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Fox News
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
'This is Us' star credits God for move from LA to Nashville
Chrissy Metz thanks God for her move to Nashville and getting into the music industry. The "This is Us" actress said she found herself talking to Kelly Clarkson's doctor at one point while she was going back and forth between there and Los Angeles, and he told her, "'You don't know me, but God literally told me to ask you about music.' And I was like, 'Wait, what?'" she told Fox News Digital about how she ended up in Music City. She continued, "And he's like, 'Do you want to write music? Do you sing? I don't even know that about you.' And I'm like, 'Yes, yes. Music was my first love.' And he was like, 'Well, I live in Nashville. If you want to come out to song-write, I'll set you up with meetings.' I was like, 'Are you joking? OK, thank you, God.' And then I came out to start just songwriting with incredible songwriters." The 44-year-old said she's originally from Florida, "so, the South is very familiar to me," and during the coronavirus pandemic her family lived there for eight months. "And it just sort of became like a very comforting place, and you can go anywhere, 10, 15 minutes," she said. "You can have the best food, see three different shows in one night and then write a song. Like, it's just... It's such a special place, and it feels very communal." She still owns a home in Los Angeles — before the move she had been going back and forth during hiatuses from "This is Us" — and when she was there recently, "my friends of 20 years are like, 'What are you doing?' So, I don't know that I'll ever completely give that up, but from what I'm doing now, I'm just, I am so happy here." "I am so happy here." Comparing L.A. to Nashville, Metz said that just running an errand is vastly different. WATCH: 'This is Us' star says she didn't really feel 'seen or heard' growing up "It took two hours and 15 minutes in L.A. It took me seven minutes here," she told Fox News Digital, adding that she feels like it gives her a better "quality of life" in Nashville, not having to sit in traffic for hours. "I hate to say quality of life, because for me, spending time in traffic is about quality of life. And listen, I'm grateful I have a car, I am able to drive, all those things, but I'm like, how much more productive could I be if I was doing something with that time? Not to say I don't roll calls or whatever, listen to music, rehearse, but it's just, I don't know, for right now in my life, in this season, it just feels good and comfortable and right." Along with working on music, the actress has also written a children's book called "When I Talk to God I Talk About Feelings." It is a follow-up to her first book, "When I Talk to God, I Talk About You." "I know as a kid, I had a hard time expressing my feelings," she explained. "And I think our world would be a very different place if we treated the soil and every kid felt like they were heard and seen from a very early age, that they could name their feelings, they could then express them, feel validated in them." "I know as a kid, I had a hard time expressing my feelings, and I think our world would be a very different place if we treated the soil and every kid felt like they were heard and seen from a very early age, that they could name their feelings, they could then express them, feel validated in them." She said she talks to God about her feelings "every single day, sometimes every single minute," which became the impetus for the book. While reading the first book to children at churches and schools, "they always wanted to talk about their feelings," she said. "We would ask about specific questions, and they would always want to talk about how they were feeling or something that made them scared or happy or nervous, and it certainly was a through line and a thread every single time, and I was like, 'Oh, I think the kids just completely created the second book for me,' you know?" WATCH: 'This is Us' star talks inspiration behind her children's book 'When I Talk to God, I Talk About Feelings' With 10 nieces and nephews and experience of having taught preschool, Metz remembered talking to children about a "particular toy or something that happened at home, but the underlining is, 'Hey, you know, I'm feeling a certain way. Will you listen to me?' And that just kept coming up, and it keeps coming up in any sort of conversation." She added, "If you really listen, you can hear what the kid, the adult, whomever you are talking to is really saying." Metz said she didn't really feel "seen or heard as a kid. I was a middle child of five. I learned a lot. I gleaned a lot, but it was tough." She continued, "So, you know, for those young people who may be in the same boat, I'm like, 'Oh, I see you, and I want to hear you, and I wanna see you.'" Metz hopes the book "will create conversation between" the reader and the listener. "And even if it's not a conversation you want to eventually have, hopefully it will just foster connection and time spent with who you're reading it to. Yeah, so, I mean, that's certainly our hope and the reason why I wanted to write it about feelings." "I hope that they take away that they're loved, that they are important and that their feelings are very valid," she added. Praying "from morning till night" is also an important part of her day. Along with praying before meetings, interviews, auditions and other things she does throughout the day, "whether it's friends or family who are going through something or if I see some, you know, an ambulance driving on the road, I will pray. I will just stop and pray for that person. And I think whether you call it prayer or however you call your higher power, I think positive collective consciousness is so important." WATCH: 'This is Us' star says she's 'so happy' after her move from LA to Nashville She said she starts every day with a prayer of gratitude, "and then I just continue through the day." "I'm always wanting to put positivity out there," she added. "And that for me looks like prayer in my connection and relationship with God." "When I Talk to God, I Talk About Feelings" is available now.
