Andy Garcia has been pulled back in by The Godfather Part III, and he hopes you will be too.

Shortly after breaking out in 1987's The Untouchables, Garcia was cast in what can only be described as a dream role for any actor: the newest member of the Corleone family in a Godfather film. Almost 20 years after making history with The Godfather and The Godfather Part II, recognized as two of the greatest films of all time, writer Mario Puzo and director Francis Ford Coppola were ready to make a follow-up. Garcia joined a cast of returning legends — Al Pacino, Diane Keaton, Talia Shire — to play Vincent, the illegitimate son of the slain Sonny Corleone (James Caan) who is finally brought into the fold. Garcia's fellow newcomers included George Hamilton and Sofia Coppola, the filmmaker's daughter who was tapped at the last minute after Winona Ryder dropped out.

The resulting film has a complicated legacy. Godfather Part III earned seven Oscar nominations, including one for Garcia, but it was also seen as a substantial step down from its predecessors, which had set an almost impossibly high bar.

Now, tied to Part III's 30th anniversary, Coppola is releasing what he says is his and Puzo's "true vision" for the series' conclusion, a re-edit titled Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone.

The new version — now playing in select theaters and out Tuesday on Blu-ray and digital — "is an acknowledgment of Mario's and my preferred title and our original intentions for what became The Godfather Part III," Coppola previously said in a statement. "For this version of the finale, I created a new beginning and ending, and rearranged some scenes, shots, and music cues. With these changes and the restored footage and sound, to me, it is a more appropriate conclusion to The Godfather and The Godfather Part II."

Ahead of Coda's release, EW chatted with Garcia about his Godfather dream coming true, the "unjust" criticism of Sofia Coppola, and a fourth film with Leonardo DiCaprio that never came to be.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Thirty years later, what's it been like revisiting a film that was so important to you and your career?
ANDY GARCIA: It was very emotional, seeing it with this new narrative structure and the changes Francis has made to it. It made the movie even more emotional for me. I saw it at the Paramount theater with Al, Diane, George, and Talia, and so it was just the five of us, and it's always emotional to revisit something, the memories were so vivid and important in my life. So to get back to it and reflect upon seeing the movie come to life in this new form, which was a great experience, but also just rekindling all the time we spent making the movie, which is really the thing about making films. Sometimes the end result of any movie you make is too many people put their hands on it and the movie can start losing its identity. But we always have the memories of making it, which nobody can ever take away from us.

Were you surprised that Francis wanted to go back to it? Do you remember him being unsatisfied in the moment?
In this case I think Francis, as he's articulated, was under a lot of pressure for a release date that he had committed to, which was Christmas Day, and I think he felt that he was still finding his movie and he eventually had to lock what he had and he went out with something. And he probably reflected over the years, like he's done with The Cotton Club and the Apocalypse Now series, that he had things that he wanted to clean up and revisit. And I'm happy he did, because I think the movie is beautiful, as the other one is. But there's a clarity to this narrative now that has helped the movie be seen and enjoyed in a different way and gives it a whole 'nother power.

I would have loved to be a fly on the wall in that theater as you, Al, Diane, Talia, and George watched together. That was probably the first time you'd all been in the same room since you made it.
I've seen Al a little bit over the years, and Diane, we worked together on Book Club, so these are all friends of mine that I got to know during the making of the movie. The consensus was that we were all very emotional at the end of the film, and even Diane said she didn't remember herself being that emotionally affected by the film. Of course there's a loaded element that you're revisiting your life on screen in a sense, a time in your life that was important to all of us. For me, to be associated with those films and get a chance to work with the people I was working with, specifically Francis and Al, and of course Sofia. Al had been a great inspiration to me all my life, and continues to be for an entire generation of actors, not only my generation but generations that are coming up. So to get a chance to play with Al in that way was a very special time for me.

Going back, what is your memory of Godfather Part III coming into your life? I'm sure you were excited, both as a film fan and actor.
The first mention of the movie really took place in the late '70s or early '80s, and there was this talk of this new version and there was going to be a young guy in it. I felt, "Well, that's my part." Every actor said that, it wasn’t just me, but I wanted that part because I had such a connection to the first two, like all of us did. I felt like I could deliver that part. But my career had not gotten started yet, I was struggling to find agents and to get work. Luckily it was delayed for close to 10 years and I had an opportunity to build a career, and I had done several movies for Paramount at the time before that, The Untouchables, Black Rain, and I was doing Internal Affairs at the time, which they had developed for me. And the head of the studio, Mr. [Frank] Mancuso, came to me at lunch and said, "What are you doing in September? I'd like to talk to Francis." This was like in May. "I'd like you to play Vincent in the new series." I was like, "I'll check my schedule and get back to you right away." [Laughs] And then it became this whole process. I had a lot of support from Fred Roos, who worked with Francis for many years, and he was a big supporter of mine. But, you know, Francis goes through his process.

I was the last person to screen-test. Rehearsals started the Monday after Labor Day, I screen-tested the Friday before. So people were going in to screen-test all summer long and I was telling my agents, "Let me go in, let me go in, I'm going to lose this part. The studio wants me but Francis is going to make the choice. I need to meet Francis. I need to show what I can do with the part." They kept saying, "Be patient, be patient." I was like, "I'm going to lose this opportunity. Someone is going to come in and Francis is going to say, 'I like this person.'" And I'm sure a lot of great actors did a great job with it, but I got my shot and the next day I was cast in the film. I actually auditioned on Friday, Fred Roos came into the room after the audition as I was taking my wardrobe off, and he said, "Francis would like for you to stay for dinner," so I felt like that was a good sign. And by the time I put my own clothes back on and I had taken the wardrobe off, he came back in and said, "Hey, there's been a change of plans, you can go ahead and go home now." So I felt good about what I did and there was nothing I could do any more about it. And the next morning I got a call saying I got the part, and I got on a plane and went to Napa.

Probably every actor would want to be in a Godfather film, even if you're just in the background, but what was it about Vincent specifically that spoke to you?
I had prepared for that part all my life, just reading the novel and watching the other two movies hundreds and hundreds of times, so I just felt a connection. I knew who this family was, I knew this world. I felt that I was ready to play him. I felt confident, and once I got the opportunity I just jumped in. The first day of a rehearsal in Napa, Francis cooked for us that night. Actually, he cooked for us every night, but the first cook, I tried to help him out and I saw him cooking in the kitchen, so I went in there and tried to be a proper Corleone. You have to help the godfather out and ingratiate yourself into the family. [Laughs] And so Francis was making a pasta for Mario Puzo, an onion-based sauce with fresh basil, I remember him saying, "Go into the garden and grab a basil," so I was just there as a solider waiting for him to tell me what to do next. I went over to see Mario and say, "Hey, Mario, what insights can you give me towards Vincent Mancini? He’s your creation." And he said, "He has the smarts of Vito, the temper and passion of Sonny, the coldness and calculations of Michael, and the warmth of Fredo." And I said, "Thanks a lot, I'll go work on that." [Laughs] That was something I took with me, that the character did not have to be one-dimensional, that he could have vulnerability, he could have all those things, and that's what I aspired to.

Al Pacino as Michael Corleone is one of the greatest performances and characters in film history. Having already watched him in that role and knowing what he had achieved, what was it like being paired with Al? It's probably already intimidating enough because it's Al Pacino, but it's also Al Pacino in The Godfather.
I had the good fortune of knowing Al socially prior to getting the part. We played a lot of tennis together. I was introduced to him through Steven Bauer, who had worked with him on Scarface, so there was an ease between us already. Maybe Al can either correct me or say, "I don’t remember," but I remember going to rehearsal and I saw him there for the first time and he said something like, [impersonating Pacino] "I always knew it was gonna be you!" [Laughs] Listen, I was also lucky that I had a resemblance to the family and to Al, and that plays into a casting choice. But Al, we were just fellow actors; I was there to do what I needed to do and he was there to do what he needed to do. There’s an old saying, the boards, meaning the stage, is always the great equalizer. You've got to come ready to do your thing. You've got to look after your character, with all respects. Al is extremely generous and he loves the craft, and he looks at like we're all in it together kind of thing. The better the parts, the better the whole. So there was never an element of feeling any kind of intimidation or anything like that, there was just camaraderie and warmth and confiding within one another. We spent a lot of time together in Rome, even off set, eating and talking, not even about the film — just being a family.

The other person you were working with closely onscreen was Sofia. What was it like getting to play opposite her, and do you feel like all the negativity that came her way upon the film’s release was unfair? This was essentially a first-time actor who was only here because Winona Ryder dropped out at the last minute. The critics were pretty harsh with their reviews.
Yeah, I thought the reaction to her performance was very unjust. I think her performance is extremely soulful and honest and courageous. I'm very proud of the work we did together, and I'm very proud of the work she did. I think people will see the movie again and feel that our connection as characters is very deep and very true. Sofia actually rehearsed with us the weekend we were in Napa, because Winona Ryder was doing a movie and she wasn't there, so Sofia just sat in to read her part. And then obviously very courageously went to help her father when her father said, "I want you to play Mary," and she said, "What?!" She was studying design and fashion and art and was extremely talented, and, well, we know her career. There's a reason why she is who she is, and that is who she was then. So when she stepped in, to me, it was beautiful. He wanted that character not to be in her late 20s and a woman, he wanted it to be a very young, innocent coming-of-age relationship with this young girl and this dangerous cousin. She was like 16 or 17 years old, and that is who she is in the movie. And I thought all of the reaction to her work was pre-empted by an article that came out that kind of strayed things into an area that people started to jump on board. And I think when people see the movie again, if they have the desire to do so, they will see a very beautiful and touching and soulful performance and relationship that Sofia and I had.

What do you remember of conversations about there being a fourth Godfather film? I've seen reports that there could have been something similar to the structure of Godfather Part II, but with you and Leonardo DiCaprio.
When we were making it I remember having some conversations with Francis a little bit about if there was another one, what would it be. He said, "Well, maybe your character would have to deal with the Colombian cartel," because this movie took place in the late '70s, and then [Coppola] would go back and explore the 1930s, which is an era of the book that wasn't explored, and maybe do a back-and-forth thing. And that stuck in my head, and later on there was a rekindling of that and Francis had mentioned to Paramount to hire Mario to create this new story and see how it comes out. It got announced in the papers and Variety and stuff like that. I was only involved because I had suggested to my agent at the time, who represented Leonardo DiCaprio, that he would be the right age at that time to play Sonny, and I guess he said, "Oh, that would be a great idea," and [Robert] De Niro could still play Vito in the 1930s, and then I would play Vincent and technically Al could still be alive because [Michael] died when he was like 90 years old. So basically you could put the whole gang back together. And so that began to take its form, but then Mario passed away shortly thereafter and the whole thing seemed to just go away. At the end of the day, it's really Francis' call if he wants to explore that. He doesn't seem like that's a thing he wants to do. I think he did want to explore this.

