West Duchovny plays a young pharmaceutical salesperson named Shannon Schaeffer in Netflix's "Painkiller," which tells a fictionalized version of the story of how OxyContin helped trigger the United States' opioid crisis. Duchovny's nuanced performance has been earning her some buzz, but while West herself is fairly new to the entertainment industry, her parents most definitely are not.
West, 24, is the daughter of David Duchovny - who's starred in multiple series, including "The X-Files" and "Californication" - and Téa Leoni, who is also an actor with roles in "A League of Their Own," "Fraiser," and more. David and Leoni were married from 1997 to 2014. During their time together, they welcomed West in 1999 and a son named Kyd Miller Duchovny in 2002. Despite separating, David and Leoni seem to remain on good terms, coming together for special occasions and vacations with both of their kids.
In an Aug. 10 interview with Women's Wear Daily,...
West, 24, is the daughter of David Duchovny - who's starred in multiple series, including "The X-Files" and "Californication" - and Téa Leoni, who is also an actor with roles in "A League of Their Own," "Fraiser," and more. David and Leoni were married from 1997 to 2014. During their time together, they welcomed West in 1999 and a son named Kyd Miller Duchovny in 2002. Despite separating, David and Leoni seem to remain on good terms, coming together for special occasions and vacations with both of their kids.
In an Aug. 10 interview with Women's Wear Daily,...
- 8/23/2023
- by Jessica Vacco-Bolanos
- Popsugar.com
When atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, the country responsible for the detonation thought only of victory in the war, disregarding the ordinary people who lost their lives in the blasts. This illustrates how extremely powerful individuals in a nation make drastic decisions that have the potential for economic or broader advantages, even at the cost of risking the common people’s lives. In Netflix’s latest offering, Painkiller, director Peter Berg depicts such drastic circumstances through its fictional retelling of a horrific true story. Painkiller is a story about a pharmaceutical company known as Purdue Pharma, owned by the Sackler family, that came up with a life-threatening drug called OxyContin disguised as a seemingly harmless painkiller that led a significant portion of the American population to develop addictions and subsequently lose their lives.
Spoilers Ahead
Who Was Edie Flowers? What Was She Investigating?
In the opening of each episode of Painkiller,...
Spoilers Ahead
Who Was Edie Flowers? What Was She Investigating?
In the opening of each episode of Painkiller,...
- 8/12/2023
- by Poulami Nanda
- Film Fugitives
There are many serious factors that led to a stunningly high portion of the American population getting addicted to drugs. Socio-economic tension, along with corrupt medical practices and pharmaceutical marketing, escalated the issue to a dangerous level. This turned an alarming number of people into drug addicts through painkillers. Among these pharmaceutical companies, Purdue Pharmaceuticals, founded by John Purdue Grey and owned by the Sackler family, altered the course of medical practices by introducing an extremely dangerous and addictive drug as a pain reliever.
Pain is an unbearable feeling, much like a sharp blade slicing through our skin or a heavy weight burdening our spirit. Whether physical or mental, humans tend to try to get rid of this pain using any means possible. If someone were to profit from exploiting pain, a strong, intolerable sensation and a fundamental aspect of humanity, they could potentially become a dominant figure. This is...
Pain is an unbearable feeling, much like a sharp blade slicing through our skin or a heavy weight burdening our spirit. Whether physical or mental, humans tend to try to get rid of this pain using any means possible. If someone were to profit from exploiting pain, a strong, intolerable sensation and a fundamental aspect of humanity, they could potentially become a dominant figure. This is...
- 8/12/2023
- by Poulami Nanda
- Film Fugitives
Just about everything you need to hear from “Painkiller” is conveyed within its familiar yet hard-hitting first hour. There’s an aptly scathing introduction to the Sackler family, starting with Arthur (Clark Gregg), who transformed the pharmaceutical industry through public-facing advertising campaigns, then his nephew/”disciple,” Richard (Matthew Broderick), who followed his uncle’s playbook when pushing OxyContin to the masses. Next there’s Shannon Schaeffer (West Duchovny), a broke college grad who’s recruited by the Sackler’s company, Purdue, to help push their new wonder drug to doctors. Then there’s Glen Kryger (Taylor Kitsch), a loving husband and father who’s prescribed — you guessed it — OxyContin after an on-the-job injury. And finally, providing the framework for all these stories, there’s Edie Flowers (Uzo Aduba), a lawyer at the U.S. Attorney’s office who was among the first to investigate the tragic impact of OxyContin — and...
- 8/10/2023
- by Ben Travers
- Indiewire
While Fentanyl now dominates headlines as the drug wreaking havoc on our society, back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was OxyContin that led conversations about the impact of overprescribed opioids. Formulated, produced, marketed and sold by the family-run organization Purdue Pharma, Oxy quickly grew in popularity because it was marketed as a safe, “non-addictive” opioid. Oxy was then pushed onto patients through respected healthcare professionals who were misinformed about the drug and profited greatly from prescribing it.
Barry Meier’s book “Pain Killer” and the New Yorker article “The Family That Built the Empire of Pain,” by Patrick Radden Keefe, documented the rise of OxyContin and the lasting impact it had here in the U.S., and both serve as the foundation for Netflix’s new limited series “Painkiller.” Directed by Peter Berg, the show is a fictionalized account of the opioid epidemic as told from the perspective of the survivors,...
Barry Meier’s book “Pain Killer” and the New Yorker article “The Family That Built the Empire of Pain,” by Patrick Radden Keefe, documented the rise of OxyContin and the lasting impact it had here in the U.S., and both serve as the foundation for Netflix’s new limited series “Painkiller.” Directed by Peter Berg, the show is a fictionalized account of the opioid epidemic as told from the perspective of the survivors,...
- 8/10/2023
- by Aramide Tinubu
- Variety Film + TV
Uzo Aduba shot to stardom ten years ago for her work as Suzanne "Crazy Eyes" Warren on Netflix's groundbreaking drama Orange is the New Black.
The role won Aduba countless awards, and now, the star is reteaming with Netflix for a fictionalized retelling of the opioid crisis that plagues the U.S.
Netflix went public with the official trailer and premiere date for the series on Tuesday morning, and it looks to be another phenomenal performance from Aduba.
The series is set to premiere its entire six-episode-run in Netflix territories around the globe on August 10.
On the casting news front, the series is stacked.
Aduba's Edie goes up against Matthew Broderick's take on Richard Sackler, and let's just say the pair are very different, which adds to the dynamic the two stars bring to the show.
The cast includes Sam Anderson as Raymond Sackler, Taylor Kitsch as Glen Kryger,...
The role won Aduba countless awards, and now, the star is reteaming with Netflix for a fictionalized retelling of the opioid crisis that plagues the U.S.
Netflix went public with the official trailer and premiere date for the series on Tuesday morning, and it looks to be another phenomenal performance from Aduba.
The series is set to premiere its entire six-episode-run in Netflix territories around the globe on August 10.
On the casting news front, the series is stacked.
Aduba's Edie goes up against Matthew Broderick's take on Richard Sackler, and let's just say the pair are very different, which adds to the dynamic the two stars bring to the show.
The cast includes Sam Anderson as Raymond Sackler, Taylor Kitsch as Glen Kryger,...
- 7/11/2023
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
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