What is a Character Actor?

A character actor is an actor who specializes in playing distinctive and unusual characters, often supporting roles, in films, television, or theatre. Unlike leading actors, who usually portray the main protagonist or antagonist, character actors bring depth and authenticity to the story by embodying unique and memorable personalities.

Importance in the Film Industry

Character actors are the backbone of the film industry. They add richness and diversity to the narrative, making stories more engaging and relatable. Their ability to slip into various roles effortlessly helps in building a believable world for the audience. Without them, many films would lack the depth and nuance that makes them stand out.

Historical Background

Early Cinema and Character Actors

In the early days of cinema, character actors were vital in establishing the silent film era’s storytelling. Their exaggerated expressions and body language compensated for the lack of dialogue, helping to convey the plot and emotions effectively.

Golden Age of Hollywood

During Hollywood’s Golden Age, character actors like Peter Lorre and Thelma Ritter became household names. They often portrayed quirky, eccentric, or villainous characters, adding a layer of intrigue and complexity to classic films. Their performances were pivotal in shaping the industry standards of that time.

Characteristics of a Character Actor

Versatility in Roles

One of the hallmark traits of a character actor is their versatility. They can seamlessly transition from one role to another, whether it’s a comic relief in a comedy or a menacing villain in a thriller. This adaptability makes them invaluable assets to directors and producers.

Physical Transformation

Character actors are often known for their willingness to undergo significant physical transformations. This might include gaining or losing weight, adopting unique mannerisms, or altering their appearance through makeup and costumes. Such dedication enhances the believability of their characters.

Strong Supporting Roles

While they may not always be in the spotlight, character actors deliver strong performances that support and enhance the lead roles. Their presence enriches the overall narrative and often leaves a lasting impression on the audience.

Best Character Actors Working Today

Jeffrey Wright

• Known for: Westworld (Bernard Lowe), The Hunger Games series (Beetee), Angels in America (Belize), Basquiat(Jean-Michel Basquiat).

Michael Shannon

• Known for: Revolutionary Road (John Givings Jr.), Boardwalk Empire (Nelson Van Alden), The Shape of Water(Richard Strickland), Man of Steel (General Zod).

Bill Camp

• Known for: The Night Of (Dennis Box), The Queen’s Gambit (Mr. Shaibel), Molly’s Game (Harlan Eustice), 12 Years a Slave (Radburn).

Tom Hardy

• Known for: Inception (Eames), The Dark Knight Rises (Bane), Mad Max: Fury Road (Max Rockatansky), Venomseries (Eddie Brock/Venom).

Johnny Depp

• Known for: Pirates of the Caribbean series (Jack Sparrow), Edward Scissorhands (Edward), Sweeney Todd(Sweeney Todd), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Willy Wonka).

Daniel Day-Lewis

• Known for: There Will Be Blood (Daniel Plainview), Lincoln (Abraham Lincoln), Gangs of New York (Bill the Butcher), My Left Foot (Christy Brown).

Cate Blanchett

• Known for: Blue Jasmine (Jasmine), Carol (Carol Aird), The Lord of the Rings series (Galadriel), Tár (Lydia Tár)

Christian Bale

• Known for: The Dark Knight series (Bruce Wayne/Batman), American Psycho (Patrick Bateman), The Fighter(Dicky Eklund), Vice (Dick Cheney).

Colin Farrell

• Known for: In Bruges (Ray), The Lobster (David), The Banshees of Inisherin (Pádraic Súilleabháin), The Batman (The Penguin).

Margot Robbie

• Known for: The Wolf of Wall Street (Naomi Lapaglia), I, Tonya (Tonya Harding), Once Upon a Time in Hollywood(Sharon Tate), Barbie (Barbie).

Lupita Nyong’o

• Known for: 12 Years a Slave (Patsey), Black Panther (Nakia), Us (Adelaide Wilson/Red), Star Wars series (Maz Kanata).

Leonardo DiCaprio

• Known for: Titanic (Jack Dawson), Inception (Dom Cobb), The Wolf of Wall Street (Jordan Belfort), The Revenant(Hugh Glass).

