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Interview with Elisabeth Röhm, Justina Machado and Skyler Samuels

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TV Interview!

Elisabeth Röhm, Justina Machado and Skyler Samuels of "Switched Before Birth" on Lifetime

Interview with Elisabeth Röhm, Justina Machado and Skyler Samuels of “Switched Before Birth” on Lifetime by Suzanne 9/14/21

This was from Lifetime’s “Fall Press Panel” last month. It was great to speak with these amazing actresses and directors. I’m a huge fan of Elisabeth, not only from “One Life to Live,” but also from “Angel” and “Law and Order,” among many other movies and shows. She directed this movie rather than appearing in it. It’s her second time directing. She seems to really enjoy it. It’s a good movie, which Machado and Samuels star in, so make sure you check it out 10/23 on Lifetime.

MODERATOR:  Our next panel for today is “Switched Before Birth” starring Justina Machado and Skyler Samuels and directed by Elisabeth Rohm.  Hi, ladies.  Thank you all for being here.  Our first question is from Suzanne.

QUESTION: My question is for Elisabeth.  I remember you on “One Life to Live” by the way, so.  I’ve been watching you a long time.

ELISABETH ROHM:  That definitely dates me by a couple of decades.

QUESTION:  Aww… So how often does this sort of thing happen, the IVF switching thing that they show in the movie?

ELISABETH ROHM:  Well, you know, statistically speaking 15% of couples will struggle with getting pregnant naturally.  I was one of those and you know, look, it’s a not-regulated industry, federally regulated industry, so it’s hard to say percentage-wise what kind of mishap, how many times a mishap like this will happen, but you know it’s frequent enough that we really hope that this film makes you take a good, long hard look at the fertility industry.

QUESTION:  And as a follow up, do you prefer directing over acting or do you like both?

ELISABETH ROHM:  Well, if I get to act with women like this, I want to be acting.  No.  But directing, listen I feel really privileged that Lifetime has the Broader Focus program and Tanya Lopez created this opportunity for me to pivot in my life and career.  And I really love directing, especially when you get to direct a friend like Justina Machado who I starred opposite and just, you know, Skyler Samuels and all the actors in it.  So, I have a big place in my heart for directing right now.

QUESTION:  Thank you.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question is from Jay Bobbin.

QUESTION:  Thank you.  Elisabeth, my question is for you, too.  You have taken some very big and emotional swings with your directing so far, “Girl in the Basement.”  I remember the last one of these you talked about how emotional it was to work with the actors on that.  For your second project, were you looking for something as emotional in a different way or would you have been satisfied with something like “Psycho Intern” which is also in the Lifetime can?

ELISABETH ROHM:  Well, to be honest I probably would have accepted any job from Lifetime.  I have a deep gratitude to the network and I’m excited about developing other projects with them.  Justina and I have some exciting things that we’re working on together.  But I felt very privileged to be given the opportunity to direct something about IVF because I really went through my own journey, and it was painful and difficult.  And these actresses really captured what is deeply personal to me and it’s like lightning in a bottle to watch these two act in this movie, so I was lucky I got a good second swing.

QUESTION:  As a follow up, knowing the subject as you did personally and also having gone through the prep for the first film, did you find it — I’m using the word “easier” hesitatingly, because I’m sure subject-wise it’s not necessarily easier.  Did you find it a smoother process this time around directing for the second time?

ELISABETH ROHM:  Maybe ignorance is bliss.  I think the first time was a little bit easier.  The second time you know all the things that are required in a different way.  But I think it was easier because I had actresses that were my friends playing the lead roles and I felt really supported by them to just thrive and succeed.  And it really does take a village.  And, you know, I have the utmost respect for these two.  So, I would say — I guess I would say it’s easier.  It’s just I knew the stakes were high.

QUESTION:  Thanks very much.

MODERATOR:  Thanks, Jay.  Our next question is from Jamie Steinberg.

QUESTION:  For Justina and Skyler, what kind of research did you do on this kind of surrogacy and the pain, both of — on both sides of the women’s viewpoints?

JUSTINA MACHADO:  I can’t see anybody.  I never know.  I guess I’ll go first.  You know, we all know people — we all know women.  I mean, I certainly know women who have struggled with fertility, who have had to go through these cycles to try to get pregnant and the ups and the downs and all of that that comes with wanting a family. You know, it’s a very, very human story which is why I was so attracted to it.  But also, I think the second part of your question was how our characters — was that the second part of your question?

QUESTION:  Yes, the pain that a woman on either side feels in this situation.

JUSTINA MACHADO:  Right.  And that’s what’s so beautiful about this movie because you really get those two points of views.  I mean, no one is wrong here.  No one is wrong in the movie.  You know, Olivia’s character is — this is what she feels, she carried this baby.  My character is like this is my egg.  So, no one is wrong, but we’re both so passionate, both those characters are passionate about their point of view.  I was all for Anna’s point of view. I truly believe that if that were to happen to me that would be my point of view. I want my baby. So the beauty of this is you get to see two very valid points of views.

SKYLER SAMUELS:  Yeah, I completely agree with what Justina said.  There is no right or wrong.  It is complicated and messy. I watched it. I still don’t know, and I pray to God I’m never put in a position where I would have to choose that.  But you know like Elisabeth was saying, IVF mishaps happen far too often.  It’s not regulated.  And the fact that anybody could be put in that position is unthinkable.  And as far as research for the role, interestingly enough, I have a couple of close girlfriends who throughout 2020 had been going through some real fertility struggles.  And in the pandemic of it all, you know, I think that was another tier of isolation.  You know, being in a pandemic is isolating.  Fertility struggles are isolating.  Put those together, and it’s a really, really challenging time. And you know getting to sort of be on that journey with them trying to be supportive and trying to understand how they feel both physically and emotionally and the fact that there are things that women who go through this process can’t explain to their husbands or their partners.  Like as much as they want them to know there’s something that’s happening in you that’s just so raw and confusing and complicated that it can be hard.  And there was a really beautiful thing which happened which was on our first day of filming.  I’m in my sort of funny pregnancy, you know, my fake pregnancy belly.  And I had sent a picture to my best friend being like, you know, look who’s got the belly.  And she sent me a picture with a positive pregnancy test.  So, my girlfriend who had been struggling all year and had gone through this process, I found out that she got pregnant the day we started this movie.  So that kind of felt like my good luck charm going into this.

QUESTION:  And then you had to start bawling and ruin the scene.

SKYLER SAMUELS:  Well, yes.  I do a lot of bawling. This is true.  Skyler cries a lot in this movie.  And while I’m, you know, not a mother myself, I hope one day.  I’m very familiar with what grief feels like and with loss.  And I think that that is universal to all of us.  So, though this movie is about motherhood, I think more than anything it’s about a sense of belonging and a sense of grief and how to sort of live with loss that you just — you can’t make sense of.  And I think that’s something that everybody can relate to.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question is from Steve Gidlow.

QUESTION:  Hey, my question is for Justina and for Skyler.  I’m just wondering what it like is being directed by somebody who has acted as opposed to someone who’s just a technically trained director.  And how different is it again, on top of that having a friend direct you on the project?

JUSTINA MACHADO:  I always — I don’t necessarily think you have to be an actor to be a great director, you know.  But I do think that that’s a big plus.  And there’s just things that they understand, actors-turned-directors.  I feel like there’s an understanding with how to deal with different personalities on set — how to speak to people on set because they know how they like to be spoken to.  They know how they like to be dealt with.  And like the little kookiness that sometimes we as actors can have that they will understand and not think it’s a different kind of behavior.  That always helps because somebody has been there.  And then when you’re working with a friend, it’s just even more — you’re even more free and more vulnerable.  I felt I could be freer and not be judged by certain things that I thought or was thinking, or nothing was a dumb question, or nothing was something that that they didn’t have time for.  And Elisabeth and I are dear friends.  I mean, we met doing “Family Pictures” a couple years ago for Lifetime.  So just being able to work with somebody that I already have such a great rapport with, just made work a lot easier and fun as much as we had to cry.

ELISABETH ROHM:  I was going to say.

JUSTINA MACHADO:  And we got to feel like this.  It was fun.

ELISABETH ROHM:  No more crying.  You did it perfectly.  Now it’s done.

JUSTINA MACHADO:  So that was my experience.

SKYLER SAMUELS:  Yeah. I think there’s always a benefit having someone direct you who’s been in your shoes.  But I think there’s actors-turned-directors, actors who are friends and there’s Elisabeth Rohm.  Elisabeth is my biggest girl crush of all time.  She knows this.  I announce it wildly to the world.  I met her over Zoom last year and I got off the call and I said to my reps, “Yeah, so I want to grow up to be her, so let’s figure out how we can be best friends” because I absolutely adore this woman and what she’s done.  And how absolutely poised and creative and intelligent and thoughtful she is in everything that she does.  No question this was some of the hardest work I think I’ve done in my career to date.  This is the closest character I’ve played to myself which is a lot more challenging than I anticipated.  And I don’t think I could have done the work that I did without Elisabeth.  She gave me permission to take up space and be free in a way that no one has before, and it’s been a gift moving forward.  I don’t know that how I feel about my job and my abilities would be the same without Elisabeth.  She’s just — I don’t know she’s my acting guardian angel always.  She’s a magical person.

ELISABETH ROHM:  I love you guys.  I think I’m going to —

QUESTION:  Your turn to cry now.

SKYLER SAMUELS:  I can’t help but cry.

QUESTION:  Thank you so much.

ELISABETH ROHM:  And so really, it’s a love story between these two, you know?  That’s really — outside of it being like a film that’s also — Lifetime’s so good at making not just movies, but movements.  This is a movement in a sense, but it’s really a love story between friends.  So, the friendship between them is really felt and like they both said, navigating grief and finding each other through it all.  So thanks, thanks for that, you guys.

QUESTION:  Thank you so much.

MODERATOR:  Thanks, Steve.  Our next question is from Jamie Ruby.

QUESTION:  Hi, guys.  Thanks for talking to us.  Skyler, you started to say how like playing something more towards yourself was more difficult.  Can you kind of talk like expand on that?  What was it that you found difficult about bringing that?

SKYLER SAMUELS:  Yeah, I mean you know I’ve been very lucky that I’ve worked for many years and gotten to play many parts, you know, a lot of which have been you know sort of like supernatural or superhero and I’m kicking ass and doing all kinds of fun things.  And I’ve loved those parts.  They’re wonderful.  But I think there’s something that when you prepare as an actor to play a role that feels like you, when I read the script, there are things that Olivia Crawford says that I’m like, “Oh god, that’s like straight out of my mouth.”  Or just like the way that she moves through space, it felt like me.  And I think what was both challenging and liberating about that experience was that I had to work through my own grief in real time doing this movie.  That there is no barrier between sort of — the barrier between Olivia Crawford and Skyler Samuels was like paper thin.  And I’m not used to being that close to the character.  And I think that it made — everything emotional that happens in the movie is as real as can be.  I had to really be okay with bringing my own real-life grief and experience and struggles and triumphs and just sort of putting it all out there in a way that I haven’t had to do before.  And like I just said, I couldn’t have done that without the guidance, love and support of Elisabeth Rohm and Justina.  What a partner to just like let you do your thing because it’s challenging.  But it’s also really liberating to be able to do that.  It sort of sets a part of you free.  That’s the best way I can describe it.

QUESTION:  Thank you so much.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  We have time for one more question and that’s going to be Jay Bobbin.

QUESTION:  Thank you.  Justina, this is for you.  You’ve been at this career a long time.  And sometimes it takes that one galvanizing thing like “One Day at a Time” where things really break open and opportunities like this come your way.  Is it safe to assume this is an especially sweet time for you now?

JUSTINA MACHADO:  You know, it’s so bizarre because it’s so not a sweet time in the world with everything that’s happening.  But it’s kind of been, you know, I’ve been okay.  And I’m grateful.  I’m grateful for that.  And you’re absolutely right, I’ve been at it a long time.  So, I’m grateful to still be here, still at it.  And “One Day at a Time” did open this whole new world to me, for me.  And it feels good.  It feels really good to be in a place where you’re not just the person behind the camera, that people really — I mean, in front of the camera.  People really want to know your opinion, you know.  It’s valued what you have to say.  It’s more of — it’s the most I’ve ever collaborated in my life in my career, this time in my career.  So, it’s been wonderful.  And these movies — this movie that we did, Elisabeth and Skyler and I, and then Elisabeth was talking about the fact that we’re also working on some other things — it’s been liberating, exciting.  And yes, I’m happy because I’m getting old — so I’m happy.

ELISABETH ROHM:  And everybody’s who loves you is dying for you to direct.  That’s what’s going to happen next.

JUSTINA MACHADO:  Exactly.  I want to move to that, too.  I want to direct.  I want to do all these things.  Yes, that’s how I feel so yes.  It feels very good, Jay.  Thank you, it feels good.

QUESTION:  Thank you very much.  Thank you.

MODERATOR:  A big thank you to all our panelists.  Ladies, we really appreciate you taking the time to be with us today.

ELISABETH ROHM:  Thank you.

JUSTINA MACHADO:  Thank you.

SKYLER SAMUELS:  Thank you, guys.

MORE INFO:

Preview and more

Switched Before Birth
Premieres October 23 at 8/7c

Switched Before Birth follows Olivia Crawford (Skyler Samuels) and her husband Brian (Bo Yokely), who after multiple miscarriages, numerous failed IVF trials and stretching themselves to the limit financially, finally receive the joyous news that she’s pregnant with twins.  While going through her latest round of IVF, Oliva meets and becomes fast friends with Anna Ramirez (Justina Machado), who is struggling to have a child after years of focusing on her successful restaurants.  When Anna becomes pregnant as well, the ladies celebrate and begin to prepare for their babies.  Olivia is also there for Anna when she suffers a devastating miscarriage and struggles to move forward while her marriage to restaurateur Gabe Ramirez (Yancey Arias) crumbles. When Olivia and Brian finally welcome their twins Olivia’s life feels complete, but the happy couple’s world is turned upside down when they discover that not only are the babies not twins, but one of the babies is also biologically Anna and Gabe’s that was implanted into Olivia by mistake.  Now pitted against each other, Olivia will do anything to keep the baby that she carried, while Anna will stop at nothing to bring her son home.

Switched Before Birth is produced by Big Dreams Entertainment and Swirl for Lifetime.  Leslie Greif, Laurie Pozmantier and Stacy Mandelberg serve as executive producers and Elisabeth Rohm directs a script from Kelly Fullerton. Eric Tomosunas also serves as executive producer and Alex Kerr and Ron Robinson serve as producers.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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"Switched Before Birth" poster

Interview with “Chicago Fire” Actors

Posted on by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

David Eigenberg, Joe Minoso and Christian Stolte of "Chicago Fire" on NBC

Interview with David Eigenberg, Joe Minoso and Christian Stolte of “Chicago Fire” on NBC by Suzanne 10/8/21

This was a really fun interview! These guys are hysterical. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Here’s the video of our chat.

NBC’s “Chicago Fire” 200th Episode Virtual Press Junket
Friday, October 8th 
12:00PM-1:30 PM PT 

Suzanne:   So, congratulations on your show being on the air for ten seasons. That’s fantastic.

Joe:   Thank you.

Christian:   Thank you.

David:   We’re very grateful.

Suzanne:   I mean, it’s not unheard of, but it’s kind of rare.  Joe, your character Cruz goes through a lot in the first three episodes. In the third episode, he seemed to be doing better, but will he still be traumatized? If you can tell us from what happened in the first episode?

Joe:   You know, I think we’ve definitely kind of gotten over that hump, at least for now. I think there are other hurdles that he’s going to be facing over the course of the season, but I think we’re going to be able to see Cruz back in action, the way he used to be.

Suzanne:   And now he’s gonna be a dad.

Christian:   Until there will be – I don’t think this is a spoiler; I think they’re okay with this, but at some point, there’s going to be an incident at a factory that results in Joe’s character having a terrible fear of packing peanuts.

Joe:   Oh, I didn’t want to bring that [up]. See, I feel like that did spoil it, because now you told them exactly. Well, you didn’t tell them that I fall into the vat of packing [peanuts]. Oh!

Christian:   Now, see, you just made it worse.

Joe:   Sorry.

Suzanne:   I have a fear of packing peanuts, so I understand. I hate those things. [laughs]

Joe:   They’re terrible for the environment.

Suzanne:   They’re almost as bad as Christmas tinsel. You’re finding it for weeks after you get the package.

Christian:   I haven’t seen tinsel in years.

Joe:   Where do you get tinsel?

Suzanne:   You can still get it online. Go on Amazon.

Christian:   Well, you’re not really doing the best job of selling me on wanting tinsel.

Joe:   Find it. It’s on Amazon!

Suzanne:   It’s worth it.  David, Herman got a black mark on his record for helping Sylvie. Is this going to cause more trouble for him this season? If you can tell us?

Joe:   Is it? Good question.

Christian:   David, is it?

David:   As my cast mates and my friends in real life, Christian and Joe, might say, my mouth, David, and the mouth of Herman are correlating in the same column of inappropriateness and belligerence, so you never know when Herm is going to snap off. The difference between me and Herman is Herman is trying to do the right thing. David is doing – how would you categorize it, Chris?

Christian:   He’s doing the thing.

David:   The thing. But you never know, and these days, we’re never cued into really what’s going to occur later on. People always find that kind of amazing, or people that you meet on the street, go like, “You should have them blah…” We don’t know.

Joe:   They don’t ask us what we’re interested in, because let me tell you, if they asked us what we were interested in, our show would be very different. Very, very different. And to their [credit], I think it’s a good idea that they’re not asking us for ideas.

Christian:   Joe’s not suggesting we would continue to get any viewers if it went our way.

Joe:   No, we would get canceled immediately.

Question:   Would it be like this conversation?

Suzanne:   Yeah, that would be good. I think you should have a podcast or something; you guys would be great.

Joe:   I keep telling Christian this. I haven’t asked David. Frankly, I want to be –

David:   There’s going to be a billing problem. It’s always a billing problem. He’s on the screen, a guy who gotten everybody to say he’s the greatest actor of our generation.

Christian:   What’s that? I’m sorry, did you want something?

David:   Yeah. See, and then it becomes – it’s a billing problem with the podcast. I’ve wanted to do it, but just…

Christian:   When David says it’s a billing problem, he’s talking about the fact that I bill him for any time he spends around me.

Joe:   Well, I mean, you have to charge David, it’s work. It’s actual literal work.

Christian:   It’s what he understands.

Question:   I have one quick question, that I think you guys kind of answered by the entire conversation, which is the show makes everyone feel sort of like a family. I was going to ask, do you feel like a family behind the scenes? I think the answer is clear by this conversation, but you can go ahead and give us a little more.

David:   Yeah, there’s a constant banter at our show, and not to be narcissistic, a lot of of it is to ridicule me, and whoever [can] pile on, they do, and because I came here –

Joe:   You have to understand. David goes in there asking to be ridiculed.

Christian:   Yes.

Joe:   He thoroughly enjoys –

Christian:   He’s not a victim of anything.

Joe:   He loves to be the butt of jokes.

Christian:   He loves it. He loves it. He invites it; he insists on it.

Joe:   Trust me. I’ve tried to talk –

David:   Family branches – that’s the flower, the thing that family branches out of. A good sense of humor and somebody who’s easy to hit.

Joe:   No one understands what the hell you’re saying you’ve made this a completely useless part of the podcast.

David:   I’m done apologizing for myself. I am what I am.

Question:   Thank you. I think that the question was answered before, but thank you.

Question:   Episode 200 I’ve heard is a very, very big one for you guys. What can you [say] about what you’re up to there?

Christian:   Can anyone think of anything to say that doesn’t spoil anything? If you have been a longtime viewer of the show, then you’re probably going to watch it without my prompt, without me trying to sell you on it, but if you are a person who’s been devoted to the show for a long time, brace yourself!

Joe:   Yeah, yeah, yeah. That is definitely –

David:   The conflict will come from outside, but the love will blossom from [with]in. That’s kind of at the core of I think what happens with a lot of these characters, even their flaws, is that they care and they have compassion, and that comes from first responders, the actual first responders that we work with, and their genuine concern for the human condition and taking care of people…We don’t have any nemesis within the core group of all the actors, the eleven, twelve, thirteen actors, depending on what day it is that we have together; we don’t have a nemesis amongst us. But the show is always branching out. It’s just, you know, it’s tentacles of love. I love that metaphor. Tentacles of love, what could be better?

Joe:   I mean, if that’s not the title to a song, I don’t know what is.

Christian:   [pulls out guitar] I’m sorry, did you say Tentacles of Love?

Joe:   Oh God, I never should have made that setup.

Christian:   Give me just a minute. All right, I’m done.

Joe:   Ask your question.

Question:   Since we are on our 200th episode, I want you each to share your favorite memory about being on the show.

Joe:   Everything between action and cut, like, especially those first couple of years, just whatever nonsense was filling our time, while they were setting up some giant fire while we were sitting in a freezing truck, those will forever be the best memories for me of the show.

Christian:   If you take the first few seasons, because it was all new to us, and we were all sort of marveling at the very idea that we could get paid to hang out with this cool group of people and suffer through some pretty rough conditions together, to the extent that you kind of lose your sense of humor on your own. Take any moment in the back of that truck where we’re laughing until tears come out of our eyes, and that’s my favorite moment. As far as the actual acting part, a lot of the cool rescues and stuff we did, those are hard won moments. They take a lot of hard work from a lot of people to make those things happen, and they are rewarding in their own way. But very recently, last week, we shot a scene that took place entirely in the bullpen, right outside Chief Boden’s office, and it was hard to comprehend, but it was a fast paced, high stakes, fast-moving scene, and it was probably the most rewarding acting experience I’ve had in ten seasons. It was exciting.

Joe:   Well, and we’ve been exploring a lot more kind of long form filming; we’ve been doing a lot more kind of longer takes. I think I will forever remember my episode with David in that elevator; that was unlike anything we’d ever filmed. We were doing thirty pages a day, twenty-five, twenty-six minute takes. And I think what Christian is kind of honing in on there is when we have the opportunity to play with each other for an extended period of time, and everyone’s hyper focused on just making the scene work, it is rewarding in a wholly new way. It’s ten years of doing, you know, one page at a time. When you get an opportunity to really let something kind of cook like that and let yourself feel through an entire couple of scenes, it’s really rewarding as an actor.

Christian:   Yeah, and to tag on to what Joe is saying, I think part of that, what is rewarding about it, is it kind of catches you almost off guard, because we don’t tend to take ourselves very seriously. We mock ourselves and each other all the time. Once in a while we’re in the moment like that, where I think each of us realizes, “Oh, we’re pretty good at this,” and we kind of forget that, because we’re used to just sort of taking ourselves in a casual fashion.

David:  [There’s] never, that I’ve ever been in or heard of, a scene in the show where everybody isn’t all inclusive, working on trying to get this thing to its best, highest level of effectiveness or creativity or however you want to label it. Everybody is on board to go, “How can we do this to make it [the] best?” And there’s never been a moment of somebody going like, “I’m not doing it like that,” type thing. And that’s a unique [thing in] my experience, not that I’ve seen a lot of that, but I’ve seen it where people bash against the grain of trying – I think the show has been very selfless in like, “How can we help make this work?” Many times other actors go like, “Can I kind of throw you something that’s going to aid you?” Or whatever. There’s a conversation about being better as opposed to how can the individual be better, because we all want each other to be as good as as we can. We always want to aid each other, rising to the highest level. It’s hard for me to explain, but it’s just hard to articulate that kind of friendship and creativity because it’s never been detracted against, if that’s right.

Christian:   And the new people come on the cast, they get it. They either get it, or they don’t last very long, but the thing is, if you come on our show and think this is gonna be about you, you’re gonna find out otherwise pretty quick.

David:   We had one actor one time, who will remain nameless, and we were at a call day, and they said, “I’ll read my lines from inside the vehicle,” and that immediately was like [shrugs]. They didn’t get out, because we were standing on the street ready to go. And not to be negative, I don’t mean to bring it down, but you fit or you don’t, and we’ve been really successful with that with those numbers.

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

MORE INFO:

From renowned Emmy Award-winning executive producer Dick Wolf (“Law & Order” brand) and co-creator Derek Haas, the writer behind “3:10 to Yuma,” comes season 10 of the adrenaline-fueled drama “Chicago Fire.” This edge-of-your-seat ride is a look into the professional and personal lives of the firefighters and paramedics of Firehouse 51 as they risk their lives every day to save and protect the citizens of Chicago.

Led by Capt. Matthew Casey (Jesse Spencer) and Lt. Kelly Severide (Taylor Kinney), the Truck and Rescue Squad companies work day in and day out beside each other. This tireless, never-give-up mindset brings them all closer together – the men and women of Firehouse 51 are more than co-workers, they’re family.

The firehouse also includes Battalion Chief Wallace Boden (Eamonn Walker), who keeps his house running smoothly and his firefighters prepared to overcome all adversity. Paramedic Sylvie Brett (Kara Killmer) returns alongside seasoned veterans Christopher Herrmann (David Eigenberg) and Randy “Mouch” McHolland (Christian Stolte) as well as resourceful firefighters Stella Kidd (Miranda Rae Mayo) and Joe Cruz (Joe Minoso).

Completing the team are daredevil Blake Gallo (Alberto Rosende), talented and dedicated Darren Ritter (Daniel Kyri), and 51’s newest addition, headstrong paramedic Violet Mikami (Hanako Greensmith).

Executive producers are Dick Wolf, Derek Haas, Andrea Newman, Michael Gilvary, Reza Tabrizi, Arthur Forney and Peter Jankowski.

“Chicago Fire” is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Wolf Entertainment.

Please visit the official show site at: https://www.nbc.com/chicago-fire

For the latest “Chicago Fire” news, videos, and photos, please like on Facebook and follow on Twitter and Instagram:

https://www.facebook.com/NBCOneChicago
https://www.twitter.com/NBCOneChicago
https://www.instagram.com/NBCOneChicago/

David  Eigenberg

Christopher Herrmann, “Chicago Fire”

CHICAGO FIRE -- Season: 10 -- Pictured: David Eigenberg as Christopher Herrmann -- (Photo by: Art Streiber/NBC)

David Eigenberg stars as Christopher Herrmann, a seasoned firefighter and salt-of-the-earth family man, in NBC’s drama “Chicago Fire.”

Eigenberg is known to film and television audiences for his former role as Steve Brady, the good-hearted husband and quintessential New York bar owner in the Emmy-winning HBO series “Sex and the City.”

His film credits include “See You in September,” “The Trouble with Romance,” “The Mothman Prophecies” and “A Perfect Murder.”

Eigenberg’s selected television credits include “Justified,” “Criminal Minds,” “N.C.I.S.” and “Law & Order: SVU.”

A member of the Ensemble Studio Theatre in New York, Eigenberg has performed in numerous Off-Broadway plays. On Broadway, he received his break in 1990, playing a hustler in the original cast of John Guare’s “Six Degrees of Separation,” directed by Jerry Zaks at Lincoln Center. He also starred in the original cast of “Take Me Out,” directed by Joe Mantello, which was awarded the Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics, Drama League and New York Critics Awards for Best Play.

Eigenberg served in the United States Marine Corps for three years. He is married and living in Chicago with his wife and two children.

Joe Minoso

Joe Cruz, “Chicago Fire”

CHICAGO FIRE -- Season: 10 -- Pictured: Joe Minoso as Joe Cruz -- (Photo by: Art Streiber/NBC)

Actor Joe Minoso plays Joe Cruz on the hit NBC drama “Chicago Fire.”

Additional TV and film credits include “Get Shorty,” “Man of Steel,” “Shameless,” “Prison Break,” “The Chicago Code” and “Boss.”

Minosora, raised in Yonkers, N.Y., graduated from Adelphi University with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, and Northern Illinois University with a master’s degree in fine arts. Minoso worked extensively in the theater prior to his television and film appearances, including Chicago’s Teatro Vista, the largest Latino theater company in the Midwest.

As the founder and CEO, Minoso recently launched Mass Epiphany Studios and the Epiphany Project. Mass Epiphany Studios is a film and television vocational arts academy and studio system that looks to be a megaphone for America’s marginalized artists of tomorrow. For more information, check out the website at www.massepiphany.com

In addition, Minoso is active in the community and supports charities and organizations that include Shriners Hospital for Children, 100 Club of Chicago, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Cycle for Survival, Salvation Army and the Red Cross.

In addition, Minoso supports animal organizations that include the World Wildlife Fund and Fetching Tales Foundation. He and his wife currently have two rescues dogs, a pit-bull and French bulldog.

Christian Stolte of "Chicago Fire" on NBCChristian Stolte

Randy “Mouch” McHolland, “Chicago Fire”

Christian Stolte stars as Randy “Mouch” McHolland, a seasoned veteran who will do anything to protect his fellow firefighters and his coveted spot on the firehouse couch, in NBC’s drama “Chicago Fire.”

Stolte was born in St. Louis during the Cuban missile crisis. He moved to Chicago 28 years later in search of artistic fulfillment. He studied acting under Jane Brody and began working steadily in Chicago theater in such places as Steppenwolf Theatre, the Goodman Theatre, A Red Orchid Theatre (which produced a play written by Stolte, which won a Joseph Jefferson citation for Best New Work), Piven Theatre, Famous Door and Profiles Theatre.

His first film role was in “The Public Eye,” starring Joe Pesci. He has worked semi-regularly since, including roles in such films as “Ali,” “Road to Perdition,” “Stranger Than Fiction,” “Public Enemies,” and, perhaps most recognizably, as the killer who provokes Gerard Butler’s vengeance in “Law Abiding Citizen.”

On television, he has had recurring roles in the dramas “Turks,” “The Chicago Code,” “Prison Break,” “Boss” and “The Playboy Club.” He is a co-creator of the web series “Graveyard,” which can be witnessed in all its grotesque glory at thegraveyardshow.com.

Stolte still resides in Chicago, where his idiosyncrasies and peculiarities are indulged and tolerated to this day by his wife and two endlessly amusing daughters.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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David Eigenberg, Joe Minoso and Christian Stolte of "Chicago Fire" on NBC

Interview with the cast of “Queens”

Posted on by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

TCA panel for Queens on ABC

Interview with actors Eve, Brandy, Naturi Naughton, Nadine Velazquez, Taylor Sele, Pepi Sonuga, and executive producers of “Queens” on ABC by Suzanne 8/26/21

ABC ENTERTAINMENT / DISNEY TELEVISION STUDIOS

SUMMER 2021 TCA VIRTUAL PRESS TOUR

Queens

Eve, Cast
Naturi Naughton, Cast
Nadine Velazquez, Cast
Brandy, Cast
Taylor Sele, Cast
Pepi Sonuga, Cast
Zahir McGhee, Executive Producer
Sabrina Wind, Executive Producer
Tim Story, Executive Producer
Swizz Beatz, Executive Music Producer

Virtual via Zoom
August 26, 2021

This was a fun chat with the cast and producers of the show. I asked Brandy (Norwood) and Eve (Jihan Jeffers) about the differences they’re feeling between doing their comedies long ago and this show now. Brandy starred in “Moesha” in the 90’s and Eve starred in “Eve” 2003-2009. They had great answers to my question. I had said “a long time ago” and then stopped myself because I didn’t want to sound like I was calling them old! I said, “And I don’t want to make it sound that long…” and Eve said, kindly, “It was a long time ago. A long time ago.”

Brandy spoke about the differences between doing that sitcom, where they would rehearse all week and then shoot before a live audience. This show is shot like a movie. She admitted, “It’s a little bit more challenging, but I love the challenge. So, I absolutely love the way that we shoot and how we have to learn things quick. And it just keeps you on your toes.”

Eve answered that she was very young, “the youngest person on the cast. So I was running from clubs to table reads, which is — I never recommend that at all.” She beamed that it’s nice to be back working as a woman and to be “working with an ensemble again that I actually feel really close to.” She was close to the people on “Eve” as well, and she enjoys that. She loves being able to create a new character that has some parallels to her own life. She said, “Definitely, I’m finding some, like, new things and being able to do — and to be like a rapper, a different rapper, an alter ego, to a certain extent. So I mean, it’s — there’s a lot. There’s a lot. And I would have to say, as much as I loved my show then, I’m able to enjoy it even more now, with maturity.”

Brandy chimed in again to say that the fact that this new show has music is a bonus for her.

Normally, I refer to all interviewees by their last names, as a sign of respect and professionalism, but since these actresses/singers go by their first names, it seems kind of silly to do that in this particular interview, so I’m not going to do that.

Other questions were asked by journalists at this TCA panel. One asked them whether the show will be playing up the rivalry between the characters or whether it will be more about their friendship. He/she observed that from what he/she had seen already, “it seems like you’re laying the groundwork here for more sisterhood.” Brandy and Eve agreed with that last statement. Nadine also agreed that they’re showing more of the friendships between the women. “I think our show is about sisterhood and family. And you fight with your family, and these are people that have been brought back together after a long period of time. And we have fights, but we want to see people supporting one another and coming back together. There’s always going to be arguments. There’s always going to be a hierarchy that exists, and shifting. But we do want to be on the friendship more so than a rivalry or bickering or backstabbing.”

A reporter asked Swizz Beatz how he chose his name (he was formerly “Kasseem Dean”) and how he found his voice and style as producer. Swizz Beatz replied that he got the name growing up in the Bronx. The name started out as “K-Swiss” because he wore Kicks sneakers, and then he became “DJ K-Swizz,” which evolved into “Swizz Beatz.” He answered the second part of the question that he just found his voice by doing the music. He asserted, “I just wanted to be disruptive, and I just wanted to make people happy.”

A member of the press noticed that the premiere had some connections to their real-life pasts and wondered if that was something that would continue throughout. Eve said that they want to be very authentic, especially about the times they lived through. There will be “moments” from them. “When people listen to the music, when they see our outfits, they see our hair, everything, we want them to be transported back to that moment. So it’s all about the authenticity.” Brandy agreed with that.

He/she also asked whether Eve will be coming out with a new album (besides the music from the series). Eve pointed out that Swizz would be the one to determine that, and Brandy would be involved as well.

Sabrina Wind suggested that the music from the show will be great, and she can’t wait for us to hear it. Eve jumped in on that to agree that the music is “incredible.” She liked doing the music for the series because it was a way to dip back into music “without having the actual pressure of an album.”

This was the next question for the cast, which was a good one: “Do you find doing rap more like singing or more like acting, or is it its own performance style completely? Or is it a blend of the two?”

Naturi Naughton answered first that she thinks rap has it’s own style but is a lot harder work than just singing. She’s a singer but felt that doing the dancing, performing, etc. was exhausting, and that she wasn’t in shape enough for it. She added, “I’m having so much fun. I never knew I could really rhyme, and I actually feel like I’m — I’m feeling myself a little bit.”

Brandy replied that she always loved rap and has “been a hip-hop head from since the ’90s.” She loves to rap as well as sing, but she says the rapping they do on the show “is really, really difficult. It’s so fun and so challenging, and I absolutely love it.”

Nadine Velazques said honestly that she’s never rapped before, but she’s loving it now. She’s been finding new rap music, listening to it and studying rappers to hear things that she’s never heard before. She concludedthat  it definitely used her acting ability because she’s never done it before.

Pepi Sonuga said thoughtfully that acting like her character, Muffin is all about acting. She tries to break the script down into different acting techniques. Then, when it comes to the rap, it’s different. “When I’m breaking down a rap, I get to colors and animals. I might say ‘This chunk reminds me of rapping like a fox, and then a bunny.’ Or like, ‘This is green,’ you know. So it’s really cool. I break down the raps just how I would break down a script. Because she’s so out there, I get to use all these techniques I’ve learned but never got to use before.”

They were asked more about the raps – some of them are more like soliloquies with a beat behind them, rather than a conventional song.

Eve agreed, saying, “I think what we want to convey is that, you know, we want to bring the artistry back to hip-hop. We want to bring back those amazing stories. We want to bring back the lyricism, which is what I’ve always been attracted to as an MC. And really rap means rhythm and poetry. You know what I mean? So we want to — you know, we want to give emotion and really show how skillful hip-hop really can be, used to be, is, depending on who the artist is.”

Zajor McGhee put in his own two cents that they always want the music tied to the story. When people have asked him before about the show, he explains that they’re not just a show with music, but more of a musical show. They use the music to help us learn about the characters and what’s going on. “And those are little tidbits that I think make the music not only amazing, with the job Swizz had done, and the amazing job these women do performing it, but we are always pushing our story forward if you were paying attention to the lyrics. And then on top of that, you can just dance. When I get to practice to Swizz, I just dance in my house.” Swizz Beatz thanked him for that.

A journalist reminded Brandy that she and her husband interviewed her (Brandy) quite a few times in the past (early in her career), and she was very ambitious back then during those interviews. Brandy had said that she wanted to do it all. She wanted her own show, to sing in records, concerts and movies, and to produce. She said, “You wanted to be a queen back then.” Brandy was surprised to hear from her. She said that Brandy had “ticked off a lot of those boxes” and asked, “What boxes are left, and what gave you that ambition to be Queen Brandy way back at the start?”

Brandy suggested that the passion is something you’re born with. She said you go after the things you dream about. She’s always wanted to sing and inspire people. She felt it was her purpose, so she pursued it. She tied the question into “Queens,” saying that it’s a blessing because she gets to do all of the things she loves in one show, “with amazing people. And I’m just so excited. I can’t even believe this is happening or that it’s even real. So I’m just in the moment, excited.”

Brandy was asked about her future and long-term goals. She would like to do this for as long as she can and to do more film and more music. “I love music, until the day I die. So it’s more to do.”

About the show, the cast was asked where the names came from and whether it would really be possible for a group like this to “reboot” and try to make it in the music business again. Nadine quipped, “Not without a Valeria.” Naturia thinks it might be easier to reboot because they “have things like Verses, for example. We should revive the music and give even a new generation an opportunity. So thanks, Swizz, for doing things like that. Even things like social media. We are able to bring old school to the new school. So if a group like New Edition or a group like Nasty B’s wants to revive themselves — I actually think it’s very possible and attainable if they want to. That’s actually what our show explores. Do you really want this life again? That’s the question.”

Saladin pointed out that Backstreet Boys did a reunion tour as well as New Kids on the Block and Boyz II Men… “We’re seeing it happen a lot in the world. So I think people are passionate for the good times that they had back in the day, and what those memories are.”

Zahir couldn’t give specific reasons how he came up with the characters’ names. He said, “one by one, when I was thinking about the show, the names sort of came to me first. And I would pitch them to, like, my reps as they’d come up with a new name. But how they came about, I really don’t have any idea.” Then the cast members joked around for a minute about the names.

A reported noted that the group of artists is unusual “you have …former solo artists and girl group singers, rappers, and singers.” She asked how they got them together and whether it was a big adjustment for Nadine (who never rapped or sang before).

Nadine admitted, in a very sweet speech, that she was intimidated by the idea, but she “was ready to face the things that I’ve been keeping from the world. So, you know, I am musical in my soul. I am a poet in my soul. I am a dancer. And she’s in there. And this job is making her come out. And I’ve been hiding her forever. I’m going to cry. And like — the support of Eve, and the way that Tim Story supports, and Brandy supports, they gave me life to just, like, every scene bring her out more and more. And I’ve had a really traumatic experience in the entertainment business, because I was so afraid to show so much. But I get to be that here. And so, like, kind of like the character; it’s like a second chance, and it’s like an opportunity to become something, to redefine myself, just like these characters are.”

No one answered the reporter’s first question after that, unfortunately. That happens sometimes in these panels.

A reporter reminded Nadine that when he/she interviewed her a few years ago, she said that she doesn’t do singing and dancing. He/she asked how she was handling choreography for the show. Nadine replied that she feels like she has two left feet, but she’s getting it. She’s had tremendous growth since the pilot and feels a lot more comfortable and free with her dancing.

Taylor was asked if he’s playing “a composite of producers and managers that we’ve heard about from the past.” Taylor answered in a sort of roundabout way. “I think I’m playing a full and complex human being who is on a quest for self—discovery and searching for meaning. And I think producers in the past have been on that journey themselves. They’re human beings. So I’m trying my best not to be a caricature, but behind the scenes, when they get to see this character, he’s confronting himself in many ways. And that’s where his growth will come from. And hopefully people can relate to that.”

Brandy and Eve were asked this question, “each of you are adapting sort of different aspects of your styles in these characters. How did that combination work?”

Eve said that when they all first got together, they just instantly clicked. The others agreed. She did specify that they all were used to working different ways, so they had to make adjustments. She was used to doing dance rehearsals a certain way, for instance. She admitted that she got frustrated because she was having trouble with the steps. She added, “But it just was like Nadine said, it’s the support of each other that has helped all of us be able to gel together. And the respect for one another. And the understanding that we all do work in different ways. And we’re still learning and gelling. It’s honestly been incredible, really.”

Brandy added her own feelings, that she wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else because it’s “magical” with this group. Naturi added, “I always wanted sisters growing up, and now I feel like I’ve got them.” Brandy said, “And you’ve got them, girl.” It was a very sweet, genuine moment.

Zahir was asked who inspired him for the character Li’l Muffin. He said that he was “just inspired by the freedom and the character of all of the rappers that are out today, whether that’s Nicki or, you know, Cardi, Megan. You know, Rico Nasty, right? Like, they’re just out there. And part of it is an image thing, but also there’s a level of self—expression with these young artists today that didn’t exist. Megan, in one of the songs, is rapping about Sasuke. And I looked it up, and it’s an anime character, or whatever. And I’m like, ‘Wow, hip-hop has changed.’ But that’s cool, you know.” He went on to say that Li’l Muffin is a combination of all of these artists. He was impressed with the way Pepi came in and just nailed the character and then brought it to another level.

Swizz Beatz was asked how he keeps the lyrics of the music “fresh and entertaining and on trend.”

Swizz said that he grew up doing this type of thing in the 90’s and liked reliving his youth. He said, “doing it in 2021, it just feels good. It feels natural. And being that it’s a show, I get to have extra fun, you know. I don’t have to be so serious with the music. You know, we can have fun and put risky things in there and, you know, make the characters come out even more. So it’s been a fun journey.”

A journalist asked Brandy about going from “Disney Princess” to “ABC Queen” – what will her fans from “Cinderella” think about this new show?

Brandy thinks they’ll enjoy it because it’s versatile and very different. She’s definitely not a princess on this show.

The others commented that Brandy is very different on “Queens.” Nadine said, “She’s very powerful on the show, very. Very badass and raw and beautiful.”

Taylor chimed in to say that, “Zahir has been able to capture with his writing, the evolution of human beings, with the spirit and people fighting for what they want and fighting themselves. Just watching these women work every day, just not only as artists but as performers, has been inspiring to learn something from them every day. So I think that’s what fans will really grasp and feel when you watch this.”

Another reporter asks what makes this show different from shows like “Star” and “Girls5eva.” I would have asked this question, too, so I’m glad someone did. Zahir answered that he thinks there is room for all of their shows, although he’s not a regular viewer of the other shows. He wasn’t able to compare them very well. As he said earlier, this is more of a musical and character drama about the women and their lives, “and second chances.” He thinks those other shows “were potentially a little more focused on the music business.” Actually, I would say it’s a lot like a combination of both shows.

He also pointed out that many of the people in their cast were around in the music business back in the 90s, so that gives their show, “a certain level of authenticity.” He also doesn’t think most networks have a show with “five women of color and a man of color front and center.” He said, “we have the opportunity to tell the breadth of stories about the experience of women of color and Black women in this country that isn’t the pressure of Eve having to be the one Black character to say the thing that matters, right? Like we are varied; we’re great. We are beautiful. And I think that the time was yesterday for this show, and the time is today, and the time is tomorrow for this show.”

MORE INFO:

QUEENS (Tuesdays, 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT) Series Premieres Tuesday, Oct. 19, 2021

Starring Eve, Naturi Naughton, Nadine Velazquez and Brandy, “Queens” follows four women in their 40s who reunite for a chance to recapture their fame and regain the swagger they had in the ‘90s when they were legends in the hip-hop world.

“Queens” stars Eve as Brianna aka Professor Sex, Naturi Naughton as Jill aka Da Thrill, Nadine Velazquez as Valeria aka Butter Pecan, Taylor Sele as Eric Jones, Pepi Sonuga as Lil Muffin and Brandy as Naomi aka Xplicit Lyrics.

“Queens” is produced by ABC Signature, a part of Disney Television Studios. The pilot episode was written by Zahir McGhee and directed by Tim Story. Zahir McGhee, Sabrina Wind and Tim Story are executive producers. Swizz Beatz is executive music producer. The series will be filmed in Atlanta.

BIOS

Eve, star of "Queens" on ABCEve is a GRAMMY®, Daytime Emmy®, BET and MTV Video Music Award winning artist. Previously, she served as the host of CBS’ “The Talk” and appeared in the Netflix show “Feel Good.”
Eve is best known for her multimillion-selling records “Who’s That Girl,” “Gangsta Lovin’” and “Let Me Blow Your Mind” featuring Gwen Stefani, which won the inaugural GRAMMY Award for Best Rap/Song Collaboration in 2002. She has released four multimillion-selling albums and 32 singles, and she has collaborated with some of the biggest artists in the world throughout her career – Dr. Dre, Alicia Keys, Ludacris, Jill Scott, DMX, Swizz Beatz, Juicy J, The Roots and Missy Elliot. Currently back in the studio after seven years, she is working with some of the biggest producers and writers from around the world – Dallas Austin, Jin Jin, Jessie Ware and Toddla T.
In July 2019, Eve released her first single in six years, “Reload,” to a huge wave of applause with plays across BBC 1Xtra from Mistajam and BBC Radio 1 from Annie Mac and Clara Amfo. She embarked on her biggest UK dates ever last year playing over 10 UK arenas with Kiss FM. 2021 looks to be the year Eve debuts her new live shows at UK and U.S. festivals, marking her debut at any festival in the world.
In October 2020, Eve announced joining the BBC and BBC Sounds exclusively for her debut podcast “Constantly Evolving,” where she speaks to cultural figures from all backgrounds talking about life, how they got through their struggles in both personal and business life, and how they are still “Constantly Evolving.”

