Tyra Banks Returns For Netflix's America's Next Top Model Docuseries
Source: Christopher Polk / Getty
Tyra Banks is stepping back into the spotlight of America's Next Top Model (ANTM) —but this time, behind the scenes. In a rare move, the supermodel-turned-TV mogul has agreed to participate in an upcoming Netflix documentary chronicling the history of the iconic modeling competition series. Read more inside.
Entertainment Weekly exclusively reported that the Netflix and EverWonder Studio produced docuseries will offer a deep dive into the legacy of ANTM , which ran for 24 cycles from 2003 to 2018. Banks, who hosted and executive produced 23 of those seasons, sat down for an interview that will be featured in the multi-episode series. While no premiere date has been announced, the documentary promises to explore the highs and lows of the show that helped shape the reality TV landscape and redefine beauty standards.
Although Banks rarely revisits the series in long-form projects, her recent public reflections suggest she's ready to engage with the show's complex legacy. At the 2025 Essence Black Women in Hollywood event, she acknowledged past missteps, saying she 'said some dumb s—' on the show, while also defending ANTM 's role in advancing diversity on television during a time when it was sorely lacking.
Over the years, ANTM has faced growing criticism, especially after fans began reevaluating the show during the pandemic. Former contestants have spoken out about problematic photo shoots, including racially insensitive challenges and reports of misconduct. In EW 's 20th anniversary oral history published in 2023, cycle 4 alum Keenyah Hill defended one controversial shoot, distinguishing between artistic intent and racial mockery.
Banks' team has also responded to backlash, explaining that the show's more provocative concepts were attempts to challenge industry norms that idolized lighter skin and straighter hair.
'The intention was to spotlight underrepresented beauty ideals,' a spokesperson told EW , referencing photo shoots that featured textured hair and darker skin.
Despite the controversies, ANTM 's influence is undeniable. It launched the careers of numerous models, sparked global spinoffs, and helped Banks build an entertainment empire. Though the show hasn't returned since its final cycle aired in 2018—and no 25th season is currently in the works—the upcoming Netflix docuseries offers fans a chance to revisit the show through a more critical and reflective lens.
With Banks back at the center of the conversation, ANTM is once again ready for its close-up.
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But yeah, it wasn't until I sort of started making music and being more front-facing that girls would be like, 'Oh, wow, it's so nice to see Asian representation in music!' And I was like, 'Oh, yeah, that's cool. Yeah, I'm that.'" Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Ethnic Identity: Black and Samoan descentJohnson is the son of former professional wrestler Rocky Johnson, the first Black Georgia heavyweight champion, and his maternal grandfather, Peter Maivia, was a Samoan American professional 2019, Johnson responded to a Twitter debate about his identity: "Glad I came across this and I'll give you guys some context [and] truth. I identify as exactly what I am — both. Equally proud. Black/Samoan."In a 2021 interview with Cigar Aficionado, Johnson opened up about the discrimination he faced growing up: "The majority of my growing up was all throughout the South. When I was a kid, up until I was 10, 11 years old, we were in Texas, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, so it was predominantly throughout the South, where racial prejudice was pretty prevalent, pretty strong. ... I knew it, and I would want to fight everybody." He explained that moving frequently meant he "was always the new kid in school who looked much different than everybody else." In 2025, Johnson announced he would be returning to Samoa for the first time since 2004 — when he was bestowed the high chief title by the late Head of State of Samoa, Paramount Chief Malietoa Tanumafili II — expressing his pride in carrying "Samoan, Polynesian, and Black culture around the world with great respect, pride, kindness, mana, humility, and warrior spirit." Keanu Reeves Ethnic Identity: Chinese, English, Irish, Native Hawaiian, and Portuguese descentIn a 2017 interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Reeves recalled how his manager initially wanted to change his name. 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He continued: "What we're trying to do is educate people to know what that feels like so they'll never make someone feel like that ever again. Which is a hard thing to do. Because no one can see what we see and no one can grow up with what we grew up with." Naomi Osaka Ethnic Identity: Haitian and Japanese descentIn a 2020 interview with WSJ Magazine, Osaka said: "I'm just trying to put a platform out for all the Japanese people that look like me and live in Japan and when they go to a restaurant, they get handed an English menu, even though it's just a little microaggression."She also shared a painful memory from her youth with the magazine: "She was talking with another Japanese girl, and they didn't know that I was listening [or that] I spoke Japanese. Her friend asked her who she was playing, so she said Osaka. And her friend says, 'Oh, that Black girl. Is she supposed to be Japanese?' And then the girl that I was playing was like, 'I don't think so.' I remember that specifically because, yeah, I sometimes feel like a lot of people think that way about me." In a 2022 interview with Dazed, Osaka shared how her biraciality shaped her worldview: "I feel like this is really my strength: being unique and also having diverse life experiences which have made me more tolerant, accepting and curious. I can feel myself having different characteristics from each parent, which directly reflect the nationalities. I am quite soft-spoken, which is definitely from my Japanese side, but I think my fierce competitiveness comes from my Haitian side." Charles Melton Ethnic Identity: Korean and English descentIn a 2019 interview with Mixed Asian Media, Melton said: "To be on both sides, being Caucasian and Asian, how inclusive or exclusive do you want to be when it comes to race, with being Asian? It's weird when some people try to measure your Asian-ness, when it's like, 'I'm Asian.' It's so extreme. 'Oh, you're half, but you're not Asian.' I am Asian. I'm probably more 'Asian' than you. I grew up in Korea. I grew up speaking Korean and being spanked by my mom with the rice you have people in America that are second or third generation, but they're full Asian. Do they see themselves as more 'Asian' than you when you're just half or a quarter? When you grew up in Asia? How do you measure that? If you're Asian, you're Asian. If it runs through your blood, it runs through your blood. How exclusive do you want to be?When I was in Korea, people knew I was Korean, but they knew I wasn't full. When I'm somewhere like Kansas or Texas, they're like, 'Oh, you're Asian.' Depending on where you are in the world or the US affects how people are going to measure your 'Asian-ness.'" In a 2021 guest column for Variety, Melton wrote: "I've often been told that I'm not Asian enough. Not white enough. And I question whether I am enough at all. I am conflicted by my racial identities and the trauma that comes with that. 