Category: 5. Entertainment

Allen Blickle, the original drummer for the Grammy-nominated sludge metal band Baroness, has died at the age of 42.

“It breaks my heart to have to share the news that my dear friend, creative partner and former bandmate Allen Blickle passed away a few days ago,” Baroness frontman John Baizley said in a statement. “I’m still in shock that he’s gone. We ask for understanding as his family and this band process his passing and grieve his loss. Allen, I love you and miss you. I treasure every moment we shared.”

Though the cause of death has not been revealed, Laura Pleasants, of the Georgia metal band Kylesa, wrote in her Instagram tribute that “we all thought you had this thing beat. Fuck, we were supposed to hang out when i got back from tour…Gone too soon my friend. I’m glad you are at peace and no longer in pain. Much love to you.”

Blickle co-founded Baroness in Savannah, Georgia in 2003, alongside Baizley, bassist Summer Welch, and guitarist Tim Loose. He released three albums with the band: their 2007 debut Red Album, 2009’s Blue Record, and 2012’s Yellow & Green.

Following the band’s tour bus crash in the U.K. in August 2012 — in which the vehicle plunged 30 feet off a viaduct near Bath, England, in heavy rain — Blickle was hospitalized for two weeks with fractured vertebrae. He left the band the following year, alongside bassist Matt Maggioni.

“The accident was much more to me than just a near-death experience,” Blickle told The Fader in 2013. “It made me rethink a lot in my life and has been the most difficult time I’ve been through thus far. It was a horrible memory, but I’m trying not to let it define me or stop me from doing what I love. Let it be and keep moving.”

He also spoke about his relationship with his bandmates following his departure. “After the accident, there was space put between us that I regret to say was mostly my fault,” he said. “I was in some way pushing myself in another direction. I didn’t know how to handle the horrible situation we all went through, but who does? It’s not easy and continues to be somewhat difficult. I do miss playing with them and I have relayed to them that when the time is right, I would like to be on the road again. It’s not up to me at this point. I just don’t want any resentment to build between any of us. We are old friends and have worked really hard together for years. Friends first — that’s the most important thing to remember.”

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Baroness has since released three more LPs (2015’s Purple, 2019’s Gold & Grey, and 2023’s Stone), while Blickle went on to work with bands like Romantic Dividends, A Place to Bury Strangers, and Alpaca. When Pharoah Sanders died in 2022, Blickle wrote on Instagram that he helped record an interview with the legendary saxophonist for The New Yorker.

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In recent years, Blickle worked in film and TV as a composer and in sound design, including Netflix’s 2020 series We Are the Champions and Best of Stand-Up (2020 and 2022).

“Follow your gut,” Blickle told The Fader. “Take chances. Make sure to keep your friends close, even if things come between you. The music business is not an easy industry and people turn their backs on you really fast.”

Late at night, after an exhausting hike up Indonesia’s Mount Gede, Maya wakes to find her friend Itha missing from their tent. Several minutes of frantic searching later, she finds her crouched, alone, in a patch of tall grass – giggling.

“I’m talking to my friend,” Itha explains. Except no one else is there.

My whole body jolts as that “friend” suddenly erupts onto the screen. It’s the most terrified I’ve ever been in a movie theater – the kind of scared that has you peeking through your fingers and spilling popcorn on your neighbor. In my case, that’s longtime Indonesian film critic Ekky Imanjaya, who looks completely unfazed.

He’s seen hundreds of movies like “Haunting of Mount Gede.” Horror is by far the most popular genre of Indonesian cinema, accounting for 60% of the 258 movies made in the country last year, according to the Indonesian Film Board.

But these aren’t like many of the scary movies shown in theaters across the United States, in which fright itself is the point. Indonesia’s horror boom is built upon the archipelago’s rich folklore, passed down from generation to generation, and an enduring belief in the supernatural.

All countries have their own sort of ghost story, says Dr. Imanjaya, a film studies lecturer at Bina Nusantara University in Jakarta, but “many Indonesian people believe that it’s true.” Indonesians’ fascination with their country’s unique blend of Islam and folklore has helped the local film industry thrive, while those in other developing nations struggle to compete with American blockbusters.

After a rapturous Venice bow for The Smashing Machine, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson on Sunday talked about his next collaboration with director Ben Safdie for Lizard Music.

“I’m your Chicken Man,” Johnson recalled telling Safdie after he was pitched for 45 minutes on reteaming for Lizard Music after they wrapped production on The Smashing Machine. Their next joint project is based on the Daniel Pinkwater kids novel about a young boy who becomes involved with intelligent lizard musicians who tell him of a little-known invasion from outer space.

