Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars as Edward Snowden in writer/director Oliver Stone’s Snowden, coming to theaters on September 16, 2016. The new clip features Gordon-Levitt as Snowden acing an aptitude test given as part of the CIA recruitment process. Snowden also stars Rhys Ifans, Shailene Woodley, Melissa Leo, Zachary Quinto, Tom Wilkinson, Nicolas Cage, Scott Eastwood, Joely Richardson, Timothy Olyphant, and Ben Schnetzer.
The Plot: Academy Award®-winning director Oliver Stone, who brought Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July, Wall Street and JFK to the big screen, tackles the most important and fascinating true story of the 21st century. Snowden, the politically-charged, pulse-pounding thriller starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Shailene Woodley, reveals the incredible untold personal story of Edward Snowden, the polarizing figure who exposed shocking illegal surveillance activities by the NSA and became one of the most wanted men in the world. He is considered a hero by some, and a traitor by others. No matter which you believe, the epic story of why he did it, who he left behind, and how he pulled it off makes for one of the most compelling films of the year.
The CW’s The 100 cast once again made the trip down to San Diego for the annual Comic Con, with cast members including Eliza Taylor, Henry Ian Cusick, Marie Avgeropoulos, and Lindsey Morgan showing up at the sold-out convention to talk about the popular sci-fi series. Season three was a real roller coaster ride, and season four doesn’t look to be any easier for all of the surviving The 100 characters.
In addition to a jam-packed Q&A with fans, The 100 cast also took part in roundtable interviews to discuss the events of season three and what we can look forward to with season four. Cusick, who’s quick to laugh, even told us about conversations he had with Michael Beach (‘Charles Pike’) about the similarities between what was going on in season three and what’s happening during America’s current presidential race.
Henry Ian Cusick Interview:
What did you think about your character’s arc last season?
Henry Ian Cusick: “My storyline last year, I liked it. I really enjoyed working with Michael Beach a lot, the Pike storyline. I thought that was kind of an interesting storyline. People said, ‘That could never happen.’ Well, it’s happening. It’s happening now in America. I thought that was cool that they intentionally or unintentionally there was a parallel between that and what’s happening now.
For me, I really enjoyed my season last year. I enjoy working with everyone, but I think it was largely from working with Michael Beach. I loved working with him. He’s a good guy.
[…]He was such a lovely guy. And you know what? He was so passionate about his character. We would have chats about it. I’d say, ‘You’re Trump,’ and he’d go, ‘No! No, but listen…!’ He was fun.”
Did those conversations really go on where you compared him to what’s going on now politically?
Henry Ian Cusick: “Yeah, lightheartedly. We would mess with each other a lot. (Laughing) Why? What do you think we talk about? How’s my hair? How do I look?”
Who is going to be Chancellor now?
Henry Ian Cusick: “Well, Pike was the Chancellor so that’s a vacuum that needs to be filled. I don’t even know who has that pin. That pin’s been moved around so many times. I’m surprised it hasn’t been lost. So that’s something that needs to be filled and that’s kind of addressed in episode one of season four. There’s a power vacuum that needs to be filled there and also in Polis. There’s no leader in Polis.”
How was it doing the more physical scenes last year?
Henry Ian Cusick: “Being crucified you mean? (Laughing) I’ve done that before. That was easy. It was okay. The good thing about TV is we work fast. If that was a movie I’d be up there for days and weeks. On TV it’s like, ‘We have to shoot now, go. Get him up. Let’s do the next scene.’ It’s not too long.”
How was it playing that inner struggle over whether to take the chip?
Henry Ian Cusick: “Yeah, I liked that scene. That was cool. Our show is so plot-driven, so doing a bit more character stuff is a good opportunity. That’s what we want as actors. We want that challenge.”
Are you surprised Kane’s still alive at this point?
Henry Ian Cusick: “Yes and no. I have a contract. (Laughing) I have bills. But, yes. He has no real connection with anyone. Abby (played by Paige Turco) has Clarke. Jaha (Isaiah Washington) had Wells. And then the rest are all connected in some way. Kane was sort of floating free and I think that’s why I kind of latched on to the idea that Bellamy (Bob Morley) could be my son. I needed a hook there. And now I’ve got Abby so there’s a connection. But, yeah, he could have been (killed off). What was he doing? Yes, he could have easily been killed a while ago.”
