Latest news with #IfBealeStreetCouldTalk
Refinery29
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Refinery29
Kiki Layne Is Her Own Secret Weapon In Netflix's The Old Guard 2
Kiki Layne was ready to rock a braided wig over her locs for her latest project, The Old Guard 2. In the first film, released in July 2020, the 33-year-old actor wore cornrows. Since then, however, she's decided to loc her hair after hesitating on the decision for years, fearing it might limit her from getting work. However, the pandemic shifted her mindset, making her realize that life is too short not to do what she wants. After learning about the sequel, Layne told co-star Charlize Theron that she planned to cover up her locs during filming. Theron convinced her otherwise. 'She just looked at me like, 'What? No, wear your hair like that. It's gorgeous,'' Layne recalled during a Zoom interview. 'I'm grateful to her for being an advocate for me in a moment where I didn't even realize that I needed an advocate, that I didn't even realize that I was trying to hide some part of myself. And I'm grateful to have been able to do that [in this film.]' The Cincinnati native's locs feel aligned with her character's journey in this sequel. Six months after learning she's immortal, Nile Freeman, played by Layne, steps up to lead and protect both her team and humanity. She fights alongside a team of fellow warriors, led by Andy (Theron), as they gain a deeper understanding of where exactly their special powers come from, while a larger threat looms with Discord (Uma Thurman). In the sequel, which premiered on Netflix on July 2, Nile is more confident, badass, and daring. We see her doing more stunts — many of which Layne performed herself — and wielding swords this time around. On the surface, taking on a thrilling action role like this is really cool. But the significance of being an immortal Black woman in a film like this isn't lost on Layne. ' 'When people see me and my films, I want them to feel my love of our community, and I hope that that love resonates in some way for them to love themselves more fully and to see their beauty." ' 'I think it's important for us to be able to watch any genre and see ourselves represented in ways that feel real and meaningful,' she said. 'Yes, she's a warrior, but there still is a vulnerability there. We see the strong Black woman [trope] in film and TV, but Nile is a bit more complex than that, even though she has this really special ability.' Layne has been intentional about the roles she takes on. When your debut feature is starring in Barry Jenkins' film adaptation of James Baldwin's If Beale Street Could Talk, being selective feels on par for the journey. Since then, Layne has starred in Don't Worry Darling, Native Son and Dandelion. When Chadwick Boseman passed away in 2020, Layne applauded his dedication to 'representing us and opening doors for us to be seen in ways that this industry often ignores' in an Instagram tribute post. She hopes to do the same. While filming Coming 2 America, Wesley Snipes asked Layne to name five Black female action stars. She couldn't. 'He said, 'You could be that. I see your skill. I see you can actually do this if you take it seriously,'' she recalled. The veteran's words stuck with her. 'I knew that it was something more meaningful in terms of how I can represent for dark skinned Black women, [in] representing wearing my locs out. All of these things are super intentional for me,' she said. 'I grew up watching these movies, and there were only so many types of stories and genres that we saw ourselves being represented consistently. [I get to] now have two films under my belt where I get to contribute to filling that gap a bit.' That's been her focal point in an industry where work can be inconsistent and rejections are plentiful. In turn, she's had to be more selective. 'How are Black women going to feel when they see this?' has become a sort of litmus test for her. After her first Oscars afterparty the year If Beale Street Could Talk was nominated, the then-newbee was over it and headed out the door when a young woman approached her. She tearfully expressed gratitude for seeing Layne, a woman with natural hair who looked like her, lead a film 'filled with so much love and tenderness.' 'It was literally a moment where I'm looking around and I'm like, 'I'm tired of this shit.' And I was immediately reminded that it's not about me,' she said. 'When I show up fully, in my gifts, when I show up despite being tired, despite all of the things that's telling me that there's no space for me, when I still show up, it means something to so many people, because they get to see themselves.' Layne used that to fuel Nile's story in Old Guard 2. On their quest to save humanity, the immortals continually wrestle with the concept of purpose as they learn more about their gift, which allows them to live for centuries. They experience time in an unimaginable way as a result. Just as Layne has poured her own experiences into this character, Nile has offered lessons in return. 'I have to connect to the belief that this is bigger than me, for me to continue to do this. This is a crazy industry. There's so many ups and downs. It breaks your heart more than it fills you with joy,' she said candidly. 'It really is a tough time right now, and so that's the thing that I have to hold on to is that it's not about me, I perform, and obviously it feels good inside, but a performance is for an audience.' ' 'I knew that it was something more meaningful in terms of how I can represent for dark skinned Black women, [in] representing wearing my locs out. All of these things are super intentional for me.' ' Layne isn't stopping at making waves in the action genre. She desires to keep pushing her own boundaries in acting with 'something that's messier and darker.' And of course, she's holding out hope for The Old Guard 3, reasonably so after the sequel's cliffhanger. 'When people see me and my films, I want them to feel my love of our community,' she stated. 'And I hope that that love resonates in some way for them to love themselves more fully and to see their beauty, to see their power, to see their vulnerability. We don't have to run from these things.'