As you've been reflecting back on your Godfather experience, what did being a part of this historic trilogy mean to you?
It was the reason I decided to become an actor. I was always enamored with film throughout my life, so the seed was already inside of me without even knowing it, but once I saw these movies the seed began to break open and this inner flower had to be catered to, or else it would kind of become a vine and strangle me. I needed to really deal with it. And The Godfather was the movie that did that. I said, "I want to aspire to do that one day, and I'd like to aspire to achieve that level of acting, to be a part of a movie like this." So it was a dream of mine, and I had the blessing to fulfill a dream actually working with Francis. So you've got to give that up to the man upstairs that gave me the strength and insanity to pursue it. I don't know how else to describe it. It was a calling. People have callings in their life, I'm not alone in that, but I certainly felt there was a calling to me, that connection to that film, and I've always said it. So be careful what you wish for!

Related content:

• Watch Francis Ford Coppola pull you back in with trailer for new cut of Godfather: Part III
• Revisiting the highs (and low) of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino's big-screen collaborations
• Oscar Isaac and Jake Gyllenhaal to star in film about the making of The Godfather

This story originally appeared on: EW - Author:Derek Lawrence

Sadly, it's time to say goodbye to the Gallaghers.

After 11 years of hilarious debauchery, Shameless is returning on Sunday for the final season of Showtime's hit series.

To catch you up on the Gallaghers, here is where we last left them: Fan favorite couple Ian (Cameron Monaghan) and Mickey (Noel Fisher) tied the knot, Kev (Steve Howey) and V (Shanola Hampton) finally got engaged, the cops are looking to arrest Debbie (Emma Kenney), Carl (Ethan Cutkosky) is hoping to become a cop, and Lip (Jeremy Allen White) fell off the wagon after a fight with Tami (Kate Miner) over his refusal to move to Milwaukee.

Ahead of Shameless' final season debut, EW chatted with showrunner John Wells about rewriting the entire season due to the pandemic, addressing the big issues of 2020, and whether Emmy Rossum will return as Fiona.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How far along were you writing the final season when the pandemic hit? I feel like you guys were prepping to start shooting, right?
JOHN WELLS: We were three days away from starting shooting. I was supposed to direct the first one, and we were supposed to start that next Monday when everything shut down on that Thursday. We had written through about seven or eight episodes, so we continued in the writer’s room on Zoom for several more months. Like everyone else, we assumed it was going to be a few weeks that we shutdown originally, and then it ended up being five months. So we rewrote everything from the beginning. We felt that on Shameless, because we see the show as a raucous comedy that also is a satire, we’re trying to satirize what is going on in the country all the time, so it seemed essential for us to address what was going on for communities all over the country that were bearing the brunt of the financial consequences of what was happening. We eventually had to start shooting, so we picked a moment in time and we continued to write to what is going on, as best we can knowing full well that we’ll be several months out of sync by the time it airs.

There has been a big debate over whether shows should be incorporating things like the pandemic into story lines. For example, I just was talking to my dad about this, and he's someone on the side of saying he turns to TV for entertainment and to escape what's going on in the world. I totally get that and agree that not every show should do this, but Shameless is one that I was very interested in seeing how you handled it, just because of your history with social commentary. Was there ever any debate over whether to incorporate everything going on in 2020, or did it feel like a no-brainer?
[Laughs] Never any debate about it. I have four shows that are in production right now, Shameless being one of them, and Shameless is the only show that we actually felt it was important and in the best interest of what the audience would want to deal with the pandemic. Animal Kingdom we’re not dealing with it at all or in the pilot we’re doing for HBO Max. Shameless lives on being topical, and to not deal with it and to not deal with the impact of it on this community would be wrong. So I’m with your dad; there are sometimes where I think it’s the right thing to do and sometimes where I think it’s not, but Shameless felt like one of the shows that really required it.

I’ve seen the first episode and the pandemic definitely plays a big role, but another 2020 element that I was curious if you’d be tackling was the Black Lives Matter movement and what happened in the aftermath of George Floyd's death. The last few seasons have featured Liam (Christian Isaiah) trying to understand what it means to be Black and stepping outside the Gallagher house to find role models who look like him. Will there be more of that for him, and will you dive into some of the BLM movement?
Yes. It’s a central issue and a central issue in communities like where we are on the South Side of Chicago. Nationally, it’s an essential conversation, and particularly important to deal with in communities like the South Side. So, yeah, absolutely, it continues to come up and it’s part of what is happening with Liam and Veronica.We just touched on Liam, but I wanted to run through all of the main characters and see if you could give me a bit of what to expect for each of them? Sound good?

We just touched on Liam, but I wanted to run through all of the main characters and get a bit on what is coming for each of them in this final season. Let's start with newlyweds Ian and Mickey.
The Gallaviches! Now they have to figure out how to be married. It’s one thing to get married and a whole other thing to be married. And it’s an issue. We have several writers involved with the show who are in similar situations in their lives, with same sex marriages, should they be married. People who are gay who get married face exactly the same challenges that everyone else does, which is, what does that actually mean now? Who are we? Did we actually talk about all of the things we should have talked about before we get married? So that’s a big part of what’s happening with Ian and Mickey. Where do they belong? How are they actually going to be a married couple now that they’re a married couple? And what does marriage mean? It’s a great way to explore it, because it’s been explored so many times in so many ways, and yet to get to be able to do it was a same sex couple gives you all different type of new ways to tell those stories.

What's up with Lip? The end of last season was busy for him, between falling off the wagon and getting a house without telling Tami.
We’re really using Lip and Tami to explore how hard the financial implications for working-class people have been during the pandemic, and how that impacts their relationship and their hopes, and how much it sets them back. One of the things that I think is going to be explored in great depths once we come out the other side of this is just how far down the ladder did we knock millions of working-class people, and the economic consequences of the pandemic. Lip and Tami are both having a really hard time, because their jobs and financial security is being undermined, so we’re spending a lot of time talking about that. And it’s a comedy, so we’re trying to find ways to make it funny. We’re dealing with some healthcare issues that they have to deal with within their families. They didn’t have much in the bank to begin with, and now how are you going to recover? One of the well-publicized statistics that was talked about a lot last year was that 40 percent of Americans don’t have $400 in the bank to cover any unexpected crisis. That definitely applies to Lip and Tami.

Debbie followed in the Gallagher tradition of being a criminal, as she was last seen running from the cops after sleeping with the underaged Julia. Where do we find here now?
She’s got an ankle bracelet on, and she’s also really struggling to have to figure out, who am I going to be? The overarching thing that we’re trying to deal with is, when you’ve had a really tight family that has difficulty together and has survived together and you’re dependent upon each other to survive, what happens when you become adults? How do you move away from each other and have your own relationships? How do you carve out your own life, and yet continue to look out for each other? Of everyone, she’s having the most difficulty with the fact that they’ve all grown up and they’re all going to have to start going their own separate ways in their other relationships. So that’s a big part of what she’s dealing with. She would be happy if they all just stayed in that house and nothing ever changed. [Laughs] And there’s always one sibling who has that opinion, like, “Why does this have to change? This works for me. It may not work for everyone else, but it works for me.”

On the other side of the law, Carl’s big pursuit of late has been to become a cop. How is that going?
This is one of the places where we’ve really been trying to deal with and find the kinetic way to deal with what the problems are with policing in the United States. And so we’re trying to use Carl to do that. It’s tied into the Black Lives Matter conversation, the defunding the police conversations. What should police be doing, who should they be on the streets, and what responsibilities do they have? All of that sounds really serious but it’s actually really funny [on the show]. Because we have to laugh about it so we can have a real conversation about what policing has become and how we need the police; nobody really wants there to be no real police, but what should policing be? And that is what Carl is trying to figure out.

You mentioned V earlier, but what else will be happening with her and Kev? They previously expanded The Alibi to include a gym.
If you close down small businesses, like bars, over and over again, small businesses that struggle to pay the bills as is, but are important vital parts to the community, what happens to those people who have tried to maintain that small business? We’re trying to use Kev and V to show how everything that is going on is ultimately impacting small business owners and people who are just trying to hang on. Again, sounds really serious, but it’s actually pretty funny. But we’re trying to get at the point of, without some real governmental support, a huge number of these businesses are going to disappear.

And Frank is still Frank. Should we expect that to continue?
Eventually you have the pay the piper for a lifetime of the kind of behavior and abuse that Frank’s been doing. So that is where it’s heading. What cost does Frank ultimately have to pay for all of these years of abuse?

I feel like it’s almost required for anytime I talk to you to ask about Emmy returning as Fiona, and now especially so as we approach the end. When we spoke for the season 10 finale, you said you would ask her, while also noting how busy she is. Obviously a lot has changed in the world since then, and it’s not as easy as just showing up for a day of filming. Have you talked with Emmy about returning, and what can you say about the possibility of seeing Fiona again?
Yeah, sadly, I’m not being coy at all. Emmy is doing Angelyne, a show for Peacock, and they had to shut down in the middle of it and they’re not sure when they’re going to go back. She and I have talked, and I think she would like to come back for a brief something. Whether or not that will be possible given what our shooting schedule is and what her shooting schedule is and where she’s going to be in the country, I have no idea. Again, not trying to be clever about it or anything. It will be based on circumstances when we’re ready to shoot, whether or not she’d be able to. But would love her to, I think she would like to, not sure it will be possible.

Wrapping up, what can you say fans overall should expect as we prepare to say goodbye to the Gallaghers?
A bit of what I already intimated, which is it’s going to be the show that you’ve seen in the past and if you liked it then you’re going to continue to like what we’re doing. We’re not pulling any punches on what’s going on in the country and how difficult it is for people in these financial circumstances, and how things have only gotten worse. But this is a family and a group of people who love each other and who survive by depending upon each other, which is a wonderful thing. So it’s going to be more of that, and we hope that everyone who has invested so much in these characters over the years will be pleased with where it ends up.

Shameless returns to Showtime on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET.

Related content:

• From Fargo to Chicago, Shameless star William H. Macy looks back on his famous roles
• Shameless boss on Showtime's decision to end the show, hopes for an Emmy Rossum return
• Shameless turns 100: The Gallaghers talk auditions, wildest scenes, and the future of the series

This story originally appeared on: EW - Author:Derek Lawrence

As William H. Macy heads into the 11th and final season of Showtime's Shameless (returning Sunday), the 14-time Emmy nominee is looking back on his most iconic projects, from Fargo to Chicago.

