Jessica and Mark's Dynamic Following 'Love Is Blind' Is Exactly What You Would Expect - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Love Is Blind — joining Netflix shortly after the premiere of the hit reality show and social media experiment, The Circle — asks viewers if love is truly blind. When a group of men and women “meet” with a wall between them, will they be willing to jump into an engagement and say “I do” at the aisle, or will social pressures and real-life stressors get in the way of their happily-ever-after fairytale? On the show, multiple individuals fall in love — seemingly overnight — and proceed down the show’s whirlwind set up. 

Netflix’s ‘Love Is Blind’ VIP viewing party | Marcus Ingram/Getty Images for Netflix

From vacations in Mexico to living together in an apartment, the show recreates life, yet takes the fast lane… the ultra-fast lane. Of all the couples, Mark and Jessica still have fans up in arms — fans feel he was too good for her; he fights too hard for her love and acceptance. Many feel he deserved to meet a girl who was as ready for commitment, or as willing to be honest with what she needs.

Spoilers for Netflix’s ‘Love Is Blind’ below 

What happened between Mark and Jessica on ‘Love Is Blind?’

Jessica falls for two men — without ever meeting them — on Love Is Blind: Barnett and Mark. While she initially felt she would wind up with Barnett — a man falling squarely into the frat-boy persona she usually aims for — Barnett ended up changing his mind, and he chose a different woman (after imagining a married life with Jessica from behind a wall). 

Jessica then goes crawling back to Mark – emotions all over the place — and winds up engaged to the man who is a bit more introspective, vulnerable, and communicative than Barnett. While Mark seems like the superior catch, Jessica struggles to match his physical appearance with the voice when they finally meet. 

Jessica wavers back and forth — feeling for Mark, and then wanting to cut things off. She jumps between thinking he’s the perfect guy and then wondering if their age difference will cause a rupture in their romance. She’s an established career woman (34 years old), and he’s a fitness trainer figuring it out (24). And, these facts (among others) wind up preventing Jessica from saying “I do.”

Throughout the course of the show, Mark fights for Jessica; he does all in his power to make their dynamic work. He is patient and sweet, communicative, and accepting. He is mature and open, while she (though ten years older) often feels stuck in her sorority days. He tries, and she remains lost and largely unappreciative. Thus, where they stand today should come as no surprise. 

Jessica virtually ghosted Mark following ‘Love Is Blind’

When talking about where he and Jessica stand, Mark told the New York Post that she ghosted him after running from the altar. He stated: 

We haven’t talked since the wedding day…I reached out at some point — nothing bad, just to say, like, ‘Hey, I hope everything’s going well, I hope everything’s doing all right.’ I didn’t hear back. But to me, it’s just sending love out there. Like, ‘Hey, I hope you’re doing OK.’ And that’s that.

New York Post

Should it come as a surprise that Mark — once again — revealed hoq big his heart is, and how much of a gentleman he can be, while Jessica failed to rise to his level? She couldn’t even send a text to catch up. In the end, age and maturity don’t always go hand in hand. 

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMigQFodHRwczovL3d3dy5jaGVhdHNoZWV0LmNvbS9lbnRlcnRhaW5tZW50L2plc3NpY2EtYW5kLW1hcmtzLWR5bmFtaWMtZm9sbG93aW5nLWxvdmUtaXMtYmxpbmQtaXMtZXhhY3RseS13aGF0LXlvdS13b3VsZC1leHBlY3QuaHRtbC_SAQA?oc=5

2020-02-28 13:42:24Z
52780625647828

‘Love Is Blind’ duo Lauren and Cameron tell us what it was really like inside those pods - The Washington Post

On Thursday, the day the finale began streaming, The Washington Post caught up with the couple to find out what it was like to fall in love and get engaged without having seen one another — and what their life has been like since taping wrapped in November 2018. (They’re still together!) The following phone interview has been edited for clarity and length.

The Washington Post: Why did you apply to be on this show?

Lauren: I applied because my dating life was pretty much in shambles. I was really intrigued by the fact that it wasn’t based on aesthetics, because nowadays that’s such a big part of not only dating but our culture as a whole.

