Moviefone Editorial

Tag: jacki-weaver

  • Apple TV+’s ‘Hello Tomorrow!’ Cast Interviews

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    Premiering on Apple TV+ beginning February 17th is the new series ‘Hello Tomorrow!’ from co-creators

    What is ‘Hello Tomorrow!’ about?

    Set in a retro-future world, “Hello Tomorrow!” centers around a group of traveling salesmen hawking lunar timeshares. Billy Crudup stars as Jack, a salesman of great talent and ambition, whose unshakeable faith in a brighter tomorrow inspires his coworkers, revitalizes his desperate customers, but threatens to leave him dangerously lost in the very dream that sustains him.

    How many episodes of ‘Hello Tomorrow!’ are there?

    ‘Hello Tomorrow!’ will start airing on Apple TV+ beginning February 17th and the first season will contain 10 episodes.

    Who is in the cast of ‘Hello Tomorrow?’

    ‘Hello Tomorrow!’ stars Billy Crudup (‘Almost Famous,’ ‘Watchmen‘), who also serves as an executive producer, as well as Haneefah Wood (‘Freedomland‘), Alison Pill (‘Vice‘), Nicholas Podany (‘Harry Potter And The Cursed Child‘), Dewshane Williams (‘The Umbrella Academy’), Hank Azaria (‘The Birdcage‘), Matthew Maher (‘Captain Marvel‘), and Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver (‘Silver Linings Playbook,’ ‘Animal Kingdom‘).

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Billy Crudup and Nicholas Podany about their work on ‘Hello Tomorrow!,’ Crudup’s first reaction to the script,

    Billy Crudup and Nicholas Podany star in Apple TV+'s 'Hello Tomorrow!'
    (L to R) Billy Crudup and Nicholas Podany star in Apple TV+’s ‘Hello Tomorrow!’

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Crudup, Podany, Hank Azaria, Haneefah Wood, Dewshane Williams, Alison Pill, and series co-creators Amit Bhalla and Lucas Jansen.

    Moviefone: To begin with, Billy, can you talk about your initial reaction to the scripts and what it was like working on this series with Amit Bhalla and Lucas Jansen?

    Billy Crudup: It exceeded all of our expectations, to be truthful. Amit and Lucas had really reached for something original. When I read it, I identified with a certain aspect of the salesmanship in Jack. I remember that in my dad and the hope that went with it, and the desire to make people’s lives better, to be the person who’s an agent of change.

    He thinks of himself as an evangelist, and his message is, “You can solve your problems with a little bit of hope in the future, and I’m going to sell you that hope in the future in the form of a deed that says you’ve got a property on the moon.” The world that they had created with these gadgets and with the retro future feel, became material in front of all of our eyes day by day, and we all watched in wonder, as cars floated and robots served beers.

    Billy Crudup stars in Apple TV+'s 'Hello Tomorrow!'
    Billy Crudup stars in Apple TV+’s ‘Hello Tomorrow!’

    Related Article: Emmy Winners 2022

    MF: The series is filled with futuristic gadgets, Nicholas, was there one gadget in particular that caught your eye on set?

    Nicholas Podany: There’s a gadget that I use in a grocery store, that we find Joey working at when we first meet him. What it does is it is just this conveyor belt where you put a canned soup on it. The shelf is reachable, you can definitely reach up to get to the shelf, but you have this whole massive machine that takes up half the aisle to just put the soup cans where you could have originally reached anyway.

    So, what I love about the gadgets in the show for the most part is, cars with wheels move as fast as cars without, but why not have it? Most of the devices, most of the gadgets in this show, are just a hair bit useless, except you need them because they’ll make your life better.

    Billy Crudup stars in Apple TV+'s 'Hello Tomorrow!'
    Billy Crudup stars in Apple TV+’s ‘Hello Tomorrow!’

    MF: Finally, Billy, the sales team Jack works with and his leadership style?

    BC: Well, first of all, the team of actors that we had around us is a superlative team of actors, and collaborating with them creatively on defining who this team is and where is the chemistry between them? I don’t know what the right word for them is … Carnies? Why are they together? I think there’s a certain level of trust that goes in the hope that each of them is going to help the other in building a slightly brighter future for them every day.

