”
Time magazine named him one of the 25 Most Influential Hispanics in America in 2005 and the Harris Poll named him one of the Top Ten Favorite Television Personalities. The following year, Lopez received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Mayan Lopez, “Lopez vs. Lopez”
Mayan Lopez plays Mayan Lopez on the new NBC comedy “Lopez vs. Lopez.”
Lopez, who is an actress, producer and Tik Tok influencer, grew upon the set of the hit television series “George Lopez,” which started filming when she was 5 years old.
To help launch her career, Lopez received extensive training at the Conservatory Program at Second City Chicago and Columbia College Chicago’s Comedy Writing and Performance Program. She honed her improv skills while performing with various improv troupes late at night at Second City after the Main Stage shows and also did voiceover work for the local Chicago and regional Midwest market.
Lopez left Chicago and returned to Los Angeles just as the pandemic struck. In quarantine and with no auditions, she started to do Tik Tok videos as a creative outlet and her account took off.
Her other credits include “Handsome: A Netflix Murder Mystery,” “Other People,” “Jersey,” “Mr. Troop Mom” and “George Lopez.”
Selenis Leyva
Rosie “Lopez vs. Lopez”
Selenis Leyva portrays Rosie on the new NBC comedy “Lopez vs. Lopez.”
Leyva is best known for her co-starring role on the Netflix hit series “Orange Is the New Black” and in the Disney+ original “Diary of a Future President.” For her work on the latter, she won a 2021 Gracie Award, which honors standout women in entertainment and news programming that addresses timely topics and social issues.
Up next, Leyva will star alongside John Boyega and Connie Britton in the drama “Breaking,” which opens in theaters Aug. 26. Leyva and her “Breaking” cast won the Special Jury Award for Ensemble Cast in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at this year’s Sundance. She will also star alongside Michael B. Jordan in the highly anticipated “Creed III,” opening Nov. 23. Leyva recently wrapped production on the HBO Max comedy series “Gordita Chronicles,” which will chronicle the life of a 12-year-old Dominican girl who struggles to fit into 1980s Miami as her family pursues the American dream.
Matt Shively
Quinten, “Lopez vs. Lopez”
Matt Shively plays Quinten on the new NBC comedy “Lopez vs. Lopez.”
Following high school, Shively launched his career in 2008 with a role on Nickelodeon’s “True Jackson VP.” In addition to a series regular role on the ABC comedy “The Real O’Neals,” other prominent series in which Shively has appeared include “The Purge,” “American Housewife,” “Santa Clarita Diet,” “Teen Wolf,” “CSI,” “Aquarius,” “SMILF,” “Me, Myself and I,” “The Resident,” “Last Man Standing” and “Grand Hotel.”
On the film side, Shively made his way to the big screen in 2012 in “Paranormal Activity 4.” Other movies on his resume include “Power Rangers,” “Father of the Year,” “The Wedding Year,” “Bucky and the Squirrels,” “Expelled,” “Underwater Upside Down” and “Mark, Mary + Some Other People.”
Last year Shively joined the cast “Players,” Paramount+’s upcoming esports series.
Al Madrigal
Oscar, “Lopez vs. Lopez”
Al Madrigal plays Oscar on the new NBC comedy “Lopez vs. Lopez.”
Madrigal’s film credits include “The Way Back” with co-star Ben Affleck. He’s has also been seen in “Night School,” alongside Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish; “Morbius,” alongside Jared Leto; and “Hollywood Stargirl,” opposite Judy Greer and Uma Thurman.
On television, Madrigal is best known as the senior Latino correspondent on “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart,” a series regular and writer on Showtime’s “I’m Dying Up Here” and served as a writer, actor, and producer on the CBS show “Broke.”
Madrigal and fellow comedian Bill Burr co-founded All Things Comedy, which is a leading comedy podcast network featuring shows hosted by some of the industry’s top comedians that has over 15 million listeners and 50+ shows.
Bruce Helford
Executive Producer, “Lopez vs. Lopez”
Bruce Helford is the supervising writer and an executive producer on the new NBC comedy “Lopez vs. Lopez.”
Helford co-created “The Drew Carey Show” and served as executive producer for its entire run from 1995-2004. He also created or co-created “The Norm Show,” “Wanda at Large,” “Freddie,” “George Lopez,” “Nikki,” “Bless This House,” “The Oblongs,” “Anger Management” and “Kevin Can Wait.”
After serving as executive producer and head writer on the fifth season of “Roseanne” in 1992, he returned as executive producer and head writer for the revival and series spinoff, “The Conners.”
Debby Wolfe
Executive Producer, “Lopez vs. Lopez”
Debby Wolfe is the showrunner and an executive producer on the new NBC comedy “Lopez vs. Lopez.”
Wolfe’s other credits include “The Conners” for ABC, “Primo” for Freevee, “Love, Victor” for Hulu and “One Day at a Time” for Netflix. She previously had development at Amazon, Disney+ and CBS.
Her award-winning short films have screened in festivals worldwide, including Tribeca, NBC Universal Short Cuts, the BET Urbanworld Film Festival and the HBO NYC Latino Film Festival.
Despite her many accomplishments in comedy, Wolfe’s Salvadorian mother still doesn’t think she’s funny. Her Jewish father says he could do her job better.
Interview with Josh McKenzie, Rohan Mirchandaney, Lily Santiago and Michelle Vergara Moore of “La Brea” on NBC by Suzanne 10/21/22
It was nice to chat with these four (in two separate interviews). I enjoy “La Brea” and all of the characters. I’ve chatted with some of the other actors previously, but this was my first time with these folks. They were very nice, and funny, and we had a good (albeit brief) time.
The first chat is with Josh Mckenzie (Lucas) and Rohan Mirchandaney (Scott)
The second interview was with Lily Santiago (Veronica) and Michelle Vergara Moore (Ella)!
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“La Brea” follows an epic family adventure after a massive sinkhole opens in Los Angeles pulling people and buildings into a mysterious and dangerous primeval land where they have no choice but to band together to survive. In season two, the Harris family remains separated as Eve is reeling from her son, Josh, having mistakenly gone through a portal to 1988. What she doesn’t know yet is that her estranged husband, Gavin, and their daughter, Izzy, have landed in prehistoric Seattle and now must brave the elements and animals to make their way to L.A.
The cast includes Natalie Zea, Eoin Macken, Jon Seda, Nicholas Gonzalez, Chiké Okonkwo, Zyra Gorecki, Jack Martin, Veronica St. Clair, Rohan Mirchandaney, Lily Santiago, Josh McKenzie, Tonantzin Carmelo and Michelle Vergara Moore.
Creator/Showrunner David Appelbaum executive produces with Avi Nir, Alon Shtruzman, Peter Traugott, Rachel Kaplan, Chris Hollier, Adam Davidson, Bryan Wynbrandt, Steven Lilien, Ken Woodruff, and Arika Lisanne Mittman.
“La Brea” is produced by Universal Television and Australia’s Matchbox Pictures, both divisions of Universal Studio Group in association with Keshet Studios.
Josh McKenzie
Lucas, “La Brea”
Josh McKenzie plays Lucas in the NBC drama “La Brea.”
McKenzie burst onto the scene in the 2009 feature film “Hopes & Dreams,” which earned him the Most Outstanding Debut Performance at New Zealand’s AFTA Awards.
Additional film work includes “Ill Manors,” “Mega Time Squad” and “Northspur.” His many television roles include “Legend of the Seeker,” “Power Rangers Megaforce,” “Filthy Rich” and “Destination Love.”
McKenzie has trained at New Zealand’s acclaimed Tori Whakaari drama school and at the Berlinale Talent Campus in Berlin. As a young actor, McKenzie began his career appearing in many New Zealand theater productions, including “A Tribute to Men” at the Arts Festival Wellington and “Les Miserables” at the Raye Freedman Arts Center.”
Rohan Mirchandaney
Scott Israni, “La Brea”
Rohan Mirchandaney plays Scott Israni in the NBC drama “La Brea.”
Mirchandaney recently starred in the hit ABC Australia series “Mystery Road,” opposite Judy Davis. He also had a supporting role in Arclight’s “Hotel Mumba,” opposite Dev Patel.
Mirchandaney is best known for his recurring role as Dr Rudi on the Australian series “House Husbands.” Prior to the pandemic, he starred in the national tour of Melbourne Theatre Company’s “Melbourne Talam.”
Lily Santiago
Veronica, “La Brea”
Lily Santiago plays Veronica in the NBC drama “La Brea.”
Santiago is a graduate of the theater program at Northwestern University as well as the prestigious LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.
She has appeared in numerous stage productions, including the all-female “Macbeth” at the Red Bull Theater, “Othello” at Shakespeare in the Park, “Romeo & Juliet,” at the Huntington Theatre and, most recently, the Public’s mobile Shakespeare production of “Measure for Measure.”
As a child, she appeared in a small supporting role in George C. Wolfe’s HBO film “Lackawanna Blues.”
She is the daughter of actor, director, and writer Ruben Santiago-Hudson.
Michelle Vergara Moore
Ella Jones, “La Brea”
Michelle Vergara Moore plays Ella Jones in the NBC drama “La Brea.”
Moore made her first Stateside screen appearance in the crime-thriller “Side Effects,” directed by Steven Soderbergh. Other credits include a recurring guest role opposite Bob Balaban in the Epix spy thriller series “Condor” and a guest appearance on HBO’s “High Maintenance.”
Moore starred in the Australian independent film “Black & White & Sex,” which had its international premiere at the Rotterdam Film Festival. She was one of the first Asian actors to play a lead series regular role in an Australian series – “The Time of Our Lives,” which was nominated for a Logie Award for Outstanding Drama Series.
In 2021, Vergara Moore starred in “The Unusual Suspects” (Hulu/ABC Australia). In a case of life imitating art, she acted opposite her real-life husband, Toby Leonard Moore, who played her character’s husband.
A dual Australian/American citizen and New York resident, she completed training at Australia’s prestigious National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA) and has also studied improv at Upright Citizens Brigade.
Interview with Luke Matheny (Executive Producer) and Andrew Orenstein (Producer) of “Ghostwriter” on Apple TV+ by Suzanne 10/13/22
This is a very interesting show aimed at children, but it’s fun to watch for adults who like fantasy and magic as well. I enjoyed speaking with both the kid stars and these producers. Don’t miss this show’s season 3 return, especially if you have kids.
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When a ghost haunts a neighborhood bookstore and starts releasing fictional characters into the real world, a group of friends work to solve an exciting mystery surrounding the ghost’s unfinished business.
The Emmy Award-winning series, which has also earned a highly coveted Prix Jeunesse Award, a Parents’ Choice Gold Medal Award and recognition from Common Sense Media since its debut, was developed for television by J.J. Johnson and Andrew Orenstein with Academy Award-winning and DGA Award-nominated Luke Matheny directing five episodes from the season. Matheny and Orenstein executive produce alongside Johnson, Christin Simms, and Blair Powers for Sinking Ship Entertainment and Kay Wilson Stallings for Sesame Workshop.
Interview with Princess Mapp, Daire McLeod and Nour Assaf of “Ghostwriter” on Apple TV+ by Suzanne 10/13/22
This is a fun kids’ show, but I think it’s worthwhile for adults to watch as well. I enjoyed speaking to these kids. There was a successful kids’ series on PBS with the same name and general idea in 1992. They brought it back with this version in 2019 on Apple TV+. This season, there is a new cast and they’re including more socially conscious story elements.
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“Ghostwriter” – Season Three – Premieres October 21
Emmy Award-winning “Ghostwriter” returns for a third season with an entirely new cast and a new adventure! When a ghost haunts a bookstore and releases fictional characters into the real world, a group of friends works to solve a mystery surrounding the ghost’s unfinished business. A reimagining of the 1992 hit series from Sesame Workshop, the modern-day “Ghostwriter” maintains a city-based, multicultural cast, inviting children ages 6-11 to see themselves on screen as they learn to appreciate a range of new and classic literature. Starring Princess Mapp (“Sydney to the Max,” “The Unicorn”), Nour Assaf (“The Casagrandes”), and Daire McLeod (“Danger Force”), the series was developed for television by J.J. Johnson and Emmy Award winning Andrew Orenstein with Academy Award winning and DGA Award-nominated Luke Matheny directing the first episode. Matheny and Orenstein executive produce alongside Johnson, Christin Simms, and Blair Powers for Sinking Ship Entertainment and Kay Wilson Stallings for Sesame Workshop.
Interview with actors from “Acapulco” on Apple TV+ by Suzanne 10/13/22
This is a great show! I had fun watching the first and second season. I’m sure you will enjoy it as well. I hope they get a third season. It’s just a funny show with great writing and acting. Check it out! Season 2 starts 10/21. I hope you enjoy these interviews as much as I did.
Interview with Enrique Arrizon (Maximo) and Fernando Carsa (Memo)
Interview with Chord Overstreet (Chad) and Camila Perez (Julia)
Interview with Regina Reynoso (Sara) and Vanessa Bauche (Nora)
“Acapulco” tells the story of twenty-something Máximo Gallardo (Enrique Arrizon), whose dream comes true when he gets the job of a lifetime as a cabana boy at the hottest resort in Acapulco. He soon realizes the job is far more complicated than he ever imagined and in order to succeed, he must learn to navigate a demanding clientele, a mercurial mentor, and a complicated home life, without losing his way to shortcuts or temptations.
This was for the Television Critics Association panel. I was able to ask Kate a few questions, which was nice. The TCA panels usually have many journalists waiting to ask questions, so I’m lucky if I get to ask one! Anyway, if you know the USA Network show “Queen of the South,” it’s based on this show, which ran for 1 season in 2011, had a second season in 2019 and is now coming back for a third season. “La Reina del Sur” is “based on a novel of the same name by Spanish author Arturo Pérez-Reverte,” according to Wikipedia. If you watch Telemundo or other Spanish-speaking networks, I’m sure you already know about this series.
Here are the opening remarks, to tell you about the show. “Thanks for joining us to learn more about “La Reina del Sur,” Season 3. In 2011, the launch of “La Reina del Sur” propelled Telemundo to the top of the charts, and gave way to Telemundo’s Super Series franchise. The first two seasons of this blockbuster hit, which has since been adapted in English by USA Network, reigned as the #1 program in its time slot in the United States, regardless of language. Now Telemundo’s global hit returns for a third season with the unstoppable Teresa Mendoza, portrayed by superstar Kate del Castillo. Season 3 of “La Reina del Sur” opens four years after the second season with Teresa Mendoza behind bars in the U.S. for the murders of three DEA agents. Stripped of her freedom, she’s, once again, separated from her beloved daughter Sofia. After being freed in a dramatic jailbreak, Teresa returns to a covert world powered by alliances and secret deals. Risking her life throughout Latin America with the fervent hope that she can reunite with Sofia, and end her life as a fugitive, once and for all. “La Reina del Sur” premieres in October. Joining us today is Kate del Castillo. We’re now ready to take your questions.
I asked Kate what has changed most for her doing the show and as an actress. She dove right in with a frank answer that aging has been a problem – it’s tougher on her physically. She explained that “it’s a very different show” because the first season was based on the novel, and these last two seasons are still written by the same author, Reverte, but not from a novel. She praised their “amazing writers.” Unlike the first two season, this season is not about narcotics or selling them. She’s extremely happy about that because she’s always stated that her character, Teresa Mendoza, “is Teresa Mendoza regardless of what she does for a living.” She went on to explain that she’s a survivor and not a victim (no matter what happened to her), and she lives in the man’s world, but “she makes the most out of it.” She also explained that Teresa is more mature and a mother. She also joked that the budget is a lot better, too.
In my second question, which was somewhat similar to the first, I asked her what challenged her in the new season, playing Teresa. She answered that playing a mom is challenging for her, since she’s not one – especially since her character’s daughter is a teenager. Also, this season they traveled to many different countries, wearing all different clothes, that are “amazing” and “culturally different.” She said they dress her in a very native way.
She also told us that she decided to really challenge herself physically, so she decided to change her body completely. She “got ripped” and lost a lot of weight. She worked out a lot, and told us, jokingly, that she only ate one lettuce leaf per day. She figured that Teresa would do that while she was in prison for four years. She worked hard to redeem herself, “to get freedom.” Also, “she’s coming out to revenge,” so she has to be “ready for action.” So this Teresa is a very different one physically.
Other press asked their questions. Kate was asked whether she had expected the show to become “an international hit,” or was she surprised? She agreed that it was “a pleasant surprise.” She reminded us that the show is #1 in its time slot, regardless of language. The “crossover” effect gratified her. She revealed that she was in a play in New York that sold out, to which she credits the effects of the show being such a big hit. She continued that nobody knew it would be a hit before they made it. The book had been a “bestseller for decades,” but the show was very low-budget. She cried when it did well and thanked god. They shot it down in Colombia and Spain, where it was very difficult for them. So they were surprised, but very happy, when it was such a hit.
Another reporter asked a long and detailed question about how the production values of Spanish language television have evolved. She gave an example of the background music being used. Kate agreed enthusiastically that the production values have changed a lot. Their new show has “Miami Symphony Orchestra” and “Carlos Rafael Rivera, who’s an Emmy and Grammy winner” doing the scores for the show and the theme song. She compared this show to telenovelas, which typically go on for “up to 200 episodes” and are more low budget. Their show is a much more ambitious TV series for a Spanish-speaking audience.
Next she was asked how she felt about the USA Network version, so that those who don’t speak Spanish could enjoy it in English. While Kate agreed that it’s a good thing, she hopes that more people in the US would read subtitles and hear her voice. As a viewer, she likes to watch shows in other languages and hear the actors’ voices. She just wishes that Spanish-language shows all had the great budgets that English-speaking shows do. She hopes that will change.
The next reporter pointed out that Teresa started out as a naive young woman and then became a criminal and found her voice and strength. The person asked Kate how much of herself is in Teresa. Interesting question!
Kate replied that there is a lot of her in the character. She told us that she has given Teresa a lot, and Teresa has given her a lot as well. She ticked off their similarities: they both like men and tequila a lot, and they both like to say nasty things (which she admits is not so good). She said they both love passionately and neither one has been that lucky in love. Even though she’s not a mother, she thinks that the way she gives her love is very motherly and protective. She added, “I think we both survived a lot of stuff.” She also added that when she’s not feeling great about something, she asks herself, “What would Teresa Mendoza do?” It helped her sometimes. She hopes that in the future, though, that she’ll be more lucky in the romance department. It sounds like she’s as honest as her character, too.
Kate’s father was also an actor, in telenovelas, so she was asked about that. She disclosed that her father “just turned 88” and “is still working” quite a bit. She pointed out that he started in movies and has done over 350, as well as the telenovelas. She described what it was like for him, that the movies were really bad, and that as a Mexican actor, you had no choice but to do that or the telenovelas when they came along. Then the Cine De Oro came along, when Mexican movies improved, so now they’re much better. She also did some movies, and 10 telenovelas, which helped her learn her craft. She admires how they’re so popular everywhere now because they “sell fantasies.” When she was the lead of the telenovelas, though, it wasn’t as much fun for her as an actress. She came to the U.S. to find better roles.
Kate was asked whether Teresa being a mother made her stronger or more vulnerable. She reminded us that in the first season, she was revealed to be pregnant near the end, and she told another character that she was going to have the child because she had become fearless, and she wanted to know fear again. The second season was all about getting her daughter back (from being kidnapped). She was vulnerable in that sense. She pointed out that you have to have both strength and vulnerability in a character because “one feeds the other.”
She was also asked about being a woman starring in an action role. Kate replied that now women with power are coming into their own in TV and movies. She thinks it’s because women are smart and have to grow up and live in “this macho land.” Teresa is in “this terrible world of killing, and drugs, and trafficking,” but she turned lemons into margaritas. She went on about how women are still doing their traditional roles as mothers and keeping house, but they also work and do many more things than they used to. She, Kate, is looking for great women’s roles, as an actress and producer. She noted that it’s hard to find the line between empowerment and being sexy. You want the character to be strong and sexy but without “objectifying” her. Teresa walks that line. She feels that the character is sexy but “never cared about her looks.” She’s attractive because of being smart and generous, and how she makes her own decisions. She ended with, “she did commit many mistakes, which makes her this anti-heroine that a lot of people relates to because she has all these flaws, and I think that’s what makes her more interesting.” I have to agree with that.
She was also asked about Telemundo and what they’ve brought to the U.S. Latino market, quality-wise. Kate praised Telemundo for being daring. She said that other networks like Univision and Televisa remake telenovelas, but Telemundo comes out with their own original content. They take more risks. She knows they support her because of how successful the franchise is. She also loves that they made a great deal with Netflix for exclusive content.
Then she was asked why it took 8 years between the first and second seasons (I had wondered that, too). She explained that it was because she had gone to the U.S. and was doing other projects as a result of how successful “La Reina Del Sur” was. She didn’t expect another season, and neither did the author. Then Telemundo grew, and people became more aware of her because of movies and series she did, but she always had Teresa Mendoza on her mind. She expressed how much fun it was to play her. Eventually, they called her and told her that Reverte was involved, and they would make a new season. So she agreed because of that, and because she loved the idea of playing Teresa again. She was very surprised that it was even more successful than the first one. She didn’t think people would even care, since it was 8 years later.
Another person from the press asked her if viewers in Spanish-speaking countries enjoyed the same elements of the show as the fans in the U.S. did. Kate spoke a bit about the different types of Spanish used in the series and how people in different countries reacted to them. She feels that the show is very inclusive because they have 20 different nationalities represented by the actors. She said, proudly, “You’re going to see a Latin America that you’ve never seen before: Huge, beautiful, and magnanimous, like it is.”
She was asked a question about the American version of the show – what impact that had on her show (if any). She said that the USA Network version didn’t get nearly as good ratings as theirs did, so she didn’t think it had much effect. She looks at that version as a very different Teresa Mendoza, like “an alter ego.” She didn’t think it had much to do with the book, as theirs does. She did, however, say that she thought the show was great and that the lead actress, Alice Braga, “did an amazing job.” She praised her beauty and talent.
Based on Arturo Perez-Reverte’s novel, Telemundo’s globally acclaimed Super Series™ La Reina del Sur (The Queen of the South) returns for its highly anticipated third season of unparalleled magnitude, starring global superstar Kate del Castillo. Four years have passed since U.S. authorities convicted Teresa Mendoza for the murders of three Drug Enforcement Agents. Separated from her beloved daughter Sofia, Teresa lives behind bars in a maximum-security prison, stripped of all freedoms. Devising a highly sophisticated escape plan, Teresa’s old friends Oleg and Jonathan daringly extract her from prison to take her to Mexico, meeting President Epifanio Vargas. In a world motivated by alliances and secret deals, Teresa agrees to embark on her most dangerous mission yet, taking her throughout Latin America with the urgent hope that she can end her fugitive’s life and reunite with Sofia at last. La Reina del Sur 3 premieres in October on Telemundo.
Kate Del Castillo
Teresa Mendoza, “La Reina del Sur”
A powerful artistic force since her teens, actress-producer KATE DEL CASTILLO returns to one of her most iconic roles as Teresa Mendoza in Telemundo’s blockbuster Super Series™ “La Reina del Sur.” One of the most anticipated television events, the second season of the groundbreaking series premieres on the network in 2019.
Following a decade as one of the most sought-after talents on Mexican television, Del Castillo’s American film breakthrough occurred with the award-winning 2007 hit “Under the Same Moon” (“La Misma Luna”), directed by Patricia Riggen. Co-starring Eugenio Derbez, the bilingual film remains one of the highest-grossing and influential Spanish-language theatrical releases in U.S. history.
Del Castillo has carefully nurtured a multi-national presence. Among the highlights of her varied film career is her star turn as a Bolivian dancer in “American Visa,” winning Best Actress Awards at film festivals in Spain and Brazil, as well as a Best Actress nomination at the Ariel Awards. “American Visa” received its sold-out U.S. premiere at the AFI Film Festival in Los Angeles. Her feature film credits include “Julia” with Tilda Swinton, “Trade” co-starring Kevin Kline, and “No Good Deed” with Idris Elba. In 2015, Del Castillo reteamed with director Patricia Riggen to join the ensemble cast of “The 33,” a powerful telling of the 2010 Chilean mining disaster. She currently can be seen with Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Common, and Chace Crawford in the Eva Vives-directed comedy “All About Nina.”