Cameron: I was doing the dating apps and I was finding myself picking the wrong people for me. I was making quick judgments based on how they looked and was ignoring their personality. So I thought that this might be a chance to get to know someone on a deeper level, an emotional level, first.

The Post: Do you remember what you talked about in your first conversation together?

Lauren: Our very first conversation was super-brief — about seven minutes. We did a basic introduction of ourselves: where we’re from, what we do, the stuff that’s important to us.

Cameron: We both kind of related on the fact that we have very entrepreneurial minds and that we’re self-taught in a lot of different ways. We also bonded over the fact that we’re both introverts that are able to be extroverted when we need to be.

The Post: Do the pods make it easier to date as introverts?

Cameron: I think so. I like to describe them as kind of like a meditation chamber, because all you have are the acoustics of their voice. So it really allows you to focus in on them as an individual. You’ve got this nice hypnotic wall in front of you that helps keep your focus. So we were able to just delve incredibly deep.

Lauren: And you don’t have to worry about what you look like.

The Post: How did you fall in love so quickly?

Lauren: You definitely have to be open and vulnerable, and willing to fall in love. At the same time, when you connect with someone, you connect. When you feel a certain something with someone that you’ve never felt before — especially if you’ve been in long relationships or relationships that haven’t worked — you feel something different.

Cameron: I went into it with a bunch of questions [about] things that I would want to know about a potential partner. But the other part was just that Lauren and I really were economical about how we spent our time together.

The Post: What were some of those questions that you asked?

Cameron: What’s something that you’ve done that you weren’t proud of?

Lauren: When was the last time you cried?

Cameron: What are some of your biggest fears?

Lauren: Political views.

Cameron: How would you want to raise your children, spiritually, religiously? What sort of those values would you want to instill in them? How would you want to discipline our children?

Lauren: Do you believe in spanking?

Cameron: We wish a lot of those conversations were captured. Of course, there is so little time to spare and [they] have to show everyone’s story line. But we just wish [they] showed more of the complexity of our relationship.

The Post: What is it like talking to someone and you can’t see them?

Lauren: You can actually tell a lot with the inflection in someone’s voice. You can kind of tell if someone’s angry or sad or upset or if something excites them. You can kind of hear when people are smiling, too, when they talk.

The Post: Let’s take it out of the pods. Cameron, I’m so struck by the way you look at Lauren. It’s so adoring. Can you explain what was going through your heart and mind as the two of you were falling in love? What was in that look?

Cameron: After we got engaged and we saw each other during the reveal, my whole mentality about the experiment and the process shifted to focusing on: How are Lauren and I going to make it to our wedding and be in a healthy spot? So I stopped thinking about the cameras. I was just thinking about Lauren. I was kind of in my own world with her.

The Post: Lauren, is it fair to say that you had a bit of catching up to do to get where Cameron was?

Lauren: I guess in a sense, because Cameron was definitely all in, ready to go, right away. Of course I knew that I loved Cameron, and I knew that I would want to marry him in the long run. But I’m not going to lie, it scared me to make such a huge commitment so fast. He was ready; he had no doubts. I’m like: “You don’t have any?” I feel like I would ask him every day, just because it would make me feel better if he was a little scared. But he was just like: “No, I’m good.”

Cameron: Everyone wanted me to be scared and to have doubts. I tried to search inside myself to see if I had any. But I really didn’t.

Lauren: That made me feel more confident. He literally has no doubt, so that pushed me to stop being so afraid.

The Post: I was thinking about that moment where you are on Cameron’s balcony, discussing: Will Lauren keep her apartment? Cameron wanted her to move in. I had this surge of anxiety, thinking: She barely knows this guy! Of course she’s not moving into his house.

Lauren: That’s exactly how I felt. This is all brand new and we’re talking about getting rid of my place? It was something that I had to communicate.

The Post: Did you guys end up moving in together?

Lauren: Yes, we did.

The Post: Into Cameron’s place?

Cameron: Into our house, yeah.

