A movie starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson sounds like a Christmas gift. But to learn that the former cinematic Captain America himself, Chris Evans has joined forces with him, that’ll have you wondering if we all somehow got on the Nice List.
Yet it’s true: Evans, who played Steve Rogers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is on board for a holiday-themed action-adventure comedy called ‘Red One’.
Exact details of what the movie will be about are being stashed in Santa’s sack for now, but we wouldn’t be surprised, given its “holiday” tag, to see Johnson either playing some version of Santa Claus, or helping him out in some way. We can see the poster now… “This Year, Christmas Rocks!”
The idea sprang from the brain of Hiram Garcia, who is Johnson’s producing partner in his Seven Bucks production company. But the person bringing the script to life has also worked with Johnson in the past – Chris Morgan, who wrote many of the ‘Fast & Furious’ movies, including its 2019 spin-off, ‘Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.’
(L to R) Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham in ‘Hobbs & Shaw.’
And continuing the theme of past Rock collaborators is director Jake Kasdan, who worked on the ‘Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle’ and ‘Jumanji: The Next Level’, both of which featured Johnson and became big box office hits. All involved are clearly hoping for success with this one, and perhaps the birth of a new franchise, as with Johnson’s recent Netflix movie “Red Notice” (2020), which is already spawning not one, but two sequels.
Christmas movies don’t typically tend to feature lots of action, so it’ll be interesting to see how Johnson adapts his usual brand to the holiday season.
Aside from his Disney/Marvel work, Evans is known for appearing in the comic book company’s two Fox ‘Fantastic Four’ films and, also in the graphic novel vein, the cult movie 2010’s ‘Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World’.
Next up for the actor is voicing ‘Lightyear’ from Pixar, which will feature the “human” version of ‘Toy Story’s Buzz Lightyear, the inspiration for the astronaut toy. He’ll also be seen in ‘The Gray Man’, a Netflix action thriller that co-stars Ryan Gosling and reunites Evans with regular MCU directors Joe Russo and Anthony Russo.
Chris Evans in Pixar’s ‘Lightyear.’
Johnson’s schedule is also typically packed, with two films headed to screens this summer. First is the animated ‘DC League of Super-Pets’, in which the canine companion of Superman and a group of shelter animals who unexpectedly develop powers must save the Justice League from the clutches of villain Lex Luthor. That movie finds him working once again (albeit in a voice booth) with old friend Kevin Hart and is in cinemas on May 20.
Then, staying with the DC Universe, Johnson is starring in ‘Black Adam’, a powerful anti-hero with abilities like Superman but a commitment to justice by any means that brings him into conflict with other characters. It’ll arrive on July 29.
As for ‘Red One’, Amazon jumped to acquire the rights to make the movie, and while it doesn’t have a specific release date yet, it should be on screens around Christmas 2023.
Amazon Prime Video’s ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ premieres September 2nd.
Amazon has revealed the official title of its upcoming, multi-season series based on the beloved books of J.R.R. Tolkien and it will be called ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.’
The series, in a sense, will act as a prequel to director Peter Jackson’s Oscar winning ‘Lord of the Rings’ and ‘The Hobbit‘ trilogies, as the story will focus on the forging of the original rings of power, which allowed Sauron to spread evil throughout Middle Earth.
In a statement released by Amazon, showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay discussed the new title and upcoming series. “This is a title that we imagine could live on the spine of a book next to J.R.R. Tolkien’s other classics. ‘The Rings of Power’ unites all the major stories of Middle-earth’s Second Age: the forging of the rings, the rise of the Dark Lord Sauron, the epic tale of Númenor, and the Last Alliance of Elves and Men. Until now, audiences have only seen on-screen the story of the One Ring, but before there was one, there were many… and we’re excited to share the epic story of them all.”
The studio also released a teaser trailer for the series that explains the origins of the rings. While the teaser does not utilize any actual footage from the series, it features the title being “physically forge in a blacksmith foundry, pouring fiery molten metal into hand-carved wooden ravines shaped to the letterforms,” with lines from Tolkien’s “Ring Verse” being spoken in voice over.