Del Castillo continues to court success on television, reaching beyond Spanish-speaking audiences on various platforms. In 2009, she starred with Guy Ecker in Univision’s first-ever webnovela “Vidas Cruzadas” (“Crossed Lives”), which she co-produced. Del Castillo hit a new career peak in 2011 in the title role of “La Reina del Sur”(“Queen of the South”), a gritty primetime serial produced by Telemundo and Spain’s Antena 3. As Teresa Mendoza, a Mexican woman who rises to amass great power within the world of international drug trafficking, Del Castillo’s indelible turn helped redefine the role of female lead in the telenovela genre. Based on the bestseller by Spanish novelist Arturo Perez-Reverte, the series became a cultural phenomenon, spawning an American version on the USA Network.
Her continuing relationship with Telemundo also include the 2015 ratings smash “Duenos del Paraiso,” which premiered at #1 and remains the network’s highest-rated premiere to date. That same year, Del Castillo joined the cast of the award-winning CW romantic comedy series “Jane the Virgin,” portraying Rogelio’s (portrayed by Jaime Camil) first ex-wife.
In 2017, Del Castillo starred as Emilia Urquiza in the Netflix political thriller “Ingobernable,” one of the first dramatic series produced in Mexico by the streaming giant. Its success generated a second season in 2018, now airing worldwide. Other noteworthy television credits include a five-episode arc on Showtime’s acclaimed series “Weeds.” Del Castillo also starred in Gregory Nava’s lauded PBS series “American Family,” which marked her crossover debut on American television.
A philanthropist and an outspoken global activist, Del Castillo, was appointed Ambassador for the Mexican Commission on Human Rights to combat human trafficking in 2009, launching the Blue Heart campaign in Mexico City. She remains a devoted spokesperson for PETA, earning the organizations 35th Annual Humanitarian Award in 2015.
Interview with Jennifer Irwin and Michael Consuelos of “Let’s Get Physical” on Lifetime by Krista 10/6/22
It was great to speak to these two actors from this movie. Michael’s parents are actors/talk show hosts Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, who met while working on “All My Children” years ago, so it’s nice to see their grown son also as an actor. This was a panel that Lifetime had for the movie, where those of us in the press asked questions. The movie airs Saturday, 10/15 on Lifetime! Watch the trailer below before the interview…
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Lifetime Announces Two New Ripped From the Headlines Movies from EPs Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, Jenna Dewan Set to Star and EP
– 08/11/2022 –
KELLY RIPA AND MARK CONSUELOS EXECUTIVE PRODUCE TWO NEW RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES FILMS THROUGH MILOJO PRODUCTIONS BANNER
JENNA DEWAN TO HEADLINE AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCE ORIGINAL MOVIE LET’S GET PHYSICAL WITH JENNIFER IRWIN AND MICHAEL CONSUELOS
LEA THOMPSON, ZACH GILFORD, AND ALICIA WITT STAR IN THE DISAPPEARANCE OF CARI FARVER
BOTH FILMS WILL DEBUT THIS OCTOBER
New York, NY – August 11 – Lifetime announces two new Ripped from the Headlines movies, Let’s Get Physical and The Disappearance of Cari Farver from executive producers Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, under their Milojo Productions banner as part of the previously announced partnership with Lifetime. Let’s Get Physical stars and is also executive produced by Jenna Dewan via her Everheart Productions with Kyle McNally, and features Jennifer Irwin and Michael Consuelos. The Disappearance of Cari Farver stars Lea Thompson, Zach Gilford and Alicia Witt. Both films will debut this October on Lifetime.
Inspired by actual events, Let’s Get Physical is the story of fitness instructor Sadie (JennaDewan, The Rookie) who by day, taught fitness and dance to soccer moms, but by night led a double life running a sophisticated prostitution ring with a customer list that included very prominent men in the community. After an anonymous tip, authorities raided her studio, leading to Sadie’s indictment and ignited a firestorm in the small town leading everyone to ask, who exactly was on the client list. Dewan executive produces and stars alongside Jennifer Irwin (The Goldbergs) and Michael Consuelos (Riverdale). Let’s Get Physical is set to premiere Saturday, October 15 at 8/7c.
Let’s Get Physical is executive produced by Milojo Productions, Johnson Management Group, Inc., and Everheart Productions. Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos and Albert Bianchini serve as executive producers for Milojo. Michael Halpern serves as executive producer for Milojo. Jenna Dewan and Kyle McNally executive produce for Everheart Productions. Robin Hayes directs from a script written by Margaux Froley and Kelly Fullerton.
Interview with Mark Labella of “S.W.A.T.” on CBS by Thane 10/13/22
This was quite an interesting interview as you can tell from the video below! I enjoyed speaking with Mark.
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MARK LABELLA Emerges on Season Six of CBS Police Drama ‘S.W.A.T.’ Premiering October 4, 2022
LOS ANGELES – Actor Mark Labella gets entangled in an elaborate heroin operation in Thailand when he recurs as a guest star on the six season of the hit CBS police drama series, S.W.A.T., premiering on October 4th.
In the season opening episode “Thai Hard,” Hondo surfaces in Bangkok training alongside Thailand’s premiere S.W.A.T. team. When Hondo and his former military buddy stumble upon a wide-ranging heroin operation with ties to Los Angeles, they find themselves on the run from a powerful drug kingpin. Labella emerges as Lek, who proves vital when the danger heats up.
Labella was excited to be part of this special storyline, sharing “S.W.A.T. was the best set I’ve ever been on. I have never felt as safe with my choices, as appreciated for my work, and as welcomed on the first day.”
Born in the Philippines and raised in America, Labella is a U.S. Navy Veteran turned Medical Doctor, who has been building a solid reputation for his talents since setting his sights on the entertainment industry. His notable on-camera credits include a role in the upcoming Gerard Butler action thriller feature film for Lionsgate, previously titled The Plane, as well as appearances in the fan favorite TV shows Magnum P.I. and NCIS: Los Angeles.
Behind the camera, Labella has been discovering success as a screenwriter and producer. His background in medicine has become the basis for many of his original projects, including the television drama series, MisDiagnosed, which won the Boston Screenplay Awards and gained enough attention to land him further opportunities as a screenwriter and producer.
Labella has received awards and accolades for a several of his projects: Breathe – ISA Screenplay Contest Top 10, HollyShorts Semi-Finalist and currently on third round of Launchpad Writing Competition; Soul & Spice – PAGE Int’l Awards Competition Top 25 Comedy, Austin Film Festival 2nd Round, WeScreenPlay TV Pilot Competition Finalist; To The Last Girl I Ever Loved – Blastoff Screenplay Competition Winner, Queen Palm Int’l Film Festival Gold Winner, Best Script Award (London) Finalist, Independent shorts Awards Winner, and many others.
Currently, Labella is producing the U.S. leg of the Filipino feature film project, Labyu with an Accent, starring Filipino superstars Coco Martin and Jodi Sta. Maria. In addition, he is the writer for the upcoming comedy series, Soul & Spice, starring the Philippines’ ‘Comedy Queen’ Ai-Ai delas Alas, Tony Winters, and Johari Johnson; and his latest psychological thriller feature film script, Catholic School, has just been optioned and will head into production soon.
When he is not on-set, Labella spends much of his spare time participating in medical missions and supporting medical and veteran charities. He also volunteers his time writing PSA’s to spread the word to his fellow Filipino-Americans to vote. Labella believes, “My main goal as a creative artist is to tell the stories that I’ve witnessed during my experiences around the world.” Because of his commitment to telling these untold stories, Labella accepted the nomination as the incoming Executive Director of the 13-year-old non-profit organization, Fil-Am Creative. He is excited to honor his performance to coincide with October’s Filipino-American History month in the United States.
Mark Labella is represented by Walter Tabayoyong at Altamero Management and Rachel Tolliver at Firestarter Agency.
In addition to playing Carter Hall on the superhero shows, Falk’s starred opposite Tom Cruise in KNIGHT AND DAY, as the villain, Steve Carell in WELCOME TO MARWEN, and recently, SWAP ME BABY, the acclaimed comedy from Caden Butera.
BIO.Falk was born in east Germany behind the iron curtain. After he and his family fled the country Falk was able to pursue his dream of becoming a story teller.
After some detouring that led Falk to become a professional backup dancer and choreographer, he finally landed in Los Angeles and got his first big break in Hollywood with Knight and Day, playing opposite Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.
From that point on, Falk continued to work on blockbuster films like White House Down, Transcendence and most recently Oscar winner Robert Zemeckis’ Welcome to Marwen.
Falk had the opportunity to appear on Emmy winning shows such as Arrested Development, The Alienist, The Closer and many more.
Eventually Falk put on a superhero costume like so many others to portray Hawkman in the DC television universe.
Despite fulfilling his childhood dreams and achieving his goals, Falk suffered from severe depression. In his search of purpose and fulfillment he was lead to the plant medicine Ayahuasca, an ancient medicine originating in the amazon.
This work opened up a whole new perspective for Falk and he decided to focus his efforts on producing and creating an environment for film makers that brings the focus back to story vs maximum profit. He founded the company Patronage Film together with Firestone heir Charlie Thiel. His biggest dream is to bring transparency, fairness and creativity back to the film industry .
Check out Falk’s 2022 movie, “Swap Me, Baby!”
Lily, an uptight business woman and Philippe, a larger than life French mushroom tripping gigolo are 8 months pregnant. Their therapist recommends a nature getaway at a remote cabin. Their little weekend trip turns into a hilarious adventure when Philippe stumbles upon a magic box that swaps out their souls. Lily and Philippe are tasked with riddle after riddle not only to get their own bodies back but to also get a better understanding of their opposite and what they have to offer as parents.
Interview with Jensen Ackles, Danneel Ackles, Drake Rodger, Meg Donnelly, JoJo Fleites, Bianca Kajlich, Demetria McKinney, Nida Khurshid and Robbie Thompson of “The Winchesters” on The CW by Suzanne 10/4/22
This was a very interesting panel. I loved “Supernatural,” and I enjoyed the first episodes of this new spinoff, which is a prequel. I was very happy to see Jensen Ackles there on the panel. You don’t want to miss the new shows, especially if you’re a fan of the original show. This was a very long panel, and I didn’t get to ask a question. That’s fine…it was great just to be there. Note: The transcript is from the network…it has mistakes in it.
HOST: Good afternoon and welcome to The CW’s virtual panel for The Winchesters, a prequel of the hugely successful show Supernatural. Before Sam and Dean, there were their parents, John and Mary. Told from the perspective of narrator Dean Winchester, The Winchesters is the epic, untold love story of how John Winchester met Mary Campbell and put it all on the line to, not only save their love, but the entire world. The hunt begins on Tuesday, October 11 at 8pm.
HOST: Please welcome executive producer and star, Jensen Ackles, Executive Producer Danneel Ackles, and executive producer Robbie Thompson and the cast of The Winchesters. We’re so excited to have you all with us, thank you so much. As a reminder to the press, if you would like to ask a question, please click the “raise your hand button” and we’ll put you in the queue and call on you when it’s your turn. If you have a two-part question or a follow-up, please let us know at the top of the question. Also, as a reminder, please, no photography or screen grabs or sharing of anything from this event on social media.
Question: Thank you. Hi, everybody. Ado-, it was sort of a two-part question. After 15 seasons of Supernatural, how did the decision for a prequel come about? And we know that Supernatural spinoffs has been in the talks for quite some time now. What made this one stick? So, two-part question, please. Thank you.
JENSEN ACKLES: I’ll dive in. This was a, obviously something that, that, like you said, has been long talked about, how to expand this world, what that would look like, how it would be done. There have been two, two attempts prior to this one that, that, unfortunately didn’t, didn’t make the cut, but here we are. We’re very excited, I guess, third time’s a charm. And it really came about as the show was wrapping up and the pandemic hit, and my lovely wife and I were forced to sit together and figure out how to be creative within the confines of our house, we started kicking around ideas and this one was, was one that we talked about for quite a while. And, and then we really kind of workshopped it and, and thought about how, what this would look like.
And, and that’s when we, we kind of threw it to the studio and, and threw it to the network and said, “Hey, what do you guys think about this?” And they were very quickly interested. Obviously, they, want to expand this world. And so, so that’s when we’re like, Well, I know the guy to write it, so let me call him and make sure that he’s even available or even interested. And luckily he was, and, and here he is today, and he has created an, I think, an incredible world within the world, and that’s not an easy thing to do, and I think Robbie’s just crushed it. And I think that the cast that we have has just absolutely crushed it.
Uh, so it’s, it’s, it’s exciting. It’s very exciting to, to see this. I was not ever ready to kind of put this to bed. I was ready to take a break, but I was never ready to put this world to bed. And so I’m very, very happy that it is it is extending and it is in the very capable hands of the wonderful people you see before you.
Question: Hi, My question’s for Meg. Does fight choreography have a lot of parallels to dance choreography? What are the big similarities and differences?
Question: Well, yes. I think there is definitely a lot of similarities. It’s been really hard, though, because with stunt choreography, it doesn’t have to look really pretty and put together because, you know, you’re technically beating someone up. So there is that, like, memorization wise, it is very similar, but it’s been really hard to get out of the whole dancing technique, if that makes sense. Yeah.
DEMETRIA MCKINNEY: While we have this moment, thank you so much, CW, for allowing us to have this opportunity, share this story, extend the story, build the family, find the beginning, and we’re, we’re really enjoying it. Thank you.
DRAKE RODGER: Took the words right outta my mouth.
DEMETRIA MCKINNEY: You would not say that.
DANNEEL ACKLES: What a professional.
Question: I’m sorry, Meg, I have a two-part question for you. Meg, how important was it for you, this role to be so different from everything else we’ve known you before, that we’ve known you for? And secondly, has there been discussion as how, how soon pregnancy will come into this character’s life?
MEG DONNELLY: Oh, um…
DEMETRIA MCKINNEY: Oh my God!
MEG DONNELLY: Well, I mean, knowing the story of John and Mary, it does happen eventually. I have no idea.
ROBBIE THOMPSON: Uh, that’s a spoiler for season question mark. I can’t tell you that yet.
MEG DONNELLY: Um, but, you know, I’m so grateful for everything that Disney has given me. But, you know, coming into this new franchise and these amazing new characters, and it’s so dark, it’s been a really amazing honor to kind of step into Mary’s shoes and, and it’s very different from everything I’ve ever done. So I’m really grateful.
Question: This is for Robbie and the Ackles. So, a spinoff of Supernatural was very important to Pedowitz. And I’m curious how yesterday’s announcement landed with you. Did you panic? And how are you feeling about your future?
ROBBIE THOMPSON: Look Marc is one of the greatest champions of, just television of the last, I don’t know how many years, and was an enormous champion of Supernatural. Um, and we, we had a note on the pilot. I don’t know if you guys remember, it was so granular like, I thought I was at a supernatural convention. When I say he watched every episode, he watched every cut. And as a writer, that’s an executive you dream about, because he’s fully invested in the show. So, honestly, all I thought about yesterday was, what a privilege I’ve had as a writer to spend a huge part of my career working with such an, a dedicated and smart leader. So, yeah, it was no panic. It was more just feeling of gratitude.
JENSEN ACKLES: Yeah. I’ll, I’ll echo what Robbie said there. You know, Pedowitz came in, the show was already established, and he really…it was, I mean, it was kind of [LAUGHS] it was kind of put, it had been put on Friday nights to kind of go away and die. We somehow found a way to survive. He came in, he recognized it, and he said, “Well, let’s move these guys to some better real estate.” And, and when we did, we quickly took off. And he was always a champion for the show. He continues to be a champion for this show and for everything that we do. You know, Jared and I used to always like to refer to him as the other Winchester brother. I think that, that he will certainly continue to champion the show from wherever he wants to. But I’m just so thankful for what he did, not only for the network itself, but for, for this this world specifically. He’s a true mentor of mine.
Question: Okay. Thank you for taking the time to speak to us. Um, this is for any of the producers. I’m wondering, when the show was first, you know, the idea came up, the show was pitched you form, you know, started formulating how, what you wanted to do, what stories you wanted to tell. Is it a situation where you have, you know, Season 1 planned, or is it something where you kind of look ahead and think, you know, I have, this is what I want to do in Season 2, Season 3. I mean, you know, Supernatural ran for 15 seasons, there’s obviously an audience for this, and I think, you know, there’ll be an audience again. So are you prepared for another 15 years? And I’m wondering how many episodes were ordered for the first season?
ROBBIE THOMPSON: I think our initial order is for 13, if that’s, I’m sure someone from Warners and CW here will correct me on that. But to answer your question, you know, at the end of every playback, I’ll go, Okay, that was great, guys, 326 more to go. You know, we, we would love to see this go, you know, the distance. You know, as, as, as writers and then as producers, we want to give ourselves flexibility so that we can be nimble as things change and adapt and, you know, getting to know… you guys are seeing them on best behavior right now. These kids are [OVERLAPPING] We have the anti-chemistry problem that most shows have, which is like, usually like, come on guys, like, get together and like, maybe get to know one another.
Like I, during the shooting of the pilot, it was the closest I’ve been to being in a dorm room in 20, 25 years of my life. (You’re not wrong) It was amazing. So we wanna give ourselves the freedom to, to be able to pivot where we need to pivot. Um, someone asked about pregnancy in case we want to get to that sooner rather than later. Um, but, you know, we, we do have a plan and, and we’ve talked I mean, I’ve heard, individually from all of these, you know, where these actors, where they would like to see their characters go. And I, I try to, to keep this, to be as open a collaboration as possible. Uh, Jensen and Danneel and I talked about an ending, oh gosh, it’s in two years we’ve been working on this almost. And then just completely organically, Drake pitched a, a very, very similar ending. So it was, it was, it was really cool to see how we were all kind of on the same page. Yeah. This guy, Yeah, go on, get him. He’s super shy, guys. They’re all super shy. If you start playing music, they will all start singing and or dancing.
Um, no, we, you know, it was exciting because it’s a similar feeling that you get in the writer’s room where it’s like, Oh, we’re all kind of headed in the same direction. The, the analogy I was always given as a young writer was, it’s this, this show is a road trip, and, you know, our destination was go from LA to New Orleans. We may stop in Austin and spend two weeks. We may get there and say, actually, you know what, we wanna spend two years there. Um, we always know where we want to get to, though. Um, and I hope, I hope we get the chance to go, to go the distance.
Question: Hi. So, with 15 seasons of Supernatural, a lot of characters came and went throughout the years, some of whom would’ve been alive in the 1970s. Are there any plans for us to see any of them? Like Bobby Singer, perhaps?
ROBBIE THOMPSON: Um, 100% yes. I don’t think I can spoil exactly who, but we have some very familiar faces that are gonna be coming up in an episode we’re gonna shoot in a couple of days. Uh, and then some more after that, and then some more that I can’t even reveal. Uh, hopefully someone that’s on the Zoom as well, at a certain point [LAUGHS] I’m looking at you, Ackles. Um so yeah, we, we, we have plans for that. And we also have plans you know, not just to bring back some of our familiar faces, but as you’re pointing out, younger versions of the characters that maybe we haven’t, we haven’t seen yet.
Question: Hi. Thanks for talking to us. My question is sort of in that vein, it’s for the producers. Is there anything that you did kind of to purposely, I guess, separate the way this is from the original as the show goes on? Or is it more gonna just feel like we’re in the same world we were before for the fans?
ROBBIE THOMPSON: That’s a, that’s a great question, and it was the first question I had when I talked to, to Danneel and to Jensen. They had this idea about the love story between John and Mary. And I think the extent of those first conversations were a lot of, Okay, how do we do this, and not undo anything, and not rewrite or, or anything like that. It was a bit like what is the expression, “physician do no harm.” You know, we don’t, we can’t recreate Supernatural. You can’t, like, there’s lightning in a bottle time many different… to Jensen, Jared, Kim Manners, Eric Kripke, everybody. We had to find a way to kind of carve our own path. We do have a plan for that. We’re not gonna totally reveal all of it today. But our plan is to sort of pull that curtain back in our 13th episode.
And to the point that you’re that you’re raising, which is how do we differentiate ourselves. It’s always the challenge in a show like this, you know, we used Better Call Saul a lot as a sort of creative North Star, which is, that’s a show that obviously predates the events of Breaking Bad, but it, it exists in its own, in its own little bubble, in its own little universe. You can watch Breaking Bad, and in fact, it’s insane to me, but I know a lot of people who have never actually seen Breaking Bad. Because we are a show that deals with the supernatural and paranormal, we have a few more tricks up our sleeves that we can kind of take advantage of. And we’ll be hinting at that throughout the season, and then really pulling it all back in Episode 13 to, to really let the audience in on, on, on what we’ve done.
JENSEN ACKLES: No, nope. Robbie, Robbie’s got all the, he’s got it all upstairs. And, and you just, I just hope that he’s somehow able to, you know, file it properly. That’s it. Just like the old school Dewey Decimal system up there. That’s, that’s what we got.
NIDA KHURSHID: I see what you did there.
JENSEN ACKLES: No, I got, I got the same thing in my head too, so it’s fine.
NIDA KHURSHID: Yeah, you know, same person, right?
JENSEN ACKLES: No, not at all.
ROBBIE THOMPSON: I’m just excited to finally meet Jensen. This is amazing. It’s been, this is the closest we’ve been. I, I, this, this is thrilling for me.
HOST: Up next, we have Damian Holbrook, followed by Vlada Gelman.
Question: Hey there. Um, so this is for Danneel. Hello. Danneel, so while you’re stuck in COVID in a lockdown with Jensen, and you guys are formulating this idea, having been part of the world, did you find yourself having to remind him of certain things that the show could touch on throughout the 15 seasons of Supernatural? And also for both of you, being actors as well, how involved in casting these people were you?
DEMETRIA MCKINNEY: Oh, this is interesting. We all wanna know this one.
DANNEEL ACKLES: Okay, I… no, because Jensen is actually really, really good at remembering every single detail about Supernatural. He, You are, you’re really, really good. I mean, you can, you can pick a scene. You can, if I, if I give you a scene, you can tell me exactly what year, what episode, what you were doing, where you were living, all of that. You…
JENSEN ACKLES: I don’t need people to know that about me. I don’t…
DANNEEL ACKLES: We, remember one time we thought about doing a game show, Supernatural game show, like quiz thing. You would’ve, you would’ve nailed that. Um, but to the casting question, yes, we were very involved in casting, and we had a lot of fun. Jensen and I and Robbie had a blast casting. And everyone that’s sitting before you, we have a really special story about, I think. Drake, we saw you day one, and that was it. I like, you know, I had like all these pictures up. I was like, I had you up there. And I was like, “Yep, it’s him. That’s him, for sure.” So…
ROBBIE THOMPSON: She still has those pictures up too.
JENSEN ACKLES: Yeah, those pictures are still there, which is just odd. Um…
DANNEEL ACKLES: We cast… but we did, we started looking for, for you first, I think that was the first role, right?
ROBBIE THOMPSON: It was, it was very clear. Yeah. Uh, we had a text chain and it was, it was very clear. There was a lot of hydration in that, that, that I think the second [OVERLAPPING] he drinks a lot of water. He stays hydrated. Uh, there may or may not have been, can I tell this story? [OVERLAPPING] Okay. There may or may not have been a beer at one point as well, which was, I mean, I wasn’t expecting him to go full method, but I, I thought it was a commitment, you know, to the bit. Um, but just to touch back for a second, and then we can talk about casting, but Danneel is being very, very humble here. One of the great things is, these two have the story of Supernatural in their brain. But there’s also, like, you know, Jensen lived it for, I think he’s still living it. I think those are actually Dean Winchester’s clothes that he’s wearing right now, guys. I wish I was kidding, but he hasn’t taken them off.
And I, obviously worked on the show for five years. But we need, you need something in that sort of like, balance for someone to be able to have, you know, a fresh set of eyes who knows it, but didn’t, like, wasn’t like, it wasn’t like obsessed, you know, that level… By the way, that was, that was our ghost that was in our stage by the way. I don’t know if you guys noticed that. That was amazing. Um, but it was really invaluable. And, you know, they have a partner that they’ve worked with, with their company Renee Reef as well.
And it was really great to kind of almost have like a balance there, of, of people who were giving the, the, the story its due, again to the point of finding new viewers. So I’m, I’m grateful to, to both of them, you know, for that, because it was really integral to, to the, the development of it.
