Latest news with #TheWhale
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sadie Sink on Her First Tony Nomination, Shaking Off ‘Stranger Things' Expectations
While Sadie Sink rose to fame in Netflix's Stranger Things, her roots are in the theater. The 23-year-old actress appeared in a revival of Annie in 2013 and starred as young Queen Elizabeth in The Audience in 2015 before going on to play Max in Stranger Things, and taking on roles in films including The Whale. And now, Sink has returned to Broadway in John Proctor is the Villain, where she has received her first Tony nomination for her role as high schooler Shelby Holcomb. More from The Hollywood Reporter Darren Criss, Renée Elise Goldsberry Set to Host Tony Awards Preshow Broadway Sees Highest Grossing Season on Record Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit, Nicholas Christopher to Lead Broadway Revival of 'Chess' Sink was nervous about returning to Broadway, especially with the fandom and expectations of Stranger Things surrounding her. But she was drawn back by Kimberly Bellflower's play, in which a group of high school girls dissect The Crucible for English class, while also seeing parallels with their own lives. While the play is an ensemble piece, Sink's character comes in like a wrecking ball who takes aim at the moral authority ascribed to the character of John Proctor in The Crucible as well as the systems set up to protect men around her. The play touches on feminism, varied responses among women to bad behavior by men and the complicated friendships among teenage girls, including Sink's character who starts out at odds with her friend Raelynn over a boy. This approach to the text, as well as the play's needle drops of songs by Taylor Swift and Lorde, makes these topics accessible to younger generations grappling with the current political climate, Sink said. 'I think it's the most important thing I've ever been a part of, in that sense,' Sink said. John Proctor is the Villain is also nominated for best play, as part of seven overall Tony nominations. The best actress nominee spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about shaking off nerves and moving past her Stranger Things character for Broadway, as well as what she hopes audiences take away from the play. Had returning to Broadway been on your radar? I was thinking about coming back, but honestly, I wasn't too eager to do it until I read Kimberly's play, because the idea of doing theater again was a little bit scary. I didn't know how it would be for me as an adult, or if I even had the stamina or the chops to do it, and if things had changed from being very comfortable on a TV show for 10 years. But when I read this, I was like, 'OK it's fantastic. It's an incredible ensemble piece.' So it's not like I'd be biting off more than I could chew. You feel so supported, and everyone in this cast is so stellar. So once I read this, it was like, if it can get to Broadway…because I also didn't know. It's kind of a big swing to do a new play, even though it had kind of gained some recognition and had gotten its flowers on a regional, collegiate level, you still just don't know with a play about teenage girls if producers and theater owners are going to believe in it and that the traditional Broadway audience would want to go. What did it feel like when you first came back? I was definitely nervous about what my nerve level would be, and how I was going to handle being on stage, because it's so exposing, and you're so vulnerable. A big thing I had to get over just in the first week of previews was letting go of any expectations I had on myself, but also that the audience would place on me in any way. That was something that was eating me up a bit. It is an ensemble piece, and yeah, sure, my name's on the marquee and everything, but if you go into the show, you realize that it's really not about that. But I think it added this extra layer of pressure in the beginning of, 'Oh, are people coming in expecting more out of me? Or are they seeing Shelby, or are they seeing Max from Stranger Things? You just never know. [Director] Danya [Taymor] actually had a really good conversation with me about that to help me let that go a bit. And once I did everything felt very free. That's kind of the point of previews too. You're in front of an audience for the first time. It's trial and error and embarrassing, because you are in front of an audience every single night as you're testing out all of these new things and situating yourself. It was quite the journey. There's definitely some points where you're like, 'Oh my God, can I do this? Am I just embarrassing myself?' What advice did Danya give you that helped you let go of that pressure? I think she could see that there was this wall that went up as soon as I was in front of an audience, because I haven't had to do this since gaining recognition through Stranger Things. I haven't had to be on stage in front of the audience right there. So I think I felt like I just put this wall up that maybe wasn't there in rehearsals. And Danya told me 'That's always going to be there, that you want to protect yourself from the audience. But if you use the character, if you're just a vessel for Shelby, then any choice that you make, she is your protection, because you're not yourself up there, so you can't feel judged, or feel like there's any expectations on you, because they're not. When you're on stage, you're Shelby.' Kimberly's agent had sent it to me, and I couldn't put it down. I just like tore through it. And the initial reaction, other than the fact that it's just a brilliant story, was just how real every character is held. And I think that's so rare when, like, you know, telling a story about teenage girls, I find it's like, super