Donald Gibb, the actor who played the hulking fraternity bro Ogre in “Revenge of the Nerds” and Ray “Tiny” Jackson in “Bloodsport,” has died. He was 71.
Gibb’s son Travis confirmed his father’s death to TMZ on Tuesday evening after he died earlier that day at home in Texas surrounded by family. Gibb, a former professional wrestler under the name “Don Gibb,” succumbed to “health complications,” according to his son.
A statement from the family, provided to People, described Gibb as a father, grandfather, great-grandfather, brother, uncle, friend and actor.
“Known for his larger-than-life presence on screen and his kindness off screen, he brought joy, laughter, and unforgettable memories to countless people throughout his life and career,” the statement said.
“Above all else, Donald treasured his faith and the people he loved,” it continued. “His strength, generosity, and spirit will never be forgotten by those who had the privilege of knowing him personally and by the many fans whose lives he touched over the years.”
“Bloodsport” star Jean-Claude Van Damme remembered Gibb in an Instagram story, posting a photo from 1986 and writing “Rest in peace, my brother.” He also reposted a reel showing himself and Gibb in the 1988 movie.
“Whether he was the lovable brute Ogre in Revenge of the Nerds or the fearless Ray Jackson in Bloodsport, Donald brought a heart as big as his frame to every role,” the caption on the reposted reel said. “Watching him alongside Jean-Claude Van Damme was the ultimate display of brotherhood on screen. In the clip, JCVD asks, ‘What took you so long?’ It’s a bitter-sweet reminder that while he’s gone too soon, his legacy in the martial arts and 80s cinema world is timeless. ‘Anytime, anyplace, anywhere.’”
A representative for Gibb didn’t respond immediately Wednesday to The Times’ request for comment.
Gibb had about 100 credits, including the sequels “Bloodsport” and the movie and TV sequels to “Nerds.”
Born Aug. 4, 1954, Gibb started his career in the early 1980s with uncredited roles in “Any Which Way You Can,” “Stripes” and “Conan the Barbarian.” His TV credits included episodes of “Cheers,” “MacGyver” and “The Young and the Restless.”
He acted into 2011, then tagged on one last credit, for the 2026 movie release “Hands.” According to IMDb, that filmed sometime in 2023 or 2024.
This article contains spoilers for the penultimate episode of “The Boys.”
There’s just one episode to go in the fifth and final season of Prime Video’s irreverent superhero satire, “The Boys.” The topical, darkly funny, whip-smart series from Eric Kripke follows a band of vigilante misfits who fight to expose the all-powerful, corrupt conglomerate Vought International and its stable of villainous superheroes.
Among the ragtag crew of antiheroes is Frenchie, played by Tomer Capone. Frenchie is the de facto chemist and inventor of the group, a former assassin for hire whose drug-addled brain is constantly concocting news ways to kill immortal Supes (superheroes). Yet he’s deeply connected with the feral Kimiko (Karen Fukuhara), who was nonverbal when he helped save her from human traffickers who sought to cash in on her Supe strength. Their bond — both are outsiders who suffered abuse as children — is one of the few emotional soft spots in the otherwise fast-moving series about America’s rotten power structure, manipulative media and the gullibility of the public.
Though fans of the show are already mourning the end of “The Boys,” they were dealt another major blow Wednesday, when in Episode 7 beloved Frenchie met his fate at the hands of the sociopathic head Supe, Homelander (Antony Starr). Israeli actor Capone talks about the scene, the end of the show and how to cope with the loss of Frenchie. This conversation has been edited for clarity and length.
OK, so the big question first. Do you actually speak French?
En vous? Moi? [Laughs] OK, a little bit, but it’s a different kind of French. But that wasn’t the difficult part. Frenchie, to me, is one of those characters for an actor, that’s a gift. It’s something I prayed for. It’s a full-on character. He’s an outsider. He’s a foreigner. The way he walks, the way he talks. We can also talk about the crop tops and the hairstyle …
He’s a full-on character, and the French aspect was only part of it. There was also the sign language with Kimiko, and the connection. For me, the emotion and connection was the bigger aspect of portraying Frenchie.
Are you ready for all the tears of your fans once they witness Frenchie’s demise? He sacrifices himself to lure Homelander away from Kimiko. She is saved, but he is killed in the process.
Oh my God, I can’t watch it. I didn’t watch it. I can’t. I’m too involved.
Tomer Capone on the scene with his character’s demise: “Oh my God, I can’t watch it.”
(Jasper Savage/Prime)
So you really haven’t watched the scene yet?
No. It’s the longest character I ever had in my career, and I can’t. Something tells me not yet.
When you shot that scene, was there an intensity on set? How did that play out?
Intensity is always around the show because there’s so much to accomplish doing “The Boys.” But funnily enough, that specific scene was the most tranquil and quiet set I’ve experienced. I remember standing there with the amazing people of the cast and crew, and we’re talking about how the scene is going to play out. I felt this quietness, like everybody was like inside themselves, so I started to get nervous. I said, “Oh my God, they’re expecting something.”
But very quickly, I decided that I’m just going release all the [plans], thoughts or ideas that I had about the scene. I literally went into this mantra that said, “Frenchie, here’s the keys. Drive the car.” And you know what? It was the right way to go. It made sense. It felt very respectful and spiritual. Those kind of scenes come once in never, where you feel like you’re letting the character drive, and you’re just gliding behind it.
“The Boys” is based on the 2000s comic book series of the same name by writer Garth Ennis and artist Darick Robertson. But the show is unlike any comic book adaptation out there. In fact, it mocks superhero culture.
The biggest gift of working [with] Eric Kripke, the writers and this show is that even as things are moving fast and big things are happening, they’re emotionally backed up. And as a character and an actor, it’s like, OK, I understand what I’m doing. This is the world and what we’re playing. You get where it is going, and why it needs to happen.
Were you surprised when you first learned about Frenchie’s fate?
I wasn’t surprised when I heard from Eric that Frenchie was continuing on to the big field [in the sky]. I had this feeling. I didn’t want to say it out loud. It’s like, at this point, the fifth season, we all felt it. We knew where it was going,
But Frenchie is the empathy and compassion of this series. I actually cried when he was killed off. The empathy is gone, and now we’re left with soulless, terrifying Homelander.
But Kimiko lives.
True, but I haven’t seen the finale. How does Kimiko go on without Frenchie?
Well, let me tell you… [laughs]. I can’t tell, but I can say that I do think Episode 8 is going to blow the audience and fans’ minds with where it goes. That’s the only thing I can say. It evolves into something that resonates.
When it comes to pushing the envelope, “The Boys” is renowned for going where most shows won’t. It drove a speed boat into the side of a whale, imbued superheroes with powers such as toxic vomit and a giant killer penis. Then there was the flying killer sheep. Was there ever a moment too far for you?
Almost every episode has those moments … I remember they told us about the whale, and they said they were still figuring out how. It was a surprise. So I’m driving to set, and it was a sunny day on the shore of Toronto, then all of a sudden, my windshield, everything is covered with this [big shadow], and I’m like what’s going on? Clouds? Is going to rain? The day is ruined! Then I look up and see them [trucking] in a real-size animatronic whale. People that had nothing to do with the show were stopping their cars and looking at this whale moving on the Toronto shore. It was like, OK, here we go.
And there was the musical sequence [in Season 3, Episode 5, when a hospitalized Kimiko imagines her and Frenchie dancing to “I Got Rhythm.”]. Karen and I were on set, and there’s like 30 professional dancers stretching behind us, beautiful and fresh and clean. And we’re looking at each other like, what is this show? What are we doing here? As an actor, you pinch yourself. It’s an experience.
Frenchie (Capone) and Kimiko (Fukuhara) in Season 3’s musical number.
(Amazon Studios)
The musical number, did you actually have to practice the choreography for that?
Oh, day in and day out. I thought I knew how to dance. Apparently I needed some work. Luckily, Karen is a total badass in terms of her commitment, and we practiced it day and night, even working on it off set between other scenes, just working in the movements, trying to get it right. But I learned something very fun about myself. Usually, I don’t like to watch myself on screen, like a lot of actors don’t. From time to time, I would watch an action scene or me fighting because I want to see if I got the choreography right. And I learned that I can watch myself dance too.
With all the fighting in that show, that’s also requires quite a bit of physical acting.
We have the best stunt teams in the business. They made our life very easy compared to the crazy stuff we had to do. Saying that, I don’t miss the harnesses that they put on us. I will not miss that
Harnesses?
I remember when we shot the first episode where Frenchie, Hughie (Jack Quaid)and Mother’s Milk (Laz Alonso) are captive in the camp. And then I think Starlight flies me off out of the camp. It was like minus 40, snowing. We’re on our harnesses, and we’re just flying away. It’s an experience.
“The Boys” has brilliantly captured the political craziness in America, but told through the world of egotistical superheroes. For example, Homelander claimed he was lord and savior around the same time President Trump posted an AI image of himself as Jesus.
How they predicted some of the stuff, it beats me. You’re going to have to ask Kripke and his writers. But I love that the show tackles all that. For me, portraying Frenchie is about humanity. About how in chaos and in fear and in the craziness of “The Boys’” world, people still choose love and compassion and that’s really the heart of “The Boys.” Or maybe that’s just from Frenchie’s perspective, where it’s all about family, loyalty and protecting the ones you love.
How did you imagine the character of Frenchie when you first learned of the show?
When I got the audition, I didn’t know about the source material. I didn’t know about the novel, or the graphic comic book. So I went online, and I started researching Frenchie. And the first picture that came in was this buzz cut, crazy, goggle-wearing character. I said, what really? Frenchie specifically is illustrated and drawn so different from volume to volume. It gave me so much space to create something in between those worlds. Then picking the brain of Eric Kripke and building a whole story and backup story for the characters. We already knew, in a way, where it was going, so we had the privilege of understanding the arc of the bigger picture for “The Boys.”
Do you have a favorite Frenchie moment?
