Bill Maher fires back at Larry David over Trump-Hitler comparisonEntertainment
Category: BUSINESS
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Blake Lively, Jalen Hurts stun at Time 100 gala red carpet: See photosCelebrities
Blake Lively, Jalen Hurts stun at Time 100 gala red carpet: See photosCelebrities
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Brett Goldstein hints at ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 4, HBO comedy special
Need a show to binge? These are the must watch shows this spring.
USA TODAY’s TV critic Kelly Lawler breaks down the best TV shows you don’t to want to miss this spring.
Trying to connect with Brett Goldstein for a virtual interview is something out of a comedy.
About five minutes into a chat with the writer, actor and stand-up best known his portrayal of gruffy, “Don’t you dare settle for fine” Roy Kent on “Ted Lasso,” he disappears from the screen. He returns, squinting and scrunching his scruffy face while searching for a solution to his glitchy internet connection. Over the next few minutes he repeatedly reappears and vanishes, even briefly adopts his Roy Kent voice and playfully drops an expletive. Eventually we are in business.
Comedy is about extremes, Goldstein says. And a reporter with finite time eager to talk to Goldstein about his debut comedy special, HBO’s “The Second Best Night of Your Life” (April 26, 10 ET/PT) and “Ted Lasso” returning for a fourth season, battling an internet connection acting like Lucy from “Peanuts” with a football is funny.
In “The Second Best Night of Your Life,” Goldstein draws punchlines from a 2023 episode of “Sesame Street,” hailed as the best day of his life, being famished during a 2023 trip to the White House when food was scarce out of respect for taxpayers, and even his love life.
“I love stand-up,” says Goldstein, 44. “I do think it’s the purest in terms of there’s no one you have to discuss it with.” There’s no need to pitch writers or executives. Goldstein writes for “Ted Lasso,” is a co-creator of Apple’s dramedy “Shrinking,” and appeared in the most recent season. “With stand-up, I could have an idea in the afternoon, I can try it that day, and if it works, great. And if it doesn’t work, fine. We tried it.”
The vulnerability of Brett Goldstein’s standup
Goldstein started performing standup in 2007. Before going on stage he felt fear, after a high.
“I’d say the next two years were probably bad gigs,” he says. But he persevered. Goldstein launched The Second Best Night of Your Life tour in 2023, now a 63-minute descent into his mind available for home viewing.
In the special’s opening, Goldstein puts on a confident facade, puffing on a cigarette and greeting fans in a fur trapper hat and coat. Really, he’s so nervous he vomits. The bit is inspired by material Goldstein once performed.
“It’s insane how casual they are,’” he says in an interview, “when I’m like, there’s no way I would be that relaxed before. They’re always just, like, chilling. ‘Ohh, time for this show, is it?’”
In his debut, Goldstein remembers not eating or drinking before his White House visit “because I assumed we were going to live like kings! … We were there nine hours. Hour eight I was sat with the president going: ‘Are you sure, just a thimble of water? Please sir, let me Uber Eats.’”
Regardless of the subject matter, Goldstein says, he always feels vulnerable the first time he tests new material.
“When I try a joke, it’s not really me saying, ‘Is this funny?’ What I’m saying is: ‘Am I mad? Am I insane?’” he says. Am I alone here? “If they laugh, maybe you’re not. Or you are, but it’s OK, we accept you. But then everything is truly, tragedy plus time.”
‘Ted Lasso’ Season 4: ‘In my heart I thought there’d be more’
Goldstein is busy writing the highly anticipated fourth installment of “Ted Lasso,” announced to all believers in March. The comedy centers on the character, played by Jason Sudeikis, who transforms an English soccer team with his unyielding optimism. In the new season, Ted has been named the coach of a women’s team.
As to whether he’s resurrecting that lovable Cadbury Creme Egg of man (with hard exterior and gooey center), that’s a secret being guarded like an AFC Richmond goal. When asked, Goldstein playfully echoes his publicist, nearly verbatim. “What I can say is I’m back in a professional capacity as an executive producer and writer,” he says with a wide grin.