hard to get it right in a way that's like, really meeting them where they're at. And I just felt like Kimberly really encapsulated the feeling of being that age. And then it was kind of just gut instinct that this is obviously fantastic, and I think we should do a reading of it or something, and we did. How did you feel about having music featured so heavily in the play with both Taylor Swift and Lorde? I loved all the pop culture references. I think if you shy away from them, then you're not honoring the experience of being a teenage girl, because pop culture is so prevalent in most of our lives now, but especially at that age, it's like your language. And I thought everything was super clever, the way that Kimberly tied it in there, and with the use of Lorde's song 'Green Light' at the end, it's just the perfect cherry on top. At first, it's funny, because, of course, they joke about being very gifted, very beautiful interpretive dancers. And of course, they're going to start dancing to a Lorde song, but then it kind of shifts and they're able to use it as this kind of weapon or armor as they reclaim their voices and their bodies and exercise some demons through it. So it becomes this anthem towards the end. And I also just love that. I feel like a lot of the projects I've done have featured a song. There's always one song you can tie into it. What are you hoping people take away from this play? A lot of people have different reactions. Someone will come up to me and be like, 'I'm so pissed off right now,' and then other people will just be sobbing and crying. There's a mix of reactions, but I think the one thing I hope people take away from it is like, to me, I think it's just a story about friendship, like Raelynn and Shelby's friendship, and how they're able to forgive each other and come together and like that final moment, it's just all about them being connected and being able to have this exorcism, give this monologue in front of their entire class, and they couldn't do it without each other. So I think it's a love letter to that bond when you're a teenage girl and you're best friends. It must feel more charged doing this play in this political climate. Yeah, and obviously, the timing of it was not planned at all. We were always set to come to the Booth Theatre in the spring, and then with the results of the election, I think, coming into rehearsals and being with an all-female creative team, and mostly female cast, young cast, and having that to go to every day and working on something that really mattered and feeling like I think we could actually really reach people, especially young people, at this time of scariness and uncertainty and all kinds of disgusting things happening. I think it's the most important thing I've ever been a part of, in that sense. But of course, we're not trying to make any comments on it. It's just not lost on us. Everything is presented the same way. But you can't ignore the fact that it's even more poignant at this time. Do you want to do more live theater after this? I would love to. I think that's the dream. I learned more about acting in these last few months than I have in a very long time. And it's such a marathon. So I think we'll take a little break after this, but I want to come back for sure, because I think doing theater is also how you maintain your passion for acting, at least for me. It's really returning to your craft, in a very special way that film and TV sometimes just can't offer you. And I started out in theater, so of course, I always will have a love for it, and definitely want to return. And you're still so close to with the Broadway show playing across from your theater. I know. Isn't that insane timing? I saw it in London awhile ago, and then I also saw it when it came here. But yeah, it's insane, right across the street. I mean, they follow me everywhere. It's crazy. What does this Tony nomination mean to you? I grew up watching the Tonys every year and studying Tony performances. To me, the ultimate honor is to get a nomination or win a Tony award. The Tonys, New York theater, Broadway, I just think it's the pinnacle of what acting is, and performing is, and you're surrounded by some of the greatest actors ever. And so to have this recognition from the community that raised me, it has mattered the most. And also I've been doing this for 15 years, basically my whole life. And something like this has never happened to me. And so, for it to be a Tony nomination, it's just so serendipitous, and it just means so much. This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Best of The Hollywood Reporter From 'Lady in the Lake' to 'It Ends With Us': 29 New and Upcoming Book Adaptations in 2024 Meet the Superstars Who Glam Up Hollywood's A-List Rosie O'Donnell on Ellen, Madonna, Trump and 40 Years in the Queer Spotlight
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Hollywood isn't ready for AI. These people are diving in anyway
