mellowghoul825
You Exist!
Welcome to BuzzFeed! Have 100 points. That is a lot of points.
Earned Jun 5, 2025
First Post
You made your first post! Is it glorious? Is it terrible? Who cares, you made one! Great job.
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Homepage Hero
Your post got promoted to the homepage of BuzzFeed Dot Com, the website! Our team of writers loved it so much that with a little spit and polish, they put it right up on the fridge. Right where everyone can see it!
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Challenge Winner
Your creativity and hard work shone through and you won a freakin' Community Challenge! Congratulations, pard'ner.
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List Legend
When everyone else zigged, you zagged. When everyone took the low road, you took the high road. When everyone posted nothing but quizzes, you're out here posting lists. Hero. Here's your trophy.
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Lord of Lists
We knew you were a whiz at making lists before, but now you've made THREE lists?! You're truly everything we aspire to be, and one day we hope to be half the genius you are.
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100k Views
A hundo thow views. Nice.
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250k Views
A quarter of a million views! You really have the posts with the mosts. Views, that is.
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500k Views
Five hundred thousand views on your posts. That's incredible! Statistically, you're excelling yourself. We asked a data scientist and he said it's true!
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1m Views
A cool milzo. These are rare. Like a beautiful statue which isn't covered in bird poo.
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Could You BE Making Any More Posts?
We can't seem to 'PIVOT' away from your incredible posts, and we never want you to 'go on a break' from creating these posts we love so much. Anyway, congrats on getting 5 Friends posts promoted!
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You Don't Need To Calm Down
We promise that we'll never find another like you. Ya know, someone else who has gotten 5 Taylor Swift posts promoted to the homepage.
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Best of 2022
Thanks to your ingenuity and knowledge of all things internet, you showed everyone up and are in the top 1% of BuzzFeed Community creators in 2022! From quizzes to lists, you can do it all — and now you have a trophy to show off and prove you're one of the best of the year.
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Fairest Of Them All
Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who has had 5 Disney posts promoted to the BuzzFeed homepage? It's you, obviously! We don't have any attractive heroes coming to save you, but here's a trophy, which is just as good — trust us.
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Golden Genius
You ain't no snitch, but you do know everything about the Harry Potter universe. Since you got 5 posts promoted to the homepage, here's a lil' Quidditch gift for ya.
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Slime Time
You soaked up episodes of SpongeBob, got Odd with the Fairies, and mentally spent a lot of time at Good Burger. You were and are a Nick kid through and through, but we don't need to tell you that since you've already Figured It Out, haven't you? (We could go on forever, don't test us.)
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K-Pop Konnoisseur
You know every dance, you know every word, and let's be real, no one can make you budge about your bias. Congrats on getting your K-Pop post promoted to the front page of BuzzFeed — here's a trophy!
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Totally Stylin'
Oh baby, you're ~golden~, and we're gonna give you a (Watermelon Sugar) high by handing you your very own Harry Styles trophy, just for writing a post about him.
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Animal Lover
From reptiles to fluffy felines and tiny rats to giant whales, your love of animals knows no bounds. Your animal-themed post was promoted. Thanks for making the world a more cuddly place. Meow.
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XOXO
Roses are red, / Poems are quoted. / You wrote about love, / and your post was promoted!
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Sucker For Love
You love all things about love, and we can't blame you. We can't give you a little kiss, so here's a trophy for getting 5 posts promoted instead.
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Snacks on Snacks on Snacks
All you do is think about food, obviously, or else you wouldn't have made a post about it. We don't blame you, and actually applaud you. We'd give you a feast, but we don't feel like it. So here's a trophy.
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Food Fanatic
You're really ~hungry~ for more trophies, aren't you? No? Then why do you make so many food posts?! We're actually not mad, just impressed. Here's another one, and we hope it's as satisfying as your next droolworthy meal.
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Up, Up, And Away
For you, the thought of packing a bag and exploring a new place is unlike any other. Whether you're dreaming of stomping through the rainforest or hitting up the city that's been on your bucket list for years, travel is something you can't deny loving, so we'll do the best we can and give you a trophy since you've expressed your love for it in a post.
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Super Stan
You know the thrilling feeling of staying up 'til a new song release at midnight and everyone trusts you to make the perfect playlist for every occasion and mood. Let's face it, you're just a master of all things music, so here's a trophy since you wrote a post about it!