Johnson talked up Lizard Music as a “whimsical” movie about a boy who stumbles on a secret late-night broadcast of lizards playing music, only to pass through a hidden door to meet a Chicken Man, to be played by Johnson.

The Rock is in Toronto for a North American premiere of The Smashing Machine, where Johnson performs the role of real-life MMA legend Mark Kerr. “I wanted something like this for such a long time,” Johnson said during an informal conversation at TIFF at the Royal Alexandra Theater, about doing a movie creatively for himself, rather than acting in a Hollywood tentpole aimed at his legions of fans.

Johnson recounted having to transform his own body into that of Mark Kerr. “He had this rare unicorn build of man who so dominant as a wrestler and with all of these fast twitch muscles, on top of being a heavyweight,” he recalled.

Long story short, Johnson had to gain weight for the role, and develop muscles other than his own frame to move more quickly in the ring. “He’s still a beast of a man, but still so soft-spoken,” he added about Kerr, who will attend the North American premiere in Toronto.

Johnson, as a former pro wrestler, also recalled as part of his transition to becoming a Hollywood movie star following in the footsteps of his late and Canadian father, Rocky Johnson, a WWE Hall of Famer, in getting into the ring.

“I think about my dad, about the complicated relationship we had, but how life can come full circle and years later I can come back and have this life,” Johnson said after touching down in Toronto. Born and raised in Nova Scotia as Wade Douglas Bowles, Rocky Johnson started wrestling in 1964 in and around Toronto. 

His trajectory from the ring to Hollywood film sets includes roles in The Scorpion King, star turns in the Fast & Furious franchise, the Jumanji series and Disney tentpoles like the Moana films and the action-adventure Jungle Cruise.

“I remember a kid who was trying. I was just jumping off a cliff. That was the thing that really launched my career,” Johnson told the TIFF audience after watching a clip from The Scorpion Kings, which was shot in the Sahara desert and called for action sequences.

“From action to cut, I fell in love. I was bitten,” he said of catching the acting bug. At the same time, Johnson said it took a long time before he could bring his Hollywood acting chops to a more serious movie role. “I’d been wanting to do something like this, it just took all that time to do something like The Smashing Machine,” he added.

Johnson’s Hollywood career has also included work as a producer and co-owner of Seven Bucks Productions, launched in 2021 with partner Dany Garcia. “We loved movies, and if you love movies, you want to be part of creating movies in any way you can,” he said of launching the production banner whose name recalled his early attempt to join the Canadian Football League as part of the Calgary Stampeders as a path into the National Football League, only to be cut from the CFL team roster.

Back home in Florida, Johnson recalled looking into his pocket to see how much money he had at 22 years of age and having to move back in with his parents. He counted $7 in his pocked.

“We all get knocked down. Everybody goes through that,” Johnson recounted, as he also thanked former Stampeders coach Wally Buono, who is now with the B.C. Lions, for ultimately paving his way to big success in Hollywood after standing in his way from breaking into pro football.

Johnson was joined on stage in Toronto by co-stars Emily Blunt and writer/director Safdie. “When I first Dwayne, I saw this swirl behind his eyes. There’s this incredible magnetism that draws you in. but there’s also complex emotions just waiting to get out,” Safdie said of his need to collaborate with Johnson.

“We sat under this umbrella and talked and shared our souls. I was just taken by how different he was than what I had imagined,” Blunt recalled when first working with Johnson on Jungle Cruise in Hawaii as she discovered, as had Safdie, a vulnerability inside The Rock that was coming out.

Prime Video Australia has struck multi-year pay-1 window streaming deals with Sony Pictures Entertainment and Roadshow Films for their major global and local films.

The agreements, which began in August, means Prime Video is the exclusive streaming home to the likes of SPE’s 28 Years Later and Roadshow’s In the Grey.

From SPE are including Danny Boyle and Alex Garland’s 28 Years Later, Karate Kid: Legends, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Australian horror Bring Her Back, upcoming crime Caught Stealing and A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, the romantic drama starring Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie from filmmaker Kogonada.

The Roadshow includes Guy Ritchie’s In The Grey, Conclave, and a sequel to the young adult thriller Fall. Others includ The Monkey, Osgood Perkins directed horror film based on Stephen King’s short story; Made-Up Stories drama Addition – a drama from Made-Up Stories; and Den of Thieves 2 – the sequel to the 2018 crime film featuring Gerard Butler.

