Latest news with #JulianneNicholson
Forbes
28-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Hulu's Best New Show Lands A 100% Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score
Dope Girls If you are currently working your way through your streaming services, trying to find something to watch, it turns out Hulu has a new series that's starting out reviewing especially strong. That would be Dope Girls, the series that originally aired on the BBC, but has now made its way to Hulu, and it currently has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score from a limited number of critics. While this may sound like some sort of modern day drug-dealing drama, it's the opposite. Rather, it chronicles a much different type of tale. Here's the synopsis: If you think you recognize the actress who plays Kate, you are almost certainly right. That is Julianne Nicholson, and while you may not know her name, if you have watched Hulu's other big show this year, the now Emmy-nominated Paradise, you'll know her as the (mostly) villainous Sinatra, the force of power behind the entire city. And she also got an Emmy nomination for that role. Nicholson is recognizable from a slew of projects. She's been in 13 movies and shows since 2020 alone, including The Outsider, Mare of Easttown, Blonde, The Amateur and Hacks, in addition to Paradise and Dope Girls. Dope Girls, however, is a rare chance where she's been given the opportunity to lead a production, and clearly that has gone well. Dope Girls Dope Girls, the six-episode series, appears to be a one-and-done, based on a 1991 book, Dope Girls: The Birth of the British Drug Underground, written by Marek Kohn. Here's what some critics are saying about the series: These are mostly UK outlets, so now that the show has made its way to Hulu, more reviews may start to come in, as might an audience score, as it doesn't have one of those yet. As for Nicholson's main project, Paradise, that has been renewed for season 2 and is supposed to be out sometime in 2026. It was nominated for four Emmys: Best Drama, Best Lead Actor (Sterling K Brown), Best Supporting Actor (James Marsden) and Best Supporting Actress (Nicholson). I would be a little surprised if it won any of those, given how steep the competition is in the drama categories, but hey, this is a pretty big achievement for both a Hulu show and something in the post-apocalyptic genre. What were we talking about? Oh right, watch Dope Girls. Follow me on Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Pick up my sci-fi novels the Herokiller series and The Earthborn Trilogy.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Paradise' surprises again! How the drama shocked the Emmys
Even as a show known for its twists, Paradise still managed to pull off a few surprises on Emmy nominations morning. The Hulu series secured four nominations total, all in major categories. The first season of the show from This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman was nominated for Best Drama Series, Drama Actor for its lead Sterling K. Brown, Drama Supporting Actor for James Marsden, and Drama Supporting Actress for Julianne Nicholson (a double nominee today). More from Gold Derby 'Adolescence' star Ashley Walters celebrates Emmy nomination with a family day at the zoo and Cheesecake Factory Breaking down the 2025 Emmy nominations: 'Severance' is boss, 'The Penguin' flies, and everything else we learned And while Brown's nomination was predicted by Gold Derby users, the other three were far from sure things. This morning, Paradise was sitting at No. 9 in the Best Drama Series predictions, just outside the range of nominations. It ultimately snuck into the category when the sixth-ranked show, Squid Game, failed to make the cut. The upsets were even more extreme in Marsden's and Nicholson's categories. Both the supporting actor and supporting actress were sitting at No. 18 in their respective categories. Nicholson made it into the nominees list over favored contenders like The Diplomat's Allison Janney, The White Lotus' Leslie Bibb, and The Last of Us' Isabel Merced. Marsden made a similar leap in Best Supporting Actor. His nomination came over more highly predicted performers like Slow Horses' Jack Lowden, Squid Game's Choi Seung-hyun, and The White Lotus' Patrick Schwarzenegger. On the other hand, Gold Derby voters nailed the lineup for Best Drama Actor, going five for five with their predictions. Brown was nominated alongside Severance's Adam Scott, The Pitt's Noah Wyle, Slow Horses' Gary Oldman, and The Last of Us' Pedro Pascal. Best of Gold Derby Everything to know about 'The Pitt' Season 2, including the departure of Tracy Ifeachor's Dr. Collins Everything to know about 'Too Much,' Lena Dunham's Netflix TV show starring Megan Stalter that's kinda, sorta 'based on a true story' Cristin Milioti, Amanda Seyfried, Michelle Williams, and the best of our Emmy Limited Series/Movie Actress interviews Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How ‘Hacks' Found Comedy in Every Prop, Light, and Gesture