Fox News
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
'This Is Us' star Chrissy Metz left Hollywood after two decades, says she found a 'better quality of life'
After over two decades in Los Angeles, "This is Us" actress Chrissy Metz is embracing life in Nashville, Tennessee. "I moved to Nashville," the 44-year-old actress and singer told People magazine in a new interview. "I was in LA for 21 years, but my family is in Florida, where I'm from, and during the pandemic, I could drive to them from here. It's just a better quality of life here. Everything is 15 minutes away, and it's just so much less stress." "There's a lot going on," she added. "There's obviously great music, great food. I grew up in the South, so I'm used to sort of that hospitality—it feels more communal here. In L.A. it was always like, 'Oh, you have an audition? What's it for? Oh, you have an audition? What for?' It was all very dog-eat-dog." Lately, Metz – who starred alongside Mandy Moore, Justin Hartley, Milo Ventimiglia and Sterling K. Brown in the series from 2016 to 2022 – has been focusing on her career in music and the upcoming release of her new children's book, "When I Talk to God, I Talk About Feelings." "I think we're coming into this age of mental health awareness and just talking about our feelings in real ways," she told the outlet. "And so I wondered, could we preemptively strike and get the kids to name their feelings and then express their feelings and have the confidence to even do that?" Metz isn't the only celeb who has been open about their retreat from Hollywood. Renée Zellweger recently reflected on her six-year hiatus from Los Angeles, Zellweger, who found fame starring in movies like "Jerry Maguire" and "Cold Mountain," was featured on the cover of British Vogue's February 2025 issue and explained that there was one specific reason she decided to leave the spotlight in 2010. "Because I needed to. I was sick of the sound of my own voice." "When I was working, I was like, 'Oh, my gosh, listen to you. Are you sad again, Renée? Oh, is this your mad voice?' It was a regurgitation of the same emotional experiences," she told the outlet. Prior to her return to Hollywood in 2016, Zellweger "wrote music and studied international law." She also "built a house, rescued a pair of older doggies, created a partnership that led to a production company, advocated for and fundraised with a sick friend and spent alot of time with family and godchildren and driving across the country with the dogs." "I got healthy," Zellweger explained. Fox News Digital's Janelle Ash contributed to this post.
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Paradise' Finale Amasses Season-High 6.3M Views In 7 Days
The Season 1 finale of Dan Fogelman's Hulu drama Paradise attracted 6.3M views globally in seven days, per Disney. That's a season-high audience, according to the company, at least in the seven-day viewing window. There's not any comparable data to determine how much the audience grew over previous episodes. Disney previously reported 7M views in nine days for the first episode. More from Deadline 2025 Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming 'The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives' Gets Season 2 Premiere Date; First Trailer Teases Return Of An Original Swinger 'Andor' Season 1 Episodes Head To Hulu & YouTube Ahead Of Season 2 Premiere On Disney+ Speaking of the first episode, it has now amassed 17.6M global views, up 151% from that initial number Disney put out. While numbers are scarce, it's clear the series is doing well for Hulu, because it's already been renewed for a second season. The Hulu Original drama series is from 20th Television and stars Sterling K. Brown (This is Us) as Secret Service Agent Xavier Collins. The drama is set in a 'serene community inhabited by some of the world's most prominent individuals. But this tranquility explodes when a shocking murder occurs, and a high-stakes investigation unfolds.' The series also stars James Marsden, Julianne Nicholson, Sarah Shahi, Nicole Brydon Bloom, Aliyah Mastin and Percy Daggs IV. Paradise is executive produced by Fogelman, Brown, John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, John Hoberg, Jess Rosenthal, and Steve Beers. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery The 25 Highest-Grossing Animated Films Of All Time At The Box Office 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery
The Independent
05-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Paradise creator answers burning question after ‘brilliant' season finale
Paradise viewers were left with one big question after the end of season one: when the hell would they get to see new episodes? However, unlike some of the show's burning mysteries, creator Dan Fogelman instantly answered this question in the wake of the finale, which has been branded 'brilliant' and 'unmissable' after airing on Tuesday (4 March). Paradise has become a word-of-mouth hit since starting on Hulu in the US and Disney + in the UK in January, debuting what The Independent called one of the best premieres in years. The remainder of the eight-episode series was a nailbiting thrill ride filled with twists and turns that capitalised on its intriguing genre-hopping opener – and fortunately, a season two is happening. Fogelman, who previously worked with lead star Sterling K Brown on This is Us, jumped in when one fan wrote on X/Twitter: 'Please don't wait two years to give us season two of Paradise.' He revealed: 'We start shooting in just a few weeks. It won't be two years, I promise!' This suggests that Paradise season two will drop in 2026. For those yet to watch the show, Paradise, on the surface, is about the assassination of President Cal Bradford (James Marsden) and the ensuing investigation by his head of security, played by Oscar-nominated actor Brown (American Fiction, Black Panther). What sounds like a run-of-the-mill espionage thriller, though, swiflty evolves into a series that hooks in fans of mystery shows like Lost and the recent sci-fi horror hit From. We won't be revealing any spoilers here but Paradise has a big early twist that changes the face of what you're watching. If the show cements Brown as one of the most charismatic on-screen presences around, he's matched by the scene-stealing Julianne Nicholson, who won acclaim for her roles in The Outsider and Mare of Easttown. She has earnt huge praise for her shady role as Sinatra. The show's official synopsis reads: ' Paradise is set in a serene, wealthy community inhabited by some of the world's most prominent individuals. But this tranquility explodes when a shocking murder occurs and a high stakes investigation unfolds.'
