HISTORY® premieres “Roots” on Memorial Day 2016, airing over four consecutive nights at 9 p.m. beginning Monday, May 30, it was announced today by Paul Buccieri, President of A&E and HISTORY. The four-night, eight-hour event series developed by HISTORY, from A+E Studios, is a historical portrait of American slavery recounting the journey of one family and their will to survive and ultimately carry on their legacy despite hardship.
We spoke to one of the stars of the series, Brandon Stacy (Clingman).
What inspired you to become an actor?
The power of imagination. Growing up I would see films and get so sucked into that world that afterward, my imagination would keep me there. So I would go outside and play make-believe as characters from the movies either by myself or after coercing my friends into playing the other characters. Even if they hadn’t seen the movie, I would assign them the characters that were opposite me. In this sense, my professional life is basically a continuation of that little boy Brandon Stacy. I’ve always wanted to do the same thing.
When I see children playing, talking to themselves, or describing to their friends the imaginary scenario in which they going to play, it really makes me smile. It’s that imagination that allows me to keep doing what I do.
Did you cut your teeth doing commercials and shorts like most people?
There really is no set path to the industry. I certainly have done many shorts and tiny roles in commercials. The important thing for me was to work where I could. If that means doing a short or making a web series, then great. Work begets work, and you get to act in the process.
What would you say has been the biggest break of your career so far?
ROOTS airs on The History Channel, A&E, and LIFETIME. It has the ability carry a message and reach a lot of people from all different backgrounds. That is a powerful thing. The weight of that can cause a pretty big “break”.
How did Roots come about?
I’ve been working in south a lot over the past few years and I have great relationships with my reps at Louisiana Talent Agency and have established a trusting repour with Casting Director Meagan Lewis, who brought me in for ROOTS. Thankfully they have the vision to see me in characters that some might not assume I can play.
Was Roots shooting near home to you or did you do some relocating?
Roots was shot in the beautiful state of Louisiana. I live a very nomadic life. The industry now is so spread out, and changes so much due to film incentives given at certain times, in particular states. The job can lead you anywhere. Just as diverse as the roles I intend to play, I am open to do the work where I need to do the work. If that means I have to be on the moon to play the game, I’ll pack my boots and learn to moonwalk.
Are you a history buff? Were you personally taken with the story?
I have always been compelled to study history. We all are personally affected by it. It shapes who we are as individuals and as a society. In studying the past we have the opportunity to learn from our mistakes and our successes in order to shape the future.
Was it a physically demanding or emotionally gruelling shoot?
The content is highly emotional and moving. That certainly takes its toll on your body, especially in the heat with the bugs. The atmosphere definitely adds to the performances though.
What’s next for you?
Recently I was cast in the Doug Liman/Tom Cruise Crime Thriller “MENA”. I also have role in the CRACKEL ORIGINAL Show called “STARTUP” that will be out later this year. Currently I’m working on a sci-fi series called “BLADE OF HONOR”.
Roots
A struggling couple with their young daughter are invited to spend an idyllic weekend at a newly made friend’s country house, that hides a whole bunch of nasty secrets!
Normally, a review consists of a few paragraphs of expounding on the movie and then the ranted opinion itself, closing with a recommendation as to whether or not Moxie recommends going to see said film. Speak No Evil is a very weird exception, for there is very little in the way of plot to follow, and the would-be horror devolves into cheap scares and dumbassery for us to laugh at. When the theater audience has cat-callers hooting and calling out the protagonist dad figure of the film and there is no censure from anyone else, you’re doing something wrong. But, let’s attempt a dive anyway!
So Ben (Scoot McNairy) and Louise (Mackenzie Davis) Dalton are struggling, with life, with career and money trouble of course, and perhaps most importantly but less often spoken of, with each-other. Whilst trying to hide it all from their sensitive bunny-stricken daughter Agnes (Alix West Lefler) too, of course. They somehow took a vacation runaway of sorts to Tuscany of all places, where they stay in a villa with a few other vacationers, bonding over the one annoying couple no-one else likes with new friends Paddy (James McAvoy) and Ciara (Aisling Fraciosi) and their apparently nonverbal kid Anthony or Ant (Dan Hough). Later, after a reminder postcard with the extended offer of a weekend stay at their country home is again extended to the Daltons, the two parental units decide it would be a good idea to run away some more and off they go, with Agnes and Hoppy in tow!
