Latest news with #Thandiwe
Buzz Feed
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Maggie Gyllenhaal And Angela Bassett Debate Resurfaces
In 2018, Angela Bassett, Claire Foy, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Elisabeth Moss, Thandiwe Newton, and Sandra Oh all sat down with the Hollywood Reporter for a wide-ranging chat about various aspects of their careers. At one point, they were asked about roles that were "easy nos" for them, leading Thandiwe, who is mixed, to sound off about constantly being approached for "ethnic" and "exotic" roles. She said, "I, for years, would be called up and said, 'Thandiwe, they want to go exotic with the role, so get excited. They want to go ethnic with the role,' and even just that...I would just have to brace myself because it was just so deeply offensive, but I wanted to work." "And then I would read the script, and I would transform it out of this bizarre objectification, and I would think, how can I help this, how can I make this more progressive?" Thandiwe continued, noting that the roles were frustratingly "always" written by men. "As soon as I read 'sexy,' I'm like, really? Do we have to be sexy in order to be powerful?" she wondered. "What's that about? And no, they don't mean it when they write 'sexy,' they mean strong, but let's start looking at the way things are described and let's take out the incredibly offensive [words]. They have ramifications. I have daughters. I don't want her thinking you have to be sexy to be powerful." Maggie then chimed in to say that some male creators are well-meaning and genuinely "interested and curious about women" in their work. She also said she believes "sex and sex scenes and sexuality has been a way to get people's attention and then go, OK, are you listening now? Here's what I actually really want to talk about." "That's what's available to me," the Dark Knight star said, "so that's what I used." "I think it has felt like a prerequisite that yes, you can be smart and powerful and all these things," she continued, "but you do have to throw a little sexiness in there. I don't know if that's going to stay that way, but it's certainly been that way for most of my career." Thandiwe then repeated her concern, specifically for young women coming into the industry who are "encouraged to use [their] sexuality" to book jobs, leading Maggie to interject and say, "But aren't we all?" "No, not really," said Angela, who up until that point had been sitting quietly at the table. "I've not been asked to use my sexuality in my career." Clearly taken aback, Maggie asked, "Really? But even just, like, as a vibe?" "No," Angela replied, "not as a Black woman. [I'm] not seen know, there's a particular look and a vibe and image." "And you don't think it includes sexuality?" Maggie asked, pressing on, to which Angela firmly answered, "No, it has not." Sandra, who is Korean, agreed with her. "I gotta tell you. I'll echo Angela's experience, and I will say, for me, I don't think I've ever gotten a job based on boom, boom, boom, boom, boom," she said, motioning toward her body. "No," Angela stressed. "That's why it was so beautiful the first season of Grey's Anatomy to see that image because it has never, across the board, the landscape of cinema, not the one they're checking for for sexuality." The clip of the conversation resurfaced on X this week, earning over 3 million views and tons of comments criticizing Maggie for her insensitive remarks. One X user wrote, "she's so tone deaf lmfao I'm crying." "and then thandiwe next to her going 'i wonder why ' hdhjjsjsj they were having a who's more tone deaf competition there," commented else said, "Maggie just sitting there like a deer in headlights - what Angela & Sandra said is absolutely industry has always had a strange and biased physicality to women of other colors and ethnicities. It's fucked if you really pay attention to movies and tv, and really look at just the last 30 years even, it's very true. Has it gotten better in the more recent years? Ehh, a bit, but there's still a long ass way to go. But what I don't get is that Angela & Sandra are STUNNING, SEXY, BEAUTIFUL women, so it honestly makes zero sense to be discriminated against in such a way. Glad they said something."Another person praised "the way Angela started the layup and Maggie slam dunked it…" There was tons of criticism when the moment was initially posted on THR's YouTube channel, too, with many sharing similar thoughts. Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
News24
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- News24
Vusi Nova on turning pain into art in new single, Phendula - ‘The hurt was raw'
