Latest news with #MarkDuplass
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Mark Duplass on exploring the ‘dark underbelly of the hero complex' in Hulu's ‘Good American Family'
"I was able to look more closely at what hero complexes are and what people's desires to help people are really all about," says Mark Duplass of his role as Michael Barnett in the Hulu limited series Good American Family. "Why did Michael and [wife] Kristine feel like they needed to adopt this girl? Was it really because they wanted to help her or were there other things involved?" Good American Family tells the story of Natalia Grace, a Ukrainian-born orphan with a rare form of dwarfism, whose adoption takes a dark turn when her new family begins to question her true identity. Duplass and Ellen Pompeo play her adoptive parents, the Barnetts, and newcomer Imogen Faith Reid stars as Natalia. More from GoldDerby Jason Ritter talks 'Lanterns,' working up the nerve to ask to wear the power ring 2025 ACM Awards winners list: Lainey Wilson wins Artist-Songwriter of the Year After 12 career nominations, Scott Ellis could win his first ever Tony Award for producing 'Yellow Face' Duplass admits he was initially hesitant about the series. "I read some headlines," he tells Gold Derby. "I had seen a little bit of the this came about, I had this snap judgement of 'Why are we doing another ripped-from-the-headlines story? Do we need to do this story? Has it been told yet?'" However, after meeting with showrunners Katie Robbins and Sarah Sutherland, Duplass was convinced to join the project. "They walked me through their vision of telling the story over eight episodes. They walked me through the hundreds of hours of research they had done on the complexities of these characters. They told me, 'This is a story about perspective and this is a story about bias. We're going to do this by doing the Rashomon trick. We're going to do this from different perspectives and weave in and out. Your character of Michael Barnett is going to be at times seen as a lovely father who cares for his children with the best of intentions — to someone who's very manipulative, someone with serious mental health issues. All of these things are going to exist within this plane.'" For Duplass, the ambitious storytelling approach sealed the deal. "I thought, 'That's a big swing for one of these marquee Hulu miniseries and I want to be a part of this ship whether it sinks or sails.'" Playing Barnett required a careful balance for the actor. "I haven't played a lot of real-life figures on screen," he says. "Knowing that Michael Barnett was a very public figure because of the documentary, I felt like I needed to watch a bit of the documentary to understand the ways of the character — mannerisms, means of speech — and make a decision on how much I wanted to lean into or out of that." "The showrunners made it pretty clear to me that we were going to be making the character of Michael Barnett — 'inspired by'," Duplass continues. "That freed me up a little bit to bring some of my own skills into the character." SEE 'I just wanted to make her feel seen': Imogen Faith Reid on portraying Natalia Grace in Hulu's 'Good American Family' The actor was also able to find commonality with Barnett. "There are a lot of things at the core that I identify with. This character has a lot of mental health issues and I've dealt with a lot of that in the past. That helps me to understand the desperation with which someone would operate and how much he wants to cling to his marriage. How much you might allow yourself to be manipulated and how you might manipulate others to keep your life on the rails." Duplass calls working with Pompeo one of the highlights of his Emmy-winning career. "I love Ellen and I love what she brought to this whole process. She is arguably the biggest television star of this generation with Grey's Anatomy. She was nervous. I love that she was questioning if audiences would reject her because they just want to see Meredith Grey. We talked about all that stuff. It was so beautiful that she shared that with me. She's got a very high integrity meter. We had a blast together." Another welcome surprise was working with Reid, who was starring in her first-ever speaking role. 'She's the real revelation," Duplass says. "She's not speaking in her native dialect, she is figuring out an entirely new form of physicality — throw everything at this girl that you possibly can. She was such a light of positivity, grace, and gratitude. For all of us who have been doing this for so long, it was a reminder that, 'Oh yeah, right! This job's f--king awesome. We should all be grateful to be here.'' Michael Barnett's narrative is fraught with emotional challenges, particularly the dynamics among him, Kristine, and Natalia. "The character of Michael is stuck in between them," Duplass explains. "I really enjoyed a lot of those scenes. There's the simplicity of a love triangle, but there's a deeper level — this character really believes that Kristine has saved his life. He wouldn't be here today if it was not for her. He is so desperately afraid of disappointing her or losing her. At the same time, he's so desperately attached to Natalia and the idea that he could parent her in a way that would save her from some of the horrible childhood misery that he felt he had. What more can you ask for to play dramatically?" Duplass says Barnett's own childhood greatly influenced his portrayal. "That's a huge piece of it for me. He's trying to right the wrongs of his own childhood and he's using his family to do that. It's not fair to anyone, but it's not the worst intention in the world." In the end, Duplass feels that the Barnetts suffered from an extreme case of "hero complex." He questions, "Was Kristine doing it because she thought her husband needs this to help bring him out of his depression? Was she doing it to prove to herself that after she fixed her son that she could fix this girl? She'll be better than her mother was to her? Was Michael trying to find something to glue the family together? To keep Kristine within his reach so he wouldn't end up alone on a bridge somewhere? The darker underbelly of the hero complex and ego were really fascinating to me." All episodes of Good American Family are currently streaming on Hulu. 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.