USA Today
27-06-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
As a teacher, Supreme Court siding with parents' religious freedom concerns me
I've always tried to honor parents' beliefs. But if narrowing a child's educational experience is a pillar of religious freedom, can I still tell an LGBTQ+ student they need not be ashamed? My first day as a high school teacher, kids were opting out of pretty much everything I asked them to do. Too tired to read, they said. Writing made their heads ache. They had beefs with whoever I partnered them with on a project and they sure weren't about to get up in front of the class. Most teachers quickly become accustomed to all the opting out. We wise up and toughen up to help kids toughen up. We also figure out how to know when, for the moment, it is better to leave them be. We also get used to the exceptions that kids and their parents ask for. The first year I assigned James Baldwin's "If Beale Street Could Talk," a girl told me her parents wouldn't let her read it. Her brother had found all the f-bombs and showed their parents. The novel also contains critiques of Christian piety and hypocrisy. It was on the district approved reading list, but I didn't want to give that girl any more grief than her brother and parents already were so I let her read something else. Even so, I am concerned about the Supreme Court's ruling in Mahmoud v. Taylor, validating an assertion of religious freedom over a school district's reading program. How religious freedom could hurt teachers' freedom of speech The case was brought by a group of Maryland parents against Montgomery County's school board, which refused to allow the parents to opt their kids out of the reading and/or discussion of books that depicted people married to same-sex spouses, dramatized a dog at a pride parade, and told other stories whose settings included the recognition and normalization of LGBTQ+ people. In general, I have always tried to honor the beliefs of parents ‒ not just about what to read but also about how they choose to raise their children ‒ whether or not I agree with them. I do this out of respect and also for the sake of kids who are better off without being in the middle of ideological conflict. There are limits, however. The most serious of these is that if I believe a parent's idea of discipline rises (or descends) to the level of physical abuse, I am compelled by law, as are all teachers, to report it to the authorities. Teachers are also mandated to report emotional abuse, elusive as it may be to detect. The students whose emotional abuse has often been the most obvious to me are gay teenagers whose parents have shunned or humiliated them. Some of this abuse is instigated by religious beliefs and influences that make their child's sexuality a source of torment. Another view: Schools are pushing LGBTQ+ books on kids. Supreme Court should side with parents. | Opinion I feel for those parents, but I am far more sympathetic to the young men and women who are the subject of the condemnation and alienation. Even in cases where the level of emotional abuse isn't sufficient to file a report, and with all due respect to the parents, I am compelled to offer emotional support and a voice of acceptance. If narrowing a child's educational experience in that way is a pillar of religious freedom, does that 'freedom' also prevent me or any other teacher from telling an LGBTQ+ student they need not be ashamed of who they are? Perhaps not ‒ not yet ‒ but I worry, as should all educators. How much power should parents have over their kids? It has been nearly 100 years since the Tennessee Supreme Court ruled in John Scopes' case that the state may not criminalize the teaching of human evolution, though Darwin's theory was at odds with the Judeo-Christian Bible's version of human inception. The parallels between Scopes and Mahmoud are far from perfect. The former challenged the academic freedom to teach science when science contradicted religious beliefs. The latter challenges the authority of a school district to override the religious beliefs (or interpretations, anyway) of parents on curricular decisions about their kids. Even so, it doesn't take much of a leap to get from opt-outs for LGBTQ+ book references to opt-outs for the study or even mention of human evolution. Evolution is foundational to anthropology, human history and civilization, and human biology. Preventing a student from learning about it could set the student behind their peers in their knowledge and understanding of science. Preventing a child from understanding the world beyond their own family and experience is potentially more crippling. The world in which today's children are growing up is diverse. An inability to comprehend it and navigate it can limit their academic and professional horizons. Some kids have two moms and some have two dads. Some kids have a transgender parent. Some are being raised by a single parent or grandparent(s) or in a blended family, some kids are being raised by someone with whom they are not related, and still others are being raised by no one at all. Refusing to allow a child to understand and normalize this diversity marginalizes those kids ‒ many of whom are already marginalized by circumstances. This is what educators think about. We try to look out for all kids, but especially the ones who might otherwise feel out of place. Opinion: If you had a teacher who changed your life, 'find that person, tell that person' More urgently, books that validate all families and all kids can save the life of a child who realizes they are gay or trans and feels alone and terrified by that realization. The imposition of those books to someone's faith seems, by comparison, trivial. Pushing back against that imposition seems utterly selfish ‒ ironic for people of faith. At the core of this issue are two fundamental questions: To the first question I can tell you, as a high school teacher and a parent, that parental power is ultimately mostly illusory, and quite often the tighter the parental grip the stronger the children's resistance. I do not have the answer to the second question, but I do know that on this day, Supreme Court justices tilted us toward no. Larry Strauss, a high school English teacher in South Los Angeles since 1992, is the author of 'Students First and Other Lies: Straight Talk From a Veteran Teacher' and "A Lasting Impact in the Classroom and Beyond," a book for new and struggling teachers.