“Three Rings for the Elven-kings under the sky, Seven for the Dwarf-lords in their halls of stone, Nine for Mortal Men doomed to die, One for the Dark Lord on his dark throne, In the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.”
You can watch the full teaser below:
Here is the full synopsis for the series:
Prime Video’s ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit‘ and ‘The Lord of the Rings,’ and will take viewers back to an era in which great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, unlikely heroes were tested, hope hung by the finest of threads, and one of the greatest villains that ever flowed from Tolkien’s pen threatened to cover all the world in darkness.
Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared reemergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the farthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.
Joining showrunners J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay as executive producers on the series are Lindsey Weber, Callum Greene, J.A. Bayona, Belén Atienza, Justin Doble, Jason Cahill, Gennifer Hutchison, Bruce Richmond, and Sharon Tal Yguado, as well as producers Ron Ames and Christopher Newman. J.A. Bayona, Charlotte Brandstrom, and Wayne Che Yip are all scheduled to direct episodes of the series.
‘The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power’ is set to premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video beginning Friday, September 2nd, with new episodes dropping each week.
‘Harlem’ is a new comedy series on Prime Video about four best girlfriends living in Harlem NYC. The series was created by Tracy Oliver, and features Meagan Good, Jerrie Johnson, Grace Byers, and Shoniqua Shandai as the stylish and ambitious women that the show follows. Tyler Lepley plays a former flame of Good’s character, and all of these talented folks spent time talking to Moviefone about their new series.
(L-R): Grace Byers, Shoniqua Shandai, Jerrie Johnson, and Meagan Good in ‘Harlem.’ (Photo courtesy of Amazon Studios)
First, Meagan Good and Jerrie Johnson talk about how much fun they had on set.
Moviefone: So, let’s talk ‘Harlem.’ Listen, I can truly appreciate a real sisterhood. These ladies had each other’s backs, genuinely. They were there for one another, through their wins and their losses. Or I would say lessons actually, right?
Jerrie Johnson: Yes.
MF: So Meagan, Camille is a professor, but I would say that she learned her most valuable lesson through her life’s journey. So what is something that Camille could teach us?
Meagan Good: Oh gosh. What I love about Camille is that she’s hopeful. She’s always hopeful. Something can get her down and she can get really disappointed and hard on herself and feel a little bit crazy. And then she always resets her mind and goes, “You know what? It’s okay. I got this. I’m going to figure it out, and it’s going to be great. And no matter what, it’s going to be fine.” You know? I love that about her, because I think that we all, at some point, need to take that approach. Because we do get down on ourselves, and we do get hard on ourselves, and we do get really discouraged.
And being discouraged can cause depression and all kinds of stuff. And I think we need to have the mindset of, you know what? It’s always going to always be okay, and no matter what. And we will figure it out. And it’s okay to not know and not have the answers for a minute and to walk this thing out called life. So I think that’s what I’ve learned most from Camille, and I hope that it’s something that the other people take away as well.
MF: So Jerrie, if you can give Ty any advice based on her love life, her passions and careers, what would you say to her?
Johnson: I would tell her that she can be a little bit more vulnerable. I think her heart chakra may be a little blocked. Yeah.
Good: She’s cold as ice.
Johnson: (Laughing) Oh!
MF: That’s good. This series, it just seems like it was so much fun to film. What was it like with everyone on set?
Good: Like this. Just absolutely ridiculous. One second, we’re praying, the next second, we’re twerking. Just, one second, we’re singing Lloyd’s, “Lay It Down,” and songs from, what is the movie called with Robert Townsend and Leon?
Good: And then we’re singing, ‘Dreamgirls,’ and she’s doing Effie’s part and there’s just so much going on. And it’s so wonderful, and such a breath of fresh air, because it’s not always like that. And with TV, it’s different. It’s not a race, it’s a marathon. You got to pace yourself. And there’s nothing more wonderful than coming to work, and you’re excited about the role you get to play, and you’re excited about the people you get to play with, and you genuinely love them, and you genuinely pray for each other, and hold each other down, and confide in each other, and pour into each other, and love on each other. And then you leave set, and you go do that in the real world with the same people.