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How Iranian am I?' and it's hard when you're both to feel as though you can coexist as both and be fully both." In a 2023 interview with Harper's Bazaar Arabia, she expanded: "I love growing up between two cultures; it gives me a global sense of the world — and it makes me care about the world. I think being Iranian and being Black opened the door to cultures around me; it gives me a sense of connectivity and curiosity. At the same time, growing up bicultural has taken on such different meanings for me. When I was younger it was really a matter of history and food. Now being in my 20s — there's an associated political and social identity, which has made it much more complicated. This has made me more intentional when expressing my heritage." Henry Golding Ethnic Identity: English and Malaysian descentIn a 2018 interview with Bustle, Golding opened up: "I felt like if you were an Asian mix, were you allowed to belong in any society or were you just meant to be on the outskirts? Just because by blood I'm not full Asian doesn't mean I can't own my Asianness. And I relate so much more with my Asian side. I sound ridiculously British, but I was born in Sarawak [Malaysia]... Like, I'm from the tribe in the middle of the jungle — you cannot get any more Asian than that. I've grown more than half my entire life in Asia, exposed to more cultures than you can shake a stick at just through what I've done in the past. If anyone can relate to being Asian in the Asian culture, it was me." In a 2021 interview with he said: "I'm always the outsider. I feel like an outsider now. I wasn't Asian enough for Crazy Rich Asians. I'm not white enough for Snake Eyes. People can say what they want and have a minuscule view of the world. But we are global."He continued: "That's something I had to grapple with being mixed race. Yeah, I'm half white. I'm half Asian. I'm never gonna be enough of anything. So I'm going to be who I am. I'm going to lead a movie the best way I can." Kimora Lee Simmons Ethnic Identity: Black, Korean, and Japanese descentIn an article for Working Mother, Simmons wrote: "I was a loner growing up. I was a mixed-race girl with a Korean Japanese mother and an African American father, and none of the other kids at my school were like me. I was nearly 6 feet tall by the time I was 11 years old. And I was an only child being raised by a single mother. They called me 'chinky giraffe.' I cried all the time. But my mother wanted me to turn my tears into something else, something positive."In a 2020 interview with Elle, Simmons reinforced the importance of inclusivity: "It's very important to me to always keep multiculti, ethnic, women of color [in mind]. I'd like to bring these young women along on my ride. Black beauty and beauty for women of color is important, and it's an important time, so I figured what better way than to jump in with a little kit." Avan Jogia Ethnic Identity: Indian, English, and Irish descentIn a 2019 interview with 34th Street about his book Mixed Feelings, Jogia shared: "I realized the collective mixed experience is so similar. It doesn't matter what the racial background of those mixed-nesses are. We are all unified in the similarities of the experience." In a 2021 interview with Sharp Magazine, he discussed representation: "I think we've done some really great stuff as far as changing the narrative and forwarding genuine storytelling from other avenues, but what I am finding is that we're still not entirely comfortable with people of color telling stories that don't pertain to their racial background. You can choose many of the Asian filmmakers who are coming up right now — a lot of their films have to be about their racial experience. Their racial background becomes the foundation on which their merit is based as a filmmaker and storyteller, rather than just giving them the option [to tell stories about other communities]. To me, that's not how art works. My film took me six years to make because it's not about my racial background." He continued: "I just want to be a North Star as an artist that people can point to — and little brown kids and little kids of color through-out the entire spectrum can go, 'You can just do art, and it's fine.' I feel like the entitlement of all people is directly influenced by representation. So if we see me making movies and writing books and doing whatever I want, wearing whatever I want, I think that that can hopefully inspire some younger kids to be like, 'Oh, I don't have to follow the footpath that's been laid out for me. I can do a whole different thing.'"In a 2023 interview with Teen Vogue when asked about diversity and equity in Hollywood, Jogia responded: "It's interesting 'cause I think it's a dual edge thing. Obviously equity is a journey, not a destination. We're never there. Like it took me seven years to make this film. If I wanted to make a film about being mixed race? A story about how my dad really wants me to go to medicine, and I don't want to. If I made a movie where the currency was my identity, I could get that movie made so much faster. Yeah. But when I wanna make a movie where the movie is about a heightened reality or a fairytale, they look at your face and they go, 'Well, why are you making this film?' And I think that's an insult to creatives of color because it's like your identity is the only thing of value." Gigi Hadid Ethnic Identity: Dutch and Palestinian descentBorn Jelena Noura Hadid, she opened up about raising her mixed-race daughter and being a white-passing, mixed-race individual in a 2021 interview with i-D: "We think about it and talk about it a lot as partners and it's something that's really important to us, but it's also something that we first experienced ourselves. Because both of our parents are their own heritage. We are that first generation of those mixed races, and then that comes with that first generational experience of being like, 'Oh damn, I'm the bridge!' That's not something that my parents experienced or that they can really help me through." She continued: "In certain situations, I feel – or I'm made to feel – that I'm too white to stand up for part of my Arab heritage. You go through life trying to figure out where you fit in racially. Is what I am, or what I have, enough to do what I feel is right? But then, also, is that taking advantage of the privilege of having the whiteness within me, right? Am I allowed to speak for this side of me, or is that speaking on something that I don't experience enough to know?" Conrad Ricamora Ethnic Identity: Filipino, German, and Irish descentRicamora's mother is from Colonial New Hampshire, while his father immigrated from the Philippines at age 10. In a 2018 interview with the LA Times, Ricamora noted: "It's so funny to think they were both immigrants, but they would have been treated very differently today because of the color of their skin and the shape of their eyes. They would not be granted the same welcome."In a 2019 interview with American Theatre, he recalled: "My best friend made fun of my race and I went along with it because I didn't have anyone else to hang out with." In a 2022 interview with Positively Filipino, Ricamora revealed: "I'm starting to explore my Filipino heritage more as an adult now. As a child of an immigrant, I think my dad wanted my brother and me to be very American to fit in. I imagine it wasn't easy for him to come over as an immigrant. I think that's something that a lot of children who are first-generation in this country deal with. Our parents want us to assimilate but then as adults, we are tasked with diving into our heritage to make sense of who we are." Taika Waititi Ethnic Identity: Māori (Te Whānau-ā-Apanui) and Russian Jewish descentIn the beginning of his career, Waititi — born Taika David Cohen — alternated between using his mother's and father's surnames. He explained: "I've used both names throughout my life, for different things. 