Eddie Redmayne

• Known for: The Theory of Everything (Stephen Hawking), The Danish Girl (Lili Elbe), Fantastic Beasts series (Newt Scamander), Les Misérables (Marius Pontmercy).

Steven Yeun

• Known for: The Walking Dead (Glenn Rhee), Minari (Jacob Yi), Burning (Ben), Nope (Ricky “Jupe” Park).

Olivia Colman

• Known for: The Favourite (Queen Anne), The Crown (Queen Elizabeth II), The Father (Anne), Broadchurch (DS Ellie Miller).

Carey Mulligan

• Known for: An Education (Jenny), Promising Young Woman (Cassandra), Drive (Irene), The Great Gatsby (Daisy Buchanan).

Daniel Kaluuya

• Known for: Get Out (Chris Washington), Black Panther (W’Kabi), Judas and the Black Messiah (Fred Hampton), Nope (OJ Haywood).

Michelle Williams

• Known for: Brokeback Mountain (Alma), Manchester by the Sea (Randi), Blue Valentine (Cindy), My Week with Marilyn (Marilyn Monroe).

Emma Stone

• Known for: La La Land (Mia Dolan), The Favourite (Abigail), Easy A (Olive), The Help (Skeeter Phelan) Poor Things (Belle)

Javier Bardem

• Known for: No Country for Old Men (Anton Chigurh), Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Juan Antonio), Skyfall (Raoul Silva), Biutiful (Uxbal).

Brian Tyree Henry

• Known for: Atlanta (Alfred “Paper Boi” Miles), If Beale Street Could Talk (Daniel Carty), Bullet Train (Lemon), Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Jefferson Davis).

Stephen Root 

• Known for his versatility, Root has appeared in a wide range of roles, including Milton in Office Spaceand Judge Mike Reardon in The Good Fight.

Kathryn Hahn 

• Often recognized for her comedic roles, Hahn has made a mark in series like WandaVision as Agatha Harkness and Mrs. Fletcher as Eve Fletcher.

Walton Goggins 

• A dynamic actor with roles in Justified as Boyd Crowder and The Hateful Eight as Chris Mannix, Goggins is known for playing complex characters.

Lance Reddick 

• Reddick is notable for his authoritative roles in The Wire as Cedric Daniels and John Wick series as Charon.

Jennifer Coolidge 

• A comedic force, Coolidge has shined in roles like Stifler’s mom in American Pie and Tanya in The White Lotus, for which she won an Emmy.

David Warner 

• A veteran of film and TV, Warner is known for roles in Titanic as Spicer Lovejoy and Tron as Ed Dillinger/Sark.

John Carroll Lynch 

• With a career spanning various genres, Lynch has been seen in Fargo as Norm Gunderson and Zodiac as Arthur Leigh Allen.

Gary Cole 

• An actor with an extensive television resume, Cole is recognized for roles like Kent Davison in Veep and Bill Lumbergh in Office Space.

Denis O’Hare 

• Known for his work in American Horror Story, O’Hare has also made a mark with roles in True Bloodas Russell Edgington and The Good Wife as Judge Abernathy.

Recognition and Awards

Character actors sometimes struggle to receive the recognition they deserve. Awards and accolades often favor leading roles, leaving many talented character actors underappreciated. However, their contributions are no less significant.

The Role of Character Actors in TV and Theatre

TV Series Impact

Character actors have a significant impact on TV series, where their recurring roles can become fan favorites. Shows like “Breaking Bad” and “Game of Thrones” feature standout performances from character actors that elevate the series to new heights.

Character Actor FAQs

Q1: What makes a good character actor?

A good character actor is versatile, willing to undergo physical transformations, and can deliver strong supporting performances that enhance the story.

Q2: Are character actors paid less than lead actors?

Generally, character actors may earn less than lead actors, but their pay can vary widely depending on the project’s budget and their level of experience.

Q3: Can a character actor become a leading actor?

Yes, many character actors have successfully transitioned to leading roles, showcasing their versatility and broadening their career opportunities.

Q4: Who are some well-known character actors today?

Some well-known character actors today include Gary Oldman, Tilda Swinton, and Steve Buscemi, known for their exceptional range and transformative performances.

Q5: Why are character actors important in films?

