During the global press conference, Farrell talks in depth about Season Two, Sugar’s decency, and whether or not he belongs on Earth after gaining some humanity himself. Read our conversation with the ethereal star below.

On the best part about playing Sugar, Farrell revealed: “The loveliest thing about playing him is just his fundamental decency, really. As boring as that sounds. I mean, he’s not naive. He’s lived in this world, on this planet for long enough. He recognizes the breadth of violence and cruelty. And he has seen those things at close quarters, but he still maintains this very real and very deeply set, natural belief in the decency of human beings, which is a very hard thing I think for most of us to hold onto all the time when we see what goes on in the world. So that’s just a breath of fresh air. And the fact that that is kinda the most dramatic thing about the character, again, is a quiet testament to the chaos that we witness in this world that we all share.”

Farrell continued: “He has a capability with violence. He can take care of himself. But he is this calm, fundamentally peaceful, sentient being that moves through the world just trying to be of service in a very real and very meaningful way without looking for any credit. And, you know, so there’s a deep kind of humility there that doesn’t sound like the most interesting thing to play. But it really is, especially when he’s surrounded by such chaos, as I said, and such violence, and such darkness at times.”

On what’s next in his career, Farrell teased: “I have no idea. I mean, I just try to get to the end of every day. I’m very grateful to still be working after 25 years, and, you know, to get to read some wonderful things and be a part of wonderful things from time to time with great people that I’ve worked with through the years.”

On the element of surprise when shooting a revealing or shocking storyline, Farrell said: “As an actor, I’m not always but quite often surprised by the performances of my fellow actors. I usually know what’s going on in the script and I know what’s gonna happen next in the storyline. Outside of a first read of a script, I can’t remember ever being on a set and being surprised by the revelation of a particular story point, because I’m aware. But there’s always room for a surprise. And with your fellow actors, you know, and seeing and experiencing firsthand in front of the camera an actor’s interpretation of the text that you may feel like you know very well, but you have only imagined it from your perspective, the perspective of your character. And of course you’ve imagined the other actors in the scene, the other characters in the scene as well, but you have no control over that. And that’s just been, yeah, a byproduct of your imagination. Then an actor comes in, whether it’s Laura or Tony or Jin or Ray or Shea or whoever, they come in, and, you know, you do your first rehearsal and you see for the first time what they’re doing or what they’re gonna do. And more often than not, that’s a lovely surprise.”

On if he leans into film as heavily as Sugar, he mentioned: “I do love all kinds of films, though I don’t lean into them as much as John Sugar does as a character, because he uses them as a behavioral and sociological reference point for what he should or wants to be like as he traverses this planet. But I definitely do love them. And the first season of Sugar, I used it as an opportunity just to soak myself in film noir. You know, Dirk Bogarde and Bob Mitchum, and loads of other really good film noirs. So I love film and always will.”

On Season two differences in tone, location, and even Sugar himself, Farrell said: “The trick has always been to honor the tone of the piece that was established in the first season and whatever the truth of him as a character is. But also allow for a change in situation and also whatever changes psychologically and emotionally are taking place in him as a result of things being different. The main thing, of course, being that he’s now, for the first time, a man very much alone. Everyone else, all his friends, all his companions have gone back to their home planet. So he is, for the first time, alone on Earth, and he’s struggling with that kinda sense of isolation very much, and how would that inform, certainly at the beginning of the first episode, how would that inform how he is and how he moves through the world? And continue to inform that. And how he is open to people.”

Farrell added: “But it’s also a very different world in the second season than the first one. The first one took place in more affluent parts — you know, Bel Air and Palisades and the studios and all the higher-ups. And this one takes place in K-Town, and various other parts of East L.A. So it’s gonna be tonally quite different as well. And he was gonna have new challenges, which he does, and contend with human experiences that he didn’t have to contend with in the first season. Particularly the experience of human sentient desire, you know. But also the encroaching power of violence and the sway and the draw that violence holds for him as well. As he’s someone who is completely against violence in a way, which is contradictory, because he’s involved in it so much. And even as a result of his own choosing at one stage in this second season, later on in the season.”

On what worries him more about human nature — our capacity for violence or the capacity to justify it — he explained: “Both are worrying, you know? I suppose though our capacity for violence is pretty disturbing. The seemingly bloodthirsty are certainly; the prevalence of greed on our planet, which can lead to great violence. The inability to regulate ourselves emotionally at times, which can lead to great violence. It’s tough being human, you know? I say that fully aware of where I stand, and the blessings that I’ve had in my life. But it’s tough being human, and it can be just godawful, depressing, and anxiety making. And you know, if we don’t really, you know, support each other, then we’re just in trouble. I have to remind myself sometimes when I look at, you know, the news and the world around us of how many amazing people there are in the world doing amazing things, because the violence that is, yeah, readily viewable at any given time is so profound, is so extreme. But yeah, both, you know. Our propensity for violence and our ability to justify violence to no end — both are very worrying issues.”

On how being an Executive Producer on the show influences his creative decisions as an actor, he chimed in: “Both seasons, we were still very much writing them as we were shooting them. So, that — I mean, I wouldn’t recommend it necessarily. Yeah, so that was tricky. But it was good to have some influence and involvement, you know? ‘Cause I feel like I know this fella pretty well, and I do love the world. I mean, I just love this show. I really do. It’s such a joy to do. It’s such a joy to shoot in Los Angeles. It’s such a joy to play a character that is so, so fundamentally decent, but he still has his struggles. And he’s still, you know, has moments of violence and confusion, but he doesn’t really blame the world outside of himself. He’s constantly reflecting on his own involvement at every turn of his experience. So, yeah. Yeah, such a joy to do it in this city as well.”

On the difficulty of crafting season two with the reveal of Sugar’s true identity, he admonished: “We just treated it as a story, you know? As an Executive Producer, it was good to have some influence there in story and character journey, and all that stuff. But I suppose it was nice to have the cat outta the bag and be able to be done with this secret. And there is, of course, reference — particularly as we get more toward the end of season two — not visually, so much as the sci-fi element coming back in, but it is referred to. His place of origin comes back into the story in a significant way. But you’re just looking at it, yeah, from a story perspective, and the character’s journey, so you just keep it on that strain, keep it on that straight railway line and keep pushing in that direction. Just explorin’ new avenues of who Sugar is, or who he thinks he is, or who he wishes to be, or who he’s ashamed of being, and all those kind of dramatic pretexts, you know?”

On if it’s easier to inhabit a character he shares nothing with or one that he has similar traits to when taking on a new role, he said: “I don’t know what’s easier, but I tell ya, playing a character that you don’t feel you share traits with is less sticky. Do you know what I mean? It’s cleaner. It’s clearer. You have a certain amount of road to travel, and you can, even if it’s just in theory, convince yourself that you were disavowing and separating. And so, in a way, it’s just less sticky. But both are interesting, when I think about the times I play. Yeah, you can jump more freely towards a character that you don’t perceive there to be any similarities between you and it, I think. But, yeah, therein lies the whole kinda riddle of it all, you know? And you do, you know, you try to figure out what ways the person is different from you, and what ways, possibly, they’re the same. But human beings are such, such wonderful mysteries, you know? Eight billion of us, plus, and no two the same. Some people present similar, behaviorally, but yeah, no two the same. It’s always a riddle to be uncovered.”

On going into season two, if the real conflict is him no longer belonging on Earth or if he’s too emotionally invested to remain the objective observer he was sent to be, Farrell explained: “When he was sent here first, his job was the job of all his fellow countrymen and women. His job was to just observe and report, and that’s what’s reiterated over and over again in the first season: observe and report, observe and report. And, well, he has no one to report to anymore, quite literally. He’s lost the kinda most significant structure of his life, and he’s, again, a man alone. But observation is something that was always, for him, greater than a job or greater than a mission task. It was something that, deeply inside him, he needed. He seems to have some deep need to understand people, understand human beings. He also has a love for human beings and views them through a lens of wonder sometimes, which is childlike, you know? So, yeah. That observe and report — the line between him and other begins to blur, of course, as it does in relationships for us humans, and friendships at times, family members, you know? We sometimes don’t know what’s mine, what’s yours, and everything can get a little bit askew. Well, that starts to happen to him, and the experiences that he’s having begin to bleed into him in a way that is utterly confounding, I think, at certain stages throughout the season. So, that was, again, all part of his journey in the second season and fun to mess around with.”

On how many more seasons he would be willing to do and the show’s ending, he said: “Oh, loads. Loads. I love this job. I really do. I don’t know where it would go. Like, as I said, the first season, the second season — I mean, there were writer rooms for both, but, you know, we were still working on the scripts while we were shooting. And I don’t know where the story would go from the end of the second season. There’s been nothing broken, no storyline, no narrative, no arc figured out. But I do have a couple of thoughts where I would love to see the show go, if people were in agreement, and how we could take it to a somewhat natural — you know — and see what happens to Sugar at the end. So I would say, what I would imagine, it could easily hold another three seasons. You know, do five seasons in total and have that be it, and take Sugar to the end of his storyline and put a ribbon on it and be done with it. But yeah, I would love to do another three seasons of this thing.”

On feeling his own sense of belonging in this industry, he added: “You know, the idea of belonging, that’s a complex consideration, you know? I mean, people can tell you you belong all your life and you can still feel like an outsider because there’s some kind of internal agitation that won’t let you feel like you belong. And so it’s a complicated thing. But, no, from day one — I go back to Ballykissangel, that I shot for an hour on the TV show when I was maybe 21 or 22, I don’t know. But, yeah, and I’m not impervious to struggle with the idea of belonging in our families, in our communities, at the workplace, you know. But I’ve had extraordinary times through the years working with my fellow actors in various jobs. So, yeah, sometimes you feel like you belong, sometimes you don’t. But I’m not really looking to others to tell me I belong. It’s more of a personal thing, you know.”

On if the World Cup is showing humanity and the world governments that peaceful international relationships are still possible, he offered: “I don’t think the world governments give a fuck, to be honest with you. Not for every country in the world. There are some countries that clearly do care, the Norways of the world and the Icelands. Do you know what I mean? But that doesn’t mean it’s not important, what’s happening. And it’s extraordinary to watch a game of football and see fans from two different nations mixed in the stands of the stadiums. And there’s heartbreak and there’s rejoicing. And so far, so good — there’s been no violence. And, you know, it’s amazing to see. It’s such a beautiful game. I grew up playing and watching football with my dad, soccer with my dad. And it’s a really, really beautiful sport. Which, at times in the history of it, of course, there have been events where there has been extraordinary violence around the supporters of a particular team, whether it’s club level or international.”

Farrell concluded: “But to see how everyone is mixing and to see the sense of joy that’s being shared between nations and between cultures is beautiful. Do I think governments care? Not fucking particularly, sadly. But that’s part of the problem. But it’s great to see, because that’s the reality of that experience. And God knows there’s enough agitation and enough lines of division in the world — to see something where division is part of it and conflict is part, of course, of what’s being experienced in the World Cup, but it’s all with massive amounts of respect and all in the name of a good, healthy competition. It’s cool. It’s really cool.”

Stream New Season Two Episodes Of Sugar on Fridays Only On Apple TV!

Editor’s Note: This coverage reflects a condensed summary of the press conference. Some remarks have been paraphrased or edited for clarity and flow.

On what viewers will feel during the last five minutes of the series, Penn told us: “I hope what they’re feeling is that they’ve experienced a complete story. What I hope is that the questions that we’ve sort of asked over the prior four seasons are fully answered in that fifth season, and in those final seconds. I mean, it’s a high-wire act, a fifth season, a final season. You want to make sure that you get it right, and you want to make sure that you’ve sort of earned the energy and attention of your viewers, of your fans. And I think we definitely have. We’ve given the audience a complete story from start to finish.”

On what’s next in the Power Universe, Penn teased: “We are currently in production on Power Origins, which is the backstory of Ghost and Tommy, who kicked off the original Power series. And there’s actually probably going to be one after that as well, which I’m not involved in, but the universe is still going strong. Power Book III was always supposed to be five seasons. That was always the way I envisioned and pitched it. And after five seasons, I think it’s the right place to sort of end this piece of the story.”

