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Michelle Buteau's ‘Survival of the Thickest' returns, with trademark heart

Michelle Buteau's ‘Survival of the Thickest' returns, with trademark heart

Boston Globe28-03-2025
One of the show's more charming elements is Buteau's idyllic vision of New York. In the world of 'Survival of the Thickest,' it's somehow always summertime, there's a fun, hip drag bar with a hot bartender where you can always get a table with your friends, and an artist like Khalil can afford a stylish loft by himself. Spending time there makes it seem like there's a fundamental optimism in the world that feels in short supply right now.
She's also crafted a universe full of queer, gender-non-conforming people of color, whose bodies don't conform to societal standards of thinness. Mavis's entire business model is built around the idea that these communities are not served by much existing fashion, so she's filling both a practical and spiritual need for them. If the show has an underlying ethos, it might be that looking and feeling beautiful and welcomed in the world where you live is as fundamental as any other right.
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Hence the show's deep warm-heartedness. If there's a downside, it's that in season 2 Mavis is doing so well that the story stalls out at times, and it's overall not quite as funny as season 1. Watching Mavis get into humiliating situations sounds like a cruel thing to hope for, but Buteau is an especially skilled physical comedian, and Mavis is someone who is both prone to embarrassment but infinitely capable of getting past it. She can get into cringey situations without the skin-crawling horror that underlies awkward moments for shows like 'The Office.'
As someone who watched a lot of '
Lisa Weidenfeld can be reached at
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Annie Murphy Annie Murphy told Kelly Clarkson in an interview that she hadn't worked in nearly two years and felt like the universe was telling her acting wasn't meant for her. She was crying in the Pacific Ocean, seriously considering quitting. Two days later, she got the audition for Schitt's Creek. Brie Larson Brie Larson told The Sydney Morning Herald, "I was toying with the idea of either studying interior design or marine biology." Then she got the call that United States of Tara had been picked up by a network. Later, she would join the Marvel universe. Noah Centineo Noah Centineo told MTV in an interview he had an existential crisis and began questioning whether acting was really the right path. He even considered moving to another country to start over. Shortly after, he landed the role of Jesus on The Fosters. Later, he would co-star in To All the Boys I've Loved Before. Robert Pattison Robert Pattinson said on the FHPA Podcast that his Twilight audition went so badly, he called his parents and said he was done — that he couldn't keep putting himself through it. The next day, he received a callback and went on to play Edward Cullen in the Twilight franchise for years to come. Amy Adams Amy Adams told Vanity Fair in an interview that she was ready to give up. In her early 30s, Amy had just wrapped the indie film Junebug and decided to give herself a few more auditions. One of them led to her landing the role of Giselle in Enchanted. While she was filming, Junebug caught the Academy's attention — and earned her an Oscar nomination. Daniel Kaluuya Daniel Kaluuya said in an interview with Essence that he was disillusioned with acting and hadn't worked for a year and a half before landing the role as Chris in Get Out. Four years later, Daniel would win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2021 for the film Judas and the Black Messiah. Gal Gadot Gal Gadot told Access Hollywood that she and her husband were in L.A. for a two-week trip, and she was so exhausted by rejection that she considered skipping her Wonder Woman audition and flying home to rethink her career. But she went and landed the role. Matt Le Blanc Matt LeBlanc told Conan O'Brian in an interview that he had just $11 in his bank account when he auditioned for Friends. He admitted that two years earlier, he'd thought about getting a 'real job' and almost given up — but he stuck with it and landed the role of Joey Tribbiani. Jacob Elordi Jacob Elordi told GQ that before landing his role on Euphoria, he "wasn't booking jobs," and lived out of his car on Mulholland Drive with just $400 in his bank account. He was getting ready to move back to Australia — and Euphoria was the last audition he planned to go to before calling it quits. He booked the role, and everything changed. Jenna Fischer Jenna Fischer told Brian Baumgartner on his podcast, Off The Beat, that she was ready to quit acting and become a vet tech. Not long after, she got an audition for The Office — and landed the role of Pam Beesly. Eric Stonestreet Eric Stonestreet told Scott Carty in an interview that he was ready to quit acting and become a concierge butcher. Two months later, he landed the role of Cameron Tucker on Modern Family. That same year, he went from the lowest point in his career to winning an Emmy. And Ventimiglia Milo Ventimiglia told Entertainment Weekly that he was thinking about quitting acting to become a car mechanic before landing the role of Jess on Gilmore Girls. He later starred in the hit show This Is Us. What do you think? Drop a name in the comments — who's a star you'd be DEVASTATED if they gave up before making it big? I can't stop thinking about how different the world would be if Taylor Swift had quit after all those record labels turned her down when she was 11. And for more fun celeb content, make sure you follow BuzzFeed Canada on TikTok and Instagram!

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