New Projects Casting - Oscars - Pilot Season Changes - Actors on Acting

By Abigail Hardin, March 29, 2022

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I'm sure you are well aware of the incidents and outcomes of Sunday's Oscars, but in case you've been living under a rock for the past 36 hours, we've gathered some of the comments, criticism, and takeaways from Hollywood's annual celebration. With another awards season coming to a close, look for the news cycle to return to announcements on production and projects in development. The next major benchmark will be news on upfronts in early May.

Mark your calendars, our next free workshop will be BOOKING THEATRE WORK POST-PANDEMIC on April 12th. Hope you can join us!

April 12, 2022 @ 3:00 PM EST — BOOKING THEATRE WORK POST-PANDEMIC with Actors Connection

Create a great week!!

Academy Awards 2022: CODA Wins Big, Classic Movie Reunions, Some Surprises, and an Altercation

Sunday's 94th annual Academy Awards was.... an interesting one, to say the least. The night had its usual bells and whistles: red carpet royalty, predicted winners and unexpected surprises, bumbling host banter that has become all-too customary at award shows in recent years. CODA took home the top prize of the night in Best Picture, the first movie from a streamer and the first Sundance movie to land filmmaking's highest-lauded honor in the award show's nearly century-long run. The prize was an exciting success story for an indie-film-turned-commercial-success for sure, but it was also an incredible step forward for representation in the deaf community, alongside Troy Kotsur's win for Best Supporting Actor. Check out the full list of winners here

If you've been on social media in any form over the last 36 hours, you've undoubtedly seen that the night was overshadowed by Will Smith smacking Chris Rock, after Rock made a comment about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The spectacle shocked viewers in the room and around the world, as Smith could be seen and heard yelling further comments at Rock after returning to his seat. Smith went on to take home the Best Actor prize for his work in KING RICHARD, apologizing to the Academy for the incident and drawing parallels between his character's journey in the film and his own as a father and husband. The Academy was swift to condemn Smith's actions on its Twitter account, as well as SAG-AFTRA, joining a growing chorus on social media calling for further consequences for the actor. At present Chris Rock has declined to file any charges after the incident. new conversation on the safety of stand-up comedians. UPDATE: Will Smith has since issued an apology to Chris Rock

Aside from the night's main talking point of Smith and Rock's altercation, this year's Oscars did little to instill confidence in the future of award shows as a whole. Many of the presentations were disjointed and laced with goofy one-liners, and while the reunions of stars from THE GODFATHER, JUNO, PULP FICTION were fun to watch, and the night didn't wrap with its fair share of high moments, many felt that the bulky presentation, already under fire for cutting down a significant number of presentation categories for the night, was the latest in a long line of stagnant award shows with declining viewership. I love celebrating movies and the work that so many in the industry put in each year, but it will be interesting to see how the presentations will change to keep up with shifting perspectives in the years ahead.

Pilot Season & UpFronts

The bleak outlook for network pilots continues to be a topic of much discussion around the industry, as studio heads and ad execs gear up for a full return to in-person upfronts this year after conducting their showcases virtually over the last several seasons. A familiar face will also be strangely absent from this year's upfronts, at least at the start: Nielsen, which typically serves as the financial backbone of the buying season in providing its ratings for each show, lost its accreditation last fall after admitting to undercutting viewership at the height of the pandemic, and has since been scrambling to find its footing and regain confidence in the industry. The content itself, meanwhile, remains at its lowest point in decades, with only 35 pilots being ordered as of last week, a swift downturn from the 60 ordered in 2020. Fox has notably not picked up a single new order, with president Michael Thorn remarking that the studio is "increasingly committing to more script or straight-to-series orders." The next few months will be interesting, to say the least 👀

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

UCLA released the ninth iteration of its Hollywood Diversity Report last week, which takes a deep dive into on-camera representation over the last decade, and the last effects that it has on the box office and beyond. This year's report spoke to the relationship between blockbuster movies and viewership from people of color, noting that many highly-successful movies over the last 10 years found their way to the top of the box office thanks to moviegoers from these communities. "Last year, every time a big movie exceeded expectations or broke a box office record, the majority of opening weekend audiences were people of color," report co-author Ana-Christina Ramón said. "Studios should consider them to be investors, and as investors, they should get a return in the form of representation."