Season one of Supergirl introduced Melissa Benoist as Kara Zor-El/Kara Danvers and Chyler Leigh as Alex Danvers, her tough, take-no-prisoners human sister. The first season of the comic book-inspired series aired on CBS, however the show’s now moved to The CW which makes it much easier to explore crossover opportunities between Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow. Sitting down to discuss the upcoming season during the 2016 San Diego Comic Con, Leigh said she’s really hopeful that she’ll finally get the opportunity to work with one member in particular from The CW/DC Comics world. “Definitely Grant (Gustin) as The Flash because I was not invited to their little race and I want to win!” said Leigh, laughing.
The CW’s Supergirl season two will premiere on Monday, October 10th at 8pm ET/PT.
Chyler Leigh Interview:
What can you tease about Alex and J’onn’s working relationship this season?
Chyler Leigh: “Well, this season is really about kind of where we… One of the storylines we left off with last year was Project Cadmus which is a place that at this point we don’t know a tremendous amount about. But, what we do know is that it’s a place that dissects aliens. For us, it’s a major threat. And we know that my father is at Cadmus. So, my journey with Supergirl and with J’onn is to get there and try to find out if my father is still alive. So that’s a big part of the adventure for them at this point in the season.”
What did you think about the big reveal of finding out your boss was the Martian Manhunter?
Chyler Leigh: “Coolest thing ever! David Harewood was so fantastic in that scene and I love him to death. So for him figuring out what we found out – because he knew before we did but just before we did. So finding that out was just amazing and he just nails it. I love him so much. He’s so great.”
Do you get to have any scenes with the new President of the United States, the original Wonder Woman (Lynda Carter)?
Chyler Leigh: “Maybe. Maybe I do. Maybe there’s a little undercover action to make sure that certain people are taken care of and protected. Maybe.”
What do you think about the season three scripts thus far?
Chyler Leigh: “It starts off very much with a bang. We break right through the gates and it’s full-fledged. You learn a lot of things very quickly in the first three episodes which really set the stage for some pretty big bads that are coming.”
What do you think about being on a big effects show versus something like Grey’s Anatomy?
Chyler Leigh: “Oh, it’s night and day. It’s the most fun I’ve ever had, genuinely. Melissa and I got thrown into it very quickly as far as the stunts and the fighting and the physicality aspect of it. It’s so fun. It’s so challenging and difficult but I’m very stubborn and I try to do as much as I possibly can. And so physically it was definitely taxing but so rewarding. I have a 12 year-old son who thinks I’m literally the coolest person on the planet. So, I’m good with it. It’s fun.”
Any particular stunts we should be watching out for?
Chyler Leigh: “The first two episodes start with really, really big fights. Supergirl and Alex get to team up and kick some you know what. So, yeah, it’s going to be good.”
Watch the Chyler Leigh interview:
(Interview by Fred Topel. Article by Rebecca Murray.)
Starz has confirmed their hit comedy series Survivor’s Remorse has earned a fourth season. Season three of the series has been averaging 2.9 million viewers which is up more than 20% over season two, according to the network. Glee‘s Mike O’Malley is Survivor’s Remorse‘s showrunner and executive produces. The cast is led by Jessie T. Usher and includes RonReaco Lee, Tichina Arnold, Teyonah Parris, and Erica Ash.
“I’m incredibly proud of the team at Survivor’s Remorse and what we’ve built,” said LeBron James. “The show grew so much this year, attracting new fans and reaching new levels of popularity. I want to thank all the fans who’ve made Survivor’s Remorse a success and the team at Starz for all of their support.”
“We are thrilled to renew Survivor’s Remorse for a fourth season,” said Carmi Zlotnik, managing director of Starz. “Critics have consistently called it one of the smartest and funniest comedies on television and we are delighted to see audiences embracing the characters and the storyline with that same enthusiasm. Mike O’Malley and his tremendously talented team of writers and actors boldly tackle today’s most pressing issues, from race, class, sex, and politics, to love and loss, but with such a deft touch that nothing ever feels heavy-handed. In the Calloways, O’Malley has created a modern family bound by heart and humor, who remain completely relatable despite dealing with the ‘pro-money and pro-problems’ that come with Cam’s position as one of the top basketball stars in the nation.”
