We’re nearing the end of the first season of Apple TV’s near-perfect supernatural series, Widow’s Bay, and fans are eager for what’s coming next. Already, the show has garnered high praise from the masterful Guillermo del Toro and drawn comparisons to the king of horror himself, Stephen King. For a streamer that’s staked its claim as the leading sci-fi television, Katie Dippold’s horror comedy not only proves Apple TV’s dedication to stellar storytelling across the board but also to meticulous attention to high-quality in all departments.
Recently, Collider’s Steven Weintraub had the pleasure of moderating an exclusive panel with Dippold, executive producer and director Hiro Murai, and star Matthew Rhys after a special event screening of Episode 3, “The Inaugural Swim.” With the penultimate episode, “Emergency Shelter,” set to premiere this week, don’t miss the full conversation in the video above or in the transcript below for our behind-the-scenes discussion, where Dippold shares the initial inspiration for Widow’s Bay, Murai explains how his previous hit series, Atlanta, helped find the balance between these two genres, and Rhys shares his approach to Mayor Tom Loftis’s exasperation on the haunted New England island. The trio also look ahead to a potential Season 2, what lessons they’ll carry with them, and why Rhys can’t wait to continue the story.
COLLIDER: Widow’s Bay is exploding right now. What do you think it is about the series that’s resonating with so many people? What is it like when Guillermo del Toro starts raving about it on Twitter?
KATIE DIPPOLD: That was thrilling. I was out to dinner, and I walked out, and my phone had just blown up like there was some terrible accident or something, and then I saw it was about to tweet, and it lived up to the expectation. It was so exciting. He’s such a hero. He’s such an authentic… I think he’s just what’s good about show business and Hollywood. He’s just so creative, and just the way he lives, like the stories about how his house and his office set up is. I’m a big fan, big fan, so that was a real treat for us all.
What do you think it is about the show that’s resonating with so many people right now? I want to point out that it’s number one on Apple TV. There’s so much buzz on it. What do you think it is that’s connecting with people?
DIPPOLD: Matthew? [Laughs]
MATTHEW RHYS: That’s not for me. That’s for the adults!
DIPPOLD: Honestly, I think one thing that was both exciting and terrifying to us is that we had no idea how it would land with people.
HIRO MURAI: That’s kind of a tough question to answer for us, but I think the thing we kept keying into is we know what it feels like for terrible things to keep happening over and over again, and then you kind of get to this, like, numbed-out state.
RHYS: It’s called Hollywood.
MURAI: Yeah. [Laughs] And there’s something about that that felt baked into the show that was really real and resonant. But it’s not like you’re aiming for it to land a certain way. You’re just kind of trying to do the best version of the show you can.
DIPPOLD: I also feel like, I don’t know, it feels like life has felt like a bit of a nightmare for a while, and I think it’s watching this character go through a nightmarish experience. I don’t know if that’s what’s pulling people in. I’m not sure, honestly.
So someone online called Widow’s Bay the funniest supernatural horror Stephen King never wrote. I’m just curious what your reaction to that is.
DIPPOLD: Oh, that’s a dream description. Stephen King, I feel like he’s a main figure in all of our lives, just what he’s done and what he’s built. Being able to try to live in that world was really a goal, that atmosphere.
When you’re building a town like Widow’s Bay, what comes first: the mythology, the characters, or the weird local rules?
DIPPOLD: The characters. In the writers’ room, we approached it from different angles, but it definitely started with character. Well, okay, that’s not true. Honestly, I wanted a haunted island to exist off the coast in New England. I really wished that there would be a world that I would take a ferry to and just this strange island, and feel like there are nooks and crannies to discover and little different terrifying stories and different places. That’s just something I wished to exist, but then you can’t do that unless you then focus on the characters living there. So, characters are most important, but a little haunted island is how it starts.
One of the trickiest things to do in anything, especially in a show like this, is the tone and finding the right balance. Can you talk about getting the right tone and finding the tone in the editing room and when you were on set, and same with you when you’re doing the performance?
DIPPOLD: It was constant trial and error. I spent a long time figuring it out. To be honest, I actually don’t like most horror comedies. I have my favorites like American Werewolf in London, Cabin in the Woods, and Shaun of the Dead, and Sam Raimi movies, and those are all very different from each other. But other than those, for the most part, I feel like you’re neither laughing or scared, you know? So, it’s tricky.
So, I was trying to find a way to make sure the scary never feels silly, so it doesn’t feel like a spoof, and then also being brutal on the jokes. Like, there could be a joke that would make us laugh so hard in the writers’ room, but if it felt like it was going to take away from the story, we just have to cut it. So, it was a lot of being really strict on stuff like that. Then it was a lot of feeling it out on set, what felt right and what didn’t.
MURAI: The script was so funny, and it’s clearly also very scary, but when we started talking, I think the most important thing and it was very clear that we just needed to be real and grounded and character-first, so the horror and the comedy of it can just sit on this real kind of baked world.
A lot of that, the execution of that, came from performance and casting. You watch this show now, and you kind of take for granted that Matthew is sort of inhabiting this world and telling you how to watch the show in a really naturalistic way, but if it were any other actor, it would tip your understanding of the show in a different way. So, it was an ongoing conversation, and as we got this group together, it became clearer and clearer what the tone of the show needed to be.
RHYS: You kind of, from the get-go, said, “Look, we’re going to create a very real world with real people, real backstories, real situations. You play it for real, and that’s it.” It was kind of an emancipation of tone then because I was like, “Okay, you do tone with music and editing and cinematography, and we’ll just play it for real.” But it did. It was a great relief to hear you say that.
There is truly no one better than him. What you never did was refer to tone. You always advanced the next take by giving the most laser-specific notes or questions about where should the next part go. So, you’re constantly staying active about the scene, as opposed to being taken away by what tone was. And then he also said, “If you get the tone wrong, I’ll fucking kill you.”
MURAI: I do remember saying that. Yeah, yeah.
DIPPOLD: Yeah, you would shout, “Funnier, please.” [Laughs] He did not do that, I swear.
Katie, your background is heavily rooted in iconic workplace comedy. You worked on Parks & Rec. So, if Mayor Tom Loftis had to deal with a sudden, aggressive town hall visit from Leslie Knope or Ron Swanson while a supernatural fog is rolling into Widow’s Bay, who cracks first?
DIPPOLD: Oh, God, that’s a great question. God, I don’t think any of them would give up, you know what I mean? In different ways. First of all, that scene would be very strange. I kind of think, for different reasons, none of them would give up.
MURAI: I agree.
