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Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How ‘Succession' creator Jesse Armstrong freshly explores mega wealth through tech bro one-upmanship in ‘Mountainhead'
Succession creator Jesse Armstrong is continuing to use his distinctive satirical tone to explore how the 1 percent wields power over the world. In his directorial debut Mountainhead, Armstrong hones in on the oversized influence of a group of tech bro billionaires played by Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Ramy Youssef, and Cory Michael Smith. The HBO film, which will premiere on HBO and Max on May 31, finds the four friends tucked away in a modern mansion in the snowy Utah mountains as one of their social media apps spurs global unrest and violence due to unrestricted generative AI. More from GoldDerby TV composers roundtable: 'Adolescence,' 'Day of the Jackal,' 'Interview With the Vampire,' 'Your Friends and Neighbors' 'Your Friends and Neighbors' composer Dominic Lewis on matching the show's tonal shifts and writing the catchy theme song 'The Joneses' Composer Volker Bertelmann on the shifting tempos and percussive sounds that punctuate 'The Day of the Jackal' At the Mountainhead premiere held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City on Thursday, Carell spoke to reporters on the red carpet about the "overwhelming" experience of slipping into the identity of a billionaire. Early in the film, his character Randall, who ranks highest in the group in terms of seniority, is embittered when his net worth falls below that of Youssef's Jeff, who's created tech that safeguards against the dangers of AI. "When somebody is worth 60, 200 billion dollars, the actual amount doesn't even mean anything anymore, I think, to these people. It's a number," Carell said. "But the number itself kind of means something, if that makes any sense. There is a hierarchy within that, even though the actual physical ability to buy things doesn't really change between 60 and 200 billion. But the fact that within this hierarchy of four people, he's second and may end up being third is not a good thing. So that's a huge component of all of this." Armstrong, who traces his script inspiration back to writing a review of Michael Lewis' book about Sam Bankman-Fried, explained to Gold Derby why he's keen on examining the lives of the ultra wealthy. "I guess it's not especially the 1 percent-y wealth that interests me — I think it's the power that comes with that. So for myself, I wouldn't tend to write things that were necessarily just about rich people. It's the fact that they have that power on the world. And that's what Logan Roy (Brian Cox) and his family had, and it's what these guys have, or at least some of them. And that's the bit that I'm really interested in: Why is the world the way it is, and who's shaping it?" SEE HBO unveils trailer for Jesse Armstrong's Mountainhead In the film, the four protagonists are decidedly separate from the rest of the world as they stay put at the titular Mountainhead mansion that belongs to Schwartzman's character (who is nicknamed Souper for having the lowest net worth in the group with nary a billion to his name). Armstrong detailed how the secluded property was found and its significance to the storyline. "Paul Eskenazi, location manager from Succession, helped us find it. We looked at a lot of places in Canada and Utah, and we wanted to be somewhere sequestrated away from other people. And that's a common thing about wealth, right? Private planes, gated communities. So it needed to feel isolated. It also needed to feel isolated for some of the action that happens in the movie. I wanted them to feel like they were almost like a horror movie removed." Notably, Mountainhead came together in less than a year's time. Executive producer Will Tracy sees the project as "the perfect thing" to release in our current sociopolitical climate. "In many ways, that was part of the appeal, is the urgency of it, that we can maybe get it out very soon, before anyone else had a crack at this fairly new world of government that has in some ways been captured by the techno-futurists, by the Musks and so forth of the world," he said. "It's changing so rapidly, what's happening in the government, so hopefully we got it right." Tracy also spoke to the appeal of telling stories spotlighting the 1 percent. "I think it starts with the characters and the kind of small, more human stories we want to tell about those people — Succession being kind of a family story, and this being kind of a story about male friendship, in a way. And we tell those stories on a very small level," he said. "But the finance and the money and the power just raises the stakes of what these, I think, very emotionally difficult people, the ripple effects they can have on our world, which, as we're seeing right now, those ripple effects can be quite large ripples — waves even. Tsunamis." Mountainhead premieres Saturday, May 31 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and Max. Best of GoldDerby TV composers roundtable: 'Adolescence,' 'Day of the Jackal,' 'Interview With the Vampire,' 'Your Friends and Neighbors' 'Your Friends and Neighbors' composer Dominic Lewis on matching the show's tonal shifts and writing the catchy theme song 'The Joneses' Composer Volker Bertelmann on the shifting tempos and percussive sounds that punctuate 'The Day of the Jackal' Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘The Four Seasons' star Erika Henningsen on the ‘biggest opportunity' she's ever been given and what might happen in Season 2
