As Entertainment Director, I’ve been thinking a lot about the current state of television and the amount of content available to watch. With new streaming services popping up left and right and cable networks stepping up their games, the number of options can feel both exciting (who doesn’t love another good binge?) and overwhelming (there are seriously not enough hours in the day). It’s a viewer’s market out there, but it’s worth asking, what are the worthy investments? Here are my picks.
This winter/spring television season has me particularly pumped, because Curb Your Enthusiasm is back on HBO, Amazon has a buzzy new drama with big star power, AMC is tapping into Jason Segal’s serious side, and Netflix is bringing global stories to the forefront. Not to mention, all of these projects feature standout women. For our first fresh faces portfolio of 2020, I’ve rounded up some of my favorite new screen queens to give us some insider information on their projects and a peek at their shopping carts.
Keep scrolling to meet the women on my radar right now.
WHO: Megan Ferguson
WHAT: I love Larry David’s cringy antics in Curb Your Enthusiasmas much as the next person, but there’s another reason to tune into season 10 of the hit HBO series, and her name is Megan Ferguson. Ferguson, who also stars in the Netflix series Soundtrack, joins the all-star cast as David’s new assistant Alice, who not long after she is hired presents a new set of challenges for the television writer and producer. The actress holds her own opposite David with an improv performance that is a true testament to her comedic timing.
Joining the cast of Curb Your Enthusiasm is… surreal! A total dream.
I had the most fun playing Alice because… I am very passionate about smashing the patriarchy in real life and Alice doesn’t suffer fools in that regard.
My own personal favorite Curb moment is… the Carpool Lane from season 4 is all time classic but I am very partial to the scone through line of this current season.
My Netflix series Soundtrack will hook you from the beginning because…the music! The heartache! The actors’ bone structure! When Callie Hernandez breaks into Sia’s Elastic Heart in the first episode it’s an emotional takeover.
If there was a soundtrack for my own life, the songs Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own” and Miranda Lambert’s “Mamas Broken Heart” would definitely be on it.
The stories I love to tell as an actor are…the ones that take over your brain and that you return to in your imagination after you’ve read them.I love dark comedy. I love shows that push boundaries. I love stories that can make you laugh and cry.
The actresses I’m dying to work with are…Betty Gilpin, Cristin Milioti, Grace Gummer, and Dame Judi Dench.
My favorite outfit I’ve ever worn for a project would have to be…the gold beaded shimmy dance dress in Soundtrack episode 8. Sami Rattner, the costume designer, and I staged a whole photoshoot to convince the creator Josh Safran it was the right one because the thought it read “too green.” He was wrong, we were right.
However, if you catch me off-duty, chances are I’m wearing…an Entireworld monochrome sweatsuit. I may have it in 4 colors.
When it comes to fashion, I’m a total sucker for…prints, pink, a puffy sleeve, a feather, a sequin, a stripe, an embellishment, a Victorian collar, a Mumu.
My winter wardrobe would not be complete without these three pieces…
WHO: Ebony Obsidian
WHAT: Have you heard the news? Amazon has cooked up a buzzy new original series by producer Jordan Peele and starring Al Pacino—they had us at Jordan Peele. The series is called Hunters, and follows a diverse group of Nazi hunters in 1977 New York City who band together in an effort to prevent the creation of a Fourth Reich in the U.S. Just as exciting as the show’s plotline is the cast, which includes Ebony Obsidian as Carol Hawthorn. With other notable TV projects such as Hulu’s Wu-Tang: An America Sagaand BET’s Sistasto her name, we can confidently say Obsidian is one to watch!
Hunters is a particularly exciting project to be a part of because…it’s inspired by a true story. So many elements and layers are derived from history. I remember reading the script and being so thrilled to find my own place within it.
My character Carol Hawthorne in Hunters is..a ride or die friend. She will consistently check on the ones who mean the most to her. Even against their will…
The women in Hollywood I most look up to are…women who have created a plethora of human experiences throughout their career, such as Viola Davis and Cate Blanchett. But even beyond Hollywood, beyond America, women like Zeudi Araya, Marion Cotillard, and Zhang Ziyi have made just as significant an impact.
A role I would be interested in taking on next is…very simply someone I have yet to become. Often the women I’ve been drawn to in the past are strong in the sense that they already know who they are, or at least think they do. But I’m very attracted to living with someone who knows good and well they have work to do right from the jump. Genres I have yet to touch are Syfy and fantasy, so something in that vein would be a refreshing challenge.
My favorite outfit I’ve ever worn for a project would have to be…on the set of Sistas. Karen’s wardrobe in general is fun, often colorful, bohemian to chic, and overall very expressive. In the second episode she wore this black tube top that tied crisscross at the back, partnered with a flowy black jumper to work, which I loved. ‘Twas very aerodynamic.
However, if you catch me off-duty, chances are I’m wearing… sweats. I love being comfy, especially on the go.
When it comes to fashion, I’m a total sucker for…anything oversized. Especially when you find something that’s your perfect oversized. I been known, by friends, to feel the sexiest in baggy clothes.
My winter wardrobe would not be complete without these three pieces…
WHO: Christine Ko
WHAT: Early last month, Christine Ko turned up at TCAs in a tailored Kelly-green suit, a surprising fashion movie I very much appreciated. I can also appreciate Ko’s project picking philosophies. “The stories I want to tell as an actor are ones that you haven’t seen before,” Ko tells me. This spring, the Taiwanese American actress is walking the talk in two new original projects, the FXX comedy Dave, a series based on the life of rapper and comedian Lil Dicky, and Netflix’s upcoming drama Tigertail, a multi-generational family drama set in Taiwan and New York. Two very different stories that demonstrate Ko’s range as an actor.
