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09-08-2025
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Halsey on Learning From Sydney Sweeney on ‘Americana' and Creating Her Own New Series: 'Really Cool to Be Part of a Project I Don't Face'
Halsey has been making the transition from musician to movie star in recent years — including with a breakout role in 2024's MaXXXine — but the first major project she shot is just now making its way to theaters. Americana — a modern western from writer-director Tony Tost which follows several people as their lives violently intertwine while fighting over an expensive Native American ghost shirt— was shot in 2022, premiered at SXSW in 2023 and is finally heading to this big screen this month. More from The Hollywood Reporter Trump Swoons Over Sydney Sweeney Amid Reports That She's a Republican American Eagle Responds to Sydney Sweeney Jeans Campaign Amid Controversy JD Vance Mocks Protests of Sydney Sweeney's Jeans Ad: "They Can't Help But Freak Out" 'I'd been waiting a really long time, I'd been really cautiously picky about what I was going to do for my first project for getting into this world, into this space,' Halsey told The Hollywood Reporter at the film's Los Angeles premiere on Sunday. 'Tony reached out and he was so personable and so talented and I just really connected with the script and the character. Little did I know we were going to be making it during COVID, which was a crazy experience. And from the moment I read the script until we started shooting, I got pregnant, had a whole pregnancy, gave birth to my son, had my son on set with me, and without giving anything away, it's really serendipitous to [her character] Mandy's arc in the film.' The film also stars Sydney Sweeney — who walked the carpet in her first public appearance following her American Eagle controversy — Paul Walter Hauser, Simon Rex, Eric Dane and Zahn McClarnon. It marks a reunion for Halsey and Sweeney, after the Euphoria star appeared in Halsey's 2019 music video for her song 'Graveyard.' 'We were actually hanging out a bunch during COVID, so when I got the call she was doing the movie we had like just gone hiking a few days before, so it was like, 'Oh cool, I'll see you there,'' Halsey recalled. 'It was just really great to have someone to learn from, to ask questions to — the stupid questions you don't think of. It was my first time on a movie set in a real way; just being like 'Who do I look at? Who do I listen to? What's the cool code words I don't know, the actor lingo?' So having someone to ask the stupid questions to was great.' Next up, Halsey is making another pivot and developing series Bloodlust for Amazon, serving as creator, writer and EP. The dark comedy series has also enlisted MaXXXine filmmaker Ti West to direct and executive produce. 'I started the pilot a few years ago and Amazon wanted it and they took it and now we're getting it on the road. There's not so much that I can say but it's really cool to be a part of a project that I don't face. It's quite relieving,' Halsey explained, confirming that she will not appear on screen in the show. 'Just behind the scenes, just the puppet master,' she noted, celebrating, 'I don't have to do my makeup.' Americana hits theaters Aug. 15. Best of The Hollywood Reporter The 25 Best U.S. Film Schools in 2025 The 40 Greatest Needle Drops in Film History The 40 Best Films About the Immigrant Experience Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
02-08-2025
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From Martha to Diddy, Trial Sketch Artist Draws History Live From the Courtroom
It was in the final moment of Sean 'Diddy' Combs' marathon federal trial when Elizabeth Williams found her eyes locked with the rap mogul for the first time. The career sketch artist had followed his movements in the courtroom, sometimes using binoculars to capture him. She was mirroring his expression of absolute shock that moment on July 2, when he learned he was being denied bail and sent back to one of New York's most notorious lockups. The two sat there in the federal courtroom, flabbergasted, their gazes locked on each other. Normally, Williams would start with the head. But this time, Combs' eyes, and the pure shock they revealed, were first to the canvas.'I saw this face,' she told The Hollywood Reporter, pointing to a sketch, from her tight midtown Manhattan studio space in what used to be an upstairs nail salon. 'He was so shocked. I've drawn his face so much so it was easy to get it. He was relatively close to me. I couldn't believe it. I don't think he could either.'She has been sketching since 1980, toggling between fashion illustration and criminal courtrooms. But as strange days have hit the worlds of news and couture, her subject matter has veered away from runway struts and toward the legal drama unfolding in federal and criminal courts. More from The Hollywood Reporter Ghislaine Maxwell Moved to Lower-Security Texas Prison Where She'll Be Housed With Two Famous Inmates Sean "Diddy" Combs' Lawyers Now Seeking Acquittal on Guilty Verdicts, Months Ahead of His Sentencing Sean 'Diddy' Combs' Attorneys File Motion for His Release From Brooklyn Lockup Williams digs out stacks of sketches, showing her renderings of some of the most definitive legal moments of the past few decades. There's Martha Stewart, surrounded by bodyguards ('All these older men that Martha wanted to be around'). There's one from the Pizza Connection mafia case. A livid Stormy Daniels being cross-examined by Michael Avenatti, Ghislaine Maxwell leaning in with her attorney, Luigi Mangione's sneakers and Donald Trump's accordion hands all appear in the array of bold sketches of these cases most tense moments. 