hollywood q&a
By Adam Thomlison
TV Media
Q: What’s Jim Parsons do-
ing now that “The Big Bang
Theory” is over?
A: Actually, Jim Parsons is the
only actor on the cast for whom
“The Big Bang Theory” is not
over, but I understand what you
mean.
Parsons, who played Sheldon
in all of the billion (actually 12)
hit seasons of “The Big Bang
Theory,” is also an executive
producer and narrator of spinoff
“Young Sheldon.” That show
will be returning for its third
season this September.
But Parsons is also lining up
work outside the “Big Bang
Theory” universe (I’d say “par-
don the pun,” but I’m actually
pretty proud of that).
In his free time, he’s been
appearing on Broadway in the
drama “The Boys in the Band,”
along with a gang of other
notable screen names including
Zachary Quinto (Spock in the re-
cent “Star Trek” films) and Matt
Bomer (of TV series “White
Collar” and “Doom Patrol”).
And it was recently announced
that the whole cast will reunite
for a film adaptation that will be
released on Netflix next year.
After that, Parsons seems to
have his pick of projects, which
isn’t surprising since he was
undeniably the breakout star of
“Big Bang.”
His resume on the Internet
Movie Database lists nine other
projects in development, in
either the script stage or the
pre-script “treatment” stage,
and they all seem to reveal an
impulse to get far away from his
Sheldon character.
Q: I just watched that Net-
flix movie about Ted Bundy
and thought I recognized the
guy who played the cop who
arrests him for running a
stop sign. Who is he? I didn’t
recognize his name in the
credits.
A: You might have recog-
nized the name if the credits
listed him as “Metallica’s James
Hetfield” instead of just “James
Hetfield,” but he might not
have been very pleased with
that for his first screen debut.
Hetfield, lead singer and
rhythm guitarist of the legend-
12 | Screentime
ary heavy metal band Metallica,
plays officer Bob Hayward in
this year’s “Extremely Wicked,
Shockingly Evil and Vile,” the
biopic of serial killer Ted Bundy.
It’s a small but crucial role —
Hayward really was the person
to first arrest Bundy.
It’s Hetfield’s first on-screen
acting role. He has previously
done voice work for two car-
toons — “Metalocalypse” and
“Skylanders Academy” — and,
of course, appeared on screen
frequently in his band’s videos
and concert documentaries, but
this was his debut as a thespian.
And by most accounts, he
pulled it off. Star Zac Efron, who
threw off his nice-kid image
to play Bundy, said Hetfield
“absolutely nailed the part.” In
an interview on “Jimmy Kimmel
Live,” Efron said he was pre-
pared to offer Hetfield an acting
tip or two, but instead Hetfield
just walked in and “crushed
it. It’s like he’s been acting his
whole life.”
Q: I loved “Berlin Station”
(so sad it’s gone!), and I par-
ticularly liked the character
of Robert. What can you
tell me about the actor and
what he’s doing now?
A: San Francisco-born Leland
Orser has been a well-regarded
character actor in Hollywood
for decades now, generally
known for playing creepy weir-
dos until relatively recently. His
foul-mouthed but brilliant and
generally noble character Rob-
ert Kirsch in “Berlin Station”
has done a lot to change his
screen type.
His notable previous roles
have included the aforemen-
tioned creepy weirdos in
“Se7en” (1995), “The Bone
Collector,” and several seasons
of “ER” also in the late ‘90s
(as chief of surgery Dr. Lucien
Dubenko).
More recently, he appeared
in the three smash-hit “Taken”
films as Sam, the lead charac-
ter’s old CIA buddy. This was a
big step away from the creeps
and toward his “Berlin Station”
role.
Have a question? Email us
at questions@tvtabloid.com.
Please include your name and
town. Personal replies will not
be provided.
July 10, 2019 | East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald
as six incredibly talented young STEM experts put duct tape to the
test, investigate an air-freshener bomb, and test an impossible Jenga
move in the first few episodes. Is it impossible to make mayonnaise
during a lightning storm? Can the domino effect crush a car? Is spider
silk stronger than steel? Can farts launch a rocket? Get the answers to
all these questions and more when this investigative series premieres
Monday, July 15.