Yeah, I do, but it’s not what you might expect to hear. It’s from Season 1. There was this scene with Frenchie and Petit Hughie. Hughie comes out of his father’s house [and he’s upset]. I say that I understand because my father was bipolar too, and [he tried to smother me with a] Hello Kitty duvet. It’s just it’s one of those moments when we couldn’t get those two lines out. We kept breaking. I think it’s the longest scene Jack and I ever had in the show. It was something like 14 takes. All the cast and crew were breaking too. It was like, should we just give it up? But I was fighting for it. No, I can do this! Now it’s a [fan] favorite quote. So that means a lot. I fought for that line!
Have you thought about how you’ll console distraught fans once they’ve seen Episode 7?
Ted Lasso star Cristo Fernández has taken his role as a footballer on the small screen into real life after signing a contract with the US second-tier side El Paso Locomotive FC.
12:17, 13 May 2026Updated 12:17, 13 May 2026
(Image: Apple TV)
Ted Lasso star Cristo Fernández has taken his role as a footballer from fiction to reality after signing a professional contract with the US second-tier side El Paso Locomotive FC.
Announcing the news the club said: “The rumors were true. Welcome to El Paso, Cristo Fernández. El Paso Locomotive FC announced today that it has signed forward Cristo Fernández.”
Cristo is best known by Ted Lasso fans as Dani Rojas, a beloved member of the Richmond team in the hit Apple TV+ show about a British team with a coach with an American football background.
However, many TV fans were unaware that outside of his acting career, the 35 year old has been taking part in football training, training with the Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire’s reserves this year, he also appeared in pre-season matches for the Locomotive before signing with the football club.
The actor played youth football in Mexico while growing up but was forced to quit after a knee injury. After gaining fame in the football based TV show, he is now set to return, saying in a statement that football has been a huge part of his life.
“Football has always been a huge part of my life and identity, and no matter where life has taken me, the dream of competing professionally never truly left my heart,” said Fernandez, who also trialled with the second team of Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire earlier this year.
“I’m incredibly grateful to El Paso Locomotive FC – the club, coaches, staff, and especially my team-mates – for opening the doors and giving me the opportunity to compete from day one.
“This journey back to professional soccer is about believing in yourself, taking risks, and continuing to chase your dreams no matter how unexpected the path may be.
“Maybe I’m just a crazy man with crazy dreams… so being here with the ‘Locos’ actually makes perfect sense.”
El Paso is a newer club, founded in 2018. The group is currently fourth in Group B of the United Soccer League Championship standings. “Cristo is a great addition to our roster, adding another attacking threat to our forward line,” the club’s head coach, Junior Gonzalez, said.
“His passion for the game and leadership qualities for our locker room allow us to continue growing the positive culture we strive for as a club.”
While Cristo is best known for his appearance in Ted Lasso, he has also had several appearances in films and TV shows including; Spider-Man: No Way Home and Sonic The Hedgehog 3. He has also featured in the State Farm commercial “Bundle is Life” alongside Patrick Mahomes.
Union leaders trumpeted gains in SAG-AFTRA’s tentative contract with the major studios, citing stronger AI protections and the consolidation of previously separate pension plans.
“The theme of this negotiation really has been about looking out for the future of performers, and I think that the contract delivers on that,” Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s chief negotiator, said in an interview Tuesday.
The union‘s membership, which includes more than 160,000 actors, broadcast journalists, dancers, DJs, stunt performers, voice-over artists and other entertainment professionals, will begin voting on the new contract later this week.
“The scope of the contract is something that I hope the members find meaningful,” SAG-AFTRA President Sean Astin said.
One of the chief gains, he said, was merging of the pension plans of the two previously separate unions — the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists — fourteen years after they agreed to combine.
Their health plans were consolidated in 2017, but the pensions have remained separate until the current negotiation cycle. That was a major sticking point with members, some of whom couldn’t qualify for benefits as their contributions were split between two plans. Studios agreed to boost their overall contributions to the combined plan by 1%.
Union leaders also pointed to stronger protections against AI, including new guidelines that govern how studios should use generative AI and that strongly favor “human performances.”
The guardrails state that producers should not intend to use AI in a human role unless a synthetic actor brings “significant additional value” to the production. The contract draws a distinction between a digital replica that is created with a performer’s consent vesus a synthetic digital character that is not authorized.
“Digital replicas are derived from human beings who have compensation and other protections available to them,” Astin said. “If it can’t be done like that, then they’ve got to bargain with us for some very unique use of synthetics…That’s a pretty high bar.”
Under the new contract, minimum wage rates will increase by 3% annually. The agreement also boosts the so-called bonus for residuals that performers get on most-watch streaming shows. Members will increase their contribution to the health plan by 1%.
SAG-AFTRA joins WGA as the latest Hollywood union to strike a four-year deal with the studios. The previous contract term was three years.
The Directors Guild of America is the last union that still needs to land its own agreement. Negotiation sessions with the studios started on Monday. The contract is set to expire on June 30.
Ted Lasso actor Cristo Fernandez has signed for American second-tier side El Paso Locomotive after a two-month trial.
The 35-year-old Mexican, who played Dani Rojas in the hit Apple TV+ programme between 2020 and 2023, will now take up a different role for the USL Championship side.
Fernandez played youth football in his home city of Guadalajara, but stepped away from the game at the age of 15 because of a knee injury.
Having moved to London, he was cast in Ted Lasso, which won multiple awards over its initial three-series run.
“Football has always been a huge part of my life and identity, and no matter where life has taken me, the dream of competing professionally never truly left my heart,” said Fernandez, who also trialled with the second team of Major League Soccer side Chicago Fire earlier this year.
“I’m incredibly grateful to El Paso Locomotive FC – the club, coaches, staff, and especially my team-mates – for opening the doors and giving me the opportunity to compete from day one.
“This journey back to professional soccer is about believing in yourself, taking risks, and continuing to chase your dreams no matter how unexpected the path may be.
“Maybe I’m just a crazy man with crazy dreams… so being here with the ‘Locos’ actually makes perfect sense.”
“Cristo is a great addition to our roster, adding another attacking threat to our forward line,” said Locomotive head coach Junior Gonzalez.
Nick Pasqual, an actor who appeared in “How I Met Your Mother,” has been found guilty of the attempted murder of L.A.-based makeup artist Allie Shehorn.
Following a jury trial, Pasqual was also convicted of counts of injuring a spouse or partner, first-degree burglary and rape, according to court documents.
The incident occurred in May 2024, when Pasqual repeatedly stabbed Shehorn, his ex-girlfriend, in her Shadow Hills home. Prosecutors claimed that he broke into her home, attacked her with a knife and fled California. Pasqual was later stopped by authorities at a border checkpoint in Sierra Blanca, Texas, the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office said.
At the time, Shehorn’s friends speculated that she had been stabbed more than 20 times. Following the attack, she underwent emergency surgery and spent days in intensive care.
The pair first met on the set of Zack Snyder’s film “Rebel Moon.” Pasqual worked as a background actor, with credits including “How I Met Your Mother” and “Archive 81,” and Shehorn worked as a makeup artist on movies including “Family Switch” and “Babylon.”
Prior to the stabbing, Shehorn had filed a restraining order against Pasqual, which detailed acts of sexual and physical assault.
Pasqual will be sentenced on June 2. He could face a maximum sentence of life in state prison.
Former L.A. Times staff writer Nathan Solis contributed to this report.
STAR Wars legend Michael Pennington has died aged 82.
The veteran stage and screen actor, who is best known for his role as Moff Jerjerrod in Return of the Jedi, is thought to have passed away, according to The Telegraph.
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Michael Pennington as Moff Jerjerrod in Star Wars: Return of the JediCredit: Lucas FilmPennington at the Hampstead Theatre Spring Gala in 2008Credit: AlamyPennington and Dame Judi Dench during the unveiling of a new plaque commemorating actor Sir John Gielgud in Westminster in 2017Credit: GettyPennington performs at the Gielgud Theatre in the 1990sCredit: Getty
The cause of death is currently unknown.
Pennington’s other film credits include as Laertes in Hamlet (1969), alongside Anthony Hopkins, and as former Labour Party leader Michael Foot in The Iron Lady (2011), alongside Meryl Streep.
He also appeared in TV shows The Bill, The Tudors and Father Brown, as well as TV movie The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
His agent Lesley Duff told The Sun he had been living at Denville Hall, a care home for retired actors, in his later years.
If, god forbid, there’s a natural disaster in L.A. in the near future, Jena Malone might be one of your first responders.
“I’ve been studying Community Emergency Response Team training,” the actor-musician, 41, said, drinking coffee in the living room of her home overlooking pomegranate trees and a canyon in northeast L.A. “Whether it’s fire management or building a neighborhood tool shed, it’s less important for me to hit career milestones now than to transform how I live on this planet. Let’s build something where we’re all taking care of each other’s needs through mutual aid.”
Those are galvanizing priorities from Malone, who’s led generationally beloved films like the sci-fi noir “Donnie Darko,” played the axe-chucking Johanna Mason in two “Hunger Games” tentpoles and recently co-starred in the lesbian bodybuilding revenge flick “Love Lies Bleeding.” For almost as long, she’s also made experimental folk and electronic records that toy with avant-garde noise and quietly poignant songwriting.
This is a wild time in L.A. for anyone concerned about the city and its culture industries, and Malone is deeply invested in both. Just before the release of her new Netflix series, the Duffer Brothers-produced “The Boroughs,” she’s released her first album in nearly a decade. “Flowers For Men” is an effects-shredded, future-primitive record, written after the birth of her son upended her obligations — and expectations — toward the men in her life and the world they’ll inherit.
“It changed everything,” Malone said, about raising a son. “I grew up learning to thrive and mask in masculine spaces. Grind culture is a masculine toxicity that I inherited and indoctrinated myself in. But parenthood offers you this opportunity to burn your entire life down in sacrifice to finding out what’s real. I had no idea what it was to be a man. All of my ideas burned down and not much was being raised back up.”
For millennial film fans, Malone’s been a consistently compelling, trust-anything-she’s-in actor since her child-star turn in 1997’s “Contact.” Few embody a tortured, beguiling Americana quite like her.
