The Recording Academy’s announced the first batch of performers set to take the stage on the 2016 Grammys. 10-time Grammy Award winner Adele, 11-time nominee Kendrick Lamar, seven time nominee The Weeknd, and Grammy winners Little Big Town are confirmed to perform during this year’s Grammys set for February 15th at 8pm ET/5pm PT (airing live on CBS). Lip Sync Battle‘s LL Cool J is hosting for the fifth year in a row.
The 2016 MusiCares Person of the Year Lionel Ritchie will be honored during what’s dubbed “music’s biggest night.” Louis J. Horvitz is directing with David Wild and Ken Ehrlich are on board as writers. Ehrlich is also executive producing.
Lamar is this year’s top Grammy nominee, earning nominations in the Album Of The Year (To Pimp A Butterfly), Song Of The Year (“Alright”), Best Rap Performance (“Alright”), Best Rap Song (“All Day” and “Alright”), Best Rap Album (To Pimp A Butterfly), Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (with Taylor Swift for “Bad Blood”), Best Music Video (“Alright” and “Bad Blood”), Best Dance Recording (with Flying Lotus for “Never Catch Me”), and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (“These Walls”) categories.
The Weeknd earned seven nominations this year including Record Of The Year (“Can’t Feel My Face”), Album Of The Year (Beauty Behind The Madness), Best Pop Solo Performance (“Can’t Feel My Face”), Best R&B Performance, Best R&B Song, Best Song Written For Visual Media (“Earned It [Fifty Shades of Grey]”), and Best Urban Contemporary Album (Beauty Behind The Madness). The 2016 Grammys will mark The Weeknd’s first Grammy performance.
Little Big Town is also making their Grammy debut this year. The band is nominated in the Best Country Duo/Group Performance (“Girl Crush”) and Best Country Album (Pain Killer) categories.
The Flash season two returns from its midseason break with an episode full of surprises and the arrival of someone who could be a new major player in the second half of the second season. Titled ‘Potential Energy,’ the episode aired on January 19, 2016.
The Recap:
Barry (Grant Gustin) arrives for his date with Patty (Shantel VanSanten) with roses ablaze. Seriously, he sets the roses on fire. Barry’s so happy that he tells Patty it feels like he’s been struck by lightning twice. That’s barely out of his mouth when Zoom zooms in, takes Patty away, and kills her by dropping her off a building. Thankfully, it was all a dream.
Joe (Jesse L. Martin) walks his son Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale) around the police station and Iris (Candice Patton) tells him she’s super happy to have a brother. Wally’s not sold on this whole family thing yet and actually cool to his new family when a crook in handcuffs asks him where his cuffs are. Wally shrugs it off and leaves. In walks Patty and she needs Iris’ advice. Over coffee, she asks for Iris’ help in figuring Barry out. Patty thinks there’s something holding him back, but Iris says it’s because he has a habit of carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Meanwhile at S.T.A.R. Labs, Dr. Wells (Tom Cavanagh) is pissed and tossing things around. Cisco (Carlos Valdes) enters and tells Dr. Wells maybe they can slow down Zoom by stealing his speed and not have to make Barry faster. Cisco has been embroiled in a battle with the Turtle (his white whale), a metahuman who can slow down everything around him as he steals things. They want to catch him and use his powers to slow down Zoom. Barry’s never heard of Turtle but he races away because diamonds have been stolen and a press conference is underway. Barry spots the Turtle stealing a precious ring during the press conference, but Turtle slows him down so he can’t do anything about it.
Cisco wants to know what it was like in Turtle-time and Harrison wants to see how he can use this against Zoom. They figure out who Turtle actually is and Jay (Teddy Sears) is disappointed and feeling lost because he can’t help anyone anymore. But, Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) is determined to figure out a way that he can.
Joe knows about Turtle and that Cisco’s been chasing him, so he’s happy Barry and the gang have figured out who he is. Joe and Barry talk about their plans for dinner that evening with Wally, and Patty comes in to make sure everything’s okay between them. He asks her out on a romantic date for the following night and she says that’s exactly what they need.
At Joe’s, Wally is a no-show and Iris, Barry, and Joe have wasted an evening waiting or him to show up for dinner. Joe thanks them for being there and heads up to bed. Even Iris knows about Turtle (Barry was definitely the only one not in on this Turtle dude), and she tells Barry that she met with Patty. Barry confesses he’s having nightmares about Zoom killing Patty, and Iris says one day soon Patty will have to learn the truth if he’s serious about being with her. Barry makes up his mind and says he will do it.