“By securing exclusive first streaming rights to films from Sony Pictures and Roadshow, we ensure Prime members get first access to stream these movies after their theatrical runs and digital rental windows,” said Tyler Bern, Head of Content Strategy and Content Acquisition for Canada, Australia and New Zealand. “This delivers more choice, more convenience, and incredible value for customers. Combined with premium content from Amazon MGM Studios, including our MGM theatrical slate, these deals ensure Australian movie lovers always have something exciting to stream.”

“We are thrilled to announce the extension of this content partnership with Prime Video in Australia,” said Adam Herr, Senior Vice President, Distribution, APAC, Sony Pictures Television. “Over the coming years, we have an exciting slate of theatrical films featuring some of the most iconic talent, directors and IP in Hollywood, and we can’t wait for audiences in Australia to enjoy them on Prime Video.”

“Roadshow is thrilled to extend our partnership with Prime Video,” said Will Meiklejohn, Director Acquisitions, Television & Home Entertainment, Roadshow Films Australia. “This agreement cements Prime Video as the home for the extraordinary films we’ve championed on the big screen, from powerful Australian stories to internationally loved blockbusters. It’s a natural evolution of our strong relationship with Prime Video and our shared commitment to delivering unforgettable cinematic experiences to audiences across the country.”

Prime Video has secured multi-year agreements with Sony Pictures Entertainment and Roadshow Films, making it the exclusive first-run streaming home in Australia for their Pay-1 theatrical slates.

The deals give Australian Prime members first access to blockbusters such as Sony’s “28 Years Later,” “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “Karate Kid: Legends” — which reunites Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio while introducing Ben Wang as a new Karate Kid — as well as Roadshow’s “In the Grey,” directed by Guy Ritchie and starring Henry Cavill and Jake Gyllenhaal.

“By securing exclusive first streaming rights to films from Sony Pictures and Roadshow, we ensure Prime members get first access to stream these movies after their theatrical runs and digital rental windows,” said Tyler Bern, head of content strategy and content acquisition for Canada, Australia and New Zealand. “This delivers more choice, more convenience, and incredible value for customers.”

The Sony slate also includes Darren Aronofsky’s crime caper “Caught Stealing” with Austin Butler, horror entry “Bring Her Back” from the creators of “Talk to Me,” and Kogonada’s romantic drama “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” starring Colin Farrell and Margot Robbie. Roadshow will add award-winning films such as “Conclave,” and a sequel to the thriller “Fall.”

Other highlights slated for Prime Video include Osgood Perkins’ Stephen King adaptation “The Monkey” (Aug. 30), Made Up Stories’ drama “Addition,” and “Den of Thieves 2” starring Gerard Butler.

“We are thrilled to announce the extension of this content partnership with Prime Video in Australia,” said Adam Herr, senior VP, sistribution, APAC, Sony Pictures Television. “Over the coming years, we have an exciting slate of theatrical films featuring some of the most iconic talent, directors and IP in Hollywood.”

Will Meiklejohn, director acquisitions, television and home entertainment, Roadshow Films Australia, added: “This agreement cements Prime Video as the home for the extraordinary films we’ve championed on the big screen, from powerful Australian stories to internationally loved blockbusters.”

Prime Video already carries Amazon MGM Studios titles including “The Accountant 2,” “The Boys,” “Fallout” and “The Idea of You,” plus Australian originals “Deadloch” and “The Narrow Road to the Deep North,” alongside live sport such as ICC cricket.

Netflix has greenlit the YA series “Crew Girl,” with the show now in production in Victoria, British Columbia.

Miku Martineau (“Bet,” “Kate,” “Star Trek: Section 31”) will lead the cast, which also includes Jessica Paré (“SEAL Team,” “Mad Men”) as Ella, Samuel Braun (“The Marshmallow Experiment,” “Time Cut,” “Bad Genius”) as Josh, Kyle Clark (“Hello,” “Goodbye and Everything,” “The Baby-Sitter’s Club,” “Riverdale”) as Cam, and Thomas Cadrot (“Scream,” “So Help Me Todd,” “Family Law”).

The official logline for the series states:

“A frothy, coming-of-age teen drama about a 16-year-old female rower Teagan (Martineau) who becomes the coxswain of a dysfunctional all-boys rowing team at an elite East Coast Prep School. Warring rivals, messy romantic entanglements, and betrayed friendships spill drama both in and out of the boat. Not to mention her complicated relationship with her mom, Ella (Paré). The team’s a mess, her life’s a mess. Can she fix both and win?”

