To celebrate the casting community and spotlight its members, The Casting Society and IMDbPro are collaborating to present a monthly series of interviews between casting directors and actors about their acting journey, the casting process, and how IMDbPro helps them advance their careers. This month, Elizabeth Berra, CSA interviewed Calvin Leon Smith.
Read the full interview here.
Read the full interview here.
- 5/9/2024
- IMDbPro News
Exclusive: New York-based manager Jessica Morgulis, whose clients include Oscar-nominated actor Cynthia Erivo, has left Authentic Talent and Literary to join Entertainment 360. Her first day at the new company is today.
In addition to Erivo, Morgulis’ clients who are following her to Entertainment 360 include Nate Mann, Phoenix Raei, Ari’el Stachel, Emily Skeggs, Tara Raani (Grown-ish), and Calvin Leon Smith.
Morgulis started her career at The Luedtke Agency where she spent four years, rising from intern to agent. She then transitioned to management, landing at Authentic in 2016 where she worked under Meg Mortimer.
During her nine-year tenure at Authentic, Morgulis has represented established and emerging talent across film, television — scripted and unscripted — and theater.
In addition to Erivo, Morgulis’ clients who are following her to Entertainment 360 include Nate Mann, Phoenix Raei, Ari’el Stachel, Emily Skeggs, Tara Raani (Grown-ish), and Calvin Leon Smith.
Morgulis started her career at The Luedtke Agency where she spent four years, rising from intern to agent. She then transitioned to management, landing at Authentic in 2016 where she worked under Meg Mortimer.
During her nine-year tenure at Authentic, Morgulis has represented established and emerging talent across film, television — scripted and unscripted — and theater.
- 11/6/2023
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
The tone of “Fat Ham” runs the gamut from heavy drama to absurd humor, but Calvin Leon Smith admits, “don’t get the immediate gratification of laughter.” The actor portrays Larry in James Ijames’ new play, a golden child who hides a major secret. Larry’s performative guise of masculinity is something that Smith knows all too well, with the actor able to tap into emotional moments from his own life to portray this character. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
See ‘Fat Ham’: Broadway’s latest take on ‘Hamlet’ joins a long list
Smith may not possess Larry’s military background, but he knows what it’s like to be a closeted gay Black man living in the South. “There’s been so much repression in my own life,” he admits, noting that he too came out around the same age as Larry does in the play. He...
See ‘Fat Ham’: Broadway’s latest take on ‘Hamlet’ joins a long list
Smith may not possess Larry’s military background, but he knows what it’s like to be a closeted gay Black man living in the South. “There’s been so much repression in my own life,” he admits, noting that he too came out around the same age as Larry does in the play. He...
- 4/27/2023
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
James Ijames’ defiant and raucous play Fat Ham, now at the American Airlines Theater on Broadway, begins in transition. Relics of a recent funeral are slid into corners to make space for tributes to a celebratory future. The scene, designed by Maruti Evans, is set for a cookout: Smoke rises languorously from a grill, snakes up the red brick wall and disappears behind the curtain. Tables are cloaked with the signature blue and red checkered plastic linings of summer parties and picnics. Mismatched balloons dot the verdant green grass. In a corner stands a wreath honoring the recently deceased.
Juicy, the mercurial protagonist played with relaxed style by Marcel Spears, reluctantly prepares to celebrate the marriage of his mother, Tedra (Nikki Crawford), to his uncle, Rev (Billy Eugene Jones). His dad, Pap (also played by Jones), hasn’t been dead for a week and the newlyweds behave as though he never existed.
Juicy, the mercurial protagonist played with relaxed style by Marcel Spears, reluctantly prepares to celebrate the marriage of his mother, Tedra (Nikki Crawford), to his uncle, Rev (Billy Eugene Jones). His dad, Pap (also played by Jones), hasn’t been dead for a week and the newlyweds behave as though he never existed.
- 4/19/2023
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Like that relative who picks through the chicken parts at a family picnic to find the leg or the breast or the thigh with just the right amount of crisp, playwright James Ijames has no reluctance to rummage through the bones of Shakespeare’s Hamlet to cook up the irresistible Fat Ham.
Audacious at points, quietly amenable at others, the Pulitzer Prize winning comedy carries the burden of our expectations more lightly than some other prize recipients who’ve made their way to Broadway recently, including Between Riverside and Crazy, Cost of Living and even A Strange Loop, the stage work that Fat Ham shares its concerns over masculinity (mostly of the toxic variety ), queerness, and the search for – or insistence upon – love and acceptance within the family and, very specifically, the Black faith community.
Inspired by, and borrowing its groundwork from, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Fat Ham and its author swipe plot points,...