Brandy, star of "Queens" on ABCBorn to a musical family, Brandy, the Mississippi-born daughter of Willie and Sonja Norwood, became one of the most successful multimedia stars of the ’90s thanks to her constant presence on both the pop and R&B charts, her popular hit sitcom “Moesha” and the classic made-for-TV movie phenomenon “Cinderella” (starring Whitney Houston), which attracted more than 60 million viewers and broke new ground with its multicultural cast.
Since emerging with her 3x-platinum self-titled debut album in 1994 (released when Brandy was only 15 years old), this trailblazing pioneer has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide (including the 5x-platinum-selling “Never Say Never”) and is ranked one of the bestselling female artists in American music history by the RIAA, having sold over 11 million albums in the United States. During her reign, she recorded five albums: “Never Say Never” (1998), “Full Moon” (2002), “Afrodisiac” (2004), “Human” (2008) and “Two Eleven” (2012).
Brandy has also earned scores of awards, including a GRAMMY®, an AMA, two Soul Train Music Awards, two NAACP Image Awards, three Billboard Awards, four MTV Awards, six Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards, two Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards and three BMI Awards. While maintaining a recording career, she also gained fame for starring in several film and TV projects including the popular UPN sitcom “Moesha” (1996-2001), a 1997 version of “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella,” a supporting role in the 1998 horror sequel “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer,” BET’s series “The Game” and as a judge on the No. 1-rated talent competition “America’s Got Talent.” All of this success landed Brandy features in Billboard, Uptown Magazine, Essence Magazine, NY Daily News, Rolling Stone, The Today Show, PlayBill, and more. Additionally, she has also been a spokesmodel for Cover Girl, DKNY and Ultima/Kaneka brand by Brandy.
Taking things to the next level in spring 2015, she made her Broadway debut in the Tony® Award-winning, record-breaking musical smash “Chicago” as Roxie Hart. “Chicago” is the No. 1 longest-running American musical in Broadway history and Brandy is now a part of that history.
At the top of 2016, Brandy released “Beggin & Pleadin,” a bluesy trap-soul melody that was greeted with much admiration. Her first studio album in eight years, “b7,” was released on July 31, 2020, to critical and fan acclaim, and debuted at No. 1 on the Independent and Current R&B Charts. Recently, Brandy teamed up with singer Monica in a Verzuz celebration. The celebration of R&B and the culture garnered 6 million views and 5 billion impressions on the virtual platform, making it the most-viewed Verzuz battle to date.

Naturi Naughton, one of the stars of "Queens" on ABCSinger, songwriter and actress Naturi Naughton is known most recently for her globally recognized role as Tasha St. Patrick in the six seasons of Starz Network’s No. 1 hit series “Power,” created by powerhouse producer/writer Courtney Kemp and executive produced by 50 Cent. Having wrapped the sixth and final season of “Power,” Naughton’s character has been extended into the “Power” franchise spinoff, “Power Book II: Ghost,” which debuted on Sept. 6, 2020, and has already been renewed for a second season in which she will continue her role as Tasha St. Patrick. Naughton is the two-time recipient of the 2017 and 2018 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her work on “Power.”
She has also been honored at the 2019 Triumph Awards, as well as been recognized by the Women in Entertainment Executive Network (WEEN), Black Women in Film Summit and the National Urban League of New York for outstanding works in TV and film.
Naughton’s critically acclaimed work as an actress includes her compelling performance as Lil Kim in Fox Searchlight’s hit film “Notorious,” as well as her role as Denise Dupree in MGM’s remake of the classic film “Fame.” In August 2020, Naughton starred as Sarah Green in the film “Emperor,” based on an escaped slave who travels north and has chance encounters with Frederick Douglass and John Brown. She has also starred in various other projects including Warner Bros.’ “Lottery Ticket,” opposite Loretta Devine, Ice Cube, Mike Epps and Bow Wow. On the small screen, Naughton is known for her memorable guest performances on “Mad Men” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” and her roles on “The Playboy Club” and “The Client List.” She also appeared on Broadway in the Tony Award®-winning musical “Hairspray” for three years.
Before her transition into film and television, Naughton was a member of the platinum-selling pop trio 3LW. She was greatly inspired Nadine Velazquez, one of the stars of "Queens" on ABCby Whitney Houston as a child and knew by the age of 5 that she wanted to be a singer and an actress. In 2021, Naughton will begin releasing fresh music as a solo artist and is excited to dive back into the craft that launched her ever-blossoming career.
She currently splits her time between Los Angeles and New York and is the mother of 3-year-old daughter Zuri.

Nadine Velazquez is an American actress and writer. In addition to her work on “Queens,” she wrote and will star/produce her series “La’Tina” at Showtime with Will Smith and Frankie Shaw. She previously starred in HISTORY’s series “Six” with Walton Goggins and starred opposite Kevin Hart in “Real Husbands of Hollywood.” Other features include Paramount’s “Flight” opposite Denzel Washington, Summit Entertainment’s “Snitch” opposite Dwayne Johnson, and 20th Century Fox’s “The Bounce Back” opposite Shemar Moore and Bill Belamy. Velazquez also starred in NBC’s “Love Is a Four Letter Word,” the FX beloved series “The League,” and as recurring characters in CW’s “Hart of Dixie” and TNT’s “Major Crimes.” She is also known for her lead role as Catalina in NBC’s Golden Globe-winning series “My Name Is Earl.”

Taylor Sele, one of the stars of "Queens" on ABCBorn in Monrovia, Liberia, Taylor Sele immigrated to Queens, New York, at an early age and has always been drawn to performance and entertainment. First finding a love of sport, his athleticism landed him a football scholarship at Boston College followed by the opportunity to play professionally in the NFL.
As an actor, Sele is compelled by the nuanced choices characters make and the inherent drama of that decision-making process. A grounded yet versatile talent, he has starred opposite Claire Danes in “Homeland” (Showtime) and Forest Whitaker in “Godfather of Harlem” (Epix). Sele is honored to star alongside the four female forces of “Queens.”
His additional credits include “The Deuce” (HBO), Ava Duvernay’s “When They See Us” (Netflix), “Orange Is the New Black” (Netflix), “P Valley” (Starz), “Blue Bloods” (CBS) and “FBI” (CBS).

Pepi Sonuga, one of the stars of "Queens" on ABCPepi Sonuga is one to watch on both the big and small screen.  Sonuga also stars in the Hulu limited series “Pam & Tommy” opposite Lily James, Sebastian Stan and Seth Rogen.
On film, Sonuga appeared in A24’s neo-noir crime drama thriller “Under the Silver Lake” opposite Andrew Garfield, Jimmi Simpson, Riley Keough and Topher Grace. Written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, the film premiered at Cannes in 2018. She also starred in the Netflix feature “Thriller” opposite Mykelti Willamson and RZA.
Sonuga got her first start in 2013 in the drama “The Life of a King.” The film is based on the true story of Eugene Brown, played by Cuba Gooding Jr., an ex-convict who starts the Big Chair Chess Club for inner-city youths in Washington, D.C. Other film credits include the SyFy feature “Leprechaun Returns.” On television, Sonuga plays a young Angela Bassett on Fox’s “9-1-1” and the lead in an installment of Hulu’s “Into the Dark” anthology series. She previously starred in Freeform’s drama series “Famous in Love” for two seasons and Starz’s comedy horror series “Ash vs Evil Dead,” created by Sam Raimi.
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, Sonuga currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

Episodes:

Queens: SERIES PREMIERE – 1999 (10/19)

“1999” – Starring Eve, Naturi Naughton, Nadine Velazquez and Brandy, “Queens” follows a fractured girl group living in the shadows of their once prominent hip-hop dynasty. After their popularity skyrocketed with the success of their chart-topping single, “Nasty Girl,” they were once regarded as one of the greatest girl groups of their generation. Despite critical and commercial success, the group was plagued by internal conflict and jealousy. Estranged and out of touch, the four women, now in their 40s reunite for a chance to recapture their fame and regain the swagger they had in the ‘90s when they were legends in the hip-hop world. The series premiere of “Queens” airs TUESDAY, OCT. 19 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC. (TV-14, DLS) Watch episodes on demand and on Hulu the day following their premieres.

“1999” was written by Zahir McGhee and directed by Tim Story.   Repeats 10/24.

Queens: Heart of Queens (10/26)

“Heart of Queens” – While Brianna deals with the shattering truths of her marriage, Jill risks losing the safe community she has built for herself when she decides it is time to stop living a lie and comes clean about who she really is. Meanwhile, after a fateful meeting with Cam’ron, Naomi struggles with finally putting herself first on an all-new “Queens,” TUESDAY, OCT. 26 (10:01-11:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC. (TV-14, DLS) Watch episodes on demand and on Hulu the day following their premieres.

Guest starring is Cam’ron as himself.

“Heart of Queens” was written by Zahir McGhee and directed by Tim Story.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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poster for "Queens" on ABC

Interview with Heather Locklear

Posted on by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Panelists for the movie "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" on Lifetime

Interview with actor Heather Locklear, executive produers Meghan McCain and Maura Dunbar, and author Kristine Carlson of “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff: The Kristine Carlson Story” on Lifetime by Suzanne 9/14/21

This was a fun panel. These women clearly enjoyed the story they were producing and became great friends. I was very happy to speak to Heather Locklear, who is about my same age (as it turns out). I used to watch her all the time on “TJ Hooker” and “Dynasty,” and then later on “Spin City,” and of course, “Melrose Place.” She’s very good in this movie, too. I’m glad to see her doing more acting. She had some personal and legal problems in 2018, but it sounds like she’s cleaned up her act. That’s great because we all missed her. She seems so nice in this interview, and I just love that chair she’s sitting in. It was such a great group of people. It’s the first time that I ever saw a star stop the panel from ending so that she could tell everyone how much she loves them! That was very sweet.

Don’t forget to watch “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” this Saturday, October 16 on Lifetime!

Heather Locklear and Kristine Carlson

MODERATOR:  Hi, everybody.  Our last panel today is “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff: The Kristine Carlson Story.”  We’re pleased to welcome and have with us today Heather Locklear, and I think she’ll be on camera in just a minute, who stars in the movie, author Kristine Carlson, and executive producers Meghan McCain and Maura Dunbar.  Thank you all for joining us, and I think we’re just going to give Heather just one more second to get on camera and then we will get started.  Just a reminder to anyone who’d like to ask a question, use the raise your hand button at the bottom of your screen.  If you have the newer version of Zoom it’s by hitting the reactions button, and if you have the older Zoom version use the participants’ button, so that’s just how you can raise your hand.  Just give us one more second and we will get started, so thank you so much.  While we wait for Heather to get on camera I’m going to start with a question I just received for Maura.  Maura, it seems like “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” has been a passion project of yours for years in the making.  Can you briefly share with the audience your personal story behind making this movie a reality?

MAURA DUNBAR:  Thank you so much for that question, yes.  This project, this little book “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” has been a 21-year passion project of mine.  It started because, sadly, 27 years ago I lost four immediate family members in my life, and Richard’s book came out about six or seven years after that, and I found that book, and the book, even though it’s about not sweating the small stuff, and I was enveloped by the darkness of loss and grief, the little pinpoints of light that Richard so beautifully distills in his books about not sweating the small stuff in everyday living became the little footholds that I was able to grab onto, and as you started to string those little pieces of light together, when you’re so overwhelmed and you can’t see your way through, those little lights became beams of light, became rays of light that began to light up the room where I began to find my way through, and when you’re so lost and you find that pathway it became the pathway to healing for me.  And so I had the privilege of, when I left ABC as a network executive after sixteen years, of being introduced to Richard by his publisher, and I drove up.  I flew up and met Richard, Dr. Carlson, and Kris and had the pleasure of spending a weekend up there and getting to know them and got the rights, and it’s been an honor and a privilege, and it’s just been a passion of mine for the last 21 years to be a steward of Richard’s in getting this story out there, and Kris has been amazing and in indulging me for forever coming back to her, knocking on her door and saying, “I’ve got another chance, I’ve got another chance.”  And now with the incredible support of Tanya Lopez and Lifetime, who was my first agent, by the way, when I sold it for the very first time twenty years ago at ABC as a half hour.  So thanks to Tanya Lopez and my producing partner Mark Teitelbaum on the project, who’s not with us, and to Meghan McCain.  So thank you.  It has been an amazing journey.  I cried the first day of filming.  And to Heather Locklear who has just done, I want to say, the most unbelievable, breathtaking job taking on the role of Kris Carlson and has been one of the most amazing professionals I’ve ever working with in the business under sweltering heat conditions that I’ve never seen anyone be so unflappable on a set with such a great sense of humor.  I think it’s her best work to date.  So thank you for the question.  It’s been the most important movie I’ve made in my 37-year career.

MODERATOR:  Thank you so much, Maura.  And welcome, Heather.

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  Hi.

MODERATOR:  And the next question is from Jay Bobbin.

QUESTION:  Hello, everyone —

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  Oh.  Hi, Jay.

QUESTION:  Hi, Heather.  Actually, my question if for Meghan.  How did it come to be that you became attached to this material, and maybe this is me watching “The View,” and bravo on your years there, but are you kind of surprised this is your first TV movie as opposed to something maybe a little more political?

MEGHAN MCCAIN:  Yeah.  It’s funny.  This is the only — the second thing I’ve ever executive produced, and the last one was a very serious political documentary, so it’s I’m delighted to be doing something that everyone in my life will want to consume because, obviously, politics is incredibly divisive, and this is something that is meant to be, you know, feel good and it’s going to bring people together.  I had read “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” at different incarnations in my life.  I read it when I was much younger when my mother had read it when it first was released, and I told Kristine and Maura when I first met them it was a book that my mother had on her nightstand in her bedroom growing up, and I can remember just the very distinctive title and it always being sort of like something I remembered, and then after my dad died I went on Amazon and just looked up books that were good for grief, and the book came up again, books for good — the good books about in moments of crisis in your life.  And then my agent had come to me saying Lifetime was possibly interested in partnering with me on projects, and I said it would have to be something that would be organic and something that I would have to be authentically passionate about, otherwise, it wouldn’t work.  And when Maura came to me with “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” I felt like it was incredibly serendipitous, because I had started rereading again for some of its meaningful and evergreen messages during COVID, and I just was so excited at the idea of this medium being turned into a film because, again, I have a lot of friends who are incredibly busy and they don’t have time to read all the time.  Sometimes they don’t have the bandwidth, and I just think Kristine’s story and Richard’s story is something that so many people can relate to, especially post COVID during this time of such pain and loss.  And I’m just really proud of it, and I’m really excited to be doing something that everyone I know and everyone I respect has been excited about and will be excited to watch.  And this is a movie that you’ll be able to watch thirty years from now and fifty years from now and sixty years from now.  I really believe this is going to be one of those movies that’s going to stay in our lexicon just like the book has.  So it’s really just a privilege to be working with these incredible women and to be a part of this project, and I’m really delighted, and I just am so excited for its release coming out soon, and it’s around my birthday, and I just — I don’t know.  It’s just been — This whole experience has been wonderful and I’m really, really honored to be a part of it.

QUESTION:  Thank you very much.

MODERATOR:  Thank you, Jay.  We thank you, Meghan.  The next question is from Suzanne.

QUESTION:  Hi.  My question is for Heather.  Did you meet Kristine before the filming of the movie and talk to her to get an idea about your character at all?

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  Yes.  I did meet her.  I flew up on a coach flight, just saying, to meet her, and she picked me up and was a little late but, yeah, I went up, and I spent the night, and we spent a night with our friends, both of our friends that happened to know each other, which is all synchronicity.  And I had read the book before, and I had talked to her a lot saying I can’t get through your book right away, because it’s making me cry.  It’s giving me — which happens every time I talk about it.  Anyway, so, meeting her was such a joy and such a light in my life, and I can’t imagine what she was and is in everyone else’s light — life, but meeting her, and I went to dinner, and she talked about all kinds of stuff and showed me Richard’s jacket that was in her office that stayed there since he passed — that’s fifteen years, by the way — and told me different stories and told me stuff that I was afraid of, to do, to play, and how, you know, what happened.  And then I got to have coffee with her in the morning in her bed, and I felt like this must have been what Richard and Kris together.  They sat there with their coffee.  They meditated right here, and it felt so unique and so special and on a different level than I am on.  I would like to be her level, but I’m not quite there, or their level.  And it was so, so special, so special that she’s coming out for my 60th birthday to stay with me, yay.  What more can I say?  Oh, I can say something else that has nothing to do with that question.  So my mom says today that Meghan is her favorite person.  She’s watched her.  Yeah, and but she actually happens to love your husband.

MEGHAN MCCAIN:  Then she is hardcore, she loves my husband —

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  She’s hardcore.  She’s definitely.  She’s so hardcore that I have to stop her and go: “Enough, don’t sweat the small stuff; don’t sweat the small stuff.”  But she’s in love with your husband and thinks you’re fantastic.

MEGHAN MCCAIN:  Thank you.

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  And that’s all I wanted to tell you and let you know that.

MEGHAN MCCAIN:  Thank you very much.

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  Yeah.

MEGHAN MCCAIN:  Tell her, please, thank you.

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  Oh, trust me.

QUESTION:  Thank you.

MODERATOR:  Thank you, Suzanne.  Thank you, Heather.  The next question is from Jamie Ruby.

QUESTION:  Hi.  Thanks for talking to me.  Heather, obviously, you’ve been acting for quite a long time now, but is there anything that you still find challenging when you do a project like this?

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  Oh, no.  The challenging part was it was so fearful to me, and it was the second to the last day is when I get on the phone, and I find out that Richard has passed.  And Kris had told me — oh, my God.  I’m going to die — she had told me this is what I did, this is what I did, and I said I’m so glad that you’re telling me because I don’t want to ask this question of how it felt or what it did.  And she said, “It’s almost like a child died.”  And that stopped me in my tracks, and I’m like I can’t go there.  I can’t do it.  So it’s always my fear of the whole, like, when is this going to be scheduled that I have to take in when her husband died.  And I’ve read her book and what happened and all that.  And I’m like, okay, I’ll go back to these pages before I do this, and we talked on the phone the morning of, because they wanted to know certain things, the producers and director wanted to know certain things about what happened and blah, blah, blah, and I go I can get her on the phone right now.  And so my fear was I’m not going to where my child passes.  I could never do that.  So that was my fear and what am I going to go to.  I don’t even know what I went to, because it was the spirit of Richard, the spirit of Kris, so that was challenging, and they did it great.  They did all kinds of shots and all, and so it felt — I felt very safe, but that was my biggest fear.

QUESTION:  Thank you so much

MODERATOR:  Thank you both.  The next question is from Francine Brokaw.

QUESTION:  There we go.  Yeah.  I read the book ages ago.  It seems like a lifetime ago.  But I want to know from the whole panel have you really perfected the art of not sweating the small stuff, because in this crazy world, I mean, it’s hard to just go through life all the time and just be la-la about the really small stuff, but they do affect us.  So how do you deal with that?  Have you perfected that art?

MAURA DUNBAR:  Well, I can say it’s sort of an ongoing process, but it’s having read these books and lived with these books for so long and being dear friends with Kris.  In fact Kris and I have the same birthday, July 5th.  I don’t know if it’s July 5th girls, but it’s about being mindful and treasuring the journey, as Kris often says, and just being centered in not getting caught up in those small, little things and being in gratitude for so much, and life is filled with those little joys if you just change your perspective and focus on that, and that’s what being with Richard and being with Kris and reading these books and being with this material for so long has taught me.  So I really do try, and it kind of starts to come naturally after a long time, and after 21 years it’s kind of come naturally by now.

QUESTION:  Meghan?

MEGHAN MCCAIN:  Oh, my gosh.  Well, if you’re asking me if I’m good at don’t sweat the small stuff, not all the time, but I am working on it.  And one of the mantras from the book that always helped me is “make peace with imperfection.”

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  (Inaudible @ 01:50:53).

MEGHAN MCCAIN:  I find myself, yeah, it’s my favorite one, I find myself saying that to my — in so many — I have a almost one-year-old daughter, and there’s something about motherhood that you just really have to surrender and make peace with imperfection, and there are so many small pockets of wisdom in the book that I and hundreds of millions of other people find so accessible.  And I think all of us, no matter who are you, I think are going through some kind of existential moment in the past two years because of the nature of the crisis that have happened in the world.  And I think the best part about “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” is that it is accessible and it’s not overwhelming for people that want to grow and want to sort of make changes in their life that are more accessible than say, you know, whatever, reading the Dalai Lama.  I have given this book to, I have it on my Amazon list, and I have sent it to eight people in the past few months just saying, “This is a book that will really help you, and it’s not overwhelming, and you can just read ten pages at night before you go to bed, whatever.”  And some of my friends, I think, sometimes when things are so popular people just are thinking that maybe it’s not evergreen, and so many of my friends have just been saying how much it’s helped them; how much it’s helping them get through this moment.  And I’m trying, but I also find that the book is something you can really just continue reading and dip in and out of.  And there’s other incarnations of it like, “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff for Moms,” and, etcetera, and I think that I’m certainly trying, and I think that’s all we can hope for anyone.

KRISTINE CARLSON:  I —

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  I’ll — oh, sorry.  No, go, Kris.  Go, my friend.

KRISTINE CARLSON:  Oh, no.  Go ahead.  You go ahead, Heather.

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  No, you go.

KRISTINE CARLSON:  Oh, yeah.  I was just going to say that “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff” is really a life philosophy.  It’s something that is the way you practice every day, and like Meghan just so beautifully said, it’s the small ways that we practice life that makes the biggest difference in our lives.  And what’ happened over the last 25 years of the series is that the book tends to do very well in times of crisis, because people need to get back to the basics and, certainly, what we’ve all been through this last two years shows us that life is very basic, and if you don’t get back to the basics you’re going to get lost in all of the worry and the concerns and the troubles that we see ahead of us.  And I also want to say that when you have a real-life crisis happen to you, what you were sweating the day before that crisis happened never gets on your radar again.  And, certainly, as you recover from crisis there are small things that get to you at different times.  I will never say that I am the one that never sweats the small stuff.  That simply is not possible nor true, but like I said, it is a philosophy, and it helps you to focus on what matters most to your heart when you don’t sweat the small stuff.  And at the very cornerstone of the philosophy is to be grateful for the small things in life, because life is incredibly precious.

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  Okay.  Now I’ll speak.  I didn’t know that it was make peace with imperfection.  I thought it was make peace with perfection, but that’s from the script.  I don’t know.  And, you know, they write whatever they write.  But I think one of the things that Meghan was talking about is imperfect or perfection that we learn every day.  We learn something new, hopefully, if we connect with people.  And I would always say on the set, I’m such an a-hole, I would say, now only to Maura — maybe I would, because she was a little bit uptight; just a little involved — I would say, “Don’t sweat the small stuff; don’t sweat the small stuff.  It’s a movie.  The sun will go down.  The sun will come up.  We’ll be alive or we’ll be dead.”  And I used to do that on other things that I worked with that I was in fear of, in front of an audience.  I would go, “Okay, the sun’s going to go down.  I will be alive when it comes up.”  And so being a kind of jerky person, I would say to other people, because they’re going we’re trying to get the lights, I’d go: “Don’t sweat the small stuff.  It’s just a movie.”  But it’s a beautiful movie and it’s a beautiful story, but I kept trying to say that, and even in my fears of what I was doing: “Heather, you’re going to be okay.  Everything’s going to work out.  Everything will be okay.”  And I actually came into this book I think in the nineties maybe, and I was so busy working — So I read it.  I did read it, and until you’re kind of solid and not busy doing things in your life in a busy world, you don’t really grasp it, but I think in the last year-and-a-half it was easier to grasp, and because we’re all sitting still, and it’s so simplified —

MEGHAN MCCAIN:  Yeah.

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  And like Oprah said that she put it on her night table, I had it in my bathroom.  Sorry.  Sorry.  Because that’s where we don’t sweat the small stuff according to my boyfriend.  Maura (inaudible).  But reading a little bit at a time, because you can only —

MEGHAN MCCAIN:  Yeah.

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  It’s so specific and so good that if we just take the one step that we read that day, it’s almost like reading a Bible verse or something, maybe that’s too much, and you take that into your day and you can learn something, you can remember it, you can’t remember it, you can go back.  So that’s all I’ve got.

MEGHAN MCCAIN:  Yeah.

MAURA DUNBAR:  Well, she did help me on set.  That’s true.  I do tend to sweat the small stuff when I’m working on set, but in my personal life I do try to make peace with imperfection ergo the not sweating the small stuff.  But, yes, as a producer, yes, I want everything to be perfect.  I admit it.  I’m sorry.  But that’s why we have such a beautiful movie, I believe.

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  Don’t be sorry.  You were amazing.  You were effing amazing, and you brought the world down.  When she would come, the first day of set, I think after we finished the first day, she gave this story about Kris and it’s not about Maura.  It’s about Kris and Richard, but it’s about Maura and all of her trying to get this together, and it would bring people to tears, because it was so heartfelt and so real and what she’s worked on and all, and then I have to go: “Wait, this is Kris and Richard, because they’re combined lives of Maura,” and it’s all their story together.  So it was always a blessing to have you there, my friend.

MODERATOR:  Thank you, Francine.  We’re going a tiny bit over.  I know we started a tiny bit late.  So we’re going to try to squeeze in two last questions.  The first person to ask would be Dana and then followed by Steve Gidlow.  Dana?

QUESTION:  Hi.  My question is for Heather.  Why was this the right project for you to return to TV with, and how did it feel to be back?

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  It felt like what I was praying for, and I’m like God-driven, and I was praying for something solid for me that had to do with something spiritually that was important, and that was really what I was praying for, because I didn’t want to do light — I’ve done lightweight stuff.  I didn’t want the dumb stuff.  Sitcoms are great but unless they’re “Veep” they’re not my kind of sitcoms.  And so it’s weird that when you pray for something it comes or it doesn’t come, but it seemed to come.  And that was super important to me and spirituality and God, and I don’t know how this happens, but it landed in my lap.  And then these two great people showed up, Maura and Mark Teitelbaum, and I was just so — I felt so blessed, and it was just something special that I go I can do this, and then I had Valerie Bertinelli tell me, because I was scared, and my makeup artist who does her, too, and I said, “I’m scared remembering lines,” and blah, blah, blah, and it came back in seconds.  And she said, “Heather, it will, you will, it’s like riding a bike.”  It’s so easy, and it was so easy.  I don’t know why we’re so fearful of memorizing lines.  How about getting the emotion across?  I don’t know.  But that was just it felt really good to hear from someone else fearing the way I feared, and it’s always been important for me to memorize lines.  I’m always nervous.  But these great people came and then Kris came and Meghan came, and it all fit together.  I love that I see women, four women.

MEGHAN MCCAIN:  Yeah.  It’s pretty cool.

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  I think it’s fantastic.  I’ve always been a woman’s woman.  I’ve always been competitive with men, which does not mean men are bad, but I used to race them and would come in second to one man and four boys.  So I’ve always been competitive, and because I don’t think there’s a difference, but then there’s love and there’s opening your arms to sisterhood, and I think Ellen Pressman being our director, was unbelievable about women, right, about women and the softness of her direction, which wasn’t hard and do this and this is important, this scene, or this angle is important.  It was incredible, and she came to me with flowers.  I’m like what are you doing?  And I was in sweats and stuff.  I’m like, “Oh, you’re being so formal.”  But it was just amazing that Maura put together a great bunch of women that can support each other.  No bashing on men because we have Mark. Mark’s my (inaudible @ 02:01:49) who I love.

MAURA DUNBAR:  He loves women, too.

MEGHAN MCCAIN:  And he apparently does.  No, not apparently.  No, no, no.  He’s very married.  But, yeah, so I thought it was an amazing project.

QUESTION:  Thank you, Heather.  Thank you, Dana.  And the last question for today is Steve Gidlow.

QUESTION:  Hi.  My question’s actually for Kristine.  Given you’re collaborators on this, obviously, you’re all cheering about it, how safe did you feel having the story told?  And second part is how excited were you that Heather was the one that was going to be telling it?

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  Tell the story of Pepperdine.

KRISTINE CARLSON:  Which one?

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  I don’t know.

KRISTINE CARLSON:  Yeah.  Oh, well, I will tell that story.  So, first of all, I want to say just my heartfelt thanks is really to Maura Dunbar, and to the writer that was hired, Shannon Colleary, because I knew that they had my back on this, and I knew that they were going to share the story with their whole hearts, and that made me feel a lot more comfortable just knowing that.  It’s a very vulnerable position to share probably what you could consider the worst of year of your life and the worst year of your children’s lives.  And, of course, my kids are grown now.  They’re thirty and thirty-two years old, and I have five grandkids now.  And so it was very vulnerable for me to bring them into it in such a public way as well.  So, I really trusted Maura and trust her, and I trusted Shannon, and I worked very closely with Shannon, and I just knew.  I just knew that this was going to be a good thing for people.  I knew that, I believe that it’s how we learn is through story, and I believe that it’s part of the hero’s journey is to share your story and to bring home a message of hope and healing to other people.  And you can’t really take advice on grief from somebody who hasn’t gone through it.  You can’t really understand or people don’t think you understand unless you’ve been through it.  So I’m really hoping that story sheds so much hope.  And also a pathway for people to follow so that they know they can return to life again and return to joy and that life continues, and you have to learn to continue with grief.  So that said, I was absolutely, I mean, truly just — I don’t think there’s any woman alive that wouldn’t be thrilled to have Heather Locklear play them.

(Laughter.)

KRISTINE CARLSON:  I mean, I think she was the — You know, she’s just, in my mind, I mean, I, of course, was a big fan always.  She was at UCLA when I was at Pepperdine.  We have all these very weird, common synchronicities that have happened.  And she said that she put up this prayer for this project to come by, and we had this really amazing synchronicity where one of her college roommates turned out to be one of Richard’s very first crushes in junior high, and it’s one of her very best friends, and we find out all of these common threads and that really not six degrees of separation, but more like one-and-a-half degrees of separation, and I really felt that this was very divinely orchestrated, and that Heather was picked and hand chosen by my husband Richard to play me in this movie.  So it’s been amazing.  It’s been an amazing journey to get to know her and to just really fall in love with who she is as a beautiful woman and just a woman with just tremendous heart and empathy.  So I’m thrilled.  Like I couldn’t have asked for — But she was everything I had hoped for and more, way more.

QUESTION:  Thank you so much.

MODERATOR:  Thank you, Steve.  And thank you, Kristine, and special thanks to all of our panelists for “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff.”  We really appreciate you sharing your stories today.  That concludes Lifetime’s fall movie press day.  To all of you —

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  Can I just say I love everyone on this panel.  I think I look like Jennifer Aniston in this — I don’t know who that is in the freaking left, I don’t know who, but I feel pretty.  But thanks Maura and Meghan and Kris.  I’m so grateful to be a part of this and thank you.  You all move me.

MEGHAN MCCAIN:  Yeah.  Thank you too —

KRISTINE CARLSON:  And then I just have to say really quick that my daughter, when she found out that you were involved was like, oh, my God, she is such a kick ass woman.

MEGHAN MCCAIN:  I’m really just so honored to be a part of this, and everyone is so inspiring.  And, Maura, thank you for even thinking of me to begin with and Kristine.  And, obviously, Heather, you’re a fucking icon, so it’s incredible to have my name attached to anything you’re attached —

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  Meghan your name is attached to my parent so big I’m just —

MEGHAN MCCAIN:  Okay.  I’m going to have my husband make a video for your mom, which he does, because women over 60 love my mom and my husband.

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  Oh, my gosh.

MEGHAN MCCAIN:  So I’m happy to have him make a video for you, but I’m just very —

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  But she loves you, too.  She loves you, too.

MEGHAN MCCAIN:  But I just hope —

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  And then she went off on your husband.

MEGHAN MCCAIN:  Thank you.  I hope people — You know, grief has been a big theme for all of us.  It’s been something we’ve all experienced.  Maura, when you originally shared your story about the immense amount of grief you went through losing so many family members.  Obviously, Kristine and Heather, I know you have as well.  And one of my passions in life is helping people get over grief, because I don’t think it’s something that we talk about enough in culture, in anything, in any medium.  Americans are very fearful of talking about grief, and this is a very accessible, kind story that has a philosophy, literally, a book and philosophy behind it, and I really think this is going to help and heal people in a time when people really need helping and healing.  So that’s why I’m so passionate about this movie as well, and I just think it’s going to be hugely impactful and hugely healing for a lot of people.

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  You are spectacular.

MAURA DUNBAR:  (Inaudible) for Meghan.

KRISTINE CARLSON:  Yeah.

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  Actually, all three of you are spectacular —

MAURA DUNBAR:  You’re awesome.

KRISTINE CARLSON:  As are you, Heather.

MODERATOR:  I concur.  And thank you all.  Really appreciate it.

HEATHER LOCKLEAR:  Thank you.

MODERATOR:  And thank you to all of our attendees who tuned in today hearing about our entire fall slate, and thank you very much.

(Goodbyes.)

MORE INFO:

Trailer

poster for "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff: The Kristine Carlson Story" on LifetimeDon’t Sweat the Small Stuff: The Kristine Carlson Story
Saturday, October 16 at 8p/7c

Co-authors of The New York Times bestselling book series, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, Kristine Carlson (Locklear) and her husband Dr. Richard Carlson (Jason MacDonald) had an amazing life with their two daughters.  But when Richard tragically passes away, Kristine is knocked off balance.  Comfortable with living in Richard’s shadow, she is now forced to navigate the unchartered territory of becoming a single mom while dealing with pressure to become the new face and voice of the Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff brand.  Looking deep inside herself, Kristine comes to understand the true essence of emotional authenticity and not sweating the small stuff, which leads to the resilience and confidence needed to carry on the legacy of the beloved brand.  

Selling over 25 million copies, the groundbreaking inspirational book, Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff, teaches how to put challenges in perspective, reduce stress and anxiety through little daily changes, and guides how to let go of the small things to attain peace of mind in order to achieve goals.

Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff is produced for Lifetime by The Johnson Production Group and Teitelbaum Artists.  Maura Dunbar (The American Bible Challenge, What Should You Do?), Mark Teitelbaum (Superior Donuts, The Crazy Ones) and Meghan McCain (The View, Moms) are executive producers.  Ellen S. Pressman will direct from a script written by Shannon Bradley-Colleary.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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Poster for the movie and the panel

Interview with creators of Covenant, Lace and Partners in Rhyme

Posted on by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

TCA Panel for ALLBLK shows

Interview with creators of Covenant, Lace and Partners in Rhyme on ALLBLK by Suzanne 8/17/21

AMC NETWORKS
CTAM PRESS TOUR SUMMER 2021
ALLBLK’s Developing and Creating While Black: Covenant, Partners in Rhyme, and Lace
Nikki Love (VP, development and production for ALLBLK)
MC Lyte (Star/Co-Creator, Partners in Rhyme)
Kaye Singleton (Creator, Covenant)
Katrina Y. Nelson (Creator, Lace)
Michelle Ebony Hardy (Creator, Lace)

“Covenant” premieres October 14th. There are no exact premiere dates set yet for “Lace” or “Partners in Rhyme” – they’re premiering “in the fall.”

This was an interesting TCA panel because it wasn’t about just one show. There were a few panels like this, where the panel consisted of a group of people from different shows that they had united under one umbrella topic. The problem with that is that we only get one or two questions, and if they have a lot of different stars that we want to talk to, it makes it difficult to choose. This one, though, was mostly writers and producers. I wasn’t familiar with most of them. I believe MC Lyte was the only one I’d heard of before.

I greeted them all and said, “It’s great to see an all-female panel. That’s wonderful.”

Kaye Singleton agreed with a “Yes.” I asked Nikki Love, “Was there a push from the networks to have more female-centered shows on the network?”

She replied that women are their target audience, “so obviously we want to give them characters that they can look at and see themselves or a sliver of themselves and get some representation for them. So yeah, like I said, it wasn’t necessarily a huge push for it but it was kind of ingrained in what we do, content for our women, yeah, for our subscribers.”

I was surprised she said that women were their target audience because when I looked around on Google, I didn’t see anything about that. As far as I knew, their target audience was African-Americans. I guess I learned something here! I felt a little stupid, though.

MC Lyte and Precious Way on "Partners in Rhyme" on ALLBLKI asked MC Lyte about working with Precious Way, who was on “Days of Our Lives” for a while and now plays her niece. I asked her if she saw Precious on Days. She thanked me for the question and said that Precious is also on another show where she plays Brandy’s daughter (that would be “Queens” on FOX). She said, “She’s super talented, bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and excited about being in the business so it works out really well.” I pointed out that she seems like the character she plays on her show, “Partners in Rhyme.” She agrees that she is.

MC Lyte was also asked, by another reporter, about the change in rap over the years, since there are more women in it now. She pointed out that hip hop can open the door for artists to go into other fields, even though sometimes “there is a box sometimes that’s put around us” as well as people in the industry that can help you pursue those dreams. She went on to say that it makes sense for women to be rapping their own points of view…”And quite frankly hip hop wouldn’t be the same without the touch of a woman.”

She was also asked how she feels that being an influential rapper has improved her life. She seemed a little flummoxed by that question, but said that “hip hop has been a complete blessing for me through and through.” She thanked her mom for letting her become who she wanted to be, as well as pushing her and supporting her. She thinks that what she achieved is possible for anyone who can work hard. She also said, “But that’s just like all of the women, the creators that are here today. I’m sure that they have been told no at some point in their lives and it didn’t stop them. They continued on with the mission. And so I’m happy to be here amongst all the creators.”

Kaye Singleton produces the drama “Covenant,” which is an anthology show based on bible stories. She was asked how much religion was a part of her life, how she thought of the series, and did she try to shop it to other networks before coming to ALLBLK as well as asked to tell us how the show came about.

Singleton replied that she grew up in the church and since she’s been in Hollywood for 6 or 7 years, has wanted to do something like “Covenant.” She agreed that there was a lack of faith-based programming, and she wanted to make something that spoke to church-goers. She named some religious movies from the past and said that she wanted something that was more modern that younger people would like. She didn’t shop it to other networks. She said she went straight to ALLBLK with the idea. “And thankfully they were really, really receptive to it. And I think Nikki and Brett, that they saw the vision like I saw it. And so when I pitched that show along with the slew of other shows, I was surprised that that was the one — even though that was the one closest to my heart — that they chose it because sometimes it is a little hard trying to figure out how faith-based is going to look and feel in this secular world. But I think the way it’s posed, because it’s not scripture-heavy on the surface, it is really welcoming to all and not polarizing, it’ll appeal to all different kinds of crowds.”

Then Love was asked why she liked it so much. She agreed with Singleton that it was very different from other shows, being faith-based in a modern setting. “So there are a lot of stories that we don’t necessarily hear a lot about in the Bible. So to kind of shine a light on what it would look like today is great and we kind of stayed away from the typical like Noah and the Ark-type of stories. We had Kaye diving into that Bible and plucking out some stories like, ooh, this would be great and it totally applies to today. So it was just something different, something edgy, and told from a different point of view that we really, really gravitated towards.”

Singleton added that they tie in modern dilemmas, such as COVID, infertility and the Capitol insurrection, which is what makes it exciting.

The questions went back to MC Lyte about her show. She was asked about the raps in her show – who writes them and do the raps or the story come first?

She responded that she, Precious and the producers are all writers, and they have two other writers as well. They all write the raps. First they wrote the shows and raps, and then they recorded the songs before they filmed the shows. She added, “we looked at the different episodes and the storylines and said, “Okay, what is going to be most fitting for this area?” And so, we really strategically worked it out and was purposeful with every rhyme.”

She was asked to clarify if “the rhymes are written towards commenting on the episode in some way rather than having the rhymes and then structuring an episode around them?” She agreed with that. She gave an example of two songs that fit into the story but not into the storyline.

Another journalist called MC Lyte, “a hip hop icon and a female influencer in this space who has spent the past several years transitioning into film and TV,” which MC Lyte seemed flattered by. She was asked how the show represents or adds to her legacy.

MC Lyte says that it took her a long time to get to where she is. She feels that other rappers that came about at the same time as she did have already done sitcoms and then moved onto other things, but she’s just starting it. She had been in other sitcoms, but this is the first one where she’s the star. She spoke about those shows, “For Your Love” (1998-2002) and “Half and Half (2004-2006).” She enjoyed having fun on those shows. She felt it was time to do this show now. She wanted to commit to it and to give opportunities to others to be writers, actors, wardrobe and other production people on the show. It brings joy for her to see others “working in their super power…to me, it’s just an extension of being in hip hop.” Her objective is mainly to inspire, so however that works out, she’s happy about it. She likes to try different types of things. “There’s nothing that can stop me if I want to be a photographer one day, and then be an engineer the next, a music supervisor — which I’ve actually done, I spent four years doing not too long ago. For me, it’s just about really creating opportunities for other people. And in that legacy, my thing is to give. So, whatever I’m giving, I get it, then I give it back. So, you know, hip hop sisters, we give away scholarships to young people attending HBCUs. Our partnership is with Dillard University right now. And so I’m just earning money to put kids through school, honestly, part of the legacy.”

Maryam Basir as Lacey McCullough on "Lace" on ALLBLKThe panel was asked what they specifically bring to TV, as black women, that hasn’t been seen before. Love insisted that “Lace” creators Michelle Ebony Hardy and Katrina Y. Nelson talk about their shows first.

Nelson explained that they started their project in 2012, when there weren’t many black women in lead drama roles. Their lead is an attorney, and all of the cast is very diverse and beautiful. They wanted to see black women that weren’t portrayed as drug dealers or crackheads. They wanted to see women that were like them, such as businesswomen…”that as women, we get that moniker that we’re strong, but there are vulnerabilities to us, you know?”

Hardy echoed what she said, saying that viewers will get the chance “to see all the many different layers and personalities and experiences. And again, just being powerful, being intelligent, being beautiful, but also having vulnerabilities, being relatable.”

The last reporter said that he loves “rich and powerful soapy legal stuff” himself, but he wondered if people will want to see that now, since the general public doesn’t love the rich and powerful so much now. He asked if they were concerned that the viewers wouldn’t want to see the rich people “get away with bad stuff anymore.”

Hardy informed him that their character Lace has a lot of enemies, so there are many that won’t want to see her get away with anything. She concluded, “This will be an exciting series. You’ll see.”

Nelson chimed in that she’s a third generation soap opera viewer. She loves the soaps. “Right now, my mom and them, they’re here on vacation. But she’s got to watch her soaps every single day, right? It’s time. I don’t care if she’s on the East Coast or on the West Coast,” she chuckled. She pointed out that Lace may be rich and powerful, but she can also “get down and dirty. And so that’s one of the things that we’re talking about, is that there’s not just one way to be a woman. There’s not just one way to be Black. There’s not just one way for people. Like, you know, she can go in any world, whether it’s the rich and powerful elite, or she can go down in the gutter, into the dungeon. So, just keep watching and you’ll be able to see the diversity with all of our cast in the show.”

MORE INFO:

ALLBLK’s Developing and Creating While Black: Covenant, Partners in Rhyme, And Lace

Premiere Date: Fall 2021 

ALLBLK’s original programming slate is full of bold, unique and imaginative storytelling – from the thought-provoking and contemporary portrayal of classic biblical tales in the new anthology, Covenant, to the trials of an up-and-coming female high school rapper and social media sensation in the new sitcom, Partners in Rhyme, to a prolific Los Angeles attorney who often blurs the lines between right and wrong to protect her rich and powerful clientele in the new legal drama, Lace. The ALLBLK panel of talent and creatives discuss their hard-fought journeys to create high-quality scripted dramas featuring predominately Black cast and crew in Hollywood.

TALENT BIOS: 

Kaye Singleton – Kaye Singleton is a full-time writer and actress born and raised in Central Florida. As an actress Dumplin with Jennifer Aniston, Claws, American Soul, Tales, and more. As a writer, to date she has won 3 screenwriting awards including Best Comedy Script (Archive Entertainment Screenplay Competition – Trap Queen), Best Comedy Teleplay (Content Creators of Atlanta Awards – The Check List), and Best Web Series (Content Creators of Atlanta Awards – Trap Queen). Kaye’s first foray as a writer/producer resulted in her short film, The Check List, which was an official selection and nominated in seven categories for 2019’s Black Women Film Network Short Film Festival, and the 2019 Bronze Lens Film Festival.

Katrina Y Nelson – Katrina Y. Nelson is a multitalented writer, director, comedian and award-winning producer. Nelson produced the web series The Enemy: The N in Me, Life Coach Chronicles (which won the Award of Merit at the Indie Fest), and Breaking Point (winner of the Outstanding Achievement Award – Best Ensemble Cast: Drama at the LA Web Fest), both in 2012. Her short and feature length film producing credits include: Always Remember, A Killer Surprise, Showrunner, and The Wake (which she wrote, produced and directed) Misogynist (winner of the Best Narrative Feature at the Los Angeles International Underground Film Festival in 2013), Past Impulse (which won the Best Dramatic Short Film Trinity International Film Festival in 2014), and Still (winner of the Audience Award – Best Film-at the Los Angeles International Underground Film Festival in 2017).

Michelle Ebony Hardy – Writer-Director-Producer, Michelle Ebony Hardy, is the creator of her most recent project, Lace. Hardy’s other credits include documentary short Game Changers: An Exclusive Look at Inclusion in Hollywood and short film Chump City.