Vivian Lin serves as writer, executive producer, and showrunner. Jeff Norton, Lindsay Macadam, Hillary Zwick Turner, Tony Chung, and Lori Massini also executive produce. The series is produced by Thunderbird Entertainment’s scripted and unscripted live action division, Great Pacific Media.

This marks the latest Netflix project in which Martineau has starred. Most recently, she played the lead role in the teen drama “Bet” and also starred in the 2021 Netflix film “Kate.”

Other productions that hail from Thunderbird Entertainment include “Sidelined: The QB and Me,” “Boot Camp,” “Kim’s Convenience,” “Mermicorno: Starfall,” “Super Team Canada,” ‘Molly of Denali,” and “Highway Thru Hell.”

It was a week after his departure from EastEnders, and Ben Hardy was screen testing for one of Hollywood’s most anticipated films of the 2010s. He’d been tapped to take over the iconic role of Peter Beale from Thomas Law in the long-running British soap — and did so for two years — but, eventually, Hardy had bigger plans.

“Look, it’s a great gig,” the 34-year-old tells The Hollywood Reporter about his early career aspirations. “But I was keen to drop in and then drop out.”

He’d set his sights much higher than EastEnders, and it wasn’t long at all until the actor was rewarded for his tenacity. The following week, Hardy was in L.A. and preparing to make his feature film debut as Angel in X-Men: Apocalypse next to Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy and Oscar Isaac. “I was trying to be like: ‘These are just people,’” Hardy admits. “But undoubtedly, I was starstruck by these people. I was very nervous.”

After X-Men, it’s fair to say the Devon-born star’s portfolio has varied. From James Krishna Floyd and Sally El Hosaini’s low-budget queer indie Unicorns to Netflix’s smash hit romcom Love at First Sight with Haley Lu Richardson, Hardy’s nearly done it all. He’s even been privy to the height of Hollywood glamor after his role as Queen drummer Roger Taylor in Bryan Singer’s four-time Oscar-winning Bohemian Rhapsody (2018).

One genre he is yet to conquer, however, is horror — until now. Hardy stars opposite Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga and Mia Tomlinson in the final installment of The Conjuring universe, aptly titled The Conjuring: Last Rites. Wilson and Farmiga once again play real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, who are forced to take on one last case in Michael Chaves’ film. Hardy plays Tony, the new boyfriend of Tomlinson’s Judy Warren, who dares not confess to her parents how strong her connection to the supernatural world really is.

“For fans of The Conjuring universe, I’d like to think of him as a breath of fresh air,” Hardy says about Tony Spera. “He gives you moments of reprieve, I hope, amidst the scares. I like to think of him as the golden retriever in the movie.” For those not familiar with The Conjuring franchise, now totalling four films with Last Rites, Tony’s your access point: “He’s never seen a Conjuring movie either, you know?”

Below, Hardy catches up with THR about his career up until now. He discusses being a newbie on a star-studded set like X-Men, why the film industry should be making more movies for $10 million and finding himself trying to impress Patrick Wilson like the man is his real father-in-law: “Sometimes those lines can get so blurred… Tony was also desperate to get Ed’s approval. So did I, in a strange way, become desperate to get Patrick’s approval? Maybe.”

I want to start on EastEnders because I read that you were a little bit claustrophobic, perhaps, on that set — keen to get out.

I think I was very aspirational. Look, it’s a great gig, and you make a good salary in an industry where there’s so many actors that aren’t working. We’re so oversubscribed. But I was very ambitious, yeah, so I was keen to drop in and then drop out. But I learned so much in terms of acting for [the] screen.

In hindsight, do you think starting on a soap was quite a valuable experience for your career?

I definitely do think so, because — maybe it’s changed now — but when I went to drama school, you do two weeks of TV and film training, which is just nuts, really. I hope that’s changed. [It’s learning] the basics of what you shouldn’t be thinking about, just hitting marks and knowing where the camera is. The more experienced you are, the better you are at this, but [just] having an awareness of where the cameras are so you know what audience you’re playing to but also not being so aware of it that you seems self-conscious in your performance… Things like that. But that just comes from time and practice, which you get on a soap, you know?

How did that enormous leap from EastEnders to X-Men happen?

X-Men, that was wild. God, I was overjoyed. I was young and it is exciting. It was a very surreal experience at the time, to go into that world that you’d witnessed from afar as we all do in the West: Hollywood.