Johnson: Yeah.
Good: t’s really special and wonderful.
MF: That’s beautiful.
Johnson: There was a moment where I was sick and Meagan was on FaceTime with me, while I’m in the hospital. And Devon came in and prayed over me, and I’m, “You gonna sit here with me while I’m in this hospital?” And she’s, “Yes. I want to make sure you are okay.” And I think it’s just a testament to the kind of people that were hired to be on this show. These women, we know what it costs to be nasty. We just know that we don’t have to do that. We’re not in competition with each other. We’re actually in flow with each other. We’re actually building with each other, and that makes us all rise to the occasion.
Good: Yeah.
Johnson: So the set was a good old time.
Good: Yeah.
MF: That’s great.
Good: You ever see that picture? It’s an animated meme where you see the woman, here, put your foot here, and you go like this, and then they go like that and the person pulls them up. That’s what it’s like every day on set.
Next, Grace Byers & Shoniqua Shandai discuss the challenges their characters face in the first season.
Moviefone: So Grace, what is it about Quinn that did not allow her to give up on her passion despite the ups and downs of the business?
Grace Byers: Oh, I think that there is a very pure part of Quinn. And honestly, I believe that this lives in all of us where we are born and built to love, we’re born and built to connect. I think that’s why whenever we disconnect, it’s so difficult because it takes no time to fall in love with someone or to express love with someone or to really feel a comradery or a closeness to someone, but it takes forever to disconnect. And so I think that Quinn really zeros in on and amplifies that desire and that need for love because I believe that she truly feels like it’s a core part of her identity. And I think without love or without the hope or idea of love, I’m not sure that she would even know who she is. And I think that that’s all of us, just in this world as human beings.
And so I really love that about Quinn. I love that no matter what, she will pursue that love. She will go for that love. And she won’t ever stop chasing after that because I feel it truly is the strongest kind of energy that can permeate throughout the world.
MF: Absolutely. Absolutely. Shoniqua, I love Angie.
Shoniqua Shandai: Thank you.
MF: She’s so vibrant and real, she’s the type of girlfriend everyone needs in their circle.
Byers: Yeah.
Shandai: Absolutely.
MF: Yeah. So, what challenges would you say that Angie faced when it came to her career, her love life, her passions?
Shandai: Yes. I think the challenges she faces in her career and her love life are actually very similar. Angie almost had it. She was looked at somewhat as successful in school and always had this trajectory of being the star, getting exactly what she always wanted. And she suffered this disappointment that completely rocked her world, that came out of nowhere. And now she’s doubting everything while also putting up this outward persona of, “I got it together. I’m cool.” But inside, she doesn’t know whether it’s going to come. She doesn’t know whether it’s possible for her. And it’s the same thing I feel like in love. She has these relationships that are almost impossible to keep together. Almost setting herself up to know that, “This won’t last because then it won’t hurt me. It can’t disappoint me.”
And I think really her biggest journey is going to be healing from that. And also beyond that, getting the confidence. As much as she’s outwardly confident, it’s having the confidence to trust in something she can’t control. Which is, “I can’t control whether people receive me or not musically. And I can’t control whether of people receive me in love, but I’m going to go for what I deserve,” in spite of always feeling like she is deserving. She is a big old complexity.
Byers: Yes.
Shandai: Yeah. These complications.
Byers: We all are. That’s the truth.
Shandai: Yes.
Tyler Lepley talks about his character, Ian.
Moviefone: So, let’s talk about Ian, because Ian comes in, and he shakes some things up.
Tyler Lepley: For sure.
MF: So, give us some insight on your character. Who is he, and what is he about?
Lepley: He’s about finding who he is. He’s about finding his purpose. On one hand, he’s this very gifted, creative, studied chef. He’s studying under a world-renowned chef to try to find out his passion and how it’s going to come to fruition. He is a very passionate, driven person, whether it’s about his work life or his love life, which, really, where we meet him at, he’s left in conflict between the two. And he’s like all of us in the sense that he’s just a man trying to find his way. He’s in the process of trying to figure out who he is and where he stands. That’s how we’re introduced to Ian.
