Latest news with #TheHarderTheyFall
Forbes
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Danielle Deadwyler Talks ‘40 Acres' Film And Her ‘Widening' Career
Danielle Deadwyler attends the "40 Acres" screening with Talkback during the 2025 American Black ... More Film Festival at the Miami Beach Convention Center on June 14, 2025 in Miami Beach, Florida. She has been a leading force with her deep, emotional and layered character performances in such films as The Harder They Fall, Till, The Piano Lesson, Carry On and The Woman In The Yard - yet actress Danielle Deadwyler still has plenty of on-screen personas that she is eager to take on next. 'I'm trying to get to every segment dot on the line - and it's not a line, it's a circle. I'm trying to hit every quadrant.' Next up for Deadwyler, 43, is 40 Acres, a gritty drama about a Canadian farming family, living in a dystopian world where they must protect their land & resources at all costs. Directed and co-written by R.T. Thorne, Deadwyler plays Hailey Freeman, the matriarch of this formed family. So, what initially drew Deadwyler to this project? 'The root of any film script is just intelligence, right? Does this piece know what it is? How is my writer, director connecting? That's the realest thing for me. I'm all about the people. What is the story? How do you want to tell it? I jump onto things because of that, first and foremost. R.T. is visually brilliant. He has worked in the realms of music videos, as well as television. And so, to dig into this story of farmland, to dig into this story of family, of survival, of dystopia - I was connected to that on a personal level because I had been dealing in what does it mean to be learning about how to maintain land, to reconnect with land, on a spiritual level and a rooted level.' The Gotham Award winner not only stars in 40 Acres, but she also serves as an executive producer. So, I wondered what it means to her to have this type agency and leadership role behind-the-scenes, and if it ultimately benefited her on-camera performance. Deadwyler said, 'I think it does. I think a producer is there to mother and help birth the film, and to take care of the wellness of that project from pre-production to post-, right? To distribution. You are ushering this thing along. Executive producer, I feel like it can be financial, but it is largely creative. It's a checks-and-balances of the work. My job as an actor is to enhance this vision, to enhance this language - but in conjunction with being an executive producer is to instill a greater knowledge of what it is contextually, historically. Having a hand at supporting something like that is moving forward - it's the way that I want to deal with any project.' (Left to right) Danielle Deadwyler, Michael Greyeyes, Kataem O'Connor, Haile Amare and Jaeda LeBlanc ... More in "40 Acres" Being the mother to a teenage son in real life, I wondered if Deadwyler brought her own maternal instincts into her acting performance of playing a protective mother in 40 Acres. 'I think that mothering doesn't always come through birth - literal birth, but hell yeah. There is a beauty to children. I believe in protecting them. Everyone was a child at some point - just the protecting childhood and innocence is critical. I do bring that know-how. I taught elementary school and have taught across the educational gamut - the educational span from ESL to GED to arts camps and whatnot. It's important to protect people in the midst of their expansion, in the midst of their widening eye, and to protect their bodies from harm. So, that's the basic thing to do and bringing that to Hailey - bringing that to any role, quite frankly - that entails the exploration of motherhood - that urgency, that passion has to be present. If we're talking about a dystopic North America, we are surely talking about hardcore, passionate, urgent, rigorous, ruthless protection.' When moviegoers get the chance to watch this 40 Acres Magnolia Pictures film in the theaters starting July 2, I wondered what Deadwyler hopes that people will take from its story and overall theme into our own divisive real world. Danielle Deadwyler, R.T. Thorne, and Milcania Diaz-Rojas attend the "40 Acres" screening with ... More Talkback during the 2025 American Black Film Festival at the Miami Beach Convention Center on June 14, 2025 in Miami Beach, Florida. 