When you go in and pitch Apple on the show, and they’re getting ready to make it, how much do they want to know that you have, like, a three-season plan, or that you have an overarching storyline, and how much is it like, “Let’s just make one awesome season and see where it goes?”
DIPPOLD: I talked them through the first season. We talked a lot about how it would feel. I told him where I saw this season going and how I saw it ending, and gave examples of things that would happen along the way. Then, we spoke about what the show in general meant to us and where we could see it ending, but that was about it. I mean, it sounds like a lot, but it was in a five-minute pitch, so it wasn’t too detailed.
Hiro, you directed the first three and the last two. In the first three, you’re obviously finding the visual aesthetic. The Director of Photography, Christian Sprenger, you’ve worked with many times. Can you talk about coming up with the visual aesthetic for the show and setting the tone and everything for everyone?
MURAI: I’ve worked with Christian for over a decade at this point. I always joke that I have more photos of Christian on my phone than of my wife, because we’ve been on set in so many different places. I think our approach for everything is kind of what we talked about with tone and performance, too. We just want to feel like we’re in a real place first and foremost, especially when the content can be kind of absurd or heightened, and then you just want to find a base level to walk in on.
He’s just so good at finding locations and lighting in a way that feels of the world. There’s nothing really artificial about the way he approaches it, but he also knows how to play up the emotions of the scene. So, he’ll kind of supplement a close-up with a little bit of ambient light just to punctuate a certain emotional beat, but he’s got a really light touch.
Some of this stuff that we’re doing on this show, we kind of played around with on our show, Atlanta, where we played a little bit of comedy-horror, and we really enjoyed the process of playing with those two levers. Because I think they both play with tension building and puncturing, and so it becomes a game of, like, you stay on this set-up longer than you want to, so you as an audience are starting to feel a little weird about it, and then when you cut to the other side, it gives a release valve. So, these are things that we came in wanting to play with, and then we just kind of fleshed it out on the show.
DIPPOLD: Can I just say too, as a comedy writer, the cinema that they bring to this show is so crazy and beyond my wildest dreams for this show. It’s very fun to have a half-hour comedy show look the way they made it. It’s really crazy. So I’m very, very grateful for that.
I completely agree with what you said. This is one of those rare shows where everything works across the board.
Matthew, how much of Tom’s deadpan exasperation is meticulous acting and how much is it just your genuine reaction to reading the scripts?
RHYS: A little bit of both, and just exasperation with the people I had to act with, an awful troupe. No, especially in the town hall, there are so many comedy Olympiads in this that you really need to let those people do it. Tom is kind of alone in many ways, and so I wanted to make him feel as if he’s the only person going through these things. So, he’s exasperated not only, obviously, by the scripts, but I just wanted to, at times, isolate him in a way where he’s just like, “Jesus Christ, if only I had an ally on this mad island.” But also, it was just so much fun to do.
Your performance in this is just fantastic. You’ve done a lot of drama, but I’ve never seen you do physical comedy the way that you do in an upcoming episode. What is it like for you when you’re reading the script and you see what you’re about to go through?
RHYS: I’ve never done anything like it. I’d never read anything like this before. We talked earlier about what it was, and why is it this now? I’d never read anything like this before, which is partly, I think, why it’s — it’s very unwell to say it’s doing so well, but it’s doing so well. I think it’s singularly unique.
To go back to physical comedy, I did grow up watching Harold Lloyd. I was obsessed with Harold Lloyd, and so, as much as it terrified me because it’s not something I’d done, I think when you read it, you go, oh my God, that’s going to take a certain degree of… I don’t want to use “slapstick” because it always has to remain somewhere very real. It’s frightening, and we would find it. We’d play around and experiment, and sometimes it was too broad, and sometimes the stunt coordinator would tell me off, and then we’d try and find somewhere in the middle that was real.
DIPPOLD: Can I just say, I think he’s one of the greatest actors of all time. I really do. He really is. He’s going to hate this so much. He’s going to hate this, but he’s truly one of the greatest actors of all time. But also, he’s so funny, but he doesn’t ever try to be funny because he knows what funny is, and he has pitch-perfect comedic timing. So, he’s being very kind talking about the scripts, but I just can’t imagine the show working without him.
I agree. I actually want to dig in a little bit more with your performance because I’ve always loved your work. When you have a big scene coming up on a Monday, something that might take a lot out of you, or physical comedy, whatever it is, what is it like in the days leading up to a day that you have circled on the calendar, knowing it’s going to be a really big day? Are you spending extra time reading lines or practicing?
RHYS: At home it’s like this, “I’ve got a big day on Monday! Shut up! No one understands! Christ!” That’s what the lead-up is. That’s where this physical comedy comes from.
Katie, how did you decide what the show’s rules would be in terms of figuring out the line of “How weird can we get?”
DIPPOLD: In terms of the horror, it felt like the fog was a nice entry point because it fits the New England setting, and then it was just thinking of things that would scare us, but were fitting to the island. Like, I would believe that there is an inn that has centuries of terrible history there, like a hag makes sense. You know what I mean? I just feel like there will be some kind of hag on this island. Then it starts to branch out a bit and go in different places, but it felt like trying to slowly lure people in.
I mentioned it earlier, but the set design on this show is just incredible, like the hilarious newspapers and the historical society, the bizarre games in the hotel in Episode 2. Can you talk about working with the set designers and the production design teams in bringing all that to life? Because I really think some of that stuff just adds so much to the show and elevates everything.
DIPPOLD: I have to say, in the room, we’d pitch the comedy board games, and we’d have them all down, but then it goes to this other level. I don’t think the script mentioned anything about the little pieces with the newspaper and the bat. My favorite thing about the Daddy’s Home board game was that I always imagined just kind of an angry dad, but [Hiro] had pitched that more bewildered face, which I think is the funniest detail.
MURAI: We had a lot of fun working on this because it’s so lovingly crafted in the script. The execution was even more fun because we had all these artists and artisans getting to enjoy it, too. We keep talking about it, this set is the most detailed set I’ve ever been on. Every single piece of board game toy, like you’ve spoken about it as an actor, you sometimes would open a drawer, and there would be nothing in there, but in this world, each drawer was custom-built for the character. So, there’s just a lot of love and care in the details.
DIPPOLD: We had a really great production design team who were just absolute maniacs in the best way and just put so much into it. There’s a lot of care, and it was a really great group.
I love learning about the behind-the-scenes of a show or a movie that you can’t read on Wikipedia or in the press notes. For each of you, what’s something you’d love to share or let everyone know about the making of the show? Any surprises? Any cool behind-the-scenes stories?