Nikki Love – Nikki Love is a skilled producer and line producer specializing in the physical production of filmmaking from development to postproduction. She has produced festival and award-winning feature films, short films, web series and music videos. She creates tight budgets and has great crew and equipment at her disposal. Her specialty is making quality projects at reasonable costs. Putting her skills to use, she most recently signed on as VP of Development & Production for ALLBLK, the number one streaming service for black film & television. As the landscape continues to change for filmmakers, she continues to seek to push the envelope in producing innovative and creative content!

MC LYTE – a legend in the world of music and entertainment – is a pioneering artist and a formidable actress of television and film. Her most recent acting credits include a series regular on last year’s New York Undercover pilot (a reboot of the original Dick Wolf series), and she has recurred on S.W.A.T. (CBS), Power (Starz), and Queen of the South (USA). Lyte’s film roles include acclaimed Sundance Winner Patti Cakes, the Universal hit Girls Trip; Bad Hair, from Director Justin Simien; and the upcoming features Loved To Death, and Sylvie, with Tessa Thompson and Eva Longoria. Her newest venture has her taking on the role of show Creator & Executive Producer alongside Lynn Richardson & Bentley Evans for ALLBLK TV’s sitcom, “Partners In Rhyme.” Recently, MC Lyte made her directorial debut with a feature short film, Break Up In Love. MC LYTE is also an iconic Rapper and DJ. Her groundbreaking music career spans 30 years – this Hip Hop LEGEND was the first female rapper ever to be nominated for a Grammy Award, the first rap artist to perform at Carnegie Hall, and the first female artist to earn a gold single. A true leader in the music industry, MC LYTE has also performed at the Kennedy Center Honors and the White House for President Barack Obama. In addition to a busy on-screen career, MC Lyte has several television and film projects — both scripted and unscripted — in various stages of development. She serves as the CEO of Sunni Gyrl, Inc., a full-service entertainment management and production firm that provides executive leadership and customized strategies in the areas of celebrity/artist support, development and management; brand development and management; wealth maintenance; community affairs and outreach; and production / creative services. Her voice work is also well known and admired, representing dozens of Fortune 500 companies as well as being the voice of the BET Awards, Emmys, Grammys, Comcast, NBA, and the NAACP Image Awards. As an author, motivational speaker, and philanthropist, MC LYTE has written books and speaks globally on many inspiring topics from her vast knowledge of the entertainment and hip-hop industries, to entrepreneurialism and economic empowerment. Her charity, “Hip Hop Sisters Foundation,” has presented over $1,000,000 in scholarships.

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Covenant on ALLBLK

Interview with Jessica Biel and Bill Pullman

Posted on by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

poster for "The Sinner"

Interview with actors Cindy Cheung, Frances Fisher, Alice Kremelberg, Bill Pullman, and executive producers Jessica Biel, Michelle Purple, and Derek Simonds of “The Sinner” on USA Network by Suzanne 9/13/21

NBCUNIVERSAL
SUMMER 2021 TCA VIRTUAL PRESS TOUR
The Sinner
Cindy Cheung, Actor, “Stephanie Lam”
Frances Fisher, Actor, “Meg Muldoon”
Alice Kremelberg, Actor, “Percy Muldoon”
Bill Pullman, Actor, “Harry Ambrose”
Jessica Biel, Executive Producer
Michelle Purple, Executive Producer
Derek Simonds, Creator/Executive Producer/Showrunner/Director
Virtual via Zoom
September 13, 2021

This is a great drama, and I loved being in this panel. This was a large panel of press, so I only got to ask a few questions. I hope you enjoy it!
“The Sinner” returns for Season 3 October 13, 2021.

I asked Jessica Biel what she does as executive producer on the show, especially this season. As you may know, she also starred in the show’s first season. She replied that my question was a good one because, “I feel like the role of producer is very different and has a lot of different meanings and for all different types of people in shows. For this particular show, as an executive producer, we work closely with [showrunner] Derek and the team, the writing team, to sort of give notes on the scripts and sort of help support them as they’re working through — they’re breaking their story and they’re writing their episode. Honestly, we’re a big support system during the development process, or really whatever Derek and his team need, we help crew up for the actual production. We’re highly involved in the casting process. I’m saying “we.” I’m talking about [executive producer] Michelle and I. And really, the show is such a well—oiled machine at this point that once you get going into production, you know, you give it to the experts that you’ve hired and you just sit back and stay out of the way. And I think part of being a good producer is knowing when and how to do that. And this season, particularly, we did a lot of that, because of the different restrictions on set and everyone trying to stay as healthy and safe as possible. So, we never worked on set the way we normally are, which is hard and sad, because that camaraderie is something that I really miss. And I love that part of making TV and films.”

I was happy to get a second question, so I observed to Bill Pullman that his character, Harry is “fairly quiet” and that he has to “convey a lot without using so many words.” I asked if that was something that came easy for him.

He replied in a thoughtful manner, “I think it’s always been a surprise to me, some of the actions to ‘The Sinner.’ And a lot of people think I don’t say very much in the series. And I’m, of course, looking at the lines I do say and had to learn, and I feel like I’m talking all the time. But there’s something about the confidence. Because I’ve really just been so looking at — I think all the other actors in this season know this trust that you get, that your behavior is important. So, it’s the editing that you see. When you see the show, it’s not always just who’s talking. ‘Let’s cut to who’s talking.’ It takes a certain courage to not do that, to trust that what isn’t being said is as interesting as what is said. And we, all of us, get that message pretty loud and clear from Derek when we’re going — we go through these — each script line by line. And Derek spends time with each of the actors. And then we spend time with each other. And because of Covid, we had a really freakishly great privilege to isolate just ourselves. We didn’t have people coming in from the outside. They couldn’t come in to visit. We lived close to each other. We could — we got together over scenes in a way — I’ve never experienced this, even though there’s seasons of ‘The Sinner’ we didn’t have this. And Derek encouraged it. Derek joined in. We would come up with our list of questions, we’d go back and forth, so that you knew that the immediacy of the moment was the premise. That was number one, was to really feel alive and awake to the situation of what isn’t being said as well as what’s being said.”

Another journalist asked Pullman how his character and his work is affected by what happened last season and whether it will continue through this season. He kind of chuckled and says that his character discovers that retirement is not as nice as it sounds because you don’t just start over. You carry everything with you still. He feels conflicted about what happened to Jamie last season. He relates, “Season 4 kicks off, he’s bolted from his therapist, he’s off his meds, and he can’t sleep. Welcome to retirement.”

Another person from the press asked Simonds or Pullman to compare seasons 1 and 2 to this season. Simonds confirmed what Pullman said, that season 3 builds on what happened to Harry in past seasons, especially season 2. He’s going to have a “major reckoning point in this season that we haven’t really seen him encounter before.”

Pullman was also asked what attracted him to the role of Harry Ambrose and how he likes him. Pullman pointed out that this is the first series he’s done regularly (meaning more than just a guest-starring role). He praised Simonds, who came to find him for the role once he saw him in an Edward Albee play, “The Goat.” He thinks Simonds “wanted to find what we could be authentic about in our characters. And it started with Harry. But he’s continued it with all the characters as he finds — meets people and begins to work in the writers’ room. He’s crafting some pieces of your autobiography or something, at least with Harry, where all these situations have some reference to my own life. So, it’s like therapy on display, in a small way. But I think Season 2 in particular was so much following the fabric of my western New York State upbringing and situations that I had gone through in my past. And he moved it away from that slightly but kept the roots in it. And so that was one thing. But I think the whole sense of someone who is wrestling with what it is to be human and what it is to have — to sense that the truth is not something that’s easily accessible, and the world is really a stacked deck against getting to truth and living clear from trauma and other circumstances.”

Michelle Purple was asked whether she used anything on her show “Cruel Summer” in “The Sinner.” Purple replied that she didn’t think she did because they were two very different “beasts.” She credits Simonds for “bringing something so fresh and new to ‘The Sinner.’ You know, he surprises us every season with a little nugget of an idea at the end of the last season, and then the way he and the writers are able to bring it to fruition is amazing. It’s really his brainchild every season.”

Jessica Biel was asked whether she missed acting on the show and would like to come back. She admits that she does miss it when she’s everyone together on the set. She missed the “crazy, wild creative stuff that we got to do in Season 1.” She says that sometimes discuss the idea of where Cora could come back. “Who knows. We always kind of like to imagine a world where that could be possible. But yeah, sometimes it’s hard. It’s hard not to be on the playground with everybody else.”

Purple claims that Biel asked her yesterday, “Do you think Cora can come back for Season 5?”

The next reporter had a question for Simonds but siad that the others could chime in. He/she wanted to know how they figure out the theme for each season, and do they have to do casting or story first.

Simonds agreed that each season is a little different, but they’re guided in part with how Ambrose acts in his meta-arc over the seasons. “That’s always been kind of the thing that’s guided me creatively.
So, you know, after Season 1, I wanted to see Ambrose confront his childhood. After Season 2, I wanted Ambrose to confront a man who was not an innocent. After Season 3 and this, you know, death that Ambrose is a part of with Jamie Burns, I wanted to see him contend with guilt, and the guilt that he’s kind of accrued over his whole life, and what one does with that.
So, it’s always been about following this journey of Ambrose’s. And then the casting and the concept of the characters comes (inaudible). What would most activate Ambrose? What kind of person would most activate him? What would trigger him the most? So, we’re always trying to put him in hot water, basically.”

The next question was for Biel. She was asked how people in the show can escape the dark places in their minds when it seems there’s no turning back. Biel doesn’t know the answer, but she loves how they explore those ideas in the show. She replied, “I’d love to explore the question in these characters and in these shows that we produce and that, you know, that Michelle and I like to make, and that Derek and his wonderful cast. And I would be curious, you know, Alice or Frances, Cindy, if anyone has any thoughts on this as well, because you’re all playing characters with tons of complexities. But I’m not sure if you fully are able to get away from it. And sometimes I think it does take people down, and down a path that you can’t recover from.”

Simonds suggested that Alice Kremelberg, who plays Percy, answer the question. He said that she’s “struggling with the darkness within her.” Kremelberg said that Percy is trying to “move through things, face the dark past, and trying all different facets, going outside of herself. And you’ll see as the series progresses all the different ways that she’s trying to reconcile with what happens in the story. And seeing what works, and what works best, and finding, kind of, in your own life how that relates, is really always fascinating to me. Not knowing the whole scope of the story going into it, and then kind of reading through everything, like, “Oh, this does relate to me a lot.” And how we as humans really try to reconcile with ourselves and move past and through these things. So, yeah, it’s definitely something that Percy faces, and that I think we as humans face.”

Simonds is then asked whether there are any headlines he might want to use for the show. Simonds answered that he never really took story ideas from the headlines. He prefers to find ideas that he can identify with personally. After thinking for a minute, he admited that was inspired by the “Black Lives Matter movement.” He admits that “it’s normally a very focused, hermetic show about the inner workings of one person or a few characters’ psychology, and I wanted to do that and also expand it into a bigger canvas and engage some of the broader social movements that we’re collectively processing and figuring out right now.” He added that they have a much more inclusive cast and an inclusive set of issues that we’re taking on this season.”

A reporter asked about the color palette used in the production, which is dark and cool.

Frances Fisher answered that the color pallette is muted on the show, but “there’s also another side to it, the town of Lunenberg itself. Completely brightly painted houses, row houses, that were just fascinating. It was almost like walking on the back lot of Warner Brothers or some magical Brigadoon-ish town, you know. And how did it affect us? I mean, we were just immersed, you know. We were immersed in the air of it and all of the different weather patterns that would occur in a day. I think that affected all of us, you know, psychologically and emotionally. So, we reflect that.”

Another press person asked the female actors to tell what drew them to their roles how they prepared to join the world of the show and whether they had watched previous seasons.

Cindy Cheung revealed that she was a fan of the show, so she had watched previous seasons. When she saw the material, “it just struck me instantly how deep I would have to go in order to explore this particular character. And, you know, just that question comes up, ‘Do I wish to go there? Do I wish to inhabit this not-easy place to be in?’ But as I worked on it, it just resonated personally in so many more ways than just a role, just as my own experience as a person. And, so, I was very fortunate to be able to see it all the way through.”

Kremelberg also said she was a fan of the show. “The writing was so strong, and the character was already in the scenes that I had, you know, stripped down. I love drama. And it’s just — it’s gritty. It’s real. It’s emotional. It’s raw. It’s all those things that I as an actor really am drawn to. And it just kind of, like, jumped off the page when I read it and when I was taping it. And it’s just such an immaculate show that I’m so proud to be a part of. So, all of those things together.
And getting to be a fisher is so cool. We got to know so much of that in Lunenberg and go out on the boats in Lunenberg to really learn how to pull up the crates and all that. So, it was just, you know, all—encompassing really, just an incredible experience. But the writing and the character just, like, really drew me in.”

Frances relates that she was glad to have the role of “A kick—ass role for a woman in her late ’60s, and Bill Pullman all in one script, oh, my god.” She also said she binged the entire first season in one sitting.

Simonds was also asked about the venue change for this season. Simonds said that he was looking for a small town that had racial and class politics “and using that as kind of a reflecting board for a statement about broader social movements. And then I was also just really excited about Season 4. I feel the show had been so, so tied to this upstate New York feel, and the idea of Ambrose encountering a seaside town and having the metaphorical power of the ocean, the myth around fishing and seafaring, and Ambrose sort of entering as a fish out of water this world that he doesn’t understand, had a lot of dramatic potential and kind of helped us develop his character further and just kind of revitalized the show. Without, I think, or hopefully without changing the template too much. I think it’s still feels like a kind of New England East Coast show. It has a regional feel still. It just felt like a great kind of pivot, without reinventing the wheel. It’s not Ambrose going to Hawaii.”

Another journalist asked Biel if working on a show about crime has made her more paranoid in real life. Biel agreed that probably does feel that she’s more on edge and waiting for crazy things to happen in real life, like they do on the show.

Simonds jokingly added, “She’s also a pretty dark and twisted person by nature. I mean, you’re very comfortable in that space.” Biel agreed, adding, “It’s very true. And I’m not totally sure why. I had a really nice childhood. But — I don’t know. I love true crime. I always have, and I always will.”

Frances Fisher was asked how she deals with getting a project where she doesn’t like the script or isn’t fond of the characters. She answered that she just tells her agent “thank you” and “I just don’t have the capacity to work on this right now.”

MORE INFO:

Still reeling from the trauma of a previous case a year ago, the now-retired Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) travels to Hanover Island in northern Maine for a recuperative getaway with his partner, Sonya (Jessica Hecht). When an unexpected tragedy occurs involving the daughter of a prominent island family, Ambrose is recruited to help the investigation, only to be thrown into a mystery of mounting paranoia that will turn this sleepy tourist island, and Ambrose’s life, upside down.

From UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, Derek Simonds serves as showrunner and executive producer, alongside executive producers Jessica Biel and Michelle Purple through their production company, Iron Ocean. Charlie Gogolak, Adam Bernstein and Nina Braddock also serve as executive producers.

Credits

Day & Time:
Wednesdays (10-11p.m. ET) on USA Network

Season four premiere:
Oct. 13, 2021

Starring:
Bill Pullman, Frances Fisher, Alice Kremelberg, Neal Huff, Cindy Cheung and Ronin Wong, with Jessica Hecht and Michael Mosley

Executive producers:
Derek Simonds, Jessica Biel, Michelle Purple, Charlie Gogolak, Nina Braddock, Adam Bernstein

Created for television by:
Derek Simonds

Producer:
Ellen Marie Blum

Writers:
Derek Simonds (401), Jonathan Caren (402), Jenny Zhang (403), Piero S. Iberti (404), Kate Roche (405), Gerald Cuesta (406), Mia Chung (407), Nina Braddock (408)

Directors:
Derek Simonds (401), Adam Bernstein (402/403), Radium Cheung (404), Haifaa Al-Mansour (405), Batan Silva (406/407), Monica Raymund (408)

Production designer:
Phillip Barker

Directors of photography:
Radium Cheung, Andre Pienaar

Editors:
Deborah Moran (401, 404, 405, 408), Amanda Pollack (402, 406), Doug Abel (403,407)

Composer:
Ronit Kirchman

Music supervisor:
Oliver Hild

Casting directors:
Stephanie Holbrook, Robin Cook

Origination:
Chester, Nova Scotia

Series produced by:
UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group

Bill Pullman

Detective Harry Ambrose, “The Sinner”

THE SINNER -- Season:3 -- Pictured: Bill Pullman as Detective Lt. Harry Ambrose -- (Photo by: Matthias Clamer/USA Network)

Bill Pullman currently stars in USA Network’s psychological thriller “The Sinner” as Det. Harry Ambrose and for which he received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.

He was recently seen in Netflix’s “Halston.”

His movie career includes blockbuster comedies (“Ruthless People,” “Spaceballs,” “Casper”), dramas (“The Accidental Tourist,” “Igby Goes Down,” “LBJ”), romantic comedies (“Sleepless in Seattle,” “While You Were Sleeping”), action (“Independence Day”), thrillers (“Malice,” “Dark Waters”), westerns (“The Virginian,” “Wyatt Earp”), film noir (“The Last Seduction,” “Lost Highway”), horror (“The Grudge”) and television miniseries/series (“Torchwood,” “1600 Penn”).

Pullman started acting professionally on stage in New York in 1983, and shortly after began his film/TV career that currently spans over 70 features and several series. In the past 15 years of his theater career, he has acted in six major productions in NYC and has been nominated as a best actor in four of them.

Most recently, he appeared in the London revival of “All My Sons” in 2019.

Jessica Biel of "The Sinner" on USA NetworkJessica Biel

Executive Producer, “The Sinner”

Jessica Claire Timberlake (née Biel; born March 3, 1982) is an American actress and model. Biel began her career as a vocalist appearing in musical productions until she was cast as Mary Camden in the family drama series 7th Heaven (1996–2006), in which she achieved recognition. The series is the longest-running series that aired on The WB channel and the longest-running family drama in television history.

In 1997, Biel won the Young Artist Award for her role in the drama film Ulee’s Gold. She received further recognition for her lead role as Erin Hardesty in the horror film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003). Biel has since starred in such films as The Rules of Attraction (2002), Blade: Trinity (2004), Stealth (2005), The Illusionist (2006), I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007), Valentine’s Day (2010), The A-Team (2010), New Year’s Eve (2011), Total Recall (2012), and Hitchcock (2012).

In 2017, Biel was the executive producer and star of the USA Network limited drama series The Sinner, for which she received nominations for a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie.

Frances Fisher of "The Sinner" on USA NetworkFrances Fisher

Meg Muldoon,“The Sinner”

Frances Fisher stars as Meg Muldoon on the USA Network psychological thriller “The Sinner.”

Born in Milford On-Sea, England to American parents, Fisher’s itinerant childhood living in the UK, Columbia, Nova Scotia, France, Brazil, Turkey, Italy, Iowa and Texas undoubtedly influenced her decision to live the actor’s gypsy life.

Fisher has starred in more than 30 theatrical productions, including Elia Kazan’s “The Chain,” “Hay Fever,” “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,” “Summer and Smoke,” “Orpheus Descending,” “1984,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” “Fool for Love,” Arthur Miller’s “Finishing the Picture,” “Three More Sleepless Nights” (Drama League Award), “The Cherry Orchard” (Mark Taper Forum) and “Barbecue” (Geffen Playhouse), which won three NAACP 2018 Theatre Awards, including Best Ensemble.

On film, Fisher is perhaps best known for her performance as Kate Winslet’s mother in “Titanic,” which garnered her a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Best Ensemble Cast. Her numerous film credits include the Oscar-winning “Unforgiven,” “In the Valley of Elah,” “True Crime,” “The Kingdom” and “House of Sand & Fog.”

On the TV side, Fisher played Lucille Ball in “Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter” and has also had roles on many acclaimed series, including “The Shield,” “The Killing,” “Masters of Sex,” “Law & Order,” “Roseanne,” ER,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Watchmen.”

Fisher’s supports several worthwhile causes and is an executive board member of the Environmental Media Assn. She is currently serving her 21st year on the National Board of SAG-AFTRA and is an Ambassador for NWHM, working to create a National Women’s History Museum in Washington, D.C.

Fisher is a member of the Actors Studio, and her first acting teacher was Stella Adler.

Cindy Cheung of "The Sinner" on USA NetworkCindy Cheung

Stephanie Lam, “The Sinner”

Cindy Cheung plays Stephanie Lam on the USA Network psychological thriller “The Sinner.”

Cheung has guest-starred and recurred on a wide range of TV series, including “The Flight Attendant,” “Billions,” “13 Reasons Why,” “High Maintenance,” “FBI,” “Blindspot,” “The Good Fight,” “Blue Bloods,” “New Amsterdam,” “House of Cards” and “Homeland.”

She has appeared in numerous films, including Noah Baumbach’s “Mistress America” and “The Meyerowitz Stories,” Jenny Slate’s “Obvious Child” and “The Sunlit Night,” “Children of Invention” (Sundance) and M. Night Shyamalan’s “Lady in the Water.”

On stage her most recent role was in Nia Vardalos’ adaptation of the Cheryl Strayed book “Tiny Beautiful Things at the Long Wharf.”

Alice Kremelberg

Percy Muldoon, “TAlice Kremelberg of "The Sinner" on USA Networkhe Sinner”

Alice Kremelberg plays Percy Muldoon on the USA Network psychological thriller “The Sinner.”

Kremelberg is a film, television and theater actor born and raised in New York. She portrayed Nicole Eckelcamp in several seasons of Jenji Kohan’s “Orange Is the New Black” and can be seen in Aaron Sorkin’s award-winning Oscar-nominated film “The Trial of the Chicago 7” on Netflix.

Other film and TV credits include “Monsterland,” “Doomsday” (AMC’s HollyWeb Fest winner for Best Series), “The Taking of Pelham 123,” “New Amsterdam,” NCIS,” “Nurse Jackie,” “Blue Bloods,” “The Big C,” “Smash,” “Law & Order: SVU” and “30 Rock.”

Her stage credits include “Dry Land,” “Dress of Fire” (The Abingdon/Players Theater), “Suddenly Last Summer” (ATNYC), “Road Veins” (Amy Witting), “Lend Me a Tenor” (PPAS), “The House of Bernarda Alba,” “A Lie of the Mind” and “The Nutcracker” alongside the New York City Ballet.

Kremelberg has trained at the Atlantic Acting Conservatory, Fordham University, Upright Citizens Brigade and the Professional Performing Arts School, and studied with Tanya Berezin and Ted Sluberski, among others.

Derek Simonds, executive producer of "The Sinner" on USA NetworkDerek Simonds

Executive Producer, “The Sinner”

Derek Simonds is the creator and an executive producer of the USA Network psychological thriller “The Sinner.”

Simonds has developed numerous independent film projects as a writer and director, most recently executive producing Sony Pictures Classics award-winning release “Call Me by Your Name.” He was a writer on the ABC miniseries event “When We Rise,” a recounting of the gay civil rights movement created by Dustin Lance Black, as well as ABC’s 2015 limited series “Astronaut Wives Club.”

Simonds has developed television pilots for UCP, ABC Studios and TNT, and also wrote and directed his debut feature film, “Seven and a Match.”

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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Bill Pullman, star of "The Sinner" on USA Network

Interview with Javicia Leslie and Robin Givens

Posted on by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

 

"Batwoman" season 3 poster

Interview with Javicia Leslie and Robin Givens of “Batwoman” on The CW by Suzanne 10/11/21

This was a short but enjoyable interview! I watch this show every week, so I was thrilled to speak with them. Because there were 8 people at this press panel, I was only able to ask one question, unfortunately.

Question:   Javicia, could you talk about Ryan’s initial encounter with Poison Ivy?

Javicia:   Oh, my goodness. We haven’t had Ryan’s encounter with Poison Ivy yet, so it’s a little bit harder to talk about. You know, actually, Bridget [Regan] just started, and I wasn’t the first character that she’s worked with yet, but I’m super excited to work with her. I think it’s going to be an amazing addition and an amazing character to play with.

Question:   This question is for Javicia. In season two, there was a lot around the cowl. It felt like Mary and Luke were both like, “This is temporary. This is a temporary thing,” and it wasn’t until the very end of the season, where they were kind of like, “Yeah, this is yours now, and Ryan is Batwoman.” How has that changed the way that you approached the character in season three?

Javicia:   …I feel like a lot of the journey of Ryan feeling like she was worthy enough to be Batwoman did happen in season two, and yeah, you’re right, by the end of season two – she goes into season three with the acceptance of like, “I am that woman. This is my job. It is my job to protect the citizens. It is my job to keep order. It is my job to make sure that there is really a middleman between the GCPD and Gotham City. So yeah, it makes a huge impact on this season, on a lot of the things that are happening this season, just the confidence of knowing that Ryan no longer has to prove herself as Batwoman, but, I mean there’s still a lot of challenges that come up where she starts to kind of feel like, “Oh, no, did I mess other things up that are very important to the bat?” I can’t say what they are, but yeah.

Question:   This question is also for Javicia. What was it like when you read the season two finale scripts and found out that your mom was alive? Then, what was your reaction when you found out Robin Givens I was gonna be your mom?

Javicia:   I knew that was gonna be a question…So, at the end, I was shocked. I think I found out a little bit before I read the script, but even when I found out, I was shocked, because I just knew Ryan’s mom isn’t alive, that’s the story of my character. Then, I got super excited, because all I could think to myself is, “Oh my goodness, you’re gonna get to find out more about [Ryan]. I’m gonna get to find out more about Ryan.” You know what I mean? I’m gonna get to find out about her history and her story and what influences her, what could influence her.

Then, come on now, it’s Miss Robin Givens. I grew up watching Robin Givens. First of all, I still don’t think that we are even at the age distance apart for her to play my mom, but it’s really cool to pretend like this can be realistic, because she is such a joy to work with, and as an actor, it’s an honor to be able to really play with the greats. You know, you’re lucky if you can even sometimes grace presence with them on the stage together, but then for her to play my mom, and we’re having these one on one scenes together – I was saying earlier, I’m just constantly like, “Oh, okay, I see what she did there. I’ll try that later.” You know what I mean? I’m taking notes, because that’s the whole part of this journey, as well, is learning throughout the process.

Question:   I want to know, Javicia, if you could talk about what it was like for you stepping into the Batwoman suit for the first time? And then, Robin, It looks like you have a wardrobe of designer dresses and everything, so if you could talk a bit about that too.

Javicia:   The suit is epic. I think Maya Mani, our costumer at Batwoman, does such an amazing job with the suit. I think the way it fits, the streamlining, the the shape and silhouette that it creates, it’s so powerful. It’s so womanly, yet it’s still very badass, like, “Don’t mess with me.” So, I always say, whenever I put on the suit, I automatically feel like a superhero, because it does grab me up like this, and it makes me walk with my shoulders back and my head high, and you automatically kind of like feel the responsibility of being a hero.

Robin:   I have to say, in a similar way for Jada Jet, it’s not this superhero costume, but you really see how people and costume designers win Oscars right for what they do, and it really helps you create a character. So, everything about the way Jada dresses says everything about her. I’m so different than Jada and a lot of the women that I play, but clearly when you put on those tight dresses, there’s only one way to walk in those high heeled shoes, and it really establishes the character. So, yeah, she’s dresses very well.

If you don’t mind go back, I just thought about something. Javicia and I’ve been talking quite a bit off set, and then, today we’re on set, and then whenever you kind of talk about me, it’s interesting, because I think of the first time when I did The Women of Brewster Place, and I found out Cicely Tyson was going to be my mom. I remember being so intimidated the first day walking into hair and makeup. Javicia and I got to have dinner together, so we got to feel each other’s rhythm a little bit. But I’ll never forget being in hair and makeup, and Cicely had her headphones on, and I was just thoroughly intimidated. She just seem like, “Oh my gosh.” And when I got to meet this lady, we became dear dear friends, and she’s the funniest person you could imagine. She’s like Javicia; like the times we have when we’re just cracking up. So, I don’t know. I just had a little bit of a flash of of that, you know, that sense of things. So, it warms my heart.

Javicia:   Yeah, it’s an honor.

Suzanne:   Javicia, Ryan has a lot to deal with this year. Last year, she almost gave up and died. What do you think gives her the inner strength, and the will to keep going despite all the odds against her?

Javicia:   You know what she reminds me of? There are people in this world that they know their goal. They know what makes them feel like they’re alive, and they will do that to the day they die, to their last breath. That’s kind of what I take Ryan for. She’s a type of person where it’s like, “I can’t sit still. I have to help people, because no one helped me, and I want to make sure that I can help others the way I wish someone could have helped me.” So, it’s just like that’s why she gets into these moments of like, “This may be my last breath, but I’m not going to stop.” There was never a moment where she would have ever quit helping people. Whether she quit being Batwoman is different, and that’s because she felt like it wasn’t hers. You know what I mean? But she definitely would have never stopped helping people, because it’s who she is from the core.

Question:   …Can you both talk about Nick, as the son for you Robin, and Javicia, as your brother?

Javicia:   …Yeah he’s my brother. So, Marquis is a very interesting character. He’s so dynamic, and he’s so colorful and layered. I really look forward to you guys watching the development of Marquis. I think Marquis is going to be one of the biggest unexpected twists in the show, and it’s really going to open up a lot of doors and a lot of conversations.

What I love that Caroline [Dries] has done, is every season, it’s really her focus to bring up something that’s really happening in the world and it being something that we focus on through our storytelling. So, like, last season, the Black Lives Matters episode and everything that kind of surrounded it was obviously mirroring what was happening in the United States.

So, for this season, a lot of it has to do with mental health. So, I’m really excited, because Nick Creegan, who plays Marquis, is such a talented, dynamic actor, and to be able to play in this world, but also play with a theme that’s so personal and real to so many of us, he does it so amazingly well. So, it’s just an honor to be able to play with him. Literally, when he and Robin and I have scenes together, we leave like, “Yo, that was so much fun. I can’t believe we were able to do that.”

Robin:   I have to say…we need to have this gathering again a little bit later. You’re going to be blown away by Nick and what he does. This character, it is unbelievable, and history making as well, and captivating and current and cool.

And for me, I have to say, what I love about this character, and I’ve been saying it, is yes, I played some powerful women before, and Jada Jet is so awesome and so powerful and runs a major company in Gotham City, but she’s a mom. She is a mom, and this is her soft spot, to the point where it could be her Achilles heel that she’s willing to do anything. And listen to me; hear me when I say “anything” for her children. I think the dynamic between Jada and Ryan, I mean, at first she keeps Ryan at bay, because of the guilt she feels about not being in Ryan’s life, but then, do we get close? Will I put her in danger being close to her, wanting to protect her, just loving her so much? So, I love that, because I’m a mom. So, I love that. I’m playing this powerful woman, but I’ve never kind of done it with that kind of sensibility of mom underneath it all. And even Javicia tells a story about one of the scenes that she and I and Nick did where she’s so much of a mom and does such peculiar things that Javicia was even like, “Maybe I don’t want to be a part of this family. Uh oh.”

Question:   I have a question for Miss Javicia. So, Batwoman has pretty much always been a queer icon and icon in the queer community, but with your casting, now she’s also a an icon in the black community. So, my question is, when did it hit you that you’re representing these minority communities, and what does that mean to you?

Javicia:   Honestly, no matter what role I do, I’m representing that, because that’s my community, you know what I mean? It’s really cool when the stories represent me as well, obviously, but I feel like one of the most important parts of representation is that even if the story isn’t about race, even if the story isn’t about gender, just us existing is that representation. So, anytime I get the honor of playing any character on TV, I feel like it’s my job to be my community’s representation [of] the best that I can be. Since that’s what always my goal is, it allows me not to put so much weight onto that and just put more weight into the work, you know what I mean? Like, it’s beautiful that it checks these boxes.

So, what I want to do is I want to match the quality of the storytelling with the history that it’s making. I don’t want to just be the first black Batwoman…When you turn it on, you’re watching it, and you’re captivated by the storytelling, by the storylines, by the the castings and the dialogue and the performances, that’s what I want to bring to life. I want that if I’m that representation, that I’m worthy to be of that representation. I think that this show, in the writing of it and the characters involved, allow that to happen. That’s why I’m really, really excited about the season. I’m more excited about this season than my first season. I’m really excited about this season, because I think that everything matches to the level of being able to say, “Wow, she’s black, she’s queer, and I feel proud of what they’re doing over there. I feel proud of that show.” It is a great representation of my community. That’s what I want to be a part of.

Question:   My question is for both of you, starting with Javicia. I was wondering, as Ryan, when she finds out her mother’s alive and later on, interact[s] with her, from a psychological standpoint, does that have any influence [on you] or impact you as Batwoman? For Robin, can you talk about the psychological impact as well of learning more about Ryan?

Javicia:   I mean, it definitely influences [her], because at the end of the day, there’re so many secrets that are happening at the same time that Ryan’s on this journey, and then, they start to conflict. Her journey of her trying to figure out this situation with her mom starts to conflict with her role as Batwoman, because at the end of the day, my job is to protect Gotham City. And if at any time, someone I love is interfering in that, it becomes a very complicated situation. That plays on a lot of different levels this season, like a lot of different levels, not just with, obviously, Jada Jet, but with other characters as well. So, psychologically, I think that it’s a very, obviously, tricky situation to be in when it’s your mom. You know what I mean? Like, no matter how much she wasn’t there, Ryan wants this relationship, because who wouldn’t want this relationship? And I think, more than anything, what Ryan wants to find out is that there had to be a reason why you gave me up. Ryan doesn’t want to feel like, “Oh, you just gave me up, because you didn’t want me.” She wants to feel like you gave me up, because, I don’t know, were you being hurt? Was it unplanned? So, that becomes very conflicted in her journey as well.

Robin:   Yeah, I think that whole mother-daughter, you really see it, and especially being in the inside doing a scene with Ryan, and it seems adversarial at first, Ryan for her reasons, and Jada for her reasons of wanting to keep her at bay. Then, it’s nice to watch them become mother and daughter. Then, my daughter just happens to really know how to kick butts, like a serious bad ass. We do one scene, [and there’s] a look of, “Whoa!” But I think the psychology of dealing with the guilt that Jada feels, you know, and Jada just as a woman, I love the fact that her being a mother is really, like I said, could be her Achilles heel, and her love for her children. I mean, she loves and adores Ryan, and that brings up, I think, a lot of guilt for her that she wasn’t in her life. I think Ryan, you know, I can feel Ryan wanting to protect her. I can feel Ryan feeling her vulnerability. In spite of however Jada comes off, I see Ryan looking at me with these big eyes saying, “Love me. Am I okay? I did okay.” And that’s really nice to watch an actress play, to be this bad ass, put on this suit, kick butt, then, in a simple way, just say, “Am I enough? Do you think I did okay?”

Question:   What is something that we’re going to see this season for Ryan or Batwoman that we haven’t seen before?

Javicia:   The dynamic of a mother, which is a huge influence, mentally, emotionally, especially, is going to be a huge influence on the bat team. I don’t think that we realize how much that’s going to affect Ryan’s place in the bat team and the bat team’s place in Ryan’s life, because there’s a difference between the family that you choose and the family that you were born into. I think the moment that Ryan starts to feel like she has a family, starts to feel like [she] belongs somewhere, where she went a long time not feeling like she had anywhere to belong.

Another big change is we might see a little bit of romance in Ryan’s life, because we really didn’t get to see that last season. So, I’m excited for for that side of Ryan; I haven’t played that side of Ryan. So, I’m actually excited to play it, because I haven’t played it, and I would love to see what my natural Ryan instincts are going to be in the romance world. I’m probably a dork, to be honest, [laughs] because I am, and me and Ryan are so much alike. I’m glad I don’t have to like make the first move, because I kind of suck at that.

What else will we see? Oh, we’re bringing in a lot of the bat villains, so you’re gonna get to see Ryan interact with characters like Poison Ivy and the Mad Hatter, and like, come on; that’s really cool. This season of Batwoman is gonna be epic. It really is.

Here is the audio version of it.

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

MORE INFO:

Wednesday, October 13 SEASON PREMIERE – “Mad As A Hatter” – (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET) (TV-14, LV) (HDTV)
SEASON PREMIERE – As Batwoman (Javicia Leslie) continues to keep the streets of Gotham safe, Batwing (Camrus Johnson) joins in on the action, but Luke quickly realizes he hasn’t quite mastered his suit. Meanwhile, as Alice (Rachel Skarsten) sits hopelessly imprisoned in Arkham, Sophie (Meagan Tandy) fully enjoys her freedom. When Ryan pays Alice a visit to ask about the bombshell she dropped – that Ryan’s birth mother is still alive – Ryan must decide if she should go down the rabbit hole of her past. As Mary (Nicole Kang) prepares to finally graduate from medical school, she feels the absence of her family more than ever. But when an Alice admirer stumbles upon one of the missing Bat Trophies, Gotham and the Bat Team get mixed up in the madness, culminating in a shockingly gruesome graduation… and an equally shocking new partnership. Also starring Robin Givens and Victoria Cartagena. Holly Dale directed the episode written by Caroline Dries (#301). Original airdate 10/13/2021. Every episode of BATWOMAN will be 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. Promo

“BATWOMAN”

Wednesday (9:00 – 10:00 p.m. ET) on The CW

In season three of “Batwoman,” Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie) has shed her parole for the Batsuit and her van for the Batcave to carry out the legacy of Batwoman and protect Gotham’s underserved communities. Her journey continues as she and the Bat Team focus on finding Batman’s scattered trophies, a collection of objects seized from Gotham’s most infamous villains, before they land in pernicious hands. Meanwhile, Ryan personally struggles with the bombshell dropped by Alice (Rachel Skarsten) – that her birth mother is still alive.

Alice is locked up in Arkham and holding on to hope that her father, a recently incarcerated Jacob Kane, will save her…but nothing can keep an evil woman down. Mary (Nicole Kang) is graduating from medical school and finding difficulty juggling her roles as a full-fledged MD at her clinic and as a vital part of the Bat Team. At the same time, Luke (Camrus Johnson) is winging it as a superhero after discovering a suit made for him by his father, but he soon realizes it takes more than a suit to be super. Having said goodbye to Kate and the Crows, Sophie (Meagan Tandy) feels free to find a new purpose, but while making the most of her newly liberated lifestyle, she finds herself in the middle of an exciting but very unexpected love triangle.

As visits from villains past loom over Gotham and anyone can become a baddie by finding a wayward Bat trophy, Renee Montoya (Victoria Cartagena) steps in to supervise recovery of the scattered artifacts, forcing an unwelcome partnership between Gotham’s favorite hero and most notorious ne’er-do-well. And despite best efforts to avoid her newly uncovered past, Ryan is thrust into the world of super mogul Jada Jet (Robin Givens) and her son Marquis (Nick Creegan) when Wayne Enterprises lands on the radar of another one of Gotham’s most powerful families.

BATWOMAN stars Javicia Leslie, Rachel Skarsten, Meagan Tandy, Nicole Kang, Camrus Johnson, Victoria Cartagena, Robin Givens, and Nick Creegan.

Based on the characters from DC, BATWOMAN is from Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television with executive producers Greg Berlanti (“Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Supergirl”), Caroline Dries (“The Vampire Diaries,” “Smallville”), Geoff Johns (“Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Titans,” “DC’s Stargirl”), Chad Fiveash (“The Vampire Diaries,” “Gotham”), James Patrick Stoteraux (“The Vampire Diaries,” “Gotham”) and Sarah Schechter (“Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Supergirl”).

CREDITS FOR “BATWOMAN” ON THE CW

Day and time: Wednesday, 8:00 – 9:00 PM ET/PT
Network debut: October 6, 2019
 

Short Synopsis:

 

  

In season three of BATWOMAN, Ryan Wilder (Javicia Leslie) has shed her parole for the Batsuit and her van for the Batcave to carry out the legacy of Batwoman and protect Gotham’s underserved communities. Her journey continues as she and the Bat Team focus on finding Batman’s trophies, a collection of objects seized from Gotham’s most infamous villains, before they land in the wrong hands.

Cast:

 Javicia Leslie as Ryan Wilder/Batwoman

Rachel Skarsten as Alice

Meagan Tandy as Sophie Moore

Nicole Kang as Mary Hamilton

Camrus Johnson as Luke Fox

Victoria Cartagena as Renee Montoya

Robin Givens as Jada Jet

Nick Creegan as Marquis Jet
Executive Producers: Greg Berlanti, Caroline Dries, Geoff Johns and Sarah Schechter
Produced by:

 

 

Format:

 

 Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television

 

Drama 60 min

(Filmed in HD)
Origination: Vancouver, British Columbia

JAVICIA LESLIE

Javicia Leslie (from Batwoman video on Instagram)Ryan Wilder in “Batwoman”

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

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

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

Robin Simone Givens (born November 27, 1964) is an American actress and model. She is also a graduate of SarahBatwoman -- “Loose Tooth” -- Image Number: BWN302b_0018r -- Pictured (L-R): Robin Givens as Jada Jet -- Photo: Katie Yu/The CW -- © 2021 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Lawrence College.

Givens landed her breakthrough role of Darlene Merriman in the ABC sitcom Head of the Class in 1986, and remained on the series for its 5-year duration. Her troubled marriage to boxer Mike Tyson from 1988 drew considerable media attention, as did their acrimonious divorce. She later went on to become a spokesperson for the National Domestic Violence Hotline for several years.

Givens continued her career with film and television roles such as The Women of Brewster Place (1989) and Boomerang (1992). In 1996, Givens co-starred on the sitcom Sparks, which aired for two seasons on UPN. In January 2000, she took over hosting duties on the syndicated talk show Forgive or Forget. In 2007, Givens released her autobiography, Grace Will Lead Me Home. She has since had recurring roles on The Game, Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, Chuck, Riverdale and its spin-off Katy Keene. She starred in “Ambitions” on OWN in 2019.

From Entertainment Weekly:

She has been cast in the series regular role of Jada Jet, the powerful CEO of Jet Industries who “isn’t bossy — she’s the boss.” Described as “passionate and hard-working,” Jada is “a woman who has worked her way through life’s ups and downs to climb her way to the top — all while being extremely protective over her impetuous son.”

But perhaps the most important part of Jada’s character description is the revelation that she has “a deep past that forced her to give up her first-born child.”

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Javicia Leslie as Batwoman and Camrus Johnson as Lucius Fox

Interview with the cast of “Chucky”

Posted on by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

 

Zackary Arthur, Brad Dourif, Devon Sawa, Jennifer Tilly and Don Mancini of "Chucky" on Syfy

Interview with creator Don Mancini and actors Zackary Arthur, Brad Dourif, Devon Sawa, and Jennifer Tilly of “Chucky” on Syfy by Suzanne 9/13/21

This was a very fun press panel for TCA about the new Syfy show “Chucky,” based on the “Child’s Play” movies. I was surprised at how my question was answered, but that’s okay…that’s part of the fun of interviewing – you never know what kind of answer you’ll get!
I’m not really a horror fan. I don’t mind some shows, like “Supernatural” or “Legacies,” but I find horror movies and many of the shows to be very depressing and too gross, so I avoid them. The “Chucky” first episode is not too gory, but apparently it does get more so, judging from what said here.
Also, I like to root for the hero, and in these type of shows, the horror entity (in this case, Chucky) usually wins. Or at least, he’ll kill off an awful lot of people before he dies.

NBCUNIVERSAL SUMMER 2021 TCA VIRTUAL PRESS TOUR
USA & SYFY Chucky
Zackary Arthur, Actor, “Jake Webber”
Brad Dourif, Actor, Voice of “Chucky”
Devon Sawa, Actor, “Logan Wheeler”
Jennifer Tilly, Actor, “Tiffany Valentine”
Don Mancini, Creator/Showrunner/Executive Producer
Virtual via Zoom September 13, 2021

I asked this question: I haven’t seen any of the “Child’s Play” movies, but I assume that they have a lot more gore and violence than the TV show. Was that a decision you made, or did the network tell you not to make it too gory? Or how did that come about?”

They all laughed when I said that, which was a bad sign. Don Mancini, the showrunner, replied that I should just wait. In other words, it does get a lot more gory and violent. Oh, that’s too bad. Well, now I know not to watch any more of the shows. Stars Zackary Arthur and Jennifer Tilly chimed in to add that they have a whole “blood team” that works on the movie. Mancini continued to say that it was important to him to retain “all of the aspects of the franchise that the fans love, one of which is the gore, the other of which, of course, is Chucky’s propensity for dropping f-bombs. And the networks SYFY and USA, when we pitched the project, assured us that there would be no compromise in these departments.” He went on to explain that when he worked on “Hannibal” for NBC, and “Channel Zero” for Syfy (both for NBC/Universal), he was surprised at how far they let him push the envelope on this sort of thing. He mentioned that there will be “no compromises” in that regard. He went on to remind us that in the first episode, the first death that Chucky causes has no blood because he’d heard his new buddy Jake say that he doesn’t like seeing blood. He chuckled, “that’s Chucky’s idea of being thoughtful.”

Mancini was also asked if he’d ever thought of exploring the childhood of the original murderer, Charles Lee Ray (the ghost that inhabits the Chucky doll) for a movie sequel before. He concurred that fans have been wanting to see that for decades. this was one of the reasons he wanted to do a TV series, where there’s a lot more time to delve into his background and other “storytelling.”