ER (1994 to 2009)

Twenty-seven years before Shameless, Macy's initial major foray into television helped set the table for Frank Gallagher. Beginning with the powerhouse medical drama's pilot, the actor appeared in 31 episodes as County General's chief of surgery, Dr. David Morgenstern. But it was ER's chief who stuck with Macy.

"John has a wonderful intolerance for bulls--- behavior," he says of John Wells, executive producer and showrunner of ER and Shameless. "He enforces that in such a lovely and genuine way. He never loses his temper — he’s like a Buddha. I lost my temper with him and I couldn’t get a rise out of the guy; he just sort of smiles. Every time he directs or writes or he’s on set, he looks like he’s having more fun than anybody else. He just loves every bit of it. He’s a got a rule: no sides. He doesn’t allow them on set. He said gently one day, 'Don’t you hate it when people walk around with those pieces of paper? Learn your lines! If you’re in trouble, carry the whole script.” [Laughs] Carrying the whole script is like a scarlet letter on your chest. From the second they get out of their car, the actors are ready."

Fargo (1996)

Macy wasn’t initially seen as a fit for sad sack Jerry Lundegaard, but the actor wouldn’t take no for an answer. "I thought Jerry was a great role for me, even though Joel and Ethan [Coen] had described him differently than me," says Macy, who was Oscar-nominated for his performance. "I loved Fargo the first time I saw it up in there in my brain. I didn’t have a doubt in my mind that it was going to be a wonderful movie. I know nobody will say that. They’ll say, 'I was completely shocked,' but I wasn’t. I thought the script was just magnificent. I loved the cadence, the dialogue, the music, the sense of humor. It had success written all over it."

And he wasn't the only one on the "relatively quiet" and "workman like" set who realized the rare opportunity in front of them. "We had the best time, Frannie [McDormand] and me," says Macy of his Oscar-winning costar, who portrayed Marge Gunderson. "We both just got that this was special and these were great characters."

Boogie Nights (1997)

In Paul Thomas Anderson’s breakout drama, Macy plays pornographer Little Bill, and the actor credits the filmmaker's acumen for putting together a cast, noting that many of the stars reunited for Anderson's next project, Magnolia. But Macy's biggest takeaway from Boogie Nights was the long tracking shot that began with Little Bill entering a New Year's Eve party and ends with him killing his cheating wife, her lover, and himself.

"I wore what’s called a gore vest; it had a gore gun and that is a tube that throws out a lot of blood and guts and brains," he explains. "It was under my clothes and the tube came out at the back of my head, between my neck and my collar. When I pulled the trigger, that’s what fired the gore gun. Nowadays they don’t let actors do that. [Laughs] It was a really big effect and Paul decided to do it at the end of one of those monster unbroken takes. Something happened with the gore gun on the first take and it went off prematurely. That was a mess, because it took 30 minutes to clean the wall and change my clothes and reload the gun. And then it took 40 minutes to set up each one of these because of the choreography and people coming in and out. We did the second one, which went off perfectly, and they were unwiring me to get ready for another take and I was watching Paul and everyone watch the playback, and when I heard the shot everyone around the monitor jumped back and covered their mouths in horror. I thought, 'I betcha we don’t do another take.' And we didn’t."

State and Main (2000)

The first thing that comes to mind for Macy when reflecting on this satirical comedy about a troubled film production is his director, "American treasure," David Mamet, with whom the actor started a theater company.

"I just adore him," says Macy of the playwright. "There's an old trope that you're taking your life into your own hands if you want to do a movie about making movies, but this one worked. And I had the best part, playing the director. Oh my lord, it was funny. There's a scene where [Sarah Jessica Parker's actress character] decided she won't take her shirt off unless we pay her extra. It’s this hysterical scene in this tiny little bathroom where she’s weeping, her heart was breaking and it was so genuine, and I’m talking her into taking her shirt off for the shot. [Laughs] It was a long scene and it’s not easy dialogue, and the first three takes were interrupted by David — he couldn’t stop laughing. Finally, Sarah and I both said, you’ve got to go out, take the monitor and go. And we finally got the scene. It’s rare that what you’re doing is so frickin’ funny that it’s hard to stay in character."

Macy also has fond memories of collaborating once again with his Boogie Nights and Magnolia costar Philip Seymour Hoffman. “There's a bunch of us that hit the film scene around the same time, and he was the best of us,” Macy declares of the late actor. “I don't think there's anything he couldn't have done. He was soulful in everything he did."

Door to Door (2002)

Back in the peak movie of the week days, Macy and writer-director Steven Schachter churned out almost a dozen, with Macy considering Door to Door to be "the zenith" of them.

"It was a heavy makeup show," recalls Macy. "We shot for 26 days and I had to wave my call 26 times in order to get the makeup on and off. The skin can only take so much of a beating. It was a long time in the chair. When I was lucky, it would be an hour. But there’s something about an actor doing a role with a face full of rubber on. It’s freeing for you to act at once more boldly and more simply. It’s as if you’ve got a mask on. You can act the sh--- out of things. [Laughs] It’s like that little bit of protection between you and the hard world out there."

Macy won Emmys for writing and acting in this TV movie about a salesman with cerebral palsy. But his best idea might’ve been including the real Bill Porter’s website in the end credits. "As a joke almost, I said, 'Hey, in the credits, let’s say, 'For tough cleaning problems, contact Bill at his website,'" reveals Macy. "A couple days later, I said, 'You should tell Bill we’re doing this.' Well, the credits rolled on opening night and within two minutes his site crashed. It was thousands of orders. As I understand it, his company stopped having a yearly sales contest, because, after Door to Door, no one could touch Bill."

Wild Hogs (2007)

In this hit comedy, Macy stars opposite Tim Allen, John Travolta, and Martin Lawrence as a group of middle-aged friends who take a road trip on their motorcycles.

"The only thing I can think that would be more fun than Tim, John, and Martin is Tim, John, and Martin on motor f---ing cycles," proclaims Macy. "We loved it! Tim Allen and I are cut from the same cloth when it comes to cars and s--- like that. They’d say to 'Go up there and turnaround,” and Tim and I would take off and go like three miles. They didn’t say where to turnaround! [Laughs] Oh jeez, it was fun. They’re all so clever and quick-witted, so the set was poppin’. I really was hoping we’d make a Wild Hogs 2. It never happened, don’t know why, we all wanted to do it. One of the loveliest ancillary benefits is I still ride a motorcycle. I ride it to Shameless every day."

Rudderless (2014)

For this drama about a father (Billy Crudup) struggling to deal with the loss of his son Josh (Miles Heizer) in a school shooting, Macy took on the role of co-writer, director, and supporting actor. Jeff Robison and Casey Twenter originally brought their script to Macy, but he thought it "didn't quite work," that is until they came to stay with him in order to get it right.

"It was the end of the three days and I thought we had not pulled it together yet," admits Macy. "We were standing out on my balcony, and I thought it was Casey, but they swear I said, 'What if Josh is the shooter?' I literally got a chill all over my body. It scared the s--- out of us, because the notion of it was so incendiary and such an unknown. Write a story about a man who loses his son to a senseless shooting, few of us have been through it, but we can all imagine what it must be. But what if your son was the shooter? And none of us had a clue of what the f--- you would do. The degree to which it frightened us was the degree to which we all agreed we have to do this."

From there, Macy enjoyed the experience of figuring out how to pull off what he considers "one of the more shocking reveals in any film," as the audience isn't keyed into Josh's guilt until late in Rudderless.

"We all agreed that we couldn’t manipulate the audience before that," he says. "We made it our business not to withhold any information, but just not to give that information. It was quite a high-wire act. If you’re too manipulative, the audience will turn on you. It pisses people off. The second thing that just terrified us was for the people who have lost loved ones in these senseless shootings. Oh god, the chance that we could offend was so overwhelmingly dangerous to us, because we so didn’t want to offend, we wanted to sympathize. I was proud of the movie because we talked about a victim that rarely gets his or her day, and the parents are victims for sure."

Shameless (2011 to present)

"Now everyone wants to do television," according to Macy, who believes that the jump from the big screen was "much bigger" when he signed on to be Shameless' Frank Gallagher, for which he's a five-time Emmy-nominee. "Immediately I had no doubts that this thing would have legs," he recalls. "It was so fresh, and I loved everything about it. And boy, has it been a mitzvah in my life. I’ve learned a whole lot about acting. There ain’t nothing like getting to go to work every day. If only I could have done this in my 20s or 30s, I would have learned how to act a lot better a lot sooner."

And as the beloved Showtime series prepares for the end, the prevailing emotion for Macy is gratitude. "It’s rare to be in a hit, and it’s rare to get a long-running TV show," he explains. "[Wife] Felicity [Huffman] got 8 years out of Desperate Housewives and here I’ve gotten 11 years out of Shameless. We are blessed. Almost every TV show when it gets to the end of its tether will jump the shark at a point, and the last seasons are notoriously bad because everyone is out of gas and there are no stories. But, man, I’ve got to tell you, we’re about to start episode 5 and they’re still bringing these great, surprising scripts."

Macy says he will miss the work and his Gallagher family, but there's one very specific part of his Shameless days that he's trying to soak up while he still can.

"I used to say in this business the highest high you can get is a great role in a Broadway hit," he says. "And I still think that is probably it, but I’ve gotta say, riding through the gate at Warner Bros. on your motorcycle when you’ve been coming for 10 years and they know you and I just slow down and hold out my hand and the guard would slap five with me and I’d ride my bike right up to my trailer, well, there might be feelings better than that in this world, but they’re rare. That’s pretty cool, and I’m going to miss it."

Related content:

• Shameless boss on Showtime's decision to end the show, hopes for an Emmy Rossum return
• Shameless boss previews life for the Gallaghers after Fiona: ‘It shook everything up’
• Shameless turns 100: The Gallaghers talk auditions, wildest scenes, and the future of the series

This story originally appeared on: EW - Author:Derek Lawrence

Missy has found her voice.

During the fourth season of Big Mouth, the animated Netflix series is focusing on half-Jewish, half-Black teen Missy "discovering herself, her sexual identity, and her Blackness." And with that came a needed change. Jenny Slate, the white actress behind Missy, decided she should step down from voicing the character.

"At the start of the show, I reasoned with myself that it was permissible for me to play 'Missy' because her mom is Jewish and white — as am I," Slate said in her announcement. "But 'Missy' is also Black, and Black characters on an animated show should be played by Black people. I acknowledge how my original reasoning was flawed, that it existed as an example of white privilege and unjust allowances made within a system of societal white supremacy, and that in me playing 'Missy,' I was engaging in an act of erasure of Black people. Ending my portrayal of "Missy' is one step in a life-long process of uncovering the racism in my actions."