The Plot:Survivor’s Remorse follows the life of Cam Calloway (Usher), a hard-working, young basketball star who is thrust into the limelight after signing a huge contract with a pro basketball team in Atlanta. In Season Three, fame and fortune can’t shield pro-basketballer Cam Calloway against tragedy. Each member of the Calloway family copes with the fallout of Uncle Julius’ accident in their own way. Family bonds are tested, as a new season of “Survivor’s Remorse” explores themes of love and loss, the comforts and doubts found in religion, the danger of seeking out ancestral roots, the power of bad parenting, the pitfalls of public utterances, and the pain of dredging up the past.
Amazon Studios and Broadgreen Pictures have released the U.S. trailer for The Dressmaker based on the novel by Rosalie Ham. P.J. Hogan and Jocelyn Moorhouse adapted the book for the screen with Moorhouse also directing the dark comedy set in Australia. Kate Winslet leads a cast that includes Liam Hemsworth, Hugo Weaving, Sarah Snook, Judy Davis, and Caroline Goodall. The Dressmaker will arrive in theaters on September 23, 2016.
The Plot: A glamorous, worldly dressmaker returns to her small Australian hometown to seek the truth behind her notorious reputation. This dark and quirky comedy stars Academy Award winner Kate Winslet as Tilly Dunnage, who cares for her eccentric mother (Academy Award nominee Judy Davis), schemes with the local sergeant (Hugo Weaving) who has secrets of his own, and falls for local farmer Teddy (Liam Hemsworth). As she starts to unravel her scandalous past, she transforms the town’s women with her exquisite creations. Armed with only her sewing machine and haute couture style, Tilly shows she is a force to be reckoned with and that revenge never goes out of style.
Fox’s hit series Lucifer, which is set to return for a second season on September 19, 2016, will introduce a new character to shake up the Devil’s world: Lucifer’s mom. Tricia Helfer joins the cast as Lucifer’s mom and during the 2016 San Diego Comic Con, writer/executive producer Joe Henderson discussed the introduction of Helfer, the changing dynamic between brothers Lucifer (Tom Ellis) and Amenadiel (D.B.Woodside), and what else fans of the series can expect from the much-anticipated season two.
Joe Henderson Interview:
What’s in store for the second season?
Joe Henderson: “Season two? Mom. If you want to go from one word to two words, Tricia Helfer. She is awesome. She just came in and owned the role in a way you rarely see but when you hire Tricia Helfer, you know is going to happen. So, season one was all about Lucifer dealing with his father issues to a certain extent, dealing with God – both rebelling against him and also maybe subconsciously seeking his approval. He is that distant figure you never talk to, and now you’ve got mom in the flesh on Earth, a very different figure in Lucifer’s history. That’s just going to be the meat of season two is playing with that and how she affects Amenadiel, Maze, Chloe, and everyone else in the cast.”
Is it still going to be a procedural where we’ll see them investigate crimes?
Joe Henderson: “The way we’re approaching it is I feel, in particular, the back half of season one we really found a nice rhythm of the cases being the spine but really you’ve got all of the mythology, the serialization, so there will be a case almost every week. But the case is just the engine that lets our characters explore whatever issues they’re dealing with. It’s the hybrid that I personally fell in love with writing because I like having a case where Lucifer can reflect on himself and of course selfishly make it about himself.”
Is there going to be more singing involved?
Joe Henderson: “Oh, this is good. We will have him singing in the premiere. Right?! So good!”
You should end every episode with a song.
Joe Henderson: “Right. I know. We have to hold ourselves back. We’re like, ‘I mean, what could he sing in this episode?’ ‘No, no, no, we can’t do it every episode!’ It’s awesome. To me, it’s one of the things that makes the show unique and it’s one of the things that I think wonderfully just comes from the comics. This idea that he has a piano bar – it feels so arbitrary on its face but to me it speaks to the classic nature of the Devil and his love of every era of humanity. That sense of music is a desire amongst all the other desires, and him being able to embrace that in that way is just so much fun. And Tom’s not a bad singer.”
Can Lucifer compel someone to do something by tapping into their darkest desires?
Joe Henderson: “It’s only something that they would already do.”
So, he just triggers it.