The revival of the Emmy-winning comedy didn’t entirely surprise Goldstein. When the series wrapped, “I cried and we had such an emotional goodbye,” he says. “But I do think a part of me thought this wasn’t the end. I just felt like it’s such a lovely world. It sort of felt like surely there’ll be a way to do more.”
But as time passed since the finale on May 31, 2023, he reconsidered. “I guess I then thought maybe it isn’t going to happen,” he adds. “So then when it was happening, I was like, ‘Ah, wonderful.’ But I wasn’t completely surprised, because I think in my heart I thought there’d be more.”
Recently, Goldstein appeared on “Shrinking” as Louis, the driver involved in the car accident that killed Jimmy’s (Jason Segel) wife. Segel thought the role would distance Goldstein from Roy.
“Jason was into that,” Goldstein says. “And I think, because of his experiences, I was more worried about doing this difficult part well” and joining one of the “greatest casts ever.”
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‘Star Wars’ series ‘Andor,’ ‘The Accountant 2’
Here’s why Diego Luna feels ‘Andor’ is so relevant today
“Andor” star Diego Luna tells USA TODAY’s Brian Truitt why he feels this series is so relevant today.
Love movies? Live for TV? USA TODAY’s Watch Party newsletter has all the best recommendations, delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now and be one of the cool kids.
We missed you, “Star Wars.”
Back in the day – when it was mainly a movie franchise – the galaxy far, far away was one of my favorite things. Since its standout early years, and the prequel and sequel trilogies, “Star Wars” has become mainly a TV thing – some of it good, some of it forgettable. The second season of “Andor” is here now, however, to remind us of how vital this space opera still can be. Put that on your to-watch list, for sure, but also consider Ben Affleck’s sequel “The Accountant 2” and some new movies on streaming services. (Hint: Tom Hardy + Netflix = action-flick gold.)
Now on to the good stuff:
See Diego Luna rebel against the Empire in ‘Andor’ (the best ‘Star Wars’ show!)
The “Star Wars” shows have been a mixed bag – as much as I love “The Mandalorian,” other projects like “Skeleton Crew” (aka cosmic “Goonies”) and “Obi-Wan Kenobi” were pretty mid. Thankfully, the best is back: The first three episodes of “Andor” Season 2 are streaming now. The prequel to the “Rogue One” movie (itself a prequel to the original 1977 jam) finds Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) helping the Rebel Alliance come together as the evil Empire increases its fascistic presence across the galaxy. TV critic Kelly Lawler is also a fan, writing in her ★★★★ review that the new season is “a deeply affecting narrative about love, sacrifice and belief.”
I talked with creator Tony Gilroy and Luna about the political and psychological impact of this season – where main character are stressed to the max in an increasingly unstable world – and chatted with Denise Gough and Kyle Soller about the show’s unlikely Imperial romance.
Watch Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal team up as action-hero bros in ‘The Accountant 2’
Cable TV reruns made Ben Affleck’s 2016 action thriller “The Accountant” a cult hit, and he’s back – with way less math this time – in the sequel. “The Accountant 2” (in theaters now) isn’t as good or as unconventional as the first, though it’s a decently enjoyable time watching Affleck’s CPA with high-functioning autism and special-forces skills solve mysteries with his hitman brother (Jon Bernthal). (Peep my ★★½ review.)
My colleague Erin Jensen talked with Affleck and Bernthal about the chemistry that sparked the sibling bond in the movie, which includes a surprising amount of country line dancing and a bunch of violent scenes chock-full of bullets and broken bones. “Violence was always the language which was the easiest way for them to tell each other that they loved each other,” Bernthal says.