At S.T.A.R. Labs, the gang figures out where tTurtle will show up next: the museum. It will happen tonight and Barry calls Patty to ask her to go to the museum with him that evening. Cisco tells him he’s a really great superhero but it’s not a good idea to bring a date to a job, and Barry reveals he’s going to tell Patty the truth. He’s got Cisco’s support, with Cisco telling him Patty’s Team Flash material. As he’s about to leave, Harrison tells him not to do it and to keep her as far away from this as possible because Zoom will take her from him.
At the museum, Barry, Caitlin, and Jay look gorgeous all dressed in formal attire. They’re on the lookout for Turtle while Cisco and Harrison wait outside in the van. Harrison doesn’t like Cisco’s nicknames and explains the backstory behind Zoom’s name. Zoom set a trap and killed 14 officers and left one behind to tell the tale, describing Zoom as blue lightning zooming about. That officer was killed later that night. That’s how Zoom got his nickname.
In walks Patty and she’s stunning. They kiss and Barry takes her onto the dance floor to talk. Barry tells he works hard to hide who he is and he has to really trust someone if they’re going to know the truth. He tells her he trusts her and starts to explain what happened after he was struck by lightning but just then he sees Turtle and breaks off his story, racing away. Turtle figures out it’s a trap and shoots a chandelier hanging directly over Patty’s head. The Flash races to save her but is slowed by Turtle. He manages to push her out of the way just as it crashes to the ground, taking the blow himself. With the lights out, Caitlin and Jay drag him out of the museum.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Caitlin examines him but Barry says he feels fine. Turtle got away with the painting, and Barry has to take off to tell Patty he didn’t ditch her. Jay and Caitlin are left alone and he pours her a glass of champagne. They toast, kiss, and he heads off to help Cisco and Harrison.
Patty’s at home about to open an envelope from Midway City University when Barry knocks on her door. She’s angry and Barry allows her to vent. Patty doesn’t want to just have fun anymore, and she thinks that’s all this apparently has been for Barry.
Wally’s drag racing on the city streets. He wins and gets the other guy’s car, and finally notices Joe has been observing him from the sidelines. Joe confronts him about missing dinner and he wants to know if racing is why Wally actually came to town. Wally is racing to pay for his mom’s hospital bills. Wally says he’s the man of their house and tells Joe to go home to his family.
Patty sips win after Barry leaves. There’s a knock and she assumes it’s Barry again. It’s not, it’s Turtle. She shoots at him but he stops her, grabs her neck and points a gun at her head. She wants to know what he wants and he says, “The thing most precious to The Flash – you.”
Barry returns to Patty’s, sees the spent bullet shells on the ground, and knows something happened. He calls Joe and tells him Turtle has Patty and to meet him at S.T.A.R. Labs.
Turtle has Patty tied up and he tells her he wants her dead, but it will be slow. Her death will come because The Flash cares for her. Turtle always takes things that value most to people because his wife took him for granted and wanted to leave. He shows Patty his wife is now dead and preserved in a box. He has another box ready just for Patty.
At S.T.A.R. Labs Harrison figures out Turtle keeps these things he steals as trophies. Cisco can’t find him but then figures out Turtle’s ex-wife was an archivist at the Naydel Library before it shut down. That’s definitely big enough to hold all of the stuff he stole, and Barry takes off without a real plan. The gang tells him he has to grab Patty in between Turtle’s pulses. He’ll have two-tenths of a second to make his move. He confronts Turtle while he’s slow, and Turtle knocks him to the ground. The Flash races away only to return going full Flash speed. He’s able to move through Turtle’s pulses and eventually smashes Turtle into a wall, knocking him out and saving Patty. She still doesn’t know who he is, but she hugs The Flash and thanks him.
Turtle is locked up at S.T.A.R. Labs and The Flash tells him now he’s their most prized possession. Caitlin follows Jay out and tells him she knows he’s sick. She took his DNA off the champagne glass. She wants to know why he let her get close to him knowing she’d lose him just like she lost her husband. Jay reveals the only way to save him is to get his speed back, and the only way to do that is to stop Zoom.
Wally shows up at Joe’s using the excuse he left his sweater there. Wally’s going back to Keystone, telling Joe he’s not going to apologize for his actions. Joe says it’s he who should apologize for pushing this father/son thing. They agree to slow it down, and Wally agrees to stay for dinner.