'My go-to materials? A brush pen with two sides. A big orange crayon, high-end, oil-based. A water brush,' she explains, then detailing the coastal stylistic divide of her craft. 'I work with line, not pastel. That's a West Coast thing. East Coasters do portraiture with pastels. I build structure from line. Line is truth.' But it wasn't her memorable rendering of that shared moment of locked-eyed shock with Diddy that made the cover of the Daily News and NewDay. Williams sketched the moment that the mogul dropped to his knees to thank the Lord after he beat the bulk of the feds' charges. She describes the scene surrounding the verdict as 'drawing a person falling out of a window.' For Williams, the work of a sketch artist is about transmitting the mood in the room in these moments. All of the drama should come through. 'I want people to see it like I saw it. I want them to get a sense of being there,' she says. In a sketch of Cassie Ventura walking past Combs after testifying — his former partner, turned 'victim 1' and a key witness for the prosecution — Williams managed to convey the emotional rupture between the two. 'They were like ships in the night. Ten years of intimacy, and now they might as well be on different planets,' she said. Over the decades she's been at it, the job of a sketch artist has shrunk and shifted along with the news media. Gone are the days of her mentors and first years cutting her teeth jetting around with fancy meals and expense accounts. Nowadays, she knows she has a day's work ahead if the phone rings in the morning. She admits that it is slowly becoming increasingly untenable. She is now one of only a few sketch artists covering the courts nationwide — when cameras are barred from the courtroom, they provide out only visual clues to what's unfolding. 'It doesn't pay well. It doesn't have regular hours. The news business has changed. We used to get flown all over — NBC, CBS, ABC had the budgets,' she said. 'Now? It's social media. Dilution.' Nevertheless, Williams has the temperament of a seasoned pro who wouldn't trade her front row seat to several of modern history's key moments for anything. And she's committed to documenting history in real time, one trial at a time. 'Individuals must be as pictured. You can't make stuff up. That's how I was taught,' she says. 'I want people to see it like I saw it. I want them to get a sense of being there.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter From 'Party in the U.S.A.' to 'Born in the U.S.A.': 20 of America's Most Patriotic (and Un-Patriotic) Musical Offerings Most Anticipated Concert Tours of 2025: Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar & SZA, Sabrina Carpenter and More Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
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Jennifer Love Hewitt Teases the Jaw-Dropping Ending of the New ‘I Know What You Did Last Summer'
The wait for Jennifer Love Hewitt's return to the I Know What You Did Last Summer franchise is finally over. This Friday, for the first time in nearly three decades, Hewitt reprises her final-girl role of Julie James in Jennifer Kaytin Robinson's I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025). The legacy sequel reintroduces Julie as a psychology professor, one who fittingly specializes in trauma. Now single, Julie is living a happily quiet life after narrowly surviving two rounds of attacks by murderous fisherman, Ben Willis (Muse Watson), in the late '90s. More from The Hollywood Reporter Jennifer Love Hewitt Taps Her Scream Queen Notoriety for ID's 'A Killer Among Friends' Docuseries Jennifer Love Hewitt Calls Out Killer With Iconic Line in New 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' Sequel Trailer Nicholas Alexander Chavez Is Just Getting Started However, Julie's past soon catches up to her when Ava Brucks (Chase Sui Wonders) pays her a visit and requests her help in dealing with an all-too-familiar problem. A vengeful Fisherman copycat is now targeting Ava and her friend group of 20-somethings in Julie's hometown of Southport, North Carolina. For Hewitt, the decision to return to her most famous role was anything but automatic. 'I was hesitant at first. I wanted to make sure that she fit into the movie in the right way and that there was a reason for her to come back besides just the '90s nostalgia moment,' Hewitt tells The Hollywood Reporter in support of the film's July 18 theatrical release. 'I wanted her part in the movie to matter and for the audience to feel like they were proud of who she has become.' Once her return was finalized, Hewitt sat down to revisit Jim Gillespie's I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and Danny Cannon's I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998). But these latest go-rounds were particularly special since she got to share her teenage self's work with her kids for the first time. In doing so, she also recognized some elements from the first two films that paved the way for the jaw-dropping ending of Robinson's new installment. (Don't worry, this is a spoiler-free zone.) 