More from Naveen Kumar
How ‘Bridesman’ Star Sydnee Washington Helped Grindr Land Its First Emmy Nom
When Sydnee Washington was 11 years old, she accidentally burned down the house. The Brooklyn-born comedian was living with elderly relatives in Oakland, California, at the time, behaving, in her words, like a “little Black Dennis the Menace.” “If playing with fire was not my first time having a bit, I don’t know what was,” […]
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Jasmine Cephas Jones Says Her ‘Blindspotting’ Character Is a “Warrior and a Hero”
It’s not often that a small part in a film leads to the starring role in a spinoff series. Jasmine Cephas Jones was involved from the early stages of the movie Blindspotting, which co-writers and stars Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal developed for some 10 years before the movie premiered at Sundance and was released […]
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Adrienne Warren Talks the High Stakes of Playing Powerful Women From Real Life
Playing Tina Turner was an “unbelievably difficult, exciting and exhilarating” experience, says Adrienne Warren, who was in the midst of a Broadway run in the starring role of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical when everything came to a halt in March 2020. “Our entire community was in deep mourning,” Warren recalls, not knowing when or […]
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Robin De Jesus on His Personal Connection to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s ‘Tick, Tick… Boom!’
Robin De Jesús remembers when he first discovered the Rent cast album while sitting around with his theater-nerd friends as a high school freshman. “I saw a bunch of Black and brown faces integrated with white folks on the cover and thought, ‘Oh, wow, I didn’t know there was space for me here,’ ” the […]
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‘President’ Director Camilla Nielsson and EP Thandiwe Newton Reflect on State of Zimbabwe Democracy
President, the documentary from filmmaker Camilla Nielsson, offers a gripping and unprecedented front seat to recent history — as well as dire warnings about what lies ahead. The incidents it chronicles likely sound familiar to American viewers. A young and progressive political upstart runs on a message of hope. A national election faces allegations of […]
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‘The Prom’: How Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Keegan-Michael Key Learned to Dance and Sing for the Musical Comedy
Netflix's musical comedy — about a group of self-centered actors who descend upon small-town Indiana to support a teenager banned from bringing her girlfriend to the dance — required its A-list stars to step out of their comfort zones.
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Octavia Spencer on How C.J. Walker Was “Able to Achieve So Much When the World Told Her She Had No Value”
Octavia Spencer reflects on the lessons learned from her Netflix limited series 'Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker' and navigating Hollywood as a Black woman.
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How Music Drove the Narratives Behind ‘Euphoria,’ ‘High Fidelity’ and More Series
Music supervisors from 'The Eddy' and 'Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist' also discuss the ways in which music can help create well-rounded characters.
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How ‘Hollywood,’ ‘Hunters’ and ‘Watchmen’ Revisit History to Highlight “Systems of Power”
These series reimagine a past altered by braver and bolder choices that shine a light on the present day.
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Why Diane Warren’s Oscar-Nominated Song for ‘Breakthrough’ Made Her Cry
The 11-time nominee has made history by not nabbing even one Oscar — but is grateful to be invited: "I'm writing my best songs right now."
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‘The Farewell,’ ‘Honey Boy’ Screenwriters on Using Their “Personal History” for Stories
Scribes reveal how and why they pulled from their own memories to craft vulnerable examinations of their lives for their films: "Who I am now is also linked to the memory of that past."
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‘Fosse/Verdon’ Star Margaret Qualley on Using Ballet Background to Play Dance Idol
FX series 'Fosse/Verdon' gave the Supporting Actress Emmy nominee the chance to play her idol — and to return to her first love.
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