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Cinema Savvy
You've been to countless midnight showings and have spent half of your life savings on theater popcorn — but hey, baby, that's a small price to pay to be a true film fanatic. You made a movie-themed post, we loved it, here's a trophy!
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Film Fiend
When it comes to movies, you're addicted. From comedy to horror and musicals to documentaries, you've seem 'em all. Since you made three posts about movies, we're giving you a trophy to celebrate your expertise.
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Know-It-All
You love testing everyone on their knowledge of pop culture, school smarts...honestly, you are a true trivia master, and no one can deny that! Sometimes it's okay to show off, so here's a lil' something for ya.
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Master of Knowledge
You made three trivia quizzes, and we loved them so much that we had to promote them to the front page of BuzzFeed! There's no doubt that during the next trivia night, we call dibs on being your partner.
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In The Stars
Let's be real: Whenever you meet someone, you check your zodiac compatibility. Smart, honestly. Whether you're a total Gemini, fiery Aries, emotional Pisces, or anything in-between, you know the importance of star signs. And that's why you're getting a trophy because we liked your post about it.
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Nerdy for Nostalgia
Nostalgia just hits different, okay? From 'I Love Lucy' to 'Fresh Prince' to 'Lizzie McGuire,' you're all about living in the past — and that's totally rad in our book.
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Heart On
Your comment got 10 hearts. Here's a trophy to commemorate the foundation of your little fan club!
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Hearty Animal
Can you feel the love tonight? You got 50 hearts on one comment. Have another hit of serotonin to celebrate!!!
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Heartthrob
ONE HUNDRED HEARTS!! I almost feel bad for you, because you're going to be chasing this feeling forever. Check out this awesome trophy you just earned!
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There's No Place Like Home
You clicked your heels and visited home — the home PAGE, that is — every day for five straight days. We've loved seeing your shining face, so please enjoy this trophy that expresses our excitement.
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Habitual Homepager
Don't think we haven't noticed you visiting the homepage for the last 10 days in a row! Whether you were finding out which Disney character you are, sifting through TV show recommendations, or catching up on the news, we love you loving us.
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You Live Here Now
You've visited the homepage 15 full days in a row! At this point, we've made up the BuzzFeed guest room for you and even added some touches to make it more personal. After all, with the amount of times you've visited, you pretty much live here now.
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Pin There, Done That
You pinned a quiz result to your profile, and now everyone knows that you are in fact like your favorite TV character or that you've discovered a new personality trait about yourself. Maybe we guessed your age correctly, or we were so off in guessing that you weren't even mad — you were impressed. Either way, now the world knows your result, so here's a trophy!
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Parker Posey Tells Lisa Kudrow to Star in ‘The White Lotus' Season 4 as They Bond Over Sitcom Struggles and Why Phoebe on ‘Friends' Was ‘A Lot of Work'
Parker Posey and Lisa Kudrow first met making 'Clockwatchers,' a 1997 indie comedy in which they play temps in a dull office. Back then, Posey was establishing a reputation as a burgeoning legend of independent film who would soon enough cross over in projects like 'You've Got Mail' and 'Scream 3,' while Kudrow was already a superstar thanks to her role as the quirky Phoebe Buffay on 'Friends.' Both have experienced cult TV fame in the years since — Posey as Jack's nemesis on 'Will & Grace,' Kudrow as a washed-up actress-turned-reality star on 'The Comeback' — and both put their stamp on projects this past season. Posey drawled her way through the role of wealthy matriarch Victoria Ratliff on the HBO franchise 'The White Lotus,' while Kudrow delivered a sensitive, painful performance as Lydia Morgan, a grieving mother who believes her late son communicates with her through flickering lights on Netflix's real estate thriller 'No Good Deed.' More from Variety 'The Comeback' Turns 20: Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King on Early Criticism, Cult-Classic Status and Whether There Will Ever Be a Season 3 Seth Rogen and Jason Segel Relive 27 Years