Irish Times
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Times
Good American Family review: An eye-poppingly bizarre true story that fails to come to life
Just as there are many types of crime in the world – bank robbery, money laundering, Ed Sheeran's Galway Girl , etc – so there are many varieties of true crime television. From the tabloid documentary to the gritty drama, streaming has had a go at them all. But Disney+'s new thriller, Good American Family, has an altogether different take on a milieu built on the suffering of strangers: it is deathly dull. Its snoozy qualities are a surprise, considering the presence of likable Grey's Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo, playing an influencer mother who may or may not be the villain of the piece. And also because the real-life case on which it is based is so eye-poppingly bizarre – involving claims of false identity, drugging, emotional manipulation and worse. These are all terrible subjects, but none could be described as dreary. Yet Good American Family commits the egregious sin of attempting to send the viewer to sleep at every turn. It tells the story of Kristine and Michael Barnett (Pompeo and Mark Duplass) who adopt a seven-year-old-child with dwarfism from Ukraine only to conclude she is in fact an adult posing as a minor. There are many twists – though Good American Family gives the ending away with the opening. READ MORE The tale rewinds to 2010. The Barnetts are the parents of boys but desperate for a daughter to 'complete' their family. When the girl they were looking after with a view to adoption is instead given over to the care of a blood relative, Michael is heartbroken – but Kristine appears unmoved. It's almost as if the child she had thought of as her own is now dead to her – but, never mind, there is the possibility of a second chance when an agency asks if they might be interested in adopting Natalia Grace (Imogen Faith Reid). Viewers familiar with the real case – a genuine scandal in the United States – will be aware of the many twists and turns to follow. As the drama unspools, it becomes unclear who the hero or the monster is – or, indeed, which side is gaslighting the other. And yet, a potentially gripping story never comes to life – one major flaw being Pompeo's inability to bring any nuance to Kristine. Torn between depicting her as a devil posing as an angel of mercy or a well-meaning yet naive woman caught up in difficult circumstances, she settles on a state of elevated befuddlement. You never believe in Kristine as a real individual – or that Natalia's experiences are based on actual events, which is bizarre as it all really did happen – a fact Disney's bland series fails to sell.