WARNING: This story contains spoilers for The Four Seasons. When Erika Henningsen found out she had booked a key role on the breakout Netflix comedy series The Four Seasons, it wasn't through her representatives or the show's casting director. Instead, cocreator and star Tina Fey reached out directly. More from GoldDerby TV makeup and hair panel: 'Bridgerton,' 'RuPaul's Drag Race,' and 'The Wheel of Time' 'The Wheel of Time' makeup, hair, and prosthetics head Davina Lamont breaks down Rand's multiple looks in Rhuidean 'RuPaul's Drag Race' makeup head Natasha Marcelina has to be 'prepared for anything' 'It was such a Tina touch that she would take the time to call me personally,' Henningsen tells Gold Derby. 'And I just started crying immediately, because this is the biggest opportunity I've ever been given.' Henningsen and Fey already had a solid professional relationship. The Emmy Award winner had previously cast Henningsen as the lead of the Broadway adaptation of Mean Girls, and Henningsen also appeared on episodes of Girls 5eva, which Fey executive-produced. However, The Four Seasons was different: Not only did Fey become Henningsen's onscreen co-star, but the younger actress was also required to share scenes with acclaimed actors like Steve Carell and Colman Domingo. 'I felt a lot of nerves because I was working with all these incredible people, but I never felt not taken care of,' Henningsen explains. 'I was very aware that these are incredible writers and executive producers – not just Tina, but co-creators Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield – and they would literally not let this fail. It may not be for everybody, but they will not let this project and our work fail because they're just not those people.' Based on the 1981 Alan Alda movie of the same name, and co-created by Fey, Fisher, and Wigfield (all of whom previously collaborated on Fey's 30 Rock), The Four Seasons focuses on three couples and longtime friends – Kate and Jack (Fey and Will Forte), Anne and Nick (Kerri Kenney-Silver and Carell), and Claude and Danny (Marco Calvani and Domingo) – who take quarterly vacations together. However, when Nick splits from Anne after years of marriage, his choice upends the group dynamic and raises questions about the other relationships. Things are further complicated when Nick starts dating a younger woman, Ginny (Henningsen), who becomes the group's unofficial seventh member. In another show, with another creative team and performer, it's likely the Ginny character might have been more stereotypical. Watching The Four Seasons, it's easy to imagine a version where Ginny is played as the fool and her relationship with the older Nick is a punchline. However, The Four Seasons defies those expectations at every turn. Ginny is often a source of awkward comedy, but the jokes never punch down on the character, and her relationship with Nick is one of the strongest on the show. 'It's been really interesting for people who watch it to be like, 'Oh my God, you totally didn't do the stereotype,'' Henningsen says. 'We love that because that was definitely a goal. I knew that in order for the characters to all be interesting, Ginny couldn't be the silly, young, flippant, and unaware girlfriend. It was also really important to me to make sure that people liked Nick, and that they could feel conflicted about the other characters not liking Ginny and Nick together.' Henningsen says she often pushed to ensure Ginny never appeared as a victim. During the fall episodes, Ginny and Nick travel to Nick's daughter's college campus. Rather than embrace her father's new relationship, Nick's daughter lashes out with a play about their relationship, a pointed public rebuke of Nick and Ginny, where Ginny is portrayed as a ditz. 'In the script, it initially said Ginny ran out of the theater crying after she saw the play,' Henningsen says. 'I was like, 'I just don't think she would do that. She's 32 years old. This is an 18-year-old girl.'' Henningsen says Fey, Fisher, and Wigfield were open to collaboration and strived to find 'the least victim way to play' the scene. 'Ginny can be hurt, but she can't let it bring the night down, and she can't let it ruin the friends' experience,' she says. 'That episode was always really important to me because she needs to watch this play that really takes swings at her, but she has to have the EQ to walk away and go, 'This is an 18-year-old kid whose dad just got divorced from her mom. Of course, she hates me.'' The Four Seasons ends with a bit of a twist. After a fight with Ginny on New Year's Eve, Nick has an epiphany about their relationship and seems content with his new life (while mourning the old one). Then, abruptly, he's killed in a car accident. The finale focuses on Nick's funeral, as the old friends try to box out Ginny, and Anne refuses to acknowledge Ginny's relationship with her ex-husband was significant. However, even Anne's perspective eventually changes, especially as it is revealed Ginny is pregnant with Nick's child. 'What they did so beautifully was they ended episode eight with Anne saying Ginny's pregnant. It was such a smart choice that they didn't cut to Ginny after that because the story is not about that,' Henningsen says. 