“The Boroughs” — a high-profile follow-up to “Stranger Things” from the masters of unreality, created by Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews — has a stacked cast that includes Alfred Molina, Geena Davis and Bill Pullman, set amid a bucolic retirement community under supernatural threat. A ragtag group of Duffer Brothers misfits teaming up to fight off eldritch horror might be the last safe bet in television.
Yet that’s also how Malone feels about the current climate of Hollywood — a once-stable neighborhood fending off malign forces. Institutional consolidation and retreat, spiraling costs, technological upheaval — they all add to a creeping sense that an era is over, and worse is coming.
“Film is in such a delicate transition. I think that where music was 20 years ago, film is now,” she said. “It’s like being on an elevator where every floor is on fire. A lot of the things that I loved about it no longer exist, even if what I love about it is still wildly potent. My stress levels go down and my creativity goes up when I’m building a world that does not rely on the film industry, even though it’s my main love.”
That feeling called her back to music on “Flowers For Men,” arriving nine years after her last LP. The ego-shattering experience of giving birth in 2016 and raising a son prompted reflections about what men’s inner lives were really like, and she wanted to write about them.
“I was raised by two moms, and I had this strange aspiration to become the dad,” Malone said, laughing. “I was the breadwinner of my family then. But being a parent was all brand-new to me. I kept seeing my father in him, my grandfather, these older relationships with men. It was asking me to look at him with curious, childlike eyes.”
“Flowers For Men” was written from a sincere curiosity about mens’ strictures, bad influences and better aspirations. To inhabit someone else’s life, she had to sound different, too.
“Film is in such a delicate transition. I think that where music was 20 years ago, film is now,” Malone said. “It’s like being on an elevator where every floor is on fire. A lot of the things that I loved about it no longer exist, even if what I love about it is still wildly potent.
(Evan Mulling/For The Times)
The most prominent instrument on the album is its layers of vocal treatments. Malone has a lovely natural voice — intimately whispered, with hints of ‘70s country rock. But here she douses it in pitch-shifted digital acid, like a late 2000s R&B record dropped in the pool at the Joshua Tree Inn.
It’s an uncanny combo, but its lends modern melancholy to “Barstow,” which has the narrative structure of a Townes Van Zandt banger but is corroded with bleary effects. “Create In Your Name” has a Billie Eilish-worthy late-night murk, with lyrics so devotional they almost sound consumptive. “Disaster Zones” is all blown-out ambience, and the LP closes on a showstopping cover of John Prine’s classic “Angel From Montgomery.”
“I just love that a man wrote a song where the first line is ‘I’m an old woman,’” Malone said. “As a female songwriter, it gives me so much permission. Now all the doors are open. If I was to give flowers to all of the different men that have touched or changed things that deserve celebration, John Prine would be one of them.”
That idea — celebrating men for the good they’re capable of — felt transgressive enough today that it cohered the album for her. But it also came with questions about how romantic partnership fit into her life. Settling into motherhood, she read up on relationship anarchy — which she sees as not abiding by tiers of connection. She bought books on ethical nonmonogamy (“Sex at Dawn” was a big one) to learn how other lives were not just possible, but maybe even more fulfilling.
(Perhaps this was not a stretch from an actor who played the wild child Lydia Bennet in “Pride and Prejudice.”)
“I had been under this societal understanding that hierarchical love, placing one partner above everything else, was the ultimate romantic expression. I could name hundreds of movies that brought that up,” she said. “But while I’m learning to take care of this child, I’m realizing that self-love is one of the most important parts of this equation. I need to have expression, some work in life that felt like another love. And then my family, and how important friends were. And all of a sudden there’s no world where I would just have one love, not even just romantic love.”
“I had been under this societal understanding that hierarchical love, placing one partner above everything else, was the ultimate romantic expression. I could name hundreds of movies that brought that up,” Malone said. “But while I’m learning to take care of this child, I’m realizing that self-love is one of the most important parts of this equation. I need to have expression, some work in life that felt like another love.
(Evan Mulling/For The Times)
“Flowers For Men” is, in her way, a bargain with that contradiction — to love men deeply, but never put them above all else, even as she got engaged to her partner, actor Jack Buckley, earlier this year.
She’s still sorting out how to present this album live. She said she’s a fan of the Dead City Punx model of renegade shows in forgotten corners of L.A. Maybe as the city seems to fall apart, she’ll find a leafy park or the back of a dingy bar that’s the right home for these strange, lonely yet hopeful songs.
“I want someone to walk into the bathroom and be like, ‘Whoa, why is there a woman singing to me?’” Malone said. “I like the idea that art makes you a little uncomfortable and you don’t have the previously held expectations to know how to hold it.”
Taylor Sheridan’s “Yellowstone” universe, the sprawling neo-western TV franchise that chronicles the embattled Dutton family across time and locations, continues its aggressive expansion on screen with next week’s arrival of “Dutton Ranch.”
Premiering May 15 on Paramount+, the series continues the story of Beth Dutton (Kelly Reilly) and Rip Wheeler (Cole Hauser) — she’s the daughter of the late John Dutton (Kevin Costner), while he’s John’s longtime ranch foreman and fixer — as they migrate their passionate and unwavering love from Montana to South Texas to build a new life. The new series picks up about a year after the events that closed out the mothership series — namely, the selling of Yellowstone Ranch. And as you might expect, it doesn’t take long for them to make new enemies in their efforts to keep their new ranch operating.
Christina Alexandra Voros, who is an executive producer and director on the series, stopped by Guest Spot to talk about what sets “Dutton Ranch” apart from its parent show.
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Also in this week’s Screen Gab, our recommendations include the return of a classic Cartoon Network series and a new addition to the growing microdrama landscape. And wait. Did you hear “The Bear” released a special episode? Let us tell you about it.
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— Yvonne Villarreal
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Mordecai, a blue jay who works at the park, in “Regular Show: Lost Tapes.”
(Cartoon Network)
“Regular Show: The Lost Tapes” (Cartoon Network )
Nearly a decade after “Regular Show” flashed into history with a metafictional battle for the fate of the universe, J.G. Quintel is restoring his cult-beloved cartoon series to life, with its cast and creatives back in place. (Following the “Gumball” revival, these are great days for old-school CN fans.) A surreal hardly workplace comedy, it’s set in a city park (even when, in the last season, the park was hijacked into a tree-shaped space station), where the characters — a blue jay, a raccoon, a lollipop man, a Yeti, a muscular little green monster, a video-game ghost with a hand growing out of its body-head and a walking gumball machine, who runs things — get into scrapes as strange as that cast list might suggest. As the original series ended 25 years into the future, “The Lost Tapes” no doubt indicates a rewind — VHS is the preferred format of this crew — into an earlier world we can regard as the present. Though what, after all, is time to a cartoon? (The show premieres Monday on Cartoon Network, and will come to Hulu and HBO Max later in the year.) — Robert Lloyd
Eric C. Lynch, Brittney Jefferson and Jenna Nolen in a scene from “Screen Time.”
(Liliane Lathan)
“Screen Time” (TikTok, PineDrama)
When word hit that Issa Rae’s Hoorae Media was set to premiere its first microdrama series, which are essentially super-short TV shows shot for smartphones, it felt like it was finally time for me to see what this format on the rise is all about. “Screen Time” begins with a double-date movie night that goes off the rails after a mysterious figure hijacks the TV and sends two couples — Danielle (Brittney Jefferson of “Rap Sh!t”) and Marcus (Eric C. Lynch of “Queen Sugar”); and James (Xavier Avila of “Á La Carte”) and Olivia (Jasmine Luv of “Tell It Like a Woman”) — on a tailspin as they’re forced to confess their secrets or risk their online footprint being made public. It’s a fun and ridiculous ride, made all the more entertaining when you scroll the comments for a full communal experience. It’ll have you doing an inventory on your phone’s contents, if you’re not busy unplugging any nearby virtual assistants while questioning what’s up with Marcus. There are 27 episodes now available to watch, with each clocking in at roughly a minute and flowing into the next. (For a bit of comparison, the viral “Who TF Did I Marry?” TikTok series by Reesa Teesa, which held me hostage in 2024, had about 50 videos, with many lasting around 10 minutes. But that was real-life drama.) Of course, Rae knows something about making online content stand out. Long before “Insecure” made her an in-demand storyteller in TV and film, Rae broke through with her YouTube series “The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl.” The next episode drop arrives on May 22. — Y.V.
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Jon Bernthal as Michael “Mikey” Berzatto and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Richard “Richie” Jerimovich in a stand-alone episode of “The Bear” titled “Gary.”
(FX)
Everything you need to know about the film or TV series everyone’s talking about
“Dutton Ranch” isn’t the only show spinning off family dynamics in new places. “The Bear” made a surprise episode drop earlier this week. Titled “Gary,” the stand-alone episode — listed on Hulu separate from the main show and not considered part of a season — is a one-hour flashback that mostly functions as a prequel. It follows Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) as he sets out on a work trip to Gary, Ind., with Mikey (Jon Bernthal).
Though not biologically related, the pair are best friends who consider each other family of the “cousin” variety. And they’re tasked with running an errand for cousin Jimmy (Oliver Platt) to deliver a box whose contents neither knows. Moss-Bachrach and Bernthal, who have been friends since 2003, co-wrote the episode. And TV critic Robert Lloyd had this to say about the pair’s collaboration here: “One senses that as writers, they’ve built themselves a playground to act in; both are phenomenal.”
It’s also worth noting that, a day after the episode’s release, FX confirmed the Emmy-winning series is coming to an end next month. Fans questioned the show’s fate when the fourth season concluded with its tortured but deeply ambitious head chef Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) announcing he planned to leave the restaurant. So, yes, chef: When “The Bear” returns on June 25 for it’s fifth season, it will be the series’ last.