JENSEN ACKLES: There was also…
ROBBIE THOMPSON: We cast, we cast all these wonderful human beings on a, on a hilarious text chain, which I will delete from the internet forever.
DANNEEL ACKLES: Oh, yes. God!
JENSEN ACKLES: Yeah, we can’t have, we can’t have that out there. Uh, Damien, I, I’ll add one more thing to uh, about Danneel is, you know, she didn’t, obviously wasn’t as close to, to Supernatural as, as I was. Um, but what she, she embodies, and I’m convinced that she is, that she was born in the wrong era, because I, I feel like she ha- she continues to embody the sixties and seventies. Um, so when that was the idea, she kind of dove in and, and took control of the steering wheel. And I was like, Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait…. I, I, I know a thing or two. Um, and…
ROBBIE THOMPSON: First email I remember early on was you sent a playlist. Danneel put together a playlist. (Oh yeah) And the first song is the first song in the pilot.
JENSEN ACKLES: That’s right.
NIDA KHURSHID: That’s dope.
DANNEEL ACKLES: I was like, we have to set this to music. We have to, you know, we have to cast it to music, everything. And I love that you were into that. That was really fun. Well, your wife’s a DJ too, right? Wasn’t she a big DJ?
ROBBIE THOMPSON: My wife, my wife was a DJ, that’s right. Yeah, she was.
DANNEEL ACKLES: His wife is super cool.
ROBBIE THOMPSON: She also dressed me today.
Question: Hi everyone. Thank you so much for doing this. Uh, so sort of also on the casting note, Jensen, on Supernatural, you worked with every version of Mary and John, played by Jeffrey, Samantha, Amy, Matt. So what was it about Drake and Meg that kind of evoked the spirit of those characters and those performances?
JENSEN ACKLES: Um, great question. I, you know, obviously there’s a…
DRAKE RODGER: Where do you wanna start?
JENSEN ACKLES: Obviously there’s a version of, of these characters that lives very um, very prominently in, in my head. Um, you know, and when, when we were going through the casting process, Drake really jumped off very quickly as somebody that almost seemed like a hybrid of Dean and Sam, not necessarily a replica of, a previous John Winchester. So that was really interesting to, to all of us was just the because this isn’t, this is, this is pre John turning into the person that we really knew and, and obviously the, that Jeffrey Morgan played. Um, this is pre that. So there was a kind of an innocence, a youthfulness and a thirst for life that Drake brought to this character that was really unique and, and refreshing.
But it also just, it, it reminded me of somebody that could very easily be the father of those two brothers. Um, and then with, with Meg, she’s just such a pro that any kind of like subtle thing that we said, “Oh, what if you tried this? Or what if you tried that?” she just knocked it out every time. And it, it was, there was a, there was a look and there was a, a confidence. And there, there…
DANNEEL ACKLES: Look at her!
JENSEN ACKLES: I mean, Yeah, I mean, look at her. How do you, how do you, not just…
Exudes confidence.
DANNEEL ACKLES: Well, Jensen, to be fair, to be fair, we, we knew Meg very well, because Meg’s movies played in our house every day for like years. Well, every day through COVID, we watched her sing and dance. And we were…
BIANCA KAJLICH: Do you have a chicken named after Meg? (No!) Cause we do.
JENSEN ACKLES: Well, Bianca, Challenge accepted. Yes, Danneel’s right. We, we were very familiar with, with Megan her work. Um I, I am probably shouldn’t say this, but I could probably sing just about any song that she sang.
DANNEEL ACKLES: Not probably, not probably. He can definitely do it.
DEMETRIA MCKINNEY: [INAUDIBLE]
JENSEN ACKLES: Don’t test me. Cause it’ll, I’ll never live it down. Um, so yeah, Meg was Meg was certainly, um somebody who just, she exuded something that we were all very interested in immediately. And she, yeah, there was, there was really no question… she’s, she’s so strong and she’s, and she has this this fantastic, It almost, it, to me, it reminded me kind of, kind of going back to what I said about Drake. Was there was almost a Dean-esque quality to the way that she was playing Mary, which I felt the role really needed. And, and she was really the only one that was bringing that. And, and it just kind of caught us all. It caught all of our attention. So that was yeah, it was, it was easy. We didn’t have to do too much convincing.
DANNEEL ACKLES: But every, everybody on that stage was a first choice. It, it’s kind of, and I know that doesn’t happen very often, but like, everybody was exactly who we wanted, you know, And we found out through casting that you don’t always get what you want, but we did.
ROBBIE THOMPSON: And to just touch on what Danneel said, she’s absolutely right. Like, and it’s a huge credit to Robert Ulrich and his team. (Yes) They put forth a murderer’s row of a lot of young talent. And then when we found the, the, this crew, this, this motley crew… it was amazing. Uh, and, and, and just to touch on what Jensen was talking about, it’s true what he’s saying about the, the, the Sam and Dean that you kind of see in both of them. And it was really apparent in their chemistry read, which I hope we can put on the DVD for, for hilarious reasons. [OVERLAPPING] We, we would a, we would actually say, “Hey guys, give us a second.”
And we would pause, but they would keep talking, not knowing that we were still watching. And there’s some adorableness in there that hopefully the rest of the world can see at some point. It was clear that these were, this was, this was Mary and this is John.
JENSEN ACKLES: I think that’s when, that’s when Beergate happened, wasn’t it?
DRAKE RODGER: That’s when Beergate happened. That’s also when she asked me out on a date.
MEG DONNELLY: I did not.
JENSEN ACKLES: That’s true, that’s true.
DANNEEL ACKLES: Yes, you, you definitely asked him to (OVERLAPPING) see Times Square with you.
ROBBIE THOMPSON: You asked someone out on the date, and I’m pretty sure it was him.
MEG DONNELLY: I just said like, like, we should go to New York sometime if we…
JENSEN ACKLES: That’s a date!
ROBBIE THOMPSON: Like you do.
NIDA KHURSHID: Casual.
ROBBIE THOMPSON: Let’s meet in Paris. It’ll be fun.
MEG DONNELLY: [INAUDIBLE] so it worked.
Question: Hi everyone, It’s Xandra Harbet. Thank you so much for sitting down and doing this in the show is so amazing. This is a two-parter. So, Danneel and Jensen, you’ve worked with each other a few times over the years, often in an acting capacity. What has your working dynamic been like on the production side of The Winchesters? And what were some of the core things that you wanted to hit on, and what were some of the things you wanted to avoid while developing the series? Especially given the passionate, supernatural fan base that’s already in place?
JENSEN ACKLES: M’lady…
DANNEEL ACKLES: Well, I, for one, loved working with you. Jensen, Jensen and I, Yes, no, we have a really good working dynamic. I do the work and Jensen watches. Yea, and he’s, yeah… no. It was, it was, it was fun. We do well together.
JENSEN ACKLES: I would say that the, the producing aspect has been a little different than from what acting with her. I mean, acting with her is, is she’s, she’s great, but we’re playing different characters in front of each other. So, so that’s a little different than, than producing when we’re just being ourselves and trying to get things done. It feels a little bit more like…
DANNEEL ACKLES: It’s a lot less polite.
JENSEN ACKLES: Well, it’s more like, it’s more like our marriage where, yeah, like she said, Danneel handles everything and I just stand on the sidelines going, “Let me know what I can do.” (Yeah) And try not to get in the way.
XANDRA: And what were some of the core things you wanted to hit on and avoid?
JENSEN ACKLES: Well, certainly trying to recapture that heart that I feel Supernatural really had. You know, at the end of the day, the show was about the relationship between these two brothers. You could, you could paint as many ghosts and demons and vampires and, and ghouls and as you wanted on that canvas, but at the end of the day, it was, it really came back to the relationship that these two, these two guys had. And, how they fought, not only for, for the greater good, but they fought for each other.
And I felt like if we could, if we could tell that with, with John and Mary, but also have this love story be… you know, the kind of the, the kicker, I just felt like that was really important. That’s something that Robbie and Danneel and I talked about at length, was making sure that this, this truly had the heart that a show needed. That you can dress it up with all the frills and, and thrills, but it, it’s gotta have that relationship and it’s gotta have those cast of characters that you really want to keep coming back week to week to watch.
And I feel like we, I feel like we, we, we have that and we’re doing that. And the people before you now are the… I, I keep coming back and wanting to watch them. I keep reading intently the next, the next story arena and wanting to know what’s gonna happen. What’s gonna happen with Carlos?. I don’t know. Every week he surprises me. They surprise me. It’s just insanity. I love it.
XANDRA: And was there anything you wanted to avoid?
JENSEN ACKLES: Um, rewriting history? Um, I think that was a big important thing. And that’s obviously something that has been a topic of discussion with, with fans and, and critics of how we’re going to navigate what has already been established. We’re not looking to have, you know, we’re not looking to, to, to have the, Robbie and I use the, the Back to the Future reference quite a bit. We don’t want the picture of Dean and Sam to start being erased. This is not what we’re set out to do. This is something that we’re trying to, trying to preserve everything that we possibly can on the mothership. I think Robbie and his crack team of writers have come up with the way of doing that in a way that is servicing this show just as much as it’s serviced or will be servicing Supernatural.
Question: For the cast: How does it feel to be part of the franchise that means so much to many people?
JONATHAN FLEITES: It truly is an honor. I am just so grateful to be a part of this legacy. It’s absolutely insane. I never thought I would be a part of anything like this in my life. I mean, this is the biggest surprise and shock and most amazing thing to be a part of, especially with this group of amazing artists. Um, not to mention that I’m so proud of the inclusivity that’s involved in this show, and the diversity that we’re bringing onto this show. Um, and the space that I’ve been given as an LGBTQ identifying person on this show. Uh, not to mention also non-binary. I just feel so supported and I feel so seen, and I am just so incredibly grateful for Jensen and for Danneel and for Robbie and everyone opening… I’m so sorry. I’m having issues with my headphones. I’m just so grateful for this time and for this opportunity, and that’s all I can really say. So, thank you so much.
DEMETRIA MCKINNEY: It’s, if I may check onto that, it’s just a really cool challenge, getting to be with these younger people, because I’m not old. I refuse to accept it. Getting to be with this group of young people, telling this story that is so beloved by so many people in its beginnings and in its infancy. And getting to tell a journey that is so profoundly new within a space that is so familiar to people. It’s a really cool challenge. You know, they talk about not wanting to undo history, rewrite anything, but still keeping everything really fresh and organic. And I feel like just as hard as they’ve worked in the inception, you know, each time they’ve tried and then getting into this space where we’re doing it now, in the writing room, each idea they come up with, having the conversations that we’ve all had about the individual characters and then getting together and having the conversations about how we relate to each other.
It’s just been a daily challenge that seems so fun and invigorating and fulfilling. So you know, while we know everybody loves what was, we’re really excited about the challenge of them loving what is to come.
Question: So you’ve kinda touched on some of this Jensen, some of what you said, Robbie, what you said about Episode 13. There are obviously big twists here about what’s going on. We know this isn’t the version that the brothers were told, and it feels to me, just from the pilot, like it might not even be the version that John and Mary as we knew it remember. We also know in the world of Supernatural there’s like a lot of capability for like cosmic level trickery, which, you know, the final arc of Supernatural kind of depended on the arc Robbie started by revealing Chuck as God, stuff like that.
Question: Uh, we know there’s a lot of options for what could be actually going on here with the Winchesters, but we don’t really know when, you know, we might get a look at the answers. And I’m asking you this in kind of like the nicest, most supportive, good faith way, cause I know it matters to you guys. How long should we expect to wait in terms of clues about what the deal is? Or rather, how did you approach the job of maintaining fans trust regarding the twists and changes? Like, did you talk about a lot about what the right moment to show some cards? Or like, what was going on with the big picture?
ROBBIE THOMPSON: We, we, we’ve been talking, that’s a great question and we’ve been talking about it literally, since I think the first conversation that I had with, with these two and, and Rene. Um, it was crucial to us to kind of have an understanding of where we were going and why we were going. Um, but to your point, we have a lot of options was what we discovered, and a lot of different misdirects of, of where we’re going. And it’s one of the reasons why we, we are keeping our cards close to the vest now. Um, but we will, there’s, there’s some hints in, in the pilot and then there’s some hints in subsequent episodes.
Um, and as we get into this sort of… we have a, a little run at the end of these, this first 13 where we’ll start to turn over some more cards as well. But I promise we’re, we’re gonna turn ’em all over in, in 13. That’s, that was always the design that we came up with, with our partners at the studio and network. I can tell you this, like, it’s very rare to get to work with partners like Warners and CW, where they’re as invested as we are, and the integrity of what came before us, and, and what’s to come. So we, I totally understand where the question’s coming from. I won’t totally answer it.
Question: I’m super pro-, I’m super pro, but I was just curious about like, you know, I know that Jensen is obviously always at conventions answering a million questions about tiny details and a lot of expectations about that kind of thing.
ROBBIE THOMPSON: And, and part of that was what was exciting about this, you know. For me as a writer on Supernatural, I, I found my comfort zone was getting out of my comfort zone. Uh, the example I always gave is we did a musical episode and I was like, they came in there like, “we’re doing a musical.” I was like, “Oh God, that’s terrible. Can I write it?” Like, cause it just seemed very daunting and frightening. I’d never written songs before and it felt like we always had a, a thing, Kripke started it. And then, you know, great writers like Sarah Gamble, Jeremy Carver, Ben Edlund, they, they bent us, almost to the point of breaking. And you’re always at that point of like, Oh, is this gonna break? But that’s kind of our sweet spot.
And when Jensen and Danneel came to me with this idea, I was like, Oh, we’re starting in the sweet spot. Uh, that’s really exciting to me. Uh, and then get to, getting a chance to create, you know, these characters with this group of, of, of extremely well-behaved, almost suspiciously well-behaved actors right now. Um, Yeah. See that the voices are coming out and they. There it is, okay. Um it was, it was just really, really exciting. Um, but it’s I, I totally understand where you’re coming from and, and it was literally the first question out of my mouth as well.
Question: Jensen, Danneel, do you have anything on that? Cause I am very curious about it.
JENSEN ACKLES: Yeah. It, this, this, obviously this has been a, a, a topic of, of conversation like you said at, at conventions and, and it’s, you know, I, I would love to have an answer that that puts everybody at rest and say, Oh, okay, okay, we can breathe easy. Um, but in order to do that, I would, I would spoil half the season. (Yeah) And so without, without spoiling the, the half the season, I will say that like Robbie said, the, the integrity of, of the mothership is certainly something that is of, of vital importance to us that we do not want to tamper with.
Um, that said, we also want to make sure that this show has a, is given its space to be what it needs to be and what we all want it to be. Um, and doing so requires some you know, some, some tricky writing. And Robbie has, has come up with ways to facilitate that, that I think are, are not only acceptable, from my perspective, but exciting from the world from of a, as a fan of this world and of this show. And, and, and so I’m, I’m excited for when we can actually talk about it and dissect it.
Question: Yeah. Sounds ex-, it sounds like you’re keeping a lot like really excited to, to let it in on the secret eventually.
JENSEN ACKLES: Absolutely. Can’t wait.
DANNEEL ACKLES: I’ve never liked, I’ve never liked my mute button better. I’m like… not gonna talk about this.
Question: Hey everyone, thanks for doing this. Um, this question is for the producers. Two-part question. Um, the first part was obviously Jensen, you’re doing narration for this, and there’s always a question of, do we do that? Do we stay independent? You know, how much of that is involved? Is it just a booking-ending element, or is it something that could expand? Um, was, is that a conversation that came up about the rules of narration for that? And then number two, it’s dovetailing off of the creativity that, that Supernatural is really known for, as you were talking about a moment ago. It has never been afraid to really rock the boat in terms of format, structure, genre. Um, this is a first season so you certainly want to establish a world, but at the same time are, are you going to have episodes that will kind of honor that legacy and show your version of it in this world?
JENSEN ACKLES: Robbie.
ROBBIE THOMPSON: I’ll go in reverse order. Um, we, we kind of want to establish a little bit more of a foundation before we go crazy. But if you looked at probably most of the episodes of Supernatural that I wrote, I like crazy. So we’ll get there, I promise. Um, and I know that these… you need, you need partners for that. One of the reasons we were able to go a little crazy on Supernatural was we had a great cast that was game for it. Like Jensen told the story the other day where Andrew called him up and was like, “Can you dance?” He was like, Yeah. And then you’re doing like a tap dance number, you know, two, a month later or whatever it was. Um, and being able to have that, you know in your arsenal. We have a lot of… I think, kids who can play here, and, and people who can sing and dance.
So we’ll, we’ll get to that, I think, you know down the road.
Um, and then the, the first question was about narration. Um, that was a big selling point to me when, when they, when they reached out to me about it. Was the, the idea of it was very interesting, but I’ll just be completely honest and say the option to write some more dialogue for, for Dean Winchester, aka Jensen Ackles, or maybe that’s in reverse, I don’t know, was, was extremely tempting to the point of, of being a pretty big selling point. In fact, we were on these stages shooting our first scene, and it was, Megan did it in the van in the pilot.
And so I’m having this surreal moment of like, Oh my gosh, here we are, we’re doing it. And then Ackles sent me the first temp recording. And so I stepped into the other stage and listened to it, and he’s doing the, he’s doing the Dean voice, guys, he was doing it. It was down here. And it was like, Oh my God, it’s Dean Winchester in my ear holes. And I, I got goosebumps. I get goosebumps telling that story right now. Um, and it was, it was huge.
As far as like, you know, how, how do we go with it? You know, we, we talk a lot about, we did not want this to be wall-to-wall narration. A light touch, you know, was, was what we wanted. Um, you know, and it’s a real treat when you’re working on a script and you can say like, Gosh, what would Dean Winchester say? And then you text Dean Winchester, and then he tells you. And it’s been just a great dance. Like, we as writers will, will work on a, on a draft of the voiceover, I’ll send it to Jensen. He and I will get on the phone and like, “How about this? How about that? We, we said this one last one.”
And, and then, then I would say you kind of do like a final sort of pepper pass in the actual booth. Um, cause it’s gotta feel, that’s the part to me, I was like, this has to feel extra, extra… There’s our ghost again. Um you know, we have to do extra, extra due diligence. And it’s always, it’s always a fun phone call.
Question: Hi guys. Um, this is for Jensen, Danneel and Robbie. Um, is there a lesson or something that you three have learned from your time working on Supernatural that you use as executive producers on The Winchesters?
JENSEN ACKLES: Um, wow. Well, yeah, I mean, I think that that’s, that was kind of… that’s our, that’s our mind. That’s where we source a lot of, of inspiration. That’s where we source a lot of, of doing things, trying, not trying to recreate, but certainly utilizing… I, I’ll give you an example. You know, Robbie and Danneel and I talked extensively about the, the, the atmosphere on set. Uh, something that’s very important to us to have a, a fun, creative, exciting energy on set where people are, are able to, to come in and to, to create and to, to… You know, that was something that, that Jared and I did all the time, was we, we came in, we la-… I never laughed as much as I laughed when I was on that set.
And there was a reason why we stuck around for 15 years, and it was because we truly enjoyed doing what we, what we got to do. And, you know, I often say that we, we don’t have to do this. we get to do this. And it’s, it’s, it’s something where there’s, there’s, there’s no room for ego here. There’s no there’s, there’s no putting up walls and, and being, walking on eggshells and, and making people feel uncomfortable. It’s, it’s an all-inclusive, all captivating type of situation where we, we want this to be a fun space to create a fun show.
Um, if you’re not having fun, We, Kim Manners kind of set that tone early on in Supernatural. He said, “Listen, if you’re not enjoying your time on the set, we spend entirely too much time together to not enjoy it. So if you’re not having fun, find something else to do.” And I feel like that’s, that was really important to us to, to set a tone on this set that was, that was fun and exciting and that people enjoyed coming to work and, and playing with these, playing in this sandbox.
ROBBIE THOMPSON: I think, just to touch on that too, something that we carried over from the mothership, um… John Showalter, who’s our, our producing director, and obviously directed more episodes of Supernatural than I can count, and I can count pretty high. Um I mean, I’ve been teaching my son, he, he’s up to 30, guys. English and Spanish. Um, but he, he is really impressed upon us something that we did. And again, it’s about having trust with, with your partners that are telling the story with you, which is our amazing cast, is to let them play a little bit.
Um, you know, we used to always say to our producing directors that would come on Supernatural, like, “Give the boys another take, let’s see what happens.” And it always ended up in the movie and it’s something that we really wanted to, It’s, it’s, it speaks to what Jensen’s talking about, about like creating an environment where people can play. And, and, and I can tell you my favorite moment in every single episode comes from these people individually being alive in the scene, listening to one another, reacting to one another, and, and being present in a way that’s, it’s, it’s really, really inspiring as a writer. And look at, they’re doing it right now. You guys, this is, this is an organic, this, this is not scripted. Um…
JENSEN ACKLES: You can’t write that, you can’t write that.
ROBBIE THOMPSON: You’re actually freaking me out.
BIANCA KAJLICH: Can I, can I add something onto that too, which I know this is for the producers. But as a cast, I just want to acknowledge how true this is for us. And I think it starts with Jensen. Because, to have an actor who played a role for 15 years, continue to address this subject matter with such enthusiasm, it is a ripple effect down into all of us. And, you know, Demetria and I talk and, and try to tell these younguns (younger, younger ones). It is so rare to have the deal that we’ve got here.
We get to play, we get to show up, we get to ask for things. As an actor, after 25 years of doing this, I’ll tell you, that’s unheard of. And these guys walk the walk. So, it’s honestly the, the joy and the comradery and all of that that’s existing here. The, the drama too. It’s all real cause we get to be our pure vulnerable selves in this.
JENSEN ACKLES: Thanks, B.
Question: Yeah, starting with Bianca and then Jensen and Danneel. Have you ever had a metaphysical experience? Something you could not quite explain?
BIANCA KAJLICH: Yes. (Tell us) Um, well, I don’t, I don’t really wanna cheapen it, because it was such a beautiful experience. Um, but I had, in two different very traumatic experiences in my life, something show up that I could visually see. Um, and that presence showed up before both of the traumatic situations happened. And for me it was a nod to, that everything was gonna be okay.
Question: Jensen?
JENSEN ACKLES: Uh, sorry, something cut out. Could you repeat the question?
Question: Yes. Have you ever had a metaphysical experience, something you could not quite explain?
JENSEN ACKLES: Uh, my marriage. (No!) Oh, no? Okay…
ROBBIE THOMPSON: Thanks, everybody. Thanks very much.
JENSEN ACKLES: Um, you know, this is something that Danneel and I have talked about quite a bit, and [OVERLAPPING]
DANNEEL ACKLES: It happens to us all the time. We have a million of these, except Jensen thinks that, I think, because of all your years of Supernatural, you’re like, Oh, that’s not what that was. No, no, no. That’s something else.
ROBBIE THOMPSON: I mean, Dean Winchester would know.
DANNEEL ACKLES: Yeah, I know. That’s what I’m saying. But…
JENSEN ACKLES: There’s, there’s something that we, and, and I don’t know that this to be true or not, but Danneel I feel like is emotionally available for those kinds of happenings. And I, I might not be.
DANNEEL ACKLES: Willing and ready.
JENSEN ACKLES: Yeah, and it, it might be because I spent 15 years playing a character that kicked the shit out of ghosts and demons. And so I just figure like, no, that’s not, because if it is, they picked the wrong house. Um, and so it might have given me some sort of false sense of security. It’s, it’s almost like, listen, I played a doctor on TV for 15 years, give me the scalpel. I, I know that that probably isn’t what would happen if something, something like [LAUGHS] if a ghost walked in here. I, I don’t know how I would react. But I do feel like [OVERLAPPING]o
DRAKE RODGER: I feel like I’m getting yellow fever, my friend.
JENSEN ACKLES: Probably, probably, it would be, yeah, it would be more like that. But I, I do feel like I tend to jump to the, “there’s gotta be some sort of logical explanation for why that window just flew open,” or…
DANNEEL ACKLES: Why that hammer flew across the [OVERLAPPING] whole tool belt at [OVERLAPPING]
JENSEN ACKLES: Yeah. Danneel is much more, is much quicker to think that, that there’s an entity or there’s some, some sort of presence.
DRAKE RODGER: There is a whole conversation after this.