'It's about this woman, Anne, extending an olive branch in this moment. Life happens that way, where tragedy strikes, people leave, and then people come into the world. It just felt so correct that Anne would be the person to deliver that news because it sort of creates a vibe with the whole friend group that she's accepted it. She's not upset about it. She's She's letting her sit at the table with that knowledge.' The Four Seasons will get to make good on the cliffhanger. Netflix renewed the show for Season 2 during its Upfront presentation this month. Asked about what she wants to see in future episodes, Henningsen says she wants to see what Ginny can learn from Anne, particularly now that she will be a mother. 'I think they both can provide something for the other. Anne is about to enter the dating pool, maybe, and Ginny is doing something that she's definitely not equipped for, and Anne has gone through it already,' Henningsen says. 'So that would be my hope, that their relationship is explored. But I have no idea what will happen.' 'I just love Kerri so much,' she adds, 'so I'm just trying to manifest scenes with her.' The Four Seasons is streaming on Netflix. Best of GoldDerby TV makeup and hair panel: 'Bridgerton,' 'RuPaul's Drag Race,' and 'The Wheel of Time' 'The Wheel of Time' makeup, hair, and prosthetics head Davina Lamont breaks down Rand's multiple looks in Rhuidean 'RuPaul's Drag Race' makeup head Natasha Marcelina has to be 'prepared for anything' Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Adria Arjona on breaking ‘Star Wars' ground with intense ‘Andor' scenes: ‘I found it really important'
Season 2 of Andor is a real roller-coaster for all its characters. However, Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona) has some harsh ups and downs. On the one hand, Bix is still dealing with the trauma from her brutal torture and interrogation at the hands of Dr. Gorst (Joshua James) in Season 1, as well as new violent attacks from other Imperial officials. But the show doesn't just wallow in her pain; it depicts how she overcomes her troubles through solidarity and empowerment as part of the growing Rebel movement. Though Star Wars is about the struggle against the forces of darkness, it usually sticks to cartoonish portrayals of evil: An old wizard cackling as he shoots lightning out of his fingers, or his minion in black armor with a flaming sword. But below them, as Andor repeatedly shows, are millions of bureaucrats and officials carrying out much more recognizable forms of violence and oppression every day. At the beginning of Season 2, one such figure, Lieutenant Krole (Alex Waldmann), even sexually assaults Bix while carrying out an Imperial census on the planet Mina-Rau. The casualness with which Krole abuses Bix suggests it's an everyday occurrence. However, this time, he pays for it with his life. This represents the first depiction of overt sexual assault in a Star Wars story, and neither Arjona nor Andor creator Tony Gilroy (who wrote the first three episodes of the season himself) took that lightly. More from GoldDerby TV showrunner panel: 'The Better Sister,' 'Deli Boys,' 'Overcompensating,' 'Shifting Gears,' and 'Three Women' 'Three Women' showrunner Laura Eason talks courage, desire, and 'superhero' intimacy coordinators 'Overcompensating' showrunner Scott King on Prime Video comedy: 'There are no heroes or villains - everyone is just a f--ing mess' 'I felt a great honor for being the one to play it right,' Arjona tells Gold Derby. 'I have many friends and family members who are victims, and I felt like this was written in a way that I wish everybody would react. I wish it were really empowering to do the thing we all wish we could do, but we don't know when we're in that moment. It's kind of the reaction that someone has five days after something happens, when they have the perfect thing to say and the perfect reaction. You know what I mean? So that's sort of how I saw it, and that gave me a lot of power.' Arjona continues, 'I really held strong to the people I know who have been through this. I brought them with me, in a way, to the scene. At the end of the day, it's part of our history. This show touches so much on really high themes, and it almost feels like we're trying not to look at the reality of it. But the abusive power happens in a galaxy far, far away; it happens here, in Guatemala, in Europe; it happens all over the world. Sometimes we're blinded to it or don't want to see it because it is really scary. So to perform it, I did not take that lightly, and I really put my heart into that scene. I found it really important.' When Andor started, Bix was just a junkyard dealer on the Outer Rim planet Ferrix. She was trying to get by like everyone else in that hard-scrabble community. Still, anti-Imperial activity intrigued her enough to contact the mysterious Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård). That got her into trouble when the Empire captured her and subjected her to torture. But after joining with her longtime friend Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and becoming part of the growing Rebellion, Bix learns how to fight back against her oppressors. So in the second block of Season 2 episodes, Bix dovetails her recovery from torture with her work in the Rebellion by finding and killing Dr. Gorst. 'You take it personally. I've really fallen in love with the characters that I've played, and I just wanted Bix to win,' Arjona says. 'I was saying, 'Tony, throw Bix something!' Tony really talked me through her entire arc, but that moment with Dr. Gorst, he didn't. He let me read it, and I did. I read it, and oh man, it was just such a big relief that I had for Bix. I counted the days for us to film that scene.' Throughout both seasons, Andor shows how individuals' choices add to causes greater than themselves, political (like the Rebellion) and personal (like the love that grows between Bix and Cassian). 