How Chris Harrison Was "Iced Out" of the 'Bachelor' Franchise; Disney+ and Netflix's Next Challenge; Drama Actor Roundtable

[View on web]( [New reader? Subscribe]( June 16, 2021 What's news: It's magazine day! THR's annual Emmy Roundtable series moves on to the drama actors and it's a heavyweight lineup. Plus: Jon Bernthal signs up for Showtime's American Gigolo remake and Megan Boone leaves The Blacklist — [Abid Rahman]( Drama Actor Roundtable ►[On the cover.]( Bridgerton's Regé-Jean Page, The Crown's Josh O'Connor, Fargo's Chris Rock, Lovecraft Country's Jonathan Majors and Small Axe's John Boyega join THR's [Lacey Rose]( for a discussion that moves from a powerful discussion of the role race plays in Hollywood to slightly frothier ones about splurges, sex scenes and, yes, those crazy Bond rumors. —John Boyega: "I didn’t plan to speak that day, but the megaphone was in my hand and it was like, “Oh, shit, I might as well say what’s on my mind.” It was the first time I’ve ever protested, I’ll be honest. I don’t come from [an] activist family. But there were a lot of emotions pent up, and people were going crazy and, yeah, naturally I was like, "Oh shit, some exec is going to view that and be like, Pull that bitch. Pull him."" —Regé-Jean Page: "I think people were grateful for the intensity of the romantic aspects of Bridgerton; I’m not sure how grateful I was to watch it for myself. It was overwhelming. But I think people were looking to be overwhelmed. My family doesn’t want to be overwhelmed by my backside, specifically, too often, but they’ll take it on this occasion because everyone seems to be terribly happy." —Chris Rock: "[Fargo] is a big job. And sometimes you can respect something so much, you don’t even want to be a part of it. Years ago, when I had my own show on HBO, it was at the height of The Sopranos, and I got a couple of offers to be on The Sopranos, and I was like, "I like it too much, I don’t want to spoil it." But I was such a fan [of Noah Hawley's Fargo], I took the meeting anyway, and then he presents me with this offer, and I’m like, “Whatever you want me to do, I’m down."" —Jonathan Majors: "It’s such a strange experience for minorities — I view it, unfortunately, as a bit of a ladder. And if you’re born into a certain circumstance, be it poverty or whatever, in order to survive, in order to accomplish a certain level of existence, you have to climb. And I don’t mean this in the ambitious way, I mean this in, like, you have to educate yourself — you have to remove yourself from the ditch that you’re born into." —Josh O'Connor: "I’m the worst person to talk about the Meghan interview. I didn’t watch it and I don’t think I will, to be honest. So any conversation about, "Gee, what did you think about what Charles said last week?" I’m like, "Guys, I have no idea."" Quote of the Day "You can never do right, it seems." Rita Moreno responding to the In the Heights colorism controversy and defending her friend Lin-Manuel Miranda on The Late Show. [The story.]( Disney+ and Netflix's Next Challenge ►Slow, sluggish streaming subs. As cinemas reopen, the same signs that are making movie theater owners optimistic for this summer are spelling concern for digital executives as both Netflix and Disney+ missed Wall Street's subscriber expectations. [The analysis.]( —"They don’t get to pick when and where." Disgraced mogul and convicted sex offender Harvey Weinstein will be transferred to Los Angeles, after multiple delays of his extradition, a New York judge ruled. [The story.]( —Nature is healing. The Book of Mormon is scheduled to return to Broadway this year at New York's Eugene O'Neill Theatre. In entirely unsurprising news, Scott Rudin is no longer listed as a producer of the hit musical. [The story.]( —Still time for a comeback? In the Heights had disappointing box office debut, despite rave reviews. But is it too write it off when even the most successful big-screen musicals haven’t always scored impressive opening numbers. [The analysis.]( —Wunderbar! Magnifique! Estupendo! The Swarm, the big-budget European series based on Frank Schätzing's bestseller, has signed up more global stars. Cécile de France, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Jack Greenlees, Lydia Wilson, Krista Kosonen, Alexander Karim, and Barbara Sukowa join an already an already stacked cast list. [The story.]