On the gift of his dramatic Power role, Danza shared: “Raising Kanan was a gift. I’m at a certain age, a certain point in my career, and time is limited. And so the things I choose to do are important because all we have is the time. And so this was a gift because it has great writing, great production, and great actors. It was a wonderful place to be.”

On actor or character bucket lists in the fifth and final season, Curtis said: “I just wanted complete storylines, and I think that’s exactly what was accomplished, like Sasha said earlier. We took a while to answer a lot of questions, but those questions got answered. I think as an artist, as an actor, you’re always looking for something that’s going to continue to push you. And season five is no exception. I genuinely think every day there was a new challenge in front of us, but I think we all jumped at it, super excited and ready to do that. So that’s all you can ask for as an actor. There was nothing particularly for me that I was like, ‘Oh, this is a bucket list moment.’ I think those came as each scene arrived.”

Miller continued: “Yeah, I think we’ve all been very fortunate and incredibly lucky to be on a show where, from season one through season five, our characters have been on these crazy journeys where we’ve been able to do everything, right? That’s credit to Sasha and our writers, but Sasha, with the vision of how he wanted these characters to be and how he wanted them to live — I fully got to live in my character, and I got to be powerful, but also show extreme vulnerability. And with all the power, being able to show the vulnerable side was important for me. And getting into the moment, all of the things led up to those moments in the later seasons where Raquel got to show a softer — not even a softer side, just a more damaged, traumatic, vulnerable side of herself. But yeah, this show — we’ve gotten to do everything, and it’s not something you can say all the time about the projects you work on, that you get to have those bucket lists. Everything that I wanted to do, I got to do it on this show.”

Bada$$ answered: “Man, it’s been a beautiful journey, and to piggyback off of what Patina said, I think you, Sasha, have done an incredible job giving all of these characters a full dynamic range. You know what I mean? We were able to use so many different tools in our toolbox. Where the rest of the world, if they weren’t engaged with the show from the outside looking in, saw a crime family drama. I think once they engaged, they saw great writing and great storytelling. Even with the way — I’m extremely impressed with how my character ended up in season five. And the more I think about it, the more I feel like you could not have chosen a better fate for Unique. Because there are so many people who live such a destructive path of life and don’t survive long enough to finally make the right choice. So I think that was just extremely poetic in its own way.”

On playing the bad guy, Danza revealed: “Well, this was a lot of fun to play. You know, there’s that old saying — the bad guys are more fun to play than the good guy. But having said that, this particular character had so many different facets. There were a lot of things to explore. And so, I don’t know how far afield it was, but it certainly was fun to explore.”

Penn remarked: “Yeah, I think I will — I’ll just add to that quickly. While all these amazing actors here play characters that may feel so different from them in real life, there are so many similarities too, you know? And in fact, it’s that stuff that allowed Tony and Joey and London and Mekai to elevate the characters, because they found the pieces of those characters that resonated with themselves, right? That’s the best version of what we do, right? And it’s the same thing for me as a writer. There are pieces of me all over five seasons of Raising Kanan. Did I run a crack empire? No, but I’ve been a father. I’ve been a son. I’ve experienced tragedy. I’ve experienced loss. I’ve had success. So that’s the stuff that we do. And when you can get that, that’s when the real magic happens.”

On being directed by Joseph Sikora this season — someone who was once a character interwoven into and so essential to the Power universe — Miller articulated: “It was fun. As a fellow thespian, it was cool to watch him in this role, and to be directed by Joseph — how awesome this was, and it was his first time. Just to see the choices, the commitment, and the confidence that you have to have to do that. And he speaks our language, so it was very easy to work with him and move — we understood each other. So it made it easy. But it was exciting to be able to be there and to support him as he’s directing — you’re just proud, even maybe when you shouldn’t be. But I think he did an incredible job, and it was just awesome to have him behind the camera.”

Brown echoed: “To what Patina was saying, I agree. The fact that he’s an actor as well, he understands the Power universe flow. So I thought he was really nice, man. He was really open to ideas. I didn’t know it was his first project to direct, but it was great, man. I’d work with him again, for sure. He was great.”

Penn concluded: “And I think it was also, you know, almost like a full-circle moment, right? Because the fact of the matter is, none of us are here without him, right? So it was really meaningful to have all this institutional knowledge on set and to share part of this journey with one of the guys that started it for us, right? So in that respect, there were definitely moments — because I was on season one of Power — where I just stepped back for a second, like, ‘Wow, this is kind of amazing — where we started and where we are.’ So yeah, it was meaningful.”

Catch The Fifth And Final Season Of Power Book III: Raising Kanan On Fridays, Only On Starz!

Editor’s Note: This coverage reflects a condensed summary of the press conference. Some remarks have been paraphrased or edited for clarity and flow.

On what convinced them to create this story now, for these characters to return seven years after Toy Story 4, Harris shared: “A couple years back, Pixar was kind of floating around the idea of like, hey, is now the right time for another Toy Story? And is Andrew Stanton the right director for it? He’s been a part of the series since the first film, has always written for these movies, knows the characters like the back of his hand. So, of course, you know, he should direct. And he was only interested if, you know, he could really take it where he wanted to see it go. And his first draft included these three core ideas of devices being introduced. He already had Lilypad kind of envisioned as an antagonist. He wanted Jessie to be running the room now that she had had the sheriff badge passed to her. And then he really wanted to see fifty Buzzes going rogue in the film and washing ashore in the beginning on a beach, which all of us were like, tell us again about that. What do you mean by that? And he was like, just go with it. Just go with it. But the first draft, just those concepts alone, felt so exciting and strong, especially for a lot of us. We were like, oh my gosh, Jessie being the protagonist feels like a no-brainer. And the rest is history.”

Docter chimed in: “And then we added Kenna.”

Collins added: “Yes, we had the initial ingredients that we wanted to cook with, and then Kenna was the other very important ingredient we added.”

Harris continued: “My first movie in theaters was Toy Story 2. And so I’ve always loved Jessie, and I’ve always been a drawer. So I would draw her constantly. I would draw her in the window, just like during the Sarah McLachlan scene. And so when Andrew first kind of asked if I wanted to join as co-director, there was like the briefest moment of like, ooh, that’s intimidating. He’s only like the guy of my childhood who wrote all these stories. And then I went, wait, is he asking me to write Jessie fan fiction with him? Then I’m the perfect choice. And so I immediately kind of fell into it with a lot of joy.”

On how they decided to incorporate technology as a bit of a villain when it is such a big part of everyone’s day-to-day lives, Docter told us: “We did have elements of it even in Toy Story 4 that worked their way out, for some reason I don’t remember exactly. They weren’t central to the thread.”

Collins stated: “And I feel like it was such a big topic that if you’re going to kind of broach it, it felt like the whole movie needed to kind of revolve around that. But I will say, I think we just started with reflecting what we were seeing. And rather than try to come in with kind of a take on it, it was just like, okay, let’s start with just kind of representing what we are all feeling is our complicated relationships with technology, what we’re seeing in terms of our kids’ relationships with technology, and start there so that we can kind of start from a place of truth rather than a place of judgment around it. Oh, there’s tons of judgment. And then also, I feel like we then kind of really delved into the character aspect, which is like, okay, if we’re going to talk about technology and that’s going to be the antagonist, obviously, what’s the character going to be, and who is Lilypad? And if she’s a tech device, kind of what’s her philosophy, and why is she in the room to begin with?”

Collins affirmed: “Obviously, she’s coming in with the same kind of initial intent of all the toys, which is, I’m here to help. I have a purpose. I care about this kid, and I’m going to help. I have an opinion about how to do it, and it’s completely flawed. It’s all about kind of all the data and all the numbers. And I can tell you exactly how to kind of do a checklist to get your kid, you know, to be the President of the United States by the age of, you know, thirty. And it’s all kind of — none of it’s based on any kind of experience. And that’s felt very true. That’s, of course, how a tech device would come in, or a tech toy would come in. And that is completely in contrast to Jessie. And that, all of a sudden, starts to provide drama and fun.”

On the storyboarding process and balancing introducing new characters but having hits of nostalgia for one of the biggest and most beloved franchises, Docter said: “We have a process that allows us to get it wrong many, many times. And so we take our first pass. In fact, I think Andrew is pretty blatantly like, I’m not worried about the other characters. I know — I remember him saying this in one of the first or second screenings — like, these other characters have to be balanced. I’m just focused on the through line of the main character. We can get to all that. So it really — the old adage is writing is rewriting is definitely right on in our case.”

Harris added: “It just ended up — practically each day, it still just ended up being a challenge. And I feel like the ways we accomplished it really varied. Like, sometimes it was a roll of the dice of like, all right, who hasn’t spoken in five minutes? Like, let’s — it’s Dolly. Let’s give Dolly a line. And so there was kind of truly, like, at times, a mad scramble. But also just, I think, this organic realization of what characters are really, like, thriving, and suddenly you know, Smarty Pants isn’t something that we’re trying to pitch and, like, convince others that they want to see him on screen. It’s like, no, he’s stealing scenes. We want to see more from him. And so, yes, we do need to sacrifice. We do need to see less of certain characters that, yes, we love. But we have a newfound confidence in that, like, our audience is really going to enjoy these new characters that we’re making room for. But yeah, it was never easy. It’s a lot of mouths to feed when it comes to characters in a Toy Story production.”

On how the team worked with their casting directors to find new voices, and the challenges about bringing new name actors to the Pixar family, Collins articulated: “I mean, sometimes it’s really easy. I mean, sometimes you have these moments of just, the epiphany. And Kenna, I will absolutely credit for kind of coming up with Conan O’Brien for Smarty Pants. That was all Kenna being like, wait a minute, I have the perfect choice. Andrew did a great scratch recording. And so it was hard to think about somebody who could replace Andrew. But I think all of a sudden, it was like, oh, wait a minute — Kenna was like, I have it. But other times, we do — we absolutely go to our casting department and talk about kind of what we’re looking for, what the characters are. And then they spend a lot of time either coming to us with people that they know are amazing actors and that also want to be part of Toy Story. Being part of Toy Story actually is a thing that people are excited about. Bad Bunny is a perfect example of somebody that has kind of been a Toy Story fan forever, and was like, when we were trying to come up with a cameo role, he was like, well, wait a minute.”

Collins continued: “The worst you could say is no. And he was like, absolutely, I’m in. But then you have others that are kind of lesser known and that are much more kind of driven by listening to the voices as they kind of complement one another. And that’s really kind of the key to making sure that we’re kind of casting really unique voices that animators are excited to animate. So especially with the tech trio, you’re not going to want to cast them in isolation. You’re always trying to listen to those voices together to make sure that they are distinct and fun to listen to.”

On how their own childhoods infuse their creativity as filmmakers, especially on a film franchise that has always been about maintaining the spirit of childhood and wonder, Harris revealed: “I mean, constantly. I think that a lot of us at Pixar just never stopped playing. And that was what was so fun about our Toy Story crew, is that even though there was a lot of different generations, like, there were folks on Toy Story 5 who had worked on every single Toy Story and were providing so much experience and wisdom. And then there were these, like, Gen Z kids who are the ones who are, you know, craving like, hey, let’s make Woody bald, you know, like, and they’re coming with this, you know, awesome new perspective. But all of us have way more in common than not. And it is this kind of united craving for play, and for just constantly, like, using your imagination, which this movie in particular is very much celebrating. All of the Toy Story films feature play in some way, but this one is just showcasing how key that all is. And I don’t know, it’s just so natural. I feel that I’m very Jessie-like, and so I just wanted to make sure on the show everyone was having fun and that the work felt like play. So I don’t know, I feel like I’m just a kid. I mean, like, Lindsey loves being reminded that I was one year old when the first Toy Story came out, after all.”

Docter remarked: “I do want to say, though, that the other aspect that a good story artist — and Kenna has in spades — is not just play, but play for the benefit of the audience. From the beginning, our job, we know, is to entertain people. We’re not just doing this to work out our own inner demons, or, you know, have fun for ourselves. We want to make sure that everybody is engaged, involved, and looking for those things that we really think will speak widely to everybody. And Kenna is very good at that.”