RHYS: We had to sign a lot of NDAs, so this is quite tough, especially about Jeff Hiller and Dale Dickey getting in a fist fight.
DIPPOLD: [Laughs] This is a weird story, but you know what was a fun moment? I remember when Jeff got nominated for his Emmy in the middle of shooting the season. I was in my office, but I had a monitor on, and the monitor was on standby on Stephen [Root] and Kate [O’Flynn], and I could hear someone introduce, “Oh, Emmy-nominated Jeff Hiller,” and I could see Stephen and Kate so happy for him and cheering for him. This is a weird story, but I remember I was so moved by it. They just looked so happy for him. You know what I mean? It was so sweet. And I’m like, “Oh, these lovely actors that are supporting each other!” That’s a weird story to bring up, but it really stuck.
RHYS: It was one of the happiest experiences I’ve ever had. Really, really deep, deep crying, laughing, directors going, “Please, can you focus?” We’re like, “Yes, yes, sorry!”
MURAI: I have one. When we first started doing the first block, how you would usually work with actors is you shoot the scene, and if you needed to shoot inserts, the actor doesn’t necessarily have to do the motion, like, if you’re getting a shot of someone writing or typing or something. But Matthew was really adamant that he does all of his own insert work because he wanted his physicality and hand in there, and I was just like, “What? Why are you so dedicated to the small things?” And he goes, “Well, there’s a show I did one time where I just kind of did the scene, and then they told me that they were going to get someone else to do the hands of typing on a computer, and so I left. Then later on, I saw the show, and they cut to me typing, and then they showed the hands, and he’s going like…” [flails hands].
RHYS: I’ll tell you what the show was. It was the last, ever, Colombo. That’s not a lie. And I was robbed by the typing hands.
DIPPOLD: I really wanted to do a prank where we did a fake insert shot in one of the episodes to show to you, but we just didn’t have that kind of time.
RHYS: Good.
That’s called Season 2, I think.
DIPPOLD: Also, one of my fondest memories was shooting “The Inaugural Swim” because the production was so crazy. It’s a very ambitious show, and watching Hiro in the wetsuit in the water with another camera in the water, and you have a scuba team for disaster, and you having to swim back and forth, and I’m standing perfectly fine in my normal clothes, I’m like, “Oh, this is a big ordeal. This is a real thing.” That was exciting.
RHYS: They’re all ex-SEALs, and so we’re all in the water, and I said, “So there are no sharks here?” And they went, “Oh yeah, there’s sharks.” I was like, “The fuck are we doing in the water?”
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Matthew, what was the most fun part of playing someone who’s constantly trying to be rational in increasingly irrational situations?
RHYS: It’s the reactions of others. The fun part as a human being, not an actor in this project, was being so amped up, and then you’re looking at Dale Dickey looking at you, and she’s open-mouth coughing. That was the fun. It was the reactions of these people around me that just made it very hard to do. Then you had real improv Olympiads like Neil Casey, who were in a two-shot or a wide, and he’s off, and you’re like, “I don’t stand a chance here. This isn’t fair.” It’s like sprinting against Usain Bolt. It’s like, “I can’t do this.” That was the joy of it, watching those people fly.
DIPPOLD: I just remember Neil was trying to do something because when you shot Neil coming out of the room, there was some divide of time between that bit and the conversation downstairs before you go up. He was trying to either lose or gain weight between the two weeks so when he came out of the room, it looked like he had put on weight. [Laughs] He really was trying his best to do that.
MURAI: I did not know that. That’s really funny.
DIPPOLD: Another favorite Neil Casey thing is in Episode 4. This doesn’t spoil anything, but Neil Casey’s supposed to be eating these deviled eggs, and the director of [Episode] 4 had to have Neil keep eating. He must have eaten 14 deviled eggs.
RHYS: He’s like Cool Hand Luke.
DIPPOLD: And there is not one single shot of him eating a deviled egg in the episode. [Laughs]
That actually leads me to a question that I’m curious about. Everything changes in the editing room. It’s the final rewrite. How did this show possibly change in the editing room in ways you guys didn’t expect?
DIPPOLD: God, there was always more to find. You know what I mean? We were always finding it, like there’s a rhythm. The process of finding the tone was from beginning to end, I would say.
MURAI: Yeah. It’s not a show where the structure of the story changed much in the edit. I think the scripts are always really tight, and there was a clear progression in the story. The things that changed were these microscopic rhythm and timing stuff that really affected the tone and flow of the scenes.
DIPPOLD: Sometimes there’d be big cuts. Sometimes I forget. Like [Episode] 4, for example, has a couple of nights before… You know what I mean?
MURAI: That’s right. That’s right. People have kind of blacked it all out.
DIPPOLD: Yeah, yeah, yeah. The scripts are, say, 36 pages long, and Maria [Mantia], our first A.D., would be like, “These are not 36 pages long.” You know what I mean? It always took much longer, so that was a whole thing.
Assuming you guys get to make a Season 2, which I’m confident you will have a Season 2, what were the big lessons for each of you that you learned making the first season? Because in the first season, you’re figuring out how to make the show. What were some of the big things you learned that you’ll take with you into a second season?
DIPPOLD: That’s a good question. I don’t know if I have specific examples, but it was a process of learning, because we would constantly on set look at each other and be like, “Does this feel right? Does this feel bad? Does this feel good?” And so I feel like by the end of it, you just sort of learned what works and what doesn’t. So, I’m hopeful, and I may be jinxing it, but I think there’d be a little less trial and error. But maybe that’s wrong. I don’t know if you felt like that.
MURAI: I think that’s right. Season 1 is impossible.
DIPPOLD: Yes.
MURAI: You’re making the plane as you’re flying it. It’s crazy. It’s crazy. Also, the thing about TV shows is that you’re putting the people together, and you hope that it all takes on a life of its own. The actors start riffing off each other, you know your dynamic, and there’s a very organic sense of play there. So by the end of it, I feel like we had a really good grasp of what the show should be in a way that we didn’t when we started.
DIPPOLD: I totally agree.
RHYS: It’s not quite the question, but what I’m more excited about is where we leave off at the end of Season 1. The difference for Tom in Season 2 will be that much greater, and that’s what I’m excited about, is going, “Oh my God, where does he go from there?” Because he’s changed. I have horns, I have a goatee, I’ve got hooves. It’s brilliant. But no, that’s what I’m kind of more excited about, that you’ve laid the groundwork, you’ve done the foundation work, and now that’s all embedded in it, and now you can really hopefully take flight.
