Holly Hunter has been entrusted with playing an array of real-world women, from tennis great Billie Jean King to a cheerleading mom gone astray to her latest role, a federal prosecutor caught in the maw of politics.
In Showtime’s “The Comey Rule,” the Oscar-winning actor ("The Piano") was cast as Sally Yates, whose decadeslong career imploded along with that of FBI director James Comey and others serving in the Trump administration.
For Hunter, the project’s main draw was playing Yates, “who has enormous integrity, and brought an incredible positive, ethical energy and intellect to the Justice Department," she said. The two-part drama debuts 9 p.m. EDT Sunday and Monday.
This image provided by Showtime shows Holly Hunter, left, as Sally Yates and Jeff Daniels as James Comey in a scene from "The Comey Rule." Hunter plays former federal prosecutor Sally Yates in Showtime’s two-part drama, debuting Sunday and Monday, Sept. 27 and 28. (Ben Mark HolzbergCBS Television StudiosShowtime via AP)
In Yates’ 2017 Congressional testimony on Russian election interference, she came across as poised and exacting, befitting a lawyer who reached the level of deputy U.S. attorney general (and, for 10 days, acting attorney general, until she was fired after refusing to enforce a travel ban on Muslims).
As Hunter became more versed in Yates’ role in events surrounding the 2016 presidential campaign and the election of Donald Trump, her respect grew — even more so after meeting her fellow native Georgian.
“She’s got a great sense of humor. She’s very, very real, very down-to-earth," Hunter said. “She's an enormously optimistic woman. ... I think that there are a lot of people in government who are incredibly optimistic and have real hopes, real dreams about things that they want to accomplish.”
Comey, played by Jeff Daniels, and Brendan Gleeson’s Trump occupy center stage in the drama from writer-director-producer Billy Ray, an Oscar-nominated screenwriter for “Captain Phillips” and “Shattered Glass.” Ray adapted Comey’s book, “A Higher Loyalty,” supplemented by interviews.
Yates, who is briefly mentioned in Comey's account, gets her say here. In one scene, she recalls her work on a lawsuit in which an all-white jury found for an older Black woman whose land was at risk of being taken.
“I had never tried a case before. I didn't even know where to stand. ... But that jury did right,” Yates tells a young aide. “You remember that, next time somebody tells you this country can’t be its best self or the law doesn’t matter.”
Actors can become attached to the fictional characters they play, but Hunter has developed bonds with some of the real-life ones. That includes King, whom she portrayed in the 2001 TV movie “When Billie Beat Bobby,” about the 1970s battle-of-the-sexes tennis match between King and Bobby Riggs (Ron Silver).
Hunter received an Emmy nod for the role and won the trophy for a pair of other TV movies, 1993's “The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom” and 1989′s “Roe vs. Wade."
“In a way, the greatest thing I got out of playing Billie was Billie as a friend,” Hunter said. It also made playing her more difficult, “because I was afraid I was going to completely screw her up.”
She is also “steadfast friends” with Susan Zirinsky, the inspiration for the driven TV news producer in 1987's “Broadcast News.” Hunter said she and the journalist, who was an associate producer on the film, became close after it was made.
"I was at such a different place in my career, which is to say at the beginning," Hunter recalled. “I wasn’t worried about offending Susan or not bringing Susan to life. I was just worried about myself. I was worried about, like, ‘Wow, am I actually going to be able to do this?'”
The film earned seven Emmy nominations, including one for Hunter.
In 2019, Zirinksy became the first female president of CBS News, and Hunter surprised her at a party with a one-of-a-kind congratulatory gift: A silver plaque from “Broadcast News” given to Hunter's character, Jane Craig, after she was promoted to Washington bureau chief.
“She just completely lost it," Hunter said of Zirinsky.
“The Comey Rule,” originally set to air after the Nov. 3 general election, was moved up after creator Ray expressed disappointment about the post-election timing in a letter that became public.
Hunter said she can't predict how “The Comey Rule” might be received in these polarized times. She’s a Democrat who calls herself “defiantly anti-Trump,” but isn't politically active and said she prefers to keep a low profile in every regard.
“I think it's my profession. I like being an actress and being somewhat of a blank slate," she said. “I have never, ever talked about my personal life. It's just not my thing.”
Lynn Elber can be reached at lelber@ap.org or on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lynnelber.