    Jack always tries to start with a positive message, no matter how dark the day had been before, because every day is going to start with the idea that this is the one, until you have to turn the page, go to sleep, and then wake up for the next one. This is a team that’ll go along with that.

    Nicholas Podany and Billy Crudup star in Apple TV+'s 'Hello Tomorrow!'
    (L to R) Nicholas Podany and Billy Crudup star in Apple TV+’s ‘Hello Tomorrow!’

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  • Ryan Philippe and Matthew Gentile Talk ‘American Murderer’

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    Opening in theaters on October 21st and on demand and digital on October 28th is ‘American Murderer,’ which was written and directed by first time filmmaker Matthew Gentile and is based on a true story.

    The new movie follows the true story of Jason Derek Brown (Tom Pelphrey) a charismatic con man bankrolling his extravagant lifestyle through a series of scams. Hot on his trail is Lance Leising (Ryan Phillippe), an FBI special agent determined to put Brown behind bars.

    Running out of money and luck, Brown plots an elaborate scheme that ends in the murder of an innocent man, and the unlikely and elusive fugitive ending up on the FBI’s most-wanted list.

    In addition to Pelphrey and Phillippe, the cast also includes Idina Menzel, Shantel VanSanten, Paul Schneider, Kevin Corrigan, and Oscar-nominee Jacki Weaver.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with writer/director Matthew Gentile and actor Ryan Phillippe about their work on ‘American Murderer,’ the true story it is based on, why Gentile wanted to make the film, and how Phillippe prepared for his role.

    Ryan Philippe as Lance Leising in 'American Murderer.'
    Ryan Philippe as Lance Leising in ‘American Murderer.’

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Gentile, Phillippe, and Tom Pelphrey.

    Moviefone: To begin with, Matthew, what fascinated you about Jason’s true story and what made you want to make this particular movie?

    Matthew Gentile: Before I wanted to be a filmmaker, I wanted to be an FBI agent. So, I wanted to be Ryan’s character in the movie, and when I was 14 this crime happened. I had heard about it because I used to go on the FBI website and I would look at the top 10 fugitives. Just normal kid habits, right? I was very interested in fugitives and criminals. Jason’s face stuck out because on the Top 10 list you have menacing faces, Whitey Bulger, Osama Bin Laden, and then this surfer dude from Southern California. I was immediately interested in the story.

    Just from there, years later I was graduating film school and I was figuring out what my first feature was going to be. The news came up that this guy was still missing, and once his face literally popped on the screen I just immediately remembered it and I said to myself, “This guy is still missing, what happened here?” I started watching everything I could about it and reading everything I could, and I asked myself, “Why isn’t this a movie?” That really began the journey that was ‘American Murderer.’

    It initially started as a character study of a charismatic con man and it was a pot-boiler, noir, because I used to love film noir growing up. I grew up watching TCM and ‘Noir Alley’ with Eddie Muller so I was very into that kind of thing. It makes sense that I would do this kind of film to anyone who knows me, but the thing that really drew me in was this was a story about someone who meant so many different things to so many different people.

    He was loved by a lot of people. He was a lover, he was a brother, he was a criminal, he was a scallywag, he was all of these things and everything in between. I just was really fascinated by that, and this real dichotomy of Ryan’s character, Lance Leising, who was hunting him, the criminal. It had the elements of a neo-western to me, a sheriff and an outlaw, and it was really a story that, I thought, had everything that would make for a movie that I would pay to go see on Friday night.

    Tom Pelphrey as Jason Derek Brown in 'American Murderer.'
    Tom Pelphrey as Jason Derek Brown in ‘American Murderer.’

    MF: Ryan, what was your approach to playing Lance Leising, and did you have an opportunity to talk to him or any of the actual FBI agents that worked on this case?

    Ryan Phillippe: I didn’t actually get to talk to Lance. There was some footage of him. There were obviously quotes of his in various articles that we read. It helps as an actor to prepare when the person you’re playing existed or does exist currently. I’ve done a fair number of projects where I’ve played various members of law enforcement, FBI, military, so that comes naturally to me at this point.

