Bel Powley Says She Was ‘Blown Away by How Contemporary’ Making Holocaust Drama ‘A Small Light’ Felt
This story about Bel Powley and “A Small Light” first appeared in the Limited Series / TV Movies issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
Like so many of us, Bel Powley read “The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank when she was in school. But she was less familiar with the woman responsible for the world’s awareness of the diary: Miep Gies. The secretary of Otto Frank, Gies helped hide the Frank family from the Nazis for two years in Amsterdam and kept Anne’s diary safe after the family was arrested in 1945.
“I know a lot about this part of history — the big historical and political backdrop — but I didn’t know anything about Miep or the Dutch resistance,” Powley said. So playing Gies in the National Geographic limited series “A Small Light” was a daunting experience — but also a deeply rewarding one. “It’s so rare...
Like so many of us, Bel Powley read “The Diary of a Young Girl” by Anne Frank when she was in school. But she was less familiar with the woman responsible for the world’s awareness of the diary: Miep Gies. The secretary of Otto Frank, Gies helped hide the Frank family from the Nazis for two years in Amsterdam and kept Anne’s diary safe after the family was arrested in 1945.
“I know a lot about this part of history — the big historical and political backdrop — but I didn’t know anything about Miep or the Dutch resistance,” Powley said. So playing Gies in the National Geographic limited series “A Small Light” was a daunting experience — but also a deeply rewarding one. “It’s so rare...
- 6/5/2023
- by Missy Schwartz
- The Wrap
This story about “Obi-Wan Kenobi” first appeared in the Limited Series/Movies issue of TheWrap’s Emmy magazine.
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” seems like the kind of no-brainer, easy layup, slam dunk that is conceived quickly and executed even more quickly. We’re talking a limited series from Disney+ and Lucasfilm that followed the titular Jedi in the lonesome time between the prequels and 1977’s “Star Wars: A New Hope.” But it was not so fast and easy. In fact, for years, McGregor had no idea if he’d ever play the wise mentor again. “There was a constant social media noise about another Obi-Wan project, and I was constantly asked in every interview that I ever did,” he said. “Eventually I would answer truthfully and I would say, ‘Yes, I would totally be up for playing Obi-Wan Kenobi again.’”
About five or six years ago Lucasfilm finally reached out to McGregor,...
“Obi-Wan Kenobi” seems like the kind of no-brainer, easy layup, slam dunk that is conceived quickly and executed even more quickly. We’re talking a limited series from Disney+ and Lucasfilm that followed the titular Jedi in the lonesome time between the prequels and 1977’s “Star Wars: A New Hope.” But it was not so fast and easy. In fact, for years, McGregor had no idea if he’d ever play the wise mentor again. “There was a constant social media noise about another Obi-Wan project, and I was constantly asked in every interview that I ever did,” he said. “Eventually I would answer truthfully and I would say, ‘Yes, I would totally be up for playing Obi-Wan Kenobi again.’”
About five or six years ago Lucasfilm finally reached out to McGregor,...
- 6/5/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
This interview with Rachel Weisz and Kitty Hawthorne from “Dead Ringers” first appeared in the Limited Series / TV Movies issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
Rachel Weisz appears in nearly every scene of “Dead Ringers,” Amazon Prime’s six-episode reimagining of David Cronenberg’s seminal 1988 film about codependent twin gynecologists. Jeremy Irons played both brothers in the original, and in the new limited series exec-produced by acclaimed British playwright Alice Birch, Weisz takes on double duty, starring as Beverly and Elliot Mantle, brilliant obstetricians whose symbiotic relationship proves untenable when one of them falls in love.
So Weisz not only appears in nearly every scene, she appears in nearly every scene twice.
“It was the biggest acting challenge I’ve ever done,” Weisz said.
To shoot scenes in which both twins appear, Weisz acted opposite Kitty Hawthorne, usually playing Elliot first while Hawthorne played Beverly. They’d shoot, swap roles...