WHAT’S ON AMAZON PRIME
“Love Happens” (2008)
Bobby Berk, Tan France, Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van
Ness and Karamo Brown star in “Queer Eye”
By Shona Dustan
TV Media
NEW ON NETFLIX:
“Queer Eye” Season 4
The Fab Five are back for more heartwarming makeovers, and this
time they’re in Kansas City. Season 4 of this hit reality TV series pre-
mieres Friday, July 19, and the life-changing magic of our favorite
hosts will have you choked up in no time. In each episode, Tan France,
Jonathan Van Ness, Karamo Brown, Antoni Porowski and Bobby
Berk swoop into someone’s life and turn it upside down — in a good
way. France overhauls the wardrobe, Van Ness takes care of the hair/
makeup/skincare routines, Brown treats their soul, and Poroski teach-
es them a thing or two in the kitchen, all while Berk does the literal
heavy lifting in the home makeover department. When all is said and
done, the hosts sit back and watch as their subject implements every-
thing he or she has learned. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll certainly
cringe at some of the “before” circumstances, but the “afters” are
always touching. Watch for another batch of “Queer Eye” episodes to
drop later this year featuring some incredible adventures in Japan.
“Frankenstein’s Monster’s Monster, Frankenstein”
This Netflix mockumentary stars David Harbour (Chief Hopper from
“Stranger Things”) as a thespian whose discovery of old footage of
his father’s stage play “Frankenstein’s Monster’s Monster, Franken-
stein” takes him on an over-the-top, hilarious journey of self-discov-
ery. This half-hour special premieres Tuesday, July 16, features a num-
ber of guest stars, including Alfred Molina (“Spider-Man 2,” 2004)
and Kate Berlant (“Ghosted”), and was created by John Levenstein,
one of the great minds behind “Arrested Development.”
Therapist and author Burke Ryan (Aaron Eckhart, “The Dark Knight,”
2008) is riding a wave of fame, thanks to his newest book, which
gives advice about how to deal with the passing of a loved one.
Unfortunately, Ryan based much of the book on his own experiences
— his wife died in a car accident, and he found writing the book to be
therapeutic. While on a promotional book tour, Ryan meets a dynamic
florist named Eloise (Jennifer Aniston, “Friends”), but before their
relationship can get off the ground, he must confront a hard truth
that he’s been avoiding since his life took a tragic turn. Martin Sheen
(“The West Wing”), Judy Greer (“Kidding”) and Dan Folger (“Fantas-
tic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” 2016) round out the cast of this
traditional romantic comedy that you can watch starting Monday, July
15.
“All or Nothing” Season 4
This documentary series goes behind the scenes of a new profes-
sional sports club each season. Premiering Friday, July 19, the fourth
installment features the Carolina Panthers football team, and takes
a close look at their dramatic 2018 NFL season. It’s a fascinating and
heartbreaking story: the Panthers kicked off the season with earned
optimism, and they seemed to be on track to retake the NFC South
title from the New Orleans Saints. But halfway through the season,
things began to go wrong, and dramatic victories gave way to injuries
and coaching drama. Whether you’re a fan of football or just of com-
pelling drama, this series is worth a watch.
“Trading Paint” (2019)
John Travolta stars in this film as Sam, a former racecar driver whose
son, Cam (Toby Sebastian, “Game of Thrones”) is now racing at the
Talladega short tracks. When Cam leaves the family business to race
with Sam’s longtime rival, Linskey (Michael Madsen, “The Hateful
Eight,” 2015), their family is torn apart, and Sam warns his son about
Linskey’s corrupt ways. After a terrifyingly close call, father and son
must come together to rebuild their relationship and restore their rac-
ing reputations. You can watch this action-drama on Friday, July 19.
“Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” Season 11
Jerry Seinfeld’s unique comedy series kicks off its 11th season on
Friday, July 19, and this round features some big stars. The “Seinfeld”
co-creator invites comedians — some are old friends, some he’s never
met — to hop into one of his many classic or luxury cars and whisks
them off to grab a cup of joe. The cameras roll as some of the funniest
people in the biz discuss everything from the weather to economic
projections, and each episode is gilded with comedy gold. Seth Ro-
gen, Eddie Murphy, Ricky Gervais, Matthew Broderick, Martin Short
and more — the stars have really come out for Season 11, and you
won’t want to miss a minute of it.
WHAT’S ON HULU:
“Mythbusters Jr”
After 14 seasons of “MythBusters” magic, hosts Adam Savage and Ja-
mie Hyneman finally called it quits and went their separate ways. But
apparently Savage had more myths to bust, and he returned earlier
this year to host “MythBusters Jr.” — the scientists may be smaller,
but the experiments are as big and loud as ever. Savage lends a hand
Adam Savage as seen in “MythBusters”