Audacious at points, quietly amenable at others, the Pulitzer Prize winning comedy carries the burden of our expectations more lightly than some other prize recipients who’ve made their way to Broadway recently, including Between Riverside and Crazy, Cost of Living and even A Strange Loop, the stage work that Fat Ham shares its concerns over masculinity (mostly of the toxic variety ), queerness, and the search for – or insistence upon – love and acceptance within the family and, very specifically, the Black faith community.
Inspired by, and borrowing its groundwork from, Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Fat Ham and its author swipe plot points,...
- 4/13/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
The Broadway-bound comedy Fat Ham and Shakespeare in the Park’s Merry Wives are among this year’s recipients of the 66th Obie Awards honoring Off and Off-Off Broadway productions.
Presented by the American Theatre Wing, the Obies will be handed out Monday evening in a ceremony at Manhattan’s Terminal 5 venue. Sustained and Lifetime Achievement winners will accept their awards during the ceremony, while remarks of all other winners will premiere on the the American Theatre Wing’s YouTube channel.
The most recent Obies ceremony was virtual and premiered on the Wing’s YouTube channel on July 14, 2020.
“For this Obies, the judges reviewed over 400 productions over the last three seasons including digital and audio works made during the pandemic,” said Heather Hitchens, President & CEO, in a statement. “We look forward to finally gathering in person to celebrate the artistic excellence and resilience of the amazing artists and theatre companies...
Presented by the American Theatre Wing, the Obies will be handed out Monday evening in a ceremony at Manhattan’s Terminal 5 venue. Sustained and Lifetime Achievement winners will accept their awards during the ceremony, while remarks of all other winners will premiere on the the American Theatre Wing’s YouTube channel.
The most recent Obies ceremony was virtual and premiered on the Wing’s YouTube channel on July 14, 2020.
“For this Obies, the judges reviewed over 400 productions over the last three seasons including digital and audio works made during the pandemic,” said Heather Hitchens, President & CEO, in a statement. “We look forward to finally gathering in person to celebrate the artistic excellence and resilience of the amazing artists and theatre companies...
- 2/24/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Playwright James Ijames’ Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy Fat Ham, a take-off of Hamlet set at a Southern Black family’s cook-out, will make its Broadway debut this spring, beginning previews on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at the American Airlines Theatre ahead of an official opening on Wednesday, April 12. The strictly limited 14-week engagement runs through Sunday, August 6.
The production will feature the director – Saheem Ali – and cast from the Public Theater’s acclaimed 2022 Off Broadway staging, with performers Nikki Crawford, Chris Herbie Holland, Billy Eugene Jones, Adrianna Mitchell, Calvin Leon Smith, Marcel Spears and Benja Kay Thomas reprising their roles.
Fat Ham on Broadway will be produced by Rashad V. Chambers, No Guarantees and Public Theater Productions. Andy Jones and Dylan Pager will serve as Executive Producers.
“Every once in a while, we experience a play that is embraced by the audience with an almost shocking joy,” the producers said in a joint statement.
The production will feature the director – Saheem Ali – and cast from the Public Theater’s acclaimed 2022 Off Broadway staging, with performers Nikki Crawford, Chris Herbie Holland, Billy Eugene Jones, Adrianna Mitchell, Calvin Leon Smith, Marcel Spears and Benja Kay Thomas reprising their roles.
Fat Ham on Broadway will be produced by Rashad V. Chambers, No Guarantees and Public Theater Productions. Andy Jones and Dylan Pager will serve as Executive Producers.
“Every once in a while, we experience a play that is embraced by the audience with an almost shocking joy,” the producers said in a joint statement.
- 12/5/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
It looks like "The Guy" needs a new line of work. TV Line has confirmed that there won't be a fifth season of the High Maintenance TV show, at least for now.
The comedy series stars co-creator Ben Sinclair as a nameless Brooklyn cannabis deliveryman, known only as “The Guy.” Each episode features customers of “The Guy” and viewers get a different glimpse of Big Apple living. Guest stars have included Ira Glass, Nick Kroll, Rebecca Hall, Larry Owens, and Calvin Leon Smith. Sinclair created the show with Katja Blichfeld which began as a web-series in 2012.
Read More…...
The comedy series stars co-creator Ben Sinclair as a nameless Brooklyn cannabis deliveryman, known only as “The Guy.” Each episode features customers of “The Guy” and viewers get a different glimpse of Big Apple living. Guest stars have included Ira Glass, Nick Kroll, Rebecca Hall, Larry Owens, and Calvin Leon Smith. Sinclair created the show with Katja Blichfeld which began as a web-series in 2012.
Read More…...