of Friendship: Smoking Before 'The Matrix,' Peeing Next to Scorsese and Harrison Ford Watching Segel Naked Dave Chappelle Joins Mo Amer for Rare Interview on Political Comedy, Fiery 'SNL' Monologues and Crying Over Netflix's 'Mo': 'I'm Not Doing This S--' If the 'Show Sucked' Parker Posey: We were both Nora Ephron ladies back in the '90s. Lisa Kudrow: I know. Posey: What did you do with Nora? Kudrow: I did 'Hanging Up,' which she wrote with [her sister] Delia. Diane Keaton directed it. We had great food every day because Nora was around. And then I did another movie that Nora directed, and John Travolta was in it — 'Was in it?' How's that? It was a John Travolta movie, and I was in it. Posey: And he was an angel or something, right? Kudrow: No, that was 'Michael,' and that was a great movie. This one was disappointing. I remember Nora called me once — I was working on 'Friends' — and she went, 'When are you finished with this show? Why do you keep doing it?' I was like, 'Well, some good reasons.' Posey: I remember she came up to me once and said, 'Just be funny,' and that was the note. Kudrow: It's a good note! Posey: I'm such a big fan of yours, and one of my most favorite things ever is 'The Comeback.' How did it start in your brain? Kudrow: There were no 'Real Housewives' yet. But there was 'The Amazing Race' and 'Survivor,' which I thought, 'Well, this is the end of civilization.' Because on 'Amazing Race' — I watched a couple — the woman is eating very spicy stuff and vomiting on camera while her husband is screaming at her. She's crying and vomiting, and I went, 'Oh, this is it.' Posey: 'How can I top that?' Kudrow: 'This is the end.' And then I thought, 'What if you don't have to feel bad for a regular person — what if it's an actress?' It was near when 'Friends' was just about done. And I just thought, 'That would be really fun,' just throwing yourself into humiliation. Posey: It's such an interesting edge to walk, because as a viewer, I felt for her, and I also rooted for her. Kudrow: For me, that was all the Christopher Guest movies you did. Posey: Chris Guest would say, 'This is not too far from the truth,' and just walk away. And then you play the scene. It's the things that you're not really thinking about that aren't planned — that's what was so liberating about those movies. I felt so spoiled: You go in and lock into the other person and just trust them. Kudrow: I know you were on some multi-camera sitcoms. How was that for you? Because there's something so much more regimented about that. Posey: It's like tap dancing and really having to make that step. It's not exactly formulaic, but it's hitting some kinds of notes. I would say stuff on 'Will & Grace,' and people would laugh, and I didn't get it. I didn't think it was funny. Kudrow: Was it a joke that they had written? Posey: Maybe. Yeah, I think so. Kudrow: That happens sometimes. Posey: It was very athletic. Kudrow: They're always throwing new things at you. All of us got new things as we were doing it. Posey: It was really fun, right? Did it feel like a sport to you? Kudrow: It became fun. It was fun the whole time because the cast had fun. Phoebe was so far from who I was as a human being, it was work — I needed to justify everything she was saying in my head so that it felt like she meant it and it was real to her. It was a lot of work. I remember Season 2 or 3, I went, 'Oh my God, I'm not doing the work.' And LeBlanc went, 'What's the matter with you? You're her. You don't have to.' Posey: You're like, 'But I want to work.' Kudrow: The worst thing was wanting to be a good student. That's what hurt me the most. Posey: I like doing my homework too. When I read 'The White Lotus' and it was so well written … I don't know how he did it, but Mike White wrote those eight episodes, and really, they just fly. We've both been doing this for 30 years, right? Kudrow: Yeah. Posey: It was such a gift to have this middle-aged woman at this time in my career — to be this Southern woman. I was reading Tennessee Williams in junior high, so I just ate it up. Kudrow: Did you have a point of reference for Victoria? Posey: My dad loved William Faulkner. He was a really big reader. He loved Flannery O'Connor and all those Gothic tales. And my mom's mother dressed like a movie star; she'd go to Neiman Marcus and look at the things she liked, and she'd go home and make them herself. Kudrow: I think my favorite thing in the whole season was asking Victoria, 'What if we didn't have anything?' And the answer was the most honest thing I'd ever seen and made me respect her. Not respect her — Posey: I know what you mean. When I read the line, that hit me the most out of the eight episodes, and I knew exactly how to say it. There's such a cadence. A lot of people like to improvise and add things. But when things are really tight, I love how it sounds. Would you enter the 'White Lotus' world? Kudrow: Work with Mike White? Yes. I love Mike White. I've hung out with him at a party. Posey: