Interview with Chloe Traicos

TV Interview!

Walton Goggins and Chloe Traicos in "The Righteous Gemstones" on HBO

Interview with Chloe Traicos of “The Righteous Gemstones” on HBO by Krista 8/12/22

Chloe was very accommodating and flexible when I needed to move the interview due to a migraine. She was very friendly and easy to talk with. I enjoyed speaking with her about “The Righteous Gemstones,” and we also shared some small talk and book recommendations as well. I look forward to seeing the third season, which Chloe may or may not be in.

 

MORE INFO:

Walton Goggins and Chloe Traicos in "The Righteous Gemstones" on HBOFrom June:  Filming this month in Charleston, the third season of the Danny McBride-created, written and executive-produced series continues the story of a world-famous televangelist family with a long tradition of deviance, greed and charitable work.

Season 2 of THE RIGHTEOUS GEMSTONES is now streaming on HBO Max.

Traicos plays Gloria Freeman, wife of Walton Goggins’ character. The actress is also known for her work on “MacGyver” and “Gone”.

Chloe Traicos was born and raised in Zimbabwe. Her father is international cricket star, John Traicos and her mother, Annette Kileff is an artist. Chloe lived in Zimbabwe until until 2005 when she was forced to flee the country after having made a controversial documentary about the country’s leader, Robert Mugabe. In her documentary Chloe speaks out on behalf of the Zimbabwean people who have spent years being persecuted and starved. Despite the fact she had to leave the country, Chloe’s documentary ( aptly named ” A Stranger in my Homeland” ) went on to win awards throughout the world. Chloe then immigrated to Australia with her parents and sister. In Australia Chloe went on to make the award winning Indie film ” I Wish I Were Stephanie V” which opened the New York City International Film Festival in 2011, with a special screening outside in Times Square. Chloe has since moved to the US where she continues to make films.

Find Chloe on Instagram

ABOUT THE SERIES

Created, written and executive produced by Danny McBride (HBO’s Vice Principals and Eastbound & Down), and marking his third HBO comedy series from Rough House Pictures, The Righteous Gemstones tells the story of a world-famous televangelist family with a long tradition of deviance, greed and charitable work. Season two finds our blessed Gemstone family threatened by outsiders from both the past and present who wish to destroy their empire. McBride collaborators Jody Hill and David Gordon Green also serve as executive producers and directors.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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Chloe Traicos in "The Righteous Gemstones" on HBO

Interview with Taofeek Abijako, Fernando Casablancas and Ebon Gore

TV Interview!

Taofeek Abijako, Fernando Casablancas and Ebon Gore of "The Come Up" on Freeform

Interview with Taofeek Abijako, Fernando Casablancas and Ebon Gore of “The Come Up” on Freeform by Suzanne 8/29/22

This is a very interesting reality show (or unscripted show if you wish) focusing on some young people in a particular area of New York they called “downtown New York,” AKA “the lower East Side” AKA “Dime Square.” These three were very nice, as were the other three I interviewed as well. It’s definitely worth watching. I got caught up in the few episodes I saw.

MORE INFO: Trailer

The Come Up

SERIES PREMIERE: Sept. 13 (9:00-9:30 p.m. EDT)

Freeform Introduces Eclectic Cast of Icons on the Rise for New Unscripted Series ‘The Come Up’ (FKA ‘Day to Night’)

Cast Includes Taofeek Abijako, Fernando Casablancas, Ben Hard, Claude Shwartz, Ebon Gore and Sophia Wilson

‘The Come Up’ Set To Premiere on Freeform on Tuesday, Sept. 13, Next Day on Hulu

PRI_TheComeUpTCA_8_1_22

*Freeform/Sophie Hur

Freeform announced the new unscripted series “The Come Up” (fka “Day to Night”) as one of three original nonfiction series the brand is releasing this year, all targeted at the network’s young adult audience.

“The Come Up” is a glimpse into the wildest feelings and vibrant moments that define coming-of-age in a post-pandemic New York. The series follows six young disruptors as they emerge from downtown New York to follow their dreams and pursue love and art on their own terms. The show follows the creative NYC underground, giving viewers an exclusive look into how the next generation of icons define themselves and how culture is created.

The cast comprises a group of ambitious, action-oriented and diverse Gen Z New Yorkers whose careers are on the rise, including Taofeek Abijako, Fernando Casablancas, Ben Hard, Claude Shwartz, Ebon Gore and Sophia Wilson. Each person is thriving in their respective fields: modeling, fashion design, photography, acting and nightlife organizing. Their bios are below:

  • Taofeek (He/Him) – At 24, he is the youngest designer to have ever shown at New York Fashion Week (NYFW) with his fashion line, Head of State. Earlier this year, he was invited to dress two celebrities, Danai Gurira and Evan Mock, at the renowned Met Gala, and his career is taking exciting turns as he is now branching out into costume design for feature films. Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Taofeek immigrated to Albany, New York, at age 11 after his father, also a fashion designer, won the American visa lottery. Taking nothing for granted, Taofeek launched his first pieces out of his bedroom as a high schooler, deferred all acceptances to fashion schools, and earned a spot on the stage of NYFW and into the pages of Vogue. For Taofeek, fashion is a vehicle for supporting his community. In addition to his fashion collections, he has spearheaded several initiatives to build schools in Nigeria or support local vendors in Albany. Taofeek is on the precipice of becoming the next household name in fashion and beyond.
  • Fernando (He/They) – Brazilian-born Fernando Casablancas is on the cusp of becoming the modeling world’s next international star. In less than one year of his emergence on the modeling scene, he appeared in campaigns for top brands Balmain, Charlotte Tilbury, Wales Bonner and Chrome Hearts. During the fashion week season of fall 2021, Fernando took to the catwalk for Balmain and Bottega Veneta, and most recently, he walked for cutting-edge designer Ludovic de Saint Sernin. Fernando is breaking the mold as a non-binary talent by modeling both menswear and womenswear. The world quickly took notice, and he was invited to attend the 2022 amFAR Gala in Cannes, an internationally acclaimed event to raise money for AIDS awareness and research. Beyond modeling, Fernando recently wrapped production on his first feature-length film and has been working on DJing and multimedia art projects.
  • Ben (He/Him) – Coming from San Antonio, Texas, Ben is quickly making New York his home. A rising performer, he is honing his skills as an actor, comedian and dancer. The stage is where he wants to be, and New York is the place to take chances. In spring 2022, he starred in Eastine Theater’s adaptation of “Cyrano de Bergerac,” did his first stand-up comedy performance at The Broadway Comedy Club, and has acted in short films by friends. Ben can also be found behind the camera, taking street photography in New York and doing live videography and music videos for local musical artists.
  • Claude (She/Her) – A Tribeca native, Claude is a true New Yorker. She is a rising actress who studied the practical aesthetics technique at David Mamet’s Atlantic Theater Company, the Meisner technique, and graduated from Tufts in 2020. Recently, Claude appeared in an off-broadway production at the Tank in February 2022, directed by Alton Alburo. A lover of fashion and a downtown fixture, Claude walked for Batsheva in NYFW Spring/Summer 2022.
  • Ebon (She/Her) – A budding entertainer on her way to becoming a multihyphenate in the public eye, she is a staple in Brooklyn nightlife as a sought-after party host and fixture of the rave circuit. She most recently threw a party for Pride 2022 and is a member of Nosferatu collective, known for their show-stopping Baroque Ball in Summer 2021. For Ebon, the well-being of the Trans community is paramount. As an active and crucial organizer of queer nightlife, she has recently participated in town hall panels to discuss club safety and accountability. Beyond nightlife, Ebon’s modeling career is quickly gaining momentum as she models for the likes of Milk Makeup, Parade and Ganni.
  • Sophia (She/Her) – A photography prodigy who has been behind the camera since age 13. She’s shot campaigns for major brands like Google, Nike, Peloton, Converse, Fenty, Instagram and Pepsi and established publications like Vogue, Elle, New York Magazine, i-D, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, The New York Times, Hypebeast, Highsnobiety, Nylon and more. Sophia shoots analog only and develops and prints all photos by hand in the color darkroom, a highly technical process that imbues her images with a signature look. Continuing to chart her own path, Sophia deferred her senior year at NYU to focus full time on her artistic pursuits and career in true trailblazing Gen Z fashion. Sophia is committed to changing the face of working photographers by being front and center in rooms that young Black women traditionally have been kept from. She is also pioneering work in the NFT space, including creating the first NFT for Instagram.

“These six creatives emerge from downtown with a vitality and magnetism that’s infectious,” said Tara Duncan, president of Freeform and Onyx Collective. “They are pursuing love and art on their own terms, redefining what success means, and I am so excited for our audience to have a front row seat to it all.”

“The Come Up” is produced by Cousins. Megan Sanchez-Warner (“The Real Housewives of Orange County,” “Love and Hip Hop Hollywood”) serves as the showrunner, and Jessica Chermayeff, Ana Veselic and Anne Alexander executive produce. Chermayeff and Veselic also serve as series directors.

“The Come Up” premieres on Freeform on Tuesday, Sept. 13, with the first four episodes airing back to back. From there, two episodes will air each week. All episodes will be available to stream on Hulu the day after they air.

About Freeform
Freeform’s distinct brand of coming-of-age programming helps to position it as the No. 1 primetime cable network in entertainment among Adults, Women and Men 18-34 in the 2021/2022 TV season to date. Connecting to audiences with its bold original programming and immersive social engagement, Freeform channels the force and momentum of its young adult audience in its quest for progress with authentic, groundbreaking original series such as Emmy¼-nominated “grown-ish,” “Good Trouble,” “Motherland: Fort Salem,” “Single Drunk Female,” “Everything’s Trash” and “Cruel Summer,” which was the No. 1 new cable drama of 2021 among Women 18-34. Last year, Freeform aired four of the Top 15 scripted cable original series among Women 18-34 — more than any other network, with “grown-ish” ranking as cable’s No. 1 live-action comedy series of the year in the demo.

*COPYRIGHT ©2022 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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"The Come Up" on Freeform

Interview with Sophia Wilson, Claude Shwartz and Ben Hard

TV Interview!

 

 

Sophia Wilson, Claude Shwartz and Ben Hard of "The Come Up" on Freeform

Interview with Sophia Wilson, Claude Shwartz and Ben Hard of “The Come Up” on Freeform by Suzanne 8/29/22

I don’t normally watch any “reality shows,” or as they’re often called now, unscripted programs. But this one sounded more and more interesting than the previous ones I’ve watched. These young people are mostly not actors, and they’re living their best lives in New York City. I watched the episodes they sent me, and I found myself drawn in. I would advise you to watch it!

I interviewed these three from the show as well as another three. They were all fun and pleasant to talk to.

 

MORE INFO: Trailer

The Come Up

SERIES PREMIERE: Sept. 13 (9:00-9:30 p.m. EDT)

Freeform Introduces Eclectic Cast of Icons on the Rise for New Unscripted Series ‘The Come Up’ (FKA ‘Day to Night’)

Cast Includes Taofeek Abijako, Fernando Casablancas, Ben Hard, Claude Shwartz, Ebon Gore and Sophia Wilson

‘The Come Up’ Set To Premiere on Freeform on Tuesday, Sept. 13, Next Day on Hulu

PRI_TheComeUpTCA_8_1_22

*Freeform/Sophie Hur

Freeform announced the new unscripted series “The Come Up” (fka “Day to Night”) as one of three original nonfiction series the brand is releasing this year, all targeted at the network’s young adult audience.

“The Come Up” is a glimpse into the wildest feelings and vibrant moments that define coming-of-age in a post-pandemic New York. The series follows six young disruptors as they emerge from downtown New York to follow their dreams and pursue love and art on their own terms. The show follows the creative NYC underground, giving viewers an exclusive look into how the next generation of icons define themselves and how culture is created.

The cast comprises a group of ambitious, action-oriented and diverse Gen Z New Yorkers whose careers are on the rise, including Taofeek Abijako, Fernando Casablancas, Ben Hard, Claude Shwartz, Ebon Gore and Sophia Wilson. Each person is thriving in their respective fields: modeling, fashion design, photography, acting and nightlife organizing. Their bios are below:

  • Taofeek (He/Him) – At 24, he is the youngest designer to have ever shown at New York Fashion Week (NYFW) with his fashion line, Head of State. Earlier this year, he was invited to dress two celebrities, Danai Gurira and Evan Mock, at the renowned Met Gala, and his career is taking exciting turns as he is now branching out into costume design for feature films. Born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria, Taofeek immigrated to Albany, New York, at age 11 after his father, also a fashion designer, won the American visa lottery. Taking nothing for granted, Taofeek launched his first pieces out of his bedroom as a high schooler, deferred all acceptances to fashion schools, and earned a spot on the stage of NYFW and into the pages of Vogue. For Taofeek, fashion is a vehicle for supporting his community. In addition to his fashion collections, he has spearheaded several initiatives to build schools in Nigeria or support local vendors in Albany. Taofeek is on the precipice of becoming the next household name in fashion and beyond.
  • Fernando (He/They) – Brazilian-born Fernando Casablancas is on the cusp of becoming the modeling world’s next international star. In less than one year of his emergence on the modeling scene, he appeared in campaigns for top brands Balmain, Charlotte Tilbury, Wales Bonner and Chrome Hearts. During the fashion week season of fall 2021, Fernando took to the catwalk for Balmain and Bottega Veneta, and most recently, he walked for cutting-edge designer Ludovic de Saint Sernin. Fernando is breaking the mold as a non-binary talent by modeling both menswear and womenswear. The world quickly took notice, and he was invited to attend the 2022 amFAR Gala in Cannes, an internationally acclaimed event to raise money for AIDS awareness and research. Beyond modeling, Fernando recently wrapped production on his first feature-length film and has been working on DJing and multimedia art projects.
  • Ben (He/Him) – Coming from San Antonio, Texas, Ben is quickly making New York his home. A rising performer, he is honing his skills as an actor, comedian and dancer. The stage is where he wants to be, and New York is the place to take chances. In spring 2022, he starred in Eastine Theater’s adaptation of “Cyrano de Bergerac,” did his first stand-up comedy performance at The Broadway Comedy Club, and has acted in short films by friends. Ben can also be found behind the camera, taking street photography in New York and doing live videography and music videos for local musical artists.
  • Claude (She/Her) – A Tribeca native, Claude is a true New Yorker. She is a rising actress who studied the practical aesthetics technique at David Mamet’s Atlantic Theater Company, the Meisner technique, and graduated from Tufts in 2020. Recently, Claude appeared in an off-broadway production at the Tank in February 2022, directed by Alton Alburo. A lover of fashion and a downtown fixture, Claude walked for Batsheva in NYFW Spring/Summer 2022.
  • Ebon (She/Her) – A budding entertainer on her way to becoming a multihyphenate in the public eye, she is a staple in Brooklyn nightlife as a sought-after party host and fixture of the rave circuit. She most recently threw a party for Pride 2022 and is a member of Nosferatu collective, known for their show-stopping Baroque Ball in Summer 2021. For Ebon, the well-being of the Trans community is paramount. As an active and crucial organizer of queer nightlife, she has recently participated in town hall panels to discuss club safety and accountability. Beyond nightlife, Ebon’s modeling career is quickly gaining momentum as she models for the likes of Milk Makeup, Parade and Ganni.
  • Sophia (She/Her) – A photography prodigy who has been behind the camera since age 13. She’s shot campaigns for major brands like Google, Nike, Peloton, Converse, Fenty, Instagram and Pepsi and established publications like Vogue, Elle, New York Magazine, i-D, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, The New York Times, Hypebeast, Highsnobiety, Nylon and more. Sophia shoots analog only and develops and prints all photos by hand in the color darkroom, a highly technical process that imbues her images with a signature look. Continuing to chart her own path, Sophia deferred her senior year at NYU to focus full time on her artistic pursuits and career in true trailblazing Gen Z fashion. Sophia is committed to changing the face of working photographers by being front and center in rooms that young Black women traditionally have been kept from. She is also pioneering work in the NFT space, including creating the first NFT for Instagram.

“These six creatives emerge from downtown with a vitality and magnetism that’s infectious,” said Tara Duncan, president of Freeform and Onyx Collective. “They are pursuing love and art on their own terms, redefining what success means, and I am so excited for our audience to have a front row seat to it all.”

“The Come Up” is produced by Cousins. Megan Sanchez-Warner (“The Real Housewives of Orange County,” “Love and Hip Hop Hollywood”) serves as the showrunner, and Jessica Chermayeff, Ana Veselic and Anne Alexander executive produce. Chermayeff and Veselic also serve as series directors.

“The Come Up” premieres on Freeform on Tuesday, Sept. 13, with the first four episodes airing back to back. From there, two episodes will air each week. All episodes will be available to stream on Hulu the day after they air.

About Freeform
Freeform’s distinct brand of coming-of-age programming helps to position it as the No. 1 primetime cable network in entertainment among Adults, Women and Men 18-34 in the 2021/2022 TV season to date. Connecting to audiences with its bold original programming and immersive social engagement, Freeform channels the force and momentum of its young adult audience in its quest for progress with authentic, groundbreaking original series such as Emmy¼-nominated “grown-ish,” “Good Trouble,” “Motherland: Fort Salem,” “Single Drunk Female,” “Everything’s Trash” and “Cruel Summer,” which was the No. 1 new cable drama of 2021 among Women 18-34. Last year, Freeform aired four of the Top 15 scripted cable original series among Women 18-34 — more than any other network, with “grown-ish” ranking as cable’s No. 1 live-action comedy series of the year in the demo.

*COPYRIGHT ©2022 Disney Enterprises, Inc.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

Back to the Primetime Articles and Interviews Page

"The Come Up" on Freeform key art

Interview with Dennie Gordon

TV Interview!

 

Dennie Gordon, director of "Last Light" on Peacock

Interview with Dennie Gordon, director of “Last Light” on Peacock by Suzanne 8/30/22

I don’t often speak to directors (or writers, for that matter), so it was great to speak to this amazing woman. Her bio (below) is very impressive. I really enjoyed speaking with her. You can watch “Last Light” here!

 

MORE INFO:

Dennie Gordon, director of "Last Light" on PeacockDennie Gordon has been a trailblazing female director her entire career; spanning the worlds of feature films, television series, mini-series and branded content. Her range of genre busting entertainment spans an unusual spectrum of comedy and drama. After being one of the first women to graduate from Yale’s School of Drama with an MFA in Directing, Gordon first gained recognition when “A Hard Rain” was chosen by Showtime’s Discovery Program. Thanks to Steven Spielberg, a rough cut of her film attracted the attention of George Lucas who donated the film’s mix at Skywalker Ranch. “A Hard Rain” , which Gordon also wrote, went on to win dramatic awards at the British Short Film Festival and the Hampton’s Film Festival. This film also caught the eye of David E. Kelley who enlisted Gordon to helm multiple episodes of his television series including “Goliath”, (where she was Co EP) “Picket Fences”, “Chicago Hope”, “Ally McBeal”, and “The Practice”. Gordon has directed over 100 hours of network television including such critically acclaimed series as “Legion”, which was on many critic’s lists as a top 10 show of 2017, with the “astounding direction of Dennie Gordon and her twisted visionary imagery taking the X-Men universe to a whole new level”. Her other work includes “Bloodline”, “Rectify Empire”, “Kingdom”, “Power”, “Hell on Wheels”, “Grace & Frankie”, “The Office”, “30 Rock”, Aaron Sorkin’s “Sports Night”, and HBO’s “Tracey Takes On”, for which Gordon won the DGA Comedy Award. Gordon recently completed the mini-series “Waco”, “Jack Ryan” Season 2 and “The Hunt” starring Al Pacino. Gordon directed the comedy cult hit “Joe Dirt” starring David Spade, and Christopher Walken, and “What A Girl Wants” starring Oscar Winner Colin Firth, Dame Eileen Atkins, and Jonathan Pryce. Gordon was the first American woman to direct a film for the domestic Chinese market, called “My Lucky Star”. The 2013 film starred Oscar nominee Zhang Ziyi and Wang Leehom and was filmed in China and Singapore in the summer of 2012. “My Lucky Star” was the number one film in China for 4 weeks on 5000 screens.

Gordon is a sought after commercial director having completed campaigns for Honda, Toyota, Tsingtao beer and Xcel Energy as well as campaigns with Jimmy Fallon, Betty White, Adam Devine and Don Cheadle. She recently completed a short dramatic film for Huawei, which was shot in Prague. She is represented by CAA.

Based on Alex Scarrow’s bestselling apocalyptic thriller, LAST LIGHT will thrust audiences into a world of chaos, as the world’s oil ceases to function correctly, and all means of power & communication begin to fail. The series stars Matthew Fox (Lost), making his series acting return after 12 years alongside, Joanne Froggatt (Liar, Downton Abbey), Alyth Ross (Traces, Emerald), Taylor Fay (Judge Rinder, The Making of Alex), Amber Rose Revah (The Punisher), Victor Alli (Belfast, Grantchester), Tom Wlaschiha (Game of Thrones, Stranger Things) and Hakeem Jomah (Rashash, Kidnap). Dennie Gordon serves as Executive Producer and Director of all five episodes.

ABOUT LAST LIGHT Trailer

Premiere Date: Thursday, September 8 on Peacock

"Last Light" on Peacock key artLogline: The series is based on the novel Last Light written by Alex Scarrow, which tells the story of a family fighting to survive during the fallout of an oil crisis.

Cast:

  • Matthew Fox (Lost) will play Andy Yeats, an ex-pat living in London, and one of the world’s leading petro-chemical engineers.

  • Joanne Froggatt (Liar, Downton Abbey) will play Elena Yeats, Andy’s smart, caring, and beautiful wife. When her son, Sam, was diagnosed with a progressive, degenerative eye disease, she gave up her thriving professional career and put considerable energy and ability toward finding a cure.

  • Alyth Ross (Traces, Emerald) will play Laura Yeats, a passionate and informed university student committed to confronting the mounting crisis of climate change and finding a solution to helping the planet.

  • Taylor Fay (Judge Rinder, The Making of Alex) will play Sam Yeats. Eight-year-old Sam is fighting a degenerative eye disease that is slowing taking away his sight.

  • Amber Rose Revah (The Punisher) will play Mika Bakhash, a representative for the British government.

  • Victor Alli (Belfast, Grantchester) will play Owen Jones, a brilliant college student who has been working his way through school.

  • Tom Wlaschiha (Game of Thrones, Stranger Things) will play Karl Bergmann. Karl Bergmann works for the British Government and is the man Parliament and MI6 turn to when the world is thrown into chaos.

  • Hakeem Jomah (Rashash, Kidnap) will play Khalil Al-Qatani, the head of a big oil company.

Director: Dennie Gordon (All 5 episodes)

Executive Producers: Dennie Gordon, Matthew Fox, William Choi, Sydney Gallonde, Rikke Ennis, Patrick Renault, Diego Piasek, Patrick Massett, John Zinman

Co-Executive Producers: Rola Bauer and Steven Johnson

Producer: Veronika Lencova

Produced by: MGM International Television Productions in association with Peacock, Viaplay Group, MBC, Peacock and STAN.

Format: 5 x 45 min episodes, limited drama series.

Filming Location: Prague, Paris and Abu Dhabi

Interviews with Amber Rose Revah and Joanne Froggatt

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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Dennie Gordon, director of "Last Light" on Peacock

Interview with Amber Rose Revah

TV Interview!

 

Amber Rose Revah of "Last Light" on Peacock

 

Interview with Amber Rose Revah of “Last Light” on Peacock by Suzanne 8/30/22

It was very nice to speak with Amber. She’s such an accomplished actor. All three women I spoke with on this junket were really kind – and complimentary to their fellow actors, directors and crew. You should check out the miniseries because Amber has a great role in it. All the characters are outstanding. You can watch it here!

 

Amber Rose Revah of "Last Light" on PeacockMORE INFO:

Amber Rose Revah (born 24 June 1986) is a British actress, writer, and voice artist.

Revah is best known for playing the roles of Dinah Madani in Marvel’s The Punisher and as Mary Magdalene in the box office hit Son of God. She played Leena Prasad in two seasons of the Channel 4 and PBS series Indian Summers with Julie Walters, and appeared in From Paris With Love opposite John Travolta. She voices Nazhedja in The Waylanders Video Game and has been the voice of Jaguar branding since 2018.

Based on Alex Scarrow’s bestselling apocalyptic thriller, LAST LIGHT will thrust audiences into a world of chaos, as the world’s oil ceases to function correctly, and all means of power & communication begin to fail. The series stars Matthew Fox (Lost), making his series acting return after 12 years alongside, Joanne Froggatt (Liar, Downton Abbey), Alyth Ross (Traces, Emerald), Taylor Fay (Judge Rinder, The Making of Alex), Amber Rose Revah (The Punisher), Victor Alli (Belfast, Grantchester), Tom Wlaschiha (Game of Thrones, Stranger Things) and Hakeem Jomah (Rashash, Kidnap). Dennie Gordon serves as Executive Producer and Director of all five episodes.

ABOUT LAST LIGHT Trailer

Premiere Date: Thursday, September 8 on Peacock

"Last Light" on Peacock key artLogline: The series is based on the novel Last Light written by Alex Scarrow, which tells the story of a family fighting to survive during the fallout of an oil crisis.

Cast:

  • Matthew Fox (Lost) will play Andy Yeats, an ex-pat living in London, and one of the world’s leading petro-chemical engineers.

  • Joanne Froggatt (Liar, Downton Abbey) will play Elena Yeats, Andy’s smart, caring, and beautiful wife. When her son, Sam, was diagnosed with a progressive, degenerative eye disease, she gave up her thriving professional career and put considerable energy and ability toward finding a cure.

  • Alyth Ross (Traces, Emerald) will play Laura Yeats, a passionate and informed university student committed to confronting the mounting crisis of climate change and finding a solution to helping the planet.

  • Taylor Fay (Judge Rinder, The Making of Alex) will play Sam Yeats. Eight-year-old Sam is fighting a degenerative eye disease that is slowing taking away his sight.

  • Amber Rose Revah (The Punisher) will play Mika Bakhash, a representative for the British government.

  • Victor Alli (Belfast, Grantchester) will play Owen Jones, a brilliant college student who has been working his way through school.

  • Tom Wlaschiha (Game of Thrones, Stranger Things) will play Karl Bergmann. Karl Bergmann works for the British Government and is the man Parliament and MI6 turn to when the world is thrown into chaos.

  • Hakeem Jomah (Rashash, Kidnap) will play Khalil Al-Qatani, the head of a big oil company.

Director: Dennie Gordon (All 5 episodes)

Executive Producers: Dennie Gordon, Matthew Fox, William Choi, Sydney Gallonde, Rikke Ennis, Patrick Renault, Diego Piasek, Patrick Massett, John Zinman

Co-Executive Producers: Rola Bauer and Steven Johnson

Producer: Veronika Lencova

Produced by: MGM International Television Productions in association with Peacock, Viaplay Group, MBC, Peacock and STAN.

Format: 5 x 45 min episodes, limited drama series.

Filming Location: Prague, Paris and Abu Dhabi

Interviews with Joanne Froggatt and director Dennie Gordon

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

Back to the Primetime Articles and Interviews Page

Amber Rose Revah of "Last Light" on Peacock

Interview with Joanne Froggatt

TV Interview!

 

Joanne Froggatt of "Last Light" on Peacock

Interview with Joanne Froggatt of “Last Light” on Peacock by Suzanne 8/30/22

It was great to interview Joanne. I’ve admired her work for years in British shows like “Robin Hood,” “Liar” and “Angela Black.”  Of course, she’s most well known for “Downton Abbey,” but I never saw that one.  She couldn’t have been nicer in our interview, as you’ll see. She does her usual great job in Peacock’s “Last Light,” which is a thriller. You can watch it here!

 

MORE INFO:

Joanne Froggatt of "Last Light" on PeacockJoanne Froggatt is a British actress. From 2010 to 2015, she portrayed Anna Bates in the ITV period drama series Downton Abbey. For this role, she received three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, and won the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress on Television in 2014.

Based on Alex Scarrow’s bestselling apocalyptic thriller, LAST LIGHT will thrust audiences into a world of chaos, as the world’s oil ceases to function correctly, and all means of power & communication begin to fail. The series stars Matthew Fox (Lost), making his series acting return after 12 years alongside, Joanne Froggatt (Liar, Downton Abbey), Alyth Ross (Traces, Emerald), Taylor Fay (Judge Rinder, The Making of Alex), Amber Rose Revah (The Punisher), Victor Alli (Belfast, Grantchester), Tom Wlaschiha (Game of Thrones, Stranger Things) and Hakeem Jomah (Rashash, Kidnap). Dennie Gordon serves as Executive Producer and Director of all five episodes.

ABOUT LAST LIGHT Trailer

Premiere Date: Thursday, September 8 on Peacock

"Last Light" on Peacock key artLogline: The series is based on the novel Last Light written by Alex Scarrow, which tells the story of a family fighting to survive during the fallout of an oil crisis.

Cast:

  • Matthew Fox (Lost) will play Andy Yeats, an ex-pat living in London, and one of the world’s leading petro-chemical engineers.

  • Joanne Froggatt (Liar, Downton Abbey) will play Elena Yeats, Andy’s smart, caring, and beautiful wife. When her son, Sam, was diagnosed with a progressive, degenerative eye disease, she gave up her thriving professional career and put considerable energy and ability toward finding a cure.

  • Alyth Ross (Traces, Emerald) will play Laura Yeats, a passionate and informed university student committed to confronting the mounting crisis of climate change and finding a solution to helping the planet.

  • Taylor Fay (Judge Rinder, The Making of Alex) will play Sam Yeats. Eight-year-old Sam is fighting a degenerative eye disease that is slowing taking away his sight.

  • Amber Rose Revah (The Punisher) will play Mika Bakhash, a representative for the British government.

  • Victor Alli (Belfast, Grantchester) will play Owen Jones, a brilliant college student who has been working his way through school.

  • Tom Wlaschiha (Game of Thrones, Stranger Things) will play Karl Bergmann. Karl Bergmann works for the British Government and is the man Parliament and MI6 turn to when the world is thrown into chaos.

  • Hakeem Jomah (Rashash, Kidnap) will play Khalil Al-Qatani, the head of a big oil company.

Director: Dennie Gordon (All 5 episodes)

Executive Producers: Dennie Gordon, Matthew Fox, William Choi, Sydney Gallonde, Rikke Ennis, Patrick Renault, Diego Piasek, Patrick Massett, John Zinman

Co-Executive Producers: Rola Bauer and Steven Johnson

Producer: Veronika Lencova

Produced by: MGM International Television Productions in association with Peacock, Viaplay Group, MBC, Peacock and STAN.

Format: 5 x 45 min episodes, limited drama series.

Filming Location: Prague, Paris and Abu Dhabi

Interviews with Amber Rose Revah and director Dennie Gordon

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

Back to the Primetime Articles and Interviews Page

 

Joanne Froggatt as Elena Yeats and Taylor Fay as Sam Yeats of "Last Light" on Peacock

Interviews with Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and AGT contestants

TV Interview!

Howie Mandel and Heidi Klum, judges on "America's Got Talent" on NBC

Interview with Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and contestants of “America’s Got Talent” on NBC by Suzanne 8/9/22

This was a fun night (but very long). Members of the press were invited to watch the live show (Quarterfinals) and then interview some of the judges and most of the contestants! It was very entertaining – even if it did go on for 4 hours! I don’t normally watch shows like this, but I loved it. I can’t wait for the one coming up August 16! These comments below are just my impressions from watching them. All of these artists worked very hard on their acts. I feel bad for the ones that didn’t make it to the next round.

Heidi Klum

Heidi Klum, judge on "America's Got Talent" on NBC

There were two judges there, but Heidi Klum was the one I was able to speak to (see Howie Mandel below). She was very funny and went on for quite a while.

 

Howie Mandel

It was great to see Howie because I used to watch him on “St. Elsewhere” years ago when I was in college. Great show, but he’s really come a long way. He was hilarious in this chat.

 

Amazing Veranica & Her Incredible Friends

Here are my favorites of the acts. I was really hoping this girl would go on to the next round because her act was so adorable. She’s only 12 years old!  Learn More about her Instagram

 

Players Choir

I thought these guys would go on to the next round because they’re very talented. They sing, dance and put on a great show! The crowd clearly loved them. What a great idea to have a choir made out of NFL players! We only got to see a few of them on Zoom, though, because it’s a big group. Learn More   Instagram

 

Avery Dixon

This guy is not only very talented and has a great story, but he puts on a great show and has a lot of charisma. I wasn’t too surprised when he went on to the next round because you could tell the judges really liked him. Official Site  Instagram

 

Don McMillan

There were two comedians among the contestants. They were both OK, but I didn’t think either of them was outstanding.  Don was slightly funnier, I thought, than the other one. Both of them are professionals who perform standup regularly, so what do I know? Official Site  Instagram

 

Lace Larrabee

Lace was funniest, I thought, when she was fighting with Simon during the show, and in our interview, where she was clearly still very angry with him.  Like Don above, she is a professional comic. I don’t think you can fight with the judges, though, and expect to go on to the next round…? Maybe that’s just me. She’s a very busy woman, based in Atlanta. I will say that she has a sharp wit. I would watch her in a good sitcom.  Official Site  Instagram

 

Drake Milligan

I wasn’t as excited about this act as everyone else. To me, he’s just another pretty-boy country singer… but then, I’m not really into country music. The judges and crowd seemed to love him, and he was the other one selected to go on to the next round. He has an album coming out in September, and he’s already going places. Official Site  Instagram

 

Ben Lapidus

This guy does comedy-singing. He thinks he’s a lot funnier than he is. The audience seemed to like him, but I’m not sure why. My question got cut off of the video for some reason. I asked him if he was influenced by “Weird Al” Yankovic. His bit is singing about Parmesan. Sorry, I’m allergic to dairy!  Official Site  Instagram

Oleksandr Yenivatov and Aurélie Yenivatov

Oleksandr is a contortionist, which is a very unusual act. He’s also got a weird-looking face and looks kind of creepy (which he plays to).  AurĂ©lie is his wife and partner in the show, and they’re circus performers by trade.  It’s a very strange act, but I didn’t think he would win because it’s a little unpleasant to watch.  He’s from Ukraine, so he mentions that a lot. In this interview, which was the last one of the night, they paired them with dancers (below).  Learn More  Instagram

Stefanny and Yeeremy

These dancers from Colombia did a great job, but they were nothing special, so I didn’t think they would go on to the next round, either. Unfortunately, the interview was difficult because most of them had very limited English. Learn More  Instagram

 

Amoukanama

This is a group of acrobats from a circus in Guinea. They were very good, but they didn’t really wow the crowd or judges. Official Site  Instagram

 

Ava Swiss

Ava is a pop singer. She’s fine, but she wasn’t outstanding. Her back-story is interesting because she was a survivor of a high school shooting in Oxford, Michigan, last November.  Tragically, there are so many mass shootings now in the U.S. that it hardly stands out (not enough to give her any help in the competition). She was judged on her talent more than her sad backstory. Learn More  Instagram

 

MORE INFO:

The 17th season of “America’s Got Talent” returns with a new set of aspiring performers looking to compete for the ultimate $1 million prize. Executive producer Simon Cowell returns to the star-studded judging panel with global fashion icon Heidi Klum, fan-favorite comedian Howie Mandel and acclaimed actress and international superstar Sofia Vergara. The dynamic Terry Crews returns as host. This season promises to deliver some of the wildest acts to ever grace the “AGT” stage. Official Website

Judges of "America's Got Talent" on NBCAugust 2, 2022

New Supersized Format Means More Acts Than Ever Before Are Set to Compete for $1 Million Prize

“America’s Wildcard” Is Back as Fans Choose an Additional Act to Advance to the Live Shows 

  • “America’s Got Talent,” summer’s most-watched show for the 17th straight year, returns to the Pasadena Civic Center for six weeks of live shows beginning Tuesday, Aug. 9 (8-10 p.m. ET/PT) on NBC. Results shows will air Wednesday nights (8-9 p.m. ET/PT).
  • In a series first, there will be 55 acts, divided into five qualifying rounds, that will perform live for “America’s Got Talent” judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara and host Terry Crews. Voting is more important than ever before, as each week, only two acts of the 11 that perform will move directly into the finale – both acts will be decided by viewers from the overnight vote.
  • These top 10 finalists will be joined by an 11th act – a “Final Wildcard” – chosen by the viewers in an Instant Save on Wednesday, September 7th. This vote will consist of four eliminated Live Show acts, each selected by one of the judges.
  • The top 11 finalists will compete one last time for America’s vote and the chance to win a $1 million prize during the two-night finale on Sept. 13 & 14. The winner will also perform in “America’s Got Talent Las Vegas LIVE” at Luxor Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
  • Below are the 54 acts the judges selected for the live shows, including a wide variety of singers, dancers, comedians, contortionists, magicians and more.
  • “America’s Wildcard” spot is back with four acts in contention for the final spot in the live shows. Viewers can go to NBC.com or the “AGT” app to rewatch the four performances and vote for their favorite contestants. Voting is open from Tuesday, Aug. 2 at 7 p.m. ET until Friday, Aug. 5 at 7 a.m. ET. The winning act will perform on the live show on Tuesday, Sept. 6 (8-10 p.m. ET/PT).
  • Throughout the live shows, viewers of “America’s Got Talent” will have a chance to vote for their favorite act at NBC.com/AGTVote and via the “AGT” App (available through Google Play and on the App Store).

AGT promotional poster - Host and Judges of "America's Got Talent" on NBC

The 54 Acts Advancing to the Live Shows Include:

Acapop! @acapopkids https://youtu.be/ncorT1WTZ1I
Aiko Tanaka @aikocomedy https://youtu.be/7aqMHOWXObw
Amanda Mammana @amanda_mammana https://youtu.be/PQGYv6Khk8E
Amazing Veranica
& Her Incredible Friends
@amazingveranica https://youtu.be/OzcnneNlOtI
Amoukanama @amoukanama224 https://youtu.be/a7jZszvFpTY
Aubrey Burchell @aubreyburchellofficial https://youtu.be/kJpF20EtYG4
Ava Swiss @avaswissmusic https://youtu.be/6ahFTM-1y9kk
Avery Dixon * @averydixononsax https://youtu.be/7TOysi_1INs
Bayley Graham @bayley_taps https://youtu.be/R3gZCNMjig4
Ben Lapidus @benlapidusmusic https://youtu.be/2lbv4goST4w
Blade 2 Blade @tyronblade https://youtu.be/Ge4e4H0LWXU
Celia Muñoz @celiamunoz_artist_ https://youtu.be/amMxvPO0JBII
Chapel Heart * @chapelhartband https://youtu.be/WLKmDbDv6j0
Cline Twins @clinetwins https://youtu.be/85-EAq3c26AA
Don McMillan @donmcmillancomedy https://youtu.be/O6yL-piP_ho
Drake Milligan @drakemilligan https://youtu.be/p01x-Mk19n0
Duo Rings @duorings https://youtu.be/O-BZGbxbg5A
Freckled Zelda @thefreckledzelda https://youtu.be/2ILQhbSZ5Kc
Funkanometry @funkanometry_ https://youtu.be/X9b2MV-13xQQ
Fusion Japan @fusionjapan https://youtu.be/xhVV2T66f2I
Harper @thatyellaharper https://youtu.be/C-TkyCwy4CU
Hayden Kristal @haydenkristal https://youtu.be/8INeuzPxLIE
Jack Williams @puppetjack_ https://youtu.be/40jCjWXCgt00
Jannick Holste @jannick_magic https://youtu.be/tSgX0LURIOA
JoJo and Bri @joseph.b.clarke https://youtu.be/bHNQMbShnG8
Kristen Cruz @kristenncruz https://youtu.be/vusp-xMzOfk
Kristy Sellars @kristysellars https://youtu.be/VEqTD157_zw
Lace Larrabee @lacelarrabee https://youtu.be/JbDyhdDGhsEE
Lee Collinson @lee_collinson https://youtu.be/Ytx9u5bjPAg
Lily Meola * @lilymeola https://youtu.be/pamgs-9cxQ0
MPLUSPLUS @mplusplus_official https://youtu.be/ReAusknSMmss
Madison Taylor Baez (Maddie) * @madisonbaezmusic https://youtu.be/Xo_frfPIgC4
Max Ostler @maxostler_ https://youtu.be/OtCZyOQSVPE
Mayyas * @mayyasofficial https://youtu.be/ZD0doCSkBY8
Merissa Beddows @merissaria https://youtu.be/xtrB4tVjxZ88
Mervant Vera @mervant https://youtu.be/KGvbaLl33CY
Metaphysic @metaphysic.ai https://youtu.be/mPU0WNUzsBo
Mia Morris @miamorrismusic https://youtu.be/pFePLRs-u6gg
Mike E Winfield @mikeewinfield https://youtu.be/MGMPcGmjueY
Mr. Pants @thatsmrpants https://youtu.be/7O4KWPsXf8w
Nicolas RIBS @nicolasribsmagicien https://youtu.be/pa2NFcHS91M
Oleksandr Yenivatov @yenivatov https://youtu.be/nuKf2q7okZg
Players Choir @playerschoir https://youtu.be/Gk57yGYAESk
Sara James * @sara_james_music https://youtu.be/HZb-nym3HhA
Shu Takada @shutakada_yoyo https://youtu.be/kz214PN7bsE
Stefanny and Yeeremy @stefannym https://youtu.be/LEbpamA4HNc
The Brown Brothers @gabeandnatebrown https://youtu.be/3dOM9f7nqQ0
The Lazy Generation @thelazygenerationuk https://youtu.be/Im9qJbB7KKg
The Pack Drumline @thepackdrumline https://youtu.be/1K2n1G-joIw
Travis Japan @travis_japan_official https://youtu.be/xnAICeBS63I
urbancrew (Flyers of the South) @urbancrew_official_ig_ph https://youtu.be/Yg4t3iVMtxg
Wyn Starks @wynstarks https://youtu.be/KP5n42pIPVc
XOMG POP! @xomgpop https://youtu.be/WX3QYkTzfygg
Yu Hojin @hojin_yu https://youtu.be/WS7Vvd-Hp1k

*Golden Buzzers

Acts in Contention for “America’s Wildcard”:

Auzzy Blood @auzzyblood https://youtu.be/t9MpF28LMzs
Ben Waites @bjwaites https://youtu.be/oY4FctsUCfw
Debbii Dawson @debbiidawson https://youtu.be/t1P3uoG4KLM
Jordan Conley @loljordancon1ey https://youtu.be/k4d-zrWwglg

Heidi Klum

Judge, “America’s Got Talent”

AMERICA’S GOT TALENT -- Season: 17 -- Pictured: Heidi Klum -- (Photo by: Sami Drasin/NBC)
Heidi Klum serves as a judge on NBC’s hit summertime series “America’s Got Talent.”

Born in Germany, Klum began modeling at the age of 19 and shortly thereafter she appeared on the cover of the 1998 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue which then propelled her career. Klum’s many titles now include supermodel, producer, entrepreneur, television personality, actress, author and fashion designer and she has continued to make an impact across various industries. In 2013, she won an Emmy Award as Outstanding Television Host for her longtime hit, “Project Runway.”

Klum launched her most recent endeavor alongside her frieend Tim Gunn as co-creator, host and executive producer of Amazon Prime Video’s new fashion competition series, “Making the Cut.” Twelve talented designers competed to take their fledging brands to the next level with all the winning looks were shoppable on Amazon.

Klum is also the executive producer and host of “Queen of Drags,” which premiered in Germany in 2019, alongside drag queen Conchita Wurst and German singer Bill Kaulitz of the band Tokio Hotel.

Klum was the host and co-creator of “Project Runway” and also served as an executive producer for 16 seasons. Under Klum’s tenure, the show received 14 consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Reality Competition program, which is the second-most nominations in the category’s history. Klum is also the host and executive producer of “Germany’s Next Top Model,” a runaway hit for 15 seasons.

