Latest news with #InterviewWithTheVampire
Globe and Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Globe and Mail
Canadian playwrights Hannah Moscovitch and Jordan Tannahill stay true to their roots despite U.S. success
Want to get a coffee with Canadian playwrights Hannah Moscovitch and Jordan Tannahill? Good luck. Both writers are, to say the least, a little busy. Moscovitch's play Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes runs until June 18 on Broadway – starring Hugh Jackman, no less. She's also a writer and executive producer on AMC's Interview with the Vampire. Her play Red Like Fruit is playing in Toronto now as part of Luminato Festival, and travels to the Edinburgh Fringe later this summer. And Sophia's Forest, the opera for which Moscovitch, 46, wrote the libretto, is in the midst of a four-day run with City Opera Vancouver. She also has a film in the works, a psychological thriller called Child's Play set to star Sandra Oh. Tannahill, 37, has a ton on the go, too: His play Prince Faggot is now in previews and will run until July 6 off-Broadway. (His friend and mentor, fellow audacious playwright Jeremy O. Harris, is a producer on the show.) He has a film in the pipeline, as well – a medieval horror flick called Rapture, set to star Will Poulter, Kit Connor and Manu Ríos. In addition to stacked Google calendars, the pair have other things in common, too: Both had childhoods in suburban Ottawa, and both found early success as playwrights in Toronto. The Globe and Mail facilitated a Zoom chat between the writers on a rare day off from rehearsals and writing. Hannah Moscovitch (HM): Jordan, why did you want to expand your artistic practice beyond playwriting? I feel like you've always been curious about other mediums. Jordan Tannahill (JT): That was one of the great gifts of growing up in a city like Toronto, which is perhaps less driven by capitalism than London or New York. There was room to follow my curiosity – I felt really flexible in that way. But, Hannah, the craft and intelligence of your stage work – I'm excited to see you bring that into the TV and film space. Has that been satisfying? HM: Working in U.S. television is so satisfying. The people I work with are astonishingly good. Once you can pull internationally because you have those American dollars, what you can make is just so extraordinary. I came up through Canada, where you hone your abilities and then by the time the Americans or Brits notice you, you've already got everything figured out – when I ended up on Interview with the Vampire, they were like, 'Oh, we got a really good deal.' And I've learned so much from working with [Interview with the Vampire showrunner] Rolin Jones. He holds himself to such high standards. In the writers' room, he's told us to go away and write a scene that's better than Breaking Bad. JT: Wow. At Cannes, a reckoning with an impossible mission Canadian playwright Hannah Moscovitch is drawn to the dark side – and Hollywood Jordan, do you remember when you and Hannah met? JT: I remember I was a fan before I met you, Hannah. I was aware of your work and had seen it – but I got to work with [Christian Barry, husband to Moscovitch and co-founder of 2b Theatre] on my very first play. HM: Which was gorgeous, by the way. You were so obviously so good in that, Jordan. I came up quite quickly – everyone got to watch my failures. JT: [Laughing] I don't remember you having failures, Hannah. HM: But you were so fully formed so quickly. You were so good, and such a peer, immediately. JT: I don't feel that way at all, but that's very generous. I sort of feel the inverse way to you, actually – I got to teach myself publicly how to make theatre. There were so many opportunities for young creators, development programs and festivals. I owe such a debt to those initiatives, those artists who mentored me. I saw Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes last week, by the way, and I loved it. It was one of the strongest things I've seen so far in the spring, and I think it's so exciting to see a Canadian work take its place amongst a very strong season of Tony Award contenders. HM: Thank you. I made changes for this production from the version that premiered at Tarragon in 2020, but they were minimal. I had never workshopped it before. So we spent a lot of time trying to make sure it would work in an American context – I feel like I'm saying terrible things. I'm admitting that American contexts are different from Canadian ones. And are they? Do you feel like you've changed how you think about your work since leaving Canada? HM: Yeah. I wonder often, now, how honest I want to be. I'm constantly being told by my American colleagues, 'I don't know what the hell you're trying to say, but just say it.' They're always mad that I'm trying to do things carefully. JT: I'd argue, too, that neither of us have really left Canada – Hannah, in your case, you're very much still a Halifax-based artist. I think we've always had artists whose trajectories will be international. That's a healthy thing to happen within a national arts ecosystem – I know that I still consider myself a Canadian artist, developing work in Canada. HM: Me too. JT: Sometimes you're fortunate enough to begin working internationally, and hopefully, your work will take you out of the country at different times. But it's a dialogue – and I feel very much still part of the conversation in Canada. HM: Agreed. It was never my desire to leave – I was living in Nova Scotia and then started to work in American television, mostly because people there had found my plays and then started to ask me to join them. But there's been some revelation for me in leaving, which I wasn't necessarily expecting. Both Canada as a country and theatre as a medium are marginal – to be outside of that for a little while, to be part of a larger conversation that is more central, has its appeal. I have things I want to say that are important to me, and I want to be able to say them in a broad context. That doesn't mean I don't love theatre or appreciate its liveness. I do. But I don't see any reason why I can't do both. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Metro
