Netflix’s official trailer for Pet Stars is full of two-legged, four-legged, and scaly “stars.” The five episode first season features some extremely talented pets and their owners as they attempt to make it in Hollywood.
The streaming service is introducing the reality series, which follows a talent management agency specializing in pets, on April 30, 2021.
The Plot, Courtesy of Netflix:
Follow the ladies behind talent management company Pets on Q, Melissa and Colleen, as they work with the biggest animal influencers on social media. This pair handles Hollywood’s cutest, most well-known animal clients — top hats, treats and poop to boot. Their mission centers around making the world a better place, one animal at a time, and throughout the episodes, viewers not only get to see how they run their business securing partnerships for pets, but also how they work with rescues to highlight animals in need of a better life!
Whether it’s a business opportunity or a life-changing new home, their first love (and priority) are the animals.
Fox’s 9-1-1 will return from a six week break on April 19, 2021 with an episode that finds the 118 dealing with a multi-car pileup. Season four episode nine, “Blindsided,” will air on Monday, April 19, 2021 at 8pm ET/PT followed by a new episode of 9-1-1: Lone Star.
Season four’s cast includes executive producer Angela Bassett as Athena Grant, executive producer Peter Krause as Bobby Nash, and Jennifer Love Hewitt as Maddie Kendall. Oliver Stark plays Evan “Buck” Buckley, Aisha Hinds is Henrietta “Hen” Wilson, Kenneth Choi is Howie “Chimney” Han, Ryan Guzman plays Eddie Diaz, and Rockmond Dunbar is Michael Grant.
“Blindsided” Plot: Athena and the 118 race to save lives after a drunk driver causes a deadly pile-up on the freeway. Meanwhile, Maddie goes into labor and Hen and Karen are devastated as they prepare their foster daughter, Nia, to be reunited with her birth mother.
Creators Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Tim Minear reimagine the procedural drama with 9-1-1, exploring the high-pressure experiences of police officers, firefighters and dispatchers who are thrust into the most frightening, shocking and heart-stopping situations. These emergency responders must try to balance saving those who are at their most vulnerable with solving the problems in their own lives.
An assault on Baker makes things personal on CBS’s Blue Bloods season 11 episode 12, “Happy Endings.” Directed by Eric Laneuville from a script by Siobhan Byrne O’Connor, episode 12 is set to air on Friday, April 16, 2021 at 10pm ET/PT.
Tom Selleck leads the cast as Frank Reagan, Donnie Wahlberg is Danny Reagan, and Bridget Moynahan plays Erin Reagan. The cast also includes Will Estes as Jamie Reagan, Len Cariou as Henry Reagan, Sami Gayle as Nicky Reagan-Boyle, Marisa Ramirez as Det. Maria Baez, and Vanessa Ray plays Officer Eddie Janko.
Guest stars include Jimi Stanton, Eric Tabach, Matthew Rauch, Jim Santangeli, and Amy Bursor. Adam Bramson, Nancy Rodriguez, Tammy Pescatelli, and Kwabena Ampofo also guest star in episode 12.
“Happy Endings” Plot: Business becomes personal for Frank and his 1 Police Plaza team when Baker is assaulted on the street, as well as for Erin, when she asks her ex-husband, Jack Boyle (Peter Hermann), to represent a defendant she’s prosecuting. Also, Eddie wonders if she’s being too stubborn after she publicly undermines one of Jamie’s decisions at work and Danny and Baez investigate the attempted murder of a couple with huge secrets.
Blue Bloods is a drama about a multi-generational family of cops dedicated to New York City law enforcement. Frank Reagan is the New York Police Commissioner, and heads both the police force and the Reagan brood. He runs his department as diplomatically as he runs his family, even when dealing with the politics that plagued his unapologetically bold father, Henry, during his stint as Chief.
A source of pride and concern for Frank is his eldest son, Danny, a seasoned detective, family man and Iraq War vet who on occasion uses dubious tactics to solve cases with his partner, Detective Maria Baez. The Reagan women in the family include middle daughter, Erin, a New York Assistant D.A. who serves as the legal compass for her siblings and father, and is a single parent to her daughter Nicky, who is pursuing a career in San Francisco. Jamie is the youngest Reagan, a Harvard Law graduate and the family’s “golden boy.”