Dave is one of the shows that will have audiences…laughing, crying, and dancing all in the same episode. It’s a show that you’ll want to binge before bed because it’s both light and funny AND your dreams will be filled with crazy adventures that will make you think about life from a different perspective 🙂
Not much is revealed about my character Emma yet, but I can tell you…that she’s described as undeniably cool, can get into any party, and is an integral part to Dave’s career when he starts gaining success in rap.
The best part of filming this project was…trying to make Dave laugh in the middle of a take. He has the cutest, most funny high-pitched laugh and it’s so sweet and endearing. You knew that you were doing a good job at the improv if you could make him laugh because he knew all of the scenes so well so catching him off guard was really fun.
Next I have Netflix’s Tigertail, which is a particularly exciting project for me to be a part of because…it’s an ensemble of really talented Asian actors telling a personal story about a factory worker from Taiwan who finds love, moves to the states, and struggles to connect with her daughter. It will make you want to call your Dad.
The one thing you can expect from this series is… a lot of cameos from well-known rappers, artists, and TV personalities in the music world.
The stories I want to tell as an actor are…ones that you haven’t seen before. I want to highlight Asian American stories and all of the different experiences we have growing up in the US. I want to tell stories with characters that are dynamic and complex and empower women to feel like they’re being heard.
My favorite outfit I’ve ever worn for a project would have to be…my lime green Gretel Z. suit I wore to the winter TCA’s. It was vibrant, powerful, bold, sexy, and comfortable.
However, if you catch me off-duty, chances are I’m wearing… a white Club Monaco t-shirt, boyfriend jeans, and Fila tennis shoes.
The women I look to for fashion inspiration are…Zendaya, Jennifer Lawrence, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Gemma Chan.
My winter wardrobe would not be complete without these three pieces…
WHO: Eve Lindley
WHAT: Get ready, because Jason Segal is ready to show his serious side. His 10-episode anthology series Dispatches from Elsewherepremieres March 1ston AMC and is based on actual events involving a large group of people who become obsessed with in an alternate-reality puzzle game. I love me a good cult mystery! Even more, Segal brought on Eve Lindley (Mr. Robot) to play his love interest Simone, who, like Lindley, is a trans woman. At a TCA talk last month, Lindley said of the character, “it was one of the best depictions of a trans character I ever read.” Enough said.
Dispatches from Elsewhere is unlike any other project I’ve been a part of in that…it defies a genre. I’ve been calling it “genre-bending.”
The series is based on actual events that took place in San Francisco, and I was particularly surprised to learn that… it was, in fact, based on actual events! We got to have Jeff Hull, who created the real life version, on set one day. It was so cool to talk to him about the process.
The biggest lessons I learned playing a character like Simone were…that no matter how much of a mess you are, you deserve love.
As a trans person playing a trans character, it was particularly important to bring authenticity and normalcy to this project.
The Hollywood careers I most admire are…Allison Janney, Cate Blanchett, Viola Davis, and Judy Greer.
My motto for 2020 is…“Be who you wanted to be when you were a child.” Or in some cases, “wear the outfits you wanted to wear when you were a child.”
My favorite outfit I’ve ever worn for a project would have to be… Simone’s green and black look from episodes two and three. We called it “skirty-flirty.” It comes after Simone takes a huge misstep with Peter (Jason Segel) and our costumer designer Keri Langerman and I thought she would soften her look a bit from the trendy/sexier pieces to try and win him over again.
However, if you catch me off-duty, chances are I’m wearing…jeans, merch T-shirts, Dr. Martens.
When it comes to fashion, I’m a total sucker for…a short skirt no matter the weather or occasion. Legs for days, months, YEARS!
My winter wardrobe would not be complete without these three pieces…
WHO: Teresa Ruiz
WHAT: I’m pretty psyched for the return of Narcos: Mexico, because it means I get to see more of the fantastic Teresa Ruiz on screen as one of the show’s most intriguing characters Isabella Bautista. It’s refreshing to see such a badass female character in what is historically a boys club narrative (Bautista is actually loosely based on real-life cartel leader Sandra Avila Beltran), and Ruiz completely owns it in this role. Not to mention, she serves up some wonderful ‘80s looks along way. Season two is now streaming on Netflix.
Get ready, because Narcos: Mexico season two is…on fire and darker than you ever expected.
I am so attracted to a character like Isabella Bautista, because she is…a woman that fights for what she believes and cuts through all the difficulties in her path.
I am most like my Isabella in that…I care for my ideals, believe and fight for them. And yeah, I like to kick ass once in a while.
The stories I want to tell as an actor are…stories that speak about the way women navigate through the world and how we do it through our own approach based on intelligence, love, and community.
In 2020, I’m most excited to…see the surprises that it will bring.
My favorite outfit I’ve ever worn for a project would have to be… all the Isabella Bautista outfits; each piece is on fire!
However, if you catch me off-duty, chances are I’m wearing…comfortable pants, platform and tennis shoes and white t-shirts
When it comes to fashion, I’m a total sucker for…earrings. I love that when someone is styling me they always bring the most incredible unexpected earrings I would never think of and they look bomb!
My winter wardrobe would not be complete without these three pieces…