'Cohen' [his mother's surname] has always been what I've used for my acting, writing and the stuff to do with theatre, and 'Waititi' [his father's surname] is what I've used for my art, painting and photography."In a 2018 interview with Daze, Waititi talked about growing up half-Polynesian in New Zealand: "Growing up it was very normal to go into a store and they would say, 'What do you want?' And you'd be like, (muttering) 'I'm just looking at chips, man.' I remember getting a job at a dairy and they would never give me a job at the till, I was always at the back washing vegetables. And then one day one of the owners asked me if I sniffed glue — like, 'Are you a glue-sniffer?' In my head I was like, 'Motherfucker, you grew up with my mum!' And I knew for sure that he didn't ask other kids in the store if they were glue-sniffers."In Jojo Rabbit's production notes, Waititi also wrote: "I experienced a certain level of prejudice growing up as a Māori Jew. So making Jojo Rabbit has been a reminder, especially now, that we need to educate our kids about tolerance and continue to remind ourselves that there's no place in this world for hate. Children are not born with hate, they are trained to hate." Sir Ben Kingsley Ethnic Identity: Indian and English descentBorn Krishna "Krish" Pandit Bhanji, Kingsley discussed his childhood in a 2010 interview with the Daily Mail: "My father as GP, being a sort of emblem in that Salford pond, made us more celebrated as curiosities than ostracized as people who didn't belong. Then, I think one in four of the students at my school was Jewish. Every single one of my friends was Jewish. My mother was half-Jewish, so I felt a part of exotic, cosmopolitan Manchester. I was fortunate."About changing his name for acting, he recalled: "I was sitting there waiting to go on with my audition piece and someone said, 'Christina Blange?' I said, 'I think that's me.' And I couldn't quite get my cojones back to do a decent audition." At his next audition under the name Ben Kingsley, "They said, 'When can you start?'"In a 2016 interview with Radio Times, Kingsley further remarked: "But the irony is, of course, I changed my clunky invented Asian name to a more pronounceable, and acceptable, universal name in order to play Mahatma Gandhi. There's your irony." When asked about feeling connected to his Gujarati roots in 2016 with Asian Voice, he answered: "I have no idea. Because the part-Jewish, part-English, part-Gujarati-Ismaili mix that I am is my normal. I cannot step outside myself. I find wonderful answers as perhaps, at my best I'm an artist sometimes." Jade Thirlwall Ethnic Identity: Yemeni, Egyptian, and English descentIn a 2020 interview with the No Country for Young Women podcast, Thirlwall opened up about her family: "A lot of people don't know that I'm mixed race, or if they do, they've got no idea of my ethnicity. ... My granddad was a Muslim from Yemen. He settled in South Shields and married my granny, who was Egyptian – but I never met her because she died when my mam was 4."She continued: "Growing up mixed race in a working-class town has its issues. It was interesting for me, growing up in an Arab community. My granddad really wanted me to be Muslim, bless him! My mam made me go to church on Sunday, but I went to Muslim school on Saturdays – it was next to the local mosque where my grandfather went. I enjoyed it, but I'm not religious. I wish I'd stuck at it because I'm trying to re-learn Arabic. My grandfather was proud of being Arab and always encouraged me to stand up for who I was. Once that figure left, that disappeared a bit. Now I'm grown-up and have more of an education about what racism and prejudice are, I see how crazy some of the things that happened to me growing up actually are. If you weren't evidently Black, you were called the P-word or called 'half-caste.' I would get so confused because I'm not from Pakistan. One time I got pinned down in the toilets, and they put a bindi spot on my forehead – my mam was fuming!"Thirlwall also reflected on her identity struggles: "I'd identify myself as mixed-race. If I delved deeper, I'd say of Arab heritage, I guess. I've had an inner battle of not knowing where I fit in or what larger community I fit into. When I moved to London it was a whole different ballgame, being around people who recognized me as being mixed. I definitely felt more accepted. I feel sad that through my teenage years I was never proud of who I was, and it took me coming into adulthood and living in a different environment to learn about who I am, be more proud of it, and speak more about it!"In a 2024 interview with Rolling Stone UK, she elaborated further: "I'd only ever seen negative stereotypes of Arab people in the press, so I was scared to promote my heritage. I feel sad for my younger self that I could've been the representation I needed back then. I try to make up for that now." Shay Mitchell Ethnic Identity: Filipino, Irish, and Scottish descentIn a 2021 interview with Women's Health, Mitchell discussed the perception of her parents' relationship and her own experiences with racism: "It's something my mom has dealt with her whole life. When she and my dad were dating in the 1980s in Toronto, their relationship was looked down upon. On the bus with my dad, she would get the worst looks. They would tell me about going into a restaurant and people not serving them. I also saw it in real life. My mom would get derogatory remarks like, 'Are you the cleaning lady? Are you the nanny?' And she was like, 'No, but what is your issue if I was?' In school, I was bullied — I'd get questions like, 'Are you going to go clean the bathrooms?'"In a 2023 interview with Byrdie, she discussed navigating dual identities as a child: "I grew up in a predominantly Caucasian school, and all of my friends had blonde hair and blue eyes, so I definitely stood out. When I was younger, my way of dealing with that was to separate myself from the rest of the group, and I think that's why I was so much more of an introvert in high school." In a 2024 interview with Bustle, Mitchell further reflected on her maternal family's influence on feeling connected to Filipino culture: "Fortunately, I grew up around a lot of my mom's siblings. She was one of 10. I had a lot of aunts and uncles in Toronto, and I got to grow up with a lot of my cousins. It's always been a huge part of who I am. I mean, my mom has always cooked Filipino dishes, and around the holidays, we always get together." Daniel Henney Ethnic Identity: Korean and English descentIn a 2007 interview with the LA Times, Henney discussed his family background. His mother was born in Busan, Korea, but adopted into an American family as an infant, while his father is American with English experiencing racism, Henney said he didn't think about being mixed race as a child in small-town Michigan, "a very naive place of 1,100 people where all the kids there ever thought about was hunting and fishing. I always just thought of myself as a white guy." However, his friends would tease him by bowing to him or taunt him about ramen noodles, which his mother stocked in the kitchen. Sometimes, these would escalate to physical fights, with Henney noting, "I grew up in a rural area. You get your racism there." In a 2018 interview with Asia Pacific Arts about playing a biracial character: "Simmons being biracial has really added an amazing element to this character for me. It's not usual, it's not normal for an Asian American actor to be able to play a role like Simmons where he's the quintessential American. He's the guy the viewers need to depend on, he's a family man, he embodies what you want in a special agent, a tactical guy. And I don't think that that responsibility has been given to an Asian American actor in a long time." Hayley Kiyoko Ethnic Identity: Japanese, Welsh, and Scottish descentIn a 2017 interview with SXSW, she discussed how being biracial influenced her career: "Naturally, being biracial shapes you as a person because you experience different things. As an actress, for example, I'm constantly going out for Asian American roles, and 'I'm not Asian enough.' They will flat out say that. Then, I'll go out for open ethnicity roles, and they will go, 'You're not white enough.' It's just part of who I am and what I look like." In a 2021 interview with People, Kiyoko opened up further: "Growing up biracial — my mom's Japanese Canadian and my dad's Caucasian — it took a long time for me to really connect and embrace my Asian heritage. I was never white enough, I was never Asian enough, but I also was never straight enough. For most of my adolescence, my sexuality kind of took over my struggle with fitting into society, and then as I was able to learn and accept myself, later in life, I started to unpack my culture and my roots.""I just didn't really have the space to do so when I was younger," she continued, "because I was just extremely gay and I didn't have an outlet or felt like I had a community that I belonged to, and so that really took over most of my youth."In a 2024 interview with Cero Magazine, Kiyoko reflected on her racial identity while discussing her New York Time's Best Selling novel, "Girls Like Girls." From their conversation, interviewer Michael-Michelle Pratt noted, "Once she began to love her identity as a lesbian, she began to love her