Anthony Breznican

esquire.comEsquire First Look: Pedro Pascal and Tony Gilroy Duet in the Musical Drama Behemoth!Pedro Pascal shares how he became a cello prodigy in Tony Gilroy’s drama about sex, orchestras, and being the ultimate player.

16h

What is Behemoth! actually about..? A man out of tune. Esquire has the only visit to the set, with Tony Gilroy and Pedro Pascal. And this story has the first clip of its music, by nine different composers — the theme to a spy movie by Henry Jackman 🎶 🎥

I’m broken-hearted now, but this was a happy night—talking with Eric Bauza and the many voices that lived inside him. He was kind and funny in equal measure, and a miracle as he slipped in and out of his Looney Tunes characters. It is terribly wrong that he is gone. Just wrong.

Anthony Breznican reposted

Eric Vespe

@ericvespe.bsky.social

So, Wildwood is terrific. A lot of old folks like me wish for the dark, quasi-traumatic family film of our youths. We don’t get them very often, but Wildwood fits the bill. High fantasy, real stakes, complicated characters, incredible animation. Long live Laika.

Anthony Breznican reposted

Eric Vespe

@ericvespe.bsky.social

What better way to kick off Halloween season than a chat with two living horror legends? Brez and Vespe welcome Night of the Living Dead's Judith O'Dea and Russ Streiner and talk about the legacy of that film, Romero, and their favorite @stephenking.bsky.social stories.

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esquire.comThe Fathers Who Shaped Darth Vader‘Star Wars Icons: Vader’ explores the origins of the galactic villain—and the real-life stories that gave him such emotional power.

I have a book out! 💥Star Wars Icons: Vader💥 It explores everyone who built this character, and here's where it started: George Lucas, his own father, and the family clash that shaped a galaxy. “He wanted me to go into his business,” George Jr. told me. “I said I’m absolutely not going to do it.”

thehardpass.netThe Day I Got a Call From 'Elvis Presley'So, upfront, today's post will be a little different than the usual nonsense. And, if you bear with me, I promise, by the end of this, there will be a point: My phone rang and the caller ID said, "El...

I'm very proud of the book, but I know it's a big ticket item for many people. I hope you find it worthwhile.

Anthony Breznican reposted

Mike Ryan

@mikeryan.bsky.social

So this post is a little different than most of the nonsense I write on the newsletter, but I do promise, if you bear with me, it has a payoff and a point. But I don’t know how to describe it much more than that

esquire.comMark Hamill Makes It Weird: An Exclusive ‘Carrie’ InterviewThe legendary actor reveals that Mike Flanagan pulled him from the brink of retirement.

"Hold up, this was Mark Hamill?!” “Did you spot him?” We have @markhamillofficial.bsky.social right here: an exclusive interview with Esquire about his secret role in #Carrie. If things had gone slightly differently, he might have been in the original #Carrie instead of Star Wars. More here👇

Our conversation about his horror roles went all the way back to his childhood ventriloquist dummy. Hamill has been heroes and villains, but his favorites are the misfits between. He's now in a @stephenking.bsky.social renaissance—and says he might have quit acting if not for @mikeflanaganfilm.com.

It's Friday, so enjoy this longread with Mr. Mark Hamill about his curiosity cabinet of oddball roles. Sit back, relax, and why not crack a 🍺 while you're at it?

thehardpass.netThe Great Advice John Turturro Gave Director Noah Segan Before Filming 'The Only Living Pickpocket in New York'Noah Segan's The Only Living Pickpocket in New York, starring John Turturro, is outstanding. I hope I can convey, quickly, this opinion is why you are getting an interview with the director of this fi...

Mike gets the best interviews. :)

Mike Ryan@mikeryan.bsky.social

I interviewed Noah Segan about directing the excellent THE ONLY LIVING PICKPOCKET IN NEW YORK. Also he yelled at me for defending Dunkin’

A very good message. Best wishes to you, Devin.

Devin@devincf.bsky.social

Ten years without a drink. This sign greeted me as I attended my very first recovery meeting. They've not been ten perfect years, but I was only promised progress, not perfection. There's hope out there and help is available.

thehardpass.netJason Sudeikis Sent Me This Letter After My Dad Died, It Changed EverythingFor those of us who have lost a parent, the Mother's Day, Father's Day gauntlet of holidays can be ... fraught. This week is, frankly, one of my least favorite of the year. And, I suspect, I'm not alo...

This is a good story. Check it out.