He gets around. Kudrow: He's social. And 'Brad's Status' was my favorite movie that year. I emailed him to let him know, because I had to — it was so good, I had to. I don't do that a lot. Posey: Oh, Lisa, you should be in Season 4. If there's a big enough TikTok campaign, then it'll happen. Kudrow: Because that's how it works. No, it doesn't. Posey: It doesn't. Because who knows what Mike White is writing or where these stories are going to go? Kudrow: And I might not be his cup of tea, which is allowed to happen too. But I do get nervous about inhabiting things that are too dark; I try to avoid that. But you didn't really have to, except for the scenes where your head's blown off. But it's pretend. Posey: I really felt for mothers when I played this role. Kudrow: Right. It's a whole other dimension. Posey: I realized that mothers are shaped by their family and shaped by the man. So I got to go into the patriarchal system of women who are not being authentic. She has a distorted point of view of her life, and it's been enabled. Kudrow: A family has its own culture. We all grew up in one. Posey: And that's what's so great about good writing is that it doesn't judge, and it expands the way you look at — Kudrow: It didn't feel like it was judging so much this time — except of course it was, because they were at a White Lotus. Posey: Mike is an actor too. He's a really interesting guy. He was on 'Survivor.' And 'The Amazing Race' twice. Kudrow: Oh, twice on 'Amazing Race'? Wow. Likes to punish himself. Posey: And then he decides to do a season in Thailand. It felt like an experiment, to work that long so far away in an exotic place. It was such a gift when you're out of your element, you know? Kudrow: We worked on 'Clockwatchers.' Posey: That's where we first met. Jill and Karen Sprecher … Kudrow: They wrote it, and Jill directed it. So Jill would come over and whisper a note to you; they've got their secrets. And the whole thing was about not trusting each other and trust and secrets. Posey: Well, she was very shy. Do you remember the first day of work, she said 'Cut!' instead of 'Action!' Kudrow: She was fantastic. But I thought everyone was smart and knew what they were doing more than I did. So when she would whisper, I would think, 'Oh my God, she's creating the same atmosphere.' Because you're like, 'What's she saying?' 'Clockwatchers' had a certain culture on the set. Does Mike do that, consciously or unconsciously, also? Posey: Oh, I think every director does that. That's the whole mystique: You have to be a puppet taking shape by the projections that are happening around you. Kudrow: I always feel that there are a lot of different levels that are happening that you're not even conscious of in the choices you make as an actor. And then you see it. It feels like, 'Oh, I wasn't even aware that I was doing that.' Posey: It can be really slippery. And then some people, you try to make sense of it, and you're just in it. With Victoria, I was like, 'Is Tim taking those pills?' Does she know that he's taking pills? I'm playing denial, and that took me a while. I even talked to Mike: 'Does she know?' Kudrow: How does she not know? Posey: She does know. Of course she knows. She's been married to him for 30 years. Kudrow: Did he say that? Posey: No. But they give that room for you to be in that state. I really love denial — what people are picking up on in their instincts, what they choose to reveal to their loved ones. Which is what you're doing in 'No Good Deed.' Kudrow: I don't think she wanted to poke at how her marriage is going. She knew who her husband was; he wasn't a big talker about emotions. But then they've suffered a real tragedy where talking would've been good. And the whole time I was so keenly aware that she couldn't do grief counseling. Posey: No. Kudrow: She couldn't talk to a therapist about it. She was on her own. And it's so destructive. Posey: A dark night of the soul. Kudrow: My first question when I met Liz Feldman, who created the show and wrote it, was 'When the lights flicker, is that real? Or are you saying it's not real?' And she said, 'I do think that happens.' I went, 'OK, then I'm in,' because I fully think that happens. Posey: It does happen. It happens in my house. Kudrow: I've seen it happening. My big, important question was 'Are you going to call bullshit on …' Posey: On spirit? Kudrow: And Lydia needs it. And that was my first question because I was going to, honestly, think twice. Posey: We don't need glib. Kudrow: We need magic. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Animated Program — Can Netflix Score Big With 'Arcane,' 'Devil May Cry' and the Final Season of 'Big Mouth?' What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025
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Sam Nivola and Cooper Koch Confront Nepo Baby Criticism and Being Accused of Playing Sexual Deviant Brothers: ‘You Still Have to Love Your Character'