When filmmakers say they're experimenting with artificial intelligence, that news is typically received online as if they had just declared their allegiance to Skynet. And so it was when Darren Aronofsky — director of button-pushing movies including 'The Whale' and 'Black Swan' — last week announced a partnership with Google AI arm DeepMind to use the tech giant's capabilities in storytelling. Aronofsky's AI-focused studio Primordial Soup is producing three short movies from emerging filmmakers using Google tools, including the text-to-video model Veo. The first film, 'Ancestra,' directed by Eliza McNitt, will premiere at the Tribeca Festival on June 13, the Mountain View-based search giant said. Google's promotional materials take pains to show that 'Ancestra' is a live-action film made by humans and with real actors, though it's bolstered with effects and imagery — including a tiny baby holding a mother's finger — that were created with AI. The partnership was touted during Google's I/O developer event, where the company showed off the new Veo 3, which allows users to create videos that include sound effects, ambient noise and speech (a step up from OpenAI-owned competitor, Sora). The company also introduced its new Flow film creation tool, essentially editing software using Google AI functions. Google's push to court creative types coincides with a separate initiative to help AI technology overcome its massive public relations problem. As my colleague Wendy Lee wrote recently, the company is working with filmmakers including Sean Douglas and his famous father Michael Keaton to create shorts that aren't made with AI, but instead portray the technology in a less apocalyptic light than Hollywood is used to. Simply put, much of the public sees AI as a foe that will steal jobs, rip off your intellectual property, ruin your childhood, destroy the environment and possibly kill us all, like in 'The Terminator,' '2001: A Space Odyssey' and the most recent 'Mission: Impossible' movies. And Google, which is making a big bet by investing in AI, has a lot riding on changing that perception. There's a ways to go, including in the entertainment industry. Despite the allure of cost-savings, traditional studios haven't exactly dived headfirst into the AI revolution. They're worried about the legal implications of using models trained on troves of copyrighted material, and they don't want to anger the entertainment worker unions, which went on strike partly over AI fears just a couple years ago. The New York Times and others have sued OpenAI and its investor Microsoft, alleging copyright theft. Tech giants claim they are protected by 'fair use.' AI-curious studios are walking into a wild, uncharted legal landscape because of the amount of copyrighted material being mined to teach the models, said Dan Neely, co-founder of startup Vermillio, which helps companies and individuals protect their intellectual property. 'The major studios and most people are going to be challenged using this product when it comes to the output content that you can and cannot use or own,' Neely said by phone. 'Given that it contains vast quantities of copyrighted material, and you can get it to replicate that stuff pretty easily, that creates chaos for someone who's creating with it.' But while the legacy entertainment business remains largely skeptical of AI, many newer, digitally-native studios and creators are embracing it, whether their goals are to become the next Pixar or the next Mr. Beast. The New York Times recently profiled the animation startup Toonstar, which says it uses AI throughout its production process, including when sharpening storylines and lip-syncing. John Attanasio, a Toonstar founder, told the paper that leaning into the tech would make animation '80 percent faster and 90 percent cheaper than industry norms.' Jeffrey Katzenberg, the former leader of DreamWorks Animation, has given a similar estimate of the potential cost-savings for Hollywood cartoons. Anyone working in the traditional computer animation business would have to gulp at those projections, whether they turn out to be accurate or not. U.S. animation jobs have already been hammered by outsourcing. Now here comes automation to finish the job. (Disney's animated features cost well over $100 million to produce because they're made by real-life animators in America.) Proponents of AI will sometimes argue that the new technology isn't a replacement for human workers, but rather a tool to enhance creativity. Some are more blunt: Stop worrying about these jobs and embrace the future of uninhibited creation. For obvious reasons, workers are reluctant to buy into that line of thinking. More broadly, it's still unclear whether all the spending on the AI arms race will ultimately be worth the cost. Goldman Sachs, in a 2024 report, estimated that companies would invest $1 trillion in AI infrastructure — including data centers, chips and the power grid — in the coming years. But that same report raised questions about AI's ultimate utility. To be worth the gargantuan investment, the technology would have to be capable of solving far more complex problems than it does now, said one Goldman analyst in the report. In recent weeks, the flaws in the technology have crossed over into absurd territory: For example, by generating a summer reading list of fake books and legal documents polluted with serious errors and fabrications. Big spending and experimentation doesn't always pan out. Look at virtual reality, the metaverse and the blockchain. But some entertainment companies are experimenting with the tools and finding applications. Meta has partnered with horror studio Blumhouse and James Cameron's venture Lightstorm Vision on AI-related initiatives. AI firm Runway is working with Lionsgate. At a time when the movie industry is troubled in part due to the high cost of special effects, production companies are motivated to stay on top of advancing tech. One of the most common arguments in favor of giving in to AI is that the technology will unshackle the next generation of creative minds. Some AI-enhanced content is promising. But so far AI video tools have produced a remarkable amount of content that looks the same, with its oddly dreamlike sheen of unreality. That's partly because the models are trained on color-corrected imagery available on the open internet or on YouTube. Licensing from the studios could help with that problem. The idea of democratizing filmmaking through AI may sound good in theory. However, there are countless examples in movie history — including 'Star Wars' and 'Jaws' — of how having physical and budgetary restrictions are actually good for art, however painful and frustrating they may have been during production. Even within the universe of AI-assisted material, the quality will vary dramatically depending on the talent and skill of people using it. 