Following Slate's decision, co-creator Nick Kroll and company tapped comedian Ayo Edebiri, who had previously been hired as a writer for season 5, to take over as Missy. Despite Slate already completing all of season 4, the transition to Edebiri was moved up to the penultimate installment of the new episodes.

Ahead of Big Mouth's Friday premiere, EW chatted with Edebiri about taking the mantle from Slate, making Missy her own, and her involvement with the upcoming return of Apple TV+'s Dickinson.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How are you feeling as your prepare for an exciting next month with both Big Mouth and Dickinson premiering?
AYO EDEBIRI: It’s kind of strange, because a lot of it feels like it’s been happening inside my house. That’s been the prep, just inside my house and texting my mom every now and then to reexplain how to watch things to her, because both are on streaming services and my parents are old people with cable. [Laughs] It’s a lot of like, “Okay, so, I login?”

I want to talk to you about both shows, but let’s start with Big Mouth. Back when you were coming aboard as strictly a writer, what was it that made you want to be a part of it?
Oh man, it’s always been a show that I’ve loved and made me laugh in the best possible way. I feel like comedy can often be so pretentious and this is such a cool show because it doesn’t have any of that. It’s about something that is so universal and has happened to mostly everyone — unless you’re Benjamin Buttoning. And it’s able to get to things that are both so true because of the universality and so true because of their specifics, because the writing just really cares about these characters. And also it’s fun and funny and dumb and stupid sometimes, and that’s also nice. Sometimes I don’t want to watch a documentary, I want to laugh at poop and periods, and that show lets you do that.

Sometimes you need that, and maybe now more than ever.
Truly. I always just want to laugh at poop, pee, and periods. And I get to write for a show that does that... and other stuff! It has beautiful moments in the midst of that.

When you were hired as a writer, had Jenny stepped down yet as Missy?
No, not yet.

So, as you entered the world of Big Mouth, what were your thoughts on Jenny voicing Missy? And then what was your reaction when she decided to step down?
Yeah, as a Black person who works in animation, I had thought about it, but I had never really talked about it. And it was interesting then getting to be in the room and getting to actually see how it was dealt with and how the change was dealt with and how the conversation was dealt with. I’ve thinking about a lot about how so much has changed, like even in my lifetime. Sometimes I’ll watch older movies, and often not even that old, and they’re using slurs that are unbelievable and people are pretending to be handicapped and winning Oscars, and you’re like, “Huh?” We discovered that this was wrong and we’ve corrected it. And so I think, to me, this is a faster version of that in a way. It’s like, okay, we realized it, and we’re seeing it happen in real time that what we thought was acceptable maybe isn’t, and we’re learning why and learning to have conversations about it in real time, too.

How did you end up taking over? And was there any hesitation on your part?
I auditioned like everyone else. I had been doing small voiceover work before and auditioning for things. I knew it was going to happen and we all talked about it internally and got the email that the press announcement was going to happen. And I was not thinking necessarily about myself for even auditioning, because the comedians who are voice actors on this show and people who are guest stars to me are like celebrities that I admire. In my head I was like, “I’m very excited for Angela Bassett to get it!” Or Dame Judi Dench if she was Black. So Dame Angela Bassett. And then I got an email that was like, “Do you want to send in a tape for this?” I weighed the pros and cons for like an hour, because I overthink everything, and then I was just like, “Well, I’ll just do it and then if I don’t get it they’ll just clown me in the room and that’s great because I know how to deal with that.” And then I got a callback and had more callbacks and producer sessions where I worked with Nick [Kroll] and the EPs on finding the voice and there were a few of those to the point where I was like, “Okay, each call that happens either this is good news or bad news, so just let me know.” Then one day on a call, an EP was like, “Do you think this call is good news or bad news,” and I was like, “Because you asked that question please say good news!” And they were like, “Yeah, you got the part, good job.” I was very excited.

What appealed to you about the character of Missy? Was there anything specific with her that you really related to?
I think Missy is one of the characters that I relate to the most. I’m very anxious and kind of dorky and weird, and definitely was that as a kid. Also, the buckteeth, the buckteeth gang! I grew up in Boston, and in my adolescence your parents are trying to send you to like “better” schools and a few of those were predominantly white institutions. Missy’s journey of her discovering herself, her sexual identity, and her Blackness, and even discovering that those are things that she needs to discover are all things I definitely related to growing up.

Once you officially took over as Missy, how did you go about making her your own and not just an impersonation of what Jenny had done?
What Jenny did was so specific and fun, and I really worked with the producers in finding that, and I think that meant trying a bunch of different things. It isn’t just like it was in my head sitting quietly and then I hopped in the booth and was like, “I got it,” and everyone was like, “Great job!” It is a lot of trial and error, which I think is what makes voiceover work so fun, because it is a lot more hands-on. It is very involved and interactive and I got to try a bunch of different things, and it was a combo of what feels right to me and what the producers felt good about.

Jenny had already completed her work on all of season 4, so what went into the decision of bringing you in starting with the penultimate episode?
I got to see a cut of [the switch] and I was actually like, “This is really beautiful.” Another part of why it happened is just the practical reality of animation, which is that it does take a very long time to do. I mean, Jenny was getting started on some of season 5 as well. We have our own voices, so even if I’m perfectly matching her cadence, I’m not doing an impression, but even if I was perfectly matching her cadence, it would also take time to clean up for the animators and then to have that sent back. And now I’m talking about stuff I don’t even know about because I’m not an animator. [Laughs] It does take a really long time to be drawn and animated and recorded and cleaned up, and even when you get something that you think is good sometimes you get a cut and actually you have to change X, Y, Z.

Much of season 4 was already about Missy struggling with her racial identity and, like you said, discovering her Blackness, so, as someone who didn't have a hand in that, what was your take on what they did? There is even the meta line of her saying, “It’s just that I’m really struggling with my racial identity right now. My mom’s white, my dad’s Black, I’m voiced by a white actress who’s 37 years old. It’s all very overwhelming.” What did you make of the journey they had already sent Missy on and how they handled it?
A very good joke. [Laughs] To be honest, I was like, “Good.” I think this is the right thing that should have happened. I know there are people who want it to be a bigger thing than it is but I think it is just about doing what is right and having equity in the industry. Kudos that we’re looking at things that have aged weirdly or interestingly, and maybe this will be one of those, I don’t know. I think this is a positive and well-intentioned, and it’s a good step on the way to changes that have needed to happen.

I think no matter what there are always going to be things that don’t age well.
One hundred percent. Speaking for myself, this process hasn’t had cynicism or bitterness or anything, it’s been people trying to make the right steps and do what’s right and listen to people.

Moving on to Dickinson, what was that experience like, and what should we expect in the new season?
Writing for that show was awesome. I’m a depressed kid from Massachusetts, so getting to write for the show about Emily Dickinson (Hailee Steinfeld) was so cool. Alena [Smith] is a really incredible showrunner. Writing for that show was an incredible experience, and then in the process of being in the room and me just being my wild self, Alena was like, “Okay, there’s a part on the show and you’re playing it, because every time you talk now I just imagine the character like you.” We wrote and shot this way before anything happened with Big Mouth, so this was truly my first experience writing for something and then getting the opportunity to be on camera.

There’s a lot of fun that is going to happen; there’s some really cool guest stars that pop up. Nick Kroll makes an appearance in my episode, and, again, this was before I was even hired on Big Mouth, and if you’ve seen the pictures of him as Coach Steve, that’s like a little hint at what happened on the Dickinson set. That is my little tease. And I think [the season] takes some interesting turns in Emily’s life and her poetry and her relationship with Sue (Ella Hunt), which is as complicated as ever, as well as her relationship with her family. There’s some incredible performances and really dope music as usual. There are episodes that explore a lot of the Black characters in the Dickinson world that we’ve met and that we have yet to meet and they get to have a lot of fun too.

Now twice in a short span, you've been hired as a writer for a show, only for them to essentially then be like, "Well, actually, we really need to cast her too!" What's that been like? Kind of surreal?
Yeah, it’s really cool. And, honestly, it was not something that I was angling myself to do in any way. I really can’t stress that enough. [Laughs] I’m lucky that that happened. It’s a real honor, and there are people who I admire that have done that for themselves in ways big and small, so to have the opportunity was great. I was able to gain a lot as a writer, and then when I got to the acting space I kind of had them separated. It was like I had a tool in my toolkit. Sometimes as an actor you don’t know what the whole season looks like, but I had a feeling of, “I know what this is." It helps give you more of a road map than you might have, because I was able to be in the room with the showrunners who were saying, “This is what I want and this is how I want it,” and I could be like, “Okay, great!” It was really cool in both instances.

Big Mouth returns to Netflix on Friday, while Dickinson season 2 premieres Jan. 8 on Apple TV+.

Related content:

• Big Mouth casts Ayo Edebiri to replace Jenny Slate as Missy
• Jenny Slate leaves Big Mouth, says Black characters 'should be played by Black people'
• Dickinson reveals season 2 first look: 'I want to make spooky s— happen and get paid'

This story originally appeared on: EW - Author:Derek Lawrence

John Boyega has found his voice.

Back in June, as protests broke out around the world following the death of George Floyd, the 28-year-old British actor attended such an event in London, where, with no prior notice, he was handed a megaphone and asked to speak. A visibly emotional Boyega declared, “Black lives have always mattered. We have always been important. We have always meant something. We have always succeeded regardless. And now is the time. I ain’t waiting." He would also add, "I don’t know if I’m going to have a career after this but, f— that," prompting filmmakers like Jordan Peele and Rian Johnson to show their support.

Shortly thereafter, in a candid interview with British GQ, Boyega slammed how the Star Wars franchise handled his character, Finn, and those played by other actors of color. “Like, you guys knew what to do with Daisy Ridley, you knew what to do with Adam Driver,” he said. “You knew what to do with these other people, but when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know f--- all. So what do you want me to say? What they want you to say is, ‘I enjoyed being a part of it. It was a great experience…’ Nah, nah, nah. I’ll take that deal when it’s a great experience."

Now, after spending the last three years wrapping up his Star Wars run and starring in the sci-fi blockbuster Pacific Rim: Uprising, Boyega is saying something with this art, too. The actor-producer was at a career crossroads when Oscar-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave) came to him with Red, White and Blue, one of the five original films in McQueen's "necessary, important, and urgent" Small Axe collection.

Premiering Friday on Amazon Prime Video, the latest installment tells the true story of Leroy Logan, a young forensic scientist who decides to join the police force after his father is assaulted by officers. Believing he can make change from within, Logan faces the wrath of his father and fellow cops.