On how animation technology has evolved since the first Toy Story, and what they’re able to create now, Docter expressed: “There’s a great example in the film, Toy Story 5. So, in Toy Story 1, if you remember, Woody gets his forehead burned by Sid with the magnifying glass. And as soon as Sid leaves, he goes, ah, and he dunks his head in. And in the boards, in the storyboards, it was a bowl of dog water with stuff floating in it. And he went like, blah, blah. We could not do water. So we just had a long meeting, and we talked about, like, how do we do this? What if we put the camera low on the ground? Could we do water then? No, the splashes are still hard. So what if we suggest water by putting cereal? So in the film, if you remember, he runs around. You don’t really see it, but some cereal comes up stuck to his eyes, and we got an extra laugh out of it. And that was really born out of the inability to put all the work into making a splash. Now, in Toy Story 5, Jessie runs into the house, and Mom comes home, and she plants him in a bowl of pig water. So it comes full circle. We’re able to do that sort of thing now that was near impossible back in the ‘90s.”

Collins quipped: “I do feel like the tech has gotten to a point now where it’s honestly almost impossible to present the tech artists with a problem that they can’t solve. And you would think that would mean that we would make our movies much faster with fewer people. Not true. Fun fact. I think the reason for that is actually — it’s just giving us more time to iterate on story. We gobble up any savings we have on technology innovation, you know, which there’s a lot of — how fast we can render things now and all that kind of stuff. All of that is kind of gobbled up pretty instantly on, like, does that give us one more shot at trying to get the story right?”

Docter responded: “Even within animation, similarly, the animators now have so much polish. I mean, they’re so good. If you go back and look at the animation in Toy Story 1, it’s sort of clunky and lacks weight. But the performance is the same. I think that’s the consistent thing, that we’re always focused. This is something John recognized right away. The technology is going to wow you for about three seconds, and after that, it’s got to bring it in terms of what it’s saying. It’s got to have some emotional thing and a connection that the audience recognizes as real in the performance. That’s what I think the animators at Pixar are second to nobody in: their ability to just dive into a character and make them feel alive.”

On the emotional territory that Toy Story 5 explores that the previous films either could not or did not, Harris disclosed: “Well, it’s naturally kind of exploring the interiority of a kid’s life more than the previous films did. And I think that there’s kind of a truth to the fact that Andy’s childhood was a bit simpler than Bonnie’s. I feel super nostalgic for my own childhood, because it was kind of just at the cusp of, like, iPhones. And so I did — I spent a lot of time outside. And I think there are kids now who, like, think about that in almost fantastic historical terms. Like, what was it like in “the olden days,” when you did not have a screen to engage with? And so not only is there this kind of practical issue of, you know, Bonnie being raised with maybe a little bit less play, a little bit less imagination, but a lot of the social aspects of her life are complicated by Lilypad. And it just felt like this awesome natural progression, that Jessie — you know, it is the biggest challenge she’s faced yet, but it’s just not as simple as playtime being eradicated. That’s almost a selfish, like, goal for her to try and save.

Instead, she has this greater wish of, like, how do I help my kid connect with others, when that is something that is at stake for a lot of kids these days? And yeah, we were really excited about it. Early on, when we were developing the film, it felt like our tech issue was a little bit binary, like everything was just about the attention deficit. But once we sort of unlocked, like, oh, it’s about how toys and tech connect us, and it’s the various facets of that connection that we’re exploring, things started getting really juicy.”

Collins commented: “I would also say, the other thing I think is different is Jessie on this — and I think, you know, what she’s kind of struggling with, and then ultimately hopefully gifted with at the end of this film, is this kind of realization of impact. And I think that is showing something, you know, again, as we talk about how these films age and what we’re all struggling with as filmmakers, and therefore what we’re kind of projecting onto these characters to varying degrees. I think for Jessie, that was always the quest: to kind of be like, this is a movie for her, about her, and that knowing full well that that meant that we were going to need to kind of fix her to some degree at the end, or make her feel like she’s kind of whole in a way that she hasn’t been before. And so what that meant, and what that was exactly, was something obviously that everybody went around and around on for years. But it ultimately kind of settled on the fact that this realization of impact, and the understanding that it doesn’t matter how long you’re with somebody, you can impact their lives in just a moment at times. And that gift of knowing that impact is so incredible. As a parent, I’m always questioning, like, am I making a difference with my kids? Are they ever going to remember any of this? Are they going to remember any of the positives? I’m sure they’re going to remember the negatives. And have I given my parents enough of that gift? Have I told them what an impact they’ve made on me, or my friends, or whatever? So again, I think that’s another kind of emotional through line that we really tried to lean into on this one.”

On the beautiful and heartbreaking Pixar gut punches, and who to give the credit to for the time capsule Jessie and Emily moment in this film, Harris mentioned: “The time capsule, though, wasn’t until — it was a pretty late-in-the-game discovery, and it was sort of the whole team coming together, like our story leadership, our edit leadership. And we knew that Jessie was going to the tree to be alone, and we knew that she needed to make some kind of massive discovery there. But, again, this was the head-scratcher of the production for quite some time. And so it was just kind of this organic decision of, like, well, what if there’s a time capsule there? And what if there’s something that we didn’t know about Emily before that we could find out now?”

Docter continued: “It’s revisiting the trauma and expunging those ghosts, in a way.”

Collins added: “But it was, how do we do it? And what were we trying to actually gift her — the, oh my gosh, I get to see her again? Are we trying to gift her that? And really, it was much more kind of deep than that. It was this understanding of impact, and how do we kind of visualize that and kind of deliver that.”

On the thirty-year history of the franchise, and what they hope audiences take from Toy Story 5, Docter divulged: “I think the thing that I keep coming across with all our movies, and even individually as a person, is that inevitably people think it’s up to them, and that somehow they’re going to do it by themselves. And what we learn over and over is it takes a community. It takes a village of people to all be aligned and come together to really make these things work.”

Collins added: “I mean, I talked a little bit about what I love about this film, which is this sense of kind of the acknowledgment of impact. And again, that’s not to say that is just purely, oh, I had an impact on other people, but also recognizing the importance of giving people the gift of telling them of an impact they’ve had on you. I really thought that was such a lovely way to wrap up the story for Jessie. And I feel like it took us so long, as you just heard, to land there. But I really feel like it’s a generational kind of message, that it works across so many different generations in different ways. And I just really love it.”

And Harris concluded: “And I just hope people take away that, especially lately, as technology is advancing in the way that it is, in ways that feel scary to a lot of people, I think that play is inherently human. And, like, it’s a part of us that we can’t turn off. It’s the superpower that is inside each kid, each adult. So I know that, like, I just want folks to go to Toy Story 5 and feel empowered to use their imagination, maybe especially adults who feel disconnected or feel powerless in the face of a lot of our devices. So yeah, that’s what I’m excited about.”

Catch Toy Story 5 in theaters now!

Editor’s Note: This coverage reflects a condensed summary of the press conference. Some remarks have been paraphrased or edited for clarity and flow.

Created by Jones, The Vampire Lestat picks up Rockstar Lestat on tour and filming a Vampire forward documentary about all of his antics. But along the way Lestat’s account of his life’s stories, traumas and unresolved mommy issues, lead to a vulnerable side that we’ve never seen before.

On the strategic use of inconsistent record timestamps and the possibility of Lestat being an unreliable narrator this season, Jones teased: “You should infer that there are gaps in the story that Lestat isn’t telling us and use the recordings as a guide to how much time has passed. In the writer’s room we were thinking of both in relation to the last tape, and it’s 111 total. So some of it is like Lestat waking up one day and pulling out a Danielle Steel novel and just reading it. And that’s one of the albums that you get. Then there’s another performance art piece that is in the music box. Some of it is real, and some of it you can imagine he’s screwing around a little bit.”

On the lighter tone and the seemingly absent misery this season, so far, Jones shared: “You’ve just got to go one more. Even just getting into three, it goes that way after that. You’re being seduced. It’s going to get about as dark as we’ve ever gone by the end of this, yeah. It is structured around how Lestat wants to tell his story. And I think he comes in very confident, thinking he can be glib and fun and keep it at bay. And as he gets deeper and deeper into recording that thing, and things are coming up, it begins to change how the story is being told, how you’ll feel about it. It’s just... it’s a part of an emotional landscape.”

Anderson continued: “I didn’t really know how to be happy in this show. It was like, you know, the divorce settlement scene is supposed to be playful. And I was like, ‘Ah,’ having a meltdown over playing, like, a sort of confident Louis, yeah.”

Reid interjected: “I mean, I think that’s what Lestat wants — he wants people to have a good time. He doesn’t want to engage in any sort of trauma or trauma porn or any sort of capacity in which he may have been interpreted in the past. And so his MO is — that’s kind of from the books. And I think Rolin and Hannah and the team have done an amazing job of sort of replicating that experience when you first go from one book to the other. And you get that very extreme whiplash, where you feel like you’ve gone into a much more irreverent, sort of playful space. But then the darkness sort of creeps in very slowly and then kind of takes over. And he can’t escape it, either. It’s sort of like he’s constantly crawling out of the ground while it’s being — crawling out of the grave while it’s being shoveled full of dirt.”

On finally being involved in a vampire project at this stage in his career, Bogosian told us: “Yeah, I mean, I guess I’ve loved vampires all the way back to Bela Lugosi doing ‘Dracula,’ which scared the hell out of me when I was a kid. But for me, it was Frank Langella on Broadway in 1977 playing Dracula that I understood the power in a vampire role. And then as I got older, it was more — I love the eroticism of it, I love... well, let’s just skip forward to Anne Rice. She asks big questions in her books about immortality, about what relationships — what a person is. I mean, just what makes up a personality? That’s going to be a big part of this season, for sure. And so, here we are. I wanted to play, like, classic vampire — guy with fangs, bites people, sucks blood — and that was all I really needed. And instead, I ended up being thrown into the seven circles of hell with this show and all the craziness that comes with it. And it’s wonderfully challenging. I never really know what’s going to happen with the scripts that get sent our way, and I’m learning. I have to learn. I’m playing this guy who vibrates very close to me, and now he’s a vampire. And I’d say that he’s a fairly — even if he wasn’t good at life, he’s a very rational guy, and he’s led a rational life. And now he’s in this very chaotic, vampiric universe where normal logic does not apply. And it’s confusing and challenging. Also, this season, I’m not interviewing Louis anymore, which had a sort of step-by-step, solve-the-mystery thing to it, and he was trying to help me with it. Now Daniel is interviewing Lestat, who is doing everything he can to throw things in the way of the interview, and it becomes a much more headbanging experience.”

On the creative challenges and differences of playing vampire versions and human versions of the same characters, Anderson said: “Yeah, I mean, I feel like a part of what is so inviting about Anne Rice’s vampires — but also, I think, the way that Rolin and Hannah and the writers have kind of — the prism that they put it through — is that they’re the most human once they become vampires. It’s almost

like these are characters that in their human existence didn’t ever quite do the processing, and now they have to just live with themselves forever.”

Reid added: “Yeah, there’s a quote — I always get this wrong — but there’s a quote from one of the books where she does say, ‘We never really change over time. We just become more of what we really are,’ or ‘...more to what we really are.’ So I think that is that essence — where it’s that — the show does it and the books do it. Where we explore who these people were as human beings, there is a lot of unanswered complexity. And then, when you add on an immortal layer, all of the humanity and the issues that surrounded their life, and that kind of drove their life to certain points, are amplified. And then that’s sort of like their great challenge, to unpick and resolve in some way, on top of dealing with kind of being these superhuman creatures. So I don’t really think we play the show where — like, the vampire gives us an artifice to explore humanity, and you can kind of do it on this very large, operatic scale. But actually, it’s just a metaphor. So we’re really exploring human things, but we do have a framework of monsters, which allows us to be much more extreme with our actions. So when they have a fight, they’ll rip each other apart physically but then get back together again.”