    What I really responded to was the laser focused nature of this script and the fact that Matthew wrote it in such a way that it felt almost like a documentary in its focus simplicity. There weren’t these manufactured overwrought moments of drama. It played out in a way that I felt that was very realistic, and my character’s goal in this, is very simple.

    He doesn’t fulfill that goal ultimately, because Jason Derek Brown is still at large, and maybe people seeing this film will change that. Maybe he’ll finally be brought to justice, but I was really drawn in by Matthew’s script, his take on the project, the even-handed nature in which he was willing to tell this story, and that’s why I wanted to be a part of it. And look at this fantastic cast. Tom does an excellent job. Everyone does. It’s really a cool thing to be a part of.

    Ryan Philippe as Lance Leising in 'American Murderer.'
    Ryan Philippe as Lance Leising in ‘American Murderer.’

    MF: Finally, how does Lance really feel about Jason? Is he obsessed with catching him because he can’t believe this guy is getting away with it?

    RP: Absolutely. Yeah. They are polar opposites, I think, as human beings and personalities, and certainly from a morality standpoint. I think that’s what gets under Lance’s skin.

    He sees the people that have been drawn into Jason’s web, the people who have been hurt by him, the people that have helped him in some ways, his family who have let things go, and so I think there’s an indignation on my character’s part in reference to who this guy is, and how he’s been able to con so many people and hurt so many people.

    Tom Pelphrey as Jason Derek Brown in 'American Murderer.'
    Tom Pelphrey as Jason Derek Brown in ‘American Murderer.’
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  • Movie Review: ‘Father Stu’

    Mark Wahlberg in Father Stu
    Stuart Long (Mark Wahlberg) in Columbia Pictures’ ‘Father Stu.’ Photo: Karen Ballard. Copyright: © 2022 CTMG, Inc. All Rights.

    Opening in theaters on April 13th is the new movie ‘Father Stu,’ which marks the directorial debut of Rosalind Ross. Based on a true story, the film stars Mark Wahlberg as Stuart Long, a boxer-turned-actor who decides to become a priest and is then diagnosed with inclusion body myositis.

    In addition to Wahlberg, the cast also includes Jacki Weaver, Mel Gibson, Malcolm McDowell, and Teresa Ruiz. The result is a surprisingly well-made and touching faith-based film, that never forces the faith on you, and is grounded by Mark Wahlberg’s strong and dedicated performance.

    The movie begins by introducing us to Stu Long (Wahlberg), an over-the-hill boxer on the verge of retirement. Not sure what to do next, Stu moves to Hollywood to become an actor. While auditioning for projects, Stu gets a job working as a butcher, and soon meets Carmen (Ruiz). Smitten with her, he joins her church in hopes of getting to know her. However, Carmen makes it clear that she only dates Catholics. So, Stu decides to get baptized and join the church.

    Stu and Carmen soon fall in love but are challenged when Stu has a terrible motorcycle accident. Stu believes that God saved his life, and in a surprising and difficult decision, he decides to become a priest. Neither Carmen, Stu’s mother Kathleen (Weaver), or his estranged father Bill (Gibson) understand his choice and all three try to convince Stu to change his mind.

    He joins the seminary but soon discovers he has IDM, a rare muscle disease. Now, against the odds, Stu will have to his fight for his life while working towards his goal of serving God and becoming a priest.

    Mark Wahlberg and Jacki Weaver in 'Father Stu.'
    (L to R) Mark Wahlberg and Jacki Weaver in Columbia Pictures’ ‘Father Stu.’

    Mark Wahlberg famously played a boxer once before in director David O. Russell’s brilliant ‘The Fighter,’ which was also based on a true story. While ‘Father Stu’ isn’t quite on the same level as ‘The Fighter,’ it was surprisingly good and an enjoyable watch.

    Wahlberg is clearly dedicated to the role and transforms himself physically several times throughout the film. But his personality also fits the character of Stu perfectly. Stu is optimistic, charismatic, and a dreamer full of energy, boxes that Wahlberg’s persona all check. But the actor is also a devout Catholic and brings that reverence for the church to his performance.