MF: So, Tyler, if you could give Ian… If you could give him any advice about his career or relationships, what would you say to him?
Lepley: First, I would say, “Ian, pull up a chair, I want to have a talk with you.” I would say, “It behooves you to chase your passion.” We’re not here to settle, we’re not here to pay a couple bills, and then just croak out. At least in terms of how I feel, not to take it too deep. But, you’re right. Even though you’re going through some obstacles, and you’re going through some conflicts that may feel negative, you’re right on the path you’re supposed to be.
And you’d be surprised, if you just take a few more steps, what it’s going to bring back to you. In terms of your love life, let’s figure out what your priority is first. Is it finding who you are, or is it making your girlfriend happy? And, based upon your answer, we can figure out if you’re in the right space. So, I believe, based upon watching your 10 episodes, that your answer is your passion. So, then, we may have to try to revisit this, or put it to bed as is, because the secondary can’t come before the primary.
MF: Wow. That’s good. Do you think he would listen to that advice?
Lepley: I don’t know. Ian’s like myself, we’re a little hardheaded. He might not listen, but I think even if he didn’t listen, he would feel that though, because, even as we watch the show, that’s what he does. He chases his passion, as opposed to letting the passion go and letting his dreams go, and then just sitting here in a space that he already knows. So, I think he would… As a matter of fact, I’m going to change my answer. I think he would end up listening.
MF: So you were surrounded by amazingly beautiful, talented women. I mean, what was it like? What was the experience on set, working with everyone?
Lepley: What I realized is that… I had a hunch that it was going to be like this, but you look on the outside, and they’re all so beautiful, but then to work with them, the beauty is on the inside. It really resonates from the inside first. They’re all, I mean… It’s just such a… I used this analogy earlier. They’re just like… I know it’s about two, but they’re really like four peas in a pod, and to see them play off each other and to watch their bond, to watch their sisterhood, it’s inspiring. And to have them be so welcoming, to open their arms and have me be a part of this, not just on the script, but in real life too, it’s just a treat, man. It’s just been a blessing to be around those ladies. And I learned a lot from them on set, as an artist, and it was a great thing to be able to work with them, but it was even a bigger treat to be able to build a friendship with them off of set.
Series creator, writer, and executive producer Tracy Oliver shares her inspiration for the show.
Moviefone: How did the concept of ‘Harlem’ come about, and why Harlem?
Tracy Oliver: Well, it came about just from real life and the stuff that I was looking at the time was showing New York. ‘Girls’ was really popular, and ‘Broad City’ was really popular, and I love those shows and have so much respect for the creators. I just didn’t see myself and I didn’t see a lot of black and brown people in New York represented. And just in general, over the years, I’ve just noticed New York doesn’t have a lot of diversity, and it shows when they’re set there and Harlem almost never was getting shot in comedies, in particular.
It just was, they would shoot it every single neighborhood in Manhattan, except for Harlem. And for me, I just always felt I was kind of home in Harlem, even though I’m not from there. I just felt it was a place that I belonged and it was beautiful. And it was a rich history there. And I just wanted to give it some love, to give the residents and the people of Harlem who are so special some love. And I wanted to do that way back in the day because there was just nothing like it. And yeah, so it just came from a place of love for me. Because I enjoyed my experience there, and it was a really magical time.
MF: I love that. And the cast was great too. Definitely, great cast. Everything definitely came together, and I could definitely foresee a lot more seasons of ‘Harlem’ to come. So I’m excited for that.
The second season of the Amazon Prime series Modern Love features new episodes with Minnie Driver and Garrett Hedlund, among others. The cast recently talked to us about what to expect in the new season.
Minnie Driver talks about how long she’s been involved with the production.
Moviefone: Were you familiar with this New York Times column before taking on this role?
Minnie Driver: Yeah, I read the column, and I’ve actually been part of the podcast. So I’ve been part of this for a lot of years, actually, yeah.