Unable to deny the family tradition, Jamie decided to give up a lucrative future in law and follow in the family footsteps as a cop. He’s found a friend and ally in his wife, Eddie, who keeps him on his toes, and has very different reasons than the Reagans for joining the police force. The Reagans welcomed a new family addition after Frank learned his deceased son, officer Joe Reagan, has an adult child they never knew about, a young man who is a rising NYPD cop.
Magnum agrees to take on a murder case with a twist – the murder hasn’t actually taken place yet – on CBS’s Magnum P.I. season three episode 14. Directed by Peter Weller from a script by Tera Tolentino, “Whispers of Death” will air on Friday, April 16, 2021 at 9pm ET/PT.
Jay Hernandez leads the cast as Thomas Magnum. Perdita Weeks is Juliet Higgins, Zachary Knighton is Orville “Rick” Wright, Stephen Hill is Theodore “TC” Calvin, Tim Kang stars as Det. Gordon Katsumoto, and Amy Hill as Teuila “Kumu” Tuileta.
Episode 14 guest stars include Charlotte Mary Wen, Peter Navy Tuiasosopo, Alex Mauga, Helena Mattsson, and Dylan Bruce. Christine Jugueta, Lelea’e Kahalepuna-Wong, Sally Jackson, and Jocelyn May also guest star.
“Whispers of Death” Plot: A psychic hires Magnum and Higgins to prevent a murder she claims to have foreseen. Also, Katsumoto questions Kumu when her information is found on recovered stolen jewels that once belonged to the infamous Imelda Marcos, and Higgins struggles with whether or not to tell Ethan the truth about her past.
Magnum P.I. is a modern take on the classic series centering on Thomas Magnum, a decorated former Navy SEAL who, upon returning home from Afghanistan, repurposes his military skills to become a private investigator. A charming rogue, an American hero and a die-hard Detroit Tigers fan, Magnum lives in a guest cottage on Robin’s Nest, the luxurious estate where he works as a security consultant to supplement his P.I. business. The “majordomo” of the property is Juliet Higgins, a beautiful and commanding disavowed MI:6 agent whose second job is to keep Magnum in line, with the help of her two Dobermans.
When Magnum needs back-up on a job, he turns to his trusted buddies and fellow POW survivors, Theodore “TC” Calvin, a former Marine chopper pilot who runs Island Hoppers, a helicopter tour business, and Orville “Rick” Wright, a former Marine door-gunner-turned-impresario of Oahu’s coolest nightclub and the most connected man on the island.
Suspicious of Magnum’s casual attitude and presence at his crime scenes, Detective Gordon Katsumoto finds that he and Magnum are more alike than either of them care to admit. One of Magnum’s biggest supporters is Teuila “Kumu” Tuileta, the unofficial “House Mom” and cultural curator of Robin’s Nest. With keys to a vintage Ferrari in one hand, aviator sunglasses in the other, and an Old Düsseldorf longneck chilling in the fridge, Thomas Magnum is back on the case!
Ernie Hudson and Wendy Raquel Robinson guest star as Bozer’s parents on CBS’s MacGyver season five episode 14. Directed by Christine Swanson from a script by Teresa Huang and Joshua Brown, “H20 + Orthophosphates + Mission City + Corrosion + Origins” will air on Friday, April 16, 2021 at 8pm ET/PT.
Lucas Till stars as Angus “Mac” MacGyver, Tristin Mays plays Riley Davis, and Justin Hires is Wilt Bozer. Meredith Eaton is Matty Weber, Levy Tran is Desi Nguyen, and Henry Ian Cusick plays Russ Taylor.
Episode 14 guest stars include Reef Cali, Chase Brown, Harlan Drum, Matt Battaglia, and Alain Uy.