It’s amazing that the Dalton parents know so little about Paddy and Ciara and still decide to spend a weekend with them at their run-down country house. And just as soon as they do finally find the place, Paddy goes from the amiable fellow-dad to sympathize and bro-mance with, to an opinionated antagonistic competitor, who has to have his way about absolutely everything. It begins with the named goose he cooked for their first dinner there, despite being well aware Louise is vegan, and escalates to trying to instigate Ben into being more manly and take-charge, to serious disagreements in the way Paddy tries to raise his not-quite-mute kid, and finally the Dalton parents begin to realize perhaps this wasn’t such a good idea.
It’s often the children in these stories who provide the horrific reveal of what the villain, or villains, have been up to, and Speak No Evil is no different in this regard. Little Dan Hough gives a striking and ghastly performance as Ant, chop-chop-chopping his way through a silent explanation of what actually happened to his poor tongue. The brilliant way Agnes gets her parents alone to inform them of Ant’s new information is one of the few bright, smart spots of the entire movie. And after the Daltons have finally understood the true nightmare of their situation and their very real need to escape, the film basically degenerates into a kind of reverse home invasion horror flick, as the Daltons try to hide amidst the country house of our baddies trying to hunt them down!
None of it is enough. No reason was ever given as to why Paddy the purported former doctor is like this, why he needs to OCD his trophies to the point of an incriminating evidence locker, why Ant was the one to finally find the courage to fight back, why the hell Ben is such a freaking milquetoast of a human one can’t even consider him the head of the Dalton family, why Louise is still putting up with all this nonsense over the safety of her beloved daughter, and why hasn’t the authorities or the families of other victims kicked up any kind of ruckus by now? Why is the neighboring handyman type Mike (Kris Hitchen) in league with our villainous couple to the point where he takes to hunting the Daltons with shotgun in tow, too? The film is apparently a remake of a 2022 Danish film of the same name, and we have to ask, why did anyone think the film market needed such a thing? Well, whatever.
Cover your mouth to keep from yelling common-sense advice to the deplorably naïve characters on the screen and catch Speak No Evil in theaters now!
Here’s a full list of last night’s Primetime Emmy Awards winners.
Outstanding comedy series
WINNER: “Hacks”
“Abbott Elementary”
“The Bear”
“Curb Your Enthusiasm”
“Only Murders in the Building”
“Palm Royale”
“Reservation Dogs”
“What We Do in the Shadows”
Outstanding drama series
WINNER: “Shōgun”
“The Crown”
“Fallout”
“The Gilded Age”
“The Morning Show”
“Mr. & Mrs. Smith”
“Slow Horses”
“3 Body Problem”
Outstanding lead actress in a drama series
WINNER: Anna Sawai, “Shōgun”
Jennifer Aniston, “The Morning Show”
Carrie Coon, “The Gilded Age”
Maya Erskine, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”
Imelda Staunton, “The Crown”
Reese Witherspoon, “The Morning Show”
Outstanding lead actor in a drama series
WINNER: Hiroyuki Sanada, “Shōgun”
Idris Elba, “Hijack”
Donald Glover, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”
Walton Goggins, “Fallout”
Gary Oldman, “Slow Horses”
Dominic West, “The Crown”
Outstanding limited or anthology series
WINNER: “Baby Reindeer”
“Fargo”
“Lessons in Chemistry”
“Ripley”
“True Detective: Night Country”
Outstanding lead actress in a limited anthology series or movie
WINNER: Jodie Foster, “True Detective: Night Country”
Brie Larson, “Lessons in Chemistry”
Juno Temple, “Fargo”
Sofia Vergara, “Griselda”
Naomi Watts, “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans”
Outstanding lead actor in a limited anthology series or movie
WINNER: Richard Gadd, “Baby Reindeer”
Matt Bomer, “Fellow Travelers”
Jon Hamm, “Fargo”
Tom Hollander, “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans”