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(Emerson Miller / Paramount+)
A pair of “Yellowstone” siblings are keeping television screens supplied with Dutton drama. After “Marshals,” the CBS procedural that follows Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes) as he leaves ranch life to join an elite U.S. Marshals unit in Montana, became runaway hit for the network when it premiered earlier this year, quickly earning a Season 2 renewal, the fictional character’s sister, Beth (Reilly), is poised for her spin-off debut. Joined by her husband Rip (Hauser) and their surrogate son Carter (Fin Little), the trio relocate to South Texas to escape the ghosts of the Yellowstone ranch and build a new life in “Dutton Ranch.” Managing a new 7,000-acre property, they encounter new friends (a compassionate veterinarian played by Ed Harris) and foes (a rival rancher played by Annette Bening). The nine-episode series premieres with two episodes on May 15. Ahead of the show’s launch, reports surfaced that Chad Feehan, the show’s creator and showrunner, would not return for Season 2. I spoke with Voros, a longtime collaborator of Sheridan, about how the new series is different from the mothership, whether its central couple parallels the epic love story featured in “The Madison” and the show’s she’s been watching. — Y.V.
How is “Dutton Ranch” different from “Yellowstone”?
“Yellowstone” was entirely about a family holding on to the legacy of a place, and “Dutton Ranch” is entirely about building a new legacy. From a spiritual sense, what is driving these characters is similar — it is the bond to family, it is protection of each other. But the landscape has changed. In many ways, what was about land in the mothership has alchemized into being about family in “Dutton Ranch” because that’s what is left. The land that has brought them to their knees in war for generations is no longer something that burdens them, but they are tasked with building a new life and protecting that new life that they have built.
What is it about Beth and Rip that struck a chord with “Yellowstone” viewers? And why do you think they are well–suited to stretch this TV universe?
Everyone loves a good love story and everyone loves an imperfect hero. When two people find each other and complete each other in a way that is both untraditional and heroic and romantic, it’s hard not to fall in love with them — and it’s hard to not want to fight for them and want to see them succeed. I’ve been with “Yellowstone” since the first season, and I remember very clearly being out there in Montana, making this crazy, big, ambitious TV show. And I remember, the next year, no one could go out to a restaurant in town without being accosted. Then the next year, there were Rip and Beth costumes at the store for Halloween. It takes a very special kind of actor to be able to carry that story and that character forward and to keep evolving, and to not become a caricature of themselves, but to grow not just the fictional person, but to also grow as an artist, to continue breathing life into that character. And I think Kelly and Cole have done so with with such grace and such a profound commitment to each other and to the show and to storytelling. They’re both EPs this season, and it’s so well-earned. It’s not just on face value. They have been in the trenches from the very beginning, really fighting for and protecting themselves and the DNA of the series.
I know, in theory, Taylor’s other series that you worked on, “The Madison,” is not in the same fictional universe. But at the heart of that series is this epic, once-in-a-lifetime romance. Do you see parallels? Do you think Preston (Kurt Russell), whose character loved visiting Montana, and Rip would have ever crossed paths? Would they have liked each other?
They would have enjoyed a beer together if they stumbled into each other at the same bar. I think the pursuits that feed their souls are different. Beth and Stacy would have ultimately gotten along after probably some kind of caustic series of remarks at the same bar.
I think there’s something about enduring love that is in both of those relationships. There are parallels in terms of the secrets that people carry, not necessarily nefarious ones, but sides of yourself that you don’t always see. I will say, Rip and Beth understand all the facets of each other in a way that is different from Stacy and Preston. The love story of “The Madison” is about two people who share everything but this one thing. Rip and Beth’s characters have also known each other since they were teenagers, and they have experienced most of each other’s lives together. If you look at Taylor’s writing, and maybe this comes from his own love story, he loves writing these strong romances, whether it’s Rip and Beth or Stacy and Preston. There are these grounding relationships that are formed by these volatile people, and it is fascinating to watch, and I think people find something familiar in them.
Ed Harris as Everett McKinney and Annette Bening as Beulah Jackson in “Dutton Ranch.”
(Emerson Miller / Paramount+)
The cast in the Sheridan TV universe are all pros. You’re also working with some major screen heavyweights — Kevin Costner, Helen Mirren, Harrison Ford, Michelle Pfeiffer, etc. In “Dutton Ranch,” you have Annette Bening and Ed Harris. What was the pinch-me moment?
I don’t even know where to start. Ed came into my office to chat at the very beginning, before we started prep. I just froze for a second; I lost my ability to speak like a normal human being. You have to forget that they are who they are in the beginning until you settle into a routine, otherwise you would be too awe-inspired to really do anything productive with your day. I feel so spoiled by the caliber of artists that I’ve had the opportunity to work with. I’m working with Sam Jackson right now on “Frisco King.” I look at the work that I’ve done with Michelle and Kurt, then Annette and Ed on this — it’s such an honor that artists of that caliber are excited to come play in these worlds. Everyday on set with Annette and Ed makes me a wiser director, makes me a smarter human being.
It was recently reported that Chad Feehan, the series co-creator, departed the series as showrunner. What was your collaboration with him like? And how do you think he handled setting the foundation for this series?
Writing a spin-off to “Yellowstone” comes with a tremendous amount of responsibility and a tremendous amount of opportunity. It’s a gift to be able to work with characters like Rip and Beth, and I think Chad did a wonderful job creating a world of characters for them to go toe to toe with in the Jacksons. The original DNA of the No. 1s on our call sheet was always there, but they are entering a new path and a new part of their own journey and worthy adversaries were needed.
OK, before I let you go, what have you watched recently that you are recommending to everyone you know?
“The Beast in Me” [Netflix], I thought was unbelievable. It’s not the kind of thing that I normally watch. I just finished watching “Imperfect Women” [Hulu]. I was so taken by the performances in both of those shows. I love “Hacks” [HBO Max], I love “Shrinking” [Apple TV]. I balance my dark thriller with comedy.
“Yellowstone” and “The New World” actor Q’orianka Kilcher has taken legal action against filmmaker James Cameron, Disney and others she says used her likeness in the wildly lucrative “Avatar” film franchise without her knowledge.
Kilcher, 36, filed her complaint Tuesday in California Central District Court and is suing on numerous counts including misappropriation of likeness, invasion of privacy and interfering with possible financial gain. She is seeking an unspecified amount in damages and a jury trial. The parties involved in the making of the “Avatar” film series “commercially exploited [Kilcher’s] likeness in developing and continuing the Avatar franchise” and “systematically avoided alerting or crediting her,” the lawsuit states.
Disney and a legal representative for Cameron did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. Cameron’s production company Lightstorm Entertainment, a California-based laser scanning studio and a New Zealand-based VFX firm are also among the co-defendants.
The claim at the core of Kilcher’s lawsuit is that Cameron in 2005 “extracted, replicated and commercially deployed her facial likeness” from a photo of a 14-year-old Kilcher as Pocahontas in the Terrence Malick film “The New World” and used it to inform the facial characteristics of Neytiri, a key character in the “Avatar” franchise played by Zoe Saldaña. Cameron spoke of Kilcher’s influence on the character in an interview with French YouTube channel Konbini. In the video, published in 2024 and noted in the lawsuit, James references the original sketch work for Neytiri. “The source for this was a photograph that was in the L.A. Times as part of the promotion for ‘The New World,’” he said. “It’s a young actress named Q’orianka Kilcher, who played Pocahontas in ‘The New World.’”
He adds in the video: “This is actually her lower face. She had a very interesting face. And I wound up meeting her years later and I gave her a signed print of this [sketch].”
The lawsuit alleges that the final look of Neytiri featured in the “Avatar” films “was not a fleeting inspiration or vague homage; it was a literal transplant of a real teenager’s facial structure into a blockbuster movie character.” In the 2024 interview, Cameron said the model of Neytiri had come to resemble Saldaña after she was cast. The first “Avatar” film was released in 2009 and grossed more than $2.9 billion.
The complaint also claims that the design process for Cameron’s Na’vi character moved on without Kilcher’s consent and that she was not compensated for influencing Neytiri’s design, further alleging that the film team’s actions “violated child performer laws and privacy laws designed to protect minors.” According to the lawsuit, the team behind “Avatar” did not “even attempt to have Plaintiff audition for the role of Neytiri” and refused the actor after her agent attempted to book a reading for the sci-fi epic.
Kilcher accuses Cameron of “creating a misleading narrative that she was simply unavailable” to appear in the original “Avatar” film and of leading her on with the idea of potentially appearing in later “Avatar” movies. Cameron released “Avatar: The Way of Water” in 2022 and “Avatar: Fire and Ash” in 2025.
The lawsuit said Cameron and Kilcher crossed paths at a Hollywood environmental charity event in 2010 and he instructed her to later pick up a “surprise gift” at his production offices. According to the lawsuit, Cameron gifted Kilcher a framed and signed print of the original Neytiri sketch with the note: “Your beauty was my early inspiration for Neytiri. Too bad you were shooting another movie. Next time.” Kilcher said she found the note confusing at the time. She had also contacted Cameron over the years, but “nothing concrete materialized,” according to the lawsuit.
The 99-page complaint describes Kilcher as an Indigenous actor-activist, noting she is of Quechua-Huachipaeri heritage. The lawsuit also alleged Cameron’s actions were hypocritical of his films’ messaging and detailed public backlash Cameron and the films faced for its depictions of Native groups.
“The result was a highly lucrative film franchise that presented itself as sympathetic to Indigenous struggles,” the lawsuit said, “all while silently exploiting a real Indigenous youth behind the scenes.”
According to her complaint, Kilcher “learned of the betrayal Cameron had kept from her” in August 2025, after video of the filmmaker discussing Neytiri’s design came across her social media feed. She “was shocked, heartbroken, and felt utterly betrayed,” and was motivated to reexamine and scrutinize archival “Avatar” materials. That included behind-the-scenes footage featured in a recent Blu-ray DVD release and an “Avatar” production art book, which, according to the lawsuit, did not credit the actor. The suit includes several side-by-side photos of Kilcher in “The New World” and various Na’vi characters from “Avatar” material.
In addition to damages and a jury trial, Kilcher seeks a public statement acknowledging her contributions and correcting “any false or misleading statement about her,” and payment of profits attributable to the “unauthorized” use of the actor’s likeness and identity.
EMMY award-winning actor William H. Macy has revealed the most difficult Hollywood stars, according to him.
The star, 76, has been acting for four and a half decades and has worked with the who’s who of Hollywood in his time.