“H20 + Orthophosphates + Mission City + Corrosion + Origins” Plot: Mac and Desi travel with Bozer to his childhood home when his aunt dies in a tragic accident, however, they soon discover she may have been murdered for trying to expose the city’s contaminated water supply. Also, Riley, Matty and Russ continue to follow leads on their nano-trackers investigation.
MacGyver, a reimagining of the classic series, is an action-adventure drama about 20-something Angus “Mac” MacGyver, who is part of a clandestine organization within the U.S. government, where he uses his extraordinary talent for unconventional problem-solving and vast scientific knowledge to save lives. Joining his team on high-risk missions around the globe are Riley Davis, an unpredictable computer hacker with a chip on her shoulder; Wilt Bozer, Mac’s roommate and an agent on the team; Matty Weber, a legend in Covert Ops and the director of operations at the Phoenix Foundation; Desi Nguyen, whose job is to protect MacGyver and his team on their global missions; and Russ Taylor, quick-witted, Oxford-educated, ex-military skilled in propaganda and lie detection, who shakes things up by challenging the way MacGyver and the team are used to doing things.
Under the aegis of the Phoenix Foundation, MacGyver takes on the responsibility of saving the world, armed to the teeth with resourcefulness and little more than bubble gum and a paper clip.
The CW’s Legacies season three episode nine found Landon geeking out over the monster of the week being a gremlin. Episode 10’s creature – a banshee – is much more terrifying. Directed by Jeffrey Hunt from a script by Thomas Brandon and Price Peterson, episode 10 will air on April 15, 2021.
The cast includes Danielle Rose Russell plays Hope Mikaelson, Jenny Boyd is Lizzie Saltzman, Kaylee Bryant is Josie Saltzman, Quincy Fouse plays Milton “MG” Greasley, and Aria Shahghasemi stars as Landon Kirby. Peyton Alex Smith is Rafael, Chris Lee is Kaleb, Leo Howard is Ethan Mac, Ben Levin is Jed, and Matthew Davis plays Alaric Saltzman.
“All’s Well That Ends Well” Plot: IMPENDING DOOM — After capturing a new monster at the school, Hope (Russell) and the Super Squad learn some terrifying news about one of their own. A surprise visit from Lizzie (Boyd) gives Josie (Bryant) some much-needed courage. MG (Fouse) and Ethan (Howard) team up to help others.
Set in The Salvatore Boarding School for the Young & Gifted, and within The Vampire Diaries universe, Legacies tells the ongoing story of a new generation of supernatural students as they learn what it means to be special in a society that wouldn’t understand their gifts.
In season two, Hope Mikaelson returned to a world that had forgotten she ever existed and reunited with her former Headmaster, Alaric Saltzman. Working together, Hope and Dr. Saltzman ultimately rejoined The Salvatore School to lead their Super Squad of powerful vampires, witches and werewolves, including Lizzie & Josie Saltzman, MG, Rafael, and Kaleb and even a Phoenix, her true love Landon, into battle against a dizzying horde of fantastic and deadly monsters birthed from the Malivore Pit … and their old nemesis, The Necromancer, who was determined to resurrect Malivore.
As season three begins, Hope has risked everything to pull her friends back from the brink of a monstrous prophecy that threatened to doom them all. But when a heartbreaking loss shatters her whole world, Hope Mikaelson will be forced to fight fate itself.
Focus Features just released a powerful trailer for the documentary Final Account. Filmmaker Luke Holland (Good Morning, Mr. Hitler), who passed away in 2020, captured interviews with nearly 300 elderly individuals who were witnesses or actual participants in Hitler’s atrocities.
The film’s trailer reveals how conflicted Holland’s interview subjects were, with some arguing they were completely oblivious to what was happening while others admitted to being aware of but doing nothing to stop the murders of Jewish citizens during the Holocaust.
“More than anything, Final Account is a tribute to Luke Holland’s foresight and bravery. He confronted the people behind his family’s suffering with curiosity, in order to help us all understand what happens when ordinary people participate in extraordinary evil. Sadly, Luke’s untimely passing means he will not meet the audiences who experience his final project, but we are proud after so many years of work to be able to help present it to the world,” stated Dr. Stephen Smith, Executive Director of the USC Shoah Foundation.