Another reporter asked about other stylistic changes between the movie and the TV show. Mancini replied, it’s very important to me, and I try to have a different overriding, governing aesthetic for each film” and now with the TV show. This is the first time they’ve presented Chucky during the Halloween season. He wanted to really have a “luxurious and glamorous
autumn look with fall foliage …that became the central aesthetic principle.” This gave them some challenges because they shot it during the spring and summer seasons. They had to have trucks bring in artificial fall leaves for them to spread around the set. They had also shot drone footage least year of the fall outdoors, outside of Toronto, where they shoot the show. He added, “it looks like a Halloween horror movie as directed by Dario Argento or Brian De Palma. At least, that was our goal.”

Tilly praised their production designer and cinematographer, who made the show look beautiful. She feels that it looks very different from “Cult of Chucky,” which took place in the winter in a mental institution, where it was very sterile. She says that the set design looks very expensive, and maintains that it is, indeed, expensive. She was surprised at how much money they have for the series. Devon Sawa added in his two cents that he, also, was shocked when he arrived at how big their budget must be, since there were so many departments, and how many people that were working in them. He also praised at the beautiful job they did on the look of the show. “It looks stunning. It’s so beautiful to look at.”

Then a journalist asked Sawa and Zackary Arthur, who are new to the franchise, what their perceptions were before they joined, and what questions they’d had. Sawa admitted that he was already a fan, having grown up with the Chucky series of movies. He leaped at the chance to audition for it. He piled on the kudos to both Chucky and his voice, Brad Dourif, calling them “legends.” He said, Chucky belongs on the Mount Rushmore of horror with, you know, Krueger and Jason.” He was thrilled to be part of this show. Mancini jokingly gave him a hard time for not mentioned the script, too, but Sawa seriously added, quickly, that the script was great, too. He also loved playing twins in the show.

Tilly jokingly asked Arthur, “Do you have anything flattering to add about Don to that question?” and he replied that he always does. Then he continued in a more serious vein that he wasn’t allowed to watch gory movies when growing up, but he envied the cool kids in school who watched and loved the Chucky movies. Tilly added, “Yeah, now they’re all losers,” and he replied, also joking, “Yeah. That’s what happens when you watch violent movies.” He also said that he felt very cool auditioning for the series.

As they joked more about Mancini, he playfully told them to stop it. Tilly mentioned seriously that they’re lucky to have Arthur, and that Mancini had told her what a great actor he is. She gave us an example of a scene where he and another actor, Bjorgvin Arnarson (Devon), kiss. She explained, “They have a moment of human connection. And everybody on the set was
weeping because it was so touching.” She also said that she was excited about working with Sawa, whom she loved in “Final Destination.”

A journalist mentioned the 2019 remake, which none of them participated in. He/she wondered if doing the TV series was a way to reclaim it. Tilly answered that the TV series was already being considered long before that. Even though the film did very well, she compares it to the “New Coke vs. Classic Coke” situation. She thinks people will like the series better because they have the original Chucky, Brad Dourif, who thinks that he wouldn’t do the remake without Mancini. Dourif corrected her, though, saying, they didn’t call him, but he would have done that. Mancini joked, “Great story, Jennifer, but it never happened.”

Tilly went on, saying that the wonderful thing about the franchise is how loyal the fans are. She expressed that they’re twice as fanatical as Trekkies. The internet helped her realize how much of an icon Chucky is and how he and her character, Tiffany, are loved worldwide. She’s very grateful to Don for writing her so much into the TV show. She would have been happy to just have a tiny part, but he gave her much more. She gushed, I can’t help but blurt out things like, ‘Thank you, Don.
Thank you for the wonderful scripts. And thank you for putting me in the television series.’ Because his writing is so
amazing.” She also let us know that Brad Dourif’s daughter, Fiona, appears in the second half of the season, and we also see the return of Andy Barclay (Alex Vincent) and Kyle (Christine Elise).

She also added that the show’s story is “just such a beautiful coming-of-age movie. I mean, you kind of don’t even need Chucky because the relationship between Zackary and the other kids is really just you’re rooting for them. You want to know where it goes.” She praises the actors who play the teens.

Another person from the press asked Arthur and Sawa whether they were worried when they signed on to the series whether their characters would be killed or not by Chucky. He/she also wondered if Sawa asked to play twins. Sawa had a funny answer: “Of course, my worry was dying on the show because both my characters are giant assholes.” He agreed that you do hope for the “best death scene possible” or that one of them will live.

Tilly added that she never worries about dying because Tiffany dies in every movie, and yet Mancini keeps bringing her back to life (just as he does with Chucky). She says that the franchise is “magical.”

Mancini jumped in the question to say that they also re-use the same actors frequently in other roles. He claimed, “We were doing that before Ryan Murphy started doing that with the repertoire company he put together on ‘American Horror Story.’ So even if someone dies, they can come back in another role.” He started that with Tilly in the 90’s. She’s gotten killed as both a person and as a doll, and brought back for four movies as well as the series. Brad has also died once or twice in eveyr movie. He half-joked that “if Zack and Devon play their cards right, the sky’s the limit, regardless of what happens to their characters.” Brad Douriff agreed to what he said.

Tilly hinted that a line of dialogue in the series refers to this point. She didn’t want to mention more due to spoilers.
She boasted that she’s been suggesting to Mancini for 30 years that they tell the origin story in a better way than they did in the movies (with younger actors). She and Dourif agreed that the fans will be excited to see this. She added that there is a lot of fan fiction about it — “the two of them before they became dolls.” Tilly teased that Don is the biggest fan of the “Chucky” franchise than anyone. She cites bringing back Andy Barclay as an adult as one example of the lengths Mancini goes to. She thinks that there is a lot more of a “throughline” in their franchise because of using the same actors, and that brings more “emotional impact.” Dourif added that it’s really worked well on “an acting level,” which he finds surprising. He added that he found Alex Vincent to be “hauntingly good.” He suggests that really living with the franchise may have affected him and his work… “Things get inside you and they mean something.” He mentioned that his daughter, who grew up with “Chucky,” did really well, probably because she “grew up in the house of Chucky.” Tilly and Sawa praised his daughter’s acting, which leds to Dourif joking that he done a great job of fishing for those compliments.

Tilly went on some more about how much she loved the first “Chucky” movie she did. She was not interested in it at first, but the writing in the script impressed her as did Brad Dourif’s acting as well as his daughter’s. She mentioned in passing that he was nominated before for an Oscar (For “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” in 1976), which I’d forgotten. She had also never done voice-over, and she said it was a lot of fun, and they let them ad-lib there. She said, enthusiastically, that Brad is brillint. “It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, I’m a doll and you’re a doll. Let’s knock this off and go spend our paycheck.’ He really took it seriously.” She gave an example from their filming of “Bride of Chucky,” where she dies, and she saw him cry in the booth, and she was crying, too. She points out that she’s learned from fans that they’re more often rooting for Chucky instead of his vicims because “They identify with his struggles” and love him.

Arthur answered the question, saying that he doesn’t worry about being killed off because he and Chucky are “buddies” who would “team up.”

Dourif was asked at what age he let Fiona watch his “Chucky” movie and whether he’s surprised that the franchise has lasted so long that she could play major parts in it.

Dourif first answered that no actor thinks that any movies or show will end up that successful. You just have to take it one at a time. It’s never a sure thing. He added that Fiona’s friends in school wanted him to talk like Chucky and do the laugh, so it was already a part of her life. She was very young when she came to the studio with him, when he had to do some additional dialogue. He was screaming and yelling while his character was being burned alive “in agony.” She got very upset and left, so they had to stop, so he could find her and reassure her that it was okay. He added, “So, she had her first kind of traumatic experience around me doing Chucky pretty young.” Tilly then make some jokes about his daughter being terrorized and having to go to therapy.

The last journalist asked Dourif to tell us the process in which he found the voice for Chucky. That’s a great question.

Dourif responded that he’s constantly having to adjust his Chucky voice because as you age, your voice changes. Mancini helps him and tells him what to adjust, such as getting higher in certain places. He added that Chucky originally was from Chicago, but now he sounds more like he’s from New Jersey. He will sometimes watch “Cult of Chucky” and mimic the voice he used there before they shoot again. Mancini said modestly that he doesn’t have to give Dourif any help.

MORE INFO:

In the new CHUCKY television series, an idyllic American town is thrown into chaos after a vintage ‘Good Guy’ doll turns up at a suburban yard sale. Soon, everyone must grapple with a series of horrifying murders that begin to expose the town’s deep hypocrisies and hidden secrets. Meanwhile, friends and foes from Chucky’s past creep back into his world and threaten to expose the truth behind his mysterious origins as a seemingly ordinary child who somehow became this notorious monster. CHUCKY is produced by UCP and executive produced by creator Don Mancini, David Kirschner, Nick Antosca and Alex Hedlund. Harley Peyton will also serve as executive producer. Mancini, who penned the film franchise, wrote the television adaptation, will direct the first episode and serves as showrunner.

CHUCKY is produced by UCP and executive produced by creator Don Mancini, David Kirschner, Nick Antosca and Alex Hedlund. Harley Peyton will also serve as executive producer. Mancini, who penned the film franchise, wrote the television adaptation, will direct the first episode and serves as showrunner.

"Death by Misadventure" Episode 101 -- Pictured: (l-r) Devon Sawa as Logan Wheeler, Zackary Arthur as Jake Wheeler -- (Photo by: Steve Wilkie/SYFY)Zackary Arthur

Jake Wheeler, “CHUCKY”

Zackary Arthur plays Jake Wheeler in the new SYFY/USA Network drama “Chucky.”

Arthur was brought up in Los Angeles amongst a creative family whom all share a passion for the arts. As a young child, Arthur fell in love with the cinema and at the age of 6 quickly found the avenue of acting that he wanted to pursue.

Arthur’s career jumpstarted when he got one of the young leads in the feature film “The Fifth Wave,” opposite Chloë Grace Moretz. His television debut was a recurring role on the Emmy Award-winning Amazon series “Transparent” for all five seasons.

Arthur has subsequently starred in 30 film and television projects, including starring roles opposite Jim Carrey in “Kidding,” Nicholas Cage and Selma Blair in “Mom and Dad,” Natasha Henstridge in “Hero Dog: The Journey Home.” His latest film, “Jill,” is expected to be released shortly.

Brad Dourif

Chucky (Voice), “Chucky”

Brad Dourif does voiceover for the role of Chucky in the new SYFY/USA Network drama “Chucky.”

Dourif, who has been the voice of “Chucky” throughout the film franchise’s long run, won a BAFTA Award and earned an Academy Award nomination for his supporting role in the Oscar-winning film “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” starring Jack Nicholson.

Dourif is also known for his role as Grima Wormtongue on the “Lord of the Rings” franchise. Other film credits include “Halloween,” “Jungle Fever,” “Color of Night,” “Murder in the First,” “Alien: Resurrection

On the TV front, Dourif received an Emmy Award nomination for his supporting role as Doc Cochran on the beloved HBO Western “Deadwood,” which ran for three seasons. Other TV credits include “Once Upon a Time,” “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Criminal Minds,” “Psych,” “Law & Order: SVU” and many others.

Devon Sawa

Logan Wheeler / Lucas Wheeler, “Chucky”

Devon Sawa plays Logan and Lucas Wheeler in the new SYFY/USA Network series “Chucky.”

Born in Vancouver, Sawa is an industry veteran having got his start in such films as “Casper,” “Now and Then” and “Little Giants.” He’s co-starred in the horror franchise “Final Destination” as well as “Idle Hands,” “SLC Punk,” “Punk’s Dead” and “Hunter Hunter.”

On the TV side, Sawa has had roles on “Nikita,” alongside Maggie Q, as well as “McGyver,” “Hawaii 5-0” and, coming up, “Magnum PI.”

Sawa lives in Los Angeles, with his wife and two children. He is an avid athlete and trained MMA fighter.

Jennifer Tilly

Tiffany Valentine, “Chucky”

Jennifer Tilly is reprising the role of Tiffany Valentine in the new USA Network/SYFY drama “Chucky.” She has recurred in the Chucky franchise throughout the years, starring in the “Bride of Chucky,” “Seed of Chucky,” “Cult of Chucky,” and “Curse of Chucky.”

Tilly received an Academy Award nomination for her role in Woody Allen’s “Bullets Over Broadway” and earned an American Comedy Award nomination for “Liar Liar,” opposite Jim Carrey.

She has two films set for release: “High Holiday,” a stoner comedy co-starring Cloris Leachman and Tom Arnold, and “Sallywood,” a parable of Hollywood based on a true story. Also this year, Tilly will co-star in the Disney Plus series “Monsters at Work,” reprising her role of Celia, Billy Crystal’s long suffering girlfriend.

Tilly’s film credits include “Bound,” “The Getaway,” “The Fabulous Baker Boys,” “Dancing at the Blue Iguana,” “Bride of Chucky” and “The Doors.”

On the TV side, Tilly has appeared on “Modern Family,” “Hill Street Blues,” “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show,” “Moonlighting,” “Cheers,” “Frasier,” “Drop Dead Diva,” and “CSI.” For the last 11 years, she’s been doing voiceover work for Fox’s “Family Guy.”

Equally at home on stage, Tilly has many theater credits under her belt, including “Tartuffe,” (LA Public Theatre) “Boy’s Life” (LAAT), “Baby With the Bathwater,” (LAPT) and “Vanities,” (Dramalogue Best Actress Award). She received a TheatreWorld Award for Best Newcomer for her performance in Second Stage’s “One Shoe Off” at the Joseph Papp Theatre. On Broadway in 2001, she co-starred in “The Women” with Cynthia Nixon and Kristen Johnson, and then returned to Broadway to co-star in “Don’t Dress for Dinner” in 2012.

She appeared with Miranda Richardson in the critically acclaimed world premiere of Wallace Shawn’s play “Grasses of a Thousand Colors” at the Royal Court Theatre in London. She then reprised her role in the American premiere at the Joseph Papp Theater.

Tilly is a skilled poker player and won a gold bracelet at the World Series of Poker in 2005.

Don Mancini

Executive Producer, “Chucky”

Don Mancini serves at the showrunner and executive producer for the new SYFY/USA Network drama “Chucky.”

With the “Chucky” franchise, Mancini has created one of the most terrifying and iconic horror villains of all time. The redhaired, freckle-face doll possessed by the soul of a serial killer slashed his way into the pop culture zeitgeist in 1988 with the premiere of “Childs Play.” The franchise spawned six sequels, all of which Mancini wrote.

Mancini is not only a standout figure in horror, he is also one of the only franchise creators that has been attached to his creation for more than 30 years, and has no plans of slowing down.

Additionally, Mancini served as a writer and producer on “Hannibal” and “Channel Zero” as well as co-writer on “Tales From the Crypt.”

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"Chucky" poster

Primetime TV Review: Mr. and Mrs. Murder

Posted on by Eva Diaz

TV Review!

“Mr. and Mrs. Murder” Review on by Eva 10/10/2021

This show is an Australian miniseries based on the books of the same name. The series is about a married couple, Charlie Buchanan (Shaun Micallef) and Nicola Buchanan (Kat Stewart), who own an industrial cleaning company, so the police hire them to clean up crime scenes.

The couple are very good at their job, but they are also good at solving crimes. This show has a mix of comedy and drama that makes it fun to watch for those who love a good mystery. I really enjoyed this show and will add it to my DVR programming on Thursday night. I watch a lot of mystery movies and shows and can usually tell who committed the crime, but I couldn’t do it with this show.

I think that if you love mysteries mixed with a little comedy, you will enjoy this show. Shaun Nicollet and Kat Stewart have great chemistry and seem like a loving married couple.

I give this show a 5 out of 5 stars.

MORE INFORMATION:

In this Aussie import, fun-loving and flirtatious married couple Nicola (Kat Stewart, Offspring) and Charlie Buchanan (Shaun Micallef) run a cleaning service for crime scenes. The amateur detectives quickly realize that closing cases comes just as naturally as cleaning them up. Watch at Acorn

Trailer

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

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Review of “Ghosts”

Posted on by TvMegasite Admin

TV Review!

The cast of "Ghosts" on CBS

“Ghosts” on CBS Review by Suzanne 10/10/21

I really want to love this show, but it’s just not funny enough for me. This is based on a British show of the same name, which you watch on HBO Max and Daily Motion. Frankly, I find the British one a little funnier. Neither one is hilarious, though. To me, the main goal of a sitcom is to make me laugh. If I just sit here and smile, or chuckle occasionally, that’s not good enough. It’s not worth my time.

Rose McIver (“iZombie”) plays Samantha, and Utkarsh Ambudkar plays her husband, Jay. She inherits a big old house, so they decide to invest all of their money into fixing it up and making it into a bed and breakfast. Unbeknownst to Sam and Jay, the house is haunted by many ghosts from the past. When Sam hits her head, she can suddenly see and hear the ghosts. They become very annoying to her and her husband.

I do like shows about supernatural creatures, so that’s why I really wanted to like it. I like the characters, too. One ghost, Hetty, is a Victorian older woman (played by the marvelous Rebecca Wisocky). The ghost that stands out the most is Thorfin, a Viking (Devan Chandler Long). In the UK version, he was a caveman. This version of the show has a native American, Sasappis (Román Zaragoza), who seems very interesting. I want to learn more about them, and that’s the main reason I added it to my DVR.

I’m crossing my fingers that it gets funnier as it goes along.

MORE INFORMATION:

GHOSTS is a single-camera comedy about Samantha and Jay, a cheerful freelance journalist and up-and-coming chef from the city, respectively, who throw both caution and money to the wind when they decide to convert a huge rundown country estate they inherited into a bed & breakfast—only to find it’s inhabited by the many spirits of deceased residents who now call it home. The departed souls are a close-knit, eclectic group that includes a saucy Prohibition-era lounge singer (Danielle Pinnock); a pompous 1700’s Militiaman (Brandon Scott Jones); a ‘60s hippie fond of hallucinogens (Sheila Carrasco); an overly upbeat ‘80s scout troop leader (Richie Moriarty); a cod-obsessed Viking explorer from 1009 (Devon Chandler Long); a slick ‘90s finance bro (Asher Grodman); a sarcastic and witty Native from the 1500s (Román Zaragoza); and a society woman and wife of an 1800’s robber baron who is Samantha’s ancestor (Rebecca Wisocky), to name a few. If the spirits were anxious about the commotion a renovation and B&B will create in their home, it’s nothing compared to when they realize Samantha is the first live person who can see and hear them.

Premiered Thursday, Oct. 7 on the CBS Television Network and available to stream live and on demand on the CBS app and Paramount+.

ON AIR:

 Thursday (9:00-9:30 PM, ET/PT)

ORIGINATION:

 Montreal

FORMAT:

 Comedy (Filmed in HD)

STARRING:

 Rose McIver (Samantha)
Utkarsh Ambudkar (Jay)
Brandon Scott Jones (Isaac)
Richie Moriarty (Pete)
Danielle Pinnock (Alberta)
Asher Grodman (Trevor)
Román Zaragoza (Sasappis)
Sheila Carrasco (Flower)
Rebecca Wisocky (Hetty)
Devan Chandler Long (Thorfinn)

PRODUCED BY:

 CBS Studios in association with Lionsgate Television and BBC Studios’ Los Angeles production arm.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Joe Port & Joe Wiseman, Mathew Baynton, Jim Howick, Simon Farnaby, Laurence Rickard, Ben Willbond and Martha Howe-Douglas; Alison Carpenter, Debra Hayward, and Alison Owen (Monumental Television); Angie Stephenson (BBC Studios); and Trent O’Donnell (pilot only)

Website: https://www.cbs.com/shows/ghosts/

CBS PR Twitter: https://twitter.com/CBSTweet

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GhostsCBS/

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

The cast of "Ghosts" on CBS

Interview with Kelly Hu, Shannen Doherty, Sylvia Kwan and Roxy Shih

Posted on by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Kelly Hu, Roxy Shih, Shannen Doherty and Sylvia Kwan of "List of a Lifetime" on Lifetime

Interview with Kelly Hu, Roxy Shih, Shannen Doherty and Sylvia Kwan of “List of a Lifetime” on Lifetime by Suzanne 9/14/21

This is such a good movie. It’s a bit sad but very enjoyable. The characters are great. I love Kelly Hu, anyway (from shows like “Arrow” and “Warehouse 13”), and she’s really sympathetic as the sad woman, Brenda Lee, who finds out she has cancer. It’s a heartwarming tale, and you won’t be disappointed.  Sylvia Kwan is great as her daughter, Talia. Brenda finds Talia, whom she gave up when she was a baby.  Shannen Doherty plays the woman who raised Talia. The story is all about how Talia gives Brenda reasons to fight her cancer by creating a bucket list.

The women were really fun on the panel. I hope you enjoy it!

TANYA LOPEZ:  Hi, everyone.  I’m Tanya Lopez, EVP of scripted content for Lifetime, and thank you all for joining us today.  As you saw, we have a lot happening this fall, as the leading producer of original movies it’s exciting for all of us to be able to continue to create these films despite the pandemic and, no, it’s not easy, but the team really makes it look that way.  I’m so proud of the incredible talent that we have here today; that we brought together to tell these stories both in front and behind the camera.  We have Shannen Doherty starring not in one but two Lifetime movies in the month of October.  The remake of “Dying to Belong” with Favour Onwuka and Jenika Rose, executive produced by Danielle von Zerneck, and “List of a Lifetime” from director Roxy Shih in which Shannen stars alongside Kelly Hu and Sylvia Kwan; but that’s not all.  Our beloved and talented Shannen also directed the special content that follows the film as part of our Stop Breast Cancer for Life campaign.  It’s amazing and, Shannen, I know you’re out there.  You’re going to be directing more for us.  Let’s start with off with “List of a Lifetime.”

MODERATOR:  Hello, everybody, and welcome.  Our first panel for today is “List of a Lifetime.”  Please welcome stars Kelly Hu, Shannen Doherty, Sylvia Kwan and director Roxy Shih.  Thank you so much for joining us, ladies.  Our first question today is going to be from Jamie Ruby.

QUESTION:  Hi, guys.  Thanks for talking to us today.  What I wanted to know, and this is kind of, I guess, the obvious question, but what’s on your bucket list for all of you?

KELLY HU:  Oh.  Mine is literally pages and pages long.  I’ve been acquiring a bucket list for over thirty years now, so it would take up days to tell you about it.

SYLVIA KWAN:  I definitely have a lot on my bucket list, too.  I think Kelly and I are very similar in that way.  I definitely want to backpack the Chilkoot Mountains.  Mount Whitney is on my bucket list.   I was supposed to do it last year, but didn’t get to do it.  Sky diving, I want to go sky diving.  I want to make a movie.  Oh, I just did.

(Laughter.)

ROXY SHIH:  Yes.  Get it, girl.

SYLVIA KWAN:  Yeah.

ROXY SHIH:  I wanted to go to Iceland with my best friend for our ten year friendivarsary, but then COVID hit, and then that didn’t happen.  I really want to see the aurora borealis.  I like anything that just sort of helps us appreciate nature and all the amazing gifts that she allows us to see in certain moments at the time and to take care of our environment.  So that’s probably my biggest one yet.

SHANNEN DOHERTY:  I have no bucket list.  I think, for me, I just think a bucket list is odd in my particular situation, because it means that I’m sort of trying to check things off before my time runs out.  So I’ m very much like there’s no bucket list because I’m going to be the longest living person with cancer.  And so I guess it would just be, if I had to say one, it would just be living.  Like that’s the only thing that’s on my list at this point.

QUESTION:  Thank you so much.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question is going to be from Suzanne from TVMEG.COM.

QUESTION:  Hi, great to see you all today.  Kelly, I’ve seen you in a lot of shows where you’re a very strong, literally, a kick-ass woman, and you’re very passive in this show, at least for — in this movie for a long time.  Was that difficult for you?  Or how did you go about processing that?

KELLY HU:  I think it really was.  It was definitely a different kind of character for me.  I never get to play these kind of characters.  I think everybody always sees me as, you know the martial arts girl kicking butt, but kicking cancer’s ass, I think, is the hardest role that I’ve had to take on so far.  I mean, this was really — It was a role that I had the most difficulty preparing for, and it had the biggest payoff at the end.  It was absolutely amazing and so thankful to be able to do something like this.

QUESTION:  All right.  Thank you.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question is from Jamie Steinberg.

KELLY HU:  Is the mute button on maybe?

QUESTION:  Oh, excuse me about that.

KELLY HU:  No worries.

QUESTION:  Such a pleasure to speak with all of you.  Shannen, this was such a labor of love and a personal story, actually, probably close to your heart since you did have breast cancer.  Were there any emotional moment for you while you were advising the stars, or maybe when you were behind the camera?

SHANNEN DOHERTY:  Well, first, Roxy was our wonderful, amazing director and leader for “List of a Lifetime,” and I didn’t have to give anybody advice because between Roxy and these beautiful ladies who did such an amazing job with their own preparation process.  They knew their characters.  They knew the story.  They did cancer proud, because they did all their due diligence.  I had the easiest job.  I got to show up for four days and be a part of their world.  So I really I did nothing.  They did everything.

KELLY HU:  No.  Shannen, you showed up.  Oh, my God.  You were amazing.

SHANNEN DOHERTY:  So, I mean — thank you, and we all showed up.  And, honestly, it’s, for me, this was truly like an unbelievable pleasure to be a part of, and I was blown away every second that I got to work with these amazing ladies.

ROXY SHIH:  Thank you, Shannen.  Love you.

(Laughter.)

KELLY HU:  Yes, we love you.

SHANNEN DOHERTY:  Somebody else has got to talk.  I’m like ohhh.

MODERATOR:  Okay.  We’re going to move on to our next question from Jay Bobbin.

QUESTION:  Hello.  My question is for Shannen, too.  Shannen, that weekend, this kind of bundles “Dying to Belong” in also, that is quite a weekend for you in many ways, and it kind of represents everything Lifetime is: serious, socially-minded dramas, also the content you directed to go along with that, plus also what we more technically call a Lifetime movie with “Dying to Belong,” that type of film. Can you talk a little bit about running the gamut of what Lifetime is in a single weekend among all these projects?

SHANNEN DOHERTY:  I mean, I think what’s amazing about Lifetime is that they really support women, and they do support social issues from this movie about breast cancer to my other movie that’s really about bullying and like what society, the pressure that society can put on young people today, and I think working with a company like Lifetime and a studio like Lifetime is that you feel very supportive and very, very, very nurtured and, more importantly, you feel heard, and I think women all around the world who tune in also feel heard.  It’s their movies connecting with people at the end of the day.  I had no idea I was doing two Lifetime movies, and I’m really honored that they both ended up on Lifetime.  I couldn’t be more thrilled to be a part of this family. Discover the randm Tornado Vape, offering exceptional flavor and performance. Buy original products quickly in Germany for an unparalleled vaping experience that meets your needs.

QUESTION:  Also, if I could do a follow up.  With “List of a Lifetime,” the content that you directed following it, did those kind of come hand-in-hand or did your directing come about once you started filming “List of a Lifetime”?  Were they both originated at the same time?

SHANNEN DOHERTY:  No.  So the special content it was sort of broached to me later if I would want to direct it, and the response was absolutely as long as this amazing group of women are comfortable with me directing them, and they were and they were amazing.  Every single one was easy to direct, even Roxy, my director.

ROXY SHIH:  I was so awkward.

SHANNEN DOHERTY:  She took direction perfectly.  Like it was a really —

ROXY SHIH:  The roles were reversed.  It was amazing.

SHANNEN DOHERTY:  It was, right?  I felt weird, like — but you took it so well.  I mean, everybody did.  It was one day, and as I posted on my Instagram, I was like this is like one of the best days of my life, and it was really was.  I just had such a good time, and everybody made it very easy because they’re all pros.

QUESTION:  Thank you.

KELLY HU:  I just have to say before anybody else talks that this was such a sisterhood.  Seriously, this project was really the best project I have ever been on.  Everyone was absolutely amazing, and the sisterhood, the bonding that happened during this project was like no other project that I’ve ever worked on, seriously.

SHANNEN DOHERTY:  I agree.

KELLY HU:  Yeah.

SHANNEN DOHERTY:  I agree, and we’re missing our other — you know, we’re missing Autumn, our producer who, you know, just —

KELLY HU:  And Patricia —

ROXY SHIH:  Yeah.

SHANNEN DOHERTY:  And Patricia.  Like, yeah, I agree with you.  Out of, I’ve worked on, obviously, a lot of projects, and this is probably one of my favorites because it was just a big bonding — And you guys welcomed me in, because I came a little later.  It was pretty fantastic, a phenomenal cast, phenomenal crew.  Our director was okay.

(Laughter.)

ROXY SHIH:  Step up.

SHANNEN DOHERTY:  You’re the best.

ROXY SHIH:  The love fest between us.  And we forget that there’s other people in the room.  Sorry —

Poster for "List of a Lifetime"SHANNEN DOHERTY:  Right.

KELLY HU:  I know.

MODERATOR:  We have a question over here for Roxy.  Roxy, did you feel it was important to have strong AAPI representation behind the camera for this movie?

ROXY SHIH:  A hundred percent.  I feel like the rise in inclusive storytelling that has been happening over the past few years as well as the rise of female stories being authentically represented by female filmmakers is just such a game changing sort of movement that’s happened for all of us, but not only is that important, it’s like we see the shift happening behind the scenes as well.  Just because it’s happening in one aspect doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be happening in all aspects, as well.  So I think with this one I think everybody on here can also say, as well, it was important to me that I had inclusive, diverse key crew, also women and queer people of color and just, you know, it was really just a — and these are all my friends also, so I think that’s what made it really comfortable just because it’s a safe space for me to feel supported on the schedule like this.  But, in all essence, I think that change does need to happen in our industry, and it’s happening by that, like, happening as well.  So I just think if one person starts doing it, if it’s just that one decision, allows more space at the table rather than fighting for that one seat. The Tornado Vape 20000 offers an unparalleled vaping experience with its high-capacity design, delivering maximum vapor production and rich flavor profiles. Ideal for both novice and experienced vapers, this device caters to a diverse consumer base seeking quality and performance. Its sleek design and user-friendly interface make it a popular choice for those who value convenience without compromising on satisfaction. Experience the ultimate in vaping pleasure with the tornado 20000—jetzt bestellen for a journey into dense clouds and vibrant tastes.

MODERATOR:  Thank you so much.

ROXY SHIH:  Thank you.

MODERATOR:  Our next question is from Mekeisha Madden.

QUESTION:  Hi, ladies.  Thanks so much for making the time to talk to us.  Okay, I have to ask this.  This is a nerd out N.C.I.S. moment.  Kelly and Sylvia, did you bond over the N.C.I.S. connection?

KELLY HU:  Wait, we have an N.C.I.S. connection?

SYLVIA KWAN:  Yeah.  I think we were both on N.C.I.S. before.

KELLY HU:  Oh, wow.

QUESTION:  You didn’t know?

KELLY HU:  Were you a victim too?  How funny.

SYLVIA KWAN:  So funny.

KELLY HU:  Wait, I’ve done a couple of N.C.I.S.  I wasn’t always a victim.  Yeah.

(Laughter.)

SYLVIA KWAN:  You weren’t always a victim.

KELLY HU:  I think I might have shot someone.

SYLVIA KWAN:  Oh, my.  That’s hilarious.  That’s really funny.

QUESTION:  And a serious question to piggyback on what Roxy said.  It was just really great to see women of color in front of and behind the camera.  Can you talk about that?  And just sort of just I’m hoping this is the upward trend that keeps happening.  It was just great to see your story.

SYLVIA KWAN:  Absolutely.  I definitely think as more stories get told, especially with “Shang-Chi” coming out, which was amazing, like I love seeing —

ROXY SHIH:  You looked so hot, yeah.

SYLVIA KWAN:  Huh?

ROXY SHIH:  When you look — Sorry, go, go.

SYLVIA KWAN:  Sorry.  I was like what?  No.  It definitely is incredible, and it definitely was such an incredible space.  Like even on Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year, sorry, we all wore red, which was so special.  It’s something that I’ve never really experienced being on a set.  I got a little emotional that day.  I got to say, when I walked in and everyone was wearing red I was like, all right, this is different, you know.  So I think it’s so important, and I love that this project had so much diversity behind the camera as well as in front of it.  So I was just really, really grateful to be part of that and kind of part of the change like Roxy was talking about.

KELLY HU:  And, this, I have to say, this was Sylvia’s first film, and we kept teasing her, like don’t get used to this because it doesn’t happen like this.  Like being on set with this kind of love and sisterhood and positivity was so unique, but hopefully there will be more like that.  Maybe, hopefully, Hollywood will be changing and there will be more projects like this where people can come together and really bond the way we did.

QUESTION:  I hope so, too.  Thanks, ladies.

MODERATOR:  Thank you so much.  Our next question is from Luaine Lee.  Luaine, you might be muted.

QUESTION:  I don’t see the unmute.  Can you hear me?

MODERATOR:  Yes, you’re good.

QUESTION:  Okay.  Shannen, your career has been so colorful.  Was there ever a time when you wanted to just give it up?

SHANNEN DOHERTY:  (Laughter.) Every day.  No.  I wouldn’t say give it up.  And, thank you, it has been colorful.  I’m going to take that as a big compliment, because I would hate to think that I was beige, so knowing that my career’s been colorful is — I’d like to think that I’ve chosen projects that are relatable but that are different that challenge me as an actor.  And there were times where it got a little rough as far as the press goes, and that can feel — you can feel a bit defeated, absolutely, but that hasn’t been in so long.  I think, I mean, it’s like thirty years ago, so.  I haven’t felt that in probably like thirty years, and now I just sort of look at like there’s all these new chapters and new opportunities for my career hat I’m super excited about and just ready to keep charging forward.

(Laughter.)

SHANNEN DOHERTY:  Roxy.

ROXY SHIH:  Yes, bitch.  Get it.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question is from Francine Brokaw.

QUESTION:  Hi, yes.  For Shannen, you’ve popped up a lot on shows that have to do with cancer.  I know you’ve had your struggles with it, I have as well.  Have you gone through any point in your life that says I don’t want to hear the word?  I don’t want to watch anything?  I just want to ignore it for the time being?

SHANNEN DOHERTY:  I think this is the first acting thing I’ve done about cancer, because I’ve been pretty careful about bringing the acting into that world.  But, again, when I read the script, and I found out who all was involved, and I felt like I had to be a part of it, and I was super honored to be a part of it and, again, like what Kelly has been talking about, like, the sisterhood, that made this film even more special.  Like, yes, the topic is special, and everybody’s performances are special, but the sisterhood behind the scenes sort of blows everything else out of the water for me, personally.  And, no, I mean, I don’t — I feel like I have a responsibility in my more public life, which I separate from my acting life, I feel like I have a responsibility to talk about cancer and to perhaps educate people more to let people know that people with stage four are very much alive and very active and more than capable of working, and just to sort of raise money and spread awareness.  So I don’t really get sick of it and in my very close-knit quarters it doesn’t really come up.  My husband says that you would never know that I had cancer.  I don’t ever complain.  I don’t really talk about it.  It’s just it’s part of life at this point.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  We have time for one more question.  That’s going to be Suzanne.

QUESTION:  Oh, hi.  Who wrote the movie? And do you know why she named the main character Brenda Lee?  I just noticed that as I was watching.

KELLY HU:  You want to take that, Roxy?

ROXY SHIH:  Yeah.  The script was written by Jessica Landry.  Jessica and I haven’t connected.  Like basically the script was given to me by Autumn, our amazing producer, and I read the script.  I was really burnt out at the time.  I read like fifteen pages into it, and I’m like I just have to do this.  So I connected with her and I’m just like, “Yo, girl, really great job on this.  Hey, we shot it.  It was amazing.”  And I think that we’re going to connect in the future, but I think the Brenda Lee thing was probably super random.  Does that have a personal reason with you?

KELLY HU:  Shannen.

QUESTION:  With me?

ROXY SHIH:  Yeah.  Or is it —

QUESTION:  Oh, no.  Just the famous singer Brenda Lee —

SHANNEN DOHERTY:  Brenda Lee.

ROXY SHIH:  Oh, no.  I don’t think —

KELLY HU:  Oh, that Brenda Lee.

QUESTION:  Oh, I’m probably too old.  Never mind.

ROXY SHIH:  No, maybe I should have — Oh, wait.  Kelly, we should have rethought your character.

KELLY HU:  I know.

(Laughter.)

ROXY SHIH:  We didn’t do our research apparently, so.

QUESTION:  Thank you.  That’s okay.  Thank you.

ROXY SHIH:  Thank you.

MODERATOR:  Thank you all for taking the time to be on our panel today, ladies.

MORE INFO:

Preview

Presented by Native Deodorant, List of a Lifetime premieres October 10th at 8pm ET/PT and tells the story of Brenda Lee (Hu) who’s prompted to look for the daughter she gave up for adoption decades ago after a breast cancer diagnosis.  After finding Talia (Kwan) and sharing her devasting news, Talia convinces Brenda to make a bucket list of everything she wants to do, promising to help her complete everything on the list.  While keeping Brenda a secret from her adoptive mother Diana (Doherty), Talia grows closer to the mother she never knew.  Meanwhile, Brenda discovers a meaningful relationship with Talia she didn’t know she needed, and a reason to fight for her life.

Following the movie, the aftershow Beyond the List with Shannen Doherty will debut, featuring exclusive conversations with Doherty and the movie’s cast, new never-before-seen photos during Doherty’s breast cancer journey, as well as information from top oncologists Dr. Elise Port and Dr. Philomena McAndrew.  The aftershow also features intimate testimonials from within the A+E Networks family featuring employees affected by breast cancer.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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Stars of "List of a Lifetime" on Lifetime

Interview with Shannen Doherty, Favour Onwuka, and Jenika Rose

Posted on by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Shannen Doherty and Favour Onwuka star in "Dying to Belong" on Lifetime

Interview with Shannen Doherty, Favour Onwuka, and Jenika Rose of “Dying to Belong” on Lifetime by Suzanne 9/14/21

This movie is a remake of a 1997 film. It’s very sad that sororities and fraternities still have hazing, even all of these years later. I enjoyed the movie, which airs Saturday, 10/9. I hope you do, too.

LIfetime had a press day, which included this movie and part of its cast.  Shannen Doherty plays the mom of a girl, Riley, that is hazed at her university’s sorority. Favour Onwuka plays the girl’s friend, Olivia, who is also hazed and tries to get information about the sorority for a newspaper article. It was great to speak with them all, and the executive producer, Danielle Von Zerneck. Shannen has been battling cancer for a while, but she looked great!

My question has my name on it. All of the other questions are from other journalists.

MODERATOR:  Our next panel is “Dying to Belong.”  Please welcome back Shannen Doherty alongside executive producer Danielle von Zerneck and our stars Favour Onwuka and Jenika Rose.  Thank you guys for being here.  We really appreciate your time.  Our first question is from Jamie Ruby.

QUESTION:  Hi, guys.  Thanks for talking to us.  This is for the actors.  I’m just curious did you know how many people die from hazing at sororities, because I definitely learned about that after watching this, and how did that affect how you played your characters?

JENIKA ROSE:  You go first.

FAVOUR ONWUKA:  Yeah, that was something I found out about while researching on this project, because being in Canada you don’t really have sororities here, so it was a new thing for me to learn about, and it’s so sad to find out that people are still dying.  It’s still happening.  It’s terrible because it’s so senseless.  It’s such a senseless way to die.

JENIKA ROSE:  And in the ways that they die, how they’re provoked by their so-called “sisters,” it was just it was really chilling to read and learn about.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question is going to be from Suzanne.

Suzanne:  Hi.  I was wondering, Shannen, you’ve been acting since you were a little kid.  There are a lot of young women in this movie.  Did you have any particular advice for them?The girls in an initiation on "Dying to Belong" on Lifetime

SHANNEN DOHERTY:  I don’t think so.  You would have to ask these two, beautiful girls.  Yeah, I don’t think so.  I got very, very, very lucky this year in the people that I got to work with.  Danielle and I have done a movie before together, and as a producer she’s phenomenal and she’s caring.  She understands you.  She hears you.  She never gets flustered.  You don’t.  I mean, she’s really, really, really special and wonderful.  Our director, Gail Harvey, who I’ve also worked with before, it’s just I love her madly.  But working with these two girls was sort of a, you know, I’m going to be brutally honest, you never really know what you’re getting with people this age, you just don’t, and what I encountered was not only two hard working girls who constantly were putting their best foot forward, but they’re also kind and considerate and intelligent.  I don’t know if this is answering your question, but I just felt like I had to say that about everybody in this room right now, because I was really taken aback by how wonderful — and I think I said something to Danielle like maybe first or second day — I was like, God, like they’re really talented — really, really talented.  So I don’t know.  Did I give you any advice?  I didn’t have to.  Like they’re pros.

BOTH:

You did.

JENIKA ROSE:  You did a lot without like specifically being like, “Hey, here’s a hot tip.”  It was more just like observing you, and then you’d just like come over to us and just say something and then walk away, and it was wisdom, but I don’t know if you knew that it was, but it was very helpful, and there are lots of like little things that just pushed us forward.

FAVOUR ONWUKA:  Yeah.  And to add to that, it was a lot of modeling, at least for me, because this was my first lead, so I was taking notes from you.  I was like, “Oh, okay, that’s what Shannen’s doing, and she looks relaxed.  I should be relaxed.”  You know, I was just watching you and learning, and there were times where I’d come up in between — There was one particular time where I came up in between and I was like, “How do you do it,” and you were just like, “Well, this is what I’ve learned,” and you told me that, honestly, it takes time.  It’s something you build up over the years and, yeah, I really — I wrote, I took down notes.  Everything you said I was like, “Must do this.”  So, yes, thank you for all your advice.  It was amazing to have you.

JENIKA ROSE:  Thank you so much.

SHANNEN DOHERTY:  Thank you for being, like, the absolute, you know, beautiful, dedicated actors that you both are.  You honestly blew me away, and I have seen the movie.  I understand that neither one of you have yet.

DANIELLE von ZERNECK:  No.

JENIKA ROSE:  No.

SHANNEN DOHERTY:  But I have seen it and you guys are phenomenal in it.  Everybody did a great job and, Danielle, obviously, you should be proud, which I know you are.

DANIELLE von ZERNECK:  Very proud.  And I just, sorry — not to make this a love fest — but, at the same time, Shannen, like, the generosity of spirit that you bring, obviously, to every frickin’ thing you do was so — It was a beautiful thing to see all of these really newer to the form actors — (phone rings.) Oh, shit.  Sorry, guys.  And —

(Laughter.)

DANIELLE von ZERNECK:  Oh, my God.  I’m sorry, guys.  Okay.  Newer to the form, but watching you, they were so in awe and you just, as they said, watching that kind of generational thing, it was gorgeous.  Okay.

SHANNEN DOHERTY:  Did I start this by saying that she never gets flustered, because we just saw her get all flustered.

(Laughter.)

Suzanne:  Thank you.

MODERATOR:  Thank you, guys.  Our next question is from Jay Bobbin.

QUESTION:  Hi.  My question, actually, is for Danielle, and if your phone goes off again feel free to say anything you want; I’m fine.  Your dad is one of the prolific greats in this field, and when you tackle a project, and I know you’ve been on this side of the camera for a while, do you consult with him about the projects you want to do?  And then I’ve got a follow up for you.

DANIELLE von ZERNECK:  Okay, yeah, yeah.  I mean, how many people can get mentored by their father and it be meaningful?  I mean I feel very, very grateful to have that human in my life, and I love that Shannen’s been a part of both of those as well; like, that’s crazy, you know.  And, yeah, no, I love — Yes, I did always talk to him and not just about sort of — I think for me it was a little like, “Oh, I really think that there is a new way for this story to be told,” so that was like always my impulse with both movies and, especially this one, I was like (makes noise.)  I was talking to Favour and Jenica about this.  Like it’s like sorority movies are like female-ish — male gaze, normally and really thought like, “Oh, let’s put a female gaze on this all around.”  And my dad has always been incredibly supportive.  He loves it.  He loves that TV movies are still have something to say, and I think are really having an interesting renaissance, and I love that the definition of a TV movie is changing, and it’s nice to be part of that and to sort of still have my dad be here to see it.

QUESTION:  My follow up for you is – you did so much work in front of the cameras, what do you feel your arc was as a producer, because you knew what it was like to have the camera on you, how was it for you to be behind the camera?  When I say calling the shots I mean that loosely, not like a director, but how was that transition for you?

DANIELLE von ZERNECK:  It was long and arduous and the only thing I can say is that being an actress for a small amount of time the best thing about it is that every time you do an audition you’re basically selling yourself.  You’re selling, right?  And so when you move into producing and you’re selling a project it was so much easier to sell something that wasn’t me.  And, so, that, in a weird way, the acting stuff was really, really helpful, all the skills I learned.  And what’s crazy now, like I really don’t remember being an actress, it feels very foreign to me, so I’m always like so in awe of actors, because they have to — I don’t know.  I just feel like the work that they have to do is sometimes not noticed as much because they have to keep it different.  It’s like I get to go and I sign things and I run around, but actors sort of have to keep their emotional sanity about them, and these skills that now I just feel like I don’t know how you do it.  I really don’t.

QUESTION:  Thank you very much.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  We have time for one more question and that’s going to be Jamie.  Jamie.

QUESTION:  Sorry.  I’m just going to say did you guys research anything like into mental health?  I was just curious kind of how you prepared for that part of it.

JENIKA ROSE:   Yeah.  My character has severe general anxiety disorder, and I didn’t know too much about that.  I just sort of knew about people have anxiety, but this was a specific heightened part of anxiety, and I actually have a severe learning disability, so a lot of my character’s experiences were things that I’ve experienced myself in the past when I was younger and being around girls, especially.  So a lot of the situations that my character was in like really rang true, and I did have a best friend that I’ve had for a really long time, that was sort of Favour’s character, that helps one through those times and those people are really special.  So I really connected with that part of the anxiety and just I really wanted to show it in its true light and represent it properly, because I’m sure some people that have it, I didn’t want them to watch it and be like, “Mm, I wouldn’t be like that in that situation.”  So I just really wanted to do my best to make it as truthful as possible.

