Latest news with #Hi!
Elle
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Elle
Geraldine Viswanathan Brings Bold Energy to the Marvelverse
Justin French Pullover, shorts, Sacai. Boots, Ugg x Sacai. Necklace, bracelets, Bulgari. When she was six, Geraldine Viswanathan auditioned for a spot at a performing arts school in her hometown of Newcastle, Australia. The task? Pretend to walk a dog. 'I rocked it,' she says, smiling at the memory. 'They saw the dog. They felt the dog.' Less than two decades later, the actress faced an entirely different challenge: losing her virginity on prom night. In 2018's Blockers , she stole the show as John Cena's sporty, sex-positive daughter, exuding a cool confidence well beyond her years. Her career took off from there—she exposed Hugh Jackman's fraud in the HBO film Bad Education , tempted fate alongside Daniel Radcliffe and Steve Buscemi on TBS's Miracle Workers , and unleashed cross-country chaos with her lesbian bestie (played by Drive-Away Dolls . Most recently, in Prime Video's rom-com You're Cordially Invited , she played Will Ferrell's daughter, a pairing that sparked some palpable comedic chemistry. 'He made me laugh so hard,' she says. 'I've had some really great dads.' Viswanathan thrives on pushing herself into uncharted territory with each new role. She's not just showing up and delivering a deadpan punch line—each performance feels like an invitation to watch someone redefine what we think they're capable of. Justin French Blazer, shirt, Bottega Veneta. Earrings, Cartier. Her chameleon talents will be on display soon in 'Oh, Hi!' , a rom-com-gone-wrong directed by Sophie Brooks and co-written with recently rebranded as *The New Avengers in a unique marketing move—where she'll take on the role of Mel, the assistant to Julia Louis-Dreyfus's domineering CIA director Valentina Allegra de Fontaine. She thinks the role was meant to be: 'When I was 18, I came to L.A. with my family, and my mom saw a psychic who said I'd be in a superhero movie,' she says. 'I need to get that psychic's number!' Filming the movie was unlike anything she had ever encountered before: 'There was no green screen, and it was the craziest set that I've ever been on, just the sheer number of extras.' And contrary to what some fans might expect from a big-budget franchise, there was no special initiation: 'The most Marvel-y thing I had to do was meet with the security team and get a little badge.' 'Feeling undervalued inspired me to act because I love to do it—not because anybody is asking me to do it.' With precious few women of color taking on leading roles in Hollywood, the space can be frustratingly limited. Viswanathan—born to an Indian father, who's a nuclear medicine specialist, and a Swiss artist mother—is keenly aware of this, having felt her ethnicity was a barrier to getting cast in Australia. 'It was an experience that has defined who I am, especially growing up as the only person of color in a small, white town,' she says. 'Feeling undervalued inspired me to act because I love to do it—not because anybody is asking me to do it. When you approach life that way, it becomes more magnetic.' She's also managed to reach It girl status, recently attending her third Paris Fashion Week, where she sat front row beside fellow Aussie Rose Byrne at the Zimmermann show. 'She's had some of my favorite roles,' Viswanathan gushes. '[Byrne] is so brilliant, cool, kind, and funny—she was killing me.' Justin French Pullover, shorts, Sacai. Boots, Ugg x Sacai. Necklace, bracelets, Bulgari. When it comes to her own viewing habits, Viswanathan gravitates toward ensemble comedies like The Hangover . As for Harry Potter, which stars her Miracle Worker s castmate Radcliffe, she admits, 'I was, like, seven when I went to see the first movie and had to leave the theater because I was was a scene where a troll put a wand up his nose. It was too much for me.' So does that rule out the fantasy genre in the future? If Viswanathan has taught us anything, it's that the unexpected is her baseline—but she's always grounded in an unapologetic authenticity. 'I could see myself going there…it's not my first instinct, because I always try to do things I'd actually want to watch,' she says, before adding wryly: 'And I'm still a little bitch.' Hair by Sami Knight for Rehab; makeup by Alexandra French at Forward Artists; manicure by Jolene Brodeur at The Wall Group; produced by Anthony Federici at Petty Cash Production; photographed at Malibu Creek Ranch. A version of this story appears in the Summer 2025 issue of ELLE. Related Stories
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Julie Waters, Evan Dyal Launch Production and Finance Outfit Watermark Media
Veteran exec Julie Waters and Evan Dyal have launched the production and finance company Watermark Media, which is already co-financing and producing a slate of five projects since its 2024 founding. Watermark is behind the Molly Gordon feature Oh, Hi! which launched out of the 2025 Sundance Film Festival where Sony Pictures Classics picked it up. Other Watermark projects include Joel Alfonso Vargas' Made Bills to Pay, which also premiered at Sundance before heading to the Berlin Film Festival. More from The Hollywood Reporter Jennifer Lopez's 'Kiss of the Spider Woman' Nearing Deal With Roadside Attractions, Lionsgate Producer Christine Vachon Has a Pick for the Future Home of the Sundance Film Festival 'Khartoum' Review: Experimental Doc Poignantly Captures the Crisis in Sudan Waters is a longtime executive whose tenure at Temple Hill Entertainment included producing the critically acclaimed FX series Dave and worked on Hulu series Love, Victor and The Other Black Girl. She launches Watermark after overseeing film and television at Rachel Brosnahan's Scrap Paper Pictures. Dyal co-founded Watermark after a career in real estate development. Joining Waters and Dyal are COO and partner Aaron Millberg, overseeing business development and operations, and development executive Lexi Kroll. Millberg spent eight years at UTA, working as a talent agent in the endorsements division, before a position as the head of creator and content commerce at e-commerce company Canal. After starting her career in the lit department at Brillstein Entertainment, Kroll held posts at director Jonathan Levine's production company Megamix and Scrap Paper Pictures. 'Watermark Media is built on a foundation of innovation and inclusivity, and further solidifies our commitment to creating culturally significant, fresh and diverse narratives from rising filmmakers,' said Waters and Dyal. 'With Oh, Hi! and Mad Bills to Pay leading the way, we're thrilled to share these films with the world and continue supporting creatives who are shaping the future of entertainment.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 10 Best Baseball Movies of All Time, Ranked 20 Times the Oscars Got It Wrong The Best Anti-Fascist Films of All Time
