“He laid out the most perfect story, the ups and downs, the hurdles, and it was basically ‘Stand by Me.’ It’s just a story about a group of friends,” Winter told TheWrap during a new installment of How She Did It, presented by Peacock.

The producer immediately began tracking down the rights to the book, which kicked off a 13-year journey to bringing it to the screen.

“It was a very, very long process but eventually we set the movie up with Universal and the rest is, 13 years later, history,” she continued, revealing that once they hired Chris Robinson as the film’s director, they set about casting the young players by going to AAU basketball tournaments – which is where they found Mookie Cook, who plays LeBron James in the film.

“It was about really figuring out who could play basketball to this level. Not one guy, not two guys, but five guys,” she said. “Mookie Cook walked into our lives and it was one of those things where I sort of had to run behind the building and jump up and down. He’s exactly 6’7”, which is what LeBron was in high school. He had never acted before and brought so much life and he’s adorable and the nicest person.”

The production felt it was important to shoot in Akron, Ohio, where James grew up, so they scored a tax credit to film where the story actually took place, hiring locals to be part of the crew.

When all was said and done, Winter said she was relieved to witness James’ reaction to seeing the film for the first time.

“I was sitting two rows behind him and I was kind of watching him. He was like yelling at the screen at one point and the oohing and the aahs, it was one of my favorite moments of working in this business.”

“Shooting Stars” is now streaming on Peacock.

The post ‘Shooting Stars’ Producer Details 13-Year Journey to Bring LeBron James Story to the Screen | How She Did It appeared first on TheWrap.

“It really seemed like we were creating a world of women both behind the camera and in front of the camera to tell our stories,” Wang told TheWrap as part of our How She Did It series, presented by Prime Video.

Set against the vibrant and tumultuous tapestry of 2014 Hong Kong, “Expats” centers on three American women — Margaret (Nicole Kidman), Hilary (Sarayu Blue), and Mercy (Ji-young Yoo) — whose lives intersect after a sudden family tragedy.

Wang, who was coming off the success of her deeply personal indie film “The Farewell,” said it was Kidman who first brought the book to her attention.

“She had optioned the book ‘The Expatriates’ by Janice Y.K. Lee, and she had just seen ‘The Farewell’ and felt like I was the person to collaborate with on this,” Wang said. “Everything else I’d written was based on my own life and my own stories, so I felt a lot of responsibility to tell the story authentically, because the prose is so beautiful. And that’s always a challenge, how do you translate this beautiful prose and atmosphere in a novel into a visual medium?”

The showrunner was not only interested in telling a complex story about women, but in finding a way to include the city of Hong Kong so it was more than just a backdrop.

“I thought there was something really interesting in … how do we tie Hong Kong to the themes of these women so that it’s not just the backdrop setting, but that it in and of itself has its own arc and journey, then connecting this idea of resilience and how all of these women, no matter what they’ve gone through, we want it to show a range of experiences?”

One way Wang reflected the range of experiences in the characters was by shifting the point of view for Episode 5, titled “Central.” It’s a feature-length episode at over 90 minutes and follows the foreign domestic helpers and locals that populate Hong Kong.

“The rhythm of it is very different from the other episodes. It’s like a tapestry. You need to stay in the world to really feel the rain and storm coming and all of these people up in these fancy apartments and out on the street,” she said, revealing that she took inspiration from “Nashville” and “Gosford Park” filmmaker Robert Altman.

“I’ve always cited [Robert] Altman as a reference and inspiration for this episode, like I really wanted it to feel immersive. We can’t really look at the expat world as a bubble without breaking out of that bubble. If you see yourself as part of that whole, maybe then you don’t feel as alone in your suffering. That episode is the one that’s closest to my heart and reminds me so much of where I come from.”

After fighting imposter syndrome for never having gone to film school, Wang said the journey of making “Expats” has given her “a lot of confidence.”

“We feel like we’re really ready to take on any challenge,” she concluded.

All episodes of “Expats” are currently streaming on Prime Video.

The post ‘Expats’ Showrunner Lulu Wang Created ‘A World of Women’ in Front of and Behind the Camera | How She Did It appeared first on TheWrap.

“The show cycles through genres every two pages,” Gilpin said in the latest episode of TheWrap’s “How She Did It,” presented by Peacock. “I find that much more true to life than when a show is one tone, one color. Throughout a given day, how many different genres do you cycle through in your life? Things can feel like slapstick farce, and then you get a phone call and you’re in a heightened drama. That’s much more true to life. It’s 10 different worlds and 30 different storylines and 11 different thesis statements braided together.”

Boiling the plot of “Mrs. Davis” — which is nominated for a Primetime Creative Arts Emmy award and picked up Television Critics Association nominations for Individual Achievement in Drama for Gilpin, Outstanding New Program and Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries or Specials — into a simple logline isn’t all that easy, but the show begins as the story of a nun (played by Gilpin) who has a vendetta against an all-powerful A.I. on which the entire world depends. After conversing with the A.I. (called Mrs. Davis), it agrees to shut itself down if Davis can do one thing: Find the Holy Grail.

And that’s just in the first episode.