DIPPOLD: I mean, in some ways, Season 1 feels like a prequel to life on this island.
RHYS: Right, because we’ve set up so much now that you’re ready to go.
Widow’s Bay releases new episodes exclusively on Apple TV every Wednesday.
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Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Episode 5 of Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed
Summary
Apple TV has yet another hit on its hands with David Rosen‘s Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed. The darkly comic thriller follows Tatiana Maslany‘s charming and wonderfully messy Paula, a recently divorced soccer mom who, on top of a child custody battle and irritating young coworkers, is swept up in a chaotic blackmail scheme involving online sex worker Trevor (Brandon Flynn).
After five non-stop episodes, it’s become crystal clear that Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed is anything but predictable. One of the most interesting parts of the series, though, has (largely) nothing to do with Paula’s deadly circumstances. Paula’s ex-husband Karl (Jake Johnson) and his new partner, Mallory (Jessy Hodges), are pushing to bring Paula and Karl’s daughter Hazel (Nola Wallace) to Boise permanently, much to Paula’s growing frustration. In their defense, Paula hasn’t been the most trustworthy guardian.
Episode 5 of Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed has been quite telling, with Mallory’s bribery twist ahead of the custody trial putting her in a darker light, and Karl lying about the cops adding another layer of deceit to their marriage. During this interview with Collider, Jake Johnson and Jessy Hodges talk about the importance of perspective in a series like this, why Johnson never saw Karl as an antagonist, and whether or not they were surprised about where their characters would go.
COLLIDER: I’m really excited to talk to you both. Jake, I just want to start by saying Ride the Eagle is one of my absolute favorite movies and I really admire you as a screenwriter. As someone trying to make it as a screenwriter, that movie means a lot.
JAKE JOHNSON: Thanks so much! That was our little pandemic baby we made for $250,000. That was a little backyard project.
And Jessy, I love Barry. I feel like the common denominator here is D’Arcy Carden, I’m realizing.
JESSY HODGES: It is! [Laughs] It is.
JOHNSON: You love D’Arcy Carden. [Laughs]
HODGES: As do I! She’s like my best friend.
That’s so cool. Yeah, she’s great. Okay, let’s talk about this show. As we can see pretty quickly in the series, Paula has an outlet for her pleasure. Is there a TV show or a movie or maybe something you do that can turn your mood around instantly if you’re in a funk?
JOHNSON: Well, this is going to be hard because she’s masturbating.
HODGES: Oh boy. Here we go.
JOHNSON: [Laughs] I have an outlet for my pleasure, but I want to make sure I answer correctly.
HODGES: Careful….
[Laughs] I was thinking something more PG.
JOHNSON: I can always watch the show Cheers, which I love, but it’s different than what Paula does. [Laughs]
HODGES: It’s a different kind of a pleasure.
It is.
JOHNSON: [Laughs] I could watch that show endlessly, and I’ve been able to since I was a boy. I just adore it.
HODGES: That’s a great answer. It’s a classy answer. Mine’s not. Mine is The Real Housewives. It doesn’t even matter the franchise. Almost anything on Bravo is a pleasure to me. Right now, I’m really loving Summer House, but Real Housewives of Atlanta is really coming on up and Beverly Hills is always important to me, too.
Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed is so unpredictable, all the way up to the finale’s final scene, which rattled me. What was your impression when you first got the story and learned where your characters were going?
HODGES: We read so many scripts and when I got this script, it just leapt off the page. It’s just so well written and so dynamic. There’s so much going on. Seeing that David Gordon Green was attached to direct it and that the cast that was coming together, I was just like, “I will give my left leg to be a part of this.”
What were your first impressions, Jake, when you were reading Karl? Because I feel like you play a lot of very charming characters that are really easy to like and you have really great chemistry with everyone you interact with. Karl is not really doing anything wrong — he wants the best for his daughter — but you kind of are positioned to not really like him that much. How did you approach that?
JOHNSON: I try to approach them all the same way. I viewed this from Karl’s point of view. I think if the script was a little bit different and we were seeing it from Karl’s point of view, the audience would like him a lot more and like Paula a lot less, but it’s her show. But I don’t view it any differently. I think everybody always thinks they’re the protagonist of their story, so from his point of view, he’s a really great father who has made a hard decision and that is to leave the mother of his daughter for a woman that he thinks is a better fit for not only him, but for his daughter. And he thinks the Idaho move is really great for everybody, Paula included. So when terms like manipulative get thrown at him, I think it was a shock to Karl. And as the guy playing him, it was a shock to me too. I was team Karl.
There were so many scenes where you could tell just without him even saying anything, that he didn’t want to do what he was doing.
JOHNSON: Yes.
He doesn’t want to rip Hazel from Paula.
JOHNSON: It was a very enjoyably frustrating job to have because I felt like they’re not letting Karl win and they’re not letting the things that he wants to happen, happen. And I’m not just talking about towards the end, but each sequence, like when he goes to the soccer game and he’s trying to be nice to her, Paula keeps doing things where you’re like, “There’s such an easy way we can get along and make this work.” And she never allows his plan to finish, which was incredibly frustrating. Again, I think if Karl was the lead of it, the audience would say, “Wow, how does he deal with such a frustrating partner?” [Laughs] But that’s me being a salesman again. My next job is going to be a real estate agent. I’d love to get you a beautiful property.
HODGES: [Laughs] Yeah, he has a whole plan.
JOHNSON: [Laughs] But that’s not about this.
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Jessy, your character starts out fairly benign, and then she really takes things into her own hands. I think Karl gets really upset with the private investigator and her swapping the file. Were you surprised at the direction Mallory was going in?
HODGES: No, I was not surprised. I think it’s important to remember that she’s a lawyer, and I think she’s a very black and white thinker. Once it became clear that they were involving lawyers and courts in this custody situation, it became a thing to win or lose. And she’s not a person who looks forward to losing, which means she’s trying to win. Is it what I would have done myself? Not necessarily. But I think it was very consistent with the character.
JOHNSON: I have to jump in here. I’m sorry. I love Jessy very much.
HODGES: Uh oh, here we go.
JOHNSON: But she was confused about the character, deep into the series. When I said something about how Mallory’s kind of the bad
guy of the show. She went, “What?”
HODGES: [Laughs]
JOHNSON: I said, “I think you will see this.” We were at a restaurant and she’s like, “No. Mallory? No.” And I was like, “Yeah, I think she’s more than just Karl’s new wife. I think she’s somewhat of a villain. And Jessy very clearly was like, “Jake, you are crazy.”
