Julianne Moore & Charles Melton Promote 'May December' at Netflix Event in L.A.

Charles Melton is opening up about wearing a prosthetic for a scene in his new movie May December.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers for Netflix’s “May December” In Netflix’s “May December,” one of the most memorable scenes features Joe Yoo (played by Charles Melton) arriving at the hotel to deliver a letter from his wife Gracie (Julianne Moore) to actress Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman). Their encounter leads to a brief yet intense sexual liaison on the floor, culminating in a conspicuous silhouette shot of Joe’s penis. Amid Samy Burch’s narrative brilliance and Todd Haynes’ tantalizing direction, one might imagine Melton — known for his role in The CW’s “Riverdale” — felt immense pressure acting opposite Oscar winner Portman, who also produced the film.

Camila Morrone and Charles Melton both received special honors at the Critics Choice Association’s Celebration of Cinema & Television: Honoring Black, Latino and AAPI Achievements.

The Gotham Awards, the New York wing of the indie film world, has already handed out its year-end honors and now it’s time for the West Coast to have their say. Bright and early this morning, Film Independent revealed the 2024 Independent Spirit Awards nominees, and, no surprise, Celine Song’s “Past Lives” was at the top of the list with five nominations.

In what is an annual tradition, A24 led all nominations at this morning’s 39th Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations with 11 nods while their movie Past Lives, along with Netflix’s May December and Amazon MGM’s American Fiction all tied for the most nominations with five apiece.

Jordan Moreau The 2024 Independent Spirit Awards nominations, which honor TV and indie films with smaller budgets, were announced Tuesday morning. Joel Kim Booster and Natalie Morales revealed the nominations. “Saturday Night Live” alum Aidy Bryant will host the awards show on Feb.

Charles Melton was honored at the Critics Choice Celebration of Black, Latino & AAPI Achievements and broke accepting his award.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor The Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, a day before the National Board of Review will weigh in on its selections for the best films and performances of 2023. They’ll be following the New York Film Critics Circle who kicked off the season last week by crowning Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” as its top choice. Its West Coast counterpart, Los Angeles Film Critics, will drop their choices on Sunday.

Ethan Shanfeld In Todd Haynes’ Netflix drama “May December,” the subject of a decades-old tabloid sex scandal is visited by a famous actress set to portray her in a film. Julianne Moore plays Gracie Atherton-Yoo, who was 36 years old when she was caught having sex with Joe, a 13-year-old boy who worked with her at a pet store. After having his first child from behind bars, Gracie began her life with Joe (Charles Melton), who is now the same age Gracie was when they first met.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor The Gotham Awards brought the usual array of surprises this year, and it wasn’t only about who walked away with the trophies. Aside from the uproar over Robert De Niro’s speech (which is unlikely to have much bearing on the awards campaign for “Killers of the Flower Moon”), some of the other top contenders gained significant traction leading up to a crucial week ahead.

Charles Melton was so shocked by his win at the 2023 Gotham Awards that he was practically speechless while accepting the award!

May December, the title of Todd Haynes’s latest drama, reflects the director’s dance card for the year: having opened in Cannes, the Netflix title has been a festival favorite ever since, and will likely hang in there until voting closes after Christmas. Its two star names, Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, have been getting curious audiences through the doors, but what keeps the film playing in everyone’s minds is the moral maze of questions it poses.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Natalie Portman calls Todd Haynes’ new film, “May December,” a “dream role.” “May December” stars Portman as actress Elizabeth Berry (Portman), who is set to portray Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore) in a movie. Gracie is a Georgia woman who became a notorious tabloid figure when she engaged in a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old boy, Joe. (Yes, this is loosely based on the story of teacher Mary Kay Letourneau, who had an affair with and married her teenage student, Vili Fualaau.) Twenty years have passed, and Gracie is trying to move on from the scandal.

Deadline’s Contenders Film: Los Angeles on Saturday drew 28 of this season’s biggest and buzziest films for our annual panel showcase of cast and creatives, with a list of films that included everything from Barbie and Oppenheimer to John Wick: Chapter 4 and Trolls Band Together and every kind of movie in between.

When Julianne Moore first was approached for May December, a dark dramedy that would have her star opposite Natalie Portman under the direction of frequent collaborator Todd Haynes, she said yes immediately. But only in looking more closely at the material and her Gracie character did she come to understand the complexity of what she’d just signed on for. 

Deadline’s Contenders Film: Los Angeles kicks off Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. PT spotlighting 28 movies, with panel discussions featuring cast and creatives from this awards season’s most talked-about films, including actors scheduled to return to post-strike duty from Margot Robbie, Bradley Cooper, Cillian Murphy, Jeffrey Wright, Colman Domingo, Lily Gladstone, Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson and Annette Bening to Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman, Carey Mulligan, Anna Kendrick, Eve Hewson and America Ferrara.

The cast of May December is hard at work promoting the new Netflix movie now that the SAG-AFTRA strike is over!

It’s a cool indie weekend when the new album by André 3000, New Blue Sun, has morphed into a “cinematic listening experience.” Variance Films is putting the experience, directed by Terence Nance, into three theaters in NYC (IFC Center), LA (Cinepolis Inglewood) and Atlanta (Tara).

BreAnna Bell Without rehearsals, Natalie Portman had a special challenge ahead of her as she took on her latest role in Todd Haynes’ latest drama, “May December.” Portman stars opposite Julianne Moore as Elizabeth Berry, an actress set to portray Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Moore), a woman whose life became the subject of tabloid fodder when she began a sexual relationship with a 12-year-old boy, Joe. Two decades later, Elizabeth studies Gracie and Joe (now a 36-year-old man) as she preps for her role, analyzing the cracks in their façade.

Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor Actors flock to work with Todd Haynes, a filmmaker with an impeccable track record who has made a habit of drawing some of the greatest performances out of actors who already boast impressive credits, but also for discovering newer talent. In films like “Far From Heaven,” “I’m Not There” and “Carol,” he’s guided Julianne Moore, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara to Oscar nominations.