The Post: How much producer meddling is involved? Did they try to push you in certain ways?

Lauren: No, actually, everything that you see was super authentic. Everything that I said was my real thoughts, my real actions, who I really connected with, who irritated me.

Cameron: Same here. The producers would bring up stuff like: “Hey, can you guys talk about race?” But we had those discussions anyway, Lauren and I.

The Post: Lauren, you said on the show that this has been your first interracial relationship. What has that been like?

Lauren: It’s actually been pretty normal. Me and Cameron, we just interact like any other couple. Of course at times we discuss our cultural backgrounds or sometimes we even joke about it. Outside of our race being different, I’m from Detroit; I’m a city girl. He’s from Maine; he’s a country guy.

[Race] is definitely something that we talk about, even when it comes to having children and how our children might be perceived or look. We talked about Cameron learning how to do curlier, thicker hair because our child will probably have hair like me.

The Post: Cameron, when you first met Lauren’s dad, he was skeptical of you. How has that relationship changed?

Cameron: I love Lauren’s dad. He lives very close to us, so he gets to come over quite a bit for dinner and bonding time. I think of him as a second father.

The Post: How is your relationship different today than it was when you first got out of the pods? And what has remained constant?

Cameron: We’ve definitely picked up parts of each other. Lauren’s made me a bit more bubbly or expressive.

Lauren: He’s very smart and intelligent, so I’m always learning something new from him, whether it’s words or just things about the world and philosophy. Even his little sayings, I’m starting to pick them up. It’s like we’re becoming one entity. We’re one soul now.

READ MORE:

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMihAFodHRwczovL3d3dy53YXNoaW5ndG9ucG9zdC5jb20vbGlmZXN0eWxlLzIwMjAvMDIvMjgvbG92ZS1pcy1ibGluZHMtbGF1cmVuLWNhbWVyb24tdGVsbC11cy13aGF0LWl0LXdhcy1yZWFsbHktbGlrZS1pbnNpZGUtdGhvc2UtcG9kcy_SAZMBaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cud2FzaGluZ3RvbnBvc3QuY29tL2xpZmVzdHlsZS8yMDIwLzAyLzI4L2xvdmUtaXMtYmxpbmRzLWxhdXJlbi1jYW1lcm9uLXRlbGwtdXMtd2hhdC1pdC13YXMtcmVhbGx5LWxpa2UtaW5zaWRlLXRob3NlLXBvZHMvP291dHB1dFR5cGU9YW1w?oc=5

2020-02-28 11:00:00Z
52780625647828

The 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 16, Episode 16 Promo Trailer Bids Farewell to Alex Karev and Fans Are Already Crying - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Grey’s Anatomy fans have been wondering how Alex Karev will be written out of the ABC drama after Justin Chambers announced his departure in January 2020. Many viewers were worried Alex wouldn’t receive a proper exit, as Chambers’ final episode reportedly aired on Nov. 14. Since then, the show has tip-toed around the subject. But now, it seems viewers will find out the real reason why Alex leaves Grey Sloan Memorial. In the Grey’s Anatomy Season 16, Episode 16 promo trailer, the network confirmed fans will bid farewell to Alex on Thursday, March 5. 

The ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 16, Episode 16 promo teases Alex Karev’s exit

On Jan. 10, Deadline reported Chambers’ departure from Grey’s Anatomy after 16 seasons. In a statement, Chambers said:

There’s no good time to say goodbye to a show and character that’s defined so much of my life for the past 15 years. For some time now, however, I have hoped to diversify my acting roles and career choices. And, as I turn 50 and am blessed with my remarkable, supportive wife and five wonderful children, now is that time.

Then following the Feb. 27 episode of Grey’s Anatomy Season 16, ABC aired the promo for the 16th episode, titled “Leave A Light On.” And basically, everyone better stock up on tequila and tissues because the teaser alone will break your heart.

The promo kicks off with a scene from the Grey’s Anatomy pilot and A Great Big World’s “Say Something” playing softly in the background. Viewers watch as shots of the original interns — Alex, Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo), George O’Malley (T.R. Knight), Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl), and Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh) — flash by. Then it’s highlighted Meredith and Alex are the last two remaining from MAGIC — until March 5.

