Latest news with #AmericaFerrera
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Blake Lively's former director details her behavior during first acting job amid Justin Baldoni legal war
It's been 20 years since The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was released. The friendships between its stars Carmen (America Ferrera), Lena (Alexis Bledel), Bridget (Blake Lively) and Tibby (Amber Tamblyn) are going strong two decades later. Now, the film's director Ken Kwapis, 67, is sharing his insights into Blake's first film at age 16. 'It's hard to imagine anyone else other than Blake Lively as Bridget, even though it was her first acting job,' Kwapis reflected to People. 'I mean, she was 16 when she came in to audition and yet she won it in the room. She had such a sort of intuitive connection to this character.' He devised a way for the four young stars to bond quickly as they had to film scenes from the beginning and end of the movie right away and didn't have a lot of time to bond normally. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. 'The challenge was that the four actors had never met before this film, and the characters don't have a lot of scenes together. 'Basically the four of them are in scenes at the beginning and the end. They bookend the film,' Kwapis noted. 'So the challenge for me in pre-production was how to take these four actors toward each other and turn them into lifelong friends quickly. 'And so one of the things I tried to do is create certain exercises that would help the four of them bond. I mentioned this one in my book, that I sent the four actors off to a thrift store with, I don't know, $75 or $100 apiece with the instructions to buy something in character and to also advise the others in character as well.' The License to Wed director said that the exercise was 'an interesting way to rehearse without actually rehearsing a scene.' 'It was an exercise that gave them a chance to create a shorthand that they were able to use to, again, create that sense that these were friends from birth.' And it worked! The young women developed a bond and remain friends to this day. 'It's so amazing and it's particularly rare in show business. I think that in show business people have intense relationships for a short time and then go their separate ways,' Kwapis said. 'But in this case, these four actors came together, played four best friends and then have remained best friends. So actually, it's rare and wonderful," Kwapis says. The seasoned director has also kept in touch with the ladies. 'I'm definitely in touch with the others now and then and, again, I feel like it's been wonderful to become friends with all of them and I hope to work with them again,' he said. Blake's co-stars also came to her support in the ongoing legal battle with her It Ends With Us co-star and director Justin Baldoni. In a joint Instagram post, Tamblyn and Ferrera released a statement signed by all three of them, including Bledel, who is not active on Instagram. 'In support of our sister, Blake,' they wrote in the caption and signed off with a red heart emoji and their first names. 'As Blake's friends and sisters for over twenty years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation,' the trio's statement read. 'Throughout the filming of It Ends With Us, we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set,' they stated. 'And we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice,' they continued. The three actresses also condemned Baldoni's alleged attempt to 'bury' Lively — as he and his team reportedly stated in a private message that was made public in the court documents — under the guise of having good intentions and trying to shed light on domestic violence, the pivotal message of It Ends With Us. 'Most upsetting is the unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivors' stories to silence a woman who asked for safety,' Lively's Sisterhood costars wrote. 'The hypocrisy is astounding.' 'We are struck by the reality that even if a woman is as strong, celebrated, and resourced as our friend Blake, she can face forceful retaliation for daring to ask for a safe working environment. We are inspired by our sister's courage to stand up her herself and others,' the statement continued. 'For anyone seeking more information or engaging in this important conversation online, please read the full legal complaint in the investigative reporting by Megan Twohey, Mike McIntire, and Julie Tate for the New York Times. Ferrera, Tamblyn and Bledel tagged Lively in their post. Additionally, Ferrera and Tamblyn shared the post on their Instagram Stories alongside the link to the New York Times article about the lawsuit Lively filed on Friday.
Geek Tyrant
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Fun New Trailer For Pixar's Sci-Fi Comedy Adventure Film ELIO — GeekTyrant
Disney has released another trailer for Pixar's sci-fi comedy adventure film Elio , which follows a young boy who is abducted by aliens and is mistaken for the leader of Earth. The movie looks like it'll give audiences a fun moving-going experience. It might just end up being another winner for Pixar. The synopsis reads: 'For centuries, people have called out to the universe looking for answers—in Disney and Pixar's all-new movie Elio , the universe calls back! The original feature film introduces Elio, an underdog with an active imagination who finds himself inadvertently beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization with representatives from galaxies far and wide. 'Mistakenly identified as Earth's ambassador to the rest of the universe, and completely unprepared for that kind of pressure, Elio must form new bonds with eccentric alien lifeforms, survive a series of formidable trials and somehow discover who he is truly meant to be.' Yonas Kibreab ( Obi-Won Kenobi ) takes on the role of the young boy, and he's joined by America Ferrera as Olga, his mom. She is described as being 'Super-confident, smart and can hold her own in any situation.' The voice cast also includes Jameela Jamil and Brad Garrett . Elio was directed by Adrian Molina (screenwriter and co-director of Coco ) and produced by Mary Alice Drumm (associate producer of Coco ). It will be released in theaters on March 1, 2024.