Character actors are important because they add depth, diversity, and authenticity to films, enriching the narrative and making the story more engaging for the audience.

The post Best Character Actors Working Today | What is a Character Actor? appeared first on We Are Actors.

Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:

OSCARS | EMMYS | GRAMMYS | TONYS

2024 Emmy Predictions:
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Weekly Commentary (Updated: June 17, 2024): In 2022, the TV Academy had a record in supporting drama actor submissions with 436. Coming off of 2023’s 346 names, we find ourselves sitting with 217 contenders in the awards discussion, compared to supporting drama actress with 196. That will deliver seven nominees in each category.

Both categories have multiple candidates from the same shows, such as “The Crown” (Khalid Abdalla, Salim Daw, Jonathan Pryce, Elizabeth Debicki, Lesley Manville, Olivia Williams) and “The Morning Show” (Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Jon Hamm, Greta Lee, Audra McDonald, Julianna Margulies, Holland Taylor and Karen Pittman). Let’s not forget the largest ensemble ever to garner a SAG nomination, HBO’s period drama “The Gilded Age,” which had planned on submitting 13 supporting players but ended up with only five on the ballot (Ben Ahlers, Nathan Lane, Robert Sean Leonard, Blake Ritson and John Douglas Thompson).

FX’s “Shо̄gun” has an embarrassment of riches led by Tadanobu Asano and the possibility for two of his co-stars to come in alongside him, Takehiro Hira and Tokuma Nishioka. We’ll see if the TV Academy really loves the epic series.

Could there be room for a few surprises? Of course, it’s the Emmys. Watch out for Benedict Wong from Netflix’s “3 Body Problem” or Jack Lowden from “Slow Horses,” who could come in with his leading co-star Gary Oldman.

Nominations-round voting is open from June 13 and closes on June 24 at 10:00 p.m. PT. Voting for peer group-specific top ten round panels (if applicable) takes place between June 28 and July 8. The Emmy nominations will be announced on July 17. The Creative Arts and Governors Gala ceremonies will occur over two nights on Sept. 7-8. The 76th Primetime Emmy Awards will air on ABC on Sunday, Sept. 15.

And the Predicted Nominees Are

Rank	Performer and Series
1	Tadanobu Asano — “Shōgun” (FX)
2	Billy Crudup — “The Morning Show” (Apple TV+)
3	Jon Hamm — “The Morning Show” (Apple TV+)
4	Jonathan Pryce — “The Crown” (Netflix)
5	Nathan Lane — “The Gilded Age” (Max)
6	Khalid Abdalla — “The Crown” (Netflix)
7	Takehiro Hira — “Shōgun” (FX)

• 

  Next in Line

  Rank	Performer and Series
  8	Ke Huy Quan — “Loki” (Disney+)
  9	Mark Duplass — “The Morning Show” (Apple TV+)
  10	Benedict Wong — “3 Body Problem” (Netflix)
  11	Tokuma Nishioka — “Shōgun” (FX)
  12	Salim Daw — “The Crown” (Netflix)
  13	Benny Safdie — “The Curse” (Showtime)
  14	Hayden Christiansen — “Ahsoka” (Disney+)
  15	Jack Lowden — “Slow Horses” (Apple TV+)

• 

  Also in Contention

  Rank	Performer and Series
  16	Liam Cunningham — “3 Body Problem” (Netflix)
  17	Owen Wilson — “Loki” (Disney+)
  18	Wendell Pierce — “Elsbeth” (CBS)
  19	Robert Sean Leonard — “The Gilded Age” (Max)
  20	Aaron Moten — “Fallout” (Prime Video)
  21	Moisés Arias — “Fallout” (Prime Video)
  22	John Ortiz — “The Green Veil” (The Network)
  23	Jason Clarke — “Winning Time: Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” (Max)
  24	Michael Chiklis — “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” (Max)
  25	Bradley Whitford — “Parish” (AMC)

• Eligible Performers (Supporting Drama Actor)

  

  **Officially submitted and on the Emmy nominations ballot.

• More Information (Supporting Drama Actor)

  