'I never actually made tooth-to-Emmy-winner contact. I did not bite.' That's co-creator and actor Paul W. Downs denying — to the best of his recollection — ever clamping down on Emmy-winner Julianne Nicholson's hand while lunging to bite her during their 'frantic' scene in 'Hacks' Season 4. More from IndieWire The Creators of 'Hacks' Want To Know Which TV You Own The Cinematography of 'Hacks' Outdoes Itself in Season 4 Finale and Makes Deborah Vance the Queen of the World 'I think that's the only take where you pretended to [bite her], actually,' co-creator Lucia Aniello said. 'She would've been fine with it. She's so game, if Paul bit her hand, she would've gone with it. She would not have stopped the scene.' 'She was really holding onto that bag,' Downs said. 'She was very committed.' The scene in question, which you can see in the full video interview above, is from Episode 9, 'A Slippery Slope,' which was written by Downs, Aniello, and co-creator Jen Statsky. They were joined by cinematographer Adam Bricker and production designer Rob Tokarz, for a virtual panel discussion as part of Universal Studio Group's USG University. Let's break it down: Jimmy (Downs) and Kayla (Megan Stalter) are helping a sleepy, hungover Dance Mom (Nicholson) into her dressing room, where they have to revitalize the TikTok star so she can perform on Deborah's (Jean Smart) late-night show. The premise is simple enough. But it's the details — the performances and props, the lighting and the wallpaper, the cinematography and the blocking — that elevate a funny scene to hysterical heights. 'There were some nicks and cuts. There were some injuries,' Downs said. 'That was a very physical scene. She threw herself into a bar cart. There was blood.' That being said, production designer Rob Tokarz and his team helped to protect the actors as best they could. When Dance Mom first enters the room, yes, she stumbles into a bar cart, which looks and sounds dangerous enough to get a laugh — even though it was perfectly safe. 'We had to make sure the bar cart is something safe for her to bump into multiple times, so we had to replace all the glassware with something that was not going to break apart,' Tokarz said. 'I think we replaced the glass on the bar cart itself with tempered glass so if it were to crack it would be safe.' Another astute touch by Tokarz was making sure any prop used in the scene for comic effect would also be something that would logically be found in a late-night dressing room — like the big metal bucket first glimpsed when the characters enter, when it's filled with bottles of water, and later seen in close-up as Dance Mom's getting dunked. 'We had options on what the ice bucket would actually be and what would look best cinematically,' Tokarz said. 'Then we kind of back it up and have it make sense to the room. It all has to tie together to be realistic, so it's not like something that suddenly appeared on the coffee table. It was holding the water bottles at one point, and then they used it for something else.' 'So we take all these elements and just make sure nobody's going to get hurt, [while giving the actors] the flexibility to do what they did.' 'We definitely scripted a lot of the physical comedy because it was such a frantic scene,' Downs said. 'They were essentially going to be dragging an unconscious woman into her dressing room and trying to revive her. There was a lot of opportunity for us to mine moments for physical comedy. […] Megan Stalter, Julianne Nicholson, and myself all had a lot of fun doing it, and I think we're all people who are open to improvisation and ad-libbing, but that was one that we kind of had to choreograph pretty specifically. There's so many props, and there's so much matching, continuity-wise. […] There was the clearing of the cocaine, which is a very common phrase in film and theater.' Aniello, who also directed the episode, said they don't often get to 'do a lot of rehearsal — some might say none' — but they make the time for more physical scenes like this one. It helps maximize the humor already written into the scripts while identifying unforeseen avenues for additional wit. 'When we reveal she's on all fours, that's written into the script,' Aniello said. 