EW spoke to Boyega about having a personal connection to Red, White and Blue, expanding the global conversation of race, and becoming a "voice of service."

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What was it about Red, White and Blue that drew you in?
JOHN BOYEGA: I just think it was an interesting story. I grew up here in London and I still live here, so to be able to play a man who is very important to our community and who has done especially so much for the young people. I’ve seen his work, because growing up I had friends who were mentored by him, so I know firsthand the positive impact that he’s had on various different lives in the U.K. So to be able to embody him, but to embody him at a time where he hadn’t come into the Leroy Logan that we know today. He was a young man in a very racist society and institution who was trying to navigate that space without the necessary support, and that interested me. And on top of that, Steve McQueen. I was at a crossroads, I had just finished a franchise, and so I just wanted to know what I could potentially do next and this felt like a great option.

So much of your last few years had been spent working on these giant special-effects films that are set in these futuristic worlds, so did you enjoy getting to come back down to earth so to speak? Do this really human story on a human level? Even though I did enjoy Red, White and Blue finding a way to make a Star Wars joke about you joining the force.
Right? Being in a scene, thinking, you know we can just force joke this lad. [Laughs] Wrong project! But I like to explore, that’s why between Star Wars VIII and Star Wars IX I did Detroit, or the reason why I’m playing a frantic, messed up lawyer in Naked Singularity. I just like jumping into different types of roles and characters and people.

You mentioned your friends being mentored by Leroy growing up, but, once you landed the role, did you get a chance to talk to him? If so, what were those conversations like?
Yeah, it was brilliant. We actually met up and had a nice long sit-down and we just spoke about his experience and were able to relate. Because I had a lot of experience in the youth clubs and school programs out here in South London and Leroy’s got a lot of experience with working with young people here, and we are just able to be like, “Yo, I’ve been to that institution, have you been there too?” And that was a connection that way, but then about getting into his mind: why, why make this decision, why let go of being a scientist and a stable life and a baby on the way and then decide to join the police force and put yourself in harm’s way? And so understanding his thinking was very, very cool.

Once he laid it out for you, how easy was it to get his mindset and understand this decision he made to pursue a new path that was controversial to many around him?
I definitely understand the perspective. And I don’t think everyone is made for it. I think we all have our different calling. But I don’t think that’s something that doesn’t help us, to have Black individuals on that side, who can add perspective and add safety to us and an understanding; it feels better than to have alien faces who perhaps won’t be able to relate and who could see things in the way that could lead to a negative outcome. So I understood those choices and I understood the conflict of it. It’s just real tricky. I know my job doesn’t need to conflict with my position, socially, whereas with Leroy Logan, it’s a hard pill to swallow.

I couldn’t help but be taken by this quote from Leroy in Red, White and Blue: “I just feel like someone’s got to be the bridge, and when you’re doing that, you just realize you’re alone.” I can’t imagine how isolating that must feel for someone to take that on. So, for you, what was it like playing the weight of that?
I felt the change in that line, and that was such a natural scene to film. Steve kind of left us alone in this café and had us have this conversation. For me, I relate to that point as Leroy. Like I understand why this guy is saying it, because he is alone, statistically. How many Black police officers are in the streets? And they definitely didn’t have enough to give him a Black partner or whatever it is he needed for those specific communities. And, in a sense, he became the poster boy, too. It’s a very isolating experience, so I understand why he said that and the loneliness that he felt in that moment, and that’s what I played.

We so often see the exploration of race and racism in America played out on the big screen or on television. As you mentioned, you even did it with Kathryn Bigelow's Detroit. But what’s it like exploring race in the U.K., which are stories that don't make it over to the States as much? I talked to Steve about this and his big thing was “America doesn’t have a monopoly on anything, especially not race.”
It definitely helps in expanding the global conversation when it comes to race. And I know America is such a big place, man, you all can stay in the same nation and have two different types of weather. All of a sudden you’re in the mountains of Utah in the snow and then you can say I’m going to a beach vacation and be in Miami. I need to travel out for that because Brighton doesn’t have that kind of color. So if you see how small we are, to be able to then share our stories and to be able to basically remove the veil, and even for African Americans as well to see the, “Oh, these are the similar lines,” it definitely helps in understanding our several different issues as we come up through society.

The headline of this Leroy's story is what he has done and what he has faced, but, to me, the father-son relationship really is the heart of this project. Did you see it that way as well?
I love my father, and I love him in the sense that you know true love, even in some shortcomings that we all have you are still able to grab something positive to learn from it. So with that I understand the love Leroy has for his father. And when Leroy spoke face-to-face with me about his father, you can just see that this guy had a very serious respect for his dad and his dad instilled in him the power to be able to do what he’s doing now. I just think his dad didn’t know that was the direction his son was heading in, but look what his son has achieved now. I’m sure his dad, God rest his soul, would definitely be proud of how far he’s come. So, for me, relating to that father and son dynamic, even in them being in conflict and arguing, just was so true to that father and son experience that some of us have had the privilege to have.

Of all the heartbreaking moments in Red, White and Blue, the one that stuck with me the most is the opening scene, which you’re not even in. It features Leroy as a child being accosted by cops as he’s just minding his own business standing outside his school. He seems so accustomed to it, like it's just part of his daily life. Is that something that you could just inherently relate to?
Oh yeah. Period. It is what it is. I noticed that too when I first watched the scene. I wasn’t there when they were shooting that scene. I actually saw that young kid coming into set to film that when I was leaving; I shot my stuff in the early day, so I took a picture of him quickly and I had to shoot off. But that scene in itself really reflects what it’s like for a lot of people and their experiences, especially here where stop and search is a major issue. And for that to randomly happen and to see someone at such a young age that is so accustomed with that system, how frequently did that happen to Leroy and those around him?

With everything that has been going on this year, something that I’ve been thinking about a lot lately are how prevalent cop shows and movies are. Like every actor of note has played a cop at least once in their career. I know this story is unique in that it's based on a real man and a real hero, but moving forward, considering the continued violence from police towards people of color, will you have any hesitation in portraying a cop?
No, not at all. Because each actor has a different process for consideration of a role, and for me it’s character. If I’m playing a cop in one movie who is conflicted about his position and then in another movie I play a really messed up cop who is essentially head of this like chain gang, those are two completely different people to me, two different roles. Despite the similarities, it’s not enough to make them the same thing. So I would walk into anything that is written well, and even if it was Steve McQueen again, he’s just like, “I’ve got another cop thing." Knowing Steve, it will always be dynamic and different. Hell yeah, I’d definitely be a cop.

Is there something specific that you hope viewers take away from Red, White and Blue?
For me, I think the big thing is about understanding the perspective of the character and the conflicts of the character. Because I feel like stories like this can help us understand our society and sometimes its unfortunate complications. Whereas the news kind of packages news for us to make it simple for us to comprehend, something like this goes into depth of what happened when someone was in that position, the true conflicts that they could possibly face — and it potentially can just make us think. What I’m really curious about is how police officers themselves feel watching it. I have a friend who is an officer and I’m definitely going to be asking her what she feels about the portrayal, so it will be interesting to see her reaction to it.

So much of what Steve is exploring in Small Axe was put in the spotlight over the last few months, between systematic racism within the police to protests for racial equality. Knowing that you had just made a project about many of these same issues, what was it like seeing all of what has recently played out, not just in the U.S., but around the world?
It is surreal. I remember people saying we made the film after the protests or during the George Floyd stuff. It’s like, no, we’re in a pandemic, couldn’t do that. So just knowing that we were onto something energy-wise, that reality would reflect and project and our art would do the same thing back in what has been the craziest year so far, you can’t write that. It’s something that nobody could control. But to see it come out in this way while there are such big, intense conversations just goes to show how much of an issue it is and how much hasn’t changed.

You took this moment of time to heart and delivered this really powerful speech at a protest in London that ended up making headlines. When talking to Steve, he thought it was cathartic for you, and he was also very impressed and grateful. For you, afterwards, did it feel cathartic, and what’s it been like seeing how receptive people have been to what you did and wanting to actually hear what you’re saying?
Yeah, definitely. Because you have to understand being in a position where you are privileged, mind you the privilege is quite different because I worked for it and I still spent most of my years struggling like anybody else, your memory isn’t erased. I remember those years and I still have those friends, I still have my family — everybody doesn’t change with you. Things still connect you to that past, and so to be able to relate with that and be a part of the storytelling to push the nuance of that message is very, very important to me, because it helps me identify and support and know when to actually feel motivated by it. Because, essentially, it’s service to people, and if people say, “Okay cool, you are allowed to continue to be a voice of service for us,” then it is a blessing that comes with a responsibility. And so that’s something that I’m in full mode to handle.

Wrapping up, you’ve already done so much in your career, whether it’s starring in these blockbuster franchises or working with these great auteurs like Steve and Kathryn Bigelow, but what do you want to do next? Are there certain things that you are especially interested in pursuing?
There are so many. I just think that I’d like to explore every single genre. I am not closed, even to horror, and horror was something that I didn’t see until I watched It, and then I was kind of like, “Hmm.” [Laughs] So there are so many different things that I’d love to explore. And as a producer that’s given me so much opportunity, because now I can be a part of that development process and I’m seeing the uniqueness of what I’d like to see myself in now in the projects that we get to develop.

I feel like we’ve got to get you into a good rom-com.
Rom-com, oh yes! Absolutely. I love a rom-com, or a romantic drama. Just make sure that woman gives me space on the door. We ain’t doing that, Kate Winslet!

Related content:

• Steve McQueen on making five 'necessary, important, and urgent' films
• Filmmakers rally behind Star Wars' John Boyega after powerful anti-racism protest speech
• John Boyega slams Disney's handling of his Star Wars character

This story originally appeared on: EW - Author:Derek Lawrence

The family is healing.

Three years after Fast & Furious star Tyrese Gibson repeatedly lashed out at costar Dwayne Johnson on social media, calling him a "clown" and blaming him for delaying Fast 9, the actor says the beef has been settled.

“Me and The Rock peaced up," Gibson said on Stir Crazy with Josh Horowitz. "We talked for like four hours about three weeks ago. Yeah, we talked… It was great. What’s interesting about the Fast & Furious is, it’s not about any of us individually. See, we’re like the U.N. at this point. Everyone gets to go to the theater and say he and she looks like me."

Gibson brought up his conversation with Johnson as he was being pitched spin-off ideas for his Fast character Roman Pearce. In previously criticizing Johnson's decision to leave the main series for his own spin-off, Hobbs & Shaw, Gibson revealed that he had turned down similar opportunities. Speaking on Stir Crazy, he said of possible spin-offs, "If I did it with Tej (Ludacris), then who are we going to play off of? But I just could not make it about me."