Stream ‘Babygirl,’ ‘Havoc’ and more on your fave streaming services
In my ongoing quest to make sure my Watch Party crew is never without new movies to watch, I rounded up this month’s list of notable flicks on the various streaming services. There are theatrical releases that you can now watch on your couch, like Nicole Kidman’s “Babygirl” and “Companion” on Max, “Wolf Man” on Peacock and “G20” on Prime Video.
The best of the bunch? Definitely watch Jude Law in Hulu’s “The Order” but also don’t miss Tom Hardy in Netflix’s “Havoc,” playing a dirty cop on a quasi-rescue mission amid chaotic car chases, ultraviolent fight scenes and Hong Kong-style martial-arts throwdowns.
Even more goodness to check out!
- Iconic filmmaker David Cronenberg (“The Fly,” “Scanners”) discusses how personal loss and grief inspired his latest macabre drama “The Shrouds,” plus he talks cinematic legacy and influencing a new generation of filmmakers.
- The final season of “You” is upon us, and Penn Badgley gets candid about wrapping up the “Netflix” show, the trappings of fame and his thoughts on everything from rom-coms to “Gossip Girl.”
- Meet Miles Caton, the young musical breakout of the horror hit “Sinners.” (And if you’ve already seen it, check out our spoiler post with Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan breaking down the ending.)
- The Doors guitarist Robbie Krieger remembers his first meeting with “The Doors” star Val Kilmer: “How did you get the job?”
- And if you’re thinking “What the heck just happened?” after that last episode of “The Last of Us,” the show creator spills on the “largely preordained” death.
Got thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, compliments or maybe even some recs for me? Email [email protected] and follow me on the socials: I’m @briantruitt on Bluesky, Instagram and Threads.
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David Cronenberg movie confronts his wife’s death
A man clings to his dead wife in David Cronenberg’s ‘The Shrouds’
Vincent Cassel and Diane Kruger star in David Cronenberg’s “The Shrouds,” following a husband haunted by the memory of his late wife.
David Cronenberg knows exactly how he wants to be buried.
In his new movie “The Shrouds” (in theaters nationwide April 25), the Canadian filmmaker imagines a near future where high-definition cameras are placed in luxury coffins, allowing people to check in on their loved ones via livestream after they die.
It may sound macabre, watching your family and friends as their bodies gradually decay through the years. But if such technology actually existed, Cronenberg would be all in.
“I would have done that, I really would,” he says on a Zoom call. “In Toronto, we have a walk of fame with plaques in the sidewalk. I thought, ‘I would like to be buried under my plaque.’ In fact, it should have Plexiglass so people could look down and see me there disintegrating. I know my fans would love that.”
‘The Shrouds’ movie tells a ‘very personal’ story about grief
“The Shrouds” follows an anguished entrepreneur named Karsh (Vincent Cassel), who starts a casket surveillance company known as GraveTech following the death of his wife, Becca (Diane Kruger). But after her cemetery plot is vandalized one night, along with many others, Karsh sets out to catch the culprits and uncover the secrets of Becca’s past.
The film is extremely meaningful to Cronenberg, 82, the body-horror maestro behind “Scanners,” “Videodrome” and “The Fly.” In 2017, he lost his frequent collaborator and wife of 38 years, Carolyn Zeifman, to cancer. She was 66.
“I made a lot of notes throughout the two years I was taking care of my wife,” Cronenberg says. Writing this movie, “I just had to remind myself what I was thinking and feeling.”
In an early scene, Karsh explains to a blind date (Jennifer Dale) why he invented GraveTech. Watching as Becca was lowered into the ground, he felt an intense urge to hop in there with her. (“I couldn’t stand it that she was alone in there, and that I would never know what was happening to her,” Karsh says.)
That sentiment is drawn from Cronenberg’s own grieving experience.
“I might not have jumped, but I would have been in there,” Cronenberg says. “Those were feelings that really surprised me; I didn’t anticipate them, but they hit me very hard. Without really being conscious of it, I always thought I was her protector. When she died, I realized how vulnerable I was to the world and that she had been protecting me all that time.”