MORE INFO:

Preview

SHANNEN DOHERTY, FAVOUR ONWUKA
AND JENIKA ROSE
HEADLINE REMAKE OF THE 90’s CLASSIC FILM
DYING TO BELONG
DTB_04242021_DP_0295_TD

Los Angeles, CA (August 10, 2021) – Lifetime brings the classic film Dying to Belong to a whole new generation, with Shannen Doherty, Favour Onwuka (Supergirl) and Jenika Rose (iZombie) starring.  Revealing the harsh realities of toxic friendships and sorority hazing culture, Dying to Belong is a remake of the 1997 film of the same name, which starred Hilary Swank, Sarah Chalke, Jenna von Oÿ and Mark-Paul Gosselaar. Dying to Belong will debut this fall on Lifetime.

When journalism major Olivia (Onwuka) meets Riley (Rose), a shy freshman who suffers from anxiety, they become fast friends. Riley, whose mother Katherine (Doherty) was a legacy Pi Gamma Beta, decides to rush in hopes of following Katherine’s footsteps and is ecstatic when Olivia joins her. Sensing the opportunity to go undercover to write a story about hazing practices, Olivia soon discovers there are deadly secrets involved in being part of the “sisterhood.”

From 1959 to 2019, there has been at least one hazing death reported each year, and thirty reported within the last decade1. 95% of students hazed do not report it to officials2. Due to the pandemic, 2020 was the first year no hazing deaths were reported. Within the first two weeks of students returning to campus in 2021, two hazing deaths have already been reported.

Dying to Belong marks Doherty’s second movie for Lifetime this year as she also stars in List of a Lifetime, the network’s centerpiece of the Stop Breast Cancer for Life campaign, for which Doherty directed special content that will roll out in October for Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

As part of Lifetime’s commitment to hiring women in key production roles under the Broader Focus initiative, Dying to Belong is produced by Pink Buffalo Films and Wishing Floor Films with Danielle von Zerneck (The Christmas Set Up) executive producing, Gail Harvey (Gone Mom: The Disappearance of Jennifer Dulos) directs from a script from Caitlin D. Freyers (Wynona Earp). Shawn Angelski (Story of a Girl) also serves as executive producer. The original film’s producers included Frank von Zerneck, Danielle von Zerneck’s father.

 

 

 

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Shannen Doherty and Favour Onwuka star in "Dying to Belong" on Lifetime

Interview with Beth Riesgraf and Christian Kane

Posted on by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

 

 

Christian Kane and Beth Riesgraf of "Leverage: Redemption" on IMDb TV

Interview with Christian Kane and Beth Riesgraf of “Leverage: Redemption” on IMDb TV by Suzanne 9/30/21

These are two of my favorite actors, so it was great to speak with them again. I love the new series, and these second 8 episodes were ever better than the first two, in my opinion. This was a really fun chat, so I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Suzanne:   How you guys doing?

Christian:   Hi, how you doing?

Beth:   Hi, Suzanne.

Suzanne:   I love your show. I watched it since the beginning, and it’s great to see you guys back.

Beth:   Thank you.

Suzanne:   Your characters grew closer this season; you’re like brother and sister Do you think this is partly because of Hardison being out of the picture?

Christian:   That’s very good. We were talking about this earlier. I think, well, you have to remember that during the time that we were away, they were still working together. So, that’s kind of a fun dynamic that we had to come up with, you know, how close are we? How much do we know? All that kind of stuff. But you’re absolutely 100% correct. Hardison being away with the other teams, it leaves two totally different voids in our life. It’s the love of her life, and so he’s gone, and she’s worried about it. Then for me, that was my best friend. That’s my brother, but I like to punch him, and he punches me, and I have nobody to punch, you know what I mean? So, it’s like there’s a hole that he left there. So, I think they do. I think they look for him in each other. I think it’s brought them closer together, because he’s not there as much as he needs to be or wants to be.

Beth:   I think when we’re on the go, you know, we’ve been working together, like he said, and running these international teams. When we find them again, Parker has learned to throw a pretty good punch, and she obviously has been getting some training from Eliot. Those sorts of moments were really fun.

I think that one of the fun parts about this dynamic, for me, is our ability as characters to compartmentalize. So, when we’re in a moment together that’s super intense, we are laser focused, and there’s no gaggy stuff, but when it’s more of that familial moment, at HQ or over comms or something like that, there’s room for this other stuff to come in. I do really love that about our dynamic. Like I always say, Eliot has a shield up around all of us, and that’s like him protecting us, but there’re still moments where we’re gonna make jokes and make fun of each other, because we can, but when push comes to shove, it’s almost like boom again when we’re right back there.

Suzanne:   I love your guitars.

Christian:   Oh, thank you.

Suzanne:   You know who else has like a zillion guitars behind them on Zoom? Oh, Jeff Daniels.

Beth:   Oh, amazing!

Suzanne:   Yeah, I saw him at the TCA panel, and he had, I don’t know, like fifty guitars or something on the wall behind him.

Christian:   [unintelligible]

Suzanne:   Yeah. I don’t know if he’s in a band like you. I think he just plays for fun. I’m not really sure.

Christian:   [unintelligible] I’m sure there’s a picture of that.

Suzanne:   Yeah. So, with a normal brother and sister relationship, Eliot would probably be protective of Parker. I know you guys have each other’s backs, but is it fair to say that even though they love each other, he’s probably a little afraid of her?

Christian:   Well, I think he’s afraid to be inside her head. I think he just doesn’t understand anything that’s going on in there. When Eliott’s had everything set on fire, the world is burning, and in her head, there’s a bunch of balls bouncing around, and it’s dangerous, and you got to keep ducking. I think he’s very scared to be in her head.

Beth:   Stay out of this realm completely, Christian. Do not enter! [laughs]

Christian:   Which is pretty fun for me, because we didn’t play it right off the bat, and I noticed that we weren’t playing that, how he got so annoyed with her. And I noticed that it was because Hardison was there. You know what I mean? So, this whole thing, and he wasn’t as annoyed with her, but when Hardison left, then I started playing it more annoyed, because I’m like, “Look, I gotta be upset about something,” and so she gives me so much ammunition it’s ridiculous. So, that’s fun to play off of.

Suzanne:   Yeah, and Beth, both of your characters do a lot of physical things on the show. Do either of you do your own stunts, or is there some people taking your place?

Beth:   I mean, Christian doesn’t do his stunts. I do all of mine. [laughs] Oh my god, no, Christian does everything, I will I have to say that, but I just try to glean any bits of his genius on stunts and try to incorporate that, and he’s very, very capable and able. I know when to step back and let my stunt people come in and do the real hard work on that stuff. Christian has been a really great mentor to me on all of that and said, “You don’t need to do this part. Have somebody else do it,” because he also knows, especially when I was directing or when I have a heavy day of some other stuff, he’s like, “You save yourself, and you don’t need to do this part. You let the professionals come in to do it.” But, you know, trying to stand next to him, we’re always all like, “Whoa, this is incredible,” because even from a director’s standpoint in “The Bucket Job,” I know I can trust that his intuition on these fights and everything is going to be so much better than anything I could probably come up with to tell him, because he’s got all this experience, and it’s amazing.

Christian:   Yeah, and you know, the thing is that my stuff is a dance. People don’t understand that, because it looks violent on screen, but really what I’m doing is a dance. It’s a salsa dance, you know, it’s literally I’m just dancing with the other person. Her stuff is a lot harder than mine. People don’t get that she’s hanging office stuff, and she has to hang there sometimes for a long time, and then, she has to jump to the other one, or she has to hang there for a while until they get it all done, and then, you’re tired. Then, you got to jump down and jump up and do a flip. Her stuff is way harder than my stuff. Most of my stuff is literally a choreographed dance. Hers is actually really physical, and the problem that we run into, as we’re in the middle of a pandemic, is in New Orleans, [there are] no gyms and nothing but good food that’s usually fried. So, it’s very tough. This this season was very tough.

Beth:   A lot of salt.

Christian:   Yeah, a lot of salt.

Suzanne:   Sugar, too, right?

Beth:   Yeah.

Christian:   [unintelligible] and not get hurt. Luckily, just just bumps and bruises for both of us, but it was tough. You had to be very disciplined and, you know, do your push ups in your home, because you couldn’t go to the gym, and it takes takes a toll on your body, for both of us.

Suzanne:   Well, you guys both look great on the screen, so it doesn’t show if you put on a few extra pounds with that great New Orleans gumbo. So, I was going to ask you if you work out a lot to keep in good shape. So, obviously, you do Christian; you were talking about it. What about you, Beth?

Beth:   Yeah, absolutely. I mean, with all the wire work and the harness work, you have to keep your core super strong to protect your back and your neck and everything else. So, I work out as much as I possibly can. I think stamina-wise, the show moves really fast. It’s a really, really tough show, because it’s big, and emotionally and physically you have to be rested and in shape to kind of hang with these hours and keep it fresh and and stay for stamina purposes.

Then, we have the humidity and the heat in New Orleans, which is its own character, and so electrolytes became very important for me. And I had to cut back on some caffeine, and I’m used to drinking a lot of coffee, and I had to kind of tweak. That’s kind of the fun about going on location is you get a new set of rules, and you’re like, “Okay, how do I do this here?” but it was absolutely challenging. I mean, I would agree with Christian, it’s a very physical show for us, and it’s really fun, but it is challenging at times.

Suzanne:   I was talking to Aleyse earlier, and she’s definitely enjoying doing some of your kind of thing, hanging from the wires.

Beth:   Oh, yeah.

Suzanne:   Falling and all that stuff.

Beth:   Yeah.

Christian:   It’s a lot of fun.

Suzanne:   Going back, you were talked about directing; I read that you directed two episodes. What can you tell us about that?

Beth:   Yeah, absolutely. I had the time of my life working with the whole team and LeVar Burton in “The Bucket Job.” I think it’s a classic Leverage episode. I loved it so much. [There’s] a lot of emotional growth for Eliot and kind of windows into the things that he’s been going through emotionally, psychologically that we haven’t seen before. So, that was a lot of fun.

Then, logistically, “The Great Train [Job]” episode was one of the toughest, I think, to sort of plan, because we had an episode written that takes place on a moving train, but we didn’t actually have that as a location. So, we were finding two trains, but the trains couldn’t move, and we had to build some on the stage, and it was while shooting the finale as Parker, so it was a lot to juggle. I’m really really proud of how they both came out. Everybody brought their A game. They always do, but it was really an incredible process for me, because I got to work with so many people that I – as an actor, I don’t get to work with the production designer in the same way you do as a director, so all of those decisions and collaborations were so exciting and really, really fun.

Suzanne:   All right, and they tell me I have just a little bit of time left. Christian, your character goes through the wringer emotionally this part of the season with maybe meeting some of your family, and I don’t want to give spoilers away and what happens with a relationship, but you have all the usual hitting and kicking and punching and all that kind of stuff. What was it like for you?

Christian:   It was an emotional time for me, to be honest with you. I lost my father in December to COVID right in the middle of shooting and then had to come back and do the last walk off scene for Beth’s episode, because we’d already shot the episode, but then we still needed that pickup, that beautiful shot down Bourbon Street. Couldn’t have asked for a better situation. So, there’s a lot of things I was going through too at the same time, and I really loved that. I’d like to dedicate her episode to my dad, and just that walkway is such a beautiful shot. And I needed my friends around me at the time, and I couldn’t have asked for [better] ones in my life, which were the people that I was working with. So, it’s so good.

Then, to have Eliot in a relationship, it’s like it was something new, because he’s never done that. I mean, he’s lied to people; he’s hit on people, but he’s never really had let’s say, a quote unquote girlfriend type thing. And I’ve talked to Beth about about this. I needed him to be broken at the end of the season, because I’ve got to go somewhere with my character, and I don’t like him to be all fixed up.

So, with Beth directing, the emotion that came out with me and the beautiful LeVar Burton, and then the relationship troubles that he has, I feel like at the end of the season, it really pays off for me.

So, I’m excited. I’m excited people to watch it. We all play better characters when we’re a little bit broken. She doesn’t have Hardison, and I’m broken, so we end up broken, almost always end up broken, at the end of the season, which is fun. We’ve got somewhere to go now.

Suzanne:   Yes. Well, I hope there’s another season; I really enjoyed the episodes, and I would stay. I would love to stay and talk another ten minutes with you, but they tell me I have to go. So, thanks so much again.

Beth:   Yeah, until meet again.

Suzanne:   Thank you. I’ll see you on Instagram. Bye

Here’s the video!

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

MORE INFO:

Please visit our Leverage Page!

Preview

In this new iteration, and new world, the Leverage crew have watched as the rich and powerful continue to take what they want without consequence. Grifter Sophie Devereaux (Gina Bellman), thief Parker (Beth Riesgraf), hitter Eliot Spencer (Christian Kane), and hacker Alec Hardison (Aldis Hodge) have watched the world change over the last eight years. Since their last job, it’s become easier–and sometimes legal–for the rich to become richer and the powerful to squash anyone who gets in their way.  To address the changes in the world around them, the team finds new blood in Harry Wilson (Noah Wyle), a corporate lawyer who is looking for redemption after realizing he’d been sitting on the wrong side of the table for his entire career, and Breanna Casey (Aleyse Shannon), Hardison’s foster sister who has a knack for computers, robotics, and getting into trouble.

Executive Produced By

Dean Devlin, Marc Roskin, Rachel Olschan-Wilson and Kate Rorick. John Rogers and Chris Downey serve as consulting producers.

Directed By

Dean Devlin, Marc Roskin, Noah Wyle, Francis Dela Torre, Jonathan Frakes

Produced By

Electric Entertainment for IMDb TV

Cast

Gina Bellman, Christian Kane, Beth Riesgraf, Aleyse Shannon, and Noah Wyle, Special Guest Star Aldis Hodge

Beth Jean Riesgraf (born August 24, 1978) is an American actress. She is known for her portrayal of Parker on the TNT television series Leverage (2008–2012) and the revival Leverage: Redemption which streams on IMDb TV.

Christian Kane is an American actor and singer-songwriter. He is known for his roles in the television shows Angel, Leverage, The Librarians, and Into the West, and the movies Just Married, Taxi, and Secondhand Lions.

Kane is the lead singer of the country–southern rock band Kane. On December 7, 2010, they released The House Rules, their third album and their debut for record label Bigger Picture Music Group. The album reached no. 25 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. The first single from the album, also titled “The House Rules”, debuted at no. 54 on the Billboard Country Songs chart. The second single, “Let Me Go”, was released on July 11, 2011.

Catch Eight New Episodes of the IMDb TV Original Series Leverage: Redemption on October 8

Aug 26, 2021

CATCH EIGHT NEW EPISODES OF THE IMDb TV ORIGINAL SERIES LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION 
ON OCTOBER 8

 

WATCH NEW TEASER HERE
SCREENERS OF NEW EPISODES AVAILABLE NOW ON SCREENERS.COM

REVIEWS EMBARGOED UNTIL MONDAY, OCTOBER 4 AT 6:00AM PT/9:00AM ET

“Let’s go steal…eight new episodes of Leverage: Redemption.” In an all-new con, the Leverage crew surprised and delighted their fans by teasing the fall premiere of Leverage: Redemption in an exclusive video that dropped on IMDb TV socials today. The teaser video confirms that the IMDb TV Original series Leverage: Redemption will return this fall with eight additional season one episodes premiering October 8. In the brand-new episodes, the Leverage team finds itself up against a rival organization that embodies the system the team works so hard to take down.

Joining the cast in these additional episodes are guest stars Drew Powell (reprising his role as Jack Hurley from the original Leverage series), Ben Thompson, Joanna Cassidy, Jon Fletcher, and Brianna Brown, in addition to the previously announced guest stars James Marsters, LeVar Burton, and Andrea Navedo (continuing her role as Maria Shipp), as the Leverage team must aid a small town librarian, discredit a lifestyle and wellness guru, explore the failing memory of a legendary grifter, and more. Screeners for the new episodes are available now on Screeners.com. The remaining episodes of season one of Leverage: Redemption will premiere on October 8 on IMDb TV, Amazon’s free streaming service.

The first eight episodes of season one of Leverage: Redemption and all seasons of the original Leverage series are available to stream now on IMDb TV.

The rich and powerful take what they want, and the Leverage team is back to take them down. Sophie Devereaux (The Grifter), Parker (The Thief), Eliot Spencer (The Hitter), and Alec Hardison (The Hacker) have watched the world change over the last eight years. It’s become easier, and sometimes legal, for the rich to become richer and the powerful to squash anyone who gets in their way. The Leverage team finds new blood in Harry Wilson, a corporate lawyer who is looking for redemption after realizing he’s been sitting on the wrong side of the table for his entire career, and Breanna Casey, Hardison’s foster sister who has a knack for computers, robotics, and getting into trouble. In this new world, the team will use their collective skills to defeat a new kind of villain – from the man who created an opioid crisis from the comfort of his boardroom, to the couple who prefers to deport workers instead of paying them, to the shadowy security firm that helps hide dangerous secrets for a price. When someone needs help, they provide…Leverage.

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. Kate Rorick is the co-showrunner and an executive producer alongside Dean Devlin, and executive producers Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan-Wilson of Electric Entertainment. John Rogers and Chris Downey are consulting producers.

IMDb TV uniquely offers premium Originals on a free streaming service including the upcoming dramedy Pretty Hard Cases, premiering September 10. Spanning drama and comedy, scripted and unscripted, additional IMDb TV Originals include the Untitled Judge Judy Sheindlin Project, a Bosch spinoff; the comedy series Sprung; the Untitled Jeff Lewis Project – a new home design series; On Call from executive producer Dick Wolf; and second seasons of Alex Rider and Top Class: The Life and Times of the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers.

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IMDb TV Social TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK

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Christian Kane and Beth Riesgraf of "Leverage: Redemption" on IMDb TV

Interview with Gina Bellman and Aleyse Shannon

Posted on by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

 

Gina Bellman and Aleyse Shannon of "Leverage: Redemption" on IMDb TV.

Interview with Gina Bellman (Sophie) and Aleyse Shannon (Brenna) of “Leverage: Redemption” on IMDb TV by Suzanne 9/30/21

It was nice to chat with these two women because I had never chatted with Gina before, when she was on the older version of the show, and Aleyse is brand new to the show.  Gina’s character, Sophie, is the new leader of the group, and has a lot to deal with this year, since her husband’s death. Breanna (Aleyse’s character) is a breath of fresh air that the show needs. It’s great to have some “young blood,” and to fill in for Hardison, since his portrayer, Aldis Hodge, couldn’t be in the whole show due to other commitments.

Suzanne:   How are you guys doing today?

Gina:   Oh, good. Thank you. I wish I was [unintelligible] right now.

Suzanne:   You wish you were where?

Gina:   With that palm tree and the ocean.

Suzanne:   I wish I was too. I’m in Arkansas.

Aleyse:   Close very close.

Suzanne:   So, we heard today about the UK picking up your show in late October. So, how do you guys feel about that?

Gina:   I’m so excited. I feel like I’ve been waiting ages. It’s been so frustrating sitting here in London and hearing these little plaintive messages like, “When are we getting the show? When are we getting the show?” and not being able to give an answer. So, to be able to say it’s coming on October 22nd, all sixteen episodes, is just really, really thrilling for all of us.

Suzanne:   So, they didn’t get the first eight episodes either.

Gina:   No, [not] here in the UK.

Suzanne:   Great. They probably are big fan of yours, being in the UK, and that’s probably why, one of the reasons they liked the show. What do you think, Aleyse?

Aleyse:   Oh, I mean, it’s great. This show is is a labor of just love, and as many people as possible that can get wrapped up in that love, the better. I hope it’s received the same way; I hope it just brings joy the same way that it seems to have brought joy here domestically.

Suzanne:   Right. And Aleyse, you’re new to the show. Can you tell me about getting this job and the process you went through?

Aleyse:   Yeah, I worked at Starbucks and was messing up people’s Frappuccino’s. I got an audition. I quit Starbucks saying that I already booked it, and then I booked it, but I did my audition with Beth over Zoom in my mom’s house and kind of didn’t know what I was in for. I got here, and it’s the best thing that’s happened to me, artistically speaking. It’s a dream show that we’re working on.

Suzanne:   What was your first day like?

Aleyse:   My first day I get an email saying there’s a hurricane coming, actually, now there’re two. So, there’s all this anticipation and build up. I’m like, “Do I know these lines, or do I think I know these lines?” Hurricane comes, you sit down for another seven days, you’re like, “Oh my gosh, all my adrenaline’s gone,” and it kicks back in. But it was good first day. A lot of the players were in, [I’m] sitting there rattling off a monologue going, “Oh my gosh, that is Aldis Hodge, Beth Riesgraf, Christian Kane, Noah Wyle, and Gina Bellman, wow.” It was intimidating, but I got through it and was met with so much love, so great first day.

Suzanne:   I never thought of that… filming in New Orleans, of course you’d have to contend with things like hurricanes.

Gina, how was it welcoming new characters into the show?

Gina:   It was great. I think one of the things about continuing with an existing show is it’s got to have new elements. It’s got to feel fresh; it’s got to have like new dynamics. You don’t want to ever feel that you’re standing still or looking over your shoulder. You need to be looking to the future. And when I watch a show, I love to discover the characters through the other characters’ eyes, so having their lens on us makes our characters – you know, it sort of informs the audience of who we are, so it’s also really helpful as a device.

Then, we get to meet these lovely new members of our family and develop friendship over nine months, and we’ve all become close.

It’s an interesting thing acting with people, because you’re in a vacuum; you become very, very close, but you’ve become very close in a vacuum. I’ve known so many of these people for many, many years, but they don’t know my friends. I don’t know their friends. So, you have this very intense kind of love for one another, but it’s quite unique. It’s hard, I think, for other people to understand how you can feel that strongly for people that you work [with] in this bubble. Yeah, it was lovely, welcoming both of these [unintelligible].

Suzanne:   And even more of a bubble now.

Gina:   Yeah.

Suzanne:   Well, one thing that’s nice about Dean is he seems to repurpose his actors in the different shows that he’s [done]. I think Christian’s been in all of his shows.

Gina:   Yeah, I mean, Dean’s best friend is our cameraman and has been from the pilot episode. So, that’s just like one example of how these are real collaborations and personal friendships, which is the dream really, I think, for everyone, isn’t it?

Suzanne:   Yeah, it shows his loyalty to his friends as well.

So, with Nathan gone from the show, is it fair to say that he has been replaced by Sophie with the main team and by Hardison, globally, now that there’s a global aspect?

Gina:   Yeah, we don’t go into too much detail about the kind of international operations, but yeah, that’s the device. I mean, obviously, we all know that Aldis is an incredible actor who’s very much in demand. You know, we take what we can get, but we didn’t really focus on so much what the other international teams were doing. I think it’s totally fair to say that Sophie’s put into a leadership role, but what I loved about the way it was written and the way it was developed was that she doesn’t just arrive and take that role. She’s waiting for it to be given. Everybody gives it to her; everybody gives her permission, a little bit more permission. That’s part of her journey of recovering from her loss and her grief. They know her so well that they know that they have to give her a purpose; they have to help her on on her way. Then, I think, as the season develops, and going into these final eight, she kind of sees light at the end of the tunnel, and she’s on her path, and she sees her destiny.

Suzanne:   I think that the great thing about this show is the you all get to play multiple characters. So, it’s more than just like playing one show. You’re on multiple shows in a way.

Aleyse:   Oh, yeah, I mean, you get a script, and there’s just so much opportunity all over it to sort of do something that’s just on your mind, or maybe you’ve seen a show, and you’re like, “Oh, wow, that must be a really cool set to be on,” [and] all of a sudden you have a medieval moment that you’re stepping into; it’s great. I mean, imagination, there’re no bounds bringing ideas; you’re never really shut down. Everybody’s like, “We’ll try it. Let’s see.” Yeah, it’s like 100 different show.

Suzanne:   Well, that segues into my other question, which is do they give you any leeway into changing the dialogue at all? Are they open to suggestions and changes about your character? Sounds like they are.

Gina:   Yeah, I mean, we riff in like little, tiny ways, and Aldis and Aleyse are the prince and princess of that, of just doing spontaneous little riffs. But I like to kind of really – I’m a very kind of text focused actor. So, I like to rework scenes and try and make them better and reorder things. Also, we like to bring in little physical like improv that will just elevate a scene, make it feel more, you know, present sometimes. You just bring in a little bit of business, and then you’ve got a reason why you’re all sitting around that table. You’ve got a reason why you’re all in that room, and we’re all really good at that, and they’re very open to it.

Suzanne:   And Aleyse, your character learns a lot. This half of the season she ends up being more than just the the girl at the keyboard. What was the most challenging physical thing that you did this half of the season?

Aleyse:   Oh, I want to say maybe being on ropes dropping through a ceiling. That was kind of hard; it’s because we’re like [at] a dead hang, and it’s through a hole in the ceiling. So, you have to climb on a ladder. But honestly, I think the thing that was most taxing on me is falling like that, but it’s always my choice to fall. I don’t think that the falls were really written in there for me, maybe one, but, yeah, that just becomes challenging, because you’re trying to keep it fresh, and you’re trying to sell the fall, and that would be my thing.

Suzanne:   Okay, well, they told me that’s my last question. I really appreciate talk me guys. I’ve talked to all of you now except for Noah, [but] the original Leverage, I got to interview everyone except for Gina. So, I collect them all.

Gina:   Thank you. Thanks, Suzanne.

Suzanne:   Thank you so much. I hope you enjoy the rest of the day and don’t have too much stress sitting there for hours.

Gina:   Not at all, it’s fun.

Aleyse:   Bye.

Suzanne:   Thank you. Bye bye.

Here’s the video!

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

MORE INFO:

Please visit our Leverage Page!

Preview

In this new iteration, and new world, the Leverage crew have watched as the rich and powerful continue to take what they want without consequence. Grifter Sophie Devereaux (Gina Bellman), thief Parker (Beth Riesgraf), hitter Eliot Spencer (Christian Kane), and hacker Alec Hardison (Aldis Hodge) have watched the world change over the last eight years. Since their last job, it’s become easier–and sometimes legal–for the rich to become richer and the powerful to squash anyone who gets in their way.  To address the changes in the world around them, the team finds new blood in Harry Wilson (Noah Wyle), a corporate lawyer who is looking for redemption after realizing he’d been sitting on the wrong side of the table for his entire career, and Breanna Casey (Aleyse Shannon), Hardison’s foster sister who has a knack for computers, robotics, and getting into trouble.

Executive Produced By

Dean Devlin, Marc Roskin, Rachel Olschan-Wilson and Kate Rorick. John Rogers and Chris Downey serve as consulting producers.

Directed By

Dean Devlin, Marc Roskin, Noah Wyle, Francis Dela Torre, Jonathan Frakes

Produced By

Electric Entertainment for IMDb TV

Cast

Gina Bellman, Christian Kane, Beth Riesgraf, Aleyse Shannon, and Noah Wyle, Special Guest Star Aldis Hodge

Gina Bellman was born on July 10, 1966 in Auckland, New Zealand. She is an actress, known for Coupling (2000), Leverage (2008) and Jekyll (2007). She has been married to Zaab Sethna since September 2013. They have one child. She was previously married to Lucho Brieva.

Family

Spouse Zaab Sethna (September 2013 – present)  (1 child)
Lucho Brieva (July 2005 – 2007)  (divorced)
Children Brieva, Romy

Trivia

She was born in New Zealand and moved to England when she was 11 years old.
Daughter, Romy, born on November 20, 2009 in London.

Aleyse Shannon was born on May 16, 1996. She is an actress, known for Black Christmas (2019), Leverage: Redemption (2021) and Beauty (2021).

Trivia

Graduated from Carnegie Mellon University School of Drama.

Catch Eight New Episodes of the IMDb TV Original Series Leverage: Redemption on October 8

Aug 26, 2021

CATCH EIGHT NEW EPISODES OF THE IMDb TV ORIGINAL SERIES LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION 
ON OCTOBER 8

Leverage: Redemption poster

WATCH NEW TEASER HERE
SCREENERS OF NEW EPISODES AVAILABLE NOW ON SCREENERS.COM

REVIEWS EMBARGOED UNTIL MONDAY, OCTOBER 4 AT 6:00AM PT/9:00AM ET

“Let’s go steal…eight new episodes of Leverage: Redemption.” In an all-new con, the Leverage crew surprised and delighted their fans by teasing the fall premiere of Leverage: Redemption in an exclusive video that dropped on IMDb TV socials today. The teaser video confirms that the IMDb TV Original series Leverage: Redemption will return this fall with eight additional season one episodes premiering October 8. In the brand-new episodes, the Leverage team finds itself up against a rival organization that embodies the system the team works so hard to take down.

Joining the cast in these additional episodes are guest stars Drew Powell (reprising his role as Jack Hurley from the original Leverage series), Ben Thompson, Joanna Cassidy, Jon Fletcher, and Brianna Brown, in addition to the previously announced guest stars James Marsters, LeVar Burton, and Andrea Navedo (continuing her role as Maria Shipp), as the Leverage team must aid a small town librarian, discredit a lifestyle and wellness guru, explore the failing memory of a legendary grifter, and more. Screeners for the new episodes are available now on Screeners.com. The remaining episodes of season one of Leverage: Redemption will premiere on October 8 on IMDb TV, Amazon’s free streaming service.

The first eight episodes of season one of Leverage: Redemption and all seasons of the original Leverage series are available to stream now on IMDb TV.

The rich and powerful take what they want, and the Leverage team is back to take them down. Sophie Devereaux (The Grifter), Parker (The Thief), Eliot Spencer (The Hitter), and Alec Hardison (The Hacker) have watched the world change over the last eight years. It’s become easier, and sometimes legal, for the rich to become richer and the powerful to squash anyone who gets in their way. The Leverage team finds new blood in Harry Wilson, a corporate lawyer who is looking for redemption after realizing he’s been sitting on the wrong side of the table for his entire career, and Breanna Casey, Hardison’s foster sister who has a knack for computers, robotics, and getting into trouble. In this new world, the team will use their collective skills to defeat a new kind of villain – from the man who created an opioid crisis from the comfort of his boardroom, to the couple who prefers to deport workers instead of paying them, to the shadowy security firm that helps hide dangerous secrets for a price. When someone needs help, they provide…Leverage.

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. Kate Rorick is the co-showrunner and an executive producer alongside Dean Devlin, and executive producers Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan-Wilson of Electric Entertainment. John Rogers and Chris Downey are consulting producers.

IMDb TV uniquely offers premium Originals on a free streaming service including the upcoming dramedy Pretty Hard Cases, premiering September 10. Spanning drama and comedy, scripted and unscripted, additional IMDb TV Originals include the Untitled Judge Judy Sheindlin Project, a Bosch spinoff; the comedy series Sprung; the Untitled Jeff Lewis Project – a new home design series; On Call from executive producer Dick Wolf; and second seasons of Alex Rider and Top Class: The Life and Times of the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers.

Follow IMDb TV:
IMDb TV Social TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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Gina Bellman (Sophie) and Aleyse Shannon (Brenna) of "Leverage: Redemption" on IMDb TV

Interview with Dean Devlin and Kate Rorick

Posted on by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

 

 

Dean Devlin and Kate Rorick of "Leverage: Redemption" on IMDb TV

Interview with Executive Producers Dean Devlin and Kate Rorick of “Leverage: Redemption” on IMDb TV by Suzanne 9/29/21

This was a wonderful interview with the showrunner/producer/writer of the show, Dean, and the main writer, producer Kate. I’ve interviewed Dean before, but Kate was a pleasant addition. They were both fun to have on Zoom and gave great answers. I just love this show, and I was very happy to watch the series last 8 episodes of the first season. I hope it gets a second season. I was a huge fan of the original series that ran on TNT as well.

Suzanne:   How are you guys doing?

Kate:   Good. How are you?

Suzanne:   I’m pretty good. Can’t complain. I’m on the beach, as you see.

Dean:   Nice.

Suzanne:   So Dean, it’s nice to see you again, and it’s nice to meet you, Kate.

Kate:   Nice to meet you too.

Suzanne:   So, I finished watching all the Leverage episodes last night from the new season. I would have watched them sooner, but TCA happened… but I really love the show. I liked the first one, too. So, I’m a big, long-time fan.

So, why was the season broken up into two parts?

Dean:   I think that was just a decision by IMDb TV to give us two jolts, so that it wasn’t just one shot in the arm.

Suzanne:   Okay, and another question just occurred to me. I know that back when you were doing Almost Paradise, you kept trying to shop it to other networks. Were you trying to get a Leverage reboot done all this time, or was it a more recent thing?

Dean:   Oh, no, no. I originally started talking to IMDb about doing Leverage almost two and a half years ago. So, yeah, it was a long time in the in the making. They’ve been spectacular partners and incredible support. Not only did they step up to bring the show back but then held our hands during a global pandemic and eight hurricanes that knocked us out. I mean, you can’t get a more supportive, better partner than than IMDb TV. And, of course, now they’re running Almost Paradise.

Suzanne:   Oh, any chance for more episodes of those in the future?

Dean:   Well, I think that the reality is that if these back eight of Leverage do as well as the first eight, or hopefully better, and people continue to keep watching Almost Paradise on IMDB TV, I think we have a really good shot of second seasons on both of them. So, my fingers are crossed. Hopefully they go up in big numbers.

Suzanne:   Oh, good. When I interviewed you and Christian Kane in March 2020, that was my first Zoom interview

Dean:  

Oh, my gosh.

Suzanne:   Because I had done only phone interviews up until then.

Kate:   It’s weird how quickly it became normal.

Suzanne:   I know, right? Weird. So, can you tell me, if it’s not going back too far, why was Nathan killed off rather than just went missing or recast?

Dean:   Well, I think the thing is, the first Leverage series was really centered around a story of vengeance, you know, a man who lost his son, and it destroyed his life and his marriage, and he was set out for revenge. Over the course of 77 episodes, he found peace, and he found love again, and it really was a completion of an arc, and rather than just get him pissed off about something else again and launch the next show, I think what really made this work was by having a brand new engine and a new tone instead of a story that was about vengeance. This was a story about redemption. That really gave us an energy to put the show back together and to give it relevancy of why you should watch the new version.

Suzanne:   And is there any remote chance that he would come back in the future, figure out that he’s not really dead or whatever?

Dean:   You know, I never say never to anything.

Suzanne:   I love the Easter eggs in the show like having LeVar Burton playing a librarian, and the episode when Noah Wyle goes in the hospital and pretends to be a doctor, and I’m not gonna put any spoilers here, but I heard and saw a few. That was great. Are there more that I didn’t notice?

Kate:   Well, we try to feed in easter eggs whenever we can, because we know that we have a very passionate fan base who likes those things, but also, we as writers like those things. They tickle us when they make it through. As for the Noah Wyle in the doctor’s coat thing, we hadn’t originally planned on it, but the opportunity presented itself, and we said to ourselves, “Alright, we get we can do this once. We can do this once. So, let’s just do it now.”

Dean:   Also, I think so much now within the streaming world you have shows that are serialized, and sometimes multiple shows that are serialized and interconnected, and it really demands a lot of the viewer that the viewer has to watch every single episode and remember everything from every show. Our show is episodic; you can you can jump in at any point. You don’t have to have seen previous episodes, and you can enjoy the show. But for us, the Easter eggs are a present for those who have stuck with us. You don’t need to have watched every episode, but if you have, you’re going to get a couple extra treats that everyone else won’t get

Suzanne:   I watched them all, but I have a terrible memory, and I’m not all that observant, so if it’s obvious, I could see it, but I know I always have to find a video or something where somebody says, “Okay, here’s all the Easter eggs in that movie” or whatever.

Dean:   You can always watch the official Leverage After Show on Electric Now, and we break down the Easter eggs of every episode.

Suzanne:   I’ll definitely have to do that, then.

Can you tell us about the guest stars this half of the season? I didn’t have a list, but I recognized faces.

Kate:   We have so many amazing guest stars in this season. LeVar Burton, you mentioned, is one of them. Joanna Cassidy shows up in a role that I absolutely adored, and she knocked it out of the park. James Marsters shows up to come play with his former Angel costar Christian Kane, and I love watching them go head to head against each other. Drew Powell in the same episode showed up. So, it was an embarrassment of riches the back half.

Suzanne:   Cool. There was a woman, I think it was in the second episode that I recognized. She ended up working in like a drugstore somewhere. They put in witness protection at the end. I didn’t recognize her name.

Kate:   I’m so sorry. I’m blanking. I know exactly who you are talking about on who you’re talking about, but I’m blanking [on her name].

Suzanne:   Okay, I’ll ask IMDb. So, the series was primarily set in New Orleans, but where was it actually filmed?

Kate:   It was filmed in New Orleans.

Suzanne:   Oh, okay.

Kate:   Honestly, I don’t think New Orleans can be doubled anywhere else except for possibly that one little square in Disneyland, but it is such a vibrant city, and it becomes a vibrant character that when you go to New Orleans, you shoot New Orleans.

Suzanne:   Right, right. No, I understand. Actually, we were in Vicksburg not too long ago, and their their downtown area looks a lot like New Orleans, and they do the whole touristy thing there with the daiquiris and everything like they’re trying to imitate.

Dean:   I love it.

Suzanne:   Eliot went through a lot of personal stuff this season, more than Parker of Brianna. Can you tell us what went into that thinking of doing that for him?

Kate:   Well, I think we wanted to give Eliot a relationship and a grown up relationship that has him thinking ahead to the idea that maybe, “My job is incredibly important to me. Leverage is the most important thing I’m going to do, but I also want to share my life with somebody.” So, I think that when we get through these back eight episodes, that’s sort of where Eliot’s mind has has landed, and he needs to find a way to balance.

Suzanne:   And without giving away any spoilers, there was a possible meeting up with someone in his family, do you think that might continue in another season?

Dean:   Absolutely. It’s something that we had actually been planning on in the original Leverage had there been a season six then. We had it on the drawing board to really go farther in it. So, we decided to release it in season one, and if, knock wood, we get to season two, we will definitely go farther down that road.

Suzanne:   Okay, and was shooting the second half of the season easier for you, even though you had COVID restrictions during filming? I mean, did it get easier over time?

Kate:   From my perspective, it did get easier over time, just because we’d sort of you figured out what you were going to stumble over as you went along, but to that point, it still wasn’t easy.

Dean:   There was no break when we shot them. We shot all sixteen back to back, so we were still in the height of it.

Suzanne:   And was it fun to incorporate two newer characters this season, Harry and Brianna, into the show with the rest of the Leverage team

Kate:   It was honestly, and I’m so gratified and relieved at the reception that they’ve received from the fans, because it’s hard to join a very established show and to be somebody new on it, but they do. They bring new perspectives; they bring new new skills to the table, and I think that they breathe a lot of – they created a good engine for the show.

Suzanne:   And when you have these ideas for the show, each episode where there’s some character or person or entity that they have to help, are those ideas taken from the headlines, or where do they come from?

Kate:   We have like just files of the history of bad guys, things that have happened in the world. It’s like there is no dearth of bad guys for us to draw from. And in general, they are always worse than what we manage to put on screen.

Suzanne:   I believe it. I liked that episode where Harry was going through the the files in his old legal office. He said, “And they did that, and they did that.” Just always terrible things.

Dean:   There was one moment where we were looking at a line that one of our bad guys says in one of the episodes, and there were some question about whether it was too over the top, and then somebody showed the video of the guy we were kind of basing it on, and it was word for word what he said.

Suzanne:   Well, they say truth is stranger than fiction, worse than fiction, apparently.

There’s a lot of comedy in the show, which I enjoy, especially with Parker. Is there ever a time when you think, ”No, that’s too much comedy; this is a drama we’ve got to cut that that back.”

Kate:   I don’t know if we’ve ever actually gone too far. We try very hard to strike a balance between the comedy and the pathos of the story, but as Dean has said several times, if you stripped the comedy out of the show, Leverage is an incredibly dark show. Comedy is what makes it palatable, so chances are the worst thing that somebody has done, the funnier we’re going to try to be at some point, just to make it balanced.

Dean:   And I think we live in a world now with a lot of very dark and serialized shows, and I think one of the things that makes this stand out is for an hour you get to escape. You get to have a good time, you get to be hopeful, you get to be positive, and at the same time, you get to punch in the neck some really bad people.

Suzanne:   Yeah. I love that little sound; I don’t know if there’s a name for it, whenever Parker does something really fast, there’s a sound.

Dean:   We call it the whoosh.

Suzanne:   I’m surprised nobody’s made a video on YouTube of just all those little bits put together with the whoosh sound.

Kate:   Well, they will now.

Dean:   I’m sure somebody’s got a ringtone with it.

Suzanne:   I don’t have the time to put it together, or I would.

The end of the season doesn’t seem to be an ending for the team. Did you write it with the idea that the show will hopefully probably continue?

Kate:   We are cautiously optimistic that there will be a season two, knock on wood, all the wood you can find, but that said, we wanted to make sure that if there wasn’t going to be a season two that we ended season one on a satisfactory note. Everybody feels satisfied at the end of season one, so that was our goal as we went forward.

Dean:   Yeah, if you really if you look back on Leverage, it was really one of the style choices that we always ended the season with a [conclusion]. We never did a big cliffhanger at the end of the season. We always wanted it to be a complete meal. Instead of making you want to come back on a cliffhanger, we wanted to make you come back because you had such a good time.

Suzanne:   And I always wanted to ask this, and I never remembered before, but when you were younger, did you grow up watching things like It Takes a Thief and I Spy and Wild Wild West and Man from U.N.C.L.E.?

Dean:   All three of those shows you mentioned my mother guest starred on, so I have to include them, but I [would] say if you were really going to pull where we pulled from, it would really probably be more Rockford Files, A-Team, Mission Impossible. I think those were probably more the predecessors.

Suzanne:   Well, the coolness factor definitely reminds me of those old 60s shows.

And if Harry returns for the next season, would there be a possible romantic relationship between him and Sophie?

Kate:   Never say never; don’t want to rule anything out. Yeah, never say never.

Dean:   I think the thing is, what’s really great about their relationship is that Harry is the only person on the team who exclusively knows Sophie as who she is today, when everyone else has the memories of who she used to be. So, he’s able to bring [a] perspective that no one else on the team can, and that respect and that friendship is so important that for us it’s more important than a romantic relationship. If we made the decision to go down that road, it would be interesting, but to us, what’s really more interesting is how these people are relating on a different level than any of the other teammates relate on.

Suzanne:   Okay, well, I’ll take your word for that, but I did notice that what she did after … at the last episode, and that seemed to indicate that there was some kind of … there, but I won’t spoil it.

Thanks so much. I really appreciate it.

Dean:   Thank you. So nice to talk to you.

Kate:   Thank you.

Suzanne:   I’ll talk to you again sometime.

Dean:   Bye.

Here’s the video!

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

MORE INFO:

Please visit our Leverage Page!

Preview

In this new iteration, and new world, the Leverage crew have watched as the rich and powerful continue to take what they want without consequence. Grifter Sophie Devereaux (Gina Bellman), thief Parker (Beth Riesgraf), hitter Eliot Spencer (Christian Kane), and hacker Alec Hardison (Aldis Hodge) have watched the world change over the last eight years. Since their last job, it’s become easier–and sometimes legal–for the rich to become richer and the powerful to squash anyone who gets in their way.  To address the changes in the world around them, the team finds new blood in Harry Wilson (Noah Wyle), a corporate lawyer who is looking for redemption after realizing he’d been sitting on the wrong side of the table for his entire career, and Breanna Casey (Aleyse Shannon), Hardison’s foster sister who has a knack for computers, robotics, and getting into trouble.

Executive Produced By

Dean Devlin, Marc Roskin, Rachel Olschan-Wilson and Kate Rorick. John Rogers and Chris Downey serve as consulting producers.

Directed By

Dean Devlin, Marc Roskin, Noah Wyle, Francis Dela Torre, Jonathan Frakes

Produced By

Electric Entertainment for IMDb TV

Cast

Gina Bellman, Christian Kane, Beth Riesgraf, Aleyse Shannon, and Noah Wyle, Special Guest Star Aldis Hodge

Catch Eight New Episodes of the IMDb TV Original Series Leverage: Redemption on October 8

Aug 26, 2021

CATCH EIGHT NEW EPISODES OF THE IMDb TV ORIGINAL SERIES LEVERAGE: REDEMPTION 
ON OCTOBER 8

 

WATCH NEW TEASER HERE
SCREENERS OF NEW EPISODES AVAILABLE NOW ON SCREENERS.COM

REVIEWS EMBARGOED UNTIL MONDAY, OCTOBER 4 AT 6:00AM PT/9:00AM ET

“Let’s go steal…eight new episodes of Leverage: Redemption.” In an all-new con, the Leverage crew surprised and delighted their fans by teasing the fall premiere of Leverage: Redemption in an exclusive video that dropped on IMDb TV socials today. The teaser video confirms that the IMDb TV Original series Leverage: Redemption will return this fall with eight additional season one episodes premiering October 8. In the brand-new episodes, the Leverage team finds itself up against a rival organization that embodies the system the team works so hard to take down.

Joining the cast in these additional episodes are guest stars Drew Powell (reprising his role as Jack Hurley from the original Leverage series), Ben Thompson, Joanna Cassidy, Jon Fletcher, and Brianna Brown, in addition to the previously announced guest stars James Marsters, LeVar Burton, and Andrea Navedo (continuing her role as Maria Shipp), as the Leverage team must aid a small town librarian, discredit a lifestyle and wellness guru, explore the failing memory of a legendary grifter, and more. Screeners for the new episodes are available now on Screeners.com. The remaining episodes of season one of Leverage: Redemption will premiere on October 8 on IMDb TV, Amazon’s free streaming service.