'I will say that in thinking about it and watching the other movies before filming this new one, [the ending] makes sense,' Hewitt carefully teases. Below, during a recent conversation with THR, Hewitt also looks back on her character's iconic line of, 'What are you waiting for, huh!?' and how the indelible moment may have been conceived by a young kid who'd won a contest to visit the I Know What You Did Last Summer set in 1997. *** To go back to the very beginning, was it just a coincidence thatbecame the casting office for -written slasher movies? [Writer's Note: For the uninitiated, the Wiliamson-penned drafted Hewitt's co-star Neve Campbell from the same hit series.] Isn't that hilarious? Yeah, it was just a coincidence. What's the history with you and a third movie? Have there been other attempts to get you back as Julie James over the years? No, this is the first one! I was shocked and elated all at the same time. Hollywood loves the rule of three, so it was always surprising to me that they didn't conclude the first two films with a proper trilogy capper. I know, I was surprised, too. But after a certain span of years went by, I was like, 'Oh well. I guess it's just not going to happen.' But now it did. When writer-director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson pitched you, were you immediately on board? Or did you need to mull it over? I was hesitant at first. If I was coming back as Julie, I just wanted to make sure that we were bringing back the best and right version of her. I wanted to make sure that she fit into the movie in the right way and that there was a reason for her to come back besides just the '90s nostalgia moment. I wanted her part in the movie to matter and for the audience to feel like they were proud of who she has become. Julie is now a psychology professor, and I suppose one could say she's lonely by choice. Is this the life you expected for her? Or did you think she'd have three kids and a golden retriever by now? (Laughs.) No, she's exactly who I thought she would be and who I wanted her to be, honestly. As weird as it sounds, it was really important for me to not see a Julie James that had healed her trauma. She needed to stay in trauma, and she would've stayed in trauma, so this version of her feels right. During her reintroduction, is she wearing a Cure T-shirt underneath her jacket? Yes, I really liked the idea of her being a professor in a vintage T-shirt, and Jenn [Kaytin Robinson] is the one who chose The Cure. I'm also a massive Cure fan, so I was really psyched about that. It was just us wanting to be nostalgic by also having her hold on to some nostalgia. Originally, she was going to be in a shirt and tie when you first saw her, and then she would wear the vintage T-shirt later. But Jenn was like, 'No, we've got to go with the vintage T-shirt right off the top.' And I just loved that. You haven't played Julie in 27 years. How quickly did you find her again? Well, what's beautiful about this movie is that she feels like the same person from the original movie, but she also feels like a new character in some ways because of all the time that's gone by. But I did rewatch [I Know What You Did Last Summer]. It was my kids' first horror movie. They really wanted to watch it together, and so I watched it with them, which was a total trip. So it was really fun and exciting and interesting to go back and watch that girl on the road that night. When you watched it, could you focus on performance and story? Or were you more consumed by your behind-the-scenes memories? I think it was a mixture, but I did learn a lot about Julie that I didn't notice at the time. One big thing in particular that we tried to bring back into the new movie is that I never realized how silenced she was on the road that night. If you had asked me at 18 or even at 20, I would've said, 'Yeah, we were all in it together,' but that really isn't the case. After the accident happened that night, everyone basically looked at her and said, 'Shut the fuck up.' That's what they said, and she really was struck by that. And in that silence, her detective brain kept going, and she wanted to solve this. She didn't just lose her innocence that night; she lost everything. She lost her friends. She lost the respect that she had for the person [Freddie Prinze Jr.'s Ray] who was the love of her life in that moment. She also lost herself, and she lost the ability to ever live life trauma-free again. So I honestly don't think that I realized any of that when I watched the movie as a young person. Watching it now at this age after having children, I went, 'Oh, wow. These are some really interesting things that we can pull from in this new movie.' Do you still feel connected to that 18-year-old version of you? Yeah, I do. Very much so. It's interesting that you ask that. I've definitely had a loss of innocence and trauma in my life. Some of my friends don't [feel this way], but I still feel uniquely connected to my youth and who I was then. I carry her with me, and that's an important thing to do as you get older. When you lose that, you lose something very drastic. So I still feel very connected to that part of my life, for sure. When you reunited with Freddie Prinze Jr. on the set of (2025), did it feel like old times? Honestly, it was an out-of-body experience that I didn't totally process until after we were done with the first scene. That's when I was like, 'Oh my God, that's Freddie, and we just did that scene.' I was just so in my head about making sure that Julie and Ray felt like Julie and Ray, but also a totally new Julie and Ray. I didn't get a normal high school experience in my life, but [reuniting with Freddie] was what I imagine a high-school-reunion feeling to be. You know a person, and while so much time has passed to where it's different, we still fit in with each other. We