New York Post
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
'Real Women Have Curves' on Broadway: Where to buy tickets, thoughts
Vivid Seats is the New York Post's official ticketing partner. We may receive revenue from this partnership for sharing this content and/or when you make a purchase. Featured pricing is subject to change. Broadway musicals typically don't receive mid-show standing ovations. However, sometimes songs within these professional productions are so good, so powerful and so raw, the only defense the audience has is to stand and cheer. Nearly three quarters of the way in to the show-stopping 'Real Women Have Curves,' our ensemble busts out the show's title track while ahem busting out of their tops while working in a sweltering factory. They're doing everything they can to finish an order to complete 200 dresses in time to meet an impossible deadline. Advertisement While the scenario is tense, our heroines are having a blast. At the show I attended, the crowd was too. When the tune concluded, a wave of appreciative fans stood and emphatically cheered. Then, we took our seats and the show continued. That was just one of many unforgettable moments in this boisterous, crowd-pleasing musical at the James Earl Jones Theatre in Midtown Manhattan. 'Real Women Have Curves,' which is based on the 2002 film starring America Ferrera and George Lopez, opened on Broadway this past April. In the month since its opening, the musical has netted two Tony nominations for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Justina Machado and Best Original Score yet that undersells the jubilant, uplifting energy emanating from director Sergio Trujillo's stage. What's it like to see this emotionally satisfying one-of-a-kind show live? Advertisement Well, let's start before the curtain comes up. The James Earl Jones Theatre Upon entrance at the recently-renovated James Earl Jones Theatre, one quickly notices how intimate the 1,082-seat space is. The seats in the balcony are spacious but they're all close to the stage. Even if you're in the last row, you're not too far from the action. That's hardly the venue's best feature though. According to Playbill, 'the newly constructed wing off the building's western face with a grand staircase, elevator, accessible bathrooms, concession areas, lounge, dressing rooms, and rehearsal space' are just a few of the Theatre's features that got a facelift. Advertisement Once you've taken stock of the amenities, you'll notice a colorful, tropical backdrop onstage that evokes a sunny summer day. The mood has been set. 'Real Women Have Curves' summary 'RWHC' tells the story of 18-year-old Los Angeleno Ana Garcia (the magnetic Tatianna Córdoba). She dreams of attending Columbia University in NYC, which she has been accepted into on a full scholarship. The only problem is her mother, Carmen (Tony-nominated Justina Machado), wants her to stay and work with her and her older sister Estella (pitch-perfect Florencia Cuenca) tailoring dresses. Another sticking point? Ana is the only U.S. citizen in the family and is needed for handling the bureaucratic issues of everyday life. The tension boils to a fever pitch when a buyer asks Estella — who runs the business — to accepts an offer to produce 200 dresses in just two weeks. This seemingly impossible task forces the family to look deep within and figure out what they really want. While that workmanlike plot provides a narrative engine, the charming immigrant characters and body-positive, empowering message is what makes the timely story resonate. Thoughts on 'Real Women Have Curves' Advertisement We'll be honest. The hero's journey within 'Real Women Have Curves' is nothing to write home about. Yet, the stock story flies by thanks to emotive performances, lively songs and heavy-hitting social weightiness. In this case, the 'finish a job by a deadline!' plot is a blank slate to draw upon; 'Real Women Have Curves' is all about the artistry in the margins, which elevates the tale at hand here. What we loved All throughout the show, multi-cam sitcom-type jokes hit hard. When Pancha (Carla Jimenez delivering a breakout star-making performance full of gravitas and panache) says 'say adiós to Andres' when Mrs. García realizes she's going through menopause, the James Earl Jones Theatre erupted. This wasn't just a laugh, this felt more like a gut-busting conversation with a friend. These characters weren't just stand-ins. They're real, relatable people who could be your neighbors, cousins, pals. It's that verisimilitude that kept the crowd engaged for the two-hour-plus runtime. As lived-in as the show is, it should be noted that 'Real Women Have Curves' is also a dynamic musical. The production's opening tune, the 'Make It Work,' is a singalong 'In The Heights'-esque ear worm and brings the text to life through song. Not only do we get a sense for how these dressmakers have to make things work with their limited resources, we feel it through the energy coursing through the theater, which at times felt more like a concert than a Broadway musical. And let's not forget the amazingly executed sequences