At the Central City Police Station, Barry wants to talk to Patty and she says it’s not a good time. He doesn’t care and begins to explain that he hasn’t been honest. She cuts him off and says she’s leaving Central City because she’s going away to college to follow her dream. So, it’s time to move on from the job and from Barry. Barry’s devastated.
In a voice-over, Harrison says he’s coming for his daughter soon. He recalls how he lost her once when she was little, and will do anything now to get her back He goes to Turtle’s cage, shoves an instrument up his nose, killing him as he withdraws something.
And the final scene shows the arrival of another Reverse-Flash… It’s the real Eobard Thawne (Matt Letscher) and he has no idea where he is. This has to be the Earth 2 version of Thawne, but why has he shown up now? [Update: the producers have said it’s Thawne from an alternate timeline.]
Margot Robbie stars in Warner Bros Pictures’ ‘Suicide Squad.’
Warner Bros just unveiled the official trailer for Suicide Squad, based on the DC Comics and directed by David Ayer. The crazy new trailer is set to Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and features Will Smith as Deadshot, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flagg, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jared Leto as the Joker, Jai Courtney as Boomerang, and Cara Delevingne as Enchantress. The cast also includes Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jay Hernandez, Ike Barinholtz, and Scott Eastwood. Suicide Squad opens in theaters on August 5, 2016.
The Plot: It feels good to be bad… Assemble a team of the world’s most dangerous, incarcerated Super Villains, provide them with the most powerful arsenal at the government’s disposal, and send them off on a mission to defeat an enigmatic, insuperable entity. U.S. intelligence officer Amanda Waller has determined only a secretly convened group of disparate, despicable individuals with next to nothing to lose will do. However, once they realize they weren’t picked to succeed but chosen for their patent culpability when they inevitably fail, will the Suicide Squad resolve to die trying, or decide it’s every man for himself?
In the sequel to Neighbors, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, it’s a sorority that’s making the neighborhood a living hell for Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne, reprising their roles as Mac and Kelly Radner. Zac Efron also returns for more R-rated fun, but this time he’s apparently teaming up with Rogen and Byrne to rid the neighborhood of the hard partying college kids. The cast also includes Chloë Grace Moretz, Dave Franco, Ike Barinholtz, Carla Gallo, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kiersey Clemons, Beanie Feldstein, Selena Gomez and Lisa Kudrow. Nicholas Stoller returned as director and Universal Pictures is aiming for a May 20, 2016 theatrical release.
The Plot:
Now that Mac (Rogen) and Kelly Radner (Byrne) have a second baby on the way, they are ready to make the final move into adulthood: the suburbs. But just as they thought they’d reclaimed the neighborhood and were safe to sell, they learn that the new occupants next door are a sorority even more out of control than Teddy (Efron) and his brothers ever dreamed of being.
Tired of their school’s sexist, restrictive system, the unorthodox ladies of Kappa Nu have decided to start a house where they can do whatever the hell they want. When Shelby (Moretz) and her sisters, Beth (Kiersey Clemons) and Nora (Beanie Feldstein), find the perfect place just off campus, they won’t let the fact that it’s located on a quiet street stand in their way of parties as epic as the guys throw.
Forced to turn to the one ex-neighbor with the skills to bring down the new Greeks next door, the Radners—alongside best friends Jimmy (Ike Barinholtz) and Paula (Carla Gallo)—bring in charismatic Teddy as their secret weapon. If he can infiltrate the sorority and charm his way through it, the thirtysomethings will shutter the Kappas’ home. But if they think that their neighbors are going down without a fight, they have severely underestimated the power of youthful ingenuity and straight-up crazy.
Watch the new Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising trailer:
Anchor Bay Entertainment’s set to release Starz’ Da Vinci’s Demons: The Complete Third Season, starring Tom Riley as Leonardo da Vinci, on DVD and Blu-ray on January 26, 2016. The third season also featured Laura Haddock, Blake Ritson, Elliot Cowan, Lara Pulver, and James Faulkner, and marked the final season for the gripping dramatic series created by David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight trilogy). With the third season just about to be released on DVD and Blu-ray, Anchor Bay has provided us with Blu-rays to give away to lucky winners. One winner will receive the grand prize package that includes the Da Vinci’s Demons season 1, season 2, and season 3 Blu-rays! The runner up will receive a Da Vinci’s Demons: The Complete Third Season Blu-ray.
