Motherized
All the Rumors Are Not True
LAST MINUTE ADDITION: I once again am coming on here mad as HELL at the simple thought of Jack Harlow//Dua Lipa dating allegations. We had this little rodeo with Trevor Noah. Our girl is HAPPY being single. If these rumors are actually true I fear…for what this means for all us hot girlies…Like are we all destined to just end up with the Jack Harlows of the world?? Dua deserves fucking George Clooney and nothing less. I’ll be pissed if the rumors are indeed true. But I refuse to believe or engage further.
Okay this week we’re changing it up. In lieu of what feels like a weird limbo on twitter and a desire to be smarter about my media consumption, I’ve turned my attention this week to the most recent installment of the Actors on Actors series from Variety.
It feels fitting that this is my first time truly tuning into the series. Not only does it have some of my favorite people like Jennifer Lawrence, Jamie Lee Curtis, Viola Davis, and Janelle Monáe, but also some of the people that have become bigger in my life in this past year. I’ve attempted to commit myself to greater involvement in movies and tv, and this series highlights some of the many standouts I’ve fallen in love with like Michelle Yeoh and Cate Blanchett.
This time around, there are 10 Actors on Actors installments. This past week, the first five dropped on YouTube. So, here I am, giving my reviews, thoughts, and takeaways from the first five. These include:
The One With the Biggest Let Down
Okay I hate to start on a negative note, but I have to get this off my chest: Viola and Jennifer did not deliver. Maybe this is an instance of setting my expectations way to high and then putting an unattainable burden on their shoulders, but as I thought about it more I actually don’t think this pairing makes sense.
I thought this would be like a meeting of the minds. Viola is such a powerful figure and has achieved so much. The Woman King was genuinely so incredible and ever since she had me HOOKED for How To Get Away With Murder I would listen to every single word that came out of her mouth. Jennifer obviously has been such an icon since we were all so much younger and it feels like her new movie, Causeway, is a genuine opportunity to create art and reestablish herself in the industry.
But, at the base of it, the pairing just didn’t even make SENSE. This was the first video I watched so it genuinely put me under the impression that the pairings were meant to be random. The connecting piece between them quite frankly seemed to be that Viola is going to be in the prequel for The Hunger Games and as always that series brings people together.
Also, the actual chemistry between them was quite often so awkward. Viola is by default a very serious, “there is always a lesson”, kind of preachy person, which is great in certain settings. But, Jennifer defaults to the “let’s have a laugh”, everything is kind of a joke, comedy is how I cope kind of method. Which again, is valid, but putting the two in conversation with each other makes for completely misreading signals and cues.
Overall, it wasn’t all bad. I got a lot of takeaways from Jennifer and her experience of really healing through the creation of this film. It didn’t completely convince me to go see it in theaters, but maybe some day on streaming I might go and watch. Viola continues to provide just endless little tidbits to get you through the day and there are plenty of takeaways from her.
These are two great individuals who have so much to share with the world, but I just don’t know if them sharing a stage was the best way for them to share their talents.
Shocker Alert!
Jamie Lee Curtis and Colin Farrell,,,how are you going to make me cry like that and then make me laugh and also just have such impeccable chemistry??? Like,,,this was actually an unreal viewing experience. This is when I understood that there was genuinely meant to be some sort of connection between the individuals.
They had such an incredible conversation about home and what home actually means for them. Their connection to place and how those emotions drive them through their day. Like,,,watching Colin and then Jamie tear up over a song composed by an Irish composer…that was power.
They also had such a pure and honest admiration for each other. They were amazed at the talent and skill that each other had as if they also didn’t have just as much talent in themselves. It was genuine and didn't feel like “oh we just say this because we feel like we have to.”
They both also just played off of each other so well and had so many incredible life moments and lessons they wanted to share not only with each other, but also with everyone watching. Before they filmed Jamie got to meet Colin’s son and it left such an impression that she was still talking about how amazing his son was and how incredible of an opportunity it is to be a parent.