Author of lifestyle book “Body of Knowledge: 8 Rules of Model Behavior” as well as “Rankin’s Heidilicious” and “Heidi Klum by Rankin,” featuring some of her favorite photos taken by world-renowned photographer Rankin.

Klum’s acting appearances include “The Devil Wears Prada,” “Blow Dry,” “Ella Enchanted,” “Spin City,” “The Life and Death of Peter Sellers,” “How I Met Your Mother,” “Parks and Recreation,” “Sex and the City,” “Sesame Street” and a voiceover for “Hoodwinked Too.” She also swam with sharks for an episode for Discovery Channel’s popular “Shark Week” and hosted Lifetime’s “Seriously Funny Kids.” She hosted the 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards and has hosted various specials for MTV, TNT and CBS.

Klum has been the face of numerous brand campaigns over the years, worked with many of the world’s top photographers and has graced the cover of every major magazine across the globe.

Known for her epic Halloween bash and earning the nickname Queen of Halloween for her unpredictable, over the top costumes, this October marked the 20th anniversary of Heidi Halloween.

Klum’s charity involvements include work on behalf of such organizations as UNICEF, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the American Red Cross (as part of its Celebrity Cabinet), God’s Love We Deliver, amfAR and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.  Klum also appears in PSAs for Stand Up to Cancer.

Howie Mandel

Judge, “America’s Got Talent”; Host/Executive Producer, “Deal or No Deal”

AMERICA’S GOT TALENT -- Season: 17 -- Pictured: Howie Mandell -- (Photo by: Sami Drasin/NBC)

Howie Mandel begins his 12th season as a judge on NBC’s summer hit “America’s Got Talent.”

Mandel hosts the podcast “Howie Mandel Does Stuff” alongside his daughter. He recently finished production on his new documentary, “Howie Mandel: But Enough About Me.” Other recent projects include judging NBC’s “America’s Got Talent: The Champions,” CNBC’s “Deal or No Deal,” where he served as executive producer and host, and Nat Geo’s “Wild’s Animals Doing Things,” where he co-hosted with his son Alex. He also executive produced the Quibi series “Kirby Jenner.”

In 2019 he released his first solo special in 20 years, “Howie Mandel Presents: Howie Mandel at the Howie Mandel Comedy Club.” In 2020 he teamed up with ePlay Digital and launched the charity “Breakout the Masks,” and mobile game campaign to give back to those involved in the fight against COVID-19. Via Howie’s Games, the first challenge is Outbreak, where players’ points translate to donations of N95 face masks, portable ventilators, gloves and other personal protective equipment to doctors, nurses and more frontline workers. The second game, SwishAR, has users looking for Mandel to join in a backyard basketball game to shoot hoops. Both games are available on the Apple App store and Google Play.

His additional projects as a host, actor, and/or executive producer include “Take It All” and “Howie Do It” for NBC, “Deal With It” for TBS and “Mobbed” for Fox. Previously, Mandel received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program for “Deal or No Deal” and a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Game Show Host for the syndicated version of the show. Mandel’s versatile career has encompassed virtually all aspects of the entertainment spectrum, including television, film and stage. From his work on the Emmy Award-winning “St. Elsewhere,” to the international animated children’s series “Bobby’s World,” Mandel has become a mainstay of the American comedy scene.

In 2009, Mandel added author to his resume when he released his frank, funny and no-holds-barred memoir, “Here’s the Deal: Don’t Touch Me.” The memoir revealed his ongoing struggle with OCD and ADHD, and how it has shaped his life and career. It made the New York Times bestseller list on its first week and remained on the list for several consecutive weeks. Mandel has done countless comedy specials both on cable and network television. He has also hosted his own syndicated talk show, “The Howie Mandel Show” and continues to be a mainstay on the talk show circuit. He also continues to perform as many as 200 stand-up comedy shows each year throughout the U.S. and Canada.

Season 17 premiere:
Tuesday, May 31, 2022 at 10 p.m. ET/PT

Host:
Terry Crews

Judges:
Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel and Sofia Vergara 

Created by:
Simon Cowell

Executive producers:
Simon Cowell, Sam Donnelly and Jason Raff

Executive in charge:
Mike Hofferth

Co-executive producers:
Ke’alohi Lee Lucero, Adam Shapiro

Senior supervising producers:
Nigel Caaro, Emma Greenhalgh, Meg MacGregor and Lev Mergian

Supervising producers:
Susan A. Moyer, Michelle Taylor

Senior producers:
Chris Crawford (post), Kayla DePew (acts)

Producers:
Maureen Biegas (post), Dan Bowen (post), Kristin Campbell-Taylor (reality), Jamie Citron, Kelsey Cornell (reality), Miles Crowe (post), Courtney Harrell, Jasmine C. Leyva (reality), Jon Menell (post), Liza Pablico, John Piermarini, Bryan Riches (field), Alevil Rincones (post), Cory Smith (reality) and Joe Warwick (reality)

Associate producers:
Keith Glidewell (reality), Angela Green (reality), Christa Irvin, Anjali John, Brianna Solo (reality), Zach Stern (reality), Nicolas Villamar (reality) and James Zukor (reality)

Line producer:
Chase Marbumrung

Director:
Russell Norman

Associate directors:
Carrie Havel , Debbie Palacio and Marty Pasetta Jr.

Associate director/production supervisor:
Casey B. Davis

Production designer:
Joe O’Neil, Florian Wieder

Music supervisor:
Meryl Ginsberg

Music coordinator:
Christa Irvin

Digital producers:
Nick Berry, Anthony Scott, Ausrine Plioplys and Ever Pabon Torres

Art director:
Gregg Rainwater

Lighting designer:
Noah Mitz

Lighting directors:
Michael Berger, Bryan Klunder

Origination:
Los Angeles

Series produced by:
Fremantle and Syco Entertainmen

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

Back to the Primetime Articles and Interviews Page

Heidi Klum, judge on "America's Got Talent" on NBC

Interview with Grace Caroline Currey

TV Interview!

Grace Caroline Currey (“Becky”) in FALL

Interview with Grace Caroline Currey of the movie “Fall” by Suzanne 8/10/22

Grace Caroline Currey (from her Instagram)It was really great to speak with this lovely young actress who stars in “FALL.” She is outstanding in this exciting movie. You don’t want to miss it; it comes out tomorrow, August 12. Trailer

You might recognize her from one of her many TV shows and movie appearances. She’s probably best known for playing Mary in the “Shazam!” movies. The second one comes out later this year. I can’t wait because I love superhero movies, and the first one was pretty good.

When she was younger, she played the young Natalie Wood in the TV miniseries “The Mystery of Natalie Wood”; and she played the young Melinda in “Ghost Whisperer“; and she played the young Victoria in “Revenge“!  Those are some of my favorite shows.  Now that she’s older, she can play so many different roles and has many movies coming out.

 

 

MORE INFO:

Grace Caroline Currey in "The Fall"

Grace Caroline Currey (Becky)

Grace Caroline Currey has been in back-to-back films across every genre. Grace
stars as the lead in the Lionsgate adventure thriller, FALL, directed by Scott Mann
and set to hit theaters August 12, 2022. Next up for Grace is her portrayal of
Superhero Mary/Mary Bromfield in the Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment franchise
sequel, Shazam: Fury of the Gods, set to hit screens December 21, 2022. Prior to
that she starred in New Line’s popular Conjuring franchise, Annabelle:
Creation. Grace brings her boyfriend home to meet the parents in the rom com, Most
Guys Are Losers, based on the best-selling book, which was recently released in
theaters. She has studied at the renowned Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in
London and was nominated for Best Actress at the Milan International Film Festival
for her role in Badland, an indie feature with Vinessa Shaw. She is also a level 6
ballerina to boot!

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Official Site for “FALL”

Fall posterFrom the Producers of 47 Meters Down

Dropping in Theaters Only on August 12, 2022
PRODUCTION NOTES
RUNNING TIME: 107 minutes
RATING: PG-1

SYNOPSIS

For best friends Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) and Hunter (Virginia Gardner), life is all about conquering fears and pushing limits. But after they climb 2,000 feet to the top of a remote, abandoned radio tower, they find themselves stranded with no way down. Now Becky and Hunter’s expert climbing skills will be put to the ultimate test as they desperately fight to survive the elements, a lack of supplies, and vertigo-inducing heights in this adrenaline-fueled thriller from the producers of 47 Meters Down. Costarring Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
A nerve-shredding, knuckle-whitening, vertigo-inducing action thriller, FALL tells the
terrifying tale of climbers Becky (Grace Caroline Currey) and Hunter (Virginia
Gardner) who ascend the abandoned 2,000-ft B67 TV Tower in the California desert
as a means of moving on from the death of Becky’s husband Dan (Mason Gooding)
in a climbing accident a year earlier. But when the tower’s external ladder gives way,
the two best friends find themselves stuck on a platform at the top. Too high to use
their cell phones to ring for help, the pair must find a way down. Or die trying.
FALL began life as a short film idea hatched by British-born, L.A.-based
writer-director Scott Mann (Heist) and his regular cowriter Jonathan Frank (The
Tournament) in response to a production company’s call for experiential shorts.
“They were looking at experiential shorts, action thrillers, and we pitched this,” recalls
Mann. “We got so excited about the idea of the fear of falling and the horror of
heights, that it almost wrote itself for 25-30 pages. They wanted to make it, but then
the whole thing shut down.”

Grace Caroline Currey (Left, “Becky”) and Virginia Gardner (Right, “Hunter”) in FALLWith the short film series cancelled, Mann and Frank decided to expand their
idea into a feature, on spec, and see if they could get it set up somewhere else.
“We’ve written specs before, but this was the most fun to write because the two of us
kind of lived it and acted it out as we went on, trying to think what we would do in the
situation that the girls find themselves in,” continues Mann who built a paper version
of the platform at the top of the tower so he and Frank could perch on it, “to figure
out what to do and really play on the horror and tension. We wanted it to be the
ultimate fear-of-heights movie, so we looked at previous films and wrote the script
accordingly.”

Among those cinematic references were Martin Campbell’s 2000 survival
thriller Vertical Limit, Brad Bird’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, in which Tom
Cruise’s Ethan Hunt scales the outside of the 2,717-foot Burj Khalifa Tower in Dubai,
and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi & Jimmy Chin’s incredible Oscar¼-winning
documentary Free Solo which detailed Alex Honnold’s quest to climb El Capitan in
Yosemite National Park without ropes (2018, Documentary, Feature – Elizabeth Chai
Vasarhelyi, Jimmy Chin, Evan Hayes and Shannon Dill).

“The experience of watching Free Solo was a big influence,” Mann recalls. “It
got me thinking about the psychology of the fear of heights as opposed to just a
visual medium because in Free Solo you are with the character, you can hear him
breathe and the reflectance of fear is where it’s at. There’s a psychological fear I
think we all go through at heights. Even a lot of climbing videos on the internet tap
into that well. It’s the reaction, the ‘Oh my God, oh my God’ that influenced how Fall
would eventually play out. From an experiential point of view, you’ve got to put
yourself through the eyes of the character, be with them, and then you climb it with
them. So, you’ve done it together. What we wanted to get was a feeling of being raw
and real at height and very human. So that was the backbone of it all.”

Grace Caroline Currey (Left, “Becky”) and Virginia Gardner (Right, “Hunter”) in FALLOne of the things that makes FALL unique is its location. Namely, the real-life
2,000-foot-high B67 TV tower — the fourth highest structure in the U.S. “What we
found was there were a lot of internet videos of daredevils doing crazy stuff, but they
were usually climbing things like cranes,” explains Mann. “So, we said, let’s find
somewhere that would be the ultimate place to get stuck, and we came across this
tower in California. When you’re at the bottom looking up, the tower seems to go out
into infinity, into the clouds. It is a marvel of architecture. And being in the desert,
made for a very barren, difficult place to survive in the first instance, let alone 2,000
feet up.” Unlock the ultimate vaping experience with geekvape: Power and Portability Combined. Elevate your satisfaction with our cutting-edge vape products.

Initially, both the short script and Mann and Frank’s first draft of the feature
version focused on a boyfriend-girlfriend couple stuck on the tower, but for the
second draft they decided to center the story on two female friends, with Becky
losing her husband Dan at the start of the film in a tragic climbing accident and being
unable to cope. The character was inspired by a member of Mann’s wife’s family
whose husband had died young. “It’s quite personal,” says Mann. “It was the first
time someone my age, in my family, had died. And I’d seen her go through a lot of
the things Becky goes through in the script; finding the strength and the will to live
after such a world-changing loss. Also, Covid was rearing its head when we wrote
this, and the world was going into this grief-stricken place that felt more relevant as
we went forward.”

“Becky and her husband are adventuring types,” says Grace Caroline Currey
who plays her. “They love to climb and push their limits and seek out extraordinary
experiences, and at the start of the film we have a very different Becky to the one we
meet post Dan’s accident. She’s consumed with grief, loss, a lack of self and a lack
of desire to live, and through the film Becky finds her fight again and wants to live.
Scott had mentioned she was largely based on his brother-in-law’s widow and how
she survived him. They were this adventure couple, although he died of cancer.”

Grace Caroline Currey in "FALL"Becky’s best friend Hunter is a daredevil YouTuber who has her own reason
to be devasted by Dan’s death. “Hunter is a vlogger,” reveals Virginia Gardner who
plays her, “so I watched a lot of YouTube and Instagram influencer videos for some
ideas on her larger-than-life influencer persona ‘Danger D.’ But we wanted to keep
her grounded as well. And we learn there is more than meets the eye to Hunter.”

As with Becky, Hunter was also inspired by a real person, in this case one of
Mann’s wife’s friends. “We used her as the basis,” he admits, “but it is a friend type
that I see a lot, the adventurer who is always searching for something, but is not sure
what. The idea was that Becky retracted, went internal and went into herself, while
Hunter escaped and ran away. They’re two very different personality types who,
typically, become best friends because they need each other’s dynamics, but,
obviously, deal with death and trauma differently.”

THE BIG-SCREEN EXPERIENCE
From the beginning, Mann envisioned FALL as a movie, a film made for the big
screen. “I wanted to do something that had genuinely theatrical potential,” he
reflects. The idea with this was to really go for it.”

“This is a unique experience that you have to see in theatres,” says producer
James Harris (47 Meters Down). “It’s like a ride. Vertigo is one of our biggest fears,
and this film maximises it.”

Given that most of FALL takes place on a small, circular platform at the top of
a 2,000-foot TV tower, Mann wrestled with the best way to make his movie. Initially,
Mann considered using a version of the Volume — the ground-breaking curved LED
screen backdrop on which digital environments are displayed — that had been
pioneered for the first season of the Star Wars/Disney+ show “The Mandalorian.”
“We looked at designing a ‘Mandalorian’ stage that you could look down upon, which
would give you a depth background. But there are limitations to that technology
which meant it wasn’t going to work out.” Plus, there was the budgetary issue. “It’s
enormously expensive to do.”

The second option was to find a mountain where Mann could build the upper
portion of the tower, then film the actors on it against a real background, which
because of the height and positioning would make them appear to be thousands of
feet in the air. “Then you’re able to look down and it’s only from certain angles that
you see the ground is there,” he continues. “Originally, I wanted to do it next to a
steep drop.”

This practical approach required his two leads to not only be able to climb for
real, but more importantly, have a head for heights. During the audition process,
Mann would show Becky and Hunter auditionees a sketch of the proposed tower
built on the edge of a cliff, and tell them they would be up there for real. “In an effort
to weed out the real ones from the fake ones, I would tell them, ‘You’re going to be
really high up so bear that in mind.’ I tried to scare them into being serious about the
fact they were going to be on top of a mountain. And that did weed out people who
weren’t fit for the purpose. I could see it in their eyes, even though they said, ‘I could
do that.’ I was thinking, ‘You can’t.’ The honest ones, like Grace and Ginni, were like,
‘This sounds f**ed up and terrifying, but I’ll give it a go.’”

“I read the script and thought it was really exciting and exhilarating and would
require a lot of discipline,” remembers Currey, whose credits include Shazam!,
Annabelle: Creation, and TV’s “Revenge.” “Scott told me how much he wanted to
shoot practically which is the kind of stuff you hope to work on, something
immersive, that really makes you feel like you’re there. He was gauging to see if I’d
be able to cope with it, but I have a background in dance, so the technical nature of it
really appealed to me. I did go through a phase where I did have a membership at a
climbing gym, and I saw a lot of parallels between climbing and dance. I started
nerding out about climbing and how excited I was at the idea of what he was
proposing.”

“Scott made it clear it was going to be a very physical movie filmed on a real
60-foot tower. I told him I was so excited for the challenge and didn’t have a fear of
heights,” says Gardner, who costarred in TV’s “Runaways” as well as the 2018
Halloween reboot. “It also was right in the middle of Covid so the idea of being so
active and outside every day after being locked down for so long was very appealing.
I had done a lot of indoor rock climbing in the past and worked with a personal
trainer to make sure I would be able to handle the physical requirements.”

“We also discussed Becky and how easy it could be to have her come off too
despairing,” she continues, “because she has been through so much and there is so
much sadness and she is so paralyzed by her grief. And there are many moments
where she speaks up and says she can’t climb, she can’t do what’s in front of her, so
I expressed to Scott that I wanted to make sure she didn’t come off too complaining,
and you feel compassion for her, because you should.”

“Hunter is a rebel and Becky is the heart of the movie,” says Harris. “We went
through a very lengthy casting process and the chemistry between Ginni and Grace
was amazing.”

“I was lucky the financers and producers backed the idea of going for the best
actors, as opposed to the biggest names,” adds Mann, “because from a theatrical
point of view, the tower is the star.”

Because of Covid, all auditions needed to be done over Zoom. “Which was
awkward,” says Mann, “although a few of them did lock themselves up for a period to
do it together.”

“I expressed to Scott I don’t like auditioning, it makes me very uncomfortable,
how unnatural it is,” recalls Currey. “And because so many of Becky’s scenes are
with Hunter, he suggested we should do a chemistry read with the potential
Hunters.” A chemistry read is when actors audition with other potential cast. “I was
sent over a couple of names and one of those was Virginia Gardner, and so I
Instagram-stalked them, and slid into their DMs and said, did they want to practice
before our reads? Ginni responded right away, and she and I rehearsed the day
before our read. I immediately liked her so much and hoped she was going to be
Hunter, and I hoped I would be Becky. Later, Scott told us he felt the fact that we
pursued each other outside the chemistry read and rehearsed together spoke to how
we were going to apply ourselves to the film in general, so I guess preparation paid
off.”

“There were some good actresses who auditioned but what I found with
Grace and Ginni was they had great discipline,” recalls Mann. “Very different
dynamics as actors. Ginni’s extremely controlled, Grace is much more emotive and
method, but they had a real good chemistry and really helped each other. They just
seemed like friends, and they couldn’t help but bond.”

In the small but pivotal role of Becky’s husband Dan — who is killed in a
climbing accident in the opening sequence but whose presence looms large over the
film — is Mason Gooding, one of the stars of the latest Scream. “I loved his energy,”
says Mann of Gooding. “Again, it was a Zoom meeting, but I found him extremely
charismatic and honest. He had a vulnerable charisma about him I liked for Becky’s
partner, who’s a bit softer around the edges and is not your typical alpha male. I also
wanted someone you might think is going to be in the whole movie.”

“Mason is amazing,” adds producer Harris. “He’s going to be a superstar. We
were so lucky to have him.”

Rounding out the rest of the main cast is Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Becky’s
dad. “I’d worked with him and Robert De Niro on a film called Heist and had a great
time,” notes Mann. “I’ve always loved Jeff as an actor and became friends on that.
So, when we wrote the dad character, we literally wrote it for Jeff, thinking, ‘Okay,
who’s the most caring, empathetic, vulnerable dad you can pick out of a pile?’ It’s
Jeffrey Dean Morgan. And he was up for it.”

With his main cast in place, Mann set about rehearsing with his two leads at
ground level, knowing that once they were on location and up the tower, things
would be much trickier. Having utilized a paper platform during the writing stage to
act out the movie with Frank, Mann built a wooden one in his backyard and invited
Currey and Gardner over to play. “We blocked out the movie very thoroughly over
the course of a couple of days, so there was no doubt about any of it.”

“It was the platform and the pole, propped on some boxes or some crates and
we mostly spent the time figuring out how two people could possibly sleep on such a
small platform,” Currey recalls. “We played around with the different physical
configurations our bodies could make on the platform for it to be believable. If our
characters had been sitting for hours, how might they sit? There were also specific
scenes to block, like when Becky and Hunter discuss the affair. Scott had it in his
mind we would be back to back. And many of the scenes that required action and
movement we had to figure out beforehand because when we shot it, we were going
to be so high up and Scott would be far away, and it would have been very tricky to
figure out scenes in that circumstance. But because we blocked it ahead of time it
allowed for efficiency when it came to shooting.”

To recreate the lower portion of the tower on location, Mann approached the
designers of the real one in California that had been their inspiration during the
writing process and had them construct the first 15 feet in the desert just outside of
Los Angeles, in a place near Palmdale called Rocky Buttes. “They built a section of
tower on the ground there, which was safe, but we made it look rusty and
abandoned, and we had the girls climb up that,” recalls Mann. “And then, past a
certain point, it becomes a CGI extension.”

For the upper portion of the tower, Mann needed to find a mountaintop within
easy reach of Los Angeles, given they were planning to shoot while the U.S. was still
in the throes of Covid and there was uncertainty whether cast and crew were allowed
to stay in hotels overnight. “I would drive around in my wife’s SUV out to the desert,
to all these strange places I would find on Google maps, to try and find the correct
mountain with the right landscape,” he recalls. “Because you’re shooting outdoors,
you’ve got to consider where the sun is, the cinematography of it, everything. Also,
how do you get a Technocrane [a telescopic camera crane] up a mountain?”
Eventually, after several weeks, Mann found the perfect spot in Shadow
Mountain near Victorville. “It’s in the middle of nowhere,” he says. “But frankly, on the
top of that mountain, when you’re looking out, filming it for real, it looks amazing.”

BATTLING THE ELEMENTS
Once the mountaintop location was chosen, production designer Scott Daniel
(Wrong Turn) built two different towers of varying height, the tallest being around 60
feet, not including the final section with the light, as well as a five-foot high platform
for shooting closeups. “We were limited by engineering how high you could make it,
what we could get up there safely and construct to make it safe,” explains Mann of
the main tower. “Also, there was a limit on the height of the Technocrane which only
goes 70 or 80 feet up. If we made it too high, we wouldn’t get the look down and the
swing round, so we reduced its height.”

Even so, it was still plenty high. “Obviously, with actors we must be very
careful, and everything must be safe, but when you were climbing up it was quite
scary,” says Mann. “The first time I went there with Ginni and Grace I went first, so I
wasn’t asking it just of them. I remember climbing that ladder all the way at the top,
and it’s hard to get on the top, because there’s a ridge and you must really trust the
fact that if you do fall, you’re attached with a wire that’s going to save you. But I
remember getting up there, thinking, oh my God, that’s horrible, because when you
look out, your mind says, I’m 2,000 feet in the air, and you have to look back around
to realize, oh, it’s okay, there are people down there, 60 feet away. But when Grace
got to the top, she burst into tears. I think it was relief, because the other thing that
makes it feel very high is the wind, and the platform is rocking and swinging and
shaking. So they were very brave. And then from there it got easier.”

“When we first climbed up the tower, Scott went first, and in general
throughout the shoot, he did make sure to show us he was in it with us, which
speaks so much to the kind of director he is,” recalls Currey. “And when we got to
the top, there was a big relief. What was so exciting for me was seeing how high up
we were, feeling how strong the wind was, the elements, and the view was insane. It
was just this immersive feeling and I teared up because I felt so excited.”

“I remember the first climb being taxing and long,” says Gardner. “But the
more we did it the easier it got, although our hands were covered in blisters from so
much climbing. The first time we made it to the top Scott went first so we felt
confident. I remember how beautiful the sunset was and feeling the excitement and
adrenaline Hunter would be feeling in the moment when she reaches the top.”
Both actors wore harnesses which were attached to a safety cable that went
from the ground, up through the center column and out of the pole at the very top,
and back down again. “The characters having real harnesses on helped,” laughs
Mann. “Like, don’t take your harness off until this page [of the script.] So, if they’re
standing or moving around, they know if they fall, they’re safe, although the idea that
you’ve got to trust a tiny cable with your life is a little bit terrifying.”

What helped is that the riggers responsible were the same guys who did the
big tower stunt with Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. “Our stunt
coordinator Ingrid Kleinig said, ‘I know the best riggers and they’re not working at the
minute because of Covid, so let’s see if they want to help us.’ And they came out and
did all the rigging. So each actor had their own safety person. The most special
effects in this movie arguably are the safety wire removals,” says Mann, who
estimates FALL has about a thousand visual effects shots, mostly wire removal and
also digitally erasing the mountain from shots and replacing it with aerial footage of
the flat desert at the tower’s base in Palmdale for downward-looking shots.
“Climbing the ladder for the first time, we were getting to know the wires and
the rigging,” says Currey. “The most important thing for me was to understand how it
worked. If I feel safe, the more trust I have to go for the stunts. So, we would sit into
our harnesses and feel the wire take our weight and know there’s this safety net
that’s always with you. Trust was a major component for us diving into so many of
our stunts. Without it, we wouldn’t have been so brave.”

While Currey and Gardner had their own stunt doubles — Alice Rietveld for
the former, Alice Ford for the latter — both did many of the stunts themselves,
including hanging off the platform one-handed to take a selfie. “They did all that stuff
themselves and it is quite terrifying,” says Mann. “But the more we see their faces,
the more we’re with them. Audiences know when it’s a stunt double. They can sense
it because you change your film grammar around it.

“One of my favorite shots in the movie is where Grace is hanging off the
ladder and the ladder comes down and she lets go. That’s really Grace doing that
whole shot, doing that full drop. Originally, I was planning to start with her, then have
the stunt double drop and do face replacement. But in the end, she was like, ‘I want
to do it,’ and she went for it. It was great that our leads loved the experience and felt
safe. The shot where Hunter first climbs down to lower the phone, that’s really Ginni
doing all that. And I hold that take as long as I can, because at one point, Ginni
almost slips. But those kinds of shots are physically demanding and Ginni and Grace
just went for it.”

“The stunts were a lot of fun,” says Currey. “They were athletic and required
work but were fun and invigorating. We were pushing our mental and physical
stamina each day. But I couldn’t be prouder knowing I gave it my all and had such a
wild experience. Ginni and I often look at each other and go, ‘Did that really happen?
That was insane.’ But we were given the time and the space to test the stunts out
and try them and rehearse them and understand them, which made all the difference
and really enabled us to have trust between the riggers, our stunt coordinator,
everyone involved. I felt safe to speak up and say, ‘This feels a little scary,’ and then
we’d figure out what I needed to do to feel I understood what I was doing.”

“The climbing scenes were challenging but it was so much fun to do it all
practically and not in front of a green screen,” agrees Gardner. “It added some real
grit to the scenes and made our lives easier as actors when we could interact with
the real environment. It’s not often you get to do so many of your own stunts, and
getting the thrill of falling off a building that high and hanging off with one hand was
an unforgettable experience! To get to shoot those scenes with the wind hitting our
faces and the sun beating on our backs and the ground so far below gives you the
feeling you’re in the situation. Also, so many of our scenes we are climbing up the
ladder, and so we would climb up and go up and down. Those scenes took days to
shoot, but I think the physical exhaustion of it made our job easier.”

To communicate with his two leads while they were perched on a tiny platform
60 feet off the ground required Mann to use a bullhorn. “I wouldn’t normally use one,
but it was too windy to talk via radio,” he recalls. “I also had a feed of their mics, so I
could always hear what they were saying.”

Grace Caroline Currey in our Zoom chat!“Being directed by Scott with a bullhorn 60 feet below us was so funny,”
remembers Gardner. “He knew exactly what he wanted and would often play badass movie soundtracks on a loudspeaker while we were headed up the tower to get
us in the mood. If we were up there for a while, they would use a pulley system to
send up sunscreen and water.” But whenever there was something a bit more
intimate to film or discuss, Mann would hop a ride on a 70-foot cherry picker to lift
him up to platform level. “I could be beside them and the camera, and I could talk to
them, so it was a bit more normal. But it was very physical for me, for everyone,
scorching temperatures, crazy conditions.”

Partnering with Mann on making FALL as cinematic an experience as
possible was Spanish-born cinematographer MacGregor (Vivarium). “He was
amazing. He’s a director as well, is super talented and, like me, is into his
technology,” says Mann. “His rule to me was production value in a movie is dictated
by location. If you get the location right and you’re filming it for real, and you get the
sun in the right place and everything else, you don’t need anything else. You just film
the desert at the right time of day, and it looks incredible. This film has a low budget
for what it is. And it looks bigger than that because of that rule — filming real stuff.”
On the first day of shooting on the mountaintop, the weather turned nasty.

“The first day was a disaster,” remembers Mann. “It got really windy, windier than it
had been on any of the prep days. And at a certain point when the wind reaches 50
miles an hour, it’s too dangerous to be near that tower in case it blows over. So we
had to stop filming and get people in a safe place or off the mountain and there was
a threat the tower might collapse. There was a building at the top of the mountain, an
old radio hut, and we got everyone inside and there was a bloody sandstorm outside.
It was horrendous, like Dune or something. And then the low tower we built for
closeups blew away.”

“We had flying ant infestation, bee infestation, rain, thunder, lightning,
windstorms, the whole gamut,” remembers Currey. “You’re out there in nature and
nature is deciding when you shoot and when you don’t. I mean, we had to be very
careful being so high up on the tower because the winds would get intense, and if
they reached a certain speed, we had to climb down because it was too dangerous.
That was a little stressful at first, but eventually we understood we didn’t get to
dictate the schedule, the weather did. It felt like Indiana Jones. It felt like we were on
an adventure every day. The dirt, the dust, the grime. I took a selfie of myself on the
first day to send to my husband and I looked so fresh and chipper, and about 30
minutes later, being in the wind, I took another, and I am not chipper anymore.”
“It was crazy,” agrees producer Harris. “We were probably the first movie
made after Covid struck and we had those protocols plus all the plagues of the
Bible
it was crazy. But Capstone, our financiers, were very brave taking the risk
and plowing ahead.”

The remainder of the four-week mountaintop shoot was no less challenging,
with cast and crew pushed to their collective limits daily. “There were lots of physical
challenges, but we didn’t have any Covid cases the whole shoot,” says Mann. “Still,
we had about five hurricanes. There were fires nearby that blocked out the view. We
had several lightning incidents, and we had to be very careful because the girls were
standing on a big metal pole at the top of the mountain.”

The production also had to contend with a host of insects, including a swarm
of locusts and an infestation of bees. “After it rained, locusts collected inside the
tower and when we went to film, they all came out and we got swarmed on,” recalls
Mann. “Every other day we would have some physical or environmental disaster.
And we would just have to keep filming.”

“We had a lot of crazy issues at the beginning,” notes Gardner. “We had a
locust invasion and Scott had to use a massive vacuum-like device and suck up all
the bugs. Then we had a bee infestation. I got stung twice during takes. And to top it
all off, we had a thunder and rainstorm that almost ruined all our set dressing. But
we all had a great attitude about it and had to laugh it off and roll with the punches.”
Ultimately, Mann feels all the various environmental challenges were to the
film’s benefit. “They shifted the look of the movie,” he reveals. “At the time I thought,
this is disaster, because it’s all going to look completely different. But I’m glad of it
now. And my favorite moments in the movie are when we had something challenging
happen, like when it’s windy when our leads are on top. That’s real wind. As
everyone says, that’s free production value.”

While filming on a tower on top of a mountain exposed to the elements was
challenging enough, the final week of shooting, which mostly featured scenes in act
one — prior to Becky and Hunter’s tower climb — were among the hardest to
capture due to Covid. “The shoot for the tower element and the mountain we did in
one run and, apart from all the disasters, we got through it,” recalls Mann.
With Jeffrey Dean Morgan in a bubble shooting AMC’s “The Walking Dead” in
North Carolina, it was decided that Mann, Currey, and a small crew would fly to him,
build the bar set there, film the scene with Becky and her dad and then fly home to
L.A. But after Mann landed in North Carolina, he got a text from Currey saying she’d
come down with Covid, so she couldn’t travel. Rather than waste the trip and lose
the opportunity to shoot Morgan, Mann opted to build the bar set and film the scene
with Morgan with a double for Becky, before rebuilding the set four months later in
L.A. where Currey acted opposite a double for Morgan.

“So, the truth is, they never met in real life,” chuckles Mann, “and we filmed
both halves of that scene at different ends of the country. It was crazy. And one of
those filmmaking tricks we had to go through.”

CAST AND CREW BIOGRAPHIES

Scott Mann (Cowriter, Director)
Scott is a seasoned Hollywood director and producer, working with A-list talent on
several blockbuster films. His credits include Heist, Final Score, and The
Tournament. Mann has directed talent such as Robert De Niro, Pierce Brosnan,
David Bautista, Robert Carlyle, Kate Bosworth, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Bruce
Willis. Scott has been at the forefront of the visual effects domain for over 25 years
and has had a lifelong passion for science, innovation, and storytelling.

Virginia Gardner (Hunter)
Virginia Gardner is best known for starring as Karolina Dean in the Hulu original
series of Marvel’s “Runaways” and Vicky in Universal Pictures’ Halloween. She
made her feature debut as Christina Raskin in Paramount’s Project Almanac, and
since then has appeared in various films including Goat, Little Bitches, Monster
Party, Starfish, and All the Bright Places. In television, she can be seen in HBO’s
“The Righteous Gemstones,” FX’s “American Horror Stories,” and Starz’s “Gaslit.”
She will next be seen starring opposite Dylan Sprouse in Voltage’s Beautiful
Disaster.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan (James)
Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s charisma, undeniable charm, and versatility have landed him
a variety of prestigious films and television series working alongside award-winning
actors and filmmakers. Having worked nonstop the past few years, Morgan
continues to capture the attention of Hollywood and has emerged as one of the
industry’s most sought-after leading men.

Morgan can currently be seen in the hit AMC series, “The Walking Dead,” where he
made his debut in the final episode of season six as the infamous antagonist,
Negan. This performance earned him a 2016 Critics’ Choice Award for Best Guest
Performer in a Drama Series. He also won Best Villain at the 2017 MTV Movie and
TV Awards for his work in season seven. The 11th and final season of “The Walking
Dead” is currently airing on AMC.

Following the conclusion of “The Walking Dead”, Morgan will reprise his role of
Negan in the upcoming spin-off series “Isle of the Dead.” Along with Lauren Cohan
reprising her role as Maggie, “Isle of the Dead” will follow the pair through postapocalyptic Manhattan. Morgan and Cohan will also serve as executive producers on
the series that is set to premiere in 2023 on AMC.
Other recent projects include “Friday Night in with The Morgans”, which premiered in
April 2020 on AMC. The talk show was produced and hosted by Morgan and his
wife, Hilarie Burton Morgan, and was filmed from their home in upstate New York
during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. On the film side, recent credits
include Warner Brothers’ Rampage, directed by Brad Peyton, alongside Dwayne
Johnson and Naomie Harris; Walkaway Joe alongside David Strathairn and under
the direction of Tom Wright; The Postcard Killings with Famke Janssen for director
Danis Tanovic; and horror film The Unholy based on the best-selling James Herbert
novel Shrine.

Morgan began his career in television. In 2005 and 2006, he endeared himself to
television audiences worldwide with three concurrent recurring roles – on the CW
series “Supernatural” as John Winchester, on the ABC hit series “Grey’s Anatomy”
as transplant patient Denny Duquette, and on Showtime’s award-winning comedy
series “Weeds” as Judah Botwin, all of which made Morgan a universal fan favorite.
He then starred in the feature film P.S. I Love You with Hilary Swank and he
captivated genre fans as Edward Blake / Comedian in Watchmen for director Zack
Snyder, an adaptation of the iconic graphic novel. Morgan went on to star in The
Losers, an adaptation of DC-Vertigo’s acclaimed comic book series, produced by
Joel Silver and directed by Sylvain White, and in Ang Lee’s film Taking Woodstock.
He then appeared in the murder mystery Texas Killing Fields alongside Sam
Worthington, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Jessica Chastain.

Morgan’s additional feature film credits include Peace, Love & Misunderstanding
alongside Catherine Keener, Jane Fonda, and Elizabeth Olsen for director Bruce
Beresford; the thriller The Possession with Kyra Sedgwick for producer Sam Raimi;
Red Dawn, the reboot of the 1984 action movie; The Salvation with Eva Green and
Mads Mikkelsen which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival; Heist alongside
Robert De Niro; Solace opposite Anthony Hopkins, Colin Farrell, and Abbie Cornish;
Desierto alongside Gael GarcĂ­a Bernal; and in 2016 he re-teamed with Zack Snyder,
making a cameo appearance in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

On the television side, Morgan’s additional credits include the award-winning CBS
series “The Good Wife,” the critically acclaimed Starz series “Magic City,” the CBS
series “Extant” alongside Halle Berry and produced by Steven Spielberg, and the
Emmy¼-nominated History Channel miniseries “Texas Rising” with Bill Paxton and
Ray Liotta.

Morgan currently resides on a farm in Hudson Valley, New York, with his wife and
two children.

Mason Gooding (Dan)
Mason Gooding is quickly making a name for himself. He can currently be seen
starring in Hulu’s “Love, Victor” opposite Michael Cimino and Rachel Hilson. The
series, set in the world of the 2018 film Love, Simon, returned for its third and final
season on June 15.

This year, Gooding was seen starring in Paramount Pictures’ Scream alongside
Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Jack Quaid, Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, and
Dylan Minnette. He was also seen in the Amazon rom com I Want You Back
alongside Charlie Day and Jenny Slate and in Christopher Winterbauer’s Moonshot
for HBO MAX alongside Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse.

Upcoming, Gooding will be seen starring in Sam Hayes’ indie feature Pools
alongside Ariel Winter.

In 2021, Gooding lent his voice to QCODE Media’s neo-noir podcast series “Electric
Easy,” which featured original music from Kesha and Chloe Bailey. In
2019, Gooding starred in Olivia Wilde’s critically acclaimed Booksmart opposite
Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever. The film made its world premiere at the 2019
SXSW Film Festival where it was nominated for the Audience Award.
Later that year, he was seen in Netflix’s Let It Snow alongside Kiernan Shipka,
Odeya Rush, and Isabela Merced. The romantic comedy, based on the John Green
novel of the same name, was released in November 2019.

On the small screen, Gooding’s credits include: “Ballers,” “Everything’s Gonna Be
Okay,” “Star Trek: Picard,” and “The Good Doctor.”

Madison Beer (Songwriter, “I Have Never Felt More Alive”)
Following unprecedented success as an independent artist, rising pop star Madison
Beer released her major label album debut, Life Support, in early 2021. The album, a
strong personal and artistic statement, received acclaim from the likes of V
Magazine, Nylon, and NME who called it a “thrilling listen.” Life Support features
certified platinum single “Selfish,” and “Boyshit,” which Billboard said, “
makes a
late case for one of the best pop chorus openings of 2020.” The album saw Madison
continue to command creative through writing her own songs, producing, and
creating her own visuals. Most recently she released “Reckless,” the first track to
come from her next project. The song was her personal best streaming week debut
on Spotify and currently has over 222 million streams on the platform. Madison has
seen partnerships with beauty brands like Fenty Beauty and Morphe Cosmetics,
which she showcased in her edition of Vogue’s marquee video series “Beauty
Secrets.” Her episode is one of the highest-performing installments with over 12
million views on YouTube, and it went viral on TikTok, selling out the Morphe
products featured globally for six months. Madison is also the face of Victoria’s
Secret’s line of Tease Fragrances, with a campaign shot by legendary photographer
Mario Sorrenti. Currently, Madison has over 4.2 billion streams across her catalogue
globally and commands a highly engaged social following of over 32 million on
Instagram, 17 million on TikTok, and 3 million on Twitter.