Entering is super easy. Simply send an email to [email protected] with the subject line “Da Vinci’s Demons.” Only one email entry per email address is allowed and you must be 18 years or older to enter the contest. Don’t delay – enter now for a shot at winning the grand prize package or the season three Blu-ray courtesy of Anchor Bay Entertainment! The contest ends on January 27, 2016 at 6pm PST.
The Da Vinci’s Demons Season Three Plot:
Da Vinci’s Demons: The Complete Third Season shows Leonardo da Vinci’s world as it comes crashing down when the city of Otranto is torn apart by an Ottoman invasion. On the battlefield, the Turks use da Vinci’s own weapons against him…the designs for which were stolen by someone he trusted. This betrayal will haunt Leo long after the battle is decided, as will the deaths of loved ones lost in the fighting. When Rome instigates a Crusade against the Turks, he seizes the opportunity to join, but his mission is complicated by a series of grisly murders that terrorize Italy and threaten the Crusade itself.
Channing Tatum and Beyonce perform on ‘Lip Sync Battle’
Renewing Lip Sync Battle for a third season was probably one of the easiest renewal decisions Spike President Kevin Kay has had to make. The music-driven series is the network’s most watched original series, with season two of the show averaging 4.4 million viewers. According to Spike, Lip Sync Battle is #1 in its timeslot among adults 18 to 49.
Season two airs on Thursday nights at 10pm ET/PT with LL Cool J hosting and Chrissy Teigen providing color commentary. The second season kicked off on January 7th and set new ratings records for Spike. More than 4.7 million viewers watched a special one hour episode which featured a showdown between husband and wife actors, Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan Tatum. The episode also featured special appearances by Paula Abdul and Beyonce. The premiere episode, which featured special appearances by Paula Abdul and Beyonce, set a new record as the most watched original series episode in Spike’s history.
Season three will consist of 20 new episodes to be shot later this year. Casey Patterson, Jay Peterson, John Krasinski, and Stephen Merchant executive produce.
The Plot: “The critically-acclaimed and award-nominated Lip Sync Battle features celebrities going head to head – lip-syncing the song of their choice – battling for the coolest bragging rights on the planet.”
Alan Rickman in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
Yet another singularly talented performer has passed away the first month of 2016. First it was horror icon Angus Scrimm (best known as The Tall Man in the Phantasm films) and then pop-star-turned-actor David Bowie. Now Alan Rickman. Very few actors had Rickman’s range and effortless ability to move from evil villain to lovable romantic lead. He played a king, a president, an android, and God’s personal messenger — all with a stylish flourish that often made him the best thing in any film he worked on. He was never nominated for an Oscar and that is Oscar’s loss. Voters probably kept thinking, “Oh there will be another year we can remedy this.” But alas there will not be. He probably came closest to nabbing a nomination for the art house hit Sense and Sensibility or the blockbuster franchise Harry Potter. But a lack of Oscar is of no matter to fans that know his worth and know he will be truly, madly, deeply missed. Here is a list of his ten most memorable and diverse roles.
10 Best Alan Rickman Films
1. Die Hard as Hans Gruber (1988)
There is no debate on this being number one. Die Hard was Alan Rickman’s first feature film and from the moment he appeared on screen as Hans Gruber he had us absolutely hooked. In fact, many of us would have been just as happy if Bruce Willis’s John McClane had been the one to fall from Nakatomi Tower and Gruber had lived on to appear in another film. That’s how much we loved his villainy! As Hans he projected a smart ironic sensibility and his clipped delivery gave each line a zing. Even “Ho ho ho ho” sounded like a killer punch line.
Best line (although every one was a winner): “Oh, yes. What was it you said to me before? ‘Yippie-ki-yay, motherf**ker.’”
2. Robin Hood Prince of Thieves as Sheriff George of Nottingham (1991)
Rickman deserves an honorary lifetime achievement award for making us want to watch awful movies just because he’s so damn good in them. I really don’t want this horrendous Kevin Costner take on Robin Hood in my library yet how can I NOT have Rickman’s Sheriff of Nottingham readily on hand for whenever I want to see the proper way to chew scenery.
Best line (but you need the set up):
Sheriff of Nottingham: “I’m going to cut his heart out with a spoon…”
Guy of Gisborne: “Why a spoon, cousin? Why not an axe?”
Sheriff of Nottingham: “Because it’s DULL, you twit. It’ll hurt more.”