'Man, I think the other day, R.T. and I were having a conversation about what's the significance of the film. This is a conversation across generations, right? I think we're at a, you know, every moment is critical. It's not like this is just now the critical moment to be doing this thing. The generational divide has been ongoing, right? For the past umpteen hundred years plus, there's value to Hailey's desire and need to insulate. There is value to her mistrust or distrust, her guarded-ness. And yet, there is an inherent need for her son to desire to know more. It is not just this nuclear family. So, what does it mean to meet each other? Just to meet each other - that kind of discussion is what should be happening. I think in the nuclear family, for sure. As to the greater world, we have a whole other conversation to be had, but the least we can do with those who we are in community with on a day-to-day basis is meet each other, because we are fighting to be together today on a basic level now.' So, with thought-provoking films like 40 Acres, is Deadwyler noticing that her priorities and interest towards the stories and characters she wants to take on, evolving at all as time goes on? Deadwyler said, 'Oh, heck yeah. I can hit a Till, I can hit a Piano Lesson, I can hit a Carry On, I can hit a Woman In The Yard - and then now, I'm hitting a 40 Acres. This is in the dystopian future - and then I'll pull it back. You can hit it in a horror thriller capacity, in an action thriller capacity, in a drama. This is a family drama with some action thriller. I think people respond to all kinds of stuff and I'm trying to have a wide range of a discussion or engagement with all kinds of audience members. If I can get them in these different genres, then let's play. If I can get them in film, TV, let's do it. Theater, performance art - let's do it. I'm just trying to have a well-rounded conversation about what does it mean to exist in this body and the narratives that come through it.' While reflecting upon the trajectory of her career up until now and what she is perhaps enjoying more today than in years past, Deadwyler said, 'Well, when I was a child, that's when I started. What am I enjoying today? I think the community is widening for me. I think that's exciting to feel and see, and dialogue with folks who are of like-mind. I think I'm trying to go a little slower. Things are hectic - things do move fast. The industry is at a critical tipping point. And so, how do you take something from infancy to adulthood as a project? That's what I'm getting the privilege of doing now, to take my time and to be that much more critical of the things that have been coming my way - and to develop. I'm getting to mother the works that I am connected to.' As Deadwyler continues on around Hollywood projects, with celebrated recognition already surrounding her outstanding performances by groups like BAFTA, the Critics Choice and the Film Independent Spirit Awards, I was curious what she is liking about the ways of the entertainment industry today, and what aspects of yesteryear does she wish were still in place. 'I feel like as difficult as the internet and social media have contributed to the shifting nature of the business, I am a beneficiary in that I'm from Atlanta. Aside from educational stints elsewhere, I've always lived in Atlanta and have not had to live in Hollywood, in order to have a greater conversation. I think that Hollywood is global at this point, which is a challenge to a lot of spaces - which has been a challenge to an ongoing conversation in Los Angeles. It has opened the world up, and I, along with other folks, have had the privilege to be witnessed and not necessarily in-person, though I have had that, too. So, it's a weird thing to have come in right at the cusp of the mad dash shift into bookings off of just self-tape or whatnot. I think the ability to be working is the massive privilege and something that I am grateful for. The other movements are a bit more challenging. I just want to be someone who's encouraging and advocating for work in local spaces that may be in LA - like bringing more things to LA, that may be in Atlanta. Everybody's having a kind of dearth of projects, but bringing things back to the U.S. is critical.' Having navigated over the years as a creative professional herself, what advice does Deadwyler have for other creatives that want their skills to be considered within a competitive and often unstable industry? 'You have full capacity to make - you have so much technology at your hands. You can just make, right? Like literally, collaborate with people who are 'simpatico' with what you are doing. If that thing can be made on a very small, intimate level - and it can be made on a grander level - but you can just start right here. I think when I started doing performance art about 13 years ago, that just fueled me to the things that I could do. I don't have to wait to show my skill in a way. I have to do it for myself. I have to do it for the local community that I'm trying to have a conversation with. Everything, it has its place. I think you should be preparing for all of those spaces and doing it with people who you have a connected heart to.' As I concluded my conversation Deadwyler, I left her with my signature and original interview question, wondering what she would say to her 40 Acres character Hailey, if only she could. Danielle Deadwyler in "40 Acres" Deadwyler said, 'Girl, you should smoke the weed, instead of drink the liquor [laughs]. At the end of the day, the fight that she has is so important. If not for that, would they have been able to protect themselves the way they needed to? There is a need for reprieve, as much as there is a need for the ability to fight. So, I'd tell her to take a couple of tokes and let everybody live.'