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Brad Pitt, 61, officially aging backwards with bold new haircut
Brad Pitt appears to have discovered the fountain of youth after giving flashbacks to his younger career with a new hairdo. The Fight Club actor, 61, embodied his iconic character, Tyler Durden, after he was spotted sporting a shaved head. The star has lopped off his signature blonde locks in favour of a close cut similar to that of his son Knox, whom he shares with ex-wife Angelina Jolie. He is still sporting stubble on his chin as shown in the snap, which was taken as he sat in a car rocking black sunglasses and a white jacket. Pitt has shaved his head several times over his career, most notably for some of his biggest film roles. He most famously braved the shave for his role in the adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel Fight Club, in which he played mysterious antagonist Tyler alongside fellow lead Edward Norton as the unnamed protagonist. In 2004, the actor sported a buzzcut for his role in Mr & Mrs Smith, the film in which he met Jolie while still married to ex-wife Jennifer Aniston. When he appeared in the 2014 war film Fury, Pitt also cut off his famous locks for the part of Wardaddy, where he had short, shaved sides and a pompadour on top. At the opposite end of the spectrum, he sported flowing blonde locks for his role as Louis de Pointe du Lac in iconic 90s horror film Interview With The Vampire, but he is best known for his grown out, slicked back, and tousled looks we've seen in the likes of Ad Astra, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, and most recently, F1. It was recently rumoured that Pitt will return to his role as stuntman Cliff Booth in Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time in Hollywood for an upcoming sequel. According to multiple US outlets, the acclaimed director is writing a follow-up to the 2019 hit, with David Fincher serving as director. More Trending In a surprise move, the unnamed project will be coming to Netflix, meaning it may not get a cinematic release like the first film, which also starred Leonardo DiCaprio, Margot Robbie, Luke Perry, Damian Lewis, and Mikey Madison among others. Variety reports that it is unlikely that Leo and Margot will return as Rick Dalton and Sharon Tate. Once Upon A Time In Hollywood follows actor Rick Dalton (Leo) and his stunt double Cliff as they navigate the changing culture of Hollywood in the 60s, struggling to claim their place in the industry. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Music industry pays tribute to agent Dave Shapiro after death in San Diego plane crash MORE: Jamie Foxx addresses wild conspiracy theory Diddy tried to kill him with stroke MORE: Justin Bieber shares warm message for Chris Brown after singer was bailed
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sam Reid, Mark Johnson, and the ‘Interview With the Vampire' team sink their teeth into FYC season
Forget the typical "For Your Consideration" panel. When it comes to showing off for Emmy voters, the team behind Anne Rice's Interview With the Vampire celebrated their second season with a bloody good "For Your Consumption" event. Representing AMC's hit horror series were producer Mark Johnson, Lestat actor Sam Reid, editor Yuka Shirasuna, production designer Mara LePere-Schloop, and composer Daniel Hart. The Q&A, moderated by Gold Derby editor-in-chief Debra Birnbaum, took place at Smogshoppe Culver City in Los Angeles. Watch the full panel above. More from GoldDerby 'A fever dream': Jamie Lloyd and Tom Francis describe their radical new take on 'Sunset Boulevard' How the casting director for 'Adolescence' discovered Owen Cooper for the emotional lead role of Jamie: 'The search was far and wide' Why the groundbreaking 'Black Mirror: Bandersnatch' is disappearing from Netflix The artisans began by discussing their favorite moments from Season 2. Johnson said, "The one that stands out is at the very end of the first episode of the season, in the back of the truck when Louis [Jacob Anderson] is talking to Claudia [Delainey Hayles], and we think it's just the two of them ... and the camera drifts over and there is Lestat. So, whether or not he's there in person or it's the specter of Lestat, is going to stay throughout the entire season." For Reid, Season 2 was all about the sets. "I remember walking onto the set for the first time, and there's an incredible theater that they've built, and it's totally functional," he told the crowd. "We go backstage, and you've got all of the dressing rooms. Each individual vampire has their own style and coffin. It's heartbreaking because there's so much detail that it's impossible for them to film it." Reid also gave a shout-out to his costar Anderson, raving, "Jacob is such an incredible actor, and the breadth that he goes through this season is mind-blowing. Being with him the whole time and seeing that has been a real joy." Shirasuna said there were "so many moments" to choose from in Season 2, but she spotlighted "the scene in the season finale when Louis is finally meeting the real Lestat. I was so lucky to get a chance to cut that scene, and that moment when I was watching the dailies, I was crying." Originally LePere-Schloop was going to create the "Theatres des Vampires" for