“After 16 seasons, we’re saying goodbye to Dr. Alex Karev. See how his story ends next Thursday on Grey’s Anatomy,” the promo reads. 

Why does Alex Karev leave ‘Grey’s Anatomy’?

For now, fans will have to wait and see how “Leave A Light On” unfolds Alex’s exit on Grey’s Anatomy. The season 16, episode 16 promo trailer merely showed old clips from previous seasons, highlighting the character’s lengthy journey and relationships on the show. 

Meanwhile, the description for the March 5 episode, doesn’t give away any details either. “Bailey [Chandra Wilson] and Ben [Jason George] face a huge, life-altering decision, while Meredith and several of the doctors reflect on the past,” the release on ABC reads. 

But even so, the end of Grey’s Anatomy Season 16, Episode 15 had fans believing Alex left his wife, Jo (Camilla Luddington). In the final moments of the Feb. 27 episode, Jo reveals a major bombshell — Alex isn’t with his mom in Iowa like we all were led to believe.

“He left me,” Jo says. “I think he woke up one day and felt the need to escape his life and me. I called his mom. He wasn’t there, he’d never been there. And I can’t breathe.”

Jo — as well as audiences at home — crumble into tears.

‘Grey’s Anatomy’ showrunner opens up about Alex Karev’s final arc

Justin Chambers as Alex Karev and Ellen Pompeo as Meredith Grey on ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ | Richard Cartwright/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images

As Grey’s Anatomy fans anxiously wait for Alex’s farewell episode, some may find comfort in showrunner Krista Vernoff’s previous interview with Variety from Feb. 13. Vernoff revealed Alex’s departure will take some time “to give the audience clarity.” But she hinted the character’s exit won’t completely shatter Jo.

“It was a very careful threading of a needle, where we are giving a little bit of information and pain to Jo,” Vernoff said.

She later added: “Jo went through so much pain and so much grief just last season that I wanted to be careful. And so it’s a bit of a mystery [what’s going on with Alex], so that we don’t watch Jo in the same place that we watched her in last season. We did it as carefully as we could. But it takes a while to get there.”

Regardless of how Alex leaves Grey’s Anatomy, we know it’ll be painful to watch. As mentioned, the character has been with fans for 15 years. So naturally, it’ll be hard to let him go. Let’s just hope it’s an ending fitting for a king — or as Cristina would put it, “Evil Spawn.”

Read more: ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Fans Have Strong Opinions On How Showrunners Are Dealing With Justin Chambers’ Mysterious Exit

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMib2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmNoZWF0c2hlZXQuY29tL2VudGVydGFpbm1lbnQvZ3JleXMtYW5hdG9teS1zZWFzb24tMTYtZXBpc29kZS0xNi1wcm9tby10cmFpbGVyLWFsZXgta2FyZXYtZXhpdC5odG1sL9IBAA?oc=5

2020-02-28 05:49:35Z
52780636355157

Taylor Swift's 'The Man' music video leaves fans stunned as singer transforms into businessman - Fox News

Taylor Swift fans were left stunned by the singer's new music video for her single, "The Man," in which she is transformed into a businessman.

The 30-year-old singer is unrecognizable as the video for Swift's new song follows a pompous businessman wearing a suit and tie who is nothing but impolite to everyone around him. It isn't until the very end of the four-minute video that photos show Swift's step-by-step prosthetic transformation to become "The Man."

The video is just as suggestive as its lyrics, which call out disparities between men and women. In the video, Swift is dressed as an attractive white male with a full head of brunette hair as well as facial hair.

TAYLOR SWIFT SAYS SHE WOULD HAVE PAID 'SO MUCH' TO OWN HER MASTERS

In the first scene, "The Man" is a selfish boss who shouts at his employees. The video continues to show Swift's male character having no respect for people around him as he puffs on a cigarette on the Subway, yells at a waiter aboard a luxurious yacht and urinates in public.