( About Town [Alex Weprin]( writes: CNN media correspondent Brian Stelter held a book party for the paperback edition of Hoax, which was released this month. Spotted at the bar in Hell’s Kitchen: Jeffrey Toobin chatting with NYT media columnist Ben Smith, CNN anchors Alisyn Camerota, Kate Bolduan, Victor Blackwell and Christine Romans. NY1 anchor Pat Kiernan, Politico’s Tara Palmeri, AP reporter David Bauder, NYT media reporter Edmund Lee, and Insider reporter Claire Atkinson. Let's Get 'Physical' —►A Rose by any other name. Apple TV+'s Physical stars Aussie actress Rose Byrne as a San Diego housewife on an unexpected journey to becoming an aerobics-instructing superstar in this '80s-set dramedy series. [The review.]( —We need to talk about Kevin. Schitt's Creek favorite Annie Murphy toplines AMC's much talked about dramedy Kevin Can F**k Himself about the inner turmoil of a multi-cam-sitcom wife in a single-cam world. [The review.]( —Meet Dave. Rapper-comedian (or comedian-rapper?) Dave Burd and Jeff Schaffer's FXX comedy Dave, with its stealthy blend of low-brow Lil Dicky-related hijinks and surprisingly thoughtful undercurrents, returns for its second season. [The review.]( How Chris Harrison Was "Iced Out" of the 'Bachelor' Franchise ►Everybody hates Chris? The longtime host sparked a firestorm when he excused a contestant’s racially offensive behavior, but he was on track to return until a "nail in the coffin" Good Morning America interview, write THR's resident Bachelor experts [Jackie Strause]( and [Ashley Cullins](. [The story.]( —Friends with benefits. THR critic [Lovia Gyarkye]( writes that Michaela Coel's award-winning British limited series I May Destroy You and Russell T. Davies' It’s a Sin explore how chosen family can help anchor those who are suffering from trauma or isolation. [The critic's notebook.]( —And then there was one. Megan Boone, one of the two leads of NBC's The Blacklist is leaving the show at the conclusion of season eight, even though the drama has been renewed for a ninth season. [The story.]( —American remake. Showtime is making a present-day reimagining of American Gigolo starring Jon Bernthal. The 1980 Jerry Bruckheimer-directed original famously starred Richard Gere, with and without clothes. [The story.]( In other news... —Guest column: Why it’s time for all awards shows to [ditch the binary acting categories](. —[Spotify lands multi-year deal]( with Alexandra Cooper for Call Her Daddy podcast. —New Breath of the Wild 2 footage at [Nintendo’s E3 presentation.]( —[Cruel Summer renewed]( for season 2 at Freeform. —[More streaming titles headed to theaters]( after Army of the Dead cinema run, says Cinemark CFO. —AMC theatres [nears deal to operate prime L.A. Pacific cinema locations](. —L.A. club Delilah [sets Las Vegas debut]( after two years in the making. —Batman, Catwoman oral sex scene was [blocked from R-rated Harley Quinn animated series.]( —How Thanos creator [Jim Starlin overcame a career-ending injury](. What else we're reading... —"Hollywood’s Treatment of Latinos Is An Open Wound. Healing It Requires A Reckoning" [[Los Angeles Times]( —"Starstruck’s Rose Matafeo Wants to Save the Rom-Com" [[Vanity Fair]( —"On Dave, Lil Dicky Faces the Music" [[New York Times]( —"Why America Turned on the Kardashians" [[Daily Beast]( —"Forget Going Back to the Office—People Are Just Quitting Instead" [[Wall Street Journal]( Today... ... in 1978, John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John danced their way into theaters. The 110-minute adaptation of Grease, directed by Randal Kleiser, would become a summer box office draw and enduring TV staple. [THR]( original review.]( Today's birthdays: Charlotte Kirk (29), John Cho (49), Laurie Metcalf (66), Clifton Collins Jr. (51), Ian Mosley (68), Eddie Levert (79), Daniel Brühl (43) Lisa Banes, a film and television actress whose credits include films such as Gone Girl and A Cure for Wellness , has died 10 days after being struck by a driver in a hit-and-run in New York City. She was 65. [The obituary.]( This email was sent to {EMAIL} by Penske Media Corporation. Please add email@email.hollywoodreporter.com to your address book to ensure delivery to your inbox. Visit the [Preferences Center]( to update your profile and customize what email alerts and newsletters you receive. Copyright © 2021 The Hollywood Reporter, a subsidiary of Penske Business Media, LLC. All rights reserved. 11175 Santa Monica Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90025 [View in Browser]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Your Privacy Rights]( | [Ad Choices]( | [Terms of Use]( | [Unsubscribe](