3. Truly Madly Deeply as Jamie (1990)
Considering that Rickman introduced himself to the cinema world as Hans Gruber, it’s surprising that he was able to so readily endear himself to audiences as an appealing romantic lead in films like Sense and Sensibility, Love, Actually, and my favorite Truly Madly Deeply. I didn’t want to clutter this list with three romantic comedies so let Truly Madly Deeply stand as evidence of his skill in this genre. Truly Madly Deeply serves up a supernatural romance as Rickman plays Jamie, a man whose sudden death leaves his widow understandably distraught. So he comes back from beyond the grave to comfort her and complicate her life. An unconventional romantic comedy with a delightfully unconventional leading man.
Best line: “I really, truly, madly, deeply, passionately, remarkably love you.”
4. Harry Potter as Professor Severus Snape (2001-11)
Rickman played Professor Snape in eight Harry Potter films and for years kept a secret about Snape’s character that author J.K. Rowling had entrusted him with. His character proves to be the most tragic and our feelings for him go through the greatest transformation over the course of the series but early on in filming Rowling, who had at that point completed less than half of the Harry Potter novels, gave Rickman a vital piece of information about Snape that she thought would help him with his performance. On January 18, after Rickman’s death, she finally revealed on Twitter what that secret was: “I told Alan what lies behind the word ‘always.’” That line occurs in a pivotal scene in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, when Snape reveals that he “always” loved Harry’s mother. Rickman was perfectly cast because he was unafraid as an actor to be unlikable in a role and then be able to turn that completely around. The role sums up one of the things that made him so brilliant and unusual as a performer.
Best line: “Always” will be the one that fans adore but for sheer brilliance of delivery I suggest it is, “Turn to page 394.” No other actor could say such a trivial phrase and have it convey so much and be so funny.
5. Galaxy Quest as Sir Alexander Dane (1999)
Galaxy Quest is an affectionate homage/send-up of sci-fi shows like Star Trek and the rabid fan base it has spawned. Galaxy Quest is a space opera TV series that gets canceled but the cast is so beloved by fans that they keep coming back together for fan conventions. Only problem is they seem to hate each other and the roles that have come to define their careers. Rickman plays a classically trained British actor cast as an alien doctor. He shines as the cranky Brit who complains endlessly about how degrading it is to have been in that show and forced to forever repeat his iconic line.
Best line: “By Grabthar’s hammer, by the suns of Worvan, you shall be avenged.” (And all its variations.)
6. Dogma as Metatron (1999)
Metatron describes himself as “the voice of God. Any documented occasion when some yahoo claims God has spoken to them, they’re speaking to me. Or they’re talking to themselves.” Not only is Rickman the voice of God but also he’s one pissed-off angel with an attitude – mainly because he’s not allowed to drink and he has no genitalia. Rickman is spot on in this Kevin Smith comedy and he turns every line into a gem.
Best line: “I’m as anatomically impaired as a Ken doll.”
7. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy as the voice of Marvin (2005)
Doug Adams’ cult favorite The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was originally a radio show, then a series of novels, comic books, and a TV show. It finally hit the big screen in 2005 but the feature film felt anti-climatic and not nearly as much wacky fun as what came before. But the film got two things right: Martin Freeman as our human protagonist Arthur Dent and Alan Rickman as the voice of the perpetually bored and depressed android Marvin (Warwick Davis provided the body in a suit that looks oddly like super deformed version of Big Hero 6’s Baymax). Rickman proves that with his voice alone he can create a memorable character plus only he could make such endless complaining entertaining rather than grating.
Best line: “Here I am, brain the size of a planet, and they ask me to take you to the bridge. Call that job satisfaction, ’cause I don’t.”
8. Bottle Shock as Steven Spurrier (2008)
Rickman played some famous historical figures ranging from King Louis XIV to Viennese physician Franz Mesmer to President Reagan. He also played a not quite so well-known real person with British wine connoisseur Steven Spurrier. In 1976 Spurrier organized what is now famously referred to as the “Judgment in Paris” where California wines beat French competitors in a blind tasting. Needless to say, Rickman has a grand old time putting French snobbery in its place. Rickman’s wry, underplayed delivery contrasts a cast that mostly overplays (most notably Bill Pullman and Chris Pine). Rickman keeps his performance carefully nuanced and never exaggerated. We may find Spurrier’s elitism funny but Rickman keeps it on a very human scale. He’s a snob but he’s not close-minded. Someone points out that being a snob limits him, and that’s when Rickman’s Spurrier starts to open his palate to the California wines – and, in a hilarious scene, maybe even to KFC.