Public opinion creates a new version of truth this season that either comes from people who have read Molloy’s book, listening to Lestat’s music, or Armand’s growing truther movement. On how having a public narrative shapes each character this season, Reid kicked off: “I just thought about this, and this is something that you say, Eric, in the first season when you’re talking about Claudia, which is such a great line. I don’t know if you remember it — but you probably do. Molloy says... you know, Louis is trying to protect Claudia, and he’s like, ‘No, this is my character,’ whatever. You know, you put these things out in the world, and the audience makes of it what they will. So regardless of how these characters feel about these very personal details, now that their information is out and is public fodder and is in the kind of cesspool of social media and the interpretation of the wider audience, it now belongs to them. And they have to deal with the reality of that. And that’s kind of actually like what we’re all dealing with in everything in the world, you know? There’s so much misinterpretation. There’s so much sort of backwash that comes from one single piece of information. I mean, that’s what it is to live in the postmodern world, I suppose. And I think vampires are a great way to explore that. And I think Rolin and Hannah have done an amazing job of doing that. Like, there’s this great speech at the beginning of episode one, and Molloy is sort of saying, you know, you’ve lived through all of the incredible things through humanity. And Lestat is like, ‘Yeah, but also, humanity is full of guys who eat hot dogs for competitions and make money from it. And we’ve got weird Cybertrucks that run through the city’ — and, you know, I think that’s just a great way to sort of explore that in that capacity.”

Anderson expanded: “I mean, I feel like for Louis, it’s sort of a ‘be careful what you wish for’ type thing. Like, he obviously solicited Molloy into the interview, but I think he is also — is he a private person? Sorry, I was just realizing I was kind of lying mid-answer. (Inaudible @ 00:15:19) private person, because he’s turning vampires into an industry. He’s like a big capitalist guy. But then he does it under a pseudonym and an alias. So Louis is fittingly contradictory about his relationship to his public life, I think. He sort of wants to get all the glory, but he sort of doesn’t want anyone — it’s ‘look at me, don’t look at me,’ classic Louis stuff, in terms of how he’s perceived outside.”

On Gabriella’s introduction and how she views herself versus Lestat’s account and portrayal of her this season, Ehle disclosed: “Oh, that’s interesting. I think... I mean, what’s important is the story that Lestat’s telling. I think you get a sense of who she is when you see the entire thing. But I don’t know if — I think it was just realizing his vision of her. I think who she is is kind of not important for the storytelling.”

On the inspirations for Lestat’s onstage persona over the centuries, Reid commented: “Yeah, I mean, for me, his sort of onstage persona is built in that eighteenth century. It is the sort of French iteration of the commedia dell’arte. And that’s sort of where I place him as a performer. And then anything that goes beyond that is sort of an extension of that character, because I feel like that’s where he built his stage presence, in his space. So I did look at David Bowie, particularly the ‘Cracked Actor’ concerts, recordings of those live concerts, but mostly to remind myself that he’s not human, that he’s kind of supernatural. So you just have to make sure you don’t forget that sometimes, because there is a lot more vulnerability in him this season than we’ve had before. So I just wanted to make sure we maintain that he is a kind of other thing, which I thought David Bowie does extraordinarily. But yeah, I think in terms of his stage presence, I wanted to make sure it felt still theatrical, in a way, because he’s still performing the idea of a rock star, at least at the beginning. And as the show progresses, the performance starts to disappear. And then I just really focus on the books and Rolin’s work and the songs that Daniel Hart wrote, and try to hone in on that and pull the guy out of those things.”

Jones revealed: “A classical reference — Franz Liszt. We started a day in the writers’ room listening to Franz Liszt, just to open up the day.”

On playing a different character from their primary characters this season, and their approach to that new character within this universe, Hayles chimed in: “I wanted to make Regina extremely different from Claudia but still kind of have that youthful gust of life and antagonization that I feel like they both enjoy having. But yeah, the way I kind of did it is I was just living in the moment of the scene and seeing what came out. And it was nice to be in an actual diner, like on location. And it was funny, because I remember waitressing — being a waitress — and I thought, ‘Oh my God, this is so stressful. I need to get these people their coffee.’ And I was like, ‘No, wait, sorry.’ So it kind of helped being on location. And yeah, it was a lot of fun to get the opportunity to do that.”

Reid continued: “I was just going to say, with Jarda Klapka, it was mostly physical, because, you know, we had a very short period of time to change him around. So how are we going to make him look different from Lestat? Originally, he was Swedish — Rolin wanted him to be ‘Swedestat,’ so he was Swedish. And then, you know, I went down working with the dialect coach and doing research, and discovered that a man of that age from Sweden would probably have gone through military training and would have spoken very good English. And I was like, ‘So this is the accent.’ And Rolin was like, ‘Oh no, that’s too clean. I want a thicker accent.’ So he changed him, very last minute, to ‘Czechstat.’ Then he became from the Czech Republic, so we got a much thicker accent, and he sort of changed. But I worked with Tami, the makeup artist, Tami Lane. And we sort of gave him a monobrow. We used my teeth from season one — one of the test teeth pieces — and filed the fangs off. And then they were slightly too big, so it gave him a bit of a buck tooth, and Tami painted a gap in the tooth. So there were a few more physical things. And obviously we had double wigs going on, which was a really fun thing to do — a wig on a wig on a wig, which kind of felt like what we were doing with the show. So yeah, it was more of a physical thing. It was mostly always just trying to bring him down a bit, to make sure he was grounded.

And yeah, there’s one episode — I think it’s episode three — where the director really let me go off on this whole Jarda Klapka thing. And I’m very grateful to Rolin for bringing it right back.”

On seeing Armand through Lestat’s eyes versus Louis’s eyes this season, and what we can hope for and expect from Vampire Armand this season, Zaman concluded: “What Rolin and Hannah have done brilliantly, from season one to now, with Armand’s story, is that Vampire Armand has kind of been alive from the beginning and sprinkled in, in a really interesting way, that I feel is almost better than Hannah going, ‘Let’s really hit Armand season, or episode, hard.’ Because I think it was — I mean, it was the first book I read, and I was traumatized for weeks after. I was like, this is just intense, too much. And I feel like it’s so difficult to navigate how you tell that story, especially in this day and age, and sensitively. Also, I think the advantage there — and I don’t know if it’s answering your question — yes, in short, Vampire Armand obviously is part — like, there are things, big things, sprinkled into this season, which is going to be really exciting. But that’s what I love about the sprinkling of it, from season one to three — I feel like, with Armand particularly, there’s so much discourse that I am fascinated by. Like, how the audience is so... in every camp of Armand, there are really passionate thinkers analyzing what he means to them, or what he means to the other characters, and all that stuff. And I love that discourse. I just love that we haven’t definitively kind of given — I don’t know, there’s always room to change and explore him in different directions. So yeah, I like seeing the discourse.”

Catch The Vampire Lestat on AMC & AMC+ Now!

Editor’s Note: This coverage reflects a condensed summary of the press conference. Some remarks have been paraphrased or edited for clarity and flow.

On the importance of portraying gentle and genuine parental and familial love throughout the series, Fitzgerald shared: “We got a lot of time to kind of talk about what we wanted to do with Charles and Caroline. It’s all really clear on the page as well, just in the script. One of the things we connected on early on was, this is the couple that you strive to be, the parents you kind of strive to be, where, you know, they have hardships. They disagree. They fight. But the love is always the strongest thing, and always the thing they come back to. There’s no question as to whether or not they’re gonna falter — although sometimes you’re like, ‘Uh-oh, are they gonna make it? I don’t know.’ But, ultimately, they carry through. And we were pretty invested in making that happen, I think.”

Bracey chimed in: “Yeah, you know, another thing that Crosby and I really wanted was for their partnership to be one of mutual respect, and kind of like teammates through this. They go through so much, and every day for the Ingalls family is a challenge. There’s so much to do, and they go through a lot through all of it. Crosby and I always wanted them to be teammates, and then the respect that they have for each other, and the love on top of that. We really wanted them to be believable as a couple — a couple that takes on life together. So yeah, there’s respect. The teammate aspect of it was something that we thought could really elevate it, from just loving each other to people who love each other and love their family and want the best for it. So it was a really fun thing to discover and to work out together. We really enjoyed the whole process of creating their connection.”

Fitzgerald added: “Yeah, I feel like with every scene, we wanted to balance it too — like the little kisses and things like that, of just, he would never forget to acknowledge how much he loves or admires Caroline. Or she would never forget to be a little blushy at him. It feels like a young love, even though they’ve been together for so long.”

On depicting Indigenous characters in an authentic way that acknowledged the inherent racism of the time period but also embraced a 21st-century perspective on how to be inclusive, Sonnenshine told us: “I think the thing to remember is that what we’re really doing is embracing a very humanistic approach to this show. So whether that’s modern or not, I think what we do is really lean into creating fully realized characters — people that you want to know, people that you want to root for. These are characters that are a parallel to the Ingalls family. These are people who are trying to make the best of the future. They’re trying to figure out what their future is. I think that’s incredibly relatable to everybody, even in this time period — what does the future hold for us? And so in doing that, what we’re doing is just filling out this world with people who are, you know, brothers, sisters, moms, dads, in complex marriages, in complex relationships, coming out of the Civil War. That’s really what we were focusing on — just creating really great characters.”

On fine-tuning the Ingalls family and their implication in racism and underlying tensions, Sonnenshine echoed: “I think it all comes down to character, right? You’re very much trying to get into the heads of people — why were they afraid? What kind of information did they have when it came to the prairie? When they come there, their minds are opened up, because they are getting to know people. And that is what this show is all about, which is being part of a community — getting to know people that you haven’t known before, and becoming part of a larger story of America. That’s really what it’s all about.”

On the tension between the family, specifically between Mary and Laura, Fitzgerald revealed: “There’s nothing more realistic than tension in a family. [laughs] I don’t know — three siblings. And I remember, watching it back — I wasn’t there for all of their scenes, I read it, and I didn’t know what they would look like — but I feel like Alice and Skywalker, we were talking the other day, depicted sisterhood so well. One second you’re fighting, the next second you’re like, ‘Do you want to sing, or no? Do you want a peppermint stick?’ It just feels extremely human. The people you love most are the people you hurt the most sometimes. I thought we did a good job showing that.”

On the importance of telling the story now and showing the women with agency and opinions, Sonnenshine noted: “I think those things are absolutely rooted in the books. The relationship between Mary and Laura throughout the series — the series of books — is ever-evolving. They start off young; everybody has these petty fights with their siblings. They’re each other’s best friends and also each other’s worst enemy. That’s just what it means to have a sibling that you’re close to. In the books, it’s really a very central relationship. I would say it was Laura’s most important relationship in her life, her relationship with Mary. That sibling relationship persisted and changed as they got older and as their circumstances changed. It’s really coming to life in this season, and hopefully beyond.”

On their relationship with the source material prior to signing on to this project, Hughes said: “I grew up on a farm with little to no internet and connection outside of that, so I grew up heavily on books — specifically the Laura Ingalls books. They’re amazing. They were a huge part of my childhood, so this is an absolute dream come true.”

Halsey shared: “Yeah, I had the books in my house, but I hadn’t really read them yet. When I got the audition, I read the entire series. I just wanted to understand who Laura is — she really is a very complicated character, I think.”

Fitzgerald affirmed: “Yeah, I grew up reading the books. My mom is a huge fan; she collected a few box sets, and even during my audition process, she still has them. She promised she would return them if I didn’t get the part. So we have them. It was a huge, huge deal, I think, for me and my whole family, for sure.”

Bracey remarked: “I didn’t have a connection to the books or the show. Maybe I’d heard the title, but it wasn’t something that was part of my life, or part of my family’s life. But what I’ve been blessed with is learning how much it means to so many people. Ever since I’ve made the show, I’ve been so struck by the range of people who have told me how influential it is in their life — all ages, demographics, whatever it is, I’ve been surprised by the vast range of society that has told me it’s their favorite thing and how important it is in their life. And then, selfishly, for me, it’s a real privilege to be part of a world and to play a man who is a good man, in a show that’s just nice. I think that’s the beauty of this — there are great lessons in it, and I feel lucky that I’m able to be part of something nice that we get to give the world.”