One monumental scene gives a nod to Serena Williams, who came under fire at the US Open in 2018 for her reaction to a referee. The scene shows "The Man" launching tennis balls at a referee played by her father.

The head-turning video sparked a social media frenzy on Twitter, with fans dubbing the pop star a "creative genius."

TAYLOR SWIFT ANNOUNCES CHRISTMAS TRACK DROPPING AFTER WRITING NEW SONG OVER THE WEEKEND

Taylor Swift underwent a prosthetic transformation for "The Man."  (YouTube)

"Brilliant music video and song for 'The Man' by Taylor Swift, calling society out," one user wrote.

"Okay, @taylorswift13 'The Man' music video might be my favorite all time," another Twitter user wrote.

"Taylor Swift IS the man," another penned on the social media site.

While some fans on Twitter admitted they knew it was Swift in disguise all along, others were stunned by her transformation.

"Unexpected and Mind-blown," one of her fans tweeted "You are the man and I would be the man too."

The video ends with "The Man" walking off of a set to ask a female director, also played by Swift, how he did.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"Pretty good. Could you try to be sexier, maybe more likeable this time?" Swift responds, before praising a female employee nearby.

Swift released the video on YouTube on Thursday.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiVmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZveG5ld3MuY29tL2VudGVydGFpbm1lbnQvdGF5bG9yLXN3aWZ0cy10aGUtbWFuLW11c2ljLXZpZGVvLXRyYW5zZm9ybWF0aW9u0gFaaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZm94bmV3cy5jb20vZW50ZXJ0YWlubWVudC90YXlsb3Itc3dpZnRzLXRoZS1tYW4tbXVzaWMtdmlkZW8tdHJhbnNmb3JtYXRpb24uYW1w?oc=5

2020-02-27 15:42:43Z
52780632473505

Lori Loughlin's attorneys say new evidence proves innocence in college admissions scandal - USA TODAY

Joey Garrison USA TODAY

Published 11:09 AM EST Feb 27, 2020

BOSTON — Attorneys for Lori Loughlin and fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli said new evidence released Wednesday exonerates their clients and other parents still fighting charges in the nation's college admissions scandal.

In a court filing, lawyers of the celebrity couple highlight written notes that Rick Singer, the mastermind of the nationwide admissions scheme, took on his iPhone following discussions with FBI investigators in 2018 about recorded phone calls they directed him to make to parents. 

In one of the notes, Singer wrote that FBI officials got "loud and abrasive" and "continue to ask me to tell a fib" about what he told clients before they paid into his scheme. He said the FBI wanted him not to restate what he actually told his clients — that they were making a payment to an athletic program, bot a college coach.

"Essentially they are asking me to bend the truth," Singer wrote. 

More: Lori Loughlin told daughters they needed to do better in high school, new court doc alleges

Loughlin's and Giannulli's lawyer Sean Berkowitz said the notes, turned over Wednesday by prosecutors, prove the underlying argument of their clients — that they thought they were making "legitimate donations" to a nonprofit operated by Singer that would help universities, not bribing college officials.

The US attorney’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Loughlin and Giannulli are accused of paying Singer $500,000 to get their two daughters falsely tagged as crew recruits to get them admitted into the University of Southern California. 

More: Lori Loughlin's attorneys argue feds are concealing evidence in college admissions scandal

Federal prosecutors say it was part of a sprawling, nationwide scheme in which wealthy parents paid significant sums to Singer, a college consultant, to either fix test scores on their children’s college entrance exams or get them falsely tagged as athletic recruits to get them admitted into prestigious universities.

Prosecutors turned over the Singer notes to defense attorneys Wednesday on the eve of a status conference hearing before U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton. He's expected to set trial dates for 15 parents who have pleaded not guilty to federal charges in the scheme including Loughlin and Giannulli. 

Parents' attorneys have argued the government has failed to turn over exculpatory evidence during pre-trial proceedings; in particular, FBI "302 reports" that detail witness statements and interview notes taken during the investigation. Defense attorneys have asked the judge to postpone setting a date until the dispute over the evidence is resolved. 