'Ultimately, it's really hard to tell good stories,' Neely said. 'The creativity that defines what you prompt the machine to do is still human genius — the best will rise to the top.' Like other innovations, the technology will improve with time, as the new Google tools show. Both Veo 3 and Flow showcase how AI is becoming better and easier to use, though they are still not quite mass-market products. For its highest tier, Google is charging $250 a month for its suite of tools. Maybe the next Spielberg will find their way through AI-assisted video, published for free on YouTube. Perhaps Sora and Veo will have a moment that propels them to mainstream acceptance in filmmaking, as 'The Jazz Singer' did for talkies. But those milestones still feel a long way off. The Memorial Day weekend box office achieved record revenue (not adjusting for inflation) of $329.8 million in the U.S. and Canada, thanks to the popularity of Walt Disney Co.'s 'Lilo & Stitch' and Paramount's 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning.' Disney's live-action remake generated $183 million in domestic ticket sales, exceeding pre-release analyst expectations, while the latest Tom Cruise superspy spectacle opened with $77 million. The weekend was a continuation of a strong spring rebound for theaters. Revenue so far this year is now up 22% versus 2024, according to Comscore. This doesn't mean the movie business is saved, but it does show that having a mix of different kinds of movies for multiple audiences is healthy for cinemas. Upcoming releases include 'Karate Kid: Legends,' 'Ballerina,' 'How to Train Your Dragon' and a Pixar original, 'Elio.' 'Lilo & Stitch' is particularly notable, coming after Disney's previous live-action redo, 'Snow White,' bombed in theaters. While Snow White has an important place in Disney history, Stitch — the chaotic blue alien — has quietly become a hugely important character for the company, driving enormous merchandise sales over the years. The 2002 original wasn't a huge blockbuster, coming during an awkward era for Walt Disney Animation, but the remake certainly is. Watch: Prepping for the new 'Naked Gun' by rewatching the classic and reliving the perfect Twitter meme. Listen: My favorite episode of 'Blank Check with Griffin & David' in a long time — covering Steven Spielberg's 'Hook' with Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Space photo of the week: Violent galaxies seen 'jousting' near the dawn of time
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Quick facts What it is: Two galaxies colliding in the early universe Where it is: 11 billion light-years away, in the constellation Cetus When it was shared: May 21, 2025 If you get up before sunrise any day this month, you'll see bright Venus rising in the east. Just below it, in the constellation Cetus (The Whale), something spectacularly violent is happening in the distant background: a "cosmic joust" between two giant galaxies. There, 11 billion light-years from Earth and close to the beginning of the universe itself, two galaxies are moving toward each other at speeds of 310 miles per second (500 kilometers per second), destined to collide before retreating and colliding again and again. Captured by the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in Chile and published this week in Nature, the image is unique because one of the galaxies is a quasar, in which a supermassive black hole consumes so much gas and dust that it produces a glowing disk at the center of a galaxy. According to the European Space Agency, quasars are among the most luminous objects in the known universe, typically emitting thousands of times more light than the entire Milky Way. This quasar, J012555.11−012925.00, is shown on the right of the image. As the galaxy on the right collides with the galaxy on the left, it pierces its clouds of gas and dust with intense radiation — hence the comparison to the medieval sport of jousting — inhibiting the galaxy's ability to form new stars. The collision between these two galaxies leaves the one on the left in a much worse state. It's the first time astronomers have witnessed such a collision. "Here we see for the first time the effect of a quasar's radiation directly on the internal structure of the gas in an otherwise regular galaxy," Sergey Balashev, co-lead of the study and a researcher at the Ioffe Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia, said in a statement. The observations indicate that the spear of radiation from the quasar leaves intact only the densest regions of gas and dust, which are likely too small to form stars. Related: Cotton candy clouds shine in one of Hubble's most beautiful images ever SEE MORE SPACE PHOTOS —Cotton candy clouds shine in one of Hubble's most beautiful images ever —Bizarre 1-armed spiral galaxy stuns Hubble scientists —Record-breaking James Webb telescope image captures 1,678 galaxy groups at once Not surprisingly, the depletion of the companion galaxy leaves the quasar stronger, which provides new fuel to the supermassive black hole powering the quasar. "These mergers are thought to bring huge amounts of gas to supermassive black holes residing in galaxy centers," Balashev said. In addition to this spectacular image, the European Southern Observatory published videos on YouTube that explain the science, zoom in on the galactic collision, and give an artist's impression of the violent event. For more sublime space images, check out our Space Photo of the Week archives.