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William H. Macy has revealed the most difficult Hollywood stars in his opinionCredit: SXSW Conference & Festivals viaHe shared his thoughts on the We Might Be Drunk podcastCredit: WE MIGHT BE DRUNK POD
He appeared on the We Might Be Drunk podcast with hosts Mark Normand and Sam Morril as they attempted to get some gossip out of him.
Mark asked: “We gotta ask, which actors do you really hate?,” before listing off some big names, including Tommy Lee Jones, who he acted in the 1994 film, The Client with.
William responded: “He was rough,” before adding: “I’m not letting out any secrets.”
The hosts then asked him what he thought about Jim Carrey, to which he replied: “I did not act with him, but I’ve just heard he can be really tough.
“You know, there are a lot of actors out there, it p****s me off, who make life miserable for a lot of people and they don’t get busted for it and it p****s me off.”
William began his career on stage in theatre, before building his career by starring in small, independent films.
His breakthrough role was in black comedycrime film Fargo in 1996 which got him critical acclaim and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.
He went on to star in big Hollywood films in his career, including Psycho, Jurassic Park 3, Spartan and The Lincoln Lawyer.
He claimed Tommy Lee Jones was “rough”Credit: Getty – ContributorWilliam was asked what Jim Carrey is likeCredit: Getty
William’s television work includes playing Dr. David Morgenstern in ER for 15 years and as Frank Gallagher on the US Shameless for 10 years.
He is a two-timeEmmy Awardand four-timeScreen Actors Guild Awardwinner, and has been nominated for anAcademy Award, aDrama Critics’ Circle Award, and fiveGolden Globe Awards.
The Hollywood star married actress Felicity Huffman in 1997 after dating on and off for 15 years.
The pair went on to have two children together – daughters Sophia Grace and Georgia Grace.
Matthew Perry’s collection of “Friends” memorabilia, fine art and other prized possessions is going up for auction next month, nearly three years after the actor died at age 54.
Auction house Heritage Auctions announced Tuesday that it will partner with the Matthew Perry Foundation to sell the late actor’s collection. The proceeds will go toward the nonprofit, which seeks to support people living with addiction and move past the stigma that surrounds substance use abuse disorder.
The auction for items from Perry’s estate officially begins June 5, but interested buyers can preview the items from May 18 to May 29 at Heritage Auction’s showroom in Beverly Hills. They can also start placing proxy bids. The listed items notably include plenty of “Friends” memorabilia, ranging from art pieces depicting the TV cast to magazines featuring the “Friends” crew and Perry to episode scripts signed by the cast. Currently, the bid for the signed script of the “Friends” pilot is set at $3,600.
Perry’s painted portraits are up for sale as are his Screen Actors Guild Award from 1995 (he and his co-stars won the prize for performance by an ensemble in a television comedy) and trio of nomination certificates. Perry famously portrayed the wisecracking Chandler Bing in the hit sitcom, which aired on NBC from 1994 to 2004. He starred alongside Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston.
Before his death, Perry shared his love for Batman via social media, often calling himself “Mattman.” His Batman fandom is also abundantly clear in the more than two dozen items of Batman-inspired art, furniture and trinkets that are also up for sale.
The actor and author’s personal art and vintage movie posters collection — including a pair of Banksy works, a piece by Pablo Picasso and a framed “It’s a Wonderful Life” movie poster signed by its star James “Jimmy” Stewart— are among the listings. A handful of miscellaneous items — sports gear and equipment, a Nintendo GameCube, accessories and fine jewelry and a black bi-fold wallet — are also up for auction. The full catalog of listed items can be found on the website for Heritage Auctions.
“Matthew believed addiction should be met with compassion and science, not stigma and silence,” Lisa Kasteler Calio, chief executive of the Matthew Perry Foundation, said in Tuesday’s announcement. “This auction fuels the Foundation’s work to expand access to evidence-based care and confront stigma. It is one more way we ensure that no one has to fight this disease alone.”
Perry, who had been open about his struggles with addiction, died Oct. 28, 2023, from acute effects of ketamine, a drug sometimes used to treat depression, officials said. The woman known as the “ketamine queen” who provided the drugs that killed Perry was sentenced last month to 15 years in prison. Jasveen Sangha pleaded guilty in September to one count of maintaining drug-involved premises, three counts of distribution of ketamine and one count of distribution of ketamine resulting in death or serious bodily injury.
Indiana officials have disclosed the official cause of death for “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” star Nicholas Brendon, who died in March.
The Putnam County Coroner confirmed in a report shared with The Times on Tuesday that the actor, best known for portraying the loyal and wisecracking Xander Harris, died of atherosclerotic and hypertensive cardiovascular disease. Acute pneumonia and a previous myocardial infarction — a heart attack — were listed as contributing factors in his death.
Brendon died March 20, his family announced in a statement on his social media pages. The family said he died of natural causes, which was also confirmed by the coroner’s report. The report also noted that Brendon had “90% blockage” in his right coronary artery. He was 54.
“He was passionate, sensitive, and endlessly driven to create,” his family said on Instagram in March. “Those who truly knew him understood that his art was one of the purest reflections of who he was.”
Prior to his death, Brendon experienced multiple health issues. He was hospitalized in 2022 after he was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect and after suffering a cardiac incident. The “Criminal Minds” star also underwent multiple spinal surgeries to manage cauda equina syndrome, a rare condition in which nerve bundle in the lumbar or sacral spine are compressed or not functioning properly. His serious spinal injury was triggered by a fall in 2021 that required emergency surgery to prevent paralysis, his manager Theresa Fortier said in a statement at the time.
The coroner’s report described the scene of Brendon’s death, noting that because of the actor’s “declining health” Fortier had spent more time with him and notified authorities of his passing. The report confirmed there were no “obvious signs” of foul play and that “nothing seemed out of place or disturbed” in Brendon’s home, which appeared to be under renovation. Fortier told officials that the actor — a longtime smoker — was dealing with a “persistent” cough, complaining about chest pain and “self-medicating” with over-the-counter drugs prior to his death, according to the report. Brendon also declined further medical treatment.
According to the report, Brendon also had a “markedly enlarged heart,” “moderate” blockage in some of his left arteries and small bowel inflammation.
In addition to “Buffy” and “Criminal Minds,” Brendon was known for roles in the TV series “Without a Trace,” “Private Practice” and “Kitchen Confidential.”
Times staff writer Clara Harter contributed to this report.
Contenders are almost lined up for the 79th Tony Awards.
Tony nominee Uzo Aduba and Tony winner Darren Criss on Tuesday morning will announce the nominees live on CBS and YouTube. Nominated productions included “The Lost Boys” and “The Balusters,” with Rose Byrne (“Fallen Angels”) and John Lithgow (“Giant”) earning acting nods.
Other headline nominees included John Lithgow (“Giant”), Lesley Manville (“Oedipus”), Nathan Lane (“Death of a Salesman”), Daniel Radcliffe (“Every Brilliant Thing”) and Stephanie Hsu (“The Rocky Horror Show”).
The 79th Tony Awards will return to New York City’s Radio City Music Hall on June 7. The ceremony, hosted by Pink, will air live on CBS and stream on Paramount+.
Here is the complete list of nominees. (This story is being updated.)
Performance by an actress in a leading role in a musical
Sara Chase, “Schmigadoon!” Stephanie Hsu, “The Rocky Horror Show” Caissie Levy, “Ragtime” Marla Mindelle, “Titaníque” Christiani Pitts, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)”
Performance by an actor in a leading role in a musical
Nicholas Christopher, “Chess” Luke Evans, “The Rocky Horror Show” Joshua Henry, “Ragtime” Sam Tutty, “Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)” Brandon Uranowitz, “Ragtime”
Performance by an actress in a leading role in a play
Beanie Feldstein and Bonnie-Chance Roberts are expecting a baby, the “Booksmart” actor and her wife announced Monday on social media.
“Limited Edition Scouse Beanie Baby coming soon!!” the couple said in a joint Instagram post, captioning a carousel of pictures showing Feldstein with and without her wife, both dressed in shades of pink and white, plus a white-frosted cake ringed with the pink inscription “B+B are having a baby.”
Anyone want to place a bet on whether it’s a girl?
The “Beanie” in the baby caption is self-explanatory, while “Scouse” is a reference to the accent in Roberts’ Liverpool home town.
Feldstein and film producer Roberts, who met in 2018 during preproduction on the 2019 movie “How to Build a Girl,” made their red-carpet debut at the movie’s premiere and then got married in June 2023. The wedding festivities spanned two days in New York’s Hudson Valley and incorporated a summer camp theme.
Feldstein told Vogue at the time that the ceremony’s outdoor and rustic nature was inspired by “our happy place together.” The “Lady Bird” actor grew up going to summer camp and said her family has a history of finding love in those childhood spaces.
“To get married at a camp was a truly beautiful emotional homecoming,” she said.
Friends including Whitney Cummings, Kaitlyn Dever, Ben Platt, Olivia Wilde, Uzo Aduba, Joey King and Monica Lewinsky chimed in with glee in comments on the joint post.
“Luckiest baby,” wrote Wilde, who directed “Booksmart.” “And I’m finally a grandma!!!!”
Times staff writer Alexandra Del Rosario contributed to this report.
It’s officially May, which means summer vacation season is upon us. If you’re planning a trip to the beach, just make sure it’s got cell service (don’t say we didn’t warn you).
This week, Apple TV released the first two episodes of “Widow’s Bay,” a horror comedy that takes a closer look at those cozy seaside vacation towns and what might be beneath the surface. Katie Dippold, the creator of the series, which stars Matthew Rhys, Stephen Root and Kate O’Flynn (Jeff Hiller, one of my faves, also has a nice supporting role), stopped by Guest Spot to talk more about the genesis of the show and why it bends genres — more on that below.
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Also in this week’s Screen Gab, we recommend a documentary film (and an animated short) that looks at the musical legacy of the King of Pop, and a recent docuseries about the FLDS community. — Maira Garcia
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Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times
Quincy Jones, left, Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie in Netflix’s “The Greatest Night in Pop.”