Best line: Jim Barrett asks Spurrier, “Why don’t I like you?” The answer is “because you think I’m an asshole and I’m not. I’m just British and you’re not.”
9. Nobel Son as Eli Michaelson (2007)
Just to remind us that he could still be nasty as hell even after adorable romantic roles, Rickman takes on the role of Eli Michaelson, a smug, philandering bastard who wins the Nobel Prize for Chemistry. Then his son gets kidnapped and the ransom amount equals the two million dollars in Nobel prize money. Of course Michaelson refuses to pay. The film turns into a vicious black comedy about extreme family dysfunction. The movie is a schizophrenic mess but Rickman’s performance is wicked fun.
Best line: “If anyone in this room ever doubted my intellectual superiority, or your good fortune to be under my incomparable tutelage, you can now formally kiss my fine white ass.”
10. Lee Daniels’ The Butler as Ronald Reagan (2013)
What a wild piece of casting this is! I almost hate Rickman for making Reagan so, um, likable. He avoids impersonation and caricature to make the President more human than he ever seemed in real life. I conclude with this role because it goes to show Rickman’s diversity, range, and fearlessness in taking on any acting challenge.
Best line: “This whole civil rights issue, I sometimes fear I’m on the wrong side of it.”
Bonus (non-movie) Pick: In Demand music video by Texas, Rickman gets to tango. Wow!
Netflix has finally confirmed a premiere date for Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, a new original movie starring Paul Reubens as Pee-wee. The film will premiere on Friday, March 18, 2016 at 12:01am PT with Magic Mike‘s Joe Manganiello and Stalker‘s Jessica Pohly co-starring. The cast also features Stephanie Beatriz from Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Alia Shawkat from Arrested Development.
Reubens and Paul Rust (Arrested Development) wrote Pee-wee’s Big Holiday and John Lee directed. Judd Apatow (Trainwreck, Bridesmaids) produces along with Reubens. In the new Pee-wee film, “a fateful meeting with a mysterious stranger inspires Pee-wee Herman to take his first-ever holiday in this epic story of friendship and destiny.”
Rami Malek as Elliot Alderson and Christian Slater as Mr. Robot (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood / USA Network)
USA Network’s Mr. Robot was one of the big successes of the fall 2015 television season, earning two Golden Globes, three Critics’ Choice Awards, and a spot on the AFI TV Programs of the Year list. The critically season one of the series starred Rami Malek and Christian Slater who were charged with guiding viewers on a journey down a twisted path to a finale that was one of the most talked about episodes of 2015. At the 2016 Television Critics Association’s press event, series creator/writer Sam Esmail promised season two will be just as engaging.
“I think the whole show has been about Elliot’s emotional journey, and I really wanted to focus on that and make it less about the plot,” explained Esmail. “How does Elliot reconcile the fact that he’s just been aware that he’s seeing this fantasy? So that’s the struggle that is going to kind of take over in season two.”
After the Mr. Robot panel, Malek provided further insight into playing Elliot while answering questions from a small group of journalists.
Rami Malek Interview:
Can you talk about how mentally and emotionally challenging this role is?
Rami Malek: “As you can imagine it’s very challenging – very challenging mentally and emotionally. I really respond to characters like that, very complicated characters, but it wears on me as I think it should. If I didn’t go home entirely spent after every day of work and prep for this role, I would think I was doing him an injustice.”
What about your mental health care?
Rami Malek: “It’s daunting. I won’t lie. There have been nights when I’ve come home and really just struggled, just moments where I’ve struggled because of this character. I won’t say that I haven’t.
My cast has been my therapy. I’m not kidding.”
What was your initial take on him when you first read the script?
Rami Malek: “I thought that it read very poetically and it was profound. It had something to say and behind it was a unique voice that I hadn’t heard before. Instantly I wanted to be a part of it and discover more about it.”
It sounds like not everything has been revealed about the first season. Do you know everything?
Rami Malek: “I go back through and comb through every script finely and see what I’m missing. [Creator/writer Sam Esmail] doesn’t do anything without purpose. I’ve asked him a few questions about things that I thought that I missed and he’s told me that my beliefs are untrue or unfounded. But I’m sure there will be things that I discover later with you.”
