Latest news with #TheWhale
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dwayne Johnson A24 Movie Breakthrough Eyes Oscar Nominated Director
A24 may have found a director for its upcoming film Breakthrough starring Dwayne Johnson, according to a new report from Deadline. According to Deadline's report, Darren Aronofsky is in early conversations to direct the upcoming movie. While a deal is not closed as of yet, it would reunite Aronofsky with A24 following his successful time partnering with the company for 2022's The Whale. Little is known about the movie as of now, but Johnson is rumored to be playing a motivational guru that hides his manipulative ways under a mask of charm. Zeke Goodman is writing the script, with no other casting information available as of yet. 'Set in turn-of-the-millennium Southern California, the story follows an alienated young man who comes under the influence of a motivational guru, whose intoxicating charm masks his morally questionable methods of manipulation and his own concealed darkness,' a description of the movie reads. Stacey Sher's Shiny Penny Productions will produce Breakthrough alongside Johnson and Dany Garcia's Seven Bucks Productions. Jacob Epstein and Justin Wolf serve as executive producers for Lighthouse Management and Media. In 2024, Johnson played Callum 'Cal' Drift in Red One alongside Chris Evans, while he also reprised his voice role as Maui in Disney's Moana 2. Along with The Smashing Machine, he's working on a project with Martin Scorsese that will also star Blunt and Leonardo DiCaprio. A release date for that film, which is about a Hawaiian crime boss, has not yet been set. Additionally, Johnson will soon be seen playing a live-action version of Maui in a remake of Moana that is currently dated for July 10, 2026. (Source: Deadline) The post Dwayne Johnson A24 Movie Breakthrough Eyes Oscar Nominated Director appeared first on - Movie Trailers, TV & Streaming News, and More.
Buzz Feed
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
11 Actors Who Took Breaks From Hollywood And Why
Whether it's to focus on their personal lives or because they're incredibly burnt out, it's not uncommon for celebrities to take hiatuses from Hollywood. Here's a look at 11 actors' reasons for temporarily stepping back from the big screen: 1. Tom Holland took a year off from acting after his role in the series The Crowded Room took a huge toll on his mental health. 'I really enjoyed it, but then again, the show did break me… I'm now taking a year off, and that is a result of how difficult this show was,' he shared in 2023. 2. Post-Titanic, Leonardo DiCaprio took a break for a couple of years to escape the 'intense' public attention he was receiving. 'It was a very surreal time period. It was bizarre. I took a break for a couple of years because it was so intense. I needed to recharge and refocus,' he recalled in 2016. 3. In 2021, Jennifer Lawrence recalled stepping back from the spotlight after feeling like the public had gotten 'sick' of her. 'I just think everybody had gotten sick of me. I'd gotten sick of me. It had just gotten to a point where I couldn't do anything right,' she said. 4. Rachel McAdams took a 2-year break from acting in the 2000s after starring in a string of super successful films, like Mean Girls and The Notebook. 'I felt guilty for not capitalizing on the opportunity that I was being given, because I knew I was in such a lucky spot. But I also knew it wasn't quite jiving with my personality and what I needed to stay sane,' she shared. 5. In 2022, Sandra Bullock revealed that she was 'going to not spend time in front of the camera for a while' due to feeling 'so burnt out' and exhausted. 'I don't want to be beholden to anyone's schedule other than my own. I'm so burnt out. I'm so tired, and I'm so not capable of making healthy, smart decisions, and I know it,' she said. 6. Brendan Fraser stepped away from the spotlight after experiencing sexual assault in 2003 by the former president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Phillip W. Berk. The HFPA found that Berk 'inappropriately touched' Brendan but it was "intended to be taken as a joke and not as a sexual advance." Brendan eventually made his comeback in the 2022 film The Whale, which landed him a Best Actor Oscar nomination. 7. Cameron Diaz took a 10-year hiatus from acting, focusing on her personal life. After marrying Good Charlotte singer Benji Madden in 2015 and becoming a mom of two, Cameron eventually made her return to screens, starring in the 2025 Netflix film Back in Action. 8. A few years ago, Emma Watson recalled taking a long break from the industry after she began feeling 'caged' and limited. Admitting that she 'wasn't very happy,' Emma explained, 'I think I felt a bit caged. The thing I found really hard was that I had to go out and sell something that I really didn't have very much control over. To stand in front of a film and have every journalist be able to say, 'How does this align with your viewpoint?' It was very difficult to have to be the face and the spokesperson for things where I didn't get to be involved in the process.' 