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sundance's Future In Utah Looks Bleak As Park City Mayor Laments Anti-LGBTQ+ Flag Bill
With just two days to go until Utah's governor either signs or vetos a controversial bill that would ban the Pride Flag from government buildings in the state, the chances of Sundance staying in the Beehive State aren't looking good. At least according to Park City's Mayor. More from Deadline Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Worldwide Rights To 'Oh, Hi!' Starring Logan Lerman And Molly Gordon Utah's Hopes Of Keeping Sundance Threatened By Anti-Pride Flag Bill On Governor's Desk New Distribution Venture Cartuna X Dweck Takes North American Rights For Sundance & SXSW Thriller 'Dead Lover' 'Deputy City Manager Sarah Pearce and I have worked closely for a year now, one year now, with Jennifer Wesselhoff at the Park City Chamber, the mayors and staff of Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County, state elected officials and other stakeholders to reimagine a Sundance Film Festival in Utah that combines the magic of Park City with the affordability of the Salt Lake area,' Nann Worel said late Tuesday in her annual state of the Park City speech. Along with Gov. Spencer Cox, Utah Film Commissioner Virginia Pearce and the other officials Worel mentioned, the Park City leader has been a big advocate for the multi-million dollar United Utah effort that would see the state capitol become Sundance's hub and Park City become the satellite screening venue in 2027. But larger political winds may have blown that plan away. 'Unfortunately, a recent bill passed by the Utah legislature and comments made by some legislature have not been helpful in our bid to keep the festival here,' the retiring resort town mayor told local luminaries this evening of the bill designed to ban LGBTQ+ flags and banners on public buildings and schools. Worel's remarks come as a final decision on Sundance's future expected very soon, according to what festival director Eugene Hernandez told Deadline's Mike Fleming Jr. on February 22. After a year of bids, competition and reimagining of a post-Park City Sundance, Utah's desire to keep the Robert Redford founded fest is up against a very strong and $34 million tax incentive juiced bid from Boulder CO and a resilient effort from Cincinnati, OH. Gov. Cox and the Utah legislature have put over $3.5 million in state funds directly on the table at the last minute to keep the big bucks gross domestic product, tax revenue and employment generating Sundance in the state. Yet, as first Deadline reported on March 12 and apparently has intensified since, the battle to keep Sundance that may already be lost in part because of the anti-Pride flag bill, several sources say. With undeniable pessimism in her voice, Mayor Worel added Tuesday: 'Regardless of the festival's trajectory, I am proud of Park City's efforts, and we will continue to support the arts and explore new opportunities. Change is inevitable with the festival, but if the Sundance Institute chooses to leave our state, we will not only survive, we will thrive.' Trajectory or not, the tender to keep Sundance local once its current contract expires after the 2026 festival faces serious headwinds from the passage earlier this month in the Republican dominated state chambers of House Bill 77, or the Flag Display Amendments. Headwinds so strong that they have likely irrevocably tipped the fine balance that progressive Sundance and primarily Red State Utah have been able to maintain the past 40 years, I'm told. Even with very vocal opposition to the Rep. Trevor Lee and Sen. Daniel McCay sponsored HB77 from SLC Mayor Erin Mendenhall, direct pleas from her and others in the state to the Sundance leadership to remember the history the Robert Redford founded fest and Utah have received a skeptical reaction. The bill is 'a slap in the face,' according to a well-positioned source, to the festival's proclaimed values of being 'vibrant, inviting and inclusive.' However, as much as Gov. Cox says he values Sundance, the 2024 re-elected politician also has a hard deadline of March 27 to either sign the anti-Pride flag bill into law or veto it. If Cox signs it, which smart money says he will, the measure will go into effect in early May. Starting months before the last Park City centric Sundance next year, there will be $500 fine daily for every Pride flag flying from state funded buildings. Objections to the bill from the ACLU and Equality Utah have also seen longtime anti-Pride flag promoters Rep. Lee and Sen. McCay (who recently said Sundance makes 'porn' and 'does not fit in Utah anymore' while reposting a Deadline story) make their POV very clear online. SLC Mayor Mendenhall's office and Sundance did not respond to request for comment Tuesday. Neither Rep. Lee nor Sen. McCay got back to us about the state of their legislation with Gov. Cox or Mayor Worel's speech. Praising the Winter Olympics returning to Utah in 2034, Mayor Nann Worel surprised many in Park City tonight when that she announced she will not be seeking a second term. Worel, the first woman to be Park City's mayor, will leave office in January 2026 – just before the next and possibly last Sundance Film Festival in Utah. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery How To Watch 'Wicked: Part One': Is The Film Streaming Yet? All The Songs In 'Severance' Season 2: From The Who To Ella Fitzgerald
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sony Pictures Classics Nabs Molly Gordon's Sundance Hit ‘Oh, Hi!'