(Netflix/Courtesy of Netflix)
‘The Greatest Night in Pop,’ ‘Sing: Thriller’ (Netflix)
I don’t know whether the release of “Michael,” the Michael Jackson biopic, had anything to do with “I Want You Back,” the greatest single of all time, playing in my dentist’s office today, but MJ is definitely in the air, posthumously pelleting us with his fantastic music and permanently controversial self. Somewhat in that spirit, I offer Bao Minh Nguyen‘s 2024 documentary “The Greatest Night in Pop,” about the recording of the 1985 super-duper star charity single “We Are the World,” co-written by Jackson and Lionel Richie and featuring the oddest assortment of singers ever to be gathered into a single studio — a congregation including Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, Steve Perry, Huey Lewis, Stevie Wonder, Willie Nelson, Dionne Warwick, Cyndi Lauper, Ray Charles, Bruce Springsteen and Harry Belafonte, among others. (Richie, Springsteen, Lauper, Lewis and Sheila E. sit for new interviews.) Jackson fans will get a glimpse of him at work like a normal musician, albeit one dressed as the General of Neverland. Dylan watchers will see a fish far out of water. Local historians will enjoy footage of L.A. in the ‘80s. On another, quite delightful note, “Sing: Thriller,” also from 2024, is a 10-minute cartoon take on Jackson’s video of the same name, starring the cast of the “Sing” movies, zombified and, naturally, dancing. — Robert Lloyd
Christine Marie in Netflix’s “Trust Me: The False Prophet.”
(Netflix)
‘Trust Me: The False Prophet’ (Netflix)
Mormonism has been under the spotlight lately, with reality series and documentaries taking a closer look at the religious group. But one particular sect, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, has long come under scrutiny for its practices and allegations of cult-like behavior, child marriage and child sexual abuse. This four-part series from director Rachel Dretzin is a continuation of her work documenting the FLDS community (she previously directed 2022’s “Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey,” also for Netflix). It follows cult expert Christine Marie and her husband Tolga Katas, who moved to Short Creek, Utah, where the community previously led by Warren Jeffs, the former FLDS leader and convicted felon, is based. Marie befriends the women in the community, gaining their trust, only to find out that another man, Samuel Bateman, is claiming to be a prophet. What she uncovers is a web of abuse and crimes. The series is riveting and disturbing, culminating with Bateman’s arrest and eventual conviction. — M.G.
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Matthew Rhys and Stephen Root in Apple TV’s “Widow’s Bay,” now streaming.
(Apple)
Have you ever taken a vacation to a nice place but then see or experience something that just feels off? Apple TV’s new series, “Widow’s Bay,” tries to capture some of that feeling, where a seemingly quaint town hides dark secrets.
Matthew Rhys plays Tom Loftis, the mayor of Widow’s Bay, an island 40 miles off the New England coast. He’s attempting to save the region from economic slump — there’s no WiFi, cell phone service is spotty, the streets need repaving — by trying to make it a tourist destination. He manages to get a New York Times travel writer to visit, who writes a story that seems to turn the town’s fortunes. But much to Tom’s chagrin, the locals — particularly Wyck, played by Stephen Root — say the island is cursed and it has been awakened to unleash a “haunt.”
Creator and showrunner Katie Dippold’s fascination with such places began at an early age, growing up in New Jersey, where her family would take trips to the shore. She began writing the series more than 10 years ago, and it’s evolved over the years. “Believe it or not, this was originally a ‘Parks and Recreation’ sample for me when I got that writing job,” says Dippold, whose writing credits also include “The Heat” and “Ghostbusters.” “But it was very different, it was more comedic.”
While the show incorporates some comedic elements, it very much has moments of horror and dread that might make you gasp when something unexpected happens. Some of that feeling is thanks to director Hiro Murai (“Atlanta,” “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”), who directed the first three episodes and the final two. “Sometimes it’s like a ‘blink and you miss it’ kind of moment, which I love for this show,” Dippold says, even if it meant losing some of the humor they’d written in the scripts.
The creator spoke over a video call to dissect the characters and series, and explained whether or not we would see Willy the clown from Episode 2 again. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. — M.G.
You’ve worked on a number of comedic projects, and this show has comedy elements. But horror is definitely a part of this show. Have you always been into horror, and why mash up these genres?
I’m a comedy writer, first and foremost, but I’m also the biggest horror fan. I like watching horror more than I like watching comedy. I just wanted to try to create a world where you could play with both of those things. But I should say that I actually don’t like most horror comedies. The ones that do it well are some of my favorite movies, like “American Werewolf in London,” “Cabin in the Woods” or “Shaun of the Dead,” and even the three of those are very, very different.
Especially in a TV show, I didn’t want it to feel like constant horror and dread. I like having those moments with a surprise laugh … or just something completely absurd. But, to that point, it was also a constant tonal tightrope walk from beginning to end because … I never wanted to undercut the tension. As a horror fan, I wanted to take it very seriously, and so that was a challenge from the scripts to production to casting to the edit to the score, just every step of the way.
The show is set in a small island town that’s trying to become the new “it” destination — comparable places like Bar Harbor, Maine, and Cape Cod are mentioned — except the townsfolk say it’s cursed. What about these communities intrigues you and why set the story in that location?
I grew up in New Jersey, and I always loved going to the Jersey Shore, and I always talk about this haunted house on the boardwalk that I used to always go to, and I just love that seaside haunted house vibe. I think I always romanticized it … that atmosphere is my dream. A couple years ago, I went to a diner in Marblehead, Mass., and it’s called the Driftwood, and it was just so perfect … in the sense that it was so cozy and lived in. You could see the ocean outside. It was a gray, cloudy day and there was a cemetery that was not that far away. There’s something about it that I found so special, and I never wanted to leave that place. And so I just wanted to get that feeling and get it on the screen.
Unique places have unique people like Wyck, who is trying to warn Tom about the fog that’s rolled in. Wyck is an oddball — every town seems to have one. Was that rooted in anyone or anything?
I was just trying to think of who would be the best thorn in Loftis’ side, and Stephen Root is so great at everything he does, and he’s so funny, but then so heartbreaking the next. When I was young, my dad had his drinking buddies, and Wyck doesn’t seem that far off from that kind of person, so I kind of relate to that. He represents the voice of the people of the islands, the real islanders, the real locals that take it all very seriously, and so he’s just the constant menace to Loftis.
And poor Tom is so practical. He’s worried about keeping the town afloat and literally keeping the lights on. But he also kind of believes the stories. How does this character and his contrasts help illustrate the story?
I think Loftis, in the beginning of the story, is at a place of determination and optimism. He cannot accept that this is his life and he cannot accept that this is the life of his teenage son [Evan, played by Kingston Rumi Southwick]. So he’s really trying to bring what he can to the island through tourism and what that would do for the town. But there’s some stuff that he needs to reckon with — he will throughout the season. I think I can be very optimistic, and so when you learn the hard truths of life, I always take that very hard myself.
Is this related to his wife being dead?
I think that’s a huge part of it. There’s a lot of what happened with his wife that he hasn’t fully reconciled. There’s stuff he needs to come to terms with … if he keeps repressing it, it’s just going to destroy him.
You set some ground rules or parameters of the world we’re in: First the quake, the fog and so forth. How did you come up with it?
In the writer’s room, we spent so much time thinking of the history of this town and different eras of leadership. …Because the more that we fleshed out this world since 1681, the funnier it was to us when something would pop out that’s ridiculous, you know what I mean? Like, then the ludicrous is more fun, if everything else feels real. It’s so important that you buy everything that’s happening, because it’s very easy to go off the rails. Once you start not buying it, it’s very hard to get back to ever feeling the tension.
The other thing I would say about the mythology, the rules … Loftis could dismiss it. Like the examples the [New York Times] reporter gives at the restaurant [of islanders going to the mainland and dying], those are weird. It’s weird that those things happen to people, but it’s also not like they all went on a boat and blew up. It’s just weird enough that I know I would take it seriously but still murky enough to give a little bit of room for Loftis to dismiss it and not be a complete lunatic.
They’re plausible enough to have happened.
But deep down, I think it scares him very much and that’s why he’s putting in all the effort.
In Episode 2, we see Willy, a creepy, fast-moving clown. Will we see him again?
Oh, possibly. Because I think for some things on the island, if you’ve heard about it before, it’s existed before and it’s come back, so it’s probably not completely gone.
Hiro Murai directed the first three episodes and he has a couple more at the end of the season. I feel like we see his stamp on the show. Was he someone you wanted to work with?How did he help bring your vision to life?
He was my dream director for it because I love “Atlanta” so much. I think Hiro is so fantastic at creating a very grounded world, a grounded scene and then still surprising the hell out of you with some absurd moment.
“Atlanta” was very inspiring to me. I had written this long before, and I was rewriting throughout the 10 years or so. But TV changed in the process, from the time I wrote the pilot to now, and that was very helpful. I think he’s so good with specifics and little nuances, and we have a very similar sense of humor. … I just knew this show would never be corny if [Hiro] was directing it.
Last thing, what are you watching right now that you’d recommend to others?
I’m rewatching “Game of Thrones” [HBO Max]. Me and my boyfriend … make breakfast every Saturday morning and rewatch an episode from the series. And it’s such a fun rewatch because the first time, I had not read the books. It’s so fascinating to rewatch again, now that you understand what the hell is happening.
I’m also watching “Hacks’” [HBO Max] final season, which I always love. In terms of movies … we were in production and then I was in post, so I didn’t get to see a ton of new stuff, but I loved “Weapons” [HBO Max]. I know it’s now a year old … but that’s my honest answer.
His brother confirmed he died peacefullyCredit: UnknownThe actor also played in the film MercyCredit: Alamy Stock Photo
“It is with a heavy heart Im here to inform everyone of the very sad passing of Beau Starr. [Mike Starr] asked me to make the announcement,” wrote Christopher Serrone, who starred alongside Starr in the 1990 mob film.
“Beau enjoyed a rich a meaningful life. He was a son, brother, father, grandfather, actor and NFL/CFL player. Please take a moment to help me remember a great guy. RIP.”
Fans were also left devastated, flooding social media with memories of his most iconic roles.
“He was a great actor, your scene with him in Goodfellas is still a scene I will never forget, he was also good in Halloween 4-5, May he rest in peace,” one fan wrote.