9. In 2022, Chris Hemsworth revealed he was taking a break from acting after discovering that he had a genetic predisposition to Alzheimer's disease. 'I'm going home, and I'm going to have a good chunk of time off and just simplify. Be with the kids, be with my wife,' he said, later adding, 'I wanted to take off because I've been working for 10 years, and I've got three kids that I want to spend more time with.' 10. Matthew McConaughey once stepped away from the spotlight after feeling like he was being typecast in Hollywood and therefore struggling to bag the roles he wanted. After a 2-year hiatus, he eventually made his return in films like Dallas Buyers Club and The Wolf of Wall Street. 11. In 2023, Emily Blunt revealed she was taking a year off from acting to spend more meaningful time with her children. 'This year, I'm not working. I worked quite a bit last year and my oldest baby is 9, so we're in the last year of single digits,' she said. 12. Josh Hartnett — who was literally everywhere from the late 90s to mid 00s — stepped away from the limelight after finding his immense fame 'overwhelming.' He shared in 2021, 'I really enjoy making films, but the industry itself was overwhelming for a 21-year-old kid. The press was a little bit different back then; there was paparazzi around every corner — you couldn't really go anywhere without being sort of harassed.' 13. And finally, Daniel Kaluuya revealed that he took a break from acting for a year and a half after feeling 'disillusioned' by the lack of jobs he was being offered due to racism. 'I checked out, because I was just like, this isn't working. I wasn't getting roles, because racism and all this kind of stuff—so [Jordan Peele] reaching out was like, 'Okay, I'm not crazy. It's proper. It's going to be all right,'' he shared during an interview with Essence. Can you think of any more examples? Let me know in the comments.
Vogue Singapore
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Vogue Singapore
The best films that celebrate fatherhood in all its joys and complexities
This weekend marks Father's Day—the time dedicated each year to honouring the profound impact and invaluable contributions that fathers and father figures make in our lives. Be it with a new watch or a celebratory meal, take this Sunday to express your appreciation for Dad. Afterwards, wind down with a pertinent film from Vogue Singapore's lineup that shines a spotlight on fatherhood. Admittedly, for some of us, the holiday is more poignant than it is celebratory. Not all of our relationships with Dad are perfect. Navigating it can be tricky; communication may go awry, boundaries may be overstepped, and a rift grows. How then, do we go about mending old wounds and patching up an imperfect relationship? An age-old question that hits close to home for many grappling with imperfect parent figures—many films have sought to explore these nuances of fatherhood and the sacrifices we each make in the name of love. Heartwarming and indubitably moving, these films paint a powerful portrait of the unique challenges and responsibilities our fathers bear. They provide a glimpse into the multifaceted experience of fatherhood—the struggles of achieving work-life balance and, as per the Will Smith film title, the pursuit of happiness—as they endeavour to create a nurturing environment for their children given their circumstances. Through the lens of cinema, these are the titles that promise to open our eyes to the joys and challenges of fatherhood and perhaps allow us to glean a newfound appreciation for the father figures in our lives. Here, see Vogue Singapore's curation of films to delve into this Father's Day. Courtesy of A24 1 / 7 The Whale (2022) The Whale sees Brendan Fraser's glorious return to the big screen as Charlie, a lonesome English teacher in Idaho struggling with severe obesity. He desires to reach out and make amends with his teenage daughter (Sadie Sink), and have one last shot at reconciliation. Courtesy of Fuji Television 2 / 7 After the Storm (2016) Hirokazu Koreeda has a knack for family films, and After the Storm proves no different. Hiroshi Abe plays struggling writer Ryota Shinoda, who is now working as a private detective. A quiet, understated capture of a man whose life bears the weight of his own choices in the past—when he divorced his ex-wife Kyōko (Yōko Maki), and thus left his 11-year-old son without a stable father figure. Harbouring a complicated relationship with his mother and his ex-wife, the film takes a vulnerable turn one stormy night, when he blatantly attempts to have Kyōko and their son, Shingo, stay the night—revealing his yearning for the family he had once estranged himself from. Courtesy of Amazon Studios 3 / 7 Beautiful Boy (2018) In this biographical drama, Timothée Chalamet and Steve Carell star as father and son—Nicolas and David. Beautiful Boy explores Nic and his father's lives from his adolescence into his twenties as he battles his drug addiction