Mike Ryan@mikeryan.bsky.social

For the season finale of Ted Lasso, here’s the letter that Jason Sudeikis sent me after my dad died that was exactly what I needed to read

esquire.comSay Your Prayers: An Exclusive First Look at Scarlett Johansson in 'The Exorcist: Martyrs'In Mike Flanagan’s new film, she investigates slayings modeled on the gruesome suffering of saints. But the suspect may be truly inhuman.

Mike Flanagan is having a big day. Carrie drops tonight, and here is a look at what he has planned for The Exorcist next year…

I got to break out the family Bible for this one …

A little tease of something coming later today at Esquire… Mark 5:9 🙏😈

esquire.comThe Best Part of the New ‘Carrie’ TV Series? Her Mom.You already know her from ‘The Pitt,’ ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ and Mike Flanagan’s other shows. As Margaret White, she may finally become a household name.

Carrie’s Mom Has Got It Going On Meet Samantha Sloyan, although … you’ve met before. www.esquire.com/entertainmen...

esquire.comStephen King and Peter Straub’s ‘Other Worlds Than These’ Will Break Your Heart‘The Talisman’ finale is an emotional adventure story, resurrecting old friends, forgotten memories, and vanished worlds.

This is a strange kind of story, I admit. Part book review, part personal remembrance, and part interview with @pattonoswalt.bsky.social I hope you like it. It meant something to me.❤️

goldderby.comStephen Root on training his whole life for the weirdness of ‘Widow’s Bay’: ‘Becoming an actor was an adventure’The Apple TV hit has delivered his second-ever Emmy nomination — but it’s the culmination of the veteran actor’s own long, strange trip.

15 Sept

Stephen Root appreciation 🏆 This man has been training his whole life for #WidowsBay I wrote about his unique legacy of weirdness here: It starts with a monkey licking his forehead, and gets stranger from there.

Anthony Breznican reposted

Mike Ryan

@mikeryan.bsky.social

12 Sept

I spoke to Courteney Cox about directing the wonderful EVIL GENIUS, about the 2003 pizza delivery man bomber and the pretty insane story behind it. And how FRIENDS played an unlikely role. (I really enjoyed this one.)

indiewire.comCourteney Cox Had a Vision for Her ‘Evil Genius,’ and ‘Friends’ — Surprisingly — Played an Important RoleCox's first directorial outing didn't pan out how she wanted, but her spin on the shocking real life "pizza bomber" story is her new calling card.

esquire.comThe Many Lives of Kenneth BranaghThe legendary actor and filmmaker reflects on it all: Shakespeare, Thor, Agatha Christie, Christopher Nolan, Frankenstein, Harry Potter, and his latest role alongside Ryan Reynolds in ‘Mayday.’

6 Sept

Kenneth Branagh says Robin Williams was constantly “fireworking,” Christopher Nolan has an eerie way of bending time in real life, and Robert De Niro has no patience for other method actors. All this and lots more for #filmsky people in search of a longread this fine Sunday:

The secret to Kenneth Branagh's legendary Shakespeare adaptations ...? He styled them like the American movies and TV shows he worshiped as a kid in Belfast. Henry V, he tells me, is actually shot like a cowboy movie. There's more here in this sprawling Q&A:

Branagh says Nolan himself has a strange ability with time. Almost eerie.

Okay, those are some highlights. But there's much, much more here, including other wild stories of Robert De Niro from Frankenstein. Enjoy The Many Lives of Kenneth Branagh An epic interview with @esquiremag.bsky.social www.esquire.com/entertainmen...

Finally — Branagh tells his #ChristopherNolan tales. The actor appeared in Dunkirk, Tenet and Oppenheimer, but before all that, the future #Odyssey filmmaker came to see him in a London stage performance of Shakespeare's A Winter's Tale in 2015. "Which of course is a play which deals with time..."

"He was so moved and so brilliant in his perception of what Shakespeare was trying to do with memory, with time. [It’s about] people's lives in the moment when they may be driven to try and right wrongs, and somehow settle life before it all goes away from them. He was so sensitive to that."

Also ... Dead Again was a disaster. The 1991 neo-noir supernatural drama that he starred in with Emma Thompson was destroyed in seven different test screenings and was headed for ruin. Then the studio gave up. And Branagh made one last-second change that saved everything.

Other amazing stories from Branagh: —His "cameo" in Chariots of Fire, where he was really a background extra. — Competing with Daniel Day-Lewis, Gary Oldman and Richard E. Grant in auditions when they were all starting out. — His time in "Harry Potter" as the vainglorious Gilderoy Lockhart.

