TCA Day 3: WarnerMedia Tackles Production With New Content Created During COVID-19

Billed as a quotsocially distant satirequot Coastal Elites features prewritten monologues delivered by actors concerning all manner of social issues Everything from the disdain felt by some for our current administration39s running of the country to LGBTQ issues and Black Lives Matter will be addressed Originally conceived for the Public Theater in New York City following the coronavirus outbreak it morphed from a stage to a screen project with filming taking place earlier this summer under strict quarantine guidelinesquotI started writing this over a year ago after realizing everyone was angry and concerned about the future of the countryquot said executive producer and writer Paul Rudnick who was happy to rework it to its current form quotI adapted it and wrote in BLM and the pandemic for these characters as it applies I like rewrites and I thought all we need now is a hurricane Then we had onequotThe cast addressed working in this new 39isolated format39 something many are familiar with considering the rise of voiceover work and looping dialogue However actively seeking Zoom work wasn39t exactly a plan quotWe weren39t looking for Zoom work but it was really nice and convenientquot admitted Dan Levy who plays Mark Hesterman a young gay actor videoconferencing with his therapist at a moment of peak career and personal stressquotI had never done monologue work outside of high school theater so that was a hugely exciting challengequot he added quotIt wasn39t until learning those lines I realized 39Oh the process of actually learning a monologue is quite difficult39 But they are so interesting and revelatory Every character you have an impression about ended up revealing things that were so surprising funny and heartbreaking I think there39s such a fine line between his experiences and my own having walked into many a casting session being told to kind of 39up the gay39 so it was really significant for me to sort of go through that as an actor because it was having to kind of find my own experiences to sort of bring them into itquotquotI39d agreequot concurred Issa Rae who portrays Callie Josephson a wellconnected philanthropist whose prep school network leads her to the highest levels of government quotLike Dan there was kind of a fine line between a thicker line in terms of status But I think for me this is kind of an education because I do tend to try to avoid as much of the Trump family as possible and Ivanka in particular who I39ve always found fascinating but not fascinating enough to listen to It took a lot to research and the more I found out the more horrified I was and a lot of that is expressed through the workquotBette Midler long vocal on social media about her disdain for the current administration found solace in the project quotIt was cathartic but not cathartic enough as I am still in a rage and angryquot she admitted quotA lot of people said showbiz was depressionproof and now we discover it isn39t It39s like in the depression with movies they were the only thing that survived and people still worked at and made a living Now we39re all out of work I mean it39s nice when the work comes and we39re happy to do it but the conditions are utterly bizarre It really is like we39re on some sort of a spaceship and we don39t know where the spaceship is goingquotOn a lighter note multifaceted entertainer Selena Gomez hopes that by inviting young viewers into her home kitchen via her HBO MAX series Selena Chef she39ll create an army of up and coming culinary wizards Over the 10episode series Gomez will be quotvirtuallyquot joined by a leading chef in the hope that she can master some cooking skills and provide a little laughter quotI thought this would be lightheartedquot she said of the decision to open her home quotI was getting down and I realize a lot is going on but it was an opportunity to make people smile as I look like a fool I love cooking I just don39t know how to do it all the timequotAs with anything she does there39s a message of inspiration quotAnything to get kids39 minds goingquot she shared quotI39ve always been that way so I39m hoping this can bring them joy If it39s something they discover they love that39s even better I feel like in schools and certain academic worlds they don39t give you the option of trying something that maybe would interest you Like there are these four blocks everybody sticks to so something fresh and new for young kids is exciting and I would want nothing more than to see all these cute little chefs become grownupsquotSelena Chef begins streaming August 13 on HBO Max Coastal Elites debuts September 12 on HBOPhotos courtesy of WarnerMedia EntertainmentClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNetamp160

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TCA Day 3: WarnerMedia Tackles Production With New Content Created During COVID-19

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TCA Day 3: WarnerMedia Tackles Production With New Content Created During COVID-19

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