Sam Nivola and Cooper Koch both played brothers in complicated fraternal relationships this past year. Nivola, as Lochlan Ratliff on 'The White Lotus,' yearned to impress elder sibling Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger), but ended up in an intoxicated tryst with him. Koch, as Erik Menendez on 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,' had to deliver a prismatic performance, illuminating all the ways that commentators and intimates saw the case of two brothers accused and later convicted of killing their parents. Both actors also had to deliver showpiece moments: Nivola in Lochlan's season-ending near-death experience and Koch in a one-take episode in which Erik explains to his attorney the abuse within the Menendez household. Sam Nivola: This is our first time meeting. More from Variety Parker Posey Tells Lisa Kudrow to Star in 'The White Lotus' Season 4 as They Bond Over Sitcom Struggles and Why Phoebe on 'Friends' Was 'A Lot of Work' Seth Rogen and Jason Segel Relive 27 Years of Friendship: Smoking Before 'The Matrix,' Peeing Next to Scorsese and Harrison Ford Watching Segel Naked 'Monsters' Star Cooper Koch Read His One-Take Episode Script 'Almost Every Day' for Eight Months: 'I Would Write Out All of the Words' Cooper Koch: But I feel like we've known each other — you kind of are my brother. Nivola: We should have been in each other's shows. Koch: It should have just been us. So what's the beginning for you? Where did it all start? Nivola: I'm from Brooklyn, New York. I grew up with two parents who were both actors — [Alessandro Nivola and Emily Mortimer]. Koch: OK. Nivola: Do you have parents in the industry? Koch: I don't have actor parents, but my grandfather was a producer. Nivola: I constantly get the question. Koch: Nepo baby. Nivola: Yeah, nepo baby. My whole thing was that my parents really didn't want me to be an actor, which I totally get — I don't know if I'd want my kid to be an actor. It's a really mentally tough career to be in. And even if I had no success, I would want to be doing it. But they really didn't want me to do it. Koch: And then, of course, you're like, 'Sorry, I'm doing it, guys.' Nivola: You did a lot of theater in high school? Koch: Since I was 5 years old. We had two musicals a year. I see my life as a constant. You start a show, and you have the rehearsals. And then you do the show, and it's over, and then what's the next one? And then you go again. What were you doing before you got that first job? Did you do any theater? Nivola: I did. I did all the school plays that I could do. I was just really into watching movies. I initially got a Criterion Channel subscription to impress this girl that I was courting. She's like, 'I wear berets, and I'm really into France at the moment.' And I was like, 'OK, I can get behind that.' And then I had a period of ultimate pretension and fell in love with cinema: That audition was for 'White Noise.' [I said], 'This is an opportunity to be on the set of one of the greatest directors of all time,' but my parents really wanted me to go to college, which I understand. Koch: Did you not go to college? Nivola: I went to college for one semester. Koch: I love that. How did you land this crazy part that … Nivola: … changed my life? I fear it's not going to be as interesting as you think it is, because it's literally like, did a self-tape, did a callback, booked it. My callback was with Mike [White]. The one thing that was different is that his writing is just unbelievably natural and real. Not that other writing I've worked with in the past isn't, but there's something I specifically love about the way he writes that made it so I didn't have to do any work to prepare for the audition. What about your audition process? What's Ryan Murphy's vibe? Koch: We actually didn't know that he was going to be there. They didn't tell us. We just thought it was going to be casting directors. But then he just waltzes in the room. He was like, 'How much do you know?' And I was like, 'I know everything.' Nivola: Referring to the lines? Koch: No, referring to the story. We sat down and had this amazing conversation about it all. It really calmed the nerves. We went upstairs and did the callback for two hours. We did three scenes and had conversations in between. It was very collaborative — one of the best audition experiences I've ever had. Nivola: 'What do you know?' That's amazing. You were like, 'All of it.' Koch: 'I know everything!' Because I've been with this story for so long. My second audition ever was for the 'Law & Order' series about them in 2017. And then I also had an audition for the Lifetime movie that they were doing the same year. I just felt this insane cosmic thing that was like, 'I have to play this part.' And this immense empathy. There are all of these weird parallels. We both went to Calabasas High School. Nivola: Holy shit. Koch: Yeah. So it's been a long ride. And I still care so deeply about both of them. They're going to parole board in June; that looks very positive. Nivola: Did you watch tons of videos to try to impersonate the way he speaks and the way he walks? What level of impersonating were you doing? Part of what I love so much about the show is that there's a lot of ambiguity, and so you have to make some hard-and-fast choices. Koch: I listened to him every night before I went to bed. I had him on in the car when I was driving. I really did want to get his voice and mannerisms, because they all further support that he was being sexually abused by his father. I know there's so many perspectives, but I always wanted the audience to sympathize with him. Nivola: I have to ask you about the one-take episode. How many takes did you do? Koch: I had eight months with it, so I just read it every day, and I would visualize what he was saying and create those images so clearly, so that when we went to do it, it would emotionally affect me. We did eight takes, four on the first day, four on the second day, and they chose the very last one. Nivola: This was near the end of the shoot? Koch: Yeah — I had a really long time with it, and it was the backbone of my whole character. That was my backstory; I didn't have to write one. They wrote it for me. Let me turn it back on you. How did you get your relationship down? You and Patrick had such an interesting dichotomy. Nivola: We talked to each other a lot about it. Part of the nature of that show that makes it such a dream as an actor is that you're living with the people that are your family in the show, and you're spending all your time with them. They've shut the hotels down so there's no one else there to distract you. The time difference with New York was 12 hours, so I was hardly in touch with anyone. Koch: You're really in that bubble. Nivola: And you feel like your character, in a lot of ways, because you're sleeping in the same bed. We talked with Mike a lot about the siblings, getting the dynamic of those two on opposite ends of this spectrum of morality. I think something we've both had to deal with is lots of people being like, 'Your character's kind of a creep.' Koch: It's so funny. I didn't feel that way at all. At the end, when you're like, 'I'm a people pleaser, I just want to make everybody happy, I'm in a family of narcissists,' I fully was like, 'Yes. That's what this is.' What do people say? Nivola: Well, they're just saying he's a sexual deviant of some sort. In your case as well, let's say they were murderers who killed in cold blood and there was no reason for it. Or let's say my character is a pervert. You still have to find a way as an actor to love your character. I get really protective over my characters. Koch: As you should. That's the only way. Nivola: You can tell, watching, how much you love Erik, and that's a beautiful thing. Koch: So to bring it around to death, what was that like? Nivola: It was really emotional. Before going to Thailand, I would speak very disparagingly about actors coming back from a shoot and being like, 'I really lost myself in the character.' 'Fuck you!' But when I was there, I was like, 'I get it now.' I felt like Jason Isaacs was my dad, bringing such raw realness to that scene: I'm in this moment, and I'm dying. Koch: I really thought you were gone. Nivola: I did too. Best of Variety 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Animated Program — Can Netflix Score Big With 'Arcane,' 'Devil May Cry' and the Final Season of 'Big Mouth?'
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Natasha Rothwell and Sterling K. Brown Get Honest About ‘White Lotus' Rewrites, Doomsday and Being No. 1 on the Call Sheet: ‘For the Longest Time I Thought It Meant Something'
Natasha Rothwell is seeking a friend for the end of the world. A beloved and fiery social media presence, the writer-actor-producer-showrunner hit a professional high this year with a triumphant return to HBO's 'The White Lotus.' She reprises her role as Belinda Lindsey, a masseuse trying to move on from the broken Season 1 promises of Jennifer Coolidge's flaky heiress. But in real life, she confesses to Sterling K. Brown that she's been researching underground doomsday vaults, given the state of global politics. More from Variety Sam Nivola and Cooper Koch Confront Nepo Baby Criticism and Being Accused of Playing Sexual Deviant Brothers: 'You Still Have to Love Your Character' Parker Posey Tells Lisa Kudrow to Star in 'The White Lotus' Season 4 as They Bond Over Sitcom Struggles and Why Phoebe on 'Friends' Was 'A Lot of Work' Seth Rogen and Jason Segel Relive 27 Years of Friendship: Smoking Before 'The Matrix,' Peeing Next to Scorsese and Harrison Ford Watching Segel Naked It's the perfect topic for Brown, a three-time Emmy winner for projects like 'The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story' and 'This Is Us.' Teaming again with creator Dan Fogelman on Hulu's streaming hit 'Paradise,' Brown plays a Secret Service agent living in a city-sized bunker beneath a mountain in Colorado after a catastrophe on Earth. He's