  2023 category winner: Matthew Macfadyen as Tom — “Succession” (HBO) — Season 4

  2024 Emmy Awards Calendar and Timeline (all dates are subject to change)

  • Eligibility period: June 1, 2023 – May 31, 2024
  • Feb. 29: Submissions open
  • May 9: Deadline for programs identifying as Primetime programming to upload all entry materials.
  • June 13: Nominations-round voting begins
  • June 24: Nominations-round voting ends at 10:00 p.m. PT
  • June 28 – July 8: Voting for peer group-specific top ten rounds panels (if applicable)
  • July 17: Primetime Emmy nominations are announced.
  • July 24: Deadline for errors and omissions to the nominations.
  • August 5: Find-round videos available for viewing.
  • August 15: Final-round voting begins.
  • August 26: Final-round voting ends at 10:00 p.m. PST.
  • Sept. 7-8: Creative Arts Emmy Awards and Governors Gala
  • Sunday, Sept. 15: 76th Primetime Emmy Awards to air on ABC.

  Emmy Prediction Categories

  Drama	Comedy	Limited/Movie
  Drama Series	Comedy Series	Limited or Anthology Series
  Lead Actor (Drama)	Lead Actor (Comedy)	Lead Actor (Limited, Movie)
  Lead Actress (Drama)	Lead Actress (Comedy)	Lead Actress (Limited, Movie)
  Supporting Actor (Drama)	Supporting Actor (Comedy)	Supporting Actor (Limited, Movie)
  Supporting Actress (Drama)	Supporting Actress (Comedy)	Supporting Actress (Limited, Movie)
  Directing, Writing (Drama)	Directing, Writing (Comedy)	Directing, Writing (Limited, Movie)
  Guest Acting (Drama)	Guest Acting (Comedy)	Television Movie
  Talk Series & Scripted Variety	Game Show/Host	Reality Programs
  Documentary (Series, Special, Hosted Nonfiction, Exceptional Merit)	Variety Special (Live, Pre-Recorded)	Animation/Voice-Over

  About the Primetime Emmy Awards

  The Primetime Emmy Awards, commonly known as the Emmys, are awarded by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Established in 1949, these celebrate outstanding achievements in American primetime television. The Emmys are categorized into three divisions: the Primetime Emmy Awards for performance and production excellence; the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, recognizing achievements in artistry and craftsmanship; and the Primetime Engineering Emmy Awards, which honor significant engineering and technological advancements. The eligibility period typically extends from June 1 to May 31 each year. The Television Academy hosts the Emmys and has over 20,000 members across 30 professional peer groups, including performers, directors, producers, art directors, artisans and executives.

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Jon Stewart slammed the media’s response to Donald Trump‘s hush money conviction during The Daily Show on Monday, criticizing conservative outlets’ denial of the trial’s legitimacy and denouncing both sides’ polarized coverage of the event.

Last Thursday, a New York jury found the former president guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records after weeks of testimony from a former tabloid publisher, a Hollywood fixer, Trump’s former lawyer and a porn star. He will be sentenced on July 11.

In response to Republican commentators’ claims that the trial was rigged, Stewart said: “Yes, we impaneled grand juries and submitted evidence and cross-examined witnesses… But how was Donald Trump or his family not allowed on the jury? Outrageous!”

Later, while discussing the media’s weaponization of the court system, Stewart said, “Maybe our justice system wasn’t a sham, but certainly applying our justice system to Donald Trump was.”

He continued, “To admit their own political gamesmanship, their own attempts at weaponizing justice, their own relentless pursuit of opponents, their own dehumanizing rhetoric towards the left would be to allow a molecule of reality into the airtight distortion field that has been created to protect Magadonians from the harsh glare of actuality. It is a place where a moment such as this next one can pass without so much as a gasp of, ‘What planet do you live on?’ For it, it’s clearly not ours.”

Stewart also addressed Democratic response to the trial, saying the aftermath “was an exercise in concealed and controlled glee” and that the party’s challenge will now be figuring out how to “exploit the moment politically without giving the impression that this was the plan all along.”

He also poked fun at Biden’s viral press conference moment from Friday, when the president turned and smiled blankly at the press pool as he was leaving the room. “Why does everything have to be so weird?” Stewart asked, calling the scene a “Cheshire cat press conference.”