CAST & CREW LIST

LIONSGATE AND CAPSTONE GLOBAL
PRESENT
A TEA SHOP PRODUCTION
A CAPSTONE STUDIOS PRODUCTION
IN ASSOCIATION WITH FLAWLESS
IN ASSOCIATION WITH COUSIN JONES
IN ASSOCIATION WITH BUZZFEED STUDIOS

Directed by
Scott Mann
Written by
Jonathan Frank & Scott Mann
Produced by
James Harris and Mark Lane
Scott Mann
Produced by
Christian Mercuri
David Haring
Director of Photography
MacGregor
Production Designer
Scott Daniel
Editor
Rob Hall
Original Score Composed and Produced by
Tim Despic
Supervising Sound Designers
Alex Joseph
David Barber, M.P.S.E.
Re-recording Mixer
David Barber, CAS
VFX Supervisor
Matt Gardocki
Costume Designer
Lisa Catalina
Casting by
Colin Jones
Line Producer
Brianna Lee Johnson
Executive Produced by
Roman Viaris
Barry Brooker
Executive Produced by
John Long
Dan Asma
Unit Production Manager
Brianna Lee Johnson
First Assistant Director
Doug Turner
Second Assistant Director
Tami Kumin
CAST
Becky Connor Grace Caroline Currey
Shiloh Hunter Virginia Gardner
Dan Connor Mason Gooding
James Connor Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Steve Jasper Cole
Randy Darrell Dennis
Police Officer Bamm Ericsen
Diner Server Julia Mitchell
Flower Girl Evie Mann
Page Boy Joseph Mann
Confused Truck Driver Nick Lynes
Bar Man Branden Currey
Associate Producer
Ashley Waldron
Stunt Coordinator / Second Unit Director Ingrid Kleinig
Assistant Stunt Coordinator Genevieve Aitken
Key Stunt Rigger Chris Daniels
Stunt Utility Anthony Genova
Stunt Utility Jess King
Becky Stunt Double Alice Rietveld
Hunter Stunt Double Alice Ford
Rock Climbing Consultant Tai Devore
Becky Climbing Double Miya Tsudome
Hunter Climbing Double Jennifer Poe
Dan Climbing Double Chip Powell
Opening Stunts
Stunt Coordinator T.J. White
Dan Stunt Double Matthew Osborn
Stunt Utility Hank Kingi Jr.
Stunt Utility Ken Fournier
Stunt Utility Jimmy Ramono
Stunt Utility Jennifer Caputo
Production Supervisor Annie B. Compton
Assistant Production Supervisor Turner Fair
Key Set PA Chloe Huckins
Set PA Trevor Messenger
Set PA Eddy Gudakov
A Cam Operator Nick Muller
2nd Unit DP/B Cam Operator Geoff George
A Cam First Assistant Camera Nicholas Kramer
Additional AC (A Cam) Jacob Rosenblatt
Second Assistant Camera Sasha Wright
B Cam 1st AC Litong Zhen
Digital Imaging Technician Jack Damon
Script Supervisor Barbara Abelar
Production Sound Mixer Chris Polczinski
Boom Operator Tasha Ladwig
Casting Associate Marta Noguera
SFX Boyd Lacosse
Gaffer Mike Van Meter
Best Boy Electric Mitch Pratt
Electric Ronnie Ausborne
Key Grip Jesse Curl
Best Boy Grip Angel Villarreal
Best Boy Grip Alex Harris
Grip Daniel Vlahos
Grip Austin Nelson
Key Grip Jason Younger
Best Boy Grip Mitch Elliott
Grip Ryker Wells
Grip Ivan Garcia
Art Consultant Gabor Norman
Prop Master Bryan Staerkel
Art PA Samuel Figueroa
Scenic Darren Cheeks
Techno Crane Op Brett Folk
Techno Crane Op Harrison Reilly
Techno Crane Op Corey Kiefer
Techno Crane Op Brian Shreiner
Drone Pilot Chase Ellison
Drone Pilot Justin Enrique
Department Head Make Up Erin Blinn
Additional Make Up Brittany White
Department Head Hair Lauren McKeever
Animal Wrangler Mark Schwaiger
Dog Wrangler Ali Santoro
Production Accountant Sue McGraw
Assistant Production Accountant Chelsea McGraw
Production Secretary Mellinda Hensley
Office Production Assistant Ali Pinkerton
Location Managers Derek Tramont
Mitchell Gutman
Permit Service Miles Per Gallon
Key Set Medic Lindsey Roberts
Health and Safety Manager Jerry TerHorst
Health and Safety PA Nicole Daley
Caterer Moore Culinary Services
Security Bruno Mora
NC Goods & Services Lighthouse Films
Brad Walker
Michelle Roca
Kendall Stetson
Vicka Hanson
Ash Christ
Mikel Barton
Michael “Shawn” Lewellan
Alan “Shorty” Swanson
Paige Marsicano
Ben Pellington
Adrian Kohann
Kristen Bell
Paul Sitler
Ashley Spillane
Aaron Kelly
Brielle Barozzini
Nico Guerra
Marco Guerra
Yukimi Bishop
Josiah Graf
Kristen Shaughnessy
JD Lanier
Kristi Ray
Medical Advisor Dr Patrick Yu
(Corporate Medical Advisors)
Accounting & Tax Incentive Services Greenslate
Production and Finance Legal Services Levin Law Corp.
Ronald J. Levin
Rylan Mitchell
Erica Zohar
Associate Editor Michael Cheung
Assistant Editor Esther Sokolow
Music Supervisor Phil Canning
Original Song Music Supervisor Ashley Waldron
Completion Guarantee Film Finances
Mandy Yaeger
Helen Sam
Lieve Jansen
Insurance Services Daniel R’Bibo
Alex Ekizian
Rosita Roque
Head of Development Tea Shop Productions Lieve Jansen
Leo Darby
Head of Development Flawless Lieve Jansen
Sarah Mann
Audio Post Services Provided by Juniper Post, Inc.
Sound Supervisor David Kitchens, M.P.S.E.
Supervising Sound Designers Alex Joseph
David Barber, M.P.S.E.
Re-recording Mixer David Barber, CAS
Dialogue Editor Jeffery Alan Jones
ADR Mixer Alan Jaye
Sound Effects Editors Rob Walker
Payam Hosseinian
Foley Artist Gonzalo “Bino” Espinoza
Foley Editor Jackson Kitchens
Audio Post Accountant Stacy Kitchens
Additional ADR Recording Jed Elliot
Original Score composed and produced by Tim Despic
Composer/ Additional music by James Edward Barker
Music performed by Tim Despic, James Edward Barker and the Van Ness
Orchestra
Music mixed by Tim Despic
Digital Intermediate Services Provided by
TUNNEL POST
DI Producers Heather Toll
Shirley Luong
Alan Pao
DI Colorist Sebastian Perez-Burchard
Conform Editor J.D. Moore
Additional VFX Pulls Taylor Mahony
Visual Effects by
TUNNEL POST
Visual Effects Supervisors Shirley Luong
Heather Toll
Lead Compositors May Satsuki Asai
Wanyan Zhu
Compositors Gigi Babityan
Austin Brown
Xuncheng Chen
Grant Inouye
Yongfeng Lin
Cheng Qiu
Dandan Xiao
Roto Artists Victor Franco
Mia Chang
Additional VFX Supervision Koala FX
Consulting VFX Producer Dasha Sherman
Consulting VFX Supervisor Menelaos Pampoukidis
Lead VFX Artist Antoni Zakheos
VFX Artist Artem Isaakyan
GARDOCKI DIGITAL
VFX Supervisor Matt Gardocki
VFX Artists Jacob Brewer
Peter Epps
Candido Garcia
Sophia Post
Alex Stager
DEKOY
VFX Principal/Founder David Matheny
VFX Production Manager Grace Kao
VFX Artists Christian Feliciano
Brian Recktenwald
VFX2GO
Visual Effects Producers Jake Akuna
Christian Curry Akuna
Supervising Producer
(Sancio VFX Studios) Naresh Botha
Manager Karthik Sabbani
Coordinator Priscilla John
Visual Effects Artists Jake Akuna
Praveen Jambula
Varshini Botha
Anil Kancharla
Sunny Kandimalla
Sunil Kalyan
POSTVFX
Composite Supervisor Edward Anderson
Senior Compositor Ivan Pena Ortiz
22 DOGS STUDIO
VFX Executive Producers Andrea Marotti
Carlo Tosi
VFX Producer Giulio Campiglia
VFX Executive Supervisor Max Pareschi
VFX Lead Compositor Artist Thomas Kremer (II)
VFX Compositor Artists Andrew Antonyuk
Roman Antonyuk
Alexey Ermak
Polina Frolova
Vladislav Kravchenko
Mila Kremere
Dimitrijs Mass
Max Radukha
Roman Sagenov
VFXaddART
VFX Supervisor Eduard Karamshuk
Compositing Artists Aleksandr Pertsovoy
Denis Knyzev
Oleksandr Kuzmin
Dmytro Syrovatsky
Dmytro Shmidt
FLAWLESS
Nick Lynes
Sean Danischevsky
Stuart Lawrence
Allar Kaasik
Hyeongwoo Kim
Praveen Ilangoven
Pablo Garrido
Lindsey Morrow
Gaurav Bharaj
Piran Smith
Christian Theobalt
Jim Rivera
Gary Scullion
Paul Duhig
Alejandra Esquerro
Ryan Axe
BUZZFEED STUDIOS
Head of Studio Richard Alan Reid
Marketing Executive Dan Katt
Creative Executive Ayla Norris-Smith
Production Executive Sam Linder
Distribution & Strategy Executive Jason Nadel
Production Coordinator Brianna McFadden
Creative Will Hunt
STOCK FOOTAGE
Vulture Stock footage supplied by Film Studio Aves/Creatas Video via Getty Images
All Other Footage used under license from shutterstock.com
MUSIC CREDITS
“I Have Never Felt More Alive”
Written by Madison Beer and Leroy Clampitt
Performed by Madison Beer
Courtesy of Epic Records
By arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment
“Erase/Rewind”
Performed by The Cardigans
Written by Nina Elisabet Persson, Peter Anders Svensson
Licensed courtesy of Universal Music AB
By arrangement with Universal Music Operations
Published by Universal Music Publishing Limited on behalf of Stockholm Songs
“What a Rush”
Performed by Hart & Maguire
Written by Jimmy Hart & John J. Maguire
Licensed courtesy of WWE Inc
Published by Universal/MCA Music Ltd on behalf of Piledriver Music US
“Cherry Pie”
Performed by Warrant
Written by Jani Lane
Licensed courtesy of Roundhill Music & Zync Music
Used by kind permission of Carlin Music Delaware LLC, Courtesy of Round Hill
Records

SPECIAL THANKS
Sarah, Joseph and Evie
Annie Mahoney
Joyce Harris
Reid and Cindy Johnson
Maribelle and Zella Fischer
Jason Ballantine
Max Adams
Nicolas Chartier
Babacar Diene
Vicky and Mike
Lionel Uhry
Off the Ground
Jake Hebert Custom Tower LLC
AG Light and Sound Inc
Fox 6 News – Birmingham
Martin Spencer
Best Buy
Matthew Marenda
Alex Henes
Jian Giannini

FOR ANDY X
IN LOVING MEMORY OF KARL YOUNG
(c) 2022 FALL MOVIE PRODUCTIONS INC.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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Gracey Caroline Currey shooting the film, "Shazam: Fury of the Gods."

Interview with Bernardo Badillo

TV Interview!

 

Bernardo Badillo of "This Fool" on HULU

Interview with Bernardo Badillo of “This Fool” on HULU by Suzanne 8/11/22

This was a fun interview! It’s always nice to talk to seasoned actors because they have many great stories to tell. Bernardo has been on tons of great shows and in many awesome movies. Such is the life of a good character actor. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did. Don’t forget to check him out in the movie “Emily the Criminal” in theaters tomorrow and in “This Fool” on HULU.

 

MORE INFO:

Bernardo Badillo of "This Fool" on HULUAugust 12, 2022 is a BIG day for Bernardo. His Sundance film gets a wide release and his show on Hulu premieres as well!

First, he stars in “Emily the Criminal” alongside Aubrey Plaza (Emily). The film premiered to rave reviews at Sundance 2022, and will be making its WIDE release on August 12th.

Bernardo portrays ‘Javier,’ ‘Emily’s’ partner in a catering company, and ultimately the catalyst for her downward spiral into the world of credit card scams.

WHAT THE PRESS ARE SAYING


“A cool, confident debut whose steady build mirrors the increasing stakes faced by its namesake, John Patton Ford’s Emily the Criminal is a nail-biter.” – The Hollywood Reporter

“
an entertaining and sharp-edged look at the world in which so many millennials find themselves: saddled with enormous debt, a lousy job market, an exploitative gig economy, and the sinking feeling that nothing’s going to get better if you don’t escape the system.” – VOX

“
Sundance Breakout” – Observer

“A thriller consistently pushed into darker, more intriguing terrain
” – Screen Daily

“There are some fantastically charged moments of suspense.” – The Guardian

“With a film and a star this in control of its pitch-black material, she’s not wrong. We’re just along for the ride, and wouldn’t have it any other way.” – IndieWire

On the TV front, Bernardo will be seen in the new Hulu show “This Fool” executive produced by Fred Armisen premiering August 12th.

The comedy is set in working-class South Central Los Angeles and centers on Julio Lopez (Chris Estrada), a 30-year-old who still lives at home. Julio has been dating his girlfriend on and off since high school and works at Hugs Not Thugs, a nonprofit that offers rehabilitation for gang members. He and his family take in his older cousin Luis, an ex-gang member who just got out of prison.

CONNECT WITH BERNARDO:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/actorbernardobadillo

Bernard BadilloMORE ABOUT BERNARDO BELOW:

 Bernardo, a Latin performer of Mexican descent, started acting at his high school in Santa Ana, California, before receiving his B.A. in theater from UCLA, followed by the master’s program at the prestigious Actors Studio Drama School in New York City. Throughout his education he trained under notable teachers such as Moctesuma Esparza, Jose Luis Valenzuela, Jacque Heim at UCLA and Ron Leibman, Barbara Poitier, and Susan Aston among others in New York.

Since returning to Los Angeles, he has steadily worked in film, television, commercials, and print. Highlights from his TV career include recurring roles on FX Network’s “Snowfall,” where he was directed by John Singleton, USA Network’s “Queen of the South” as the right-hand man of a drug kingpin and TNT’s “Animal Kingdom.”  He has also guest starred in hit series such as “Dexter,” “Weeds,” “Dead To Me,” and “Insecure,” among others.

His most notable film role is in the Clint Eastwood directed Warner Bros. film “Sully” starring Tom Hanks. Bernardo trained with a Navy Seal to portray real-life NYPD scuba diver ‘Robert Rodriguez.’ Robert was on the front lines rescuing passengers from the plane once it had safely landed in the Hudson River.

Growing up, Bernardo considered himself dramatic and eccentric, participating in numerous school plays and pageants, singing and dancing. That passion turned into a true respect for the craft as a professional. He enjoys putting all the pieces of a character together from body language and speech to the emotional core, studying the script and finding clues to who the character is meant to be. As a Latin actor he is proud to be part of the turning of the tide as Hollywood expands its representation of what it means to be a Latin actor.

Outside of acting, he enjoys travelling, having gone to Brazil for the World Cup, backpacked through Spain, and even attended a traveling acting school in Italy. Growing up, books were his escape, and he passes that on by reading to children in his spare time. He is also passionate about workers’ rights and union’s protective services.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

Back to the Primetime Articles and Interviews Page

Bernardo Badillo of "This Fool" on HULU

Interview with “Resident Alien” actors and showrunner

TV Interview!

Chris Sheridan, Alan Tudyk, Alice Wetterlund, Levi Fiehler, Corey Reynolds, and Elizabeth Bowen

Interview with showrunner Chris Sheridan and actors Alan Tudyk, Alice Wetterlund, Levi Fiehler, Corey Reynolds, and Elizabeth Bowen of “Resident Alien” on Syfy by Suzanne 8/8/22

This was from a fun press day to promote the return of the show for the second half of season 2. First there was a TCA panel (Television Critics of America) where all of these actors plus star Sara Tomko (Asta) answered some questions. Then we had 3 junkets with the other actors and Chris Sheridan. You’ll see videos of those below.

During the TCA panel, we saw this excellent trailer that you should watch as it reminds us where we left off back in March!  They also announced, for those of us who hadn’t heard, that the show was renewed for season 3 “due to its incredibly passionate fan base!”  So, yay, fans!  Below are the highlights from the TCA panel.

Showrunner/creator/writer Chris Sheridan shared that they do allow for a lot of improv on the show. He was asked specifically about Harry’s alien language.  Most of that is all Alan Tudyk’s doing. Alan also joked that at the recent San Diego Comic-Con, they expected him to speak in the alien language at the drop of a hat, which he wasn’t prepared to do. He promised that he will learn to do that before the next con, though.

Sara was asked about what her character goes through this season. She replied that they had a lot of scripts to shoot in a very short time (and more than last season), but Chris lets them know ahead of time what their characters will be experiencing, so they can prepare a little better. She spoke quite a bit about being the only person in the main cast that’s not a comedian. She enjoys reacting to them, and laughing at their jokes, but she’s not funny like they are. There’s a point in one of the upcoming episodes where Asta is very happy because of an alien thing that happens to her, and it took Sara a bit to wrap her head around that because Asta is normally not very happy, so she had to talk to Chris to get an idea about what she should be like. She concluded, “I just really tried to make it as organic and truthful in the moment.”   Later in the panel, when the cast were all asked if they ever felt like an alien, she shared that she felt a bit like one, being the more serious person amidst all the comics.

The actors were asked what they learned from their characters. Alice was almost the only one to take the question seriously. She analyzed D’arcy, saying that she’s “self-absorbed” and doesn’t realize how her actions not only hurt herself but others around her.  She’s starting to understand that, and she thinks it’s good to keep that in mind. Elizabeth also said that she’s learned that “listening and observing will teach you a lot more than talking.” That’s very true! I need to learn that, too.

Alan joked that he learned that he loves pizza, but then he explained that he has a lot of food allergies, so they made him special pizza that he could eat. That was very cool to learn because I have that, too. I hope he can learn to make his own pizza or can find some other people to make them for him. At the mention of food, Sara added that she doesn’t like it when actors don’t eat on the set when there’s food there. She has to eat food if it’s in front of her.  Levi and Sarah both agreed that they hate tight jeans. Levi has had to wear a lot of those as his character.

Alan was asked whether he’s content to be doing so much scifi.  Alan reflected for a moment and then said with a laugh that he’s happy. He enjoys all the work he gets. He noted that he did a play in L.A. right before season 2, which he really enjoyed (doing live stage), but the great thing about playing Harry or doing any scifi is that you get to do all sorts of unusual things that you wouldn’t normally get to do. He mused that you can do everything, all in one. “There can be physical comedy, which you rarely ever get to do in television or in film, and it can also be very touching and have very intimate moments.” He went on to talk about how much he enjoyed working with the dog and the kids on the show. He said that the dog is very smart and a good boy.

Then they were all asked the question about feeling like an alien. Alan related it to being invited to a party that you really don’t want to go to, but you have to go and pretend to be having a good time. Corey shared that he has anxiety, so anything social like that makes him feel anxious.  Then Alice did this hilarious riff where she pretended to be a stuck-up socialite going into JC Penney’s for the first time.

Chris was asked about the third season, so he told us that it would be 12 episodes, which he’s already started working on.  It won’t be split up into two parts like season 2 was, and there will be one arc for the whole season. He explained a little bit about how the show was developed. First he envisioned it as 10 episodes per season, going 4 or 5 seasons. Then they had 16 episodes for season 2, which changed things. He added that these shows are “organic beasts” that change a lot, anyway. He explained, “things that you weren’t sure were going to work work really well. Things you thought were going to work don’t work well at all” so you constantly have to adjust for these changes. The show is “constantly evolving.”  He also said that the chemistry of the actors gives you more ideas about how to change the story.

He also spoke a bit about Asta and Harry’s emotional growth this season, which you’ll see more of in the upcoming episodes. Asta has to deal with the fact that she shot and killed someone, and Harry is dealing with the fact that he almost died.

Alan was also asked a semi-serious question about he and Nathan Fillion guest-starring on each other’s shows. Alan replied that it was just their friendship. He joked, “I was never on [an episode of] “Castle,” so I’ve got a lot of making up to do.”

The cast was also asked about whether they were worried when there was a big break in the middle of season 2. They were all fine with it, but some fans were worried and impatient.

The trailer revealed that we’ll see more of Terry O’Quinn’s character. Also, there’s a new detective that joins the show named Lena Torres, played by Nicola Correia-Damude.

Here are the videos from the junket. We all laughed a lot, so I’m sure you will, too.

 

 

 

MORE INFO: Another Trailer

"Resident Alien" poster

Based on the Dark Horse comics, SYFY’s “Resident Alien” follows a crash-landed alien named Harry (Alan Tudyk) whose secret mission is to kill all humans. In season two, Harry is once again stranded on Earth where he must confront the consequences of having failed his people’s mission to destroy the human race. The second half of Season 2 picks up in the immediate aftermath of the shocking action Asta (Sara Tomko) took to save Harry’s life. They must deal with the emotional fallout of the night all while searching for the alien baby – a search that leads to big realizations for each of them. Meanwhile, Sheriff Mike (Corey Reynolds) and Deputy Liv (Elizabeth Bowen) solve a big case, Ben (Levi Fiehler) attempts to sell Patience on a new resort, and D’arcy (Alice Wetterlund) fights the challenge of a lifetime. The series also stars Judah Prehn.

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

Alan Tudyk

Harry Vanderspeigle, “Resident Alien”; Devil, “Devil May Care”

Alan Tudyk stars in the SYFY drama “Resident Alien” as Harry Vanderspeigle, an alien who crash lands onto Earth and must pass himself off as a small-town human doctor.

He also recently voiced the role of Devil in “Devil May Care,” which also aired on SYFY. In addition, Tudyk voices the maniacal Joker in DC Universe’s “Harley Quinn” animated series on HBO Max. Tudyk also voiced Tuk-Tuk in the Oscar-nominated film “Raya and the Last Dragon” as well as Pico the Toucan in Disney’s hit film “Encanto.”

In 2016, Tudyk appeared in Lucasfilm’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” as the scene-stealing security droid, ‘K-2SO.’ Directed by Gareth Edwards, the film grossed over $1 billion at the global box office and was the first live action Star Wars spin-off. He also voiced characters in two Academy-Award nominated animated films, playing the ‘Duke of Weaselton’ in Disney’s “Zootopia” and the rooster ‘Hei Hei’ in Disney’s “Moana.”

Tudyk is also the creator, executive producer and star of the Emmy nominated series “Con Man,” which was funded via Indiegogo with a record-breaking $3.2 million donation from over 46,000 fans. “Con Man” debuted at Lionsgate’s Comic Con HQ in 2015 and later aired on SYFY. Loosely based on Tudyk and Nathan Fillion’s experiences starring in “Firefly,” “Con Man” centered on the post-show life of ‘Wray Nerely’ (Tudyk) after “Spectrum,” a sci-fi TV series canceled before its time that later became a cult classic. In 2016, Tudyk, along with Fillion, also launched “Con Man: The Game” based on the series which allowed players to build and host their own comic book conventions.

Tudyk has shown audiences wide versatility in numerous television shows and a plethora of feature films. Recently, he co-starred in the Jay Roach 2015 SAG Award nominated feature “Trumbo,” opposite Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, Helen Mirren and John Goodman as well as 2014’s “Welcome to Me” with Kristin Wiig. In 2013, Tudyk co-starred in the well-received Jackie Robinson biopic, “42,” opposite Chadwick Boseman as former Philadelphia Phillies manager ‘Ben Chapman.’ He made his feature film debut in 1998, when he first appeared opposite Robin Williams in “Patch Adams.”

Tudyk’s role in the Disney animated feature, “Wreck-It Ralph,” garnered him an Annie Award for his role as ‘King Candy.” He can also be heard in its sequel, “Ralph Breaks the Internet” as ‘KnowsMore.” Tudyk has also loaned his voice to ‘The Duke of Weaselton’ in Disney’s Academy Award-winning film “Frozen,” ‘Alister Krei’ in “Big Hero 6” and ‘Ludo’ and ‘King Butterfly’ on the Disney Channel series, “Star vs. the Forces of Evil.”

His additional film credits also include: “28 Days,” “A Knight’s Tale,” “Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story,” “Death at a Funeral” (the original UK version), “Knocked Up,” “Tucker and Dale vs Evil,” “3:10 to Yuma,” “Serenity,” “Premature,” “Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter” and “Transformers 3.” Additionally, Tudyk motion performed the lead robot, ‘Sonny,’ in “I, Robot” opposite Will Smith.

In television, Tudyk can currently be seen in DC Universe’s “Doom Patrol” and season three of Netflix’s “Santa Clarita Diet.” He was a series regular on the critically acclaimed ABC comedy, “Suburgatory” as well as on NBC’s workplace comedy “Powerless” and BBC America’s “Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. His work on Joss Whedon’s “Firefly,” has been highly lauded by fans and has gained him a strong cult following. Tudyk also appeared in “Strangers with Candy,” “Dollhouse,” “Frasier,” “Justified” and “Arrested Development.” He also was the host of “Newsreaders,” written and produced by Rob Corddry and David Wain, on Adult Swim.

Tudyk attended the prestigious Juilliard School in New York and has starred on Broadway opposite Kristin Chenoweth in “Epic Proportions,” played ‘Lancelot’ with the original cast in Monty Python’s “Spamalot,” as well as the lead role of ‘Peter’ in “Prelude to a Kiss” opposite John Mahoney.

Tudyk grew up in Plano, Texas and currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife.

He is represented by The Coronel Group and Gersh.

Chris Sheridan

Executive Producer, “Resident Alien”

Chris Sheridan serves as executive producer of SYFY’s “Resident Alien.”

Five-time Emmy nominee and BAFTA nominee, Sheridan has been a television writer and producer for 26 years. He has produced more than 400 episodes of television, including 17 seasons on the Fox Network animated hit, “Family Guy” where he acted as co-showrunner from 2004 to 2009. He remains a consulting producer on “Family Guy,” and has a feature film in development with Josephson Entertainment.

Corey Reynolds

Sheriff Mike Thompson, “Resident Alien”

Corey Reynolds stars in the SYFY drama “Resident Alien” as Mike Thompson, the local sheriff who runs the town with a chip on his shoulder, a cowboy hat on his head and an iron fist.

Reynolds is best known for his role on “The Closer,” which he starred on for six seasons. He will next be seen as a guest star in Apple’s “The Afterparty.” He’s recurred on “All American,” “Red Line,” “Criminal Minds,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “Masters of Sex” and “Murder in the First.” He has guest starred on “Seal Team” and “Chicago P.D.”

On the film side, he was last seen on screen in “Straight Outta Compton” and also appeared in “Selma,” opposite David Oyelowo and Common.

Reynolds was nominated for a Tony Award for his performance in Broadway’s production of “Hairspray.”

Alice Wetterlund

D’Arcy Bloom, “Resident Alien”

Alice Wetterlund stars in SYFY’s “Resident Alien” as “D’Arcy Bloom,” the charismatic bartender at the local pub who, as a former Olympic snowboarder, is also a part of the avalanche control team.

Wetterlund has performed her non-yelling brand of comedy nationally at colleges, clubs, and festivals such as Just for Laughs, Bridgetown, Moon Tower, Women in Comedy, SF Sketchfest, RIOT LA, Bonnaroo and more.

She is known for her character “Carla” on HBO’s “Silicon Valley” and played “Kelly Grady” on TBS’ “People of Earth.” She can also be seen in the movie “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” as “Cousin Terry.” She has performed her stand up on “Conan” and currently co-hosts the popular podcast “Treks and the City” with Veronica Osorio. She recently wrapped “Search & Destroy” for Hulu, produced by Carrie Brownstein. Wetterlund can currently be seen on the latest season of Netflix’s “Glow.” Her hourlong stand-up special premiered on Amazon in August.

Elizabeth Bowen

Deputy Liv Baker, “Resident Alien”

Elizabeth Bowen plays Deputy Liv Baker on the hit SYFY series “Resident Alien.”

Bowen was raised on Vancouver Island in Nanaimo, British Columbia. She attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts – West before moving back to Canada to work on improv comedy while pursuing film and television roles.

Bowen credits her role in season two of FX’s “Fargo” as a career turning point. Bowen’s other credits include recurring roles on Amazon’s “Upload” and Hulu’s “Woke,” as well as the Freeform holiday movie “Angry Angel.”

She is based in Vancouver, B.C.

Levi Fiehler

Mayor Ben Hawthorne, “Resident Alien”

Levi Fiehler stars in the SYFY drama “Resident Alien” as Ben Hawthorne, the naive town mayor whose 8-year-old son is suspicious that the new local doctor is an alien.

Fiehler was born in Juneau, Alaska where he trained as an actor at Perseverance Theatre. His career took off when he booked a lead role on “Fetching,” which was an original series for Michael Eisner’s company, Vuguru. Prior to “Fetching,” Fiehler was a series regular on Ron Howard’s series “Mars” for National Geographic. Other work includes “The Fosters,” “Ray Donovan,” “Murder in the First” and “CSI.”

Sara Tomko

Asta Twelvetrees, “Resident Alien”

Sara Tomko stars in SYFY’s “Resident Alien” as Asta Twelvetrees. Strong and sarcastic, she works with Harry at the town’s health clinic.

Tomko is known for her recurring roles on “Sneaky Pete” and “Once Upon a Time,” as well as her appearances on “The Leftovers” and “The Son.”

She started her career in experimental theatre and musicals in Virginia, later moving to Los Angeles in 2007 to pursue film. Her first independent film roles aired on SYFY, and she is thrilled that her TV career has brought her full circle. She is an actor, singer, producer, poet an artist.

Tomko is represented by Bohemia Group and KMR Talent.

SciFiVision’s interview with Alan Tudyk and Chris Sheridan

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Tudyk, Reynolds, Bowen and Correia-Damude

Interview with Bret Lada

TV Interview!

Bret Lada

Interview with Bret Lada of “The Andy Baker Tape” by Thane 8/3/22

It was such an honor to interview Bret Lada. Check out his multi-award winning film “The Andy Baker Tape” if you like horror.

 

MORE INFO:

Bret LadaBRET LADA, known for his role as Sergeant Mel Axelrod on Amazon’s ALPHA HOUSE, has a new film THE ANDY BAKER TAPE (see below).

LADA, wrote, directed and starred in the film, a frightening BLAIR WITCH-style Found Footage film being released in August.

In addition to appearing in ALPHA HOUSE with John Goodman, Lada played Jack Price in LAW & ORDER : SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT and Troy Mallick in Z : THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING.

In October of 2020 food blogger Jeff Blake and his half-brother Andy Baker hit the road on a food tour that had the potential to change their lives. They were never seen again. This is their footage


Terror Films logo

Coming August 5

THE AWARD-WINNING FOUND FOOTAGE HORROR IN THE TRADITION OF BLAIR WITCH

THE ANDY BAKER TAPE

The Andy Baker Tape posterAlpha House’s Bret Lada writes, directs and stars in unnerving found footage horror pic The Andy Baker Tape, releasing this August from Terror Films.

In October of 2020 food blogger Jeff Blake and his half-brother Andy Baker hit the road on a food tour that had the potential to change their lives. They were never seen again. This is their footage


Lada, who co-wrote and stars in the pic with Dustin Fontaine, says, “The Andy Baker Tape was written, shot, and edited in a 6-month period during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Created by a displaced screen actor, an out-of-work Blue Man, an Australian-based sound engineer, and a first-time female producer; this film is a testament to creation and keeping the artistic spirit alive while the rest of the world was forced into hibernation. Our story is a joyride of laughs, thrills, and suspense. My team and I are delighted to share it with you.”

A multi-award-winner on the festival circuit, The Andy Baker Tape premieres on the Terror Films Channel August 5 before a wide digital on August 12 and the Kings of Horror on August 19.

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Bret Lada

Interview with Mike Manning, Jeremiah Kipp and August Maturo

TV Interview!

director Jeremiah Kipp and stars August Maturo and Mike Manning of "Slapface"

Interview with director Jeremiah Kipp and stars August Maturo and Mike Manning of the film”Slapface” by Suzanne 7/26/22

Mike Manning as Charlie Dale in "Days of Our Lives"This was a fun interview! I enjoyed this horror movie, “Slapface,” that Kipp wrote and directed, and Kipp and Manning produced, and Manning and Maturo starred in.  I knew Manning from “Days of Our Lives,” where he played Charlie Dale (see left photo), and he was great in both that show and this movie. I was sad that they turned him into a villain almost immediately in Days. He has a lot more layers in the movie and shows his acting ability very well. He’s definitely more than just a pretty face and a nice guy.  Maturo is an amazing young actor. I’m sure we’ll see more of them both. Please enjoy this fun interview!

 

MORE INFO:

RLJE Films and Shudder Presents SLAPFACE
"Slapface" movie poster
Available on VOD, DIGITAL HD, and DVD
Tomorrow, July 26th
“terrifying” – Backseat Mafia“horrific” – Warped Perspective“a disquieting horror story” – Cultured Vultures

Watch The Trailer: LINK

Directed and Written by Jeremiah Kipp
Starring August Maturo, Mike Manning, Libe Barer, Dan Hedaya

After the death of his mother, Lucas, a loner who lives in a rundown home with his brother, Tom, regularly seeks solace in the nearby woods. With his only “friends” being a group of female bullies, he keeps to himself most of the time. But, after a strange encounter with an inhuman monster, Lucas begins to withdraw from others. When the two reach a tentative trust, a bizarre friendship is born, and Lucas is swept up in a series of primal adventures.
DVD Bonus Features Include:
  • Slapface Behind-the-Scenes
  • Cast & Director Q&A Video
  • Behind-the-Scenes Photo Gallery
SLAPFACE DVD
Genre:                  Horror
Rating:                  Not Rated
Language:            English
Subtitles:             English SDH, Spanish
Format:                Color
Year:                     2020
SRP:                     $27.97
# of Discs:           1
Length:                83 minutes
UPC:                     014381143997
Cat#:                     SHU14399DVD
Aspect Ratio:      2.39:1
Audio Format:    Dolby Digital 5.1

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director Jeremiah Kipp and stars August Maturo and Mike Manning of the film"Slapface"

Interview with Hamza Haq

TV Interview!

TRANSPLANT — “Locked” Episode 211 — Pictured: (l-r) Hamza Haq as Dr. Bashir “Bash” Hamed, Nora Guerch as Rania — (Photo by: Yan Turcotte/Sphere Media/CTV/NBC)

Interview with Hamza Haq of “Transplant” on NBC by Suzanne 7/12/22

This was my third interview with Hamza, and I look forward to doing more. He is always so nice in our interviews. You should be watching his show, “Transplant,” if you’re not already. It’s an excellent series and won two Gemini awards this past season (The Canadian equivalent to the Emmys). I’m really looking forward to season 3. Don’t miss this week’s exciting cliffhanger! It’s a doozy.

Here’s the transcript of our interview. It’s not completely edited yet, so check back!

TRANSPLANT — “Free For What” Episode 213 — Pictured: (l-r) Hamza Haq as Dr. Bashir “Bash” Hamed, Sirena Gulamgaus as Amira Hamed — (Photo by: Yan Turcotte/Sphere Media/CTV/NBC)Suzanne: How are you today?

Hamza: I’m doing well. How are you?

Suzanne: I’m alright. I’m kind of awake. kind of awake.

Hamza: That’s good. Where are you in the world?

Suzanne: I’m in a little town in southern Arkansas, so I’m in the central time zone and, I just didn’t sleep well last night.

Hamza: So I’ve. And so good hands up if you can’t sleep well.

Suzanne: Yeah, with me, it’s just allergies

Hamza: has their videos off. I know they put their hands up too, so don’t

Suzanne: yeah, that’s right. That’s right. So, oh, I like your necklace.

Hamza: Thank you. It’s prayer beads from the motherland that my mom got for me.

Suzanne: Oh, nice. Nice.

Hamza: so, Africa anyway.

Suzanne: Oh, cool. Cool. So you’re all decked out today.

Hamza: had a photo shoot. Luckily enough. They were just like, Hey, let’s schedule some interviews. I’m like, great. I’ll do so. Let’s do it all at once.

Suzanne: Yeah, no, you look good. so, congratulations on getting a third season in Canada.

Hamza: Thank you. Thank you so much.

Suzanne: I hope that NBC picks it up again too. I have a good feeling about it and my fingers are crossed for you.

Hamza: Thank you. Thank you so much.

Suzanne: And have you shot the third season yet, or started shooting it?

Hamza: We’re shooting it currently. yeah, we’re in, we’re in production. We’re filming episodes eight and nine of, of 13. And, we’re gonna go. Or probably to, towards the end of October.

Suzanne: Wow. Okay, good. Bash has been going through a lot of, PTSD still this season and maybe some survivors guilt based on what we saw. can you speak about that?

Hamza: Yeah, I mean this, you know, this season, you know, last season we focused on his trouble. Concile. the death of his parents and, you know, therapy never ends. So like now he’s, he’s coming to terms with, with, the time he spent in captivity, in, in, in Syria when he was captured by the regime soldiers and, is haunted by the presence of, or the, or the specter of the man who was, locked Alongside him. And, and yeah, like that’s, that was. You know, it was a, a, a story point that was difficult to, to film, to, to attain. But, you know, we’re, we’re so grateful that, that, everybody who lent their voices, to, You know, to tell that story were so generous and, and brave with, with, with everything that happened in there, with all of their experience surrounding, captivity and all of that, you know, hopefully we did justice, the story, the man who plays Omar in the Mo in the, in the show as Ahman Mary, who is, you know, who’s a, you know, he’s, he’s now he was a consultant. he’s from Syria. He fled as well. And. he’s now a, a writer on season three, so we’re, you know, we’re extremely lucky to have him. He’s a tremendously gifted artist and, and just a all around good dude.

Suzanne: Oh, wow. That’s great. That’s great.

Hamza: Yeah.

Suzanne: And last time you and I spoke, we talked about this possible romance with Mags, and in the second half of the season, you two grow closer and we see how that works out in the last episode. Are you glad that the writers took it very slow?

Hamza: I think, you know, it’s, we, we needed time to, to get to know these people and, and to build their relationship. and, it’s You know, whichever, whichever way it’s gonna go after this season. I think, I think if there wasn’t a little bit of tension or a little bit of anticipation, or, you know, that that’s how that’s really how life works, you know, it, it has to build up like that. They’re both going through such, different things individually that, that, that, you know, the timing worked. As it was meant to. So, I, I don’t, I don’t necessarily think the writers, deliberately took it slow. I just think that this was the natural evolution of, of the characters and it was, you know, him showing up at her doorstep at the end of it, was just, about time.

Suzanne: Right. And, I’m thinking it could be a triangle or more. I think Dr. NOK might be interested in her, judging from the interaction. Little interaction they had. And, I’m thinking maybe RO could return change her mind next season, and then we’ve got a quadrangle. What do you, what do you think about that?

Hamza: We’ll see? that’s all I can say about that.

Suzanne: Well, right. it seems like most of what we’ve seen about your character was about him being a refugee, a brother, and a doctor. Very little about actually being Muslim. Do you think we’ll see more about that?

Hamza: I hope so. I, I, and I don’t think, you know, I don’t think we need to, we need to be seeing him praying all the time or, you know, speaking, you know, speaking the language, like saying aah and Ella and all of these things. I think, you know, the fact that we acknowledge it, that it’s, you know, it’s peripheral in his life and it’s sort of. Everything he does, he’s doing as a Muslim. So I, I, you know, I even beg to differ that, you know, even him being a doctor, him being a brother and him being a refugee, he’s doing all of those things as a Muslim. And, I think it’s important to know that it’s, it’s, it’s a part of everything that he does. just because it’s not on display, all the time. Like even when. You know, even when he’s doing things that aren’t Islamic, you know, like when he’s, you know, hooking up with a social worker and in season one or he’s, you know, saving lives or when he is, you know, all of those things are him doing it as a Muslim. And, you know, so I think, I think that’s a, that’s an important focal point. Just because we’re not seeing it all the time. Doesn’t change the facts that he is, you know?

Suzanne: Right. I forgot about the social worker. Thank you. Now this might seem unrelated, but it’s, it’s kind of got a point. Have you watched any of the show, Ms. Marvel, or are you aware of it?

Hamza: I am aware of it. I’ve seen the, I’ve seen the first episode. and, I know I want to, like, as soon as I watch the first episode, I’m just like, I am tired of waiting a week, so I need to finish watch it. but I’ve seen the first episode. I thought it was terrific. Yeah. Yeah, they do. They do a good job of there.

Suzanne: I, I, you know, I, I only mentioned it since she’s Pakistani and I know. So wanted to make sure you knew about that really great show.

Hamza: Great. Shout, shout out, shout out to, to my boy saga who’s on that show as well. He plays the brother he plays on, on the show, so.

Suzanne: Oh, good.

Hamza: Yeah.

Suzanne: And is there anything else you can tell us about what might happen in third season? Any, anything at all?

Hamza: You know, we’ll we see, We see a different version of, of, of Bash than, than we’ve seen in, in the past, you know, with this, with this contract that, that Bishop is able to, secure for him. there’s a bit more, confidence and arrogance that he can exude because he’s. Obviously he thinks very highly of himself as a doctor, and considered himself highly capable, but there’s always been this like protocol thing where you can’t prove it or, you know, it’s one more, one wrong move and you’re out kind of thing. And, and I think without that, tension or that pressure that’s being put on him, I think he’s, he’s able to flourish and, and flex his chops more as, as an individual, for better or for worse. So, you know, as far as Bash’s storyline is concerned, I think, I think we’ll see a different version of him, than, than, than what you, what you’ve seen before. Yeah.

Suzanne: I like the way they lightened him up more in the last couple of episodes and made him

Hamza: Yeah.

Suzanne: Gave him a way to sort of move forward. That was, that was well done. and do you have any other projects that you’ve been doing when you’re not shooting or promoting Transplant that you can tell us about?

Hamza: Yeah. In between season two and, Between season two and, three, I, I did two independent films, so I did my first French Canadian film by director Stephan Lale. It’s a project called Viking. And, and then I did, another feature directed by Kim Albright, starring Adam McGuire. it’s called with love and a major organ. they’re both kind of dark comedies, substantially different from transplant and, yeah, they, they were both a lot of fun and, you know, I’m sure they’re gearing up to do the, the festival circuit or something like that, in the, in the near future. So yeah, keeping an eye in an ear out for those two.

Suzanne: And is the French Canadian one in French or French and English or

Hamza: It’s it’s in, it’s in predominantly French. I speak French in the middle.

Suzanne: I was gonna say, you speak French. That’s great. How many languages do you speak? Quite a few, right?

Hamza: Like three-ish plus minus, you know what I mean? Like Urdu, English, and French. And then, you know, like technically Hindi, like if you wanna say that, like, you know, nobody really speaks Urdo anymore. Nobody really speaks Hindi anymore. We sort of kind of speak this like amalgamated, you know, Bollywood language that is kind of simplest versions of both those languages into one. Hamza: So, so yeah, Yeah. So three-ish, I don’t speak Arabic. Make sure you write that down. I learn it for the show. I can understand if they’re, you know, same root languages, but, but yeah, I don’t, I, I don’t speak that.
Suzanne: Okay. Well, great. I appreciate you talking to me so much today and, of course, hopefully there will be another one in the future. This is our third meeting. We’re like buddies now.

Hamza: Yeah, we’re homies now.

MORE INFO:

Promo

TRANSPLANT -- Season 2 -- Pictured: Hamza Haq as Bashir Hamed -- (Photo by: Yan Turcotte/Sphere Media/CTV/NBC)

“Transplant” follows the story of Dr. Bashir “Bash” Hamed (Hamza Haq), a talented doctor and Syrian refugee, who fled his war-torn country with his younger sister, Amira (Sirena Gulamgaus), for a fresh start in Canada. After a truck crashes into the restaurant where he’s been working, Bash earns the chance to practice medicine again by using his field-honed skills to save multiple lives in brilliant fashion, including that of Dr. Jed Bishop (John Hannah), the Chief of Emergency Medicine at York Memorial Hospital in Toronto.

But Bash is told he’ll need to redo his residency in Emergency Medicine from the bottom and despite his obvious talents intuition, and training, starting over is not an easy road and his life experience is not a perfect match for the strict protocols at York Memorial. Through perseverance he makes inroads, developing camaraderie with his new colleagues, including the driven Dr. Magalie “Mags” LeBlanc (Laurence Leboeuf), the reserved and ambitious surgical resident Dr. June Curtis (Ayisha Issa), easy-going pediatric ER physician Dr. Theo Hunter (Jim Watson), head nurse Claire Malone (Torri Higginson) and even earning the respect of Dr. Wendy Atwater (Linda E. Smith), the department’s second-in-command who runs a very tight ship.

Jed Bishop (John Hannah), the team’s demanding, inscrutable boss, looms large and keeps everyone on their toes with a unique compassion and commitment to his staff that also connects them.

Season two picks up with Bash and his fellow residents reeling after Dr. Bishop suffers a stroke. With everything at the hospital destabilized, the place that Bash had started to consider home suddenly feels precarious. As the team adjusts to new colleagues while dealing with the challenges of life, unexpected faces from the past leave Bash seriously doubting whether his transplant into this new world was successful.

Bash’s hard work, compassion and hopefulness tell a universal story about the human ability to not only survive, but ultimately thrive when our lives suddenly change course.

Creator Joseph Kay returns as showrunner and executive producer. Director Stefan Pleszczynski joins as executive producer and will direct six episodes. Additional executive producers include Bruno DubĂ©, Jocelyn DeschĂȘnes, Virginia Rankin, Tara Woodbury, JosĂ©e VallĂ©e and Adam Barken.

“Transplant” is produced by Sphere Media in association with CTV and Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group.

Please visit the official show site at: https://www.nbc.com/transplant.

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

https://www.facebook.com/NBCTransplant/
https://twitter.com/NBCTransplant #Transplant
https://www.instagram.com/nbctransplant/

Hamza Haq stars as Bashir “Bash” Hamed in NBC’s “Transplant,” a trained ER doctor who fled his native Syria to come to Canada. He must overcome numerous obstacles to resume his career in the high-stakes world of emergency medicine.

A Canadian Screen Award winner for Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series (2021), Haq was also honored as one of Canada’s Rising Stars by the Hollywood Reporter in 2017.

In 2018, Haq appeared alongside William Shatner and Russell Peters as twins Amal and Gopal in the CTV miniseries “Indian Detective,” and earned critical acclaim in the CBC drama “This Life,” for which he earned a 2018 Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Guest Performance. Other notable credits include recurring roles on the Cinemax series “Jett”
opposite Carla Gugino; “Quantico,” starring Priyanka Chopra; and “The Art of More,” with Dennis Quaid and Kate Bosworth.

Additional television credits include “Designated Survivor,” “The Bold Type,” “Being Human” and “Best Laid Plans.” He hosted two seasons of the International Emmy Award-nominated children’s series “Look Kool” and plays Jassie on the CBC Gem digital original drama “The 410.” On the big screen, Haq has appeared in “Bon Cop,” “Bad Cop 2” with Colm Feore, “The Death” and “Life of John F. Donovan” directed by Xavier Dolan, Darren Aronofsky’s “Mother!” and “Run This Town,” detailing the turbulent final year of Rob Ford’s tenure as the mayor of Toronto. He also had a role in “My Salinger Year,” which opened the 70th Berlin International Film Festival in 2020.