Business Mayor
6 days ago
- Science
- Business Mayor
Space photo of the week: Violent galaxies seen 'jousting' near the dawn of time
Quick facts What it is: Two galaxies colliding in the early universe Where it is: 11 billion light-years away, in the constellation Cetus When it was shared: May 21, 2025 If you get up before sunrise any day this month, you'll see bright Venus rising in the east. Just below it, in the constellation Cetus (The Whale), something spectacularly violent is happening in the distant background: a 'cosmic joust' between two giant galaxies. There, 11 billion light-years from Earth and close to the beginning of the universe itself, two galaxies are moving toward each other at speeds of 310 miles per second (500 kilometers per second), destined to collide before retreating and colliding again and again. Captured by the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope and Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in Chile and published this week in Nature, the image is unique because one of the galaxies is a quasar, in which a supermassive black hole consumes so much gas and dust that it produces a glowing disk at the center of a galaxy. According to the European Space Agency , quasars are among the most luminous objects in the known universe, typically emitting thousands of times more light than the entire Milky Way. This quasar, J012555.11−012925.00, is shown on the right of the image. As the galaxy on the right collides with the galaxy on the left, it pierces its clouds of gas and dust with intense radiation — hence the comparison to the medieval sport of jousting — inhibiting the galaxy's ability to form new stars. The collision between these two galaxies leaves the one on the left in a much worse state. It's the first time astronomers have witnessed such a collision. 'Here we see for the first time the effect of a quasar's radiation directly on the internal structure of the gas in an otherwise regular galaxy,' Sergey Balashev , co-lead of the study and a researcher at the Ioffe Institute in St. Petersburg, Russia, said in a statement . The observations indicate that the spear of radiation from the quasar leaves intact only the densest regions of gas and dust, which are likely too small to form stars. Related: Cotton candy clouds shine in one of Hubble's most beautiful images ever Get the world's most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox. Not surprisingly, the depletion of the companion galaxy leaves the quasar stronger, which provides new fuel to the supermassive black hole powering the quasar. 'These mergers are thought to bring huge amounts of gas to supermassive black holes residing in galaxy centers,' Balashev said. In addition to this spectacular image, the European Southern Observatory published videos on YouTube that explain the science , zoom in on the galactic collision , and give an artist's impression of the violent event. For more sublime space images, check out our Space Photo of the Week archives .
Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Austin Butler and Zoe Kravits take on a life unknown in new film Caught Stealing. Watch trailer
Sony Pictures are bringing a whole bunch of confusion and action with their new film Caught Stealing, which will follow the life of Hank Thompson, played by Austin Butler. Director Darren Aronofsky, who is known for films like Requiem for a Dream (2000), Black Swan (2010), The Whale (2022) and The Wrestler (2008), is in the driving seat of the narrative. The film features stars like Austin Butler, Zoe Kravitz, Matt Smith, Bad Bunny, Liev Schreiber, Regina King, Vincent D'Onfrio and Action Bronson. The trailer starts with introducing the protagonist, Hank, who is a bartender and is closing shop for the day when Yvonne (Zoe Kravitz) convinces him to go back to his place together. We meet his obnoxiously dressed neighbour Russ (Matt Smith), who is apparently going out of town and needs Hank to take care of his cat. Yvonne and Hank agree to what seems to be a simple enough assignment and take the cat with them. Soon enough some people come looking for Russ and assault Hank for not telling them where Russ is. They are not the only ones looking for Russ, though, and Colorado ( Bad Bunny) threatens to kill Hank if he doesn't speak up. ALSO READ: Who is the Next James Bond? Theo James, Henry Cavill, and Bridgerton stars lead the top 7 frontrunners to replace Daniel Craig as 007 Once Russ comes back, Hank confronts him and asks him about the entire mess. Russ takes him to a storage facility and shows him a tonne of stolen clothes and merchandise along with $4 million, which seems to be the reason why everyone is after Russ. He explains how everyone was 'supposed to get a cut: the Russians, the Puerto Ricans, and even the Hebrews'. All chaos ensues as Hank decides to drive into the storm rather than away from it while juggling his relationship with Yvonne, who is still wondering where they both stand romantically. Everyone under the sun starts chasing Hank, and the bartender fights back with whatever limited skill he has, considering this is a very strange world for him, and even surprises himself when he knocks one of the Russians out cold. Yvonne tells him, 'That I need a man who handles his stuff,' and Hank kisses her and says, 'I can handle this.' The trailer ends on a confusing and amusing note as Hank is seen eating dinner with the Hebrew gangsters (Liev Schreiber and Vincent D'Onfrio) who were chasing him. Caught Stealing will hit theatres on August 29.