investigating the murder of the U.S. president and trying to find signs of his missing wife aboveground. Survival is a common thread between the pair, as they've navigated a business full of inequities and unstable opportunities for work on-screen and behind the camera. There's plenty of joy to be had, however, as the two unpack their first time meeting on Issa Rae's seminal HBO comedy 'Insecure.' They also set some healthy boundaries, as Rothwell notes that Brown's appeal to mature women can sometimes lead to friction — even between her own mother and father. Sterling K. Brown: You're so demure and refined. I was [shocked] by the way that you dropped into your wild character on 'Insecure' when we first met. You started on that show as a writer? Natasha Rothwell: Yes. I was called into the office one day, and I thought I was getting in trouble for making too many dick jokes. I remember texting [Issa Rae], 'I think I just fucked up.' But they told me they wanted me to play my character Kelli, and I burst into tears. But you — you're so charismatic and easy to watch. You almost broke up my parents' marriage. [My mother] loved 'Army Wives.' Brown: Give me the story. Rothwell: I thought, 'If [Sterling] comes up here and ruins 47 years of marriage, I'm going to be upset.' Brown: I'm big with a certain set. The older Black women and me, we got a thing. But let's talk about 'The White Lotus.' It's white; we're Black. It's all good. Rothwell: I was in the HBO family because of 'Insecure,' but it was 2020 — peak COVID, pre-vaccination. They were just like, 'Who is dumb enough to leave their house right now?' I had a meeting with Mike White, and I'd been a fan of his from 'Chuck & Buck' and 'Freaks and Geeks.' But I want to talk about 'Paradise.' Are you as scared for the fate of humanity as I am? If you look at my Google search history, you might see a bunker company or two. Brown: My wife and I have a bunker in our home. I think a lot of midcentury-modern homes have them, because they were built right after World War II. We sealed it up so the kids wouldn't be playing down there. It can hold about 30 people. Rothwell: You have my number, right? Brown: I got you. Rothwell: It's wild how your show flirts with what's happening now. How close it seems we are to an extinction-level event that is a consequence of humanity. Brown: Dan Fogelman created it, as he did 'This Is Us.' He told me he was writing something with my voice in mind, and said, 'Take a look.' If I responded to it, great; if not, no big deal. I wrote him back saying, 'Amen.' He thought I said 'Amen' because Black people just randomly say 'Amen.' He asked what that meant, and I said, 'I'm in, dumbass.' Rothwell: Did he loosely pitch this to you or did you get eyes on the page? Brown: This is a Fogelman thing, and he's explained [his process] to me on a podcast that we do for 'This Is Us': He always writes the first one, and then he shows it to the studio. Either they like it or they don't. His feeling is 'I don't want notes. This is the thing that I've conceived. Do you like it or do you not like it? If you don't, then I can move on.' Rothwell: 'Paradise' is so tonally different from 'This Is Us.' To have that kind of artistry expressed by the same man, were you kind of caught off guard by that? Or did you know he had the capacity? Brown: I knew he had the capacity for anything; he can write his ass off. He's done 'Crazy, Stupid, Love.,' 'Life Itself' — dude is all over the place. He, like me, is eager to have opportunities to show the diversity of what he can do. Rothwell: I was texting with Mr. James Marsden this morning. I asked him about his experience with you, or even for something innocuous that feels like it says a lot about your character. He told me a little anecdote about how you've passed up being No. 1 on the call sheet many times because for you it's not about the numbers but about the work. And so I'll just reflect that back to you. I think for me, for the longest time, I thought it meant something. After Season 1 of 'The White Lotus' wrapped, I pulled Mike White aside and I got emotional. I went to school for acting like you did — we contain multitudes — but my entry point into the industry was comedy writing for 'Saturday Night Live.' It's been so hard to get the industry to see all of me. And they can be really entrenched in 'She's the funny, fat Black lady. We're going to put her in this corner, and that's the box she's in.' For Mike to give me Belinda, it was like he opened a cage that I felt the edges of. Now I can imagine the freedom of being able to show all of yourself when you see a role that can unlock something in you. And as [a writer], I feel authorship I didn't have for a long time. I had relegated myself as No. 12 on the call sheet in my real life. Do you know what I mean? Brown: I do. I look at this acting thing as sort of controlled schizophrenia, in that there's so many people inside of me, and each character gives me an opportunity to