culture as a biracial person, half Japanese and half white, as well. She recalls often feeling neither white nor Asian enough as an adolescent but beginning to appreciate her complexity later in life." Bella Hadid Ethnic Identity: Dutch and Palestinian descentBorn Isabella Khair Hadid, her father Mohammed Hadid immigrated to the US after his family fled to Syria during the 1948 war. In a 2018 Harper's Bazaar interview, Hadid described visiting Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque as the best day of her life: "I was talking to all of these Arab women and men, and finally understanding the culture a lot more than I ever really have. He would teach us about it and we would go and do Eid with my family and we would do Ramadan – I did that since I was a kid."In a 2022 Vogue interview, she revealed regret about her cosmetic surgery: "I wish I had kept the nose of my ancestors. I think I would have grown into it." In 2023, Hadid spoke out in support of Palestine, sharing her family's history: "My father was born in Nazareth in the year of the Nakba (the displacement of 750,000 Palestinians in 1948). Nine days after he was born, he, in his mothers arms, along with his family were expelled from their home of Palestine, becoming refugees, away from a place they once called home." Zayn Malik Ethnic Identity: Pakistani and Irish descentIn a 2017 interview with the Evening Standard, Malik shared: "I take a great sense of pride — and responsibility — in knowing that I am the first of my kind, from my background. I'm not currently practicing but I was raised in the Islamic faith, so it will always be with me, and I identify a lot with the culture. But I'm just me. I don't want to be defined by my religion or my cultural background."He described his early experiences with racial profiling while touring with One Direction: "The first time I came to America, I had three security checks before I got on the plane. First, they said that I'd been randomly selected, and then they said it was something to do with my name — it was flagging something on their system. It was like a movie. They kept me there for three hours, questioning me about all kinds of crazy stuff. I was 17, my first time in America, jet-lagged off the plane, confused."In a 2018 interview with Vogue, Malik reflected on his childhood in Britain: "I did see the segregation. That was confusing for people, they didn't really understand. 'Who's the brown person? Is it your mum or is it your dad?' That was nobody's fault, other than learning these things." He also shared his optimism toward the future as people learn more about race and society progresses: "It's natural. There are more mixed-race people around now." On his relationship with religion, he elaborated: "With my mum and dad, they were always there to educate us – I did go to mosque, I did study Islam – but they gave us the option so you could choose for yourself. There's definitely beautiful parts to every religion."In a 2020 interview with ES Magazine, Malik further noted: "I was lucky that my mum and dad would always explain it to me: 'This is just the way it is, this is some people's belief, this is the way that they've been brought up. You're brought up differently so you've got to respect everybody and hope that people respect you in return.'" Nine times out of 10, Malik said, he got into brawls due to clarified: "I never really dwelled on this in the past, but I do believe it is something that people should know — this is who I am, this is where I've come from. It's not so much that it hurts — it's what builds you as a person. What you learn from that. I have an understanding of certain issues. ... Just because I don't dwell on those issues, doesn't mean I don't know. I am aware of what things go on. I am aware that people grow up in racially segregated communities." Danny Pudi Ethnic Identity: Indian and Polish descentIn a 2017 interview with the Center for Asian American Media, Pudi described his upbringing: "Inside my home, I'm very Polish. As soon as I left the door, in school and in public, I was pretty much perceived as Indian."He elaborated: "That's pretty much it. I laugh when I hear that description, so I can only imagine what people thought of me back in the '80s in Chicago. I always felt a little strange. I always felt a little odd. We lived in an amazing neighborhood though, and our family was super tight. So I always felt safe, which was wonderful. I knew our situation was different, but we were always encouraged to embrace that. And my mom especially decided it wasn't enough to stick out. So she made me take Polish dance and take violin lessons and all this other stuff — so that way I would stick out even more than I already did. Which can be challenging growing up, you know… you're just trying to blend in. It's pretty difficult when you grow up speaking Polish, but you and half of your family are from Andhra Pradesh. But it was wonderful. It was very colorful." In a 2023 interview with The Daily Beast about his Community character, Pudi said: "I think that there was this idea of this character that's in the middle of the action, the middle of this study group, who just sees things differently. And I could always relate to that. I grew up mixed-race. I was, in many ways, the only person like me in a room."He continued: "I always remember that feeling as a kid where I'd go into a room and I always felt like there's nobody else like me here. And sometimes that was pointed out, sometimes it wasn't. But it was something that I was very much in tune with, what that was like. I remember being the only Indian kid in school and there's just something different about that. And that experience was something I could really relate to. In terms of Abed, I just think that there was something really playful about how he saw the world, which I loved." Jessica Henwick Ethnic Identity: Zambian English and Chinese Singaporean descentIn a 2020 interview with Mixed Asian Media, Henwick talked about her identity: "When I first visited Hawaii, I was called hapa all the time. It's nice to acknowledge mixed-race ancestry — it's more than just DNA. It's about your interests, your raised with a foot in two different cultures. The beauty of that, as well as the obstacles you face." About her childhood in England, she shared: "I grew up in an area with no Asians. My brothers and I were the first non-white students at our school. It was rough, I won't lie. But it built in me a mental armor that got me to where I am today. I find it interesting to look back at just how effectively I would compartmentalize. I think anyone who has grown up between two cultures can understand this. I would completely code switch, depending on where I was and who I was with."She elaborated: "I had two lives; the first where I went to a Roman Catholic school, ate mashed potatoes at lunch, and played Conkers with the kids in the playground, and the second where I would spend months with my Ma running up jungle trails in Ipoh, staining my hands purple with mangosteen and bathing out of a rainwater bucket. When I would go to Singapore or Malaysia, our friends there would struggle to understand my British accent for the first few weeks. And when I returned to the UK, my school friends would laugh at me because my voice had changed, they said. I could not for the life of me hear it, but I'm sure they were right." Hannah Simone Ethnic Identity: Indian, Italian, Greek Cypriot, and German descentIn 2014, Simone told the Multi Cultural Cooking Network: "I'm a multi-ethnic person so I think most people are surprised by any part of the puzzle. My father is Indian, my mother is half German-Italian and half Greek-Cypriot. More people are surprised by where I grew up! Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, India, England and Canada isn't a normal answer to that question. Being raised as someone who is multicultural and multi-ethnic has been the greatest gift to me." In a 2015 interview with CAA Media about her New Girl role, she shared: "When they were casting this role, they weren't looking for a South Asian character. I remember when I got cast, I went to [show creator] Liz Meriwether and I said: 'That's really cool that you cast me. I didn't grow up watching American sitcoms seeing my face in those shows.' I was talking not just as a South Asian person, but as someone with this skin tone. I remember Liz just looking at me and saying: 'Hannah, I just cast the funniest person,' and that really landed on me. And she just kept writing that way to keep Cece a funny, honest character and friend and woman on that show." Hines Ward Ethnic Identity: Black and Korean descent In a 2009 interview with the New York Times, the football coach and former wide receiver opened up: "It was hard for me to find my identity. The Black kids didn't want to hang out with me because I had a Korean mom. The white kids didn't want to hang out with me because I was Black. The Korean kids didn't want to hang out with me because I was Black. It was hard to find friends growing up. And then once I got involved in sports, color didn't matter." Lewis Tan Ethnic Identity: Chinese and English descentHis father, Philip Tan, is a Chinese Singaporean martial artist and stunt coordinator, while his mother, Joanne Cassidy, is a retired British a 2018 interview with Mixed Asian Media, Tan expressed: "Being mixed in an industry that has been known for casting [people of color] as stereotypes has been frustrating and tiring, but has also made me a better actor and performer because I have had to convince casting directors and producers I am the ONLY choice for the role. As we go into 2018, I think the industry is starting to see the world in a broader perspective. It's about time and I am very grateful for all the hard times that has built me up." He added: "I love my mixed heritage because it has given me depth and perspective on the world. It has also been challenging in the film industry, but at the same time [it] created a deep discovery of who I am as a man and I am proud of my heritage." Ariana Miyamoto Ethnic Identity: Black and Japanese descentIn a 2015 interview with AFP, Miyamoto discussed entering Miss Universe Japan to fight racial prejudice after a mixed-race friend died by suicide: "I was prepared for the criticism. I'd be lying to say it didn't hurt at all. I'm Japanese — I stand up and bow when I answer the phone. But that criticism did give me extra motivation. I didn't feel any added pressure because the reason I took part in the pageant was my friend's death. My goal was to raise awareness of racial discrimination. Now I have a great platform to deliver that message as the first Black Miss Universe Japan. It's always hard to be the first, so in that respect, what Naomi Campbell did was really amazing." About her childhood experiences, she shared: "I used to get bullied as a kid, but I've got mentally stronger, to protect myself. When I was small I stood out and always felt I had to fit in with everyone. I'd try not to bring attention to myself, but now I say what I feel. I do things my own way. I want to start a revolution." KJ Apa Ethnic Identity: Samoan, Scottish, English, and Irish descentBorn Keneti James Apa, he discussed his family in a 2017 interview with Vulture: "I have a massive Samoan family. And the Samoan culture has always played a massive part of my life. I've got hundreds of family on my dad's side that live in Samoa and in New Zealand. I've just been surrounded by the culture ever since I was a kid. I actually used to speak Samoan, but me and my sisters all kind of lost it. We go there at least once a year to see family. And my dad recently just got a traditional Samoan tattoo. He's a chief in Samoa, so he got that tattoo to commemorate it." In a 2021 interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Apa explained: "[My dad] is a matai, yeah. He holds the matai title, chief title, of the village that he's from and I'm from, called Moata'a, in Samoa." In 2022, the title was bestowed upon him. Darren Criss Ethnic Identity: Filipino, Chinese, Spanish, English, German, and Irish descentIn a 2020 interview with People, Criss said: "I've been half-Filipino my whole life. But no one ever asked about it. It's tough, this idea of 'white-passing.' It's not even a term I heard of until the past two years. When people have a say in who you are — people you don't even know — it makes you rethink what your balance is. Something you've had down your whole life. It's a tricky cocktail in America. I've always been proud of my heritage, of being Filipino. Just because people don't see it, doesn't make it any less real to me." In a 2020 interview with The Wrap, he expanded: "You're dealing with two experiences that present different reactions. Not only internally, but externally. Who are you to the world? How do they see you? How do you see yourself? What happens if you happen to look more like one half than the other, which one are you? In my mind, I was just me. My mom's Filipino and my dad's a white guy, and that's just kind of how it is. You could argue, well maybe that's because you're white-passing and nobody ever questioned anything, and then I feel bad and I go, 'Oh god, did I somehow turn my back on my Filipino-ness?' Like, at what point am I supposed to raise my hand higher for that? I don't know the answer." H.E.R. Ethnic Identity: Black and Filipino descentBorn Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson, H.E.R. said in a 2018 interview with WWD that she "identifies strongly with both sides," noting her home as a kid was distinctly Filipino with shoes off at the door and grandparents always cooking. "My dad would throw down with the soul food when we had our Black side over. Black culture, to me, is so important and I identify with young Black women. I represent young Black women, and I'm proud of that."In a 2021 interview with Ruben Nepales of Rappler, Wilson revealed she listened to "a lot of Sharon Cuneta" growing up and learned how to sing in Tagalog: "I learned a song called 'Maging Sino Ka Man' when I was really young ... I'm half Filipino and Filipinos love karaoke. So yeah, I love to sing. I've always been around music my entire life and I just gravitated towards instruments." Jemaine Clement Ethnic Identity: Māori and European descent A descendant of Wairarapa chief Irāia Te Whāiti, Clement talked about being mixed race in a 2015 interview with Stuff: "I'm part white, but I'm not just white. And I don't think of myself as white, because I wasn't brought up that way. When they say 'white guys' when they're talking about me and Taika [Waititi], they're imagining a completely different life, completely different things. They're imagining this privilege that we didn't have."On the attention he received in the US for his onscreen interracial romance with Regina Hall in People Places Things (2015), he commented: "As a mixed-race person, I see race as largely bullshit. Anything I do is interracial! One great thing about New Zealand is 'interracial' doesn't mean anything. We're used to it." Saweetie Ethnic Identity: Black and Filipino descent In a 2019 interview with HelloGiggles, she discussed how being biracial affected her: "I definitely felt out of place at times because the cultures that I was raised around were completely night and day. But I feel like those [types] of internal struggles help me understand people better, and I now know that not one set of people is the same."She expanded: "My mom is of Filipino descent and my dad is of Black descent, so it allows me to be sensitive to other people's cultures. Because sometimes people might not communicate or understand the things that I do. I might not understand what someone else is doing, but I'm always able to know that people come from different places and have different understandings." Wentworth Miller Ethnic Identity: African American, Jamaican, German, English, Russian, Dutch, French, Syrian, and Lebanese descentIn a 2004 interview with the Guardian, Miller discussed his mixed identity: "'Passing' is not something that has crossed my mind. On the other hand, being of mixed race you do have this question of, 'Well, maybe I don't have to answer to any particular community, since I'm not really a part of any particular community. Maybe I only have to answer to myself.' It makes you a kind of racial lone ranger." In a 2017 interview with Interview Magazine, Miller elaborated: "To be honest, it wasn't something l took a very close look at until I got to college, which I think is what college