DANNEEL ACKLES: There’s just a reason. There’s an, there’s a house, we own a brewery together, and there is an old house on the brewery. And there’s a reason why the construction there has completely stopped. And so one day we’ll talk about that, maybe.
ROBBIE THOMPSON: That’s episode uh, 14 of Season 3. [OVERLAPPING]
JENSEN ACKLES: I will give you, I’ll give you one quick little story. Uh, I don’t remember what season of Supernatural this was, but we used to shoot at this, this decommissioned insane asylum in in Vancouver called [OVERLAPPING] River, Riverview. Demetria, you’ve been there?
So there, there were, there were four floors in a basement. And we generally filmed either in the basement or the first two, two floors. Uh, the third floor wasn’t really utilized, and the fourth floor was off limits. And one day I got the liaison of the, of the building of the property there to take me up to the fourth floor. And I said, I gotta know what’s going on. And she walked up and she said, “Well, this is the staircase that I was pushed down.” I was like, “Who pushed you?” She’s like, “I don’t know, I was alone.” Uh, then she walked into, opened this one door and she’s like, “and this is not the room. This is a room I will not go into.” And it was a, it was a single room that was floor to ceiling tiled. And in the center of the room was a drain, and there was a bathtub, a clawfoot bathtub just sitting in the middle of this room.
And, and I just, I don’t know, I was just walked right in and then laid down in the bathtub. And there was a moment where I was like, this, there’s nothing wrong with… And then I just felt something. I felt like a pressure on my chest and I was like, I’m gonna get up and get outta here. So you know, we get asked a lot, “Were there ever any, any things that happened on Supernatural that were unexplained?” And I was like, Yeah, but we don’t talk about it much.
Question: This is for Drake. I was just curious, how much did you watch Supernatural? And did you find anything in there that you said, you know, I wanna bring this to this show? (Yeah) Was there a [INAUDIBLE] for you at all?
DRAKE RODGER: Was there pie? Yes. There’s [OVERLAPPING]
Question: No, with your tie? T-I-E.
DRAKE RODGER: Oh, a tie. Pie is tie.
Question: Pie is good though too.
DRAKE RODGER: Pie is a tie, I’ll have you know, if you watch the show. Um, No, yeah, I watched Supernatural [OVERLAPPING] No, yeah, I grew up watching the show. Uh, I started on, I think Season 4 or 5, and then progressively watched through 12 until whoever started directing the last couple. Um… yeah, when I got the audition for John it was, it was something like, it meant a lot that Jensen actually said it. Um, but I, I tried, I tried my best to incorporate as much of Jensen and Jared as I could into the performance.
DRAKE RODGER: I figured this is the only opportunity where I have 15 years of material that I can steal everything from, and everybody will think that I created it, and they’ll think that, you know, Dean and Sam got all their mannerisms from me. So yeah, as much as I can, as much as I can, I go through and I steal all the brilliance that they had over 15 years.
ROBBIE THOMPSON: Drake, Drake will, and I, I, we’ve had many conversations about this character when the character’s going and he will cite chapter in verse of various episodes, you know, the title, all of it. Um, and it’s been, he’s been an amazing partner. Um, and everybody up here has, they’ve all, they’ve all done an incredible job of sinking their teeth into the source material. But as Demetria put it brilliantly, carving their own space as well.
DRAKE RODGER: I had this this interview recently, and I asked my PR team afterwards, I was like, Hey, is there anything that I can do better or like, you know, be more efficient? And she’s like, “Well, if you want to quote an episode, that’s fine, and if you want to even name the season and the number, that’s great. But she’s like, You don’t have to go to like the minute number of the scene that you’re talking about.” Um, she’s like, she’s like, “You could probably leave that.”
Question: Could you give an example? Can you give an example of something that we could look at and say, Oh my God, yeah, that’s something that he did.
DRAKE RODGER: Oh, oh everything. I mean [OVERLAPPING]
ROBBIE THOMPSON: There’s a bit in Episode 4 where I, I don’t know if I want to spoil it, but like, if you watch it, I think Showalter was saying, Showy was saying, was like, “Oh, I, I haven’t seen Jared in a while.” And it was like a mannerism that, that was some of the comedy chops that we were like, Oh wait, and, and yeah, it was, if you look for it in the first handful, but I’m pretty sure there’s one in Episode 4 that is, is um, is a great callback.
HOST: That’s all the time we have for today. Thank you to all the press that joined us, and thank you for everyone behind the scenes who made this happen today. We appreciate it. Don’t forget, The Winchesters premiers on the CW Tuesday, October 11th at 8:00 PM, 7 Central. Thank you so much everyone.
“Gotham Knights,” “Walker: Independence” & “The Winchesters” All Head to Series
The CW is moving forward with all three of its drama pilots to series. Each of said trio is based on a previously existing property.
DC Comics-based “Gotham Knights” was formally detailed back in December: “In the wake of Bruce Wayne’s murder, his rebellious adopted son forges an unlikely alliance with the children of Batman’s enemies when they are all framed for killing the Caped Crusader. And as the city’s most wanted criminals, this renegade band of misfits must fight to clear their names. But in a Gotham with no Dark Knight to protect it, the city descends into the most dangerous it’s ever been. However, hope comes from the most unexpected of places as this team of mismatched fugitives will become its next generation of saviors known as the Gotham Knights.” Chad Fiveash, James Stoteraux, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, David Madden and director Danny Cannon executive produce for Warner Bros. Television with Natalie Abrams as a co-executive producer. Anna Lore, Fallon Smythe, Misha Collins, Navia Robinson, Olivia Rose Keegan, Oscar Morgan, Rahart Adams and Tyler DiChiara star.
“Walker” prequel “Independence” is “set in the late 1800s. It follows Abby Walker (Katherine McNamara), an affluent Bostonian whose husband is murdered before her eyes while on their journey out West. On her quest for revenge, Abby crosses paths with Hoyt Rawlins (Matt Barr), a lovable rogue in search of purpose. Abby and Hoyt’s journey takes them to Independence, Texas, where they encounter diverse, eclectic residents running from their own troubled pasts and chasing their dreams, all while becoming agents of change themselves in the small town.” Seamus Kevin Fahey, Jared Padalecki, Anna Fricke, Dan Lin, Lindsey Liberatore and director Larry Teng executive produce for CBS Studios. Also starring are Gabriela Quezada, Greg Hovanessian, Justin Johnson Cortez, Katie Findlay and Lawrence Kao.
And finally, the “Supernatural” prequel “The Winchesters” is “the epic, untold love story of how John (Drake Rodger) met Mary (Meg Donnelly) and how they put it all on the line to not only save their love, but the entire world.” Robbie Thompson, Jensen Ackles, Danneel Ackles and director Glen Winter are the executive producers for Warner Bros. Television and CBS Studios. Bianca Kajlich, Demetria McKinney, Jojo Fleites and Nida Khurshid also star while Jensen Ackles narrates as Dean Winchester.
Pilot SeasonS. Episode 101
Airdate:
SERIES PREMIERE – Before Sam and Dean, there were their parents, John and Mary. Told from the perspective of narrator Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles), THE WINCHESTERS is the epic, untold love story of how John Winchester (Drake Rodger) met Mary Campbell (Meg Donnelly) and put it all on the line to not only save their love, but the entire world. When John returns home from fighting in Vietnam, a mysterious encounter sparks a new mission to trace his father’s past. In his journey, he crosses paths with 19-year-old demon hunter Mary, who is also searching for answers after the disappearance of her own father. Together, the two join forces with young hunter-in-training Latika (Nida Khurshid) and easygoing hunter Carlos (Jonathan “Jojo” Fleites) to uncover the hidden truths about both their families. Their investigation leads them to a rare book emporium, whose owner Ada (Demetria McKinney) takes an interest to the occult and could provide the missing pieces to their puzzle. But secrets run deep for both the Winchesters and Campbells, and despite the best efforts of John’s mother Millie (Bianca Kajlich) to protect her son from pursuing a dangerous life of demon hunting, John and Mary are both determined to work together to uphold their families’ legacies while beginning to form a family of their own. Glen Winter directed the episode written by Robbie Thompson (#101). Original airdate 10/11/2022. Every episode of THE WINCHESTERS is available to stream on The CW App and CWTV.com the day after broadcast for free and without a subscription, log-in or authentication required.
Teach Your Children Well
SeasonS. Episode 102
Airdate:
FAMILY MATTERS – John (Drake Rodger) and Millie (Bianca Kajlich) are on different pages about his new interest in hunting and Ada (Demetria McKinney) tries to bridge the gap. Mary (Meg Donnelly) follows a trail from her father that points to the disappearance of a teenage boy in Topeka. Meanwhile, Carlos (JoJo Fleites) has a heart to heart with Mary as Latika (Nida Khurshid) dives into her books to identify the monster. John Showalter directed the episode written by Robbie Thompson & David H. Goodman (#102). Original Airdate 10/18/2022. Every episode of THE WINCHESTERSis available to stream on The CW App and CWTV.com the day after broadcast for free and without a subscription, log-in or authentication required.
You’re Lost Little Girl
Season 1 Episode 103
Airdate:
FACE YOUR FEARS – When Mary’s (Meg Donnelly) next-door neighbor mysteriously goes missing, she and John (Drake Rodger) start digging into the disappearance. During their investigation, John unexpectedly reunites with someone from his past. Carlos (JoJo Fleites) and Ada (Demetria McKinney) bond as they stakeout a potential lead for the demon’s partner. Meanwhile, Latika (Nida Khurshid) taps into old folklore passed down from her family in hopes it helps Mary and John. Claudia Yarmy directed the episode written by Gabriel Alejandro Garza (#103). Original Airdate 10/25/2022. Every episode of THE WINCHESTERS is available to stream on The CW App and CWTV.com the day after broadcast for free and without a subscription, log-in or authentication required.
I wasn’t going to watch this show until I saw some television interviews with the star of the show Hilary Swank (Eileen Fitzgerald) where she spoke about the show so I decided to watch it.
I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed the show, it is well written and had my attention from the first minute I pushed play on my DVR recording of the show. I always pick out some new shows tie watch every television season but it takes me a few episodes to like new shows and sometimes, after a few episodes, I stop watching the show because I don’t enjoy it anymore. It is very rare that a show grabs me from the first minute.
Swank plays Eileen Fitzgerald, a New York reporter who is working on a big story trying to expose a possible presidential appointee before the president gives the man a big job in the State Department. Eileen’s source for the story is discredited by what she believes are highly placed government officials who don’t want the story to come out. Eileen doesn’t want to rewrite the story like her boss wants her to do. So, she quits her job and decides to write a book exposing the truth about the presidential appointee. Eileen is then contacted by a former boss, Stanley Kornik (Jeff Perry) who wants her to come work for The Daily Alaskan and help him investigate a story about some missing indigenous women who after some time were found dead. Eileen takes the job and with the help of the young reporters at the paper begins to investigate the story.
I really enjoyed this show because I enjoy mysteries, and I want to find out who killed these women. I also enjoyed the mentor relationship that the character of Eileen has with the young newspaper reporters although she doesn’t want to be a mentor, but that is the role she takes on because the young reporters look up r her and appreciate her experience.
I think this show is worth watching and if you missed the first episode you can watch it on Hulu or ABC I give this show 5 out of 5 stars.
Interview with actress Alicia Witt and producer Linda Burnham of “The Disappearance of Cari Farver” on Lifetime by Krista 10/6/22
This was an enjoyable press call. Alicia is a really great actress. I’ve only seen her before in “That 70’s Show,” but she’s an underrated dramatic actress, as she proves in this film.
The Disappearance of Cari Farver is based on a true story and the subject of Leslie Rule’s bestselling true-crime book A Tangled Web. Dave Kroupa (Zach Gilford, Good Girls, Friday Night Lights) is shocked when his new girlfriend, Cari Farver (Rebecca Amzallag), starts sending him demanding texts. When Dave ends the relationship, he finds himself on the receiving end of an onslaught of twisted messages from Cari, who has abruptly disappeared. Dave’s ex-girlfriend, Liz (Alicia Witt, Friday Night Lights, The Walking Dead), also begins receiving harassing texts from Cari, resulting in a dangerous situation for them both. Meanwhile, Cari’s mother Nancy (Lea Thompson, Back to the Future, Switched at Birth) continually searches for her, keeping the pressure on the police who eventually uncover a shocking discovery. The Disappearance of Cari Farver premieres Saturday, October 8 at 8/7c.
The Disappearance of Cari Farver is executive produced by Milojo Productions, Howard Braunstein Films, and Media Nation. Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos and Albert Bianchini serve as executive producers for Milojo. Michael Halpern serves as producer for Milojo. Howard Braunstein and Linda Berman also executive produce. Danishka Esterhazy directs from a script written by Tawnya Bhattacharya and Ali Laventhol (Bel Air, My Life with the Walter Boys).
Lifetime Announces Two New Ripped From the Headlines Movies from EPs Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, Jenna Dewan Set to Star and EP
– 08/11/2022 –
KELLY RIPA AND MARK CONSUELOS EXECUTIVE PRODUCE TWO NEW RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES FILMS THROUGH MILOJO PRODUCTIONS BANNER
JENNA DEWAN TO HEADLINE AND EXECUTIVE PRODUCE ORIGINAL MOVIE LET’S GET PHYSICAL WITH JENNIFER IRWIN AND MICHAEL CONSUELOS
LEA THOMPSON, ZACH GILFORD, AND ALICIA WITT STAR IN THE DISAPPEARANCE OF CARI FARVER
BOTH FILMS WILL DEBUT THIS OCTOBER
New York, NY – August 11 – Lifetime announces two new Ripped from the Headlines movies, Let’s Get Physical and The Disappearance of Cari Farver from executive producers Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, under their Milojo Productions banner as part of the previously announced partnership with Lifetime. Let’s Get Physical stars and is also executive produced by Jenna Dewan via her Everheart Productions with Kyle McNally, and features Jennifer Irwin and Michael Consuelos. The Disappearance of Cari Farver stars Lea Thompson, Zach Gilford and Alicia Witt. Both films will debut this October on Lifetime.
The Disappearance of Cari Farver is based on a true story and the subject of Leslie Rule’s bestselling true-crime book A Tangled Web. Dave Kroupa (Zach Gilford, Good Girls, Friday Night Lights) is shocked when his new girlfriend, Cari Farver (Rebecca Amzallag), starts sending him demanding texts. When Dave ends the relationship, he finds himself on the receiving end of an onslaught of twisted messages from Cari, who has abruptly disappeared. Dave’s ex-girlfriend, Liz (Alicia Witt, Friday Night Lights, The Walking Dead), also begins receiving harassing texts from Cari, resulting in a dangerous situation for them both. Meanwhile, Cari’s mother Nancy (Lea Thompson, Back to the Future, Switched at Birth) continually searches for her, keeping the pressure on the police who eventually uncover a shocking discovery. The Disappearance of Cari Farver premieres Saturday, October 8 at 8/7c.
Inspired by actual events, Let’s Get Physical is the story of fitness instructor Sadie (JennaDewan, The Rookie) who by day, taught fitness and dance to soccer moms, but by night led a double life running a sophisticated prostitution ring with a customer list that included very prominent men in the community. After an anonymous tip, authorities raided her studio, leading to Sadie’s indictment and ignited a firestorm in the small town leading everyone to ask, who exactly was on the client list. Dewan executive produces and stars alongside Jennifer Irwin (The Goldbergs) and Michael Consuelos (Riverdale). Let’s Get Physical is set to premiere Saturday, October 15 at 8/7c.
The Disappearance of Cari Farver is executive produced by Milojo Productions, Howard Braunstein Films, and Media Nation. Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos and Albert Bianchini serve as executive producers for Milojo. Michael Halpern serves as executive producer for Milojo. Howard Braunstein and Linda Berman also executive produce. Danishka Esterhazy directs from a script written by Tawnya Bhattacharya and Ali Laventhol (Bel Air, My Life with the Walter Boys).
Let’s Get Physical is executive produced by Milojo Productions, Johnson Management Group, Inc., and Everheart Productions. Kelly Ripa, Mark Consuelos and Albert Bianchini serve as executive producers for Milojo. Michael Halpern serves as executive producer for Milojo. Jenna Dewan and Kyle McNally executive produce for Everheart Productions. Robin Hayes directs from a script written by Margaux Froley and Kelly Fullerton.
Interview with actors Demián Bichir, Anika Noni Rose, Madison Taylor Baez and Grace Gummer; and EPs Andrew Hinderaker and Seith Mann on “Let The Right One In” on Showtime by Suzanne 9/20/22
This was another TCA panel – this one from Showtime. I really enjoyed the episodes I’ve seen of this show so far. It’s a very good drama that just happens to have some vampires. Demián Bichir plays a man (Mark) whose little girl (Eleanor) is a vampire, so he works tirelessly to keep her alive (no matter what he has to do) and to try to find a cure for her. There’s a lot of mystery about whether the vampires have a virus or what. Madison Taylor Baez plays the little girl. I’ve interviewed her a few times. The first time was for the TV show “Selena,” where she played the young Selena. More recently was for her competing in “America’s Got Talent.” She is an amazing singer. I doubt she’ll be singing in this series, though. Too bad because I know Anika Noni Rose is also a great singer. Hey, if they can do it on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”…. I have to also note that I loved Demián Bichir in this fun primetime soap a few years ago called “Grand Hotel.” I was very upset when they canceled it. Anyway, Grace Gummer plays a scientist (Claire) who finds out that her brother is an ailing vampire. Their father has been trying to find a cure, too. Anika Noni Rose plays a cop (Naomi) that lives next door to Mark and Eleanor with her son, Isaiah. It’s a really interesting drama with a lot of family drama as well as the supernatural stuff. It’s unique in that way. The vampires are not “cool” or “sexy” like in many shows. They’re more like addicts and victims. Anyway, it’s really good, so make sure you watch it. It airs tonight, Friday, Oct. 7 on streaming and OnDemand, and then it airs on Sunday on Showtime.
SHOWTIME FALL TCA PRESS CONFERENCE
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
Demián Bichir – “Mark Kane” / Producer (he/him)
Anika Noni Rose – “Naomi Cole” (she/her)
Madison Taylor Baez – “Eleanor Kane” (she/her)
Grace Gummer – “Claire Logan” (she/her)
Andrew Hinderaker – Showrunner / Executive Producer (he/him)
Seith Mann – Director / Executive Producer (he/him)
Here is the introduction in our panel to the show: Next up we have the new Showtime genre-bending thriller “Let the Right One In,” starring Oscar nominee Demián Bichir. Bichir and Madison Taylor Baez play father and daughter, Mark and Eleanor, whose lives have never been the same since Eleanor was turned into a vampire a decade ago. Keeping the secret and staying alive present not only terrifying but emotionally-charged challenges, especially when Mark and Eleanor become enmeshed in the lives of others. “Let the Right One In” will premiere on streaming and on-demand Friday, October 7th, before its on air debut on Showtime Sunday, October 9th.
I tried very hard not to give spoilers in my question, so the producer gave me a pat on the back for that. First I mentioned that Maddie was on AGT recently and how well she sang. Then I asked my question: “Why does Demián’s character..I don’t want to give any spoilers; but, at the end, he does something kind of monstrous even though he’s human, and he is doing it for human reasons. Why does he choose to do that rather than, say, choose a few different other people and get the blood gradually without doing what he did?” I know, that was a very tortured question…
Producer Andrew Hinderaker offered to let Demián answer, but Demián let him instead. He said, “I want to commend your ability to ask a very specific question without spoiling. That was incredible.” Aw, that was such a nice thing to say. He alluded to “certain rules” in the show (as all vampire stories have), that they’re trying to stick to. Also, he said that Mark (Demián’s character) is trying to keep his child from starving, so he’s under pressure to do that, and quickly. He referenced the other producer, Seith, who had spoke earlier about the “core and the center and the lengths that we go to to take care of our children, and so there are specific rules that will only make that clear as we go forward. That’s what I’ll say to try to answer as eloquently as you do without spoiling anything as well.” I blushed and thanked him for his compliment. No one has ever called me eloquent before!
The other press asked their questions. Demián was asked what attracted him to the project and to tell us how he became producer as well. Demián spoke at length about how much he loved the original film, and how great the showrunner Andrew and EP Seith are. He said that when they audition actors, the actors audition them as well, “to make sure that they are wonderful people, knowledgeable and, you know, cultured if we are lucky.” He was very impressed with how Andrew was able to turn the movie’s story into a series. He had worked for Showtime before and remembered how brave they are when they let them create and say whatever they want. He said that he gets emotional talking about the great cast, especially “these three beautiful ladies.” He made a soccer analogy (what they call fútbol in his country) when he said, “I’m only as good on the field as when I have a beautiful team around me. And I have to say it’s been a tour de force every time we have scenes together, and it’s been wonderful.” He’s very grateful for all that he’s been given by Showtime, the cast, Tomorrow Studios, Andrew and Seith. He didn’t really answer the second question, but he gave a great answer, anyway.
The producers were asked to tell us how they took the movie and made it into a TV show, such as what they added and what they took away. Andrew answered first. He was touched by Demián’s words and agreed that they’re all having the same wonderful experience. He loves seeing his cast on Zoom. He says they’re “really just an extraordinary team of people and team of artists.” He believes the movie was the best horror movie ever made as well as very moving. He likes to begin with an emotional connection. The relationship between the two children in the film (one of whom is a vampire – not really a child) is “just astonishingly beautiful and poignant and poetic, and so there’s an opportunity to use that as an aesthetic inspiration.” That’s how they came up with the relationship between Eleanor and Isaiah. He wanted to use the parent-child relationship to explore the idea of a child struggling with addiction. He felt that it was “this incredible gift” to take these seeds in the film and create a new story for the show, to “explore the lengths that this father would go to to keep his daughter alive.” He reiterated that the characters in the TV series are brand new and not the same as the ones in the movie. It’s set in NYC in the current day (the movie was set in Stockholm, in 1980). They also created Naomi and Isaiah as well as the other family with a vampire, where Claire is the sister. Although it’s a new story, he feels that it’s “a love letter to the film.”
Seith chimed in to say that he also loved the movie, and the book. He was blown away by the pilot and the relationship between Mark and Eleanor. He admired the way he took this “beloved movie and found room to create a whole new dynamic.” He praised the way Andrew wrote the characters, which made him excited to work on it.
Another reporter, who hadn’t seen the movie, wanted to know if there would be some sort of explanation to explain what happened in the movie for the TV viewers who didn’t see it, especially regarding how the vampire infection came about.
Andrew joked that they need that reporter in the writer’s room and then asked Maddie to answer the question. Maddie said in a cagey way, “there’s definitely a way that all of this started, and it may or may not be answered. It most likely is, but, yes, you will get background information sometime this season.” Grace added that you don’t have to watch the movie to know what’s going on with the show or to enjoy it (and that’s true, for sure).
The group was asked why they think vampires are so popular in TV, since there are so many new vampire shows coming out. Andrew answered that, compared to all of the other monsters, vampires are the “most human.” They look and talk like us and their method of attack is “intimate.” He thinks we find them “exciting and thrilling.” They love writing for them on this show because they are so “deeply human,” which also makes it “more terrifying.”
Seith was asked how much he uses of the two previous movies, how he distinguishes the new series from those, what choices he makes and how much he shoots at night.
Seith admitted that he’s never seen the American remake of the Swedish film and didn’t want it to influence him. He feels that there’s “more love” in Andrew’s script than there was in the original movie (and more relationships). He wanted to make the city feel very “cold” and “harsh,” like the film, but with more light and love in the center of it. They used that metaphor when they shot the show. He spoke about how the show is different from the film by necessity. They loved the original but then had to “do your own thing.” He and Andrew had to rely on their own instincts as filmmakers to do that.
Maddie was asked what kind of physical and emotional adjustments he had to make “to become this predatory, dark character.” The reporter was impressed with her animalistic movements and asked if she had to train specially for that.
She replied that when she first got the script, she knew that she would have to go to “certain lengths,” which she had to accept. It worked out for her. She fell in love with the role right away. She spoke of late nights with blood all over her face but said that it was all worth it. She didn’t go through any particular training for her “unnatural movement” but just did it the best way she could. She’s excited to see the finished project.