When I was in EastEnders, maybe six months before I left, my U.K. agent was basically trying to help me get a U.S. agent by sending out a show reel to American agents. I then went to L.A. for a couple of weeks and met a bunch of U.S. agents. Got a U.S. agent and manager, and then from there, they started putting me up for things. And [the X-Men audition] was just one of the many tapes amongst thousands of people that probably auditioned for for X-Men, so I was very fortunate. And also did a good job, I like to think, through the audition process. But so I did a tape and then I met the director and then had a screen test literally the week after I left EastEnders.

Was that daunting or were you trying to take it all in your stride?

I think I was trying to take it all in my stride. I was trying to be like: “These are just people.” But undoubtedly, I was starstruck by these people. I was very nervous. And actually, day one, this was horrific… My first day on set, I was in this superhero costume and they all cost about at least $100,000 to make — these custom, made-to-measure superhero suits. But mine decided to split right by my ass, basically. So I had this gaping hole in my ass and Helene, a lovely woman, sewing up my rear whilst they were calling for me to be on set. And I didn’t want to seem like a diva to be late to set, but I also didn’t want to come on set and meet your Jennifer Lawrences and Michael Fassbenders with my ass hanging out. So I was in a real conundrum.

That doesn’t sound like $100k’s worth…

Something went wrong!

Then you’re in an Oscar favorite movie, Bohemian Rhapsody, playing Roger Taylor. What was that like, with the proximity to Queen too?

I was absolutely overjoyed to get the part because Queen are so huge, right? Especially over [in the U.K.], but also worldwide. But I don’t think any of us really expected the heights that that movie would reach. There were moments where we thought the movie wasn’t even going to get finished — that it was going to get shut down [disgraced filmmaker Singer was sacked before the film finished shooting, and replaced with Dexter Fletcher]. The storm that ensued afterwards was… I very much took it in my stride, but I kind of wish in hindsight that I had a better awareness of just quite how special that experience was. It was a whirlwind, and it was incredible, and I look back on it and think very fondly of it, but it was definitely something that was a seminal moment for me, for sure.

Do you feel like you didn’t stop and soak it up as much as you should have?

Exactly, yeah. Maybe through imposter syndrome. I think I so wanted to belong in this Oscar buzz season that I sort of tried to downplay everything I did through a lot [of the] early years in my career, to feel more like I belonged there. Every actor has imposter syndrome. Everyone on the planet has bloody imposter syndrome or [are at] different degrees along that spectrum. I was trying to be cool as a young man. But I think if I was to go through a similar experience again, I would definitely pause more often to take it all in. It’s definitely good to appreciate being in those moments.

Is the film industry Hollywood in Hollywood an enjoyable one right now? How has it changed since you entered 10 years ago?

It’s such good question. It’s hard to really gauge because it’s always constantly in flux, but more so than ever, considering the events of the past six years — with COVID-19 and then also with the strikes in Hollywood… I think especially in America, but also in the U.K., it definitely still feels like everyone’s finding their feet and getting a sense of the landscape. What does this look like now? I do feel that. And I think, obviously, you know, with the introduction of streamers, it does feel very different to what it did 10 years ago. The model feels very much different. It’s tough for me to gauge because I was a young man doing X-Men. There was definitely much more excitement around certain things, because they were new and they were fresh. [I’m a] man in my mid-30s now. Not that I don’t enjoy it anymore, but [I] enjoy it in a different way. I’m less intoxicated or overwhelmed by the thrills of Hollywood.

I think people have made such losses in our industry that the money men want sure things. If I was to try and be clairvoyant about the whole thing, I think they [should] probably look at the business, change up the business model, especially with streamers, and take [a lot] more punts on lower budget movies, especially when you look at like the success of independent film, things like Anora. If I was the man investing in these movies, not that I’ve analyzed the data, but that would be where I would go: “Let’s try and make some $6-$10 million movies [or] throw $20 million at the wall and see what sticks,” rather than spending $50 million on a movie where, unless it hits big, it’s not gonna necessarily make it back.

Love at First Sight was of course a Netflix film that did brilliantly. Were you surprised by the reaction to it?

For sure. People loved it. You never know when you make a movie. That was an independent film, but Netflix picked it up. It was 28 days shooting days and it was all pretty frantic, coming out of COVID. Haley and I were there with our visors, doing rehearsals together and stuff. I had zero idea [how popular it would be]. But I saw the movie and I love a romcom, and I managed to objectively find it quite heartwarming. Quite moving. I did think, I’m proud of this and happy with this. So when it did so well and people had those reactions, it was really rewarding as well. Because that’s why I do this in the first place, because movies have given that to me. So I want to try and give that to other people, too.