within the musical. A punchy back-and-forth between young Ana and the blonde buyer wasn't original — we won't spoil why — but plays out so effectively, it's hard not to marvel at how well-constructed the dialogue and blocking is. On a technical level, 'RWHC' makes the most of its charming, DIY sets. The factory, house and restaurant roll in and out effortlessly taking us from scene to scene without a hitch. While other productions rely on outsized theatrics, this musical proves you don't need spectacle to deliver top-notch drama (and comedy). Final verdict 'Real Women Have Curves' is an effectively told crowd pleaser that the cast and crew really 'make work.' Universal themes like family, dreams, youth, generationally trauma pulse throughout the heartwarming, emotionally satisfying musical that overcomes its pitfalls and most hackneyed ideas (and slightly overlong runtime) thanks to excellent performances, laugh out loud punchlines and party-starting, dance-floor ready songs that will melt even the most cynical of audience members. Advertisement The good here is great and more than outweighs my minor quibbles with the musical. Given the opportunity, you should actually go. Just be wary, you may be moved to deliver a standing ovation mid-show. 'Real Women Have Curves' schedule As of now, 'Real Women Have Curves runs eight nights a week from Tuesday through at New York City's James Earl Jones Theatre. Matinees go down Wednesdays (2 p.m.), Saturdays (2 p.m.) and Sundays (3 p.m.). The production goes dark on Mondays. Advertisement At the time of publication, the show will run until Oct. 5, 2025. If you'd like to snag seats to the show of your choosing, you can find seats for all upcoming 'Real Women Have Curves' shows here. The show runs two hours and 20 minutes with a 15-minute intermission. 'Real Women Have Curves' cast For those that want to match names to faces, here's a bit about each of the five biggest players in the 'Real Women Have Curves' cast, courtesy of the musical's website. Advertisement Tatianna Córdoba (Ana García) Tatianna is SO excited to be making her Broadway debut! This Bay Area native is a proud Latina/Filipina who received a BFA in Musical Theater from Boston Conservatory. HUGE thank-you to the DGRW family, the Córdoba 5, Joe, and the RWHC team for believing in her. Justina Machado (Carmen García) A talented and versatile actress, Justina Machado continues to endear audiences and earn critical acclaim working on stage, television, and film. She stars in Netflix's upcoming 'Pulse' and was previously in Prime Video's 'The Horror of Dolores Roach.' She is best known for her work in 'One Day at a Time' and 'Six Feet Under.' On stage, Machado previously held roles in A Free Man of Color and In the Heights. She was nominated for an Elliot Norton Award for her role in Real Women Have Curves by the Latino Chicago Theatre Company. Florence Cuenca (Estela García) Broadway debut! First Mexican immigrant to originate a co-leading role in a Broadway musical. Original Real Women Have Curves ART cast. Off-Broadway: A Never-Ending Line, Children of Salt. Projects: Broadway en Spanglish (Concord), Lincoln Center, Little Island, MASS MoCA. Gracias, IKIGAI Management. Para mi familia. Jaime & Alonzo los amo todo siempre. Mauricio Mendoza (Raúl García) Notable roles include regional theater: Addams Family, Nine, Anna in the Tropics, In the Heights. TV/Film: 'Resurrection Blvd.', 'Matlock,' 'The Oval,' 'Reboot,' 'The Santa Clauses,' 'Criminal Minds,' 'NCIS,' Blow, Ruthless. Proud member of Actors Equity, AFTRA-SAG, and PGA. Co-Owner of True Form Films with his wife, Yeniffer Behrens. Advertisement Jennifer Sánchez (Rosalí) A few of Sánchez's biggest parts include work on Broadway: Elf, The Rose Tattoo, Pretty Woman, Sunday in the Park With George, On Your Feet!, Spider-Man, Ghost, Women on the Verge, West Side Story. Off-Broadway: The Alchemist. Film: Kiss of the Spider Woman. 'Para mi familia, Sánchez y Padilla.' Tony-nominated Broadway musicals Hoping to catch a few more musicals in Midtown before Tony Sunday? In that case, here are just five you absolutely won't want to miss live these next few months. • 'Death Becomes Her' • 'Sunset Boulevard' • 'Maybe Happy Ending' • 'Dead Outlaw' • 'Just In Time' Still need even more? Take a look at our list of all the 2025 Tony-nominated shows on Broadway to find the one for you. This article was written by Matt Levy, New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed a Bruce Springsteen concert and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change
Daily Mail
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
You will never believe what Blake Lively's famous co-star from The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants looks like now