The first eight episodes of season one of Leverage: Redemption and all seasons of the original Leverage series are available to stream now on IMDb TV.

The rich and powerful take what they want, and the Leverage team is back to take them down. Sophie Devereaux (The Grifter), Parker (The Thief), Eliot Spencer (The Hitter), and Alec Hardison (The Hacker) have watched the world change over the last eight years. It’s become easier, and sometimes legal, for the rich to become richer and the powerful to squash anyone who gets in their way. The Leverage team finds new blood in Harry Wilson, a corporate lawyer who is looking for redemption after realizing he’s been sitting on the wrong side of the table for his entire career, and Breanna Casey, Hardison’s foster sister who has a knack for computers, robotics, and getting into trouble. In this new world, the team will use their collective skills to defeat a new kind of villain – from the man who created an opioid crisis from the comfort of his boardroom, to the couple who prefers to deport workers instead of paying them, to the shadowy security firm that helps hide dangerous secrets for a price. When someone needs help, they provide…Leverage.

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. Kate Rorick is the co-showrunner and an executive producer alongside Dean Devlin, and executive producers Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan-Wilson of Electric Entertainment. John Rogers and Chris Downey are consulting producers.

IMDb TV uniquely offers premium Originals on a free streaming service including the upcoming dramedy Pretty Hard Cases, premiering September 10. Spanning drama and comedy, scripted and unscripted, additional IMDb TV Originals include the Untitled Judge Judy Sheindlin Project, a Bosch spinoff; the comedy series Sprung; the Untitled Jeff Lewis Project – a new home design series; On Call from executive producer Dick Wolf; and second seasons of Alex Rider and Top Class: The Life and Times of the Sierra Canyon Trailblazers.

Follow IMDb TV:
IMDb TV Social TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

Back to the Primetime Articles and Interviews Page

Dean Devlin and Kate Rorick, Executive Producer and Writer of "Leverage: Redemption" on IMDbTV

Interview with Simon Frederick, Eunice Olumide and Jidenna

Posted on by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Simon Frederick, Eunice Olumide and Jidenna

Interview with Simon Frederick, Eunice Olumide and Jidenna of “The Outsiders?” on YouTube by Suzanne 9/23/21

The Outsiders? TCA Panel
Simon Frederick, Director
Eunice Olumide, Actress, Model & Broadcaster
Jidenna, Recording Artist & Producer
2021 Virtual Tour Los Angeles, CA September 23, 2021
© 2021 YouTube Originals. All rights reserved.

This was an interesting panel. I hadn’t seen the series ahead of time, so I wasn’t sure what to ask. I did think of some things to ask, eventually, as the panel continued.

The first journalist asked Simon Frederick how he decided which artists should go in his documentary series.

He said that Jidenna was someone that he wanted to speak with for a long time because of his song “Classic Man” and that he was born in Nigeria but lived in America, which sparked a “cross-cultural conversation.” The other panelist, Eunice Olumide, has had a great influence on Scottish culture; she has a bill going through Parliament that will mandate black history to be taught in schools in Scotland. He praised her, “I’ve always said that Eunice will make a great politician one day because in Scotland she has been able to affect Scottish culture in a way that Black people just don’t do.” He pointed out that both are brilliant people under 40 that have created things that never existed before. He said they were “owning Black culture in a way that, not only is inspiring to us as Black people, but actually inspiring to all of us as human beings.”

Olumide talked about the bill, which started as a petition to the Scottish government. She felt there was not enough being taught about “the significant contribution of African people, African diaspora to the west not only to the UK, but to the western world in general.” She loves that their documentary talks about “trauma porn” (which is focusing on the negative things that have happened to black people in history). She believes that it’s better to focus positive things that have happened, “to ensure that we are educating and archiving the huge, and tremendous, positive contributions of people of color to the world today.”

Another reporter asked the panel whose shoulders they stand on, and how they are building up their own shoulders so that others in their community can stand on theirs.

Olumide credited her mom, and performative activism done by Afro-Caribbean people. She mentioned that she was awarded a British MBE. She admited, “I was quite unsure about whether I wanted to receive that or not because of Britain’s history concerning the transatlantic slave trade and colonialism. And one of the things that actually my mom highlighted to me was that I needed to also understand the vast and extensive history and background of all of the people that came before me. And I needed to also understand that it’s about archiving and making sure that we are documenting historically the contributions of people of color, of African people, to the world.”

Jidenna agreed with what she said and then added his opinion. He said that he did stand on the shoulders of his late father, and he talks about him in this documentary series. He told us that he was “the first African to produce a commercially-produced PC in our history, in Sub-Saharan African history. And he did that in the 80s in the same time that Gates and Jobs were building their computer franchises. It’s not a history that people know.” He maintained that many stories of black history and narratives have been taken away from its people, so this series is making sure that “we are etched into history and we are telling our stories.” He complimented Frederick that this “might be his best work yet.” He remembers that his father advised him that life is like a relay race, “The most important thing is not you running, but the baton which you are not allowed to drop or you will be disqualified.” Not only is he standing on his father’s shoulders, “but what’s immediately important are people like Eunice, are people to my sides who are in my generation and my peer group, because I think our generation is one of the most amazing generations that’s come in the last hundred years.” He told us that “our fight … is to create more space for different archetypes of African descent and for us across the Diaspora to hear each other’s stories where previously a lot of the film that you’ll see in the last 100 years were exports from the U.S. So you’re getting predominantly the Black American experience, but you’re not getting as much of the Caribbean American or the First Gen African. You’re not seeing as much of the films that are coming out of the UK. You’re definitely not seeing what’s coming out of France, but now because of the internet, Wi-Fi, Instagram… we’re seeing experiences not only in Europe, in America, but definitely in Africa. And, finally, thank God, we have a world that views Africa as much cooler than it was before, and I don’t think we’re in a trendy era, and we’re knowing that now, and I think Simon is capturing that worldwide: the new, global Black experience.”

Frederick added that he stands on the shoulders of his parents. He wouldn’t be where he was today without his mom’s “love and encouragement… [when you grow] up as a young, Black child you’re told that education is key, and if you’re drawing and painting and doing stuff like that is you’re soon told not to do that, because you’re never going to have a career and all they’re trying to do is keep you safe.” He has his father’s stubbornness, which is what made him keep going with his music. He also credits those who came before him, such as “Sir Harry Belafonte,” whom he met for a lengthy interview. It changed his life because “it solidified why I do what I do and the importance of doing what I do, of telling stories, of putting a humanity in Black storytelling that’s always been there, but it’s been taken away from us. But, also, following in the footsteps of people like the great Gordon Parks, who a photographer, a filmmaker, a musician, a renaissance man. I am trying to follow in his footsteps and continue his tradition for storytelling in both moving and still imagery.”

For my question, I referred back to what Jidenna said about us not seeing so many African or international works. I pointed out that because of the pandemic, people here in the U.S. (and probably other Western countries) are watching more of that and asked whether he thinks that will continue once we’re out of the pandemic.

Jidenna replied, “Yes, absolutely. That’s a keen observation, and I can tell you Eunice and Simon, you probably don’t realize this as much unless you’ve been stateside, because I believe the question is aimed at the U.S. market. Really, my whole upbringing, I was one of the few people that was able to watch overdubs and subtitles. So many times, you hear people like, “Oh, it’s got subtitles? Oh, I don’t want to watch it.” Or it’ll be like, man, unless it was like a kung fu flick, they don’t want to see the slight latency in the overdub. Right now, to your point, people were tired of just watching whatever their regular show was so they’re exploring a lot more, and there’s a huge demand, and I’d love to see the numbers on it. So the beautiful thing is that some things with the pandemic that may have seemed short-lived will be long-lived. It’s not just long COVID that’s going to be the byproduct of the pandemic. It’s going to be the new cultural interests, I think, in the world. It was the first time that the U.S., in our lifetime, that the U.S. was included in a plague. We often have the benefit of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and presidents that are a little bit smarter than our previous one. But in this case, we were part of the world and it forced us to be, and that’s why you have an interest in films from abroad. I definitely think that this is something here to stay, and people are working hard to produce more films that can still cater to the U.S. market, so we’re right on time with that.” I wanted to add to that there are many foreign TV series available to us more now, too (not just films).

Enjoy the documentary!

MORE INFO:

Trailer  Watch it here!

This new six-part docuseries from visionary filmmaker and photographer Simon Frederick brings to life the Black experience through stories and personal anecdotes of a seminal cast of young Black actors, musicians, creators, artists, and personalities that are shaping popular culture as we know it. “The Outsiders?” challenges notions that anti-Black sentiment is a national or regional issue, weaving the cast’s experiences into a cohesive set of themes that underscore the universal nature of what it means to be Black around the world. The cast’s revealing truths and untold stories are tragic, thought-provoking, and inspiring. From the YouTube Black Voices fund, “The Outsiders?” premieres globally on October 4.

From director and photographer Simon Frederick, comes the next installment in his portrait documentaries, untold stories of young Black visionaries shaping our future. In raw, real, and deeply personal conversations, you’ll hear 41 creators, musicians, artists, authors, athletes and more discuss topics like equality, structural gaslighting, and social media.
Guests include, Mo Gilligan, Phillip Youmans, Munya Chawawa, Alex Scott, Fenn O’Meally, Niko Omilana, Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Elladj Balde, Alicia Garza, Jidenna, Campbell Addy, Eunice Olumide, Ncuti Gatwa, George The Poet, Candice Braithwaite, Kailand Morris, Shaun Ross, Clara Amfo, Amanda Seales, Sophie Duker, Jidenna, Taylor Richardson, Jamal Edwards, MNEK, Chanel Ambrose, Tinashe, Suli Breaks, and Julie Adenuga.

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"The Outsiders?" poster

Interview with Julia Ormond, Alexa Mansour and Annet Mahendru

Posted on by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Julia Ormond (Elizabeth), Alexa Mansour (Hope) and Annet Mahendru (Huck) of "The Walking Dead: World Beyond" on AMC

Interview with Julia Ormond (Elizabeth), Alexa Mansour (Hope) and Annet Mahendru (Huck) of “The Walking Dead: World Beyond” on AMC by Suzanne 9/23/21

I love this show, so it was great to chat with some of the stars this week on press panels. These women were so nice and had thoughtful answers to all of the questions. I can’t wait to see the rest of season 2. I’m just sorry that it’s ending after that.  Note that the questions that don’t have my name are from other journalists, not me.  Don’t miss the season premiere 10/3 on AMC!

Julia Ormond in two of her movies, "Incorporated" and "First Knight"Question:  My first question’s for Julia, and then the second one’s for the two of you, but I’m wondering if you could talk about her morality, because last season, she seemed to be upset about some of the stuff she was doing, but this season, she seems a lot more apathetic. I’m just curious, is there a line she won’t cross, and is it still bothering her? What’s your take on it?

Julia:  My take is that Elizabeth is somebody who compartmentalizes what emotion she will show to what person. So, if something is bothering her profoundly, she would have trouble showing that to somebody she’s intimate with, just because of her personality type. So, yes, but I think really what happens with Elizabeth is…what happens to her belief in what they’re doing in season two.

In season one, for me, she’s utterly, utterly committed to an agenda that’s necessary. They’ve identified that Hope actually has something that could be really critical to the survival of mankind – if she comes in with the right attitude…[and] doesn’t bring in the anger; she goes along with the plan of what they’re meant to be doing and that she’s productive and effective in her time there.

And I do think that it’s not black and white, or I hope it’s not black and white. It’s more kind of gray. It’s like she has to sign up for something that she’s not happy about, but I think people do that in war all of the time. In the military, you accept that there are people who are going to die, and you accept the tragedy. I think we as a populace accept the tragedy of collateral damage. So, I don’t think it’s as much of a pivot as I wish it was in the world.

Question:  Then, for Annet and Alexa, obviously, Huck has been changed by the two girls, even though she says she hasn’t. Can Hope trust her? And for that matter, can she trust your character, because obviously, you’re more about your [getting back to your] sister right now.

Alexa:  I think Hope can learn to trust her; whether or not she does is different story, but I think there’s a lot that Hope doesn’t know, and she has to take that into account. And just like Hope did a bunch of crazy things, or Hope would do a bunch of crazy things for her sister and the people that she loves and to protect them, I think Huck was kind of put in a tough situation as well. But Hope is pretty scarred after what happened in season one, so it’s gonna take a lot if Huck wants to rebuild that relationship with her.

Annet:  Yeah, Huck’s in a really bad spot. At this point, Hope’s just looking at her like, “You’re crazy; I don’t ever really want to talk to you again.” So, I don’t know how she’s gonna get out of this. It’s just looking pretty bad and things are so entangled. She’s relieved to be back, but it’s looking really [like] she’s sort of in the worst position she’s been thus far. In a way, she’s in prison the way Hope is too, because of this web of lies. And all these people out there who know things about the CRM that they shouldn’t have known and that’s Huck’s family now, too, she obviously feels alignment with, and maybe more so than she does with Elizabeth at this point. As we know, there’s more family at the CRM now that Huck has some entanglements with that are problematic. So, it’s just the question – it’s funny when Hope and Huck are sitting in this sort of dog kennel…where they have their conversation like, “Hey, this is a great place for all of us.” It’s so ironic, because they’re just both in prison, really, and it seems like there’s no way out of this all, and is this a better place? Are they safe, or, actually, have things just gotten worse?

Question:   Alexa, I love Hope’s friendship on screen with Elton – or I guess their former friendship, as it were. Will we get to see them mend [it]…and is there hope for them to mend this relationship?

Alexa:  I don’t know if I can tell you what happens with Hope and Elton, but what I can say is that I think there’s always that room orAlexa Mansour on Instagramthe possibility of mending something. I think if both people are on the same page and they each get to get their side of the story out, I think that there’s a very strong possibility that they could be friends again. They’ve all been through so much that they realize that sometimes you have to do things, or things happen that are out of your control, and I think when you care about someone, you understand that. I would appreciate the honesty, so I hope so. I hope they do get to mend their relationship.

Question:   Julia, what kind of backstory were you given about Elizabeth’s connection with CRM, and will we be seeing that play out, maybe explore her backstory a bit this season?

Julia:  That’s super hard to answer…without doing spoilers. I think some of the backstory, I think when you have supporting roles, and basically Elizabeth is this sort of character. It’s not always helpful for the backstory to come into the story story, but, yeah, that was kind of [vague]. [laughs]

I think the biggest thing is that she’s a real believer, she signed up for this philosophy, and she thoroughly believes in the choices that they’re making and what they need to do in order to save mankind. Then, there’s this greater detail in that, but I don’t want to answer it any more, because I don’t want somebody like Scott [Gimple] or Matt [Negrete] to go, “Why did you say that, because we’re going to use that.” They sent us a list, “You may not talk about this; you may not [talk about this].” I don’t know if they sent that to you. I was like, “What do I talk about? I don’t know what to talk about now.” So it’s a little scary. There you go, that was an all over the map useless answer.

Question:  Julia, I respectfully have to disagree. I think she’s more than a supporting character, because she casts a very big shadow in the story. She manipulates; she tests people, and when somebody pushes her, she pushes back hard. What’s it like to play all those different aspects and then throw in the fact that she’s a mom, too?

Julia:  Well you know, Jamie Ruby was asking the question earlier in terms of you see her get upset in season one, you see kind of the soldiers get taken off, and then she’s upset. I think, for me, that upset at that moment is this private moment of grief in terms of I’ve not just done this awful thing to this kid that I frankly liked and was a good soldier and all the rest of it, and the grief around how much people can tolerate, but what is my kid going to think of me when they find out and I have to tell them? I think that just packs a punch. And for me, what happens with Elizabeth is you see the dehumanization of it, she becomes increasingly disconnected. She’s just disconnected, and she’s shutting down. So, she’s dissociating, and it’s at certain moments that I really value that she has actually with her own family that pull her back. And maybe – maybe yes, maybe no –  that will actually impact her reevaluation of what they’re actually doing.

Question:  For Alexa, Hope is kind of in a new place. We won’t say more than that. She’s kind of getting acclimated to a lot of different things, and also, there seems to be an aura of distrust a little bit. Where is she mentally at this point?

Alexa:  I thinks she just came from getting so hurt and feeling so betrayed after what Huck did, and she just left her sister; her and her sister just split up, and the only friends that she really feels like she ever had she doesn’t have them, and she doesn’t know what’s happening to them, or where they are. So, I feel like she’s in this spot where she’s like, “Do I let more people in?” Because everyone kind of leaves and no one, nothing ever lasts. Anything good that’s ever happened in my life hasn’t lasted, or it’s turned out to be completely fake. So, I think she’s a little bit on the fence and has this guard up in this new place that she’s in, because she doesn’t want to get hurt again. At least she’s got her father and whatnot, but anybody else that’s not really family, that’s not really a necessity in her life. I don’t think she really is trying to get attached to them after what’s happened.

Question:  And Annet, really briefly, do you feel like she’s a woman without a country right now?

Annet:  Yeah, the other one got exploded, and this one is under attack. Yeah, I mean, she’s always been a woman of her own country, I suppose, of her own reality. So, I don’t know if she particularly needs to be anywhere. She’s not truly attached to anything. She’s a true soldier in a way, going from point A to B, and then she has to keep going. She can’t really sit still anywhere, and you’ll see her coming back to her room, and it all seems distant and doesn’t really mean anything anymore, because she’s changed so much. So, it’s sort of these pauses in between that a soldier never really knows how to deal with anyway. They just like to be away and like to be in these explosive situations; that’s where they thrive. So, Huck’s ready. I think she’s ready for another mission.

Suzanne:   Julia, you’ve been working since you were very young, since high school, at the very least, in acting, and then after that, and a lot of the cast are very young people. Did you have any advice for them? Or did they come to you for any advice?

Julia:  They don’t need advice from me. They don’t need advice from me. I might be asking them advice. Annet, Alexa, did you come to me seeking any advice? [laughs] Did I ever give you any advice? I don’t remember. No, I dont think I did. I’m not much of a sharer in that respect.

Annet:  Honestly, watching Julia and just being in the presence of her is your advice and your lesson and your inspiration, and you just respond to the person, the greatness that’s in front of you. So, that’s everything.

Alexa:  Yeah, Julia is a force to be reckoned with. I know every time I go on set with her I’m like, “How are you doing this? I don’t understand.” So, if there was a person I was going to go to advice for, it would probably be Julia.

Suzanne:   I recently learned that the [show’s] timeline is concurrent with the original Walking Dead, and there’s going to be a movie and some other spinoff series. Have any of you heard about whether any of your characters, or whether you as actors, will be involved in any of these other things, or whether your show will be involved with the ending of the other Walking Dead?

Julia:  I think that’s really a kind of Scott and Matt question. It is one of those things that I like to call them spoiler blurts that you sort of trip up in terms of, “What do I say? What do I say? What do I not say?” So maybe somebody from AMC could help fill in on that question.

Suzanne:   None of you have heard anything that you can comment on at all?

Annet Mahendru in "Tyrant" on FXAnnet:  I mean, we’re done, right? But there’s always crossovers. I mean, Jadis joined us. We’re all gonna be around, so they can always pluck us up at any given moment. That’s, I think, what is so cool about all these, this threesome, so to say, of shows, because we can all play with each other at any point.

Julia:  Also, they have this format where there’s flashbacks, and you go back, and you see stuff, so even if a character dies, you still don’t know whether or not they’re going to resurface in another [show].

Question:   Elizabeth is such an insanely manipulative character and who really sends chills down my spine. So, as an actor, what is your process going into this character, and how do you prepare yourself before you act the hell out of her?

Julia:  So, everybody sees her as manipulative, and I guess there’s a part of me that once you find that justification, I think it was I was talking to Jamie about in the beginning. My justification is that she is part of the military; there’re very few human beings left as far as they know. They work from the facts that they can [unintelligible], so they don’t know if there’s anybody else left in the world. They don’t know if they’re the only human beings left. So, they are working towards building hierarchy and structure and laws, and the ethics have just gone to hell, because their ethic has to be protect the border of whatever the human race is. We can’t let other people – we’ve got limited resources, we can’t necessarily share them with everyone. We need to make relationships with people outside of it. That’s her MO. That’s where she has to end up making tough decisions that, from my own perspective, people who are in the military, they’re making those decisions all the time. Somebody being killed somewhere on our behalf right now, and we kind of have gotten a little bit of – it feels globally as if there’s a little bit of weird acceptance around it, because it’s too painful to confront.

So, there’s a piece of Elizabeth that’s an amplification of that. It’s like I go into a state of denial, because it’s just too painful to accept the reality. Then, that state of denial, I mean, she’s disconnected; she disconnects from personal relationships as well. Then, I think once you have that, you can sign up as a believer. But you can believe in something and not be happy about the consequences of it. You can believe that, “Oh, I had something wrong with my leg and the doctor’s telling me that I have to have it cut off.” It’s kind of like, “Okay, I’m not particularly thrilled about it, but this seems like that’s the best plan going forward.” But I think, for me, it’s kind of getting into it.

Like I watched some of it last night, I was like, “Oh my god, she redefines resting bitch face.” [laughs] Oh my God, this just makes you so grim. But I think that’s kind of like what the sadness and the resignation is. There’s a harshness to the choices that she’s making, and so that kind of shows on the exterior.

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

Don’t miss our other interview with Joe Holt (Leo) and Natalie Gold (Lyla)!

MORE INFO:

cast members of "The Walking Dead: World Beyond" on AMC

The Walking Dead: World Beyond’s ten-episode second season premieres October 3 at 10pm ET/9c on AMC with all episodes available one week early on AMC+, beginning September 26

Season Two trailer HERE

Season two of The Walking Dead: World Beyond concludes the epic story of Iris (Aliyah Royale), Hope (Alexa Mansour), Elton (Nicolas Cantu), and Silas (Hal Cumpston) — four friends who journeyed across the country on a mission that transformed everything they knew about themselves and the world.  As they face off against the mysterious Civic Republic Military and fight for control of their own destiny, goals will shift, bonds will form and crumble, and innocence will be both lost and found.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond is executive produced by co-creator Scott M. Gimple, co-creator and showrunner Matt Negrete, Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, David Alpert and Brian Bockrath, and is produced and distributed by AMC Studios. In addition to Royale, Mansour, Cantu and Cumpston, the series stars Nico Tortorella, Annet Mahendru, Julia Ormond, Joe Holt, Jelani Alladin, Natalie Gold and Ted Sutherland.

Episode 201: Konsekans – Premieres October 3 at 10pm ET/9c on AMC

Hope’s commitment to the future is put to the test, jeopardizing a potential reunion.  Iris and Felix meet a new group. Startling revelations are made.

Episode 202: Foothold – Premieres October 10 at 10pm ET/9c on AMC

While some members of the group enact a plan to cover their tracks, others attempt to acclimate to their new surroundings.

Julia Ormond

Julia will next be seen in AMC’s The Walking Dead: World Beyond which will premiere this year. She can most recently be seen in BBC’s Gold Digger. Julia performed opposite Maya Rudolph and Catherine Keener on Amazon’s series Forever from creators Yang/Hubbard (Parks and Rec). She was recently nominated for Best Actress for the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television for Ladies in Black from acclaimed director Bruce Beresford. It will be distributed by Sony later this year. Other recent work includes Howard’s End written by Oscar winner Kenneth Lonergan for the BBC and STARZ which garnered rave reviews. Julia also appeared in HBO’s comedy Tour De Pharmacy opposite Andy Samberg, Will Forte and Orlando Bloom. She also starred in the independent film Rememory opposite Peter Dinklage and late Anton Yelchin which premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. On the small screen, Ormond received an Emmy® Award in 2010 for her role in the HBO movie Temple Grandin and in 2012 was nominated for a second Emmy for her guest role on Mad Men. Julia wrapped a season of the SyFy series Incorporated which was produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. Among her film work Julia Ormond starred in the epic Legends of the Fall alongside actors Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, and Aidan Quinn and played the lead role with Harrison Ford in the film Sabrina, directed by Sydney Pollack. In 2008, she starred with Brad Pitt in the fantasy- drama The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and also worked with Benicio del Toro in Steven Soderbergh’s biopic Che. JULIA’S PASSION AND NON-PROFIT WORK Julia was the first and former UNODC Goodwill Ambassador Against Trafficking and Slavery and is the Founder of Alliance to Stop Slavery and End Trafficking (www.assetcampaign.org) that was the origin, architect and convener of the Transparency in Supply Chains Law in CA that passed in 2010. She is Founding Chair of FilmAid International. She was Executive Producer of Calling the Ghosts: A Story of Rope, War and Women which won an Emmy, a Cable Ace, a Robert F Kennedy Journalism Award. and after a screening at the Council of Foreign Relations spurred legislation that enabled the arrest of Milosevich. Julia also participated in Call and Response. a documentary on the state of enslavement today and one of the first documentaries promoting cell phone technology to accept immediate donations to the cause. She is an Associate Producer to Libby Spear’s Playground, which focuses on the environment that enables child trafficking within the U.S. As an advocate, Julia has traveled the world assessing solutions and challenges and she has appeared as an expert witness before the US. Congress and the United Nations. For this advocacy work. she received the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Award” and Women for Women International’s “Peace Award.

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Alexa Mansour

Alexa Mansour just wrapped filming a series lead in the highly anticipated 3rd installment of The Walking Dead universe for AMC. Set in The Walking Dead’s near-future, Mansour plays “Hope,” a hard-drinking and disillusioned teenager who yearns to experience the world outside the confines of her contained community. Mansour beat out thousands of actors for the role and stars opposite Nico Tortorella and Annet Mahendru. In film, Mansour recently starred in the buzzy, social media-driven genre feature Unfriended: Dark Web from director Stephen Susco. She also starred in the MarVista ensemble thriller #Squadgoals . Next up, Mansour will be seen in the independent feature film She’s in Portland opposite François Arnaud and Minka Kelly. On the small screen, Mansour was last seen in guest lead roles on CBS’s Madam Secretary and Bull. She also appeared in notable recurring arcs on CBS’ Seal Team (opposite David Boreanaz), FOX’s The Resident (directed by Phillip Noyce) and most notably, as the troubled “Faiza Assaf” in ABC’s critically acclaimed How to Get Away with Murder. Alexa made her television debut in 2014 as the lead guest lead in Law and Order: SVU’s season 16 premiere, which boasted the highest ratings for a premiere episode in seven years. When Alexa is not acting, she continues to create as a talented singer-songwriter and pianist. She released her freshman single entitled “Misguided Youth” in 2018.

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Annet Mahendru

Annet Mahendru has become a highly sought-after performer for both film and television. Perhaps best known for her critically acclaimed role on the Golden Globe & Emmy winning FX series The Americans, where she played Nina, the mysterious spy opposite FBI Agent Stan (Noah Emmerich). Her portrayal of Nina earned her a Critic’s Choice Nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and a Gold Derby TV Award Nomination for Drama Guest Actress. She was awarded Showbiz India’s Trailblazer award, recognizing her for an ‘Emerging Leader’ as a rising South Asian Female Actor in Hollywood. Recently, she appeared on the highly anticipated anthology series for Amazon Prime, The Romanoffs. Created, written, directed and executive produced by Matthew Weiner (Mad Men). The series features eight separate stories about people who believe themselves to be descendants of the Russian royal family. She also starred in the dystopian SYFY thriller The Slows, which marks Marvel scribe Nicole Perlman’s directorial debut. It is currently appearing at international film festivals. Annet has established a notable television resume with other credits including The X-Files, Tyrant, The Following, Lethal Weapon, Grey’s Anatomy, White Collar, 2 Broke Girls, and The Blacklist. In addition to her television work, Annet starred in the Sundance film Escape From Tomorrow, played the title role in Sally Pacholok, and appeared in Bridge And Tunnel, and Love Gloria. She was also the voice of Eva in the Penguins of Madagascar movie co-starring Benedict Cumberbatch. On stage, Annet performed in Seven, a play about Afghan refugee Farida Aziza at the LA Theatre Works. A collaboration between 7 playwrights and 7 female activists from around the globe that tells inspiring stories of overcoming adversity to effect real change and improve the lives of women. Born in Afghanistan to an East Indian father and Russian mother, Annet spent her early years learning 6 languages in the Middle East & Europe. She finished high school in New York, earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Philosophy at St. John’s University. Then embarked on a Master’s degree at NYU’s Global Affairs Program. In addition to her studies, Annet was always part of a stellar acting troupe whether with a renowned Russian actor in St. Petersburg, the HB Studio in New York, at the Groundlings or Diana Castle in Hollywood. She is also highly trained in Mixed Martial Arts and Indian classical dance, Bharatanatyam. Annet currently resides in Los Angeles with her director husband Louie Gibson and their son. She is part of the local charity BreastfeedLA where she advocates for the importance of breastfeeding to help families meet their goals.

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Julia Ormond (Elizabeth), Alexa Mansour (Hope) and Annet Mahendru (Huck) of "The Walking Dead: World Beyond" on AMC

Interview with Joe Holt and Natalie Gold

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TV Interview!

 

Joe Holt (Leo) and Natalie Gold (Lyla) of "The Walking Dead: Worlds Beyond" on AMC

Interview with Joe Holt (Leo) and Natalie Gold (Lyla) of “The Walking Dead: Worlds Beyond” on AMC by Suzanne 9/23/21

This was such a fun interview, and I really enjoyed it. I loved how they let Joe call on us. Usually they have a PR person doing that. It was a nice change, and he was great at it. Personally, I think he should have his own talk show or podcast (if he doesn’t already). Both actors were very kind and funny. Don’t miss the season premiere 10/3 on AMC!

Question:   Natalie, does Bellshaw have real feelings for this man? Or is it all just part of her need to get him there and keep him there?

Natalie:   Oh, Lyla loves Dr. Bennett. Lyla Bellshaw loves Dr. Bennett. Oh, yeah, absolutely her feelings are real. I, as an actor, and Matt, and Joe and I have had a lot of conversations about that. Oh, yeah, it’s so much more interesting if her feelings are real and genuine. But yeah, she’s in love.

Jamie:   This is actually kind of continuing on that. Natalie, she still, obviously, though, is, with the CRM also. So, my question is, do you think that she would be willing to potentially leave them if [Dr. Bennett] decided to do that and go against it? And can she trust him? I mean, maybe he’ll side with his daughters. Could you both talk to that?

Natalie:   I think I kind of love the way that season one ends and teases that up, because those are all the questions, right? [Can] we trust Lyla? Does she have ulterior motives? What are her ulterior motives? It became kind of clear in season one, by the end of that episode, and that monologue that she has that she really wants to go and tell Leo, and she ends up not telling him that she’s kind of the catalyst for this whole thing starting. It’s because Leo came to Lyla and said, “I have this daughter who’s brilliant,” and Lyla obviously then told her higher ups. So, I think that this season is kind of a great exploration for Lyla’s character, her push and pull between her love for Leo and her real belief in the greater good. And one person what’s the balance? How much is one life worth versus hundreds of thousands of lives and the work that she’s doing? So, it’ll all be explored in season two.

Joe Holt and Natalie Gold of "The Walking Dead: Worlds Beyond" on AMCJoe:   Yeah, I mean, not to speak for her character, obviously, but I think that there’s absolute chemistry between the characters that is real, which probably creates some of the conflict for her with her duties. There’s a Civilian Republic, and there’s a Civilian Republic military, and I think the second season starts highlighting some of the differences. Like, I did not plan on being a pawn of the Civilian Republic military. I was working for the Civil Republic, as was Lyla. I do think that the theme of the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, as Spock stated in Wrath of Khan. I think that is a constant theme and a constant source of conflict in the second season. We each keep getting pushed to the next level. That tests that principle and that belief within ourselves.

Natalie:   That was said so much more eloquently [by] Joe, as per usual.

Question:   I think what’s interesting about both your characters is obviously you have a personal relation, and you have both kind of walking a tightrope with the military, but also, there’s the scientists’ portion of your lives to that. You want to do something for the greater good as well. So, talk about kind of balancing all that as characters and playing that as actors. That’s a tight rope you could easily fall off of.

Joe:   I think that the joy of acting is conflict, and also, at the crux of any television show or movie is creating and constantly pouring gas on that fire. As an actor, you can sink your teeth into choices. The beauty of this character, and I think of all the characters in the show, is the constant tug of war between what’s right for me and what’s right for the greater good. Within all that we have to battle our own demons. I have to deal with the guilt that I have over leaving my daughters. I won’t speak for Natalie’s character, but every character, I think, in the show has some inner conflict. Then, they have an external conflict and trying to sort all that out is what creates a lot of joy, I think, for actors.

Natalie:   Yeah, and I think as far as kind of Lyla’s love for Leo, she really fell in love with his mind. He’s one of the greatest minds and most brilliant soul she’s ever met. I think that that’s such a deep part of their connection is how well they work together. She found a real partner in him as far as that goes. I think everything Joe was saying is really right, the inner conflict and guilt that all these characters have, and I think it’s going to be cool as we learn more about all of their backstories in season two, but it’s really a push pull between falling in love with somebody, getting close, being in a relationship with somebody in this universe, because it’s a dangerous universe.

Suzanne:   You just finished shooting the show in June, correct? Now, when did you start shooting?

Natalie:   February.

Joe:   February.

Suzanne:   That didn’t take too long.

Joe:   It depends who you ask.

Suzanne:   Joe, you play a character who’s supposed to be brilliant. So, besides the script and the costumes, what else helps you prepare for such an intellectual role?

Joe:   The beauty of television is – this is gonna sound so obnoxious. They kind of cast the person that fits the role. There’s not much research you can do to become smart. So, hopefully, I can say the words they give me and not trip over them, but what was great was having a sit down with Scott Gimple and Matt Negrete, really, day one or day two, when I got in Virginia the first season, and having them talk about what Leo is operating from. And as actors, that’s the most useful thing is to understand [is] where is it we’re coming from? What is it that we want, and what are the things that have created us? That way, we don’t get into trying to characterize what a smart person does. Fortunately, we have good writing, good casting, and good storytelling, and then, as an actor you just need to try to be as honest and truthful with your circumstances as you can be. So, I credit them with making me seem like a smart person.Joe Holt and Natalie Gold of "The Walking Dead: Worlds Beyond" on AMC

Natalie:   Joe got his PhD in Physics in between seasons.

Joe:   [laughs] Go back to grad school for six years in two months.

Natalie:   He’s that good.

Suzanne:   Well, you’re both supposed to be a very smart — too smart maybe for your own good. Natalie, is it safe to say that your character is not very honest, especially in your relationship with Leo, and would you say that she’s not a good person, or she is? What do you think?

Natalie:   I think rule one of being an actor is to find the gray area. Rule one of being an actor is to love your character and to believe in what she does. So, I would never go as far to say that Lyla was not a good person. And I worked really hard and had a lot of great talks with Matt and with Joe this season as well that she – We have found out by the end of season one that she has not told Leo the whole truth. There’s obviously some stuff going on that he does not know about – her motives for doing what she does. We’ll find out more about what she does and why she does what she does in season two, but I think I always, for myself as an actor, had to believe that her reasons were and are formidable, and that the work she does, she believes in it, and that as people, we are capable of honesty and dishonesty and love and betrayal, all in one breath. So, it’s kind of fascinating as an actor to play that.

Suzanne:   Great, and I have a feeling that your relationship will will not end well.

Joe:   [laughs] Don’t say that. Don’t jinx our love affair. It was gonna be a wedding at the end of season two, what are you talking about? A purple wedding.

Natalie:   Like every Shakespeare comedy.

Joe:   That’s right. [laughs]

Suzanne: Well, you have a Huck, not quite a Puck.

Joe:   Well played. Well played.

Question:   Joe, I love the relationship he has with his daughters. Are we going to be getting more of a backstory though about his relationship with Felix to see why he trusts him with the most important people in his life?

Joe:   I think the writers have a real challenge with trying to write for so many characters in a ten episode season, and [there are] definitely glimpses of that coming up in season two – without giving too much away – but I think that a lot of what we saw in season one really lays the groundwork for his relationship with Felix. He took Felix in. Felix was essentially orphaned when the earth fell, or when everything went wrong. Felix needed someone to take him in, and that’s when our relationship began. There’s just tremendous trust there.

In the second season, I think the writers were constantly trying to figure out a way to go forward and provide some sort of historical perspective. So, we didn’t get to go too far in anybody’s past, because we were trying to move forward so much, but the Felix/Leo relationship is family. I think that the relationship definitely gets flushed out more in the second season, and we get to learn a little more about what’s going on with it.

There are pictures of us on a camping trip.

Question:   You and Felix, or the girls?

Joe:   Yeah, exactly. Exactly.

Question:   Then I should ask what’s on your desk at work. Whose pictures do you actually have on your desk at work?

Joe:   Are there any pictures at all?

Natalie:   He has pictures of himself.

Question:   Touché.

Joe:   High school prom king.

Jamie:   Are we going to get to see you guys out of the lab at all? Maybe killing walkers, maybe not, but at least a little bit different atmosphere? Is there anything you can tease about that?

Natalie: Yeah, we venture out of the lab here there. I would say.

Joe:   Yeah, I think that everybody gets put into uncomfortable situations is the best way I can put it. Everybody gets put into a situation. Every character gets put into a situation that they are not comfortable with, and that’s part of the measure of what their character is, part of the measure of their ability to grow. Their willingness to survive in this new world is how they respond to the new environment.

Question:   There’s another component here that’s going on with each of you. Joe, you’re a father, and you’re dealing with that as well as everything else. Natalie, Elizabeth is putting a lot of pressure on you as well. So, it’s juggling lot of different things. Talk about playing those aspects of the characters.

Joe:   It was really challenging in the best of ways to try to find that the truthfulness of those relationships, because he does have an obligation to raise these two young women who, despite their independence, intelligence and resourcefulness, need a father, and as we saw in the first episode, lost their mother tragically. So, he has got his own inner drama going on between trying to move forward, trying to find a solution for this horrible disease, and meeting this new person who he shares so much with. They have a real connection. He admires her mind, and in the same way she said he admires her mind and her soul, and I think there’s some guilt there of even trying to move forward, feeling like in some way you’re doing an injustice to your former life. So, all that stuff is wonderful in the way that it unfolds in season two. And, again, it just it pours more gasoline on that conflict fire of how many masters can you serve? And when you have to make [choices] who gets left out in the cold? So, that’s a really good question. It really does create a lot of tugs of war for Dr. Bennett in the second season.

Natalie:   I think that for Lyla, she is definitely balancing the role that she plays in the CRM, and obviously, she cares about the science. More than more than anything else, I believe she wants to save the world. She wants to find a cure for this disease. She wants the world to go on. She wants it to have a future. She wants to teach all the generations coming up what she does, so that this facility can go on and the science can grow. It’s the only way that the future is going to happen, and she believes in the future. So, she’s balancing that, yes, with the pressure that she’s getting from Elizabeth, and the work that she needs to do and her feelings for Leo. There’s a lot going on internally with her and a lot that she’s struggling to balance as well.

Question:   That’s half the fun, though.

Natalie:   Oh, it’s so much fun.

Suzanne:   In the trailer, it shows Iris and Leo hugging, so we know that they do eventually wind up – finally – in the same place. What was it like for both of you, working with the actresses who play Hope and Iris this season?

Joe:   I nicknamed them “Thing One” and “Thing Two,” because they bring such different – It’s such a different energy to have them on set. They’re sort of getting started in this, and you’re dealing with, to some degree, moody teenagers, but you love them, because they’re so gentle and so wonderful and lovely, really, as people. It’s like, this is what a dad deals with. So, it was really just staying open to the energy that they bring, because you never know what they’re going to bring in. But I’ll tell you this much, when the camera rolls, these two young women know exactly what they’re doing. And, again, they have different personalities. So, it is like you’re the dad of these two different daughters, and the two daughters love each other and then have their own little rivalries. So, it really was a matter of like playing centerfield when you get on set just like what are they bringing in today? And how can I be of service? And how can I be Dad?

Natalie:   Alexa and I met for the first time really on that first episode of season two, because we had not – I have said this, and Joe’s heard this ad nauseam, but the first season I worked by myself until we got to the tenth episode where, thank God, I got to work with the amazing Joe, and that was the best. So, Alexa, when I read the 202 [script] I was like, “Oh, I get to meet Alexa and be with her,” and that was so much fun, because we were kind of meeting each other as people for the first time as our characters were meeting, and I was able to kind of guide her and show her this world and give her a tour of that. So, it was really fun. I was trying to play the, “I love your dad, but I don’t think you know that yet, and I really want you to like me” and the stepmom thing, [and] “you have a brilliant mind, and I’m trying to bring you into this world and get you really excited about everything we’re doing here.” So, there was a lot of personal professional dynamics at play. Then, I mean, Alexa is great. She’s fantastic.

Suzanne:   And Joe, following up on what you just said about the girls, I believe you were on As the World Turns. Was it about the same age as these girls, or were you a little older at that point?

Joe Holt (Leo) of "The Walking Dead: Worlds Beyond" on AMCJoe:   As the World Turns was 2004, 2003 so I was 33. So, I was much older. I was much older than them. Stupider, but much older. Not as good as them; not as good on cameras they are, to my discredit.

Suzanne:   Did either of you watch either the regular The Walking Dead or Fear the Walking Dead before you started on the show?

Joe:   I didn’t before I started on the show, because it all happened very quickly for me. I got an audition on a Friday for I think it said “TWD 3.” I was aware of the show, obviously, but I hadn’t watched it. You get an audition, and you go do your thing, and you do the research you can do. But then after I got the part, I watched ten seasons of The Walking Dead. I binged it too, which I don’t recommend. I mean, I do recommend watching it, but bingeing it – like I was watching six episodes a day, and I think the theme song got into my head, and I was like waking up like a drug addict. Like, “I gotta watch Walking [Dead] It was addictive, as you all know, right? It pulls you in. But not before I did the show, and I’m actually kind of glad, because I think the whole point is these characters are starting from their jumping off point, and their jumping off point is with no knowledge of that world. But watching it afterwards, it was just great to watch Negan and Daryl and all those guys. It was great. And Michonne.

Natalie:   I also am admittedly a wimp with anything horror. So, I had not watched The Walking Dead until I got the job. Then, I did exactly what Joe did, and I binged all episodes. And what I loved about it, and what I love about our show is, God, it’s the universe that is created by these brilliant people. It’s terrifying obviously, but it’s the human interactions that make it so rich, and the love between people and the betrayals of people. And, God, I have like an abnormal fear of the apocalypse to begin with, so anything apocalyptic, I’m like, “Oh, that’s not for me. I shouldn’t do that.” My husband read The Road, and I went to go see the movie, and he called me, he’s like, “Don’t watch the movie! I’m begging you!” I’m like, “I’m going to watch the movie,” and I did, and it was a terrible mistake. It’s always about –Joe:   [laughs]

Natalie:   It’s true.

Joe:   I don’t think your fear of the apocalypse is abnormal. I think it’s okay to fear the apocalypse.

Natalie: Is it? It’s like not something you should wake up thinking about all the time. Maybe now, but it’s like, what’s going to happen in the apocalypse? But it’s people that are – I mean, the zombies and the monsters are terrifying, but it’s people who turn into monsters, who stays human, who wants to help, all of that, that’s kind of what I absolutely adored about bingeing The Walking Dead, the original, and then working on our show, as well.

Suzanne:   Yeah, I’m the same way, in fact, because I don’t watch The Walking Dead either for that reason… but I like your show better, because it seems to have a little more human element and little fewer zombies. So, I like that.

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

Don’t miss our interview with Julia Ormond, Alexa Mansour and Annet Mahendru!

MORE INFO:

The Walking Dead: World Beyond’s ten-episode second season premieres October 3 at 10pm ET/9c on AMC with all episodes available one week early on AMC+, beginning September 26

Season Two trailer HERE

Season two of The Walking Dead: World Beyond concludes the epic story of Iris (Aliyah Royale), Hope (Alexa Mansour), Elton (Nicolas Cantu), and Silas (Hal Cumpston) — four friends who journeyed across the country on a mission that transformed everything they knew about themselves and the world.  As they face off against the mysterious Civic Republic Military and fight for control of their own destiny, goals will shift, bonds will form and crumble, and innocence will be both lost and found.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond is executive produced by co-creator Scott M. Gimple, co-creator and showrunner Matt Negrete, Robert Kirkman, Gale Anne Hurd, David Alpert and Brian Bockrath, and is produced and distributed by AMC Studios. In addition to Royale, Mansour, Cantu and Cumpston, the series stars Nico Tortorella, Annet Mahendru, Julia Ormond, Joe Holt, Jelani Alladin, Natalie Gold and Ted Sutherland.

Episode 201: Konsekans – Premieres October 3 at 10pm ET/9c on AMC

Hope’s commitment to the future is put to the test, jeopardizing a potential reunion.  Iris and Felix meet a new group. Startling revelations are made.

Episode 202: Foothold – Premieres October 10 at 10pm ET/9c on AMC

While some members of the group enact a plan to cover their tracks, others attempt to acclimate to their new surroundings.

Joe Holt was born on February 22, 1970 in Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan. He is an actor and producer, known for The Walking Dead: World Beyond (2020), The Punisher (2017) and Delilah   Check out his Instagram and Twitter

Natalie Gold is an American actress who has appeared in film, television, and stage productions including on Broadway. She is perhaps best known for playing Julia Harwell on the TV show Rubicon, and she has appeared in many films including Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, I Don’t Know How She Does It, and Love & Other Drugs. Gold grew up in Miami, Florida, and studied theatre at the New World School of the Arts and Emerson College. Find her on Instagram and Twitter!