'As the show progresses, you see the repercussions of everything Dr. Gorst did to her until she has that big moment of revenge and liberation,' Arjona says. 'But as Bix is coming to herself, she's also playing more of a part in the Rebellion, and she wants to be a part of it. That's what takes her out of this whole dark hole, her desperate need to be part of the Rebellion, support Cassian, and be well for Cassian so they can form this beautiful relationship.' The Andor series finale debuts on Tuesday. Best of GoldDerby Filming 'The White Lotus' terrified Sam Nivola more than once TV showrunner panel: 'The Better Sister,' 'Deli Boys,' 'Overcompensating,' 'Shifting Gears,' and 'Three Women' 'Three Women' showrunner Laura Eason talks courage, desire, and 'superhero' intimacy coordinators Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Deli Boys' and ‘Shifting Gears' showrunner Michelle Nader says both shows ‘are about humanity and make people laugh'
Michelle Nader, the showrunner behind two of the year's new comedies — Hulu's Deli Boys and ABC's Shifting Gears — says "both shows are about humanity and making people laugh." With two very different worlds, casts, and tones to balance, Nader has crafted shows that not only entertain but resonate deeply with audiences. Created by Abdullah Saeed, Deli Boys follows a pair of privileged Pakistani-American brothers who lose their lavish lifestyle after their convenience-store mogul father dies in a freak golfing accident. Nader calls the genre-blending comedy one of the most rewarding experiences of her career. More from GoldDerby TV showrunner panel: 'The Better Sister,' 'Deli Boys,' 'Overcompensating,' 'Shifting Gears,' and 'Three Women' 'Three Women' showrunner Laura Eason talks courage, desire, and 'superhero' intimacy coordinators 'Overcompensating' showrunner Scott King on Prime Video comedy: 'There are no heroes or villains - everyone is just a f--ing mess' 'Deli Boys is so special to me,' Nader shares. 'The experience of working on it has been one of the best I've had in my long career. It was such a gift to be able to tell this story about a family coming together through crime. I come from Philadelphia, it's set in Philadelphia, and it was a convergence of so many great things — the cast, the writers' room, and the directors. It's a special show that is resonating with people. The genre is such a blend of action, comedy, and craziness. That's what people want now — laughing and being surprised. A lot of comedies today are just smiles." Deli Boys brings on the laughs. At the heart of Deli Boys is its ensemble cast, led by Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh as the brothers navigating their father's criminal empire. Nader credits their bond as the driving force behind the series' success. 'Asif Ali and Saagar Shaikh are brothers now,' Nader says. 'They are the two sides of Abdullah [Saeed]: the hardworking person and his pursuit of weed. It's about rich kids — one wants to enjoy [the wealth], and the other wants to keep [the family business afloat]. Both Saagar and Asif really took that to heart. They came every day ready to explore [their characters] with each other and with us. The dialogue between the writers and them, as actors, brought their performances and the show to a level that people are responding to.' The diverse and energetic writers' room also played a pivotal role in shaping the voice of Deli Boys. 'Abdullah is Pakistani, I'm Lebanese and Italian — there were Indian people, Persian people, Thai, other Pakistanis, Jewish writers. We had this Ocean's Eleven group of weirdos with crazy backgrounds drama,' Nader explains. 'I would say in the writers' room, 'It has to be a runaway train to a rocket ride.' Abdullah created something so rich. We were able to cull from that and develop it." While Deli Boys explores crime and chaos, ABC's Shifting Gears takes a more traditional sitcom approach, with Tim Allen playing widower Matt Parker, whose estranged daughter shows up with her two teenage children, sparking both family drama and heartfelt humor. Though Nader didn't work on the pilot, she was thrilled to join forces with Kat Dennings, whom she calls her 'professional wife' after working closely together on 2 Broke Girls. 'It was going to be hard for me to watch Kat in another relationship on a show,' Nader jokes. 'Miraculously, fate brought me to [Shifting Gears]. Then I got to work with Tim Allen, who is such a legend. I was nervous because he's such an icon, but he was so welcoming and trusting. We were on the same page — we wanted this to be a classic sitcom but modernized.' The chemistry between Allen and Dennings was what ultimately convinced Nader the show could work creatively. 'They are so magical together,' Nader says. 'I responded to their dynamic and chemistry as actors, but I also love the exploration of grief and how people have to rebuild. The show is about Matt Parker restoring classic cars, so thematically, I wanted to mirror that idea of restoration in the family as well. They still fight, but they have to make peace with their differences and drive the car together.' Deli Boys and Shifting Gears are both streaming on Hulu. This article and video are presented by Disney/Hulu. Best of GoldDerby Filming 'The White Lotus' terrified Sam Nivola more than once TV showrunner panel: 'The Better Sister,' 'Deli Boys,' 'Overcompensating,' 'Shifting Gears,' and 'Three Women' 'Three Women' showrunner Laura Eason talks courage, desire, and 'superhero' intimacy coordinators Click here to read the full article.