is all about: self-examination and dealing with those questions of 'Who am I?'"When asked if that self-examination caused him any anxiety, Miller answered: "If it did, it came from the fact that other people were trying to define me and my own journey. There's a quote I often refer to from Toni Morrison's Beloved, which is that 'definitions belong to the definers and not the defined.' The beautiful thing about having grown up in Brooklyn is, because of the rich cultural and racial diversity there, no one seemed to give too much thought to where I fit on the racial spectrum. But there were times when I would run up against someone who was interested in figuring out what race was. That would come as a surprise, and in some cases, like a slap in the face."When asked how his identity played into his acting, he said: "Well, the backstory to anyone of mixed race is a lifetime spent being incorrectly perceived and choosing either to allow that misperception to continue or to correct it, so I am aware of identity and race as being much more fluid, I think, than someone who is 'purely' one thing or the other. And acting does challenge me to address those particular issues." Jason Momoa Ethnic Identity: Native Hawaiian, German, Irish, and Native American descent In a 2018 interview with the New Paper, Momoa talked about Aquaman's significance: "Honestly, to be the first mixed-race superhero in 2018... That is a huge honor. And also just to play it so close to who I am, with all of Arthur's imperfections. I don't have to be Superman — I am not. But I got to play it as someone who really is split between two worlds." Nicole Scherzinger Ethnic Identity: Filipino, Native Hawaiian, and Russian descentIn an 2010 interview with Pacific Citizen, Scherzinger, born in Hawaii, said: "My mother, growing up, would dance the hula and Tahitian with her family. My mother taught me hula when I was really young." About being a mixed-race artist, she shared: "Especially because I started out in theater, a lot of people didn't understand what my nationality was or what race I was. So, they were a little confused on how to cast me or what my place was. It was really confusing at first because people wanted me to be like the Puerto Rican girl, the sidekick, the Puerto Rican best friend." Vanessa Hudgens Ethnic Identity: Filipino, Chinese, Spanish, French, Irish, and Native American descentIn a 2011 interview with Reuters, Hudgens discussed her mixed identity: "I wasn't Latin enough or Asian enough or Caucasian enough. I'm never going to be anything enough because I'm different things. The one thing I'm really blessed with is my various ethnic backgrounds." In a 2021 interview with Glamour about her mother: "My mom is from the Philippines, and growing up there weren't really that many women who looked like me and my mom and my family on screen. It's so important to share all the different stories because America is a massive melting pot, [just like the] world. There are so many different stories that need to be told so that we are exposed to them and can have more empathy towards different people. As an immigrant, coming into the States and not knowing anyone, I can't even imagine how difficult and challenging that is and what challenges she faced as a woman." Jessie Mei Li Ethnic Identity: Chinese and English descentIn a 2021 interview with the Beat, Li discussed her childhood: "Growing up, as a mixed-race person, I rarely saw anyone who looked like me, let alone Asian people, generally. And if they were onscreen, they were always a fairly two-dimensional role, a lot of times, especially in western TV shows and films." She continued: "I think, for lots of people [who are] mixed-race or first-generation immigrants, you spend so much of your life not feeling like you belong anywhere. I certainly grew up in a predominantly white area, and I was always 'the Chinese one' to my white friends, but to my Asian friends and family, I was very English. You never really feel like you belong anywhere. My race is a big part of my life, but it's not everything that I am." Alexa Chung Ethnic Identity: Chinese and English descentIn 2009, Chung tweeted: "I'm 3/8 Chinese 5/8 English. A very silly fraction. Less than a half, more than a quarter. Pass it on so I don't have to explain again. Thanks." The Telegraph reported in 2016 that there are 42,000 Google searches every year relating to her ethnicity. Mark-Paul Gosselaar Ethnic Identity: Dutch and Indonesian descentIn a 2019 interview with Newsweek about his Mixed-ish role, Gosselaar reflected: "Being someone who is mixed, I never had to think about it until it was brought up, because of the way I looked. I was arguably America's favorite white boy at one point, and it's like, 'Wait, that guy is mixed?' It's one of those things that because of the way I looked I didn't have to deal with it. It's a conversation I have had and I do have with my kids because they are — as well — mixed."When speaking to Hollywood Outbreak in 2021, he said, "Back in the '80s, I think people struggled with knowing what a mixed family really was. I am a product of a mixed family. My father is Dutch, and my mother's Indonesian. Because I looked the way I did, I really never had to go through some of the experiences that some of the characters on [Mixed-ish] are going through, and that's fortunate and unfortunate. Nowadays, people are much more accepting. There's been a lot more discussion about it. I think there's still a long way to go, but we are trending in a direction that I think is positive. And on our show, we try to tackle those issues through the lens of comedy, which I think is an easy way for people to digest the message." That same year, he told Tamron Hall: "Because of the way I looked, no one questioned it. My father was my father and my mother was my mother. I never even questioned why my mom looked different than me because it was never a question." Olivia Munn Ethnic Identity: German, Irish, English, and Chinese descent Predominantly raised in Japan, she moved back to Oklahoma for her last two years of high school. In a 2019 interview with Prestige Hong Kong, Munn revealed: "I'd go out for so many auditions, for everything. And then I'd be told, 'You're too Asian' or 'You're too white.' I remember someone telling me, 'Don't feel bad. One day they won't be trying to match you to fit with anyone else. You'll just be hired for you.' So you can't help but get frustrated. That's part of it all." Devon Aoki Ethnic Identity: Japanese, German, and English descentIn a 2006 interview with Rotten Tomatoes, Aoki discussed her identity: "My mom is German-English. I grew up with my mom, but I can't escape the way I look, and my whole life I've had a strong sense of self because of it. I've watched my father (Benihana restaurateur Rocky Aoki) and all of the achievements he's made; I've always wanted to follow in his footsteps in some ways in changing the dynamic of how Asians are interpreted." She continued: "There weren't a lot of people who were even allowed to represent for our culture, being from the East. So every movie I do, that's a thought in my head that I have to represent for Asian people. That's really important to me." Ross Butler Ethnic Identity: English, Dutch, and Chinese Malaysian descent In a 2020 interview with Harper's Bazaar, Butler discussed growing up mixed race: "You don't really feel like you belong. You don't feel like you have people you can lean on or who understand what you're going through; it was isolating. I became a social chameleon. I got really good at fitting the mold of who I thought people saw me as." Kimiko Glenn Ethnic Identity: Japanese, Scottish, Irish, and German descent In a 2018 interview with IndieWire, Glenn talked about voice acting opportunities: "It opens up the whole voice-over world to me because you can't see my face. I get to express myself however I want. Being biracial in this industry is kind of an interesting thing. I've always been hyperaware of that because I've been told so many times you're not Asian or white enough." Naomi Scott Ethnic Identity: Indian and English descentIn a 2019 interview with Teen Vogue, Scott said: "There were moments growing up where you're like, 'Oh, I don't really feel Indian enough.' But now I'm at a place