Netflix’s ‘The Boroughs’ has set Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Bill Pullman and three others to star in the supernatural mystery series.
Source: Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard & Bill Pullman Among 6 Cast In Duffer Brothers’ ‘The Boroughs’
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Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard & Bill Pullman Among 6 Cast In Duffer Brothers’ ‘The Boroughs’
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The Internet Agrees: The President Should Be 45 Years Old and Hot
Presidents can be hot and social media asked: What if the president was 45 years-old and attractive instead?
Source: The Internet Agrees: The President Should Be 45 Years Old and Hot
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Bill Pullman talks new film, ‘The Murdaugh Murders’
Actor Bill Pullman drops by “GMA3” to talk about the Lifetime film, “The Murdagh Murders.”
Source: Bill Pullman talks new film, ‘The Murdaugh Murders’
May 29, 2024
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Spaceballs 2: Josh Gad calls long-awaited Mel Brooks sequel a ‘dream come true’
‘Frozen’ star promises fans sequel will be everything they’ve ‘waited 37 long years for’
Source: Spaceballs 2: Josh Gad calls long-awaited Mel Brooks sequel a ‘dream come true’
Josh Gad has confirmed that he’s working with Mel Brooks on a sequel to the comedy great’s 1987 sci-fi spoof Spaceballs, calling the project “a dream come true”.
The original film, which starred Bill Pullman, John Candy, and Rick Moranis, was primarily a send-up of the Star Wars franchise but also incorporated references to other sci-fi classics like Star Trek, Alien, and Planet of the Apes.
After news broke of Gad’s involvement, the Frozen star took to Instagram to confirm the project. “My phone has never exploded as hard as it did today,” he wrote. “We are very excited!”
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‘Spaceballs’ Sequel in Development at Amazon MGM With Josh Gad Starring, Mel Brooks Producing
A “Spaceballs” sequel is in development at Amazon MGM Studios. Josh Gad is attached to star, as well as produce alongside Mel Brooks.
Source: ‘Spaceballs’ Sequel in Development at Amazon MGM With Josh Gad Starring, Mel Brooks Producing
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Bill Pullman Reveals He Almost Passed on ‘Murdaugh Murders’
The admission came to light during a ‘THR Frontrunners’ panel, which also featured the creatives behind Lifetime’s ‘The Prison Confessions of Gypsy Rose Blanchard’ and ‘Where is Wendy Williams?’
Source: Bill Pullman Reveals He Almost Passed on ‘Murdaugh Murders’
You can’t blame Bill Pullman for feeling hesitant about taking on the lead role in Lifetime’s two-part limited series Murdaugh Murders: The Movie.
It’s not that the SAG-nominated actor was worried about going dark — he’d done so not long ago, and brilliantly, in USA’s The Sinner — he simply just wasn’t aware of the tragic story of South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh, who was convicted in 2023 of murdering his wife and son.
“I didn’t know about him!” Pullman revealed during the THR Frontrunners Lifetime Showcase held June 6 at San Vicente Bungalows in Los Angeles. “Then I asked the people in my life about the case, and they said, ‘Oh, I hate that guy!’ I thought, ‘OK this is a nonstarter.’”
Pullman, who became widely known in the ’90s for playing nice guys in films such as Singles, Sleepless in Seattle, While You Were Sleeping and Independence Day, said his fears about the role were allayed after speaking to director Greg Beeman.
“I asked him, ‘How do you think Alex felt about his wife and child?’ And he said, ‘I think he loved them very much.’ To love someone and then to kill them is a big paradox. And it’s not that you approve of what he’s done, but [as an actor] you try to suspend judgment as long as you can.’”
Bill Pullman wishes he hadn’t waited so long to work in TV
Photo credit: Pal Hansen
Shapeshifting actor Bill Pullman unpacks his latest role as convicted killer Alex Murdaugh in the Lifetime miniseries “Murdaugh Murders: The Movie.”
Source: Bill Pullman wishes he hadn’t waited so long to work in TV
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For ‘Murdaugh Murders’ Star Bill Pullman, Acting Started as a Diversion. Soon It Became a Passion. –MSN
Bill Pullman, 70, is an actor known for his roles in the films “Independence Day” and “The Ballad of Lefty Brown” and TV’s “The Sinner.” He most recently starred in Lifetime’s “Murdaugh Murders: The Movie.” He spoke with Marc Myers.
Hornell in western New York was a town of about 13,000 people when I grew up there in the 1960s. My friends and I had some good adventures, but I spent more time by myself.
In 10th grade, my math teacher told a story that made everyone laugh. Then she stopped and asked, “Why didn’t you laugh, Bill?” I had no idea. That’s when I realized I wasn’t often in sync with classmates around me.
I didn’t feel like an artist during childhood and had no idea how artists behaved. I just enjoyed time alone where I could sort out the stress at home and get my life in order.
© Bill Pullman (Family Photo)
My parents and my six siblings lived in one of the bigger homes in Hornell—a redbrick house built in the 1890s with a mansard roof and cast-iron elements that framed our windows. We had lots of rooms upstairs and in the basement.
We also had a place 11 miles out of town in a more rural area. My parents called it “the farm” though we had no animals or crops. We’d go up there every Sunday, and often each of us could disappear for hours. My father, James, was a physician and always seemed happiest at the farm. My mother, Johanna, a homemaker, viewed it as a refuge.
Our family was large, even for those days. The first born was Jay. Then came Helena, Linda, Joe, John, me and, finally, my younger sister, Johanna.
I grew up in a chaotic household. My father’s addiction began with alcohol and then shifted to painkillers and other self-medicating drugs. He went through a tough period, though he was a generous, dedicated person.
My mother began having psychiatric problems when she was 49. She was diagnosed schizoaffective—a disorder with multiple schizophrenia symptoms such as delusions, depression and mania. She’d had a mental breakdown when I was 7 and was in and out of treatment for many years. Yet she was warm and generous as well.
My father was highly functional, but in his 50s, he had occasional moments of atypical behavior. My mother would become a little manic or have calibrations of voice and tone and other things that became tells.
As a result, I studied behavior early and became attuned to factors that brought on personality shifts. I also had to try to help control the situation at home.
My father had many patients who were farmers, so he encouraged my brothers and me to work summers on farms. Picking up freshly cut bales of hay and tossing them into the wagon was hard work.
In high school, I was a pretty good student. I made the honor society and won a National Merit scholarship. I also was cast in the school’s renditions of “The Devil and Daniel Webster” and Woody Allen’s “Don’t Drink the Water.” But acting wasn’t a passion yet, just a diversion.
I wasn’t sure what I wanted to pursue in college, so I applied to a two-year program for building construction at SUNY Delhi in upstate New York. One day, I tagged along with some refrigeration students auditioning for a campus play, “The Bald Soprano.” Lo and behold, I was cast.
The moment director Bill Campbell asked the cast and me to read the script out loud, I felt an emotional lightning crack. I still didn’t see myself as an actor, but Bill did. He encouraged me to attend SUNY Oneonta’s undergraduate theater program and said I’d likely get a graduate degree in theater and direct plays. “It’s a good life, you’ll like it,” he said.
Somehow that’s exactly what happened. I went to Oneonta and then attended UMass Amherst. In the middle of my second year of grad school, Bill asked me to take a leave to assume his position for a year. So I did.
While in grad school, I spent a couple of summers acting and directing for a theater company that toured Montana. After I finished my MFA, Montana State University asked me to teach and direct for a year. One year turned into two.
There came a point when I wanted to return to acting. The woman I was going with, Tamara, was an undergrad. She came out to Montana to visit and began nudging me to relocate to New York. In 1981 we made the move.
I worked in theater in New York, and while doing a play in L.A., I was cast in the 1986 movie “Ruthless People.” Tamara and I married in 1987.
Today, we live in Beachwood Canyon in L.A. We moved into our house in 1991. We had enough land to create terraces, where I tend 60 varieties of fruit plants and trees.
We also spend time at the Montana ranch we have next to my brother and sister-in-law’s ranch. I love walking the trails nearby and watching for animals and birds. I love the solitude.
Bill’s Retreat
Downtime? We love spending time in our L.A. orchard and garden, though I’ve dragged Tamara into a lot of renovation stuff.
Stuff? We’re renovating an old brick building near the San Gabriel Mountains. It will be a live-and-work space for artists. A couple of our kids want to live there, too.
Montana? When possible, we help drive cattle to the upper mountain pastures for the summer.
Views? It reminds me of the Westerns I loved as a kid—“Shane,” “Red River” and “Missouri Breaks.”
Cooking? Tamara cooks quite a bit. I love her Israeli chicken dish with prunes and olives. It’s a flavor explosion.
For ‘Murdaugh Murders’ Star Bill Pullman, Acting Started as a Diversion. Soon It Became a Passion.
The actor on his parents’ personality shifts, his love of Montana and what he does in his downtime
By Marc Myers
June 11, 2024 11:08 am ET
https://www.wsj.com/real-estate/bill-pullman-murdaugh-murders-2ec68246
Bill Pullman Shares Surprising Songs He Listened to While Playing Alex Murdaugh, Compares Son Lewis’ ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ to ‘While You Were Sleeping’
Dan Doperalski for Variety
Bill Pullman opens up about prepping to play Alex Murdaugh and compares his son, Lewis Pullman’s hit show, ‘Lessons in Chemistry’ to ‘While You Were Sleeping.’
Jun 10, 2024 1:03pm PT
Bill Pullman is a liar.
The star of “Murdaugh Murders: The Movie” doesn’t mean to be, but confesses he is one during our interview.
The two-part Lifetime movie in which Pullman portrays convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh wasn’t, by any means, a light-hearted project. And while focusing on heavier topics, some actors turn to “comfort” TV or movies.