“I had worked with Damon Lindelof on ‘The Hunt’, drawn to his writing style, strange and original but so specific and felt so real to me even though it was so strange and fantastical,” Gilpin said of her attraction to the project, which was created by Lindelof and Tara Hernandez. “That was the kind of world I wanted to be in for seven months.”

Gilpin said the passion for the show’s unique storytelling seeped into every department.

“It felt really special to be part of a very original thorny, strange, ridiculous, wonderful world that was so specific,” she said. “You could really feel every department wanting to be very much a part of that. It was sort of everyone’s passion project. Everyone really got it.”

As for the looming threat of A.I. in the real world, Gilpin was drawn to the show’s unique take on A.I.

“Part of the thesis statement of the show is that Mrs. Davis is not some HAL super computer, other evil. It’s really just a robot puppy that’s fulfilling our wants and our needs, that we are in charge of and at the wheel of. And whether that’s more comforting or scarier is the question we should be asking ourselves.”

“Mrs. Davis” is streaming on Peacock.

The post ‘Mrs. Davis’ Star Betty Gilpin Welcomed the Show’s Tonal Shifts: ‘I Find That Much More True to Life’ | How She Did It Presented by Peacock appeared first on TheWrap.

“Here I am a deaf director directing two deaf actors and hearing actors, understanding that we were making history here me being the first deaf director, knowing that I’m helping open the door for other deaf directors after me to do exactly what I did,” the Oscar-winning actress said in the latest episode of TheWrap’s “How She Did It,” presented by FOX and Sony Pictures TV. “I haven’t had that opportunity yet, working with a deaf director. They got to get that opportunity with me.”

When Matlin signed on to direct the episode, which involves a deaf character on the witness stand, she made key changes that led to a more authentic production.

“Lauren Ridloff played our attorney, and that role in the original script was a hearing lawyer. I asked if we could change it to a deaf character,” she explained. “Bringing in a deaf attorney, it made sense because she wasn’t feeling the support. And working in tandem with this deaf attorney who believed in her, who supported her, who could express that to everyone, changed the whole journey of the story.”

Matlin brought authenticity to the entire production throughout the episode.

“Deaf people don’t say things like, ‘How are you doing, Jeff?’ They don’t talk like that,” she said. “They just say, ‘How are you?’ ‘Fine, good.’ We don’t call each other by name when we’re talking to you, because we’re seeing each other, so I said, ‘Do you mind changing the language here? Trust me.’ That’s what collaboration’s all about.”

She also wanted to make sure the sounds of sign language stayed in the show.

“I know that we as deaf people make sounds that we’re not aware of, that just come out of us innately,” she said. “And I wanted that to be part of the show because it was the most authentic presentation of deaf people.”

Matlin said it was “powerful” getting to call “action” and “cut” herself on set, and sees this as only the beginning of her career as a filmmaker.

“It couldn’t be more perfect to start off my directing career.”

The post Marlee Matlin on Her Game-Changing Directorial Debut for ‘Accused’ | How She Did It Presented by FOX and Sony Pictures TV appeared first on TheWrap.

As soon as “Swarm” hit Prime Video, buzz about the thriller show, well, swarmed. The BeyHive-inspired series centers on a violently obsessed fan (played by Dominique Fishback) who stops at nothing to see her favorite superstar artist. The idea for the series was a co-creation between Nabers and Donald Glover.

“When we approached the idea for ‘Swarm,’ it was really about how can we as Black people tell a story from a Black woman’s perspective that gives it that cinematic lens,” Nabers said in the latest installment of TheWrap’s “How She Did It,” sponsored by Prime Video.

While working together wasn’t new for Nabers and Glover as the pair previously worked together on FX’s “Atlanta,” coming together to pitch the unique, Black woman-led series was foreign territory. 

“I knew, Donald knew. We just had one shot,” Nabers said. “We literally sold this serial killer idea to a bunch of white people at Amazon and wanted an all-Black writers’ room. I wanted more Black female writers than male writers, which we did.”

A Black woman’s leadership and voice were key for Glover from the beginning of the show’s ideation. 

“He gave me the idea of a Black woman obsessed with a pop star, and we built on it from that,” Nabers told TheWrap back in March. “I think it was something that he wanted to explore, but he really wanted someone else to write it, and he wanted to direct the pilot. The process was him kind of stepping more into a director and co-creator role and allowing a Black woman to write a series about a Black woman.”

Nabers says in the same way Glover “changed her life” as her first Black boss as a TV writer, she too wants to open the possibilities and opportunities for people like her coming up. 

“Black people can tell stories within Blackness that can elevate or change your worldview or change your idea of Blackness,” Nabers said in “How She Did It.”

“I’m committed to hiring Black people, I’m committed to hiring Black women. I had so many people open doors for me as a writer. I want to pay that forward,” she added.

“Swarm” stars Dominque Fishback, Chlöe Bailey, Damson Idris, Paris Jackson, Leon, Nirine S. Brown, Karen Rodriguez, Rory Culkin, Kiersey Clemons, Cree Summer, X Mayo and Billie Eilish. The series is streaming on Prime Video. 