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Don't Worry Darling 'Costars Kiki Layne and Ari'el Stachel Are Engaged: 'I Love You. Let's Build an Empire'
Kiki Layne and Ari'el Stachel announced their engagement with an Instagram post on Friday, May 30 The couple met in October 2020 on the set of the movie Don't Worry Darling Both of their roles were largely cut from the film, but the pair have celebrated the flick for introducing themDon't Worry Darling costars Kiki Layne and Ari'el Stachel are engaged! Stachel, 33, and Layne, 33, announced their engagement in a light-hearted Instagram video on Friday, May 30. The couple is seen in the footage discussing how their racial and religious identities impact what they want to watch during a cozy night at home on the couch. As their preferences continue to range, Layne tells Stachel, 'Ari, don't nobody wanna hear you crying on a Friday night!' is now available in the Apple App Store! Download it now for the most binge-worthy celeb content, exclusive video clips, astrology updates and more! Stachel then remembers, 'Oh s---! It's Shabbat.' He exits and comes back to the couch, saying, 'Babe, can we at least light the candles?' The If Beale Street Could Talk actress tells him, 'Of course,' and then quickly asks, 'Can we watch Beyoncé's Homecoming?' He gives her a knowing smile before the video cuts to Beyoncé performing in her Homecoming documentary. The video then zooms out from Beyoncé on the TV and shows the Tony-winning actor lighting one of the Shabbat candles before he hands the match to Layne, who takes it with her left hand and expertly shows off her new piece of jewelry. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. As the Instagram video comes to a close, it quickly cuts to Layne showing off her ring while in the crowd at Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter tour. She then kisses Stachel on the cheek. Stachel captioned the Instagram post, 'This week is extra special — featuring my queen @kikilayne. Friday nights for us. Watch till the end — trust us :) Kiki, I love you. Let's build an empire." Representatives for Stachel and Layne did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. The newly engaged couple met on the set of Olivia Wilde's film, Don't Worry Darling. When the film first premiered in late September 2022, Layne revealed that most of her scenes as Margaret were cut from the final edit of the movie. Yet she remained upbeat about the experience of filming opposite the Grammy Award winner, whose role as Ted was also largely cut from the film. "The best thing about #DontWorryDarling is that I was lucky enough to meet @arielstachel," Layne captioned an Instagram video of them together. "They cut us from most of the movie, but we thriving in real life. 🙂🙂. Love you Ari ❤️❤️❤️❤️." The actress added the hashtags about their blossoming off-screen relationship, "#GotMyCheck#GotMyMan#EverythingHappensforaReason." Stachel also shared an Instagram post to celebrate the film's premiere and their relationship. 'My favorite part of my experience in Don't Worry Darling,' he captioned a photo of the two on set. 'This woman did phenomenal work and I was thirsty the second I met her.' He previously recalled the first time he met Layne on the movie set in a September 2022 interview with The Daily Beast. He explained to the outlet that he then spent their first rehearsal attempting to make conversation. 'I was corny as hell, and then we did another take where we got to our first rehearsal and we found ourselves talking for hours,' he told The Daily Beast, adding, that his favorite part of the production was, 'just looking at KiKi.' Read the original article on People