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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Joe Holt (Leo) and Natalie Gold (Lyla) of "The Walking Dead: Worlds Beyond" on AMC

Interview with Charisma Carpenter and Nancy Grace

Posted on by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Charisma Carpenter, star of "The Good Father," and Nancy Grace, Executive Producer.

Interview with Charisma Carpenter and Nancy Grace of “The Good Father: The Martin MacNeill Story” on Lifetime by Suzanne 9/14/21

This interview was from Lifetime’s Fall Movies Press Day. It was very enjoyable to chat with many stars during the panels.

Unfortunately, this movie’s star, Tom Everett Scott (Dr. MacNeill), couldn’t make the interview. Most of the movie centers on him, and his daughter, Alexis played by Anwen O’Driscoll. She wasn’t there, either.  Carpenter plays his wife, Michele, who gets murdered  fairly early on in the movie. Grace is seen briefly (as herself) and was responsible for bringing the story to Lifetime.

I really hadn’t planned to speak to Grace, since I’m not a fan of her style of journalism. However, when I asked Carpenter my question, she really didn’t have much of a response, so I decided to ask Grace a question after that. She didn’t like my question (which was partly my fault because I didn’t really phrase it very well), so she went on and on about it.  Oh, well. It was a good movie, and an interesting panel interview, nonetheless. I just wish I could have asked Carpenter about some of her other roles (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel” “Veronica Mars” et al.).

MODERATOR:  Our next panel is “The Good Father: The Martin MacNeill Story” executive produced by Nancy Grace and starring Charisma Carpenter.  Hi, ladies.

CHARISMA CARPENTER:  Hello.

NANCY GRACE:  Hello.

MODERATOR:  Thank you for joining us.  We’re going to kick it off with a question from Jay Bobbin.

QUESTION:  Hello, thank you.  Nancy,  my question is for you.  A lot of what you’ve done in the TV-Movie realm, it seems like these are stories you’ve dealt with in other ways on your other programs in your other appearances.  Is this one of those stories for you?

NANCY GRACE:  Well, yes as a matter of fact, it is.  I covered the Martin MacNeill prosecution when it occurred.  And felt that I became friends with various members of the family, specifically Alexis.  I remember distinctly like yesterday — as a matter of fact we just showed the promo you just saw?  It literally gave a chill on my arms because when I see that, it’s so realistic, it reminds me of the actual case.  And I can still remember the night of the verdict and speaking with Alexis.  And she was telling me about how she had gotten married her mother wasn’t there because her father murdered her mother and what that felt like so this movie means a lot to me.

QUESTION:  A follow up on that if I could, when you talk about the chill that it gave you bringing back the real case, how are you on the set when a dramatization of a case you’ve actually covered is being done?  I would imagine you want it to be as truthful to the fact as possible, yet it is still a dramatic movie.  How are you with that?

NANCY GRACE:  Well, I will say that I went — I combed over the screenplay over and over and over.  And actually pitched this to Lifetime with the intent of one day telling the true story of Dr. Martin MacNeill.  But you know what?  I don’t like calling it the Dr. Martin MacNeill story.  I like calling it the Michelle MacNeill story because in my mind that’s the real star.

QUESTION:  Thank you very much.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question is from Jamie.

QUESTION:  Hi, thank you both for being here.  Nancy, how involved was Martin’s daughter when it came to Anwen’s portrayal?

NANCY GRACE:  Oh wow, well her wishes and her desires were paramount in my mind.  Because as I always like to say and I have said from the beginning of my TV career, these are not stories.  They’re real.  This is a real fact scenario with a real victim who died in the family’s bathtub.  Her daughters — they had eight children, four natural, four adopted.  They no idea what had really happened to their mother.  So when we talk about how much Alexis had to do with it, this is the telling of the story through her eyes.  So she had a lot to do with it.  These are real characters.  It’s not a made-up plot that someone came up with or dreamed up.  This is real.  And that makes it in my mind even more critical that it’s true to life.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question is from Jamie Ruby.

QUESTION:  Hi guys.  Thanks for talking to us.  Charisma, what was it that initially drew you to the part?

CHARISMA CARPENTER:  Well, I think any time you mix true crime with scripted television, you do have to walk and extra careful line.  It was super challenging to honor her memory and to be able to get across her love of family, to be able to get across the behaviors that she was experiencing and her confusion about his behavior, the pathological lying and the sociopathy behind it all.  So I feel like whenever you’re approaching a character, you have these insights that you bring to the table, but when it’s a real-life story, you have to take the insights that you understand from whatever the history is of the story.  You have to do a lot of reading, a lot of research and then you know the importance of getting that across was a true challenge and something that I took to heart and wanted to pay the utmost of respect to.  So that was a new thing for me.

QUESTION:  Thank you.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question is from Howard Benjamin.

QUESTION:  My question is for Nancy.  How difficult is it to get life rights?  You’ve taken to task a lot of ripped-from-the-headlines stories and getting the cooperation from the family and the estates, how difficult is that?

NANCY GRACE:  Well, since — being a crime victim myself, usually tell stories from the point of view of the crime victim.  And I’ve never had any problem with their cooperation.  Very often they want their story told and not just within the confines of the witness stand.

QUESTION:  Is it difficult for them to relive this all over again?

NANCY GRACE:  Yes, it is.  It’s very difficult for them to relive it.  I’ve had many, many crime victims that don’t want to talk about it.  It brings it all back to them and including the pain that they went through.  And that’s one thing about Alexis of many things that was so significant and so critical in this project because it did bring back a lot of sadness and a lot of emotion for her that she had to relive, but she did.  And I’m so glad she did.

QUESTION:  Thank you.

CHARISMA CARPENTER:  She was impressive in doing that.  You know, and also I think you know to add to that is Anwen, you know, it being Alexis’s story portrayed by Anwen, it is a story of empowerment.  You know, it is a story of reclaiming your power and not allowing yourself to be manipulated and gaslighted any longer by this perpetrator you know, that was unfortunately her own father who she admired and adored and loved and was well-respected.

NANCY GRACE:  Mm-hmm.

CHARISMA CARPENTER:  In the community and at work and within his church.  So I mean what a powerful place, what an unfortunate thing to have to be confronted with, but then to understand the strength of character, her perseverance, her desire for truth to support her siblings while she was in medical school.  I mean, this is an incredible person.  This is an amazing woman.  So yay to be able to tell this story because it is in fact, Michelle, it may be her story in that sense, but it’s also a story of empowerment which I could really hold onto and clamp onto and why I also wanted to be involved.

QUESTION:  Thanks.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question is from Luaine Lee.

QUESTION:  Nancy, I have two questions for you.

NANCY GRACE:  Okay.

QUESTION:  What crime were you a victim of?  And what are the qualities required for you to decide to  take on a project?

NANCY GRACE:  People think I always wanted to be a violent crime prosecutor.  That is not true.  I studied Shakespearean literature and hoped to teach at a university level Shakespearean literature.  That was my dream.  My fiancé was murdered shortly before our wedding.  I dropped out of school.  I lost all interest in being in a classroom or in life, period.  I ultimately did go back to school with the aim of becoming a felony prosecutor and helping other crime victims who I believe very often, especially women and children, do not have a voice in our system.  This story, as I call it, although it is a true fact scenario, was especially poignant to me because not only were the victims women and children, it was at the hands of one of the most prominent men in that social setting, that community, a doctor and a lawyer who manipulated everyone as Charisma just said very accurately.  And they had no voice and it makes what Alexis did even more powerful bringing her own father to justice.

QUESTION:  So when you decide on a project, what does it have to have for you to do it?

NANCY GRACE:  I’ve never liked — people often ask me, “What’s your favorite case?”  There’s not really a favorite murder.  I don’t know really how to put it in any other words.  But I look for a story to be told, a narrative, not a case that’s open and shut.  To turn a scenario like this into a movie, there must be mystery.  The characters must be riveting to grab your attention.  And I always think that it requires some sort of a mind twist.  For instance in that community, the last person anyone would suspect molestation or murder would be Dr. Martin MacNeill.

QUESTION:  Thank you.

MODERATOR:  Thank you.  Our next question is from Suzanne.

QUESTION:  Hi.  First question, Charisma, did you do any sort of special research or preparation before filming the role?

CHARISMA CARPENTER:  Well, I obviously read up about him and about the family story and the family history.  You know, I had to get familiar with the story.  I didn’t know the story personally so this was an education.

QUESTION:  Okay.  And Nancy, I was wondering, do you know why in the movie there was never any mention made of the fact that they were Mormons and they were in a Mormon community?

NANCY GRACE:  Well honestly, that may be significant to some people, but we had so many miles to cover and I don’t believe in my mind what religion it was that mattered.  It mattered to me like in my religion, I’m a Methodist.  And within a church, the Methodist Church, the Catholic Church, the synagogue, there are deacons or those people that are looked up to or revered, typically men.  So whatever milieu you may be in, there are those people that are seemingly put up on a pedestal as he was, not only within his church community, the Church of Latter Day Saints, but within his medical community.  I mean, he had been appointed by the governor to run a state facility.  This guy was revered by everyone.  Whether he was Mormon or a Methodist or a Catholic or Jewish doesn’t matter.  He had the respect of everyone which made it so much more difficult for people to believe he would do this thing.  I gotta tell you I remember sweating it out waiting on the jury verdict.  And I was worried that people would fall for him and his con.  Everybody else believed him, why wouldn’t a jury?  I was worried.

CHARISMA CARPENTER:  You know, you brought up a good point, Nancy, too.  The revere of the community and the medical community and his own family, you know, the police department, they didn’t take imperative steps to determine her cause of death.  They took his word for it.  Like he just said she had an accident and they didn’t — because of who he was, they didn’t investigate further.  So that’s a commentary on our society as a whole.  You know, just because you are a prominent figure and it just seems unfathomable that you’d be capable of doing such a thing, it is imperative that people do their job and due diligence.

NANCY GRACE:  You said that so well.  Because even in the initial police reports, do you know what Alexis had to do to even get the autopsy re-examined to just basically pry the police into believing this could have happened. They had to change the determination on that autopsy report.  That’s like moving a mountain.

CHARISMA CARPENTER:  And also just the fact that the daughter was Alexis, played by Anwen.  She was in her dad’s corner.  It took a lot.  She didn’t believe her own mom when her mom was trying to tell her things that things weren’t adding up and he was spending a lot of time away and he had all these suspicions.  You know, it’s very common for women to be considered hysterical or paranoid or bitter or jealous or you know all these different things when you know our intuition is continually being gaslit and dismissed.  And so it’s really important that we as a society do consider and trust the matriarchs of our lives and that we do re-evaluate no matter how high a standard you know our — you know, and this could go either way.  You know I’m sure there are prominent women, too.  But I don’t mean to make this anti-men, but to make a point that predominantly speaking, the patriarch is not questioned.  And it is important that people be heard especially women.

NANCY GRACE:  You know why, Charisma?  You just said a word that really rubbed me the wrong way.

CHARISMA CARPENTER:  What did I say?

NANCY GRACE:  If I hear one more woman referred to as hysterical, I’m going to shoot my foot.

CHARISMA CARPENTER:  I mean…

NANCY GRACE:  Because that’s exactly how they acted when Alexis tried to tell them her suspicions.  They acted like she’s been through too much.  She’s hysterical.  She was anything but.

CHARISMA CARPENTER:  Mm-hmm.  Yeah, it’s difficult to be dismissed that way especially when you’re a 100% right.

QUESTION:  All right, thank you.

MODERATOR:  That is all the time we have today.  Thank you, guys, Charisma and Nancy —

CHARISMA CARPENTER:  Thank you.

MODERATOR:  So much for being with us today.  We really appreciate your time.

NANCY GRACE:  Thank you.

CHARISMA CARPENTER:  No problem, thank you.  Good to see you, Nancy.

NANCY GRACE:  Likewise.

MORE INFO:

Preview

Based on actual events, The Good Father tells the story of Dr. MacNeill (Scott) and the incredible life he led with his former beauty queen wife, Michele (Carpenter) and their eight children.  A pillar of the community, he was respected and loved by all especially by his daughter Alexis (O’Driscoll) who adored him and even wanted to follow in his footsteps to become a doctor.  But everything soon changes after Dr. MacNeill convinces Michele to have plastic surgery, ultimately leading to her drowning while on prescription medication.  Just a few short weeks after his wife’s suspicious death, Dr. MacNeill brings home Gypsy Willis, a new live-in “nanny” for his children but who is in actuality his mistress. Shocked by her father’s actions, Alexis begins to question everything she has known about him and discovers the depth of his lies, including his bogus medical credentials, falsified military records, and that the man and good doctor she once revered, was capable of murder.

The Good Father: The Martin MacNeill Story is produced by Good Doctor Films Inc. for Lifetime. Nancy Grace and bestselling author Josh Sabarra executive produce alongside Howard Braunstein. Annie Bradley directs from a script written by John Fasano and Abdi Nazemian.

Lifetime Unveils Full Fall Schedule Featuring Top Names All Season Long

– 08/27/2021 –

LIFETIME UNVEILS FULL FALL SCHEDULE
FEATURING TOP NAMES ALL SEASON LONG
INCLUDING JILL SCOTT, HEATHER LOCKLEAR, SHANNEN DOHERTY, KELLY HU, TOM EVERETT SCOTT, CHARISMA CARPENTER, NANCY GRACE, MEGHAN MCCAIN, SHERRI SHEPHERD, NIA SIOUX, JUDY REYES, GLORIA REUBEN, ELISABETH ROHM, JUSTINA MACHADO,
BARRY WATSON, SKYLER SAMUELS AND MANY OTHERS

August 25, 2021 (Los Angeles, CA) – As summer comes to an end, Lifetime ensures the fall is full of excitement with new premieres every weekend, starting on Labor Day, Sept 6th with the premiere of Harry & Meghan: Escaping the Palace. Presenting stories that entertain, intrigue and inform, the fall slate features top names like Jill Scott and Barry Watson in the Highway to Heaven reboot, to Heather Locklear and Meghan McCain in Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff and Shannen Doherty and Kelly Hu in List of a Lifetime, and more.

Full Fall Schedule and Descriptions Below.  All times at 8pm/7c.

Sept 6            Harry & Meghan: Escaping the Palace
                       (Sydney Morton, Jordan Dean)

Sept 18          Imperfect High
(Sherri Shepherd, Nia Sioux)

Sept 24          Dying to Marry Him
(Only on Lifetime Movie Club)


Oct 2              The Good Father: The Martin MacNeill Story
                       (Tom Everett Scott, Anwen O’ Driscoll, Charisma Carpenter, EP Nancy Grace)

Oct 9              Dying to Belong
(Shannen Doherty, Favour Onwuka, Jenika Rose)

Oct 10            List of a Lifetime
                       (Kelly Hu, Sylvia Kawn, Shannen Doherty, Patricia Velasquez)

Oct 16            Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff
                       (Heather Locklear, Natasha Bure, EP Meghan McCain, Kris Carlson)

Oct 17            Fighting for Her Life

Oct 23            Switched Before Birth
                        (Justina Machado, Skyler Samuels, director Elisabeth Rohm)

Oct 24            The Fight That Never Ends

Oct 30            Torn From Her Arms
(Judy Reyes, Gloria Reuben, Fatima Molina)

Nov 6             Highway to Heaven
(Jill Scott, Barry Watson)

Lifetime’s popular annual It’s a Wonderful Lifetime holiday lineup will begin following the fall movies.

The Good Father: The Martin MacNeill Story
Premieres October 2 at 8/7c

Based on actual events, The Good Father tells the story of Dr. MacNeill (Tom Everett Scott) and the incredible life he led with his former beauty queen wife, Michele (Charisma Carpenter) and their eight children.  A pillar of the community, he was respected and loved by all especially by his daughter Alexis (Anwen O’Driscoll) who adored him and even wanted to follow in his footsteps to become a doctor.  But everything soon changes after Dr. MacNeill convinces Michele to have plastic surgery, ultimately leading to her drowning while on prescription medication.  Just a few short weeks after his wife’s suspicious death, Dr. MacNeill brings home Gypsy Willis, a new live-in “nanny” for his children but who is in actuality his mistress. Shocked by her father’s actions, Alexis begins to question everything she has known about him and discovers the depth of his lies, including his bogus medical credentials, falsified military records, and that the man and good doctor she once revered, was capable of murder.

The Good Father: The Martin MacNeill Story is produced by Good Doctor Films Inc. for Lifetime. Nancy Grace and bestselling author Josh Sabarra executive produce alongside Howard Braunstein. Annie Bradley directs from a script written by John Fasano and Abdi Nazemian

ABOUT LIFETIME
Celebrating 35 years of entertaining audiences, Lifetime is a premier entertainment destination for women dedicated to offering the highest quality original programming spanning award-winning movies, high-quality scripted series and breakout non-fiction series.  Lifetime has an impressive legacy in public affairs, bringing attention to social issues that women care about with initiatives such as the long running Stop Breast Cancer for Life now in its 25th year, Stop Violence Against Women which relaunched in 2018, and Broader Focus, a major global initiative dedicated to supporting and hiring female directors, writers and producers, including women of color, to make its content. Lifetime Television®, LMN®, Lifetime Real Women® and Lifetime Digital™ are part of Lifetime Entertainment Services, LLC, a subsidiary of A+E Networks. A+E Networks is a joint venture of the Disney-ABC Television Group and Hearst Corporation.

Follow Lifetime Publicity on  Twitter  and  Instagram
A+E Networks Official Press Site: http://press.aenetworks.com

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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poster for The Good Father: The Martin MacNeill Story

Interview with the Cast of La Brea

Posted on by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Some of the cast of "La Brea" on NBC

Interview with actors of “La Brea” on NBC by Suzanne 9/13/21

This was another TCA Summer Press panel – this time for the NBC show “La Brea” that premieres 9/29. It was a fairly large panel, with showrunner David Appelbaum, actors Natalie Zea, Zyra Gorecki, Eoin Macken, Jack Martin, Chiké Okonkwo and Jon Seda. I saw the first episode and really loved it. I look forward to more. I think NBC is really hoping it does well, from what I can tell.

The problem with a panel this large, though, is that when there are so many people asking questions in a limited time… some actors never get asked a question. Everyone wants to talk to the stars they know, or ask the showrunner story questions. This is especially true when most of us only get to ask one question.

For instance, my question was for star Natalie Zea, whom I’ve enjoyed watching for years ever since I saw her on “Passions.” She’s gone on to many great roles in “Justified,” “Under the Dome,” “The Following” and “Detour.” This is her first dramatic starring role, I believe. I observed that her character seems very smart and asked if she could tell us what she does for a living (as they never say in the pilot episode we saw). She replied, “She’s an office manager. I do know that. I don’t know what an office manager does, but I know that she’s probably really good at it. But I think her smarts are — I think she’s got a lot of street smarts because of how she grew up, which we’re going to find out about that later. But she gets to use a lot of stuff that’s been sort of dormant in her for a little while, and it’s great to get to sort of watch that unfold throughout the season.”

Another reporter asked star Jon Seda if he was just ready for a change from cop dramas to something different, and he asked if it was difficult for him, when “chaos erupts” in the first episode, not to just go into cop mode and help everyone. I thought that was an odd question because of course, he’s just an actor. He’s going to do whatever the script tells him to do. He plays a doctor in this show, not a cop.

Seda agree that it’s a very different show but explained that he’s just glad to be part of such an exciting show that has adventure, mystery and drama. For the second part of his answer, he added that his character is “not exactly [in] cop mode, but I think Dr. Sam does tend to want to help as many people as he can.”

The next press person asked whether any of the show was filmed in La Brea (since they’re shooting most of the show in Australia). Producer Applebaum answered that they only did one shot in La Brea. The rest was shot in Melbourne.

I thought that the next question was really interesting. He told Applebaum that he “was fascinated” by the pilot episode, but he felt the same way about previous NBC scifi shows Manifest and Debris, both of which were canceled (although, to be fair, the first show did have 3 good years). He said that “commercial networks” have done that a lot. I would actually say he’s wrong about that because it’s done by almost all networks, and has been for the past 50 years, and not just commercial networks. Even HBO, Showtime, Netflix, Hulu and others cancel shows after one season. The broadcast networks get a bad rap. Anyway, he asked if he planned to give viewers the idea that they will explain things or wrap the show before the end. Which, by the way, is not a question you should be asking of a show before they even air.

Applebaum gave the best answer he could for such a ridiculous question. He said they’re just trying to make the best show they can, which should be entertaining and emotional. He doesn’t think about cancelation because it’s not his decision. He just focuses on “trying to garner an enthusiastic fan base” from fans of this genre.

Another journalist asked the actors to talk about what made the roles attractive for them. Martin observed that his character, Jack, is just finishing high school and about to go to college, which is an important point in his life, for his development and maturation. The setting we see in the show (after they fall through the tarpits into their mysterious world) is that we get to see people who they really are. The situation is raw and exposes people for who they really are, unfilted. He finds that exciting.

Mackin agrees with Martin, finding the human relationships most interesting. They’re all thrown into a difficult situation (one that is “unfathomable”) and then they have to find their family and solve their “personal issues.” His character, Jon, and his daughter, are trying to figure out if the others are alive and how they can get to them. It puts a strain on them and shows how they would cope.

Gorecki added that she really enjoyed that as well. Gorecki, like her character, Izzy, is an amputee. She liked that the show focuses less on that and more on how she goes from being “just a regular kid with regular kid issues to having to become a hero and having to work with her dad to save her whole family and save everyone.”

Zea is used to roles where she’s linked to a husband as her primary identity. In this role, even though she’s an ex-wife and mom, that’s not her main purpose in the story. Her story is about how she’s “navigating this world as opposed to what my relationship is with my significant other.” Even in this modern age, it’s a fresh role for her to be able to do that.

Okonkwo likes how the show is diverse, since it starts in L.A. They’re just people on their morning commute on Wilshire, but it’s just a real cross section. There’s obviously Americans. There’s a Brit. There’s Australians. There’s a whole cross section of society. And throwing those people together in this primeval world and seeing how they survive, how they relate to one another. Do they devolve or do they rise to the challenge and really support and help each other? That was a real core of the human journey on this show that I was really excited about and that we’re really, I think, all of us enjoyed being a part of it. Because it’s really heightened.” He added that he’s excited about how both the characters above, and the ones in “the hole” go through “this great, incredible journey through the course of this season.”

Seda loves his role because he has so many components, being a “former Navy Seal, doctor, father, husband,” plus he loves shows with action and adventure. There’s a lot of layers and things for an actor to work with.

The panel was also asked, for those who live in L.A., whether they’d “ever had a particularly alarming encounter with a sinkhole?” That was a funny question.

Okonkwo shared, “I actually have. I haven’t told this story. But there was a load of rain about two years ago, at the beginning of the year. And I used to live in Studio City. And across the street from me, a Toyota Prius (no less) sunk into the ground. It was about 6 feet, but it was still quite alarming. So, it just went. It dropped down into the ground. And they had to cordon off the street and tow… grab this Prius out of this hole.

Zea asked him if he’d used this moment as a “sense memory” for his acting. He acknowledged that he had. He had previously wanted to keep it to himself, but now he’s happy to share it. After that, some of the other actors joked around about his experience.

Applebaum was asked about how he came up with the story. He confided that he just had an image that he couldn’t get out of his head of a sinkhole opening up in L.A. He really wanted to start a show that way because he knew it hadn’t been done before and would be very dramatic. Then he had to come up with all of the rest of the story about why it opens, where it leads, and who falls into it. He used this to start creating the “world of characters in situations. And then from there, you know, a thousand other things happen, but it really just started with an image.” Macken joked that it must have been him in the Prius, so Applebaum jokingly replied that it was him.

Another writer asked those who live in L.A. what it was like doing this show, if it had scared them or whether it gave them nightmares.

Zea replied with a joke, sarcastically saying, “No. But thanks for getting that in the old craw, because now I will have nightmares.”

Macken compared it to how people there act when there’s an earthquake. There might be a small tremor, and it gives you pause, but then if nothing else happens, you go about your business. He thought perhaps next time there’s an earthquake, being on this show might give them pause.

Applebaum asked if he got the idea for show while stuck in traffic and whether he was influenced by classic fantasy writer Jules Verne. Applebaum replied thoughtfully that he’s really more influenced by various “action-adventure movies, certainly Spielberg movies,” although he does enjoy Jules Verne.

Another reporter asked Applebaum a similar question about whether they’ll see parts of L.A. in future episodes. Applebaum answered that even though they don’t shoot in L.A., it’s definitely a character in the show. Although a large part of the action does occur down in the primeval world, quite a bit is above the tarpits in the modern world.

Another member of the press asked if anyone there believed in time traveling, since this show hints that it might have that element. Applebaum isn’t sure that it could exist, but he thinks it’s a fascinating question. He loves time travel fiction, and so do his co-showrunners Bryan Wynbrandt and Steven Lilien. All of the actors agree that it’s possible. Martin joked that Applebaum was sent to them from the future, and there was more joking after that. It was a pretty silly question, so they dealt with it well.

Applebaum was also asked about what his pitch to the networks about the show was like.

He told us, “I first brought the idea to Peter Traugott and Rachel Kaplan and Asher Landay. The main selling point was there’s certainly this spectacle of people surviving in a strange and primeval land that has scope and scale. But, really, what’s at the heart of it all is this family that is torn apart by this sinkhole. And it’s that emotional connection to the show, which, I think, is what people responded to the most. A lot of shows, there can be lots of ideas that are big and noisy. But I think without that deep, emotional connection at the heart of it, people wouldn’t have responded to it. And I think that’s something that we try to keep at the heart of the all the episodes, is this emotional story we’re telling about this family but also the emotional story of all the survivors who are down in the sinkhole as they’re trying to figure out how to get home and also how to survive in this place.”

Another journalist asked whether Applebaum has a planned ending for the show, or does he take it on a more “week-by-week, season-by-season basis.” Of course, he answered that you do have to think ahead and plan, since dramas nowadays are all serialized. He maintains that what you do in the first episode sets up things you see in later episodes. Although he pitched the show to NBC over 2 years ago, they were shut down by the pandemic, so it gave them a “really long gestation and development process” which benefited the storytelling. They “opened up a writers’ room. And Steven and Bryan and all these other great writers came on board.”

A correspondent asked Okonkwo about his involvement with the Calm app because his stories on the app have been “life changing.” He also asked about working with green screens for the creatures on the show, and whether it’s harder than working with a real actor. Okonkwo was happy to hear this because he loves his work with the Calm app and that it’s helped so many, especially the past few years. He’s done a lot of voice work, so that’s why he was hired to work with the app. Others have told him the same thing, “it genuinely warms my heart, because it’s — I’ve never been a great sleeper, and it’s really nice to know that you’re helping people with my soporific voice to fall asleep during a tough time.”

Martin answered the green screen question, saying that a lot of what they do is real, not green screen. He talks about the great job they’ve done with the sets, which makes it feel very real.

Zea said that they’re all working with real people. The only non-entities are the animals, which they wouldn’t have worked with, anyway (since they’re prehistoric). They really have nothing to compare it to, she added.

Okonkwo did chime back in to say, “We did have a great moment at the end of the first episode, which I won’t give away. But because you can’t have those real animals, which are sometimes dangerous and sometimes extinct, we had a guy in a full blue outfit creeping through the sort of brush. And, so, for Jon, myself, and Natalie to keep a straight face when there’s a guy in blue Lycra pretending to be a dangerous animal was some of the best acting I’ve ever seen.”

From what Zea and Okonkwo said, they weren’t told ahead of time about the guy pretending to be an animal. It was a surprise. Macken and Gorecki jokingly complained that all they got to see were birds.

Another journalist asked them to compare their COVID-19 experiences as humans with what the characters are going through. Applebaum said that “one of the really important parts of the show is that even though it’s in the sci-fi genre and there’s an escapist element is that we are relating the themes of the show to what’s happening in the real world. A lot of the show is about this group of survivors who are down in this strange land, about how they come together, or don’t, in order to survive. So, I think the problems that they have in the real world come with them. So even though we are operating in a made-up world, we do want it to feel real and relatable to what people are going through on a daily basis.”

Macken added in his point of view that the characters are “suddenly faced with this feeling of helplessness, of not being able to help your family, and also not knowing what’s going on,” which is what a lot of us experienced with the pandemic.

Another press person asked if any of them had been to the real La Brea Tar Pits and whether they found them interesting. Martin said that he and his castmate Veronica St. Clair (who was not on the panel) visited and they were “blown away.”He added, “it is unbelievable to see, if you haven’t ever been. I mean, it’s like all of these prehistoric animals that are preserved in tar and their bones have been sitting there for thousands and thousands of years. It’s pretty amazing.” Okonkwo had the same experience when he visited. He’s glad that their show is able to take the audience on a journey through that world.

Zea had been there with her family but found it to be disappointing. Macken found it fascinating, and it reminded hime of “Jurassic Park.” Martin thinks it would be great if they were able to bring the dinosaurs back the way they did in those movies. Zea agreed with that, saying, “That would be a spectacle. That would be cool. I would get it’s then.” Martin joked that they should do that in Season 2.

Another reporter asked which part of the primeval they were in because it’s a “pretty large span of time.” That was a very good question, but of course Applebaum wouldn’t give that much detail. He explained that it’s a surprise in the show that the audience will find out when they watch. However, that will bring up “more mysteries and more questions.”

MORE INFO:

An epic adventure begins when a massive sinkhole opens in the middle of Los Angeles, pulling hundreds of people and buildings into its depths. Those who fell in find themselves in a mysterious and dangerous primeval land, where they have no choice but to band together to survive. Meanwhile, the rest of the world desperately seeks to understand what happened. In the search for answers, one family torn apart by this disaster will have to unlock the secrets of this inexplicable event to find a way back to each other.

The cast includes Natalie Zea, Eoin Macken, Jon Seda, Nicholas Gonzalez, Chiké Okonkwo, Karina Logue, Zyra Gorecki, Jack Martin, Veronica St. Clair, Rohan Mirchandaney, Lily Santiago, Josh McKenzie and Chloe De Los Santos.

Writer David Appelbaum executive produces with Avi Nir, Alon Shtruzman, Peter Traugott, Rachel Kaplan, Steven Lilien, Bryan Wynbrandt, Ken Woodruff, Arika Lisanne Mittman and Adam Davidson.

David Applebaum, La Brea Creator

“La Brea” is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Keshet Studios.

David Appelbaum

Executive Producer, “La Brea”

David Appelbaum is the creator and executive producer of the new NBC drama “La Brea.”

Appelbaum was a co-executive producer on “The Enemy Within” and previously was a co-executive producer on “Wisdom of the Crowd” as well as a co-executive producer on “NCIS: New Orleans.”

Appelbaum began his career on “The Mentalist” where he spent four seasons on staff.

Natalie ZeaNatalie Zea

Eve Harris, “La Brea”

Natalie Zea portrays Eve Harris on the new NBC drama “La Brea.”

Zea recently co-starred on the TBS hit comedy “The Detour” and in the indie film “Happily,” starring Joel McHale, Paul Scheer and Stephen Root.

Best known to television audiences for her memorable role as Winona Hawkins on FX’s original series “Justified” (which she continued to guest on for two additional seasons while starring opposite Kevin Bacon on “The Following”), Zea has also been seen in Showtime’s “White Famous,” CBS’ “Under the Dome,” Showtime’s “Californication” and HBO’s “Hung.” Other television credits include “The Shield” and “Dirty Sexy Money.”

Zea recently starred in the independent films “Too Late,” “Grey Lady” and appeared in “The Other Guys” with Will Ferrell.

Originally from Texas, Zea made her way to New York where she earned a scholarship to the prestigious American Music and Dramatic Academy. After completing the program in only two years, Zea landed a role as part of the original cast of Kimberly Peirce’s 1995 short “Boys Don’t Cry,” which later evolved into the Academy Award-winning film by the same name.

Having never lost her love of theater, Zea helped develop Los Angeles’ reputable Lone Star Ensemble, a theater company in which she serves on the Board of Directors. She has a 3-year old daughter with her husband, actor Travis Schuldt, and lives in Los Angeles.

Jon SedaJon Seda

Dr. Samuel Velez, “La Brea”

Jon Seda stars as Dr. Samuel Velez in the new NBC drama “La Brea.”

Seda completed a six-season run on NBC’s “Chicago P.D.” where he had reprised his role as Antonio Dawson, a member of the Chicago P.D. Intelligence Unit.

A New Jersey native and amateur boxer, Seda hung up his gloves in 1992 when he made his screen debut as a fighter in “Gladiator.” Throughout the ’90s, Seda’s star rose through the films “Carlito’s Way” and “Twelve Monkeys,” though it wasn’t until he appeared in NBC’s “Homicide: Life on the Streets” that Hollywood took serious notice. In 1996, Seda received critical acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival for his role in the film “The Sunchaser,” opposite Woody Harrelson. Seda played the love interest of Jennifer Lopez in the film “Selena,” based on the true story.

His television credits include series regular roles on “Kevin Hill” and “Close to Home” and recurring roles on “Ghost Whisperer” and “Oz.” Seda has also guest-starred on many shows, including “Chicago Fire,” “Hawaii Five-0,” “The Closer,” “Burn Notice,” “House,” “NYPD Blue,” “Las Vegas” and “Law & Order: SVU,” among many others. In 2010, Seda appeared in the Emmy Award-winning HBO World War II miniseries “The Pacific,” starring as legendary U.S. Marine Jon Basilone. He later joined the cast of the acclaimed HBO series “Treme” as a series regular.

Eoin MackenEoin Macken

Gavin Harris, “La Brea”

Eoin Macken plays Gavin Harris on the new NBC drama “La Brea.”

Macken was recently seen starring opposite Megan Fox in the horror-thriller feature “Till Death” and wrapped shooting the lead role opposite Elisha Cuthbert in the Ireland-set-horror film, “The Cellar,” written and directed by Brendan Muldowney. He also wrote, directed and produced the independent film “Gray Elephant,” which was shot last year during COVID lockdown.

Macken’s TV credits include “Stumptown,” “The Night Shift,” “Nightflyers,” “Killing Jesus,” “Merlin” and “The Tudors.” On the film side, Macken’s credits include “Close,” “The Hole in the Ground,” “Here Are the Young Men,” “Resident Evil: The Final Chapter” and “The Forest.”

As

Zyra Gorecki

a novelist, Macken has published two books: “Kingdom of Scars,” which was short listed for the Bord Gais Energy Irish Book Awards in 2014, and “Hunger and the Grape,” which is being distributed through Amazon.

Zyra Gorecki

Izzy Harris, “La Brea”

Zyra Gorecki stars as Izzy Harris on the new NBC drama series “La Brea.”

Gorecki is one of the first below-the-knee amputee actresses with a series regular role in a major broadcast television series. Gorecki is involved with the non-profit organization Amputee Blade Runners that helps provide free running prosthetics for amputees.

In addition to her acting career, which includes guest-starring on “Chicago Fire,” Gorecki is an avid runner and skilled athlete who is passionate about living and promoting a sustainable lifestyle.

Chiké OkonkwoChiké Okonkwo

Ty, “La Brea”

Chiké Okonkwo plays Ty in the new NBC drama “La Brea.”

Okonkwo, best known for his role in “The Birth of a Nation,” is an award-winning actor who will be the lead and cover star of a highly anticipated global video game franchise set to be announced later this year.

He was most recently co-star of the film “Death Saved My Life” and BET’s hit series “Being Mary Jane” with Gabrielle Union. He also starred in the British indie film “Genesis.”

Hailing from London, his dream of being an actor began when he was accepted to both the National Youth Theatre and the National Youth Music Theatre. He started his professional career working at the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he performed in a number of plays, most notably “Julius Caesar,” which ended its award-winning run in New York in 2013.

His activism focuses on community banking in his role as ambassador for One United Bank, the largest Black-owned bank in the United States. Okonkwo is an advocate for the eradication of child poverty with the Children’s Defense Fund. He is also a proud member of the Master Artist Council of the Arthur Miller Foundation, alongside Daniel Day-Lewis, Scarlett Johansson and others.

Jack MartinJack Martin

Josh Harris, “La Brea”

Jack Martin stars as Josh Harris in the new NBC drama “La Brea.”

A Los Angeles-based, actor, writer, and comedian, Martin was most recently seen on CBS’ “All Rise.”

After posting his sketch comedy online during quarantine when the industry was on hold, he exploded on the Internet with his self-produced videos, gaining hundreds of thousands of followers across multiple platforms.

Fresh out of Georgetown University, Martin also studied at New York University’s Tisch Stonestreet Studios Film & TV conservatory, an intensive program focused on screen acting. He had also studied acting and the business side of entertainment through various talent management internships before realizing he was better suited in front of the camera, than behind it.

Martin’s self-referential sense of humor brings something unique to every video he makes. He knows who he is and is not afraid to poke fun at himself.

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"La Brea" scene in the pilot episode

Interview with Gina Yashere

Posted on by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Gina Yashere of "Bob Hearts Abishola" on CBS.

Interview with Gina Yashere of “Bob ❤️Abishola” on CBS by Suzanne 9/21/21

This was a fun TCA panel of various women who write TV comedies for Warner Brothers shows, “Leaning into Laughter: Exploring Timely Topics Through Humor & Heart.” I would have liked to have asked more questions, but it was only a half-hour long panel.

I chose Gina Yashere for my one question because I love her show, and she’s very funny in it as an actress as well as a writer. I was asking how much of her character, Yemi, is from her.

It was a fun panel with lots of humor. I would have loved to have asked the “Batwoman” showrunner, Caroline Dries, about the upcoming season and the crossover with the other CW shows. I was really surprised that no one else asked her that. I would also have liked to have asked Molly Smith Metzler about her upcoming show, “Maids.” On these TCA panels, I’m lucky if I get to ask more than one question the entire day.

Here is the list of panelists: Nkechi Okoro Carroll from The CW’s “All American” and the upcoming “All American: Homecoming,” Caroline Dries from The CW’s “Batwoman,” Maria Ferrari from CBS’s “United States of Al,” Molly Smith Metzler from Netflix’s upcoming “Maid,” Audrey Morrissey from NBC’s “The Voice,” and Gina Yashere from CBS’s “Bob ♥ Abishola.”

I first told Gina how much I loved her show and never miss it.  She had quite a long answer to my question.

“It’s quite a lot of me in this show. A lot of the stories – similar immigrant stories, people coming from somewhere else coming to America trying to raise their kids in America (and it doesn’t even have to be America, it can be anywhere; I was born and raised in England – a lot of Abishola’s story is based on my parents’ story. My mum and dad are from Nigeria. They came to England. They had us in England and were up against racism, misogyny, all those kinds of things that are very apparent all over the world. And it’s just the story of their love and their triumph of raising their kids in another country, away from home. And the “Bob ♥ Abishola” story is just the coming together of the two families, the two cultures meeting, the fact that people from various backgrounds, no matter where they’re from, find that commonality. And it’s a story about love and inclusion, and just people coming together. Being born outside of my parents’ country and having to assimilate into society that was not necessarily mine originally, it’s just all of those things. So there’s a lot of me in that. Plus, I’m in the show as well ’cause I wrote myself in because I wanted all the checks.
(Laughter.) But, yeah. So there’s a lot of my family and a lot of the immigrant – it doesn’t even have to be Nigeria; it can be Vietnamese; it can be Chinese; it can be Indian; it could be Pakistani, Russian – it’s a very similar story.

Maria Ferrari was asked how her show will be handling current events in Afghanistan. Her answer was amazing: “We had shot one-and-a-half episodes during the week of the fall of Kabul and quickly realized that we had guessed wrong what was going to happen and that we were going to have to adjust our plans. And basically, on August 12th when Herat fell, which is the third-biggest city in Afghanistan which was a very anti-Taliban stronghold, that was when our writers started to feel that something very big was going to change and they had pressing needs to get their own family members out of Afghanistan. And it happens that kind of the Venn diagram of Vets and Afghans and Afghan Americans that is necessary to write this show is also the one that works as a fairly-effective rescue operation. So, we had to stick a pin in everything and focus first on our people that needed help and who needed to get their families out, which was just the wildest week of my life. I have never experienced anything like that. And at the same time, we were realizing that we needed to change everything we had done, and we needed to do it quickly. And so we chose to tell that story. We chose to tell the story of what we were experiencing and hoping that some of the fear and the urgency that we were feeling in the room would come through in this story, which also happened to map very tightly onto our characters because the writers and the characters are, by design, from similar walks of life. So that is the story that we chose to tell in our premiere.” Wow!

She was asked how CBS discussed with her about the show coming back (in relation to what she said) and whether they considered bringing the show back a bit later because of it. However, she replied that everyone at CBS was quite supportive of their show, and where they decided to go with it (particularly the script). She and the others didn’t feel it would be appropriate to show a re-run at this particularly sensitive time.

Dries was asked whether she thought that there was any difference between men and women’s writing. She didn’t think there is. She stated that “The job of the writer is to mimic the showrunner, the creator’s voice. So I don’t see gender in the words frankly, so I can’t really answer that with a definitive ‘here’s how it’s different.’ Each writer brings its own thing. If they’re mimicking the voice, they’re succeeding on the show.”

The reporter asked the other writers to respond as well. Metzler agreed with Dries and said, “I think not seeing gender in the words – that really rings true to me as well. ‘Maid’ is a women’s story. It’s based on a memoir written by a woman. I’m a woman. But when I went to staff the writers room, I hired two men and two women. And I think everyone got the tone of the show. I have to say in my personal experience, the writing was uniformly excellent. And if you covered the title page, I don’t think you could tell who’s a man and who’s a woman.”

Carroll also agreed that there’s no difference: “I am a female showrunner of a football show, and a baseball show coming up, so I very much agree with the ladies. It becomes about their talent on the page. It becomes about capturing the accurate, emotional voice of the show. And then it becomes about mimicking my voice. And we have a pretty great split in both rooms in terms of gender. And you’d be surprised what comes out of who. You would be surprised that some of our best football stuff is written by women. It just works out that way. So, I think I would have to agree. I think we’ve retained 90% of our staff since Season 1 on ‘All American’ because they’re all just really good at what they do and are really good at capturing not just my voice, but also instinctively the type of stories I want to use this show to tell. And so that’s what makes them successful.”

Morrissey replied that her show, “The Voice,” doesn’t have much writing. They just have one writer, and she’s female.  With all of their people, they try to create a safe place for them to “be vulnerable and they can grow as artists – it’s gender-equal.”

Ferrari agreed that she didn’t see any differences. She likes to have all difference voices on her show – not just different genders but different ethnicities.

Gina gave another long answer: “Yeah, I think a lot of certain attitudes have kept women out of the writers’ room. It’s because they thought that we couldn’t write stories where maybe the cast were more male than female, whatever. And so, I like the fact that it doesn’t matter as long as you understand the subject you’re talking about, and you know the story you’re trying to tell, you can write for those people. We’re writing for people. And with my show, yeah, we have a nice even split, men and women. And in fact, I think we might have actually more women in the room. But we’ve got a nice split in our writers’ room. And also, in my show, more than half the cast is Nigerian, so we definitely wanted that Nigerian perspective. My parents were born in Nigeria. We’ve got another writer from Nigeria, a Nigerian American. And then, some of our actors are born and bred in Nigeria. So we wanted to get the perspective right. We wanted to make sure that it’s authentic as well, 100% authentic. We were also trying to smash stereotypes. And so you need people with those specific perspectives to be able to smash the stereotypes some people might have of Africa. If you watched the first episode of Season 3 of our show that aired last night, people are commenting and saying, “Oh, my gosh, we had no idea that Nigerian women live a certain way, that we had a certain image of that and how African people live” – little things like that. “They have really nice houses, we were surprised by that” – stuff like that. That’s why you need a good mix of people in the writers room, across gender, across sexuality, across race, to make sure that everything is covered, and covered properly.”

Dries was asked about Ryan Wilder’s story this season on “Batwoman.” She replied that now she has to fix the problems she’s made and taken responsibility for what she’s done. She added that we get to meet her mom and brother, and “we get to sort of carve out more details specifically about her personal life and all those new personal dynamics.”

Carroll was asked about crossovers between “All-American” and the new spinoff show. They do plan to have crossovers, but they have to wait and see how COVID and other factors affect their plans, but there will be familiar faces on the new show. She quickly added that they won’t be nearly as ambitious as the DC crossovers on The CW. She praised the showrunners and writers for those shows for being able to pull that off: “God bless the showrunners on the DC shows in how you pull that together because that is miraculous.”

Another press member asked her whether she would consider a third series someday, about soccer (since the first one is about football and the second one is about baseball).  Gina brought the comedy, saying, “It’s not soccer, it’s football! It’s football! It’s not soccer! It’s football!”  We all laughed at that. It was hilarious.

After correcting her, jokingly, that it’s football here in America, Carroll answered that she first needs to figure out how to fit sleep into her schedule before considering any other spinoffs.

Gina and Ferrari were asked a rather complex question about writing about the immigrants in their shows; specifically balancing writing about where they were before and where they are now.