Sonnenshine mentioned: “I grew up reading these books. I got my first book from my cousin Laura when I was five — it’s when I learned how to read. They became my whole personality; I was the Little House on the Prairie girl. I read them probably a hundred times — I still remember them. When I was grounded, my mom would take away my books. So they’ve been a part of my life this whole time. This is a dream come true, obviously, for me.”

On her desire to remake this iconic series for the TV landscape, Sonnenshine commented: “Yeah, it is an incredible series, right? It’s so special to people. But we’re doing a new adaptation of the books, so that’s our source material, and we’re privileged to have the opportunity to do that, because they’re some of the greatest pieces of American literature ever written, in my opinion. They certainly were influential on me — they set me on my path in life. I think they’re incredibly influential for people who read them. And the opportunity to adapt a work creates something new — you get a different perspective on both the material you’re adapting and the times you’re living in, as well as the times it was written about. So it’s a really wonderful opportunity to explore this time in American history from the present, and how it shaped us and who we are today.”

On the differences between this series and Michael Landon’s version, Sonnenshine said: “Gosh, I don’t know if I can speak to that. I can tell you our take — my take, our take as a group. We’re a community of people making this show. Everybody working on it — the production design, the costumes, the set decoration, the cinematography — is so committed to bringing to life what you feel when you read the books. We always have the books open in the production office. We’ve got Garth Williams illustrations hanging up; they’re some of our inspiration for, ‘What does the well look like? What does the cabin look like? What does the Great Door look like?’ Those are all things we turn to the books for inspiration on. So I guess that’s where we’re coming from — we’re trying to capture the feeling you have when you read them, which is sometimes hard to explain exactly. But when I meet people and they tell me about their memories of reading the books, they remember these incredible details — like the maple sugar candy, and Charlotte the doll and her eye that got torn off, or pulling the rushes apart in Plum Creek. Those things stick with people because they tap into something really beautiful and make them feel close to those people in the book, and to that time in the book. So that’s kind of what we’re after — that’s our approach, to really capture the feeling of what it is to read the books.”

On exploring Laura through narration and acting, Halsey exclaimed: “I love playing Laura in general, whether it’s the voiceover or acting in scenes. I think Laura is an icon, beloved over generations and generations by so many people. She was a writer, a storyteller, an amazing woman. I’m really inspired by her. I think she’s a really complex character and person to play, and it took a lot to figure out who she is — the many sides to her. I read the books a lot, I read the scripts a ton — shout out to Rebecca, by the way, for doing such a good job — and I listened to podcasts and read Prairie Fires. I think she has a lot of different traits, but I admire all of them. One that I especially admire is that she stands up for what she thinks is right, always, no matter the circumstances, even when it doesn’t feel like the time to. I think some people got rubbed the wrong way by that, but I think it’s a good thing, because there aren’t a lot of people who do that, and we need more people who will.”

On learning how to steer the iconic carriage, Bracey shared: “Yeah, that was one of the real thrills, actually — learning to drive the carriage. I’ll reverse-parallel-park it if you want. I loved it. I was a bit intimidated when I first got out there and had my first go — you’ve got two 500-kilogram horses with brains of their own that you have to control, and this wooden, rickety carriage, with these absolute angels you’ve got to take care of in the back of it, and an angel sitting up front with me. So there’s a lot of pressure involved in that, but it was something I really, really enjoyed. I think the first time we got up onto the wagon, it really unlocked something I don’t think I was expecting. The height, when you see it from up there, is quite extreme, and we’re in this prairie land, where the vastness of it becomes even more apparent when you’re sitting up there. You can just see and feel this home that they had for however long the journey was — nine weeks or so, the long journey they had. This is all they had, and you can feel how small they must have felt for a long time on that thing. So yeah, that was quite surprising — I didn’t expect to feel that when I sat on it. I thought, ‘Oh yeah, sit on a wagon, I’ll drive a wagon,’ but once I got up there, the responsibility and the feeling of it really struck me. It gave me a completely different insight into it than I expected.”

On what they would miss most about modern life if they were magically transported back to that time period for a week, Halsey told us: “I would miss air conditioning — a lot. From my experience being on the prairie, it can get pretty hot. I would also miss In-N-Out too.”

Hughes added: “I don’t know, I think I’d miss being able to talk to my friends, ‘cause I have friends in a billion different places. Some of my best friends are in New Zealand, and some of them just live all over. So not having the ability to communicate with the people I love would be hard.”

On the approach going into season one and what season two could bring, Sonnenshine concluded: “Well, the exciting thing about being able to do this with CBS and Netflix is that they’re on board with our idea of moving around a lot, which is a huge production challenge, obviously. But it’s so important, and it’s so exciting — it’s a lot of work for our production design team, but it’s also incredibly exciting, thrilling, and challenging. In terms of how you tell the story, it’s really about taking a book and telling a story that has a beginning, middle, and end within a season, while also allowing for what is yet to come to be exciting and anticipated. So that’s kind of our approach — for these to feel like self-contained stories within a larger quilt of stories that we’re telling about Laura Ingalls Wilder. I think anything can happen out on the prairie. They move around a lot — people moved around a lot, more than you’d think. So I’d say the possibilities are quite open.”

Catch Little House on the Prairie only on Netflix!

Editor’s Note: This coverage reflects a condensed summary of the press conference. Some remarks have been paraphrased or edited for clarity and flow.

Narrated by Academy Award winner Viola Davis (The Woman King), with dramatic readings by Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction), Courtney B. Vance (61st Street), and Common (Silo), this documentary is a rare look into how Du Bois became the prolific author and activist who had an immense hand in radicalizing change, particularly when it came to voter suppression, structural

racism, the criminalization of Black life, and the weaponization of the government against its own citizens. Our conversation with Coburn touched on why Du Bois was the next story she chose to tell, the notable intellectual tension he had with Booker T. Washington (Up from Slavery), his extensive body of work, activism, and so much more. Read our in-depth conversation and call to action from Coburn herself below.

On what first drew her to Du Bois as the subject of a documentary and the moment when she knew his story needed to be told, Coburn shared: “I was working on Oprah Winfrey Radio with Dr. Maya Angelou (The Heart of a Woman). And I would go to her home and record several shows each month. While I was doing that, she talked to me about Du Bois, and she seemed very disappointed that I didn’t know more about him. So, I started looking into him after she had passed. I had done the Marion Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands documentary, and there were all of these signs. The Du Bois documentary needed a director, and Executive Producer Michael Kantor (American Masters) had just bought a place near Great Barrington, Massachusetts, where Du Bois grew up. I was seeing the different signs about Du Bois, and I felt it was my chance to not only learn more about him, but also to pay homage to him through my relationship with Dr. Angelou. So, in a way, this documentary found me.”

On how she approached his robust archives and enormous paper trail of letters, diaries, academic and journalism work, Coburn added: “This documentary was funded by a National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant, and I approached the research by partnering with the right people to tell his story. David Levering Lewis (W.E.B. Du Bois: A Reader) spent 15 years of his life crafting two Pulitzer Prize-winning Du Bois autobiographies, and he annotated everything. My first step in research was reading both of those and then going to the W.E.B. Du Bois Center at University of Massachusetts Amherst. The collection was curated by fellow artist, activist, and his second wife, Shirley Graham Du Bois (Zulu Heart). Instead of taking clothes

and shoes when she left Ghana, she filled trunks with all his work. I also hired some interns to dive more into his readings. I decided that this documentary should allow viewers to learn more about Du Bois through his own words and bodies of work. So, using his art evoked his spirit and brought the loves he loved to the forefront of his story. I tried to really immerse myself in the spirit of the person and let that take me into the telling of the story.”

On how she approached Du Bois’s active intellectual conflict with Booker T. Washington and balanced their conflict and debates without flattening either man into a villain, Coburn told us: “Thank you for noticing that. I didn’t want to flatten either of them into a villain. The first thing I had to decide was to tell this intellectual conflict through Du Bois’s words, because this is his documentary. And so, it was in his voice. I also had to stop myself from attempting to tell everything, but give everyone some of his story and, through this documentary, encourage people to read his hundreds of bodies of work that are out there in his own words. But what I found in the research is that Du Bois initially liked Washington and was offered a job by him. He didn’t take it, but he was offered it. The thing about Washington was he was enslaved as a child, and that experience shaped a lot of his beliefs. Du Bois didn’t have that same upbringing, so a lot of their conflict was simply due to different lived perspectives and age. Washington was contributing to labor movements in his own way, and Du Bois was doing activism shaped by his work in sociology. So, I wanted to show that both deserved respect, and that even in his later years, when someone spoke derogatorily about Washington to Du Bois, he spoke out against that. So, while there was conflict, I wanted to honor and respect the work that both men did for our community.”

On releasing this documentary in the current political moment we’re living in — much too like the economic and political subjugation that Du Bois referenced years ago — Coburn said: “It’s such a dark time in our history, led by greed and privilege. And we as Black people must continue to stay diligent about respecting our own history, especially when it’s actively trying to be erased. So many great artists have told their communities’ stories, and we need to do the same. We can grow stronger by facing our history and talking about it, making movies about it. When we don’t confront the issues head on, that’s part of the problem too. So, I’ve loved that so many people have been enamored by this documentary on social media. Black people and white people love it. And it shouldn’t end here. Those that can march — we need to march. We need to make society better for everyone. Our voting rights are being attacked, but we can’t lose hope; we have to fight together, because we cannot do it alone. We have to remain the light in the darkness.”

On the beautiful art used throughout the documentary, Coburn teased: “I wanted to use people, because a lot of the photographs that I found were of people who were recently out of enslavement, and I wanted to bring the beauty of their faces, the darkness of their skin, the chiseled look that makes us both African and American to the forefront. I wanted you to really see them. I fell in love with my culture and my people even more while I was doing this project. A lot of this documentary showcases the works of Charly Palmer, Kevin “WAK” Williams, Charles White, and Gerald Griffin, and they were selected because they are down for the culture. Seeing their art complement the story so beautifully — so even when talking about the devastation of the Stock Market crash, you see these strong arms in black and white, and that’s one of Charles White’s pieces. And so, I wanted this art to be another way to show that these

artists are using their work to fight and ignite change alongside Du Bois’s words, which also were a source of change for the culture.”

On her hope for what this documentary does for Du Bois’s legacy, Coburn disclosed: “I want people to start a movement and not just let this be a documentary. What’s happening with the redistricting all over — we need to fight. Let’s not get depressed but instead come together to change something bigger than us. I hope audiences watch this and make it a call to action to change.”

Catch W.E.B. Du Bois: Rebel With A Cause on PBS Now!

Corvette, who is squatting and isolating from her community due to financial hardship, is a brilliant fashion designer who idolizes industry tycoon Christie Smith (Demi Moore, The Substance). Christie is a wealthy "genius" who runs the Metro Designers fashion chain, selling fashion as art with a hefty price tag to match. Corvette sneaks into Christie's office hoping to catch a glimpse of her icon but overhears something far more valuable — the creation of a six-figure suit. Christie catches her, and Corvette does what anyone would do: she lies about her name and profession. From there, The Velvet Gang hatches a plan to become employees at Metro Designers and boost merchandise from inside the house.

As new store associates, they witness the reveal of Christie's latest Metro creation — one that is identical to one of Corvette's own masterpieces. It becomes clear that all of Christie's legendary, visionary pieces come from other people, in this instance a Black woman. The idea that greed drives high-profile individuals to lie, steal, and build their wealth on the backs of underrepresented communities is not lost here. Riley puts a sharp lens on how the wealthy continue to ride the coattails of those who have originality but cannot afford to have their art displayed due to a lack of capital and opportunity.