'They wrestle over the bag, she runs into the bar cart, all those beats are definitely there. In terms of 'they're sitting down and this is where they stand up,' that's the kind of thing that we work out.' 'It's a delicate dance of being very direct in the script and then also when we rehearse so we can match continuity and stuff,' Statsky said. 'But also, like Paul's saying — and credit to him — he and Meg and Julianne are so present and such incredible comedians that, in the moment, you also want to give space for them to make choices. One of the funniest moments in the scene to me is when Paul goes over to the door and throws the purse over his shoulder. That was not in the script. That was just something Paul found in the moment — or maybe Lucia, you told him — but it was found on the day, in the moment.' Then, of course, there's the act of actually capturing everything written down, designed, and performed. 'What I love about this scene from a camera perspective is just how reactive the camera is,' Adam Bricker, the cinematographer, said. 'We have incredible camera operators who are really in the scene, living in the moment. There's a great energy to the scene, and I think they strike the right tonal balance of not trying to introduce that energy with the camera, but sort of reacting to the performances in a way that keeps it really grounded and real.' 'Then from a lighting perspective, we wanted to keep it naturalistic but also make it feel a little scary, like something bad might happen in here.' Something bad did happen in that dressing room, but at least no one left with teeth marks — or so they say. 'Hacks' is available on Max. IndieWire partnered with Universal Studio Group for USG University, a series of virtual panels celebrating the best in television art from the 2024-2025 TV season across NBC Universal's portfolio of shows. USG University (a Universal Studio Group program) is presented in partnership with Roybal Film & TV Magnet and IndieWire's Future of Filmmaking. Catch up on the latest USG University videos here or directly at the USG University site. Best of IndieWire 2023 Emmy Predictions: Who Will Win at the Primetime Emmy Awards? 2023 Emmy Predictions: Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special 2023 Emmy Predictions: Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Julianne Nicholson Was ‘Paradise' Creator Dan Fogelman's Only Choice for His ‘Complicated' Villain
On June 5, the IndieWire Honors Spring 2025 ceremony will celebrate the creators and stars responsible for some of the most impressive and engaging work of this TV season. Curated and selected by IndieWire's editorial team, IndieWire Honors is a celebration of the creators, artisans, and performers behind television well worth toasting. We're showcasing their work with new interviews leading up to the Los Angeles event. Ahead, 'Paradise' creator Dan Fogelman explains why Julianne Nicholson, this season's IndieWire Honors Performance Award winner, was so worth the wait (and the white lies) it took to get her 'transcendent' work in the series. More from IndieWire Natasha Lyonne: The Maverick Behind the Madness 'Stick' Review: Owen Wilson's Golf Comedy Takes Too Many Shortcuts Trying to Be 'Ted Lasso' It's summer of 2024. We are shooting Episode 2 of my new [Hulu] series, 'Paradise.' While a lot of my mental energy has been devoted to the pilot, I'm equally focused on the second episode… an episode that expands our world and tells the backstory of our complicated 'villain' — Samantha Redmond, AKA Sinatra. I have come to set today — a rarity for me. Because today Julianne Nicholson is doing her big therapy scene — a monologue where she processes the loss of a child and her failed attempts to move forward — and I want to see it live. There are some things you just need to see in person. Julianne begins her monologue. The directors — knowing what's about to happen before it happens — have chosen to start on her and shoot the scene in one shot. No editing. Just let her go. And, so, the scene begins. I am standing in the back room, watching on the rear monitors. Julianne launches in. It is transcendent. And to no one, or maybe everyone, I simply say, 'Oh, my God.' And with that, as I'm inclined to do in many of my screenplays, I FLASHBACK. It's a year earlier now. I've been an admirer of Julianne's from a distance for years, and I've been obsessed with the idea of her as Sinatra from go. We've Zoomed, connected, and agreed to take this journey together. I'm so excited. And then I get a phone call… there's been a hiccup. Julianne has been filming another project, a project that still has time left to go, and their dates conflict with ours. They conflict in a way that makes shooting with her impossible. 