and the torturous cycle of recovery and relapse. Courtesy of A24 4 / 7 C'mon C'mon (2021) In C'mon C'mon , Joaquin Phoenix takes on the role of an emotionally stunted radio journalist unexpectedly saddled with the responsibility of caring for his young nephew Jesse (Woody Norman). Their bond, deeply moving and utterly transformational, stand as proof that fatherhood goes beyond blood. Courtesy of A24 5 / 7 Aftersun (2022) On a summer holiday with her father (Paul Mescal), 11-year-old Sophie (Frankie Corio) treasures the rare time they spend together. For Sophie, who's on the precipice of adolescence, her father's struggle with the weight of life outside parenthood escapes her eye. 20 years later, as she attempts to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn't, her memories of their last vacation together paint a tender, heartbreaking picture of their relationship. Courtesy of Fuji Television Network Inc. 6 / 7 Like Father, Like Son (2013) When a blood test reveals that two babies were switched at birth, their disparate families are forced together to make a difficult decision. Made to choose between his biological son and the one he raised as his own, wealthy businessman Ryota (Masaharu Fukuyama) is confronted with what it means to truly be a father. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures 7 / 7 King Richard (2021) In this biographical sports drama, Will Smith plays Richard Williams, father and coach of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams (Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton respectively). Coming from an unprivileged background, it is with his support and guidance that the sisters rise to dominate the field of women's tennis—eventually becoming the famed athletes we know them as today. With both sisters listed as executive producers on the project, Serena Williams has expressed that the film is a great opportunity for audiences to see how amazing African-American fathers are.
Time Out
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
Sadie Sink on the vulnerability of her star turn on Broadway
At the tender age of 23, Sadie Sink is already a Broadway veteran. She made her Main Stem debut as a standby ragamuffin in the 2012 revival of Annie and later assumed the title role. A few years later, in 2015, she was a young version of Elizabeth II in The Audience. (The older version? Helen Mirren.) Since then, she has achieved nationwide fame for playing troubled teens on Netflix's Stranger Things and the Brendan Fraser drama The Whale. But none of those teens was quite as tormented as the one she currently plays at the Booth Theatre in John Proctor Is the Villain. Kimberly Belflower's suspenseful drama, directed by Danya Taymor, centers on a group of high school girls in rural Georgia who draw connections between Arthur Miller's The Crucible and sexual situations in their own lives; Sink is Shelby, a classmate who returns after a lengthy and mysterious absence. 'Shelby is one of the most meaningful characters I've ever played,' Sink says. 'It's been the thrill of my career so far.' Her star turn has earned her a Tony nomination for Best Lead Actress in a Play. We spoke with her about the excitement of Tony season, the demands of her role and the songs that help her get into character every night. In advance of the Tony Awards on June 8, Time Out has conducted in-depth interviews with select nominees. We'll be rolling out those interviews every day this week; the full collection to date is here. Interviews have been edited for length and clarity. How have you been processing the madness of Tony season? It's the biggest thing that's ever happened to me! One thing that keeps me focused is that I still have to do my job; we're still doing the show eight times a week. That's been a challenge, but also something I've been super appreciative of. And the part is challenging enough already! What do you think are Shelby's strongest qualities? Shelby is incredibly smart—that's not so obvious to other people—in a way that's beyond her years. What drew me to her was her honesty, which I think is something a lot of people struggle with. Personally, I could never be as honest and blunt as Shelby is. I was really drawn to how she can maintain that quality throughout the trauma she's suffered, and the way she carries that trauma in such a complex, beautiful, messy way. Digging into that and peeling back her layers was such a long process—and one that I feel like I didn't actually have a full grasp on until right before opening, to be honest. How has the role evolved for you over time? In rehearsal, we got into some of her wackier and nerdier sides, where she's a little bit more energetic and awkward. In previews, we stripped that back and brought back some of my initial instincts; we grounded her a bit and found places for her to relax so that the audience could see the many dimensions of who she is. I learned so much from exploring and pushing the boundaries of a character and then reeling it back in. That's all thanks to Danya; I saw her do that