The way he played the ex-KGB woodland hermit reminded me of Robin Williams — mischievous, explosive, but vulnerable and heartfelt. Turns out that was part of it. And that led to several moving stories about Robin from Branagh, who knew him and worked with him in Dead Again and 1996's Hamlet.

After shooting Hamlet, Branagh invited Williams for dinner. But Robin said no. He'd signed up for an open-mic night at London comedy club. "That personality was constantly fireworking. When I think of Robin, I think about a tough guy—but so bruisable. Like a fruit that you don't want to mishandle."

The hook is #Mayday, an action comedy with Ryan Reynolds. It's a surprise move for the classical actor—like seeing your Lit professor throw down in a bar fight. "It definitely FELT new," Branagh says. "When I got it, I said, “Why have they sent this to me? Zach Galifianakis should play this part.”

thehardpass.netHan Solo Did Not Deserve A Medal in 'Star Wars'Han Solo is a fascinating character (yes, I know, Harrison Ford¹ would disagree), which is why I love writing about him so much. Not so much his character traits, but more his relationship to the Rebel Alliance in the Original Trilogy and why he's even there in the first

1 Sept

Shots fired. 💥 (So to speak.)

Mike Ryan@mikeryan.bsky.social

I wrote about something truly important. It was the correct choice for Chewbacca to not get a medal at the end of Star Wars. And Han Solo shouldn’t have gotten one either

esquire.comThe Twisted Horror Comedy ‘Buddy’ Will Make You Stop Believing in GodThis macabre story from “Too Many Cooks” filmmaker Casper Kelly corrupts the innocence of cloying kids’ TV.

29 Aug

Feel good about this headline.

esquire.comPeter Cullen Put More Heart into Optimus Prime Than You KnewThe ‘Transformers’ voice actor, who has died at 85, made the robot father figure a model of decency and strength.

27 Aug

It feels like Gen X lost our mom, our dad, and our wild uncle all in one week. www.esquire.com/entertainmen...

Always loved Miss Dolly Parton. Only got to interview her once, alongside Queen Latifah, when they made a gospel comedy called "Joyful Noise" in 2012. (This was for EW.) Dolly called her by her real name, Dana Owens, and these two were hilarious together. Here's how the conversation STARTED...

Goodbye, Dolly Parton. The world was a more wonderful place with you in it. ❤️ And you were your true to yourself every step of the way.

@librarycongress.bsky.social

Dolly put a lot of good out into this world. I wanted to contribute a tiny fragment of the joy I witnessed around her.

Anthony Breznican reposted

Library of Congress

The Library is devastated to learn of the passing of Dolly Parton, a music legend and titan of children's literacy. Her Imagination Library program has earned multiple Library Literacy Awards and, in 2018, she visited us to donate its 100 millionth book to our collection and host a story time. 🦋❤️

These two cracked each other up. And they were amazing fun to be around. Dolly: We’re from completely two different worlds. We’re alike in that we are big hearted Me: What other qualities do you share?

Queen Latifah. My mother was a choir director, and my family grew up in the church. [Dolly] was in the church big time. Dolly: Yeah, big-time holy roller Pentecostal. Plus my mother’s people were Owens, and her name is Dana Owens. She said we definitely could be soul cousins if not soul sisters.

Essentially, she wasn't looking to transform onscreen. Dolly had made herself into who she wanted to be. "I have to do things that are true to my personality. I said if you don’t want me to change the way I am, then I’ll do it. If I can have my hair, my boobs, my nails, and my shoes, I’ll do it."

Me: That explains why you’re the only one with a fitted choir robe in the movie. Dolly: Well, I’m so little and my boobs are so big, that if I had that big robe on, I’d just… Queen Latifah: She’d look like a tiny box.

Dolly: [Laughs.] This is how we do it. Queen Latifah: Yeah, what’s your problem? Me: I look forward to the NC-17 version of Joyful Noise. Queen Latifah: That will be the actor’s cut. Dolly: We didn’t say we weren’t sinners. We’re trying.

Dolly hadn't made a movie in nearly 15 years. "I haven’t had any good scripts. I get all kinds of junk. I didn’t want to do something that really didn’t ring true. I can’t tear down enough to be that serious about something else. I know who I am, and I know if my personality can be what it is."

Dolly: Dana and Dolly – double Ds! Queen Latifah: (Laughs. Tries to drink from a freshly opened bottle of water.) Huh. This is frozen. Dolly: Is that totally frozen? Can you suck it? Me: You two with your “double Ds” and “Can you suck it?” This is a family magazine!

Anthony Breznican reposted

Mike Ryan

@mikeryan.bsky.social