Haq is a 2020 recipient of RBC’s Top 25 Canadian Immigrants Award and recently partnered with the Canada Media Fund’s Made | Nous campaign as ambassador to celebrate Islamic History Month. He spoke at the 2021 TEDx Toronto Fall digital event series “Uncharted,” using his public platform to speak on issues important to him, including refugees’ rights, racial
injustice and combating stereotypes, and was honored as Playback’s Breakout Star of the Year.

Raised in Ottawa, Haq is youngest of four siblings born in Saudi Arabia to Pakistani parents and has called Canada home for almost 20 years. He holds a bachelor of arts in film studies with a minor in law from Carleton University.

SciFiVision Interview with Hamza Haq 7/16/22

John Hannah and Hamza Haq of “Transplant” on NBC 3/1/22

Hamza Haq of “Transplant” on NBC 10/9/20

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TRANSPLANT — “Free For What” Episode 213 — Pictured: (l-r) Hamza Haq as Dr. Bashir “Bash” Hamed, Fayçal Azzouz as Khaled — (Photo by: Yan Turcotte/Sphere Media/CTV/NBC)

Interview with Emma McDonald

TV Interview!

Emma McDonald of "Moonhaven" on AMC+

 

Interview with Emma McDonald of “Moonhaven” on AMC+ by Suzanne 7/8/22

Dominic Monaghan as Paul Sarno and Kadeem Hardison as Arlo - Moonhaven _ Season 1, Episode 2 - Photo Credit: Szymon Lazewski/AMC+This was a fun Zoom interview with the star of this great new sci-fi show! She is the main character, Bella – the newbie who learns what’s going on from the other characters (and thus, the audience learns as well). Almost every show has this type of character, but Bella is far more than that . Emma is an amazing actress and excels in this role. Her co-stars include Dominic Monaghan (Paul), who is always great; Joe Manganiello (Tomm), Kadeem Harison (Arlo) and many others. I really enjoyed this series, and I hope you do as well. It’s totally worth the $7 per month (not to mention their other many fine shows), or you can also get it bundled with other streamers if you look around for deals. You won’t want to miss this series. It’s only airing on AMC+ (at least for now). It’s a completely original and riveting scifi series. You can also watch the first episode for free on YouTube! It’s only 6 episodes, which you can consume quickly as it sucks you right into the story.

Suzanne: I watched your show last night. Well, I had previously watched two episodes, and I watched the other four this morning.

Emma: Oh, the whole thing?

Suzanne: The whole thing. (Laughs)

Emma: Ooh!

Suzanne: I wanted more, but they did pack a lot into those six episodes, I have to say.

Emma: They did. I think [showrunner] Peter [Ocko] said it was almost treating it as, like, a prologue, in some ways, for the world… because it’s sci-fi – when you’re doing world building, it’s a lot to pack in, like you say, to develop this whole new culture and for people to understand that.

Suzanne: Yeah. No, it makes sense. It was really good.

Emma: It could be the next (???).

Emma McDonald as Bella Sway - Moonhaven _ Season 1, Episode 6 - Photo Credit: Szymon Lazewski/AMCSuzanne: Yeah. Now, have you heard yet whether there’s gonna be a second season, or are they waiting to see?

Emma: Oh, I think we’re waiting to see.

Suzanne: Okay.

Emma: So hopefully we have some good fans. It’s an interesting story.

Suzanne: Yeah, definitely. I was surprised that that the showrunner created it. It was so good. I thought maybe it was based on books or something, right?

Emma: Oh, that’s lovely to hear. He’s a very clever, man, is Peter Ocko.

Suzanne: Maybe they’ll come out with some books later.

Emma: I think it started with a sort of (???). So maybe we can get someone to make a comic book. ‘Cuz I think that would be really cool.

Suzanne: That would be cool, yeah. So, tell about your audition process for this.

Emma: Yes. I auditioned first on my birthday, and that was [with] an American accent. I got the script — I got the first episode. It was an earlier draft that’s quite different than what we showed in the pilot… and yeah, I read it from cover to cover. I was just hooked by it and the character. I did my audition, and then, I think it was a few weeks later when I got a message from my manager, and he said, “They’d love to meet with you” — the producers. [I said,] “That’s amazing. Fantastic.” “And they want you to do it in your own accent.” So I was, like, “Oh, okay, cool. I can do that. Sure.” So I stayed up really late – I think it was 11:00 PM where I was in London – and I got to meet everyone, which was just so much fun… and to chat with Peter as well. And he said, in that audition, “I think you’ve got the heart of the character.” And I said, “Oh, I think so, too. Should we just stay and read the rest of the episode?” We didn’t do that, but then the next – I think it was two days later – I read with Dom [co-star Dominic Monaghan], and we were doing a chemistry read again over Zoom, which is really difficult to get…

Joe Manganiello as Tomm and Emma McDonald as Bella Sway - Moonhaven _ Season 1, Episode 1 - Photo Credit: Szymon Lazewski/AMC+Suzanne: I imagine!

Emma: …that virtual environment. But yes, and my internet logged out, like, twice… my thing kept freezing. I was there pulling my hair out, [and I] thought, “Well, that’s it, that’s it… it’s gone.” And then a few days later, when I was working in an estate agency in Campbell (well, where I lived, sort of, cycling around between my viewings.), I got a message from my manager, saying, “You’ve got the job!” and that was it. And then a week after that, they said that they wanted me to go back to an American accent for it, and so, I was, like, “Cool!” but yeah, I was sort of elated for the next few months and then turned up in Ireland, and we started shooting.

Suzanne: Oh, wow. And, where and when did the shooting take place? How long did it take you?

Emma: During COVID time, so we were in a big utopian bubble of our own, in County Wicklow in Ireland, mostly between the Woodlands – the Locks. it was absolutely stunning, and that was all, sort of, August to November/December time. Last year. We shot it all in three months.

Suzanne: That’s fast. I guess a lot of it was done after you guys shot it. They went back and added a lot of special effects and things…?

Emma: Yeah, we did a lot on location, though.

Suzanne: Did you?

Emma: But there were a few blue screen moments, mostly involving the spaceship.

Suzanne: Right.

Emma: My baby, CAT. but yeah, a lot of it was on location… but yeah, some things added in afterwards. Great team.

Suzanne: Did they ever say what CAT stands for? I don’t think they– if they did, I don’t remember.

Emma McDonald as Bella Sway - Moonhaven _ Season 1, Episode 1 - Photo Credit: Szymon Lazewski/AMC+Emma: I don’t know! No, that’s something I need to figure out because I should know. She’s my one sort of, I suppose, almost home within everything. She’s, I think, the place where Bella feels the most comfortable.

Suzanne: That makes sense.

Emma: Yeah. When she’s on her own, she’s in her element… she’s not got anyone, really, nearby, telling her what to do.

Suzanne: Right.

Emma: [She can] Read a book, listen to her music, and quite literally, away from everyone.

Suzanne: Is that’s something that appeals to you, or are you more of a people person?

Emma: I’m quite a people person. So, I did a bit of an experiment when I was filming, which I think came in as part of my prep as well. I lived in a little converted stables, right on the edge of a cliff.

Suzanne: Wow.

Emma: With just the sea, sort of, in front of me, nothing else. Stars. I just had, like, goats and chickens as neighbors. The nearest shop was about a 30-minute walk away, and I didn’t have any means of transport. So I, kind of, completely bubbled myself, for the whole of the filming period. And I would sort of meditate. I mean, most of the time I was on set, anyway, but that was sort of my own escape, and to, sort of, see what it would be like to be Bella.

Suzanne: Yeah.

Emma:…in the elements in Ireland.

Suzanne: So, I went to your IMdB page. It’s kind of small, and it only shows your work starting in 2019. What were you doing before that? Were you going to school, or working on your craft, or doing something else…plays?

Emma: Yes, I did a science degree. I did a math and psychology degree, so I was in that for four years.

Suzanne: oh, cool.

Emma: And then I worked predominantly in theater, in and around the UK. doing a lot of Shakespeare…some classical plays…

Suzanne: Great.

Emma: That’s what I did for a very long time… long tours. We have an incredible theater community in the UK.Emma McDonald as Bella Sway, Dominic Monaghan as Paul Sarno and Kadeem Hardison as Arlo - Moonhaven _ Season 1, Episode 1 - Photo Credit: Szymon Lazewski/AMC+

Suzanne: Right.

Emma: I’m very proud of it, and I love it.

Suzanne: sure.

Emma: But then during lockdown, obviously, all the theaters closed.

Suzanne: Yeah.

Emma: So I did a wonderful production of “The Picture of Dorian Gray,” which was a virtual project. And it made a lot of money for regional theaters around the country, which was great. And we had an incredible team in it, you know… Steven Fry, Joanna Lumley, some legends. And so I got that, and that was my first foray into screens and working with such established, wonderful people. And then I got to audition for this, and I suppose, because I wasn’t doing [anything] and booked in month-long tours, I suddenly had this whole side of the industry opened up to me. And then luckily – very, very fortunately – Peter Ocko and the wonderful folks at AMC decided to take a chance on me, I guess.

Suzanne: I think they knoew it wasn’t that much of a chance, after they saw your work.

Emma: The screen is relatively new for me.

Suzanne: Had they seen you in play before, do you think, any of them?

Emma: No. No, not at all.

Suzanne: Okay.

Emma: So it really was taking a chance.

Emma McDonald as Bella Sway and Dominic Monaghan as Paul Sarno - Moonhaven _ Season 1, Episode 1 - Photo Credit: Szymon Lazewski/AMC+Suzanne: Yeah, great. Well, I hope this is successful, and that you go on to bigger and better projects…but that’s great. No, it must be amazing to be in… you’re pretty much the lead character, and with your experience, it must be, at your age (I’m assuming), must be pretty amazing.

Emma: I’m on top, on top of the world, literally. I’m on the moon. Over the moon.

Suzanne: Was that under the moon? (my lame attempt at a joke based on something in the show)

Emma: Yeah. Between, yes. It was so brilliant to work with all of the creatives and such a phenomenal cast, as well, on this. For everyone to just welcome me in, and let me play, and learn. And gosh, I learned so much! I’d never even hit a mark before. On, you know, on day two, sprinting, hitting a mark. I was, like, “What’s camera left? What’s camera right?” It was like boot camp into school.

Suzanne: Yeah. Wow.

Emma: But it was so much fun, so much.

Suzanne: I’m sure.

Emma: And I got to do all sorts. I got to fly a spaceship. I got to do stunts. I got to have these beautiful human interactions that were deep and thoughtful. I mean, it’s such a wonderful show. It’s got so much within it. You’ve got sci-fi, you’ve got the human drama. You’ve got so, so much raw emotion, huge ideas and concepts…

Suzanne: Right?

Emma: Everything.

Suzanne: Yeah. No, it’s great. I’m sure that one of the things they liked about you is that your face is very expressive, and your character doesn’t really say as much as other people, I noticed. She’s quiet, very quiet, and they’ll ask her something, and she’ll just kind of look at them and not necessarily respond. And you’re very good at that, at that expressiveness.

Emma: Yeah. She’s an interesting one because she chooses when to use words and when to not. Like you say, she, she doesn’t speak if she doesn’t have to.

Suzanne: Yeah.

Emma: She takes everything in…in, I think her military background as well, you know, she buries her emotions deep, but we see those unfold and come out more as the season progresses. But yeah, you’re right. I am quite like a high energy person, so, for me, some of the trouble was to really keep it (faint?}, which in itself was a whole different challenge… but a fun one. And yeah, I love to play with her lightness, as well as her heart, and her humor – and her judgment, when it comes out. It was Emma McDonald as Bella Sway and Adam Isla O'Brien as Strego Nall - Moonhaven _ Season 1, Episode 1 - Photo Credit: Szymon Lazewski/AMC+a lot of fun.

Suzanne: Okay. And yeah, you mentioned the stunts. So, you did your own stunts, or just some of them, or what?

Emma: All of them.

Suzanne: Oh, wow.

Emma: Yeah, no, except for – there was one, but it got cut, so it was all fine. There was this scene where we were meant to get hoisted up in a trap. And I was so excited. I came to set, like, “Yeah, me and Dom, we’re gonna get hoisted up in a trap today! This is so much fun.” And they looked at me, like, “No, you’re not. There’s no way you’re doing that.” But I, yeah, I loved learning all the stunts… and I did have a stunt double, Belle Williams, who was amazing, and she really helped hone all of my movements. A,nd we got to work with Vic Armstrong who directed that unit of fights, and he was Harrison Ford’s stunt double.

Suzanne: Oh, wow.

Emma: A living legend. He said I was like Catwoman.

Emma McDonald as Bella Sway - Moonhaven _ Season 1, Episode 3 - Photo Credit: Szymon Lazewski/AMC+Suzanne: That’s great.

Emma: …And Ray Nichols as well, and Miles, were the stunt team coordinators. And yeah, it was a lot – there’s a lot of stunts throughout the season, so it’s fun to watch those happen. And I loved doing every one of them.

Suzanne: Oh, good. And one more question. So, the show just started yesterday, for the rest of the world. Have you gotten any feedback yet from viewers, on social media or anywhere?

Emma: We’ve got some incredible reviews across the board. You know, Variety, Indiewire, The Hollywood reporter, Time – everything. Everyone has come in and been so positive about it. But, like, the oppositions within the show, I mean, the Earthers and the Mooners, and the dichotomy there… it’ll be interesting to see what people make of it. And hopefully, it will stir some people up and get people talking. Because I think it could be divisive, in some ways, which is something that I find really exciting. So, yeah, we’ll see. We’ll see what happens. Who will be Team Earth? Who will be Team Moon?

Suzanne: Yeah, that should be fun. Sometimes with science fiction fans, though, they can always find something to nitpick about, or complain about. You just gotta ignore those people…

Emma: As long as they’re talking. No, I can’t wait to see what effect is has on the world.Emma McDonald as Bella Sway - Moonhaven _ Season 1, Gallery - Photo Credit: Szymon Lazewski/AMC

Suzanne: That’s good.

Emma: The world… I think the world really needs it right now.

Suzanne: Yeah, no, definitely.

Emma: It’s the whole optimistic look into the future, and a very open one at that.

Suzanne: Yeah. What’s interesting about it is – it’s partly optimistic and partly dystopian.

Emma: Yes.

Suzanne: You have both in one show, which is so unusual.

Emma: Yeah, it is. It really is.

Transcribed by Jamie of SciFiVision

MORE INFO:

Trailer

A skeptic in Paradise, Earth pilot Bella Sway is sucked into a conspiracy to gain control of Moonhaven, a utopian colony on the Moon 100 years in the future. She must team up with local detective to stop forces that want to destroy Earth’s last hope before they are destroyed themselves. Watch new episodes weekly.

Starring: Emma McDonald, Dominic Monaghan, Joe Manganiello
Directed by: Bridget Savage Cole, Danielle Krudy, Laura Belsey, David Caffery

AMC+ logo

AMC+ SUSPENSE THRILLER ‘MOONHAVEN’ FROM PETER OCKO

New Series Starring Emma McDonald, Joe Manganiello and Dominic Monaghan to Debut July 7 Exclusively on AMC+

"Moonhaven" key art

AMC+ is excited to share the upcoming suspense thriller Moonhaven from creator Peter Ocko (Lodge 49, Black Sails, Elementary) in the two-episode premiere on Thursday, July 7 exclusively on AMC+. The series is set in a utopian colony on the moon that may hold the keys to preserving life on Earth, which has become increasingly perilous, and features an acclaimed ensemble cast including Emma McDonald (Queens of Mystery), Dominic Monaghan (Lost) Amara Karan (Doctor Who), Ayelet Zurer (Losing Alice), Joe Manganiello (True Blood), Kadeem Hardison (Black Monday), and Yazzmin Newell (The Last Tree).

Moonhaven centers on Bella Sway (McDonald), a lunar cargo pilot and smuggler 100 years in the future who finds herself accused of a crime and marooned on Moonhaven, a utopian community set on a 500 square mile Garden of Eden built on the Moon to find solutions to the problems that will soon end civilization on Mother Earth. A skeptic in Paradise, Bella is sucked into a conspiracy to gain control of the artificial intelligence responsible for Moonhaven’s miracles and teams with a local detective to stop the forces that want to destroy Earth’s last hope before they are destroyed themselves.

An AMC Studios production, Moonhaven is executive produced by Ocko and Deb Spera, who is a non-writing executive producer.

EPISODE DESCRIPTIONS

Episode 101 – The Pilot – Premieres Thursday, July 7

A murder on Moonhaven puts Earth’s last hope in jeopardy. During what should be a routine cargo loop to the Moon, pilot Bella Sway finds herself the subject of detective Paul Sarno’s investigation.

Episode 102 – The Detective – Premieres Thursday, July 7

Bella wants to get back to Earth, but must wait for Paul and Arlo to untangle a knot.

Emma McDonald (Bella) and Dominic Monaghan (Paul) in "Moonhaven" on AMC+Episode 103 – The Envoy – Premieres Thursday, July 14

Indira tries to get The Bridge back on track while Bella helps Paul uncover a conspiracy.

Episode 104 – Mada – Premieres Thursday, July 21

On the brink of The Bridge, Paul prepares for some difficult goodbyes.

Episode 105 – Dreadfeel – Premieres Thursday, July 28

Paul and Bella trek through unknown territory in search of Maite. Meanwhile, Arlo takes a journey of his own.

Episode 106 – The Seeker – Premieres Thursday, August 4

In the season finale, Truelune is tested like never before.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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Emma McDonald on our Zoom call

Interview with Natasha Calis, Morgan Holmstrom, Kheon Clarke and Thomas Elms

TV Interview!

Stars of "SkyMed" on Paramount+

Interview with Natasha Calis, Morgan Holmstrom, Kheon Clarke and Thomas Elms of “SkyMed” on Paramount+ by Suzanne 7/6/22

This new action show debuts Sunday, July 10 on Paramount+. If you like shows like Chicago Fire or Chicago Med, you’ll probably enjoy this. It has a lot more action than other medical shows, such as “Grey’s Anatomy,” and it’s less of a soap opera. However, it does have some steamy moments.  It reminds me more of the show “ER,” which always had a lot going on, or the 70’s show “Emergency!”. This show is set up in the Canadian north (i.e. the wilderness) and is based on a real group of heroes up there who rescue people in the boonies and help them out medically.  The main name you might recognize in the series is Aaron Ashmore, who plays “Weezer,” the elder advisor to the younger people on the show. He starred in “Killjoys,” “Locke & Key,” “Smallville” and “Warehouse 13.” Three of the “Killjoys” writers also write on this show.  You might also recognize Aaron because his twin brother, Shawn, currently stars in “The Rookie.” Unfortunately, Aaron was not on this press call, but I enjoyed speaking with the four young actors. Natasha reminds me a little bit of Anne Dudek (“Corporate” among many other shows). I hope you enjoy the interview and the series! If you’re in Canada, it’s available on CBC.

 

MORE INFO:

Trailer

"SkyMed" Key Art

MEDICAL DRAMA “SKYMED” LAUNCHES SUNDAY, JULY 10, EXCLUSIVELY ON PARAMOUNT+ IN THE U.S.

All Nine Episodes of “SkyMed” Will Debut at Launch

The Series Is Produced by Piazza Entertainment

in Association with CBC and CBS Studios

June 16, 2022 – Paramount+ today announced all nine episodes of the new medical drama series SKYMED will be available to stream exclusively on the service in the U.S., beginning Sunday, July 10.

SKYMED follows the triumphs, heartbreaks and tribulations of budding nurses and pilots flying air ambulances in remote Northern Canada. Weaving together intense character journeys with high-stakes medical rescues, a diverse cast of young medical responders must rely on each other for survival at 20,000 feet in the air.

The series stars Natasha Calis (“Nurses”) as Hayley, Ace “Aason” Nadjiwon (“Batwoman”) as Bodie, Morgan Holmstrom (“Siberia”) as Crystal, Praneet Akilla (NANCY DREW) as Chopper, Thomas Elms (“The Order”) as Nowak, Mercedes Morris (“Between”) as Lexi, Kheon Clarke (RIVERDALE) as Tristan, and Braeden Clarke (“Outlander”) as Jeremy.

SKYMED is produced by Piazza Entertainment in association withCBC and CBS Studios. The series is created by Julie Puckrin, who also serves as executive producer along with Vanessa Piazza, Ron Murphy and Gillian Hormel. The series will be distributed internationally by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

About Paramount+

Paramount+, a direct-to-consumer digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service, combines live sports, breaking news and a mountain of entertainment. The premium streaming service features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel. The service is also the streaming home to unmatched sports programming, including every CBS Sports event, from golf to football to basketball and more, plus exclusive streaming rights for major sports properties, including some of the world’s biggest and most popular soccer leagues. Paramount+ also enables subscribers to stream local CBS stations live across the U.S. in addition to the ability to stream CBS News Streaming Network for 24/7 news, CBS Sports HQ for sports news and analysis and ET Live for entertainment coverage.

For more information about Paramount+, please visit www.paramountplus.com and follow @ParamountPlus on social platforms.

About CBS Studios

CBS Studios is one of the world’s leading suppliers of entertainment programming, with more than 60 series currently in production for broadcast and cable networks, streaming services and other emerging platforms. The Studio’s expansive portfolio spans a diverse slate of commercially successful and critically acclaimed scripted programming, which includes genre-defining franchises such as “NCIS,” “CSI” and the ever-growing “Star Trek” universe, award-winning late night and daytime talk shows, as well as an extensive library of iconic intellectual property. The Studio also develops and produces local language and international content originating outside of the U.S. with series in the U.K., Europe, the Middle East and Australia.

About Piazza Entertainment

Piazza Entertainment Ltd, was founded in 2016 by Executive Producer Vanessa Piazza (“Lost Girl,” “Dark Matter,” “Nurses,” “XIII,” “The Other Half”). Piazza Entertainment is a film and television production company established to create premium television programming for the domestic and international markets. Piazza previously was partnered under a multi-year first look deal with international distributor and studio Entertainment One. That first look arrangement concluded at the end of 2019. In 2020, Edith Myers (former CEO of Pinewood Studios, former COO of the Scott Group of Companies) joined as CFO. Currently Piazza Entertainment has several projects in development.

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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"Leave It All on The Ice" Episode #109 - Aaron Ashmore as Wheezer, Natasha Calls as Hayley, and Praneet Akilla as Chopper

Interview with Jemima Rooper, Max Irons, T’Shan Williams, Alana Boden and Paul Sciarrotta

TV Interview!

 

Jemima Rooper, Max Irons, T'Shan Williams, Alana Boden and EP Paul Sciarrotta of "Flowers In the Attic: The Origin" on Lifetime

Interview with actors Jemima Rooper, Max Irons, T’Shan Williams, Alana Boden and EP Paul Sciarrotta of “Flowers In the Attic: The Origin” on Lifetime by Suzanne 6/22/22

This was a Lifetime event where we watched the first episode of this series and then asked the actors and executive producer questions.  It was unusual that we watched the episode first, live, right before the Q&A. Usually they put the episodes up on their press site for us to watch on our own time. It was nice to chat with these nice people, most of whom are British! The characters they’re playing are all Americans, though. I enjoyed the show and the panel. I hope you like the show! It’s a four-part miniseries that airs every Saturday starting tonight, July 9, on Lifetime.

 

Here’s the transcript, but it’s not edited yet. Check back to see it!

Please welcome our panelists for today’s Q&A with stars Jemima Rooper, Max Irons, T’Shan Williams, Alana Boden and executive producer Paul Sciarrotta. Hi everyone.

Thank you for being here today. Paul, our first question is for you. You both executive-produced and co-wrote “Flowers in the Attic: The Origin.” We understand that you were in close contact with VC Andrews ghost writer, Andrew Nierman. Can you please tell us a little bit about that process?

Paul: Sure. Yeah. We started about four years ago when the project was brought to me, and I, of course, had read Flowers in the Attic,” you know, maybe a long time ago. and I wasn’t, at the time, even aware there was this prequel book… and when I found out it existed and that Andrew wrote it, I was very excited. So it’s actually the first book that he wrote in the VC catalog…The first of, I think over a hundred, now, that he’s written. So it’s been a valuable resource to have him on speed dial all the time. I would call him, always. I still do for any questions I might have, if I’m ever unsure about story point or if something is totally correct. Or, you know, of the world. I can just check with him, and he has his finger on the pulse of all things VC. So it was…I was very lucky to have him be a part of the project.

Awesome. I will take some questions from the audience. Just a reminder. If you can, please make sure you have your first and last name so I can call upon you correctly. Our first question is from Suzanne at TVMEG.COM. Please unmute yourself to ask your question.

Suzanne: Hey, how are you all? I really enjoyed that. That was a good movie… or, it wasn’t a movie, I know, but it was. Let me ask you, Max: What did you do to prepare yourself for this role of being this horrible, horrible person?

Maxi: Hi, Suzanne. Well, I think for me, firstly, I had to get past the fact that he was horrible quite quickly. I had to look and find why he was the way he was, how he had learned to cope with the world as the world presented itself to him. So, the formative things I think in Malcolm’s life were his mother and father. His mother was the center of his universe was taught him about emotions, about love, about, you know, everything. They coexisted for the first few years of his life almost entirely. And then, all of a sudden, she left, and his father wasn’t around to help him process that or make any sense of that. You know, there was no modern psychology to come to his aid. He had tutors. He was sent away to a boy’s school, and he had to make sense of that. And so he did, and he hardened himself to the world and where his father had been through his, you know, through Malcolm’s understanding headness and not particularly capable. Self-serving Malcolm discovered duty and, and, you know, rigid a rigid work ethic and, you know, uh, where Malcolm had shame, he, he sought to, to, to elevate the Foxworth name and his business and make himself triumphant and powerful. And so, yeah, it was just looking at his younger self and yeah, and, and going from there.

All right. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Our next question is from my cues. Yeah, this is a question for Elena. Um, this is a really unusual role for you. Um, it’s, it’s not pretty unusual to have a romantic scene with someone who’s 43 years older than you are, but it’s not the cliche kind because you warmly like the man and he warmly liked you.

So it’s, it’s not any kind of cliche. So tell us a little bit about playing it, getting in the mood. And were you really familiar with Kelsey grammar ahead of time? To what extent did this become kind of a, a, a big challenge. Yeah. Um, I mean, Kelsey is absolutely fantastic and he made me feel so comfortable for some of the, some of the scenes, because like there is, there is like that really, um, really big age gap.

Um, But I think in terms of getting prepared, you know, we, we just took some time to, we worked with an intimacy coordinator. We took some time to figure out, um, how we think their relationship would be, how, what we were comfortable with. Um, and yeah, it was, it was actually really, really interesting to sort of work on that.

And, um, you know, I think for me, it’s, it is genuine love between the two of them. So to make sure that was, that was how it, how it was, you know, Perceived as the audience was, was really important. Um, but yeah, it was, yeah, it was really, it was really interesting Dean, like I say, he’s fantastic. And he was, you know, always making sure I was feeling comfortable and, um, just really worked with me and we worked together to hopefully create something that, that comes across really genuine.

Okay. Thanks. Thank you so much. Our next question is from Hanta Smith.

Please unmute yourself to ask your question. Oh, okay. Is there, um, video on here? No video, just audio and we can hear you. Oh, okay. Perfect. Hi everyone. Thank you so much for your time. I’m so excited for everyone and it’s exciting series. I would love to know what was it like, you know, interacting with everyone on set and also what can the viewers expect when watching this awesome series?

Anyone can take that question, right? Uh I’ll I’ll go. I’ll go. I’ll jump in. Um, uh, it was, we shot the series, um, sort of in the height of the pandemic. We all relocated to Romania for four months. Um, and we became, uh, a lovely family, not quite the twisted family of the show. Um, and I think, uh, You know, I, I adored working with every single person on set and, uh, what was amazing is that as we were there after more time, the episode that you’ve just watched is very much just sort of the beginning, but from episode two and three to four, the whole thing opens up the children grow up.

Um, they come into it, um, the, the whole sort of premise six fans and, um, the whole S. Expands. And, uh, that was what it was like for us. Uh, in Romania, we suddenly got this injection of, uh, new minds and hearts and then while we were working and, um, and it was just. You know, gorgeous in, in every respect and despite, you know, how dark some of it gets.

Um, it, it was always a very happy set. I think sometimes when you’re doing things that are a bit darker or a bit more serious, you kind of find the fun a bit more on set. So it’s more enjoyable. Um, I think people are sometimes more miserable during comedy . Um, we had, yeah, we just had, uh, a beautiful time with, uh, a lot of really amazing people and we all just felt really happy to be working at a time.

Uh, it definitely felt like a luxury. Awesome. Thank you so much. thank you so much for your question. Our next question is from Jared Horton.

Hi, can you guys hear me? Yes. I am. Well, first of all, congratulations on the series. I thought it was great. Um, when I’m watching movies and TVs, I’m really big on dialogue and I thought you guys had some great dialogue within the series. I was wondering it was something that you picked up within your character that you took from, um, Um, afterwards in your own personal life, like she made the comment that a mother said forgiveness and revenge.

And I was just wondering, did is anything that you guys picked up far as wisdom or life lessons that you picked up from your character or just in general? Great question. I’ve started doing voiceovers in my everyday life. I now describe everything’s doing I’m going downstairs in the morning. Um, uh, no, I really, um, that’s a great question.

Um, No, I don’t think I, I sort of, sort of hope I haven’t taken anything of Olivia into my day to day life, but I tell you what I was thinking about this earlier today. Um, playing, playing that part, playing that kind of a role, um, playing this character that. I, I feel like it’s very far removed from who I am as a person, but she was so vivid on the page.

Uh, Paul’s writing what he did. Um, I sort of never had any questions as how to play her. And, uh, there’s something about playing Olivia. That for me was incredibly empowering and I sort of feel like that element of it I’ve taken. I hope that’s great. That’s great. Well, I think you did do a great job with the role.

Thanks. Um, I think it’s a great series. I look forward, um, to watching it more and congratulations to you guys, especially pulling it off during the pandemic. I just think you guys did a great job, pulling it off. KU kudos you guys over there. Thank you. Thank you so much. Our next question is from Dominique Clark from Ben worthy media.

Hello, all. Congratulations on this series. I mean, the trailer gave me goosebumps and I’m so excited that we’re finally getting the origin story of the grandmother who locked our children in the attic. Um, Seeing the story through Olivia’s eyes shows how evil isn’t born, it’s made. Right. And specifically for the ladies here, how did Olivia’s transformation throughout this series transform your individual characters?

How did you change as she did? I think, I will say with, um, Nell’s character, I think as she was a, a longstanding staff member at Foxworth hall and was quite used to, as max was saying, like the rigid rules of how it works. Um, I think meeting. Olivia and seeing that she had a bit of bite and spark really kind of opened up their friendship a little bit and it made it grow, which was really quite interesting to discover with Jemima.

Um, yeah, cuz I think, yeah, I think she, her character really like challenges him and um, and yeah, and I think with N working there for so long, um, and I guess. Conforming in, in a way until she kind of meets Olivia. I think it’s, um, I think she definitely, um, like made an impact on her arrival for vanilla.

Thank you. Any other other ladies or folks wanna share? No, that was too

Okay, great. Thank you guys so much. And congratulations again. Thank you our next, oh, thank you so much. Our next questions from Pauls.

All right. Hello? Hello. Thank you so much for being with us today. And, um, congratulations, uh, on this, this is fantastic. Uh, I gotta note because these characters are so different from you personally, um, everything about them, where they’re from, you know, and different time, everything, uh, what kind of Headspace do you have to for each of the actors?

Do you have to put yourself in to, to play these really dark roles? Cool. My personal experience, which may well be very different to the others. So, um, they, they must say as well, um, uh, the, the sort of amount that Olivia had dialogue wise, um, and scene wise, especially sort of at the beginning, it kind of eased up a little as we got into it.

Um, Sort of so full on. Um, I remember I just had to be, I just to get one foot in front of the other and to know my lines and turn up on set was what I could manage at the time. Um, which in a way is really liberating and kind of makes it easier because otherwise you can. Get, I very often get stuck in my own head and think too much about everything.

Um, and sometimes, you know, after the event, you look at things and think, oh, I wish I wish I’d thought about this, or I wish I’d done that differently. Um, but. Such a sort of big undertaking in so many ways is actually in some ways easier and, and, uh, yeah, more, more freeing, more liberating, um, than sometimes not having so far to go with a character.

Um, it’s, you know, I find it easier to be further away from myself, I think, but, and normally I do lots of research, but, uh, in this. I, and I, I think with regards to Malcolm, um, you know, a lot of credit goes to Paul for, for, you know, when, when the writing’s good, it helps those neurons connect sort of effortlessly, and you don’t have to.

To force anything, but sort of, it returns to my first, um, thing I said at the beginning that, you know, when, when you are evil, when a person’s evil, they don’t wander around thinking they’re evil. You know, they, they wander around thinking what they’re doing is right and proper. And just, but I, I do know, um, I spent quite a lot of time in the early days trying to convince people that I wasn’t an asshole.

There was a, there was a picture of me in the production office. You know, all the actors have their faces up in the production office. And my everyone elses was lovely. My picture, I looked like an asshole, like really smug. And then I thought, oh shit, they’ve seen that. Now I’m cast as this, this asshole.

How is your so I, I, I dunno if I can say anyway, I spent a lot of time giving people cups of tea, that sort of thing. And, and trying not to be an asshole. Um, yeah. Yeah. Sorry. Todd was one thing there too. Um, like Jeremiah was saying we had a lot to do in a limited amount of time. And, um, I, I can’t necessarily speak to what everyone did individually creatively to prepare for that, but I certainly can speak for when they showed up, everyone was on point, smiling, prepared, professional, lovely.

Um, and that is, you know, that’s pretty special when that all comes together. So I felt like the lucky recipient of all that on my end. So thank you to you guys. Thank you so much, Paul and max, that was a great answer. And you are allowed to curse here, so it’s okay. oh really? Oh, great. Let’s go away. OK.

Thank you so much. Thanks, Paul. Our next question is from women for the culture.

Please unmute yourself to ask your question. There you go. Okay. Hi. Thank you guys for having me. My name is Natasha and I’m with women for the culture. My question is for, to Sean. Um, I just wanted to ask you, so from the moment we meet your character, Noah, we can tell just by looking in her eyes that she’s compassionate, caring and knows something that everybody doesn’t know right now, especially when we see the scene from your daughter.

But I just wanted to know why do you think black women’s first instinct is to go into protective mold, even when we barely know, um, their person. Well, I think if you think about the time that this is set in, um, it’s a very, very good question. And I found myself asking that question in my process as well.

Um, especially in scenes where I found myself helping, um, Olivia and. Because in some ways, she’s very much the more compass of, of, um, the story when all of this madness is going on. And sometimes I find myself asking that question as well, um, for my process, but, um, I think is she’s a rock for her family and she’s also a very fiercely loyal friend and, um, And I think if, if we look at the time, as I was about to say, if we look at the time that this is set in, it would be very unlikely that her and Olivia would probably even strike up a friendship with one that’s lasting anyway.

So it’s just a, a very specific circumstance that they have kind of built their friendship on. And I guess you’ll see more, more about that when the other episodes come out and more be clear, um, about, um, maybe ask, answer your question more, but, um, yeah, I can say that. She’s got a really good heart, I think.

Yeah. Thank you so much for that answer. And I can’t wait to see Noah’s, uh, story unfold more throughout the series. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Our next question is from Karen Mo from sci-fi vision. Hi everybody. Um, thanks for doing this. My question is for Paul, I’ll try to keep it short. Um, flowers in the attic has been adapted before.

I think the last time lifetime did so was in 2014 and 15. Um, in the, since then audience standards and industry standards for how you adapt and present some of this really sensitive, uh, material rape incest abuse. Um, Has really changed. And I wonder if you could speak for a minute about your approach and lifetime’s approach and how it may have evolved in the last few years.

Sure. Um, I can’t speak to how their other, um, flowers movies were produced. I wasn’t a part of those back then, but I do know that from the very beginning of my working with them, they were, um, incredibly supportive, incredibly collaborative. Um, and what we had was this, um, this source material. Where so much of the main character story was based on this sexual assault.

And it was a balancing act that I worked with with my, um, my, my producing team in Los Angeles and all the great executives at a and E in lifetime, trying to figure out just how much of that assault do we show and how do we show it. Um, and in order to tell the story best, uh, and I hope we struck. A good balance.

Um, I was very grateful to have such, um, open partners with it. And the other piece of it was Jemma for the, um, on set. We talked, um, a lot with the intimacy quarters and everyone else, but even about certain lines, you remember, we were talking about a line in the fourth movie, um, with Paul Wesley and, and Jemima.

And it was something about how she didn’t wanna, like, I think the line I had written was allow someone to control me again. And we talked a lot about that in that tent of all the mosquitoes. I remember that. Um, we changed the line. Um, and I think it’s that kind of conversation, um, that I hope helped tell Olivia’s story in a thoughtful and sensitive and productive way.

Thank you. Thank you so much. Our next question is from Mr. Dark eye podcast.

Please unmute yourself to ask your question. Thank you. Yes. All right. Can Y. Yes, we, yeah. All right. So my question is for max, um, in your role, like with you having to be evil and, um, you know, play that role so well, what was your inspiration to be so into the character the way you was and how did you really tap in?

Oh God. Um, I, for fear of repeating myself, um, You know, there there’s, there was a few, obviously the cast, uh, helped enormously. Um, you know, also as an actor, when you have wonderful costumes and you have wonderful sets that also helps a great deal. Um, but yeah, I just, I like, like I said, I sort of just had to tune into the, the child inside of Malcolm.

That was the tapping in, uh, and, and, you know, these days we, we are so there’s so much modern. There’s therapy available. There’s psychology and there’s, you know, the way parents work with their children. Now it was these things were unheard of in those days. Um, and we, we take these things for granted, modern parental thinking and, and trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder and all these sorts of things.

Um, Malcolm was just left to figure it out and it didn’t, he didn’t figure it out. He didn’t. Do a good job, but he, he, he did so in a way that enabled him to survive. Um, and that’s how I have to look at Malcolm. Uh, and, and out of that way of thinking comes his evil. And, and that for me is, is a byproduct of that, that interior life think.

Thank you for that. And you did a very convincing job, so that just means you’re good at what you do. thanks. You guys also very kind and put a lot of people on set at ease with his kindness with, with, with that kind of material. Um, and it takes a very special to person to do that. And we had that in that, so, yes.

Oh, thanks. Cool. I’d like to add as well that, um, I know probably a lot. Male actors who would just a approach it as is wouldn’t, wouldn’t struggle playing this sort of a role would probably quite enjoy it. And max is, you know, the opposite of Malcolm. He is, um, such a lovely person. And for him to get to those places was a struggle.

And the struggle is what makes the character more interesting and more layered. And so it’s only better for that. I. I agree. Nice guys go. This is nice. Thank you so much for your question. Our next question is from Towanda Blake.

Hi. Um, my question is what was it like filming inside of a, the pandemic? And did, do you think that offered you more? I’d say it stretched you more to bring perfection to your characters.

Yes, I think, uh, in a way it did, it was this sort of quite surreal bubble. Um, I think for us all to be away from home for as long as we were, um, normally people, if you are filming, you know, outside of home, you are in and out or, um, You’re not really with each other. And it was such a shared experience, the whole thing, onset and offset, and, uh, Yeah, I think there was such a, a lovely feeling because you did, everyone felt really grateful and really privileged to be working.

And it was also really interesting work and everyone really looked out for each other, the, the credo all the way through the crew from the top to the bottom, um, it, it felt very collaborative and very supportive. And I think that’s quite rare to that extent. And, um, and that made. Very special. Um, it wasn’t just another job, I think.

Thank you. Awesome. Thank you. We have time for one more. Our last questions from Aries, urban bridges.

Hi, everybody. I’m gonna echo everybody else. You guys did a great job. I love the movie. I’m gonna address my question to Taan. Besides it being an epic book. First, what made you want to be a part of this role and play Nella and flowers on the. Oh, because, because she’s not part of the books because, because I could, because I could, um, Paul really gave me the reigns to like build on her from the ground up and I kind of just got to implement her story, um, where it wasn’t there before.

And, um, yeah, so I just got to bring this completely fresh character to such a huge franchise of, of a book. Um, Book series and I just, and I thought her character was really interesting, um, and layered and, um, Yeah. And quite exciting and important as well to the story. Yeah. Um, as I said, like her being, um, like the moral compass of, of the story for a lot of the, a lot of this, um, episodes, um, and her family, which you’ll get to meet in the other episodes and, and yeah, you get to see a bit more of her when you see her family as well.

And that’s all really exciting and they’re all brilliant actors as well. And yeah, so it, I mean, it. It wasn’t hard. That’s, that’s an easy, it wasn’t very hard. yeah, it makes a lot of sense, but you brought the character. Great job again. Continued success. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you everyone for such great questions.

Thank you to our panelists. You guys were amazing as always. And thank you all for joining today’s advanced screening of part one. If we did not get to your question, I know we dropped this in the chat as well.

MORE INFO:

Official Site and Preview

"Flowers in the Attic: The Origin" key art

Flowers in the Attic: The Origin tells the story of the headstrong and determined Olivia Winfield (Rooper) who is working alongside her beloved father (Hamlin) when she finds herself unexpectedly wooed by one of the nation’s most eligible bachelors, Malcom Foxworth (Irons). After a whirlwind romance, Olivia finds herself as the mistress of the imposing Foxworth Hall, where she soon discovers that the fairytale life she expected has quickly become a nightmare.  Under Malcolm’s debonair exterior lies a dark heart, and a twisted evil lurks inside Foxworth Hall that will threaten Olivia’s happiness and that of her children. Her attempts to keep them all safe ultimately push Olivia to become to most terrifying version of herself, leading to her inevitable—and notorious—decision to lock her grandchildren in the attic


Dodd stars as Olivia’s daughter, Corinne; while Williams takes on the role Foxworth Hall’s longtime staff member and Olivia’s observant housekeeper, Nella. Mulgrew plays Mrs. Steiner, Malcom’s loyal house manager and head of the Foxworth Hall staff. Grammer portrays Malcom’s illustrious father Garland Foxworth, who is married to new wife Alicia, played by Boden. Wesley stars as John Amos, Olivia’s cousin whose revelations change her life forever and Callum Kerr stars as Christopher, a close relative of the Foxworth family whose life will be eternally intertwined with Corrine’s from the moment they set eyes on each other.

Additional talent starring in the four-part miniseries event includes Luke Fetherston, Buck Braithwaite, Jordan Peters, Evelyn Miller, Rawdat Quadri, Emmanuel Ogunjinmi, David Witts, Carla Woodcock and Peter Bramhill.

Flowers in the Attic: The Origin is an A+E Studios production in association with Sutton St. Productions and CBS Studios. Paul Sciarrotta serves as executive producer. Jennie Snyder Urman and Joanna Klein serve as executive producers for Sutton St. Productions and CBS Studios. Zoë Rocha serves as executive producer for RubyRock Pictures, Gary Pearl executive produces for Aquarius Content and Dan Angel executive produces. Declan O’Dwyer also executive produces and directed part one and part two of the miniseries. Robin Sheppard serves as director for parts three and four. Scripts are from executive producer Paul Sciarrotta, as well as Amy Rardin and Conner Good. Flowers in the Attic: The Origin is based on the prequel novel, Garden of Shadows by Andrew Neiderman. The miniseries was made with support of the Romanian Government.

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Irons and Rooper in "Flowers in the Attic: The Origin" on Lifetime

Interview with Catherine Bell and Tom Stevens

TV Interview!

Tom Stevens and Catherine Bell of "Jailbreak Lovers" on Lifetime

Interview with Tom Stevens and Catherine Bell of “Jailbreak Lovers” on Lifetime by Suzanne 6/1/22

This was from a LIfetime press day covering three different movies. It was great to speak to Catherine Bell, who has been on so many series and in many movies. I’ve spoken with Tom Stevens a few times before. They were both great in this movie. Even though the movie is about two felons, it has a humorous side to it that improves on the story. I enjoyed it. Also, there are many dogs, which elevates it even further.