MF: With those audience members that aren’t familiar, can you explain what the Modern Love column is?
Driver: It is people submit their own stories from their own lives and experiences to the New York Times and those are then edited into these beautiful essays. Those essays it was then turned into a podcast where actors would read them out. Then that IP was then turned into this beautiful anthology series that Amazon has done. So there’s a real relatable truth at the root of all of these stories.
MF: What I love about this it’s called Modern Love, but it’s not only romantic love. It’s all about relationships and all different types of love.
Driver: Yeah. There are many permutations of love and I think we get mired in the idea of romantic love being the be all and end all, but love is myriad and expensive.
MF: In your episode, Stephanie, what is she dealing with?
Driver: Well, she’s married to a man, and they have a child. She also has another daughter from a previous marriage and her husband, her late husband died, and he left her a car that was his, and in that car, she remains connected to him. That is where she goes to talk to him, to be with him, to love him and through circumstance, they have to sell that car. And it’s really about how do we let go? How do we let go and move on in our lives? What should we have to let go of, and what should we fight to keep hold of?
MF: And I have to admit, watching that episode, I have that same feeling. I like to keep things because a lot of things I have memories attached to. Do you feel like that about stuff? Are you one of those people that you can just get rid of everything?
Driver: No. I find it very difficult getting rid of everything. Everything has a story and a meaning and the… Those stories make up our life. So I try not to clutter, but I do have things that are incredibly important to me.
MF: This is based on a true story. So the real person that this is based on, did you ever have a chance to speak to that person?
Driver: No, I didn’t. I didn’t at all,
MF: But I guess personally, I guess you could really relate to it as we just spoke about, because things are important. Hanging on to things are important and especially in this case is because for her, it’s… She feels it’s a one place she can go to kind of speak to her late husband, her first husband. What I love about the story also is her second marriage, she’s actually very happy, and her new husband is very understanding of the situation, which is heartwarming.
Driver: Yeah, he has a great generosity of spirit and feels that hearts are big enough to accommodate dead husbands and live ones.
MF: She’s very lucky in that manner. So when you approach playing somebody… And you know this is a true story and even though you didn’t get to speak to the real person, you know that this really happened to somebody. How do you approach preparing for that?
Driver: I mean, I really just had the script and I just saw how the story unfolded, and I really worked from that. The preparation was in the reading of the story and the metabolizing that and appreciating it.
Garrett Hedlund talks about the love story in his episode.
Moviefone: For those people who have not watched season one, could you explain to them about, I know, about the Modern Love series, because I mean, it’s an anthology. You don’t have to have watched every single episode.
Garrett Hedlund: Yeah. It’s wonderful encounters and happenstances, heartbreaks, findings and loss all in the wonderful city of and surrounding areas of New York. True stories being brought to life in a wonderful manner, sometimes fantastical, but will never cease to warm your heart and open your minds to a little bit of modern love.
MF: In your episode, what type of love and relationships are we dealing with?
Hedlund: In our episode? Well, two people in a relationship who end up losing their partners to each other, and then these two people end up finding each other in a therapy room, and have much to talk about, because their exes are now a couple, which is a very unique situation. Mind you, it does happen, though. This did happen, and you get to see what happens when you watch.
MF: Because all of these stories are based on a true story. All of these episodes of Modern Love are based on true stories, correct?
Hedlund: Correct. Yes.
MF: There was an actual New York Times column?
Hedlund: There was. Yeah. It’s called In The Waiting Room Of Estranged Spouses. I play a character that has come back from war, he and his partner have been together for a long time. But she’s been enraptured in his regimen of living life by a plan. And obviously that could get a little draining as I’m sure many people out there can relate, any wives, many husbands. And Anna Paquin plays the girlfriend and wife of someone who has left her for my ex. And so it’s unique and happenstance, and it all sort of unfolds. But me and Miss Anna Paquin may find the right partners within each other.
MF: I found Spence interesting, because he very much wants to write his life. He has it all planned out. And as we know, life doesn’t always work out that way.