let one aspect of myself out. Rothwell: I feel that when I write. The best quote is 'Writing is awful, but it's wonderful to have written.' The process can be painful — it feels like an exorcism of sorts, for me to be able to put pen to paper and to allow aspects of my personality to bleed in all the characters. It's also such an exercise in control, because you have to be restrained and not just be indulgent and make it all about you — it has to be about the subtext of what you're exploring. Brown: Is there joy in just acting, because you wear so many hats? And being on location so far removed from everybody? Rothwell: I was in post for [my Hulu series] 'How to Die Alone' when I went to Thailand. I felt like, 'I don't got to worry about nothing. Something wrong with catering? Don't care.' For Season 3 of 'Lotus,' I'm just protecting Belinda; I'm holding her safe. Brown: We are blessed. What is it like for you to be working? Because we all have friends that are in this business and not as blessed right now. There's been a contraction. How is your community reflecting that contraction back to you? Rothwell: The contraction is not just being observed, it's felt. 'How to Die Alone' only had one season. I see my friends who are caterers, costumers, makeup artists. I want to make sure they're going to survive this great contraction. I just got back from the TED conference in Vancouver, and it's terrifying about what we're up against as artists to protect our work and to make sure that AI isn't just generating versions of talents that have been curated over years and years of study and apprenticeship. Brown: I think we're made of strong stuff. I also remind myself that the industry is just 100 years old. When I first started, there was a thing called pilot season. There was many a network drama. There was many a serialized. There were 22 to 24 episodes. Now we're doing six or eight. And so much has left Los Angeles. Rothwell: There was a game show shooting near us in Thailand. Brown: I was just working in Australia, and there were seven other productions living in my hotel. Rothwell: There's a little bit of 'Molly, you in danger, girl' about it all. Brown: Speaking of Belinda and the last 'White Lotus,' she's in a moral conundrum because she's [avoiding] a man she knows by another name who was not good to his wife. You ultimately wind up approaching him, and he hits you with an indecent proposal. What would Natasha do in Belinda's situation? Take the money and run? Rothwell: I think that Belinda saw an opportunity to get something she fundamentally believed she deserved. She's a moral center for the show. I'm scared for her, because I do think karma is real and the money is blood money. That storyline was my pitch. Brown: Was it really? Rothwell: It was my pitch. Listen, this is why I love Mike White. Originally it was Belinda's son, Zion, running the show. I told Mike I really wanted to see Belinda have agency in this moment. Can she take over the negotiation in some way? What is an authentic way for her to show that she's pushing her chips in along with her son? Being able to show that turn, she sees that she has power over a white man — the kind of man that she's been rubbing the backs of for a long time. Brown: Is she breaking bad? Rothwell: I don't know that she's breaking bad, but I think she feels that there's an opportunity here. I also come from a place of great empathy. I remember when I was first able to not think about money 24/7. I used to carry around a check in my wallet when I was fucking broke. I wrote it for the amount of my student loans just to say, 'Someday I'm going to be able to [pay this].' Brown: Did the money Belinda got also quell her on the idea of going into partnership with Pornchai [played by Dom Hetrakul]? Rothwell: That pisses me off. People are just like, 'Oh, you just left Pornchai on the side of the road.' She fucked the dude one night. She had a one-night stand. She owed him nothing. Belinda had an opportunity to betray herself again, but no. Circumstances changed. For you, your performance contains so much vulnerability and selflessness in moments. How do you find that, when I think so often the really human default is fear and 'I got to save me'? Brown: My character is someone who's been without his best friend and partner for three years. He's incomplete. And he's raising two children by himself, knowing that this wasn't how it was supposed to be. When he's introduced to the idea that his family could be reunited — Rothwell: He paused when he was in that shower with your co-star Sarah Shahi. I really need to let you know … [Rothwell shows her leg suggestively] Brown: Peloton. I'm 49 years old, and the fact that anybody wants to see 49-year-old booty, it makes me happy. Best of Variety 25 Hollywood Legends Who Deserve an Honorary Oscar New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Animated Program — Can Netflix Score Big With 'Arcane,' 'Devil May Cry' and the Final Season of 'Big Mouth?'