with every actor in this ensemble piece. What do you remember about her directing you for your big scene with Amalia Yoo's character? I think it's the most beautiful scene in the play, but I'm biased. You get to see a vulnerable side of Shelby. This scene went through many phases. It felt awkward at first; there's a wall for her in letting her vulnerability peek through, because until that point she doesn't let you see that anything is wrong. Letting that go, in a really honest way, took some time to unlock— especially when you add an audience, because we're sitting on the edge of the stage for that scene. There might be people in the audience that are just seeing Max from Stranger Things, so there's automatically a wall that I, as Sadie, am putting up. But Danya made me feel I had permission to let that down. She told me something that shifted how I approached the scene: That any choice I make, anything I say, has nothing to do with me. It's only Shelby. And if I can just be a vessel for her, then the vulnerability can open up and it can feel honest. That was so important to hear from a director—for her to call out the anxieties that I have in that area, and allow me to feel safe and protected. The play gets intense at some points. How do you get into character? There are 30 minutes in the play before I go on stage. So while everybody else is warming up, I'm not; I wait until everyone else is on stage, and that's my warm-up time. I have the space to get into character, because it's so quiet backstage. I have a few songs that are triggers, or that help me associate with Shelby. If I listen to one of those songs, then I'm good. I've been listening to 'Limp,' by Fiona Apple. I think Shelby would love Fiona Apple. Also, 'Liability (Reprise)' from Melodrama by Lorde. That's a huge one. It's weird how much muscle memory comes into play. We've done the show so many times at this point; each show feels different, but your body knows what to do and knows what you need to access at different points. That's been a huge learning curve. It doesn't get worse or less true the more you do it. It becomes second nature, and you find different things in the performance that stick out. Is there a line in the script that particularly speaks to you? This week's line was in the gas station scene. It's when Shelby says, 'I think I'm going to be super messed up for a really long time, but I don't know if I'm fully equipped to start that journey right now.' That was always my favorite in rehearsals, but it really came back around this week; it's such a mature thing for her to say but also so heartbreaking. I was emotional thinking about what the rest of Shelby's life looks like, carrying what happened to her. How do you wind down after a performance? At the end of the show, I'm so winded from that last dance. I've given all the energy I have left. I have 45 minutes in the car where I can listen to music. When I get home, I pretty much go to bed. I would be remiss to not ask you about Charles Strouse, the composer who wrote Annie and passed away recently. What do you remember of him? It was really heartbreaking to hear and made me appreciate my time in that show. I met him at the opening night party for Annie. What he did for Annie —that kind of raised me in a way. That's the legacy he created and I'm so appreciative of him. What do you remember about going on in the role of Annie for the first time, after Lilla Crawford had left the production? I'm still friends with Lilla—she's a good friend of mine. Once she left, me and another girl shared the role. I remember the first time I went on for Duffy, the first orphan I played, but I can't remember the first time I went on as Annie. I do remember a put-in that we did: I thought it was so bizarre that the casting directors showed up, and maybe [director] James Lapine and [choreographer] Andy Blankenbuehler. I later realized that that was my audition to step in as Annie. It felt very adult and very serious. I cannot believe someone trusted me to go on stage and do that. Mia Farrow, who is also nominated in your category, recently came to see your performance. How did that go? It was amazing. She did The Roommate at the Booth, so she knew a lot of the crew that worked there. She really loved the show. And I love her so much. She is so kind. I got to meet her at the Tony nominees luncheon. She was like, 'Who do you want to meet?' I said, 'Jonathan Groff.' So she introduced me—which was huge. I will never forget that. What did you say to him? I just said I was such a big fan. I think that's all I said. I hope I can meet him again soon, because I'm obsessed with him. Have you been able to see him yet in Just in Time? No, because we're on the same schedule. The weird thing is, even if you aren't on the same schedule as another show—if you have a night or an afternoon off—it's hard to get yourself to midtown to sit through another show. But I did get to see Oh, Mary!, which was awesome. Maybe you'll get to see him again at the Tonys. Who are you bringing as your date? My brother!