Would you return to the romcom world?

Fuck yeah. I love romcoms for sure. It’s tough — it’s hard to find something original within that genre because it’s been done so many times. But the right thing? For sure.

Lastly, before we get onto The Conjuring: Last Rites, I do want to touch on Unicorns, which was a real foray into queer cinema and lauded by critics as well. I can imagine that was a really artistically satisfying experience. Were you proud to put that one out into the world?

Yeah. That’s probably the work I’m most proud of, that film. Just in terms of how I think the film turned out and my performance and the feedback from viewers who it seems to have had a profound impact on — [especially] some people who are marginalized or feel marginalized. That feels like something I’m truly proud of. Also just from an artistic perspective, I was a big fan of Sally [El Hosaini]’s work, one of the directors, so to get to work with her… she’s very inspiring. She’s a tough one to top for any director I would ever work with. She’s truly spectacular.

The Conjuring, then… This is a huge franchise. Do you remember when you watched the first film in 2013?

I watched it at the cinema. I think it was 2013. I would have been 21 or 22, fresh out of drama school. I suppose I’m getting more into it now, but I’ve never been a huge horror buff, you know? But that’s one I went to watch. And I do think [The Conjuring] films are truly special. The “based on a true story” aspect within the horror genre is nuts. It just makes it that much more chilling and disturbing.

That’s interesting that you don’t consider yourself a big horror fan — was this a genre you’ve wanted to sink your teeth into for a while, or has it been more a happy coincidence?

It’s the latter. What I’ve grown to love about horror is the cinematic experience of it. It’s so great to see the cinema. And I’m not just saying this because it’s about to come out, but it’s a really communal experience going to the cinema and watching a horror. Or you don’t even have to be with anyone — go watch it on your own and and you end up collectively gasping and having those jump scares. I’m a big fan of community, I suppose. And there is a real sense of community watching a horror movie.

But as a viewer, generally, my relationship with entertainment was very much… at the end of the day I want to stick on something that’s going to transport me and take me away. That’s what I wanted. I wanted to relax. And I don’t find horror relaxing. So it’s a different viewing experience. But when this came up, [I thought] if I was ever going to do a horror movie, this franchise would be the one to do. I’m a fan of the Blumhouse [Productions] films as well… I like to try new things. I get bored very easily. So to try a different genre was exciting.

I saw it earlier this week, actually, and it was the first horror film I’ve ever gone to see by myself. I was watching it through my hands.

Oh, that’s really interesting. I’m curious how scary it is. I’m genuinely curious, because obviously it’s the first time I’ve acted in one and I watched it, and understandably, don’t find it [scary]… I read the script, but I did still jump at moments.

Well, that’s also interesting. So there were no moments through filming that you found frightening?

The scary moments on a horror film set are not in the filming of it. They’re when you’re caught by surprise, when you see [characters in costume] outside of [their] trailer, unexpectedly. That kind of freaked me out. But in terms of the filming of it, maybe the most you’ll ever get is the first take might be a little bit scary and you get into the realm of imagination, but other than that, that’s the nature of the job.

Sometimes I watch [scenes] I wasn’t a part of and I’d be like, “Oh, that’s trippy. That’s going to play well.” But it’s just very hard [to predict]. That’s probably what studios wrestle with when they make horror movies, trying to work out what’s going to get the scares. But I suppose when you read the script, you go, “Oh, that’s chilling, that’s going to be scary.” The first read of the script is probably more informative than anything.

So how would you describe your character, Tony?

To people that have never seen a Conjuring movie, I’d say he’s your access point, because he’s never seen a Conjuring movie either, you know? He’s new to the Warrens. He’s fallen in love with Judy Warren. They’ve done thousands of cases but to him, it’s all brand new information. So that’s his purpose from a storytelling perspective, I suppose. But for fans of The Conjuring universe, I’d like to think of him as a breath of fresh air. He gives you moments of reprieve, I hope, amidst the scares. I like to think of him as the golden retriever in the movie.

I was actually a little suspicious of him. I don’t know if I was meant to be…

When I first read the script, I was like, “Is that an angle we’re going down?” I think that the director didn’t necessarily want to pursue that, but to throw another element of suspicion into the mix in a horror movie is never a bad thing. But I don’t think I was playing for that… I know what you mean, because he’s asking lots of questions.