MODERATOR:  Wonderful. Well, thank you all for coming to our Summer 2022 Virtual Press Day. Please join me in welcoming the stars of “Jailbreak Lovers.” We have with us today executive producer and star Catherine Bell along with her costar Tom Stevens. First up is Tamara.

QUESTION:  Hi, how are you?

TOM STEVENS:  I’m good, Tamara, how you doing?

QUESTION:  I’m good. Thank you. So Toby always followed the rules and did what was expected of her. Can you guys identify with the character’s desire to be carefree, coloring outside the lines, not being perfect, or simply being wild and free for once?

CATHERINE BELL:  Well, I think probably anyone could relate to that.  Hopefully, people don’t resort to this sort of a, (laughs) craziness but, you know, I think there’s always that idea of, like, “Ooh, what if I, you know, broke the rules and did something wild for a moment.” I think that’s what – I wanted to at least give a sense of like – People are always going why would someone do this? Why would someone break the law and do something like this and, hopefully, we give you guys a little insight into where that comes from.

QUESTION:  Thank you.

TOM STEVENS:  Yeah, and I agree. I think that every person needs to kind of check in on their life at some point and go am I coloring too within the lines, o do I need to go outside of my comfort zone, because I think out of your comfort zone, outside your comfort zone is where you really learn who you are.

CATHERINE BELL:  Yeah.

QUESTION:  Thank you.

MODERATOR:  Wonderful. Thank you. Up next, we have a question from Suzanne. Suzanne, you may feel free to unmute.

QUESTION:  Hi. Catherine, since you were a producer on this movie, did you have any influence over the tone of the movie? It’s a little less serious than most Lifetime movies I’ve seen.

CATHERINE BELL:  You know, Katie Boland is our beautiful director. She brought her vision to this, which was this playful and high-energy and sexy and fun spirit. You know, I really — I think Tom and I both really enjoyed making this movie because it had all of that in it. It was just this fast-paced and just wild adventure that these two were on and, you know, definitely you have some say as a producer, but I got to say it all just kind of came together magically. There wasn’t a whole lot to do except become this character on my end, you know.

QUESTION:  And that same for you, Tom?

TOM STEVENS:  Yeah, no, I mean, I didn’t have the same kind of hand in it as Catherine did, but I mean it was what we brought kind of fit exactly what Katie wanted, what Catherine and I were doing, and it was just so fun to just — Like we shot so many scenes kind of like back to back to back to back and we always found like a fun way of connecting as these two people, because in the prison it was like a secret love, and then when we were out in the cabin it was more spontaneous and free, and every single time Catherine and I brought like a really strong connection and, yeah, it was just always fun. You know, every scene was always fun to shoot.

QUESTION:  Well, thanks. It was fun to watch.

CATHERINE BELL:  We joke we want to do a sequel. I don’t think it’ll happen. They’re not together, but we had too much making it.

TOM STEVENS:  Yeah.

QUESTION:  As long as you have dogs. That’s the good thing.

CATHERINE BELL:  Right, exactly.

TOM STEVENS:  Prison pen pals and dogs.

QUESTION:  Thank you.

MODERATOR:  Wonderful. Thank you, Suzanne. Up next we have Jamie. Jamie, you may feel free to unmute.

QUESTION:  Hi, thanks for talking to us today.  So can you kind of talk about when you’re doing something that’s based on real people, like, how — Can you talk about balancing kind of what you pull from that versus what you’re able to creatively add from yourself, for both of you?

CATHERINE BELL:  Tom, you go.

TOM STEVENS:  Oh, you want me to go.

CATHERINE BELL:  Yeah.

TOM STEVENS:  Yeah, Jamie, good to see you again.

QUESTION:  You too.

TOM STEVENS:  Yeah, it’s I think with John, he — like with Maynard, uh, there wasn’t a lot about him.  There’s kind of the story.  There’s a lot of Moll and like of everything that she went through, but for John it was kind of more free for me to just bring the foil to her husband, do you know what I mean? Like I had to represent something that was something that she was missing in her life, and it was a more free experience to build the character rather than actually like, you know, having interviews that I could bounce off of, like Catherine obviously had.

CATHERINE BELL:  Yeah. I, on the other hand, had a lot of interviews, and I watched all the ones that I could find of Toby.  Obviously, I don’t look anything like her so I gave that up quickly.  But there’s an essence to her that I tried to get.  You know, there’s just she’s got that little bit of the Kansas accent and, yeah, just this sweet woman who really just was totally taken by surprise by this guy, and it just completely altered the course of her life.  But, yeah, it was a lot of fun trying to become this woman who is very different than myself.

QUESTION:  Thank you so much, both of you.

CATHERINE BELL:  Thank you.

TOM STEVENS:  Thanks, Jamie.

MODERATOR:  Thank you, Jamie.  Up next is Mike Hughes. Mike, feel free to unmute.

QUESTION:  Okay. There we go. Okay, cool. Probably shortly after you finish this another real-life case like this came up in Alabama where someone escaped with (inaudible). I was wondering did this give you like special interest in it? Did you kind of follow that news story extra special? Do you may root for them or anything like that?

CATHERINE BELL:  I mean, you know, yeah, it was unbelievable that that happened. It was like, okay, life imitating art imitating real life, you know. It’s interesting that this happens a fair amount, you know, that these guys are in this unusual situation in a prison and fall for each other. The idea for me of crossing that line and going, “Yeah, let’s break out of jail,” I mean, really, you’re never going to get away with it, you know. That one ended very tragically but, yeah, it’s just fascinating.

QUESTION:  You didn’t root for them —

TOM STEVENS:  Yeah.

CATHERINE BELL:  What’s that?

TOM STEVENS:  Were you rooting for them, Catherine?

CATHERINE BELL:  Was I (laughs), I mean, I don’t think — no, I wasn’t really thinking about it either way. It was very, very sad, of course, how it ended but, yeah, I would have preferred a happier ending than that, for sure.

TOM STEVENS:  Yeah. And we kind of tell – we kind of tell the fictitious fun side of this, and I mean the true story between Toby and John is, you know, a little darker than this like in reality than the story that we told, and I’m sure that that story was darker, too. So, I mean, we can have with this because we’re making a movie about it but, you know, these people were going through something.  Yeah, it’s more serious when it’s real.

QUESTION:  Okay. Thanks.

MODERATOR:  Wonderful. Thank you, Mike. Up next we have Jay Bobbin. Jay, feel free to unmute.

QUESTION:  Hi, folks. Hi, Catherine. How are you?

CATHERINE BELL:  Hi, Jay.

QUESTION:  Hi, good to see you.

TOM STEVENS:  Hi, Jay.

QUESTION:  Catherine, question for you. You’ve done non-edgy for so many years now.  To step back into something that is decidedly edgy, an actor acts, obviously, that’s their profession, but was it an easy thing for you or did it take working up to this a little bit having done Cassie for so many years?

CATHERINE BELL:  Yeah, you know what? It’s always challenging to me, which is probably why I love acting so much.  It’s never just like, oh, a piece of cake.  Like it’s like, oh, who is this person, and in the beginning you don’t know who they are or how to become them and watching her interviews and kind of just trying to work on that was a beautiful challenge. I really loved it – really, really love stepping into this. And, yeah, edgy, edgy and also a very kind of withdrawn, like kind of toned-down person as well, someone who’s not so confident or whatever. So it was just a lot of fun for me to play all of those things.

QUESTION:  Thanks a lot.

TOM STEVENS:  Yeah, it was fun to witness, actually. It was fun to watch you build the character, yeah, yeah.

CATHERINE BELL:  Thank you. We had so much fun together.

TOM STEVENS:  I know.

MODERATOR:  Thank you, Jay.  Up next we have “Starry Constellation Magazine.”

QUESTION:  Well, Tom, they say you should never work with ids and animals onscreen, and you worked with a number of dogs. Talk about the training you went through for dog training.

TOM STEVENS:  So I’m an advocate for Cesar Mila and everything that he does with behavioral science and dog science, and I have a dog of my own that I have put through a rigorous training, and it comes naturally to me to be around animals and to be like an alpha or like a calm sort of presence with them. So that wasn’t hard for me.  What was when the dogs didn’t care that I was a calm presence or authoritative presence, and they were like my trainer’s behind the camera, and I could do whatever I want right now for the next thirty seconds while the cameras are rolling, and he starts eating a toy in the middle of our scene.  So there’s like there’s certain things that you can’t control when like a dog’s just on the side, and he just kind of starts doing his own thing, but there’s like a lot of things that you can do to just be like the calm presence for the dogs that they respect. They say don’t work with animals because animals are in the moment, and the audience will always be drawn to them, so it kind of forces you to be in the moment with the dog, and then it’s interesting for the audience to watch.

MODERATOR:  Awesome. Thank you. Up next we have Cynthia Horner.

QUESTION:  Hello.

CATHERINE BELL:  Hi.

TOM STEVENS:  Hi, hi, hi.

QUESTION:  I would like to ask both of you this question what is a memorable behind the scenes moment that you can tell us about when you were filming?

TOM STEVENS:  Hm.

CATHERINE BELL:  Hm.

TOM STEVENS:  There were a lot, there were a lot.

CATHERINE BELL:  I instantly thought of the car chase stuff.  That was just so much fun.

TOM STEVENS:  That was so much fun.

CATHERINE BELL:  Yeah. Actually, driving and then on the top of the truck where they’re towing you and you’re pretending there’s so much going on. We had some good laughs.

TOM STEVENS:  And getting arrested. I think I loved the feeling as when we got out of week one, when we got out of the prison. I mean we were shooting a prison movie so a lot of it had to be done on location in this corrections facility, and it felt very much like repeated scenes, like we were doing like similar scenes over and over and over again in this box, and then when we got out of that week it was like this freedom just opened up, and it really felt like the characters got to like go and see new places, and go to different restaurants, and do all this stuff. It was very much what the character is going through. So I love that like transition into the Toby and John being free period.

CATHERINE BELL:  True. I also really loved all the stuff in the cabin. It was just such a tiny, little cabin and our whole crew really bonded. Just it was, you know, just — It was Halloween, too, right, and the crew came in with the crazy costumes on and we were in our Toby and John costumes —

TOM STEVENS:  In our little, yeah — And it like nearly drowned us in rain. It was pouring rain so hard. It was like flooding around the cabin, it was crazy. And then our DP is in a Sumo suit, and it was hilarious.

QUESTION:  Wow, you guys had great stories to tell. Thank you.

TOM STEVENS:  No worries, Cynthia.

CATHERINE BELL:  Thank you, Cynthia.

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

QUESTION:  Hi, can you hear me?

CATHERINE BELL: (Inaudible @ 00:14:32).

QUESTION:  Great. I’m sorry. Hey, Catherine, I’m just curious. This sort of ripped from the headlines, it’s something that’s been going on for years, and obviously there’s a big audience for that out there, do you think it’s a situation of people being sort of living vicariously through these wild moments or is it there by the grace of God goes me?

CATHERINE BELL:  Oh, man. You know, I’m sure it’s just that natural curiosity that all humans have of like what is going on in someone’s else world, you know. And, yes, this is a crazy world. It’s something that, hopefully, most people will never experience, and then there’s that other, you know, the concept of what were thinking? Why would somebody do that? So, hopefully, they get a little taste of that with what Tom and I did, you know, just the how they fell in love and what led this to this crazy idea that they might get away with running away together, you know.

QUESTION:  Thank you.

CATHERINE BELL:  Thank you.

MODERATOR:  Awesome. Thank you, Rick. Up next is Luaine Lee. Luaine.

QUESTION:  Yeah, Catherine, you were talking about the challenge and how you really adore the challenge in acting, and you’ve been doing it a long time, so what is it that you like best about acting and television, and what do you like the least?

CATHERINE BELL:  In television as opposed to film you mean or just in general, acting?

QUESTION:  Well, just in general acting.

CATHERINE BELL:  Yeah. I think I love so much about it. I love the process. I love the finding the character, and as I mentioned, the challenges of that, it keeps me on my toes and always wanting to improve and be better and even up until the scene is over, you’re still okay, “Well, the next take I want to try this. I want to do that. I want to make this better or different.” I love the camaraderie, and there’s just such a sense of family on these shows that you do together, movies, shows, whatever. You just meet such beautiful people, and so much I love about it. I love the effect it has on people when they’re watching it. I think probably I love the adventure of travel and going to different locations, but sometimes that’s challenging for my family, you know, just to be away so much, so that’s probably, if I could say here’s something I don’t like about it, sometimes that gets challenging. But, again, you just — I’ m so grateful for what I get to do, so I got no complaints.

QUESTION:  So what’s the worst part of it?

CATHERINE BELL:  Yeah, I think that, you know, being along in a hotel room for weeks at a time, especially in COVID.  There was one stretch I took my son to Toronto for “Good Witch”. It was thirteen weeks away from home. I couldn’t go back and forth because of the travel quarantine. That was intense.

QUESTION:  Oh, wow. Thank you.

CATHERINE BELL:  Yeah, thank you.

MODERATOR:  Thank you, Luaine. And then we have Steve (Gitmo @ 00:17:26). Steve?

QUESTION:  Hey, how are you guys?

CATHERINE BELL:  Hey, good.

TOM STEVENS:  I’m good.

QUESTION:  Good. I just wanted to ask how familiar were you or at all familiar with this story? Was it all kind of news to both of you when you got the script?

CATHERINE BELL:  I haven’t heard of it at all. When I started telling people about it a lot of people remembered seeing it on the news. It was on “Dateline” and “Anderson Cooper” and all of that, but I hadn’t heard of it at all. You, Tom?

TOM STEVENS:  Yeah, no, same. The escaping out of prison in a dog crate. I think it maybe a rang a bell but maybe I’m like, yeah, maybe that’s just a logical way to sneak out of prison.  But the case itself I hadn’t heard anything about it, then I started reading the script, and it was just so fun.

CATHERINE BELL:  Yeah.

QUESTION:  And, Tom, can you actually fit in a dog crate?

TOM STEVENS:  Easily, easily. That dog crate was too easy to fit into. I wanted a smaller one. I wanted to do contortion, you know.

QUESTION:  Thanks so much.

TOM STEVENS:  Thank you.

QUESTION:  Awesome. Thank you.  And we’re going to be wrapping here momentarily but I see two more hands are up. Jamie from SciFi Vision, did you have another question?

QUESTION:  Yeah, I can go again. I was going to ask about the dog crate, but so what did the two of you learn about yourselves from working on this show either as performers or just as people in general?

CATHERINE BELL:  Ooh.

TOM STEVENS:  Ooh.

CATHERINE BELL:  Wow. Tom, do you want to answer? I want to think about that.

TOM STEVENS:  I think what I learned about myself was it’s — With all the challenges that came with this there’s a lot of layers to John and playing John, and when I ever felt like I was kind of lost in it all I knew I had to do was connect with Catherine, and I don’t know if I learned that about myself, but I did learn that I can trust in Catherine whenever I feel like I’m lost in a scene. Is that me learning something? I don’t know. I learned that about Catherine.

CATHERINE BELL:  Hm, thank you. Yeah, I had such an incredible time working with you and our connection. It was just really, really special; really, just like you said, you just look in your eyes and it was like all there, and I don’t know.

TOM STEVENS:  Yeah.

CATHERINE BELL:  It was probably just a great realization that I can do this sort of a role, which was so different for me and being able to trust in you and just making that happen. It was so magical.

TOM STEVENS:  Yeah.

QUESTION:  Well, thank you and I enjoyed it, so.

TOM STEVENS:  Thank you, Jamie. We loved it, too.

MODERATOR:  Awesome, and now our final question is from Mike Hughes. Mike?

QUESTION:  Yeah. I’ll just ask real briefly, all your impressions of working when you were in the correction facility there, it looked like it wasn’t a high security one. It looked like it was maybe medium or a low-security facility. Nothing struck you about it there and did you get a chance to interact with the prisoners at all? Were they friendly to you? Just give us your overall impressions.

TOM STEVENS:  Yeah.

CATHERINE BELL:  Yeah. Well, it wasn’t an active prison, so it was actually shut down. So, but still I, for me, it was very — And, Tom, you were the one in the cell, but so cold, so impersonal. I can’t even imagine being in a cell like that for years or for life. It’s just wow, where I really just realized what that experience could be like, just a little taste of it.

TOM STEVENS:  Yeah. Again, it’s an old youth center, so it’s a youth correction center in Burnaby that we were shooting in and all the other prisoners were background so, you know, not actual prisoners, but I did get a chance on my other show in Halifax I got to talk to a lady on our crew who had spent four months in prison that year on a charge that she was serving from years prior. It just all caught up with her, and she’s a good friend of mine and we sat down and just like hatch — She gave me as much insight on what living in prison was like, and I just asked for words that would come up in her mind every day, like what’s something that you would think every single day, and frustration is a big one, and you can feel frustrated places like that because it, like Catherine said, it’s so confined and so isolating, and there’s no time, and you just — It’s very plain and uncomfortable. Like there’s no cushions. So you can imagine a human being whose mind needs stimulation become completely frustrated in a situation like that.

QUESTION:  Okay, thanks.

MODERATOR:  Thank you. And thank you, Catherine and Tom for joining us today. “Jailbreak Lovers” premieres Saturday, July 2nd, at 08:00 p.m., seven Central only on Lifetime. Stay tuned for “He’s Not Worth Dying For” in a moment.

MORE INFO:

Official Lifetime Site and Preview

Inspired by a true story, Jailbreak Lovers follows Toby (Catherine Bell), a woman who always played by the rules. Toby never ran a red light, married the only boy she ever dated, raised a family and went to church. She did everything she was supposed to do. When Toby loses her job and starts a non-profit to rehabilitate abused, rescued dogs at the local prison no one could have anticipated that she would end up on the run, shacked up with her younger lover John (Tom Stevens), a convicted murderer. The star-crossed lovers hatch a plan to break John out of prison by smuggling him out in one of the dog crates, sparking a federal manhunt.

Jailbreak Lovers is produced for Lifetime by Crate Productions Inc. Catherine Bell, Angela Mancuso, Stacy Mandelberg and up-and-coming director Katie Boland are executive producers. Supervising producers are Oliver DeCaigny and Tom Stanford. Boland directed from a script by Anne-Marie Hess and Jodie Burke.

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poster for "Jailbreak Lovers"

Interview with Hilda Martin, Lachlan Quarmby, and Rachel Boyd

TV Interview!

Hilda Martin and Lachlan Quarmby star in He's Not Worth Dying For premiering Saturday, June 25 at 8p/7cLachlan Quarmby and Rachel Boyd star in He's Not Worth Dying For premiering Saturday, June 25 at 8p/7c

Interview with Hilda Martin, Lachlan Quarmby, and Rachel Boyd of “He’s Not Worth Dying For” on Lifetime by Suzanne 6/1/22

This was from a press day featuring three “ripped from the headlines” movies airing this summer. It was great to speak with these young actors. I only wish star Robin Givens had been there.

MODERATOR: Hi, everybody. Our next panel for today is the talented cast of “He’s Not Worth Dying For.” Please welcome Hilda Martin, Lachlan Quarmby, and Rachel Boyd. Hi, you guys. Thank you so much for taking the time to be with us today.

LACHLAN QUARMBY: Thank you. Happy to be here.

RACHEL BOYD: Thank you.

MODERATOR: Our first question is from Jamie Ruby.

QUESTION: Hi, guys. Thanks for talking to us. So how familiar were you all with kind of this story and kind you talk a bit about sort of the research that you did into it for all of you?

LACHLAN QUARMBY: Sure.

RACHEL BOYD: Do you want to start?

LACHLAN QUARMBY: You go, you go.

HILDA MARTIN: Well, I didn’t know much but I do have a liking for crime documentaries, so as soon as I got that and was told it was based/inspired by true stories, as a true story, I Googled it right away, but before then I had no knowing of the story.

RACHEL BOYD: Yeah. I think that like for me when I first got the audition script I actually somehow missed the words “based on a true story” when I was reading the description of it, so I had no idea until the callback that I was auditioning for something that was based on a true story, but I think, for me, like, seeing the sides and the character, I really connected to it, because it’s such an experience that a lot of young people on social media, and especially young women can relate to in how we are taught to, like, compete for a man’s exclusive love, and then how that manifests in different ways in the age of social media, and how that has real effects on our self-wroth and the way that we behave as people and change our character.

LACHLAN QUARMBY: Yeah, I hadn’t heard of it at the time. In 2009, I was living in Canberra, Australia, which might as well have been about as far away as you can be. But, yeah, I was the same, as soon as I got the script and heard it was a real story I looked it up and had such like an emotional reaction to just how much of a tragic experience it was and, yeah, it was kind of exciting to get to audient to play something like that.

QUESTION: Great. Thank you so much.

LACHLAN QUARMBY: Thank you.

RACHEL BOYD: thank you.

MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question is from Tamara Rollins.

QUESTION: Hi, guys. Can you hear me?

LACHLAN QUARMBY: Hi.

RACHEL BOYD: Yes.

QUESTION: Hi. So nowadays social media can be used as a tool to destroy lives. Some people tend to separate social media from our actual lives. They deem it as two separate entities. Do you guys feel that social media in our real day-to-day lives are one entity or two separate worlds?

RACHEL BOYD: I would say that I think that social media is real but also fake, because what it is is it’s taking a person and letting them choose what they want to highlight and choose how they want to be perceived in the world, and what you see on social media as much as we often treat it, like that is that person and that is the full representation of them, it’s not a real accurate representation of a person, of a real human being who is full and flawed. So I think that they’re different in that way, but the really unfortunate thing and kind of what we wanted to tackle in the movie is that people blur those lines together, and they treat people like they aren’t really human beings on social media when it really is really us. We’re just kind of creating a highlight reel.

QUESTION: Thank you.

LACHLAN QUARMBY: Yeah. I’ll add to that. I agree. I think that a lot of people out there are probably having this sort of duality in personality versus real life on social media, but it’s not for me to say as to how you should manage it. I personally think that it’s best to just do everything in moderation. You know, if you are going to put something up there that is a version of you that may not be the exact version of yourself then it can be the kind of thing that you’re aspiring to be, or the kind of person that you’re trying to be like, but it’s just managing which is which and just being like honest with yourself. As long as you know what you’re all about and stuff like that then I think it’s manageable.

QUESTION: Thank you.

HILDA MARTIN: I think the same thing. I specifically had a hard time with kind of splitting — with kind of being the same person and having like a reality, being real on social media for the longest, and I don’t see that be a possibility now because you’re still — Like in social media you’re not you. You’re never going to be. You’re going to be torn apart, if you want like an extensive amount of people kind of following you, unless you just want yourself and close friends, but other than that it’s like you have to be someone that society wants on social media. So that’s like totally different, and I could see the same for Isla, who is trying to kind of be this person and this colorful person, this bright person, but on the other side in her real life it’s the total opposite, so totally different.

QUESTION: Thank you.

Robin Givens stars in He's Not Worth Dying For premiering Saturday, June 25 at 8p/7cMODERATOR: Thank you. We also have some pre-submitted questions from journalists who could not be here today. This question is for Hilda. Hilda, you have some pretty intense scenes with Robin Givens who plays your mother in the movie. What was it like working with a veteran actress, and did she give you any advice or were there any fun times together on the set?

HILDA MARTIN: It was great working with Robin. I think like she kind of let me — She didn’t really — You know, working with a veteran and you’re not one yourself, you kind of feel like you’re not good enough, but there’s a lot of moments where she kind of like, A, gave me tips on certain scenes and, B, kind of like applauded me for certain scenes, and kind of like validation, which I like, but there’s quite a few moments that she kind of made me laugh, and one of them was Grace is being a bitch to, like harsh mood to her mom, and as soon as the scene got cut she was like I would have whooped you in real life. I would have whooped you hard. Never do that to me in real life. My kids would never. And another scene was with Jake, Lachlan, and it was a family dinner and like you just never know when stuff happens. She had like this, she had a green bean that she was chewing mid-scene, and it was her turn to talk, and like it wasn’t going down, so like that cut was like the funniest part, because we’re just watching her chew. She’s like (imitates chewing), mm um hm, um hm, one sec, um hm.

(Laughter.)

HILDA MARTIN: And she hadn’t thought of like — She is fun. She’s great to work with. She’s like a mom. She was actually like a mom and, yeah.

MODERATOR: That’s awesome. Thank you, Hilda. Our next question is from Suzanne at TVMEG.COM

QUESTION: Hi, I was wondering if any of you had done any Lifetime movies before and whether you could compare them to other work that you’ve done elsewhere — whether they were slower or faster or what other things you can think of that would be different?

LACHLAN QUARMBY: Yeah, I had a small role on like a Christmas one before. So it was kind of fun to play the differences in tone in terms of like the sort of lighter Christmas one and then the darker reality of like this one. I really enjoyed it, the mixing up, because it is a different way to come about it from an acting point of view in terms of like the tone, the network, and like the genre as well. You got to play with all of those elements, and I have no idea what I’m doing typically, because it’s so early on. So it’s really funny to have like a producer or a director just say, like, “Hey, like this is actually more the way that it is done for this type of film,” and I was always like, “Oh, cool. Great.” That’s awesome to learn and use going forward, yeah.

RACHEL BOYD: Yeah. I also think that, I mean, personally, I hadn’t done anything, any other work with Lifetime before, but I also think it’s so interesting to mention that this was mine, Hilda’s and Lachlan’s, all of our first lead roles in a feature-length film. So that was really, really fun, and it was really great to experience that with the three of us. I think that all of us ending up being our first time really brought a new energy to the set that we really liked where we were just very eager to work and play and have a lot of fun with each other. So I had to mention that.

QUESTION: Great. Hilda.

HILDA MARTIN: It was also my, yeah, my first time as well. What I would interesting, what I like to find out is like what does Lifetime like cast to wear, and like the other show that I’ve done was a different wardrobe and seeing like how characters are kind of like created, developed like look-wise on different platforms like Lifetime, for example. That was cool. But like also the first time in having like a great cast to work with.

RACHEL BOYD: Aw.

HILDA MARTIN: It kind of made it exciting and easier, I think, something you (inaudible @ 00:34:14), so, yeah.

QUESTION: Well, thank you.

HILDA MARTIN: Thanks.

LACHLAN QUARMBY: Thank you.

MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question is from Mike Hughes.

QUESTION: Yeah. I wasn’t sure if my mute — can you hear me now?

GROUP: Yes. We can hear you.

QUESTION: Okay. Cool. Rachel, actors obviously have to be able to turn it on quickly when the camera is on, but it’s much more so what Isla had to do, because just you’re solo on a camera and (just be big @ 00:34:40) the moment she goes on. So what’s it like to do the scenes where Isla is really over the top and on her own before a camera?

RACHEL BOYD: Yeah. I think that’s something for me that I really did a lot in preparation for the role was learning exactly what that physicality was, because I knew that Isla’s character needed — She needed to be able to walk into a room and command it and hold the power in it just with her body and how she moved around, so that was kind of something I really wanted to focus on. And, yeah, that just came through I think sometimes if she was putting on the performance of like “Influence Isla” then it was a lot for me finding those places in my body where that energy was. Like I think there’s like a scene at the beginning. Hilda and I were talking about it the other day, but it’s like she’s walking into the store, and she’s kind of doing like this crazy like “Clueless” walk, and it’s just I think it gives me that energy from within me instead of me keeping the same body language the entire time. And then I also liked working with the physicality, because it gave me space to also be Isla when she’s not being big and over the top, and she’s just being, you know, a regular girl who’s just lonely and confused, and how does her body change. And then I think having that like drastic difference helps, too, when you saw her being bigger.

QUESTION: Cool. Thanks.

Rachel Boyd stars in He's Not Worth Dying For premiering Saturday, June 25 at 8p/7cRACHEL BOYD: Thank you.

MODERATOR: Our next question’s from Cynthia Horner.

QUESTION: Hello. My question is for all of you. I really enjoyed the film, and I’d like to know what advice would you give to young people that are watching — They’re going to be watching the film, and we all know people who’ve been in similar situations even though the ending may not be the same, but the fact that there are so many situations where people are being cheated on or whatever, so can you each talk about your character and the way those dynamics were so that other people that are watching the film may decide not to make some of those mistakes.

RACHEL BOYD: Yeah. I can start. Are you guys —

LACHLAN QUARMBY: Go for it, Rach.

RACHEL BOYD: Okay. I think, for me, I’ve always, always wanted this to be the message that people take away from the whole movie, and with Isla especially is that there’s no manifestation of love or validation, be it like a boy or followers and likes and comments on Instagram that is ever worth losing yourself for and affecting your own self-worth to please. I think I want people to know that they are one hundred percent significant and one hundred percent enough just in themselves, and that outward validation will always come and go, but that it really is that inner self-worth that you should focus so much of your energies on. Yeah.

QUESTION: Good answer.

HILDA MARTIN: Yeah, I’d go with the same. I think for me it was value. I think we all, like the whole cast, like all three of us wanted to feel valued from social media, from a boy, but relationship-wise, I think that like what I want people to know, because like, again, nearly all of us have gone through it, it’s like not forgetting our worth, not feeling that we need someone else, and that could be a male or a female in a relationship, remembering your worth, and if you’re not receiving that worth it’s, as hard as it is, it’s just like let go, and when they say love is blind they also mean love is also deaf, because a lot of times you’re also told and you can hear the words, and I just hope that they remember how like valuable and like worthy they are, yes.

QUESTION: Okay. Thank you.

LACHLAN QUARMBY: Yeah. I would also just add that I agree with everything the girls said there but, you know, I think it’s in the title, right? It is a cautionary tale. That’s what we’re hoping people will take away is that it’s — and most of it is just not worth it. Even a lot of the stuff that seems really important at the time and seem so like at the forefront of your life, because it’s at your fingertips on that device, on that social media platform, it just seems like it’s so much worth it, but if you just put it down, and you take a step back, then it’s probably not going to be worth all of this pain or bleeding into your real, you know, personal life and causing you anxiety or whatever. And, I mean, for Jake, it’s the whole thing is just he brings all these problems on himself and stuff like that, and he doesn’t really have a support network around him to tell him like, “Hey, like you’re basically you’re being an idiot.” Again, flipping through the script, the first time I read it being like, you know, you’re not supposed to judge a character but idiot, dumb ass, that’s stupid —

RACHEL BOYD: He makes it hard.

LACHLAN QUARMBY: What are you doing? What are you doing, man? Somebody just needs to tell this guy, please, stop, stop doing these things. So I hope that people take away from that, that you need to help yourself but may also people who are close to people witnessing them going through stuff like this that you can also step in and help them with that as well. Yeah.

QUESTION: Fantastic answers. Thank you so much.

RACHEL BOYD: Thanks, Cynthia.

LACHLAN QUARMBY: Thanks.

MODERATOR: Our next question is from Steve Gidlow.

QUESTION: Hey, everyone. Just I’m assuming you’re all on social media. So I was just wondering if being so immersed in the darker side of it, did it change your perception of how you deal with your own social media now?

RACHEL BOYD: something that I really like about the movie is that we’ve all been living in the dark side of social media, all the time. What this movie does though is holds up a mirror to the reality that we’ve been living in and how we reduce people and their self-worth and value to their viral abilities and how we turn real human suffering into its own like entertainment genre on social media, and it’s really horrible, and it’s something that everybody who’s on social media is immersed in one way or another. But what the movie does is it holds up a mirror to the realities of that and how those facets of social media have real-world repercussions on people, and their lives and their feelings.

LACHLAN QUARMBY: I would say that, for me, personally, the changes that I’ve made it’s just made me more conscious and more aware of purpose and point behind posts. Like why am I actually posting this, and I’ve stopped myself a couple times being like is this for me? Is this something that I like? Or is this actually for other people? Is this to get a reaction out of other people? Is this to make people feel a certain way about me and, at those points, I stop. So I’m just trying to be posting more positive stuff. You know, sometimes it’s cheesy, sometimes it’s silly but I’d rather put —

RACHEL BOYD: Sometimes it’s a dance.

LACHLAN QUARMBY: These guys make fun of me all the time but that’s fine. I’d rather post something that’s a bit cheesy and a bit more positive than something that was coming from the wrong place in my heart, I guess. So, yeah, I’m more conscious of that.

QUESTION: Gotcha. And Hilda.

HILDA MARTIN: It just, for me, it validated the change that I made before the movie of like just not giving in to like being that person, like that perfect person on social media and kind of giving in to the dark social media side, but — Because, again, there are — After the movie, obviously, there’s people who are going to be look at our social media and like kind of giving that image of me being perfect is not going to be the message I was kind of like that people — wanted people to take away from the movie itself. So kind of just of I did make a change, and I was kind of proud of that, and just loving myself, posting whatever I love whether it’s like a picture of a flower or just me unedited, hopefully.

QUESTION: Thank so much.

HILDA MARTIN: (Inaudible @ 00:43:25).

QUESTION: Thanks.

HILDA MARTIN: Thanks.

MODERATOR: Thank you. Our next question is from Luaine Lee.

QUESTION: Yes. Part of the danger of social media is rejection by your peers, but acting is involved with total rejection all the time. So I’m wondering how do each of you cope with the rejection that happens to you when you’re trying out for roles?

RACHEL BOYD: That’s a great question. Hilda, do you want to start?

HILDA MARTIN: Sure. Well, I’m pretty new to the industry, so I was researching a lot of like veteran actors and their comments on the whole industry, and the one thing that they mentioned is never take it as — Like always take it with a grain of salt, and so whenever I do an audition I like — like with this one, I — because I did watch the documentary before like right when I was auditioning, so I did see that it was a girl of not my shade, like white, Caucasian, so I knew I wasn’t going to get it. So it’s — I go in just giving my agents what they want without knowing what I’m going to get back, so I think I already implemented that in my head and not getting it doesn’t sting as much as other people — as it would other people but, yeah, I kind of like already ingrained it, “I’m not getting it.” And when I do it’s like cherry on top.

QUESTION: Great. Rachel?

RACHEL BOYD: Yeah. I think, you know, this kind of takes me back because Lochlyn Munro is in the movie as well, and the day that he was on set he was giving all of us young eager actors with big ears like advice about the industry, and something that he said in relation to auditions specifically that really resonated with me was he goes in when he gets sides, and he says, “I want to land the character. I don’t want to land the role.” Like his first priority is land the character and, for me, that really made me feel better, because then it takes the pressure off of it, and it just becomes this thing that I do because I love it, and it’s my craft, and it makes me feel so happy, so getting sides now since speaking with Lochlyn Munro and just seeing it as how do I give this character all of the emotional empathy that I can to claim them and have that be as true and honest to me as possible, and then when I do that, and I can watch it back and feel proud of myself that it — I’m working on that being enough satisfaction for myself and not depending on all of my happiness on like what a third party will think of it, and just kind of focusing on like being proud and celebrating little wins even if they don’t result in a job.

QUESTION: Lachlan?

LACHLAN QUARMBY: Yeah, look, in high school I was rejected by a few women, so I think that actually was good practice to set me — I say a few. It was all of them in high school. So, you know, it’s just you take it, you learn from it. When I submit an audition I just forget about it straightaway. It’s just, it’s gone. You just go in, be yourself, do your best. I was quite similar to Hilda. You know, when I got this and looked up the real person I was like, “Yeah, that is not me at all, so I’m just going to do something and send it, and then just completely forget about it,” and that way you’re not waiting by the phone, you know, and because that’s really when you suffer twice when you wait and you worry and all of that sort of stuff. Sometimes it’s easier said than done. Like I’m not going to lie. Sometimes the rejection does affect you personally, and it can hurt. But it’s all about, I think surrounding yourself with the right people in your personal life, friends and family and stuff, keeping your head on your shoulders like nice and straight and everything, and you just keep going because eventually, you know, good things will happen. It’s meant to be.

RACHEL BOYD: Yeah. And, Lachlan, now look at you. You’re in a movie, you got two girlfriends, so. And they don’t want to reject you. So you’re doing —

LACHLAN QUARMBY: That was the whole —

RACHEL BOYD: It’s like quite full circle for you.

LACHLAN QUARMBY: It’s a perfect opportunity, yeah.

RACHEL BOYD: perfect. A big slap in the face to those girls. Look at him now, (laughs.)

LACHLAN QUARMBY: I’m going to link them. I’m going to send them a link to it, yeah.

QUESTION: Thank you.

MODERATOR: Thank you, everyone. That’s our time for today.

RACHEL BOYD: Thank you.

MODERATOR: Thank you to Hilda, Lachlan, and Rachel for being here today, and everyone please tune into “He’s Not Worth Dying For,” Saturday, June 25th at 8/7 Central.

RACHEL BOYD: Yay.

LACHLAN QUARMBY: Thank you.

RACHEL BOYD: Thanks.

MORE INFO:

Poster for "He's Not Worth Dying For" on Lifetime

Inspired by a true events, He’s Not Worth Dying For follows the intertwined real and social media lives of Isla (Rachel Boyd), a 19-year-old girl who has established herself as a beauty and fashion influencer and Grace (Hilda Martin) the expected valedictorian of her class with hopes of a veterinary career. Though both are very different, they unknowingly share one thing in common – Jake (Lachlan Quarmby) – who is dating them both without their knowledge. When Isla and Grace discover that Jake was cheating on them, the girls turn on each other in a jealous rivalry and use their arsenal of social media platforms to badmouth and attack one another. While their followers take sides and pit them against each other, their hatred for one another escalates into a real life fight that ultimately turns deadly. Robin Givens stars as Grace’s mother, Cher, while Lochlyn Munro stars as the District Attorney investigating the case.

He’s Not Worth Dying For is produced by Doomed Productions Inc for Lifetime with Tim Johnson, Orly Adelson, Stacy Mandelberg and Jon Eskenas serving as executive producers. Kevin Fair directs from a script written by Jacqueline Zambrano.

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Hilda Martin and Robin Givens stars in He's Not Worth Dying For premiering Saturday, June 25 at 8p/7c

Interview with cast of “Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story”

TV Interview!

 

Lifetime press day panel for "Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story"

Interview with actors Candice King, Michael Roark and Jackson Hurst; EP Kim Raver; and Director Nicole L. Thompson of “Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story” on Lifetime by Suzanne 6/1/22

This is your typical Lifetime thriller, based on a true story.  Candice King does a great job as the title character. This was from a larger Lifetime press panel. I hope you enjoy it!

 

MODERATOR: Please join me in welcoming the cast and creatives from “Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story.” We have with us today Executive Producer Kim Raver; Director Nicole L. Thompson who makes her directorial debut with this movie; Candice King who plays Melanie McGuire; Michael Roark who plays Melanie’s husband and victim; and, Jackson Hurst who plays the doctor with whom Melanie is having an affair. I’m going to now open the floor to questions. If you would like to ask a question, just a quick reminder at the bottom there’s a reactions button. You can raise your hand, and I will get to as many questions as possible, and we’re just going to get started right now.

QUESTION: Thank you very much. Hi, everyone. Kim, my question is for you. I know you’ve been producing for a while. When you get a project like this do you automatically look for a role for yourself in it, or do you not look for a role in it, or I’m not sure which way that question really cuts, but obviously we know your acting credentials, so it strikes me that perhaps you might have pursued the role of the prosecutor had you wanted it. Can you talk about that a little bit?

KIM RAVER: Sure. Hi, Jay. Thank you for your question. I actually don’t look for a role for myself. I, you know, I love the fact that I can kind of be a creative and my job is on “Grey’s” acting in it. So it’s, I think, you know, my partner, Manuel Boyer, who’s also executive producer on this, we look for things that are story driven and, for sure, I’m looking for really interesting characters. But the way that I can kind of produce is, in a way, if I’m not acting in it. But I still I think my acting drive helps me kind of search out for really interesting characters and really interesting female characters. So I think my first thing is, yes, I would imagine how an actor would want to play it or perceive it, because if it’s something that I find interesting I’m hoping that other actors as talented as this group, you know, is as interested. So I think for me it’s character driven, but it’s more about me not acting in it so that I can kind of do it simultaneously.

QUESTION: Thank you very much.

QUESTION: Thank you. Candice, I’m just curious. Your career has been filled with fantasy roles and that strangeness that comes in those kind of characters, but when you do a project like this do you sometimes think that life is stranger than fiction, than the fictional fantasy worlds?

CANDICE KING: Yes, absolutely. Even in some of the circumstances we found ourselves filming in. I mean, essentially, recreating what is, of course, in real life, a horrific scene of a body being cut up in a bathtub. I oddly felt right at home with a bunch of fake blood and, you know, being thrown at my face and, you know, fake saw sounds. It really brought me back to some “Vampire Diaries” days, so absolutely real life and fantasy can obvious — There’s a lot of parallels, shockingly.

QUESTION: To follow up, Candice, real quickly, what do you do as far as thinking their state-of-mind? Do you think this person I’m playing is a guilty person or somebody that doesn’t understand guilt? What kind of state-of-mind do you get yourself into?

CANDICE KING: Ooh, well, that’s a big question for anyone that was on set with me, because I get very into stories, and especially true life crime stories. So I talked everybody’s ear off about this case. For me, personally, I really just felt that it was my responsibility to tell Melanie’s story, as those were the shoes that I was filling, and this was someone who, by her own account, she is a mother who was scared and as in an abusive relationship, and who was also very dedicated to her job and who was not perfect. She had many, many faults, self-admittedly. So I really felt that kind — listening to her testimony and that she had given to her lawyers, and as well as there’s a great podcast called “Direct Appeal” in which she spoke for hours, there’s hours of recording of her sharing her story and her experiences that I listened to. So that’s more kind of the direction in which — or at least that’s what I was showing up to set with, you know, also while following the script that we have.

QUESTION: Thank you.

MODERATOR: Thank you, Rick. I have an email request that we received for Nicole. Nicole, you’re a first-time director. What was your experience like bringing this shocking story to television?

NICOLE THOMPSON: It was a great experience being able to work with this very talented cast and crew. As a first-time feature director, it was very important to me to make sure that I did the research to give the story justice and make sure that the facts shine through and showing the characters in fullness, right. Candice spoke to how being flawed, but also having a humanity side to it, so just wanting to make sure that the characters were portrayed properly, but also making sure that film had a full story arc all from beginning to end.

MODERATOR: Thank you, Nicole.

QUESTION: Yeah. This is also for Nicole. Interestingly enough, at the last session, we had a Black actress told a story about how she knew she wasn’t getting the role, because the real life person was Caucasian, and she got the role anyway, and so I was wondering, I wanted to ask you are we closer to having real colorblind casting now? Have you sensed any of that at all? And also are we closer to getting rid of that huge gap of there weren’t enough Black people behind the screen, scenes as directors and producers and so on?

NICOLE THOMPSON: Great question. I think Hollywood has definitely began progressing, but I think we still have more to go. I think in terms of your first question with colorblind casting, when I’m looking for cast I’m looking for the best person who can play the role, so I can’t speak for every director or every company, but — and that’s something that’s a priority for me. And I’m happy with the way things are progressing as well as, you know, seeing more people of color in leadership roles behind the camera, so but I would say, back to my first point, we definitely are taking steps further but there’s still more to go, and I’m very thankful to Lifetime who allowed this opportunity, the Broader Focus Initiative is to put more women in opportunities of leadership roles behind the camera, so that’s why I think because of leaders like Lifetime there is a change.

QUESTION: Okay. Cool, thanks.

KIM RAVER: Yeah, I’m going to add into that. I really do feel that Lifetime is like what Nicole was saying. They really are taking the steps to give opportunities to women and to women of color, and in order to make those changes we need to have those positions filled by women and Women of Color, and Lifetime is really doing that, and I think as producers, too, we’re really trying to support that, and we have Lifetime’s support, which is it’s really encouraging, and it’s just the steps and moving in the right direction of where we need to go and then, you know, we’re lucky to have the talent of Nicole to be able to direct a movie like this, and Lifetime giving those opportunities. So, yeah, it’s nice that that’s happening, and it’s happening at Lifetime.