Joe Henderson: “Yes. It’s sort of like if you have a desire, it’s coming up. Triggering it – I’m just going to steal that. He’s triggering a desire that they either knew they had but had been fighting… What I love about the character is he speaks to hypocrisy. Like, a lot of people have these buried desires, these desires they don’t want to embrace like the cop from the pilot who really likes to speed, really likes to drive fast. You can’t ever say that or you can’t ever embrace it until the Devil gives him permission. He’s like, ‘You know what? It’s kind of fun to speed. It’s kind of fun to do those things.’ ‘Well, go ahead and do it. Why not? Have some fun!’ That idea that we as humanity hold so much back and that it’s not necessarily bad to let go a little bit, it’s not bad to embrace your desires, that I think is a resonant thing because some people bury it too long and it’s unhealthy.”
So the next season is going to see the brothers working together?
Joe Henderson: “Yes.”
Has that been a real fun dynamic to write?
Joe Henderson: “Yeah. All of season one on that dynamic was building to them getting on the same side. Because we had a good sense of what the chemistry of them was and then in the seventh episode where they teamed up, you could see it. It was so much fun! The minute we knew that that worked we knew we were on the right path, and so season two you’re seeing them working together but at the same time there’s always going to be a conflict. Perfect example was in the finale, Amenadiel’s like, ‘Wait, father spoke to you? Because, again, oh sure, you’re the rebellious son who always screws up but wait, he hasn’t talked to me.’ So what’s fun is they’re on the same side but I think that will always be a thing. There will always be a rift because they’re brothers. There’s always a rift between brothers.”
Can you talk about romance and what we’ll see this year?
Joe Henderson: “That’s a very good question. Let me see… We will be building to some inter-character romances. For the beginning of the arc it’s mostly dealing with mom here and what that does to us. But we’re definitely laying some seeds in the further half of the season that we build to.”
Is there a supporting character in this that you wish you could include more but you haven’t been able to quite yet?
Joe Henderson: “I mean, Dr. Linda is the easy one because Rachael Harris is fantastic. Believe me, we tried to figure out ways to make her a police captain. (Laughing) But, sadly we just could not jump over those hurdles. And, you know, as we realized it’s actually great that she’s sort of in her own world. She’s almost like his sanctuary. So, as much as want to bring her in more and we’ll have episodes where she blends in more – we’ve got episode four where she’s meeting a whole bunch of the characters including Ella, our new character played by Aimee Garcia who’s awesome. This season is all about blending our characters together. Even though she’s not involved in the cases, she’ll still be involved in the personal lives of people and that’s been the fun, finding those unexpected friendships, finding the unexpected dynamics.”
We love Trixie. Scarlett Estevez steals every scene. What can we expect from her this season?
Joe Henderson: “You know, we’ll be tracking her through. The fun of it is she’s like one of the few people that Lucifer’s uncomfortable around. He doesn’t know what to do with her and we’ll keep threading that. To me, she’s also weirdly the moral center of the show and so basically that’s where she really comes to a head where it’s like when Chloe’s dealing with moral questions or questions about the danger of her job, these are the things that Trixie can speak to in the most adorably wonderful way. And then of course we’ll get all those moments of Lucifer trying to figure out what on earth to do with this child.”
Rings, the latest offering in the creepy Ring horror franchise, has just unveiled the first trailer along with a teaser poster. Directed by F. Javier Gutierrez (Before the Fall) from a screenplay by David Loucka and Jacob Estes and Akiva Goldsman, the Rings cast includes Matilda Lutz, Alex Roe, Johnny Galecki, Aimee Teegarden, Bonnie Morgan, and Vincent D’Onofrio.
The original film of the franchise, The Ring, opened in theaters on October 18, 2002. Starring Naomi Watts, Martin Henderson, and Daveigh Chase, The Ring made $249 million worldwide before exiting theaters. The Ring 2 followed in March 2005, with the worldwide box office dropping to $161 million. Paramount Pictures is set to release Rings in theaters on October 28, 2016.