How carefully did you have to play the whole Sixth Sense aspect of the first season?
Rami Malek: “I treated everything with my research as if I was dealing with what was reality. I mean, everything I saw to me was real. It was not a delusion. He questioned himself quite a bit, but as an actor playing a role I think the most convincing way to do it is to see it as it is.”
Do you think about going online differently now?
Rami Malek: “Entirely differently. I fear it. I just think we’re exposed in a way that I didn’t realize. I didn’t think we were in the past. You read about things that happen in society with hacks and whatnot, but once you get in there and do the show you realize it’s happening in one sense or another to all of us.”
Do you get to smile once on Mr. Robot?
Rami Malek: “I do, but they all end up on the cutting room floor.”
How did you feel when you read the script to episode eight which is when reality really starts crashing down?
Rami Malek: “Eight? Oh, I loved eight. Eight was a very special script. I knew it was coming at some point. I didn’t know exactly how the fallout was going to be played out. I live for those types of challenges and those big scenes. It’s why I got into this, to have those types of moments and discoveries.”
Can you talk about your scene with BD Wong?
Rami Malek: “It was a very long night. We shot it in a number of different ways from a number of different angles. Yeah, it was very fast-paced. I remember our director telling us…he gave us directions of, ‘Try to make it like you’re in a boxing ring,’ at one point.”
Was this really a good point in your career to have a project like this come around?
Rami Malek: “People are calling me a breakout actor, but I’ve been around. I’ve been doing small roles in great movies for quite a while. I’m just picking challenging roles and it feels like as good a time as any, as far as I’m concerned. I’m enjoying it thoroughly.”
David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian and John Travolta as Robert Shapiro in ‘The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story’ (Photo by Ray Mickshaw/FX)
John Travolta returns to primetime TV with a starring role in FX’s anthology series People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story. In the 10-episode series, John Travolta sinks his teeth into the role of Robert Shapiro, a key player among O.J. Simpson’s Dream Team of lawyers who helped defend the ex-NFL star when he was charged with two counts of murder.
The new series from American Horror Story and Glee‘s Ryan Murphy and The Hunger Games‘ Nina Jacobson goes behind the scenes of the trial to reveal what went on outside of the courtroom among the defense and prosecution teams that the public wasn’t privy to during what was labeled ‘The Trial of the Century.’
After participating in FX’s People v. O.J. Simpson panel at the Television Critics Association’s winter press event, Travolta met with a small gathering of reporters to discuss how he approached playing Shapiro in this much-anticipated series.
FX will premiere The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story on February 2, 2016 at 10pm ET/PT.
John Travolta Interview:
Had you encountered Robert Shapiro at any point during your time in Hollywood?
John Travolta: “No, you would think I would have. I have a different legal team, even though you would have thought I would have run into him. I know a lot of people who knew him and that helped because I could ask questions. But he did write a letter to me at one point very thrilled that I was going to portray him.”
What fascinated you about him as you started to try the character on a little?
John Travolta: “The thing is his ego I knew I could grasp. I think I’d been around enough of his type of men in the legal world and in the show business world – producers, studio heads – there’s enough of the kind of person I understood that I felt like I could get an angle on it that would work.”
Have you watched any episodes?
John Travolta: “Only one. I loved the first one, but I really wanted to wait to see how several of them come out and maybe binge-watch it to see the totality of the work.”
It’s such an extreme production. Did it come out differently than you expected on the set?
John Travolta: “Actually, better. I knew that we were set up for potential excellence, but I never had to use the [producing] card because everybody was on their A-game. I just at one point said, ‘You know what? These guys know exactly what they’re doing and I’m just going to do my part.’”
Is there a particular scene or sequence that you’re really looking forward to seeing on screen?
John Travolta: “Yes. There’s one in episode seven where I actually blackmail Kardashian, which was the most despicable moment I’ve ever had in my career of acting. I can’t believe that the character actually leverages him to try to settle, to convince the team to settle. It was such a strange day to play that and I want to see how that came out. And then there are a lot of moments that I’m looking forward to. I’m looking forward to the F. Lee Bailey scene. I’m looking forward to the fun aspects of watching Robert Shapiro, some of the humorous things. Especially, you know, he’s sitting in front of him, and he says, ‘You know who the victim is here? Me!’ Those are kind of enjoyable moments so it balances this darkness if you will.”
Do you remember where you were when the Bronco chase was going down?