A child star who appeared in coming-of-age drama The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants stunned viewers as she appeared on Today Extra Friday morning. American actress Jenna Boyd, 32, who starred alongside Blake Lively and America Ferrera in the iconic 2005 film, appeared on the Channel Nine morning show to reflect on the movie's enduring legacy. Jenna, who was just 12 when she portrayed the sweet and spirited Bailey in the film, looked almost unrecognisable from the pre-teen character she once played. Gone are the blonde tresses she had in the movie and she now rocks long glossy brunette locks. Her facial features are now more defined, but she still has the same trademark cheeky grin she sported in the movie. 'I know I was not one of the four [main characters], but you could have fooled me because they made me feel as though I was,' Jenna began. 'They made me feel as though I was one of them, it was such a sweet time.' Jenna was nominated for a Breakout Performance Teen Choice Award in 2005 for her work on the movie. She has gone onto star in many renowned productions, including the TV series Atypical, opposite Jennifer Jason Leigh, and the 2022 movie Good Mourning alongside Avril Lavigne. It comes after three stars of the movie - America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel — spoke out after lead actress Blake Lively filed a lawsuit against Justin Baldoni. As Lively, 37, sues her It Ends With Us costar and director, 40, for sexual harassment among additional allegations, her ex-castmates opened up about their firsthand experience with her. The movie follows four best friends that buy a mysterious pair of pants that fits each of them perfectly despite them all being different sizes. In a joint Instagram post, Tamblyn and Ferrera released a statement signed by all three of them, including Bledel, who is not active on Instagram. 'In support of our sister, Blake,' they wrote in the caption and signed off with a red heart emoji and their first names. American actress Jenna Boyd, 32, who starred alongside Blake Lively and America Ferrera in the iconic 2005 film, appeared on the Channel Nine morning show to reflect on the movie's enduring legacy She co-starred with Amber Tamblyn, Blake Lively, America Ferrera and Alexis Bledel in the iconic movie. Pictured 'As Blake's friends and sisters for over twenty years, we stand with her in solidarity as she fights back against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation,' the trio's statement read. 'Throughout the filming of It Ends With Us, we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set,' they stated. 'And we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice,' they continued. The three actresses also condemned Baldoni's alleged attempt to 'bury' Lively — as he and his team reportedly stated in a private message that was made public in the court documents. 'Most upsetting is the unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivors' stories to silence a woman who asked for safety,' Lively's Sisterhood costars wrote. 'The hypocrisy is astounding.'
New York Times
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘Real Women Have Curves' Is Now a Broadway Show. Here Are 5 Things to Know.
Joy Huerta wasn't so sure about musical theater. When the director and choreographer Sergio Trujillo approached Huerta in 2019 about adapting Josefina López's play 'Real Women Have Curves' into a musical, she had her doubts. Huerta, best known as half of the brother-and-sister pop duo Jesse & Joy, was unfamiliar with the 1990 play, and she had never seen the popular 2002 film adaptation starring America Ferrera. But then she began reading the script. And it was then, she said, that she understood why the story could be so compelling set to song. 'I remember being so excited about it, because I was like, 'Anyone can relate to this,'' said Huerta, 38, who composed the music and wrote the lyrics with Benjamin Velez, 37, for the show, which is now a Broadway musical scheduled to open on Sunday. Set in 1987 in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles, 'Real Women Have Curves' explores immigrant experiences through the story of a group of Latina women working at a garment factory. The focus is on an 18-year-old who is torn between staying home to help her undocumented family members and relocating to New York to attend Columbia University on a scholarship. The production had an earlier run in 2023 at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge, Mass. Shortly after performances began on Broadway this month, Huerta, Velez and Lisa Loomer, who wrote the book with Nell Benjamin, discussed their inspirations and approach to adapting the story for the stage. In a separate conversation, Tatianna Córdoba, 25, who stars as the musical's young heroine, Ana García, spoke about making her Broadway debut in a role she identifies with so closely. Here are five things to know about the production. It all started with a diary. More than a decade before 'Real Women Have Curves' made waves in 2002 as a film, it began life as the diary entries of López, an undocumented Chicana teenager who recorded her experiences working in a sewing factory in Los Angeles's Boyle Heights neighborhood. When she was just 18, she expanded on those entries and turned them into a play. 