More: College admissions scandal: Fight for FBI notes a new battlefront for accused parents

At the direction of the FBI, Singer made wiretapped phone calls to past clients to try and get them to recite their crime. The full note that Singer wrote on Oct. 2, 2018 reads:

Loud and abrasive call with agents. They continue to ask me to tell a fib and not restate what I told my clients as to where there money was going - to the program not the coach and that it was a donation and they want it to be a payment. I asked for a script if they want me to ask questions and retrieve responses that are not accurate to the way I should be asking the questions.

Essentially they are asking me to bend the truth which is what they asked me not to do when working with the agents and Eric Rosen. Liz raised her voice to me like she did in the hotel room about agreeing with her that everyone Bribed the schools. This time about asking each person to agree to a lie I was telling them. 

"This is precisely the kind of exculpatory – and indeed, exonerating – information defendants have been seeking," Berkowitz wrote in the court filing.

Singer, in the same note, also wrote that FBI authorities "want to nail Gordon at all costs," referring to prominent New York attorney Gordon Caplan. Caplan pleaded guilty to paying $75,000 to have someone correct answers on his daughter's ACT test to inflate her score. He was sentenced in October to one month in prison.

More: NY attorney sentenced to 1 month in prison for paying $75K to have daughter's ACT answers fixed

A federal magistrate is expected to rule this spring whether the FBI 302 notes – which are separate from those taken by Singer – must be turned over to defendants.

In a letter a letter Wednesday releasing Singer's notes, Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Rosen said federal prosecutors learned about the existence of Singer's notes during the "Varsity Blues" investigation in October 2018. But at the time they believed it to be privileged information that was not subject to review. He said Singer's attorneys this week agreed to waive privilege rights of the notes. 

"We intend to disclose the remaining iPhone content shortly, once the privilege review is

complete," Rosen wrote.

But Berkowitz said the evidence should have been released no more than 30 days after parents were indicted. He called it "devastating to the government’s case," adding that it "demonstrates that the Government has been improperly withholding core exculpatory information, employing a 'win at all costs' effort rather than following their obligation to do justice."

They predicted it would set off a series of motions of defendants, including potential motions to dismiss the indictments.

Thirty-one of 53 defendants charged in the college admissions case have pleaded guilty, while others, including Loughlin and Giannulli, dig in for trial. Fourteen parents and two college coaches have been sentenced for their crimes, with sentences ranging from no prison to nine months behind bars.

Reach Joey Garrison and on Twitter @joeygarrison.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMikQFodHRwczovL3d3dy51c2F0b2RheS5jb20vc3RvcnkvZW50ZXJ0YWlubWVudC9jZWxlYnJpdGllcy8yMDIwLzAyLzI3L2xvcmktbG91Z2hsaW5zLWF0dG9ybmV5LW5ldy1yaWNrLXNpbmdlci1ub3Rlcy1wcm92ZS1oZXItaW5ub2NlbmNlLzQ4OTAzMDAwMDIv0gEnaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAudXNhdG9kYXkuY29tL2FtcC80ODkwMzAwMDAy?oc=5

2020-02-27 15:23:45Z
52780634623148

Taylor Swift Transforms Into The Man for New Video, Drags Scooter Braun and Scott Borchetta - TooFab

Taylor Swift not only sings about "The Man" in her new music video for her single, she straight up becomes him.

The singer wrote, directed and stars in the visual for her song about the double standard between men and women in the entertainment industry, while making veiled references to her very public feud with both Scooter Braun and Scott Borchetta, after Braun purchased Swift's masters from Botchetta's Big Machine.

Donning prosthetics, a fake beard and dark brown hair, the video sees Taylor becoming "Tyler Swift," a powerful guy who manspreads on the subway, urinates in public and takes exotic trips with bikini-clad models.

Calling out her Scooter-Scott drama, one scene sees "Tyler" standing in front of a wall covered in graffiti listing the names of Taylor's albums. One sign on the wall reads "Missing: If Found Return to Taylor Swift," while another has the image of a scooter with a red line through it.

No Scooters, get it?