Patrick and Vera are legends of the genre now. What was it like to see them in action?

It was both exciting and intimidating. It’s their franchise and you’re stepping into it so you want to make a good impression, because understandably, they would be protective about it. But to be honest, they were just so welcoming from the start. They were very much there to help rather than judge, you know? I spent more time with Patrick, maybe just because I was in more scenes with Patrick, but both were just incredibly generous actors [and] very generous with with their franchise. I can’t really speak highly enough of them, and I think they’re both fantastic.

It almost mirrors the film and your characters a little bit, with Tony stepping into this new world he knows nothing about.

It definitely crossed my mind. It’s always funny whenever you get into that kind of situation when you’re filming something — sometimes those lines can get so blurred. Even to this day, I love Patrick and I think he’s fantastic, but Tony was also desperate to get Ed’s approval. So did I, in a strange way, become desperate to get Patrick’s approval? Maybe. But do I also objectively think he’s a wonderful man, father, actor? Yeah. So those lines do get blurred for sure but it’s quite useful to have those real-life situations mimicking the fiction.

I also only just realized Mia is British, too. Did that help with building your chemistry? Because your American accents are fantastic.

I enjoyed doing one, I’ve not done an American accent for a minute. And this time, I started staying in accents when I film, which can seem a bit wanky, but it’s incredibly helpful. It’s not a method man thing. It’s more just [that the] American accent is much harder work for the mouth. [British] accents are a little bit lazier. [American] R’s are much tougher for us to do, so to stay in it just helps keep those muscles active and alive and help you be less self conscious of it.

But in terms of building chemistry… Don’t get me wrong, I have many American friends that I love, but I think when you meet someone for the first time, if you’re in America and there’s another Brit, sometimes you gravitate towards them because you have these cultural similarities that you can relate to each other with. It’s an easy option. And Mia is great. She’s great in the movie. She’s cool, she’s very hard-working. She really earned the part, and she smashed it.

If the opportunity arose, would you return to the horror world?

I am open to it, for sure. But let’s see…

LONDON — An exquisite rhythm rolls across the sheer mass of Emily Kam Kngwarray’s paintings, produced in prolific bursts of creativity between 1980 and 1996, the last decade and a half of her life. As she worked at the forefront of a movement that sought to translate millennia-old Aboriginal cultural traditions onto media such as acrylic, canvas, and batik, much of her oeuvre is marked by a strong visual cohesion. Colorful fields of dots and linear motifs in earthy tones proliferate across the entirety of each picture plane, often covering the edges of the canvases, creating an impression of an expansiveness that seems to incorporate both microcosm and macrocosm, landscape and human, ancestral time and contemporary pressures. 

Kngwarray was an Anmatyerr woman born in Alhalker, in what is now known as the Northern Territory of Australia. An important Elder within her community, she is credited with breaking down the distinctions between fine art, craft, and cultural practice, gaining international recognition for her contribution to contemporary art. Her paintings and batik silks are inextricably rooted in the lands on which she was born, which in her earliest years were untouched by White settlers. However, when she was a child, they colonized Alhalker, and their introduction of sheep, cattle, and fences irrevocably changed her people’s Country.

This concept of “Country” is key to understanding Kngwarray’s work and the culture in which she developed her practice. As an explanatory wall text puts it, “For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, the concept … encompasses the lands, skies and waters to which they are deeply connected, over countless generations. Country is a shared place of spiritual, social and geographical origins.” In Kngwarray’s paintings, such as “Ankerr (Emu)” (1989), this manifests as a map-like depiction of emu footprints emerging from a web of patterns and dots, charting the routes taken by the birds between underground water sources. 

Kngwarray’s work also draws closely on Dreamings: ancestral beings who manifest in the plants, animals, and natural phenomena of Country. Dreamings are intrinsic to Kngwarray’s worldview and practice, with a focus on animals and plants which are special to her, including the ankerr (emu) and anwerlarr (pencil yam). Yet in Western contexts, such traditions have too often been exoticized, flattening their complexity and cultural significance. The Tate show doesn’t openly refer to previous Western cultural or curatorial practices in relation to art by Aboriginal peoples, but it does take pains to explicate the respectful approach used throughout this show, using terms like Country and Dreaming without romanticization, and applying spellings of Anmatyerr words deemed appropriate by Kngwarray’s family and community. In addition, the exhibition texts use Aboriginal place names alongside English ones, as well as Anmatyerr words for the plants and animals Kngwarray depicts. 

