Latest news with #BreakoutAwardPanel
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Everything to know about Celine Song's ‘Materialists' with Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal
Following her critically acclaimed directorial debut Past Lives, filmmaker Celine Song returns with Materialists, an A24 romantic drama about love and class. The film stars Dakota Johnson as a high-end matchmaker in New York who finds herself torn between her broke but loving ex (Chris Evans) and a wealthy, suave new suitor (Pedro Pascal). More from GoldDerby Kendrick Lamar leads the 2025 BET Awards nominations: Beyoncé, Chris Brown also earn bids 'We can't lose storytelling in America': DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter on bringing production to L.A. Taylor Dearden, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Chase Sui Wonders, Brandon Sklenar, and Meg Stalter to headline Breakout Award Panel at Newport Beach TV Fest A new trailer for the film was released on Thursday. Song, who wrote and directed the film, has cited classic novels such as Pride and Prejudice and Howards End as key inspirations. Like those literary works, Materialists explores the tension between romantic idealism and the social realities of wealth and marriage. Johnson told the Associated Press that her character Lucy is at a crossroads in her life. "She's sort of at the top of her game in her work and is very disconnected from her heart and focused on being a perfectionist and getting people to get married," said Johnson. "She's also on her own journey of trying to figure out what it is she wants for herself in this life, and, essentially, do you fight for the thing that you think you want, or do you fight for that thing that you know you need?" A24 Interestingly, Song drew on her own life experience to shape the story. Before her career in filmmaking took off, she briefly worked as a professional matchmaker in New York. 'I learned more about people in those six months than I did in any other part of my life,' she told Time. 'I knew more than their therapists because they were willing to tell me their hearts' desires in a way that was so frank and objective.' Song has said the film explores universal themes and represents something she deeply wanted to delve into. "It's this thing of how we talk about what we want in our partner, when we're asked to use language to describe it, and how we literally, spiritually fall in love. The gap between those two things is terrifyingly big. To me, that's where the mystery of the film is." As noted, the film is headlined by Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans, and Pedro Pascal. Other cast members include Marin Ireland, Zoe Winters, John Magaro, Emily Wheeler, Eddie Cahill, and Sawyer Speilberg (yes, Steven's son.) In addition to writing and directing, Song serves as a producer on the film alongside David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon, and Pamela Koffler. Materialists opens in theaters June 13. Best of GoldDerby Orson Welles movies: All 13 films as a director ranked worst to best Gary Cooper movies: 15 greatest films ranked worst to best George Clooney movies: 17 greatest films ranked worst to best Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How ‘Overcompensating' cast one of its writers as its co-lead
Overcompensating is a new Prime Video series created by and starring Benito Skinner, who rose to fame on social media as Benny Drama. Casting director Jessica Kelly was not familiar with Benny Drama when the project came her way. Luckily, someone else in her life very much was. "My sister is 14 years younger than me and she was constantly talking about this guy, Benny, on Instagram and his best friend, Mary Beth [Barone]. And I was like, 'OK, OK, OK,'" Kelly tells Gold Derby at our Meet the Experts: Casting Directors panel. "And then I was like, 'They seem cute,' but never really looked at it. And I had seen Mary Beth actually more — her stand-up would show up on my feed. And then I got this email about his new show and then I was like, 'My God, I'm going to be the coolest older sister ever.'" More from GoldDerby Kendrick Lamar leads the 2025 BET Awards nominations: Beyoncé, Chris Brown also earn bids 'We can't lose storytelling in America': DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter on bringing production to L.A. Taylor Dearden, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Chase Sui Wonders, Brandon Sklenar, and Meg Stalter to headline Breakout Award Panel at Newport Beach TV Fest The comedy series, which drops all eight episodes on May 15, stars Skinner as Benny, a closeted college freshman who becomes friends with Carmen (Wally Baram), an outsider, on the first day. Barone plays Grace, Benny's older sister who attends the same college and dates another student, Peter (Adam DiMarco). Rish Shah plays Miles, a film student to whom Benny is attracted. The Benny-Carmen friendship is the central relationship of the series, so nailing the Carmen casting was paramount. Kelly estimates they received more than 6,000 submissions for Carmen. Baram initially joined Overcompensating as a writer — her past writing credits include What We Do in the Shadows and Shrinking — before Skinner suggested her for Carmen. "While he was in the writing room, you know, creating these characters with him as they're writing, and everyone just kept sort of looking at her when they would do quick read-throughs of scenes, like, 'Hmm, she's so Carmen.' And they mentioned that, but they were like, 'You know, we gotta make sure we do a process." SEE Watch interviews with 2025 Emmy contenders Kelly had Baram, who had never acted before, film a self-tape and did a session with her. "It's such a different skill set to learn about how to audition and basically what acting is," Kelly says. "We just kept going through the process, kept going through the process. And Benny was like, 'You know, I just have had this feeling in my gut since the beginning, like, 'Let's try Wally one more time.' And then it went to being like, 'Try Wally like four more times,' just because of getting the right videos and angles and warming up and making her know that she has it all. It's all within her, and it's just finally putting her with Benny and them reading opposite each other. The character just started to flow. And then when I saw the trailer, I was like, 'Wow, you know, it looks like she's always done this.' Like this is just like a natural fit." What put Baram over the top was the fact that she was not over the top. Skinner wanted the show to feel grounded and natural. "This was real people overcompensating for the things that they are embarrassed or vulnerable about, and that truth really had to be underneath every single character with a coat of what they put forward," Kelly says. She points to Peter, which was written for "an aggressive frat guy." "We saw a lot of reads like that that were very good, but we didn't see that little twinkle underneath that let us know that there's something a little bit deeper going on," she says. DiMarco surprised Kelly and her team by adding more texture to the role. "Adam DiMarco had been on The White Lotus as the son, a little bit sheepish, a little bit dorky. And then he auditioned, and we were all like, 'Wow, he's a really attractive, strong guy and also so funny.' He just like would throw in a rap and make us all laugh. And it was just kind of one of those processes of seeing thousands and thousands of actors audition and and lots and lots of discussions." One casting Kelly had no involvement in was Charli XCX's. The pop star plays herself and also serves as executive music producer. Skinner merely approached her at a party. "I did not have to do a thing there. It was all Benny," Kelly says. "And another reason why my sister is going to go absolutely crazy when she sees this show. Charlie XCX is also her other favorite person on the planet. But that was great." Kelly did try to go after another pop queen. "We did really want to get Chappell Roan. I think that would have been really cool for some part. We tried many times when she was touring." This article and video are sponsored content by Prime Video. Best of GoldDerby 'I've never been on a show that got this kind of recognition': Katherine LaNasa on 'The Pitt's' success and Dana's 'existential crisis' How Charlie Cox characterizes Matt Murdock through action scenes in 'Daredevil: Born Again' 'Agatha All Along' star Joe Locke on learning from Kathryn Hahn, musical theater goals, and the 'Heartstopper' movie with Kit Connor Click here to read the full article.