Black America Web
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Black America Web
A Grand Occasion: Idris Elba, John Cena, Priyanka Chopra Jonas & More Attend The ‘Heads of State' World Premiere In New York City
Source: Taylor Hill / Getty We're just a little over a week away from the release of the action-comedy Heads of State. Earlier this week (June 24th), Amazon MGM Studios hosted the red carpet world premiere at Alice Tully Hall in New York. Guests were treated to a screening of the film followed by an afterparty at Twin Tails. Continue reading to check out photos from the star-studded event. Heads of State follows the UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Idris Elba) and U.S. President Will Derringer (John Cena), who have a not-so-friendly and very public rivalry that jeopardizes their countries' 'special relationship.' When they become the targets of a powerful and ruthless foreign adversary—who proves more than a match for the two leaders' security forces—they are begrudgingly forced to rely on the only two people they can trust: each other. Ultimately allied with the brilliant MI6 agent Noel Bisset, they must go on the run and find a way to work together long enough to thwart a global conspiracy that threatens the entire free world. In addition to Elba ( The Wire, Takers, Hobbs & Shaw, The Harder They Fall ) and Cena ( Daddy's Home 2, F9, The Suicide Squad ), the film also stars Priyanka Chopra Jonas ( Baywatch, The Matrix Resurrections, Citadel ), Paddy Considine, Stephen Root ( King of the Hill, Dodgeball, Get Out ), Carla Gugino ( Spy Kids trilogy, American Gangster, Night at the Museum ), Jack Quaid ( The Boys, Oppenheimer, Novocaine ) and Sarah Niles ( I May Destroy You, Ted Lasso ). Ilya Naishuller ( Hardcore Henry, Nobody ) directed Heads of State from a screenplay by Josh Appelbaum & André Nemec and Harrison Query, and story from Query. The film was produced by Peter Safran and John Rickard, with Marcus Viscidi, Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec, Elba and Cena serving as executive producers. Many of the film's contributors were in attendance for the big night. Check out some photos from the premiere below and be sure to check out Heads of State when it premieres globally on Prime Video July 2nd. A Grand Occasion: Idris Elba, John Cena, Priyanka Chopra Jonas & More Attend The 'Heads of State' World Premiere In New York City was originally published on Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty Source:Getty
Elle
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Elle
The Guest Stars Everyone's Talking About in 'The Bear' Season 4
Spoilers below. The Bear loves introducing guest stars almost as much as it loves a good montage. Despite their limited screen time, these cameos have become an integral part of the FX dramedy's story, which follows Carmen Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri), Richie Jerimovich (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), and their cohort as they launch a Chicago fine-dining restaurant known as The try not to kill one another in the process. Season 4 welcomes several new additions, with heavy-hitting talent filling out additional branches on the Berzatto, Fak, and Adamu family trees. Here's who to look out for as you watch. You know her from: Till, The Piano Lesson, The Harder They Fall, and Station Eleven She plays: Chantel, Sydney's older cousin, whom Sydney visits to get her hair braided in episode 4, 'Worms.' She has a teenage daughter named TJ. You know her from: She's a newcomer! She plays: TJ, Chantel's teenage daughter. During episode 4, TJ and Sydney bond whilst discussing sleepovers—real and figurative—and doctoring up some Hamburger Helper. You know her from: Room, Avengers: Endgame, Captain Marvel, and Lessons in Chemistry. She plays: The infamous Francie Fak, sister to Neil, Teddy, and Sammy Fak. For years, she's had a long-running feud with Natalie 'Sugar' Berzatto, the source of which we don't learn until episode 7. When the two former