After being delayed multiple times, Fast 9, which will star Gibson but not Johnson, is set to premiere in May 2021, and be followed by two final Fast films.

Related content:

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• Everything we know so far about Fast & Furious 9

This story originally appeared on: EW - Author:Derek Lawrence

Bryan Cranston has done it all during his nearly 40 years in Hollywood, including playing a judge. Or at least he thinks he has. With more than 100 credits to his name, it’s hard for him to keep track, but Your Honor does definitely mark one first: Cranston leading a post–Breaking Bad series.

Seven years after wrapping his legendary run as drug kingpin Walter White, the 64-year-old actor is back playing a law-abiding man who turns to crime to help his family. This time around, there’s no meth empire — rather, a father forced to choose between protecting his son and upholding the law after a deadly hit-and-run.

Ahead of Your Honor's Sunday limited series premiere on Showtime, Cranston spoke to EW about needing a break from White, waiting for the right Breaking Bad followup, and exploring the lengths a parent will go for their child.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: I'm sure the “TV return of Bryan Cranston” is something that many people have been interested in being a part of over the last few years, so was it deliberate on your end to give some space between Breaking Bad and your next TV vehicle? Maybe let audiences forget a bit about Walter White?
BRYAN CRANSTON: That was exactly my thinking. And I came up an arbitrary number, which I stuck to. Once I knew Breaking Bad was ending, I thought, “Okay, I’ll give it three years before I show up on television again.” And that’s what I did. I felt like I needed a break from the character, and I think fans needed a break from the character in order to accept me as whoever I was going to become next. So it was kind of a mutual thought that it was for me and the audience. You don’t want to stay too long at a party, and sometimes if actors work too much then it’s like, “Oh God, again?!” [Laughs] “Haven’t I just seen him in three movies?" They get kind of fatigued by it, I think, so it’s better to be a little more choosy. And so that’s why I went and did Broadway and did a play in London and just got on a different medium to be able to express myself.

Is it hard to commit to a new series following such incredible success with Breaking Bad? It’s almost, like, how can I ever find a job like that again? Or can you not look at it that way?
You can, and you do. I think my comedy Malcolm in the Middle set the bar high on a situation comedy, and then the bar is equally high on the drama side with Breaking Bad. So that’s why it took so long for me to want to commit to something of more than just one appearance in a show. It had to be the right thing, and I think Your Honor is the right thing.

What made Your Honor that right thing?
Whenever there’s a character who is facing an emotional, ethical dilemma, it draws me in. And with this dramatic construct of having your son make a mistake and panic and leave the scene of an accident, which results in a death, is disturbing and very, very possible. You go, “Yeah, I think under stress and shock, you could make a mistake like that.” That possibility lends itself to some really terrific drama.

You’ve shown throughout your career that you don’t want to be put in a box, like when you transitioned from Hal on Malcolm to Walt on Breaking Bad. No one expected that. So was there something that felt unique to you about this character of Judge Michael Desiato?
Compared to Walter, he’s older and the situation was equally stressful for the guy but different. There is some similarities to it; if you draw a Venn diagram there would be some overlap where he is experiencing tremendous anxiety and stress and pressure and threats. But I think what ultimately got me was that the nature of goodness and when someone tries to become someone they’re not. This is what was similar to Walter White, he tried to become someone he’s not and that’s the same thing here. Someone venturing out away from who they are to gain something else, and I think that’s a great life lesson: to be genuine, authentic, honest, forthright, noble. And all of those things are questionable in my character Michael Desiato.

So much of this series is about the lengths people will go for their children. As a parent, was that something that you instinctively felt?
I think if you were to ask any parent, "What is your worst nightmare?” — and unless the parent is irresponsible or coldhearted — that person is going to say, “Something happening to my child.” You ask a parent, “Would you give your life for the life of your child?” And it’s, like, “Yes. Yes, I would.” If you had to be faced with that option, you would. So if something happens to your child, it’s a piece of your heart that is broken. That’s the depth of it. Are you a father yet?

No, not yet.
Well, you’ll see. You’ll see how for the first time in your life you’ll feel a depth of love and joy that you’ve never felt before. But on the opposite side of that coin is a vulnerability and fear that you’ve never felt before. That’s just what parents go through. And it’s worth it, because, ultimately, it’s a beautiful experience of human life. But there is risk involved.

In playing this out, is it something that you had to think about yourself, like what you would do?
Anytime that something is well-constructed, as this series is, it’s easier for the actor to find themselves in a position of compassion and empathy for their character, and that’s from an objective viewpoint. And once you sign on and you start to get subjective about it, you have faith that what you initially felt is what the audience will ultimately feel as well.

From what I've seen so far, there's no traditional villain here. Like Michael Stuhlbarg's character is a vicious mob boss but he's also a grieving father looking for the person who killed his son. Did that approach stand out to you as well?
What Breaking Bad helped to contribute to is the raising of the bar as far as dramatic storytelling across the board. The idea that anyone is one-dimensional is boring. If you have a bad guy who just hates people and loves to kill others, it’s like, "Eh, okay." What’s more interesting is to see a bad guy put three bullets in someone, put his gun away, and then go home and be loving and tender to his little daughter — that’s frightening! That’s when you go, “Oh my god, what is that guy like?! I’m really fascinated with that.” We are adaptable human beings and we're are also able to compartmentalize, so one could be a Brutus person to one group and be soft and vulnerable in another. It’s certainly more interesting in the narrative.

Like Albuquerque on Breaking Bad, New Orleans is a vital character on Your Honor. What extra flavor did that city add?
There’s a vibrancy, a history, a sexiness to it — the life, the food, the jazz, the people. And there’s also an underbelly to New Orleans that can’t be denied. We have a line when my character talks to his friend and I say, “But is what you’re doing legal?” And he says, “It’s New Orleans legal.” [Laughs] You kind of get it.

Did you finish filming before the COVID shutdown?
No, I’m in New Orleans now. We have two more months of shooting. I’m acting, producing, and directing, so I’m spinning a lot of plates now. We’re still in pre-production, but there’s a tremendous attention to the COVID protocols and adhering to that. Boy, it will be a big victory for us if we can get through and none of our 275 cast and crew get sick. I think that would be something to be proud of.

You’ve had such a long career and seemingly done it all. What is something you still want to do? Where is your attention next?
I want to rest. [Laughs] My next project is rest. I’m very fortunate I can determine my own future, so I will hopefully choose wisely. I was kind of joking, but in a way kind of not. I only want to do projects that I’m extremely passionate about; anything less than that is foolish. So I think I might be working a little less than I normally have. I say that but there are several things in the pipeline that are in various stages of development, and any one of those could come to fruition soon. Nothing for the rest of this year, just focusing on Your Honor and directing the last episode, so I’ll be hyper-focused and super busy on that.

Have you played a judge before? I looked through your extensive IMDB but it's hard to tell for sure.
I probably have. It seems to me that I have. I don’t remember offhand.

Well, now that you are TV's newest judge, I was hoping you could help me with a few quick rulings. You're a diehard baseball fan, so the charge here is that Major League Baseball needs to permanently switch from 10 to 16 playoff teams, like they just did for the shortened COVID season.
That should be found guilty and sent to the chair or life imprisonment. I don’t like the expanded playoffs because you have really good teams that on any given day could have not a great game and lose it and then the pressure and tension, like you saw with the Chicago Cubs losing two games. I think they’re a better team than the Marlins, so I was surprised by that. I think when you have best of five that’s a better sampling to see how good a team is.

A film that has been talked about a lot this year was 2011's Contagion, which you starred in. This charge is for now feeling too real for a rewatch.
Guilty. Too real — and you have to watch it.

Lastly, the 2020 Emmys is charged with snubbing Better Call Saul stars Bob Odenkirk and Rhea Seehorn.
Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!

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This story originally appeared on: EW - Author:Derek Lawrence

Power Book II: Ghost

Mary J. Blige has got the power.

In an exclusive clip from Sunday's midseason premiere of Power Book II: Ghost, drug queenpin Monet Tejada (played by the Grammy winner) is putting her "spoiled" kids to work.

"I liked the idea that there were people in our story that were like, 'Yeah, and?'" creator Courtney Kemp previously told EW of introducing a family openly in the criminal life. "I also wanted people to really see Mary in the way that I see her, which is she’s a survivor. Monet is a woman who has survived a lot — her husband is inside and she has inherited his business and he’s still in control, she’s trying to navigate that. She’s also trying to navigate having sons who are men and a daughter who is becoming a woman and trying to teach this girl how to become a woman in the world as you see it. She is based on a whole bunch of women who I’ve read about or we know about, women who are in the life and become hardened by it, toughened by it."

When it comes to what to expect in the freshman drama's final five episodes of the season, Kemp teases that things will get "intense."

"All of the relationships get much more complicated," she says. "Tariq has to make some decisions, some familiar faces from Power show back up." When asked if that could include fan favorite Tommy (Joseph Sikora), Kemp coyly answers, "As I've said before and I'll say again: If someone said my name in court about something I didn't do, I would want to talk to them about it."

Power Book II: Ghost returns Sunday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Starz.

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• Power creator teases 'intense' finish to Ghost season 1, possible Tommy return
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This story originally appeared on: EW - Author:Derek Lawrence

And we now know who killed Elena Alves — and the answer was the simplest one possible.

Before discussing The Undoing's killer reveal, let's dig into "The Bloody Truth." The series finale picks up where the last episode ended: Grace finding the murder weapon in Henry's instrument case. Well, technically we begin with Nicole Kidman singing the opening credits song, and I think we don't talk enough about how much of a heat check that is by her. Back to the whole "the kid might have murdered his dad's mistress" thing, where Henry confesses that he found it in the outdoor fireplace at their beach house, and we see visual proof of that. “Because he killed her," he says of why he hid it from his mom. "I didn’t want him to get caught.” I've been saying all season how much of a daddy's boy he was!

Well, that's probably about to change. Grace, Jonathan, Haley, and Franklin huddle up to discuss where they go from here. Henry interrupts and further reveals that he ran the sculpting hammer through the dishwasher to protect dad. Haley unofficially advises not to turn the damning evidence over. Jonathan pulls Grace aside and quickly forgets about his son trying to protect him, instead opting to suggest that Henry might be the murderer. Grace is horrified and tells him to leave. On his way out, he stops by to say goodbye to Henry, who greets him with a nice "f--- you." Fair enough, considering he heard pops throwing him under the bus. While Jonathan is making up with Henry, Franklin is hoping that Grace's eyes are finally open. "I do see," she declares. "I'll fix this."