Hedlund: Yeah. It’s ingrained in him to live life by a plan, to have this regimen, to be very mindful of the time, and what happens when and where, and realize that trying to live life on your terms in this manner only ends up obstructing you, closes the doors to yearning to live. And it’s been a big hindrance for him, or at least for his partners. It’s only when Anna Paquin’s character comes in and tells him not everything can be planned. And once he’s able to sort of drop that hindrance, then he’s able to be open to love and be open to life.
‘Modern Love’ Season 2 is now on Amazon Prime.
Emily Mortimer, writer, director, and co-star in ‘The Pursuit of Love’
Based on the novel by Nancy Mitford, ‘The Pursuit of Love’ tells the story of two upper-class British cousins in the years between the two World Wars. The cousins, Linda and Fanny, are played by Lily James and Emily Beecham, and the series was adapted and directed by Emily Mortimer. Mortimer also co-stars as ‘The Bolter,’ Fanny’s notorious mother, who has a tendency to duck out of any romantic relationship the moment she gets bored. Mortimer recently spoke to us about her new Amazon Prime series.
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Moviefone: How did end up both writing and directing this?
Emily Mortimer: So it was sort of a bona fide sort of job offer when I was offered the task of making a pilot on spec for the show by some producers, and they had already Lily James attached, and I had read the book as a teenager. I hadn’t read it since, but I loved it. I remember loving it. I thought to myself, do I really want to add another sort of costume drama with people in costumes in a sort of big house in England to the world? But then I read it again, and I thought, no, this is a story that deserves to be told. I felt like there was something very fresh and original and amazing about the tone and about Nancy Mitford’s voice. And so I set about writing it, and it got commissioned, and the BBC pitched up and then Amazon came on.
And then we had to find a director and I hadn’t thought about directing it, although I realized retrospectively that I had been very bossy in my stage directions about sort of where the camera was going to go and what music should be on. But it was Lily James, who plays Linda, who said that she thought I should direct it. And the producers very much needed her to be attached to the project, so they were much more open to the suggestion that they would have been if it had just been me. And I found myself in the position of sort of a door having opened for me and the choice was either to walk through it or to not, and I walked through it. And I’m so pleased I did because I loved the experience.
MF: I’m so glad you mentioned the camera direction and the music choices in the script that you were adapting because I was going to ask who picked the music. The music choices are exquisite, and you have excellent taste. I love that you dropped The Meters in at the beginning of that second episode, the Cissy Strut was so good!
Mortimer: Thank you.
MF: Do you have those songs in mind as you’re writing the script?
Mortimer: I had a few in mind. I mean, it grew as I approached the moment to start making the show. And not a lot of them, I would say half of them I knew before I started directing the show and half of them, or maybe a third of them, came afterwards. But I had a long playlist, which most of the songs that you hear in the show now are on. And yeah, it was just a long process, but it was a really fun one, and I was helped in it by my brother-in-law George Vjestica who’s a member of The Bad Seeds, he’s in the band, Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds.
And Clint Mansell, the composer, did the composing and the score is beautiful. And George helped me kind of curate these tracks. And when the lockdown came I was about to start shooting and then I had two months of just nothing where I had a long time to think about the music. And that was in those two months in this kind of hiatus before we picked up again, that I really honed in on the music choices and found most of the music that ended up being in the show.
MF: So we’ve not only learned that Emily Mortimer is a great director on her first time out, but she’s got really great taste in music! And your casting choices are great in this, I love Dominic West and I can’t help but think that there was probably a lot of direction to be more shouty as Uncle Matthew.
Mortimer: Yes, that’s true, there was that direction. Yeah. Be really, really obnoxious and cross and scary.
MF: How did you end up casting Shazad Latif? He’s great in this, but it feels a little against type for him to be playing Fanny’s husband.