Boosting their place of employment would be an easier lift if it weren't for their strict, rule-following manager Grayson (Will Poulter, The Bear). Grayson is obsessed with the brand and is the poster child for everything toxic about corporate culture. While he's being a stickler about protocol and uniforms, he leaves the floor unattended — and Jianhu (Poppy Liu, Hacks) swoops in and clears out the entire store. Intrigued by her swiftness, the Velvet Gang reviews the surveillance footage and tracks her down out of curiosity and a desire to make their own boosts more efficient. As it turns out, Jianhu is living in the future — she has a game-changing teleport.

What's more, she works at the Metro Designers factory in China and exposes the company's beyond inhumane treatment and working conditions, which caused not only her aunt's death but also her mother's cancer diagnosis. She and her family discover that the teleporters are a cost-saving mechanism, and her goal is to reclaim everything from the stores as leverage to demand change. Meanwhile, Pinky Ring Guy (LaKeith Stanfield, The Changeling) is a strange man of very few words but keen intention, who keeps popping up and attempting to pursue Corvette — but Sade has warned her that he's a literal soul-sucking demon that comes alive during sex. Corvette wants to stay far away, but it's hard.

Violeta (Eiza González, 3 Body Problem), another former Metro Designers employee, wants the Velvet Gang to use the teleporters and everything they've uncovered to fight the corporation on an even larger scale. But the gang is too caught up in survival mode — and Corvette is deep in depression and isolation — so they aren't all on the same page when it comes to fighting for the greater good. That changes when they discover additional toggles on the teleporter, unlocking new possibilities: the ability to deconstruct clothes back to their original materials and to heighten already tense situations.

When the girls sneak into the Metro Designers big fashion show, Pinky Ring Guy — yes, he's back again — helps them gain access to deconstruct the clothes. They find the infamous six-figure suits being worn by some of the most high-profile guests, and when those suits are removed, they're revealed to be skin suits. The Velvet Gang escapes, but tensions flare between Sade and Corvette. As a single mom, everything Sade does is in service of her children's future, so she sells the skin suits — forcing Corvette to flee authorities in both China and the U.S. while also protecting Jianhu and the factory workers. Violeta, still at the fashion show, uses the teleporter to amplify the crowd's rage and ignite strikes. As people revolt against Metro Designers worldwide, Jianhu continues deconstructing the clothes — and her mother is healed.

Corvette ultimately declines Pinky Ring Guy's romantic advances once and for all, finding instead a deeper sense of purpose within her community. The Velvet Gang decides to open a community center where they can sell ethically and reasonably made goods at fair prices.

I Love Boosters does exactly what it sets out to do: be the kind of art that moves people toward change. There were moments that went off the path for me, and a few side characters who don't add much to the overall story — but that's okay. Riley has always created unique, layered work, and there are stretches in his films where I may not fully relate to or understand every choice he makes, but he always lands the plane. Black artists deserve the freedom to showcase multi-layered, multi-dimensional bodies of work — and to unapologetically bring their creative partners along for the ride. And with this talented cast that was eagerly willing to create not-so-subtle on-screen interpretations of a very real problem that humanity is currently facing, it's no surprise that the film is well-received by those who understand it at its core.

A special shoutout to Oscar-nominated costume designer Shirley Kurata (Everything Everywhere All at Once), who went all out and provided an additional layer of visual commentary through her wardrobe choices alone. It's the textures and colors used through the lens of fashion, alongside Riley's use of exaggeration, big feelings, comedy, and high stakes, to push topics that humanity needs to confront headon. Gathering this elite cast to tell a story about community organizing, the fast fashion industry, unfair working conditions, and the global and climate implications of greed is precisely why I will always admire him as an artist. It takes bravery and creativity to speak truth to power in fun and elaborate ways — and when art is bigger than ourselves, it sparks change. I hope that's exactly what I Love Boosters does for this moment in history.

IS GOD IS breathes at the intersection of retribution, forgiveness, rage, and unapologetic Blackness in every single frame and form. The performances are equal parts compelling, profound, heartbreaking, and exceptional. And while we hate his character, the Monster, Sterling K. Brown (Paradise) is still very much serving a villain we never knew he could portray. This is not about his profound acting range but more about how, because he is one of the kindest actors in Hollywood, I could’ve never predicted he’d be so nefarious. His ability to ignite fear mixed with just enough charm and manipulation to make viewers question his vile acts for a split second makes Brown downright despicable in this role, and I truly cannot imagine another actor in it.

Kara Young (I'm a Virgo) as Racine the Rough One and Mallori Johnson (Kindred) as Anaia the Quiet One are perfectly cast as the twins who take on the gargantuan task from their mother, Ruby the God (Vivica A. Fox, Kill Bill), to kill their father, the Monster. Shoutout to Ms. Fox, because to see her in all of her on-screen glory truly felt like Harris honoring her and her vast contributions to cinema, particularly in the early days of her career. Watching the scene of Ruby the God getting her hair braided by all of those Black women — honoring her in life but also giving her such a thoughtful and respectful level of care in her final moments before she transitions — was something to behold. It also spoke volumes in its duality with the very thick air of wrath that she held for their father, but joy as a mother who finally gets to see her babies again. This moment in the film specifically felt like a mirror to Fox's career, which shaped so much of the media I grew up enjoying and the very pivotal Black films and television shows that transformed my love of the arts into a career in them. Her performance, while short, is wildly impactful to the physical and emotional journey that Racine and Anaia go on. And for just a moment in the film, Racine and Anaia have their innocence restored by their reunion with their mother, able to soften even just for a moment and gain the security, protection, and childlike ease that they've been missing for years.

While Anaia is hesitant to go forth on this path, Racine is ready and not considering the consequences that lie ahead. I spoke with Harris about the choice to imply the violence rather than overtly show it, so as not to add more Black trauma onscreen. It is that deliberate choice that implores audiences to look beyond what is right in front of them and usher in more thoughts about how we can and should protect Black women, which is one of the reasons why I love this film. Yes, there is just fury at the center, and there should be, because these two Black girls had gone unprotected for so much of their lives. It started with their father, the man who literally had a hand in bringing them into this world, scarring them quite literally and disappointing them in more ways than one. After thinking their mother had passed away, they went into the foster care system, and every single family they were placed with abused and harmed them in some way. Racine and Anaia recognized very quickly that the only people they could trust were each other. That's why this charge is so difficult — because it's the first time we see them torn about how to approach the situation and, at times, even the morality of it.

On their road trip to find the Monster, they stop at a church. They encounter Divine the Healer (Erika Alexander, The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins), who is clearly still delusionally in love with the Monster. She and her son Ezekiel are awaiting his return. When Ezekiel encounters his sisters and their plan, he makes it his mission to let nothing harm his dad. The idolatry that Divine and Ezekiel exhibit when it comes to the Monster is wild to see, particularly when he abandoned them and has left them with years of false hope. So when Ezekiel attempts to kill his sisters, it’s shocking, because it is lost on him that the Monster is an awful father to him as well and an even worse man. When they make it to lawyer Chuck Hall (Mykelti Williamson, Forrest Gump), they get a clear picture of the Monster’s true wrath. Having had his tongue extracted so that he couldn’t snitch, Hall prepared for the worst by training for the day he knew the Monster would return to finish the job. Hall, trying to pay his penance for his role in the destruction of Ruby’s, Racine’s, and Anaia’s lives, provides them with the address they need to find the Monster.

On Racine and Anaia’s journey to the Monster’s home, which they’re sure will also contain the twin sons Hall warned them about — Scotch (Xavier Mills, Forever) and Riley (Justen Ross, Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist) — they have a run-in with the Monster’s wife and the twins’ mother, Angie (Janelle Monáe, Hidden Figures). The audience has just witnessed Angie frantically gathering her items for a robust escape from the home while the Monster is away. She is fed up, and while we don’t see all of the abuse and trauma against her at the hands of the Monster, we know exactly why she’s leaving everything she knows behind. The house is beautiful; it’s clear that they are financially well off. When Anaia and Racine see this, it’s clear they’re thinking about their lives compared to their brothers’. Their brothers seem to have it all — but at what cost? When Racine and Anaia confront a fleeing Angie, they want answers and insist that she knew they were alive. Angie insists she only knows what she was told, and it is hard to know if that’s the truth or the lie she told herself to keep the guilt at bay.

There is such empathy for Angie, because you know the absolute hell she’s had to go through being married to the Monster — the hell that led her to this point of leaving her sons behind in a calculated escape — but there’s also a point of anger as a viewer when she tells the twins that their mother should’ve done more. It’s the duality in this exchange that shows Harris’s brilliance in conveying two sentiments at once that evoke a host of emotions for the audience. It’s that victim-blaming — from another victim, no less — that sends Racine into a spiral. It’s the first time she kills, and something in her shifts. Defending her mother’s honor unleashes a new form of ire in Racine, one that makes her unrecognizable to Anaia, and that is problematic.

So when they meet Scotch and Riley under the guise of being strippers — a gift from their father for their birthday — they see clear signs of the misogynistic madness that the Monster passed down to Scotch. After Anaia reveals to Racine that she’s pregnant, something Ruby had picked up on and hinted at in her meeting with her, Racine decides then and there that all the men have to die. Scotch is brash, rude, and even domineering over what appears to be a more tender-hearted Riley. When Racine gets Scotch alone, she kills him, knowing this will surely set the Monster off upon his return. But it’s the shock of seeing his brother murdered that unlocks Riley’s violent nature, and in an attempt to right this wrong done to him, he tries to kill Racine and Anaia. Anaia tries to calm him but quickly realizes there is no reasoning with him. She is forced to kill Riley, thinking Racine is dead too — but most importantly, she has to save herself and her unborn child.

Of course, in the midst of this, the Monster returns home for the day. As this concludes the road trip and the mission, Harris layers the fear even more. When the Monster doesn’t find Angie and is instead greeted with the bodies of his dead sons, he knows exactly who has come for him. It’s in this moment, when Anaia is reunited with the Monster, that he tries to charm her with the grandfather angle, knowing that his rampage and agenda will always be to continue to harm her and all of the women in his orbit. In a brilliant cinematic moment, just when Anaia needs her the most, twin telepathy kicks in and Racine rises back from unconsciousness to help her sister. She ends up losing her life, but the Monster is dead, and Anaia and the baby are safe.

In the final images, Anaia is seen holding her daughter — born unto a man who didn’t have the decency to fully see and love her for all she is, scars and all — but out of that relationship that is clearly not for her, she gets the gift of a daughter. After losing her other half in Racine, it feels like God’s gift back to her tenfold for all she lost: her childhood, her innocence, her life with her mother, her protection, her physical body, and so much more. The majority of the men in this film make a point of protecting the Monster in some sort of way, buying into this narcissistic, hyper-masculine, patriarchal nonsense.

This film works for a plethora of reasons, but its core lies in how wonderfully balanced and in tandem Racine and Anaia are. They are only able to be their full selves with each other, and the only layer of protection they have is each other. It was heartbreaking to watch Racine’s tragic yet heroic end. And while seeing her father and soulmate of a sister die so heinously was devastating, I know Anaia still felt a bit of bittersweet peace knowing the threat of the Monster looming over her is no more.

I’m so glad for all parts of this film because Harris made it just so beautifully Black and so superbly rich in its textures, tones, and colors. I watched it with so much pride as a Black woman, seeing us reflected in the totality of who we are and a small portion of some of our community’s lived experiences. Black women are expected too often to take the high road. We’re expected to live with the hurt and trauma bestowed upon us by the world — and even those closest to us — with closed mouths. This film pushes back on that narrative and shows Racine and Anaia rightfully going after the justice they deserved, having been failed consistently at the hands of and supremely disappointed by the Black men who were supposed to protect them — which holds true for a lot of Black women on and off screen. Black women have historically been the most unprotected group, and the message of this film for me was: the protection of young Black girls and ultimately Black women is vital and can and will unlock a level of healing, joy, freedom, and peace that we deserve. Racine and Anaia had to provide that for each other when everyone else failed them. And their story isn’t abnormal, because nobody has had my back, or really any other Black woman’s back, like another Black woman. And that is from top to bottom, through and through, forever and ever. So, brava Aleshea Harris, and you will always have my support for IS GOD IS.