HODGES: “Honey, you’ve got it wrong.”
JOHNSON: “And quite a big imagination.” [Laughs]
HODGES: Well, I mean, this actually speaks to the quality of the writing, but like Jake was saying, we are all the leads of our own storyline. So to me, everything that she was doing was pretty natural, and in keeping with what they’re trying to achieve for their family and what she’s personally trying to achieve.
Tatiana is such a great anchor to this series and Paula is such a powder keg. What was it like sharing scenes with Tatiana?
JOHNSON: She’s an amazing actress. Really great to work with. Great to be around.
But what was interesting, at least for us, is we didn’t experience any of her other storylines. So now when you watch it, you get to see what she was going through, but especially in production, you’re not thinking about what else they shot. So at least for the three of us, we were in a little indie about a custody drama.
HODGES: Yeah. We were so siloed. We only saw each other, but just to add to what he’s saying, she is so talented and what she’s doing in this show is so exciting and dynamic and unpredictable and working with her was such a joy. I think especially as our duo too, because in the same way that Karl and Mallory are like, “Well, what’s Paula going to come at us with this time?” is thrilling for actors. That’s what it was like. It was like, “What is Tat going to bring this time?”
JOHNSON: Totally.
HODGES: My job was just responding to her. It was so easy to act with her as it was this guy. When actors are this talented, it’s just easy.
Thank you so much. I have to wrap, but it was a pleasure talking to you and watching the show. Thank you for your time.
JOHNSON: Good luck with the screenplays.
HODGES: Yeah!
Thank you so much! I appreciate it.
New episodes of Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed air Wednesday on Apple TV.
The FIFA World Cup officially kicked off this week, hosted by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t still plenty of non-soccer content worth your time on streaming, in between the countless matches. From Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers‘ new series The Boroughs, to the second season of The Four Seasons, and the true crime series Michael Jackson: The Verdict, you can’t go wrong with Netflix to help keep you entertained. But what exactly should you watch? To help you decide, here’s a list of three shows you should binge-watch on Netflix this weekend.
For more recommendations, check out our list of the best shows and movies on Netflix.
Disclaimer: These titles are available on US Netflix.
Whether you’re a fan of Gilmore Girls or Virgin River, you simply can’t beat some small-town drama to help keep you hooked on a weekend. This past Thursday, one of the best Gilmore Girls replacements officially returned with its hotly anticipated fifth season, and there has been no better time to catch up than now.
Sweet Magnolias, created by Sheryl J. Anderson, follows three women, best friends since high school, as they look to balance careers, romance, and friendship in the small Southern town of Serenity. For indulgent drama and plenty of margaritas, you simply can’t go wrong with this effortlessly cozy hit series, and, with 50 episodes now available, there’s more than enough to keep you busy.
Another series returning in 2026, although we have yet to receive an exact release date, is The Diplomat, which starred as one of the best shows on Netflix last year with its third season. The series follows the Emmy-nominated Keri Russell as Kate Wyler, the newly appointed U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom, as she tries to balance international relations and public scrutiny in the midst of a high-profile crisis.
Created by Debora Cahn, The Diplomat is one of the smartest shows available on Netflix, bursting with clever dialogue and a gripping central plot. Add that to stand-out performances from the ever-brilliant Russell, Rufus Sewell, David Gyasi, Rory Kinnear, and more, and you have a recipe for unmissable, acclaimed television. 22 episodes of The Diplomat are currently available, with the hope that the show will return this October.
Rounding out a trio of Netflix shows set to return in 2026 is 3 Body Problem, Alexander Woo, David Benioff, and D. B. Weiss‘ adaptation of the Chinese novel series Remembrance of Earth’s Past. The series follows a Chinese astrophysicist who, after witnessing tragedy, is sent to a secret military base. Whilst there, and facing her demons, she makes a decision that will reverberate from the 1960s through to the present day.
Featuring pitch-perfect performances from the likes of Eiza González and Benedict Wong, this gem of a sci-fi series is expected to return for its second season later this year, making now an ideal time to catch up. Both entertaining and educational, 3 Body Problem was a big hit with critics in 2024, even earning six Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including in the Outstanding Drama Series category.
March 21, 2024
Minkie Spiro, Derek Tsang
Taylor Swift’s appearance at Wednesday night’s NBA Finals game delivered plenty of headline-making moments, but one unexpected interaction stole attention away from the action on the court.
The pop superstar was enjoying the game from a coveted courtside seat at Madison Square Garden when an eager fan attempted to get close enough for a selfie.
Before the encounter could escalate, Swift’s longtime bodyguard quickly stepped in, creating a viral moment that quickly became one of the most talked-about stories of the evening, overshadowing several other celebrity-filled headlines.
Taylor Swift was among the celebrities attending Game 4 of the NBA Finals as the New York Knicks staged a dramatic comeback victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
The singer sat courtside alongside sisters Este and Alana Haim while her longtime security guard remained positioned directly behind her.
Known among Swift’s fanbase as “Drew,” the bodyguard has spent roughly a decade protecting the pop star while successfully keeping his real identity private.
During a break in the action, Swift and her friends were standing near their seats chatting when a fan attempted to approach.
According to footage obtained by the Daily Mail, the man moved toward the “Cruel Summer” singer while holding his phone, apparently trying to take a selfie.
Before he could get too close, Drew quickly intervened and physically redirected the fan away from Swift. The moment unfolded within seconds but immediately drew attention due to the bodyguard’s swift response.
An eyewitness who witnessed the incident provided additional details about what happened.
“The guy refused to stop at a security checkpoint. He pushed his way up to her and her security team quickly jumped in to protect her,” the source told the outlet.
Even after being escorted away, the fan reportedly continued to hold his phone in selfie mode. Rather than appearing upset, Taylor Swift reacted calmly when she noticed him.
The Grammy award winner smiled and waved toward the camera as security handled the situation.
The fan ultimately managed to snap a photo showing himself smiling while Swift and her friends appeared in the background.
He later shared the image on social media and seemed thrilled by the interaction despite being stopped. “@taylorswift13 thank you for saying yes to a picture before they shoved me away!” he reportedly wrote.
The evening also featured several celebrity interactions that generated buzz across social media. Among those in attendance were Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner, who were spotted enjoying the game together.
Fans reacted strongly after Jenner shared a warm embrace with Taylor Swift, given the singer’s long-running public feud with Jenner’s half-sister, Kim Kardashian.
“You won’t understand how big this is unless you’re into pop culture,” one fan wrote online. Another joked: “Knicks bringing world peace.”