The next journalist was a latina, who said that she was excited to see latinas in a fantasy world. She asked Demián and Maddie about working together and what we should expect from them in the series this season. Maddie said that she always enjoys working with Demián because she learns so much, and they formed a bond from working together and hanging out, which they took into their scenes. She said that he’s “just an amazing person, an amazing actor.” Demián said that he feels the same way about her. He was a child actor, too, so working with children always reminds him of those days. Watching Maddie and Ian makes him admire how much fun they have playing, and he praises the producers for creating such a great space where, even though it’s a dark show, the children can play and have fun. He said that Maddie is a “because she’s a true professional,” so she makes everything easy. She’s also never taken a break from the shooting, other than going to school. She’s always prepared, even though the role is very physically and emotionally demanding. He relates that it took a toil on him, he “was drained,” but the kids were not.
Another reporter asked how Maddie’s singing (which she loves) “informs” her acting and vice versa. Maddie gave a very intelligent answer about how singing and acting both get different aspects from each other. They both use different movements and emotions. She likes to take the styles from singing into her acting.
Grace was asked a tough question about where she finds her character’s “moral center,” since her brother is a vampire and her father is kind of a jerk. She feels that’s the main theme of the series: Where does the moral center lie? Her character was not in the movie. The writers gave her an impression of what Claire was like, and they answered her questions about her very well. She reveals that Grace is “very complicated” and “does very questionable things to save her brother and to find a cure.” She sees her as an “adversary to Demián’s character.” The show toes the line between good and evil. She believes everyone lives in the grey zone as three dimensional, complicated people.”
Grace was also asked if her family enjoys vampire stories, and has she shown them this series. Grace admitted that she had never been into them before, and she hadn’t seen the movie at first. She loved it, once she saw it. She learned a lot about vampires from this show and the movie.
Andrew was asked what their “vampire rules” are because every vampire movie or show seems to have their own rules. Andrew didn’t want to spoil too much but did tell us that vampires have to be invited in (alluding to the title of the show). Also, a line in the novel says that being a vampire is like an infection, and they repeat that in the movie, so he discussed that idea with a virologist. The doctor was happy to talk about vampires. The vampires can’t go in the sun and only eat blood. I thought this part was interesting. The virologist “talked about the part of the brain that very specifically manages pigmentation in the skin that acts as a shield for UV radiation from the sun being the same part of the brain that deals with the flight or fight mechanism and the mechanisms that would exist that would shut off the body to accept anything but oxygenated blood.” That became the idea for Claire, a scientist, who is trying a cure or treatment for her brother, and for Mark, who’s trying to find the same for his daughter. Obviously science can’t explain all of it, such as being invited into someone’s home. They tried to be as realistic as possible with the vampire mythology being explained by science to a certain extent.
Grace added that the vampires on the show are more like real people who happen to be victims. They’re not just “scary monsters or violent predators,” which is what makes them different from other vampire movies or shows. He added that because of these mechanisms in the brain, the vampire attacks “can be quite vicious and quite violent,” which is why Naomi is investigating “these homicides that are so gruesome and so violent in their nature,” which seem to be done some kind of monster.
Anika was asked how her character being a detective brought to her character and how it informed her “as a human being.” Anika thinks that her being a cop means that she’s more watchful than most neighbors and notices more. Mark and Ellie are hoping that they’ll be more comfortable there, but they can’t really be, since they live next door to Naomi. She always suspects the worst of people (even though she wants to see the best in people). Andrew praised the way she answered that question. He just spoke to the writing and how the characters and their stories weaved together well.
Seith praised the way Andrew wrote Isiah to be such a three-dimensional character because he wasn’t in the film. He likes the story between Isaiah and his mom, and how she tries to be a good parent to this bullied boy, but sometimes she fails (like most parents do).
Anika was asked how it works for her character to be the single mom as well as the hunter and how that affected her approach to the role. Anika praised the writing because Naomi is written as a real person and not your typical TV mom. She loves that this character is a hunter as well as loves her child. She often has the conflict between being a good mom and being a hunter or protector. She loves how Naomi is multifaceted and who changes constantly because of all that she’s juggling. She expressed that as an actor, she doesn’t like the “mom role” usually because it’s boring. Naomi, though, “is dealing with her own issues, who is tortured with her own things, but also has the capacity for great, strong, intense love, which makes for really good decisions and really bad decisions all in the same space.”
Anika was also asked whether she ever wanted to make any changes to the role or script. She explained how actors often know the character very well and want to ask questions or suggest changes, but in this case, they were very open to her questions and suggestions. They didn’t view it as a challenge, like some writers or producers would. She’s “grateful to be in this space.”
Demián has his own restaurant in Mexico, so he was asked how much of that real life experience he brought to this role (because Mark works as a chef). He told us about how he came to New York when he was 22, “trying to learn English,” and he “worked at a Mexican restaurant” while he was starting as an actor. He and his friend opened a restaurant in Mexico that’s been there “for 22 years,” and he still loves to go there and cook. He compares cooking to the theater, “from picking up the right products and picking up the right elements and making sure that everything’s right there on the table before you begin cooking. This is so similar to art in general.” He agreed that this helped him with the role. He’s very happy that Mark is a cook.
SHOWTIME ANNOUNCES PREMIERE DATE AND RELEASES OFFICIAL FIRST-LOOK TEASER FOR NEW THRILLER LET THE RIGHT ONE IN
The 10-Part Drama Will Debut on Non-Linear Platforms on Friday, October 7 And Premiere On-Air on Sunday, Oct 9 at 10 p.m. ET/PT
Photo: Francisco Roman/SHOWTIME
LOS ANGELES – July 26, 2022 – SHOWTIME will debut its new thriller drama LET THE RIGHT ONE IN on streaming and on demand for all SHOWTIME subscribers on Friday, October 7, before making its on-air debut on Sunday, October 9 at 10 p.m. ET/PT. Led by Oscar® nominee Demián Bichir (A Better Life), the 10-episode series from Tomorrow Studios (Snowpiercer) also stars Tony winner Anika Noni Rose (Dreamgirls, Power), Grace Gummer (Mr. Robot), Madison Taylor Baez (Selena: The Series), Kevin Carroll (Snowfall), Ian Foreman (Merry Wish-Mas), Jacob Buster (Colony) and Nick Stahl (Fear the Walking Dead).
Inspired by the original hit Swedish novel and film, the series centers on Mark (Bichir) and his daughter Eleanor (Baez),whose lives were changed 10 years earlier when she was turned into a vampire. Locked in at age 12, perhaps forever, Eleanor lives a closed-in life, able to go out only at night, while her father does his best to provide her with the humanblood she needs to stay alive. With these emotionally charged and terrifying ingredients as a starting point, LET THE RIGHT ONE IN will upend genre expectations, turning a naturalistic lens on human frailty, strength and compassion.
LET THE RIGHT ONE IN is executive produced byaward-winning playwright, writer and producer Andrew Hinderaker (Away, PENNY DREADFUL) who also serves as showrunner. Seith Mann (HOMELAND,#FreeRayshawn, Raising Dion) is also an executive producer and directed the pilot, as well as multiple episodes. Marty Adelstein and Becky Clements are executive producers for Tomorrow Studios (an ITV Studios partnership).Alissa Bachner is co-executive producing, and Bichir serves as a producer on the series.
Demián Bichir Nájera (born August 1, 1963) is a Mexican actor. After starring in telenovelas, he began to appear in Hollywood films. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in A Better Life.
Interview with stars Max Thieriot, Billy Burke, Kevin Alejandro, Diane Farr and Jordan Calloway; and Executive producers Tia Napolitano and Tony Phelan of “Fire Country” on CBS by Suzanne 9/16/22
This was a TCA panel, so there were a lot of journalists there, and we’re only allowed one question (more or less). I’m not allowed to give you a transcript or video, so below is my summary of the panel. I really enjoyed the first episode, so I’m adding this show to my watch list. It’s a unique idea and very well done.
CBS 2022 FALL TCA PRESS TOUR
FIRE COUNTRY
Max Thieriot, Creator/Star/Executive Producer
Billy Burke
Kevin Alejandro
Diane Farr
Jordan Calloway
Tia Napolitano, Showrunner/Executive Producer
Tony Phelan, Executive Producer
This was the first panel of the day, so we heard a general CBS introduction from Phil Gonzales, Senior Vice President, Communications, CBS Entertainment, and he played a promo for their shows. Then we heard from another executive, Mallor Mason. She told us, “We’d like to welcome you to the “Fire Country” panel. The drama inspired by series star Max Thieriot’s experiences growing up in northern California fire country premieres Friday, October 7th on CBS and streaming on Paramount Plus.” That’s right, the star of the show, Max Thieriot, is also the creator of the show, and it’s based on his own experiences! Also, he’s an executive producer (of course).
Then showrunner Tia Napolitano said, “We are so excited to bring you “Fire Country.” We’ve got a fun show that is about redemption and family. It’s a character driven thrill ride. We have had so much fun making it. I got excited just watching the sizzle reel again. It is inspired by the reality of the fires in California, and our characters are the heroes that are custodians of a community deep in fire country in California. Let’s get this started. We’re so excited to be here.”
Most of the press asked Max questions, but I really love Billy Burke (ever since I saw him in the “Twilight” movies! And he’s been great in many shows I love, such as “Revolution” and “Major Crimes”), and Diane Farr (who plays Sharon) is also great. They play spouses in this show. There’s a bit of familial reveal at the end of the first episode, too. I asked them if they could speak a little bit about their characters’ relationship, and their relationship with the main character, Bode (Max).
Diane was very funny but really didn’t answer my question. She spoke more about working with Billy than about the characters. That’s fine – it was very entertaining. She revealed that it was fun to work with Billy because he’s “really not a morning person.” She made a funny noise and said that’s the noise he makes when he works. Then she compares him to Max, who comes in very bright, cheery and friendly. She said that he’s “Jesus, who was born in the manger” and then added, “And the juxtaposition of those two men is where I live.” She did say that she was just joking. She went on to speak more seriously about how she and Billy worked well together because they both have strong personalities, are veteran actors, “we negotiate our scenes. I usually want more emotional stuff, and he wants a little more action, and we literally negotiate, “Okay, if you kiss me here, I’ll do that thing you asked for.” Like, we barter for who’s going to give what.” I found that to be very interesting. She also praised Max for being such a great guy and full of heart.
Billy replied, “I’m going to go ahead and let you guess who wins most of those negotiations”. Then he praised Diane for making the acting easy and interesting. He’s very happy, he said, as long as he “feels like there’s something happening there.” He then went on to praise the entire cast, saying that they’re the best cast he’s worked with in a long time. He conceded that he does sometimes arrive in the mornings grumpy (or as he put it, “I’m all grumbly”) but working with them all makes things “a whole lot better.” They joked around a bit more. It was very fun to watch them play together.
The rest of the press had their own questions. The first one asked about how Max had to negotiate (there’s that word again!) his work on this show with his work on “SEAL Team,” where he’s also a part of the cast. Max admitted that it was a little difficult to “juggle,” but what helped is that they were already shooting season 6 of “SEAL team” before they started on “Fire Country” in earnest. He was able to make it work during breaks in the shows. He explained, “It’s been crazy, but, you know, life’s crazy, and I got a couple kids to throw in there, and I’m moving around, up to Vancouver to shoot a TV show…but I’m young, and I can keep up, and … I like staying busy, so it works for me.”
He added that when he started working writing this show, it was the start of COVID, and he didn’t know “how long this process would be.” He’d never tried to pitch an idea to a studio, and he’d never finished writing anything. He joked about being “a little bit of a hummingbird where, like, I’ll start on something and then I’m off to, like, another idea.” This started like that, but then he felt “locked into it.” He theorized that this is “just because it was personal.” He wasn’t sure whether he would play Bode, but then the producers convinced him that he needed to.
Max was also asked where he grew up in Northern California, and why he thought it would make a good TV show setting. The reporter also wanted to know whether the show will have self-contained episodes or be more serialized. Max answered that he grew up in Occidental, although he was born in Los Altos because his family was staying in a friend’s garage unit at that time. He told us that Occidental, which is in Sonoma County, only has about 1,000 people in it. He left there to work in the big cities, so he didn’t value how interesting the small town could be. He looked back on his life there and realized how different it is. He described it as “the comfort that you have and the familiarity you have with everybody and how close this community is. You know, in times of struggle and when everybody needs to come together, they really do, and they all support each other.” He felt that this would be a good “core foundation for the show.” Diane chimed to say that this is why she calls him Jesus Christ, because he was born in a manger.
Tony answered the other question, saying that it’s somewhat serialized, but he believes that it will be easy for the audience to catch up if they miss some episodes. He conceded, “There are obviously fire events, rescue events. Our firefighters battle wildfires from the Oregon border all the way down to Mexico..they also do water rescue, they do search and rescue. So there’s all sorts of stories to tell.” Their personal lives, and the mysteries involving them, will be the more serialized parts.
Billy was asked whether playing a fire captain on “911: Lone Star” helped him prepare for this role. Billy replied that he did a movie called “Ladder 49” (2004). He joked that maybe he’s a “closet pyro” because he loves fire. Then he thought about it and said that it’s really the characters he cares about, more than the world they’re in. His character on 911 was “just this despicable yet somehow likable guy,” which is completely opposite his character here of Vince. He’s not sure that he’s ever played a character like this one before.
The same reporter asked Kevin (who plays Manny) about his role. He’s played a lot of cops, but here he’s more of a “fire cop.” Kevin is very honored to have played by many cops, but he’s new to the world of fire fighters. He shared that they, as actors, “dive as deep as we can to kind of figure out and respect not only the script but respect the job that’s put in front of us.” He’s really enjoying playing the role, but he feels that “it’s still a mystery to me. He just wants to do his best to represent firefighters on the show. He praised their “fire consultants” that show them how to do things. They have to stick close to the real firefighting but within the boundaries of entertainment. He agrees with Max about the small-town aspects of their show. He enjoys that aspect of “community and understanding that heart.”
The cast was asked whether anyone is afraid of fire in real life. No one thought that anyone there was. I mean, even if an actor had that kind of fear, I would think they wouldn’t want to admit it because they might lose their job (as long as they were able to conquer it and not let it interfere with the role). Max responded by talking about great their visual effects team is. Sometimes they have real fires in front of them, and sometimes it’s just visual effects, and their team “makes that look much scarier than it is.”
Max was asked about whether he’d experienced any great fire storms when he was living in Sonoma County; specifically whether his family ever had to be evacuated. Max revealed that there was one that happened when he was two, but he doesn’t remember. It. Most of his writing was based on the fires of the past few years, where a lot of Santa Rosa was destroyed by the fires. That one affected him the most emotionally because of all the damage and lives lost. He described to us that it came very fast, so the firefighters only had time to try to save lives and nothing else. He was texting with his friends who work as firefighters in that area and some of their stories were “pretty horrific.” He lives by the beach, but his mom lives up there, as well as friends. She had to be evacuated. How scary! She has horses and other animals on their faimly farm, so he had to go up and help them get the animals out and go to a safer area, like the dairy land in the southern part of the county.
Diane was asked about her past fire experiences on the movie “SuperFire” and in “Rescue Me” – specifically comparing real fire with CGI fire, and how it’s less risky now. She did agree that they’re much safer now.
She told a great story (she really should be on a podcast or writing) about her jobs. In the movie, she “had to learn how to fly a Cessna.” Then, with the series, “I had to learn everything because nobody thought I could be a firefighter. I trained with three ladies in three states. It was super hard.” She said that didn’t know anything before this series about Cal Fire (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection) or about the different types of fires. She alluded to climate change making the world hotter and creating more fires, and how scary that is. She went back to the original point, saying that she doesn’t get to do too many dangerous things as an actor. However, she does “ride a motorcycle in real life,” which they wrote into the show. She thinks it’s probably too dangerous, but when a large stunt man tried to take it away, she didn’t let him, so we will see her riding that.
Actor Jordan Calloway (Jake) is most known for playing Khalil/Painkiller on “Black Lightning.” He was asked how “the physicality of that role” helped to prepare him to play a firefighter. Jordan said, “I’m still laughing after Diane. She’s hilarious. That’s mama bear on set.” He went on to explain that the two roles are very different. With the earlier show, “there was a heavy martial arts, heavy weaponry work.” He mentioned that Max probably has that on “SEAL Team” as well. He praised the real life firefighters for what they do, such as carrying around a heavy oxygen tank all day, as they had to do in one episode, as well as having to run around, check their surroundings, and deal with forest fires. He said admiringly that those are long days they have to stay fit and focused. He has some firefighter friends that deal with the fires in California because he’s from the Altadena area, which is in the mountains north of Pasadena. He remembers a big fire they had in 1996 where they had to evacuate. He laughed, telling us a story where his mom was up on the roof, watering it to make sure it wouldn’t catch fire. She also had “12 gauge shotgun” to keep looters away. However, they found out later that it wasn’t even loaded.
He went back to talking about how tough it is physically for the real firefighters, who spend long hours fighting the fires that can change very quickly. The stunt guys have it much easier, since the fire is fake, but he praised them for how great they are. He said they’re “crushing it.”
The journalist replied that he’s “been evacuated three times,” so he knows what it’s like for the real firefighters. He asked Max how he handles his heavy workload and whether it’s ever scared him. Max doesn’t think he’s ever been scared of the amount of work. He likes to “give a hundred percent” at whatever job he gets. He said that it may seem like his time is very “divided,” but compared to his “grandpa who farmed corn for 72 years,” it’s no big deal. His grandpa said, “Make hay while the sun shines.” He doesn’t shy away from the hard work. He enjoys “the sense of accomplishment in completing things.” He revealed that, “I have my work jeans on right now underneath my fancy shirt because I’m going to go out and finish my chicken coop that’s in the back as soon as we get off this call.” Whether he’s filming or working at home, it’s no different for him. He just has a bit more work than he’s used to, and he’s getting “a lot more emails” than he’s used to from his “Fire Country” co-workers, so he has a hard time keeping up on that, but he enjoys the work.
Actor/comedian Richard Kind, who was on the next panel for “East New York,” arrived early, so Diane Farr said, “I just want to welcome Richard Kind to our Zoom meeting. Richard, I’m so glad you can join ‘Fire Country.'” He didn’t seem to know where he was, so he asked, “Is that true? Am I with all you guys?” So she told him that he was. He replied, without missing a beat, “Well, I look forward to putting on my suit and wearing a big hat. Really big. How do I do that?” It was pretty hilarious.
Then they let Max give some closing remarks. He talked about how much he loves everyone on the show and how great they are. He’s excited to share the stories of the heroic firefighters.
MAX THIERIOT STARS AS BODE, A YOUNG CONVICT SEEKING REDEMPTION BY JOINING A PRISON RELEASE FIREFIGHTING PROGRAM WHERE HE AND OTHER INMATES ARE PARTNERED WITH ELITE FIREFIGHTERS TO EXTINGUISH MASSIVE, UNPREDICTABLE WILDFIRES, ON THE SERIES PREMIERE OF “FIRE COUNTRY,” FRIDAY, OCT. 7
Inspired by Series Star Max Thieriot’s Experiences Growing Up in Northern California Fire Country
Series Also Stars Billy Burke, Kevin Alejandro, Diane Farr, Stephanie Arcila, Jordan Calloway and Jules Latimer
“Pilot” – Max Thieriot stars as Bode Donovan, a young convict seeking redemption and a shortened prison sentence by joining a prison release firefighting program in Northern California where he and other inmates are partnered with elite firefighters to extinguish massive, unpredictable wildfires across the region. It’s a high-risk, high-reward assignment, and the heat is turned up when Bode is assigned to the program in his rural hometown, where he was once a golden all-American son until his troubles began. Five years ago, Bode burned down everything in his life, leaving town with a big secret. Now he’s back, with the rap sheet of a criminal and the audacity to believe in a chance for redemption with Cal Fire, on the series premiere of FIRE COUNTRY, Friday, Oct. 7 (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+*. Series also stars Billy Burke, Kevin Alejandro, Diane Farr, Stephanie Arcila, Jordan Calloway and Jules Latimer.
REGULAR CAST:
Max Thieriot
(Bode)
Billy Burke
(Vince)
Kevin Alejandro
(Manny)
Diane Farr
(Sharon)
Stephanie Arcila
(Gabriela)
Jordan Calloway
(Jake)
Jules Latimer
(Eve)
GUEST CAST:
Marcelo Arroyo
(Julio)
Michelle Choi-Lee
(Ana)
W. Tre Davis
(Freddy)
Aleita Northey
(Lindsey)
Ty Olsson
(Cory)
Kaylah Zander
(Aydan)
STORY BY: Joan Rater, Tony Phelan and Max Thieriot
TELEPLAY BY: Joan Rater and Tony Phelan
DIRECTED BY: James Strong
GENRE: Drama
*Paramount+ Premium subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service as well as on demand. Essential-tier subscribers will have access to on-demand the day after the episode airs.
Interview with Jaime Ray Newman of the movie “MK Ultra” by Suzanne 10/4/22
It was really great to speak with Jaime about her part in this movie, and about “General Hospital” (where she played Kristina, Alexis’ sister) and more. I had a lot of fun. The movie comes out today, Oct. 7, in theaters and On Demand. I highly recommend it because it’s a good psychological horror thriller. Anson Mount (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds) stars in it, and Jaime plays his wife. It’s a fairly small role, but she’s great in it.
Oh, one little correction. The actress in the movie that I referred to (Jen Richards) is not the same actress as the one that guest-starred on “Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.” That’s what I get for talking off the top of my head, rather than looking it up to make sure. That actress is Jesse James Keitel. They look very similar, but they are not the same. Maybe they could play sisters in some future movie or TV show!
Starring Anson Mount, Jaime Ray Newman, Jason Patric, Jen Richards, Alon Aboutboul and David Jensen
Written and Directed by Ex-Intelligence Officer Joseph Sorrentino
Based on the infamous CIA drug experiments from the early 1960s, this psychological thriller follows a brilliant psychiatrist (Anson Mount) who unknowingly becomes entangled with a dangerous government entity fixated on mind control.
Under Project MKUltra, the CIA ran an illegal human experimentation program intended to develop procedures and identify drugs such as LSD that could be used in interrogations to weaken individuals and force confessions through brainwashing and psychological torture.
Jaime Ray Newman (born April 2, 1978) is an American actress, producer and singer. She is known for starring as Kristina Cassadine in the soap opera General Hospital, Mindy O’Dell in the drama series Veronica Mars, Kat Gardener in the fantasy series Eastwick, Lt. Laura Cadman in the science-fiction series Stargate Atlantis, Tess Fontana in the science-fiction series Eureka, Kat Petrova in the drama-thriller series Red Widow, Sam Gordon in the comedy-drama series Mind Games, Allison Roth in the crime drama series Wicked City, and Sarah Lieberman in the Marvel series The Punisher.
Along with her husband Guy Nattiv, she won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 2019 for producing the drama Skin (2018).
Interview with actors Miia Harris, Ceci Balagot, Nayah Damasen, and Case Walker and EP’s Todd Holland, Adam Bonnett and Phil Breman on Paramount+/Nickelodeon by Suzanne 9/21/22
This TCA panel was for a new Halloween special movie based on the popular animated series and children’s dolls, “Monster High.” It airs Thursday, 10/7. It was fun seeing how excited everyone was.
First we had an introduction from Todd Holland, and he played us a musical clip from the show.
I had researched the cast, and the only one that I knew very well at all was Nayah, who was on “Grey’s Anatomy.” I asked her how working this fantasy setting was different from working in her past projects, which were mostly set in the real world.
She agreed that this movie was the most extensive fantasy experience that she’s had. She maintained, “it’s not every day you are painted pink and waking up at 3:00 in the morning,” but she enjoyed it. Getting to play a monster is very different from real life. However, these monsters do “go through very real human experiences.” Of course that’s true because otherwise it wouldn’t be very relatable for viewers. She went on to say that her character, Draculaura, is “trying to find her place
in the monster world.” Similar to the other characters she’s played, they’re young kids growing up and trying to figure out who they are. She compared Draculaura to her character, Kimmie Park, in Grey’s. They both love to sing but are prevented from doing that, so they have “that same predicament.”
There were many other reporters there asking questions. The first one asked the cast what it was that they made them want to do the movie. Miia grew up loving “Monster High,” and she would “pretend to be Clawdeen Wolf and howl at the moon very
proudly in public.” She remembers that the show had a big impact on her, and it was great to identify with such a “cool character,” especially being “a person of color.” She’s glad to have the opportunity to do that for other children and to create “that safe space for kids everywhere.”