QUESTION: Cool. Thanks.

MODERATOR: Thank you. The next question is an email question for Michael Roark. You play Melanie’s husband in the film, who she subsequently murders. What was the biggest challenge you faced in playing him?

MICHAEL ROARK: Well, initially, you know, obviously, whenever we’re doing a story that’s, you know, we’re doing a real-life story here we’re going where are the resources, what are the facts, and the biggest challenge I faced initially was two things. One was while there was a whole lot of information on Melanie there really wasn’t a whole lot on Bill. I was actually surprised how little could be found on Bill. So, you know, I had to do my work, kind of fill in a lot of those gaps and find my own interpretation. And the other is just the speed at which we move. You know, especially when we’re doing film you never know how much time you have to prepare something, so we moved very quickly on this, so that was a challenge but that’s not atypical for making films.

MODERATOR: Thank you, Michael.

QUESTION: Hi, for Candice, this is such a dark role. How long did you shake off a long day of embodying this character?

CANDICE KING: You know, I’d like to say that really going into — tequila. That’s the straight answer. No. I mean, the reality is that we, you know, as to what Michael was just saying, we shot so much in such a short amount of time, which I mean we were — we all were together for many, many hours within this three-week period, so there wasn’t a lot of time to really shake off the character, which I actually appreciated because, which sounds so silly, I usually don’t say things like that, but I really did get so deeply involved with reading as much as I could about this case and Melanie, because it is such a wild and tragic and fascinating story of so many flawed individuals, and even just the prosecution and the defense attorneys, that could be a whole other film in itself, just those two characters and real-life people. So there wasn’t a lot of shaking everything off, but I was totally happy with that, because I really could not get enough of the story and really convincing myself that I was going to solve it. I was just going to solve every, you know, unanswerable question to this case by obsessing over it for these few weeks.

MODERATOR: Thank you.

QUESTION: Hi, how are you guys?

GROUP: (Hellos.)

QUESTION: So Melanie did gruesome things in order to have the life she wanted. How do you guys feel about her maintaining her innocence even though the evidence proved otherwise? Do you think she was in denial or simply disassociated herself from the crime itself?

MICHAEL ROARK: Ooh, that’s juicy.

Candice King stars in"Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story" on LifetimeCANDICE KING: Well, there’s a lot of circumstantial evidence against Melanie, but that’s what I think is so fascinating about this case is that the actual physical evidence specifically to the condo in which her and Bill lived in they couldn’t find anything within that condo, and that’s what I think — Regardless of what you believe on either side of the case, you have to take that into consideration is, you know, they went four or five times. They took piping from the sinks and to test it and found nothing. So regardless of which side you stand on just, you know, the evidence alone it’s just really interesting based off of what the prosecution came to the courts with.

MICHAEL ROARK: I’ll chime in here. This is something we talked about endlessly on set as well. I do agree. There is, you know, if you look at the facts of the case there’s so many other things other than just, you know, the facts that were presented that even the discovery in the trial seemed like it was a bit off, so we’re not even sure the facts that were presented, you know, are all the information that’s there. And now there’s no smoking gun evidence but, at the same time, Melanie had some really behavior that kind of looks like someone who would be guilty. So, I mean, and this is obviously very much just like the minimal amount that we can, you know, just say like, you know — The case goes on and on but, for me, like how did it affect me coming in, it didn’t. I mean, I played Bill the way I would play Bill, and do I think there’s more to it? Do I think she was guilty? I don’t know. I’ve got opinions on it, but I’d like to hear what everyone else has to say.

QUESTION: Thank you.

KIM RAVER: Yeah, I think — Go ahead —

JACKSON HURST: Yeah, I will take it just for (a hair @ 01:04:05), you know, I was kind of torn. I went in thinking she was guilty, guilty, guilty as charged, and then I started listening to the podcast, of course, and I started doing my own research, and then I realized through, yeah, the forensic evidence that was completely lacking. It was circumstantial evidence and it’s crazy. I mean, you could get into the specifics of a few things but I, to this day, am still pretty torn. But, I mean, that’s what makes it such a riveting story, and Lifetime did a good job, Nicole did a good job at not forcing you to choose sides within the movie but just telling the story and then from there the audience can pick a side however they see fit, and then somebody can break Melanie out of jail and everything — everybody would be happy, boom.

QUESTION: Thank you.

KIM RAVER: I think that’s what’s so great about this film. I mean, the talent in it that tells the story, and the directing of it, that it’s this incredible roller coaster of back and forth, and there’s just there’s moments where you’re like, “Oh, my God. She did it.” “Oh, my God. She didn’t do it.” You know, and I think that that — I mean, unfortunately, it’s a real story, but I think that’s what makes a true crime story to watch so appealing is that there is so much back and forth, and it is such a sort of a ride that you go from one side to the other and just makes it a really great true crime story.

NICOLE THOMPSON: Yes, and I would add, you know, throughout the entire time it was pretty hard not to be torn, because it’s seeing both accounts, but also our goal was to kind of keep it in a way that the audience can, in return, make their decision.

QUESTION: Thank you.

MODERATOR: Thank you.

QUESTION: Hey, my question’s actually for Candice. Did you have to put your mindset in the fact that she was innocent to get an accurate portrayal of her, because I would imagine if you thought she was guilty, I’m not going to ask you to pick sides here, but I’m just wondering did you go into this thinking, yeah, she has to be innocent for me to accurately portray her?

CANDICE KING: Yeah, I mean, I think what any actor usually says to a question like this is that you have to go in servicing the character. So, of course, even though the character is a real person, you know, I am going in telling her story. Now what everyone’s just also shared is there are two different narratives. You know, there’s her story and there is, you know, the reason why she’s in jail, the fact that others believed the prosecution’s story and what they said happened. So, of course, yes, I showed up playing Melanie McGuire as Melanie McGuire and what she shared was her, you know, she still to this day declares innocence, you know, and she passed a polygraph test. It’s not admissible in court, but it’s there. So that’s absolutely the role that I came to. That’s who I was, whose story I was there sharing also while acting out the script and the story that you guys will all see, because it is, of course, we are sharing an entertainment version of these events. So as everyone has said you’re going to have moments of like did she, did she not, and that’s why we’re all turning on the TV to watch something.

QUESTION: Great. Thanks so much.

KIM RAVER: And I think what Candice does so well in this movie, which is so difficult, is it’s not like a one-dimensional “is she guilty/is she not guilty.” She’s such a human being with so many different layers, and that’s really her specific performance in all of these incredible moments and multilayered moments that it just also makes it — It’s so appealing to watch, because you’re watching this real human being go through and navigate such kind of intricate details of her life, and I think that that’s also what’s so fascinating, and it’s performed so well by you, Candice, and really kind of brings us into her world of how someone gets there whether they’re guilty or not guilty, and so that’s also the beauty of the performance.

CANDICE KING: Thank you.

MODERATOR: And so the next question is for Jackson Hurst. What is tough about playing a bad guy of sorts as the doctor who’s having an affair with Melanie McGuire?

JACKSON HURST: Bad guy?

KIM RAVER: I was like bad, (laughs.)

JACKSON HURST: This is news to me. This is the first I’m hearing this.

(Laughter.)

JACKSON HURST: You know what, it’s you don’t look at yourself as a bad guy. In my case, I looked at myself as an endocrinologist who’s in love with a woman, and that’s essentially it, and everything revolves around love, you know, and then at the end of the day did she kill somebody and stuff him in a suitcase, maybe. Do I still love her? Yeah, you know, and at the end of the day, it’s we go to court. I’m sure you guys have all seen the story, but it’s tough to justify all of your actions, but in this case, I loved her, and that’s pretty much it.

MODERATOR: Thank you so much.

QUESTION: I’m here. Yes, I really enjoyed the film, and I’m looking forward to watching it again once it actually comes on TV on June 18th. Can you all talk about any behind-the-scenes moment that was interesting that we wouldn’t have known about since we were not there on set with you?

CANDICE KING: I mean, I think that what was really interesting was how many times we’d find ourselves filming a scene and, all of a sudden, everyone would just stop for a minute and ran — like different people in the crew would go, “I don’t know if she did it. I don’t know if she did — “ because we, and then we’d find ourselves in another scene where they’d go, “No, no, no, no, no, this seems like she did it,” and just it was interesting to be acting out these two different, very different accounts that were presented in court, and I think the two ones — which, Nicole, you can expand on — but the two ones that stick out to me were, one, how much fake blood was in that bathroom and even if you were to drain a body of blood there would still be — You know, if you’ve ever been in a surgical room, my dad’s a doctor, so I’ve been lucky enough to witness a surgery, and it’s messy. You know, it’s not — it’s clean but it’s still very hard to keep it perfectly clean, but they’re going to have blood on the walls, and then the second thing would be throwing suitcases over the bridge, because we actually did that, and they were very difficult, and less than what Melanie would have been pushing over the bridge.

NICOLE THOMPSON: Yes, I can’t chime in with that. Uh, Candice did an amazing job at just demonstrating lifting those suitcases and how much they would have actually weighed in real life, and like it’s like this is actually really difficult to do so just experiencing that, to have it come to life, it was definitely a testament to, you know, what some might say how could this happen or how could it not happen, but I would just say that whether you agree or disagree those moments were definitely some things that we can keep with us as we think about the journey of making this film.

MODERATOR: Thank you. I think we have time for one more question.

QUESTION: Yeah. I wanted to ask you, Candice, the year on “Vampire Diaries,” what do you think you learned from that experience that you could apply to this one?

CANDICE KING: Shaving cream gets out fake blood when it (stains to your skin @ 01:12:46).

KIM RAVER: And tequila at night. No, I’m just kidding.

CANDICE KING: And tequila at night, yes. Those are both two very important facts. I mean, I think what I would apply — We had very long hours. We had a lot of nights on that show. We were 22 to 24 episodes a season, so I think making a lot happen in a short amount of time but, obviously, my time on “Vampire” was very special. You know, it immediately kind of bonds you when you are working those kind of hours together. So I think that that’s also something that could be applied to this experience. We’re all coming in. We were all — You know, the story really did take a hold of all of us at different points throughout the experience. It’s impossible for it not to, and so just to immediately all be showing up to make the best story that we could together is something that I was delighted to be able to experience with a new group of individuals in such a short amount of time.

QUESTION: Thank you.

MODERATOR: Thank you. Well, that concludes today’s Virtual Press Day. Just a quick reminder that “Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story” premieres on Saturday, June 18th at 8/7 Central. A special thank you to the cast and creatives from “Suitcase Killer” and all the panelists that joined us today. Thank you, everyone. As a quick reminder, transcripts and recordings will be available beginning tomorrow. If we didn’t get to your question please feel free to email us at LifetimePR@aenetworks.com, and please be sure to tune into all of our incredible movies all season long, and follow us on social at @LifetimeTV and @LifetimeTVPR. Have a great week and thank you so much.

MORE INFO:

Trailer

poster for "Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story"

Based on a shocking true story, Melanie McGuire (Candice King) was an exceptional fertility nurse, married to her ex-Navy husband Bill (Michael Roark) and doting mother of two boys. When she falls for Brad (Jackson Hurst), a doctor at her clinic, and gets entangled in a steamy love affair, Melanie does the unthinkable. After drugging and murdering Bill, she dismembers him and places the body parts into three suitcases, throwing them into Chesapeake Bay. But when the suitcases are found on the shores of Virginia Beach, an investigation is launched leading to Melanie as the prime suspect. Led by the efforts of assistant attorney general Patti Prezioso (Wendie Malick), authorities eventually bring Melanie to justice, who despite being convicted, continues to maintain her innocence.

Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story is produced by Swirl Films and Big Dreams
Entertainment. Executive producers are Manu Boyer and Kim Raver. As part of the Broader Focus initiative, Nicole L.Thompson makes her directorial debut from a script by Peter O’Brien.

Candice King and Michael Roark in Suitcase Killer: "The Melanie McGuire Story" on LifetimeCandice René King is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her role as Caroline Forbes in The CW supernatural drama series The Vampire Diaries and her recurring role as the same character on the spin-off series The Originals and Legacies.

 

 

Michael Roark was born in Schaumburg, Illinois, USA as Michael Sean Roark. He is an actor, producer and a licensed attorney, known for his roles as Marshall Bennett in Bennett’s War (2019), Kyle Johnson in Beauty and the Beast (2012), Travis Crawford in The Young and the Restless (1973) and Colton Donavan in Driven (2018). He has starred in several television series including Sleepy Hollow (2013), Finding Carter (2014), Banshee (2013) and Grey’s Anatomy (2005).

Jackson Hurst in "Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story" on Lifetime

Jackson Ryan Hurst is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Grayson Kent on the Lifetime comedy series Drop Dead Diva.

 

 

 

Kim Raver of "Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story" on LifetimeKimberly Jayne Raver is an American actress and producer. She is best known for television roles as Dr. Teddy Altman on ABC’s medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, Kim Zambrano on Third Watch, and Audrey Raines on 24.

 

 

Nicole L. ThompsonNicole L. Thompson is a filmmaker born and raised in Newark, New Jersey. Nicole L. Thompson is the Director of Lifetime Network’s film Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story. Nicole is also the Producer for Nickelodeon’s Noggin animated children’s show Rhymes Through Times featuring Nick Jr. characters. Nicole graduated from USC with a MFA in Film & TV Production. Recently, Nicole served as the 2nd Unit Director of Lifetime Television Network Original Film Envy.

 

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Candice King stars in"Suitcase Killer: The Melanie McGuire Story"

Interview with Shila Vosough Ommi

TV Interview!

Shila Ommi

Interview with Shila Vosough Ommi of “Tehran” on Apple TV+ by Thane 5/23/22

It was great to speak with this amazing actress!  Her role of Nahid Kamali expands in season 2 of the show.

 

Here are the questions I asked. We’ll try to get the answers transcribed soon!

1. What made you want to get into acting?

2. You play a sick woman in Tehran. Did you do any research for your role?

3. What do you think about the relationship between your character and her husband?

4. addition to acting, I see you have directed, produced, and performed stand up comedy, too. Which of these do you like doing the most?

5. Was doing stand up comedy a good experience for you?

6. Your IMdB profile says that you speak four or five languages. How did you learn so many?

7. I am interested in the music video that you were the executive producer for. How did that opportunity come about?

8. What do you think of the American media portrayal of Iran? Do you believe that it’s accurate and fair?

9. People say that Hollywood is more diverse, but what about behind the camera? Is it still an old boys club when it comes to traditional TV studios?

10. Has the rise of streaming services helped the diversity in front of the camera?

11. What has been your favorite production that you’ve acted in?

MORE INFO:

Tehran

poster for "Tehran" on Apple TV+

Season 2 release date: May 6, 2022

“Tehran” season two follows Tamar (Niv Sultan), a Mossad hacker-agent who infiltrates Tehran under a false identity to help destroy Iran’s nuclear reactor. But when her mission fails, Tamar must plan an operation that will place everyone dear to her in jeopardy. Two-time Emmy Award winner and Academy Award nominee Glenn Close joins season two, with Shaun Toub, Shervin Alenabi, Arash Marandi and Shila Ommi also returning.

The series is created by Moshe Zonder, Dana Eden and Maor Kohn, and directed by Daniel Syrkin. Omri Shenhar serves as writer alongside Zonder. Syrkin and Shenhar are also co-creators. The executive producers are Eden and Shula Spiegel for Donna and Shula Productions, Alon Aranya for Paper Plane Productions, Julien Leroux for Paper Entertainment, Peter Emerson for Cineflix Studios, and Zonder, Shenhar, Syrkin and Eldad Koblenz for Kan 11. “Tehran” is distributed internationally by Cineflix Rights.

Shila OmmiShila Ommi is an American actress, director, writer and producer who was born in Tehran, Iran, and grew up in Los Angeles.

She has directed and produced award winning plays in Los Angeles, and for over a decade she toured internationally under the name Shila Vosough in an Iranian-American theater production company performing plays in Persian.

Shila directed the feature film, ‘Wake Up Sleeping Beauty’, a psychological dramatic film about a young Iranian-American woman waking up from cultural trappings and ‘curses,’ and coming into her own power. It was produced by the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health.

A graduate of UCLA, Ommi received a Departmental Honors for a ‘Bachelor of Science in Biological Anthropology’ minoring in Biology, where she wrote a published thesis on ‘Parental Investment Among Vervet Monkeys.’ She later attended the Ruskin School of Acting where she studied under the tutelage of John Ruskin and Sir Anthony Hopkins.

In addition to emceeing charities, hosting award shows, moderating and occasionally performing stand-up comedy, Ommi is also a prolific voice-over artist narrating documentaries and voicing characters in animated TV and web series.

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Shaun Toub and Shila Ommi in “Tehran,” now streaming on Apple TV+.

Interview with “Dark Winds” cast

TV Interview!

Dark Winds poster

Interview with TCA panel Zahn McClarnon, Kiowa Gordon, Jessica Matten, Rainn Wilson, Noah Emmerich, Chris Eyre and Graham Roland of “Dark Winds” on AMC/+ by Suzanne 2/10/22

“Dark Winds” premieres today, June 12 on AMC and AMC+. I’m most interested in its star, Zahn McClarnon (who plays Joe Leaphorn), because he was so great on “Longmire,” a show I loved. Noah Emmerich is also great (you might know him from “The Americans” on FX); and, last, but certainly not least, the cast also has Rainn Wilson, who’s always wonderful. This was a fun virtual panel back in February for the TV Critics Association.

AMC NETWORKS
CTAM PRESS TOUR WINTER 2022
AMC+ and AMC
Dark Winds
Graham Roland, Creator, Writer, Executive Producer
Chris Eyre, Director, Executive Producer
Zahn McClarnon, Cast, Executive Producer, “Joe Leaphorn”
Kiowa Gordon, Cast, “Jim Chee”
Jessica Matten, Cast, “Bernadette Manuelito”
Rainn Wilson, Cast, “Devoted Dan”
Noah Emmerich, Cast, “Special Agent Whitover”
2022 Virtual Tour
Los Angeles, CA
February 10, 2022
© 2022 AMC Networks. All rights reserved.

Here is the introduction from the clip they showed us:

Our new series “Dark Winds” is 35 years in the making. It’s based on the popular Leaphorn & Chee Book Series by Tony Hillerman. Robert Redford optioned these books more than three decades ago and we’re honored that this remarkable series has found a home with us. Our dream team is comprised of Native American Director and Executive Producer Chris Eyre, Native American Actor and Executive Producer Zahn McClarnon, who also starred in AMC’s “The Son,” Native American Writer-Creator Graham Roland, and Redford as well as George R.R. Martin who also serve as Executive Producers. We’re proud of this show for so many reasons. For starters, Leaphorn & Chee are two iconic characters that will live right alongside Don Draper, Walter White, Rick Grimes, and others in the AMC Hall of Fame. It’s a thrilling murder mystery that takes place in and around the lands of the Navajo Nation in the Monument Valley, which hasn’t been accessed for filming since the days of John Ford. And also, the series features the rich and vibrant Navajo culture and community in ways it’s never been seen before. “Dark Winds” is set to premiere this summer on AMC+ and AMC.

Zahn McClarnon of "Dark Winds" on AMC+.Zahn told us that the cast and his experience on the show were “wonderful,” and he believes the series will be a hit because of George R.R. Martin and Robert Redford being Executive Producers. He’s excited to be working at this current time because not only are there more indigenous actors in TV shows that ever, but he hopes that this show opens doors for more indigenous talent behind the scenes of the shows. He’s glad to see it happening in our “unique time … with Native representation in media.”

Zahn was then asked a specific question about his role on the show as Joe: how torn is Joe as a “police officer trying to solve this crime” and as a member of his Native community? He was also asked if he had any trouble wearing two hats (that of actor and executive producer).

Zahn reminded us that Joe “is a Navajo tribal cop who is tasked to solve these double murders and also a bank robbery.” He pointed out that many tribal police members don’t get much cooperation from the people in “indigenous communities,” and they’re made to feel like they’re outsiders. Joe is also struggling with losing someone in his family and juggling all of these things at once. He has to make peace with both the people in his community as well as the FBI, and it’s very difficult for him. Zahn is new to being executive producer, but he admits that he was given a lot of support from his fellow cast. He learned quite a bit, which he found to be very positive. He hopes to be able to use his experiences next time, either in another season of this show, or in another show. He has his “fingers crossed” for all of that.

The other actors were asked about working with Zahn and how much they knew about him before filming the series.

Kiowa said that he met Zahn in 2013. “We were working on ‘The Red Road’ for Sundance TV and he immediately was just like the coolest guy ever. And I was taking a liking to him, and I followed his career throughout there. And he’s been a huge inspiration for me, so it’s great to be able to work with him in such a capacity.”

Jessica added that she met both Zahn and Kiowa on the set of the show “Frontier.” She commented that they’ve both been like family to her, so “it was a complete joy to hop on board this and do it with family. It’s been so collaborative.” She added about Zahn, “First and foremost, I knew him as a human being and a person, and he was wonderful. And then I was like, oh, he’s kind of a big deal.” There was a bit of joking around after that.

Jessica then continued seriously about how great it is to make these friendships and then to “uplift our community in the best way that we can.” She also admitted that she is a big fan of Rainn’s, so it was extraordinary to meet him. She also confided that she “drove almost two hours to set” to meet Rainn, even though she wasn’t shooting with him. She was very nervous, so she didn’t tell him that. She joked around a bit and then said that she called him “The BeyoncĂ© of my life.” Rainn was amazed and flattered to hear this, and he made his own jokes.

Rainn thanked her and then went on to praise the show’s scripts, set design, costume design, etc. He especially loves the ’70s feel to it and said it’s “just such a pleasure to be a part of this show.” His part is a fun supporting role, which he describes as “the epitome of corruption, which was super fun.” He predicts that Zahn will win many acting awards because of his performance in this show.

Zahn thanked Rainn as well. He mentioned his age a few times during the panel but said that he feels like he must have worked with every single Native actor or actress in the TV and film community. He noted that the cast is “exciting,” and he can’t wait for us all to see the show.

Jessica Matten and Kiowa Gordon of "Dark Winds" on AMC and AMC+.Jessica went on to praise their director, Chris Eyre: “for us Native kids growing up, the film ‘Smoke Signals’ was a very big film.” She mentioned that it “really put Natives in a very contemporary setting, so it’s very full-circle for me to be able to work with Chris…because I grew up in awe of that movie and what he created. And to be able to work [in this], it’s just magical.” She gushed quite a bit, but it was very charming.

One journalist asked Rainn about his character, “Devoted Dan,” and how he compares to Rainn’s other characters from his past work. Rainn replied that he’s never played a character like this before. He joked a bit about showing some skin in the series. He also described him in this way: “he’s a car dealer, and a double dealer, and a born-again, and a preacher, and wherever there’s corruption happening around, you’ll find Devoted Dan right in the middle of it.” He also added, “I asked for the largest cowboy hat they could find and it dwarfed my already enormous head.” He said that he’s very happy to be part of the show.

The director agreed with Rainn and also pointed out how great Noah was in this show.

Noah also said that he was grateful to be part of it, “a project that is so fundamental in bringing unheard voices to light in our culture that have not been recognized, that have not been paid attention to, that Hollywood has sort of reduced and presented clichĂ©. This is a full, three-dimensional examination of these characters and I just was grateful to be the outsider, to be the minority. It was a new experience.”

Zahn joked with Noah by saying that he was “around a long time, too” and also praised his long and impressive rĂ©sumĂ©. There was more joking around. Noah, too, loved Chris’ movie “Smoke Signals,” which he saw in the theater.

The moderator also asked everyone how they felt to be involved with the series, which took 35 years to get here. Of course, they’re all glad to be a part of it. Kiowa was somewhat philosophical about it, saying, “I’m just saying it’s a long time coming. Good things happen to those that wait and I think we’re all born to be here and making this right now, so here we are. So thank you all for coming together and making this awesome story.”

Jessica is Canadian. She said that up there, they’re called “First Nations” and have a small network called “the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network,” where they were able to tell many stories. However, getting past that into other networks has been difficult. She’s very grateful to AMC and the others to be their allies and to “continue to humanize the experience of being indigenous in this day and age or even in the 1970s where this show is taking place.”

Chris told us that the writers on the show were all “Native American writers,” including three that were of Navajo origin. They also had support from the president of the Navajo Nation as well as Navajo consultants. He also said, “It’s been 35 years in the making, but George and Bob were both fans of Hillerman, and all of us were as well. So, to bring that to the screen now is just a dream come true.”

Graham credited Chris for being on this project the longest, along with George R.R. Martin and Robert Redford. He added, “it shows the passion that Robert Redford had for this project and the importance he thought of getting a story like this put in front of a mainstream audience. So, a lot of credit goes to him for keeping up that fight for so long. ”

Another person from the press asked Chris a tough question. He thought that the show attacks the old western movie-making from the John Ford days and disparages the actors from them, and the hotel that had rooms named after the actors. He asked if there were some bad feelings about those days. He also asked about filming in the same areas where those old westerns were made. Chris took the second question, saying he loved those areas, such as Monument Valley, and the rest of the Southwest. He thinks of it all as part of the American story, and it’s all mashed together and seen through the eyes of their characters. He avoided the first question.

Graham answered the other question with great finesse. He pointed out that the hotel, which is based on a real one, had rooms with the names of the famous actors, but many of of them were white people playing the Natives. He was quick to point out that he loves those old westerns. They had to acknowledge in this series what it was in reality, and he doesn’t think that he went out of his way to intentionally put the westerns down. It was a great end to an amazing panel!

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View Trailer 

Based on the iconic Leaphorn & Chee book series by Tony Hillerman, Dark Winds is a psychological thriller that follows two Navajo police officers in the 1970s Southwest, as their search for clues in a grisly double murder case forces them to challenge their own spiritual beliefs and come to terms with the trauma of their pasts. Created and executive produced by Graham Roland (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, The Returned, Almost Human, Fringe), the series stars Zahn McClarnon (The Son, Westworld, Fargo), who is also an executive producer, Kiowa Gordon (The Red Road, Roswell, New Mexico), and Jessica Matten (Tribal, Burden of Truth). Vince Calandra (Castle Rock, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Sharp Objects) is showrunner and an executive producer. Chris Eyre is director and executive producer. Executive producers include George R.R. Martin, Robert Redford, Tina Elmo and Vince Gerardis.

AMC and AMC+ today released the trailer and key art of its upcoming original series, Dark Winds. The noir thriller, based on the iconic Leaphorn & Chee book series by Tony Hillerman, premieres Sunday, June 12 on AMC and AMC+, with the first two episodes available on AMC+. One new episode will debut every Sunday on AMC, and AMC+ subscribers will have advance access to an additional episode each week, beginning June 19.

Set in 1971 on a remote outpost of the Navajo Nation near Monument Valley, Dark Winds follows Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon, The Son, Westworld, Fargo) of the Tribal Police as he is besieged by a series of seemingly unrelated crimes. The closer he digs to the truth, the more he exposes the wounds of his past. He is joined on this journey by his new deputy, Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon, The Red Road, Roswell, New Mexico). Chee, too, has old scores to settle from his youth on the reservation. Together, the two men battle the forces of evil, each other and their own personal demons on the path to salvation.

Created and executive produced by Graham Roland (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan), the AMC original series stars award-winning film and television actor Zahn McClarnon, who also serves as an executive producer, Kiowa Gordon and Jessica Matten (Tribal, Burden of Truth) as Bernadette Manuelito. Dark Winds also stars Noah Emmerich (The Americans, Suspicion) as FBI Special Agent Whitover, Deanna Allison as Joe’s wife Emma Leaphorn, and features Rainn Wilson (The Office, Backstrom) as Devoted Dan, a full-of-faith car salesman.

Vince Calandra (Castle Rock, Sharp Objects) is showrunner and executiChris Eyreve producer.  is director and executive producer. Executive producers include George R.R. Martin, Robert Redford, Tina Elmo and Vince Gerardis.

About AMC

AMC is home to some of the most popular and acclaimed programs on television. AMC was the first basic cable network to ever win the Emmy¼ Award for Outstanding Drama Series with Mad Men in 2008, which then went on to win the coveted award four years in a row, before Breaking Bad won it in 2013 and 2014. The network’s series The Walking Dead is the highest-rated series in cable history. AMC’s current original drama series are Better Call Saul, Fear the Walking Dead, Kevin Can F*** Himself, The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead: World Beyond and the forthcoming series 61st Street, Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire, Anne Rice’s Mayfair Witches, Dark Winds, Moonhaven, Pantheon, Ragdoll and Tales of the Walking Dead, among others. AMC also explores authentic worlds and discussion with original shows like Talking Dead, AMC Visionaries and Ride with Norman Reedus. AMC is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc. and its sister networks include IFC, SundanceTV, BBC America and WE tv. AMC is available across all platforms, including on-air, online, on demand and mobile.

About AMC+

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

Zahn McClarnon

Zahn McClarnon is an award winning film and television actor who has appeared in over 80 film and television productions. He is most known for his role as “Hanzee Dent” in the second installment of the critically- acclaimed series Fargo, his recurring role of “Akecheta” on HBO’s award- winning series Westworld, and for his portrayal of “Officer Mathias” on the television series Longmire.

Zahn was also a series regular on National Geographic’s Barkskins, starring opposite Marcia Gay Harden and David Thewlis, and on the AMC show The Son. McClarnon has most recently co-starred in the crime-thriller The Silencing starring alongside Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, and in the Stephen King film, Doctor Sleep. Zahn is currently recurring on the upcoming FX series Reservation Dogs, the much anticipated Disney+ series Hawkeye, and stars in the upcoming film The Last Manhunt with Jason Momoa. McClarnon is currently starring in and an executive producer for the AMC series Dark Winds.

Kiowa Gordon

Kiowa is a prolific Native American actor with award winning film and television credits. Born in Berlin, Germany, he moved to the States shortly thereafter to live on the Hualapai Indian Reservation in Peach Springs, AZ and moved around quite a bit growing up until settling down in Phoenix, AZ where he landed the role of Embry Call in THE TWILIGHT SAGA. In 2013, Kiowa won Best Supporting Actor at the American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco for his role in the indie film, THE LESSER BLESSED. On the small screen, Kiowa had a Series Regular role in the Sundance original series, THE RED ROAD, starring Jason Momoa, Julianne Nicholson and Martin Henderson and Guest Starred on the Netflix series FRONTIER. In 2019, he had lead roles in 2 features which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival – BLOOD QUANTUM (multiple festival nom and winner) from director Jeff Barnaby and CASTLE IN THE GROUND (TIFF nominated for best Canadian feature) from director Joey Klein. That year he also had roles in the Netflix comedy LADY DYNAMITE, a recurring in the technologically groundbreaking series THE LIBERATOR from A+E Studios for Netflix, and a recurring role on the CW series ROSWELL.

More recent work includes a lead in the feature TWO EYES, directed by award winning filmmaker Travis Fine which was the closing film at Outfest 2020, and a cameo in Taika Waititi’s RESERVATION DOGS (FX).

Up next, he just wrapped his Series Regular role as JIM CHEE on the forthcoming series DARK WINDS for AMC, based on the book series from Tom Hillerman, and produced by George R. R. Martin and Robert Redford.

Jessica Mattsen

Jessica Matten is of Red River Metis-Cree descent and is directly a descendant of Cuthbert Grant, the first rebel Metis leader famously known for the Battle of the Seven Oaks in Canada. Most recently, Jessica is set to star in Robert Redford, George R.R. Martin (Game of Thrones) and Graham Roland’s produced “Dark Winds” television series opposite Zahn McClarnon and Kiowa Gordon for the AMC Network this Fall 2021.

Jessica is the star and Associate Producer of the new critically acclaimed Crime Drama “Tribal” Season 2 the on APTN Network.

Jessica stars in Season 3 of Discovery Canada & Netflix’s TV show “Frontier” starring Jason Momoa. She also can be seen in the new CW Network and CBC drama alongside Kristin Kruek in “Burden of Truth”. Jessica also can be seen in the upcoming comic adaptation movie “The Empty Man” for Disney/20th Century Fox studios.

Jessica can be seen on 3 Canadian Screen Award nominated and winning shows: Frontier, Blackstone and Mohawk Girls.

Jessica has developed a small cult following in North America for her performance in the starring role of Elle-Maija Tailfeather’s short film, “A Red Girl’s Reasoning”. Other TV and films include the Gemini award winning show “Blackstone” and “Pilgrims” written and directed by Marie Clements that Jessica starred in, was an official selection for the Cannes Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival 2013.

Besides acting, Jessica runs an Indigenous wellness and fitness company with her family called Lemon Cree where they have helped thousands of Indigenous people achieve their fitness, wellness and health goals. She also runs the viral campaign #N8Vgirls to help spread awareness globally on the issue of murdered and missing Indigenous women in Canada.

She is currently in development with Herd of 1 Media with Julian Black Antelope creating an Indigenous Film Academy. The Counting Coup Indigenous Film Academy (“CCIFA”) is a progressive, state-of-the-art, holistic educational environment for intense creative work, where emerging and aspiring First Nations artists can effectively and successfully gain expertise and experience and establish the foundations of a professional film career.

Jessica ran multiple monthly articles and the magazine “Active Cree” distributed monthly to 60,000 people and 10 communities across the James Bay area throughout Northern Ontario. She is a guest speaker along with her mother across North America called: “Indigenous Women Breaking Barriers: A Mother and Daughter Story”. Jessica also instructs acting workshops, and has had many wonderful success stories with the youth over the years.

Rainn Wilson

Rainn Wilson is an American television and movie actor, director, writer, and producer. He became a household name in 2005 with his inimitable portrayal of ‘Dwight Schrute’ in the U.S. version of the popular British sitcom, The Office. His first breakthrough role came when he played assistant mortician ‘Arthur Martin’ in HBO’s Six Feet Under, winning him a Screen Actors Guild Award for “Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.” He then went on to appear in films like Almost Famous, House of 1000 Corpses, and America’s Sweethearts. Wilson catapulted to fame during his nine seasons on the Emmy-winning comedy, The Office, in which he also directed three episodes. He has starred in films like The Rocker, Monsters vs. Aliens, The Meg, and Don’t Tell A Soul. On the TV side, Wilson has also starred in the Fox crime drama Backstrom, where he played the lead role of ‘Everett Backstrom,’ and in Amazon Prime’s Utopia as ‘Michael Stearns.’

Wilson has an MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and spent ten years doing theatre in New York before moving to Los Angeles. Wilson founded the YouTube channel Soul Pancake, which has over 3.5 million subscribers, and he published his memoir The Bassoon King: My Life in Art, Faith, and Idiocy in 2015. He is originally from Seattle, Washington.

Rainn Wilson will next be seen opposite Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening in the film Jerry and Marge Go Large for Paramount+ and as ‘Devoted Dan’ in AMC’s Dark Winds.

Noah Emmerich

Noah Emmerich recently completed the Netflix feature “The Good Nurse” opposite Jessica Chastain and Eddie Redmayne. He is currently shooting the AMC series “Dark Winds” and will next be seen starring in the Apple series “Suspicion” opposite Uma Thurman. On the comedic side, Emmerich continues his role of “General Kick Grabaston” opposite Steve Carrell in the Netflix series “Space Force.” He was last seen co-starring in the Netflix mini-series “The Spy” opposite Sacha Baron Cohen.

Emmerich’s breakout performance was in Ted Demme’s cult hit “Beautiful Girls” alongside Natalie Portman, Uma Thurman, and Matt Dillon. His next role, opposite Jim Carrey in Peter Weir’s Academy Award-nominated “The Truman Show,” firmly established his outstanding talent.

Emmerich’s film work includes Todd Field’s Academy Award nominated “Little Children” (Kate Winslet), J.J. Abrams’ “Super 8,” Gavin O’Connor’s “Pride & Glory” (Edward Norton, Colin Farrell), Doug Liman’s “Fair Game” (Naomi Watts, Sean Penn), “Sympathy for Delicious” (Mark Ruffalo), “Miracle” (Kurt Russell), “Frequency” (Dennis Quaid), “Beyond Borders” (Angelina Jolie, Clive Owen), “Windtalkers” (Nicolas Cage), “Life” (Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence), “Copland” (Sylvester Stallone, Robert DeNiro, Harvey Keitel), Guillaume Canet’s “Blood Ties” (Marion Cotillard, Clive Owen, and Zoe Saldana), “Warrior” (Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton), and “Jane Got A Gun” (Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor) and “The Wild Wedding” (Glenn Close, John Malkovich).

Emmerich played FBI Agent Stan Beeman opposite Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys on F/X’s critically acclaimed drama series “The Americans.” His performance was recognized with a Critic’s Choice Award and a SAG Award nomination. He also appeared to great acclaim as Dr. Edwin Jenner in Frank Darabont’s long running hit series “The Walking Dead.” He has guest starred on shows including “The West Wing,” “Monk,” and “Master of None.”

Emmerich’s stage work includes Stephen Belber’s “Fault Lines” at the Cherry Lane (dir. David Schwimmer) and the Kennedy Center’s production of “A Streetcar Named Desire” opposite Patricia Clarkson.

Emmerich received an honors degree in history from Yale University and studied filmmaking at New York University. He was born and raised in New York City, where he currently resides.

Chris Eyre

Chris Eyre (Cheyenne/Arapaho) is an internationally recognized film and television director and producer who has received many awards for his work including, a Peabody (1998, 2009), an Emmy (2005) and the Sundance Audience Award and Sundance Filmmaker’s Trophy (1998).

Eyre began his career by attended the graduate film program at New York University and went on to the Sundance Institute’s Directors’ Lab being mentored by Robert Redford in 1995.

Chris Eyre’s directorial debut was the Miramax Classic Film “SMOKE SIGNALS (1998),” which won Eyre the 1998 Sundance Filmmakers’ Trophy and the 1998 Sundance Audience Award. 20 years later, in 2018, “SMOKE SIGANALS (1998) was inducted by the U.S. Library of Congress to the National Film Registry for movies “of historic and cultural significance to be preserved for all time.”

Eyre’s television credits as a director include multiple episodes of “FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS” (NBC) and work on “LAW AND ORDER – SVU” (NBC), as well as directing the award-winning dramatic mini-series “WE SHALL REMAIN” (2009) for PBS.

Eyre’s film “EDGE OF AMERICA (2004)” was selected as the “Opening Night” film at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, and garnered Eyre the highly prestigious, Outstanding Directorial Achievement from the Directors Guild of America (DGA) in 2005.

Eyre has directed and/or produced over fifteen-feature films. Including Eyre’s SXSW award winner for Best Cinematography “HIDE AWAY (2012)” starring Josh Lucas and James Cromwell released theatrically in May 2012.

In 2015, Eyre executive produced the documentary feature film “THE SEVENTH FIRE (2015),” with fellow producers Terrence Malick and Natalie Portman. In 2016, THE SEVENTH FIRE was invited to screen at The White House in Washington, D.C.

In 2017, Eyre was named annual-honorary Chair at the University of Hawaii in memory of the late Senator Daniel Inouye. Later 2017, Eyre’s company created and supervised the cultural team that advised language and Cheyenne Native American culture for the Christian Bale feature film “HOSTILES (2018)” directed by Scott Cooper.

Chris Eyre is currently directing a television series, DARK WINDS with fellow producers George RR Martin (Game of Thrones) and Robert Redford for AMC Networks.

Chris Eyre resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Chris Eyre is represented by Frank Wuliger at the Gersh Agency, manager Andrew Hersh at Thrive Entertainment and attorney Eric Feig in Los Angeles.

Graham Roland

Graham is a former US Marine and has written on PRISON BREAK, LOST, FRINGE, and THE RETURNED.  Graham would later co-create JACK RYAN with Carlton Cuse, which has already been ordered for a fourth season. In addition to his work in television, Graham also wrote and executive produced MILE 22 for Peter Berg and Mark Wahlberg.

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"Dark Winds" cast members on the TCA panel - all photos from actors' social media or Amazon

Interview with Joel Kinnaman

TV Interview!

 

Joel Kinnaman of "For All Mankind" on Apple TV+

Interview with Joel Kinnaman of “For All Mankind” on Apple TV+ by Suzanne 6/2/22

It was great to speak with Joel. He’s one of my favorite actors, ever since “The Killing.” He’s wonderful in every show or movies he’s in. I only had 5 minutes to speak with him, but it was still great.  If you’re not watching this show, you should be…especially if you’re a fan of sci-fi or history. It’s a little slow at times but definitely worth the wait. Season 3 starts June 10! Keep reading below the interview for more information about Joel and the show.

Suzanne: So, can you tell us about your character this season?

Joel: Yeah, so,  we’re three decades into “For All Mankind,” and Ed Baldwin’s journey… You know, it’s fascinating to get to play someone over three decades. It’s a big chunk of a life. And, I think 10 years ago (something like that), I read a summary of this big study that three American universities (and I’m blanking on which ones they were), but they did this big study on personality where they studied personality over four decades. And what they realized was that every 10 years we’ve basically become a new person. That’s how much we change. So it was very fascinating to get to portray that. And, of course, we feel similar inside because we still carry the experiences, but we basically become new people. So that’s something that’s very present in my mind when I go into a new season here… you know, we change so much, but at the same time, we’re the same.

On our show, it’s been such a great journey on this because at the end of the first season, I think it was pretty hard for people to understand what the show really was, you know, because it doesn’t really reveal itself until the second and third season. I kept saying that on interviews after the first season: “Look, this is what it is now, but this is not the show.” It’s not like “Mad Men,” you know, in a NASA environment. This show is going to move really quickly in time. And every season is going to jump. It’s going to end up being the most grounded sci-fi show ever made. That’s where this is headed, and there’s going to be…there’s no official link, but at the end of this show, [it answers the question] how do you get from the space race of the late sixties to “Star Trek?” And “For All Mankind” might have something with that.

Suzanne: Hmm. That is interesting. Yeah. Thank you. I know you have to avoid spoilers, but is there anything in specific that you can tell us about what Ed goes through this season? I watched the first few episodes. I haven’t watched the rest yet, but…

Joel: Well, you know, Ed lost his son and, and then he lost his best friend. And his best friend’s son, Danny, was best friends with his son. So Danny should become his son [in Ed’s mind]. And that’s how Ed sees him, you know? Ed views him like, this is a chance for you to become my son. It has the potential to heal the wound and the void of Shane and also to give love and respect to his best friend, Gordo. But Danny’s just a different person and, and he doesn’t view Ed the same way that Ed views him. And I think the journey between Ed and Danny over the course of the third season is so fascinating. Also, because, you know, Danny’s very fascinated with Karen, Ed’s wife. Um, Fascinating. [In character] He’s fucked my wife! Ed doesn’t know about it, but…

Suzanne: Right. (Laughs)

Joel: (Laughs)

Suzanne: Well, thank you so much. I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with us today.

Joel: (Laughs) My pleasure.

Suzanne: All right. Talk to you later.

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Poster for "For All Mankind" Season 3 on Apple TV+.

The race continues as Apple reveals trailer for adrenaline-fueled third season of space drama “For All Mankind” 

Critically acclaimed Apple Original from Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi returns Friday, June 10 on Apple TV+

Watch Trailer: https://youtu.be/M4EOW9oqZ4k

Apple TV+ today released the trailer for the highly anticipated third season of “For All Mankind.” The trailer sees the alternate-reality series jump ahead nearly ten years, moving into the early ‘90s with a high-octane race to a new planetary frontier: MARS. The critically-acclaimed series, from Emmy Award-winner Ronald D. Moore, Matt Wolpert and Ben Nedivi, will make its global debut on Friday, June 10, 2022 on Apple TV+. The ten-episode third season will premiere with the first episode, followed by one new episode weekly every Friday through August 12, 2022.

In season three, the Red Planet becomes the new frontier in the Space Race not only for the U.S. and the Soviet Union, but also an unexpected new entrant with a lot to prove and even more at stake. Our characters find themselves going head-to-head as their ambitions for Mars come into conflict and their loyalties are tested, creating a pressure cooker that builds to a climactic conclusion.