The game also placed Swift in the same arena as music executive Scooter Braun, whose acquisition of her master recordings famously sparked years of conflict and ultimately led to her “Taylor’s Version” re-recording project.
Braun attended alongside actress Sydney Sweeney and was reportedly seated several rows behind Swift.
Other celebrities filling the arena included Jerry Seinfeld, Hailey Bieber, Adam Sandler, Spike Lee, Larry David, Tate McRae, Jimmy Fallon, and Ben Stiller.
The courtside incident comes as speculation surrounding Swift’s personal life continues to intensify.
Recent rumors have suggested that Taylor Swift and fiancé Travis Kelce could be planning a wedding celebration connected to Madison Square Garden.
However, the rumored wedding venue found itself in the spotlight for an unsettling reason after a violent knife attack erupted just steps away from Madison Square Garden.
As reported by The Blast, five people were slashed Sunday night inside New York City’s Penn Station, which sits adjacent to the iconic arena that has been repeatedly linked to the couple’s highly anticipated wedding plans.
Police said the attack unfolded inside the Amtrak terminal when a suspect allegedly began slashing victims with a knife for reasons that remain unclear.
All five victims were rushed to local hospitals for treatment, while authorities quickly took a person of interest into custody.
While speculation centered on the iconic New York venue hosting more than 1,000 guests, new insider claims suggest the Madison Square Garden buzz could be a deliberate distraction designed to protect the couple’s privacy.
As The Blast reported, sources revealed that the 36-year-old is instead planning a much smaller and more intimate ceremony for her closest family and friends, with her Rhode Island estate, known as High Watch, emerging as a possible secret venue.
According to insiders, only a select group knows the true location, while some guests have reportedly been told to arrive at Madison Square Garden before receiving further instructions.
War movies show the harsh realities of conflict. Many people find them hard to watch because a lot of them show the dark side of it although I’d argue not all of them are able to really zero-in on harsh realities of war that well. It’s just that the people are too oblivious and soft. Anyway, in the past, war films often depicted soldiers as heroes who would do anything for their country.
Today’s war movies, on the other hand, take a more honest approach and show the true terror of war and the brutal conditions soldiers face. They also highlight the deep psychological scars that can stay with soldiers for life. Those are the war movies that are true masterpieces, honestly, and that’s what this list is about. It’s about war films that offer both entertainment and moral insight. Here is a curated list of ten such masterpieces that are pure cinema.
The Thin Red Line begins with Private Witt (Jim Caviezel), who serves in an American unit while preparing for the Guadalcanal campaign during World War II. Unlike many of the soldiers around him, Witt often reflects on life beyond the battlefield while struggling to reconcile the violence of war with his own sense of human nature. As the unit advances toward heavily defended Japanese positions, the men endure exhausting conditions that test both their strength and their emotions.
With the ongoing operation, the story shifts among different members of the company, showing how each responds to the conflict in their own way. Lieutenant Colonel Tall (Nick Nolte) pushes for aggressive action, determined to achieve victory at any cost. At the same time, Captain Staros (Elias Koteas) grows increasingly concerned about protecting the lives of his men.
In The Deer Hunter, the story starts with Michael (Robert De Niro), Nick (Christopher Walken), and Steven (John Savage), who are close friends living in a working-class town in Pennsylvania. Before leaving for military service in Vietnam, they spend time with family and friends while sharing routines and traditions that define their lives at home. These early moments establish the bonds between them and also create the emotional foundation of the story. Although they prepare to leave together, none of them truly understands how deeply the war will change their futures.
Once the story shifts to Vietnam, each friend goes through situations that are completely different from the lives they used to have. The brutality of conflict begins to affect each of them differently, which also shapes the paths they follow after the war. At last, when they eventually return home, the weight of those experiences continues to influence their relationships, choices, and sense of identity.
Paths of Glory centres on Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas), who commands French soldiers during World War I and is ordered to lead an attack against a heavily fortified German position. From the start, the mission looks nearly impossible, yet some senior officers insist that it must go forward despite the risks. As preparations unfold, Dax focuses on supporting his men, while knowing they are being asked to face overwhelming odds.
After the operation fails, military leadership searches for individuals to blame rather than examining the decisions that led to the outcome. Several soldiers are selected to stand trial as examples to the rest of the army. Dax becomes determined to defend them, insisting that the real conditions of the attack were purposely overlooked. The story develops through this struggle between authority and accountability. The attention shifts from the battlefield itself to the consequences of choices made far from the front lines.
Come and See takes place in Nazi-occupied Belarus during World War II and is seen through the eyes of a young boy named Flyora (Aleksei Kravchenko). He joins a group of resistance fighters with excitement and little understanding of what war actually brings. Very quickly, that excitement disappears.
Flyora moves through burned villages, mass executions, and endless displacement. People vanish without explanation. Entire communities are erased within minutes. The violence is not presented as heroic or dramatic. It appears sudden and overwhelming. Adults around Flyora lose control while he is forced to grow numb just to survive. By the end, the film shows a child who has aged far beyond his years. War is not portrayed as a battle here. It is shown as something that destroys memory, identity, and innocence at once
Dunkirk is about a large group of British soldiers who are trapped on a beach in France during World War II and are waiting for a way out. The film follows a few different groups, including young soldiers like Tommy (Fionn Whitehead), civilians who cross the Channel in small boats, and fighter pilots trying to protect the evacuation from the air. None of these people has much information. They only know that staying where they are will likely get them killed.
As the hours pass, the film stays focused on how limited their options are. Soldiers hide behind barriers and move when the crowd moves because there is nowhere else to go. Civilian boat owners continue forward even when they realize how dangerous the trip is. Pilots stay in the air longer than they should because turning back too early would leave the beach exposed. The story moves through these choices, showing how survival slowly replaces any larger sense of purpose.
The film Apocalypse Now is set during the Vietnam War and centers on Captain Willard (Martin Sheen), a U.S. Army officer who was sent on a classified mission up a river in Cambodia. His task is to locate Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), an officer who has gone rogue and now commands his own group of followers. Willard is given little guidance beyond the order to bring the mission to an end.
The journey upriver becomes stranger and more unstable with every stop. Soldiers fight battles that seem disconnected from any clear goal. Commanders speak with confidence even when their decisions make no sense. As Willard moves closer to Kurtz, the idea of duty starts to blur. The film shows how authority breaks down when war removes clear limits. By the time Willard reaches his destination, the mission no longer feels separate from the madness surrounding it.