Kruger plays three characters in the movie, including Becca’s consoling twin sister, Terry, and Karsh’s A.I. assistant bot, Hunny.
Reading the script, “there seemed to be this enduring love story in the film that was very emotional and touched me profoundly,” the German actress says. Meeting him afterward, “David was very generous in sharing a lot of stories and inspirations for these characters. It made it very personal.”
“Shrouds” helped Kruger to understand the physical torment of losing your soulmate. She wonders how it must have felt for her grandfather, who was married to her grandmother for 70 years before she died.
“The pain of continuing to exist, and not having her body, has new meaning to me,” Kruger, 48, says. “It’s uncomfortable and sad to think about death: the fear of really being gone and not seeing that person again. It’s not something I particularly look forward to.”
‘Shrouds’ director David Cronenberg reflects on his own mortality, legacy
Cronenberg, who is atheist, has long-explored mortality and the unhappy realities of the human body, most recently in his 2022 sci-fi drama “Crimes of the Future.”
British writer Christopher Hitchens once said that “death causes religion,” and “I think that’s the truth,” Cronenberg says. “People can’t face it. It’s very powerful for us to imagine not existing, and so to avoid imagining our own oblivion, we make up stories that say you will not really disappear; that you’ll be in heaven or get reincarnated.”
But ultimately, life is about “accepting the beauty and absurdity of existence. It’s that very beauty that makes it so painful to imagine leaving it.”
Cronenberg has worked steadily for six decades, directing Oscar-nominated films such as “Eastern Promises” and “A History of Violence,” although he himself has never been nominated. The unassuming filmmaker downplays his Hollywood impact, but speaks highly of horror provocateurs Coralie Fargeat (“The Substance”) and Julia Ducournau (“Titane”), both of whom have cited him as a major influence.
“They’re really talented and it’s very sweet. They’re like my cinematic daughters,” Cronenberg says. “The fact that I’ve inspired younger filmmakers is lovely, but it doesn’t pay the bills.”
He also has little patience for directors like Quentin Tarantino, who has proclaimed for years that he plans to retire after his 10th and final movie, as a career “mic drop.”
“Who cares? The people who like his films won’t remember which order they were in,” Cronenberg says with a shrug. “Frankly, you’re kidding yourself if you think you’re in control of your legacy. You aren’t.”
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David Cronenberg's surreal grief drama is unlike any film you've seenMovies
David Cronenberg’s surreal grief drama is unlike any film you’ve seenMovies
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‘Hee Haw’ star, gospel singer was 78
Lulu Roman, a gospel singer and longtime star of country music variety show “Hee Haw,” has died, a close friend confirmed to USA TODAY on April 24. She was 78.
Roman died April 23, in Bellingham, Washington, where she had moved last year to be closer to him.
The cause of death was not shared.
Getting her start as a scrappy comedian and Go-Go dancer in the Texas nightclub scene, Roman’s fame grew exponentially when she became a regular on “Hee Haw” − the long-running comedy sketch show that offered country music stars guest spots to perform.
From 1969 well into the 1990s, Roman delighted “Hee Haw” audiences with wry humor and later a knack for gospel vocals. A bout with drug addiction sidelined her from the show briefly in the 1970s, after which she discovered Christianity and went on to record a dozen albums, including duets with Dolly Parton and George Jones.
Roman performed at the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan in 1980 and was inducted into the Country Gospel Music Hall of Fame in the late 1990s.
“Lulu Roman was a dear friend of 40 years and she will always be remembered as one who made people laugh and smile. What better tribute is there?” country music singer T. Graham Brown said of her death in a release. “I talked to her a few days ago. We shared one last laugh and I told her that I loved her. I will really miss her. May God bless her soul.”
Equal parts singer and actress, Roman appeared on “Hee Haw Honeys,” a spin-off of the original show, as well as the movie “Corky” and an episode of “The Love Boat.”