The Plot: A young woman becomes worried about her boyfriend when he explores a dark subculture surrounding a mysterious videotape said to kill the watcher seven days after he has viewed it. She sacrifices herself to save her boyfriend and in doing so makes a horrifying discovery: there is a “movie within the movie” that no one has ever seen before…
Carlos Valdes joked that it’s so difficult to talk about The Flash season three, that his job during press interviews was just to entertain us while answering questions with questions. At the 2016 San Diego Comic Con, Valdes was on his game when it came to avoiding any potential The Flash spoilers. However what he did say is that he’s really enjoying the dramatically altered dynamics between the main characters as a result of this season’s Flashpoint storyline.
Carlos Valdes Interview:
How does the Flashpoint storyline affect Cisco?
Carlos Valdes: “Viewers can expect a completely different version of Cisco to emanate as a result of Flashpoint. We’re talking right out of the gate from episode one. It’s a different world with different people, different relationships and different dynamics that we’re exploring. It’s a lot of fun. I love taking dynamics and flipping them…”
(Tom Cavanagh walks up and briefly joins the interview.)
Tom Cavanagh: “I just walked over to that table and I sang your praises like never before.”
Carlos Valdes: “No kidding? I was just singing your praises!”
Tom Cavanagh: “I was like, ‘There’s no other guy like his talent. Nobody knows how talented he is. He’s one of a kind.'”
Carlos Valdes: “That’s exactly what I was saying about you. Wasn’t I just talking about Tom and how amazing he is? See you later, buddy! (Tom walks away) I hate that guy. I can’t stand him.”
He’s the worst.
Carlos Valdes: (Laughing) “He is the worst. Thank you. Somebody who agrees with me! Everybody is always saying, ‘Oh, Tom’s the best! He’s so smart. He’s so funny.’ He’s an a**hole! Anyway… Yeah, just a different Cisco.”
Will Cisco wear a suit this season?
Carlos Valdes: “I don’t know. I hope so. I really do hope so. There’s definitely a lot more tech that’s happening.”
Do you pick Cisco’s awesome T-shirts?
Carlos Valdes: “Yes, I do. It’s a completely 50/50 dialogue between me and the costume designer, Kate Main. We pull most of our shirts from Threadless.com and I basically look through them and I say, ‘This is a shirt Cisco would wear. This is a shirt Cisco would wear.’ Kate takes them and says, ‘Okay, let’s see if we can get the rights to this shirt or this shirt.’ And then the output is basically what you see. But, this season things might change a little bit. Cisco is on a constant arc of maturing and as a character he grows and develops and matures. I think maybe his clothes will be a reflection of that.”
Are you teasing pleated khakis? Is that what we’re going toward?
Carlos Valdes: “Oh god no! I don’t know who you think this Cisco’s going to be but he’s not going to be like that. Rest assured fans, he’s still going to be a style icon.”
Looking back, what was the funniest on-set moment from season two?
Carlos Valdes: “You know, I think the whole slurping moment with me and Tom – that was completely improvised. It just happened on the spot. We figured it out right before they yelled, ‘Action!’ What came out, came out, and it was just so funny. The dynamic on set was one of absolute hilarity. Yeah, I think that was my favorite one from season two.”
Do you have a lot of opportunity to improv?
Carlos Valdes: “Yeah, absolutely. I mean, you sort of have to fight for it and sort of figure out how to manifest it especially because time is a luxury with TV and they’re expecting you to honor the script. That’s first and foremost the most important thing is honoring what’s on the page and the integrity of what’s going on in the scene. But, alternate versions of what’s in the script – I champion them and encourage them as much as possible. And I’m lucky that I get to be the guy who gets to do them.”
Your Earth-2 counterpoint in season two, how did you approach playing a cooler, scarier version of Cisco?
Carlos Valdes: “Honestly, I knew that I wanted to depart as far as possible from the familiar version of Cisco that everybody was aware of. I knew that the character needed to carry a modicum of threat. You know what I mean? He had to be threatening and dangerous so I don’t know, I just came up with a character that seemed to make sense to me. Like, if Cisco were to go down a dark path, say in high school if he were bullied a lot more and he would react with hostility and sort of go to the dark side, so to speak. I feel like that would be that version of that reality. So keeping the core basically but just kind of deviating.”
How difficult is it to play Cisco having visions?