“He was a great actor & good man in person. Very sad to read this news. I am sorry for his family loss,” another wrote.
Before finding fame on screen, Beau Starr lived a very different life – starting out as a professional football player.
After several years on the New York Jets practice squad in the late 1960s and two seasons in the Canadian Football League, Beau got his break in entertainment on Bizarre – a half-hour sketch comedy show starring Bob Einstein and featuring comedians like Howie Mandel.
He landed his first film role in 1982’s Hanky Panky, starring Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner, before going on to play Sheriff Ben Meeker in Halloween IV and Halloween V.
Fans of director Martin Scorsese will remember Starr for his role as Henry Hill’s father in Goodfellas, with co-star Christopher Serrone.
Starr also became a familiar face on TV, starring in 66 episodes of Due South between 1994 and 1999.
His long list of credits includes films such as Born on the Fourth of July, Speed, Angels in the Infield, The Cactus Kid and Cinderella Man, as well as TV shows including Wings, T.J. Hooker and Doc.
His former manager, Timothy Beal, said Starr always appreciated his fans, especially those of the Halloween franchise.
Beal said he only ever had positive experiences with the late star and wished they had worked together more.
Samuel Monroe Jr., known for ‘90s cult classic films “Menace II Society” and “Tales from the Hood,” is fighting for his life after doctors misdiagnosed a meningitis infection.
Monroe’s wife, Shawna Stewart, confirmed the news with Complex, telling the outlet that the star contracted meningitis 18 months ago while filming in Las Vegas.
“He went to several different hospitals, where his condition was repeatedly misdiagnosed and because of this negligence, the meningitis went untreated for eight months,” Stewart told the outlet.
She said that by the time doctors properly diagnosed the actor, the infection had already spread “not only to his spine but also to his brain.”
According to the Mayo Clinic, meningitis is an infection and swelling of the fluid and membranes around the brain and spinal cord. The inflammation from meningitis typically triggers symptoms such as headache, fever and a stiff neck. While viral infections are the most common cause in the United States, bacteria, parasites and fungi can also cause the condition.
The family launched a GoFundMe on Monday, sharing that the financial strain has been “immense” and that over the last nine months, Monroe has been in multiple hospitals and two rehabilitation centers. According to the fundraiser, the actor will require around-the-clock care if he regains consciousness and is removed from life support.
“As the whole family and friends do not want to think negative in the event that Samuel is taken home by God,” Tayonna Stewart wrote on the GoFundMe. “Any funds raise would be put towards a proper and respectful celebration of life for his family, friends and fans to attend.”
The actor’s mom, Joyce Patton, also shared the news on Facebook and asked for prayers for her son.
“Please pray for Samuel Monroe Jr. my son who is now on life support,” she wrote on Saturday. “God don’t make no mistakes but he is gracious and I am humbly asking for his mercy and grace for Sam. I love you son … to the moon and back 100 times.”
At present, the GoFundMe has raised 7% of its $50,000 goal, with “Big Boy’s Neighborhood” radio host Kurt Alexander contributing $1,000.
Monroe, who has gone by the stage name “Caffeine” and “Caffamilliano,” landed his first acting gig in 1993, opposite Patti LaBelle on the hit TV series “Out All Night.” The same year, he splashed onto the big screen, portraying Ilena’s cousin in “Menace II Society.”
He’s also acted in films “Tales from the Hood,” “Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood,” “What Goes Around Comes Around,” “Set It Off” and “The Players Club.”
Most recently, he acted in 2023 films “Packz” and “Payment Received.”
French actor Tahar Rahim revealed how he and his co-star Izuka Hoyle were handcuffed together during filming for four months.
Speaking about the challenges of filming while attached to his co-star, The Serpent actor explained: “Being handcuffed to someone for four months filming could easily be a nightmare, but Izuka is a beautiful soul.
“We got on incredibly well and became real friends. She’s my partner in crime. It was a pleasure.”
The pair star as highly valued prisoner and mafia informant Tibor Stone (Rahim) and prison transport officer Amber Todd (Hoyle) respectively.
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After their prison convoy is attacked by the organised crime group that Stone is testifying against, Todd makes the split-second decision to handcuff herself to him and ensure he makes it to court for the trial in four days’ time.
However, Tibor isn’t just any informant; he’s a trained assassin and can take out many of the people sent to eliminate him before he can reveal all.
This required both Rahim and Hoyle to jointly perform stunts while their characters were handcuffed.
Addressing these challenges, the Golden Globe and BAFTA nominee explained: “Being handcuffed during big stunt sequences made things more complex.
“Our stunt team was brilliant and inventive, open to ideas and incredibly collaborative.
“Izuka and I had to constantly adapt and choreograph every movement together.
“Izuka has great instincts and she’s strong, which made everything easier. I decided to just flow with her and to treat it like a dance.
“For me, acting with a partner is a kind of dance: you listen, you feel, you respond.”
Meanwhile, Big Boys and Scottish BAFTA winner Hoyle explained: “Having them on made us realise just how close we were going to be to each other for such a long period of time, and that took some getting used to.
“Tahar is incredible. He’s physically fit, so in terms of us pushing each other, it was great.
“Our competitive streaks would come out… ‘We can go faster than that. We can do better than that. We can push harder than that.’ And we did. Everyone around us would be like, ‘F****g hell’.”
Prisoner will be released on Sky as a boxset on Thursday, April 30
Jada Pinkett Smith is asking a judge to make Bilaal Salaam cover the $49,000 in legal fees she racked up fighting claims he made in a December lawsuit.
According to a motion filed April 20 and obtained by The Times, Pinkett Smith is asking that Salaam pay $49,181.23, consisting of “reasonable attorneys’ fees incurred” in connection with Pinkett Smith’s successful special motion to strike Salaam’s complaint, “plus further fees and costs associated with this motion.”
Salaam — Will Smith’s former best friend of 40 years who also goes by Brother Bilaal — filed a lawsuit against the “Bad Moms” actor in December, alleging emotional distress and seeking $3 million in damages.
Salaam claimed that in September 2021, he attended a private birthday party for Will Smith at the Regency Calabasas Commons. According to his lawsuit, he was in the lobby of the movie theater when Pinkett Smith approached him with about seven members of her entourage and threatened him. Salaam’s suit claims that Pinkett Smith told him he would “end up missing or catch a bullet” if he kept “telling her personal business.” She also allegedly pressured him to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
In November 2023, Salaam appeared on the “Unwine With Tasha K” podcast and alleged that he walked into Duane Martin’s dressing room and saw Will Smith having a sexual encounter with the “All of Us” actor. He also made claims about Pinkett Smith’s sexual habits.
Pinkett Smith swiftly responded during an appearance on “The Breakfast Club” and said that Salaam started the rumors as part of a broader “money shakedown” and that his claims were “ridiculous and nonsense.”
“It’s not true and we’re going to take care of it,” she said. “We’re about to take legal action.”
Salaam beat Pinkett Smith to the courthouse and sued her in December, but Pinkett Smith asked the judge to toss the case in February.
According to the motion filed this week, the former “Red Table Talk” host argues Salaam should pay her hefty legal bills because she “prevailed on her anti-SLAPP motion” and the court struck all allegations relating to media statements “that formed the basis for Plaintiff’s three causes of action, as well as additional allegations regarding a cease-and-desist letter.”
Russell Brand, the British comedian and actor who has been accused by multiple women of rape and sexual assault, said his sexual flings amid the height of his fame in the early aughts included sleeping with a 16-year-old girl.
Brand confirmed the relationship to Megyn Kelly on the the latest episode of her eponymous podcast and YouTube show published Wednesday. “I did sleep with a 16-year-old when I was 30,” he said, “but when I was 30 I was a different person. I was a lot younger and I was an immature 30-year-old.”
The “Get Him to the Greek” actor, 50, emphasized that the age of consent in the United Kingdom is 16 and reflected on his behavior at the time, adding that he thinks having consensual sex as a famous person “involved exploitation.” He said he felt fame and addiction paved the way for “opportunity for endless consent which led me to be a hedonist and a fool and exploiter of women.”
“That is wrong and that is something that needs to be redeemed and addressed and atoned for,” he added.
Brand’s relationship with a 16-year-old girl became public in 2023 when the Times of London and Britain’s Channel 4 published a joint investigation detailing allegations of rape, sexual assault and other abusive behavior against the once-in-demand actor. One of the women who raised allegations against Brand said she became involved with the former actor when she was 16 and he was 31, and that he referred to her as “the child” in their relationship. According to the woman, Brand reportedly forced his penis down her throat, making it difficult to breathe, and she fought him off by punching him in the stomach. Brand denied the claims at the time.
The investigation centered on alleged incidents that occurred between 2006 and 2013 — the peak of Brand’s Hollywood fame — and laid the groundwork for additional complaints against the raunchy comedian to come to light.
In April 2025, the Metropolitan Police Service charged Brand with single counts of rape, indecent assault, oral rape and two counts of sexual assault connected to alleged attacks on multiple women between 1999 and 2005. U.K. authorities pressed additional rape and sexual assault charges against the “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” actor in December. He will stand trail in October.
Brand, ex-husband to pop star Katy Perry (who is facing her own sexual assault scandal),fell mostly out of public favor within the past decade and pivoted his focus to religious and “free-thinking” content. Last year he appeared at Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest 2025.
At the beginning of the podcast episode, Kelly said that after learning about allegations against Brand she “felt anger for a couple years” toward the actor. However, Kelly said she grew open to speaking with him after some time and an “enormous amount of open-mindedness to [Brand] being railroaded and attacked by people.”
Notably, Kelly in November offered a flimsy definition of pedophilia when it came to late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Citing “somebody very close” to Epstein’s case, Kelly said Epstein “ was into the barely legal type, like, he liked 15-year-old girls,” Kelly continued.
“I’m not trying to make an excuse for this, I’m just giving you facts — that he wasn’t into, like, 8-year-olds,” she added at the time. “But he liked the very young teen types that could pass for even younger than they were, but would look legal to a passer-by.”
Times staff writer Meredith Blake contributed to this report.