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Sadie Sink on Her First Tony Nomination, Shaking Off ‘Stranger Things' Expectations
While Sadie Sink rose to fame in Netflix's Stranger Things, her roots are in the theater. The 23-year-old actress appeared in a revival of Annie in 2013 and starred as young Queen Elizabeth in The Audience in 2015 before going on to play Max in Stranger Things, and taking on roles in films including The Whale. And now, Sink has returned to Broadway in John Proctor is the Villain, where she has received her first Tony nomination for her role as high schooler Shelby Holcomb. More from The Hollywood Reporter Darren Criss, Renée Elise Goldsberry Set to Host Tony Awards Preshow Broadway Sees Highest Grossing Season on Record Lea Michele, Aaron Tveit, Nicholas Christopher to Lead Broadway Revival of 'Chess' Sink was nervous about returning to Broadway, especially with the fandom and expectations of Stranger Things surrounding her. But she was drawn back by Kimberly Bellflower's play, in which a group of high school girls dissect The Crucible for English class, while also seeing parallels with their own lives. While the play is an ensemble piece, Sink's character comes in like a wrecking ball who takes aim at the moral authority ascribed to the character of John Proctor in The Crucible as well as the systems set up to protect men around her. The play touches on feminism, varied responses among women to bad behavior by men and the complicated friendships among teenage girls, including Sink's character who starts out at odds with her friend Raelynn over a boy. This approach to the text, as well as the play's needle drops of songs by Taylor Swift and Lorde, makes these topics accessible to younger generations grappling with the current political climate, Sink said. 'I think it's the most important thing I've ever been a part of, in that sense,' Sink said. John Proctor is the Villain is also nominated for best play, as part of seven overall Tony nominations. The best actress nominee spoke with The Hollywood Reporter about shaking off nerves and moving past her Stranger Things character for Broadway, as well as what she hopes audiences take away from the play. Had returning to Broadway been on your radar? I was thinking about coming back, but honestly, I wasn't too eager to do it until I read Kimberly's play, because the idea of doing theater again was a little bit scary. I didn't know how it would be for me as an adult, or if I even had the stamina or the chops to do it, and if things had changed from being very comfortable on a TV show for 10 years. But when I read this, I was like, 'OK it's fantastic. It's an incredible ensemble piece.' So it's not like I'd be biting off more than I could chew. You feel so supported, and everyone in this cast is so stellar. So once I read this, it was like, if it can get to Broadway…because I also didn't know. It's kind of a big swing to do a new play, even though it had kind of gained some recognition and had gotten its flowers on a regional, collegiate level, you still just don't know with a play about teenage girls if producers and theater owners are going to believe in it and that the traditional Broadway audience would want to go. What did it feel like when you first came back? I was definitely nervous about what my nerve level would be, and how I was going to handle being on stage, because it's so exposing, and you're so vulnerable. A big thing I had to get over just in the first week of previews was letting go of any expectations I had on myself, but also that the audience would place on me in any way. That was something that was eating me up a bit. It is an ensemble piece, and yeah, sure, my name's on the marquee and everything, but if you go into the show, you realize that it's really not about that. But I think it added this extra layer of pressure in the beginning of, 'Oh, are people coming in expecting more out of me? Or are they seeing Shelby, or are they seeing Max from Stranger Things? You just never know. [Director] Danya [Taymor] actually had a really good conversation with me about that to help me let that go a bit. And once I did everything felt very free. That's kind of the point of previews too. You're in front of an audience for the first time. It's trial and error and embarrassing, because you are in front of an audience every single night as you're testing out all of these new things and situating yourself. It was quite the journey. There's definitely some points where you're like, 'Oh my God, can I do this? Am I just embarrassing myself?' What advice did Danya give you that helped you let go of that pressure? I think she could see that there was this wall that went up as soon as I was in front of an audience, because I haven't had to do this since gaining recognition through Stranger Things. I haven't had to be on stage in front of the audience right there. So I think I felt like I just put this wall up that maybe wasn't there in rehearsals. And Danya told me 'That's always going to be there, that you want to protect yourself from the audience. But if you use the character, if you're just a vessel for Shelby, then any choice that you make, she is your protection, because you're not yourself up there, so you can't feel