Next Big Thing
Why Learning to Be Left-Handed Created Tension for ‘Expats’ Star
What happens when you give Ji-young Yoo too much time to prepare for a role in the middleof a pandemic? “I did ridiculous [stuff] like learning to do things with my left hand,” says Yoo, who in her television debut stars opposite Nicole Kidman in the Prime Video limited series Expats. Her character, Mercy — an […]
- By
Lola Petticrew’s Death-Defying Act
When Lola Petticrew first read the script for Tuesday, a heart-wrenching, fantastical movie about a mother and daughter learning to confront death, they fell in love with the titular role because it was unlike any part they’d been up for before. It was only after being cast that the Irish actor (Wolf, She Said) learned […]
- By
Why Hannah Marks Spent Most of Her Twenties Making ‘Turtles All the Way Down’
In many ways, the story of the adaptation of Turtles All the Way Down is also the story of the state of Hollywood. Hannah Marks was 24 when she first scored an interview to helm the adaptation of John Green’s beloved novel about a teenage girl struggling with OCD; she was poised to become one […]
- By
Gayle Rankin on Finding Her Sally Bowles in Broadway’s Debauched and Divisive ‘Cabaret’
In 2014, Gayle Rankin made her Broadway debut in Sam Mendes’ revival of Cabaret, playing the supporting role of Fraulein Kost. Now, exactly a decade later, Rankin is playing the lead role of Sally Bowles opposite Eddie Redmayne in a new Broadway production that opened April 21. “I feel like a completely different person,” says Rankin, […]
- By
How ‘The Sympathizer’ Star Hoa Xuande Transformed Himself to Play a Vietnamese Double Agent
Even toward the end of The Sympathizer’s six-month shoot, Hoa Xuande would still sometimes look out over the set in disbelief and think, “Am I really sitting here? Are they really letting me do this?” “This” would be toplining HBO and A24’s limited series adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a communist […]
- By
Jess Hong Is in Netflix’s Biggest Show of the Year So Far — But Don’t Call Her a Star
When Jess Hong first stepped onto the set of 3 Body Problem, she was struck by its scale. Production was building what became the backdrop for the show’s pioneering virtual reality game, and Hong was face-to-face with some 300 giant LED screens that were all individually designed to portray the sky of an extraterrestrial planet. […]
- By
Next Big Thing: Aaron Pierre Tackles Icons Real (Malcolm X) and Cinematic (Mufasa)
Come Feb. 1, Aaron Pierre joins the ranks of storied British thespians — Daniel Day-Lewis, Cynthia Erivo, David Oyelowo — to play icons of U.S. history. This trend has rankled some American performers in the past. But, as the 29-year-old sees it, he’s just as qualified as any Black actor to tackle Malcolm X. “My […]
- By
Next Big Thing: ‘Gran Turismo’ Star Archie Madekwe on How Those Intense Racing Scenes Made His Stomach Turn
Before being cast in Sony Pictures’ sports action film Gran Turismo, Archie Madekwe was clear on one thing during auditions: He did not have a driver’s license. “I was so honest,” he says. “It wasn’t an, ‘I can ride a horse’ type of thing and I’ll just learn later. I really said, ‘Look, guys, just […]
- By
How ‘Barbie’ Star Ariana Greenblatt Manifested Her Way Onto the Summer Blockbuster
On the incredibly star-studded Barbie set, Ariana Greenblatt had her pick of A-list stars to meet. But it was Michael Cera, who plays Barbieland’s Allan, with whom she was most excited to work. “I didn’t know he was in the movie,” she remembers during an interview conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike. “No one talked about him […]
- By
Andrew Barth Feldman’s First Time Watching an R-Rated Movie in a Theater Was at His ‘No Hard Feelings’ Premiere
For Andrew Barth Feldman, attending the premiere of his new movie No Hard Feelings means his first time watching a raunchy comedy in a theater full of people. The 21-year-old has been in lockdown for the bulk of his years as an eligible viewer of explicit movies. “I’ve never just laughed out loud with an […]
- By
‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ Star Sarah Pidgeon on Sharing a Role With Kathryn Hahn: “We Developed a Physical Vocabulary”
Days into shooting Tiny Beautiful Things, the cast convened for a workshop led by acting coach Kim Gillingham, who also consulted on Honey Boy and King Richard. The timeline-hopping Hulu show required multiple performers to play each character, so finding a consistent tone was essential. Through some sort of actorly alchemy, Sarah Pidgeon realized that […]
- By
Next Big Thing: ‘Past Lives’’ Teo Yoo on Not Being Able to Hug His Co-Star
Teo Yoo is waiting for someone to tell him this is all a dream. The actor stars in Past Lives, the feature debut from playwright-director Celine Song that took Sundance by storm, and as the ethereal romance nears its June 2 release, he’s feeling ever more amazed that this is, in fact, real life. “Every […]
- By