Disney continues to feel the backlash from their financial support of and botched response to Florida's Don't Say Gay bill after employees staged a full walkout last week in protest of the company's half-baked plan of action against the bill. In promoting his latest film Moon Knight, Oscar Isaac became the latest star to speak out in support of Disney's walkout organizers: "It's an absolutely ridiculous law. It's insane. It's insanity. And I hope that Disney as a company comes out as forcefully as possible against this idea." Isaac's charge to Disney speaks to a much bigger issue within the company: While CEO Bob Chapek has been making a case for Disney to keep pushing for more representation of the LGBTQ+ community in its content, the truth of its messaging seems clear - reports of a queer storyline being omitted from recent project LUCA, Josh Gad's LeFou in the 2017 BEAUTY AND THE BEAST receiving a one-note nod to his sexuality. Disney wants to seem like it's making strides towards inclusivity, but the results have been shaky at best, if they make it past the editing room at all.

The Geena Davis Institute has put together a new test for measuring representation for Muslim women onscreen, with the hope of pushing representation for the community past the tired tropes that we have become so accustomed to seeing. The new initiative - "From 'Surviving' to Thriving" - will grade Muslim representation on a scale from A to F, having been developed in partnership with Pillars Funds and Muslim Casting, and promoted by media group Muslim Girl. "We are starting to see more nuanced portrayals of Muslim women on screen and would like to keep this momentum going by using the test to elevate the stories that are getting it right and calling out those who are still getting it wrong," Muslim Casting founder Serena Rasoul said.

Representation among Southeast Asian women in front of and behind the camera is also on the rise, with a panel of female filmmakers from the region speaking to the further action that streamers and studios can take to ensure that women-centric stories are being promoted in Southeast Asian cinema. Speakers for the presentation put on by Netflix Asia said that companies have a dual responsibility to promote accurate images of the community throughout the world, while still making sure that access is being granted to filmmakers and creators from all walks of life in the region itself. "The world has changed a lot and storytelling has also changed," producer Tanya Yuson said. "Where this is going, is still a long fight."

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Industry Intel

Cinephiles are about to have a whole new caliber of films to gawk over: Jordan Peele and Christopher Nolan are partnering with IMAX to develop a new series of cameras, with the first due to arrive in late 2023. The partnership will also rope in team members from Panasonic, Kodak and FotoKem to create an entirely new system of film capture, processing, and maintenance, along with updating many current IMAX cameras with new lens and mechanics. "IMAX is movie magic pushed to its limit," Peele said. "It's complete immersion, and there's nothing quite like it."

Artists throughout Russia and Ukraine continue to grapple with the current state of their countries' conflict, with many being displaced or voluntarily deciding to leave in the hopes of escaping the continued attacks throughout Ukraine. Russian actress Chulpan Khamatova, known throughout Russia and the international film circuit for her work on films like GOODBYE, LENIN! and THE WHITE CROW, recently sought refuge in neighboring Latvia, saying that country officials would only allow her to return if she publicly apologized for not supporting Putin's actions, or denied that a war was taking place.

For the first time since the pandemic began, Broadway has released the full weekly grosses for earnings on all of its shows, speaking to the strength of the industry at a time when many are cautiously optimistic that a spring and summer rebound could be imminent. In the week ending March 20th, many of Broadway's mainstays - WICKED, Hamilton, Aladdin - have returned to mostly-as-expected weekly earnings, a positive sign that NYC's tourism industry may once again be on the rise. Here's to hoping the numbers just keep climbing

Last week was also an exciting time for our friends at the Drama Bookshop, who announced that for the first time in the store's 104 year history, much of its catalog will be available via an online store 📚 The shop will still feature staff picks, new play recommendations, and rotating monthly themes, all shipping worldwide. Visit the site now and check out everything they have to offer!