The return of “Hacks” and a new Jerry Seinfeld movie are some of the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: New episodes of “Behind the Music,” Selena Gomez taking her cooking skills to restaurants and a video game for political junkies.
– Jerry Seinfeld has been very picky about his post-”Seinfeld” projects, but the comedian stars in, co-writes and directs the new Netflix comedy “Unfrosted” (out now). The film, an origin story for the Pop-Tart, is as stocked with comic talent as it is ridiculousness. Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, Amy Schumer, Hugh Grant and many others co-star in Seinfeld’s satire of Kellogg’s and Post in a heated raced to create a new breakfast treat.
– “Documenting Police Use of Force” is the result of a three-year investigation by PBS’ “Frontline,” The Associated Press and Howard Center for Investigative Journalism examining deaths that have followed police use of tactics known as “less-lethal force.” Though tactics like prone restraint are meant to be less deadly than firearms, the investigation found that their use, or misuse, led to more than 1,000 deaths over 10 years — often in encounters that began with a minor incident. The film began streaming on APNews.com, PBS.org/frontline and in the PBS app on Tuesday. It also airs on PBS stations (check local listings), on Frontline’s YouTube channel and will be available on the PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel.
– If you missed “The Holdovers,” Alexander Payne’s Oscar-winning ’70s-set boarding school comic drama, the film arrived Monday on Prime Video. The film was nominated for five Oscars, including best actor for Paul Giamatti, and went home with one: best supporting actress for Da’Vine Joy Randolph. Giamatti stars as a curmudgeonly teacher tasked with watching a student (Dominic Sessa) over Christmas break.
— AP Film Writer Jake Coyle
— First came “Houdini,” a club-banger with new edge. Then the lively ambitiousness of “Training Season,” and the elastic bass of “Illusion.” The English-Albanian pop superstar Dua Lipa ’s third album, “Radical Optimism,” is built of her longstanding pop sensibilities. But she’s shifted slightly away from the disco-pop of 2020’s “Future Nostalgia” and instead, has embraced pop-psychedelia in influences like Primal Scream and Massive Attack, at least partially thanks to a new collaborator in Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker. It’s a euphoric ride straight to the club, and a reminder of the necessity of danceable music in resilience.
— In the late ’90s and carrying into the 2010s, VH1’s documentary series “Behind the Music” offered in-depth insight into the top performers of the past and present – highlighting their path of success and obstacles faced in the process. For music obsesses, it was an education. If you missed it, or if you’re missing it right now, long no more: Paramount+ debuted new episodes of “Behind the Music” on Wednesday, spotlighting Bell Biv DeVoe, Trace Adkins and Wolfgang Van Halen. And while you wait: There are episodes from the original series available to stream on Paramount+ right now, featuring everyone from Boy George and Busta Rhymes to Jennifer Lopez and New Kids on the Block.
— Tuareg guitarist Mdou Moctar – and his band, Nigerien guitarist Ahmoudou Madassane, drummer Souleymane Ibrahim, and American bassist Mikey Coltun -- have been celebrated on the global stage for their ferocious psychedelic rock. On their forthcoming album, “Funeral for Justice,” those riffs have only gotten bigger, better, more explosive atop an anti-colonial message. “Oppressed in all three / In addition to lack of unity, ignorance is the third issue,” Moctar sings for Niger, Mali and Algeria on “Sousoume Tamacheq,” a rallying cry for the Tuareg people. And at the foundation is one of the most exciting rock bands in years.
— Maybe the UK-pop firebrand Rachel Chinouriri first hit your timeline when the music video for her song “Never Need Me” featured an unlikely star, the actor Florence Pugh. Or maybe it is from one of her many viral moments on TiKTok (“So My Darling,” anyone?), or from her malleable EPs, 2019’s “Mama’s Boy,” 2021’s “Four In Winter,” and 2022’s “Better Off Without.” Whatever the case, it is time to prepare for her alternative pop in the form of a debut album, “What a Devastating Turns of Events,” out Friday. Begin with the whistled-hook and talk-sung lyrics of single “It Is What It Is.”