Carlos Valdes: “You know, the visions – it’s such a funny thing. It’s such a weird thing because like usually when you’re playing a scene or you’re playing with somebody, you have a real person and real dialogue to play off of. You know what I mean? But when you’re doing green screen work or when your direction is you have to be in pain because you’re having this mind-blowing vision happening, it’s kind of weird. It’s kind of bizarre and really hard to just be like, ‘Ahhh, I’m seeing something. It’s hurting me!’ It definitely feels like I have egg on my face sometimes. But, you just have to trust the legitimacy of the circumstances and just go with it.”
Watch the full Carlos Valdes interview:
(Interview by Fred Topel. Article by Rebecca Murray.)
MTV’s dramatic horror series Teen Wolf will be finishing up its run with the sixth and final season kicking off later this year. That’s bad news for Teen Wolf fans, however at least they’ll have the opportunity to see storylines play out with the brand new episodes. Teen Wolf cast members, including Holland Roden (‘Lydia’) and Khylin Rhambo (‘Mason’), made their final trip to the San Diego Comic-Con to represent the series where they not only answered questions from fans during the MTV panel but also sat down for roundtable interviews to discuss what’s coming up on the series’ last season.
Asked about Lydia and Stiles relationship (or as shippers refer to it, ‘Stydia’) in season six, Roden said, “Jeff (Davis) told me that Scott is going into this season single and therefore the central relationship is turned to focus toward Lydia and a particular person, and that would of course be Stiles. More to come, but I think Stydia fans will be pleased.”
Roden also explained what’s going on with her banshee powers. “There’s one amazing episode that I love that’s coming up written by a woman named Angela Harvey. She wrote a fantastic episode about banshee folklore. It deals with a different time period as well. It relates back to the central issue of solving the…there’s two villains in Beacon Hills this season so it’s dealing with one of them. It’s what Lydia thinks to be a central relationship between the folklore of a banshee and solving this crime.”
Khylin Rhambo says that as far as Mason’s perspective goes, things definitely got real in season five. “Before, it was a very exciting journey that the supernatural even existed, and now it’s real. He kind of recognizes that there’s lives involved and there’s a danger to this new world that’s been opened up to him,” explained Rhambo. “He’s going to kind of be a part of the pack for the next villains and play as much of a role as he can in assisting Scott (Tyler Posey).”
Rhambo provided a little more detail into what his role within the pack will be in the upcoming season. “As Stiles doesn’t necessarily have any supernatural abilities, he’s still has plenty of abilities that he’s an asset to the pack – and that’s kind of what Mason does. He has a 4.6 GPA and he obsesses over things. When his interest is locked in, he’s going to do everything he can mentally to make up a plan or come up with some type of scheme to help the pack.”
Watch the full Holland Roden and Khylin Rhambo interviews:
(Interview by Fred Topel. Article by Rebecca Murray.)
The cast of ‘People of Earth’ (Photo TM & (c) Turner Entertainment Networks)
Here’s how executive producer/director Greg Daniels (The Office, Parks & Recreation) described the new TBS comedy series People of Earth starring Wyatt Cenac, Ana Gasteyer, and Oscar Nuñez: “It’s the brainchild of David Jenkins, a New York playwright. The idea is that it’s about a support group of people who feel that they’ve been abducted by aliens. We gradually learn that this is their way of making sense of a lot of disappointments and weird, delusional episodes in their life, but actually it’s true. There are aliens and they have been abducted. Then as it goes forward, the aliens are kind of meddling in their lives in ways that they don’t really understand and are trying to make sense of – and maybe one day they will.”
Sitting down for interviews at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con, Daniels and series star Ana Gasteyer chatted about what viewers can expect from the series and if they believe we’re not alone in the universe.
Ana Gasteyer and Greg Daniels Interview:
What can you tell us about your character?
Ana Gasteyer: “So Gina’s a pretty badly credentialed therapist who isn’t that good at what she does and who runs this support group and tries to offer solace and some insight to people who… She’s also been abducted. She’s an ‘experiencer’ herself and so she tries gently and lovingly help people through a really tough situation that a lot of people (are in). They don’t have a lot of places they can go, so this is a comforting space.”
Greg Daniels: “It’s super relatable. I mean, everybody’s been abducted at some point by aliens.”
Ana Gasteyer: “Yeah. Everybody has been in a group, maybe for something embarrassing…or maybe not.”
How quickly will we see the aliens? Do we know what they look like?
Ana Gasteyer: “Yes.”