USA Today
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
What can you watch with Hulu + Live TV? Here's your ultimate TV guide
What can you watch with Hulu + Live TV? Here's your ultimate TV guide Find out how much Hulu + Live TV costs, how to watch March Madness and more. — Recommendations are independently chosen by our editors. Purchases you make through our links may earn us and our publishing partners a commission. If you're looking to cut the cable cord but you still want to catch your favorite live sports, news and shows, it can be hard to navigate which platform to choose. Hulu + Live TV is one of the more popular streaming services that combines live television with an extensive on-demand library of entertainment options. To help you choose the right metaphorical channel, we've put together the ultimate guide to what Hulu + Live TV offers. Find out everything you need to know below. How much does Hulu + Live TV cost? Hulu + Live TV has a few different subscription plans you can choose from and they vary by price and features like advertisements and additional streaming services: Live TV only: $81.99 per month $81.99 per month Hulu (with ads) + Live TV, Disney+ (with ads) and ESPN+ (with ads): $82.99 per month $82.99 per month Hulu (no ads) + Live TV, Disney+ (no ads) and ESPN+ (with ads): $95.99 per month Sign up for Hulu + Live TV What can you watch with Hulu + Live TV? Watch local channels Hulu + Live TV includes over 95 live and local channels, such as ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN and FOX. Local channels vary depending on your location. Subscribers also get unlimited DVR recording, allowing you to save and watch your favorite shows later (or multiple times). Watch sports March is a very busy time for sports fans. With Hulu + Live TV, you can watch all the NCAA March Madness excitement, catch MLB Opening Day games and more. Hulu + Live TV provides access to all the channels broadcasting March Madness games, including CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV. In addition to the MLB Network, Hulu + Live TV offers channels like ESPN, FOX and TBS, which broadcast many MLB games throughout the season. Watch movies and televsion You can watch Hulu Originals like "High Potential" and "The Great" as well as award-winning shows like "Only Murders In The Building" and jaw-dropping documentaries like "Devil In The Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke." New Hulu Original: Watch Ellen Pompeo and Mark Duplass in the latest Hulu release, "Good American Family" Bundle deal: If you want it all, we suggest checking out the Hulu + Live TV bundle deals that include Disney+ and ESPN+ for even more access to a wider range of content. You can choose to pay for ad-free streaming or the options with ads for a little extra. Hulu + Live TV, Disney+ and ESPN+ Check out the streaming bundles with Hulu + Live TV, Disney+ and ESPN+ to satisfy your entire household's watchlist needs. Sign up for Hulu + Live TV More: Now streaming: Get Hulu and Disney+ for $2.99 per month this March Prices were accurate at the time this article was published but may change over time.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
TVLine Items: The Creep Tapes Renewed, For All Mankind Spinoff Casting and More
Scary good news: Shudder has renewed the horror series The Creep Tapes for a six-episode Season 2, debuting later this year on Shudder and AMC+. Written and executive-produced by Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice, The Creep Tapes' first episode was the most watched Shudder show of all time on AMC+. More from TVLine English Teacher Nearing Season 2 Renewal at FX (Exclusive) Super Bowl Sunday: Here's Everything Airing Before and After the Big Game TVLine Items: Denise Richards Reality Series Premiere, Muhammad Ali's Parents Cast and More 'Season 2 will continue to unravel the mind of this secluded serial killer (Duplass) who lures videographers into his world with the promise of a paid job documenting his life. Unfortunately, as the tape rolls, the killer's questionable intentions surface with his increasingly odd behavior and the victims will learn they may have made a deadly mistake,' reads the official synopsis. Ready for some more recent newsy nuggets? Well… * For All Mankind's forthcoming spinoff Star City has added Anna Maxwell Martin (Motherland) to its cast as Lyudmilla, the head of the KGB surveillance department at Star City, our sister site Deadline reports. She joins the recently cast Rhys Ifans (House of the Dragon) as the Soviet space program's chief designer. * Jake Tapper's documentary series United States of Scandal will return for Season 2 on Sunday, March 9 on CNN. * Apple TV+ has picked up KPOPPED, a K-pop song battle series starring PSY and Megan Thee Stallion, the latter of whom also executive-produces alongside Lionel Richie. 'In each episode, western icons reimagine one of their biggest hits, collaborating with top-tier K-pop idols to deliver spectacular battle performances, with a live Seoul-based audience picking the winner of the best new K-popped song,' reads the official description. * The documentary Last Take: Rust and the Story of Halyna will premiere Tuesday, March 11 on Hulu. * Adult Swim has set a Sunday, March 9 at 12:15 am premiere for Oh My God…Yes! A Series of Extremely Relatable Circumstances, a quarter-hour, adult animated comedy created by Adele 'Supreme' Williams (My Dad the Bounty Hunter) and set in a futuristic South Central Los Angeles. Watch a trailer: Which of today's TVLine Items pique your interest? Best of TVLine The Emmys' Most Memorable Moments: Laughter, Tears, Historical Wins, 'The Big One' and More 'Missing' Shows, Found! The Latest on Severance, Holey Moley, Poker Face, YOU, Primo, Transplant and 25+ Others Summer TV Calendar: Your Guide to 85+ Season and Series Premieres