judged, or feel like there's any expectations on you, because they're not. When you're on stage, you're Shelby.' Kimberly's agent had sent it to me, and I couldn't put it down. I just like tore through it. And the initial reaction, other than the fact that it's just a brilliant story, was just how real every character is held. And I think that's so rare when, like, you know, telling a story about teenage girls, I find it's like, super hard to get it right in a way that's like, really meeting them where they're at. And I just felt like Kimberly really encapsulated the feeling of being that age. And then it was kind of just gut instinct that this is obviously fantastic, and I think we should do a reading of it or something, and we did. How did you feel about having music featured so heavily in the play with both Taylor Swift and Lorde? I loved all the pop culture references. I think if you shy away from them, then you're not honoring the experience of being a teenage girl, because pop culture is so prevalent in most of our lives now, but especially at that age, it's like your language. And I thought everything was super clever, the way that Kimberly tied it in there, and with the use of Lorde's song 'Green Light' at the end, it's just the perfect cherry on top. At first, it's funny, because, of course, they joke about being very gifted, very beautiful interpretive dancers. And of course, they're going to start dancing to a Lorde song, but then it kind of shifts and they're able to use it as this kind of weapon or armor as they reclaim their voices and their bodies and exercise some demons through it. So it becomes this anthem towards the end. And I also just love that. I feel like a lot of the projects I've done have featured a song. There's always one song you can tie into it. What are you hoping people take away from this play? A lot of people have different reactions. Someone will come up to me and be like, 'I'm so pissed off right now,' and then other people will just be sobbing and crying. There's a mix of reactions, but I think the one thing I hope people take away from it is like, to me, I think it's just a story about friendship, like Raelynn and Shelby's friendship, and how they're able to forgive each other and come together and like that final moment, it's just all about them being connected and being able to have this exorcism, give this monologue in front of their entire class, and they couldn't do it without each other. So I think it's a love letter to that bond when you're a teenage girl and you're best friends. It must feel more charged doing this play in this political climate. Yeah, and obviously, the timing of it was not planned at all. We were always set to come to the Booth Theatre in the spring, and then with the results of the election, I think, coming into rehearsals and being with an all-female creative team, and mostly female cast, young cast, and having that to go to every day and working on something that really mattered and feeling like I think we could actually really reach people, especially young people, at this time of scariness and uncertainty and all kinds of disgusting things happening. I think it's the most important thing I've ever been a part of, in that sense. But of course, we're not trying to make any comments on it. It's just not lost on us. Everything is presented the same way. But you can't ignore the fact that it's even more poignant at this time. Do you want to do more live theater after this? I would love to. I think that's the dream. I learned more about acting in these last few months than I have in a very long time. And it's such a marathon. So I think we'll take a little break after this, but I want to come back for sure, because I think doing theater is also how you maintain your passion for acting, at least for me. It's really returning to your craft, in a very special way that film and TV sometimes just can't offer you. And I started out in theater, so of course, I always will have a love for it, and definitely want to return. And you're still so close to with the Broadway show playing across from your theater. I know. Isn't that insane timing? I saw it in London awhile ago, and then I also saw it when it came here. But yeah, it's insane, right across the street. I mean, they follow me everywhere. It's crazy. What does this Tony nomination mean to you? I grew up watching the Tonys every year and studying Tony performances. To me, the ultimate honor is to get a nomination or win a Tony award. The Tonys, New York theater, Broadway, I just think it's the pinnacle of what acting is, and performing is, and you're surrounded by some of the greatest actors ever. And so to have this recognition from the community that raised me, it has mattered the most. And also I've been doing this for 15 years, basically my whole life. And something like this has never happened to me. And so, for it to be a Tony nomination, it's just so serendipitous, and it just means so much. This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Best of The Hollywood Reporter From 'Lady in the Lake' to 'It Ends With Us': 29 New and Upcoming Book Adaptations in 2024 Meet the Superstars Who Glam Up Hollywood's A-List Rosie O'Donnell on Ellen, Madonna, Trump and 40 Years in the Queer Spotlight