Stewart concluded his monologue with a harsh takedown of the media at large, arguing that both sides of the spectrum too often allow politicians to litigate issues on television, rather than in courthouses.

“Our political leaders are not in court, they are here on TV, where the news media has decided that there’s really no such thing as reality.”

Stewart then played a montage of news anchors alleging that Democratic and Republican Americans are now living in two separate realities. Stewart told the audience he disagrees with this idea entirely.

“No, you’re thinking of the multiverse,” Stewart said. “We are all living in one reality, and it can be the news media’s job to litigate the parameters of said reality. What the courts do really well is look backward and reconstruct the realities of what happened. The news media could do the same, but what they do instead is look forward and wildly speculate on the future.”

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Jimmy Kimmel has revealed that his son Billy had his third (and hopefully last) open heart surgery over Memorial Day weekend.

“We went into this experience with a lot of optimism and nearly as much fear and came out with a new valve inside a happy, healthy kid,” the ABC late-night host wrote on Instagram Monday, captioning a photo of Billy smiling in what looks like a hospital bed.

Kimmel went on to praise the doctors, nurses and staff at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, where Billy was treated.

“We hope you never need CHLA, but if you do – know that they help families regardless of their ability to pay, thanks largely to the Affordable Care Act (another salute to the late Senator John McCain), generous donations from companies like Disney, which I am proud to work for and especially from generous people like you,” Kimmel wrote.

He also thanked his friends, family and even strangers for their support for Billy.

“Thank you to my wife Molly for being stronger than is reasonable for any Mom to be and Billy, you are the toughest (and funniest) 7 year-old we know,” Kimmel added.

He went on to urge people to support Children’s Hospital L.A. and their local children’s hospitals.

Kimmel has previously been outspoken about Billy’s health issues.

Shortly after Billy was born, Kimmel spoke about Billy’s congenital heart defect and his then-baby’s need to have open-heart surgery, again at Children’s Hospital, at just three days old. The procedure went well but inspired Kimmel to advocate for health insurance coverage.

“If your baby is going to die, and it doesn’t have to, it should not matter how much money you make,” Kimmel said during his emotional monologue shortly after Billy was born in 2017.

Kimmel’s remarks came amid concerted efforts to repeal the ACA by then-President Donald Trump and the GOP-controlled Congress in 2017. In a memorable late-night vote that summer, three Republican senators, including the late John McCain, voted against repealing the ACA. The law, one of former President Barack Obama’s key policy achievements, is still in place.

Kimmel continued to update viewers on Billy’s condition and, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter later in 2017, explained what inspired him to speak out about his son’s condition the way he did.

“I knew I had to say something, and I knew that I would get emotional. It occurred to me that maybe we could make it into something positive,” he explained. “I had a lot of time to think at the hospital, and it just so happened that our government was deciding whether or not millions of people should have health care at that time. I think it made a big impact on American citizens. I’m not sure, based on how our so-called leaders voted, whether it made a big impact on the Senate or House.”

He added, “I don’t see what the difference between health care and education is. Every kid should have a right to an education. We don’t seem to have a problem with paying for that. I was relieved when the [GOP bills] failed to pass, but it’s far from over. I worry that those who oppose Obamacare are going to do everything they can to make sure it doesn’t work. Nothing is perfect, but when people are working against something, it makes it a tough road. I worry that these politicians don’t care about the people they represent. I have spoken with so many people who strongly believe the reason they are alive or their brother is alive or their parents are alive is the Affordable Health Care Act. It’s undeniable if you talk to people.”

Kimmel’s wife and head writer Molly McNearney echoed those thoughts in a separate interview with THR.

“I just don’t understand. To me, children having access to health care, no matter what their parents’ income, should not be a divisive issue, but that’s where we are as a country right now,” she said, explaining how the 2016 election in which Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton, inspired her to become more politically active.

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How Music Got Free is coming soon to Paramount+.

The two-part documentary, from exec producers Eminem and LeBron James, will debut June 11 in the U.S. and Canada on Paramount+ and the following day in the U.K., Australia, Latin America, France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy.

