Latest news with #EsiEdugyan
Daily Mirror
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Ernest Kingsley Jr's life-off screen and where you've seen the Washington Black star
Washington Black is a period drama that is based on the book of the same name by Esi Edugyan and is available to watch on Hulu and Disney Plus Washington Black, the epic period drama based on Esi Edugyan's novel of the same name, is now available on Hulu and Disney Plus. The historical adventure series, which was released on July 23, stars Ernest Kingsley Jr in the lead role, with Eddie Karanja portraying a young Washington Black. Set in the early 1800s in Barbados and Nova Scotia, the plot follows Wash, a young boy who is forced to flee his home on a sugar plantation following a shocking death. He ends up under the care of Medwin Harris (played by Sterling K. Brown), who himself had a traumatic childhood as a Black refugee. Ernest Kingsley Jr, a stage and TV actor, launched his career in the sci-fi series, The Sparticle Mystery, reports the Express. He has since appeared in guest roles in several big titles, including playing Kai'ckul in The Sandman and starring in the third season of War of the Worlds. In terms of his stage work, the young actor was part of the Royal Court Theatre production of Is God Is in 2021, alongside Adelayo Adedayo. Last year, he was cast in a short film titled Foxhill, which also starred Robson Green. Kingsley Jr studied at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London and, during an appearance on The One Show, he expressed gratitude to his former teacher Erin Holland. Holland had guided him towards a career in acting through a college production of West Side Story. Ernest revealed: "I was applying to drama schools at the time and she told me which ones to go to. "It was after that I was like, 'You know what, I want to pursue acting'. If it wasn't for her pushing me and seeing the best in me, maybe I wouldn't have done it." Washington Black is available on Hulu and Disney Plus.
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
New drama scores 100% rating hours after release as critics hail it 'epic'
An 11-year-old boy is forced to flee his home following a tragic death in the new series, which has already been praised by critics and has a rare 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes Historical drama enthusiasts are in for a real treat as a new series hits screens with a resounding 100% critic approval rating. The gripping Disney Plus show follows an 11 year old boy who, after a devastating incident on a Barbados sugar plantation, embarks on a life-changing journey. The official synopsis states: "When a harrowing incident forces Wash to flee, he is thrust into a globe-spanning adventure that challenges and reshapes his understanding of family, freedom and love. "As he navigates uncharted lands and impossible odds, Wash finds the courage to imagine a future beyond the confines of society." Washington Black, which airs on Hulu and Disney Plus, draws its inspiration from the novel by Esi Edugyan, reports the Express. 'Sterling K Brown not only serves as an executive producer but also stars as Medwin Harris, enhancing the already impressive cast of 'Washington Black'. The series features a host of familiar faces, including Tom Ellis of 'Lucifer', Charles Dance from 'Game of Thrones', and Billy Boyd, known for 'The Lord of the Rings'. Ernest Kingsley Jr takes on the titular role, following his recent portrayal of Kai'ckul in 'The Sandman'. Critics have flocked to Rotten Tomatoes to express their admiration, with Sherin Nicole noting: "The series transforms a harrowing flight from retaliation into a visually lush quest for identity and freedom, blending historical drama with the heart and wonder of a coming-of-age epic." Andrew Parker commented: "There's such a wealth of feeling, perspective, and intelligence to Washington Black that an already entertaining show becomes something truly memorable via a mix of old school storytelling and modern perspectives." Carly Lane remarked: "Overall, the pleasure of watching a show like Washington Black is the mere fact that it exists, rooted in joy, adventure, romance, and self-discovery." The acclaimed novel hit shelves in 2018 and found itself in the running for the prestigious 2018 Booker Prize. In a move that delighted fans, Hulu announced in October 2021 that they had given the green light for a limited series adaptation of the celebrated book. Viewers can catch the enthralling Washington Black on both Hulu and Disney Plus.
