upcoming thriller “Pussy Island,” and she’s happy that she didn’t change the suggestive name.The “Batman” star, 33, is making her directorial debut with the movie and co-wrote the screenplay with E.T. Feigenbaum.
28.07.2022 - 19:08 / variety.com
Clayton Gutzmore It’s been more than two decades since Naturi Naughton began to establish herself as a triple threat in entertainment.She launched her career as a singer with the music group 3LW, before revealing her acting chops with roles on “Fame,” “Notorious” and the “Power” franchise. She’s also proved she could deliver in front of a live audience on the Broadway stage.
Now, Naughton has added filmmaker to her resume with directorial debut “Behind the Smile,” which launched July 9 on BET Her.“Being in the director’s chair is a dream come true,” Naughton told Variety over Zoom shortly after the film’s launch.Produced as part of “BET Her Presents: The Couch,” a series supporting mental health awareness, the film follows the life of Morgan, a news anchor with vitiligo, and the discrimination she faces at work as her boss pressures her to cover up the skin disorder on air. “I love how ‘Behind the Smile’ shows that we are always, often covering up how we really are feeling behind the smile,” she observed.
“Sometimes, you have to take off the mask and stop smiling. If you’re not okay, it’s okay to say that you’re not okay.”In preparation for the film, Naughton researched vitiligo and leaned into her connection to the topic, interviewing her mother’s best friend, who has been living with vitiligo for 30 years, about her reality.“I know how difficult it must be to be a dark-skinned woman and start losing your pigmentation,” she explained.
“In my interviews with her, I was just so blown away by how she was feeling. I was listening to her and thinking there are many myths and misconceptions about this.
I was connected in that way, and I empathized even more. “In the conversation below, Naughton reveals how her acting roles
.upcoming thriller “Pussy Island,” and she’s happy that she didn’t change the suggestive name.The “Batman” star, 33, is making her directorial debut with the movie and co-wrote the screenplay with E.T. Feigenbaum.
Zoë Kravitz is sitting in the director's chair for her latest endeavor, and the 33-year-old is opening up about the experience for 's Fall Women’s Fashion issue. Kravitz will be making her directorial debut with , which features a script she co-wrote with E.T. Feigenbaum.
K.J. Yossman “Supergirl” star David Harewood has boarded Karen Bryson’s directorial debut “Monochromatic” as an executive producer, Variety can exclusively reveal.Bryson, who played Elinor Stone in Zack Snyder’s “Justice League,” was awarded the Goldfinch Female First Flights Short Film Fund to make the project.“Monochromatic” tells the story of a young girl of color set in 1970s London.
Zoë Kravitz is opening up about her work.
Hunt will get a US theatrical release in December.On August 15, Deadline reported that film distributor Magnolia Pictures has acquired US rights to the South Korean film Hunt and is currently planning a December theatrical release.The spy-action film notably marks the directorial debut of veteran actor Lee Jung-jae, who gained significant international recognition for his role in Netflix’s 2021 hit series Squid Game. He also wrote the screenplay for Hunt, which is set in the ’80s at the height of South Korea’s military dictatorship.Lee also stars in the film alongside with Jung Woo-sung as intelligence agents tasked with hunting down a North Korean spy embedded in their agency.
Sir David Attenborough’s latest BBC natural history landmark is Wild Isles (working title), aiming to “do for the wildlife of Britain what the Planet Earth series has done for the wildlife of the world.”
“Hunt” premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in the Midnight section and follows two Korean Central Intelligence agents tasked with finding a mole within the agency and who uncover a plot to assassinate the country’s president. Jung-jae directed, wrote and produced the movie and stars alongside “Squid Game” co-star Heo Sung-tae.
EXCLUSIVE: Magnolia Pictures has snapped up domestic rights to Hunt, the feature directorial from Squid Game Emmy nominated star Lee Jung-jae, which made its world premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in the Midnight section.
Jason Oppenheim has made things official with new girlfriend Marie-Lou Nurk!
Making it official! Jason Oppenheim and his girlfriend, Marie-Lou, just made their red carpet debut at a movie premiere.
Ellise Shafer When Wanuri Kahiu first received the script for Netflix’s “Look Both Ways,” the Kenyan director felt like she was, in a certain sense, reading her own story.The dramedy focuses on Natalie (Lili Reinhart), who takes a pregnancy test on the eve of her college graduation. Her life then diverges into two parallel worlds: one where she stays in Texas and becomes a young mother, and the other in which she isn’t pregnant and moves to L.A.
Jason Oppenheim has a new woman on his arm! The star stepped onto the red carpet at the premiere Wednesday night with model, Marie-Lou by his side. Oppenheim spoke to ET's Kevin Frazier about their relationship and Marie-Lou's possible appearance on the real estate reality series.«Well, the new season of is coming out in like two weeks, which we just watched actually this last week. It was really good.
Scene 2 Seen is back in business!
Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae has re-edited an international version of his upcoming directorial debut Hunt to suit a global audience.South Korean media outlet Yonhap News Agency reported on August 3 that Lee had revised several key lines and scenes in the film following its premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival in order to contextualise the film’s political setting for global audiences.An international version of Hunt will now see the addition of further elaboration of South Korean politics in the ’80s. “When writing the script of Hunt, I set younger generations in South Korea who learn about the era from history textbooks as the target audience.
Ryan Phillippe is opening up about son Deacon Phillippe‘s acting debut in Never Have I Ever.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefLee Jung-jae, the Korean actor who has received an Emmy nomination for his role in Netflix hit series “Squid Game,” has re-edited “Hunt,” the film that marked his feature directorial debut. The new version will play at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival.“Hunt,” a 1980s-set espionage thriller about rival agents from North and South Korea, had its debut at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
Toronto announced the 10 world premieres in its Platform program, a section comprised of first-time feature filmmakers and vets whose voices are emerging in the cinematic landscape.
Array Releasing, the distribution arm of Ava DuVernay’s Peabody Award-winning narrative change collective, has picked up rights to the feature drama Learn to Swim for the U.S., the UK, Australia and New Zealand, slating it for release on select screens and on Netflix on August 15.