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
— The long-awaited third season of “Hacks,” starring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder returns May 2. The show picks up about a year after the finale of season two, with its two stars seemingly worlds apart. Smart’s Deborah Vance is at the top of her stand-up game in Las Vegas and Einbinder’s Ava is busy working as a writer in Los Angeles. The separation doesn’t last long as the two can’t seem to quit each other. Another reason to tune in? The comedic duo Paul W. Downs and Megan Stalter (playing agent Jimmy and his not at all trusty assistant, Kayla) have been bumped up to series regulars. The first two episodes of “Hacks” are now out on Max.
— Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds continue their grand experiment of owning a football club on season three of FX’s “Welcome to Wrexham.” We begin with a rewind to last summer –- with the Red Dragons on a high, touring America and enjoying the perks of upgrades to their facility. “Welcome to Wrexham” season 3 debuted Thursday on FX. Streams next day on Hulu.
— While fans wait for the sixth and final season of “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a new Elisabeth Moss series called “The Veil” is coming to Hulu from FX. The series takes place in the high-stakes world of international espionage with Moss portraying a MI6 agent. “I can change into anything, become 100 strangers,” Moss says in the show’s trailer. “The Veil” is streaming now on Hulu.
— We watched Selena Gomez learn to cook over Zoom for four seasons of “Selena + Chef,” and now she’s ready to say “Yes, Chef!” in restaurant kitchens. In her new Food Network series “Selena + Restaurant,” Gomez and her bestie Raquelle Stevens visit popular LA-area restaurants to try to create a dish that would make the menu. The show is now on Food Network and streams on Max.
— The best-selling book “The Tatooist of Auschwitz” by Heather Morris has been adapted as a limited series for Peacock. It tells the true story of a Slovakian Jewish man named Lale Sokolov, sent to Auschwitz and given the job of tattooing fellow prisoners. He ends up falling in love with a girl named Gita. The story is told through flashbacks and Harvey Keitel plays an older Lale, recounting the experience to Morris — played by Melanie Lynskey. The series debuted Thursday on Peacock.
— The comedy festival Netflix is a Joke is upping the ante by offering some events live on the streamer. Katt Williams, known for his no holds barred commentary is set to go live with a stand-up set called “Woke Folk” on Saturday. And Kevin Hart will host “The Roast of Tom Brady” on May 5. “I played in the NFL, so I’m not worried about a bunch of comedians, trust me,” taunted the seven-time Super Bowl winner in a video shared with NBC’s “TODAY “show. Brady says he does not know who will appear to roast him.
— Alicia Rancilio
— Judging from the polls, a lot of Americans aren’t happy with their choices in this fall’s presidential election. Thank goodness for The Political Machine 2024, which lets you create your own White House candidate from scratch. Sure, you can play as Donald Trump, Joe Biden, or an also-ran like Ron DeSantis or Nikki Haley, but why not try to get yourself or your grandma or your favorite teacher elected? Publisher Stardock, best known for intergalactic strategy epics like Sins of a Solar Empire, has cranked up The Political Machine every four years since 2004, and this season’s edition adds primaries, debates and action cards that “undermine your opponents and bolster your campaign.” Hit the stump on PC.
— Lou Kesten
Catch up on AP’s entertainment coverage here: https://apnews.com/entertainment.
Dua Lipa poses for a portrait to promote her new album "Radical Optimism" on Friday, April 26, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Drew Gurian/Invision/AP)
Wrexham Co-Owner Rob McElhenney, left, chats on the pitch after the English League Two soccer match between Wrexham and Stockport at the Racecourse Ground Stadium in Wrexham, Wales, Saturday, April 27, 2024. Wrexham AFC got promoted to League One.(AP Photo/Jon Super)
This image released by Netflix shows Melissa McCarthy, from left, Jerry Seinfeld and Jim Gaffigan in a scene from "Unfrosted." (Netflix via AP)
This cover image released by Warner Music shows “Radical Optimism” by Dua Lipa. (Warner via AP)
This cover image released by Matador shows “Funeral for Justice” by Mdou Moctar. (Matador via AP)
This image released by Elektra Records shows “What a Devastating Turn of Events" by Rachel Chinouriri. (Elektra Records via AP)
This image released by Focus Features shows Dominic Sessa, from left, Paul Giamatti and Da'Vine Joy Randolph in a scene from "The Holdovers." (Seacia Pavao/Focus Features via AP)
This combination of images fshows promotional art for the Hulu series "The Veil," left, the Hulu series "Welcome to Wrexham," center, and the comedy series "Hacks." (Hulu/Hulu/Max via AP)