'Real Women Have Curves' had an initial production in San Francisco in 1990, and has been staged many times since. López (and George LaVoo) wrote the screenplay for the movie, which starred a young America Ferrera in her feature film debut. Loomer, who also lived near Boyle Heights in the 1980s, pulled from the original works and added some new characters. 'The movie is quite different from the play, and the musical is quite different from both of them,' she said. 'But they have the same DNA.' The show celebrates body positivity. Since body positivity is a relatively new concept, Loomer had to find a way to write about the story's celebrated appreciation of full-figured bodies for a contemporary audience. One of the musical's characters, Ana's blunt, family-first mother, Carmen, is constantly criticizing her daughter for her weight in the film. 'In terms of Carmen, I felt she would be better understood if we left it in 1987,' Loomer said. For the musical, she softened the edges of the character, who is played by Justina Machado on Broadway. (Lupe Ontiveros played her in the film.) In short: Less fat-shaming, more back story to help the audience understand the generational and cultural roots of Carmen's harsh approach. (Though some jabs remain, such as telling Ana she could stand to skip a meal.) 'You want to hate her for what she just said, but at the same time, she's not saying it in a way that she's meaning to put Ana down,' Huerta said. 'She's thinking as she speaks, because that's where she comes from.' Spanish is sprinkled throughout. It was a delicate balancing act, Loomer said: They wanted audience members who do not speak Spanish to be able to follow the story, but they also wanted to add as much authenticity as possible. 'They wouldn't speak in English to each other at home, and certainly not in the factory,' she said. 'So you have to give the feel of Spanish — the rhythms — and yet the Anglo audience has to understand it.' Sixteen of the show's 19 cast members are of Latino or Hispanic descent. Most are making their Broadway debuts. 'I just love to see how, when that curtain comes up every night, we see people that we feel like, 'Oh my God. That could be me onstage.' And ultimately, that could be my aunt, or my cousin, or my tía,' Huerta said of the cast. During the show's Cambridge run, they tested how much Spanish to include in the songs. 'We never wanted the amount of Spanish to take people out of the story,' Velez said. 'So it's been a kind of a dance as we figure out the right balance.' Illegal immigration is a theme. The musical is set in the summer of 1987, when a Reagan-era amnesty program was in place for longtime undocumented immigrants. (The playwright became a legal citizen through this program.) In a change from the film and the play, Ana is the only U.S. citizen among her family and co-workers. The other employees at the factory are undocumented as are her older sister, Estela (Florencia Cuenca), who owns the factory, and their mother, Carmen, who also works there. 'I made this change because it increases her family's need for Ana to stay,' Loomer said. 'It also increases the responsibility and guilt Ana feels when she wants to leave and pursue her own dreams.' Loomer also expanded the cast of undocumented characters, adding Guatemalan and Salvadoran women, including the sweet and vulnerable 17-year-old Indigenous Guatemalan refugee Itzel (Aline Mayagoitia), who sings about rising above life's challenges in the song 'If I Were a Bird.' 'The beauty sometimes about doing a play that's set in the past, it shows you what hasn't changed,' said Loomer, who has spent a majority of her four-decade career writing plays that deal with the experiences of Latinas and immigrant characters. 'At times, it allows you to see the present even more painfully.' The show is personal for the lead actress. When Tatianna Córdoba, who is making her Broadway debut as Ana, read the script for the musical, the family dynamics resonated with her. 'A lot of the mother-daughter exchanges that Justina and I have in the show remind me of my abuelita so much,' said Córdoba, who grew up in Los Angeles and whose parents are of Costa Rican and Filipino descent. 'There's that motherly judgment, but also love.' The discussions around body image also felt true to life, said Córdoba, who studied ballet when she was younger before feeling pressure to quit. 'I realized very quickly, when puberty hit, that my body was changing in ways that a lot of my ballet friends' bodies were not,' she said. One thing she wishes she'd had as a teenager: Her character's self-assurance. 'Ana is who I wish was at 18,' she said. 'She just has this belief in herself, this confidence in her body that I really wish I had at that age. She's far more concerned about everything else going on with her — her brain, her hopes and her desires.' She loves being part of a scene in Act II when the fuller-figured women in the boiling-hot factory strip down to their undergarments, reveling in their bodies. It's been receiving mid-show standing ovations. 'There's something infectious about just watching other people be joyful, about watching people being brave,' she said. 'I think that's what makes people stand up and clap — they feel really empowered, and they feel loved in that moment.'