Final Account premiered at the 2020 Venice Film Festival and will be released in theaters on May 21, 2021.
The Plot, Courtesy of Focus Features:
“Final Account is an urgent portrait of the last living generation of everyday people to participate in Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich. Over a decade in the making, the film raises vital, timely questions about authority, conformity, complicity and perpetration, national identity, and responsibility, as men and women ranging from former SS members to civilians in never-before-seen interviews reckon with – in very different ways – their memories, perceptions and personal appraisals of their own roles in the greatest human crimes in history.”
Luna Blaise as Olive Stone and Holly Taylor as Angelina Meyer in ‘Manifest’ season 3 episode 2 (Photo by: Peter Kramer/WBTV/NBC)
The hunt for the meth heads who kidnapped Cal (Jack Messina) – and whose bodies rose to the top of the lake last episode – along with a new calling of Angelina’s (Holly Taylor) are the focus of NBC’s Manifest season three episode two, “Deadhead.”
Episode two begins with Angelina experiencing a vision of herself running through some sort of catacomb and stopping to face what looks like a faceless angel. Grace (Athena Karkanis) notices Angelina looks upset and assures her if she needs anything she can always talk to her.
Grace heads downstairs to find Ben (Josh Dallas) getting ready to try and find a way to go back to Cuba and rescue Vance (Daryl Edwards). She tries half-heartedly to talk him out of it, but Ben’s mind is made up.
They’re interrupted by a knock on the door. The Director of the Pentagon and the NSA Director need to speak with Ben.
Meanwhile at the precinct, Michaela (Melissa Roxburgh) returns to work and is greeted by Jared (J.R. Ramirez) who she notices has been promoted to lieutenant. Michaela is called into Captain Kate Bowers’ (Andrene Ward-Hammond) and informed she needs to go by the book or else she’ll be forced to resign. Michaela agrees to follow protocol.
Back at the Stone house, the Director of the Pentagon and NSA Director Powell (Tim Moriarty) are pushing Ben to tell them what he knows and what he’s been up to. It seems they’re aware of the secret cargo plane he landed in from Cuba. Grace hears this and interrupts, politely telling them they can either leave, help her make lunch, or she’ll just call their lawyers. The Director of the Pentagon and Powell leave, with Powell giving Ben a knowing look.
Over at the precinct, Michaela’s going over some video sent to her by the park ranger station at the lake and sees the three meth heads who kidnapped Cal running through the forest. She calls Ben to fill him in on what she’s just discovered.
Ben realizes the kidnappers returned after 84 days which should mean they have 84 days before they die. To keep Cal safe, Grace suggests they go to her stepdad’s cabin which is where her little brother Tarik lives. Ben asks if she’s sure that’s a good idea since she hasn’t seen or talked to him in 10 years, and she’s sure it will be okay.
Michaela and her partner Drea (Ellen Tamaki) check out the woods looking for the kidnappers. They come across a woman who was attacked by them and learn they stole her RV.
At the Stone house, as everyone packs to leave for the cabin, Olive (Luna Blaise) comforts Angelina after Angelina reveals her recent calling. Olive asks if what she saw in the calling was familiar at all, and Angelina says part of it reminds her of an image on a window at her high school. Olive believes the calling wants them to go there.
The Stone family split up, with Ben off to find a way to go back to Cuba and save Vance, while Grace and Cal head off to the cabin. Olive and Angelina follow Angelina’s calling.
Zeke (Matt Long) visits the clinic for another checkup by Dr. Saanvi Bahl (Parveen Kaur). He notices she’s swamped and offers to help out. Ben shows up to tell them about the kidnappers resurfacing from the lake. Ben shows Saanvi his hand which is bruised and red from touching the tailfin of 828. She takes a sample to test it and gives Ben something to help soothe the redness before he leaves.
