Latest news with #MoosaMostafa
BBC News
20 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Netflix's Wednesday star on getting GCSE advice from Steve Buscemi
Being given exam revision advice from Hollywood A-lister Steve Buscemi is not something that happens in everyday life. But life for actor Moosa Mostafa hasn't been particularly normal since landing a part in the Netflix hit first season of the show became the streaming service's most-watched series ever, with season two launching last week. In the latest episodes, the 17-year-old actor from Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, reprises his role as nerdy outcast Eugene, with filming in Dublin coinciding with his GCSE exams last year. Tim Burton's production follows Wednesday Addams, played by Jenna Ortega, as she returns to Nevermore Academy, with Billie Piper, Joanna Lumley and Buscemi the latest stars to join the cast. "Working with Steve was great, " Moosa told BBC CWR's John Dalziel. "He is genuinely one of the nicest people I've ever met."Filming was delayed, he explained, resulting in revision having to be fitted in between work commitments, travelling back and forth between Ireland and Warwickshire, and often having to revise in hotel who plays Nevermore's new principal Barry Dort, would "take the time out of his day to come and say hello and give me advice," the teenager said. "Before the exams he was telling me 'make sure you do those past papers' and tried to give me revision tests."It was his own little way. The cast were very close." The teenager's first acting role was in Nativity Rocks! - the fourth in the Christmas comedy film series by Coventry writer and director Debbie Isitt. While still at school, he was spotted by Netflix casting directors who were scouting for sci-fi series The Last Bus. "On the back of that I got a really good agent," he explained, which resulted in his part in Wednesday. "It was insane - all of a sudden you're flying to Romania for seven months to work with Tim Burton."I was like, where's this even come from?"Filming the first series aged 13, he was one of the youngest cast members."Everyone was at least five years older than me, but I was just hanging out with them all," he said. "So now we're just a group of friends who happen to work together." Eugene Ottinger is one of Nevermore Academy's quirkier students and president of the school's beekeeping club, which is where he first befriends Wednesday. "He's very fun to play," said Moosa."He's the juxtaposition to a lot of what else happens in the show: he's very cheery and bright compared to the dark sad themes and melancholy stuff going on."I think it's nice that onscreen he has a contrast to Wednesday, specifically, so it's really fun to play that with Jenna."Interest around both series has been "insane," he said, but returning to Leamington to hang out with friends "keeps me grounded in the very best way"."I still get the perfect amount of normality from my friends, despite all the craziness," he added. The show will be returning for a third season, Netflix has announced, but Moosa said he was still in the dark as to the future of his character. If filming coincides with his A Level exams, he said: "I'm sure it will work out regardless."His mother Rima said the GCSE exam clash "wasn't quite what we anticipated, but we rolled with it and Moosa managed it really well"."He's learned a lot about managing work-life balance, and I think he's hugely matured and learned these life skills at a much younger age than a lot of his peers would get a chance to," she said."That in itself has been really admirable, so we're really proud of him." The first four episodes of Wednesday's second season were released on 6 August, with the remaining four released on 3 September. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Gizmodo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
You Can Now Watch ‘Wednesday' Season 2's Haunting Stop-Motion Short
There's a special spooky treat for stop-motion animation fans embedded within season two of Wednesday: a short that's another visual dazzler from the mind of Tim Burton. When Pugsley (Isaac Ordonez) joins the Nevermore Academy ranks, he and his roomie Eugene (Moosa Mostafa) get to know about the lore of the school's haunted tree from their dorm RA. In an attempt to scare the young monsters, Ajax (Georgie Farmer) regales them with the tragedy of a brilliant but twisted mind, an outcast who replaced his heart with a mechanical replacement that made him feel invincible. Watch the stop-motion short below, narrated by Farmer as Ajax, which reveals the horrific hubris that fueled the legend of the Skull Tree. View this post on InstagramFans will recognize Burton's vision, which harkens back to his earlier projects such as the Vincent short, The Nightmare Before Christmas (directed by Henry Selick based on Burton's concept), Corpse Bride, and the feature-length Frankenweenie. The Skull Tree lovingly pays homage to Burton's formative creations. There are those signature black and white trademarks of Vincent and Frankenweenie, the stripes and decaying cracked textures as seen in Halloweentown, and of course the eerie tones that are pure, undiluted Burtonesque genius. And the short serves as more than just a schoolhall spooky story; it provides groundwork for a character who is no doubt going to play a pivotal role when Wednesday drops the second half of its second season. As we now know, Pugsley uses his electric ability to revive the mechanical heart of the corpse in the tree, which becomes his zombie friend Slurp, who is hangry for brains that provide more than sustenance; they're essential as food for dark thoughts with a foreboding sense of impending doom. How exactly will that play out? Well, we'll have to wait until September 3, when Wednesday returns on Netflix. You can watch the first half of season two on the streamer now. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