immediately felt like Julie and Ray, but obviously new versions of them. Did you ever feel like you had to take the new cast aside and offer them some pearls of wisdom? No, but I was really touched by how much they celebrated and honored both the movie and us coming back. So I was just really excited to be there and be a part of it. But I have definitely taken a mom role to Chase [Sui Wonders]. (Laughs.) Off camera, I'm constantly checking in on her and making sure that she's eating and drinking and taking care of herself. I just felt very close to her in such a special way, and that was really sweet. Generally speaking, the ending of (2025) is quite shocking. It's a big swing. Yeah. When you read it, did your jaw hit the floor? It did. But I will say that in thinking about it and watching the other movies before filming this new one, it makes sense. [Writer's Note: I then asked Hewitt if she was referring to a specific scene from an earlier movie, and she confirmed that I was on the right track.] You incurred some fishing hook-related damage while making the first two movies. Were you able to come out of this one unscathed? I was! The only thing is that my feet were sore from standing in very tall shoes. I am now in my 40s, and I choose not to torture my feet in high heels most of the time. But other than that, no. All was well. As previewed in the trailer, Julie's famous line of, 'What are you waiting for, huh?' was bound to be incorporated somehow, and I liked that it had utility. It wasn't an empty reference. Right. Were you very particular about its usage in this? Not in its usage, but it had to be said again, and it had to be said in a fresh way. And I think we accomplished that. The meaning behind this one is very different, and I love where it is [in the movie]. That line has just become such a special part of my life; I hear it all the time. Even my kids say it to me, especially my 3-year-old, which is hilarious. He's in his, 'What are you waiting for?' phase, and it's really funny. So it holds a special place in my heart. The 'huh' really makes that line what it is. You put this extra emphasis on it, and it really showed Julie's fighting spirit in the first movie. Thank you. A lot of people leave out the 'huh' when they say it back to me, and so I appreciate that. Yeah, for me, the 'huh' was her gumption. The 'huh' was her challenge: 'Come at me! Bring what you're going to bring. I'm here, I'm ready, let's go.' So the 'huh' is important. There's an internet legend that the entire moment was conceived by a contest-winning child. Is that true? So here's the thing about that. I was 18 years old when we filmed the first movie, and all I know is that there was a kid visiting the movie that day. He was a horror fan, but I don't know who he was. I was 18, I'm now 46, and Lord knows I've had three children, so I don't remember everything perfectly. But I know that he was there that day, and I thought that he was a part of that moment, somehow, because we were all at a monitor. Originally, in the script, I wasn't spinning around and yelling, 'What are you waiting for?' It was a different kind of moment, and it suddenly became that moment. I've heard different versions of it, but I do remember a kid being there and him being a horror movie fan. So he was a part of that conversation, somehow. Was it his designed moment? I don't know. But I somehow ended up spinning around in the street that day, screaming that line that became very iconic. So whoever created it, I'm very grateful. 'And that kid's name was Damien Chazelle.' (Laughs.) Could you imagine? According to another internet legend, Jamie Lee Curtis was filming a different movie near your set in North Carolina, and so she would often come by to lend you emotional support. Is there any truth to that? No! But I've known Jamie since I was 14. She is a very supportive, amazing person, but I did not see her during [filming]. That would've been awesome. I love her. Have these movies altered your behavior at all? Do you avoid late night drives, tanning beds and fishing boats? (Laughs.) When we were filming the first movie, I was already terrified of horror movies, and I was very aware of the fact that I was actually filming in a real fishing village in Southport, North Carolina. I was like, 'There's fishermen everywhere, and I've been running from one all day. And now I'm supposed to go home and go to sleep? How is that going to work out?' But since this movie has come back into my life, I'm a tad bit more paranoid. I left that behind for a while, and now I'm definitely like, 'What was that!?' (Laughs.) I'm a little jumpier now that the movie is back in my life. Most of the new movie was shot in Australia for the necessity of summer weather, and I loved how Jennifer Kaytin Robinson used the unrecognizable locations to the movie's advantage. Southport's gentrification by an uber-rich land developer is a huge part of the story. Yeah, it's brilliant. If I could say anything to the audience, everything that you want this movie to be, it is. And everything new and fresh is so worth it and so awesome. It's a perfect way to come back in all facets. Sony is putting the new movie out just like they did the first two. They also have the rights to your beloved teen rom-com, (1998). Can you try to get that property back on its feet soon? I've been asking! I've asked a few times now. Yes, I would love that. ***I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025) opens July 18 in movie theaters nationwide. 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