The ensemble cast returning for season three includes Joel Kinnaman, Shantel VanSanten, Jodi Balfour, Sonya Walger, Krys Marshall, Cynthy Wu, Casey Johnson, Coral Peña and Wrenn Schmidt, along with new series regular Edi Gathegi who will play ‘Dev Ayesa,’ a charismatic visionary with his sights set on the stars.

“For All Mankind” is created by Emmy Award-winner Ronald D. Moore, and Emmy Award nominees Ben Nedivi & Matt Wolpert.  Nedivi & Wolpert serve as showrunners, and executive produce alongside Moore and Maril Davis of Tall Ship Productions, as well as David Weddle, Bradley Thompson and Nichole Beattie.“For All Mankind” is produced by Sony Pictures Television.

The first two seasons of “For All Mankind” are now available to stream on Apple TV+.

Apple TV+ offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all your favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries, and series have been honored with more than 200 wins and 900 award nominations and counting.

About Apple TV+

Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for $4.99 per month with a seven-day free trial. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.*

FOR MORE INFORMATION

“For All Mankind” on Apple TV+: apple.co/–forallmankind

Instagram: apple.co/forallmankind_

Facebook: apple.co/ForAllMankind-

Twitter: apple.co/For-All-Mankind-

Hashtag: #ForAllMankind #AppleTV

Joel Kinnaman, star of "For All Mankind" on Apple TV+Joel Kinnaman Bio

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Wrenn Schmidt and Joel Kinnaman in "For All Mankind," premiering June 10, 2022 on Apple TV+.

Interview with Eric Kripke, Karl Urban, Chace Crawford, Claudia Doumit, Antony Starr and Erin Moriarty

TV Interview!

"The Boys" on Amazon Prime

Interview with Eric Kripke, Karl Urban, Chace Crawford, Claudia Doumit, Antony Starr and Erin Moriarty of “The Boys” on Prime Video by Suzanne 6/1/22

This is one of my favorite shows, even though it’s exceedingly violent and gory. I just love the characters, the story and the humor. I was very happy to be included in this year’s press day for the show. They didn’t allow us to record the video, unfortunately. Also, I was not able to ask Starr and Moriarity a question because the other journalists asked questions that were way too long. We were told to only ask one question, with no followup, but they didn’t follow the rules. We’re very limited in time. It’s such a shame, but I’ve included their questions here, at least. I heard that many journalists were asking some very bawdy questions about certain sex scenes in the show! It was pretty funny…You will understand more when you see the whole Season 3!

Showrunner Eric Kripke and star Karl Urban (Billy)

Suzanne: Oh, hi. Eric, one thing I’ve noticed with a lot of action shows is that it seems that they have to keep upping the ante every season on action and violence to keep the fans happy. Is this a pressure that you feel, or do you put pressure on yourself instead?

Eric: I actually don’t… we never tried to play the game of topping ourselves because I think it never leads to a really creatively, rich or fertile direction because you’re only thinking about steps and not about the characters. So what I always say in the [writers’] room is [that] the mandate is, “Don’t try to go bigger, try to go deeper.” And, “What’s a new aspect of all of these characters that we haven’t seen yet?” That every season has to get you even closer to the core of who they are. And that’s really challenging because you got to come up with new– you got to keep finding stuff that’s even deeper than the thing you did the season before. But if you… once you find that, then you say, okay, what’s the best way to dramatize that in this insane world that the show takes place in, and then that just kind of inevitably leads to these bananas moments. I really, swear to God, I don’t try to have it be bigger. I think the deeper you go into these characters and the more, you know, extreme their emotions are… just when you dramatize them, it just results in these, like, bat shit moments.

Suzanne: Like giving Karl’s character super powers?

Eric: Right. For example.

Karl: The explosive opening sequence was really born out of one of the worst allergy attacks, uh, you’ve ever had, right? [Laughs]

Eric: Right.

Suzanne: Well, thank you very much.

Karl: Thank you.

Henry: Thank you both for your time today. Amazing season. I love the show. I just want to start off by asking Eric, how long have you been waiting for Jensen Ackles to be available after you worked with him on “Supernatural?” It feels like this has been a placeholder character for him because of how you’ve worked with him in the past and how you know he’s going to do. And to Karl, we talked about going deeper and not bigger. What was it like to go find that the deeper you go into Billy Butcher, you sort of see a character that is getting… we started getting more comparisons to Homelander and how much of a threat and danger he is to those around him? And what have you felt about exposing that character in that way.

Karl: Okay. That was a great question. Um, yeah, I mean, in terms of elements about Homeland and Butcher, which have a similarity about them… in my opinion, the biggest similarity between them is the fact that they are both driven to destroy each other, and they are… neither of them are happy with the status quo. Uh, and on that issue alone, I think there is common ground, but fundamentally they’re quite different characters. And, uh, you know, think that, yes, Butcher has done some highly questionable things, and obviously Homelander has, too, but to my mind…I don’t even see that there are opposite sides of the same coin. I think they really both have so many different, wonderful shades with them, and then some of them overlap.

Eric: To answer your Jennson question. Uh, how long have I been waiting? About 15 years. Look, obviously, I love Jensen, and I’m not sure if you’ve heard or not, but I worked with him for a minute. So, when you do that many seasons of a TV show, you put them through every possible emotional permutation, you know, and one of the things I love about Jensen is how adept he is at every single thing you throw at him. He can be emotional, he can be scary, he can be funny, he can be charming, he can be sweet. Because of that, it allowed me to put all of those colors into Soldier Boy. Because [with] Soldier Boy, we needed him to be all of those things. And so it’s fun. It always takes you a minute as the writers and the actors are kind of feeling each other out to really start writing, like, “Oh, okay.” It starts to meld into one beautiful thing. I think that’s what we’re doing with all “The Boys” characters right now. So it was nice to have a new character show up, and for me to immediately be able to do that instead of having to go through that same process of discovery.

Monica: I’m going to just go right in. So, Karl, Butcher hates supes, obviously, but you’re slowly, you know, taking the temp V. So is he becoming something that he’s ultimately going to end up hating, or is he even aware of it as the season goes on? And then for Eric… music has been a huge part of the show. This will all come out later, but the musical episode was fantastic, so I wanted to ask about the constant use of Billy Joel. And if you have other musical things that you plan on doing, maybe a musical episode? And then, will Soldier Boy be back for next season?

Karl: Wow. A lot going on there.

Eric: Yeah.

Monica: I threw it all out! (Laughs)

Karl: Yeah, So, the moral dilemma for Butcher this season is, “Are you willing to turn yourself into the monster in order to defeat the monster?” And in Butcher’s case, the frustration that he feels has become so palpable, the danger that he senses in terms of Homelander getting closer to discovering the location of Ryan, and his general frustration with the lack of traction that he’s getting in taking down The Seven in conventional ways means that he decides to take that step and the wonderful thing about the way that it’s written is that Butcher is actually quite self-aware along the way. And he has, you know, a wonderful conversation with M.M., where he is, you know, pretty candid about that. He’s under no illusions as to exactly who he is. And then, he also has a great conversation with somebody else where he discusses the nature of power and what it does to people. So I think that it’s very cleverly written, and Butcher is a hundred percent aware that he’s making a very morally bankrupt choice. But he decides to do it anyway. And in true, “Boys” fashion, when you make the right choice, you get rewarded. And when you make the wrong choice, you get punished. And you know, every character in the show this season is really kind of faced with a precipice, and they have to decide whether they’re going to leap or not.

Eric: Yeah, just to.. (and then I’ll talk about the music thing) One thing that’s interesting that Karl touched on that we all talk about is: for as crazy and cynical as “The Boys” is, we take a lot of care to make sure it takes place in a moral universe. And you can tell who will win or lose this season based on the decisions they’re making. And is it a morally solid decision, or is it a morally bankrupt decision? And you can go through almost every season, for sure, and when they make the wrong choice, they tend to lose the season. And when they make the right choice, they tend to win it.

Eric: Um, in terms of the music…

Karl: And we’ll say, that is why Butcher has never won a season

(Both laugh)

Eric: It’s hard for Butcher to win a season.

Karl: Yeah, yeah. In terms of the music…

Eric: He’ll win at the end. Um, you know, in terms of like where the Billy Joel came from… where it really came from was [this: in] season one, we really scored all the needle drops from Butcher’s point of view. So it was all, like, a lot of punk rock. And then [in] season two, we thought, just to mix it up, we would score all the needle drops from Huey’s point of view…and Huey really loves yacht rock; that’s his thing. So Billy Joel was kind of a perfect, uh, indicator. And then each Billy Joel song really represents the emotions that he was going through that season. So it became this bizarre rock opera of Huey steps that we really loved. And in terms of the musical number this season… I’m just a huge fan of Hollywood musicals. Like, I love them, like, they’re so brilliantly done, and I’ve just been hungry to get a number in. I don’t think we’ll be able to do a whole musical episode because “The Boys” is just not that stylized of a show. It takes pains to take place in our version of reality; but to be able to like, just have a completely candy-colored, innocent sweetness in the middle of our, you know, bloody little milkshake was just a treat. And you can’t watch that sequence without a big smile on your face.

Karl: Entire musical episodes usually happen in season eight or nine when the writers are completely dried up of ideas.

Eric: We hope to be long gone [by then]. That’s a wrap around when Butcher moves to Hawaii and adopts a precocious child, and we’re going to get out before that.

Sophia: Karl, Eric, it’s such a pleasure to speak with both of you. Thank you for taking the time. So I just want to ask both of you the same question, just phrased differently. Eric, obviously we have a season four, which I’m so excited for, but do you have any sort of end in mind? Not that I want it to end any time soon, but do you have anything for it? And then Carl, is there anything you’d like to do with your character before the show comes to an end?

Eric: Yes. We’re thinking about it all building towards a thing, but also, I was in many interviews saying that “Supernatural” wraps out in five years. Um, So, there’s literally no other person in television history, more wrong about the length of their show…

Karl: (Laughs)

Eric: Literally, like this isn’t even hyperbole, like… I’m the most wrong that anyone’s ever been about how long a show goes. So I have learned my lesson and I do not publicly say how long I think the show should go. We’ll see how it.

Karl: I, too, have learned my lesson never to articulate any desires about what my character should or shouldn’t do in a show.

Eric: (Laughs)

Karl: Because as soon as an actor articulates it, it will never happen.

Eric: Or it’ll happen in such a horrible way…

Karl: Exactly.

Eric: He’ll regret having ever brought up.

Karl: Even furthermore, ma’am, I will not tell Krip what I do not want to do because that is a hundred percent guaranteed to make it into the show.

Eric: Can I tell you something? Someone said to me, during one of these interviews today, “You know, I was just interviewing Erin, and she really pointed out she hasn’t been covered in blood yet.”

Karl: (Laughs)

Eric: And I was like, that was a mistake. Yeah.

(Both laugh)

Karl: Laz* made the same mistake.

Eric: Yeah, he really did.

[*Laz Alonso, who plays M.M.]

As we said our goodbyes, I not only thanked them for the interview but for including one of my favorite actors because he has a great small part this season. I can’t say who that is, sorry!

Chace Crawford (Kevin AKA The Deep) and Claudia Doumit (Victoria Neuman)

Moderator: Hello, everyone. Just a friendly reminder to keep your mics muted, unless you’re asking a question. And Suzanne, you can take the next one.

Suzanne: Hi! You both… your characters are not what we would really call “good people,” but you also, well… Chase, you have a lot of– you’re, sort of the comic relief a lot of times, but, um, you both make us feel sympathy for your character at times. And how do you go about that, and is it difficult?

Claudia: I mean, I think it’s really easy to say the word “villains” in places like, bad or good. And I think these characters… I’m just always wary of saying that because–

Chase: Right. Life isn’t like that. The world’s not like that.

Claudia: No, and these are people and they’re going through many different things. Um, what a vague answer, Claudia that you’re giving right now…

Suzanne: [Laughs]

Chace: [Laughs]

Claudia: I’m going to possibly, uh…

Chace: I’ll say it like it is, I mean, the characters don’t judge themselves. Right? So you have to see it from their point of view. But for the show in the writing, I feel like it’s in there. Like they allow us to do these really, uh, interesting, weird things… To me, for me it would be like… one of the things that season one, at the end, we sort of– Eric calls it the Britney moment where he like is drunk and breaks down and shaves his head. It is such a weird thing, but you see, and as an audience– he’s by himself, you see this like kind of breakdown moments…just really interesting ’cause that’s kind of how he really, really is. And he’s sort of sheds that veneer, but he’s also, you know, just very deeply, it’s.. (I keep doing it) DEEPly insecure–

Claudia: DEEPly!

Chace: And he needs to be validated. So, yeah. So, can you be both of those things? Can you be an asshole and assault someone like he did in one episode and also try to save a dolphin, and have, like, a weird romantic relationship. It’s like so bizarre. And like, they deal with the tonal shifts so well, but I don’t really think, you know, it’s all gray. It’s not really…

Claudia: And they really dive into the gray on this show, and I think that’s important because human beings. Aren’t just like that… they’re three dimensional characters, and it’s a character-driven show. Like, sure, there’s explosions, and giant dicks, Herogasm and everything. But, it’s also, these characters are so rich…the writer’s room are fantastic at really making sure that that is the case. And I think that’s what makes it so entertaining to watch, too.

Chace: Right.

Claudia: Yeah.

Chace: And people can, yeah. They sort of… I want to say they can relate to that. No, I mean, but like it does give it a more well-rounded human dynamic of just, like the normal superhero arc of like, do this. And they’re only showing one side, but, uh, it’s fun to play.

Claudia: Because that’s what people, also, human beings are like. They are just intricately rich. And I think we as humans live in that gray area, more so than just, like, black and white.

Chace: Right.

Claudia: Yeah.

Suzanne: Thank you!

I’ve deleted the rest of this and left out the audio due to spoilers. It will be put up later.

Antony Starr (Homelander) and Erin Moriarty (Annie AKA Starlight)

Here’s the transcript; I’m still editing it

Hi, welcome everyone. Thanks for Jane. Um, just reminders. You please keep yourself muted when it’s not your turn to ask a question, I’m going to quickly slate that this is for round table number four and Sophia, you can go ahead and start us off. Thanks. Hi Anthony. Aaron. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me today.

Uh, so you have soda with the nerds of color. Huge congrats on the new season. Thank you course. So first off I wanted to ask, you know, Homeland are definitely focuses on the far, right? And Starlight is more of the liberal front that they’re supposed to show this United front together. What can you tell me about the narrative that this story is trying to tell and basically make a parody over?

I mean, mine’s not difficult to figure out as Caroline, you know, isn’t, there’s always been an element. Uh, that guy in Homeland and Nevermore. So, I mean, never more so than a season three. I mean, we, we literally, we’re literally taking things that he’s said and, and seeing, you know, what would happen if I killed someone, you know, what would happen?

And, uh, it’s a. It’s a lot of fun and there’s a boardroom scene as well, like directly relates to a sick circle that we saw on the telly and that.

Oh, the one hand, I think it’s, I think it’s great that we can sort of parody it and, uh, lovingly poke fun at it. Uh, on the other hand, I think it’s tragic that. There’s so much material available at the moment to satirize and, um, and choose for, you know, we’re spoiled for choice, uh, at the moment. So as far as, especially as far as my side is concerned.

Yeah, yeah, no, I agree. And I think Starlight comes in and tries to shake things up because things are so corrupt in so many of the aspects of thought are so antiquated and. Sexist. And even the feminist press junket they had in the last season was so exhibitive and obligatory. So I think she tries to shake things up.

And I think the issue is, you know, again, another parallel which, um, draws from the real world is an antiquated system. How much can you change? Things get really locked into place and it’s so difficult and she tries her best, but. I, I think it reflects a lot of antiquated policies and things going on that we stopped that happened today and that we’ve not evolved.

Um, according to the times, so

Monica. Hi guys, how are you at my entertainment? And sounds onset podcasts check with you guys. Um, so you guys did a fantastic job this season. I’m going to ask them for the questions, but we’ll put it out later. Okay. So I want to ask for both of you the arcs. Yes. You guys are kind of on the opposite sides, but I don’t know if it was related and I’ll talk to Eric about it to the world in terms of.

Okay. I didn’t think that the boys could get any crazier and this is like next level crazy. So I wanted to know one, if. That that was influenced by like the world’s events to kind of heighten your characters up. And then second for, um, you know, Anthony for you. Um, a lot of your reassurance comes from yourself, like you’re your own character from Outlander.

So I wanted to know how you play off of that. And then Erin, you get a lot from your support team. So how you play off of that to get your strengths for each other. When you, sorry, go ahead. Well, I think I actually think in this season, I, I agree with you. I think this is, but this is something of an emancipation for Homeland or of like, you know, similarly the characters both find their voice in this season and realize that them speaking their truth will, will get them what they want in terms of fan base, uh, and the recognition and the attention that they want.

But homie’s always been basically a marketing. Packaged product. Uh, that’s always. Help sometimes literally by a mommy figure or someone supporting him or, you know, and he’s finally broken free of that. And it gets fed up and actually decides to take things on, on his own. And, um, you know, with that comes a lot more exposure.

So there’s no in cleaning up after or in front of him. And he makes a lot more mess for himself and he has to clean it up. He has to deal with it. So, uh, as to, as to. The show getting bigger and more expensive. I mean, you, I think it’s about on par, uh, I think right off the bat seeing, uh, Huey’s girlfriend explode in slow motion as a speeding bullet, man went through her.

Um, You know, I think that was a sign of things to come and I don’t think we’ve really done that much. I don’t think we deviated from that. Cause I just think it’s more of the same to me. Yeah. Yeah. And then, and then in terms of Starlights support team, sorry, will you ask that question again? Will you. Sure.

So like where does she, I would say where she gets her strength from and she has a support the report team. And are you talking about the Starlight kind of the Alliance that is building like, almost like a political team behind her, is that, and that’s where she seems to find her strength and where she, I mean, I think, I think.

I think she’s, she’s found her. I think the strength that she’s found has kind of been an intrinsic thing. I think it’s been intrinsically motivated through, um, what she’s been through and what she’s learned from, and the grit she’s developed. I think this support team, I think we might see more of, and I think it might be a source of.

Support and validation for her and help her in her effort to expose that. But I do think that that her, her growing strength, this season confidence, et cetera, her voice, um, and her ultimate decision to be honest is, is an intrinsically motivated evolution. That’s just been. Developed over the past couple of seasons and as a result of integrated lessons.

Thank you guys so much. Thank you.

Um, did you say my name? I, I almost heard it. I didn’t. Yes, Henry. Okay. Thank you. Sorry. Um, and to me, or lovely to chat with you today. Thank you for your time. Love the new season. Um, so my first question, uh, we’ll break it out like this. Um, so to Aaron, what was it? And to both of you, what was it like to be in the, the filming of the hero chasm episode, which was the most different?

It felt like out of any episode of the series, but also to Anthony. Um, it felt like home ender when he was shouting about how it’s safe to go outside and safe to go to the rallies. It almost like a surrogate for going outside, living your life during COVID. I was wondering when you’re filming a show, On set and it felt like the boy was one of the shows that was returning to the set.

What was it like for you both to have the sort of. Knowledge that you’re doing the safest things you possibly can. We, we, we assume and believe while you’re also having this character. Who’s like projecting like, oh, it’s safe outside. Don’t worry about, yeah. I mean, the irony wasn’t lost. Uh, we were in the longest lockdown in human history up in Toronto.

So, so it didn’t, it didn’t go unnoticed saying one thing, doing another in real life. But like, I mean, what if my guy is a. He’s never really doing the right thing is he he’s always doing the wrong thing. I never, I mean, according to himself, it’s always the right thing. There’s very few people or characters actually that do anything.

Um, because I think it’s the wrong thing is, you know, they, they they’re doing what they believe is the right thing. So it’s always fun to, to say. Do the stupid things that he says and does, um, as far as here, orgasm, I’m going to cough it over to my friend here because I didn’t have a lot to do with it.

And I can only say I’m very grateful not to have been there. Yeah. It was a lot of time spent in a space, in a house full of naked people, simulating various types of sex. Um, And in a house filled with sex toys and sex swings. And I learned a lot about different things and I saw a lot of things I can’t un-see, but I actually, I knew it was going to be insane.

So I just embraced it and laughed a lot and just kind of had a fun time. But on the fifth day I had filled my quota of naked bodies for the week. Um, and, um, I will not be joining nudist colonies, a nudist colony anytime soon, because that’s just, you know, it’s, it’s, it’s a little, it’s a lot of genitalia in five days.

It’s a lot of, you know, even there was even a butthole shot. So it just was all a lot. I saw a lot, I saw a lot, um, and it was hilarious, fun, excessive, uh, but it’s going to be a great idea.

Great. Thank you all so much for joining us. That’s all the time we have for this round table. Thank you. Thank you. That was biblical. On the fifth day, I reached my quota of naked a lie.

MORE INFO:

poster for "The Boys" season 3

About

It’s been a year of calm. Homelander’s subdued. Butcher works for the government, supervised by Hughie of all people. But both men itch to turn this peace and quiet into blood and bone. So when The Boys learn of a mysterious Anti-Supe weapon, it sends them crashing into the Seven, starting a war, and chasing the legend of the first Superhero: Soldier Boy.

The Boys is a fun and irreverent take on what happens when superheroes—who are as popular as celebrities, as influential as politicians, and as revered as gods—abuse their superpowers rather than use them for good. Intent on stopping the corrupt superheroes, The Boys, a group of vigilantes, continue their heroic quest to expose the truth about The Seven and Vought—the multibillion-dollar conglomerate that manages the superheroes and covers up their dirty secrets. It’s the seemingly powerless against the super powerful.

Season Three of The Boys stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Dominique McElligott, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit, and Jensen Ackles.

The Boys is based on The New York Times best-selling comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, who also serve as executive producers, and developed by executive producer and showrunner Eric Kripke. Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Phil Sgriccia, Craig Rosenberg, Ken F. Levin, Jason Netter, Paul Grellong, David Reed, Meredith Glynn, and Michaela Starr also serve as executive producers. The Boys is produced by Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television Studios, with Kripke Enterprises, Original Film, and Point Grey Pictures.

Executive Produced By

Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Craig Rosenberg, Phil Sgriccia, Paul Grellong, David Reed, Meredith Glynn, Ken F. Levin, Jason Netter, Ori Marmur, Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, Michaela Starr

Developed By

Eric Kripke

Directed By

Phil Sgriccia, Julian Holmes, Nelson Cragg, Sarah Boyd

Produced By

Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television Studios, with Kripke Enterprises, Original Film, and Point Grey Pictures

Cast

Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Dominique McElligott, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit, and Jensen Ackles

The Boys Are Back! Take a First Look at Season Three With a Mind-Blowing Teaser

Mar 12, 2022

The Emmy-nominated global hit drama series from Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television returns to Prime Video June 3

WATCH THE TRAILER

AUSTIN, Texas—March 12, 2022—Today, Prime Video revealed the first teaser from the highly anticipated third season of the Emmy-nominated drama The Boys during their panel at South by Southwest (SXSW). During the panel—moderated by Christian Slater, who voices a character in the animated anthology series The Boys Presents: Diabolical—cast members and showrunner Eric Kripke revealed details about the next installment of the fan-favorite superhero series.

The teaser showcases just some of the truly diabolical moments ahead, and offers a glimpse at all of the fan-favorite characters and fresh faces from the upcoming season of The Boys. It is also set to the song “Bones,” the first new music from Grammy-winning band Imagine Dragons’ forthcoming releaseMercury – Act 2 (KIDinaKORNER/Interscope Records).

The series will debut on Prime Video with three episodes on Friday, June 3. New episodes will be available each Friday following, leading up to the epic season finale on July 8. The eight-episode season will stream exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

The Boys is a fun and irreverent take on what happens when superheroes—who are as popular as celebrities, as influential as politicians, and as revered as gods—abuse their superpowers rather than use them for good. Intent on stopping the corrupt superheroes, The Boys, a group of vigilantes, continue their heroic quest to expose the truth about The Seven and Vought—the multibillion-dollar conglomerate that manages the superheroes and covers up their dirty secrets. It’s the seemingly powerless against the super powerful.

Season Three of The Boys stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Dominique McElligott, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit, and Jensen Ackles.

The Boys is based on The New York Times best-selling comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, who also serve as executive producers, and developed by executive producer and showrunner Eric Kripke. Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Phil Sgriccia, Craig Rosenberg, Ken F. Levin, Jason Netter, Paul Grellong, David Reed, Meredith Glynn, and Michaela Starr also serve as executive producers. The Boys is produced by Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television Studios, with Kripke Enterprises, Original Film, and Point Grey Pictures.

It’s Time to Level the F***ing Playing Field: The Boys Unleashes the Official Season Three Trailer and Key Art

May 16, 2022

The Emmy-nominated global hit drama series from Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television
returns to Prime Video June 3

CULVER CITY, California—May 16, 2022—Today, Prime Video gave fans a look at the highly anticipated third season of The Boys, with the release of the head-poppingly diabolical official trailer and key art. The Emmy-nominated drama will return with three gripping new episodes on June 3, followed by one additional episode each subsequent Friday, and ending with a wicked season finale on Friday, July 8 . The eight-episode season will stream exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

About The Boys
The Boys is a fun and irreverent take on what happens when superheroes—who are as popular as celebrities, as influential as politicians, and as revered as gods—abuse their superpowers rather than use them for good. Intent on stopping the corrupt superheroes, The Boys, a group of vigilantes, continue their heroic quest to expose the truth about The Seven and Vought—the multibillion-dollar conglomerate that manages the superheroes and covers up their dirty secrets. It’s the seemingly powerless against the super-powerful.

Season Three of The Boys stars Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Dominique McElligott, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone, Karen Fukuhara, Nathan Mitchell, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit, and Jensen Ackles.

The Boys is based on The New York Times best-selling comic by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, who also serve as executive producers, and developed by executive producer and showrunner Eric Kripke. Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Pavun Shetty, Phil Sgriccia, Craig Rosenberg, Ken F. Levin, Jason Netter, Paul Grellong, David Reed, Meredith Glynn, and Michaela Starr also serve as executive producers. The Boys is produced by Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television Studios, with Kripke Enterprises, Original Film, and Point Grey Pictures.

Follow THE BOYS:
Website: https://www.amazon.com/TheBoys
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram: @TheBoysTV
YouTube: Prime Video
#TheBoysTV

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

Back to the Primetime Articles and Interviews Page

The Boys Season 3 Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video Copyright: Amazon Studios Description: Karen Fukuhara (Kimiko), Karl Urban (Billy Butcher), Tomer Capone (Frenchie), Laz Alonso (Mother's Milk)

Interview with the cast of “The Orville”

TV Interview!

"The Orville: New Horizons" poster

Interview with actors and producers from “The Orville” on HULU by Suzanne 5/16/22

“The Orville” returns for season 3 on June 2 on HULU. I can’t wait for you to see it. The first episode is fantastic. Truly! I was very happy to chat with some of the actors and writer/executive producers. I wish I had more than 10 minutes with each!

Here are the videos, we hope to have the transcripts up very soon!

Interview with executive producers Brannon Braga, Jon Cassar and David Goodman

I love talking with writers and producers because they can really tell you what’s going on with the show.

I hadn’t yet finished watching season 2 when I did these interviews. I sent a follow-up question to Brannon Braga: The Kaylon war happened and then there were 5 more episodes. Why did you wait for season 3 to address the crew’s feelings about Isaac? What was the thinking or reasoning behind that?

Answer: At the end of “Identity, Part Two”, there are three scenes where we deal with the Isaac issue. Ed and Kelly debate what to do about Isaac; Admiral Halsey informs them about the Union Council’s proposal that Isaac stay on board the Orville; and the final scene with Claire, where Isaac states he has no home, and Claire assures him that given enough time, forgiveness might one day be possible. Our thinking was that when the Captain gives an order with the Union Council’s, the Orville crew would follow that order, no matter what their personal feelings. It’s not until Ensign Charly Burke joins the crew that things get shaken up. It’s one of the reasons Seth created the character: to be a voice for the people who do not trust Isaac and want to hold him accountable for the deadly attack on Earth. That was by design. But some ideas emerge later, such as young Marcus’ trauma over the attack. We had that idea when we started work on Season Three. We had 5 cool episodes already planned to round out Season Two, and we stuck to that plan. The fallout from Isaac would happen in Season 3.

NOTE: The producers got one point wrong in that it was Ed and Kelly who asked for Isaac to remain on board; the Union wanted him to be taken apart. The main point is still correct, though.

Interview with Adrianne Palicki and Penny Johnson Jerald

I enjoyed talking with the women, especially Penny, who I’ve been a fan of since she was in “The Larry Sanders Show” years ago. Scifi fans no doubt remember her as Sisko’s girlfriend on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” too.

Interview with Scott Grimes and J. Lee

They two guys were very nice. I loved Scott so much on “ER!”

MORE INFO:

The Orville: New Horizons -- Season 3 - Seth MacFarlane’s epic space adventure series “The Orville” returns exclusively as a Hulu original series. Set 400 years in the future, “The Orville: New Horizons” finds the crew of the U.S.S. Orville continuing their mission of exploration, as they navigate both the mysteries of the universe and the complexities of their own interpersonal relationships. The ensemble cast includes MacFarlane, Adrianne Palicki, Penny Johnson Jerald, Scott Grimes, Peter Macon, J. Lee, Mark Jackson, Chad
The Orville: New Horizons — Season 3 – Seth MacFarlane’s epic space adventure series “The Orville” returns exclusively as a Hulu original series. Set 400 years in the future, “The Orville: New Horizons” finds the crew of the U.S.S. Orville continuing their mission of exploration, as they navigate both the mysteries of the universe and the complexities of their own interpersonal relationships.
The ensemble cast includes MacFarlane, Adrianne Palicki, Penny Johnson Jerald, Scott Grimes, Peter Macon, J. Lee, Mark Jackson, Chad L. Coleman, Jessica Szohr and Anne Winters.
“The Orville: New Horizons” is produced by 20th Television and Fuzzy Door. The series was created and written by Seth MacFarlane. MacFarlane, Brannon Braga, David A. Goodman, Jon Cassar, Jason Clark and Howard Griffith serve as executive producers.
President Alcuzan (Bruce Boxleitner), Lt. Gordon Malloy (Scott Grimes), Speria Balask (Lisa Banes), Admiral Halsey (Victor Garber), Charly Burke (Anne Winters), Capt. Ed Mercer (Seth MacFarlane), Cmdr. Kelly Grayson (Adrianne Palicki) and Isaac (Mark Jackson), shown. (Photo by: Michael Desmondl/Hulu)

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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The Orville: New Horizons -- Seth MacFarlane’s epic space adventure series “The Orville” returns exclusively as a Hulu original series. Set 400 years in the future, “The Orville: New Horizons” finds the crew of the U.S.S. Orville continuing their mission of exploration, as they navigate both the mysteries of the universe and the complexities of their own interpersonal relationships. Capt. Ed Mercer (Seth MacFarlane), Lt. Gordon Malloy (Scott Grimes), Lt. Cmdr. Bortys (Peter Macon), and Cmdr. Kelly Grayson (Adrianne Palicki), shown. (Photo by: Michael Desmond/Hulu)

Interview with actors from “Tom Swift”

TV Interview!

Poster for "Tom Swift" on The CW

Interview with actors of “Tom Swift” on The CW by Suzanne 5/6/22

This was a fun press day for the new show on The CW. The character of Tom Swift was previously seen on their show “Nancy Drew,” so this is a spinoff. It was a very fun panel. I wish I could have asked more questions. They didn’t tell us ahead of time who would be there, and I would liked to have asked April Parker Jones a question because she’s been on many great shows that I watch. She plays Tom Swift’s mother.

THE CW NETWORK
Tom Swift
Noga Landau, Melinda Hsu Taylor, Cameron Johnson (Exec. Producers)
Albert Mwangi “Rowan,” Ashleigh Murray “Zenzi Fullington,” Tian Richards “Tom Swift,” Marquise Vilson “Isaac Vega,” April Parker Jones “Lorraine Swift”

MODERATOR: Hello, and welcome to the virtual press panel for The CW’s devilishly-charming new series, TOM SWIFT. We are so proud of this project and look forward to sharing it with you. As an exceptionally-brilliant inventor with unlimited resources and unimaginable wealth. Tom Swift is a man who many men would kill to be, or be with it, a man with the world in the palm of his hand. If that world gets shaken to its core after the shocking disappearance of his father, thrusting Tom into a breathtaking adventure, full of mysterious conspiracies and unexplained phenomena. Premiering Tuesday, May 31st at 9:00 PM this is TOM SWIFT.

(CLIP shown)

TOM SWIFT: Honored guests. A core value at Swift Enterprises is that if you can dream it, we can make it happen.

What does a genius inventor do when he’s not inventing?

TOM SWIFT: I multitask.

ROWAN: While I’m gone, you need to grow up. Be a man.

ROWAN: You will have more responsibility heaped upon you than you even know.

ROWAN: Everyone you love will end up dead.

TOM SWIFT: My name is Tom Swift. I’ve got this.

PANEL

MODERATOR: Please welcome the cast and executive producers of TOM SWIFT. We are so excited to have you here with us. And as a quick reminder to press, if you’d like to ask a question, please click the “raise your hand button” and we’ll put you in the queue and call on you when it’s your turn. If you have a two-part question or follow-up, please let us know at the top of the question. Thank you for joining us today. Thank you to everyone for your participation. Now let’s get started. First up is Suzanne Lanoue followed by Fred Topel.

SUZANNE: Hey, good afternoon, everyone.

ALL: Hey, Noga!

TIAN RICHARDS: Noga, you look good.

NOGA LANDAU: You all look so good. I feel like (You too!) [UNINTELLIGIBLE] explode from all the gorgeousness.

CAMERON JOHNSON: Well, beauty combusts.

NOGA LANDAU: It’s a scientific fact.

SUZANNE: Hi, this is Suzanne from TVMEG.COM. And my question is for Tian.  I read that there are some supernatural elements in this show as well, but I didn’t see any in the pilot. So can you tell us about any of them?

TIAN RICHARDS: Ooh, well, our show takes place in a beautiful tech world. So tech is the leading, the leading factor in our show. Though in NANCY DREW, Tom did get his first experience with the supernatural, that’s not really a big theme of Tom Swift. But who knows? I mean, but right now we’re just, we’re just, we’re tech-heavy over here. [LAUGHS]

CAMERON JOHNSON: As long as there’s no [INAUDIBLE] here, there may be ghosts. But yes.

TIAN RICHARDS: Yeah. Again, who knows?

CAMERON JOHNSON: Anything is possible, but yes.

MELINDA HSU TAYLOR: Cosmic wonder, I would say.

CAMERON JOHNSON: Mm, cosmic wonder.

SUZANNE: Thank you.

MODERATOR: Next step is Fred Topel.

FRED: Uh, also for Tian, this obviously isn’t your first time playing Tom Swift, but how is it different having a show centered around Tom, and how is he different in this show?

Tian Richards (Tom Swift) guest-starring on "Nancy Drew" on The CWTIAN RICHARDS: OK, a question I love. First of all, yo, it’s been three years since Tom Swift was in Horseshoe Bay. So that takes place in 2019, we take place in current day. So, Tom has definitely grown up a little more. When we first meet him, he’s still trying to get the, the meteorite to, to build the, you know, spaceship for his father. At the top of our series, we meet him when he has just completed that spaceship. So again, definitely further along his journey.

TIAN RICHARDS: We look a little different, I like to say. I mean, a, a little bit, a little bit, we’re giving a little more, you know, grown-man energy, definitely this time around. And it was so beautiful this time, you get to see Tom in his element. You get to see him with his family, with his friends, you get to see him in his hometown. So, you really do open up the fullness of who this man was. We got like a prequel, like an appetizer of Tom and, and NANCY DREW. But now you get, you get a full course. So come on, baby. We not snacks, we meals.

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: Right, are you hungry?

CAMERON JOHNSON: We got like the edemame of Tom. Now we have the sushi.

TIAN RICHARDS: Come on! I love that. I love that.

FRED: You feel different being the center of the show?

TIAN RICHARDS: Yes, yes! Before, I got to come in and be cute and be in Horseshoe Bay and like just follow Nancy’s lead and really watch Kennedy lead. But I needed that because that was the most I’d ever done in an episode of television. I’d never been [in] a series. Yeah, I’d never been a series regular before. So just to watch Kennedy take control of the set as a leader and be so beautiful and fearless, it really gave me insight on what was to come or, or what I hoped to come at the time.

TIAN RICHARDS: So I just sat back and watched how open and given, giving she was, and hope to do the same. But yes, it feels totally different. I, I say this all the time and I love my cast for just, and, and, and, and my creators for just really huddling around me and, and allowing me to find my voice in this space and really come into my own as an artist, as a man, you know, I definitely feel a lot more grown [LAUGHS] this time around. Cause I came in with a bit of imposter syndrome, and I, I’ve been definitely finding myself in this space, so, so seamlessly. And that’s a life experience that I’ll, I’ll take with me. So yeah.
Yeah, growth. I think growth is the main thing that I’m, I’m having in this journey.

CAMERON JOHNSON: Truly it’s been so wonderful and heartwarming to watch Tian realize and understand inside of himself that he is incredible, and that like, he is just as good as all of them really that, that, that, that we all knew that he would be. And it’s, it’s been really beautiful to watch, and it’s made my, my, my, my little heart smile.

APRIL PARKER JONES: Yeah. I, I have to piggyback on that. I think I, I tell you all the time, I do. And I, I, I’m learning so much from you the way that you are taking leader, this role as a leader. And it’s so beautiful. And, although I’m probably the oldest one here on set, I’ve learned so much from your example, and I’m so proud of you for stepping into this with such confidence and such compassion for all of us. So, thank you, I see you.

TIAN RICHARDS: Thank you. Thank you, April. Can we, can we tell ’em really quickly, tell them a story?

TIAN RICHARDS: Let’s talk about it. So I met the beautiful, wonderful Miss April Parker Jones, I’m not gonna tell ’em how long ago, but we were a lot younger. I was 18 and I used to be a personal assistant. And the guy I worked for used to put actors on tape. So, so many people would come through and I was fresh out of high school. I think I had just turned 18. And then in walks this beautiful woman, honey tone, nice commanding voice and presence. And she gets on tape and does it in one take. And I say, who is that? And it was April Parker Jones, ladies and gentlemen. And all these years later, we’re now doing a series together in the same city that we met.

APRIL PARKER JONES: Absolutely full circle, full circle. Yes, my friend. I love you.

TIAN RICHARDS: I love you.

MELINDA HSU TAYLOR: Yeah. I will say actually, when we were doing the casting, the chemistry read, April was one of three final contenders. And she came on the screen and said to Tian, just forgetting about the audition entirely, “I am so proud of you.” That’s real, feel that hug. (Oh yes) And right away we like, oh, this is [OVERLAPPING]

APRIL PARKER JONES: Oh yes, Mama Swift.

MELINDA HSU TAYLOR: Also, your performance is right.

CAMERON JOHNSON: It’s hard to hug via zoom. So we’re, that was, that’s true talent.

TIAN RICHARDS: Thank you, Cameron.

MODERATOR: Next up is Yana Grebenyuk, followed by Jay Bobbin.

YANA: So, speaking about Nancy Drew, I know that they’re in different timelines right now, but we don’t know where Season 4 is headed with the show. So, I was wondering, is there a possibility that there could be a crossover in the future? And if so, what would you like to explore between the two shows?

NOGA LANDAU: First of all, hi Yana, I love all of your coverage of the Drew. I really appreciate you. So right now they are in two completely different years. NANCY DREW, it’s still kind of 2019 and TOM SWIFT is, has jumped forward to the present date in the future, or the “present.” So as far as the two shows speaking to each other, if they do, it’s gonna happen eventually, and it’s gonna happen in a really interesting way. But, you know, what’s important to us is that these two shows really stand on their own. Like they’re in the same universe, the characters know each other, we’ve put a lot of really fun, little Easter eggs if you’re paying attention between Tom and Nancy.

NOGA LANDAU: But, you know, they’re such different shows. NANCY DREW is about a bunch of kids in a small town in Maine, you know, solving ghost stories in a crab shack. And this show is about billionaires and… [LAUGHTER] and people who build rocket ships and go to space. So they’re so different and they’re so, but they’re both so, like I think what links them together is how earnest they are and funny. And at their core, they’re kind of about similar issues of claiming your own identity and growing up and figuring out who you are in relation to your family and your parents and the secrets you carry with you. Um, so yeah, it’s, there, there’s the similarities for sure. But they’re, they’re definitely their own things at this point.

CAMERON JOHNSON: I just want to see Nancy in our clothes. Like I just wanna see Nancy, Gucci to the floor. Like that’s, that’s important for me. I wanna see that.

YANA: Yeah. I want, I want Zenzi to like, to talk to Nancy one day. Like I think a Zenzi [OVERLAPPING] right, Ashleigh?

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: Yes, yes, yes. I love her. Let’s go shopping. Yes. Yes.

MELINDA HSU TAYLOR: That actually sort of gave me an idea, but I can’t talk about it.

MODERATOR: Next up is Jay Bobbin followed by Karen Moul.

JAY: Hello. Thank you. Hi everyone, thanks for doing this. Tian, this is for you, too. There was a period of several months after the put pilot for this aired on NANCY DREW before the official series pickup came. Were you able to keep the faith during that, that this would go?

TIAN RICHARDS: Ooh. Yeah. I mean, it, that was, that was a period. But, again, just throwing it back to divine connections. I met Cameron Johnson, Noga Landau, and the beautiful Melinda Hsu Taylor on zoom and they became a true family for me, like during that time. I went to their homes. I visited, you know, and at, with different parties we would go to, and met their children. And they, you know, because I’m in LA by myself, like, you know, figuring out life. And they really just, they poured into me and they became a, a, a family for me within this experience. And I got to meet LeVar Burton and it was like, it was a great experience.

TIAN RICHARDS: So to have them during that time and they, it wasn’t like a thing of, you know, oh, we’re only about business, and once, you know, the show is kind of, you know, waiting to get the green light, we’re not dealing with, you know, they check in and just see how it was doing or just, you know, send nice, beautiful words of inspiration. And Cameron’s like, you know, “what clothes are you buying?” Like… I have stepped my fashion game up tremendously because the people know I only wear gym clothes, 24/7. (Adidas)

CAMERON JOHNSON: That’s cause you stay in the gym 24/7.

TIAN RICHARDS: Oh, yes, yes. But no, during that time, something just always told me, like, I didn’t get to this point by accident. It’s been a long journey to get here. Again, since I graduated high school, the year I met April, like, and just going forward. Um, but in that time, like I kept my faith. I researched, I did things like, I just didn’t sit at home being idle. Like, I went to visit MIT. I went to space museums. I researched, I read books. So, I was really able to keep myself immersed in the world of TOM SWIFT and be adjacent without racking my brain.

TIAN RICHARDS: So, you know, at times, yeah, it’s like, what’s happening, what’s happening, what’s happening? But I would hear little updates say, “Hey, we’re not, you know, it’s not gone yet. It’s still happening. It could happen.” So yeah, I kept the faith and… look at us, who woulda thought?

MODERATOR: And next up is Karen Moul, followed by Bruce Miller.

KAREN: Hi, this is Karen from ScifiVision.com. (Hello) Um, like NANCY DREW, TOM SWIFT is a pretty old piece of intellectual property from like the book series from the thirties. But as I watched this episode, I saw shades of Tony Stark, Bruce Wayne, definitely the Lions family is in there, I think. And I’d love it if the executive producers could tell us a bit about the great stories and characters that have inspired you as you created the show.

MELINDA HSU TAYLOR: Well, you know, we definitely wanted to make a show that was way more inclusive than the original IP. The books from back in the day are from a different era. They don’t hold up, really. However, what we loved about the core concept of optimism and friendship and kind of relentless positivity, that we brought into the show. And then we populated with a black, gay billionaire and, you know, all his found family and friends. And, at the time also, I had just done a thing where my son, who’s trans, had, you know, had to answer this question, like what TV shows are out there that you’re like, “Oh, that’s me, that’s my story.” And he was like, “Well, there aren’t any.” And I said, “I’m gonna change that for you, honey, if I can.”
MELINDA HSU TAYLOR: And that’s part of what we put into this show. So, we really wanted to make it a show where, no matter what kind of intersectional identity you have, you have somebody to relate to, somebody to cheer for, somebody to hope for and, and feel like, “That’s me. I’m, I’m the one who’s in love. I’m the one who’s being desired and pursued. And I’m the one who has friends, and I can change the world. It doesn’t matter where I came from, what I look like, you know, who I love or how I feel on the inside. I’m being celebrated here and now for who I already am.”

APPLAUSE

CAMERON JOHNSON: I think for me, I mean, it’s funny that she said the, the, the Lion family, spoiler alert, I used to write for Empire. And I was, it was a wonderful time. I had the great, good, the good fortune of working for Brett Mahoney and Lee Daniels. And I think what was interesting about working, especially working on those shows is that I’ve always worked on shows that prime, that had primarily black casts. And so as a consequence, I’ve never thought about too much about like, okay, so, but like, what do we, how do we tell this story in a way that like, is, you know, gonna be that other people, that is going to be understood by people who aren’t necessarily black?

CAMERON JOHNSON: Because it’s like, okay, well, who’s the audience? But the beautiful thing about this particular show and what we were able to do, and what was always so important to me is, how do we tell a show that is, tell a story about a group of people that is authentically black, that is steeped in black culture, that gets to that, but that tells universal stories that anyone can tap into? One of my favorite movies is Clueless. I am not blonde, I do look great in plaid though. (Yes) And I’m not above having a white Jeep.

CAMERON JOHNSON: But my point is to say that like, that’s what we were able to do here, is gather a group of people together and tell a story about a person who has lost something and who is trying to reclaim that, and also figure out what do I take from my parents? What do I leave behind? And what is the life that I can build for myself when surrounded by the people that I love. And I have been feeling incredibly fortunate to, to do that.

TIAN RICHARDS: Oh, you forgot one thing.

CAMERON JOHNSON: Oh, what’s that?

TIAN RICHARDS: And you’re not a virgin who can’t drive.

CAMERON JOHNSON: That’s true, I drive beautifully. There’s a stick shift joke in there, but I’m gonna leave it.

MODERATOR: Okay, next up is Bruce Miller, followed by Damian Holbrook.

BRUCE: Sorry, about the sense of style of this show. Everybody is like, wow. But how do you decide that. And do the actors get a chance to like say, no, I wouldn’t wear that or that’s not me?

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: Oh, yes.

CAMERON JOHNSON: Yes, they do.

MELINDA HSU TAYLOR: Ashleigh, I want you to talk about the things that, just this morning, you’re saying, this doesn’t fit me right. There’s a designer I know.

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: Oh yeah. Okay. So, you know, there, there’s an outfit that I’m wearing in this episode that we’re shooting currently, and it was made from scratch. Our seamstress made the, the pattern herself. And we’re still trying to get the pattern measurements right, and it wasn’t quite, you know, hitting where we need it to, it’s gonna take a little bit more work. And I brought up the fact that I know this really wonderful designer, Cynthia Rowley, who makes beautiful clothing, very, very feminine, very statement pieces. And she also makes like SCUBA attire as well. And I thought…

CAMERON JOHNSON: As one does.

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: There happens to be a similarity to the outfit in which I’m wearing today. Well, not this one. But the one in the episode that we could, you know, see if maybe she would be willing to, you know, create one for us, and then we can put the logos and things and such to match the show. And so that collaborative effort on top of having such a wonderful, smart in-touch costume designer, like spiritually rooted in each and every one of these characters. It’s hard to say no to outfits. There’s only been like two or three times where I’ve said, hm, I don’t wanna wear that. But honestly, I’ll go in there and I’ll be like, “Yes, yes, yes, that’s mine. Um, yes!”

CAMERON JOHNSON: Our costume designer is Ayana Kimani James. She did the first several seasons of Insecure. She works on the new ALL AMERICAN spinoff as well as a bunch of other things. And you know, when we were interviewing custom designers, we interviewed a lot of people who, like some people who like, just didn’t quite get it. Who were like, there’s the, they had good ideas and they were well intentioned. And then we met Ayana, and Ayana sat down and she had a vision for what Tom was gonna look like. She had a vision for what Zenzi was gonna look like. She understood the luxury and she understood all of the random black fashion references like Charles Harbison or Pierre Moss, or, you know, all of those or curb or every, what else is there? There’s so many.

CAMERON JOHNSON: But my point is just to say that, like, she understood all of those things. She said, I can take that and I can get you a sweatshirt with a [UNINTELLIGIBLE] Wiley on it, and I can make it work on this show, and I can do it for your budget. And I was like, yes, yes, of course. And we hired her, we hired her on the spot. And what I love about the collaboration I feel like we’ve been able to have with the clothing is that, I feel like all of you and you can, if I’m lying, don’t tell me.

CAMERON JOHNSON: But I, I feel like all of us have been able to be like, Hey, I like, I like the way that looks on me. Can we do more of that? Or I hate the way that this looks on me. Can we do less of that? Or can we find something that’s gonna be, you know, keep up with the fashion of it all. But also, I just want to make it really difficult for people to Cosplay Tom. Like I want them to be like, okay, that first look, the one from the trailer, okay, wait. So that’s a black Telfar jacket, Gucci pants, Gucci boots, and a Gucci shirt. Ah, I’m gonna have to knock that off. It’s gonna be tough. Look out Comic Con.

NOGA LANDAU: And yet, and yet possible! And yet very possible.

CAMERON JOHNSON: And yet totally possible, and yet totally possible.

MELINDA HSU TAYLOR: You know, in the small details, like Albert wears earrings just in his real life. (Love, love) And he’s wearing them his first audition for us. And we’re like, who’s that guy with the earrings, you know, and the cool accent. And we just, you know, we used his, we said other things, your performance is great. And then, you know, his earrings are part of the character now. Like, how do you pick your earrings? You know, we talked about this, like…

ALBERT MWANGI: Yeah. I, I, I think I’ve always used my earrings as a form of expression. Um, so they clocked that and loved it. And it’s, it’s, it’s rare to, to have that, you know. So, to have producers be like, we love your package as it is. So, and whatever you’ve added to the acting for the character, then go, go. I was like, yes. Why not? Any chance to wear earrings, I’m down. [OVERLAPPING]

CAMERON JOHNSON: We do have Marquise in some better fashion in the future though. He’s in a lot of black military looks. What do you wanna see yourself in, Marquise? What do you wanna see you in? What do you wanna see Isaac in?

MARQUISE VILSON: I’m fine the, the, the way that Isaac is, right, like his intention is to often be present. He’s the eyes, he’s the ears, he doesn’t necessarily need to be seen. So that’s okay. I have, I have a life outside of [OVERLAPPING] I get to wear what I wanna wear. And also I happen to be wearing black today anyway [OVERLAPPING].

CAMERON JOHNSON: We will do Isaac. We will be the eyes and ears in Gucci. That’s fine. A nice print.

APRIL PARKER JONES: Lorraine doesn’t wear any black, you know, April wears black all the time. You notice that Lorraine’s not worn any
well, I take that back
 (the funeral) Besides that though in her casual every day, like know, like, and so, so maybe we’ll introduce a little bit more the darker side of Lorraine.

TIAN RICHARDS: For the record, Isaac’s fashion and attire is my favorite on the show, is how I would dress in my actual life.

MARQUISE VILSON: It’s, it is exactly how he dresses.

CAMERON JOHNSON: And I hope to someday be able to afford Tom’s clothes. Like that’s my, that’s my goal.

MODERATOR: Next up is Damian Holbrook, followed by Porsche Monique.

DAMIAN: Hey, hey everybody, how are you?

TIAN RICHARDS: We love Damian.

DAMIAN: I, I have two questions. First, for Ms. Ashleigh. Um, having gotten to see the, the pilot, I was so excited that this, this really feels like your first grownup role. You know, like, like we met her as a teen, and even when she was living in New York in Katy Keene, she was still struggling, but this is a fully realized woman who is not to be messed with. How fun is that to have that role?

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: Honestly, it’s so wonderful because, you know, I, I’ve always been a very mature person, even in my youth. And it’s nice to be able to finally step and walk in that same maturity. You know, it, it feels good to, to feel like a woman and to be received as a woman, and to be respected as a woman, that I can show up and I can command a space and I can command attention and I will be listened to, I will be understood, and I will be enmeshed and welcomed and received. That’s, that’s, it’s, it’s wonderful. It’s also wonderful to be able to… do I curse? I be cursing. I get to curse. I get to be funny.

CAMERON JOHNSON: Network TV, on network TV.

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: Well, you know, network cursing. So it’s, it’s dainty, but it’s there.

DAMIAN: Nice. And for Cameron and the showrunners or the, the executive producers, is the, is the brewing love triangle between a trans ex-military man, a Kenyan government official or, or related government person and a black gay billionaire, is this a historic moment? Like this has gotta be the first time we’ve seen it, right?

CAMERON JOHNSON: Well, I mean, we’re making a couple different types of history here on TOM SWIFT. I think that love, we like to do love squares on TOM SWIFT. There are other love interests involved. They are all overlapping. It is just a series of Venn diagrams of mess in the best way possible. Nothing like a geometry joke. But in terms of, but in terms of like the first things we’ve seen on TV, there has, as far as I know, never been a network TV show where it’s lead, where they title, where the titular character, the #1 on the call sheet is a black gay man.

CAMERON JOHNSON: And we’ve never, I’ve never seen a show where those sorts of stories are explored with, like us, I am a gay black man, duh. And like our, are the center of the story and didn’t get to be able to explore love and romance and fun and et cetera, without being somebody’s like, you know, just additional character. And so, I think it is historic. I think it is messy and I think it is really fun. And I think you’re gonna love it. I don’t know. I, I, I just, I suspect.

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: May I say one more thing? The thing that I’m most excited about being able to play this role is… I want to be a part of myself that I feel like I haven’t been able to be for a long time. There, there is… there’s an essence of Ashleigh in, in her womanhood and in her blackness that I, I just get to, I just get to flourish. It’s, I’m, I’m so thankful for this. I really am.

CAMERON JOHNSON: Wonderful for you. I mean, it’s, well, one, I mean, just Ashleigh, come on…that’s, I can’t cry, I have on makeup. Oh my God. (Sorry) But I mean, the, the character of Zenzi is, is something that we came up with, but the name is after Zenzelay is the full name, is named for one of my best friends who has been, I don’t know one of my, just my backbone since I was about 12. And it was such an honor to like, see you bring her to life. She has the personality of my godsister, Danielle. We have blended them together. And Danielle is my, if Zenzi’s my backbone, then Danny’s my rib cage, maybe my legs.

But they are, you, you bring these women to life in such a beautiful, honest, vulnerable, true, incredible, hilarious, sassy, bad bitch kind of way. There was literally a moment, there’s a moment in the episode where I was literally throwing stuff at the screen when I was watching. So, thank you. Glad we can do it.

Next up is Porsha Monique followed by Rick Bentley.

PORSHA: I wanted to circle back to the earlier conversation when you guys were hitting a little bit on just some of the redefining the blackness and giving a different portrayal of, of blackness to the, to the general audience. So, I wanted to go ahead and ask, what do you think is the importance of showing black faces and people of color onscreen in a story that is geared towards, you know, something that’s more positive, it’s more fun, it’s more aspirational as opposed to playing into like black trauma and those types of themes?

CAMERON JOHNSON: Well, here’s the thing for me, I, I guess I, I guess I’ll, I’ll be black and answer. But, I mean [OVERLAPPING] There’s a couple of things that are at play here. So one, we had six black people sitting on this stage and we all come from different places, have different points of view, have different backgrounds and that we can all bring to life. I don’t really have any interest as a writer or as an artist, if I can be so pretentious, in exploring like stories of trauma for the sake of trauma. Like that’s just not something I’m really interested in doing.

CAMERON JOHNSON: What I would, when we were working on this, I was in what I like to call, like my, my, my black joy phase, where I was trying to create TV shows that were about black people being happy, looking fabulous, having fun, falling in love, you know, having deep, emotional connections being resonant, but doing so with joy. And so, is there crazy traumatic shit that happens on this show? Maybe. But I, but I think we’re trying to do it in a way that sort of opens the door to… content that is about black people existing in their own lives and making choices, but without it being about, you know, pain or, you know, some horrible thing that happened, or even racism even, or… it’s a show about black people being black in the same way that, you know, Step by Step is a show about white people being white, it’s a show about a family. It’s a show about people existing that anyone can watch and identify with, even if they’re not the same color as the people on the screen. It’s just that we do it with some swag and, you know, some good shoes.

TIAN RICHARDS: Yeah, come on. If I could just piggyback, it’s also just a, a, a beautiful thing to see black people exist that we haven’t seen before, particularly. We are of like the black elite, the 1%, but not by way of, you know, music or basketball, which are great professions. But, you know, it’s the idea of legacy and heritage and, and we, and our heritage and legacy is tech, which is another thing in and of itself. But, for that to be the basis, we get to bring forth so many more conversations. Like, with my research, I got to, you know, go into the arsenal of black inventors and creators. We got to talk about Benjamin Banneker and, you know, George Washington Carver, and Lonnie, Lonnie Johnson.

TIAN RICHARDS: There’s so many people who, whose names that haven’t been spoken in history, but now, through this current modern vessel, we can like look into that. And, you know, and also get the young kids interested in STEM and tech, because that’s never looked cool before like this, you know? It’s so many intersections that this show gets to take part in that, it’s, I’ve never witnessed anything like this. And to be a part of it is, I still like can’t believe it.

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: You know, one, one of my favorite things about this show is that, if you haven’t noticed, we are of a very rich complexion. And I can speak from my experience. I have, I have been… muted in my expression of emotion, because I may emote a very human reaction in a situation that anyone else would have that same reaction. But when I have it, it’s often received as too much. It’s too angry. You’re too sad, you’re, it’s, it’s never received as understood. It’s just too much. And it’s wonderful that we have this show where people are just living in their human experience, and you get to see that spectrum and recognize it and relate to it without being felt like you’re feeling too much.

APRIL PARKER JONES: I think another wonderful thing about this show that I love so much is that that Tom’s superpower is his brain. You know, we were celebrating his genius, you know? And, and I, I hope that that when young people or, or anyone who watches this show, they’re able to, to tap into the reality that we all have within us that genius. (That genius, yeah) You know, so I, I think that that superpower is, is, is one that’s, that, that’s awesome and relatable, and, and, and hasn’t really been seen a lot, you know, that, that, that’s your superpower, your intelligence. Yeah.

MELINDA HSU TAYLOR: One other aspect that I’ll speak about as somebody who’s outside of this experience, but I’m so excited that the audience also is gonna get invited into this world. We have a lot of very specific moments and situations in the show. There’s a black cowboy rodeo that we visit. There’s a black cotillion that we go to. There’s a lot of stuff that is kind of subtly talking about big themes and currents in the world, in the country, but in a way that becomes so personal and so relatable that, it’s a show that invites everybody in and embraces whatever you’re coming from. And just kind of like, let’s all be together. I think it’s really exciting to watch as somebody who’s not black, frankly.

CAMERON JOHNSON: And I, for the, if you get me drunk enough, I will show you pictures from my cotillion.

TIAN RICHARDS: They’re great.

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: They’re so great. They’re great!

CAMERON JOHNSON: You know, Tian spoke about legacy, and I think the other important thing to remember is that as we look at this show is that black people like this have always existed. (Right) Madame CJ Walker, first black, one of the first millionaires, black female millionaires in this country. She lived in, in, in a villa, in a, in an estate, not unlike Swift manor. Jack and Jill, which is an organization for the children of, of professional black people is, it’s like about a hundred years old. There’s always been Boule, there’s always been The Links. Those things have always been existed, but they’ve always been kind of secret.

CAMERON JOHNSON: And so our goal is not necessarily to like, make them not secret or do some sort of like black excellence porn. Our goal, that’s not it, that’s not it, that’s not the goal. Our goal is to talk about people who you haven’t seen before living lives that you may be familiar with. And that, as Melinda said, you know, you can excitedly become a part of.

ALBERT MWANGI: Could I, could I add something as well? You know, coming from Kenya, having born, being born and raised from Kenya, being on a show like this is, it’s, it’s awesome because I feel like all of us as characters get to dare to be ourselves. And, and, and just adding to that aspect of, this show just shows just any other human condition, the same as all stories that are well told, do. And so it’s, I think it’s brilliant for audiences to come out of this thinking and knowing that they can dare to be, to, to be themselves, whether they have a different racial background, different sexual background or gender, or country. It doesn’t matter, just dare to be yourself and do it unapologetically.

OVERLAPPING

CAMERON JOHNSON: And get into that accent on Albert? (OVERLAPPING) We heard that on the zoom, we were like, wait, what? Yes, keep talking.

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: I’m sorry, your mic isn’t working. Can you [INAUDIBLE]

NOGA LANDAU: How was the thing is at, as, at first Rowan, the character, was not supposed to have this beautiful, majestic accent that he now has. And then, and then we heard how Albert actually speaks, and we were like earrings and his real accent, and that’s who he is. We’re gonna go with it.

ALBERT MWANGI: Yes. And I’m so glad you guys gave me that opportunity to do it. I think it’s, it’s, it’s, it’s amazing. And, and yeah, it’s, it’s a privilege and, and fun, I think. I love it. To do it with all of you guys.

PORSHA: Can you guys speak to the, having LeVar Burton, LeVar Burton’s role and just having that combination, having the, yeah, the creative team and the producers, having that strong mentor figure, but having it be distilled in AI. That’s such an interesting combination to me. So if you can speak on how that came to life and how it enabled you to be a little bit more creative with that type of role.

MELINDA HSU TAYLOR: We wanted somebody who was a best friend to a lonely kid, whose parents were off and out of the house, who didn’t have folks he could relate to, you know, at his level, but also of his age. So, he created this robot essentially, who would be kind of his Obi-Wan. And be encouraging and smart and protective and loving, and, you know, secretly in the ways he wished his dad were. But at the same time, you know, the shape of the drone, the flying Barton Barclay, I’m sorry, drone is a little bit like the Starship Enterprise. And you know, my first piece of fiction when I was eight, was writing little stories about, it was fan fiction for Star Trek.

MELINDA HSU TAYLOR: Cause I grew up in this little town in Bangor, Maine. And so everybody else was white, and they were nice, but I was terribly self-conscious and timid because I didn’t look like anybody else. And so I spent my whole childhood hiding in my bedroom reading like the Lord of the Rings over and over again. Cause in those books, if you were different, it was cool. And you brought something to the party, and it gave me hope. And having LeVar Burton voice this character is such a crazy full-circle thing for me. I wanna like get in a time machine and tell my younger self, “Just keep writing in your bedroom and reading these books and writing fan fiction for Star Trek.”

MELINDA HSU TAYLOR: But it’s also a thrill as like a grownup to meet LeVar Burton, who is a lovely person and so talented and so cool and just like mentoring Tian in the most beautiful way. And it was kind of like, we couldn’t have asked for a better Barclay. It’s a thrill.

TIAN RICHARDS: Can I add to that? (Go ahead) Okay. Cause I have to, I have to say this. To meet LeVar Burton, and they were here to witness this.

CAMERON JOHNSON: They all burst into tears. I was the only one who kept it together.

TIAN RICHARDS: And I experienced that with, with Melinda, Noga and Cameron on both zoom and in person. But it’s otherworldly because you really sit down and you think about it, he encapsulates the entire experience. Like you think about “Roots” and history and the voice to America. You think about Star Trek in the future. You think about just, you know, present day and shaping young minds that are going to become. And come on rainbows, he’s an ally.

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: Rainbows!

CAMERON JOHNSON: Butterfly in the sky.

TIAN RICHARDS: Yes! But, his, his spirit is, is so, so beautiful and so open. Cause, you know, I didn’t know what to expect. You know, he’s a, he’s a legend. So when I, when I met him, it’s like, he just saw me. I, I just felt like he saw me. And um, we just sat and talked about life. And he, he poured into me and, and told me, you know, stuff that Cecily Tyson and Maya Angelou had told him, like what a flex by the way. (Right) Just to pull that outta your pocket. But um, but no, he’s, he’s an amazing, you know, person. And I just wanna shout out and give him his flowers cause he doesn’t get them enough. We love you, LeVar Burton, we love you, man.

PORSHA: Thank you all so much.

MODERATOR: Next up is Rick Bentley, followed by Karama Horne.

RICK: Thank you very much. I have two quick questions regarding the books. Tian, for you first, your Tom Swift is certainly not the same as the Tom Swift that was introduced over a hundred years ago. But did you feel compelled at all [INAUDIBLE] those books. And for the executive producers, the Tom Swift books were really driven by the technology, because at that time, what we considered everyday was really phenomenal back then. But in this case, did you have, is it, do you feel like this show is more driven by the personal stories with the technology as a support?

CAMERON JOHNSON: Why don’t you go first.

TIAN RICHARDS: So to answer your first question, I did read one of the books. And again, it is very outdated material, but I just wanted to read it just to experience what it was like growing up. I did read Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys, but had never really come across Tom Swift. And what I can say a, a, a cool aspect about the books is how much tech came from it. Like if you think about the taser, is the Thomas A Swift electric rifle. And you know, that’s a piece of tech today. Um, so yeah, we are, we are very different though. Our show is definitely driven by the personal stories of today and of the modern world. But you will see so many references and new iterations of stuff that was in the book, little Easter eggs that we’ve had since NANCY DREW to now that, that tie it back to the universe. But yeah, I, I, I read one.

CAMERON JOHNSON: I, too read one. We are absolutely still driven by the tech though. Um, just to be clear. I mean our rule with the tech on the show though, is that, you know, there’s a, do I tell them of the Tomtage? (Sure) We should speak of the Tomtage. Okay, so we were working on the pilot and Melinda was like, Cameron, you know what? We just need, we need something that looks like, she said, like, just like, it’s like when you turn the A Team and you know you’re watching the A team, it’s like, what can we do that’s gonna make people know that you’re like, you’re watching TOM SWIFT?

CAMERON JOHNSON: So after I Googled the A Team, I then thought to myself, OK, cool. I then was like, okay, let’s do this, let’s do this. And so the thing that we came, that the three of us came up with is something called a Tomtage, which is a montage in which Tom does a thing that he finds, figures out what he is gonna need to go on the mission of the day. The first thing is the car. Uh, we have a lot of cars on this show. I’m definitely at car gay… unapologetically. Thanks, dad. And then there is the shoe, which is of course the most important thing I think in it, what, what are we wearing to go do some (In the car) And then finally, today it’s an Air Force One. It’s just something simple, I didn’t wanna do anything too crazy. But it also is monochrome with the outfit. That’s what matters.

CAMERON JOHNSON: And then, finally there is the invention. And so the, our rule for the inventions is that the inventions all have to be, at least come from, in some way, something kind of dumb. So, and what we mean by that is like, is what was the frivolous reason that this genius decided to invent, I don’t know, a camera made of steam or something like that? Could it be for taking better nudes? Something along those lines? And so, it’s things like that, that I think, but that are part of it. But the spirit of invention and the spirit of technology and the spirit of possibility is kind, are sort of the defining characteristics of our show.

CAMERON JOHNSON: Yeah, it is a, it’s a show about people and family relationships and those sorts of dramas. But it’s, what can we invent and how can we invent it and what can, how can we do that in a way that feels like cool and approachable and accept and accessible, so that maybe someday someone will read, watch our show and be like, I can make that thing real in the same way someone did with Tom Swift and his electric rifle, AKA, the taser.

MELINDA HSU TAYLOR: Absolutely. We definitely base it in science. And we do a lot of research. We’ve got a very busy writer’s room of wonderful minds, and they’re constantly coming to us, like this thing really happened. This guy really invented an invisibility cloak. Who knew? And we’re incorporating those things in the show. And we also want to reach out to the audience. As we get into the season, you will see a social media account for an incubator run by Zenzi called Swift Horizons. And we wanna ask people to actually send in their STEM ideas and, you know, we’ll try to promote it on social media, or at least have a, a forum for people to talk to each other and share ideas about tech and innovation.

MODERATOR: Next up is Karama Horne, followed by Ronda Penrice.

KARAMA: Hi there, it’s Karama, aka the blurred girl. What’s up? How y’all doing? Cameron, Cameron, love the nail polish. I have a question for Cameron, Tian and Ashleigh, but quickly, separate. Cameron. This is higher… there you go. Which one’s higher, the car budget or the fashion budget?

CAMERON JOHNSON: Car budget or shoe budget? Okay. Um, let me think about this. So in 101, we have a G63, we’ve got a Jaguar XKE we’ve got, this is a deep cup on 1988 Buick Grand National GNX. A Land Rover Defender 110, and Isaac, Albert, of course has a Toyota Camry. Of course, as one does. Oh, and then wait, Zenzi also has a drop-top Benz. So I think, oh wait, and then Lorraine’s got a series of Maybachs. I forgot about that. She’s got a fleet. I forgot about the Maybach fleet. So, I would, I think that it would be, I just listed about $2 million worth of cars


MELINDA HSU TAYLOR: But they were mostly rentals.

CAMERON JOHNSON: But they were mostly rentals. So I think, I think we may have outdone it with clothes. I think we may have outdone it with clothes.

MELINDA HSU TAYLOR: I think, for sure, the clothes were more money.

CAMERON JOHNSON: Absolutely spent more money on clothes. But I mean, who doesn’t wanna live that way? I don’t know, that’s fun.

KARAMA: No, I do. So, Tian, which character do you feel Tom Swift is more aligned with, Batman or Tony Stark in your, in your mind?

TIAN RICHARDS: I would definitely say Tony Stark. (Tony Stark) Yeah. Yeah, Tony stark. And you know what’s crazy? I just saw “Ironman” for the first time like last…

CAMERON JOHNSON: You shouldn’t say that out loud. You shouldn’t say that to people.

KARAMA: Unfortunately, now I can’t, now I can’t write about you. Sorry.

CAMERON JOHNSON: Wow! How was it for the 15th time?

TIAN RICHARDS: No, like I was aware, like I sit down and like, watch it in its entirety. Like I seen clips and stuff over a friend’s house, but, you know, after seeing it for the story, I had seen him in the Avengers film. Like I knew who he was, but just the original Ironman film, like I wanted to, you know, sit down and experience it. But yes, I will say Tony Stark.

KARAMA: Awesome. And final question is for Ashleigh, about, well, first of all, Cynthia Rowley is the truth. So thank you for getting her on the show. (Yes. Yes, she is) Uh, what does Zenzi want? Does she really want to, does she want to really stay running his company? And will she stay Tom’s friend, or are we gonna see a little bit of competition there? Because she really is the brains of the operation.

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: Well, let’s, let’s just set this clear. [LAUGHTER] Zenzi and Tom will always be friends. (Aww) This, it’s like, it’s, I just love you. It’s, it’s like that, it’s like chosen family. You know, they are, they are longtime family friends, but they’re like cousins. They’re like, they’re like siblings, you know, they can finish each other’s sentences or know what the other person needs and what they don’t need. You know, that’s, that’s a bond that is really, really hard to break.

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: And there’s nothing about the two of them that wants to lose that. You know, there’s, there’s definitely friction as they both grow. But the goal is not to grow apart, but together. You know, that we could both rise up together and support each other in our journeys. So I, I, I know that, at least we better always be. [LOOKS AT CJ]

CAMERON JOHNSON: Will do as we’re told. Thank you.

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: No Zenzi, my Zenzi, you know, it, it is, I mean, it was a chemistry that, you know, I immediately felt when we did our, when we did our chem read. (Yes) I was, it was like, I was talking to my brother, my best friend. Like he really felt like a confidant right away. And we bring so much of that to the show naturally. And for Zenzi, if she’s gonna stay within the company within the Swift, you know, world and orbit, I think it’s really, time will only tell. It’s, it’s a hard, it’s a hard choice because they are family, you know? And, and it’s not, walking away from family is not an easy decision for anyone. You know, it’s, it’s do you choose the people that love you, or do you choose yourself, or is there a way that you can choose both?

TIAN RICHARDS: Nobody [INAUDIBLE]

MODERATOR: Next up is Ronda Penrice followed by Rhayne Coleman.

RONDA: Hey, well, speaking of family, I’m actually your cousin, but… Darryl is my own father. Yes.

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: Oh my God! Did you see my face when they were like, “And then next up Ronda Penrice.” I was like [GASPS]

RONDA: I’m so proud of you, so proud of you. (Yes!)

NOGA LANDAU: Oh my gosh.

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: I’m gonna cry. [OVERLAPPING] Real family. Hi!

RONDA: You kinda alluded to it, but I wanted to ask directly, why is this the right time for TOM SWIFT? And why is The CW the right place?

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: Is that for me? Not for me. [OVERLAPPING]

RONDA: It’s for whoever [OVERLAPPING]

MELINDA HSU TAYLOR: I feel like… Noga, if you wanna speak to this [OVERLAPPING]. I will tell you folks that Noga was the first person who said, this should be a black gay billionaire story. Ooh, let’s give some credit to Noga Landau. [APPLAUSE]

NOGA LANDAU: Yay. Well, I’m, I’m not a black gay billionaire, believe it or not. I wanna come out and be clear about that… But…

CAMERON JOHNSON: I had a whole plan to date her, here we are.

NOGA LANDAU: I know, I know, we were so close. You know, as we said before, this show is, is making history in many ways. It is the first, you know, network broadcast show where you have the titular character as a black gay man. Marquis is also making history. I don’t want to like put you on the spot, but I would love to just call out, you know, your contribution to this and how, how so many [OVERLAPPING] Yeah, I mean, so many, so many kids are gonna grow up seeing you on their TV screen and it’s going to, it’s gonna show them who they can be. And it’s so powerful.

NOGA LANDAU: And you know, regardless of what your politics are, regardless of, of who you are and where you think the country is going, I think the fact that… I think the fact that we’re seeing people be able to live more and more authentically, and yet the, the struggle is not over, and the fight is not over, I couldn’t think of a better time to have a show like this come out. And honestly, it would’ve been great if a show like this came out 50 years ago. But now is our opportunity. And now we finally have allies in, you know, our studio CBS, and in our network CW who are gonna let us tell this story.

MELINDA HSU TAYLOR: Yeah, they have been incredibly supportive (Truly) We’ve come to them with some fairly out-there ideas and they’ve been like, “Great, can you do more?” You know, like seriously, they’re so encouraging and embracing of our creative ideas. And they’re great collaborators, great partners in this. They’ve been really, really, really supportive. We love the trailer, thank you. And you know, also I feel like The CW is sort of the network that could. And it’s doesn’t have the same sorts of pressures in some ways that some of the, I don’t know… Say you’re a giant streamer like Netflix, you have a different kind of target you’re trying to hit. Say you’re a giant you know, corporation like ABC has a certain thing that it’s trying to do.

MELINDA HSU TAYLOR: The CW has been able to do these very kind of, this is just for you, and yet everybody feels like, oh, I could tune into that too. And they have a really good blend of very targeted and yet very accessible programming. So I think it’s a great home for us.

CAMERON JOHNSON: The CW is the right place for us, because The CW is the place that said go further, do more, make it gayer, make it queerer, make it blacker. I’m literally not joking. Like we’ll be on notes calls and I’m like, oh God, there’s no way they’re gonna let me get away with this. And then they’re like, there’s absolutely no way. And then like, and then, you know, the execs are like, yes, absolutely. We are not only gonna let you get away with this, we’d like you to do more.

CAMERON JOHNSON: And I think the real, the other reason why The CW is the right place for this is that this is where youth go to see universal stories. I watched every single episode of “Gossip Girl” three times. Like, I have, there’s a, an ongoing joke, what is it? “Party of Five” is the show that I’m supposed to watch. Anyway, that I, that I, I…

NOGA LANDAU: Dawson’s River, you’re supposed to watch Dawson’s River.

CAMERON JOHNSON: Dawson’s River apparently was a show on the, on our network at some point. But this is a place where stories about young people learning about themselves, learning about their lives, starting off in existence can be broadcast on a large scale. And the fact that they’re willing to take this sort, to be like risky enough to be like, yeah, yeah, yeah, let’s make it about a black gay guy. Let’s do that. And he’s gonna be actually black and gay. He’s gonna kiss boys and he’s gonna, you know, do more than that. And we’re gonna, and you can populate the world with other people who are like him is why they’re the place for this. And I think they’ve been such a wonderful creative partner, and I’m obsessed with them. Thank you.

TIAN RICHARDS: Dare to defy.

RONDA: Well, thank you guys. Great job so far, but of course I’m biased.

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: Thank you.

CAMERON JOHNSON: Mess up your question, question wasn’t for Ashleigh though. I’m just gonna point that out at the family reunion, like they’ve got…

MODERATOR: We’re approaching our final two questions. Next up is Rhayne Coleman and followed by Walker Ragsdale.

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: Well, come on back, Ronda!

RHAYNE: Can you guys hear me? (Yes) Okay. My apologies. Okay. Thank you all for having me, glad, glad to be here. Um, I have two questions. So one dealing with the identity, there are some very tough conversations being had by Tom and his father. The word sensitive being thrown around. I loved, loved, loved that. But this is the story that a lot of queer people have these very same experiences. And this is really for, I guess, anyone, how important was it to capture that? Cause you did mention, you know, not wanting to kind of rehash black trauma. But this very specific thing is happening a lot. And I wanted to get into the fight with Tom and with Tom and Zenzi, if you could speak to that as well.

TIAN RICHARDS: Okay. I’ll take that one. What I will say, I definitely have my own set of daddy issues, though the, the problems are a little different with, with my own. But, what I hope to have happen, or what I hope to see is a world where we see less and less of that resistance from our, our parents. Thankfully I have a mother and father who, we don’t have that issue. Where they did fully accept me and my journey and everything in-between. We have other issues, but not that one.

TIAN RICHARDS: But it is great to grow up in a household where you can be fully realized and fully self-actualized. And since I am the product of that I, I hope that everybody gets a chance to experience that. But that’s, you know, not, that’s not the reality. So, there are many people who deal with parents who, you know, it’s, it’s, it’s, sometimes it’s a little more micro-aggression in-between. It’s not, we always kick you out of the house or disown you, but it’s like little micro-aggression, little comments that they make, little, you know, side jabs that you, you feel it. And come on, I’m black in a, in a, in a black family. Like people say stuff, you know? People say little things they think are, are, are (Funny) Yeah, funny or passable, like yeah, yeah.

CAMERON JOHNSON: Sweet, sugar in the tank. (Yes) Like the lovebirds.

TIAN RICHARDS: Yes. All of that, all of that. So it’s, it’s circulating the conversation to where we see people that look like us go through these things as well, and, and, and in the world scope. So yeah. Yeah. That’s, that’s, that’s always a hard issue and I’m, I’m just struggling a little bit, because I know friends that have definitely experienced the, the brute of their parents not understanding who they are and, you know, things being pushed upon them. And I even think about my own journey just a little bit, where, though I get got to actualize, you know. At a time, like I was really on some heavy, like I gotta be masculine out here in the world to survive, you know? And not letting other parts of my femininity and, and, and the full breadth of my humanity show.

TIAN RICHARDS: So, you know, I, of course you got uncles and cousins and grandfathers that, you know, you have to assimilate with, as well as in the world, because you’ll be seen a certain way. And yeah, so it shows that somebody who, on paper has everything, still has human issues. Because, though we have money and access and status, we are not void of human issues within the human experience.

MELINDA HSU TAYLOR: Yeah. And I think for folks who might be watching it from the other side of the Barton argument, not saying that our viewers are necessarily like this, but everybody knows somebody who struggled with their kids’ identity. And to have hope for those folks that maybe they could come around or maybe they could evolve Barton, you know, spoiler, he won’t always be that angry. I’ll leave it at that. But, you know, you gotta start someplace to get someplace.

MELINDA HSU TAYLOR: And then, you know, one of the things that I’m really proud of also, you know, we’ll, we’ll get to this in series, but Lorraine being a church-goer and actually being incredibly accepting. And that those two things can be completely feeding off of each other, that you have a religious faith and that you also embrace somebody’s identity. Those two things can exist right at the same time, they could actually make each other stronger.

CAMERON JOHNSON: That’s true. Amen. You know, it’s, it’s interesting in thinking about that scene in particular and the relationship between Barton and Tom, I think it was, look, my dad would really appreciate it if I said that all of this is fiction, wink-wink, nudge-nudge. Um, but with that said, you know, I, I do have to give my parents credit because they were never, you know… I, I’ve been very obviously gay first ever since I bought my first Spice Girls album. And it is, it was great. It was a vibe, I loved it. My friends did not. They had notes, but it was great. But with that said, it wasn’t a P-flag, rainbow-sticker-on-the-car type of acceptance. It was an acceptance that came with, you, there are still standards that you, as a black man from this type of particular type of respectable family, need to live up to. And if you don’t live up to those things, if you don’t meet those standards, there’s gonna be problems.

CAMERON JOHNSON: And underneath that, there was always, and there still can always be, a little bit of like a soupçon of homophobia that comes out. And I think for Barton, that’s what he’s working through. But at its core, I mean, I’ll tell a small little personal story, I don’t think I’ve ever told before. But basically, so the day that I came out to my dad, I had had a dream, I was home for spring break in college. I woke up and I was like, I must tell my father that I am gay, and I had a full panic attack. And I got on the phone to call like this, a mentor of mine who was Dr. Jones. And I said, if I, and she said, well, what’s the problem.
And I was like, well, if I tell my dad I’m gay, is he going to still love me?

CAMERON JOHNSON: And she paused as if I had said something insane. And she said, of course. Barton and Tom love each other dearly. The problem is that their vision for what being a man is, is so different that it’s a big bridge to cross. And so, for Barton that’s, well, I mean, you’re gay and your life’s gonna be harder and you’re not like the type of person I wanted you to be. And Tom is like, I can do so many things, I just do it differently. I just am doing it gay. I’m doing it fabulously, as one must. And it’s that collision that drives so much of the story. And that is sort of, is the thing that one can recover from.

CAMERON JOHNSON: It’s less about like becoming less homophobic, which is important. Yes, we should all do that and transphobic and all of the other, all the sorts of phobias that, and racist and all the things that we all have internally. But what it’s really about is accepting that your child’s vision, the person you love’s vision of what their life should be, can be different. And your job is not to like, try to beat them into submission and doing like what your dream of, of them was. It’s to help them be the best possible version of that, of themselves.

APRIL PARKER JONES: Amen.

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: There was a sec-, what was the other question?

RHAYNE: Yes, I’m sorry. It was about the, can you hear me? OK. It was about the argument between Tom right after the, the big criminal event. That was so intense. Like I was on pins and needles. Like that back and forth. So you spoke to your chemistry, like, how was it filming that scene?

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: Okay, you know what? So when we shot that scene, that was actually a scene that I had auditioned with. And I, I, like, I know that fight. I have siblings, you know, I have cousins, I have friends. You know, people that you really, that you guys are on the same wavelength, and if somebody’s given you a little energy, you’re like, “Yeah, I know, I heard that, but I’m still gonna talk to you.” And it was, it was that moment where Tom can reach a frequency that Zenzi is really trying to get him to come down from. And he keeps going and keeps going, and now she has to meet him there. And we are, you wanna have a conversation? Well, we can have a conversation?

TIAN RICHARDS: Who was having that?!

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: Exactly. And what’s so funny is, that when we did that, we, we shot it, you know, several times. And we definitely both had, I feel like we both had an idea of what it was supposed to feel like, what it was supposed to look like. And our director, Anton was like (Shout-out to Anton Cropper) He was like, okay, listen, I need, y’all like, you got it, but I just need you to stop. I need you to talk to him like you talking. And it’s funny because I thought I was talking to him, like I was talking to, he was like, talk to him like you talking to your cousin.

TIAN RICHARDS: No, no, no. Tell him though. Cause Miss Mama was pacing back and forth. And I was, oh, oh, okay. I was waiting.

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: I started pacing.

TIAN RICHARDS: Oh okay. I was waiting for my cue. And she was…

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: Because I had been waiting for you all night!

TIAN RICHARDS: Oh, I’m trying to get to the observatory. And, and then “action!” Whoa!

ASHLEIGH MURRAY: It was, it was so intense and it was so wonderful. And that’s one of my favorite, favorite things about working with Tian, is that he commits, (Yes) he commits. He does his homework and he’s there with you, and he listens and it comes from here and he gives it, and you take it and you throw it right back. It’s like, it’s like tennis, the whole time. And it’s such a wonderful, thrilling, fulfilling workout. And the fact that you had that reaction, that’s what we were having.

TIAN RICHARDS: Zenzi, my Zenzi!

MODERATOR: Okay. We’ve gone over, so we need to wrap things up. I just wanted to thank everyone again for participating. This has been amazing. I hope everyone has a great weekend. And just a reminder, TOM SWIFT premieres Tuesday, May 31st at 9:00 PM on The CW. Thank you guys so much. Thank you everyone.

MORE INFO:

Tian Richards as Tom Swit and Ashleigh Murray as Zenzi on "Tom Swift" on The CW“TOM SWIFT”

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

As an exceptionally brilliant inventor with unlimited resources and unimaginable wealth, the devilishly charming Tom Swift (Tian Richards) is a man who many men would kill to be, or be with – a man with the world in the palm of his hand. But that world gets shaken to its core after the shocking disappearance of his father, thrusting Tom into a breathtaking adventure full of mysterious conspiracies and unexplained phenomena. On his whirlwind quest to unravel the truth, Tom finds himself fighting to stay one step ahead of an Illuminati-scale cabal hellbent on stopping him. Tackling this treacherous pursuit armed with his vast intellect, his roguish wit, and an endless supply of designer sneakers, he will also rely on his closest companions: his best friend Zenzi (Ashleigh Murray), whose unabashed and unvarnished candor keeps Tom grounded while she forges a path for herself as a business visionary; his bodyguard Isaac (Marquise VilsĂłn), whose fierce commitment to his chosen family is complicated by his own simmering feelings for Tom; and his AI, Barclay (voiced by LeVar Burton), whose insights and tough love have been a constant throughout Tom’s life.

At home, Tom’s relationship with his mother Lorraine (April Parker Jones) becomes conflicted as she urges him to take his father’s place in elite Black society. But unbeknownst to Tom, his mother’s request is driven by deep secrets of her own. What’s more, the mysterious and dangerous Rowan (Albert Mwangi) intersects Tom’s path with hidden motivations and undeniable mutual chemistry. While Tom navigates these emotionally charged dynamics, his missions will require his genius and his flair for innovation guided by romance, friendship and the mysteries of the universe yet unsolved.

The character of Tom Swift was originally introduced to audiences in season two of NANCY DREW. The series is inspired by the Tom Swift book series that hails from Stratemeyer Syndicate, which also publishes the Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys and Bobbsey Twins books.

TOM SWIFT stars Tian Richards, Ashleigh Murray, Marquise VilsĂłn, April Parker Jones and Albert Mwangi, with LeVar Burton as the voice of Barclay, Tom’s AI.

TOM SWIFT is a production of CBS Studios in association with Fake Empire. TOM SWIFT was co-created by Melinda Hsu Taylor (“Nancy Drew,” “The Gifted”), Noga Landau (“Nancy Drew,” “The Magicians”) and Cameron Johnson (“Empire”). Taylor, Landau and Johnson also serve as executive producers along with Josh Schwartz (“Nancy Drew,” “Gossip Girl,” “Dynasty”), Stephanie Savage (“Nancy Drew,” “Gossip Girl,” “Dynasty”), and Lis Rowinski (“Nancy Drew,” “Gossip Girl,” “Dynasty”)

Proofread and Edited by Brenda

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Panel for "Tom Swift" on The CW