Category Archives: TV drama

Sadie Sink Recalls How She Almost Lost The Role Of Max On Stranger Things

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Sadie Sink has won near-universal praise for her portrayal of Max Mayfield on Stranger Things, but the show’s creative team apparently had a surprising reservation about her at first.

Speaking to Fashion magazine, the actor opened up about her audition process for the second season of the smash Netflix series.

In the interview, she revealed that casting directors initially told her she was too “old” for the part – even though she was only 14 at the time.

Still, Sadie wasn’t easily deterred, noting that the role of Max felt “right” to her.

“I just begged and pleaded with them to give me more material so I could show them something fresh,” she said.

Eventually, the producers opted to call her in for a chemistry read with fellow actors Gaten Matarazzo and Caleb McLaughlin, who play Dustin Henderson and Lucas Sinclair on the show, respectively.

The following day, the part was hers.

“Honestly, my life has felt a bit like a coming-of-age movie,” Sadie Sink said.
“Honestly, my life has felt a bit like a coming-of-age movie,” Sadie Sink said.

Kevin Winter via Getty Images

Now 20, Sadie was hardly an acting novice at the time of her Stranger Things audition.

She made her Broadway debut in the 2012 production of Annie, and successfully made the leap to TV the following year with a guest role on the FX series The Americans.

In 2021, she joined the horror film franchise Fear Street as Ziggy Berman. This fall, she’ll be seen opposite Brendan Fraser in Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale.

Elsewhere in her Fashion interview, Sadie reflected on the unexpected challenges of having spent the bulk of her teen years in the spotlight.

“It’s such a weird and specific situation that the Stranger Things cast and I are all in because the world knows who our characters are but we’re still trying to figure out who we are as people,” she explained. “I think being in the industry accelerates you and you mature faster. But for the most part, it’s just so fun because the cast is all going through it together.”

She then noted: “Honestly, my life has felt a bit like a coming-of-age movie.”

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Regé-Jean Page Responds To Bridgerton Return Rumours

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Regé-Jean Page has shut down reports he is set to reprise his role as the Duke Of Hastings in the third series of Bridgerton.

The actor played one of the romantic leads in the first series of the hit Netflix period drama, but did not return for the second, which was released earlier this year.

Reports recently claimed that he was in talks about reuniting with co-star Phoebe Dynevor, who plays his wife Daphne Bridgerton, in the next set of episodes.

However, those holding out hope of seeing Regé-Jean back in action as Simon Basset will be disappointed as he has said there is no truth to the rumours.

After hanging out with former co-star Jonathan Bailey, who plays Anthony Bridgerton, at Milan Fashion Week, Regé-Jean posted some snaps on Instagram, writing: “The boys are back in town (No, I’m not going back to the show btw – the papers made that one up.)

“But we had the best, and most stylish, catch up I’ve had in a while over some truly excellent Italian coffee and sunshine.”

Last month, it was revealed the love story between Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) will take centre stage in Bridgerton’s forthcoming series.

This is a deviation from the order of the original books, as the third instalment in the Bridgerton novel series by Julia Quinn focuses on Benedict Bridgerton’s romance with Sophie Beckett.

The couple will take the lead roles in the show's third season
The couple will take the lead roles in the show’s third season

Explaining the change in an interview with Variety, new showrunner Jess Brownell said: “I really feel like it’s Colin and Penelope’s time. Because we’ve been watching both of these actors on our screens since season one, we’ve already invested in them a little bit. We know who they are as people,” she said.

“I feel like, especially in the last season, there are these moments of tension between them where it’s like, Colin walks up to the line of almost realising that Penelope has feelings for him but doesn’t quite get there.

“Instead of treading water on that dynamic, we wanted to push it into their season. It really felt like the perfect moment to tee it up.”

The third season of Bridgerton will also see one of the Bridgerton family getting a whole new face, as one of the characters has been recast with a new actor.

Both seasons of Bridgerton are now available to watch on Netflix.

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Kit Harington Looks Set To Reprise Jon Snow Role In New Game Of Thrones Spin-Off

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The new sequel series following the character is in early development with HBO, The Hollywood Reporter and Variety both reported.

Jon Snow became a fan favourite during Game Of Thrones eight-season run, which came to an end in 2019.

He was the illegitimate son of the Stark family, but the final season saw him learn that he was in fact descended from the dreaded Targaryen family.

Jon previously took up a post in the Night’s Watch to guard the realm of men from the sinister White Walkers, and after journeying north of the wall, he returned to be named Warden of the North.

Kit was nominated twice for Emmy awards for his portrayal of the character, and starred alongside his wife Rosie Leslie, who played his lover Ygritte in the series.

News of the show’s development means there are now seven Game Of Thrones spin-offs currently in the works.

Another – the prequel House Of The Dragon based on George R R Martin’s Fire And Blood novel – is set to debut in August.

The 10-episode series follows the rise of House Targaryen, taking place 200 years before the events of Game Of Thrones.

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Queer As Folk Is Back And Ready To Grapple With Modern LGBTQ Issues

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The disco thump of Babylon returns to a more diverse world in the first trailer for US streaming service Peacock’s hotly anticipated reimagining of the landmark series Queer As Folk.

The new series follows a group of LGBTQ friends in New Orleans whose livelihoods are thrown into disarray following a tragedy that recalls the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre. Based on the early footage, there are also compelling storylines involving politics and parenthood, not to mention plenty of sex.

Actors Fin Argus, CG, Jesse James Keitel, Ryan O’Connell, Johnny Sibilly and Devin Way are among the series regulars. The starry recurring cast includes Kim Cattrall, Lukas Gage, Juliette Lewis and Megan Stalter.

Created by Russell T. Davies, the original Queer As Folk premiered on Channel 4 in the UK in 1999 and followed three gay men in Manchester.

A US series based on the British iteration premiered a year later, with the acting moving to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and ran for five seasons.

Ryan O'Connell (left) and Johnny Sibilly star in Queer as Folk
Ryan O’Connell (left) and Johnny Sibilly star in Queer as Folk

Viewers are likely more familiar with the American series, which starred Gale Harold and Randy Harrison. The new Queer as Folk, however, is believed to be more in line with the British original.

And much like the Sex and the City revival And Just Like That…, the new series appears to have greatly diversified its storytelling, adding more actors of colour, as well as transgender and gender nonconforming people, into the mix.

In an emailed statement, Russell T Davies described the 2022 iteration of Queer As Folk as “more diverse, more wild, more free, more angry ― everything a queer show should be”.

“I’m very proud of what we achieved in 1999, but in queer years, that was a millennium ago,” explained Russell, who serves as an executive producer on the reboot. “As a community, we’ve radicalised, explored, opened up, and found new worlds ― with new enemies and new allies ― and there was so much to be said.”

Writer and director Stephen Dunn feels similarly and said he hopes to depict “an electric ensemble of fresh characters that mirror the modern global audience”.

“If there’s one person who is able to see Queer As Folk and feel less alone, or who now feels more supported and seen, our job is done,” he added. “In the true spirit of the original, our show doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of our community, but above all else, the series is about people who live vibrant, vital, unapologetically queer lives.”

Queer As Folk debuts on Peacock in the US on 9 June, and will be available to stream via Starzplay in the UK from 1 July, with two new episodes airing each week.

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