Ellen Tamaki as Drea, and Melissa Roxburgh as Michaela Stone in ‘Manifest’ season 3 episode 2 (Photo by: Peter Kramer/WBTV/NBC)
Michaela catches up to the RV the three kidnappers stole. The leader of the kidnappers, Jace (James McMenamin), tosses a gasoline tank at them which explodes and causes Michaela and Drea to run off the road.
Grace arrives at the cabin and her brother, Tarik, is still angry and bitter about their falling out 10 years ago. He reminds her he needed her help back then and slams the door in her face.
Olive and Angelina find the window and Angelina remembers burying a personal time capsule years ago. They dig it up and find photos inside. One is of Angelina as a young girl drinking a smoothie. She remembers being happy when the photo was taken. Following this new clue, they get some smoothies and talk.
Ben visits Vance’s wife and explains what happened in Cuba. He gives her Vance’s wedding ring, and she tells him he’s responsible and needs to save her husband. He looks closely at the ring and notices an engraving that reads “The truth will set you free.” She reveals the same saying was engraved on Vance’s fake gravesite.
Olive and Angelina are walking while drinking their smoothies and talking when Angelina accidentally drops her photo. She doesn’t notice that it’s gone.
The three kidnappers inside the RV argue about what they should do next, with Jace suggesting they do a smash and grab for cash. The youngest one, Pete (Devin Harjes), thinks they have been given a second chance at life and should try to do better. Maybe they should relocate to Canada.
At the cabin, Cal shoots hoops with Tarik and tells him Grace always said he made her a good mother because of all the times she looked out for him. Cal tells Tarik to go to her.
The kidnappers pull into the same smoothie shop Olive and Angelina visited. They exit the RV and are arguing when they all hear Cal’s voice in their heads saying, “Go to her.” Pete sees the photo of the girl and believes he’s supposed to go to her. Sirens are heard coming closer and Jace and Kory (DazMann Still) run off. Michaela and Drea arrive and arrest Pete.
Ben visits Vance’s grave and sees Powell who confesses he’s been following him all day. Powell explains he wants to help Vance who he knows isn’t dead. Ben takes a chance and tells Powell about Vance being taken in Cuba and about a piece of 828 being found down there. Powell says he’ll see what he can do to save Vance.
Olive and Angelina’s walk takes them back to where Michaela and Drea are located. Angelina notices Michaela holding the photo and says it’s hers. Pete shocks them by revealing it’s his and says he’s the kid in the back of the photo with a drink behind Angelina. Michaela notes she needs to keep it as part of the report.
Back at the clinic, Saanvi tests Ben’s hand sample but it reads normal. Zeke tells Saanvi he’s worried about her working so hard and overextending herself. She confesses she hasn’t had a calling since she medicated herself and she’s scared.
At the precinct, Captain Bowers gives the photo back to Michaela to give to its owner and suggests they keep the lid on the video showing the three kidnappers alive and running in the woods for now.
Ben returns home and receives a text revealing Vance is safe. He, Olive, and Angelina are about to leave for the cabin when a special news report on television says the tailfin has been found and was fished out of the sea. Almost immediately the press pulls up outside the house and starts banging on the front door, demanding interviews. Ben realizes they can’t go to the cabin now because they’ll just be followed by the press.
The episode ends with Ben’s left hand starting to glow white again, the sample Saanvi took from Ben’s hand glowing white, and the tailfin down in Cuba glowing white with Ben’s handprint.
Fleabag‘s Phoebe Waller-Bridge has signed on to tackle the lead female role in the upcoming fifth film of the Indiana Jones franchise. Harrison Ford’s returning as the iconic archaeologist, and James Mangold (Ford v Ferrari, Logan) will direct.
“I’m thrilled to be starting a new adventure, collaborating with a dream team of all-time great filmmakers,” stated director James Mangold. “Steven, Harrison, Kathy, Frank, and John are all artistic heroes of mine. When you add Phoebe, a dazzling actor, brilliant creative voice, and the chemistry she will undoubtedly bring to our set, I can’t help but feel as lucky as Indiana Jones himself.”