    ‘Father Stu’ is a faith-based movie, but in many ways it’s the best kind of faith-based movie. My issue with faith-based movies in general is that the “faith” part always seems to come out of left field and is shoehorned into the main story. But with ‘Father Stu’ the “faith” is baked into the story and is necessary to the overall plot, so it never feels forced. The movie is about the “faith” that Stu eventually finds, first through Carmen, then through the church, and ultimately by reuniting with his estranged family after his illness.

    Actress Teresa Ruiz gives a very good performance as Carmen and has great chemistry with Wahlberg. You can understand why Stu falls for her and goes to such great lengths for her love. As an audience, we begin to root for them as a couple, which is why it’s so devastating when Stu tells her he’s joining the seminary, and you can see the pain on Carmen’s face.

    Actress Jacki Weaver seems to have a lock on playing worried mothers after her Oscar nominated roles in ‘Animal Kingdom’ and ‘Silver Linings Playbook,’ and gives another strong performance as Stu’s concerned mom. Kathleen Long has a very close relationship to her son, having raised him herself, and you can see that clearly in Weaver’s scenes with Wahlberg as the two have a very playful on-screen chemistry.

    Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson
    Stuart Long (Mark Wahlberg) with his father Bill (Mel Gibson) in Columbia Pictures’ ‘Father Stu.’ Photo: Karen Ballard. Copyright: © 2022 CTMG, Inc. All Rights.

    Mel Gibson plays Bill Long, Stu’s estranged and abusive father. He’s not a likable character yet Gibson plays it well, adding humanity where he can in the form of remorse for his past actions. He has some strong scenes with Wahlberg, and you can see where Stu’s anger and rage comes from. The character also has a nice redemption arc, as seen in a tender moment with Weaver at the film’s conclusion.

    Writer and director Rosalind Ross has delivered a strong debut film, however the movie is not without its faults. Some of the pacing is off, especially in the first half as it takes almost an hour before Stu even attends a church service. I understand that we need to set up the character and his life before Carmen and the church, but a lot of time was spent on his fledgling acting career, which didn’t seem important to the film and its overall themes.

    In the end, ‘Father Stu’ works because of its inspiring true story and Mark Wahlberg’s strong performance. The themes of faith are respectfully explored, and the movie makes for touching and entertaining viewing.

    ‘Father Stu’ receives 3.5 out of 5 stars.

    Mark Wahlberg in 'Father Stu.'
    Mark Wahlberg in Columbia Pictures’ ‘Father Stu.’
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  • Mark Wahlberg Talks ‘Father Stu’

    Mark Wahlberg in Father Stu
    Mark Wahlberg as Stuart Long in Columbia Pictures’ ‘Father Stu.’ Photo: Karen Ballard. Copyright: © 2022 CTMG, Inc. All Rights.

    Opening in theaters on April 13th is the new drama ‘Father Stu,’ which is based on a true story.

    Written and directed by Rosalind Ross, the movie stars Oscar-nominee Mark Wahlberg (‘The Departed’) as Father Stuart Long, a boxer-turned-Catholic priest suffering from a muscle disease who inspired countless people on his journey from self-destruction to redemption.

    In addition to Wahlberg, who is also a producer on the film, the cast includes Teresa Ruiz (‘Narcos: Mexico’), Niko Nicotera (‘Richard Jewell’), Oscar-nominee Jacki Weaver (‘Silver Linings Playbook’) and Oscar-winner Mel Gibson (‘Braveheart’).

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Mark Wahlberg about his work on ‘Father Stu.’

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    You can read our full interview with Mark Wahlberg below, or watch a video of our interviews with Wahlberg, Jacki Weaver, Teresa Ruiz, and writer/director Rosalind Ross by clicking on the player above.

    Moviefone: To begin with, this is a personal project for you that you have stated parallels your own life in some ways. Can you talk about that and what this project means to you?

    Mark Wahlberg: It’s an opportunity for me to just start to do more things that have real substance and can be helpful to people. I love to make movies that make people laugh and entertain people and is escape for a couple of hours. But it’s also a very important reminder, in these very difficult times that people are going to support each other and love each other.

    So, to have that message of inspiration and hope is really important. People need to hear that right now. We really go on an emotional journey, but I think it challenges people to look inside and maybe do a little bit more and dig a little deeper.

    MF: You go through several physical transformations in this movie. As someone known for working out, can you talk about the physical challenges of taking on this role?