So, while Joe knows his kids, especially Michael, are talented, his iron-fisted approach to using them to help get the family out of poverty alienates him from being the parent they confide in. This causes them to have deeper, more meaningful, and more transparent relationships with their mother. We see the beginning of Michael confiding in her about being unable to make friends because other kids didn’t see him as a child, but as an artist they were enthralled with. This leads him to read more books, create a world of his own, and develop a fascination with Peter Pan. When they are scouted by Suzanne de Passe (Laura Harrier, The Starling) and ultimately signed to Motown Records by Berry Gordy (Larenz Tate, Ray), we catch a glimpse of Berry’s heart toward Michael. He recognizes not only his talent but, more importantly, his heart, providing a safe space for him to grow in an ever-changing industry. Unfortunately, we don’t spend much time building this relationship onscreen because there’s a significant time jump.

Next, there is mention of The Jacksons having left Motown, and they’re living on a family compound in Encino. An older Michael (Jaafar Jackson, in his feature debut) is trying desperately to break out and record my favorite Michael album, Off the Wall, partnering with the legendary Quincy Jones (Kendrick Sampson, Miss Juneteenth). This causes tension between him and Joe because it means Michael wants to break away from his brothers musically and create new sounds and short films that we’ve never experienced before. Joe is hell-bent on the Jackson brand, using Michael to draw fans and attendees for the massive Victory Tour he was planning alongside Don King (Deon Cole, The Harder They Fall). Confiding in his head of security and father figure, Bill Bray (KeiLyn Durrel Jones, How to Die Alone), Michael gains the courage to remove Joe as his manager and hires John Branca (Miles Teller, Whiplash) as his entertainment lawyer, someone who believes in his vision of becoming the most talented, popular and innovative artist out.

While the stakes are high for Michael stepping out on his own, we get a deeper glimpse into his loneliness. Creating an animal rescue haven of sorts, he believes the animals are his friends and spends most of his time talking to them, playing with them or watching movies with his mom. His brothers grow and begin forming relationships of their own, while he remains fairly isolated in his thoughts and creative world. He spends time going to toy stores with Bill and visiting children’s hospitals to spend time with kids. Despite the level of control his father had over him, his heart for service and others continues to shine through. His creative genius, ability to transform sound and creation of Thriller highlight his visionary brilliance and otherworldly mind.

So, while the film is CGI-heavy, true fans of Michael will be in theaters for the performances and to hear the music they fell in love with. It’s those moments that make seeing it in IMAX worth the experience. To be in a room full of fans, singing their hearts out and sharing that collective experience while holding personal memories tied to the music is powerful. While audiences may not necessarily learn anything new, Part 1 of this biopic (and I say Part 1 because it ends on a “cliffhanger” with a London performance during the Bad era) may introduce new or younger audiences to a glimpse of Michael. But for me, Part 1 felt like a 1.5x speed version of stories I already knew, as the child of a parent who followed the Jackson family’s careers and someone who experienced Michael across decades myself.

It was a reminder of the rich legacy he and his family built, one that will forever be cemented in history. While I was alive during the Pepsi commercial burn accident, the film did open up more about just how physically and emotionally difficult recovery was for him, as well as his father pushing for the Victory Tour to keep the Jackson brand alive, prioritizing it over his child’s health. With every biopic, viewers wonder how much is fact versus fiction. This is no different, but the pacing is so fast that it leaves more to be desired. My only hope for Part 2 is that certain moments are allowed to linger. I hope we see the community Michael eventually builds outside of his family, how stepping out on his own personally led him to creating new friendships and relationships and the impact on his life.

We also know his relationship with John Branca wasn’t perfect, so will that be explored? I would have loved to see the deleted scenes and storyline with Diana Ross (Kat Graham, How It Ends) to have remained, showing just how close they were. Their families were deeply connected, and it would have been meaningful to see the depth of that decades-long relationship.

In Part 2, will we see Michael grow into a husband and father? I hope so. There are so many eras left in Michael’s story and so many versions of his growth as a human and an artist that I hope we get to witness on the big screen.

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In the beginning of the film, mad scientist Symon (Ben Schwartz, House of Lies) meets his untimely demise while working on a top-secret project. For the rest of the film, we’re not only trying to solve the mystery of who killed Symon, but also why. To get our answers, we’re taken through four very intriguing acts, conveniently titled “The Party,” “The After Party,” “The After After Party,” and “The After After After Party.”

The first soirée introduces us to loan sharks and killer colleagues Nick (Vince Vaughn, Bad Monkey) and Quick Draw Mike (James Marsden, Your Friends & Neighbors). This criminal organization is run by Sosa (Keith David, American Fiction), whose unofficially adopted son, Jimmy Boy (Jimmy Tatro, Home Economics), is being celebrated after six years in prison.

Unbeknownst to him, his homecoming is actually a gathering orchestrated by his father to find and punish the snitch who put him away.

Alice (Eiza González, 3 Body Problem) is married to Nick, but from body language alone, it’s clear that the love they once shared has soured immensely. It’s no surprise, then, when we discover that Mike and Alice are having an affair. The care and love Alice has been craving are no longer provided by Nick, while Mike has a very specific way about him that allows him to love her effortlessly. Their chemistry, paired with Mike’s romantic gestures, almost makes you forget that they are having an affair. At a certain point, you start to believe these two are endgame. Perhaps this is simply a case of Nick and Alice ignoring clear red flags and settling into a marriage before truly finding their person.

When Nick shows up to Mike’s hotel room unannounced, narrowly missing Alice’s arrival, both Mike and Alice know something is off. They assume Nick is there to kill Mike, but it turns out to be quite the opposite. Present-day Nick asks Mike to help him “clean up” a situation at his home and instructs him to chloroform whoever opens the door, no matter what he sees.

What Mike sees shocks him: it’s another version of Nick. Unsurprisingly, Present Nick isn’t thrilled to be attacked by his colleague and friend. When he escapes, Future Nick and Mike are forced to go on an adventure to track him down.

After Mike’s encounter with Future Nick, Sosa mysteriously appears at Nick’s house. Mike overhears him reveal that he is the rat, which comes as a shock to him, as he is a simple man who does his job and goes home. In fact, he never should have been a killer and had already told Future Nick earlier that night about his plans to leave the organization.

Once Sosa leaves, Future Nick reveals that he knows who framed Mike and has come back to save his life because he doesn’t want Alice to become a single mother. That’s right, not only does Future Nick know about their affair, but he also feels immense guilt for being the one who framed Mike and sent him to his death at the hands of The Barron, a deadly cannibal assassin hired by Sosa to finish the job once and for all.

Throughout the film, we get flashbacks of Symon and Alice, revealing a friendship full of secrets, including key information about the time-travel machine that Nick ultimately uses to save Mike. Forced to relive the same day, Future Nick anticipates the betrayal that Present Nick attempts to set in motion against Mike, driven by his anger over the affair.

When the group isn’t referencing Gilmore Girls, the foursome bands together to save Nick, but at what cost? Since Sosa doesn’t take betrayal lightly, going up against an entire organization of paid assassins feels like an obvious death sentence, but with a twist.

It begs the question: if you could use a time machine to save your friend, would you? And how many trips would it take to get a happy ending for everyone?

I went into Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice with no expectations and hadn’t even seen a trailer or read a logline, and that sense of discovery ultimately worked in the film’s favor. Experiencing it blind made the humor land even harder, though it’s clearly tailored for a specific audience that can appreciate its offbeat rhythm and layered references. My millennial heart was especially satisfied, catching nods that feel both intentional and indulgent, all while the film delivers a steady mix of action and absurdity.

Some of the slower action sequences didn’t work for me, but the film consistently finds its footing where it matters most: in its characters and their dynamic. I would have gladly taken more Ben Schwartz, though that’s purely my own comedy-biased wish. But what truly anchors the film is the chemistry across the cast, particularly among the three leads. James Marsden and Vince Vaughn lean all the way into the betrayal-bromance of it all, with Vaughn pulling off double duty in a way that feels distinct, playful, and surprisingly nuanced, proving that no two Nicks are created equal. The new romance, tension, and the emotional stakes all coexist in a way that keeps you invested, even when the narrative spirals into chaos.

Ultimately, Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice thrives when it embraces its own ridiculousness. It’s a film that understands exactly what it is and invites the audience to meet it there. If you’re willing to go along for the ride, it rewards you with a chaotic, referential, and oddly heartfelt experience

that asks just enough of its central question to linger: how far would you go, and how many times would you try, to rewrite the fate of someone you care about?

Catch Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice out now on Hulu!

Documentaries can evoke emotions that make you reflect on life in profound ways, and that’s exactly what The Ascent did for me. Directed by Edward Drake (True Detective), Scott Veltri (The Forgiven), and Francis Cronin (Deadlock), the documentary follows the story of Mandy Horvath. Balancing inspiration with investigative reporting, the film explores Mandy’s life after she lost both of her legs at age 21 after being struck by a train.

Coming from a complex home life, Mandy graduated with honors from high school at just sixteen, with dreams of becoming a chef. Having previously struggled with substance abuse, she made friends easily and often helped any stranger in need. All of this came to a head on July 26, 2014. Mandy’s “friend” April, whom she had only known briefly, called to say she wanted to celebrate her birthday with her for the weekend. The three of them—April, Mandy, and Mandy’s boyfriend Dan—headed to a local bar for the night.

Mandy remembers going outside to enjoy the sunset and spend some one-on-one time with Dan. She then went back into the bar and drank the beer she had left behind. The next thing she clearly remembers is petting horses before everything goes dark.

The filmmakers incorporate voiceover from statements given by the train conductor and engineer, confirming that although they pulled the emergency brake, it was too late. By the time they realized the figure on the tracks was a woman and not a mannequin, twenty train cars had already passed over her. They immediately called authorities but also noticed three people ducking from behind some of the train cars, which they found unusual.

Mandy was alive when the ambulance arrived, but she died three separate times and was revived. What followed was a long and harrowing road to recovery, marked by depression, despair, and PTSD. Through it all, Mandy turned to climbing/crawling as a way to transform one of the most uncertain and difficult experiences of her life into something positive.

What’s clear is that Mandy is a survivor, but what she has endured is heartbreaking to watch. In addition to the physical and psychological trauma of being run over by a locomotive, Mandy has a fractured relationship with her parents due to childhood abuse and witnessing similar abuse inflicted on her mother. She carries much of that with her, and while her parents were instrumental in trying to get answers after her accident, there are still layers of their relationship that remain fraught. We see this firsthand as Mandy embarks on the crawl of a lifetime.

Then there is the other side of the film: Mandy’s preparation to conquer Mount Kilimanjaro for the very first time. As she trains for the crawl, she reflects on the events of July 26th and the lingering uncertainty surrounding that night. She speaks candidly about how difficult it was to fully trust Dan’s account of his involvement and the frustration of never receiving clear answers from April. Witnesses had gone on record stating that Dan confessed during a drunken night at the bar, though he has since passed away. April also spoke with the filmmakers but remained vague, doing little to instill confidence in her innocence.

This lingering ambiguity is where the documentary subtly raises deeper questions. While it stops short of definitively labeling the incident as an accident or a crime, the gaps in the case are impossible to ignore. Mandy never received a sexual assault kit, nor was she tested for Rohypnol, also known as Roofies. Repeated requests from her family, the private investigator, and the filmmakers for access to case files were met with resistance. When access was finally granted, those files had been destroyed. Coupled with claims that Dan’s alleged confession was covered up due to his connections with law enforcement, the film presents a narrative that feels far from resolved but leans heavily into the likelihood that Mandy was likely the victim of several heinous crimes.

Yet, despite these unanswered questions, the film ultimately shifts its focus to more about who Mandy chooses to become in the aftermath. Coming from a place shaped by deep trust issues, she begins to rediscover her voice and strength in ways she never had before. Learning to lean on others again becomes part of her healing.

That journey culminates in her crawl. Mandy partners with an extraordinary team—Carel Verhoef (Expedition Leader), Sally Grierson (physiotherapist and expedition mastermind), and Julius John White, aka “Whitey” (Tanzanian Chairman of the Guides)—to make the impossible possible. Through their care and trust, strangers become family. Even as she faces cramping hands, infection, and frigid temperatures, their expertise and unwavering commitment to her safety carry her forward. Together, they reach the summit, marking not just a physical achievement, but a profound emotional and personal victory.