The next day on the awkward drive to court, Haley remarks, "Not loving the vibe here, team." During Jonathan's testimony, she wants no emotion from Grace and the opposite from Jonathan. As they prepare to be greeted by a swarm of press, Haley advises, "Chins up, eyes down, and hold f---ing hands." Sounds like the new "clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose" to me! On the stand, Jonathan calls himself a liar, cheater, and suspect, "but not a murderer." He insists his life is about healing, not killing, adding that poor Miguel became like a son to him. Stamper, the prosecutor and former intern pal of Queen Sylvia, also questions Jonathan, with the only real glaring hole being that he took his tuxedo to get dry cleaned.

Back home, Grace finds a crying Henry sitting in the window. They have a standoff over their thoughts on whether they can ever be a family again. “I want what’s best for you,” says Grace, who is next seen calling Queen Sylvia to ask her for a walk and a favor. They do go on one of those famous Grace walks but we don’t hear what they say. Unfortunately, we do hear what poor Miguel has to say as Haley calls him to the stand. Here's the quick summary: He might have slept completely through the night of his mom's murder, he told teachers about being scared of his parents fighting, he started crying, and I feel so bad for him that he is now poor, poor Miguel.

Afterward, Stamper and Queen Sylvia run into each other in the bathroom and discuss how "obscene" that was. Meanwhile, Fernando bursts into a meeting room and loses his s--- on Jonathan and Haley. Despite that, Haley likes where they are at with the case and seems ready to rest, but Grace asks, "What about me?" She's suddenly eager to testify, and Haley is rightfully concerned. "What is your truth?" she posits. "I'm having a little trouble tracking it." Grace insists that she doesn't believe Jonathan could do this and will speak to that. He's very excited to hear it. And I'm very excited to see her completely bury him because I don't believe her for one second.

Grace sticks to the loving wife script when questioned by Haley, but when it is Stamper's turn, things take, well, a turn. Grace's previous claims of Jonathan never being violent are immediately voided by Stamper playing the 911 call of a terrified Grace upon Jonathan ambushing her at the beach house. The prosecutor then brings up Jonathan's family, which seems like a clear setup, and Grace is oh so ready to give much more information than is needed if she truly wanted to defend her husband. Stamper and Grace reveal details of Grace's chat with Jonathan's mother, as well as Grace telling Queen Sylvia that she believes Jonathan might suffer from narcissistic personality disorder. "I know who and what I married," Grace says as tears come down her face. Jonathan had been stewing during this, but now he's just outright enraged, standing up and screaming that this is all a lie. Grace gets off the stand, puts on the internet's favorite coat, and walks out with Franklin and Queen Sylvia. Back in the courtroom, a panicked Jonathan keeps repeating to Haley, "She f---ed us." Haley, who did her own f---ing up by thinking it was smart to put Grace on the stand, turns it around on him and calls Jonathan stupid for not getting rid of the hammer. "She was in your camp, and you lost her," she tells her client.

As news reports theorize that Grace was in on it with the prosecutor and took her husband down on purpose, Jonathan texts Henry to see if they can have breakfast for maybe the last time. But when Jonathan doesn't show up for court and Henry doesn't show up for school, it's clear that their destination doesn't involve a couple of eggs. Franklin and Grace hop in a helicopter to track down Jonathan and Henry, who are taking an awkward car ride. A forced father-son duet is intercut with flashbacks to what happened to Elena. After Jonathan and Elena had sex, she talked about getting close to Grace and Henry, which caused Jonathan to get violent, slamming her head against a wall repeatedly. But he stopped from going any further, beginning to walk away, only for Elena to chase after him with the hammer. Turning around, he saw her coming and grabbed the hammer from Elena and hit her over and over and over with it. "You murdered a person, dad," says Henry, to which Jonathan replies, "Not the real me. Not the dad you know."

Despite the police on his tail and Henry pleading for him to stop, Jonathan speeds ahead, eventually parking on a bridge. He gets out and climbs up the side, prepared to jump. Henry begs him not to. By this time, the helicopter and police have arrived, and Grace is running towards her husband and son, yelling, "Stop." Jonathan looks at her, meeting her eyes. This causes him to smile and come down. "I'm so sorry," he says, coming in to hug Grace. But she backs up and takes Henry with her. Jonathan screams their names as the cops take him into custody and Grace flies off with her son and father.

And that is the story all about how rich people become undone.

What do we all think of the ending? Is anyone else slightly underwhelmed? We spent all this time theorizing on who could have been the killer and it turns out to be the person originally positioned as such? I mean, that is kind of a twist in itself, but not one that feels as satisfying as I'd like. And yet, what other logical reveals would we have preferred? I mean, Donald Sutherland wasn't outside of that museum enough to do it, and Queen Sylvia was only ever around to take Grace's phone calls, and we couldn't have it be Fernando and do that to poor, poor Miguel. So I guess I don't really have an answer for what I wanted from the end of The Undoing — but I'm also not the one paid to neatly wrap up The Undoing.

Episode Grade: B-

This story originally appeared on: EW - Author:Derek Lawrence

Jersey Shore Family Vacation

• TV Show

• MTV

• Reality

Ten years ago, all the Jersey Shore guys cared about was GTL, clubs, and hookups. But they've now got a very different situation.

In an exclusive clip from Thursday's Jersey Shore Family Vacation, Pauly D, Vinny, Ronnie, and Mike reunite during the coronavirus pandemic. Don't worry, though, they're staying safe by renting out an entire hotel in Vegas, as one does.

Before the Jersey Shore ladies join them, RSVP are opening up about Pauly's new relationship from Double Shot at Love and Mike's struggle to start a family with wife Lauren.

"For me, it couldn't happen at a better time," Pauly says of getting serious with Nikki. "This time together, we got stronger and actually made it a real thing… It was the only thing that was missing. Literally, I had everything else."

Last season, Mike and Lauren revealed news of her miscarriage to the roommates, but the ever-optimistic duo have stayed positive with their hopes of getting pregnant again.

"Obviously going through that wasn't easy, but at the end of the day we picked each other up and kept on moving forward, little by little," he says. "I'm very hopeful that it's going to happen soon."

And guess what? The couple revealed on Tuesday that they're expecting a baby in May 2021. Now that is a great situation!

Watch the exclusive clip above.

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Author:Derek Lawrence - Source: EW

In August 2019, Jeremy Strong lay in a New York City emergency room with a virus (not the coronavirus!), but his main concern was something much hairier.

"I was very sick when I got the offer," he reveals of being cast as activist Jerry Rubin in The Trial of the Chicago 7 (now streaming on Netflix). "They kept me overnight in the ER, and I was literally in bed in a hospital gown emailing English wigmaker Peter Owen trying to confirm that he would be able to make the wig for me, because he’s the only one I wanted. It was a bit of a pre-condition for me to do the movie that they would have Peter make my wig. So right away I was working on the physical element."

The Succession star had six weeks to prepare for his physical and mental transformation to Rubin, a "peace activist and merry prankster" — a far cry from business titan Kendall Roy, for which he recently won the Emmy for Best Actor in a Drama Series. "As you read it, it gives you this sort of inner jolt, and I felt electrified by the role on the page and at the same time I had absolutely no idea how to get there," admits Strong. "It's my favorite kind of problem."

When it came to the look of Rubin, which Strong describes as "a rejection of established morals," the actor was hands on, from the aforementioned wig (Owen did make it for him — but Strong's request to sleep and shower in it was rejected) to the accessories. He was determined to replicate the real-life Rubin’s affinity for bracelets, buttons, and headbands. “I did a deep dive on eBay and Etsy,” says Strong. “This floral headband became my sort of talisman I wore everywhere.” Recalls costume designer Susan Lyall: “Jeremy arrived at the first fitting wearing a headband and saying, ‘Right on.’ ”

In putting together Chicago 7's fashion, Lyall says director Aaron Sorkin was “concerned about too much tie-dye," with Sorkin previously telling EW that he wanted to avoid "'60s iconography," because his film was "not intended to be an exercise in nostalgia, and not intended to be about 1968 — it’s about today." Yet, he did make a few exceptions for Rubin. “Part of the style of the ’60s counterculture movement was an act of defiance,” Strong says. “Colorful clothing and [to] grow your hair long is a protest against what they saw as an oppressive society.”

But the work for Strong only began with the appearance. The actor is known for his method acting, perhaps something he picked up from his former boss, Daniel Day-Lewis. "Jerry was a hippie, Jerry embraced the counterculture, Jerry was a lover, Jerry liked to get stoned, Jerry believed in the politics of ecstasy," shares Strong, "so part of that character and that journey was trying to discover Jerry’s ecstasy."

His search would make headlines, whether for asking Sorkin to teargas him during filming of a riot (the director declined to) or pranking costar Frank Langella with a "remote control fart machine" as the Oscar-nominated actor sat down in the judge's stand for a courtroom scene.

"[Rubin] was a radical but he also had a great sense of humor and he was a clown," says Strong. "I was very closely in touch with the prop master, Michael Jortner. I had him get all kinds of period noisemakers and just s--- I could play with on set: kazoos, whoopee cushions. I had a whole bag of tricks that I tried to use to disrupt the courtroom, which I effectively did. And disrupted the movie filming as well, to the chagrin of Aaron and the producers, but it set the scene, so I was pleased."

As someone who becomes so emotionally attached to the mindset of the character he's playing, Strong felt liberated by the more jovial nature of Rubin. This was partly because of the "really hard time" he had on Succession season 2, due to putting himself through the wringer to tap into "where I felt like Kendall needed to be."

"Kendall is standing on the ledge of the 72nd floor of a building, and with Jerry I took some edibles and went to the zoo," Strong says with a laugh. "It was great. To see through his eyes, the sun was always shining. He wanted to affirm life, he wanted to make merry, and he wanted to be free. That was really his spiritual goal. I think the challenge always with playing a real person is to not do an impersonation, but to try and find the key that they are in and the essence of them and then try to make it your own. And with a character like this, he’s quite far from me and very far from Kendall, you kind of feel like you’re just way far out on a limb, but that’s where I think I like to be most of all."

Speaking of places he likes to be, Strong is feeling a "sense of wonder and gratitude" at the position he's found himself in, with his last few months including an Emmy win, starring role in an Oscar contender, and the achievement of a career goal.

"It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do: to work at this level, be part of projects that reflect our culture, and play roles that have inherent in them the possibility of transformation," he says. "My heroes have been chameleonic actors who disappear into their roles, and that’s always what I’ve wanted to do."

Keep up with EW's full Oscars analysis — including predictions, commentary, interviews, and more — at The Awardist.