No soulful sound is too tough for him to crack. For over ten years now, Vusi Nova has flexed his musical his 2013 debut album, Walk Into Light and his 2014 work of art, Did It For Love, he cemented himself as a profound vocalist in the mainstream music space. By the time he released Naninina, which was his third album, he had all of us sitting down attentively through Ndikuthandile and Thandiwe. From there, he's given us As'phelalanga and many other chart toppers, such as gospel song with Dumi Mkokstad, Yibanathi. The award-winning musician is now back with a milestone-marking love song, Phendula. Read more | GIG GUIDE | Vusi Nova to host his first ever one-man show with elegance and class 'Phendula is an ode to those healing from a broken heart, it captures the magic of falling deeply in love and then being heartbroken - the regrets, moments, and questions. Phendula was inspired by real heartbreak - those painful moments when love lets you down again and again. It's about turning that pain into something beautiful and healing through music,' Vusi Nova says. He adds that the song is an intimate ballad that has already won the hearts of his fans since the release of the teaser a few weeks ago. 'I want people listening to the song and that have been heartbroken to feel understood and validated, like someone finally put their heartbreak into words. Even in the sadness, I hope they find comfort and strength, knowing they're not alone,' Vusi Nova adds. When writing the lyrics of the song, he admits to having been deep in his feelings. 'The hurt was raw, but I turned pain into art. I'm healed, stronger, and proud of turning struggle into something beautiful.' Over the years, his sound has evolved from just being crudely raw, stripped-down, with just him and his emotions, figuring it out. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Vusi Nova (@vusinova1) 'Now my sound is richer and more layered but still keeping that realness. I feel it's all growth without losing the soul.' Despite the new waves of sound taking over the music industry, he remains true and consistent to his own. 'It's the sound of my story, my people's struggles, and our joy. Raw, unfiltered, human, my roots and my realness. Afro-soul isn't just music, it's medicine. When fans say it mends their heart. That's the mission. It has the power to heal. The genre bends but never breaks, and there's room to fuse tradition with tomorrow. That's freedom, and that keeps me motivated.' Read more | Vusi Nova's 'Okuncinci' sets the tone for love this February His journey has pivoted him into owning a recording label of his own as well, Nova Sounds, which houses upcoming artists in the Afro-pop and Afro-soul fraternity. 'Running my label has been liberating but wild at the same time. I like building a plane while flying it. More control, more headaches, but zero regrets. Every win hits deeper 'cause it's yours. I've been making money moves – funding projects while staying independent is a hustle. It comes with wearing all hats – From A&R to promo, the grind never stops. I've had to break through gatekeepers without major backing. However, the highlights are having creative freedom – dropping music my way, no compromises. Helping other artists shine fuels me. And the small wins have been rewarding.' Thus far, his highlight for the year has not only been hosting his first solo show – The Black Tie which he intends to turn into an annual project but also watching his artists drop albums and singles, watching them soar, and gifting the streets with more music feels great.
Perth Now
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Nico Parker doesn't shy away from nepo baby
Nico Parker insists it is important to acknowledge being a "nepo baby". The 20-year-old actress - who is the daughter of director-and-writer Ol Parker and actress Thandiwe Newton - won't "discredit" her own achievements but she's also happy to give "full credit" to her parents for where she is today. She told Sunday Times Style magazine: 'I never want to discredit myself and what I've done, but I also want to give full credit to my parents. They've both had brilliant careers and I am really fortunate because I get to reap the benefits. "Especially very early in my career, I think you walk into rooms in a different way because people know who your parents are. You do need to acknowledge it — if you don't, where does that leave you? I totally get why it's annoying.' Despite her own acting success, the How To Train Your Dragon star admitted she found her mother's career "boring" when she was growing up and spent time on set with her siblings Ripley, now 24, and 11-year-old Booker. She said: 'I remember being fascinated in the sense it was a movie set, and you can feel the air is different. 'However, then you sit down and watch the monitor and she just talks, talks, talks … I was just like, 'My God you have a boring job.' "I remember it felt like a secret because people would say, 'Your mum's job is so cool,' and I'd be like, 'No it's not, you don't understand. She does nothing.'' And Nico recalled feeling embarrassed by Thandiwe when she was younger. She admitted: 'She'd wear things and I'd be like, 'Mum, oh my God.' I would walk in front of her when she would pick me up from school. But in hindsight she had it so figured out.' These days, Nico is happy to "borrow" items from Thandiwe's wardrobe - but admitted the Crash actress doesn't always notice. She said: 'All the time. Is it borrowing or is it stealing? I know she'll read this and text me. But my mum has loads of cool stuff that she doesn't even wear.' Nico loves her career but sometimes wishes she had a "normal" life like her old school friends. She said: 'A lot of my closest friends are at university and doing what you could view as the 'normal' 20-year-old experience. 'And when I go visit them part of me wishes this is what I was doing. But I really enjoy working.'