- 1/15/2021
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
After a season in primetime on Sunday nights, HBO has returned High Maintenance to late nights on Friday nights where the ratings are likely to be lower. Should that be legal? Will High Maintenance be cancelled or renewed for season five? Stay tuned.
An HBO comedy TV series from married creators Katja Blichfeld and Ben Sinclair, High Maintenance stars Sinclair as a nameless Brooklyn cannabis deliveryman, known only as “The Guy.” Each episode features customers of “The Guy” and viewers get a different glimpse of Big Apple living. New and returning guest stars in the fourth season include Crystal Monee Hall, Heléne Yorke, Ken Leung, Julianna Luna Vasquez, Avery Monsen, Rob Morgan, Max Jenkins, Chris Roberti, Becca Blackwell, Chris McKinney, Birgit Huppuch, Ira Glass, Nick Kroll, Rebecca Hall, Larry Owens, and Calvin Leon Smith.
Read More…...
An HBO comedy TV series from married creators Katja Blichfeld and Ben Sinclair, High Maintenance stars Sinclair as a nameless Brooklyn cannabis deliveryman, known only as “The Guy.” Each episode features customers of “The Guy” and viewers get a different glimpse of Big Apple living. New and returning guest stars in the fourth season include Crystal Monee Hall, Heléne Yorke, Ken Leung, Julianna Luna Vasquez, Avery Monsen, Rob Morgan, Max Jenkins, Chris Roberti, Becca Blackwell, Chris McKinney, Birgit Huppuch, Ira Glass, Nick Kroll, Rebecca Hall, Larry Owens, and Calvin Leon Smith.
Read More…...
- 2/11/2020
- by TVSeriesFinale.com
- TVSeriesFinale.com
In this IndieWire exclusive, HBO has released the Season 4 trailer for its cannabis-based comedy-drama series “High Maintenance.” As the trailer promises, “The Guy is back to keep spirits high.”
The trailer (which you can watch below) also promises that this season will get you into a particular groove, if the 1981 Dave Raynor jam “Leave Me Alone Tonight” that plays throughout as Ben Sinclair’s The Guy travels all around New York City to deliver colorful characters their weed. And he does so with a bike —having said farewell to the Rv from Season 3 — and a canine companion riding sidecar.
Also set to get you into the groove of this season is Ira Glass, who — alongside his team at NPR’s “This American Life” — guest stars as himself. In addition to Glass, this season of “High Maintenance” will see new guest stars in the form of Nick Kroll, Rebecca Hall, Larry Owens,...
The trailer (which you can watch below) also promises that this season will get you into a particular groove, if the 1981 Dave Raynor jam “Leave Me Alone Tonight” that plays throughout as Ben Sinclair’s The Guy travels all around New York City to deliver colorful characters their weed. And he does so with a bike —having said farewell to the Rv from Season 3 — and a canine companion riding sidecar.
Also set to get you into the groove of this season is Ira Glass, who — alongside his team at NPR’s “This American Life” — guest stars as himself. In addition to Glass, this season of “High Maintenance” will see new guest stars in the form of Nick Kroll, Rebecca Hall, Larry Owens,...
- 1/16/2020
- by LaToya Ferguson
- Indiewire
Warning: The following contains spoilers to tonight’s series finale of HBO’s The Deuce.
In the end of the go-go 1970s-80s boogie of New York’s Times Square underbelly, and the whole rush of sex, cocaine and switchblades, George Pelecanos and David Simon’s HBO series about the rise and fall of the big screen X-rated film industry, The Deuce, didn’t end so much with a bang tonight, but rather, pillow talk.
The order from Mayor Koch’s office was bestowed: Lock up the bath houses and sex parlors, a move which ultimately paved the way for the Rudy Giuliani mid 1990s commercial high-end overhaul of Times Square and other Manhattan neighborhoods.
The jaw-dropping moments of the final season, set seven years after season 2 in 1985, had already occurred in previous episodes, specifically the murder of James Franco’s twin bad boy, Frankie, and the tragic suicide of...
In the end of the go-go 1970s-80s boogie of New York’s Times Square underbelly, and the whole rush of sex, cocaine and switchblades, George Pelecanos and David Simon’s HBO series about the rise and fall of the big screen X-rated film industry, The Deuce, didn’t end so much with a bang tonight, but rather, pillow talk.
The order from Mayor Koch’s office was bestowed: Lock up the bath houses and sex parlors, a move which ultimately paved the way for the Rudy Giuliani mid 1990s commercial high-end overhaul of Times Square and other Manhattan neighborhoods.
The jaw-dropping moments of the final season, set seven years after season 2 in 1985, had already occurred in previous episodes, specifically the murder of James Franco’s twin bad boy, Frankie, and the tragic suicide of...
- 10/29/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
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