The post Why ‘Swarm’ Co-Creator Janine Nabers Assembled an All-Black Writers Room | How She Did It Sponsored by Prime Video appeared first on TheWrap.

“I never wanted to be on the stage or singing the song, I just wanted to write the songs,” Warren said in the latest installment of How She Did It, presented by Johnnie Walker. “It’s hard to make a living as a songwriter, it’s hard to break through. It was knocking on publishers’ doors, it was constantly if you close a door on me, I’ll find another way. But ultimately, I believe that you create your own life by hard work.”

Warren’s career took off with her 1985 hit “Rhythm of the Night” performed by DeBarge, after which she wrote for the likes of Cher, Celine Dion and Aerosmith. Her latest Oscar nomination comes for writing a song that provided a unique challenge.

“It’s seven short films. They’re all different stories about women and women’s struggles and how they overcame them, and I felt like a song was needed that was a very empowering song,” Warren said. “’Give yourself some applause’ was really the right sentiment. Usually, I write a song for one movie, this is writing a song for seven movies, basically. The message of the song really fit all of them.”

Warren received an honorary Academy Award in 2022, and she credits her perseverance with her fruitful career so far.

“You just got to take your own journey. Work hard. Put yourself out there. Be great, not good, because that doesn’t really cut it,” she said. “Nothing’s more powerful than music, because it bypasses your brain. It goes right to your heart. The right song used in the right way is pretty powerful.”

The post Oscar Nominee Diane Warren Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: ‘I See Obstacles as Something to Get Through’ | How She Did It Presented by Johnnie Walker appeared first on TheWrap.

“The first challenge that I had to overcome was growing up in South Africa. I was raised by my grandmother, I lost my mother to a brain tumor at the age of four,” Mbedu said in an emotional installment of TheWrap’s How She Did It, presented by Johnnie Walker. “In high school, I had my best friend bring me lunch because sometimes we didn’t have food.”

Mdbeu found comfort in drama when she entered college, which spurred her interest in pursuing acting full-time for two reasons.

“I did drama at university. Drama was the space in which I could escape my reality,” she said. “Number one, I could be anything and I’d performed a poem for my final exam and I remember at the end of that performance, I had grown folk come up to me and talk to me about how they were moved by my performance because it articulated a chaos within them that they didn’t have the voice to articulate. It was at that moment that I knew that I wanted to pursue acting because it could one bring healing and two, was something that I could use as a tool for social change.”

The actress flew to New York at 21 – the first time she’d ever been on a plane – as part of an exchange program, and the experience completely shifted her perception of the world.

While making “The Woman King,” Mbedu felt empowered to offer her own opinion on the material and found a mentor in star/producer Viola Davis.

“I think Viola officially mentored everybody. From the very first moment I met her during the audition process where I had a creative conversation with her about the script. I felt like ‘Oh, my opinion actually matters. My thoughts mattered. And Viola would share her experiences as an actress with me as a dark-skinned actress. And I remember thinking there’s value in this because the reality is I am also a dark-skinned actress, and knowing that she is actively trying to kick doors down for the benefit of those coming behind her.”

Although Mbdeu’s feature film career has just begun, she already sees the value in the challenges she faced along the way.

“It wasn’t easy getting here, I had to work my butt off, but I do not take that for granted at all. There’s value in hard work. All the lessons that I learned and the journey here are lessons that will make my craft stronger and make my stories worthwhile to the next person who needs to hear it.”

The post Thuso Mbedu on Overcoming Challenges to Get to ‘The Woman King’: ‘There’s Value in Hard Work’ | How She Did It Presented by Johnnie Walker appeared first on TheWrap.

Her first job as a director came on CBS’ “Schoolbreak Special,” a job she landed by throwing her hat into the ring. “At that point I wanted to be a director but I was only able to get writing gigs,” Prince-Bythewood told TheWrap as part of our How She Did It series, presented by Johnnie Walker.

“I remember sitting in the room and the producers were talking about directors. In my head I’m screaming, ‘Throwing your name out! Just throw your name out!’ The meeting is over. I was about to get up, and I just said, ‘I think I’m the best director for this.’ The producer was quiet for a second. He looked at me and said, ‘I think you’re right.’ To this day, if I hadn’t opened my mouth, where would I be?”

Prince-Bythewood’s first film, “Love & Basketball,” was turned down by every single production company (“That was devastating”) and most recently her hit historical action epic “The Woman King” faced a long road to finally getting off the ground.

“The biggest things I face is discrimination for the stories I want to tell, and those stories are centering Black women. I think those are the hardest films get made in Hollywood, and these stories are necessary. Not only necessary for us to be able to see ourselves reflected up on the screen, but for the world to see us reflected.”

Prince-Bythewood added that the reaction to “The Woman King,” particularly from young girls, has been fulfilling.

“Nothing is more satisfying than seeing little girls online dressing up as these warriors and chanting,” she said. “You want everybody to be able to see themselves in these characters but when you can see yourself reflected heroically but also root for these women, that’s what you want as a filmmaker.”

The post ‘The Woman King’ Director Gina Prince-Bythewood on the Importance of Speaking Up | How She Did It Presented by Johnnie Walker appeared first on TheWrap.