The series, which premiered at SXSW earlier this year, “details the fascinating, and often funny, inside story of the technology-driven disruption that changed music during the late-’90s and early-2000s. File sharing technology, combined with the insatiable demand for new music, created both the means and the motive for millions of young people to participate in outright theft — and be celebrated for it.”

Alexandria Stapleton (Reggie) directs the doc, which is produced by Warner Bros. Unscripted Television, James’ SpringHill banner, Interscope Films and Shady Films.

How Music Got Free features interviews with the likes of Eminem, 50 Cent, Timbaland, Jimmy Iovine, Rocsi Diaz, Rhymefest and Steve Stoute, among others.

“As a filmmaker, I wanted to challenge the narrow lens of who we regard as tech innovators,” Stapleton said. “How Music Got Free is a story that proves brilliant minds can be found in unlikely places, like the rural, forgotten factory town of Shelby, North Carolina.”

Stapleton exec produces alongside Stoute and Stephen Witt, with Marshall “Eminem” Mathers and Paul Rosenberg for Shady Films; James, Maverick Carter, Jamal Henderson and Philip Byron for SpringHill; Bridgette Theriault, Dan Sacks and James Chapman for Warner Bros. Unscripted Television/Telepictures; Steve Berman, John Janick and Anthony Seyler for Interscope films; and Bruce Gillmer and Michael Maniaci for MTV Entertainment Studios.

Watch the trailer below.

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Steve Carell is headed to HBO.

The former star of The Office will lead the cast of an untitled single-camera comedy from Ted Lasso co-creator Bill Lawrence and Matt Tarses (Scrubs). HBO has handed out a straight-to-series order of 10 episodes for the series, which had been the focus of a multiple-platform bidding war.

The comedy is set on a college campus and centers on an author’s complicated relationship with his daughter. Lawrence and Tarses, who previously collaborated on Scrubs and who are currently working on the Apple series Bad Monkey, will write the first episode.

“HBO has long been a standard bearer of quality TV. Getting to do a show there with Steve Carell is an immediate career highlight for Matt and me. Nothing can go wrong now,” Lawrence said.

The series hails from Warner Bros. Television, where Lawrence recently renewed his overall deal. Lawrence, Tarses and Carell will exec produce the comedy. Lawrence’s Doozer Productions banner’s Jeff Ingold and Liza Katzer will also exec produce.

“We’re so excited to be collaborating with the dream team of Steve Carell, Bill Lawrence, and Matt Tarses on what is sure to be a brilliant new series,” said Channing Dungey, chairman of Warner Bros. TV Group. Collectively, they have been at the center of some of the most iconic and successful shows in television history. With thanks to our partners at HBO, we look forward to bringing them together to deliver the next great comedy.”

For HBO, the Carell vehicle will help rebuild the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned cabler’s roster of original comedies following the conclusions of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Veep, Barry and Los Espookys. HBO’s comedy roster currently includes The White Lotus and Bridget Everett’s Somebody Somewhere.

“The combination of Steve Carell and Bill Lawrence promises to be full of great laughs, warmth, and charm. We’re thrilled to be the home for this long overdue collaboration,” said Amy Gravitt, exec vp HBO and Max comedy programming.

For Lawrence, the Carell comedy is his latest to stem from his WBTV pact. He’s also behind Apple’s Vince Vaughn series Bad Monkey, Shrinking, Max’s animated Clone High revival and the Amazon comedy Unsettling. He’s repped by CAA and Yorn Levine.

Tarses, for his part, is also housed at Warner Bros. TV with an overall deal and counts The Goldbergs, Scrubs, Norm, Sports Night and the Mad About You revival among his credits. He’s with WME.

Carell recently signed on to star opposite his Date Night colleague Tina Fey in Netflix’s The Four Seasons update. He next reprises his voice role in Despicable Me 4. He’s repped by WME, Media Four Management and JSSK.

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Reese Witherspoon is bringing a Legally Blonde series to Amazon’s Prime Video.

What, like it’s hard?