BBC News
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Surrey pupil, 14, stars in global TV series Washington Black
A budding young actress from Surrey is appearing in a Disney+ mini was chosen to play a key supporting role in Washington Black, which is based on a book by Canadian author Esi Edugyan about a boy's escape from slavery in Barbados. Fourteen-year-old Thalia was cast as Tanna, the younger version of British actress Iola Evans' character."Being part of Washington Black has been unforgettable. I've learned so much from the amazing cast and crew, I'm so excited for everyone to see the show," Thalia said. The pupil said the filming took place three years ago and she travelled to Canada and Mexico to film her scenes. Thalia's mother, Harriet, said Showdown Theatre Arts, where Thalia honed her acting skills for several years, told the family the casting director of the TV series was searching for an actress to play young decided to try out for the role and created a tape for the audition."Once the audition was submitted we tried not to think about it," Harriet said. "I was at my friend's place when I got the call and they told me I got the role. I squealed off the top of my lungs in excitement!" Thalia said Thalia was selected out of 50 shortlisted candidates. A spokesperson for Showdown Theatre Arts said: "Thalia has always shown passion, commitment, and a remarkable talent for storytelling."We're so proud to see her talent recognised on this scale, it's just the beginning for her."Washington Black, which is set to launch on the streaming service on Wednesday, also stars Golden Globe award winner Sterling K Brown, Tom Ellis and Rupert Graves.
The Guardian
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Washington Black review – the romantic bits could have been stolen from a bad pop song
Esi Edugyan's 2018 novel Washington Black is an unorthodox, steampunk-infused account of the era when transatlantic slavery cast a dark shadow over much of the world. Its hero is George Washington Black – or Wash for short – a Black boy of 11, growing up on a Barbados plantation. He becomes the protege of a well-meaning white scientist, Titch (who happens to be the brother of Wash's merciless master, Erasmus). Together they work on crafting the 'Cloud Cutter', an experimental airship that offers them an escape from the plantation when Wash is accused of murder – but which crashes over the Atlantic during a storm. Spoiler alert: the pair make it out of that episode alive, with Wash fleeing to Virginia, and later Canada. A Guardian review described scenes from the novel as '[unfolding] with a Tarantino-esque savagery', and the book doesn't shy away from graphic depictions of violence and suicide, nor frequent use of the N-word. It is also described as having a 'fairytale atmosphere' – something the Disney-owned Hulu homed in on above all else. As a TV series, Washington Black feels less like a grownup drama and more like the sort of quasi-historical show that teachers play to their pupils as an end-of-term treat. Let's start with the positives, though. The stunning scenery of Nova Scotia (which also doubles as Virginia) is a constant – a rugged, romantic backdrop to the action. Everyone looks the part, too: Sterling K Brown (also an executive producer) is rarely out of regal purple corduroy as Halifax town leader Medwin Harris, while the English contingent – among them Tom Ellis's Titch and Rupert Graves's Mr Goff – are Regencyfied to the max. (If you are a fan of towering 19th-century headgear, this is definitely the show for you.) The cast are excellent, including but not limited to Brown – who can convey so much emotion with the mere quiver of an eyebrow – and Eddie Karanja and Ernest Kingsley Jr, who do just the right amount of emoting as the young and slightly-less-young Wash. It is very easy to watch, and the four episodes delivered to press (there are eight in total) slip down easily and endearingly. But, really, that lack of friction is a problem. From the mawkish string soundtrack to some of the most heavy-handed dialogue ever committed to screen and the most cliched of death scenes (one character dies while stuttering out their final words and clutching at a stab wound), Washington Black lacks bite. To be clear, I don't believe that all productions about slavery have to be laced with unending trauma and pain, and the emphasis on science is a nice departure from the harsh realities of the era. But in sanding down the corners of its source material, it ends up with an almost uncanny feel. It's not Ellis's fault, but the idea that anybody – never mind the most enlightened abolitionists of the age – would have answered the question 'Is this boy your slave?' with 'He's my friend!' is risible. In fact, watching Ellis as an antebellum-era answer to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang's Caractacus Potts is a jarring experience. Julian Rhind-Tutt is perfectly terrifying as Erasmus, but – with the book's darker moments removed – he is a sociopath without a cause. One character simply describes themself as 'an unhinged disgrace', as shorthand for the audience learning why they are unhinged or disgraceful. It didn't have to be 'Tarantino-esque' – but did it have to be quite so PG? Washington Black is also something of a romance, another area where it wobbles along. Kingsley Jr and Iola Evans – who plays a mixed-race, white-passing noblewoman named Tanna – give it their best shot. But lines such as 'We'll create a world of our own' and 'She breathes life into me' feel as if they have been lifted from a bad pop song. By the time we get to 'My everything is better with you', I have begun to feel queasy. Tanna is distraught that her white father has never allowed her to explore the other side of herself, and her maternal connection to Solomon Islands. Unfortunately, we must learn all this through trite dialogue that sounds less like the stuff of a Disney+ drama, and more like the things that Disney princesses – locked in their gilded cages – sing about in their films. Washington Black comes with plenty of potential and, as an exercise in world-building, it is rich and appealing. But, unlike the Cloud Cutter, this is a creation that never takes flight. The hats really are lovely, but they are just not enough. Washington Black is on Disney+ now.