John Travolta: “Yes. We had just won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for Pulp Fiction. My dad was on the chair in the living room in Carmel, Monterey – we were living up in Northern California – and he said, ‘Johnny, you’re not going to believe this.’ And then I was pulled right into this scenario.”
Have you ever met OJ?
John Travolta: “No. You would have thought I would have.”
Have you found there’s more attention on this than even the biggest movies you’ve done because of the subject matter and because it’s television?
John Travolta: “Yes.”
How are you facing that?
John Travolta: “Because it’s been a positive reaction to the quality of the communication, I’ve been pleased with everyone I’ve spoken with about it. It’s been a pleasure because it’s an agreeable subject. They’re so many that are pleased with the result of it that it’s easier to experience the big reaction it’s getting.”
You’ve talked about when Pulp Fiction was going down, you were in this transition state of reinvention. What was that like?
John Travolta: “I think I was at a point where I felt I had done well in my career, but I never imagined that one project could give me that kind of a second career where I was offered the A scripts again, the Oscar contender type scripts. There weren’t many examples of that in the history of cinema so I was very honored and privileged that I had that kind of role.”
Has Quentin Tarantino ever had anything else for you?
John Travolta: “No. In the day, he gave me a choice between Dusk Till Dawn or Pulp and I said, ‘I’m not really into vampires. I like the other one.’”
Is this that kind of game-changing role do you think, given the landscape and how prestigious TV is right now?
John Travolta: “Well, TV is definitely prestigious and it’s 10 hours of a character, not two. So those elements could balance out to be a game-changer in a lot of ways, and all an actor wants is the best opportunities to play the best roles. That’s really what they’re looking for, nothing else.”
Could you see yourself doing more television if it were a 10-hour series?
John Travolta: “Yes, a limited series. I don’t know if I could do it full-time. And I also enjoy doing movies. I wouldn’t want to eliminate my time for that.”
John Travolta as Robert Shapiro (Photo Credit: FX)
How was it different playing this character as opposed to playing a variation on Bill Clinton in Primary Colors? How did you approach playing a well-known real person without fictionalizing him?
John Travolta: “Well, it’s a similar approach because I felt like it was a very thinly veiled interpretation of Clinton and Mike Nichols wanted us not to admit that we were playing him. I said, ‘Mike, I look like him, I’m speaking like him, I’m walking like him, I’m behaving like him. We’re taking the direct dialogue from his speeches.’ I said, ‘I’m playing him, man, so let me play him.’ I had a very similar approach from building the character from physical attributes and vocal attributes and really enjoying that process, which is my favorite thing to do.”
Do you feel some of the pressure other actors are feeling in this portraying a real-life person?
John Travolta: “I do but from my own personal viewpoint. This is how I feel: if I get it right enough, I can invite you into a true story. Because there will be a good majority of people who will be so familiar with the case and the character that unless I convince you – just like with Primary Colors – that I am that person, you won’t be as easily invited. So, you have to do just enough to say, ‘Hey, look, this is the game we’re playing. We’re playing this scenario. Come along and go for this ride.’”
Were you surprised by the theatrics of this trial?
John Travolta: “I was more surprised by the theatrics behind the scenes than the actual trial. We were amazed every new episode. When those Mark Fuhrman tapes came up, which you’re going to get to, we couldn’t believe what we were reading. Every week we couldn’t believe what we were reading.”
Do you feel differently about the trial now?
John Travolta: “No, just more informed. I just feel like I completely understand. This is almost the point of where someone gives an Oscar to someone for a performance they did. I mean, Rodney King should have maybe had the swing or other unfair situations, and this was the one that was almost the catch-all for earlier things that should have been handled differently.”
There’s almost a theatrical way Shapiro had of carrying himself. Can you talk about how that played into your performance without veering into a camp kind of territory?
John Travolta: “All you had to do was watch the videos of him. I was doing only what I observed him to do. I didn’t do any more than what he was. He was delicious to watch because he was doing exactly what I…and I’m good at taking on characteristics of people physically, whether it’s from dance or it’s all the years of being an actor. But that’s where I kind of excel so watching him I was like, ‘Oh, wow, this is kind of interesting. This will be something to do to make this authentic.’ But I wasn’t really doing anything different than what you can find on the videos.”
What do you think about the return of musicals on TV and would you be interested in doing Grease?
John Travolta: “Not in the live aspects. I did 16 years of theatre and my cup runneth over for live productions. But in a musical movie, yes.”