The casting announcement also included the news that John Williams is returning to handle the film’s score. Williams’ association with the Indiana Jones franchise began with the first film of the series, Raiders of the Lost Ark, back in 1981 and continued with 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, 1989’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
The untitled fifth Indiana Jones film will be produced by Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg, Frank Marshall, and Simon Emanuel.
It’s been a long journey for the fifth Indy film, which was announced way back in 2016. Waller-Bridge’s casting moves the film back into the spotlight, with Disney and Lucasfilm Ltd confirming a July 29, 2022 theatrical release date.
Phoebe Waller-Bridge won a Critics Choice Award, a Golden Globe, a BAFTA Award, a SAG Award, and three Emmys for the Amazon Prime Video original series Fleabag. Waller-Bridge’s credits also include Solo: A Star Wars Story, Broadchurch, Crashing, and The Cafe.
(Updated: the official titles is Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.)
Laura Donnelly and Ann Skelly star in ‘The Nevers’ (Photograph by HBO / Keith Bernstein)
HBO’s The Nevers reimagines a Victorian London in which a bizarre supernatural event transforms normal citizens into the “Touched.” The small group transformed by the mysterious event consists mostly of women, with each affected individual gifted with a special ability/talent.
Treated as pariahs by those who weren’t changed, the Touched find companionship and safety at the St. Romaulda’s Orphanage. Amalia True (Laura Donnelly, Outlander) and Penance Adair (Ann Skelly, Vikings) oversee the orphanage and are fiercely protective of those who, through no fault of their own, have been shunned by society.
Laura Donnelly and Ann Skelly teamed up for interviews (via Zoom) to discuss their roles in the sci-fi action series created by Joss Whedon (The Avengers, Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Donnelly’s Amalia possesses the ability to see brief glimpses of the future and Skelly’s Penance is a brilliant inventor. Polar opposites in personality, Amalia and Penance’s unwavering friendship is at the very heart of The Nevers. And during our interview, it was obvious that on-screen friendship reflects the off-screen relationship between the two actors.
What was your initial reaction to the project? Did you immediately jump at the opportunity to be involved in an action series?
LAURA DONNELLY: “When I first read the pitch, it was one line. It was like, ‘Victorian women get special powers and try and save the world.’ I kind of felt, ‘I don’t know…doesn’t really sound like my thing.’ And then I went in for a meeting and when I did I got told the whole thing – like all the spoilers. I got told everything about Amalia, everything about the series, and I was completely hooked because suddenly I realized it was so much more than what that one line was telling me. Talk about don’t judge a book by its cover!
The layers of it, the sheer scale of the ambition of it, I couldn’t believe. The fact that as a character Amalia has everything wrapped up in it that I could want for a character. There is, like you say, action which I was dying to do, but it also really stretches me dramatically as an actor as well. You know, I get to use all of the skills that I’ve learned in that department, and I knew that it was also going to be telling something that was socially relevant to us. And I knew that I was going to get to be part of a largely female cast which is too good an opportunity to miss because that never happens. So, everything about it was appealing. It was an absolute no-brainer.”
ANN SKELLY: “Whereas in contrast, every time I turned a corner I went, ‘Oh, wow!’ And then I’d walk down the road and I’d turn a corner and go, ‘Oh, wow!’ And then keep going and it’s more, ‘Oh, wows.’ I just was piecing things together along the way and Laura would sometimes feed me information – illegal secret information. So, yeah, I was very much piecing it together along the way, I think. It was like a world unfolding in front of me. It was incredible.”
What was the most challenging part of getting into character?
ANN SKELLY: (Laughing) “I break every single prop I touch which, as you can imagine, does not come in useful. And sometimes when Penance’s contraptions break, they don’t break in the way that I need them to. That seemed quite challenging for me…being able to control these uncontrollable props in a way that makes it look on purpose.
I would say that and Penance’s joy. I can’t believe how little I’ve investigated what it means to be happy or what it means to be light. For roles, I’ve always been in a dark, dark headspace/mindset. ‘Let’s get in here,’ you know? It’s incredible how lightness and humor is quite hard to do.”