where I'm like you know what? It's okay. It doesn't make me any less Indian, or any less half Indian. My two favorite meals — one is my mum's curry and one being a roast dinner. And that is me in a nutshell." About her Hollywood experience, she commented: "There's a thing of someone [being] like, 'She's not white, she's not Black, she's not Latina, what is she?' There were definitely a few leads that I went for where I think, ultimately, I was maybe the other choice, the 'exotic' choice, or the 'other.'" Janel Parrish Ethnic Identity: Chinese, Irish, English, and German descent In a 2015 interview with SheKnows, Parrish revealed: "Being a mixed-race actress was very difficult, especially growing up. When you're younger and you have to fit into a family and you're of mixed race, you don't quite fit into the Hollywood look — which is usually the blond-haired, blue-eyed girl next door — and so I would audition for those roles, and they didn't quite know where to place me." Karen O Ethnic Identity: Korean and Polish descentBorn in South Korea, O and her family moved to the US before she was 3. In a 2013 interview with the New York Times, she discussed struggling to assimilate: "I didn't speak Korean, so I couldn't hang with the Koreans. And when I'd hang out with the whiteys, I was always self-conscious about being half-Korean." By eighth grade, she was forced to reckon with being different: "I was hanging with some popular girls but sort of as their pet. I was the novelty, you know? And then it turned on me in a pretty dramatic way." She then told the New York Times that this experience caused her to identify as a "weirdo," which ultimately led her to rock 'n' roll. Karrueche Tran Ethnic Identity: Black and Vietnamese descent In a 2015 interview with Jet Magazine, she said: "I'm all for diversity and anything multicultural. I'm half Black and half Vietnamese and grew up very diverse. I had an Asian godmother and Korean best friends, so being a Black actor and being involved in the industry is amazing."She continued: "I would love to be able to contribute to the community of African American actors. We need more of them out there, just period. People look at me and ask 'What are you?' and I tell them Black and Vietnamese and they think that's really cool. I love and am happy that I'm able to bridge these two cultures." Naomi Campbell Ethnic Identity: Jamaican and Chinese descent Despite her mixed heritage, Campbell faced racial discrimination. In 2019, Yahoo News reported that when speaking to the BBC, Campbell explained: "Something happened to me the other day and I was quite taken aback. I did a campaign for someone and I was told one of the countries in Asia won't use the picture because of the color of my skin. It doesn't stop me. That's just another country that has to be shown that it is ignorant and that is not the way of the world right now on the global scale. Ironically, I have that gene in my family." Maggie Q Ethnic Identity: Vietnamese, Polish, and Irish descent In a 2008 interview with Today, Q explained that after leaving Hong Kong cinema for the US, American filmmakers were confused by her background: "They think, 'Wow, what is this? There's this girl. She's Asian, but she's not.' ... They're really not sure where to put me. It's a struggle. You got to win roles. You really got to fight for them. When I left Asia and went to the US, essentially I was starting over. It's very hard. It's a lot of work." Jhené Aiko Ethnic Identity: Spanish, Dominican, Japanese, Native American, Black, and German descent In a 2019 interview with Revolt TV, Aiko talked about industry pressure: "When I started going on auditions, they would put me for roles [as] the Spanish girl, or the Japanese girl or the Black girl. When I was 12 [or] 13, someone told my mom, 'You should really play up one or the other. You should straighten her hair so she could look more Asian, or you should keep her hair natural and curly and put a little bronzer on her so she [will] look more Black." Kristin Kreuk Ethnic Identity: Chinese and Dutch descentIn a 2017 interview with DC Comics News, Kreuk discussed her acting experience: "I started a long time ago, and [for] my first job, I played a half-Asian girl, which is my heritage. [That] didn't happen again until, I guess, Street Fighter. I played my heritage, and then every role after that shut out playing my heritage. So I often played white characters because I have wide eyes, and my hair is actually not the blonde [gestures to her current hair]. But my natural hair color is light because I didn't challenge them in the way that I looked. It didn't come up as an issue for me. So personally, I didn't think I felt the limitation for my career."She then discussed the challenges she witnessed full Asian actors face when auditioning. Though Kreuk acknowledged the industry is changing, she asserted that the lack of opportunity is still a big issue: "I don't think we have a lot available. And I think stuff like this helps — making sure the characters [are authentic] for me now. I won't play outside of being mixed race. Because I have the opportunity to do it, and that will help slowly." In 2020, Kreuk shared family history in a CBC repost: "I am deeply proud of my heritage and have found strength in learning about the journeys my family took to find prosperity. My mom came to Canada when she was starting high school — her family's story is complex, but, in its most simple telling, they left Indonesia (the Chinese have a difficult history there) and lived in Singapore and the Solomon Islands before coming to Vancouver. For my mom, Vancouver was a welcoming and positive home. Neither my mom nor my grandmother spoke Chinese. Both grew up outside of China (my grandmother was from Jamaica). My mom never cooked Chinese food. She didn't know much about the culture. But none of this seemed strange to me growing up. I still don't know why. Perhaps much of it had to do with the fact that my high school was populated by 85% Asian peeps from all different backgrounds. Perhaps that allowed me to see that my family was simply one version of Asian." Kamala Harris Ethnic Identity: Jamaican and Indian descentIn her 2019 memoir The Truths We Hold, Harris explained that she and her sister "were raised with a strong awareness of and appreciation for Indian culture," but that her mother "understood very well that she was raising two Black daughters. "She knew that her adopted homeland would see Maya and me as Black girls, and she was determined to make sure we would grow into confident, proud Black women." In a 2019 interview with the Washington Post, Harris asserted: "When I first ran for office, that was one of the things that I struggled with, which is that you are forced through that process to define yourself in a way that you fit neatly into the compartment that other people have created. My point was: I am who I am. I'm good with it. You might need to figure it out, but I'm fine with it." And finally, Michael Yo Ethnic Identity: Black and Korean descentIn a 2013 interview with HalfKorean, Yo talked about growing up mixed in Texas: "I was pretty much the only mixed kid in school. In Houston, I went to a predominantly white school and if you were Black, you were Black, and if you were Asian, you were Asian. There [were] no mixed kids. It was different times back then, especially in that area. I got called all kinds of racist names. When kids don't know what you are, they can be very mean. They were trying to be mean, but they didn't know how it affected me. I was very insecure growing up being both." He continued: "When I hung out with Asian kids, the Black kids would get mad. When I grew up, I guess I connected most with the Black and white kids because I played sports, and I wasn't a great student. We had one [Asian kid] on our basketball team, then a couple of Black kids, and then mostly white kids. I didn't really connect with my Asian side until I started doing stand-up." Check out more API-centered content by exploring how BuzzFeed celebrates Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! Of course, the content doesn't end after May. Follow BuzzFeed's A*Pop on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube to keep up with our latest AAPI content year-round.