Some of Kngwarray’s paintings relate to Awely, women’s ceremonies celebrating certain animals or plants, in which they grind pigments to paint dots and patterns on each other’s bodies. Included in the exhibition is a video in which Kngwarray’s family members perform one such ceremony; they also contributed to the curating and textual interpretation of the exhibition. The show draws convincing parallels between these rituals and the texture, techniques, and patterning of some of the large-scale works displayed nearby, such as “Alhalker – My Country” (1992), a heavily layered tall panel dotted with shades of rust and ocher. Swirling patterns emerge and fade before the viewer’s eyes, recalling the cyclical verses of ceremonial songs, or the tradition of temporary sand drawings made by women to tell stories. 

The corridor connecting Kngwarray’s earlier works with some of her later experiments is wallpapered with an aerial photograph of Alhalker Country, which at first glance could be a blown-up reproduction of one of Kngwarray’s paintings. The next gallery features “The Alhalker Suite” (1993), a huge composition made up of 22 panels offering a similar aerial perspective on the landscape. This work moves away from her previous characteristic earthy palette, instead embracing a collection of red, purple, and blue tones to capture changing light and seasonal transformation. Rejecting the Western art historical (and implicitly colonial) tenet of the single viewpoint, this work uses iteration and patterning to explore the multiplicitous identities of a place, drawing on a notion of layering that is key to her entire oeuvre. 

While many Western viewers might dismiss subjects like emus, yams, or seeds as trivial, Kngwarray and her kinswomen approach these beings with profound seriousness. Through the dedication with which she meticulously renders layer upon layer of these motifs, she reveals an alternative vision of art that centers the nonhuman ecologies at the heart of Aboriginal life, spiritual practice, and creative culture. An intimate knowledge of the growth cycles of plants and the movements of animals is essential for survival on Country, while the concept of the Dreaming suggests an essential ongoing continuum between human and nonhuman inhabitants of these places. Kngwarray’s work encourages us to take these worldviews and ecologies seriously too; in an era of climate breakdown and extinction, our future may depend on it. 

Emily Kam Kngwarray continues at Tate Modern (Bankside, London), through January 11, 2026. The exhibition was curated by Kelli Cole.

Just hours after Independent 20th Century art fair closed its doors to the public, the fair announced that Sotheby’s will host its 2026 edition in the auction house’s soon-to-be flagship headquarters in Manhattan’s historic Breuer building. The move, first reported by the New York Times, will be a significant expansion for the fair and a first-of-its-kind collaboration between an art fair and an auction house in the art market’s modern era.

Founded in 2022, Independent 20th Century spotlights overlooked and celebrated artists of the last century, with curatorial programming that reframes movements from women in Surrealism to Arab Modernism. Its move to the Breuer—a landmark of Modernist architecture designed by Marcel Breuer and recently renovated by Herzog & de Meuron with PBDW Architects—will allow the fair to considerably enlarge its footprint to more than 50 galleries.

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“This is more than a new venue location, it’s a symbol of how we wish to imagine unforgettable exhibitions of the 20th Century for a well-informed audience and for a new generation of collectors,” Independent’s founder Elizabeth Dee, said in a statement. “Independent 20th Century will create a museum-caliber exhibition experience that supports extraordinary galleries and brings their curatorial and market expertise to light in new ways.”

The Breuer, once home to the Whitney Museum of American Art and later host to the Met Breuer and the Frick Madison, will now serve as the setting for Independent’s intimate, non-trade-fair format. Matthew Higgs, the fair’s founding curatorial advisor, said the aim remains “to create environments that allow art to be seen in its best light” rather than replicate the “trade fair-like aesthetics” of larger events.

While the alliance with Sotheby’s underscores a changing art landscape, Independent stressed its autonomy. “Sotheby’s will not have any curatorial voice within our exhibition,” Dee said, noting that the partnership is “mission driven” and designed to broaden the audience for 20th-century art through shared programming and new public initiatives.

For Sotheby’s, which will formally occupy the Breuer later this year, the collaboration aligns with its push to reposition its buildings as cultural venues rather than auction-only sites. “Together with Independent 20th Century, we hope to create a dynamic environment for discovery, dialogue, and exchange at the Breuer,” said Madeline Lissner, Sotheby’s global head of fine art.

The fair will run September 24–27, 2026, with a roster expected to exceed 50 exhibitors, up from 31 at its most recent edition at Casa Cipriani.