Amazon MGM Studios head Jennifer Salke, Witherspoon — and Bruiser the dog —  announced a series order for the show Tuesday at Amazon’s first-ever upfront presentation. The show, titled Elle, will tell the origin story of Elle Woods as a 1990s high schooler. It has been in the works since early April. Witherspoon will executive produce via her Hello Sunshine banner along with series creator and showrunner Laura Kittrell (Insecure, Amazon Freevee’s High School), Hello Sunshine’s Lauren Neustadter and Lauren Kisilevsky, and Marc Platt, producer of the Legally Blonde films.

The logline for the series reads, “Elle follows Elle Woods in high school as we learn about the life experiences that shaped her into the iconic young woman we came to know and love in the first Legally Blonde film.”

“I truly couldn’t be more excited about this series!” Witherspoon said in a statement. “Fans will get to know how Elle Woods navigated her world as a teenager with her distinct personality and ingenuity, in ways that only our beloved Elle could do. What could be better than that? I’m extremely grateful to the incredible teams at Prime Video and Hello Sunshine — along with our amazing writer Laura Kittrell — for making this dream of mine come true. Legally Blonde is back!”

Elle continues Hello Sunshine’s working relationship with Prime Video; the company, owned by Candle Media, previously produced Daisy Jones and the Six and the feature film Something From Tiffany’s for the streamer.

“One of the most quotable, iconic, and beloved characters that is ingrained in the fabric of Hollywood history has to be Elle Woods, and we are honored to bring her origin story to our global Prime Video customers,” said Vernon Sanders, head of television for Amazon MGM Studios. “Reese and Hello Sunshine’s vision for this series, coupled with Laura Kittrell’s winning voice, made this show completely undeniable.”

Hello Sunshine and Amazon MGM Studios will produce Elle (MGM also produced the films). There’s no word yet on casting for the teenage version of the character.

Hello Sunshine is repped by CAA and Hansen Jacobson. Kittrell is with UTA and Mosaic.

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HBO has released the official trailer for the second season of House of the Dragon.

Below is the trailer for the upcoming season, which gets underway June 19 and runs for eight episodes.

The new season of the Game of Thrones prequel will continue to chronicle the House Targaryen civil war and is based upon George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood.

The trailer comes just hours after Amazon revealed the first trailer for the second season of its fantasy drama, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

The new season features returning cast members Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Emma D’Arcy, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel, Ewan Mitchell, Tom Glynn-Carney, Sonoya Mizuno and Rhys Ifans. Additional returning cast includes Harry Collett, Bethany Antonia, Phoebe Campbell, Phia Saban, Jefferson Hall and Matthew Needham.

There’s also several new cast members that have boarded the show: Gwayne Hightower, Simon Russell Beale as Ser Simon Strong, Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull, Jamie Kenna as Ser Alfred Broome, Kieran Bew as Hugh, Tom Bennett as Ulf, Tom Taylor as Lord Cregan Stark, and Vincent Regan as Ser Rickard Thorne.

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Eva Mendes offered her stamp of approval on Tuesday for husband Ryan Gosling‘s Saturday Night Live performance, shouting out his particularly relevant sketch in which he spoke with a Cuban accent.

“My Cuban Papi made this Cuban Mami so happy with this,” Mendes, who is of Cuban descent and was born in Miami, wrote on Instagram. “Years of hanging out with my Dad paid off.”

The sketch involved Gosling playing a man who had developed a Cuban accent after marrying a Cuban woman. Marcello Hernandez and Kenan Thompson played two friends out to dinner with Gosling. At one point, Thompson says that Gosling’s character “is from Tennessee but ever since he married a Cuban woman, he different.”

“A Cuban wife can change you,” Gosling said to the waitress, played by Sarah Sherman, going back and forth between stereotyped American and Cuban accents as he explained that he speaks “like a Cuban papi” after marrying a Cuban woman.

In her post on Tuesday, Mendes also thanked Hernandez and Thompson for the sketch, shouting out the way Hernandez says “Eva Mendes!”

“Can’t wait for this trio’s next reunion,” she concluded.

Gosling and Mendes first met while starring in 2012’s The Place Beyond the Pines. They later married and now share two daughters.

Mendes isn’t the first star to respond to Gosling’s SNL show. On Sunday, Taylor Swift praised Gosling and Emily Blunt’s parody of her song, “All Too Well,” writing on Instagram “All Too Well (Ryan and Emily’s Version)!!! Watch me accidentally catch myself singing this version on tour. This monologue is everything.”