Andrew Scott, “Ripley”
Best directing for a drama
WINNER: Frederick E.O. Toye, “Shо̄gun”
Stephen Daldry, “The Crown”
Mimi Leder, “The Morning Show”
Hiro Murai, “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” “First Date”
Saul Metzstein, “Slow Horses”
Salli Richardson-Whitfield, “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty”
Governors award
WINNER: Greg Berlanti
Best directing for a comedy series
WINNER: Christopher Storer, “The Bear”
Randall Einhorn, “Abbott Elementary”
Ramy Youssef, “The Bear”
Guy Ritchie, “The Gentlemen”
Lucia Aniello, “Hacks”
Mary Lou Belli, “The Ms. Pat Show”
Best writing for a limited series or TV movies
WINNER: Richard Gadd, “Baby Reindeer”
Charlie Brooker, “Black Mirror”
Noah Hawley, “Fargo”
Ron Nyswaner, “Fellow Travelers”
Steven Zaillian, “Ripley”
Issa López, “True Detective: Night Country”
Best writing for a drama series
WINNER: Will Smith, “Slow Horses”
Peter Morgan and Meriel Sheibani-Clare, “The Crown”
Graham Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet, “Fallout”
Francesca Sloane and Donald Glover, “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”
Rachel Kondo, Justin Marks, “Shōgun”
Rachel Kondo, Caillin Puente, “Shōgun”
Supporting actor in a limited or anthology series
WINNER: Lamorne Morris, “Fargo”
Jonathan Bailey, “Fellow Travelers”
Robert Downey Jr., “The Sympathizer”
Tom Goodman-Hill, “Baby Reindeer”
John Hawkes, “True Detective: Night Country”
Lewis Pullman, “Lessons In Chemistry”
Treat Williams, “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans”
Best talk series
WINNER: “The Daily Show”
“Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“Late Night with Seth Meyers”
“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”
Writing in a comedy series
WINNER: Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Jen Statsky, “Hacks”
Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary”
Joanna Calo, Christopher Storer, “The Bear”
Meredith Scardino, Sam Means, “Girls5eva”
Chris Kelly, Sarah Schneider, “The Other Two”
Directing limited series or TV movie
WINNER: Steven Zaillian, “Ripley”
Weronika Tofilska, “Baby Reindeer”
Noah Hawley, “Fargo”
Gus Van Sant, “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans“
Millicent Shelton, “Lessons in Chemistry”
Issa López, “True Detective: Night Country”
Outstanding writing for a variety special
WINNER: Alex Edelman, “Alex Edelman: Just For Us”
Jacqueline Novak, “Jacqueline Novak: Get On Your Knees”
John Early, “John Early: Now More Than Ever”
Mike Birbiglia, “Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man And The Pool”
“The Oscars”
Best scripted variety series
WINNER: “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver”
“Saturday Night Live”
Supporting actress in a limited or anthology series
WINNER: Jessica Gunning, “Baby Reindeer”
Dakota Fanning, “Ripley”
Lily Gladstone, “Under The Bridge”
Aja Naomi King, “Lessons In Chemistry”
Diane Lane, “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans”
Nava Mau, “Baby Reindeer”
Kali Reis, “True Detective: Night Country”
Outstanding reality competition program
WINNER: “The Traitors”
“The Amazing Race”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race”
“Top Chef”
“The Voice”
Outstanding lead actress in a comedy series
WINNER: Jean Smart, “Hacks”
Quinta Brunson, “Abbott Elementary”
Ayo Edebiri, “The Bear”
Selena Gomez, “Only Murders in the Building”
Maya Rudolph, “Loot”
Kristen Wiig, “Palm Royale”
Supporting actress in a drama series
WINNER: Elizabeth Debicki, “The Crown Netflix”
Christine Baranski, “The Gilded Age”
Nicole Beharie, “The Morning Show”
Greta Lee, “The Morning Show”
Lesley Manville, “The Crown”
Karen Pittman, “The Morning Show”
Holland Taylor, “The Morning Show”
Supporting actress in a comedy series
WINNER: Liza Colón-Zayas, “The Bear”
Carol Burnett, “Palm Royale”
Hannah Einbinder, “Hacks”
Janelle James, “Abbott Elementary”
Sheryl Lee Ralph, “Abbott Elementary”
Meryl Streep, “Only Murders In The Building”
Outstanding lead actor in a comedy series
WINNER: Jeremy Allen White, “The Bear”
Matt Berry, “What We Do in the Shadows”