Ceci admitted that she was a “really weird kid” and liked spooky and creepy things. She also grew up “singing
and dancing.” The movie gave her an opportunity to sing, dance and be spooky on screen, so she loves it.
Nayah is another one who grew up watching old musicals, and being in a movie musical is her dream job. She’s also happy to be part of the MH franchise “with fashionable dolls and a really cool cartoon,” which she loved as a little girl.
Case is another one who loves live-action musicals, and it was a dream for him to do this.
Another reporter spoke touchingly about her daughter, who’s autistic and loves these characters. She had some questions from her little girl that she asked. She asked what the cast and producers there think about “old friends of the series” and how they’re “reacting to the new characters.” I think everyone here assumed that by “friends” she meant “fans” because that’s how they answered it.
Todd explained that they love the fans and value them. They made the movie because of how popular the series is. However, he knows that some people have complained about changes, but he believes that inclusion is important. He explained that Mattel decided that it was time to “change the body types and broaden some of the character histories to include more people.” He hopes that original fans will see how beautiful that message is and will enjoy the new dolls they come out with. The message is the same as it’s always been: “”All monsters welcome,” or as he said, “Be unique, be a monster, be yourself, and you
are invited.” EP Phil added in his own opinion that they love how passionate the fans are. He said, “We like to consider them our alumni.” He confided that he has to pre-teen daughters who are part of that group. He explained that “The
core tenants of the brand are still there from the inclusion and diversity and community, but most of all a sense of friendship.” He ended by saying, “We are excited about introducing this new world to a whole new group of kids.”
Miia was asked to discuss her musical background and whether she was surprised that she was able to get the chance to do a musical on TV. Miia told us that she grew up “in the musical theater world” and has been training her singing and dancing talents since she was 8. Once she hit high school, developed a “deep passion for songwriting,” which led to her singing publicly for money in her hometown. Professionally, she’s mostly done acting, but she’s always wanted to include music as well, so to do both things she loves is “a dream come true.” She said that she’s “a very happy monster.”
The same reporter asked if Todd or Adam wanted to add about the fun of creating the new music. Adam told us that the music mixes “many different genres,” with all of them having something creepy in them, thanks to Todd’s guidance. They tried to give all of their songs “their own really unique MONSTER HIGH personality.” He praised the cast members for being so talented in acting, singing and dancing. Also, they had to do all of their casting over Zoom. The cast blew them away with their auditions in spite of the limitations.
Todd spoke about how crazy it was to do try to get the songs and have them performed in such a short amount of time, which he had never done before. Musicals are new to him. He has 12-year-old daughters who are triplets, so they helped him choose the songs to use. Some of the songs they didn’t choose for the final cut were used in the background of the movie. He also mentioned that Nayah performs “with her Nickelodeon band Good News Girls.”
Phil chimed in again to praise the production, the music and the performers.
Next, the cast were asked which was most difficult: Singing, dancing or something else?
Miia piped up to say that she loves dancing, but having to do them in very tall monster boots, with little “peripheral vision” (because of the monster contact lenses) was challenging.
Todd concurred, saying that whenever Miia stumbled, she would say, “I’m okay!” and they were always asking, “Are you all right?”
Adam pointed out that they had to always hide her human ears under the wig (since she has costume wolf ears), but she was always concerned about her eyes popping out during the musical numbers. He said that the actors had a lot of those type of things to worry about while also singing and dancing.
Case gave his point-of-view that “keeping it all together at the end of the day” could be tough because of the long days, but he said that when it all came together through all the hard work, it was worth it. He also added that being all together in it “was the best part.”
Ceci said that what was tough for her was dancing with a big wig. She’s used to ballet dancing, where your hair is usually slicked back. She noted that all of their “amazing dancers” had to do the same thing, but with really big shoes. She thinks it looks “effortless” on screen, so she’s excited for everyone to see it. She thinks the filmed version looks more “relaxed” that how “stressed and diligent” they were during filming.
The next press person asked about how tough it was to take an animated show and make it a live-action musical and whether anyone had any criticism about it.
Todd admitted that it’s difficult to take a cartoon character or doll and translate that into a regular teen. They had to adapt and change things that didn’t work. There were a lot of conversations between them and Nickelodeon and Mattel to try to find the right look of the characters. That was difficult, and then how to make the live action people look realistic, like making “Frankie” blue and look real, not like “Halloween makeup.” He praised their “brilliant department heads in hair, makeup, and costumes that worked very hard” to make it all work.
Adam and Phil complimented Todd for his vision in wanting the “monster world” to be fun but also more believable. They didn’t want it to look like a cartoon. They hired “a brilliant production designer named Fred Andrews, who was just so smart and brought a level of sophistication to creating this world in Vancouver.” He had to create this scary school that doesn’t really exist, from scratch.
Phil noted that the main point of the show is friendship and being your “authentic self.” He credits the actors for bringing these characters to life in that way.
The actors were asked if they were big fans of Halloween and how they celebrate it.
Ceci reiterated that she loves anything “spooky and scary.” She and her brother have a “Halloween movie marathon” of scary or fun-scary movies for a month. She mentioned “Heathers,” “Hocus Pocus” and the Peanuts Halloween special. She hopes that others that love watching these movies will add “Monster High” to their list.
Nayah told us that she loves the scary mazes at places like Universal and Knott’s Berry Farm (in Southern California). She plans to go to the maze that has “OG monsters like Dracula and Frankenstein.” She joked that she plans to go there and take a picture with Dracula, her father (in the movie). She loves to dress up in costume as well. During the filming of the movie, Halloween occurred, so they all dressed up like scary characters from “The Wizard of Oz.”
Miia said that going to work on this movie was like “Halloween every single day,” which to her was “really cool.” She loves Halloween and dressing up. She plans to dress up this year “as the plant in ‘Léon: The Professional.'”
Case also said that he loves Halloween and dressing up, but he’s looking forward to next year when there are people dressing up as the characters from “Monster High: The Movie.”
MONSTER HIGH: THE MOVIE premieres Thursday, October 6th, on Paramount+ and that same evening at 7 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon.
MATTEL, NICKELODEON AND PARAMOUNT+ DEBUT TRAILER FOR MONSTER HIGH: THE MOVIE, LIVE-ACTION MUSICAL PREMIERING THURSDAY, OCT. 6
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. and HOLLYWOOD, Calif., June 30, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Mattel, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAT), Nickelodeon and Paramount+ today revealed the premiere date and trailer for Monster High: The Movie, a live-action movie musical based on the iconic Monster High franchise about the children of famous monsters and creatures. Monster High: The Movie premieres Thursday, Oct. 6, at 7 p.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon and streams that same day on Paramount+. The movie will encore on Nickelodeon on Friday, Oct.7, and Saturday, Oct. 8, at 7 p.m. (ET/PT). Internationally, the movie will premiere on Nickelodeon and Paramount+, beginning Oct. 6.
Monster High: The Movie
Monster High: The Movie follows Clawdeen Wolf (Miia Harris, Just Beyond), who was born half human and half werewolf, after she arrives at her new school, Monster High. She quickly makes friends with her classmates Frankie Stein (Ceci Balagot, Dispatches from Elsewhere) and Draculaura (Nayah Damasen, Grey’s Anatomy), and for the first time in her life, Clawdeen feels like she has finally found a place where she fits in and can truly be herself, despite keeping her human half a secret. When a devious plan to destroy Monster High threatens to reveal her real identity, Clawdeen must learn to embrace her true monster heart and find a way to save the day alongside her new friends.
Monster High: The Movie also stars: Case Walker (The Other Two) as Deuce Gorgon; Kyle Selig (Mean Girls on Broadway) as Mr. Komos; Marci T. House (Day of the Dead) as Headmistress Bloodgood; Scotch Ellis Loring (Firehouse Dog) as Clawdeen’s dad, Apollo; Steve Valentine (Mom) as Draculaura’s dad, Dracula; Jy Prishkulnik (Just Beyond) as Cleo de Nile; Lina Lecompte (Death Pursuit) as Lagoona; Justin Derickson (When the Streetlights Go On) as Heath Burns; Lilah Fitzgerald (Honey Girls) as Ghoulia; and Nasiv Sall (Descendants 2) as Abbey Bominable. Additional fan-favorite characters from the Monster High universe will also be seen throughout the movie.
In addition to Monster High: The Movie, an animated series based off the beloved Mattel franchise is slated to premiere later this year on Nickelodeon. Both projects join other Mattel Television content in production, including series and specials based on Barbie, Masters of the Universe, Thomas & Friends, Polly Pocket, Pictionary and Fireman Sam, to name a few. Mattel first introduced Monster High in 2010, and it quickly became one of the most successful and beloved kids’ properties of all time. The franchise seeks to foster a more accepting world where everyone is proud to be their authentic self, which is more relevant than ever. Today, Monster High is back with a reimagined set of fangtastic characters, inspired by the original ghouls, for a new generation that embraces what makes them unique and rallies people everywhere to express themselves.
Monster High: The Movie is directed and executive produced by Todd Holland (The Real O’Neals, Malcolm in the Middle, Firehouse Dog). The story is by Jenny Jaffe (Big Hero 6: The Series, Rugrats), Greg Erb, and Jason Oremland (Princess and the Frog, Playmobil: The Movie), and the teleplay is by Jaffe and Billy & Matt Eddy (Zapped, Teen Beach Movie). Adam Bonnett (Descendants franchise, Masters of the Universe: Revelation) serves as executive producer. Frederic Soulie, Senior Vice President & General Manager of Mattel Television and Phil Breman, Vice President of Live Action Development, oversee the movie for Mattel and serve as executive producers. Production on Monster High: The Movie for Nickelodeon is overseen by Zack Olin and Shauna Phelan, Co-Heads of Nickelodeon & Awesomeness Live-Action, along with executives Lee Rosenthal, Linda Halder and Jules Kovisars.
About Mattel Mattel is a leading global toy company and owner of one of the strongest catalogs of children’s and family entertainment franchises in the world. We create innovative products and experiences that inspire, entertain, and develop children through play. We engage consumers through our portfolio of iconic brands, including Barbie®, Hot Wheels®, Fisher-Price®, American Girl®, Thomas & Friends®, UNO®, Masters of the Universe®, Monster High® and MEGA®, as well as other popular intellectual properties that we own or license in partnership with global entertainment companies. Our offerings include film and television content, gaming, music, and live events. We operate in 35 locations and our products are available in more than 150 countries in collaboration with the world’s leading retail and ecommerce companies. Since its founding in 1945, Mattel is proud to be a trusted partner in empowering children to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential. Visit us online at mattel.com.
About Nickelodeon Nickelodeon, now in its 43rd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The brand includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, digital, location-based experiences, publishing and feature films. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon is a part of Paramount’s (Nasdaq: PARA, PARAA) global portfolio of multimedia entertainment brands.
About Paramount+ Paramount+, a direct-to-consumer digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service, 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 CBS News Streaming Network for 24/7 news, CBS Sports HQ for sports news and analysis and ET Live for entertainment coverage.
For more information about Paramount+, please visit www.paramountplus.com and follow @ParamountPlus on social platforms.
PARAMOUNT+ PEAK SCREAMING RETURNS WITH MORE THAN DOUBLE THE SCARES
The Horror and Thriller Film Collection Includes the Highly Anticipated Premiere of “Significant Other” and Popular Horror Franchises Such as “A Quiet Place,” “Scream,” “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” “Paranormal Activity” and “The Descent”
Family Fright Night Favorites Include the Debut of “Monster High the Movie,” Plus Halloween Episodes from “Big Nate,” “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “PAW Patrol” and More
NEW YORK – Sept. 22, 2022 – The Paramount+ Peak Screaming collection returns to the service today with an expanded screaming and streaming collection just in time for Halloween. The collection features more than double the programming from last year, including highly anticipated new originals, fan-favorite horror movies and iconic Halloween episodes from beloved series. This year’s seasonal collection will include the debut of MONSTER HIGH THE MOVIE (Thursday, Oct. 6), a brand-new live-action musical from Nickelodeon; the exclusive premiere of new thriller movies such as SIGNIFICANT OTHER (Friday, Oct. 7); the release of an all-new special Halloween episode of GHOSTS (Thursday, Oct. 27) and more. The Halloween-themed content on Paramount+ can be found here.
The thematic library, which includes entertainment for everyone in the household, is thoughtfully curated into subgenres to enhance discovery. Carousels within the Peak Screaming collection include:
Big Screen’s Big Screams: Blockbuster hits such as A QUIET PLACE, THE RING, THE DESCENT, WORLD WAR Z and 10 CLOVERFIELD LANE.
Buried Gems: Chilling thrillers such as THE BABYSITTER, as well as horror films like SPELL and SAINT MAUD.
Slash Hits: Spine-chilling films such as ORPHAN: FIRST KILL, SCREAM, CANDYMAN and THE TOWN THAT DREADED SUNDOWN.
Suspenseful Series: Edge of your seat shows such as EVIL, PAROT, THE TWILIGHT ZONE and CRIMINAL MINDS.
Family Fright Night: Family favorites such as SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH, THE ADDAMS FAMILY and ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE DARK.
Nickelodeon Monster Fest!: Beloved Halloween episodes from popular Nickelodeon series such as BIG NATE, SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS, PAW PATROL and BLUE’S CLUES.
Spooktacular CBS: Iconic Halloween episodes from some of the most popular CBS series, including BEVERLY HILLS, 90210, BLUE BLOODS, CHEERS, FRASIER and GHOSTS, which returns for its second season on Thursday, Sept. 29. The frightfully funny series will also debut a special Halloween episode, “Halloween 2: The Ghosts of Hetty’s Past,” on Thursday, Oct. 27.
Chilling Classics: Timeless films such as NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, PROPHECY, DEMENTIA 13 and ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES.
Teen Wolf: The Beginning: The complete original series of TEEN WOLF, including popular episodes such as “Wolf Moon,” “Second Chance at First Line,” “Lunatic” and “Code Breaker.”
In October, the movie collection will grow again to include even more genre-defining hits and cult classics such as THE GRUDGE, I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER, SHUTTER ISLAND, JENNIFER’S BODY, ANNIHILATION and INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, among others.
Paramount+ with SHOWTIME® bundle subscribers can stream the SHOWTIME Bloody Good collection of series and movies, including the Showtime Original Series premiere of LET THE RIGHT ONE IN on Friday, Oct. 7, plus other killer series like DEXTER®: NEW BLOOD and Emmy-nominated YELLOWJACKETS. Fright fans can also watch the latest installment of the legendary franchise SCREAM (2022), horror hits from A24 like X, MIDSOMMAR and HEREDITARY, and other perennial Halloween favorites including THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and ROSEMARY’S BABY. The bundle is currently offered at a special introductory pricing of $7.99 per month for the Essential Plan and $12.99 per month for the Premium Plan through Oct. 2.
The Peak Screaming collection is available to stream now. To view the Peak Screaming trailer, click here.
For more information about Paramount+, please visit www.paramountplus.com and follow @ParamountPlus on social platforms.
Interview with actors Katherine McNamara, Matt Barr, Greg Hovanessian, Lawrence Kao, Philemon Chambers, Gabriela Quezada, Katie Findlay, Justin Johnson Cortez; and Executive Producers Jared Padalecki, Seamus Fahey and Anna Fricke on The CW by Krista 9/22/22
This was an interesting panel for this new show, which is a spin-off of the hit series “Walker” on The CW. Both shows air Thursdays starting Oct. 6. Unfortunately, they had a lot of press there, with a big cast who liked to chat, so I was not called on to ask a question. I enjoyed it, though. NOTE: This transcript below was provided by The CW. There are some mistakes in it.
THE CW NETWORK
Walker Independence
Seamus Fahey, Anna Fricke, Jared Padalecki, Lawrence Kao, Greg Hovanessian, Philemon Chambers, Gabriela Quezada, Katie Findlay, Katherine McNamara, Matt Barr, Justin Johnson Cortez
HOST: Good morning, y’all! Welcome to the virtual press panel for Walker Independence, our brand new series and origin story to our hit series, Walker. Walker independence is from CBS television studios and premieres on Thursday, October 6th, at 9:00 PM on The CW. Our executive producers like to call this a remix of a Western, and we’re thrilled to be bringing this genre to the CW. Set in the late 1800s, Walker Independence follows Abby Walker, an affluent and tough-minded Bostonian whose husband is murdered before her eyes, while on their journey out West.
After crossing paths with Calian and a curious Apache tracker, Abby arrives in the town of independence, Texas, where she encounters diverse and eclectic residents running from their pasts, chasing their dreams, and keeping their own secrets, including Kate Carver, an idiosyncratic burlesque dancer with perhaps too keen an interest in Abby’s origins. And Kai, a soulful Chinese immigrant who runs a local restaurant/laundry and offers Abbey friendship without agenda.
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Abby also literally runs into Hoyt Rawlins, a slippery rogue thief and con artist with a dented heart of gold, who quickly eyes Abby as a mark until she turns the tables on him. In seeking justice for her husband, Abby encounters Independence’s noble deputy sheriff Augustus, and his new boss, Sheriff Tom Davidson, who she has reason to believe is a very bad man, indeed. Abby and Hoyt soon find themselves precariously aligned, both seeking to uncover the truth about the identity of her husband’s killer as they navigate the dusty roads of Independence, a frontier boom town, where nothing is what it seems. Old West, new rules.
Now we’ve had our premier episode available for everyone to view since June, and have just added two episodes, 2 and 3, to the press site this week. So we hope you’re all very familiar now with Walker independence. So please welcome the cast and executive producers of Walker Independence and starting here on the back row, in the left, we have Lawrence Kao as Kai. Greg Hovanessian as Tom Davidson. Philemon Chambers as Augustus, or Gus. Gabriela Quezada as Lucia Reyes.
And then moving up to our front row on the left. We have Katie Findlay as Kate Carver, Katherine McNamara as Abby Walker, Matt Barr as Hoyt Rawlins. And Justin Johnson Cortez as Calian. Also say hello to our executive producers. Show runner and executive producer, Seamus Kevin Fahey. And executive producers, Anna Fricke and Walker himself, executive producer Jared Padalecki.
We’re so excited to have you all with us this morning. Thank you so much. And as a reminder to the press, if you’d like to ask a question, please click the “raise your hand” button, and we will put you in the queue and call on you when it’s your turn. If You have a two part question or follow-up, please let us know that this, please let us know this at the top of the question. And no photography or screen grabs or anything from this event on social media. Thank you so much. And first up, we have Jamie Ruby with Rick Bentley on standby. Jamie to you.
JAMIE: Hi, thanks so much for talking to us this morning. So this is for the cast. Can you talk about sort of how these costumes inform your character and maybe some of the difficulties you’ve had with them?
KATHERINE: Well, I’ll, I’ll speak.
PHILEMON: You start, you start. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
KATHERINE: Shall I start?
MATT: Yeah. Ladies have fun with this one.
KATHERINE: Ladies first, and it is the 1870s. You know, we have the most amazing wardrobe department. Marian Toy is our brilliant costume designer and she has taken such care to make sure everything is as historically- accurate as possible. And that comes down to us wearing corset. And a lot of these dresses, this one in particular, that is actually vintage from some year, I’m not, I don’t think it’s from 1870, but it is as historically accurate as possible.
And it really does change how you move, and how you walk and how you just exist in space. And you know, we have such an amazing cast of characters that has such a diverse wardrobe. But I will say that our women’s shoes in the 1870s were not made for function.
(audio problem here)
KATIE: Not, everything in the 1870s was built to keep women from running and carrying things. Not good.
KATHERINE: Keep us in our place. And getting on horses.
KATIE: And getting on horses, [UNINTELLIGIBLE] with any goods of any kind. (It’s true) Not a [INAUDIBLE].
KATHERINE: Although, they do give us pockets.
KATIE: They give you pockets.
PHILEMON: They give you pockets.
KATIE: But the reason here, the reason I don’t have pockets is because, so like, Kat was saying, Marion Toy is maybe one of the smartest people I’ve ever met in my life. A lot of my stuff, cause Kate’s a bit of a fashion plate is, is borrowed from vintage collections as opposed to made. So I don’t get pockets, but then I’m also wearing things that are so beautiful, I’m terrified to sit down because if I rip, like they’re so old. And if I have one tiny rip, I feel like I’ve let history down. So… Hey, does anybody else wanna talk about [OVERLAPPING]
GREG: The corset stance too, to make it more comfortable.
KATIE: So you prop yourself up on your own bones a lot when you get tired.
GREG: The squat move.
(Overlapping chatter)
Send you guys a photo. I’ll send you…
JARED PADALECK: I’ll post it.
JUSTIN: Yeah please do Jared, Jared has it.
KATIE: You’re so charming.
JUSTIN: Yeah, I wore it for about seven minutes and uh, it wasn’t fun at all. So…
GABRIELA: I think all the men on set should wear corsets.
(Overlapping chatter)
SEAMUS: I thought we talked about no spoilers, but we’ll embrace them.
KATHERINE: Already, first question, spoilers.
KATIE: Justin, you have interesting costume stuff though.
JUSTIN: I do, I do I, I mean, I, I love my costume.
MATT: It’s a little breezy in there.
Show us the back, Justin.
GABRIELA: We need to see your thigh.
Yeah, I want to see the back.
Do you have a runway?
JUSTIN: But, I asked for legit leggings. That way I could have some breathing…
KATHERINE: It’s up to your imagination.
PHILEMON: We will not go further into that.
GREG: But every, every once in a while we’ll I, I’ll go to set for a rehearsal and I’ll be in my street clothes. And we do the blocking and it’s weird. It’s so weird because you’re not in costume and the costume is just everything. When you put that gun belt on, with the weight of the revolver and the bullets and the badge. It changes everything.
KATIE: Greg’s got a cool hat too.
PHILEMON: I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this gun belt now. Okay, look, when you’re running in a gun belt, it don’t work.
It bounces around.
PHILEMON: It bounces around.
(Overlapping chatter)
KATIE: I have so many videos of Philly trying to run in a gun belt. I say that like it’s a joke, maybe five or six, honestly.
Ten-pound pound thing around your waist.
(Overlapping chatter)
JUSTIN: Nobody answered that in a good way.
MATT: Here’s a red light. I was like, is that good or bad?
JAMIE: Well, okay. How about this? I will ask a follow up then. Um, can you guys talk about sort of how the, like the, I guess the seed of the idea to go from the other show to this as being the prequel, like sort of how that came about?
SEAMUS: Sure. Um, Anna and I were working on Walker, and basically there was a beloved character named Hoyt Rawlins that we decided to kill off. And we kind of regretted it, to be honest. And, and so we started to think about what did we do wrong with our lives, but also with that creative choice. And so it kinda started with just a text to Anna saying like, well, what if we went back to the first generation Walkers and, and Hoyt Rawlins was part of the, part of the ride. And a couple texts later and all of a sudden Jared’s on the hook and studio’s excited and it kind of just went from there, and we just built momentum and developed the pitch. And, and so there’s a lot of Easter eggs with Walker that we’re gonna do more and more. But, you know, we wanted it to kind of stand on its own and be its own thing, be the first generation and figure out like, what are all the expectations people might have. And how do we, how do we subvert them? How do we kind of have a fresh approach, new take to, to the proceedings and kind of just kept building with that in mind and that approach.
MATT: I remember when, when Seamus was like, Hey, you know what, what if we went back in time? And I’m like, what, like two years before? He’s like, he’s like, he’s like maybe like 150. Love it.
KATIE: So really what you’re saying is that Matt Barr just caused an existential crisis for you, like he does for the rest of us.
KATHERINE: It makes perfect sense.
KATIE: I don’t know what waking up every morning looking like that is like, I can’t, I can’t relate.
GREG: Oh, terrible.
HOST: So next up, thank you so much, Jamie. Next we have Rick Bentley and on deck is going to be Vlada Gelman.
RICK: Thank you. Can you hear me? Hey, Katherine, two-part question. First off, following up on that previous question, how do you see Abby as sort of setting the, the bar or for the legacy of Walker to follow her? And secondly, you seem to be always attracted to roles that aren’t set in just a modern-day person. I mean, they’re, they’re costume roles, they’re different time per-, those sort of thing. Is that something you’re attracted to or, or are casting people just see you in those roles?