YouTube

The video ends with Tyler shooting a music video of his own, directed by Taylor, who gives him the one piece of advice women are sick of hearing: "Could you try to be sexier, maybe more likable this time?"

We briefly hear Tyler's voice, which was provided by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

The video also includes cameos from Taylor's dad, who plays a tennis ref, and Tik Tokker Loren Gray.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiYmh0dHBzOi8vdG9vZmFiLmNvbS8yMDIwLzAyLzI3L3RheWxvci1zd2lmdC10aGUtbWFuLW11c2ljLXZpZGVvLXNjb290ZXItYnJhdW4tc2NvdHQtYm9yY2hldHRhLWZldWQv0gFmaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAudG9vZmFiLmNvbS8yMDIwLzAyLzI3L3RheWxvci1zd2lmdC10aGUtbWFuLW11c2ljLXZpZGVvLXNjb290ZXItYnJhdW4tc2NvdHQtYm9yY2hldHRhLWZldWQv?oc=5

2020-02-27 15:11:00Z
52780632473505

How “The Invisible Man” Shows The Horror Of Not Believing Women In The #MeToo Era - BuzzFeed News

Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss) in The Invisible Man.

Director and screenwriter Leigh Whannell didn’t set out to make a movie about the dangers of men gaslighting women and the true horror of people not believing victims when they talk about their abuse.

But when Whannell started to work on the script for the latest iteration of The Invisible Man, a remake of the classic sci-fi novel by H.G. Wells that has been adapted into television and film numerous times, these timely themes came up organically and ultimately shaped the entire plot of the film, which stars Elisabeth Moss as Cecilia and Oliver Jackson-Cohen as her husband, Adrian Griffin (aka the Invisible Man himself).

“I didn't go into this film thinking, How do I wrap this iconic character around a story about gaslighting?” Whannell told BuzzFeed News. “It was during the writing of that first draft that I felt the movie drifting in this direction of gaslighting, domestic abuse, and women not being believed or feeling like there's an unseen threat. It felt like it really fit his character naturally.”

At a time when movements like #MeToo have led to abusive and toxic men being held accountable more than ever, the 2020 version of The Invisible Man has a whole other meaning — and induces a whole other level of fear — for viewers.

Photo Credit: Mark Rogers

Moss (left) and Whannell on the set of The Invisible Man.

The audience first meets Cecilia when she’s escaping from her husband Adrian and their cold, isolated home. She manages to hide out at a friend’s house and is told that Adrian killed himself, but Cecilia believes she’s being haunted by her dead husband after countless instances of an invisible figure torturing her and those around her.

“I didn't want to be that person who's shoehorning a social issue into a movie that doesn't warrant it,” Whannell said. “I felt that it was organic and it spoke to the metaphor of the Invisible Man. This is a villain who is notable by his absence; the superpower that this iconic villain possesses is the ability to be standing next to you without you knowing it. And so what better way to exploit that than through gaslighting and all these issues?”

Whannell said Elisabeth Moss was his “partner in crime” who helped give significant feedback on the script once she came on board the project. As a man telling this story about the abuse and violence experienced by a lead woman character, Whannell said that Moss “brought invaluable perspective as a woman that I don’t have.” The two would “dissect the dialogue together,” and she would talk the director through how she would handle a particular situation if she were in Cecilia’s shoes.

“I obviously saw her as the authority on the woman's point of view, so I was just really receptive and thankful to have her,” Whannell said. “It was that stamp of approval that I got from Lizzie that allowed me to sleep at night when I was making this film and not feel like an imposter telling a story that I wasn't qualified to tell.”

In addition to his conversations with Moss, Whannell said he spoke to counselors at domestic violence shelters for women in Los Angeles, as well as other friends of his, about women’s relationships and fears. He wanted the story to come across as authentic as possible, which meant doing research.

“It was interesting to see the commonalities that would come up between disconnected friends of mine separated by oceans,” he said. “It didn't matter where they were from — they would come back to this thing about having to walk back to their car at night with their keys between their fingers, ready to go. I felt like there was a chance for the Invisible Man to literalize this fear of the unseen person that’s watching you walk back to your car.”