LAURA DONNELLY: “I think for me playing Amalia the challenge was to gather up all the information and do all the research that I needed to do being aware of her backstory, being aware of who she is at her core. Gathering all of that up but then deciding just how to only reveal so much and what to keep in, and what is subconscious to her. What is she keeping hidden even from herself, never mind what is she keeping hidden from everybody else. And so, holding on to those various layers of knowledge and awareness is quite tricky. It usually requires me going back over scripts several times to remind myself exactly where I am in any given moment.”
ANN SKELLY: “I love how her answer isn’t being underwater for a week in a corset.”
LAURA DONNELLY: (Laughing) “Being underwater for a week in a corset was fairly challenging, too.”
Speaking of that, can you talk a little bit about the spectacular action sequences, like the car scene in the first episode and the fight in the lake?
ANN SKELLY: “That car is actually drivable. It’s too bad I don’t have a driver’s license because it would probably make everyone else feel safer. And speaking to always breaking props…I haven’t broken the car. I have hit a curb once which was a shock for everyone.
That first episode…that car for when it shoots out the back of the carriage, me, Laura, and Violet (Prettejohn) who plays Myrtle were kind of put in the car on these roller coaster tracks and there was a green screen behind us. And what they would do is they would propel us forward on these roller coaster tracks and then drop us down, giving us a bit of a headache, and then shoot us off again. It was just this most bizarre experience, just shooting in this kind of Victorian square on these roller coaster tracks with a big green screen behind us. That, for me, was incredible.
But I’ve got actually a stunt driver too, so I don’t mow down all the crowd when we’re racing through the streets. Thank god for her!”
LAURA DONNELLY: “In terms of the big underwater fight, it was physically really challenging but I had an absolute ball. It was nothing like I’ve ever done before, for sure. I’ve never done any kind of diving, so I had to spend two days training just to learn in a wetsuit in the underwater stage at Pinewood Studios. I learned how to go five meters under and I was in the breather and the goggles and everything.
But on the second day they expect you to take the breather and the goggles off and you just have to swim 25’ across the tank. That was probably the single most intimidating thing I’ve ever had to do for work. And I don’t get very nervous about a lot of the physical stuff. I’ve got an amazing stunt team who I trust. I trust them with my life. I used to be a gymnast when I was younger so I’m quite familiar with throwing myself up in the air and hopefully not landing on my head. So, it was definitely a challenge in that sense.
The strange thing is once I got into Amalia’s costume for rehearsal, I went into the water then and I just had no problem with it because I was in a completely different mindset. Suddenly I was Amalia and I wasn’t Laura. I just went into the tank, like, ‘This is fine. I’ve got this. This is absolutely cool.’
We spent a week doing it and it was physically exhausting, but it was so much fun. And Martyn Ford who plays Odium is not only the biggest man on the planet but one of the nicest men as well. He’s a very, very sweet man and we just had a lot of fun as I tried to climb up him dripping wet in Victorian garb.
What do you think Amalia loves about Penance and Penance loves about Amalia that draws them together and gives them that special connection?
LAURA DONNELLY: “Well I think I can definitely speak to what Amalia loves about Penance because it is genuinely exactly the same thing I love about Ann. It’s a warmth that she brings into a room with her that softens all of my edges. I just feel – and did feel immediately upon meeting Ann and certainly in the early days of us working together – just somebody that I knew I could trust and somebody that I knew I could be very open with and really let my guard down and knew that it would be accepted. She feels like somebody who’s going to just accept you for who you are and it’s going to be fine. That is a complete Penance/Ann crossover in their personalities. And that is what Amalia loves about Penance.”
ANN SKELLY: “I love this question because I get to hear Laura say nice things about me. What does Penance love about Amalia?”
LAURA DONNELLY: (Laughing) “You’re at a loss.”
ANN SKELLY: “I think that there are so many things, actually. I think there’s a special quality to Amalia in that there’s just something in her that it’s like an immediate magnetic quality, I suppose, which Laura very much possesses. And it’s something that she can’t act…or maybe she can act and she’s just that good. (Laughing) But it’s not something that you come across often.