The story of Lawrence of Arabia is based on T. E. Lawrence (Peter O’Toole), a British officer sent to the Arabian desert during World War I to gather intelligence. He becomes involved with Arab forces who are fighting against the Ottoman Empire. Lawrence begins as an observer but slowly takes on a leadership role that reshapes his identity.
The desert becomes both a setting and a test. Long journeys across open land demand patience and control. Victories bring attention and influence, but also distance Lawrence from his original purpose. As his reputation grows, so does his belief in his own importance. The violence shown in the film starts to feel easier for him than it should. The movie spends that time carefully on this shift and lets it unfold very realistically. By the end, Lawrence is no longer sure where duty ends and ego begins.
In the story of The Battle of Algiers, Ali La Pointe (Brahim Haggiag) begins as a petty criminal in French-controlled Algeria but soon becomes involved with the National Liberation Front during the Algerian War. His choice draws him into a movement fighting for independence through organized resistance against colonial authority. As Ali grows more committed, he takes on greater responsibilities within the group, adapting to the demands of underground operations and the constant threat of discovery.
At the same time, French military forces intensify their efforts to dismantle the resistance. Surveillance, intelligence gathering, and coordinated security measures are used to weaken the movement. Both sides adjust their strategies in response to shifting conditions, creating a conflict that spreads across the city and affects daily life. This ongoing struggle shows how each action taken by one side sparks a response from the other.
Ran follows Hidetora Ichimonji (Tatsuya Nakadai), an aging warlord, who decides to divide his kingdom among his three sons, believing this will secure peace after his retirement. He expects unity and stability, but ambition, loyalty, and judgment soon clash, which strains the relationships between the brothers. What begins as a practical plan gradually turns into rising tensions that spread across the land.
As conflicts grow, Hidetora is forced to face the consequences of his choices, both in the present and from his years as a ruler. Alliances shift, rivalries deepen, and violence spreads through regions once under his control. Each son responds differently to the changing political landscape, shaping the course of events in unpredictable ways. The story unfolds through these escalating struggles, showing how an attempt to preserve order instead unleashes chaos.
In the film Ivan’s Childhood, Ivan (Nikolai Burlyaev) is a young boy whose life has been shattered by World War II. After losing his family, he begins to work with Soviet forces, while carrying out dangerous reconnaissance missions behind enemy lines. Those around him recognize his intelligence and determination, but they also know the risks of the role he has taken on. Ivan approaches these missions with seriousness, believing that helping the war effort gives meaning to his loss.
With time, military officers struggle to balance their need for Ivan’s skills with concern for his future. They see that he is still a child, yet the war makes it nearly impossible to separate him from the responsibilities he has assumed. Through missions, memories, and conversations, different sides of Ivan’s life gradually come into focus. The story develops through this contrast between childhood and conflict, following a boy forced to grow up in a world shaped entirely by war.
May 9, 1962
95 minutes
Andrei Tarkovsky
Andrei Konchalovsky, Vladimir Bogomolov, Mikhail Papava
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Michael Gledhill, the suspect in the 81-year-old’s killing, remains in custody on $2 million bond.
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Adams says that the surprising new addition to the cast was “lovely and committed and fun.”
Love Island USA‘s Kenzie Annis and Corbin Mims appeared to find a way to secretly hook up on screen — with the night cameras catching a glimpse of their encounter.
During the Thursday, June 11, episode of the hit Peacock series, the cameras in the villa showed each couple in bed after lights out. It was the view of Kenzie and Corbin, however, that made audience members question if they were secretly having sex.
The couple didn’t directly address the seemingly steamy moment — but Kenzie did hint at their chemistry, adding, “We have a really good physical connection in the bed.”
Love Island USA viewers had a front row seat to the sexcapades that took place this year in Fiji. While past seasons featured some couples finding ways to share an intimate moment or two, it felt like season 7 set some kind of record with the amount of sexual “journeys” taking place in the communal bedroom.
“We did have a code word [for sex which was] ‘journey’ and it kind of traumatizes me now. When somebody outside is like, ‘Oh, a journey?’ I’m like, ‘How dare you!’ I am clutching my pearls,” Amaya “Papaya” Espinal joked on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast in July 2025. “People were having journeys.”
Since there wasn’t room for much privacy, Amaya confirmed that it did get awkward at night, adding, ”I’m like, ‘Can I sleep?’ We already don’t get enough sleep around here and then you hear [sexual noises]. The earplugs [we got] were not plugging? Those were low quality earplugs because we were still able to hear things. Especially if there’s a couple right next to you.”
Amaya was also asked about her time in The Hideaway with fellow winner Bryan Arenales. (The pair have since split.)
“It was steamy, all right. We were hot and we were sweating. It really was a great feeling to just have that private and intimate moment,” she gushed. “We actually do want to talk to each other and we love being next to each other. The next morning, we were just sitting and we were just quiet. It was beautiful and silent. I really did feel like I found my best friend where I could yap away or have a quieter moment.”
When asked whether Bryan really did “eat that kitty in The Hideaway,” Amaya coyly replied, “Well he definitely took that advice. We had a great night.”
They got a text — and found love in the Love Island USA villa. The beloved British dating show made its way across the pond in 2019, following a crop of American bombshells searching for The One in a luxury tropical villa. In season 1, eventual winners Elizabeth Weber and Zac Mirabelli had a connection […]
While Love Island USA viewers know that “journey” is a code word the Islanders use for sex, the term “folded” is another one that has been brought up multiple times last season. Chris Seeley quietly revealed to Bryan that he “folded” the night prior with Huda Mustafa, adding, “I wasn’t going to tell anybody. [But] I couldn’t do it any more. I really tried [to hold out]. I just didn’t want to tell the other boys.”
In a confessional, Chris elaborated on how having sex has helped his connection with Huda evolve.
“I feel like that was just a great step into our physical connection that we probably don’t show in front of everyone else,” he noted. “It definitely made us feel stronger in our physical connection. That is really all I can say about that.”
New episodes of Love Island USA are released six days a week — except for Wednesdays — on Peacock.
Join Us Weekly and Bracketology.tv in our first-ever Love Island USA fantasy league! This is your chance to predict who you think will win Season 8 and rank the Islanders weekly based on how confident you are that they will survive the next elimination. You will be playing against our editors, get access to exclusive content and have the chance to win fun prizes. Sign up for free today!
Alan Ritchson has warmed the hearts of audiences as the burly and principled Jack Reacher, but his 2024 World War II action-comedy is much more flashy. Guy Ritchie’s The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is currently streaming on Peacock and is a spiritual successor to Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds. Richtson stars as one of the members of Winston Churchill’s initiative to fight Nazis through underhanded means.