Mortimer: Yes, he’s wonderful, and I feel very grateful to him. And I think it was a challenging part because he’s got to be very buttoned up and conventional, and he’s the OCD character. He doesn’t have long scenes to convey this character, and yet he does it so economically. And you do because he’s ultimately a very kind of charismatic and charming person, Shazad. And he has that power, but he’s hiding it in this. And certainly through a lot of this characterization of Alfred. But yet, I think that there’s something very strong and intense about his presence, nonetheless. And so you root for him, and you root for their marriage. And I think he’s an incredible performer, I think is a wonderful performance. It’s very economic performance, but it has depth somehow. And even though he doesn’t really understand what the hell Fannie’s on about most of the time you feel he’s trying, and you really, you love him, and you root for that marriage.
MF: There’s one particular performer that we maybe don’t get enough screen time from, that comes in and out as this character, The Bolter. How did you end up playing that one? Because she comes in and just lays down these bits and then disappears, and it’s hilarious.
Mortimer: I felt, if I’m going to write and direct this thing, I might as well give myself a good pop because it’s hard enough to get work as an actress. If you’re going to go through all the trouble of writing something and directing it, then you might as well give yourself a part. But I then regretted that decision very quickly. In the run-up to the shoot, I was terrified. And I felt I just wanted to get out of being The Bolter. I was thinking, “this is just one, two things too many.” And I tried to fire myself on numerous occasions. I kept ringing up the producers and saying, you’ve got to sack Emily as The Bolter, she can’t do it, she’s far too busy, she’s over extended, and they wouldn’t let me.
But I’m really pleased I did, and I really did enjoy it. I mean, it was hell at the time, but The Bolter. I just love how unapologetic she is. She’s an absurd creature, she’s an awful creature in a way, but it was very liberating for me. I’m someone who’s very naturally very apologetic and very aware of my own shame, and The Bolter is shameless and completely unapologetic. And so it was liberating for me to get to play her and I really enjoyed it.
MF: Is it hard to keep from judging The Bolter, or even Linda, when Linda all but abandons he daughter?
Mortimer: It was really important to me that this business of mothering and bad mothering was explored in a way that was forgiving. I mean, it’s not like they get away with it completely, at all, but I think that it’s a taboo subject and I think that there’s huge pressure, mainly on women of course, but on men too. But just because for centuries, women have been the caretakers of children, and we still have this burden on us, mainly the kind of emotional happiness of the children feels more… I think women feel more personally responsible still then men, although it’s definitely changing. And I wanted to explore the idea that there’ve been centuries of very bad fathers that nobody’s ever raised an eyebrow at, but if you’re a bad mother, it’s tantamount to being a very bad person.
And I think it’s worth exploring that notion. Well, what it is to be a bad mother, what does that mean? What do we mean when we say that? And is there a way of understanding why a woman, especially at that time, might’ve felt that the only way that she was going to be able to escape a very unhappy situation, a very unhappy marriage, was to have to leave her child. And is there a way in which we can bring ourselves to at least understand it, maybe not forgive it, but at least understand it. So it felt really important to me that that was investigated and as in a forgiving and honest way as possible. Obviously, I don’t hold up those characters as great mothering role models, but they’re good for other reasons.
MF: So often you get to see a male character wander off and abandon his family and just be a gadabout, ne’er-do-well. And the series is, if not okay with Linda and Bolter doing that, they at least don’t get punished for that specifically.
Mortimer: Yes, which they would in pretty much any other, even any other contemporary thing. I think it, you have to like people, it’s very difficult to write a female character that isn’t very nice to their children. That is also something that you expect the audience to feel sympathy for. And, I don’t know whether the line is still in there, it’s not in the book, I put it in there, but it was a line where she says, look at it Odysseus. He went off on his noble journey and 3000 years later, we’re still singing about him, nobody questioned that he left his children behind, nobody worries. And that’s the question you get asked as an actress and a performer all the time, how do you deal with leaving your children behind? And of course it’s a nightmare and of course it’s a very complicated issue. But men never even get asked that question.
In an exclusive interview with Made in Hollywood, ‘My Spy‘ star Chloe Coleman talks about how much fun she had working with her co-star Dave Bautista, and she shares that she got to do some of her own stunts, too!
If you’re on the fence about watching ‘My Spy,’ these clips should give you a taste of both Bautista’s comic ability and his chemistry with his young co-star.