According to Whannell, the horror genre lends itself to depicting the worst of society’s systemic problems because it can illustrate our collective fears. In the case of The Invisible Man, Cecilia’s character is an example of what it’s like for a woman to be driven to feel “crazy” in the wake of abuse when no one around you believes what you’re saying.

When he was alive, Cecilia’s husband Adrian was charismatic and manipulative enough that no one would believe her when she told them about the abuse. When he’s allegedly dead, Cecilia tries to tell her friend James, her sister Alice (Harriet Dyer), and Adrian’s lawyer brother Tom (Michael Dorman) that she thinks Adrian is still alive and haunting her, but no one believes her because they think it’s impossible for her brilliant scientist husband to have created technology that would allow him to exist invisibly.

Photo Credit: Mark Rogers

From left: James Lanier (Aldis Hodge), Cecilia Kass (Moss), and Sydney Lanier (Storm Reid) in The Invisible Man.

“It’s the idea that you’re losing your mind. A lot of women I spoke to talked about this feeling of being afraid to speak up or say a certain thing in case someone thinks you're crazy or thinks you're difficult,” Whannell said. “Horror has always been a Trojan horse for a wider social message. To me, horror films are an expression of our anxiety as a society. It's always been that way.”

While no one believes her, the Invisible Man continues to wreak havoc in Cecilia’s world: He switches her medication, sends a nasty email to her sister, hits James’s daughter Sydney (Storm Reid) in the face, and even slits Cecilia’s sister’s throat at a public restaurant. Everyone thinks Cecilia is the perpetrator of all these acts, causing her to be arrested and placed in a psychiatric hospital.

The director said he wanted Cecilia’s character to be “the voice of reason in the film, the one who knows what’s really going on” and that everyone else around her “has a warped view of the situation.” But despite what’s real and what’s not, people see what they believe to be true, allowing Adrian to continue to successfully gaslight Cecelia even in his alleged death in the same way that he successfully haunted and tortured her when he was alive.

“He's a charming narcissist and he’s a sociopath. If you do the research into narcissists and sociopaths, they’re very, very charming. They're scientists of the human condition and can break someone down very quickly, assess their needs and desires, and play to that,” Whannell said. “Some people live their whole lives in a state of performance and you get very good at manipulating people in such a skillful way that everybody falls into line. There are people out there who are just amazing at manipulation, and society rewards them.”

Universal Pictures

Cecilia Kass (Moss).

After Cecilia escapes from the psychiatric hospital and ends up in a violent battle with the invisible figure back at her friend James’s house, Cecilia unmasks the man in the invisibility suit and viewers are surprised to see Adrian’s now dead brother. The cops then find Adrian tied up in his basement, with him claiming that his brother kidnapped him and orchestrated the whole ordeal.

Cecilia still doesn’t believe this to be true and comes up with one final plot to reveal Adrian’s abuse by agreeing to have dinner at their former house — only this time she’ll be wearing a wire to record him. She has the intention of getting him to admit on tape that he was, in fact, the Invisible Man the whole time. When he refuses and Cecilia fails to make any headway, she beats Adrian at his own game and excuses herself from the dinner table, puts on his invisibility suit, and kills him, making it look like a suicide.

The twist ending is Cecilia’s own bit of redemption; if the law wasn’t going to hold Adrian accountable, she was going to find her own way to ensure her own safety and peace.

“I've dragged the protagonist through the mud and at the end I want to give some catharsis,” Whannel said. “I wanted the character to feel free.”

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiTGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJ1enpmZWVkbmV3cy5jb20vYXJ0aWNsZS9rcnlzdGlleWFuZG9saS90aGUtaW52aXNpYmxlLW1hbi1tZS10b2_SAUxodHRwczovL3d3dy5idXp6ZmVlZG5ld3MuY29tL2FtcGh0bWwva3J5c3RpZXlhbmRvbGkvdGhlLWludmlzaWJsZS1tYW4tbWUtdG9v?oc=5

2020-02-27 13:31:00Z
52780624582683