    MW: Well, I got a wake-up call in that I thought, “Okay, I got to put on 30 pounds in six weeks. This is going to be great. This is going to be fun.” But nothing on the menu were things that I desired or craved. It was just way more protein, way more starch, way more eggs, drinking olive oil, the most random things, and lots of salts, and sodium’s to get bloated at the end of it. It was just miserable.

    Mark Wahlberg and Mel Gibson
    Stuart Long (Mark Wahlberg) with his father Bill (Mel Gibson) in Columbia Pictures’ ‘Father Stu.’ Photo: Karen Ballard. Copyright: © 2022 CTMG, Inc. All Rights.

    MF: Did you have an opportunity to speak with Stu’s father Bill, and if so, what did you learn from talking to him?

    MW: Yeah. I spent quite a bit of time getting to know them, fellow seminarians, priests, friends from his childhood, and people from his congregation. We always want to make sure that we get it right. When playing somebody and telling a real-life story, you have to deal with it with the sensitivity and respect that it deserves.

    Reaching out to everybody and making sure you’re very clear about what your intentions are, getting to know them, them allowing me in, and helping me to understand who Stu was, was invaluable information. So, all you really care about is their reaction to the film. If they’re happy, everything else is easy. If not, well, you failed miserably.

    MF: Finally, director Rosalind Ross said that the last movie Stu watched in a theater was ‘The Fighter’ starring you and Christian Bale. If he were still alive, what do you think his reaction would be to seeing you star in a movie about his life?

    MW: Well, both movies took six years from beginning to end to bring them to the big screen. But he’d say I probably wasn’t good looking enough, tough enough or fit enough, but I did pretty good. But I do think he would think that there’s nobody better for the part, based on my real-life experience.

    The way he was most effective was talking to people, who went through things that he had already gone through. He could speak a language that they understood and relate to them because of all of his real-life experience and his authenticity.

    Mark Wahlberg in Father Stu
    Mark Wahlberg as Stuart Long in Columbia Pictures’ ‘Father Stu.’ Photo: Karen Ballard. Copyright: © 2022 CTMG, Inc. All Rights.
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  • Jacki Weaver Tells Anjelica Huston to F*** Off Over ‘Poms’ Diss

    Jacki Weaver Tells Anjelica Huston to F*** Off Over ‘Poms’ Diss

    Summit/Sony

    Did you read that Anjelica Huston interview with Vulture where she dished about everything from ex Jack Nicholson, to that one critic she still hates, and how she was snubbed by Bill Murray?

    Jack Weaver, who costars in the upcoming comedy “Poms” did, and she didn’t appreciate Huston’s dig at her latest movie.

    While out promoting the new John Wick movie, Huston told Vulture, “Quite honestly, I’m looking for movies that impress me in some way, that aren’t apologetically humble or humiliating like, ‘Band of cheerleaders gets back together for one last hurrah,’ you know… An old-lady cheerleader movie. I don’t like that kind of thing. If I’m going to be an old lady — and I’m sort of touching old lady these days — at least I want to be a special old lady. I don’t want to be relegated to some has-been making a comeback..”

    Ouch. That’s not only a dig against Weaver, but “Poms” costars Diane Keaton, Pam Grier, and Rhea Perlman,

    Weaver told Vanity Fair that when she first heard of Huston’s remarks, she “just laughed. And then I said, ‘Well, she can go f— herself.’ I was kind of disappointed. I had always been an admirer of Anjelica. And I thought, ‘That’s a bit mean and petty.’”

    And then Weave got a bit petty herself, adding, “I would say she must be going through menopause, but she must have had that ages ago.”

    The Australian actress, who received Oscar nominations for “Animal Kingdom” and “Silver Linings Playbook,” lamented “there’s so much ageism in our society.”

    She ended with a bit of sympathy for Huston, saying, “Anjelica sounds sad at the moment, I have to say. I think she must be a bit disappointed or she wouldn’t be slagging on people for no reason.” She then added, “including herself, saying she’s an ‘old lady.’”

    (For the record, Weaver turns 72 in May, Huston will be 68 in July.)

    “Poms” opens May 10. “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” opens May 17.

    [Via The Wrap]