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“Cause a Distraction”
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“Let’s Dance”
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‘My Spy’ also stars Kristen Schaal, Parisa Fitz-Henley and Ken Jeong, and it is now available on Amazon Prime Video.
In the upcoming film ‘7500,’ Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays an airline co-pilot that faces an awful choice when armed men attack passengers – does he let them into the secure cockpit, or does he keep them out, even as they threaten to murder passengers?
From the official synopsis:
In the cockpit of a commercial airliner about to depart Berlin for Paris, the plane’s soft-spoken young American co-pilot, Tobias (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), runs through the preflight checklist with the German pilot, Michael (Carlo Kitzlinger). Tobias’ flight-attendant girlfriend, Gökce (Aylin Tezel), comes in to chat briefly with him about preschools for their son before preparing the passengers for takeoff. But what starts out as a routine day on the job quickly turns into a life-or-death struggle when terrorists determined to take control of the plane force their way into the cockpit. Armed with knives fashioned from broken glass, they stab Michael and slash Tobias’ arm. Amid the chaos, Tobias manages to subdue one of the hijackers and push another back into the cabin, locking the door behind him. With Michael barely conscious, a terrified Tobias contacts air traffic control to arrange an emergency landing in Hanover. Infuriated, the terrorists in the cabin threaten to kill a passenger unless Tobias lets them back into the cockpit, which — following airline protocol — he refuses to do. But when the hijackers make good on their promise and then take a crew member hostage, this ordinary man’s resolve is put to an excruciating test.
The film was directed by Patrick Vollrath, director of the 2015 Oscar-nominated short film ‘Everything Will Be Okay’ (German: Alles wird gut).
‘7500’ will be available on Amazon Prime on June 19, 2020.
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” is finally set to make its triumphant return to the spotlight, with the Emmy-winning Amazon Prime series announcing a premiere date for its third season.
The show will be back just in time for the holiday season, with season three set to debut on December 6. “Mrs. Maisel” also dropped a new season three trailer, packed with the show’s signature witty banter (thanks, Amy Sherman-Palladino) and a brief glimpse of new guest star Sterling K. Brown.
Details about Brown’s character haven’t been revealed yet, and his appearance in the clip doesn’t give much away, either, though his presence alone is enough to get us excited. We see him approach Midge (Rachel Brosnahan) and her manager, Susie (Alex Borstein), on an airplane, wishing them “happy flying,” though Susie — mid-gulp of an adult beverage — doesn’t look particularly pleased.
Season three of the series follows Midge as she sets out on a stand-up tour of the U.S. and Europe, serving as the opening act for crooner Shy Baldwin (Leroy McClain). Part of the season was shot in Miami, and the locale’s sun-kissed color palette lends an additional air of whimsy to the trailer. Looks like fans of “Mrs. Maisel” should be plenty happy with these new episodes.
Singer-actress Janelle Monáe has been scoring some juicy roles in recent years, and her latest gig has her taking over TV headlining duties from an Oscar-winning actress.
Monáe has been tapped as the new lead on “Homecoming,” Amazon’s acclaimed psychological thriller from “Mr. Robot” creator Sam Esmail. Season one starred Julia Roberts as a caseworker who helps soldiers transition back to civilian life, though there’s much more happening at her facility than meets the eye.
Roberts only had a one-year deal to appear in front of the camera, but will remain with “Homecoming” as an executive producer on its second season. The storyline will now shift to an entirely new thread, focusing on Monáe’s character, who’s described as “a tenacious woman who finds herself floating in a canoe, with no memory of how she got there — or even who she is.”
No other details about season two have been revealed so far, though Esmail previously told TVLine that the mysterious post-credits sequence from the season one finale, featuring Hong Chau‘s character, Audrey, was “a sign of things to come.” According to Deadline, Chau is one of several season one stars who are expected to return in some capacity, along with Bobby Cannavale, Stephan James, and Shea Whigham.
Season two of “Homecoming” is slated to begin production later this summer, with a 2020 premiere date in mind.