My hope, after watching this documentary, is that her case is reopened and taken seriously, with a real commitment to uncovering the truth and holding everyone involved accountable. But regardless of what justice may or may not come, one thing remains undeniable: Mandy’s story does not end in tragedy; it rises in triumph. She is worthy of every good thing this life, and beyond, has to offer. Her resilience, transparency, growth, and willingness to confront both her pain and her past set her apart in the most powerful way. There is something deeply moving about watching someone rebuild themselves, not just physically but emotionally and spiritually. Ultimately, this is a story about reclamation. Mandy finds her way back to herself, redefines what strength looks like, and reminds us that even in our darkest moments, healing is possible and community is essential. And one thing is certain: after watching this documentary, we could all learn a thing or two from Mandy. I was inspired by Mandy in a multitude of ways and I know you will be too.

Nerdigo correspondent Kay-B got some exclusive Project Hail Mary scoop, a new sci-fi thriller adapted from the acclaimed novel of the same name. As part of the Critics Choice Association virtual press conference and our SXSW 2026 coverage, participants included Chris Miller and Phil Lord (Directors & Producers), Sandra Hüller (“Eva Stratt”), Ryan Gosling (“Dr. Ryland Grace,” Producer), Drew Goddard (Screenwriter & Executive Producer), Andy Weir (Author & Producer), Amy Pascal (Producer), Rachel O’Connor (Producer), and Aditya Sood (Producer).

Dr. Ryland Grace is a molecular biologist who is comfortable with his life as a sixth-grade science teacher. His whole world is turned upside down when he is reluctantly recruited by Eva Stratt, head of Project Hail Mary, to attempt to save the world as they know it. When he awakens alone on the spaceship, he meets an unlikely ally in alien Rocky (James Ortiz, The Woodsman), and they work together to save the homes they both know and love.

On what captivated him about Andy’s manuscript, Gosling shared: “It just was clear that Andy had captured lightning in a bottle on this and had written something very special. You know, when I got it, it was a time when the movie theaters and film productions were shutting down. And then here was this, like, incredibly moving, optimistic sort of opportunity to look at the future as something not to fear, but just to be figured out. And it felt like a very kind of radical approach, and just felt this is one of those things.”

Gosling continued: “I think we all have films that we remember where we were when we saw them, what they meant about the time that we were in when we saw them. And this had all the potential to be that. I just needed to not mess it up. So, I needed the best team you could possibly get. And that’s why, you know, the dream team is here. And I think that’s what we did.”

On selecting Miller & Lord as the directors to capture the epic scale, scope, space, friendship, and intimacy of the manuscript, Pascal told us: “Well, first, I think Ryland Grace is about as reluctant a hero as there is. And I believe that the challenge and the opportunity were telling a story about journeying into the vast unknown while unraveling someone’s humanity and telling the story through that. The first conversation that I had with Ryan was, ‘Do you think we can get Chris and Phil?’ And the thing about the guys, Chris and Phil, is that they know how to take us onto a thrilling joy ride while making the movie always about the people. And I think that their ability to understand humanity and gravitas is completely singular.”

Pascal added: “And this movie needed to be funny and entertaining, but it also needed to be a movie that tried to make the world a better place. And there was nobody better than these two guys to lead us there. And after 20 years of making movies with Chris and Phil, knowing their boundless curiosity and their endurance and their desire to go everywhere and never stop, these three filmmakers (including Ryan) were the perfect people to make this movie together. And for me, watching this happen was a real career highlight.”

O’Connor chimed in: “Andy’s book is so much about what people can accomplish if they work together. And I think, you know, Chris and Phil as movie makers and as a partnership and a team and as best friends also, they bring what we’re doing in the story to the way they work. And so, I think that also is unique about them and made them right for this.”

On their approach to directing pivotal scenes that showcase the bond between Grace and Rocky, Miller and Lord disclosed: “I think that I don’t know, it’s true that, like, the engine of our work is our conversation. And I think that that is emblematic of—we were at JPL yesterday. Like, the product that they produce is not, like, satellites. It’s conversations amongst creative people and scientists. And that’s what a movie set is, and that’s why we have this amazing producing team. It’s producing the conversations amongst artists and performers and HODs that augment everyone’s creativity. And that’s what you see on screen is the product of all of those, like, wonderful people thinking about something together. And that’s what I love about the movie, is it’s about how two people think about something really hard, about how all these people on Earth, led by Sandra, are, like, thinking together about something, and how powerful that can be.”

They continued: “I think one of the reasons why Ryan is such a great actor is because every scene he’s in, he’s looking for connection with whoever he is. And all the scenes with Sandra were like you could feel that they were building off each other into something new. And when we had him with James Ortiz, who was the lead puppeteer and the voice of Rocky, on set, they were building off each other. He just kept trying to find connection between this, like, rock creature. And the way that he can find connection with people, whoever they are, whoever’s in the scene, he brings them in and treats them with, like, dignity and love. And it shows up on screen.”

On adapting Andy’s book, Goddard expanded: “I must be honest, when I read it the first time, I was terrified because, in every way, this movie is more ambitious than The Martian. And I think I was scared that I was going to let Andy down. I read it, and I went, oh, I don’t know how human beings are going to be able to do this. And they go, ‘Oh, well, Chris and Phil are going to direct.’ Because I love Chris and Phil so much. I’ve known them for two decades now. I’ve watched sort of this partnership change the face of cinema. I do not say that lightly. Because there’s animation before Chris and Phil, and there’s animation after Chris and Phil. And we’ve seen it in the live action.”

Goddard added: “I was terrified when I first read it because this film is even more ambitious than The Martian. I didn’t know how anyone could pull it off. Then I heard Chris and Phil were directing, and I was in. But I was also scared because this role demands so much from a lead actor—comedy, drama, vulnerability, and carrying so much of the film alone. Then Andy said, ‘It’s Ryan Gosling,’ and that changed everything. There’s not another actor on the planet who could’ve done this. By April, we’ll have been working on this for six years, and it’s been an absolute joy. And honestly, I also thought we’d never find Stratt—until Sandra. The moment I heard her name, I knew we were going to be fine. From a screenwriting point of view, this is the dream.”

On balancing being the no-nonsense boss in control with a hint of softness, Hüller said: “Oh, I think we are never just one thing. We are so many things at the same time, as you can also see in Ryan’s character, and in Rocky. So, I think the more possibilities a character has to show what they are, the better, so I don’t see any contradiction in what she’s doing. But I didn’t know that there was a karaoke scene when I signed up for this. But making this film was my Hail Mary moment. It’s something that I never thought I would do in my life.”

On collaborating with the puppeteer to make Rocky more human, Gosling teased: “He’s very high maintenance. He requires a lot. He has a glam team called the Rocketeers. They dress like ninjas. It’s a whole thing. But, and it was difficult. It certainly would’ve been easier to do this just in visual effects. But the relationship is difficult in the film between these characters. Everything is hard. Being in the same room is hard. Communicating is hard. The levels of meta-ness of which, like, the story and the filming of this, I won’t bore you with, but that is one of them that I think was part of the sort of the magic that’s in the movie, is that we were kind of experiencing what the characters were, in that we were just trying to find a way to connect and to communicate and to make this work.”

Gosling added: “And the beautiful thing is that as Rocky was finding his voice, we had this brilliant puppeteer, James Ortiz, who came into the audition completely differently than anyone else. He pushed the puppet aside and brought Rocky to life with just his hand, and we knew immediately that was him. He was only meant to puppeteer, but he started reading lines in character, which gave me someone to connect with—especially since I was often isolated in a harness. We’d do long takes fully in character, and his connection to Rocky was so deep he would guide the performance, saying what Rocky would or wouldn’t do. Rocky really found his voice through James, and that connection became real. The movie owes a lot to him—he became a key part of its magic.”

On why he wanted to create a hero who is an ordinary person but have them embark on a mission to save humanity, Weir proclaimed: “Well, because I think that, I mean, most people don’t think of themselves as extraordinary people. Most people think of themselves as just, like, I’m a normal person. And when you’re writing a book, you want people to empathize with the main character. And so, I wanted to make a main character that people could really, you know, put themselves in the main character’s shoes and say, like, yeah, I’m a normal person. I would not like finding myself in this situation. I’m not sure what I would do. This would be very awkward and uncomfortable for me. And so, I want all of you to experience that in the cinematic world, to feel awkward, uncomfortable, and scared.”

On what makes Weir’s work so well-suited for a film adaptation, Sood informed us: “I mean, he has a brain that I don’t think exists on this planet in any other form, and so it’s such an incredible treat. The only bad thing I have about Andy’s books is when I get his books, I must read them overnight, and I never get to enjoy them and really understand the depth of what he does in the way that I think other people do. But listen, you know, when I read The Martian, it felt like a once-in-a-lifetime book. And then suddenly, you know, six years later, you get this book, which is in every way, shape, and form a more incredible adventure. So, I just feel so lucky.”

On balancing the emotional and bleak moments of the film with puppetry and animation, Miller alluded: “It became a beautiful marriage of puppetry and animation, with the animation team building on the work James and his team created. Editing, led by Joel Negron, was key in navigating the editorial challenges of moving between two time periods while keeping the story flowing. We leaned into the idea that life is funny and sad at the same time—some of the biggest laughs come in the most emotional moments. I was reminded of being in the hospital when my mother died, where we were crying and then suddenly laughing. That mix of emotion is why we go to the movies.”

Lord added: “That’s the thing. Like, you’re crying because you’ve fallen in love with these characters. And you’ve fallen in love with them because you’ve seen them joke together. Those things are not separate. We’re not sitting on stage with, like, a pie chart, going, like, okay, this scene is 40 percent funny and 60 percent heartfelt. Those things, like, to us, you know, the question almost doesn’t make sense because we just try to represent, you know, the clumsiness and warmth of human relationships.”

On what he hopes the younger generation takes away from this film, Gosling revealed: “Well, I think Andy’s voice is just such an important voice right now. It’s such, again, like, a unique and beautiful way to look at the future. And, you know, he’s created this; obviously, it’s, look, you go to another galaxy, you make an alien best friend, you save the world. It’s not bad for a Friday night.”

Gosling continued: “It’s an adventure of a lifetime, but at the same time, it’s not escapist, I don’t think. It’s this reminder of what we’re capable of as human beings. And I just think that for my own family, you know, we struggle to find things that we can go and see as a family. And you kind of look for those core memory moments at the theater that I think we all had as kids. And I really wanted to try and make one of those. And I feel like, you know, just getting to live in the world of this movie with my own family, this idea of turning fear into curiosity that Andy has is such a beautiful message that you can kind of actualize, or at least try to. And I’m just so grateful to him for that, and I hope that that’s the spirit and the hope that young people take from the film.”

On the largest takeaway that humans can get about collaborating for the greater good from this film, Miller shared: “I think that’s the heart of the movie—on Earth and in space, it’s about beings coming together to solve problems. That’s what makes it feel so hopeful and optimistic. Even though it’s centered on an apocalyptic event, it’s not bleak or cold—it’s warm and human. It makes you laugh, cry, and feel everything all at once, which is really what the human condition is.”

Lord concluded: “For 10 years, Chris and I started our careers writing in television, where you’re in a room with some of the smartest, funniest people, creating something together. That’s about as beautiful an experience as you can have, and animation is the ultimate team sport. We were at FotoKem recently watching them print a 15-perf, IMAX 70-millimeter film print, and it really hit me—this isn’t possible without generations of people solving problems. It’s the product of human collaboration over time. That’s what I love about filmmaking—it’s the magic of so many artists working together. And what Andy wrote, and what we set out to make, is something that helps people imagine goodness and reminds them of what we’re capable of.”

Catch Project Hail Mary in theaters now!

Editor’s Note: This coverage reflects a condensed summary of the press conference. Some remarks have been paraphrased or edited for clarity and flow.