And particularly I would say that me and Laura’s relationship and feelings towards each other translates as what you see on screen. I think Laura is just an incredibly special person and she brings that to Amalia. Penance can easily trust her and go into battle with her down any dark alleyway. And I would too with Laura, which is quite nice.”
Do you think the show speaks to modern women’s experiences? How does it relate to what we’re going through today?
LAURA DONNELLY: “Yes, absolutely. It was one of the main things that drew me to the project was the fact that I felt it spoke a lot to what women experience at the moment.
We’re having all of these discussions about, well, obviously about the #MeToo movement. And we’re having at the moment discussions based on some horrific recent events in the news in England to do with women’s safety on the streets and what is the responsibility of men in that. How much should they be a part of that discussion? Really, it should be about men educating each other and educating young men and boys. I think there’s a lot there to do with why is it up to these people, the people who suffer from being a minority or an oppressed people, why is it their responsibility to go out and make other people treat them better? It should be the responsibility of the people who already have the privilege and already have the power. That is, of course, as well an argument that is extremely relevant to other social issues like Black Lives Matter and anything to do with a group of people who are oppressed and do not have their voices heard.
It’s incredibly relevant to the conversations that we’re having today.”
Laura Donnelly and Ann Skelly in ‘The Nevers’ (Photograph by HBO / Keith Bernstein)
On a lighter note, can you talk about the gorgeous costumes and how they helped you slip into these characters?
LAURA DONNELLY: “Our costume designer is Michele Clapton and she is the very best that you can get. Her attention to detail is incredible, right down to there are underthings that I am wearing that have things sewn onto them that are relevant to Amalia’s character that of course no one is ever going to see but that she has there just in case. The level of detail and the subtle little signals that she’s giving out through her design is just amazing.
It’s part of the reason that I think this would merit watching over. I love to think that people would watch these first episodes and then go back and watch them over and over again because every time you will get clues and details from costuming and from hair and makeup, and all the very purposeful decisions made around those that just do let you in in tiny ways to the characters.
And then on top of that, they’re made in a very practical sense. We’re in those costumes all day every day – I’ve got to fight in them. We’re in these corsets and the corsets are made specifically for our bodies so that they’re so much more comfortable for us. Everything has gone into making sure that these are just the most incredible costumes we could possibly have.”
ANN SKELLY: “Yeah. And on a more obvious note I suppose I can speak to is I love Penance’s soft blues. I love the combination with the earthy browns. I feel like it totally says so much about her and her personality right away and the character. You know, that kind of soft gentleness combined with the grounded solidness of her character. I think that’s really a strong visual which I just really love.
And speaking of the corsets, it is incredible how personal they’re made for us. She’ll supplement instead of a steel bone in some parts she’ll put in a plastic bone instead if that particular part of your body is a funny place – a funny angle. I really appreciate that so much.”
What sets The Nevers apart from other sci-fi series?
ANN SKELLY: “I think it’s a total refresh of the genre. I know there are Victorian period shows with sci-fi elements – or period shows with sci-fi elements – but this show makes such incredible use of the sci-fi and it makes such incredible use of the abilities. They’re so personalized and there’s such different stories being told there.
You can make of them what you will and what the meaning is – I won’t project that upon anyone. But for my character, I love that she’s one of the few who actually adores her power and can make use of it. It may have been something that she’s never even known that she wished for. But then there are other characters who have ‘turns’ that completely are so useless to them and then there are other characters who are held back so much by their powers, or their powers just make them stick out or are dangerous.
I think it’s really an amalgam of humor and adventure. It’s philosophical in dialogue at times. I think the show does a lot of things.”
LAURA DONNELLY: “The only thing I would add to that is myself not withstanding – I’m talking about everybody else here – I have never seen a show with an ensemble cast this strong. The performances in this show are incredible. Every single person without exception is just providing something so special and so truthful and so amusing and so nuanced. I watch shows for the performances, as an actor that’s the thing that I’m most interested in, and they really are – down to every single one of them – incredible.”
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The Nevers premieres on HBO on April 11, 2021 at 9pm ET/PT.