KATHERINE: You know, it’s interesting you say that because for years when they ask an actor the question, you know, what’s your dream role? I would always say, a period piece, you know, put me in a corset and a hoop skirt and I’m a, I’m a happy girl. And I guess manifestation works cause here I am. But no it’s, it really is an honor to kind of do something entirely different. And some, I love that somewhere in the CW verse, I’m Stephen Amell’s daughter 20 years in the future, but also Jared Padalecki’s great, great, great, great grandmother. Works for me. [LAUGHS] But somebody out that timeline and I’m, I’m very, very much can’t wait to hear.
But no, when it came to this character and this role in particular, it’s not necessarily something I look for it, it just sort of happened to be what fell into my lap. You know, I’m always attracted to characters that are challenging and that have interesting stories to tell. And this was that. You know, we read the pilot and Seamus had created such a wonderful world of characters that still felt as though it was akin to the world of Walker, but something new and something fresh in a genre that held so much nostalgia and so much familiarity for so many people.
So it’s a new opportunity kind of give a new look at a part of history that a lot of people feel they know. Also, I do have big boots to fill with the Walker legacy that our lovely Mr. Padalecki has set out for us.
RICK: Thank you.
JARED: She just meant literally bigger, I have big feet. That’s all she meant by it.
HOST: Next up we have Vlada Gelman and on deck is Damian Holbrook. Go ahead Vlada.
VLADA: Hi everyone. Thank you so much for doing this. I wanted to ask a little bit more about Hoyt, because obviously we saw a version Hoyt on the original Walker series. So can you talk about how this Hoyt differs or compares to that Hoyt. And Matt, how did that kind of inform your performance?
MATT: Yeah, you know, I always thought of the modern day Hoyt as like a golden retriever with an unloaded gun. And 1800’s Hoyt is maybe like a, like a German shepherd, you know, he’s, he’s nice until you cross him. And then he is, he’s gonna bite. 1800’s Hoyt’s more dangerous. I think in the wild west you kind of had to be to survive. So I wanted to see that sort of DNA in him. But I also liked the idea that you can’t really outrun your fate. And so, there was that consistent kind of recklessness in the Rawlins’ DNA that just, you know, as we meet Hoyt 150 years later, they’re still, you know, still trying to figure things out and get in his own way. Um, and they’re equally charming, aren’t they? I mean, they have to be right? (Very charming)
KATHERINE: It’s true. It’s hard to compare. There’s no comparison. That Rawlins’ charm is genetic, that’s for sure.
PHILEMON: It’s, it’s a thing.
MATT: Yeah. I wanted to, I want to differentiate them, but also, you know, feel very much that same kind of core bloodline there.
VLADA: Thank you.
HOST: Thanks, Vlada. So next up will be Damian Holbrook. And then on deck we have Josiah Soto. Damian, go ahead.
DAMIAN: Hey everybody. Um, so it’s good to see everyone. And I want to know about cowboy camp. And did the producers go and participate as well?
(Overlapping chatter)
PHILEMON: They were there in spirit.
KATIE: I’m the only one now.
PHILEMON: Cowboy camp was fun.
GREG: I’m waiting to do it with Katie Finley and she hasn’t kind of responded back.
KATIE: You and I have a, have a talk to have. I, so just, just to put this out in the open, I told Seamus that if I didn’t ride a horse by Episode 5, I was walking off the show. I am now the only person who was not ridden a horse. And I think I’m gonna trade it for a pony, cause I didn’t know we had ponies until a week ago and I love them.
KATHERINE: They are adorable. But they’re twins, aren’t they?
KATIE: Talk to a real person. Don’t talk to me.
DAMIAN: So how was, how was cowboy camp? Who excelled?
PHILEMON: Uh, we all did.
LAWRENCE: I was gonna walk off the show yesterday, but then I decided not to, because they finally allowed me to go to cowboy camp. They finally did.
KATIE: I lost my only ally.
(Overlapping chatter)
KATIE: You were my only person.
LAWRENCE: We’ll go, we’ll go riding next week.
KATHERINE: Also did enjoy cowboy camp with Justin.
MATT: I think our first day at cowboy camp, we’re all like saddling up. And then everyone’s like, where’s Justin and he’s like hauling ass, you know, just loping with this horse [OVERLAPPING].
He’s already on top of a mountain.
MATT: In your element.
JUSTIN: This is when the hair grew. It just grew.
MATT: That’s right. That’s right.
KATHERINE: No, cowboy camp was a lot of fun. You know, we all had, I had a very different experience than most the other guys. I had to learn how to ride with Justin, with Matt, backwards on a horse with Matt, for the pilot. And then now, Abby has her own horse. And that whole arc has been a really interesting relationship getting to watch all of these guys do such amazing things and then joining the team myself.
MATT: It’s kind of bonding for us too. You know, we all, we all were getting to know each other, you know, as we’re starting this journey together, hopefully for many years. And getting out there, riding together just was pretty special.
KATHERINE: And there’s nothing like it. I mean the office that we have, being our town is just the most beautiful place in the world.
MATT: Yeah.
PHILEMON: And there are some beautiful shots on those horses. And I gotta give a shout out to Rainman. Thank you so much.
(Overlapping chatter)
GEORGE: And T for being a butthead for trying to buck me off all the time.
KATIE: I would too. Any of us would.
MATT: You know, Philly… Nicholas… Philly, Nicholas Cage said Rainman tried to kill him in one movie.
GREG: Oh!
MATT: You, you love him, so… Oh, Rainman loves
(Overlapping chatter)
GREG: That’s A true story.
PHILEMON: Nicholas, if you are listening, Rainman is great.
MATT: He is good.
PHILEMON: Okay? Thank you.
(Overlapping chatter)
KATIE: My horse is also great.
GREG: What horse?
KATHERINE: Thank you.
HOST: So thank you very much, Damian, I appreciate it. Next up is Josiah and on deck is Luaine Lee. Go ahead Josiah.
MATT: Josiah, you around.
JUSTIN: Thank you, Josiah. I’ll take that question. Uh, so I think when we start…
(Overlapping chatter)
JOSIAH: I’m so sorry. Can you hear me? I’m so sorry, I don’t know why it was glitching like that, but thank you so much for letting me ask a question. Um, I just kind of wanted to ask more like of a general question to, like I guess, like the entire cast there’s a lot of like, I guess, conversation about method acting or just different methods actors take to, I guess prepare for their certain roles. I guess just like how different was it for each of you to, I guess just prepare and also like what steps did you take, I guess, to like, just in advance, if that makes sense.
JUSTIN: As you can see I’m in my wardrobe.
(Overlapping chatter)
KATHERINE: Jokes aside, for us as a, as a group, at least, what I’ve felt is such a comradery. You know, we really have built this community together personally and among our characters. And I, I think you see that on screen. You know, all of us genuinely enjoy working together and genuinely enjoy finding these character relationships and bringing them to life and seeing how they grow and change. And that’s been the most fun for me is, you know, diving into a time that’s so foreign to all of us.
MATT: I think sometimes you work from the inside out. And I think with our show too, like we were talking about earlier, the wardrobe, you walk onto our set, which is like this Western town, you know, in New Mexico. It’s beautiful and you’re, there’s horses and there’s goats and there’s, you know, all these, these beautiful background actors. And it’s like, you’ve time-traveled back in time. So it’s very easy to just walk right into that character and, it’s, or maybe it’s a crutch. I don’t know.
PHILEMON: No, I found the wardrobe and the setting…
KATHERINE: Special group of people.
JUSTIN: Yeah. The wardrobe and the setting definitely informs, you know, I think how we’re working in this show in particular. Like Greg said earlier, and Matt just said. It’s like, if we’re doing it in our daily clothes, it’s just not really gonna work. It’s kind of hard to get in the head space. Um, but for me personally, what I’ve loved about this cast is, if I come to them and want to talk about our relationships in the show, or whatever it is, and everyone’s extremely open, you don’t always get that. Some people are very closed off and, or maybe they don’t make time. But everyone’s been amazing when it comes to, you know, meeting up. “Let’s talk about, you know, where are we coming from? How do you feel about this?” And, and it’s extremely valuable and I appreciate it.
PHILEMON: Agreed, agreed. I mean, you know, it’s, I count it as a joy really to just work off of all of you. Because it is so nice and everybody’s just so good at their job, you know? I mean, no words, no words.
KATIE: I think that we also, I don’t know if anybody’s deep enough into the internet to know what a head canon is. It, our head cannons for each other on this show, are we could write a whole extra show about how excited we all are to hang out. And when, like we realized uh… before Justin and I had ever met on the show, we were taking one prom photo per official photo shoot, until we met on the show. Like, we’re all so excited to be here together. And we write little storylines for each other, with each other constantly, and poor Seamus is like, “All right, guys, come on, like I’m writing an actual television program, can you calm down.”
MATT: You know, for years I’ve been trying to find excuses, not to shower as much. So…
PHILEMON: That is, that is very true. No, that is very true.
MATT: I’m a method actor now.
PHILEMON: Yeah, you are, yeah you are.
Can we go back to the fact that… I don’t know if anyone noticed…
GREG: The bond that we all had from day one is a very special relationship that we’ve all developed. And it just creates this, this really safe space where there’s a lot of trust where we can all be really vulnerable and kind of experiment and go the distance. And just this support of all of it really allows for a, you know, very experimental-type safe space, which helps a lot. Especially, you know, playing evil where I, I kind of have to turn it on and off. Here comes the hand…
PHILEMON: I was gonna say, I’m gonna cover your mouth.
KATIE: Greg’s evil in real life. So it helps.
GREG: I’M, I’m nothing like the character, so there’s gotta be, completely the opposite. I’m like a, a boy, like four-year-old goofy…
KATIE: Greg’s a Great Dane puppy.
PHILEMON: Me and Katie can actually, you know, prove that Greg is nothing like his character.
KATIE: Yeah. I have, I have a bunch of blackmail materials.
GREG: So that, that you know, safe space to be able to turn on and off like that and, and completely go outta my skin around all these beautiful people is, is very special. Yeah. It’s just so… Way too much love here.
GREG: It’s such a joy, it’s, it’s such a joy to be working with everyone here.
KATHERINE: No, but it’s true. The world of the west is not always the most happy place to be, for lack of a better word. And to have this group of people just sort of carry each other through emotionally on those days where we have several emotional scenes stacked together and, and these things that we, we feed off of each other’s energy and, and the commitment to the character and the commitment to the story. And it’s really a beautiful, wonderful place to work.
KATIE: It is, she’s right.
LAWRENCE: I also think like character-wise for all of our characters, we’re all going through like the same kind of thing. Like everyone’s trying to find themselves in this town, like, we’re all trying to find our identity. We’re all like starting off, like on a fresh start, like having new beginnings, like every single character. And I think that’s what, like brings us together too.
PHILEMON: Agreed, community.
GREG: It’s evolving. It’s evolving.
PHILEMON: Community.
HOST: Next up we have Luaine Lee and on deck will be Bruce Miller. Go ahead, Luaine.
LUAINE: Yes, it’s actually Lou-Ane. Uh, I’d like to ask Seamus and then Jared, there is a Renaissance of westerns. Where do you think that started and why?
SEAMUS: You want to go first Texan? Or do you want, you want the…
JARED: Uh, I’ll defer to the boss and then I’ll chime in.
SEAMUS: Yeah, I mean, I don’t know. I, I, I grew up, my dad loved westerns, so I, I watched westerns with him, and it was more interesting of like, which ones did my mom like? And just like, come at it more than like just the ones that dad liked. So I always had like a little bit of like, instead of just Butch Cassidy, what’s like McCabe and Mrs. Miller. What’s the little Western that’s a little off? And so I always loved them, the, the, the popular ones and the, you know, the obscure ones, One-Eyed Jacks, I think is one of the best westerns ever made, not many people talk about. So I think it always stayed with me. And I think it stayed with a lot of, a lot of folks, like creators and just people who, you know, rewatched ones. And I don’t know why it went dormant. Um, but obviously there’s Deadwood and gentleman by the name Taylor Sheridan, who kind of helped the revival. But, at the time, I think, I think there wasn’t a fresh take.
SEAMUS: It’s kinda what we were talking about earlier. I think part of the reason was we’d seen a lot of the same things like over and over again. So I, I think the revival kind of started. I mean, it, it was funny cause when Anna and I were talking about it and we looped in Jared, it was, there was a little bit of like, they’re never gonna bite. No one’s gonna do a Western. Um, and then a couple shows came out and just changed the landscape. Um, and, you know, The Harder They Fall came out and, and kind of just was a big splash. So I think, to me, I think it went dormant because no one had figured out, how do we come at it from a different way? And that’s why we say remix. It’s not a remix of history at all. We’re shining a light at history with, that was there, voices that are there. Margins of history that just wasn’t told.
It’s a remix of how it’s told – the filmmaking, the storytelling, how, how we cast the show. So, I think that’s, that’s what kind of helped the resurgence for this show. And I think that’s what’s helping the resurgence of, not just TV, but film, is like everyone’s coming at like, what haven’t we seen before? What are different voices we haven’t highlighted, and storylines, we, we kind of, haven’t seen before? And maybe starting with the expectation, the tropes, and then like, I was talking about earlier, figuring out ways to subvert it or twist it, or go for the unexpected, or go for something that’s a little uncomfortable and being patient with the storytelling to get someplace that we haven’t, haven’t seen. I think fundamentally that, that was the biggest thing.
JARED: Yeah. I think yeah, I, too kind of echo and, and go off on a bit of a tangent possibly. Well, first and foremost, I want to say
(Overlapping chatter)
SEAMUS: Jared, a tangent?
JARED: Seamus, I also love One-Eyed Jacks. I know you you’re upset that people don’t talk about it. Uh, we can talk about it. But I think you know, Seamus obviously, Seamus and Anna had the Western idea. And Seamus really spearheaded that. And I think, not just westerns, but I think genre stories in general. You know, I came from a, a show for 15 years, that was a sci-fi genre. And I think there’s a bit more freedom in telling a genre show. You know, you see this resurgence of superhero shows, and thrillers and sci-fi, and now westerns. And I think there’s some freedom that the, the actors and the writers are afforded. Because if you were to write some scenes like we have in Wendy that take place in 2022, people would be like, “Nah, this is BS,” and change the channel.
And so I think another part of it and kind of touch on what Kat was talking about earlier, Katherine, you know, the, the Old West wasn’t necessarily comfortable. And I guess I would say, you know, a version of that is it, it wasn’t conducive to comfort. And so there’s something about seeing characters in, in an unfamiliar situation, persevere and, and work to, to keep finding who they are, like Lawrence is talking about, and I think a lot of the, the cast has talked about. And I think that was something that really struck me during the casting process. You know, the, the writers, not only do they, do they create the road trip, you know, they say, Hey, you need to go from point A to point B, but they create the roadmap that it’s on in the first place.
And so you get some actors and actresses that come in and they get from point A to point B. May see somebody else come in and they go in a direction that you weren’t really expecting and get to point B faster, or more efficiently or better, or more emotionally. And so I think to, to a person, our cast, they came in and they were the character. And I think it was, I’ve never heard of a show that got every number-one pick. Always somebody has a conflict or, you know, they’re still tied into another show, they’re guest-starring on or something. But each and every single person, once we were watching all the videos, were like, oh, that person is already that person. I didn’t even see that.
And I think Seamus and Anna and the rest of the gang felt the same. But going back kind of closing the loop. Genre shows, specifically have a broader palette with which to play from. And so the Western, you know, it is making a resurgence and I think that’s wonderful.
LUAINE: Thank you.
HOST: Thank you, Luaine. And thanks for, thanks for correcting me. Next up is Bruce Miller, and then on deck is Bryan Cairns.
BRUCE: This is for the minority actors. What kind of responsibility do you feel in giving a new kind of performance, or a new kind of portrayal of minorities in the Old West? And you know, how, how do you deal with that? It must be very difficult. And then I have a follow-up for Matt. So if I could.
PHILEMON: Okay. Um… it is a heavy responsibility, because, not all the time have our characters been showcased properly in westerns. And nine times outta 10, we do get the shorter end of the stick. And it’s unfortunate, but with Seamus and Jared, our writers, everybody’s doing a great job at showcasing us fully. And I’ll tell a little story and then I’ll let you go. Um, it was a, a young black kid on set, he was one of the extras for the day, and his name was Elijah. And he was just so excited to be there. He was just like, “I watched Walker and I, I watched Walker, Texas Ranger, and I’m a big thing of westerns.” And I just saw the excitement in his eyes. And that’s the reason why I do it. Because I want a little boy to see themselves and say, I can be that. Cause when I was growing up, I didn’t see that in westerns. I didn’t see that in a lot of media. So for me it is a very rewarding feeling to be here and to do this with these amazing people. That’s it.
LAWRENCE: Yeah. And the fact that we can even just flesh out these kinds of characters, like back in the 1870s, like in, in a Western is like we, we never had the opportunity to do that. Just, just showing that we exist is already something in itself. And, yeah. You know, like I, I just feel like people normally would see a character that looks like me in a Western and, and you know, you would, it’s just, it’s just natural to look down upon a character like that. You know, we were never perceived in a, I guess in a cool light. And so just to, to exist in a way. Like even for Kai to be like, you know what, I’m gonna embrace this accent. I’m gonna make this accent cool. Like I’m gonna make this like character like soulful. You know, it’s a, it’s a, it’s just a cool opportunity. And it’s like a, it’s a huge responsibility, but um, it’s so much fun and I’m just so excited to be here.
PHILEMON: Wow, don’t cry.
GREG: Don’t cry.
JUSTIN: No, I could echo a lot of what they just said. Um, Native people obviously have always kind of been around the Western genre, and I think, I think people have come to expect them in that genre. And I, and I, I think they need, they deserve to have a place in there. So for me, it’s, it’s that I just wanna make sure we’re doing it in a way that is respectful, authentic, that makes this character feel like a complex human that people could relate to, and not just there to serve plot or serve another character. And a big part of the responsibility for me is to treat the Apache language and the Apache culture, with the respect it deserves. It’s, it’s one of the few times we’ve seen this language on screen.
JUSTIN: So the responsibility to do that right is, is heavy. And you know, I’m, I’m always doing my best, and I’m always nervous, you know, that, that people will, will kind of just not see the weight of that. So I hope people see how important it is that we’re hearing this, this language and people are gonna hear it all across the country, and maybe across the world and be incredible. And it’s, it’s a blessing. So I’m just thankful and, and I’m thankful to everyone behind it and, and everyone that’s supportive here, and, it’s exciting. It’s exciting. So I’ll rise to it., hopefully, and I’ll do my best.
PHILEMON: Oh, not hopefully. You’re doing, you’re doing it.
LAWRENCE: A quick one for Matt.
(Overlapping chatter)
GABRIELA: I just want to add that, the US, at the end of the day, is made up of different cultures. That’s what we are. And the fact that there’s so many stories that have never really been told is interesting. So, I think that’s what’s so exciting about the show, is that we’re able to show so many different cultures that existed during that time, and everyone’s stories, and you know, that’s what makes the US the US. So why, why not show it?
SEAMUS: I, I wanna hear what Katie has to say, if, she was about to say something too. But I wanted to give a shout out to Larry Teng really quick. (Yes, yes) You know, when we, we pitched it and you know, you go through the process, and when the pilot goes, you’re obviously looking for a director. And I had worked with Larry before, and back of my brain, I, I knew, I knew he was kind of a perfect match, not just because he’s a great filmmaker, he’s, he’s just a solid human being, and he’s a logistical genius, which we needed to pull off. But, you know, it, it was, it was a tough thing again, at that time, like when we were pitching in getting into the pilot, it was very tough to kind of sell a Western. And, and Larry was onboard right away, And he was very excited when, when we met and talked about it.
And I hope he doesn’t kill me if he ever hears this or whatever, but he got the vision and he just knew how to like sharpen the vision and expand the vision. Uh, but I remember asking him, I was like, when we were out there in New Mexico and filming, I was like, “I never asked, like, why, why did you really want to do it?” And, and it was tough for him to even answer, based on everything that like Philly and Lawrence is saying, just like, “I haven’t seen a Western like this and I’ve been waiting.” And, and he couldn’t even finish his sentence. And it just meant a lot. And, and kind of like, you know, Justin’s saying, just that, almost burden of responsibility of, we know we’re not gonna get everything right, but we’re gonna, we’re gonna try, we’re gonna fucking try.
And we’re gonna leave it all on the field and, and do our best. But that was kind of like, that moment was like a little bit of a rallying call. And it just kind of spread between like how we talked to crew, how we were putting together the crew, how, how we talked to cast, we were putting, to how we approach the story, everything. But it was, it was a huge moment in realizing like what, what we we’re about to embark upon, no doubt.
KATHERINE: We were so lucky to have Larry, because whenever you’re starting a series, you have to have that person who has the vision and who can be there to connect what’s on the page to what we’re all doing emotionally to what’s visually happening with the camera. And that was Larry, from the music to the camera, I mean, he had paintings on his vision board. He had all of these things that brought all of the elements of what the West is, all that nostalgia, but also added color and depth and interest and intrigue and all of this complexity, both in the way it was shot, to the way it was designed, to the way we played all of the moments. And it really added so much to make the pilot special. And that has kind of spurred us on, for lack of a better word, to continue on that. Thank you. I love puns. To continue on that, on that journey and on the trail with all these lovely folks.
GREG: Also his leadership as well, was what really set the tone and set the bar. And yeah, Larry left us with something to, to carry on forward. Um, and we miss him. We miss him a lot.
(Overlapping chatter)
SEAMUS: He’ll be back.
GREG: What, what he, what he started, he catalyzed something that was…
MATT: Justin just goes, “he’s not dead, you guys.”
KATHERINE: He’s alive
(Overlapping chatter)
GREG: He touched all of us. So, you know, and we all miss him. We all miss him. Thank you for that question, that was a great question.
LAWRENCE: Who’s Larry?
KATIE: You’re the worst person I’ve ever met in my life, and I want you to know that in front of all these people.
GREG: Come on, Lawrence.
HOST: You have a follow-up for Matt as well?
BRUCE: Yeah. I just have a quick one for Matt. And Matt, is there something that a viewer should look for that they would see that would connect the two characters?
MATT: Oh my gosh. They’re, I mean, like I said, I think they’re, they’re 90% of the… [JUSTIN POINTS TO BEARD]
KATIE: Have you seen this? Have you seen this? (The beard)
GREG: You woke up like that.
BRUCE: There’s not a gesture or anything that you would say, oh yeah, that’s something he would do?
MATT: Yeah. There’s a, there’s a, a wink. I think Hoyt has this sort of, he, he’s so amused by
(Overlapping chatter)
PHILEMON: Do it, do it.
Make him do it.
MATT: Ready? [WINKS]
Perfectly executed.
GREG: It got hot in here.
MATT: I think there’s a, I think there’s this little, there’s a little swagger, the way that Hoyt walks
(Overlapping chatter)
KATIE: It’s a walk that I can’t do cause
(Overlapping chatter)
PHILEMON: You’ll see it on behind the scenes stuff.
JARED: There are also some pretty great Easter eggs as part of the dialogue that Seamus threw in there that we can’t wait for the audience to see as they air, especially our crossover audience. Um, so yeah, I think, I think Matt is doing a great job of gingerly dancing around it, but there’s certainly a nod to the OG Hoyt. Or the, I guess it would be the new gangster. The old gangster.
MATT: Who’s the OG, Jared?
JARED: I guess you’re the OG now.
MATT: That’s right. That’s right.
KATHERINE: Matt Barr is the OG. That’s, that’s, end of story.
BRUCE: Thank you so much.
HOST: Thank you, Bruce. Next up is Bryan Cairns and on deck is Terrell Royster.
BRYAN CAIRNS: Hey guys, this question is for Katherine. Abby could have shot sheriff Davidson, but didn’t. Can you talk about what her sense of justice is? And in what ways is she redefining it as things are thrown at her?
KATHERINE: You know, with Abby, I think she’s a woman who’s a bit out of her time. You know, she is very well educated, very intelligent, but still somehow finds her in a world where she knows nothing. She has to completely start over her entire life, literally, you know, is gone in the first 15 minutes of our show, and stumbles into this town that is also finding itself. And it’s, it’s such an interesting opportunity to see a woman in this time period have such agency, and to be able to start over on a life that is for her, and to create her own destiny, while also trying to take revenge for the death of the love of her life. And try and find some sense of justice in a world where justice is always a shade of gray.