Chicago Tribune
29-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
‘Paradise' review: A Secret Service agent goes rogue
In the Hulu series 'Paradise,' Sterling K. Brown plays Xavier Collins, a Secret Service agent who shows up to work one morning to find the president dead on the floor of his bedroom. Looks like murder. But the official story — determined by those higher up the food chain than Xavier — will be natural causes. Why? Because there's a bigger story going on. Who killed the president, and why, is a MacGuffin in the eight-episode thriller. The real premise driving 'Paradise' is a spoiler that's revealed in Episode 1, but Hulu's secret is out with the release of the show's first three episodes, so I will be discussing that premise here. If you prefer to go in cold, here's your cue to set aside this review until after you've watched. The series comes from Dan Fogelman, the creator of the NBC family drama 'This is Us,' who is re-teaming with Brown for a very different genre. This time out, the pair have shifted their focus to speculative fiction wrapped inside an action-thriller. It's a big departure from the kind of show that turned them into household names, and creative variety like this is healthy. If only 'Paradise' didn't suffer from an issue affecting too many shows on streaming series: It should have been a movie. The president is named Cal Bradford, played by James Marsden. Instead of occupying the White House, he's wiling away his days in a mansion that's located in an eerily placid community with an uncanny 'Truman Show' quality, which is a tipoff. All is not what it seems. That's because the ultra-rich have decamped to a suburban fantasia constructed in an unusual location. How unusual? Well, it requires an artificial sky. Nothing is real, not exactly. Sequestered in perpetual comfort, this is where Cal is living in boring bliss before he's found in a pool of blood at the foot of his bed. 'Paradise' starts in the middle (the murder) rather than the beginning (the event that drove them into this place) and the jumbled timeline functions as an artificial spoiler that is parceled out through the generous use of flashbacks. Playing around with chronology can be intriguing. But sometimes it's a technique to hide flaws in an idea that isn't robust enough to unfold in order. It's all in the telling, right? And a shuffled timeline can't add what isn't there in terms of character development or emotional honesty. 'This is Us' relied on flashbacks too, exploring the formative years that shaped one family's dynamic. 'Paradise' attempts something similar (while not going quite so far back in time), and yet too often these moments come across as reductive explanations for complicated human behavior. A single father of two, Xavier brings a stoic quality to his work. He's buttoned up and formal, with the bearing of a man who never slouches. He is forever choosing his words carefully and clearly has many thoughts that he's decided are wiser left unsaid. In his marriage, Xavier's wife was the more emotionally expressive one, but in the present, she's conspicuously absent and eventually we learn why. There's a suggestion early on that Xavier might be suffering from a deteriorating memory or a brain injury. Before heading out for a morning run, he writes on a whiteboard the confusing words: 'Get brushed! Dress your teeth!' But any further hints that something is amiss are quickly abandoned; Xavier is very much on the ball and increasingly skeptical about the fakey-perfect surroundings he now calls home. Who can he trust and who is conspiring behind his back? He's ready to shed his quiet resignation and respectability politics in favor of something more proactive and renegade. It's a great performance, stuck in a show that doesn't fully know what to do with it. The architect of this faux city, where sunrises are sometimes delayed due to maintenance, is a tech billionaire played by Julianne Nicholson. Grief is what drove her to megalomania and we see in flashbacks which emotional buttons were pushed that led her there. But her backstory is too simplistic to work and the show isn't interested in the hows and whys of the corrupting power of massive wealth. Then there's the president himself, the handsome and charming son of billionaire Kane Bradford (Gerald McRaney). Cal has daddy issues and a habit of drinking away his self-loathing and disappointments. Most of the time he comes off as a ding-dong who failed his way to the top. 'Just another day in paradise,' he says sarcastically of their seemingly lovely but vaguely sinister community. Cal is actually the most intriguing character as written, because there's more to him than meets the eye (revealed through yet more flashbacks) and Marsden plays both sides of that coin — the spoiled rich kid who is his father's pawn, and the man of substance buried within — with real nuance and skill. Fundamentally, 'Paradise' falls into the narrative rut that befalls most sci-fi shows predicated on a population existing long-term somewhere else, where the powerful have a vested interest in maintaining lies and manipulating perceptions. There are only so many ways to tell that story, but I give 'Paradise' credit for finding a unique way into it. 'Paradise' — 2.5 stars (out of 4) Originally Published:
