Entertainment

Brandy stars alongside Kathryn Hunter in A24’s horror film “The Front Room.” The two actors spoke with AP entertainment journalist Leslie Ambriz about decompressing after dark scenes, Brandy’s past forays into the horror genre — and filming in a haunted house.

Kathy Bates had “one foot out the door” and was ready to retire after recovering from cancer and an emotionally draining film project. Then she joined “Matlock.” The 76-year-old star says she’s been rejuvenated by the legal procedural series’ creator and her co-stars. She sat down with AP entertainment journalist Kaitlyn Huamani to talk about learning to trust again in Hollywood, working with Ryan Murphy and Dustin Hoffman — and the value of storytelling.

Six years after “A Star is Born,” Lady Gaga returns to the Venice Film Festival with “Joker: Folie à Deux” alongside Joaquin Phoenix and director Todd Phillips. She sat down with AP film writer Lindsey Bahr to talk about creating a new voice for her Lee/Harley Quinn character, writing a “waltz that falls apart” for the film — and why it’s an “exciting time” in pop music. Phillips shares why he chose her for the role, singing on set — and using the film to pose the question: “What is entertainment?”

Angelina Jolie portrays renowned opera singer Maria Callas in Pablo Larraín’s “Maria,” focusing on her life in Paris in the 70s before her death at age 53. They sat down with AP entertainment editor Louise Dixon at the Venice Film Festival to discuss how Jolie connected with Callas, the difficulty of performing opera — and why the film, to be released on Netflix, is the most personal of Larraín’s biopic trilogy that includes “Spencer” and “Jackie.”

Nearly a decade after his last full-length release, Zedd is releasing “Telos.” The Grammy-winning producer/DJ says he needed to push himself to make an album that would move the needle — one that told a story beyond the success of his debut LP, “Clarity,” or “True Colors.” The German dance-pop maverick says the album — which features collaborators ranging from Muse and John Mayer to Remi Wolf and Bea Miller — is “an album that for many years I doubted I could create.” He spoke with AP entertainment journalist Rick Taber about the long process of creating “Telos,” being inspired by Jeff Buckley and the state of EDM.

“Only Murders in the Building” has become a “safe place” for Selena Gomez as the hit Hulu comedy enters its fourth season. She sat down alongside co-stars and longtime friends Steve Martin and Martin Short to speak with AP entertainment journalist Leslie Ambriz about on-set confidence, finding your ‘number one’ in the industry and more.

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” stars Jenna Ortega, Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder sat down with AP entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton to talk about the significance and pressure of releasing a sequel 36 years after the original 1988 horror comedy hit, their bonds with director Tim Burton — and O’Hara’s thoughts on working again with “Home Alone” co-star Macaulay Culkin.

Tinashe thought she might have hit on her hands with “Nasty” — but never expected it become such a viral success. The R&B and pop star spoke with the AP’s Gary Gerard Hamilton about her new album “Quantum Baby,” how she now defines success, and maintaining career momentum over the years through changes in the the music industry.

MTV’s “The Challenge” is looking back as it celebrates 26 years of big personalities and big drama. The reality competition series’ stars Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio, Aneea Ferreira and Nurys Mateo — along with host TJ Lavin — sat down with AP entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton to talk about the 40th season, which features 40 returning competitors in a “Battle of the Eras.”

Michael Keaton says it would have been a “huge mistake” for his titular trickster ghost character to get significantly more screen time in “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” than he did in the first film. The 72-year-old star sat down with AP entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton to talk about why he was nervous to return for the sequel featuring Jenna Ortega and Winona Ryder, the impact of Tim Burton’s original 1988 horror comedy — and why he never thought of himself as playing Batman.

Justin Baldoni’s “It Ends With Us” journey began well before Colleen Hoover’s novel became a sensation on TikTok. The 40-year-old actor and filmmaker optioned the book in 2019 while he was shooting “Jane The Virgin” and preparing to release his feature film directorial debut, “Five Feet Apart.” Five years later, he spoke with AP entertainment journalist Alicia Rancilio about directing and co-starring alongside Blake Lively in the drama that revolves around domestic violence.

It is not easy to be an outsider in country music, but Orville Peck has made a career out of it. On his third album, “Stampede,” his nonconformist spirit has led to collaborations with everyone from Willie Nelson and Elton John to Mickey Guyton and Kylie Minogue. The 36-year-old South African musician has been steadily stripping back his mask since his 2019 debut album “Pony.” Peck spoke with AP music journalist Maria Sherman about his growing confidence, his high-profile collaborations and country radio.

Josh Hartnett is looking back at shedding his Hollywood heartthrob image in the 2000s as he stars in M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller “Trap.” Hartnett is now 46 and lives in England with his wife and four children. While he’s been working steadily since breaking out in 1998 with a “Halloween” sequel and “The Faculty,” he intentionally moved away from studio movies and leading man roles after being typecast as his fame grew with movies like “Black Hawk Down” and “Pearl Harbor.” In “Trap,” Hartnett plays a father with a secret who takes his daughter to a pop concert — which is surrounded by police searching for a serial killer.

M. Night Shyamalan has been at least partly self-financing his films since 2015’s “The Visit,” risking his own money on box office success. His latest is “Trap,” starring Josh Hartnett as a father with a secret and Shyamalan’s daughter Saleka as a pop star whose concert is surrounded by police looking to capture a serial killer. Shyamalan spoke with AP entertainment editor Ryan Pearson about his high-risk, high-reward, lower-budget filmmaking approach, guiding his daughters’ artistic pursuits — and his philosophy that “talent is process.”

Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement co-created and play recurring characters in the new Apple TV+ “Time Bandits” series starring Lisa Kudrow. While it’s inspired by Terry Gilliam’s beloved 1981 fantasy film, the two say they mostly went their own way when approaching the story. They spoke with AP entertainment journalist Kaitlyn Huamani about reports of Gilliam visiting the set, casting little people and the pressures of remakes.

310babii rose to global fame after his single “Soak City (Do It)” went viral last year. The 18-year-old rapper sat down with AP entertainment journalist Leslie Ambriz shortly after graduating from high school to reflect on finding music industry success as a teenager, his dream collaborators and what it means to represent the West Coast.

Common and Pete Rock first linked up in 1996 for Common’s Ice Cube diss track. Twenty-eight years later, the hip-hop veterans are releasing an album-length collaboration, “The Auditorium, Vol. 1.” The Chicago rapper-actor and New York producer-rapper sat down with AP entertainment editor Ryan Pearson to look back at “The ***** In Yoo” and prioritizing art over commerce as they entered the music business — and to celebrate their reunion: “iron sharpens iron.”

Hip-hop icons Common and Pete Rock have united for their first album-length collaboration, “The Auditorium Vol. 1.” The Chicago-raised rapper-actor and the New York-bred producer-rapper sat down with Associated Press entertainment editor Ryan Pearson to break down each of the album’s 14 tracks— and those famed Pete Rock instrumental interludes.

Nicolas Cage says he channeled his mother to play the part of the titular occultist serial killer in “Longlegs.” The 60-year-old actor and producer spoke with AP entertainment journalist Krysta Fauria about getting more personal with his performances, working with director Osgood Perkins and why he’s always loved acting in horror films.

With the release of “MaXXXine,” the final installment of Ti West’s horror trilogy, stars Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth Debicki said there is a lot in the film that reminded them of real life. The two stars spoke with AP entertainment journalist Krysta Fauria about working with the director, exploitation and objectification in show business and why Hollywood loves to make movies about itself.

Willem Dafoe and Jesse Plemons say working with filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos is akin to being in a cult — a fitting comparison while the two actors are promoting the darkly comic “Kinds of Kindness.” Dafoe and Plemons spoke with AP entertainment journalist Krysta Fauria about what sets Lanthimos apart from other directors and how they think about a movie’s mass appeal.

Rosario Dawson and Hayden Christensen first worked together on the 2003 journalism scandal film “Shattered Glass.” They’re back together on-screen in the “Star Wars” series “Ahsoka” as Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker, a character pairing first seen in the 2008 animated film “The Clone Wars.” The two actors sat down with AP entertainment journalist Leslie Ambriz to talk about their bond, the power of the “Star Wars” fandom — and their future in that galaxy far, far away.

Amy Poehler plays Joy and Maya Hawke is Anxiety in “Inside Out 2.” The two sat down with AP entertainment reporter Krysta Fauria to talk about why “people and process” is as important as the resulting project in Hollywood, mental health, parenthood, and why Hawke would “rather have my eyes gouged out” than return to eighth grade.

Austin Butler and Jodie Comer star in “The Bikeriders,” about a 1960s motorcycle gang in Chicago. They spoke with AP entertainment journalist Leslie Ambriz about immersing themselves in motorcycle culture, the difficulty of filming while on the road, and how the movie explores changing gender roles. Jeff Nichols’ film hits theaters June 21.

Dakota Fanning found common ground with her character and first-time director Ishana Night Shyamalan while making the horror film “The Watchers.” The 30-year-old star spoke with AP entertainment journalist Krysta Fauria about why she is interested in “unlikeable” female characters, finding her creative voice and the importance of trusting directors.

Cyndi Lauper was joined by Cher and Bebe Rexha as she placed her handprints in cement outside Hollywood’s famed TCL Chinese Theatre. The 70-year-old performer is the subject of a new documentary, “Let the Canary Sing,” and is launching her final tour later this year. She spoke with AP entertainment journalist Rick Taber after the handprint ceremony about persistence, experimenting with technology — and embracing opportunities: “Sometimes you get a little sprinkle of fairy dust on you and it’s magic.”

Jennifer Lopez stars alongside Sterling K. Brown and Simu Liu in the Netflix sci-fi movie “Atlas,” which she also produced. The three sat down with AP entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton to talk about Lopez’s “action mom” roles, trust in Hollywood and artificial intelligence, a key part of the film.

Vicky Krieps says her character in “The Dead Don’t Hurt” is “closest to my own suffering.” Krieps stars alongside Viggo Mortensen in the Western that he also wrote, directed, produced and even scored. The actors spoke with AP entertainment journalist Ryan Pearson about Krieps’ connection to her frontierswoman character, Mortensen’s future in “The Lord of the Rings” — and the importance of securing “final cut.”

“Hit Man” stars Glen Powell and Adria Arjona downed tequila to break their Dry January pledges together the first time they met. “Life is not about following rules. It’s about who you break the rules with,” says Powell, who also co-wrote the romantic (dark) comedy with director Richard Linklater. Powell and Arjona spoke with AP entertainment journalist Ryan Pearson about how they connected off-screen, Linklater’s thorough preparation — and the high-wire cell phone scene that had audiences at festivals applauding mid-screening. “Hit Man” is now in theaters and hits Netflix June 7.

Anitta says she’s no longer worried about the likes or the followers. As the pop star launches her Baile Funk Experience tour, she says her focus is on making music that stays true to her roots and bringing Brazil to the rest of the world. AP entertainment journalist Leslie Ambriz sat down with the 31-year-old performer in Los Angeles to talk about her love of film, personal growth — and controversy over her “Aceita” music video, which shows rituals from her Afro-Brazilian faith Candomblé.