Greg Daniels: “Well, yes. Ana’s character hypnotizes Wyatt (Cenac’s) character in the pilot and you do see what he thinks he sees, but he’s been also having certain waking nightmares and so it could be the result of some kind of mental illness. You don’t 100% know it’s aliens, but we do see what he thinks he sees in the pilot. And then as the series progresses, you get to see more and more of what they’re up to.”
How did you get involved?
Greg Daniels: “Well, I read the script and thought it was hilarious! Conan is producing it – Conan O’Brien. He’s an old friend and the head of his company’s an old friend. Wyatt used to work with me on King of the Hill so by the time it all came together, I just felt like this is a really exciting concept plus a lot of really exciting people. So I wanted to get involved and I ended up directing the pilot and producing it with Conan.”
Will you be writing any of the episodes?
Greg Daniels: “Well, I feel like I’m probably more going to be kind of throwing in suggestions and giving notes and stuff more than writing them. We have a nice staff of six or seven great writers, so I’m hoping I’ll just contribute by tossing my two cents in.”
How hands-on is Conan?
Greg Daniels: “Conan’s a great inspiration and his sense of humor kind of permeates stuff through his company, and the executives of his company are very present. He’s a big fan of the script and what we’ve done so far. He probably won’t be making smoothies on the set…”
Ana Gasteyer: “I hope he will be.”
Greg Daniels: “I hope so too.”
Ana Gasteyer: It would be a nice thing just to sort of show that he’s one of us.”
Is there an opportunity for you and the other actors to do any improv?
Ana Gasteyer: “It’s definitely scripted, but I guess I can only speak to the pilot. Greg’s expertise is obviously comedy and finding things and letting people run with them, so there’s a lot (there). And it’s a very gifted improvisational cast with people from the improv world. They’re very, very funny and there is some improv.”
Greg Daniels: “The intention is to do even more. We’re loosening the shooting style a little bit. The thing is that it’s very arced out and we’re going to know the scripts for all 10 episodes in advance, so the challenge for them to improvise is to make sure that they don’t take it in a direction that we can’t get to later. Instead, they can add in the same spirit of the scene extra humor.”
Ana Gasteyer: “There’s a strong sense of story there and obviously drama. It is very much a mash genre show because it is very sci-fi focused and so it has this very grounded Office comedy, Office-style comedy, but also a lot of sci-fi intrigue.”
What is the atmosphere like on the set? Is everyone trying to one-up each other?
Ana Gasteyer: “Yes. It’s fun because it’s a big cast. I think anyone who does a lot of improv loves the sense of a big ensemble because there’s lots of energy and lots of people to play with. If you burn out in one direction, you don’t have to carry the ball all the time. It’s nice. So, it’s a very fun, very kind, convivial group, which is really nice. We just did the panel and Conan very eloquently was saying a lot of us have been working for a while, and it’s nice to do it with people who are also human beings and are kind of interested in doing something fun together.”
Greg Daniels: “Yeah, the subject matter because it’s a genre mash-up, there’s a lot of places to go. You can be funny in the situation with character comedy, you can suddenly turn it and show the more vulnerable side of a character, and that’s still good too because it’s interesting. And then you can try to blow people’s minds with a sort of a sci-fi thought that they hadn’t necessarily considered. The character that Oscar Nunez plays is a priest and he’s a priest at the church where the group meets in the basement. We were constantly sort of making comparisons between his faith and the faith of a lot of the people in the group that this thing happened to them. It’s sort of troubling to him that they seem to have this faith. So, you know, this is another area that you can just kind of go to when you’re acting to go to something interesting. I think it’s fun for them because they go to a lot of different, interesting places to go with their performance.”
Ana Gasteyer: “It’s sort of in the here and now. It feels very grounded and real at the same time.”
We know you as a comedian but how are you with the sci-fi elements of the show?
Ana Gasteyer: “Well, as a fan I’m excited. I’m really interested in it. I mean I’m playing a real person who’s experienced extraordinary things so in some ways that’s just acting.”
Greg Daniels: “How do you make your tongue turn into a snake and come out of your mouth? That’s a really cool thing to do.”
Ana Gasteyer: (Laughing) “That is genetic. That’s just something that my family has had and I always thought of it more as probably why I went into comedy because I was so embarrassed by it.”