Larry David, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”
Steve Martin, “Only Murders in the Building”
Martin Short, “Only Murders in the Building”
D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, “Reservation Dogs”
Supporting actor in a drama series
WINNER: Billy Crudup, “The Morning Show”
Tadanobu Asano, “Shōgun”
Mark Duplass, “The Morning Show”
Jon Hamm, “The Morning Show”
Takehiro Hira, “Shōgun”
Jack Lowden, “Slow Horses”
Jonathan Pryce, “The Crown”
Supporting actor in a comedy series
WINNER: Ebon Moss-Bachrach, “The Bear”
Lionel Boyce, “The Bear”
Paul W. Downs, “Hacks”
Paul Rudd, “Only Murders In The Building”
Tyler James Williams, “Abbott Elementary”
Bowen Yang, “Saturday Night Live”
Ryan Reynolds has become one of Hollywood’s most beloved actors, known for his quick wit, charm, and ability to effortlessly switch between comedy, action, and heartfelt moments. With a career spanning multiple genres, Reynolds has delivered some truly iconic performances. Here’s a rundown of the top five Ryan Reynolds movies that every fan should watch, filled with SEO keywords to help you discover them easily.
1. Deadpool (2016)
Ryan Reynolds found his career-defining role as the wise-cracking antihero Deadpool, and the movie became a game-changer for superhero films. With its R-rated humor, brutal action sequences, and Reynolds’ perfectly timed one-liners, Deadpool is a must-watch for fans of comic book movies. Reynolds’ portrayal of Wade Wilson/Deadpool is the perfect blend of his trademark sarcasm and heart, making it one of his most beloved performances.
2. The Proposal (2009)
In this romantic comedy, Ryan Reynolds stars alongside Sandra Bullock as Andrew Paxton, an assistant who agrees to a fake engagement with his demanding boss to help her avoid deportation. The Proposal showcases Reynolds’ comedic timing, and his chemistry with Bullock elevates the film to one of the best romantic comedies of the 2000s. Reynolds’ charm and humor make it a standout in his filmography, and fans of rom-coms shouldn’t miss it.
3. Free Guy (2021)
In Free Guy, Reynolds plays Guy, a non-playable character (NPC) in a video game who gains self-awareness and decides to take control of his own destiny. The film combines action, comedy, and a surprisingly heartfelt story about finding your purpose. Reynolds’ performance is both funny and endearing, making Free Guy one of his best films in recent years. Fans of video games, action-comedies, and feel-good films will love it.
4. Buried (2010)
Buried is a tense thriller that features Ryan Reynolds in a solo performance, trapped in a coffin with only a cell phone and lighter. The film is a masterclass in suspense, and Reynolds’ gripping portrayal of a man fighting for his life showcases his dramatic acting chops. Buried is a must-watch for fans who want to see Reynolds in a more serious, intense role.
5. 6 Underground (2019)
In Michael Bay’s action-packed 6 Underground, Reynolds leads a team of vigilantes who fake their own deaths to take down notorious criminals. The film is pure adrenaline, filled with high-octane action sequences and Reynolds’ signature humor. If you’re looking for a fun, explosive action movie with witty banter, 6 Underground is the perfect choice for a thrilling movie night.
Honorable Mentions:
Deadpool 2 (2018): Reynolds continues to shine in this hilarious and action-packed sequel, cementing his role as the ultimate antihero.
Detective Pikachu (2019): Ryan Reynolds voices the adorable Pikachu in this family-friendly adventure, bringing humor and heart to the beloved Pokémon character.
The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017): An action-comedy where Reynolds teams up with Samuel L. Jackson for a wild, thrilling ride.
Ryan Reynolds’ versatility as an actor shines through in each of these films, whether he’s playing an action hero, a romantic lead, or tackling more serious roles. From Deadpool to Buried, his unique blend of charisma and talent keeps audiences coming back for more. Make sure to add these top five Ryan Reynolds movies to your watchlist!
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