Born Bertha Louise Hable in 1946, she was placed in an orphanage at two and a half years old, where she would live until she graduated high school.
Battling a thyroid issue and struggling with her weight throughout her life, Roman later discussed how growing up overweight led to bullying and how a dramatic slim-down in later years helped her to understand how sugar had been a coping mechanism during a tough childhood.
Roman is survived by her eldest son, Damon. Her youngest son, Justin, died in 2017.
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Rapper’s legal team heads back to court
The controversial legacy of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs. Here’s what we know
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs faces federal sex crime charges. Here’s what we know about his controversial legacy.
NEW YORK — Less than two weeks before Sean “Diddy” Combs is set to go to trial in his federal sex crimes case, the hip-hop mogul’s legal team is back in court.
Combs’ attorneys met with Judge Arun Subramanian on April 25 at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse in Manhattan to hash out trial preparations with prosecutors.
The pretrial conference comes as attorneys for Combs dispute key aspects of the legal proceeding with the U.S. government, such as the identities of Combs’ alleged victims on the witness stand and the scope of expert testimony presented to jurors in the case.
Diddy on Trial newsletter: Step inside the courtroom with USA TODAY as Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs faces sex crimes and trafficking charges. Subscribe to the newsletter.
Combs, whose trial is set to begin May 5, was arrested in September 2024 at a Manhattan hotel and was subsequently charged with racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to all five counts.
The criminal trial emerges as a series of civil lawsuits from dozens of accusers have been aimed at Combs, accusing one of the music industry’s most recognizable figures of a pervasive pattern of sexually and physically abusive behavior. The allegations span decades and include claims of rape, sexual assault and physical violence.
What charges does Diddy face?
Diddy is charged with two counts of sex trafficking, two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and one count of racketeering.
Racketeering is the participation in an illegal scheme under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Statute, or RICO, as a way for the U.S. government to prosecute organizations contributing to criminal activity.
Using RICO law, which is typically aimed at targeting multi-person criminal organizations, prosecutors allege that Combs coerced victims, some of whom they say were sex workers, through intimidation and narcotics to participate in “freak offs” — sometimes dayslong sex performances that federal prosecutors claim they have video of.
In March, prosecutors submitted a second superseding indictment (updating the amended indictment from January that added three unnamed women who were allegedly victims of his so-called sex trafficking enterprise), which claims Combs subjected employees to forced labor under inhumane circumstances.
In a third superseding indictment, prosecutors added two additional counts — one count of sex trafficking and one count of transportation to engage in prostitution of “Victim-2” — to the previous three charges against him.
When does Diddy’s trial start?
Combs’ trial, which will take place in downtown Manhattan, is set to begin with jury selection on May 5. The trial’s start date is the same day as the Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, just miles from the courthouse.
Judge Subramanian previously ruled against Combs’ defense team’s request to delay the start of his federal trial by two months.
Combs, a Met Gala mainstay, regularly attended the exclusive annual gala, benefitting the museum’s Costume Institute. His infamous appearance at the 2015 fête with ex-girlfriend Casandra “Cassie” Ventura Fine, captured in a Vogue interview video clip with the late Vogue creative director André Leon Talley, is notorious among Diddy trial onlookers.
Ventura Fine could testify at Combs’ trial; she kicked off his public legal struggles with a sex trafficking, rape and physical abuse civil lawsuit filed against the hip hop mogul in November 2023 and quickly settled the next day.
CNN exclusively reported last year about a hotel surveillance video, reportedly from March 5, 2016, with clips from multiple camera angles of the rapper beating Cassie. Combs issued a video apology after the footage was released.
Is Diddy still in jail?
Despite repeated attempts at bail, Combs was ordered to remain in custody at the Special Housing Unit in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center ahead of trial — a ruling his legal team has challenged in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. He’s been jailed since his arrest on Sept. 16, 2024.