Aptly called The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Welfare, this band of brothers did not follow the rules of engagement as were established at the time. Instead, they used subterfuge, spies, and murder to combat one of the most evil authoritarians in world history. Their methods were so outrageous that if they were disavowed by the British government and if they were discovered, they would be imprisoned. The stakes were high, resulting in a high-octane action narrative fueled with blood and explosions.
Serious and heartfelt World War II stories like Band of Brothers and Saving Private Ryan handle this period with reverence. This was supposed to be the last great war and the last conflict that had a righteous cause. Part of the joy of The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare is that it strips all these expectations away. This was a real unit, and all the characters portrayed actually existed. Unlike Inglourious Basterds, which is revisionist history, Guy Ritchie’s movie uses truth to tell an engaging and hilarious story, taking out all the pomp and circumstance of a time that feels so long ago.
The Ministry is led by Gus March-Philips, played with particular glee by Henry Cavill. Opposed to any self-serious roles he has played in the past, this is a refreshing change. March-Philips is characterized by his misanthropic approach to combat and his general disregard for the rules. He is perfect to pull off a mission to diminish the Nazis, though he insists on bringing his own team, who are just as wild as he is.
Cavill’s antics in the film are as hilarious as they are brutal, as are the rest of his squad. Alan Ritchson exercises his comedic chops as the Danish archer, Anders Lassen, who wants as many Nazi hearts as he can get. The violence, paired with the winks at the audience, subverts other war narratives of its kind. It is Ritchie in his purest form and an acceptable continuation of his other pieces of action fare. Its greatest asset, however, is the vigor it brings to killing Nazis onscreen. Nazi-killing has been a fad recently, with bonkers ventures such as Sisu, and it continues to resonate no matter how many times it happens.
The villains of The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare are something that everyone can agree on, which makes this adventure particularly enjoyable to watch. Now streaming on Peacock, the war comedy isn’t typical of the genre, but in the end, that is what makes it a streaming success. The stacked cast of rebels eviscerating Nazis is exactly what viewers are signing up for when taking on this film.
April 19, 2024
120 minutes
Jennifer Lopez isn’t afraid to share her honest opinion, even when it involves one of the most celebrated films in recent Academy Awards history.
During a candid appearance on Brett Goldstein’s podcast, the actress and singer was asked a question that left her visibly uncomfortable: name the worst movie she has ever seen.
While Lopez carefully avoided attacking the people behind the project, she eventually revealed her answer, surprising fans by choosing an Oscar-winning drama that earned widespread critical acclaim.
Jennifer Lopez appeared on Brett Goldstein’s “Films To Be Buried With” podcast, where guests are asked to reveal the worst movie they have ever watched. The question put Lopez in a difficult position.
The Hollywood star seemed reluctant to criticize another filmmaker’s work, especially knowing her answer could spark backlash.
Still, after some hesitation, she eventually named 2021’s “Nomadland,” the acclaimed drama starring Frances McDormand and directed by Chloé Zhao.
The film was one of the biggest award winners of its year, taking home Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress at the Academy Awards.
Rather than criticizing the quality of the movie itself, Lopez emphasized that her issue came down to personal taste. “It’s hard to say ‘worst’ because it’s a beautiful film,” she explained per the Daily Mail.
Lopez clarified that the movie simply represented her least favorite type of storytelling rather than a poorly made production.
While many critics praised “Nomadland,” Jennifer Lopez admitted the film’s themes and pacing did not connect with her.
“It’s just a taste thing. And I know we need movies about grief! I understand,” she said. When Goldstein suggested she simply did not enjoy watching those types of stories, Lopez quickly agreed.
“I just don’t wanna watch them,” the “Office Romance” actress shared. She then compared her feelings toward grief-centered dramas with her lack of interest in horror movies.
According to Lopez, she goes to the movies looking for a different kind of experience. “It’s not why I go to the movies,” she explained.
The 56-year-old described “Nomadland” as “a slow-moving thing about grief” and said the story lacked the kind of escapism she personally enjoys.
Though she acknowledged that she appreciates certain serious dramas, she admitted that particular film simply wasn’t for her.
Lopez’s answer offered insight into the kind of entertainment she gravitates toward both as a viewer and performer. “You can tell from my taste in movies what I think about this,” she said.
The star pointed to classics such as 1961’s “West Side Story” and 1983’s “Flashdance” among her personal favorites. She also listed the genres she consistently enjoys.
“I like musicals. I like romantic comedies. I like thrillers, you know?” Lopez revealed. Those preferences align closely with the projects Lopez has chosen throughout her own career.
Films like “The Wedding Planner” and “Maid In Manhattan” helped establish her as one of Hollywood’s most successful romantic comedy stars.
More recently, she has headlined action-driven projects including “The Mother” and “Atlas,” both of which found significant audiences.
For Lopez, movies often serve as an escape from reality, making emotionally heavy stories a harder sell.
Despite naming “Nomadland” as her least favorite viewing experience, Jennifer Lopez made it clear she has enormous respect for the people involved.
In particular, she praised Frances McDormand’s work in the film. The “Marry Me” star called McDormand’s performance “amazing.”
She went even further when discussing the Oscar-winning star’s talent. “She deserves all the Oscars,” Lopez added.
The discussion also arrives amid ongoing conversations about the Academy Awards and the types of films that typically receive recognition.
Some moviegoers have argued that Oscar voters often reward films that critics embrace more enthusiastically than mainstream audiences.
Meanwhile, Lopez herself has never received an Oscar nomination despite earning praise for her performance in 2019’s “Hustlers,” a role many fans believed deserved Academy recognition.
Away from the podcast, Lopez appears to be embracing her single era while enjoying a close connection with her “Office Romance” co-star Goldstein.
According to a report from The Blast, a source revealed that the star has been having fun promoting the Netflix rom-com and genuinely enjoys Goldstein’s company, fueling ongoing speculation about their chemistry.
The insider claimed Lopez’s “flirty energy” with the actor is “genuine” and that she “really likes him,” though there is reportedly no pressure for the relationship to become anything more.
The pair have sparked attention through red carpet appearances, interviews, and their natural rapport while promoting the film.
Lopez previously praised Goldstein, saying they “had great chemistry to begin with,” and even referred to him as her “No. 1” rom-com co-star.
Despite the buzz, sources insist Lopez is perfectly content on her own following her divorce from Ben Affleck. The insider said she is “in a great place on her own right now though and doesn’t need a relationship to feel happy.”
Instead, she is reportedly focused on work, family, and the people closest to her while enjoying life as it is.
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