Season 1, but it moved to Season 2 and so she had to wait another year. "I was like, sh--, that's the one I really want," she chuckled. "So, getting to realize it in Season 2 was amazing." In particular, the designer loved seeing "Lestat walking into the theater in advance of the Episode 7 sequence." Hart chimed in, "One of the first things I started working on for Season 2 was the song that Claudia sings at the beginning of Episode 4, 'I Don't Like Windows When They're Closed.' I wrote the song long before it was filmed, and then it was several more months before I first got to see the opening, with everybody in costumes, and all the animations in the theater, all the choreography. It just was a very fulfilling, full-circle moment for me." Johnson praised "the artistry" of Interview With the Vampire, saying, "It's so honest and beautiful. I look at it and I just don't see a false moment in it. Quite frankly, there are a lot of good shows in television, but they ebb and flow. This show comes out of the starting gate and just doesn't let up. It embraces really important themes about memory and love and family and 'Who am I?'" Reid commented on how the TV show is "very faithful to the source material," and creator Rolin Jones is a "freakishly talented man ... he's got this very intense energy about him, with a lot of second-guessing but incredibly confident." He continued on, "And that's what the show is. It's incredibly confident, so you feel strong when you're there, because there's been a lot of agonizing and panicking and freaking out and people over-committing." Anne Rice's Interview With the Vampire earned a 98 percent on Rotten Tomatoes for both Season 1 and Season 2, in addition to receiving nominations at the Critics Choice Awards, Television Critics Association Awards, GLAAD Media Awards, Gotham Awards, and various guild awards. Both seasons are streaming now on AMC+. SIGN UP for Gold Derby's free newsletter with latest predictions 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.
Daily Mirror
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Netflix adds film that forced author to write apology letter to Tom Cruise
There was a backlash against the actor at the time Netflix has recently added one of the greatest vampire films ever, to its vast library making a cult classic, which originally hit UK cinemas in 1995, is now available for streaming. Interview With The Vampire unfolds from the perspective of a vampire named Louis de Pointe du Lac, portrayed by Brad Pitt. He narrates his two-century-long life story to a reporter, simply referred to as 'the boy' and played by Christian Slater. The narrative is relayed through a series of flashbacks, starting from 1791 when Louis was a plantation owner in Louisiana. Following the tragic loss of his wife and child, a grief-stricken Louis roams the streets at night, only to be attacked by a vampire named Lestat de Lioncourt, played by Tom Cruise. Lestat turns Louis into a vampire, and they become immortal companions. The film traces their life together, including their unconventional adoption of a young girl, brilliantly portrayed by an 11 year old Kirsten Dunst, reports Surrey Live. The movie is based on Anne Rice's 1976 novel of the same name, for which she also wrote the screenplay. Interestingly, Rice initially opposed Cruise's casting as Lestat and even attended a protest against it. A group of her fans rallied at an event, urging others to sign a petition boycotting the film. Caught up in the fervour, Rice joined in and publicly criticised Cruise's casting, branding him too short and with a voice too high-pitched to portray Lestat. However, Rice had a change of heart after actually viewing the film and penned an open letter that served as something of an apology to Cruise. She wrote: " From the moment he appeared, Tom was Lestat for me. He has the immense physical and moral presence; he was defiant and yet never without conscience; he was beautiful beyond description yet compelled to do cruel things." She went on to say: "The sheer beauty of Tom was dazzling, but the polish of his acting, his flawless plunge into the Lestat persona, his ability to speak rather boldly poetic lines, and speak them with seeming ease and conviction were exhilarating and uplifting. The guy is great." This sentiment still resonates with fans today. One viewer, who decided to share their opinion of the film online, posted: "Beautiful movie about vampires. Probably Tom Cruise's best performance. Who doesn't love Brad Pitt . Kirsten Dunst steals the show. Antonio Banderas looks great in a long wig." One person raved about the movie: "They can remake this all they want. Or continue with making other adaptations of Anne Rice's other books. But they will NEVER touch this movie. It is a perfect orchestration. There is no part of it that I can complain about. Tom Cruise IS Lestat. No one can out-do him on this character. Not even come close." The film has since become something of a cult classic within vampire film lore, noted for delving into complex relationship dynamics and moral dilemmas. Fans haven't shied away from their admiration, as one declared: "By far one of the best vampire movies ever made. Sure Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt were big stars back then but a role like this could never happen again with such awesomeness! I was never a huge Cruise or Pitt fan but I got to say this is their best performances ever." Another follower expressed adoration, saying: "One of the best vampire movies ever. It is right up there along side of Bram Stroker's Dracula. Tom Cruise's portrayal of Lestat was one of best performances ever. He should have gotten an Oscar for the part. Everybody that was in this movie should."