friends finally reunite at Tiffany and Frank's wedding, they eventually make up. You know him from: his acting in projects such as All in the Family and Sleepless in Seattle, as well as directing in films such as When Harry Met Sally, This Is Spinal Tap, Stand By Me, A Few Good Men, and more. He plays: Albert Schnurr, a business coach and consultant whom Ebra hires to help him create 'opportunity' within The Bear. You know him from: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Dopesick, Black Mirror, The Chronicles of Narnia, Death of a Unicorn, and We're the Millers. He plays: Chef Luca, a pastry chef and former colleague of Carmy's who mentors Marcus in Copenhagen. In season 4, he joins The Bear's team as a stage. You know her from: Theater Camp, Booksmart, Shiva Baby, and Oh, Hi! She plays: Claire, Carmy's ex-girlfriend. The two grew up in each other's orbits, but their relationship ends badly in the season 2 finale. In season 3, she mostly appears in flashbacks, but in season 4, she re-enters Carmy's life when he shows up on her doorstep and (finally) apologizes. You know her from: her acting in Three Busy Debras, as well as her writing for Big Mouth, High Maintenance, and Miracle Workers. She plays: Claire's roommate Kelly, who begins dating Teddy Fak in season 4. You know him from: Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down, Oppenheimer, Trap, and Penny Dreadful. He plays: Frank, the fiancé of Tiffany—Richie's ex-wife—and soon-to-be step-father to Eva. You know her from: Community, Love, and Girls. She plays: Tiffany, Richie's ex-wife and mother to Eva. In season 4, she marries Frank. You know him from: The Punisher, Daredevil, King Richard, We Own This City, and The Walking Dead. He plays: Carmy and Natalie's late older brother, Mikey, who ran The Original Beef of Chicagoland before he died. He appears throughout seasons 1 through 4 in flashbacks. You know her from: Halloween, True Lies, Everything Everywhere All at Once, and Freaky Friday. She plays: Carmy, Natalie, and Mikey's mother, Donna, whose erratic behavior and implied alcoholism created an equally erratic upbringing for the Berzatto kids. You know him from: Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, The Post, and Little Women. He plays: Lee, a business partner to Cicero and romantic partner to Donna. In season 3, we see a flashback of him tension at the Berzatto family dinner table. But, in season 4, we learn that Lee and Mikey largely reconciled in the months leading up to Mikey's death. Lately, Lee and Donna are working on becoming healthier functioning adults, 'learning to talk about [pain] before it builds up.' You know him from: His stand-up specials and variety shows (such as New in Town, The Comeback Kid, Baby J, and Everybody's Live with John Mulaney), Big Mouth, and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. He plays: Stevie, the romantic partner of Berzatto cousin Michelle. You know her from: American Horror Story, The People v. OJ Simpson: American Crime Story, Bird Box, 12 Years a Slave, and Ratched. She plays: Michelle, (biological) cousin to Carmy, Natalie, and Mikey. You know him from: Steve Jobs, Never Have I Ever, Mank, and She Said. He plays: A chef who used to work at Ever—and who tries to poach Sydney when he sets out to start his own restaurant after Ever closes. You know him from: his work creating and producing Billions, as well as writing Ocean's Thirteen, Rounders, and Solitary Man. He plays: Nicholas 'Computer' Marshall, one of Cicero's friends and a math wizard who literally 'computes' where the restaurant is overspending. You know him from: Dexter, The Expendables, and Skyline. He plays: David, a doorman and Tina's husband—as well as actress Liza Colón-Zayas's husband in real life. You know him from: his acting in The Parent 'Hood and Hollywood Shuffle, as well as his directing for films including Hollywood Shuffle, Eddie Murphy: Raw, and Meteor Man. He plays: Sydney's father, Emmanuel Adamu, who experiences a heart attack in season 4.