The post Eva Mendes Praises Ryan Gosling’s ‘SNL’ Cuban Wife Sketch: “Hanging Out With My Dad Paid Off” appeared first on We Are Actors.

Ryan Gosling returned to “SNL” this week in a cold open with “Barbie” co-star Kate McKinnon, reviving one of their most famous sketches, “Close Encounter,” in which they recount being abducted by aliens and their vastly different experiences aboard the spaceship.

The original sketch debuted eight years ago and featured Gosling and McKinnon, alongside Cecily Strong (it currently has 60 million views on YouTube). The actor also recreated this sketch on his second time hosting six years ago. In every attempt to act through “Close Encounter” Gosling has heroically attempted to get through McKinnon’s genius bit without breaking, every time he has failed. Endearingly, Gosling broke again at least once during this one.

Bowen Yang and Mike Day played NSA investigators in tonight’s cold open. Day tells Gosling, McKinnon, and Sarah Sherman, “Now you’re all here because you’ve experienced a verified alien abduction.”

As the camera pans to McKinnon, Gosling, and Sherman, the crowd inside Studio 8H screams with delight as the familiar scene is set. McKinnon is wearing her character Colleen’s trademark jeans, a disheveled brown wig, and a dangling cigarette.

“It was wild,” says Sherman. “One second, we’re three friends on a camping trip and the next, we’re citizens of the stars.” Gosling says, “And sir, before we begin, can I say something? I’m just realizing that I was wearing the same outfit last time I was here,” he says, touching his trademark navy and tan vest. On the verge of breaking, Gosling adds, “I just want you to know I do have other clothes.”

Yang, dressed in a suit, asks, “Now, how were you all brought on board the craft?” Sherman describes being hit with a warm, soft light. “And then we materialized onto the spaceship in front of these two glowing beams,” she recalls, looking at Gosling.

Gosling, as Todd says, “Our clothes were gone, but we were wearing these comfy robes made of transparent light,” he recalls, unable to contain a smile.

Sitting wide-legged and smoking a cigarette, McKinnon’s character, Colleen, tells a different story. “And you, Ms. Rafferty?” prompts Day. “Little different for me. I was by the lake, taking a whore bath…and out of nowhere, I get sucked up by a giant vacuum cleaner.” McKinnon mimics a vacuum suction with full body force and adds, “And I land on the ship, still pantsless, mind you…” She describes how she sees her “old buddies, the gray aliens with the big dumb eyes.”

Fumbling her lines briefly, McKinnon recovers saying, “And it hits me, I’ve been on this spaceship more times than I’ve been to the dentist,” she says, inhaling a puff from her cigarette.

The investigators ask what happened once aboard the ship. Sherman describes the aliens teaching her a “universal language” of love. Gosling adds, “Their language is like a soothing, beautiful sound,” and then proceeds to make the alien sounds. McKinnon says, “Now this gets my goat, because these two are getting AMSR love tingles. Meanwhile, the greys and I are doing our usual dance.”

McKinnon describes the aliens prodding her body, and imitating the aliens, she breaks character. “Anyway, that’s when Todd here showed up!” she says. Gosling recounts leaving the beams of light. “I got lost, sir, on the way to the bathroom.”

When asked how the aliens reacted when he walked into the room, Gosling, on the verge of breaking, says, “Like middle schoolers meeting Taylor Swift. They just lobbed me.” Gosling, totally breaking, goes on to describe the anatomy of the aliens. “You know, they’re smooth down there. Like a broken doorbell.”

Gosling, laughing, says, “When they saw I was packing a troll nose [in my see-through robe], they went for it.” McKinnon echoes this, emphasizing “troll nose.” Day interrupts, “I’ve never heard the term ‘troll nose’ before.” And Gosling says, “You must be hanging out at a different bowling alley than we do.”

Yang asks the group, “That we stop saying troll nose.” Gosling’s Todd asks, “During this or forever?”

Huddled together, Gosling, McKinnon, Sherman, Yang, and Day crowd in front of the camera shouting those famous seven words, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!”

With Gosling as host, Chris Stapleton stars as this episode’s musical guest.

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