San Francisco Chronicle
23 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Kara Young, already on a Broadway streak, could make Tony history with her role in 'Purpose'
NEW YORK (AP) — Don't bother asking Kara Young which one of her roles is her favorite. They're all her favorite. 'Every single time I'm doing a show, I feel like it is the most important thing on the planet,' she says. 'I don't have a favorite. It's like this: Every, every single project has held its own weight.' Right now, the weighty project on her mind is Broadway's celebrated 'Purpose,' Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' drawing-room drama at the Helen Hayes Theater about an accomplished Black family revealing its hypocrisy and fault lines during a snowed-in gathering. 'There's so much in this play,' says Young, who plays an outsider who witnesses the implosion. 'Like a lot of the great writers, he creates these universes in a line or the space between the words.' A tense family gathering 'Purpose' is set in the Jasper family's living room in an upper-middle-class neighborhood in Chicago. The patriarch is Pastor Solomon Jasper, a Civil Rights legend, and his steely wife, Claudine. They are reuniting with their two sons — Junior, a disgraced former state senator, recently released after serving a prison sentence for embezzling funds, and Naz, who fled divinity school and is now a nature photographer. Young plays Aziza, a Harlem-bred social worker who has been close friends with Naz but didn't know anything about his family. 'This kind of thing never happens to me! I never meet famous people and you've been famous this whole time?' she screams. Her awe quickly fades as sibling jealousies, parental frustrations, past sins and the pressures of legacy come tumbling out over a fraught dinner. There is some slapping. 'We are so susceptible to get angry with the people we love the most,' says Young. 'What we're seeing in the less than 12 hours of them being together for the first time in two years, they're sitting down and having dinner, and all of these things come up, as they often do.' Young poised to make history Young's work has earned her a Tony Award nomination and a chance to make history. Already the first Black person to be nominated four times consecutively, if she wins, she'll be the first Black performer to win two Tonys in a row. Young made her Broadway debut in 2021 in 'Clyde's,' was in 'Cost of Living' the next year and co-starred opposite Leslie Odom Jr. in 2024's 'Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch,' winning a Tony. Jacobs-Jenkins calls Aziz in his script a 'deeply perceptive person and empathetic' and that could also apply to Young, She says she closely identifies with her character in 'Purpose,' — they're both Harlem-bred advocates for others, hoping to make the planet better. 'I feel connected to that core of her,' says Young. 'Every single play I've done since my 10-minute play festivals, I'm always like, 'Wow, this feels like this can change the world,' you know? And I feel like at the core of Aziza, that's how she feels. She wants to change the world.' 'Purpose,' directed by Phylicia Rashad, also stars LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Harry Lennix, Jon Michael Hill, Alana Arenas and Glenn Davis. 'Joy and curiosity and enthusiasm' Hill, who as Naz also earned a Tony nomination for best lead male actor in a play, calls Young 'the heart and joy of our little family over there at the Helen Hayes.' 'She enters the building and she just makes time for everyone and is genuinely excited to see people and hear about how they're doing,' he says. 'I've really never seen anyone have as much room in their consciousness and their being for everyone she encounters. She approaches every day with joy and curiosity and enthusiasm.' If there's one story that shows who Young is, it would be from the day of the Met Gala, which she and cast members of 'Purpose' were invited, along with its playwright. That same day, Jacobs-Jenkins won the Pulitzer Prize for drama. Young found out while getting her makeup done and began screaming. When she got to the gala — a look-at-me moment, if there ever was one — she was a walking advertisement for the play. 'I told everybody, 'You have to come and see this play. He just won a Pulitzer!'' Hill was right behind her and smiling as Young made connections and introductions. 'She was just going up to everyone and introducing us and talking about our show and trying to get folks in the door.' Young made her 2016 stage debut in Patricia Ione Lloyd's play 'Pretty Hunger' at the Public Theater, a play about a 7-year-old Black girl who didn't know she was Black. The playwright told her she wrote it with Young in mind. 'Ione Lloyd is one of the people who really made me see myself as an artist,' she says. 'She's the one that kind of set a path for me in a really beautiful way.' Next up for Young is the movie 'Is God Is,' which playwright Aleshea Harris is directing from her own 2018 stage play. Sterling K. Brown, Vivica A. Fox and Janelle Monáe are in the cast. Young calls it 'a spaghetti Western-meets-Tarantino-meets-the Greeks.' Next summer on Broadway, she'll star in a revival of 'The Whoopi Monologues' opposite Kerry Washington. After that, who knows? 'I don't know what's next, but I can't wait, whatever that is,' she says. 'If something comes along, it's about jumping into the next thing. If there's life in me, I got to live it.'
Gizmodo
25 minutes ago
- Gizmodo
‘The Sandman' Season 2 Ends With a Bonus Episode to Remind You What Could Have Been
Netflix's adaptation of Neil Gaiman's The Sandman comes to an end this summer after its two-part second season. Though showrunner Allan Heinberg has maintained that two seasons has been the plan for years now, and that Netflix's announcement of its impending conclusion alongside high-profile allegations against Gaiman was just unfortunate timing, a new bit of information about season two suggests perhaps that at one time, plans for more Sandman may have been in the cards. To nobody's surprise after the success of season one, The Sandman was renewed in late 2022. At the time, a Netflix press release promised 'The Sandman world will continue to expand,' framing the then-unspecified amount of future episodes as a continuation of the story rather than a more traditional 'season two is on the way!' announcement. In January of this year, Heinberg confirmed that the second season would be The Sandman's finale, explaining that since the show had focused on the Dream character since the start, it only had one more season left of material to pull from the comics. However, as fans of Gaiman's Sandman comics well know, and as Netflix seemed to infer back in 2022, the story explores quite a vast world. The original series ran for 75 issues from 1989 to 1996. And the series adaptation, while anchored by Tom Sturridge's Dream, has a pretty sprawling array of supporting characters—including Kirby Howell-Baptiste's Death. Today, Netflix announced episode titles for the The Sandman's second season: 11 entries we knew about (divided into two drops in July), as well as a surprise bonus episode focusing on Death. Here's all the titles, which hint at the storylines that'll be adapted across season two, according to Variety: July 3 Episodes Chapter 1: 'Season of Mists' Chapter 2: 'The Ruler of Hell' Chapter 3: 'More Devils Than Vast Hell Can Hold' Chapter 4: 'Brief Lives' Chapter 5: 'The Song of Orpheus' Chapter 6: 'Family Blood' July 24 Episodes Chapter 7: 'Time and Night' Chapter 8: 'Fuel for the Fire' Chapter 9: 'The Kindly Ones' Chapter 10: 'Long Live the King' Chapter 11: 'A Tale of Graceful Ends' Then, there'll be a bonus drop on July 31: 'The Sandman Presents: Death: The High Cost of Living.' What do you make of the bonus episode? Does it hint at another Sandman season that may have been in the works before the show's cancellation—or do you buy the explanation that two Dream-centric installations were always the plan all along?