But that is one thing I love about all of these characters is that I think everyone has their own sense of justice, and their own drive, and their own way of moving through the world that they think is right, and something that they’re striving for, and something that they’re hiding. So, you know, as the series unfolds, we get to see the different kinds of justice that happen in the West and the different ways in which these characters can go about accomplishing that.
BRYAN: Thank you.
HOST: Thanks Bryan. Next up is Terrell Royster and on deck is Jennifer Griffin.
TARA: Hey guys, can you hear me? (Yes, loud and clear) All right, cool. This question goes out to the executive producers, obviously watching the pilot episode of Walker independence and, you know as Katherine said earlier, The CW verse at this point. Obviously there are actors in this show that have been in other shows. Are we in surprise for other, other actors, referring to Mark Shepherd that have been in other shows that we’re gonna see as the show goes on? Either this, either regular Walker, or Walker independence?
SEAMUS: Yes.
JARED: If they say yes, then I can say yes. So yes.
TARA: So those will be surprise guest stars.
SEAMUS: Yeah. Come on. You don’t want me to give away, right?
PHILEMON: No, no.
JARED: There are some people that there, there are some people from shows that also were on CW or WB back in the day, that are just perfect for certain roles. And I know that with Seamus and Anna’s knowledge of kind of the CW/WB lexicon, they probably have a few different actors in mind, they’re writing a few different things, and we’ll be sure to, to try and reach out to them, continue to reach out to them if, if the opportunity arises.
TARA: Cool. Thanks.
HOST: Next up is Jennifer Griffin and on deck is Briar. Go ahead, Jennifer.
JENNIFER: Hi guys. Uh, thanks for being here today. Uh, my question is for Anna and Katherine. And I have a quick follow-up then for anyone who wants to answer it. Um, but basically we don’t often see westerns that are told from a female perspective. And I was wondering if you could talk to that a little bit.
ANNA: I think just, just to jump in, I think first and foremost, when Seamus and I were talking about this, it’s as, as Seamus was saying, like watching the westerns with his dad and, and paying attention to what his mom also liked, I think is a big part of it. It’s like, we know we had this great world in Walker, and wanting to move forward and telling, you know, a remix with this spin on it. And what’s, what’s another point of view. And Walker is such a legacy story, obviously this is as well. And so, you know, we wanted to, to go back and tell it from that, from that origin essentially.
KATHERINE: I’ll follow up on that. You know, my, my favorite thing about my job is that I get to be a storyteller. And I think, you know, there are a few story tropes that are told over and over again. But, what makes stories interesting is when you find a new perspective, and a part of that story, or her perspective on that story that has not yet been told. Or has not yet been told in a certain way. And that’s what we get to do with, with Walker Independence. It starts with Abby. It starts with this woman who has to rebuild her life from the ashes of her expectations.
And then it brings in all of these other characters in this town that’s building itself up as well. And it allows for us to show what we hope is a more historically accurate version of the west than perhaps we’ve been able to see before on screen.
JENNIFER: That’s great. Thank you, and I have a follow-up question. I don’t know who wants to answer this question, but what are you guys most excited for fans to see this season?
KATHERINE: These people.
PHILEMON: This right here.
KATHERINE: All of this, all of these characters, all of the relationships, there’s so much, and so many layers that I think there’s, as Katie said, there’s so many head canons and things that we all want to explore even more, so hopefully we’ll be able to do so for the next several years.
MATT: I think, I think a lot of the, the magic in the show is the interactions between these characters and how, I mean, story in general is about change and how people, you know, how characters reinvent themselves. And so, it’s fun to see how we ping-pong off each other. And, and the, the chemistry is so different between each of our, you know, our, our cocktails, I guess if you will.
PHILEMON: Yeah. And finish each other sandwiches.
KATIE: I’m sorry. I’ll give you space.
KATHERINE: But sometimes we do finishes other’s (sandwiches) sandwiches.
MATT: So westerns are, are just badass. There’s horses, horse chases, bank robberies, gunfights, romance.
PHILEMON: Oh, why’d you say romance like that?
(Overlapping chatter)
MATT: I love romance.
KATIE: Let, it be known today, there is romance, that’s true.
MATT: I’m a lover, not a fighter. You know?
KATIE: That’s the first thing I tell people about you.
PHILEMON: That’s true.
KATIE: So tell people to stop asking me about you.
GREG: We’re all, we’re all learning it as we go along too. So…
EVERYONE PUTS THEIR MICS IN GREG’S FACE
GREG: But, but every, every time we get these scripts for each episode, it’s like, we’re so blown away about how all the plot points shift. And we, we, you know, we’ve discussed the, the direction of each… What are you guys doing? Get outta here. The direction of each character and, and we’ve, you know, want to get some insight on it, to try and hone it all out. And then there’s shifts in the way it’s presented by the writers. I think we need a shout-out to the writers and how incredible they present all of these plot twists and these, you know, evolution of each character.
GREG: So if I, I mean, if I’m blown away every time I read the script, I can’t imagine what viewers are gonna think. Cause it’s like Christmas morning every time you get a script, a new episode.
KATHERINE: And I think too, we’re also proud of this community that we’ve built, both on camera and behind the lens. Every single person on this set is so passionate about telling the story and about the detail and every element of bringing this show to life. And I’m looking at a photo of our town right now, and thinking about the costumes, to the sets, to the props, to every single element. It really brings it together and creates this sort of visceral magic for all of us.
JARED: Yeah. I think the interplay, what I’m excited about, the interplay between the cast, for sure. The storylines are incredible. And as a lot of the journalists and a lot of the cast and other producers that are here know already, TV is a giant machine. Making a TV episode is hundreds of people over weeks and/or months, long days and long nights to bring you 42 minutes every week, if we can. And so, sometimes you have to just have somebody there to get the job done. You know, somebody who might go, “they went that way.”
Here on this show, every single character could have their own show. No, one’s there just to progress the storyline. They’re all exciting and intriguing and kind of touch on what Matt touched on. Their interplay with each other is different. They’re not just this person every single time. If they’re talking to this character from the town, they have this relationship. And then it’s very obvious what the relationship is with that person, and so on and so forth. Um, and so I’ve, I’ve really enjoyed, you know, I see the scripts obviously before they get filmed, but getting to watch some dailies and, some of the earlier cuts of the episodes. I’ve been like, I didn’t even, I didn’t think of that. Like how did they figure that out? So I’m just, you know, bravo all around from top to bottom.
JENNIFER: That’s fantastic. Thanks so much, guys.
HOST: Thank you, Jennifer. We’ll get to Briar in just a second, but I also wanted to find out what Gabriela thinks about, you know, women in westerns. And I mean, she plays this really unique character also and would love to hear her, her thoughts on that.
GABRIELA: Yeah. I mean, as Kat said, I feel like you never get to see the perspective of women. And I think what’s interesting is that all three of our characters seem to be very modern-day women in, in a western. My character Lucia is, I think trying to find herself, and she comes from a very traditional Mexican family. And gender roles in Hispanic families, there’s the machismo and there’s the marianismo. And women are often taught to self-deny, and it’s family, it’s family first, which I love, I love family. But I think that there’s a cool journey of her trying to find herself and her independence and where she fits in this world. And that’s different than what you, I think would normally see in a Western. And it’s also very modern. It’s a cool, modern twist on, I guess what would be traditional.
(Overlapping chatter)
PHILEMON: Well said, I love Gabby too.
HOST: Next up is Briar. And then on deck is Margie Barron. Go ahead, Briar.
BRIAR: Hi. Um, my question is for everybody. I want to know, what is a historical event or moment, or even something that you’ve seen in westerns before that you loved, what you love to see explored in Independence?
PHILEMON: Heavy question.
(Overlapping chatter)
PHILEMON: Okay, put me on the spot. Um, you know, for me, I, I really loved The Harder They Fall, and I’m glad that Seamus brought that up. Like everybody can tell you, I watch it probably six times a day. But I just loved that. They brought characters to life that didn’t have light, that were played by different races, and now they’re being more authentic. So I, I love that, and I would love for that to continue. But I have to go, because I gotta go to set and I gotta film.
JARED: Love you, Philly!
(Overlapping chatter)
KATHERINE: Mine is a bit of a lighter version. I grew up in the Midwest. I’ve always loved, you know, I grew up playing the Oregon Trail computer game. I’ve always loved this idea of putting your entire life on a wagon and going out west. But there’s such a romanticized idea of it. In the pilot, we actually had a historically accurate-sized covered wagon for part of it, and put in, you know, a piano, and a bunch of stuff that would’ve been their life: a bed, a bunch of clothing, books. It was tiny.
You put myself and one other actor in there, you couldn’t even fit the camera inside. We had to find creative ways to go from the outside. And it really just puts perspective to what people went through in that time, just to even get around.
KATIE: I have one. I haven’t, I haven’t done a very good job. I’ve just been sitting here cracking wise. And I feel like everybody’s been waiting for me to do this. The west was queer. It was queer. It was all kinds of people, all kinds of gender presentation, all kinds of… And, and I think that’s something we see so rarely. Cowboys lived together in domestic marriages that were sometimes romantic and weren’t. People ran away to the frontiers so that queer women could marry their wives and masquerade as men, because women couldn’t own property. So they bound and bought a damn ranch.
And I, I am so looking forward to the opportunity to explore it, both through my own queerness and, and the queerness of others, which sounds like a hilarious thing to say. But, but I think that, yeah, it’s something that’s not often touched on, sort of the, the wildness of frontier self-discovery and the kind of refuge that was available for people. I mean, not only of different sexualities and genders, but of, of cultures. To find peace or adventure or acceptance or escape or respite from the societal norm of the time.
And obviously in westerns that are a bunch of old, straight, white guys, you’re, you’re not gonna see that. So, I’m really delighted to have been given the opportunity to, to get in there and wiggle around a little bit. I’m using weird verbs this morning, and I’m not sorry about it at all.
JUSTIN: Wiggle, wiggle.
KATIE: Everybody hates me.
KATHERINE: I can’t wiggle in the corset, I’m sorry.
KATIE: You can wiggle like a paper doll. Justin, go.
JUSTIN: Keep wiggling. I think for, for me, the historical part of it, that would be really interesting to see, is the reservation system at this time in history for native people, a lot of land is getting taken away and they were getting forced into, either smaller parts of their own land or getting moved to completely new places that they know nothing about. They know nothing about the, the land, what grows there, what food’s there, and they were expected to thrive. Um, so that could be a really interesting to get thing to get into Seamus.
SEAMUS: We will.
JUSTIN: And, you know, I, I think, I think Calian’s character and his relationship with the town right now is, is a really cool thing that we’re exploring, because the landscape was changing so much at this time. And, and native people did interact as people came west. So, it’s, it’s been really fun to find these relationships and find truth in them, and it’s stuff we haven’t really seen in the past. So, you know, a lot of times what we, what we write, we have really clear examples of. And so I, I almost feel like we’re on a new frontier right now with this show, and exploring these relationships that I’ve never seen shown in TV and film. And I’m sure they’re out there somewhere, but I never had the opportunity to see that. So that’s been a really interesting part of this journey for me.
MATT: Just real quick, like when, as the railroad moved west and these little towns sort of popped up, cause the railroad started to splinter, I always loved the idea of what they represented. Which was that American dream of like, you, you can make what you want in this world. You know, you can build your own life. And it is, it is what you make it. And people fought and died for it. And yet they still kept coming west, still came because of what that meant to people, to have the freedom, to define your own life. And so that sounds romantic and it’s… we, we’re still doing it today, I guess, you know?
KATHERINE: Well, that’s exactly it. To follow onto what you were saying, you know, this story is such a, a classic story of a western, of people who are building their own lives and choosing their own independence. But it’s such an allegory for today. We’re at this point in the world where we have a chance to, in some ways, start over and in some ways reset. And I think getting to see a town go through that on such a small scale, on a network like The CW can be an example and an interesting allegory for our world today.
KATIE: Well, because it also is the intersection of other people’s freedoms, right? Because you can hold a personal freedom, like sure, we’re going west. I want my own life. You get there, and suddenly your freedom is intersecting with the freedom of everybody who was already there. And there is, there is potential for, for damage and for harm, and watching how humans try, fail, try again to live peacefully with one another under various systems that sometimes, let’s be real, really don’t work, and sometimes do. Like there’s a lot of tension, and often tenderness involved in those interactions.
And I think that’s one of the, thematically, what a gigantic idea to then fold up in, you know, this little town full of people in the absolute middle of nowhere, who are all, like, many of them are experiencing each other, people like each other for, like literally the first time in their lives. There’s no YouTube, you know, you’re walking out in the middle of the desert all by yourself. So I think that, yeah, I, I agree with Kat that it is, it is sort of a, a microcosm of, of quite a, quite a, a contentious and broad thing about the world that we live in.
LAWRENCE: I think another fun thing to explore, history-wise would be the Chinese exclusion act. And you know, at that time, like they just stopped allowing Chinese people to come to America and, and, you know, not even own any businesses. So like to, to experience that, to actually explore that, if we get there would be pretty awesome.
SEAMUS: Yeah, just to piggyback off of everybody. I mean, we’re all saying the word change a lot, and we’re all saying the word identity. And, and, and I think, from day zero, day one onward, the idea of taking moments from history, you know, the railroad’s coming, we know, you know, Chinese Exclusion Act, different Native American tribes being forced into reservations. All these historical events are happening. And I always thought it was interesting to be like, what were the very small conversations in a town in the middle of nowhere that were happening before these huge events that we just read about in history books. And just kind of reducing it down to characters, and like focusing on like the emotional impact of that, and moments that we don’t necessarily think about when we’re in a history class.
Cause it’s called Independence for a reason, too. So it’s like, everyone’s trying to figure out like, who they are on their own while these massive events are happening and there’s this huge turning point of what the country was, what Texas was, what this town could be, and who these people are and how they’re gonna adapt. I think it’s just combining that, the historical backdrop of that, while being excited about building the characters in a way where they’re heading toward a certain direction, and then you, you flip it. You flip the script, you, you know, pull the rug out from under people and, and have some unexpected turn.
in the marriage of character and history, I always think that’s another thing, going back to what Jared was saying earlier. I think westerns can do that better than any other genre, you know, for all the obvious reasons. But I think the potential of that, we haven’t even tapped into yet.
HOST: Thank you, Briar. And I do wanna get to Margie, if you’re still there. Margie, you’ll have to be our last question for today. If you didn’t get to get to your question, please feel free to email me, and we will do our best to get you answers. But Margie, go ahead and we will wrap up for today.
JARED: And blame Katie.
MARGIE: Thank you. I’m really excited about this. I love westerns. Uh, grew up on the, you know, the great TV era of, of TV westerns, Maverick, you know, Rifleman, A Man From Black Hawk, a little treasure in there. Anyway, Seamus talk about watching classic westerns with his dad. I, I want to tap into a few other people, Justin and, and Matt and anyone else who wants to chime in. Can you relate Walker independence with any of the classic westerns, whether, and you can combine them like, Dodge City with a touch of Lone Ranger, or High Noon with a touch of Maverick. What, is there any classic old Western that just has a wink and a nod that you see there in Independence?
MATT: I see it more, I see it more with characters, you know? What was kind of cool about when Wyatt Earp and, and his brothers went to Tombstone, you know, what, what was cool was that these were like, they were kind of anti-law. If you remember, they were like gunslingers that became lawmen. And I think we have some of that DNA in our show. Um, I can’t talk too much about that maybe, but we will, we will see about how, you know, these, these towns were… What’s funny is that these sheriffs and these lawmen were actually, you know, outlaws at one point in time. Um, and we see that in a lot of those classical westerns, like, you know, Tombstone, to mention one.
JUSTIN: I just love Chavez from Young Guns. Like I, that’s the one Western I watch. I was like, yeah, him. The rest of ’em, you know, it’s like, you wanna be, you wanna be the guys from Tombstone, because they’re taking care of business. (Right). But for me, you know, I, I think we’re doing something different. Again, like I’ve said, if I, I don’t think I would relate to doing this character, or even agree to, if I thought there was something out there that I’d already seen before. Um, and I think that’s why we’re doing it.
MATT: I do see a, I see a lot of Matt Dillon in, in Augustus’ character that, that nobility, you know, his moral compass is right on target.
KATHERINE: I mean, I would hazard to say, no. I think that’s our whole goal here, is to make something new. And to take a genre that yes, there’s elements of it. There’s characters, there’s the warm nostalgia of seeing, you know, a horse walking down a western street and women in these grand dresses, and a cow in Congress in the middle of town for no reason. Spoiler alert. But, [OVERLAPPING] a cow. But that’s what our goal is here, is to create a new perspective on this genre, and to create something that you haven’t seen before, and to shed light on things that are very uncommon in this genre. And, and, you know, yes, we will have homages to things throughout, but hopefully we can accomplish that.
KATIE: I, I’m gonna say that Kate’s Blazing Saddles all by themselves. But other than that, yeah, that’s something I do find refreshing is that, you know, you can look back into a lot of classic westerns, but there are gonna be people who are misrepresented, insulted, left out completely. Um, so, you know, you can say that the, the spirit of High Noon walks around in everyone handling their problems without giving it away, holding the weight of the world on their shoulders, without, you know, joining in community, refusing to join in community until it’s a desperate situation.
But I, I see us as a Western about community, rather than separation or isolation or violence, per se. Even though, you know, lots of people ride horses through barns and do cool stuff, I’m not allowed to swear. Um, but, but yeah, I think, I think there is sort of a… a unique communal support and an emotional side to Walker Independence that that just sort of shifts it slightly away from most, most of the classic westerns that I’ve seen, which is a reasonable amount, I think. Don’t look at me like that.
JUSTIN: Love you so much.
HOST: Thank you, Margie. Thank you so much. And thank you to everyone. Thanks to all the press who joined us today. Thanks to everyone at The CW. Thank you for everyone behind the scenes who made this happen today. It was three different time zones and lots of people, we appreciate it. Also big thanks, not only to our cast and executive producers here, but also to Dan Linn, Lindsey Liberatore, Laura Terry, and Larry Teng. Also to Lawrence and Greg, and big shout-out to Philly who’s out there working already, to Gabriela and Katie and Katherine and Matt and Justin. Jared, thank you for being here. Anna, thank you for being here. Seamus, thank you so much. Once again, we will premiere on Thursday, October 6th on The CW at 9:00 PM. Hope everybody gets to finish watching all the episodes, if you didn’t get to. And wishing you a wonderful day. Thanks.
Walker: Independence is an upcoming American television series developed by Anna Fricke for The CW. It is a prequel to the television series Walker, which also airs on The CW. The series stars Katherine McNamara in the lead role, along with Matt Barr as Hoyt Rawlins, with Greg Hovanessian, Lawrence Kao, Justin Johnson Cortez, Philemon Chambers, Katie Findlay, and Gabriela Quezada also starring.[1]
The series was ordered in May 2022[2] for a fall premiere, paired with its parent series in a Thursday time slot on October 6, 2022.
Pilot
SeasonS.1 Episode 101
Airdate:
SERIES PREMIERE – In the late 1800s, Abby Walker (Katherine McNamara), an affluent and tough-minded Bostonian, embarks on a journey out west with her husband Liam (guest star Brandon Sklenar), when her husband is murdered before her eyes. After crossing paths with Calian (Justin Johnson Cortez), a curious Apache tracker, Abby arrives in the town of Independence, Texas, where she encounters diverse and eclectic residents running from their pasts, chasing their dreams, and keeping their own secrets, including Kate Carver (Katie
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In conclusion, the cast and producers expressed their excitement for “Lopez vs. Lopez” and its potential to resonate with audiences, sparking conversations and connections within their own families. They recognized the significance of being part of a show that represents the Latinx community while telling universal stories of flawed, yet loving families.
George Lopez is back in primetime and this time he’s bringing his real-life daughter, Mayan. This hilarious and heartwarming comedy tells the story of a working-class old-school Latino who moves in with his modern Gen Z daughter as they rebuild their dysfunctional relationship one argument at a time. It’s old vs. new, father vs. daughter, Lopez vs. Lopez.
Al Madrigal
Here are the opening remarks, to tell you about the show. “Thanks for joining us to learn more about “La Reina del Sur,” Season 3. In 2011, the launch of “La Reina del Sur” propelled Telemundo to the top of the charts, and gave way to Telemundo’s Super Series franchise. The first two seasons of this blockbuster hit, which has since been adapted in English by USA Network, reigned as the #1 program in its time slot in the United States, regardless of language. Now Telemundo’s global hit returns for a third season with the unstoppable Teresa Mendoza, portrayed by superstar Kate del Castillo. Season 3 of “La Reina del Sur” opens four years after the second season with Teresa Mendoza behind bars in the U.S. for the murders of three DEA agents. Stripped of her freedom, she’s, once again, separated from her beloved daughter Sofia. After being freed in a dramatic jailbreak, Teresa returns to a covert world powered by alliances and secret deals. Risking her life throughout Latin America with the fervent hope that she can reunite with Sofia, and end her life as a fugitive, once and for all. “La Reina del Sur” premieres in October. Joining us today is Kate del Castillo. We’re now ready to take your questions.
Then she was asked why it took 8 years between the first and second seasons (I had wondered that, too). She explained that it was because she had gone to the U.S. and was doing other projects as a result of how successful “La Reina Del Sur” was. She didn’t expect another season, and neither did the author. Then Telemundo grew, and people became more aware of her because of movies and series she did, but she always had Teresa Mendoza on her mind. She expressed how much fun it was to play her. Eventually, they called her and told her that Reverte was involved, and they would make a new season. So she agreed because of that, and because she loved the idea of playing Teresa again. She was very surprised that it was even more successful than the first one. She didn’t think people would even care, since it was 8 years later.
Inspired by actual events, Let’s Get Physical is the story of fitness instructor Sadie (Jenna Dewan, The Rookie) who by day, taught fitness and dance to soccer moms, but by night led a double life running a sophisticated prostitution ring with a customer list that included very prominent men in the community. After an anonymous tip, authorities raided her studio, leading to Sadie’s indictment and ignited a firestorm in the small town leading everyone to ask, who exactly was on the client list. Dewan executive produces and stars alongside Jennifer Irwin (The Goldbergs) and Michael Consuelos (Riverdale). Let’s Get Physical is set to premiere Saturday, October 15 at 8/7c.
The Disappearance of Cari Farver is based on a true story and the subject of Leslie Rule’s bestselling true-crime book A Tangled Web. Dave Kroupa (Zach Gilford, Good Girls, Friday Night Lights) is shocked when his new girlfriend, Cari Farver (Rebecca Amzallag), starts sending him demanding texts. When Dave ends the relationship, he finds himself on the receiving end of an onslaught of twisted messages from Cari, who has abruptly disappeared. Dave’s ex-girlfriend, Liz (Alicia Witt, Friday Night Lights, The Walking Dead), also begins receiving harassing texts from Cari, resulting in a dangerous situation for them both. Meanwhile, Cari’s mother Nancy (Lea Thompson, Back to the Future, Switched at Birth) continually searches for her, keeping the pressure on the police who eventually uncover a shocking discovery. The Disappearance of Cari Farver premieres Saturday, October 8 at 8/7c.
Lifetime Announces Two New Ripped From the Headlines Movies from EPs Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos, Jenna Dewan Set to Star and EP
Most of the press asked Max questions, but I really love Billy Burke (ever since I saw him in the “Twilight” movies! And he’s been great in many shows I love, such as “Revolution” and “Major Crimes”), and Diane Farr (who plays Sharon) is also great. They play spouses in this show. There’s a bit of familial reveal at the end of the first episode, too. I asked them if they could speak a little bit about their characters’ relationship, and their relationship with the main character, Bode (Max).
get off this call.” Whether he’s filming or working at home, it’s no different for him. He just has a bit more work than he’s used to, and he’s getting “a lot more emails” than he’s used to from his “Fire Country” co-workers, so he has a hard time keeping up on that, but he enjoys the work.
Alexis’ sister) and more. I had a lot of fun. The movie comes out today, Oct. 7, in theaters and On Demand. I highly recommend it because it’s a good psychological horror thriller. Anson Mount (
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