The facility is the same facility that holds alleged UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter Luigi Mangione and disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who praised Diddy in a recent interview with conservative podcaster Tucker Carlson.
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Peppa Pig has a new sibling: Mummy Pig reveals gender
‘It’s an exciting change, but it is a big one,’ Mummy Pig told Kylie Kelce, host of the ‘Not Gonna Lie’ podcast.
New Peppa Pig Theme Park in North Texas opens Saturday
A popular pig amongst the young ones has a new amusement park opening in North Richland Hills this weekend.
Fox – 4 News
Mummy Pig, as it turns out, will be welcoming another baby girl into the world very soon.
Peppa Pig’s mother first broke the news of her pregnancy in late February, sharing the “joyous baby news” in a podcast interview with Kylie Kelce, host of “Not Gonna Lie,” on Feb. 27. Peppa and her little brother George also made a cameo on Kelce’s show.
“Mummy’s on a call, you two. Sorry, where was I? Oh yes, the announcement,” Mummy Pig said. “Well, I’m thrilled to say I’m pregnant. Baby #3 is due in the summer.”
Mummy Pig’s gender reveal, not discussed on the show, was featured on an episode of “Peppa Pig Tales” released Friday by Walmart.
Peppa and George, who weren’t sure about whether they wanted a little brother or a little sister, found out their sibling’s gender by catching a balloon that held the answer. Audiences will get to see Peppa (and George) step into a bigger role with her new little sibling arriving in Season 11 later this year.
“As a big sister, Peppa Pig’s relationship with little brother George has provided sweet moments throughout the years, as well as many important lessons about confidence and how to be a good sibling,” Hasbro said in a news release. “As the new family dynamic develops, Peppa will have many opportunities to show George the ropes alongside viewers who may be adapting to changes and ‘big feelings’ in their own families.”
New Peppa Pig toys tied to ‘growing family’
Hasbro is celebrating Mummy Pig’s “growing family” with a new collection of toys and accessories available for purchase exclusively in-store at Walmart and Walmart.com from May 30 through July 31.
A few toys, including Oinks & Snuggles interactive baby doll, Peppa’s Dress Up Wardrobe and Peppa’s Family Five Pack figure set, will be available to pre-order on April 25. Peppa Pig: Greatest Hits on CD, another Walmart exclusive, is also available for purchase.
New products featuring the new baby will be available at most major retailers by Aug. 1.
Mummy Pig talks pregnancy, big feelings
Kelce, also pregnant with her fourth daughter at the time, extended her congratulations and asked how Mummy Pig’s other children, Peppa and George, were handling the news.
“In my experience, kids can have lots of different reactions to news like this,” Kelce said.
Mummy Pig revealed that Peppa and George were taking “everything in their stride,” telling Kelce that Peppa refers to her as an “even bigger mummy” and herself as an “even bigger sister.”
Though Mummy Pig and her husband, Daddy Pig, experienced a “few big feelings” from both Peppa and George, they do have conversations and reassure them often. Mummy Pig was also feeling all the feels, telling Kelce she was excited, nervous, often a bit nauseous and couldn’t go five minutes without needing to go to the restroom.
“It’s an exciting change, but it is a big one,” Mummy Pig said.
“The announcement of Mummy Pig’s pregnancy aligns perfectly with the Kelce family’s own joyful anticipation of a new arrival, making it a truly magical moment of parallel beginnings,” the news release stated.
Kelce welcomed her own bundle of joy, daughter Finnley, on March 30.
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‘The Accountant 2’ star Ben Affleck on reuniting with Jon Bernthal
Ben Affleck, Jon Bernthal reunite as brothers in ‘The Accountant 2’
Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal discuss their real-life brotherly bond in “The Accountant 2.”
“The Accountant 2” is a love story.