CBC
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
The TV adaptation of Esi Edugyan's novel Washington Black will surprise fans of the books
Esi Edugyan says Disney Plus's take on her acclaimed historical novel Washington Black will surprise anyone familiar with the sprawling coming-of-age tale. There are significant changes to the hero and his relationships, wholly invented scenes and entirely new characters inserted by showrunners and executive producers Selwyn Seyfu Hinds and Kimberly Ann Harrison. Edugyan says she accepted early on that transforming her Giller Prize-winning saga into an eight-part streaming show would mean surrendering her hold on the story, noting she "very much took a back seat" in the process. "It's probably never a favourable thing to have the writer of the book kind of lurking in the background, looking over your shoulder, saying, 'Why have you done this and not that?'" Edugyan says in a recent video call from her home office in Victoria. "I just kind of understood that this was somebody else's art." Like the book, which was championed by Olympic swimmer Mark Tewksbury on Canada Reads 2022, the TV series recounts the fantastical life of a boy born into slavery on a Barbados sugar plantation in the 19th century. Actor Eddie Karanja plays the young hero and Ernest Kingsley Jr. portrays the older Washington Black. At age 11, Wash is taken under the wing of his master's younger abolitionist brother Titch, played by Tom Ellis, who uses the boy as ballast for an experimental flying machine but soon recognizes his aptitude for art and science. Amid this burgeoning friendship, Wash is disfigured in a trial run and then implicated in a crime, forcing him and Titch to flee the plantation. Edugyan's tale is a first-person account by an 18-year-old Wash who looks back on a lifelong search for freedom and meaning that sends him to extreme corners of the world. The Disney version is narrated by Sterling K. Brown's Medwin, a mere side character in the book who runs Wash's boarding house in Halifax. Onscreen, Medwin is a mentor to Wash and gets his own backstory and love interest, all part of what Hinds explains as "the journey of adaptation." As such, Halifax features more prominently in the Disney story, which filmed in and around the Atlantic capital, as well as in Mexico and Iceland to capture scenes set in Virginia, the Arctic, London and Morocco. Hinds says Nova Scotia was home for about six months, with shooting locations including Peggy's Cove, Lunenburg, Uniacke Estate Museum Park in Mount Uniacke and the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site in Cape Breton. He says Halifax in particular "really adopted us as a crew" as they learned the local history of Black settlements in Canada. "There was a young man who used to cut my hair in Halifax and one day we were talking — he told me his family had been there, I think, 400 years. Which for an American immigrant like myself, who's first-generation American, this was just completely mind-blowing," he says in joint a video call from Los Angeles with Harrison. "A big part of what we're doing is trying to bake ourselves in the nooks and crannies and the history of the place. And I did as best as I could to let that infuse the actual storytelling itself." Among the biggest changes is the removal of Wash's facial scars, notes Edugyan, who became the first Black woman to win the Giller in 2011 for Half-Blood Blues and only the third author to win twice when Washington Black claimed the title in 2018. In the Disney version, the scar is on Wash's chest, where it's hidden from view. "That is quite a departure from the novel," says Edugyan. "That was a very deliberate choice on my part to have that be part of how Washington confronts the world — that he's not only an enslaved person but that he also carries with him this disfigurement, which gives him this sort of double estrangement." Edugyan describes the series as "a kind of translation or interpretation of the novel" to satisfy a visual medium and the demands of episodic storytelling. Her jazz-infused Half-Blood Blues was also optioned for the screen, by Toronto's Clement Virgo, which Edugyan says is still in the works. Hinds says he regards the screen version of Washington Black as "the same house" but bigger, with an expanded world that adds a romantic rival for Wash and a deeper backstory for the white-passing love interest Tanna, born to a Black mother in the Solomon Islands. "Because the TV medium just gives you room to explore things that Esi kind of laid out that were really great opportunities — really delving into Tanna's background or really seeing what the Solomon Islands meant (to Tanna)," he says. "With any adaptation, or at least the ones that I've written, the first thing is to find the emotional DNA of the story, right? And once I realized that the story that Esi was telling about finding hope and finding agency and finding freedom, once you sort of lock into the emotional core of what the characters' journey is, everything else makes sense. Both in terms of what you keep in and what you leave out." "It's quite different from the novel," Edugyan adds. "Anybody who's familiar with the source work will be surprised. But I think it's its own piece of art and I'm looking forward to having people watch it and to hearing reactions."