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Author:Derek Lawrence - Source: EW

Shameless

• TV Show

• Showtime

Streaming Options

"Before it's gone, we're going to enjoy every minute of it."

Not even a global pandemic can stop the Gallaghers from being the Gallaghers, as evidenced in the trailer for Shameless' 11th and final season.

Among the missions for the first family of Chicago's South Side are fighting gentrification, selling legal weed, figuring out how to be married, and ridding their neighborhood of the Milkovichs.

Talking to EW before the world changed, showrunner John Wells gave a tease of what to expect in the final season.

"There’s never an end to the things we can satirize in the American projects, so I think [fans] should expect more of the same," he shared. "Certainly keeping Ian and Mickey together and trying to see what it’s like for them to be newlyweds, seeing Carl move on with his life, and how Tami and Lip are going to adjust to really being together... and how do we form our own families without undermining our relationships with our original family? That’s a real challenge, to bring other people [into] your life that you realize have to be more important in the decision making than the family members you’ve always considered to be the most important thing. How does everyone adjust to that?"

Shameless returns to Showtime on Dec. 6.

Related content:

Episode Recaps

Shameless

Streaming Options

Author:Derek Lawrence - Source: EW

Silver Linings Playbook

• Movie

Each month in the pages of EW, we’re chatting with the filmmakers, actors, and others involved in capturing an iconic shot in movie history. This edition of The Shot examines Silver Linings Playbook's big gamble.

The settings for David O. Russell’s acclaimed films range from the deserts of Iraq to the stages of QVC. But after going through his filmography to choose an epic shot, he landed on the dance floor of Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Hotel where two unlikely performers, both battling mental illness, bask in the glory of receiving a 5...out of 10.

"I wanted to go back and find a frame that stood strong in the test of time as a really well-earned, exuberant moment that was full of complications,” explains the writer-director of this scene from his 2013 Best Picture nominee Silver Linings Playbook. “No one else understands why they won when they seem to have lost. I love that your personal victory is one only you understand.”

Shooting the triumph for Pat (Bradley Cooper) and Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) was hectic for Russell, who was balancing all of his film's elements coming together for the first time, the presence of the entire cast, a highly choreographed routine, Lawrence taking 2 a.m. naps in the middle of the dance floor, Robert De Niro standing around and waiting with the extras ("They can do it, so why can't I?" Russell recalls of his conversation with the legendary actor), and his diabetic father playing one of the judges. “Half the night I’m worried about if he was eating, so I had a sandwich under the table,” shares the filmmaker.

He did have a nice surprise waiting for him when cinematographer Masanobu Takayanagi added a floor lighting system that was timed to explode colors upward, an effect reflected in the scene’s purple tones. Russell says he knew having dance factor so prominently would be viewed as "crazy," so the pressure was on to have it pay off. "I always liked when I watched it with an audience and you could hear this incredulous sound of laughter that they were actually going to perform this dance," he reveals. For the emotional-filled number, Russell collaborated with choreographer Mandy Moore, and he now gets a kick out of the fact that one of the songs featured is Leonard Bernstein's "Maria" and Cooper is soon set to direct and star in a Bernstein biopic.

Before production even began, Russell was faced with the challenge of figuring out how to believably give these amateurs a victory. "How can you have this where they win but it's also honest about who they really are?" he explains. "You don't want to have an ending where you feel like you get everything — because that's not real. And I love the ridiculousness of winning with a five."

Russell instructed his stars to “embrace the shame” as their low scores are handed out. He then built in a pause as Pat and Tiffany realize their average is exactly what they need to win the parlay bet Pat Sr. (De Niro) put on the dance competition and Eagles game (a wager surely never replicated since).

"I want them for a minute to not know what it means, and to feel down, feel lost, feel like everyone in the room is laughing at them, feel like a loser," says Russell. "And then you do the math and you realize, 'Oh no, we won.' I told them not to hold back at all when they celebrated."

But when it came to the professional hoofers next to his actors, he didn't need give any direction: “They actually looked at [Jennifer and Bradley] the way their characters looked at them, which was with pity. [Laughs]”

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Silver Linings Playbook

Author:Derek Lawrence - Source: EW

The Undoing

• TV Show

• HBO

• Drama

Streaming Options

I began and ended last week's The Undoing recap by lamenting the easy out the show took in the previous cliffhanger and hoping that they wouldn't commit a similar error again. And, somehow, "Trial by Fury" made me even more furious in that regard.

The penultimate episode opens with shots of New York City and voiceover of Jonathan's TV interview, which built up to him saying he had an idea of who killed Elena. The credits rolled before he could finish, leaving us waiting a week for an answer that we never got. Because, here, Henry is rewatching the interview, only for him to be interrupted at that same moment. Now I can assume based on Haley's strategy that plays out in court that Jonathan's suggestion was that Fernando is responsible for Elena's murder, but that is both not our job to assume and another unsatisfying half-resolution of a cliffhanger. This is especially true in a non-binge rollout where the audience isn't able to immediately watch the next episode and get to the disappointment.

In an entertaining world, Jonathan would have pointed the finger at Grace, who we already know was spotted near the scene of the crime. While he clearly didn't say that on TV, he does question Grace over it, wondering if she was following him. Again, she cites her famous walks. Haley thinks the case against Jonathan is vulnerable but needs Grace to play the role of devoted wife. "I'm here," she says. "Under the circumstances, I think I deserve a medal." Haley needs more, as the jury will be studying them and they don't feel together.

Well, they better get feeling together soon, because the trial has arrived. The highlights of the opening arguments are the prosecutor showing a replica of the likely murder weapon and Haley pointing to Fernando as the likely killer, believing the police investigation was too quick and fixated on Jonathan.

After the first day in court, Jonathan returns to an empty home and drinks his problems away as he watches trial analysis given on CNN by none other than Jeffrey Toobin (at least in the screeners sent to press before his NSFW Zoom practices). Jonathan either turns the TV off or mutes it, we can't tell for sure, kind of like Jeffrey Toobin and the "turn off video" button. Feeling lonely, Jonathan calls Grace. He uses the classic British technique of trying to seduce a woman by inviting her over for a cup tea. She initially passes, instead opting for his latest apology and reminiscing about the good ol' times. Then, one of her famous walks actually has a destination in mind: her home. She gets in bed with Jonathan for some cuddling and more.

The next morning Grace returns to Franklin's residence where she's caught sneaking back in by Henry, who couldn't sleep. "We've survived so far, and we'll survive the rest," she assures him, knowing there is something bothering him (I mean, his dad is on trial for murdering his mistress). He comes clean that he once spotted dad with Elena. Making matters worse, Jonathan saw his son, opting to just smile "like it was nothing." Henry says that if he had told Grace then maybe none of this would have happened. I always knew he was a daddy's boy! Of everything that has gone down, this seems to be what has hurt Grace the most. "He would do anything for you," says Grace, later unloading on Jonathan. "Why would you do that to our son?!"

They will have to save this for family court, because it's time for criminal court. Mendoza is on the stand, prompting the prosecutor to show gruesome photos of Elena's unrecognizable body. Groans can be heard from the whole room, as some spectators leave and Fernando rushes to cover the eyes of poor Miguel, who probably shouldn't be there. Mendoza found Haley's opening argument to be "offensive," insisting that his only pursuit is the truth. When it comes to Fernando, Mendoza points out that he has an alibi in poor Miguel (Haley points out that the boy was probably sleeping) and he was never spotted by cameras, which only captured Jonathan. Haley takes this as an opening to introduce the image we previously saw of Grace near the murder site on one of her walks. Grace knew this was coming, so she doesn't flinch. And the plan isn't to paint her as a suspect but to demonstrate that Mendoza just lied and didn't do his due diligence.

It was a pretty good day in court for the Frasers, and they celebrate by going out for a very awkward meal. Jonathan apologizes to his son for having to see him with Elena, and yet all Henry has to say is, "I think we're gonna win." He further adds, "If we can survive this trial, I think this family can survive." Children of divorce can relate to part of this, and (hopefully) not the murder trial part. Henry really goes in for the kill by saying they can even finally get a dog, referencing Grace telling him about what happened to dad's childhood pet. This hits Jonathan hard and he needs some air. When Grace follows him, he has another confession: He never had a dog. "I killed the family sister," he reveals. Substitute in his 4-year-old sister Katie and the earlier story is essentially the same: as he was babysitting, she snuck outside and got hit by a car. “You should add that to my list of lies — except I also tell myself this one, that it wasn’t my fault, that it was just an unfortunate thing," he says. "Because it was my f---ing fault.” He points out that Grace is the shrink but that he thinks Katie's death is why he got into the profession he did, with every patient being his late sister to him.

Once court is back underway, it's Fernando's turn to testify. Earlier, Jonathan described Fernando as a sympathetic figure, and that is how things are playing out so far. "You feel nothing for me, or my pain," says the grieving husband when Haley tries to play nice. "You disgust me." But she doesn't play nice for long, responding to Fernando saying Elena was "everything to him" by shading him with, "But you weren't everything to her." Haley suggests that there were other men and that Elena was receiving psychiatric treatment. Fernando snaps, gesturing at Jonathan and screaming, "He did this!" Surrounded by a cast of much more famous actors, Ismael Cruz Cordova's simmering performance as Fernando has been impressive.

Left alone as he waits for Haley, Jonathan solemnly clicks through photos of Elena. "Another reason I could haven't done it: I loved her," he tells Haley upon her arrival. "Quite madly." Haley comes with news that he must testify. Her advice: "Don’t pretend to be honest, because you’ve told too many lies. Don’t be pretend to be a good husband, a decent father, because you are arguably neither. We don’t need to give them a good man, just someone who didn’t commit murder.”

Following several unsuccessful attempts to get ahold of Jonathan's mother, Grace receives a late-night video call from Janet. His mom doesn't mince words when it comes to Jonathan being responsible for Katie's death, saying he didn't suffer from guilt or grief. "We kept waiting for it," she shares. "Jonathan doesn't know how to suffer. After his sister was killed, he never even said he was sorry. After his sister was killed, he never even said another word about it." Grace reports this back to Sylvia, whose takeaway is, "In essence, his own mother identified him as a sociopath."

Instead of one of her famous walks outside, Grace then strolls around her father's home, eventually checking on a sleeping Henry. She decides to clean up his room and discovers his violin on the floor, so she gets the instrument's case from the closet. Upon opening it, she finds what looks awfully like the sculpting hammer that killed Elena. Henry wakes up and they look at each other, both of their eyes as big as can be.

Like father, like son?

Episode Grade: B

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Author:Derek Lawrence - Source: EW