Plucked from a previous life as a working actor, Richard Gadd experienced a disorienting whirlwind less than two years ago. “Baby Reindeer,” his painfully personal 2024 Netflix show, based on the sexual assault he survived, instantly opened the floodgates of fame for him.
“The show came out on Thursday, and by Sunday, I could barely walk anywhere without being recognized, without being stopped,” Gadd says while visiting The Times’ offices earlier this month. “That’s an adjustment because I always thought if anything like that ever happened, it would be a bit more of a gradual process. But it was overnight, so I didn’t have time to adjust.”
Now the winner of three Emmy Awards and a slew of other accolades for that series, which he starred in, wrote and served as showrunner, Gadd, 36, has already helmed a new emotionally ferocious show.
Probing the tropes of rigid masculinity, “Half Man,” premiering Thursday on HBO, chronicles the destructive bond between two men over several decades. Niall and Ruben — whose respective mothers are romantic partners — call themselves brothers but they couldn’t be more dissimilar.
Bullied at school, meek Niall (played by Mitchell Robertson in his youth and Jamie Bell in adulthood) lost his father as a young boy. He dreams of being a writer. Meanwhile, the insolent and hyper-confident Ruben (Stuart Campbell as a teen and Gadd as a grown-up) has been in trouble with the law from a tender age. Facing any conflict, he resorts to brutal violence. When Ruben takes Niall under his wing, the two become inseparable. But as the years and resentments pile on, their cancerous brotherhood threatens to obliterate them both.
“Half Man” follows the destructive bond between Ruben (Richard Gadd), left, and Niall (Jamie Bell) over several decades.
(Anne Binckebanck / HBO)
“Richard’s writing is really unique and really singular,” Bell says on a video call from England, where he’s currently shooting the “Peaky Blinders” sequel series and is sporting a shorter haircut. “He identifies that real gray area of humanity really well and he puts a voice to the most uncomfortable places that we go into or things that we think when we’re alone in the dark, when we think no one’s watching.”
Gadd wrote the first episode of what would become “Half Man” back in 2019, while he still was performing the live version of “Baby Reindeer,” which he turned into the series. At the time, he recalls, society at large was seriously engaging in conversations around toxic masculinity and sexual violence as the #MeToo movement gained strength.
“It wasn’t necessarily that I set out going, ‘Oh, I want to make a show about that,’” Gadd says. “It was more that something must have just drifted into my head thinking, ‘You take two men repressed in their current life, repressed in the modern world. And then you go all the way back to their childhood. You contextualize learned behavior; you contextualize trauma and things they learned that make them these repressed adults. And you bring a bit of context to, I suppose, difficult male behavior in the present.’”
As “Baby Reindeer” launched his career as a creator, Gadd put “Half Man” on ice for four years but couldn’t stop thinking about returning to it. “Even as I was coming to the end of ‘Baby Reindeer,’ I thought, ‘I’m really looking forward to getting back to that project,” he recalls. “The second ‘Baby Reindeer’ finished, I thought, ‘This is what I’m going to do now.’”
Sitting across from the mild-mannered Gadd, the magnitude of his transformation on screen for “Half Man” becomes even more impressive. Gadd comes off as thoughtful and emphatic, while Ruben, his physically imposing character, commands trepidation.
“The second ‘Baby Reindeer’ finished, I thought, ‘This is what I’m going to do now,’” Gadd says about working on “Half Man.”
(Ian Spanier / For The Times)
Watching Gadd as the rage-fueled Ruben, one might be surprised to learn he originally had no intention of acting in “Half Man.” After wearing multiple hats on “Baby Reindeer,” Gadd thought this time around he could get a purely external bird’s-eye view of a project as showrunner and writer of “Half Man.” But eventually people around him suggested he should be in front of the camera once again.
“My initial response was always, ‘That’s just so far away from anything I’ve done before. It’s so far away from me. Are people going to buy it?’” he recalls. “And behind every single fear-based thought was a worry of what people might think, which in my opinion, isn’t a good enough reason to not do something.”
Convinced audiences would struggle to see the guy from “Baby Reindeer” as this “hard man,” a U.K. term for tough and intimidating men, he had to physically morph. To inhabit a new body, Gadd underwent a strict exercise regimen, and most importantly, a new diet.
“I had a chef make these meals in England, fun enough, and send them up to Scotland where I was filming,” he recalls. “I’d eat them at specific times. You go through periods of fasting and through dehydration whenever you had your top off. There was a real science to it.”
And yet, though he at first worried he wouldn’t look big enough, Gadd refused to portray Ruben with a chiseled physique conceived for mere aesthetics.
“I didn’t want him to have a six pack, I wanted him to feel like a real person,” Gadd says. “Sometimes when you see someone on TV and they’re ripped, I almost don’t think that’s real strength. Someone like Ruben, they wear their life in their body, they’re heavy set. It’s not ripped. It’s bulky. It’s natural to him.”
Before he agreed to play the character, Gadd auditioned numerous actors for the part, but with all of them he felt they were too focused on his appearance as an imposing figure and not his inner turmoil. “Ruben is extremely sad as a person. He’s terribly broken and traumatized,” he says.
For the series, Gadd bulked up to become more physically imposing: “Someone like Ruben, they wear their life in their body, they’re heavy set. It’s not ripped. It’s bulky. It’s natural to him.”Richard Gadd in “Half Man.”(Anne Binckebanck / HBO)
When asked if he sees himself as Ruben, Gadd contemplates the question, debating whether it’s his “jetlagged brain” or ambivalence about finding some of Ruben within him.
“Do I see myself in Ruben?” After a pause, he concedes: “All of his behavior is a reaction to a deep traumatic happening in his life. I can relate to finding it extremely difficult to get past big traumatic events and coming to terms with them and coming to terms with yourself even as a result of them.”
With less hesitation, Bell, 40, acknowledges that he finds a certain kinship with his character. As a teenager, Bell flocked to people with a defiant edge. “I grew up without a father in an all-female household and I felt very naked as a child in terms of needing to be protected by someone who was dominant and aggressive,” he says. “I totally understand why Niall seeks solace in someone like him. No one will touch Ruben. There is a safety in that.”
Gadd says he doesn’t think about celebrities when searching for the actors. “I’m quite fame-averse when it comes to casting because I think sometimes it can get in the way,” he explains. “You can have a show, which starts up with all the best intentions, turn into a sort of acting vehicle for someone, or the discussion becomes about the actor doing this role.”
That said, when the casting director on “Half Man” asked him about his “dream cast,” Gadd expressed Bell was the only one who would genuinely excite him. But could that happen? “In my head, I was still in pre-‘Baby Reindeer’ time where I thought, ‘Well, somebody like him is not going to be interested.’ And then I thought, ‘Well, he might be,’” Gadd says.
For his part, Bell found the “nihilism” in Niall, a man desperately running from his true self and living in Ruben’s shadow, an enticing and complex character to play. “[Niall] conceals himself in many different ways, and has a lot of self-loathing, but at the same time has all these ambitions and actually is incredibly egotistical and thinks that his way is the correct way, and that other people don’t understand that he is terminally unique,” Bell explains with a chuckle.
Bell, who plays Niall, says his character “conceals himself in many different ways, and has a lot of self-loathing, but at the same time has all these ambitions and actually is incredibly egotistical …”
(Anne Binckebanck / HBO)
Aside from a tight schedule to produce “Half Man,” the challenge for Bell was adjusting to the dramatic intensity that Gadd was after. “I wasn’t particularly prepared for that, therefore sometimes my reading of certain scenes I’d get wrong. We’d start scenes and Richard was like, ‘You are pitching it at like a six, and this is very much an 11,’” Bell recalls laughing. I was like, ‘Oh, OK.’ That took some modulating.”
In Gadd’s mind, Bell remains an “underrated” artist. A proud Scotsman, Gadd recalls loving Bell in the 2007 romantic dramedy “Hallam Foe,” where the British actor played Scottish. For “Half Man,” Gadd thought Bell could convey the pain that haunts Niall, even as his actions paint him less like Ruben’s victim and more like a vengeful participant in the chaos.
“There’s always something I find so vulnerable about Jamie and I knew that I was going to take Niall in some really big journeys where he was going to almost test the audience’s love for him,” Gadd says. That Niall finds Ruben so alluring is natural to Gadd, who believes the notion of a valiant male figure has been bred into everyone via fables and fairy tales.
Gadd adds that whether or not we like to admit it, we’re drawn to alpha male characters. “Because from an early age, we’ve been told they are always at the top of the social hierarchy. And as a result, we’ve always, as a society, answered to those kinds of people as some sort of leaders.”
And though he says he’s unfamiliar with the “manosphere,” the misogynistic and chauvinistic online community, Gadd doesn’t believe Ruben would fall for the gurus in those circles who claim to have the answers for young guys to become “real men.”
“Ruben carved his own masculinity. To give him credit, if that’s even something you can give him, those spaces wouldn’t hold any weight for him. He’s his own man,” Gad says. “He would never follow anyone on social media. He’s the person to be followed.”
Based on the tone of Gadd’s output thus far, it may come as a surprise that as a young person he dreamed of creating a show along the lines of the U.K.’s “The Office,” which he considers a “perfect piece of art.” The stories he is telling now better reflect his “neuroses” and the experiences he’s endured.
“My life just took a very dramatic turn, and my sensibilities weren’t workplace sitcoms anymore. When I grew up and I was doing comedy I thought, ‘I’ll write a sitcom one day and every character will be sort of funny in it,’” he says. “But my life just took a turn to the point where I needed my writing and my art darkened because what I went through was very dark.”
Humor is not entirely absent from “Half Man,” some of the characters’ reactions to their distressing realities earn a chuckle. Still, Gadd’s funny bone might also find an outlet in other people’s narratives. He was recently announced as part of the cast in Apple TV’s upcoming high-concept series “Husbands,” for which he already shot his scenes. Adapted from a bestselling novel of the same name, it stars Juno Temple as a woman who gets to experience life with a different partner every time she changes the light bulb in her attic.
“I’m very picky with stuff I take on. Because I love writing my own work so much, anything that takes me out on someone else’s show has to be very special. And this was very special,” Gadd says.
“Everything I do doesn’t have to be dark,” he adds with a soft smile.