One of mine, I tell him, is “While You Were Sleeping,” his 1995 rom-com with Sandra Bullock. But he doesn’t have one. And that might come as a surprise if you’ve watched recent FYC press he’s done. In fact, he was asked about it on a panel three days before our conversation.
“They asked a similar question, and I lied,” he whispers. “I just told my publicist today, I feel so bad! Something about that question, I couldn’t think of anything that was accurate. The only thing I could think of was that it’s comforting to watch actors you know. Bessie Carter, I’ve worked with, and I know she’s in ‘Bridgerton’ and that I want to watch ‘Bridgerton,’ so I said ‘Bridgerton.’”
He continues his whisper, “But I’ve never watched ‘Bridgerton.’ I thought, ‘Why did I do this?’ So, you’re giving me a chance to
be honest.”
Now speaking at normal volume, he admits he doesn’t really have a feel-good show he puts on in the background, mostly because he gets so engrossed in stories that he can’t look away or multi-task.
So, while filming “Murdaugh Murders,” Pullman turned to distracting himself with audio instead of visuals. Though he doesn’t enjoy diving into his process, Pullman’s team prepared him for our conversation — and he spent the time to really look back at filming.
“I do use music a lot. I remember I had some great inspiration, but it had left me. There was one song that I had used a lot and, for some reason, I remembered it this morning,” he says. “It’s ‘Defying Gravity,’ but not from ‘Glee.’ It’s written by Jesse Winchester, who was a kind of folk singer-songwriter of ’70s and ’80s. It’s a very sweet lullaby song.”
After reciting the lyrics — “I live on a big blue ball, I never do dream I may fall. But even the day that I do, I’ll jump off and smile back at you” — Pullman explains that those “dreamy” words always reminded him that even if things don’t work out, to remember “it’s not going to be a catastrophe.”
Though it may sound like a unique choice, his other musical interest is even more random: The score from the 1999 John Travolta movie “The General’s Daughter.”
“It was after Moby had started sampling old folk Library of Congress recordings and making them into set tracks and adding layers,” says Pullman, who would listen to them “when I realized I’d be too much in the world” of Murdaugh.
But throughout his career, it hasn’t always been easy for Pullman to get in and out of a character. Even when he feels like he’s moved on, he later realizes that’s not the case. That was what happened while filming 1997’s noir thriller “Lost Highway.”
“Sometimes you have little tells. I remember coming home after a ‘Lost Highway’ day. I had young kids at the time. My wife was asking me something, I was getting into the refrigerator, and I guess a thing welled in me,” he remembers. “I had a whole quart of milk, and I just slammed it down on the floor. I don’t normally do that kind of thing. I realized it was something that resurged.”
Usually, Pullman is quite a family man. In fact, his son Lewis Pullman is also in the Emmys conversation thanks to his role in Apple TV+’s “Lessons in Chemistry.” Lewis’ series debuted on Oct. 13, while the Lifetime films aired on Oct. 14 and Oct. 15. So they made it a three-night family event.
“We said, ‘that’s so weird that we’d have night, night, night of Pullman men.’ We’re not a sports family; we don’t watch the Super Bowl together. Let’s say we’re like a sports family but we’re watching the sport of acting,” the veteran thesp says. “So he came over and watched. It was really fun and then we debriefed. Our little plan has always been debriefing. It’s not finished until you can get around the table.”
Watching his son work and grow in this industry has been a huge gift for Pullman, who says Lewis is such a hard worker that he may prep better than his father does.
“It’s just the mechanics. It’s not a competitive thing, but there is awareness that he involves himself in. If you go into his apartment on location, he’s got all this stuff happening to prep. I used to do a version of that,” he says, explaining that he’d cover paintings in hotel rooms with brown construction paper. “Then I’d fill it sometimes with things that were connected somewhat. But it was nowhere near the level that Lewis goes to. I think his brain needs to [see it]. He’s so good at that.”
Pullman says that “Lessons in Chemistry” was “lightning in a bottle” for his son — something he relates to his experience on “While You Were Sleeping.”
Recently, producer Jonathan Glickman said on a podcast that Pullman wanted to quit the movie after the table read but couldn’t because he’d just quit something else. Glickman also claimed that Pullman and co-star Peter Gallagher asked about reversing their roles to better the story; that never happened, but once director Jon Turteltaub joined the production, the story was improved.
“Oh, my God. I gotta watch my mouth,” says a shocked Pullman through laughter as I tell him the quotes. “I think I had pulled out of a movie — which is the only one I ever did! I didn’t know Jon by the time we were at the table read but he was secret sauce, and he gave Sandra and I permission to really be free. He did so much to it, and he would never take credit for it.”
Looking back, Pullman remembers Turteltaub telling him and Bullock to trust him, even when it wasn’t on the page. And it worked.
In one scene, Pullman’s Jack explains to Bullock’s Lucy that when a man is interested in a woman, he “leans,” which is very different than “hugging.” A fan-favorite moment — “people call it the leaning scene,” he says — wasn’t on the page.
“The whole lead into it was great, and all improvised at night,” says Pullman. “I think it was Jon’s idea.”