'Dan,' I'm told, 'You're going to have to move on and cast someone else.' A decade of running TV shows has taught me to roll with the punches. A location falls apart, you change the location. An actor can't get their head around a speech, you change the words. But having Julianne in my show — in this part — and then losing her? I can't roll with that. There's a multiple week overlap between projects. I would have to push our project multiple weeks to accommodate Julianne's schedule. At a very late date. It would cost the show, and the studio that employs me, a LOT of money. I worry I'll never be able to convince anyone to push, not for one actor in an ensemble, no matter how great they are. And so… I lie. I tell everyone I need more time to prep the show (which I kind of do), and that we are rushing into production before we were ready (also a partial truth). But the real truth: we could shoot now. Just not with Julianne. And I don't want to shoot without Julianne. BACK TO PRESENT Julianne only needs two takes at the monologue. We will wind up using her first take in the show. It is one of the most extraordinary single pieces of acting I've ever witnessed — a broken woman, a mother who has lost a child, grasping at anything she can hold on to as she tries to survive for her remaining child. It's so raw, and so real… one of those performances where the lines blur between reality and art. You can hear a pin drop on stage. Everyone knows they are witnessing 'special.' I have a five-year-old. We're entering the 'not good to lie' portion of his development. But the white lie I told that allowed Julianne to play Sinatra is one of those few lies I'll be proud of for the rest of my life. She's a woman at the very top of her craft, who is kind and generous to boot. Working with Julianne Nicholson is, indeed, Paradise. Best of IndieWire The Best Thrillers Streaming on Netflix in June, from 'Vertigo' and 'Rear Window' to 'Emily the Criminal' All 12 Wes Anderson Movies, Ranked, from 'Bottle Rocket' to 'The Phoenician Scheme' Nightmare Film Shoots: The 38 Most Grueling Films Ever Made, from 'Deliverance' to 'The Wages of Fear'
Business Upturn
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Upturn
Paradise Season 2: Release date speculation, cast and plot details – Everything we know so far
By Aman Shukla Published on May 20, 2025, 18:00 IST Last updated May 20, 2025, 11:00 IST Hulu's gripping political thriller Paradise has captivated audiences with its intense drama and stellar cast. Following the success of its debut season, fans are eagerly awaiting Paradise Season 2. Here's everything we know so far about the release date, cast, plot, and more. Paradise Season 2 Release Date Speculation While Hulu has not yet confirmed an official premiere date for Paradise Season 2, speculation points to a potential release in early 2026. Series creator Dan Fogelman has expressed hope for an early 2026 premiere, as mentioned in an interview with Deadline. Production is already underway, with filming announced by Fogelman via Instagram, suggesting a timeline that aligns with this estimate. Paradise Season 2 Potential Cast The cast of Paradise Season 2 is shaping up to be as compelling as its first season. Sterling K. Brown, who plays Xavier Collins, is confirmed to return, bringing his Emmy-winning talent back to the series. Other Season 1 stars expected to reprise their roles include: Julianne Nicholson as the cunning billionaire Sinatra. James Marsden and Krys Marshall, whose characters are likely to continue their arcs from the first season's bunker setting. Paradise Season 2 Potential Plot Details Plot details for Paradise Season 2 are being kept tightly under wraps, but hints suggest a continuation of the political thriller's high-stakes narrative. The story is expected to build on the Season 1 finale, with Shailene Woodley's character, a prominent survivor, playing a key role in Xavier's ongoing mission. The bunker setting and its complex dynamics will likely remain central, with returning characters like Sinatra (Julianne Nicholson) driving the tension. While specific plot points are scarce, the addition of new faces and the show's dystopian undertones hint at fresh conflicts and alliances. Fans can expect more twists in this intricate thriller. Aman Shukla is a post-graduate in mass communication . A media enthusiast who has a strong hold on communication ,content writing and copy writing. Aman is currently working as journalist at