'Oh, Hi!' has finally found a home. Worldwide rights to the charming romantic comedy starring Molly Gordon and Logan Lerman, which premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival, have been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics. The film was written and directed by Sophie Brooks from a story that Brooks and Gordon conceived together, with a supporting cast that includes Geraldine Viswanathan, John Reynolds and a very funny David Cross. The official synopsis describes the film as, 'Iris (Gordon) and Isaac's (Lerman) first romantic weekend getaway as a couple goes awry. Convinced that he's just confused, Iris goes to extreme lengths to prove to him that they are meant to be together.' 'I could not be more thrilled that we have found our home with Sony Pictures Classics. For as long as I can remember, I have loved their films; always marked by distinct voices and elegance,' Brooks said in a statement. 'I can't wait for audiences to see our kooky film in theaters.' 'That unpredictable, dark romantic comedy – youthful and hilarious yet with just the right about of danger. The performances are fantastic and beautifully directed by Sophie Brooks. 'Oh, Hi!' is a definite audience winner,' Sony Pictures Classics added. 'Oh, Hi!' is produced by David Brooks, Dan Clifton, Julie Waters, Sophie Brooks and Molly Gordon. Evan Dyal, Justin Brown and Evan Moore are executive producers alongside Sabina Friedman-Seitz, Molly Quinn, Matthew M. Welty and Elan Gale. The deal was negotiated between Sony Pictures Classics, WME Independent and UTA Independent Film Group on behalf of the filmmakers. Watermark Media financed the feature, in association with QWGmire, AmorFortuna and Bespoke Production Capital. Sony Pictures Classics also recently picked up the Sundance audience-winning 'East of Wall.' The post Sony Pictures Classics Nabs Molly Gordon's Sundance Hit 'Oh, Hi!' appeared first on TheWrap.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Worldwide Rights To ‘Oh, Hi!' Starring Logan Lerman And Molly Gordon
Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all worldwide rights to Oh, Hi!, written and directed by Sophie Brooks (The Boy Downstairs). The film, Brooks' sophomore feature, stars Molly Gordon, Logan Lerman, Geraldine Viswanathan, and John Reynolds. It premiered at this year's Sundance Film Festival. Oh, Hi! is produced by David Brooks, Dan Clifton, Julie Waters, Sophie Brooks, and Molly Gordon. Evan Dyal, Justin Brown, and Evan Moore are executive producers alongside Sabina Friedman-Seitz, Molly Quinn, Matthew M. Welty, and Elan Gale. More from Deadline 'The Bear' Star Molly Gordon Signs With WME Logan Lerman Signs With UTA Utah's Hopes Of Keeping Sundance Threatened By Anti-Pride Flag Bill On Governor's Desk In Oh, Hi!, Iris (Molly Gordon) and Isaac's (Logan Lerman) first romantic weekend getaway as a couple goes awry. Convinced that he's just confused, Iris goes to extreme lengths to prove to him that they are meant to be together. 'I couldn't be more thrilled that we have found our home with Sony Pictures Classics. For as long as I can remember, I've loved their films,' Brooks said. 'Always marked by distinct voices and elegance. I can't wait for audiences to see our kooky film in theaters.' Sony Pictures Classics describes the film as 'That unpredictable, dark romantic comedy – youthful and hilarious yet with just the right about of danger.' With 'fantastic' performances 'brilliantly directed' by Brooks. The studio also calls it 'a definite audience winner. RELATED: Sophie Brooks is a London-born, Brooklyn-based writer and director. The Boy Downstairs was acquired by Film Rise and HBO at the Tribeca Film Festival. It was produced by David Brooks, Paul Brooks and Dan Clifton and stars Zosia Mamet, Matthew Shear and Diana Irvine. The deal was negotiated between Sony Pictures Classics and WME Independent and UTA Independent Film Group on behalf of the filmmakers. Watermark Media financed the feature, in association with QWGmire, AmorFortuna, and Bespoke Production Capital. Best of Deadline Everything We Know About 'Freakier Friday' So Far Everything We Know About 'Ted Lasso' Season 4 So Far How Horror Is Finding Its Place In Awards Season & What's New For 2025