Have you ever dreamed of auditioning for the Rockettes? A casting call for the historic organizations' 2022 Christmas Spectacular will take place on Monday, April 18th at Radio City Music Hall, with a renewed emphasis of greater representation in the show. "We are committed to ensuring that The Rockettes line showcases greater diversity, and that dancers from all backgrounds see themselves represented," said Jessica Tuttle, SVP of Rockettes parent company MSG Entertainment. The time to join the line is now 👠

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Supreme Court Nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson's History of Theatre

If you've been watching the confirmation hearings for Ketanji Brown Jackson over the last week, you've been able to see her impressive resume and list of credentials that have positioned her as the next potential member of the Supreme Court. What you may not have known, however, is that she also took part in several stage productions during her tenure at Harvard, along with participating in an improv group called On Thin Ice. Jackson's stage credits include LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, as well as a turn as Billy Holiday in a self-written production called YESTERDAY. Apparently, she was also partnered with Matt Damon during a scene study class? I'm just saying, I think we need a Supreme Court encore performance someday

Actors on Acting

Nicholas Cage is speaking out against comments made by his legendary filmmaking uncle Francis Ford Coppola, who recently took aim at the institution of superhero films by saying that they carbon copy plotlines and make them "over and over to look different." Cage, who has taken his own turn in the comic book-to-film pipeline in the GHOST RIDER movies, said that he didn't agree with the perspective that Marvel-type movies were stealing theater space from more deserving, smaller budget, movies in recent years. "What could be wrong with wholesome entertainment that is appealing to the parents and the children, and gives people something to look forward to?" Cage said. "I just, I don't see what the issue is."

The Hollywood Walk of Fame welcomed its newest member last week in Morris Chestnut, the BOYZ N THE HOOD star that has enjoyed a lengthy career sharing the screen with Cuba Gooding Jr., Taye Digs, and Nia Long. His advice to actors? Keep studying. "I always ask young actors, 'What's your background? Did you take any classes?' That's what I tell them most of the time: Study and get the foundation because once you get that, you'll always be around and you'll always have opportunities. When you do get that big break, you're ready for it."

Any SOPRANOS fans may know a certain episode of season six featured a quick appearance by none other than Lin-Manuel Miranda, who had a two-line feature as a hotel bellhop with series star James Gandolfini's Tony Soprano. Miranda's memory of the late actor was beaming: "My one story about Gandolfini was that he stayed and did his sides even though it was the end of the night. He had no need to do that," Miranda said of his time onset. "He stayed and did the scene for the scared-shitless Puerto Rican kid in the bellhop outfit." Everyone has to start somewhere!

Quick Bites

She's been a presidential nominee, Secretary of State, and now.... an actress? Hilary Clinton has been cast in Arkansas Repertory Theatre's production of INTO THE WOODS as The Giant, an off-stage voiceover role, running April and May in the state where she spent a good chunk of her early political tenure. Opportunity is not a lengthy visitor! 🐄

Looking for some theatre-inspired recipes to play with this week? Playbill celebrated World Theatre Day on Sunday by sharing some of its favorite concoctions from all-around Broadway 🥧

YouTube has added over 5,500 TV episodes and movies to its streaming library, looking to stay in competition in the AVOD sphere among the likes of Crackly, Roku, and others. Top titles include LEGALLY BLONDE, GONE IN SIXTY SECONDS, HELL'S KITCHEN, and more 📺

We're in an age of adaptations, from podcasts to books to public trials and more 🎬 Check out this list of upcoming book-to-series content coming this year!

THE OFFICE lovers, rejoice! Cast members Jenna Fisher and Angela Kinsey will be presenting a one-night-only book event for their upcoming title "The Office BFFs: Tales of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There" on May 18th at NYC's Town Hall. The event will be presented in partnership with The Strand bookstore - grab your tickets now! 📚

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