Boston Globe
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Danielle Deadwyler on the profound family bonds of ‘40 Acres'
Deadwyler, who was raised in Atlanta, studied history and African-American Studies at Spelman college, then got a masters in American Studies from Columbia University and another in creative writing from Ashland University. After getting her start on stage in Atlanta, Deadwyler, 43, has shown she can handle a gun and a fight scene onscreen in movies including 'The Devil to Pay' and 'The Harder They Fall' and 'Carry-On,' while also honing her acting chops in episodes of 'Atlanta,' 'Watchmen,' and ' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Danielle Deadwyler in "40 Acres." Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures Advertisement But Hailey in '40 Acres' also feels, in a weird way, like a descendant of Deadwyler's two most acclaimed roles, as Emmett Till's mother Mamie in ' Advertisement 'They all think about how to shield, protect, and nurture their families, although they all go about it in different ways,' Deadwyler said in a recent video interview. 'But they all also understand the impact of history and legacy on their present situations.' Q. What drew you to this role and story? A. It was the family's connection to the land and the desire — the hardcore, passionate, urgent desire — to stay together, to stay connected by any means. And by any means, I mean, by any means. Hailey knows the government never gave a damn about Black people and that things happen to folks who look like her, historically. … So at this juncture, she is assuredly just saying to hell with anybody who crosses their fence. You will get the blade. At the time I read the script, I'd been thinking about family connectivity, recalling my maternal grandparents and what they had carved out for my mom and her siblings and the long history and the memories of being on their land and wanting to explore that in a story. Q. How much does each of these roles not just inform the next role you take on, but stay with you and affect who you are in real life? A. They do have connectivity, but every experience is unto itself. And Danielle is learning from them all, for sure, but hopefully they are learning from me, perhaps. It's a crossing of knowledge — the text is teaching me them, and I am having a fusion of sorts with the roles. But Danielle is always trying to come back to herself. Advertisement Q. Are there ways in which you relate to Hailey? Are you good with a knife? A. Oh, hell yeah. How did you know, Stuart? [ She laughs, but in a way that makes you believe she really may be good with a knife. ] No, I have an intensity like her and Berniece and Mamie. Or I had an intensity. I think I'm coming to a place now where I need a little bit more balancing. I guess that's what they've all taught me. They beat me up enough in this movie that I had to chill out. I had the understanding of the need to teach, to protect, and to defend doggedly, but over the last couple of years I've learned that it's actually true that things work a little better with honey. We learn that as we get older. In Hailey's world, there are violent, nihilist folks coming to kill [her] children on [her] land, so she needs to be vigilant with her son. As a parent I'm actually a little lenient — you can't rule with an iron fist — but I send things for awareness, things to have a conversation about. Like a lot of Black parents, I want to help my son understand the severe nature of the world outside. We've witnessed an onslaught of violence against Black children, Black teens, Black young adults, Black people in general. Q. You've had roles in action movies like 'The Harder They Fall.' What were the physical demands of this role like, and how did you prepare? Advertisement A. To be honest, 'Till' was more exhausting than any other role. Emotionally, but there's a physicality to it, too. As a dancer, I have an understanding through movement, and everything I get the privilege to do is imbued with the physical. With Mamie in 'Till,' there was a regalness, a rigidity, a discipline that had to happen for her, and that's a challenge. When does one slouch down into some release? Hailey was military and there's rigor, and she's erect, too, but we see her drink when she's alone, and there's the scene where she's smoking a little cannabis. She's got vices, because the world is difficult, so we get to see that physicality in her, too. The fight scenes are exhausting, but we had a team that was just lovely, including the stunt team, and so we just rolled with the punches. It's a dance — this is choreography. Q. In movies, you're usually so intense, and it feels like you can kill with a glare, but in person you're funny and fun to talk to. Do you want to show that side of yourself onscreen? A. I started in comedy and have done it on stage numerous times. And I am consciously trying to balance my life and my art, yes, I am. … You should keep your eyes open for the remainder of the year — there will be some fun stuff. I'm trying to do a wide span of things, a deep exploration of what it means to be in the world. And it ain't all drama. Interview was edited for length and clarity. Advertisement
Time Out
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
The 45 best movies on Netflix right now
Director: Jeymes Samuel Each member of The Harder They Fall 's cast is a headturner on their own, so imagine the rush of seeing them as dueling posses. But the red-hot ensemble is just one of the draws of Jeymes' hyper-stylised, cordite-choked Black western, which is chock full of kinetic camera work, frenzied action, expertly deployed needle drops and desert landscapes painted crimson amid heavy gunfire. This isn't your daddy's oater.