No, Anna Kendrick, the romantic interest of Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) in the 2016 original, does not return. Nor does Christian find success at a speed dating event, seen in the sequel’s trailer, for which the neurodivergent mathematical genius has hacked the company’s algorithm. The new installment is a revelrous, wave-your-cowboy-hat celebration of brotherly love. (And we don’t mean that in the “White Lotus” Season 3 sense.)
The film, which arrives in theaters April 25, reunites Christian with his younger brother, hitman Braxton (Jon Bernthal). At the end of the first movie, the two estranged siblings (who shared very little screentime) made loose plans to see each other the following week. In “The Accountant 2,” we learn once again they’ve been out of touch for years.
“They really do connect to things we all go through, like the difficulty sometimes with families,” says Affleck, seated next to Bernthal. “These are people that we love most in the world. They’re also the people that can sometimes aggravate us most in the world. So you’ve got that closeness, but sometimes the friction of that. And that can be funny, and that can be maddening.”
Christian and Braxton team up to help Marybeth Medina (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) solve the mystery of Ray King’s (J.K. Simmons) death, resulting in plenty of deadpan comedy and shoot-‘em-up scenes.
“Violence was always the language which was the easiest way for them to tell each other that they loved each other,” Bernthal, 48, says. “And that’s really what those scenes were.”
Ben Affleck stars in action-packed sequel ‘The Accountant 2’
Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) and Braxton (Jon Bernthal) reunite for “The Accountant 2.”
Amazon MGM Studios
Affleck, 52, and Bernthal require far fewer rounds of ammo to express their affection.
“It sounds cheesy, but I genuinely love him,” Bernthal told USA TODAY on the carpet for the film’s world premiere at South by Southwest on March 8, sporting a black cowboy hat that concealed his buzzed hair for Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey.” “I love him as a guy, I love him as an artist, and I’m super-proud to call him a friend. I’d follow him anywhere.”
Considering that Bernthal keeps his daughter’s headband hanging around his rearview mirror and carries a picture of wife Erin Angle to every gig, his gushing over Affleck seems sincere.
With Bernthal by his side, Affleck describes acting together as “the great joy of the movie.”
“You always have the sense that there’s some sort of lightning in a bottle that you could catch, and that’s what it felt like every day,” Affleck says. “It was like, ‘Something special might happen here.’ I felt very in sync with Jon. He’s extremely intelligent. He’s a writer. He’s a filmmaker, really, and he understands all of what needs to happen on multiple levels.”
Bernthal is protective of “blow your mind”-type stories Affleck shared with the cast, “unbelievable stories” about Affleck’s experiences in the industry.
“Those stories,” Affleck jokes, “are going to go into the autobiography that I’m going to type out, on a typewriter, and then light on fire.”
One of the tenderest moments between the brothers is a scene Bernthal predicted would find a home on the cutting-room floor. To flirt with a woman at a bar, Christian line dances beside her to “Copperhead Road.”
“It had nothing to do with any doubt for this man, his musical abilities,” Bernthal professes as Affleck pretends to be wounded by his costar’s words. “I just really, really was like, ‘Oh, boy, line dancing.’ But I’m telling you, being there, it was electric. It made complete and utter perfect sense.”
Ben Affleck on ‘The Accountant 2’ at SXSW premiere
Ben Affleck opens up about relationships and authentic connections on the red carpet of “The Accountant 2” premiere at SXSW.
In the scene, Braxton lovingly looks at Christian dancing and proudly proclaims to bar patrons, “That’s my big brother up there!” Later the siblings toss a pair of guys, who were mad that Christian was flirting with one’s girl, out the window.
“The best part of that scene for me is Jon’s reaction where you see how much he roots for and wants his brother to be happy,” Affleck says. “And it’s moments like that where you really see that people love each other. Obviously, I’m not a − despite what you may think − a professional dancer, and I’m not an experienced line dancer.
“But I figured that’s sort of part of the charm, and the character’s going to put himself out there. It’s incumbent on me to do that, and it was a lot of fun.”