Rachel Weisz appears in nearly every scene of “Dead Ringers,” Amazon Prime’s six-episode reimagining of David Cronenberg’s seminal 1988 film about codependent twin gynecologists. Jeremy Irons played both brothers in the original, and in the new limited series exec-produced by acclaimed British playwright Alice Birch, Weisz takes on double duty, starring as Beverly and Elliot Mantle, brilliant obstetricians whose symbiotic relationship proves untenable when one of them falls in love.
So Weisz not only appears in nearly every scene, she appears in nearly every scene twice.
“It was the biggest acting challenge I’ve ever done,” Weisz said.
To shoot scenes in which both twins appear, Weisz acted opposite Kitty Hawthorne, usually playing Elliot first while Hawthorne played Beverly. They’d shoot, swap roles...
- 6/2/2023
- by Missy Schwartz
- The Wrap
On “Dead Ringers,” the Amazon Prime Video series based on David Cronenberg’s 1988 film, Rachel Weisz stars as twin Ob-GYNs Elliot and Beverly Mantle, who share everything from drugs and lovers to ethically questionable methods for pushing women’s health forward. They also share the frame in an enormous number of scenes over the course of all six episodes of “Dead Ringers,” which created significant challenges for both Weisz and visual effects supervisor Eric Pascarelli.
Pascarelli, who was tasked with creating seamless images in which Weisz could act opposite herself as the twins, had previous experience from the 2020 HBO limited series “I Know This Much Is True,” starring Mark Ruffalo as twins that guided him on “Dead Ringers.” “The secret of the visual effects is a great actor,” Pascarelli told IndieWire. “Acting itself is a visual effect.”
Because Pascarelli knew “Dead Ringers” would live or die on the strength of Weisz’s performances,...
Pascarelli, who was tasked with creating seamless images in which Weisz could act opposite herself as the twins, had previous experience from the 2020 HBO limited series “I Know This Much Is True,” starring Mark Ruffalo as twins that guided him on “Dead Ringers.” “The secret of the visual effects is a great actor,” Pascarelli told IndieWire. “Acting itself is a visual effect.”
Because Pascarelli knew “Dead Ringers” would live or die on the strength of Weisz’s performances,...
- 5/2/2023
- by Jim Hemphill
- Indiewire
Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including red carpets for The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Dead Ringers and a Queen Charlotte celebration.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie special screening
Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Seth Rogen and Sebastian Maniscalco attended a special screening in Los Angeles on Saturday for their Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Michael Jelenic, Aaron Horvath, Sebastian Maniscalco, Nintendo’s Takumi Kawagoe, Christ Pratt, Brian Tyler, Charlie Day, Nintendo’s Koji Kondo, Illumination CEO Chris Melendandri, Kevin Michael Richardson (Bottom second L-r) Seth Rogen, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto and Jack Black Chris Pratt and Charlie Day Anya Taylor-Joy
Dead Ringers premiere
On Monday, Prime Video hosted the world premiere of psychological thriller series Dead Ringers in NYC, with star and EP Rachel Weisz along cast members Britne Oldford, Poppy Liu,...
The Super Mario Bros. Movie special screening
Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day, Jack Black, Seth Rogen and Sebastian Maniscalco attended a special screening in Los Angeles on Saturday for their Super Mario Bros. Movie.
Michael Jelenic, Aaron Horvath, Sebastian Maniscalco, Nintendo’s Takumi Kawagoe, Christ Pratt, Brian Tyler, Charlie Day, Nintendo’s Koji Kondo, Illumination CEO Chris Melendandri, Kevin Michael Richardson (Bottom second L-r) Seth Rogen, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto and Jack Black Chris Pratt and Charlie Day Anya Taylor-Joy
Dead Ringers premiere
On Monday, Prime Video hosted the world premiere of psychological thriller series Dead Ringers in NYC, with star and EP Rachel Weisz along cast members Britne Oldford, Poppy Liu,...
- 4/7/2023
- by Kirsten Chuba
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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