So Mother for This
Leave it to Cate Blanchett and Michelle Yeoh to somehow place Lydia Tar and Evelyn Wong in conversation with each other almost like they were peers or people that learned from each other in the real world. I saw a cementing of a connection between Lydia and Evelyn that Cate and Michelle truthfully brought to life on the screen in front of me.
For example, they talked about how power was so central to both of their characters and how they played with that power, whether it was something their character had or something they were searching for. Cate had such thoughtful ideas about connections she was able to draw from Everything, Everywhere, All At Once to so many other films, including one of her own, Carol.
I felt like I was watching two older sisters or even cousins of different sides of the family connecting and comparing their experiences. Again, it was like they had almost lived parallels of the same lives and this was their opportunity to sit down and compare notes on the matter.
It was so clear they had been lifelong admirers of each other. That this was a moment they had almost been WAITING for. Not just to be starstruck and meet each other, but to be able to sit down and hear about how they’d both gotten there. There was a connection deeper, something drawn to connections of dance, art, or even just the joy of getting to have a job where their voice and their artistry mattered.
I’m so happy I’ve been introduced to Michelle Yeoh this year and to see her with someone who has been such a Hollywood star for so long just made me all giddy and happy. They were both so honest and authentic and didn't seem to take themselves too seriously which I loved.
This One Wasn’t Made for Me
Look, I’m happy for Adam Sandler and Brendan Fraser, but neither of these two are a part of my culture at the time being. It was nice to see them reconnect after all of these years and this was one of the more familiar relationships we see play out in this series. They’ve worked together before and seem to still run in pretty similar circles.
It was interesting to hear them talk about the different paths they’ve taken starting from similar places. Also, to hear about how comedy has either helped or hindered them throughout it all. Every so often I’m swayed to maybe go watch The Whale and this little interview was one of those times, but I will probably still not.
This one I primarily watched just for the sake of watching, but I think if you have an affinity for either one of these people or the movies they’re in you might have some bigger takeaways from it than I did.
This Was A Slay
Okay,,,Ana and Eddie,,,something was in the air that day. I was so easily convinced to go see both Blonde and The Good Nurse after this. I quite literally got chills listening to them talk about the movies and their experiences during this. Also, I kind of loved that Eddie had previously been in a Marilyn Monroe movie and so they were able to kind of dive a little deeper into this connection.
Also, Ana started this off by telling Eddie she had literally seen the movie twice. It’s clear that again she had a genuine interest in not only his work, but also truly believed in the quality of the movie she wasn’t just blowing smoke which I truly appreciated. Eddie also showed an insane amount of empathy for the character he plays, who is a serial killer, and is able to convey so much of that emotion that truly translated through the screen.
Hearing them both kind of talk on the importance of their careers and their work was also just so inspiring and beautiful. It’s so clear how integral and central this is to both of them. Their desire to truly understand and respect the people and characters they play on screen. Overall, it gave me such an incredible understanding of how important these major opportunities are to these actors.
All in all, I loved this opportunity to just listen to people talk in a more genuine and nuanced way. I think it just continues to show us that at the end of the day, even if we’re fucking actors, we search for connection, a sense of home, and a desire to do something that matters.
Culture Catchup
As predicted by many, including myself, Selena Gomez joined Steve Martin and Martin Short (briefly) on SNL
This Article is Rilly Worth the Read
The GMA Host Cheating Scandal,,,Read Up Everyone It’s Kind of Fun
This is Me Spinning the Dua Lipa Dating Rumors
Obviously, this newsletter is a slightly different tone and topic than usual, but honestly I like setting these little tasks of things I want to watch. It’s obviously so easy to just get caught up in such a mundane cycle of what media you consume, with the doom scrolling and algorithms, so I hope to do more of these specific media consumption going forward.
As far as my life goes,,,the winter in Seattle is not a kind one. I have not seen much of the sun lately and although I’m faring okay so far, I think it might take its toll after a bit. I’m streaming the new SZA album and you should too, I definitely am taking my time to get into, I think the R&B style she had on CTRL fit my taste a little bit better than the more traditional styling we get on SOS, but its clear its such a well done album and like objectively is so so good.
xx
acting school graduate peter