Gina gave another lengthy answer: “For me, as a British-born Nigerian and watching American TV throughout my childhood, I didn’t like the way African people seemed to be depicted all the time. It felt like it was an image that had been just carried on way back from, I don’t know, Tarzan days, where Africans were seen a similar way.  And I was like, “That’s not what we’re like.” And then, whenever I’d watch movies, Africa was seen as like a country rather than a continent with a lot of different countries, different languages, different traditions, different religions, different everything. When I went to make this show, I wanted to make sure that you could see the differences, see the nuances of where my people come from in Nigeria and how different it is and how hard we work. When the idea of the show first came around, we were still in the middle of the Trump era, and so there was all that anti-immigrant feeling. So we wanted to just say, “Look, we’re just people. We’re just doing the same as what you guys. We love the same. We want to send our kids to school. We want to work. We want to contribute. That’s what we’re doing.” And so that’s what I wanted to do with this show, and to show us as people.  The language might be different.  The food we eat might be different.  Our clothes might be a little bit more colorful but, at the end of the day, we’re the same people.  And also, Nigerians, Africans, we’re everywhere.  The world is built on people moving to different places to find their fortune.  It’s not like we’re the only ones that are doing it.  White people have been doing it for hundreds of years – going to different places to find their fortunes.  So it’s just saying, “Look, the journey’s the same for all of us.  We’re all together in this.”  And I wanted to get that balance right between showing my culture, showing the people, but also showing how we fit in America and how we can easily mix with other people.  It’s not a problem.  We’ve been here for a long time.  Obviously, authenticity was extremely important to me because of who I’ve seen depicted in the past.  So, we made a point of making sure the language is correct, the food is correct.  When I met with Chuck to talk about the making of the show, I’d say things to him like, “If I say that this isn’t right, you’ve got to believe me.”  If I say, “We don’t do this or we would never do this,” just little things.  In American shows, kids coming in and putting their dirty shoes up on the couch and taking a bottle of milk from the fridge and drinking it straight from the bottle – that would never happen in an African family.  So even the small minutia of things, we had to get it right.  And I think it makes for a great show.  People love it.  Every immigrant family’s enjoying it because it’s their story too.  And then wanting to introduce it to America and its people – let’s be honest, CBS is not the blackest channel, but we’re introducing it to an audience of people who may never have even fraternized with people from my culture. And they’ve grown to love the characters and the people.  And so, as far as I’m concerned, that’s my job done.”

Ferrari said that the Afghani culture she works with has the same issue with the shoes. She even feels like it’s disrespectful now to walk on to their set with shoes on. She went on to say that bringing the first main character of a culture to TV puts pressure on your show “to be all things to all people, which is impossible.” They’re doing their best by showing us more of Al’s world both in his family “and also to introduce him to more Afghan-American communities in the Tristate area.”  This season, Al will find romance; there will be a new Afghan-American DJ, played by one of their writers, Fahim Anwar; and we see more of his sister. They hope to move the focus of the show a little bit to these new characters and not just Al. She finished with, “You can’t really say anything meaningful about diversity unless you are showing it in the bodies of multiple characters, because that’s what diversity means.”

Carroll was also asked whether she’ll be introducing more immigrant characters in her show, since they’ll be at a college.

She replied, “Oh, absolutely. Especially at an HBCU. It’s the diaspora, which is what’s the beauty of it. That’s why I’m so excited to be putting an HBCU back on TV because it’s been a long time since we’ve seen that. But it really is sort of all the versions of Black. In the backdoor pilot we had – because I’m Nigerian, so I was like, “I must put my people in it” – and so we had some of the other characters that were in the classroom and interacted with Keisha and everything. We had both Nigerians and Nigerian Americans portrayed and we plan to continue with that. And also in the diversity of religion. And that’s a conversation I was having with my writers in the writers room just yesterday. I want to make sure as we’re telling these stories, it’s not the Christian Black experience or it’s not the non-denominational Black experience. I want to talk about the Muslim Black experience. If we’re saying we’re in this melting pot of the Black diaspora, I want to make sure we’re really representing that. And again, to what Maria said, we can’t represent everybody all at once and so it’s something that we’re just very conscious of in the room. And as we can organically sort of expand the storylines we’re telling around our series regulars, and incorporating these other cultures and religions and everything, we’re so excited to do that because that’s why we’re doing what we do.”

Morrissey was asked about the logistics of this season on “The Voice” since the audience is still not back to full capacity. She talked about all the issues they had, and how they discussed whether to bring any audience back or not. They did decide to bring some back. She went on at length about how the performers really need an audience to sing to. It helps them out. As a singer myself, I know that’s very true. I can imagine that whether you’re in front of 100 or 1000 people, it’s helpful to have an audience. She also mentioned that they have a new coach, Ariana Grande.

At the end, Morrissey also sent out some love to the other panelists. She said, “I’m such a fan of every other woman on this panel. And so I’m really excited to be on this panel with you. So, good luck to you all. Happy to meet you here.” Carroll gave her the love right back, saying that binging “The Voice” has been her go-to during the pandemic. Morrissey replied right back with “Please. I am binging “All-American” right now with my ten-year-old son. And literally, when I open my laptop to log on, there was Taye Diggs frozen from my Netflix…”

Gina chimed in with a naughty joke: “I think we’ve all had Taye Diggs on our laptops at some time” and everyone laughed.

MORE INFO:

Assembled here is a group of incredibly talented women who are responsible for some of the studio’s most innovative and inclusive television programming. From comedy to drama, reality or superheroes, this group has it covered. Each of these amazing women has played an instrumental role in creating more diverse storylines and bringing them to television screens everywhere. And critics have responded to the importance of these stories. From the GLAAD Award-nominated “Batwoman” and its historic casting of Javicia Leslie, the first Black actress to portray Batwoman in a live-action television or film production, to “Bob ♥ Abishola,” being the first series to depict a Nigerian family in a comedy, it’s apparent, these women are groundbreaking creators. “The Voice” has been recognized by the Television Academy with a phenomenal 69 Emmy nominations and 7 wins. And the hit drama “All American” received nominations from the NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series, as well as the Black Reel Awards for its ability to tackle a vast spectrum of social issues. And we are expanding the “All American” universe with the upcoming “All American: Homecoming.” Most importantly, the stories these women have elected to tell are authentic. From the timely “United States of Al,” which addresses the current crisis in Afghanistan, to “Maid,” which tackles the issue of poverty in America and has already appeared on “Vogue,” “Time,” and “Rolling Stone’s” Best-of-Fall TV lists. These women have all proven themselves to be creative forces to be reckoned with.

Gina Yashere of "Bob Hearts Abishola" on CBS.Gina Yashere

Co-Creator and Producer, Kemi in BOB ♥ ABISHOLA

Hometown: London

Birthday: April 6

Comedian Gina Yashere was born and raised in Bethnal Green, London to Nigerian parents. Prior to becoming a comedian, she worked as an elevator engineer for Otis.

In 1996 Yashere became a finalist in the Hackney Empire New Act of the Year, a British competition devoted to discovering and promoting new stand-up comedians and variety talent. In 2000 she began creating and performing popular comedic characters on the series “The Lenny Henry Show,” and in 2006 and 2007 she co-hosted the MOBO (Music of Black Origin) Awards in the U.K.

Yashere broke onto the American comedy scene as one of 10 finalists on “Last Comic Standing” in 2007. She went on to be named one of the top 10 rising talents in The Hollywood Reporter. In 2008 she became the first and only British comic to perform on “Def Comedy Jam.” In 2009 she performed a stand-up comedy routine on “The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien” and appeared on the BBC’s “Live at the Apollo.” Starting in 2010, she appeared regularly on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” in a sketch comedy series called “Madame Yashere: The Surly Psychic,” in which she gave fake psychic readings to unsuspecting people on the street. Also, she appeared as Flo in several episodes of the ITV drama “Married Single Other.” In 2010 her one-hour comedy special, “Skinny B*tch,” premiered on SHOWTIME. In 2015 she was featured on “Gotham Comedy Live” and in 2016 appeared on SHOWTIME’s “The Nasty Show with Artie Lange.” She produced and starred in the comedy specials “Gina Yashere: Laughing to America” and “Gina Yashere: Ticking Boxes,” and performed on season two of the Netflix comedy showcase “The Standups.” In 2017 Yashere became the British correspondent for “The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.” As an in-demand voice artist, Yashere voiced the character of Keisha in the British cult hit “Bromwell High” and was the voice of Gravelle in the movie “Early Man” from the creators of “Wallace and Gromit” and “Chicken Run.”

In addition to performing for audiences in Europe, the U.S. and Australia, Yashere is a highly sought-after comedian in Asia, selling out shows in Singapore, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Hong Kong. The U.K.’s Black Entertainment and Comedy Awards named her “Best Comedian” four years in a row, and she has performed several times at the prestigious Just for Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal and Toronto.

Currently, Yashere is writing an autobiography scheduled for release next year.

Born in London, Yashere currently resides in Los Angeles. Her birthday is April 6. Her web site is www.ginayashere.com, and she can be followed on Instagram and Twitter @ginayashere and on Facebook @ginaisfunny.

Nkechi Okoro CarrollNKECHI OKORO CARROLL

Showrunner/Executive Producer of “All American”

Nkechi Okoro Carroll is the Executive Producer/Showrunner of the Greg Berlanti-produced drama series “All American.”

Prior to “All American,” Okoro Carroll served as Co-Executive Producer on the drama series “The Resident” and “Rosewood.” Her other television producing credits include, “Bones” and “The Finder.” Additionally, Okoro Carroll is in an exclusive, multiyear overall deal with Warner Bros Studios.

Born in New York, raised in Nigeria, Cote d’Ivoire and England, Okoro Carroll earned a B.A. in Economics and French from the University of Pennsylvania and Masters in International Economics from New York University. Prior to her television writing career, Okoro Carroll worked for the Federal Reserve where her responsibilities included managing the reserve position for the U.S. Banking system and analyzing the impact of monetary policy decisions on the domestic money markets. All of which she did while still writing and producing plays in New York.

Okoro Carroll currently resides in Los Angeles.

Caroline DriesCAROLINE DRIES

Executive Producer/Showrunner of “Batwoman”

Caroline Dries is the Executive Producer/Showrunner of the Greg Berlanti-produced drama series “Batwoman.”  Dries also developed the series for The CW.

Prior to “Batwoman,” Dries served as a producer on “Melrose Place” (2009-2010) and was an executive producer on The CW’s hit series, “The Vampire Diaries.”  Her other television credits include “Smallville” and “Arrow.”  Dries began her career in television as a PA, writers assistant and script coordinator on “Smallville” before joining the series as a staff writer.

Dries was born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  She attended NYU as an undergraduate, earning a BFA in Psychology.  Afterwards, Dries attended the University of Southern California’s prestigious School of Cinematic Arts where she earned her master’s degree.

Dries currently resides in Los Angeles with her wife, Danielle, and their new baby girl.

Maria FerrariMaria Ferrari

Executive Producer/Creator, UNITED STATES OF AL

March 2021

Maria Ferrari began her career as a script coordinator for the television series “Blue Collar TV” and “How I Met Your Mother,” on the Network. She went on to write multiple scripts for both shows before joining “The Bill Engvall Show” as a staff writer. Next, Ferrari joined “The Big Bang Theory,” on the Network, where she rose to executive producer and was nominated for three Emmy Awards for Outstanding Comedy Series.

Ferrari’s additional television credits include “Young Sheldon,” also on the Network.

Ferrari is a graduate of Northwestern University and resides in Los Angeles.

Molly Smith MetzlerMolly Smith Metzler (playwright) is the author of Cry it Out, Elemeno Pea, The May Queen, Carve, Close Up Space and Training Wisteria. Her regional credits include: Northlight Theatre, Actors Theatre of Louisville, South Coast Repertory, Boston Playwrights’ Theatre, The Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, Chautauqua Theater Company, City Theatre, PlayMakers Repertory Company, Geva Theatre Center, Mixed Blood Theatre Company and more. In New York City: Manhattan Theatre Club (MTC). Metzler’s awards include the Lecomte du Nouy Prize from Lincoln Center, the Harold and Mimi Steinberg National Student Playwriting Award from The Kennedy Center, the Association for Theatre in Higher Education’s David Mark Cohen National Playwriting Award, the Mark Twain Prize for Comic Playwriting and a finalist nod for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. She is a proud alumna of the Ars Nova Play Group, the Dorothy Strelsin New American Writers Group at Primary Stages and the Cherry Lane Mentor Project. In television, Metzler has written for Casual (Hulu), Orange Is the New Black (Netflix), Codes of Conduct (HBO), and is currently a writer/producer on Shameless (Showtime). She is also a screenwriter, currently adapting Ali Benjamin’s award-winning novel The Thing About Jellyfish into a film for OddLot Entertainment with Made Up Stories and Pacific Standard (Reese Witherspoon’s company). Metzler was educated at the State University of New York at Geneseo, Boston University, New York University’s Tisch School for the Arts and the Juilliard School. She lives in Los Angeles and Kingston, N.Y.

Audrey MorrisseyAudrey Morrissey is an executive producer and the creative force behind “The Voice,” NBC’s four-time Emmy Award-winning musical competition series, and “Songland,” NBC’s brand new songwriting competition series.

Morrissey’s roots are in music television. A veteran of MTV, she spent nine years at the network in their music and specials division

working on their high-profile music series and annual event specials, such as “Unplugged,” “VMAs,” and “Movie Awards.”

After several years in New York, she was sent to Los Angeles to build the West Coast production department for both MTV and VH1.

After MTV, Morrissey joined Jimmy Iovine and Doug Morris as the Head of Television for their online music venture, Farmclub.com. While at Farmclub, she executive produced 65 episodes of the weekly music series “Farmclub.com” on USA Network and met her future partner, Ivan Dudynsky, with whom she started Live Animals Productions and serves as executive producer.

Since the formation of Live Animals, Morrissey has executive produced award shows, music specials, reality series, music videos and promos. She has executive produced the Emmy Awards, “People’s Choice Awards,” “MTV Movie Awards,” “CMT Music Awards” and “Teen Choice Awards.” She also executive produced the NBC series “I Can Do That.” Morrissey has not only gained the attention of millions of viewers, but critics as well. In addition to five PGA Awards for Outstanding Producer of Competition Television, “The Voice” has earned four Emmy Awards for Outstanding Reality Competition Program in 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017.

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TCA panel

Interview with Karen Barroeta, Mark Tacher, Isabella Castillo and Alejandro Nones

Posted on by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Karen Barroeta, Mark Tacher, Isabella Castillo and Alejandro Nones from Telemundo's "Malverde: El Santo Patrón"

Interview with Executive Producer Karen Barroeta and actors Mark Tacher, Isabella Castillo and Alejandro Nones from “Malverde: El Santo Patrón” on Telemundo by Suzanne 9/13/21

I’m not a native Spanish speaker, so I don’t usually watch Telemundo. However, I did watch an episode or two of this series before our recent TCA panel with the actors. It was quite entertaining. The show is set in the old west and reminds me of the Western shows I grew up watching, such as Bonanza, The Big Valley, The Virginian and many more.  There are a lot of characters in the show that you meet at once, though, so I had a little trouble sometimes telling them apart. It got a bit easier as time went on.    The series has subtitles, so it’s easy to watch and get caught up in the story. It’s a timeless story of good versus evil. In fact, the main character is a bit like a sexy Robin Hood, but with some mystical powers.  You should really check it out September 28 on Telemundo.

The panel included the executive producer and 3 of the actors. Unfortunately, the main star, Pedro Fernández, was not there, but the three that were there were very entertaining. The cast is from all different parts of Latin America.  On the panel, Tacher is from Mexico; Castillo is from Cuba; and Nones is from Venezuela.

Curious, I asked EP Karen Barroeta if there are many western series on Telemundo. Her reply surprised me: “Actually, this is the first period piece we’ve produced, and we really worked on it for the past six years and thought that it could be something that audiences could be really interested in. So, it was a big challenge for us, but we are happy with the results. Hopefully, audiences will believe so as well.” I agree with her…I think audiences will enjoy it as I did.

She was also asked to compare the real-life tales of Malverde to their show. They did a lot of research into the folklore and then fleshed out the details in the story with fictional elements. They based their show on “what he meant for people and how he lost his parents and how he became a legend. He was part of the Yoreme. His family came from the Native — those Indians in Mexico, and so he learned how to create medicine to help people. So not only he was a Robin Hood, but he also had the ability to cure, and that’s how his name came about. So, we did take a lot from what it was recorded in history, but we did give it a bit of fiction in terms of the people that were around him and how he fought for justice.”  Besides Malverde and the main characters created for the show, there are historical figures as well, such as president Porfirio Díaz and the revolutionary fighter Pancho Villa. “So, we brought a lot of reality in terms of the historical personas and characters that were real at that time, and so we incorporated it because we know that Malverde was fighting for justice. He was trying to help his people. And, so, I think it’s somehow very tied to how he was in reality. But, in TV, we like to make magic, and we brought some additional resources, elements, and characters, to make it more entertaining.”

She was also asked about what elements about Malverde’s character that they chose to put in (or not) , and she responded that they created the love story (between him and Carolina as well as him and Isabel) to make it more appealing to audiences. She seemed to feel bad that we were only asking her questions, so she suggested that the actors help answer this question. Tacher added that their story is not just a dry account of Malverde but a real story about how he lived and loved, which is what the audiences should like. Castillo chimed in to add that they really don’t know many details about Malverde, so they have to fill that in. And her character, La China Navajas, is based on many different women who fought for revolution in Mexico. She points out that they don’t really know if Malverde existed and whether he had these mystical powers that were attributed to him.

Someone else asked if Malverde was as well known as Emiliano Zapata. Karen said that it’s hard to compare the two because they’re very different Zapata was a revolutionary war hero and Malverde was a mythical figure – a saint. People have altars in Mexico, and his figure is frequently on their altars. Some have tattoos of him. He’s a saint in their culture.  Actor Nones added his own take on it: “Zapata is someone kids studied in school, and Malverde is somebody that people from the north in Culiacán and Sinaloa grow with this in the streets. And people talk, and people follow him as a saint with a lot of devotion.”

some of the cast from "Malverde: El Santo Patrón" on Telemundo

Karen told us that it took six years to bring this project to the screen. They first did a lot of research and then put together a demo reel, which they showed to focus groups. They received a good reaction from them. “We saw how our audience here in the United States, an Hispanic audience, was so excited about knowing more, and so we just started the development process three years ago. And the pandemic started just when we were getting ready to start building the back lot that we built in Cumbres del Ajusco in Mexico. And, so, production all in all between the preproduction and the production – I can say was probably a year and a half. So, it’s been a project that took some time.”

Castillo confided that, since she grew up in Cuba, she’d never heard of Malverde until she traveled to Mexico. She discovered that many thought of him as the patron saint of Narcos, but he had nothing to do with them or the drug trafficking. He was a much more positive figure.

Nones had heard a lot about him during his travels and work in Mexico. Six years ago, he was in Culiacán and learned a lot about him at the chapel that bears his name from the son of the person who created the chapel.

Tacher, who, as I mentioned above, is Mexican, related that they don’t learn about pre-revolutionary characters like Malverde in Mexican schools. He heard about him later from people in Culiacán, Sinaloa, where he’s known as the patron saint of the needy. He let us know that Telemundo’s research into the saint was not easy because he’s most popular in certain areas of Mexico.

One of the other members of the press said that he’s also a teacher, so he had been concerned about whether Malverde would be a hero and a positive message. Karen told him, “This is a story of an amazing man who suffered being a young kid by having his father killed by the aristocrats, and he was raised by these Indians who taught him a lot about, like I said before, how to cure people. And he grew up seeing the difference between the aristocrats and the people that didn’t — that they would just fight to have food and education for their kids. So, he fought for justice. He aligned with the revolution to make sure he could bring some equality to those in need. And he was never, like, siding with criminals or with the real bandits. Yes, he did take maybe from the aristocrat’s gold mines, and he would give to the poor. But we are telling the story of a hero, of a legend, and that will show all positive traits. So, I’m not sure if we are necessarily saying it the way you commented it, but we are definitely bringing out this beautiful human being who fought for justice. And the way we position it is he would never want to shoot a gun to kill someone but just to defend himself. He would always say, ‘Never shoot to kill. Never do it.'”

The actors agreed with her that his story is a positive one. Tacher told us that there was virtually no drug trafficking in the world back at that time (the late 1800’s). Of course, that’s because most drugs were legal until the early part of the 20th century. Heroin, opium and pot were legal in Mexico until the 20’s and in the US until the 30’s.

Tacher was next asked why people seem to love stories of lawbreakers like Malverde. He replied thoughtfully: “I think we are always fascinated by those kinds of guys because they are always in the line of what is good or bad in the social medium — in a social medium, you know. So, it’s very difficult not to fall in love with these kinds of characters that help but also that dare to break a little bit — not to break but to bend the system a little bit. And they are always searching for new ways to bring joy to people even though they become a concern to other people. So that’s why I think we are always in love with these kinds of characters because they are almost always on the brink of success and failure.”

The actors were then asked what they had learned from doing their research for the show. Castillo really hadn’t known much about the Mexican Revolution, so she loved learning about it.   Nones had previously done a play about the period, so he was already familiar with it. Tacher enjoyed “living” in the era where they had no electricity and shooting in a simple town where there were no cell phone signals. Then they did the scenes in the series where they brought electricity and light to the town. He said, Iit was amazing. It was like bringing Mexico to a new era. And I lived that way because I just thought to myself, ‘What would I do if I lived in that age without any kind of light?’ Yeah, you will survive, but that had to be hard.”

Castillo elaborated on what he said, explaining that the studio built this small town in the woods where there was nothing but a lot of cactus. She also mentioned that her character has a “controversial” storyline that is even difficult in today’s world (she never explained what she meant, but my guess is that her character is a lesbian). She went on, “we still have to fight for equality and for justice still in 2021, you know. So, when you go back to the good old days, it’s, like, oh, my god, since back in the day, people have been fighting for something that we are still fighting for today, you know. So, for us, it was, like, a joy. It was a pleasure to be part of this project and to participate in all of these historical events that still are taking place nowadays.”

There was a lot of joking around between the actors as they were asked to talk about their characters. That was very funny.

Nones plays Nazario Aguilar, the right hand to Malverde, who has an illness that makes it difficult if he gets injured. Aguilar risks his life for Malverde and because it’s the right thing to do. He loved being in the period piece with all of the details that make it seem authentic to the time.

Castillo loves her character and talked about how strong her character is. “She doesn’t change who she is for anyone, and she has actually taught me many things. She came to Malverde’s life when she was an orphan. Pretty much they killed her whole entire family.” She finds a family with Malverde and Aguilar. Castillo loves the other actors, the action and  “choosing characters that break the stereotypes,” such as this woman  who had to survive alongside men. She continued, “What I love about my character is that she’s the only girl in a band of only men, and she manages to survive back in the day, 1910, which it was difficult to be a girl surrounded by men because you would have to make them respect you, you know. And she gained the respect from men, and that’s something that’s really, really valuable, especially back in the day.”

The female soldiers are called “Soldaderas” and Tacher pointed out that there’s an old Mexican song called “La Adelita” about the women soldiers of the revolution. His character is Vicente del Rio, who is ” an American-born, greedy entrepreneur that moves to the north region of Mexico because he knows of its riches, but sooner than later, he didn’t know that he would fall in love with our beautiful protagonist, Isabel.” There is a lot of conflict between del Rio and Malverde (in part because Malverde and Isabel had a past relationship).  Castillo then teased Tacher about del Rio’s mustache, and they joked around because he didn’t like wearing the mustache at all.

MORE INFO:

poster for "Malverde: El Santo Patrón" on Telemundo

Set in 1910 and inspired by real events, ‘Malverde: El Santo Patrón’ tells the story of Jesús Juárez “Malverde,” one of the biggest and most controversial Mexican characters of the last 150 years, an outlaw who ultimately became a legendary figure, a religious icon, and protector of the innocent, poor and dispossessed. The high-octane production shows the life of Malverde, from his turbulent childhood as an orphan in Sinaloa, Mexico, through his young adulthood during the Mexican Revolution, when he encountered war and danger as well as romance. Rising to heights of unexpected power, he became a Robin Hood-type figure admired by women from all social classes but tormented by unresolved feelings for his childhood girlfriend, Isabel. With the federal authorities increasingly concerned with Malverde’s steadily growing power in the early years of the Revolution, it will take more than love or God to safeguard the hero known as “El Santo Patrón” from those out to destroy him.

Karen Barroeta

Karen Barroeta is a television industry executive with more than 20 years of experience in broadcast, pay TV & content distribution. Throughout her career, Karen has been responsible for leading efforts in Programming, Creative, Marketing, PR and Ad Sales for international and Hispanic-language markets and has cultivated a strong expertise in media management and strategic thinking. Karen is a forward-thinking, results-driven executive who has excelled at leading teams improving the quality of the creative output, enhancing productivity as well as improving operational and communication workflows while building internal partnerships.

Recently, Karen has been appointed Executive Vice President of Production and Development at Telemundo Global Studios. In this new role, Barroeta is responsible for leading the development strategy of the Studios, along with the management and execution of long-form scripted productions across all platforms. She will also oversee the alternative content team and identify projects for pilots, behind-the-scenes productions and digital capsules.

In addition, Karen works closely with Marcos Santana, President of Telemundo Global Studios, to jointly manage and execute long-form scripted productions across all platforms.

Previously, Karen successfully held the Senior Vice President role of Marketing and Creative for Telemundo Network and Universo including Entertainment, News & Sports. In this role, Barroeta was part of the network’s core content team leading the strategic development and execution of all brand and consumer-marketing initiatives across the company’s platforms, including oversight of the media planning and experiential practices. She also collaborated with Telemundo Station Group and NBCUniversal distribution and affiliate teams while leading the Shared Services & scheduling strategies

Karen holds an MBA from the University of Miami, a Master of Arts in Television Production & Digital Media from Emerson College, and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from Florida Atlantic University.

Mark Tacher

Mark Tacher is a Mexican actor born in Mexico City. He has a degree in acting from CEFAT (Tv Azteca Actoral Training Center). In addition, he studies music, guitar, singing and DJ at the G Martell academy in Mexico. He perfected his vocal technique with maestro Óscar Sámano (MET from NY and student of Pavarotti) in Mexico. Years later he studied Actoral Perfection Techniques, The truth without effort in Venezuela.

His artistic career debuted in 1996 as a host on the Tv Azteca program “Nintendomanía” and which lasted until 1998 when he began his role as an actor.

“Perla”, “Trestimes Sofía” and “Háblame de amor” were his first acting projects. In 2000 he had his first leading role in “Tío Alberto” and 2002 “Get on my motorcycle.” In 2003 he participated in “Mirada de mujer, el returno” being his last novel on Tv Azteca.

He recently participated in the Queen of the South 2 giving life to Alejandro Alcalá and Operación Pacífico from the hand of Telemundo, the latter being one of the protagonists giving life to Colonel Gabriel Pedraza.

Isabella Castillo

Isabella Castillo was born on December 23, 1994 in Havana, Cuba. She was born in a musical family, her mother Delia Diaz de Villegas was a known singer in the island. Her father, Jose Castillo is a drummer and her sister Giselle Castillo graduated from the university in Music Education. In 1997 she migrated to Belize City and months later she moved to Miami, Florida (USA). At the age of 5 years, she decided she wanted to sing in one of her mother’s show, she blew them away with her powerful voice and small age. She took voice, dance and acting lessons. In 2007 she went to Madrid, Spain for a casting for the musical Ana Frank – Un Canto a la Vida. She got the part of Anne Frank and moved with her parents to Spain. She received the award Premio Gran Via for Best Revelation in a Musical. When the musical ended she came back to the United States and was casted to play the part of Andrea Giron in El Fantasma de Elena with Telemundo. After the end of this soap opera she was casted for Grachi and became the main character in the TV series Grachi for Nickelodeon. She won the Nickelodeon’s Kids Choice Awards Mexico 2011 for Best Female Artist in a TV series. Right now she finished filming Grachi second season and is traveling through out Latin America with Grachi the Musical.

Alejandro Nones

Alejandro Nones (born December 9, 1982) is a Venezuelan actor and model. He began his acting career in Mexico, on film Así del precipicio, and later was hired by Televisa to act in the telenovela Lola, érase una vez. He is an actor and producer, known for Who Killed Sara? (2021), Cuna de Lobos (2019) and Amar a muerte (2018).

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Mark Tacher, Isabella Castillo and Alejandro Nones from "Malverde: El Santo Patrón" on Telemundo

Review of “FBI: International”

Posted on by TvMegasite Admin

TV Review!

"FBI: International" cast on CBS

“FBI: International” on CBS Review by Suzanne 9/25/21

I have to admit that I’m not a fan of the “FBI” shows. I just find them a bit boring and formulaic. They have some good actors, but they just don’t excite me very much. If I had nothing better to do, I would watch them, or the “NCIS” shows, or the “Law and Order” shows, or…. Zzzzzzzzz    I’m sorry! I dozed off a second there, just trying to remember all of these franchise shows. (Ha ha!)

These series all seem geared toward action junkies or old people. I mean REALLY old because I’m 60, which is pretty old, and they don’t hold any great thrill for me. But I know they’re very popular. They must be – why else would they now have THREE of them, all on the same night? I guess the three hours of programming is a good match against shows like “The Masked Singer” on FOX.

This new series is set in Europe. Unlike “FBI” and “FBI: Most Wanted,” the show has mostly young people. There is no wise older person to show the young people how it should be done. That might be a mistake, but we’ll have to wait and see how the stories play out.

I watched the three-episode premiere this week (tying all three series together), and I was impressed with the fact that I could watch all three without really knowing any of the other characters on the shows. They make it really easy to follow. You could watch any of these shows and not worry about episodes that you missed. They’re all pretty self-contained.

The international aspect of the show makes it very interesting. They have to deal with things that the other shows don’t, such as worrying about local law enforcement more and not being able to carry guns. I like that detail of it a lot.

Check it out and see if it appeals to you.

MORE INFORMATION:

From Emmy Award winner Dick Wolf and the team behind FBI and the “Law & Order” brand, faced-paced drama FBI: INTERNATIONAL is the third iteration of the successful FBI brand that follows the elite operatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s International Fly Team. Headquartered in Budapest, they travel the world with the mission of tracking and neutralizing threats against American citizens wherever they may be, putting their lives on the line to protect the U.S. and its people. The Fly Team’s Special Agent Scott Forrester, their accomplished and dedicated leader, puts his missions ahead of his personal life and is rarely seen without the team’s “secret weapon” – their trusty Schutzhund dog, Tank. Second in command is Special Agent Jamie Kellett, not afraid to tussle – in an alley or courtroom – and her extensive network of informants is a powerful resource. Special Agent Andre Raines shines in the field and makes good use of his accounting background in tracking criminal enterprises’ moving money; and the group’s newest member is Special Agent Cameron Vo, a competitive West Point grad who excels at interrogation and strategy. A key part of the mix is the unflappable Europol Agent Katrin Jaeger, a multilinguistic liaison between the FBI Fly Team and each host country they inhabit. Always at the scene where American interests are at risk, FBI: INTERNATIONAL is a globe-trotting depiction of law enforcement overseas.

The series premieres at a special time on Tuesday, Sept. 21 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) as part of a three-hour crossover premiere event with FBI and FBI: MOST WANTED to kick off the new season of “All-FBI Tuesdays” on the CBS Television Network and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
ON AIR: Tuesday (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT) as of Sept. 28
ORIGINATION: Budapest
FORMAT Drama (Filmed in HD)
STARRING: Luke Kleintank (Special Agent Scott Forrester)
Heida Reed (Special Agent Jamie Kellett)
Carter Redwood (Special Agent Andre Raines)
Vinessa Vidotto (Special Agent Cameron Vo)
AND: Christiane Paul (Europol Agent Katrin Jaeger)
PRODUCED BY: Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with CBS Studios
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Dick Wolf, Derek Haas, Matt Olmstead, Michael Katleman, Arthur Forney and Peter Jankowski

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

"FBI: International" cast on CBS

Primetime TV Review: Ordinary Joe

Posted on by Eva Diaz

TV Review!

“Ordinary Joe” Review on by Eva 9/24/2021

I decided to watch Ordinary Joe because it sounded interesting… but when I watched the show, I found it to be confusing.

The show centers around Joe Kimbreau (James Wolk), who graduates from college and has a choice to make of what to do with the rest of his graduation day. Joe’s first option ]is to ask Amy (Natalie Martinez), whom he just met, on a date. Joe’s second choice is to go with his girlfriend, Jenny (Elizabeth Lail), to the beach for a talk.  His third choice for the day is to go to dinner with his family. The show then follows Joe’s three possible choices or timelines. If he goes with Amy on a date, he becomes a famous musician, marries her and they try to have a child; if he goes with Jenny, he becomes a nurse with a disabled son and an unhappy marriage. If Joe chooses dinner with his family, he becomes a cop who is single but still wonders what happened to Amy and Jenny.

This show is a bit confusing because it switches randomly from Joe’s three parallel lives, and you have to really pay attention to understand what Joe is doing and which life he is living. I really like James Wolk as Joe – he makes the best of what he is given and gives the audience a reason to root for Joe, hoping that he will solve his problems.

I think this show needs to work on being a little less confusing… maybe if they dealt with one of Joe’s lives in each episode, instead of all three lives in the same episode, it would work better. I think the show will do okay because it comes after “The Voice” on Monday nights. I will keep watching it to see if it improves, but for now I will give it 3 out of 5 stars.

Read Our Interview with Wolk

MORE INFORMATION:

ORDINARY JOE (NBC)

BROADCAST HISTORY:
9/20/21 – ???

STATUS:
currently airing (fall 2021)TIME SLOT:
mondays from 10:00 PM-11:00 PM ESTCURRENT SEASON:
1 (??? episodes)VISIT THE OFFICIAL WEB SITE

DESCRIPTION:
(from NBC’s web site, September 2021) Life is all about the choices you make – and sometimes, what you do in a single moment can change everything. This new heartfelt, life-affirming drama follows Joe Kimbreau, who faces one of these decisions at his college graduation. The three parallel stories that diverge from that night find Joe and the people around him with different careers, relationships and family lives, showing the unexpected ways that things change – and stay the same. But when it comes down to it, there is no “right” choice; no matter what happens, Joe’s life is always messy, exciting, tough, unpredictable… and beautiful.

PRINCIPAL CAST INFORMATION:
· Charlie Barnett as Eric Payne
· Elizabeth Lail
· James Wolk as Joe Kimbrough
· Natalie Martinez as Amy

CREW INFORMATION:
· Adam Davidson as EP/DIR (Pilot)
· Adam Kassan as EP
· Garrett Lerner as CRTR/EP
· Howard Klein as EP
· Matt Reeves as EP
· Rafi Crohn as EP
· Russel Friend as CRTR/EP

GENRE(S):
· drama

STUDIO INFORMATION:
· 20th Century Fox Television
· 3 Arts Entertainment
· 6th & Idaho
· Universal Television

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

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Interview with Christopher Meloni

Posted on by TvMegasite Admin

TV Interview!

Christopher Meloni of "Law & Order: Organized Crime" on NBC

Interview with Christopher Meloni of “Law & Order: Organized Crime” on NBC by Suzanne 9/13/21

We had a chat via Zoom with NBC stars for the TCA panels. This particular panel was supposed to feature Mariska Hargitay (Olivia Benson) as well as Christopher Meloni (Elliot Stabler), but she was held up due to a change in her shooting schedule. That was a real shame because we would have all loved to see her with him. He didn’t seem as if he was in a great mood, but he gave each question serious thought and consideration.

If you’re reading this, you probably know already that he played the same character on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” for 11 years. He left at the end of season 11 because of a contract dispute. Last April he returned to SVU and then premiered this new show, OC, but with plenty of crossover between the two shows (especially with Hargitay).

I asked him the question that everyone wants to know… I knew that he probably couldn’t answer it, but I was interested in how he would handle the question, either way. I said, “I’m on a lot of “Law & Order” Facebook groups, and most of them seem to want your characters to have a real love affair. Should they stay hopeful on that score? Anything you can tell us. I know you can’t give spoilers.” He replied, “Sure. Hope springs eternal. I mean, why  not? I think it’s going to be a collaborative effort between both showrunners for “SVU” and “OC,” and I believe, with Mariska and I, to kind of figure it all out. It’s a complicated relationship. So, we’ll see.”  That was actually a lot more positive answer than I expected. It was very diplomatic, for sure.

Here are more questions from the panel.  This was the next question:  Elliot goes undercover this season, so he was asked whether this would affect his relationship with his former partner, Benson (Hargitay), since they were close last season. He mentioned that he had spoken to real-life undercover cops, and they had confirmed that they do tend to lose themselves in their jobs.  He thinks Elliot is doing that, as well as still dealing with the stress of losing his wife and all that he went through last season, and not sure how Benson fits into his life (both personally and professionally). Benson sees that he might be going through all this.  He and Benson do engage with each other professional quite a bit, and ” and a little bit from the personal side.”

He was also asked whether he’d learned anything about himself from his years of playing Elliot. He responded, “I’ve learned a lot about myself. It’s been a wonderful journey. I think because, you know, to play this character for as long as I have, or I guess any character, but I always thought of him as a man under pressure, and has maybe examined how I engage the world, how I deal with personal relationships, how maybe certain blind spots that I have, and I’ve had to work on. You know, you really do grow with the character. Because as you mature as a human being, I think you bring those lessons to bear to your character. So, you know, you march hand—in—hand with the thing that you’ve created. And it’s been very rewarding. So, I’ve learned more than I could speak of in this short of time.”

Someone else asked why Dick Wolf decided (possibly in collaboration with him or other writers) to put Elliot in Organized Crime rather than in other possibly detective groups. He asserted that it was Wolf’s idea from the beginning. He feels that it was because there was so much rich storytelling that could be told about the crime families and how they work, and that one crime family investigation would fit well into an 8-episode format. He was also asked whether there might be a possibility of any mention of his cop character in Syfy’s “Happy,” but he didn’t think they would do that because they were in two different universes. He compared it to having a crossover between “Grey’s Anatomy” and a Marvel Universe show.

Another person from the press asked him about “the most emotional and challenging story lines to play on a personal level, something that was difficult” for him to play. He gave an interesting answer, “Well, you know, anytime I’ve had to deal with children and traumas inflicted upon children, those are always — those always strike a very deep chord. I’ve always found those very difficult, but oddly enough, kind of the easiest to play, because there’s no searching for the emotional content within myself. You know, I know exactly how I feel. I’m very — there’s such clarity in my place in this world when children are involved.”

I’m sure he’s been asked this question many times: whether he ever had the itch to go back and play Stabler after he left SVU back in 2011. He asserted that he never looked back. Once he was done, that was it. He enjoyed acting in other projects and traveling. He added, “I think to Dick’s credit, he — I don’t know — maybe he sensed I wasn’t as interested in revisiting how, you know, the “SVU” tells a story, which is great, and they do it so wonderfully. So, when he pitched this more serialized expression of his latest idea of a “Law & Order” show, the “OC,” I really thought it was kind of a stroke of genius. I didn’t think that was even kind of anything he was thinking about. So, I was pleasantly pleased and surprised and excited when I got the pitch. And it was just on the basis of the type of storytelling that the “OC” allows us. And I just think it just allows for a little more in—depth analysis of characters and relationships and that kind of stuff. So, I appreciated that. And I think with Ilene Chaiken running the show, it’s really lived up to what Dick had hoped for.”

He was asked if he’d ever binge-watched “Law & Order” SVU,” but he admitted that he never had. He was there when it was filmed, and that was enough. The same journalist also asked him if he would tell us about the “four new recurring characters” on the second season. He seemed taken aback by that question. He named three – “Dash Mihok, Vinnie Jones, Lolita Davidovich and Michael Raymond-James.”  He said that some of the cast are part of their task force and some are from the new crime family they’ll be going after.  He elaborated, “We’re dealing with an Albanian crime family. You get to see a little bit of the hierarchy. It’s very much a family organization. And there’s a kind of Shakespearean intrigue that surrounds it.” That sounds interesting!

Since he mentioned leaving SVU earlier, he was asked about Mariska, “What has been the greatest joy of working with her? What
qualities does she have that has made the journey a real joy for you? And what have been some of the challenges?” He gave a very long answer. Basically, he said that they were two strong personalities that worked well together. The characters were, “finding each
other’s dance steps. And I would argue we found those dance steps 80 percent of the time, but 20 percent of the time we didn’t. And, you know, that’s where — I don’t know — just stuff happens. And it can be creatively wonderful stuff, and it can be challenging stuff. And it’s just stuff. Because at the end of the day, I think we see each other and know each other at our cores, and we love and honor and respect each other’s gifts. We have forgiven each other’s trespasses.” He said that they grew up together on the show . They both built their own separate families at the same time and both had each other’s best interests at heart.  He was quite effusive in his praise of her: “She’s open and honest and trustworthy and a ball of light. She radiates a goodness and a warmth and an inclusiveness. You know, she’s just a wonderful energy to be around. And she’s a hard worker. ” He praised her for how she carried on after he left the show.” They like working together and look forward to it. He never really answered the question about any challenges.

Next he was asked whether any parts of Elliot had rubbed off on him, or vice versa. He didn’t think so. He compared Elliot to himself, saying that Elliot was both more flawed and more heroic than he. He went on, “I think we both strive for the same sense of justice that, you know — I mean, I think this is life, right? And it’s difficult if you have a sense of right and wrong, and the world makes it difficult for one who has a sense of honor and justice, and you see reality is at times difficult in that regard. So, I would like to — I would strive to be as honorable as Elliott is, as flawed as he is. But no. We both have the same kind of walk, and that’s about it, I think.”

He was asked whether he thought all of the spinoffs were a good thing or not. He thinks that they’re both good and bad as it’s part of their business. It’s expensive to “It’s expensive to launch a show, very expensive to maintain a show, and very expensive to get eyeballs to the show, to your product. So, I just kind of think those pressures lend itself to that kind of programming.” He thinks the audience doesn’t mind as long as the product is a good one.

He was also asked why he thinks fans are so crazy about a Benson-Stabler relationship. He thinks that part of the reason is because their parting in 2011 was so abrupt, and they had so much chemistry for years before that. There was never any kind of answer as to the will-they-or-won’t-they question.

Another writer asked how his working with Mariska different this time than it was the first time around. He answered that they were young and didn’t know each other the first time around. It was all new, fresh and exciting. This time, when he returned, it felt both important and comfortable. “And I haven’t examined it beyond that… “I don’t have that relationship with any other actor walking the earth, because I’ve never worked with anyone for as long as I had with Mariska.” They were revisiting their relationship. “all of that in a package of grief, because of the circumstances under which I was reintroduced. So, it was a completely different dynamic, and yet I think the cornerstone of it all was a playfulness, a humor that we just always have with each other, and a camaraderie. Love and camaraderie.”

He was asked a good storyline question about whether Stabler would still be working with the team or whether he’ll be more in charge this season.  He responded that Sgt. Bell is definitely still in command, not Elliot. He went on, “I find it a very interesting dynamic. I was surprised by it all, and I loved it. I thought it was a very good idea. Danielle Moné Truitt is wonderful to work with. Yeah. So, yeah. Elliott is more on the outside in the first series of eight from the unit. They’re kind of more of the, you know — they’re HQ to whom I report, and they do the logistical hard work while Elliott tries to get intel and is on the inside.”

The last person pointed out that Meloni is also great at comedy. He asked which he would like to do next, after he leaves OC? He instantly replied without hesitation that it would be comedy.  “I’m in one swimming pool and I want to go try the other, see how the other water — how refreshing the other water is.”  Well, let’s hope that’s not for a long time…at least not until we see how he and Olivia are able to really connect, finally.

Please visit our “Law and Order” site!

MORE INFO:

Season 2 Preview  Episode 202 Preview

Christopher Meloni of "Law & Order: Organized Crime" on NBC“LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME”

“THE MAN WITH NO IDENTITY”

ORIGINAL

09/23/2021 (10:00PM – 11:00PM) (Thursday) : SEASON PREMIERE – After taking down Wheatley’s (Dylan McDermott) drug empire and discovering his wife’s killer, Det. Stabler (Christopher Meloni) must infiltrate a notorious crime family aiming to take over New York City’s cocaine trade. Sgt. Bell (Danielle Moné Truitt) is forced to work with a rival colleague when their investigations collide. Also starring Ainsley Seiger.

TV-14

The series stars Christopher Meloni, Dylan McDermott, Danielle Moné Truitt, Tamara Taylor and Ainsley Seiger.

Dick Wolf, Ilene Chaiken, Fred Berner, Terry Miller, Arthur Forney and Peter Jankowski serve as executive producers. “Law & Order: Organized Crime” is produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Wolf Entertainment.

Christopher Meloni

Elliot Stabler, “Law & Order: Organized Crime”

Christopher Meloni returns to his iconic character, Elliot Stabler, in the new NBC drama series “Law & Order: Organized Crime.”

Meloni was last seen starring on the Hulu British comedy “Maxxx.”

Meloni starred in SYFY’s dark comedy “Happy!” based on Grant Morrison and Darick Robertson’s graphic novel. In addition to his starring role as Nick Sax, he directed an episode as well as executive produced the series. Meloni also co-starred in the third season of the critically acclaimed Hulu series “The Handmaid’s Tale” as Commander Winslow, a powerful and magnetic commander who hosts the Waterfords on an important trip.

Meloni had a guest arc on the breakout FX series “Pose,” from Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. He also appeared in the landmark historical series “Underground,” executive produced by John Legend, and directed an episode.

Following his breakout role on “NYPD Blue,” Meloni was cast in HBO’s gritty prison drama “Oz” and then moved on to “Law & Order: SVU,” where he received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Following his 12 seasons on “SVU,” Meloni returned to HBO in Alan Ball’s wildly popular drama “True Blood” and the Julie Louis-Dreyfus-starrer “Veep.”

On the film side, Meloni’s credits include “Diary of a Teenage Girl,” “White Bird in a Blizzard,” “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For,” “Man of Steel,” “42,” “They Came Together,” the Terry Gilliam films “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and “Twelve Monkeys,” “Bound,” “Runaway Bride,”  “Nights in Rodanthe,” and the cult favorites “Wet Hot American Summer,” “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle” and its first sequel, “Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.”

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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Mariska Hargitay of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and Christopher Meloni of "Law & Order: Organized Crime" on NBC