Greg Daniels: “Right, yeah. Fundamental.”
Ana Gasteyer: “Yeah, but as a fan I’m excited. I’m geeking out to be at Comic Con. I came in a day early, my husband and I have been out seeing panels. He’s like texting me from the various booths that he’s at buying art and stuff. It’s funny. I don’t know about Greg, but I don’t actually watch that many comedies. If I have a friend on something, I’ll watch it because I’ll feel guilty if I’m having dinner or something and I have to tell them they were good in it. I enjoy them, but it was always shamefully late. Like after it’s in syndication I’ll be like, ‘You know, Frasier is pretty funny.’ You know, just like hopelessly really late.”
Greg Daniels: “You know if you work in comedy, most of the people that I know that are in comedy they’re big Game of Thrones fans.”
Ana Gasteyer: “Exactly. We watch all of that. We watch The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, we have a lot of guilty pleasures and so a lot of that’s here at Comic Con.”
Will there be any flashbacks this season?
Ana Gasteyer: “Yeah, a lot of episodes in the first season explore the origin stories of the experiences because it’s a big cast and a big crew.”
Greg Daniels: “There’s a great episode, our fourth episode you see the ship and you see the aliens and the stuff that you’ve previously only see when Wyatt’s been hypnotized. Then suddenly it reveals that now Gina, Ana’s character, is strapped to the gurney up there. And then it just dissolves to what she’s up to at her job at the crockery hutch. Suddenly you’re like, ‘Yeah, that happened to her too. My god!'”
How much CG is involved?
Greg Daniels: “The goal of the way we’re doing the sci-fi is to be as practical as possible. There’s a little CG, but it’s what they call CG enhancement where we have costumes and prosthetics and then the CG is added just to put a little bit of moistness to the costume.”
Ana Gasteyer: “We also do it in the non-alien sections just to look better. (Laughing) My boobs are slightly higher and my cheekbones a little more sculpted.”
How much of story takes place in the basement and how much is outside in the world?
Ana Gasteyer: “It’s mostly out.”
Greg Daniels: “I think that the support group scenes, there’s at least one per episode because it’s just sort of the home base where everybody gets to see each other in person. But then they break up and they follow the different characters on their days and stuff like that. Sometimes they’ll have little field trips that Gina will have arranged that brings them outside of the basement.”
How would you define People of Earth’s comedy style?
Greg Daniels: “I think it’s behavioral, character comedy so it’s sort of like you have to get to know who the characters are and then how they’re behaving is really funny, and their choices that they’re making more so than like setup, setup jokes. Setup, setup, joke.”
Ana Gasteyer: “Definitely. It’s not a mockumentary. It doesn’t have that style to it so much. It doesn’t have that pausiness, I would say. It’s definitely a single-camera comedy that’s happening in a very filmic way, in terms of the look of it. I would say there are some Office similarities only because Greg is masterful at that.”
Greg Daniels: “We talked about the Coen Brothers a lot, doing the pilot. They’re very funny in filmic ways. My hope was to try and use the camera to tell jokes sometimes, not all verbal. One of the things that attracted me to it was that when David wrote it, he put in his pitch document that it’s sort of a combination of a Greg Daniels comedy. I was like, ‘Oh, somebody name-checked me. Yeah!’ with a J.J. Abrams magic box show like Lost. I was like, ‘That’s kind of cool.”
Ana Gasteyer: “It does feel that way to me, having seen the pilot.”
Do you believe there is life out there?
Ana Gasteyer: “Definitely. Not even a question. I mean it seems so insane that there wouldn’t be to me, even just from a logic standpoint. I don’t know that they’re like green Martians or I certainly don’t think we’re smarter than anybody. It’s big, it’s a big old universe. Why would we be the only ones in it?”
Greg Daniels: “Yeah, also if you look at the history of the progress of science, it’s always been to take us from a position of uniqueness and put us further and further away from the center of what matters in the world. You know, whether it’s like, ‘The universe spins around the earth.’ ‘Well, actually, no it doesn’t. We’re spinning around the sun.’ Actually the sun is really kind of a small star among endless stars. The odds are that there’s life out there and that they would be big fans of the show.”
Watch the full Ana Gasteyer and Greg Daniels interview:
