A blog of recent clips, reporting and notions on what's happening in pop culture of interest to me. Written by Cynthia Wang.
My page for current articles and reporting, random thoughts on TV, music, movies, etc.
Always up for a chat with Ewen Leslie. Based on the interview, I got tickets to see him, Geraldine Hakewill and Zahra Newman in Julius Caesar at the Sydney Theatre Company. Well worth it!
Weaving in quotes from an international press call with talent from the long running AMC series, I had fun putting this piece together.
The fabulous and down-to-earth Lucy Lawless spoke to me via Zoom for this Who piece!
I spoke with journalist Tom Steinfort about his first book, Sins of the Sheikh, and the details he presents about Princess Latifa. Thank you to Tom for his time.
Actress Claire Dunne co-wrote and stars in Herself, a hopeful drama that fuses her research on surviving domestic violence with the Irish cultural ideal of maitheal. I spoke with her about it for Who Magazine in their July 12, 2021 issue.
When Gossip Girl first aired in 2007, its delicious dialogue and designer fashions were a heady mix. We look back on the key episodes and quotes that made it such a cult teen series in Foxtel Magazine’s July 2021 issue.
Two years ago, I was on the fabulous Elsternwick set of Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries, speaking to Geraldine Hakewill in her trailer. For 2021, Zoom will have to do! We catch up on her series, and her life, since 2019, to preview season 2 on Acorn TV.
Zoom interviews became great Q&As with Hailie Sahar on the final season of Pose, and Australian twins Raechelle and Karina Banno, both starring in the VC Andrews’ Landry series on Lifetime, in the June 2021 issue of Foxtel Magazine.
A second fantastic panel from the Pan Pacific Asian Steering Committee of the Motion Picture Editors Guild was held on May 22, 2021, with Tom Cross, ACE, and sound supervisor Ai-Ling Lee, moderated by Harry Yoon, ACE. They talked about the collaboration between sound and picture editing, especially in regard to their work on Damien Chazelle’s films. My summary appeared online for Cinemontage.
The Pan Pacific Asian Steering Committee of the Motion Picture Editors Guild held a panel on May 15, 2021, with Richard Chew, ACE, William Hoy, ACE, and Lisa Lassek, moderated by Edie Ichioka, ACE. I enjoyed learning from them and covering the panel for Cinemontage.
What a joy to speak to Angela Lewis about season three of Snowfall on FX. Plus, I compare The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead, tease season three of Mayans MC, and parse out what’s special with the Zac Snyder cut of Justice League, all in the May 2021 issue of Foxtel Magazine.
I had the thrill of putting together a fantastic team to create this 98-page commemorative issue on Prince Philip, which hit newsstands at the same time as treatments from People and other established brands. You’ll see more of our work later this year.
Speaking over the phone from a London in lockdown, actress Felicity Ward reminisced about being home in Australia in 2020 to film the genre-busting Wakefield on ABC and ABC iview. My chat appears in Who Magazine in April 2021.
Having written so much about Game of Thrones, I enjoyed putting together a guide for the uninitiated to mark its 10th anniversary. In the April 2021 issue of Foxtel, I also review the mini-series version of Black Narcissus, capture the best Top Chef quotes, speak to Undercover Billionaire star Elaine Culotti, and compare Sanditon with Belgravia.
After winning The Voice Australia in 2016, Alfie Arcuri has toured the world with his personal brand of pop. But speaking to the LGBTQI+ community through his music has been his biggest reward. Arcuri talks to me about his latest track, “Handsome Man,” in WHO’s March 21, 2021 issue.
The best part of writing for Foxtel Magazine is getting to preview some terrific series, including Israeli drama Valley of Tears and National Geographic’s Genius: Aretha. I also get to write about Property Brothers’ latest Brother vs Brother edition, The Walking Dead, and Scooby. Zoinks!
It’s always a pleasure to speak with Erik Thomson, especially when he goes into new territory with his projects. He goes into detail about comedy Aftertaste, a biting ABC comedy, for this mid-February issue of WHO.
Speaking to producers about their true-crime shows makes watching them a bit more fascinating. Here are two such pieces I reported and wrote for Foxtel.
The ‘See’ actor returns to Sydney with an initiative for more Middle Eastern / North African representation in film and television
Mojean Aria. Photo by Kane Skennar.
Coming off successful roles in the Apple+ sci-fi drama See and SBS crime thriller Dead Lucky, Mojean Aria returned from his professional base in the U.S. to his hometown of Sydney with another film under his belt (the upcoming Reminiscence with Hugh Jackman) and a thriving career.
That’s when The Australian Institute for Performing Arts, called. They asked Aria, 28, to teach a multi-day masterclass at the place where he and peers Eliza Scanlen, Danielle Macdonald and Liv Hewson honed their craft. “It means a lot,” Aria says. “AIPA has been a massive part of my foundation, especially in creating a gateway to go to Los Angeles, which initially felt unrealistic and they made it feasible.”
But Aria had one wish before he committed to the gig — a chance to see someone like him amongst his students. So he worked with the Institute’s director of logistics, Marg Haynes, to create a scholarship specifically for Middle Eastern and North African youth that would cover tuition, room and board for the six-day, five-night residential program happening mid-December in Stanwell Tops, just south of Sydney.
“AIPA has always been a safe place for all to train,” he says, “but the issue, I think, is that a lot of these immigrant and first-generation communities in Australia don't believe film, arts or entertainment is even an option for them, or that they would feel safe in those teaching environments.
“I know first-hand as I have two films happening here with very diverse casts that we have a strong need for Australian actors from all backgrounds,” Aria adds, “but we aren't developing them at the same rate. My hope is that word about this scholarship can spread and won’t just give one lucky person the scholarship, but that it will inspire other people to come to the arts.”
The son of Iranian immigrants, Aria channeled his rebellious childhood energy into acting and discovered that he had an aptitude and deep interest in the craft. However, being the only person of colour amongst his peers “built barriers that were hard to break through,” he admits. “As soon as someone asked me where my name was from, and I'd say, ‘Iran,’ I could feel how the energy often shifted. It mainly came from ignorance, of course, as the same things they feared about Iran, so did I!”
While he studied diligently in classes at NIDA and Metro Screen and learned to make friends, Aria could not find roles that interested him in Australia, nor did casting directors seem ready to take a chance on him. “I wasn't going to fit the mould,” he says. “I was, and still am, inspired by American actors like Robert De Niro and Al Pacino who could weave their ethnicities into something global and dynamic.”
He moved to Los Angeles in his late teens. Aria’s early work in theatre and short films would gain acclaim, leading to his receiving the 2017 Heath Ledger Scholarship from the Australians in Film foundation. Further industry support allowed him access to top management and a longstanding kinship with an acting legend.
“I’ve kept in touch with Kim, Heath’s father, to let him know that, ‘Hey, I’ve booked this role,’ or, ‘Hey, I might do this film,’ or, ‘Hey, I’m here, or I’m there,’” Aria says. “I feel it’s important. He has put his soul and his work on the line to give me an opportunity and I should let him know of any opportunity that I can, that it is not for nothing and that I am representing that legacy to the best of my ability and I will hold true to my promises.”
Aria (far right) in a scene with Yoson An and Rachel Griffiths in the series Dead Lucky. Photo courtesy of SBS.
Among his recent Australian projects was Dead Lucky with Rachel Griffiths. “Working with Rachel was awesome,” Aria says. “It was a new experience at that time working with someone of that calibre and I learnt so much from how she navigated herself through the set.”
As for Jason Momoa, the star of See, “not enough can be said about how great he is and how many people I've seen him bring up and support,” Aria says. “We've worked together a couple of times and I'm sure we'll be working together again. The thing I always remember about J is sitting with him on a mountain in Canada while he's playing bass between set-ups. We were talking about Aquaman—it hadn't come out yet—and we were discussing how it would be received and boom! When it came out, everything changed and seeing how he dealt with all of that first-hand was a joy.”
Now Aria can share his own passion at The Acting for Screen Masterclass. “Students will work with me every day, as well as top industry professionals from America who will be Zooming in to teach, give advice, and offer guidance and invaluable feedback,” he says.
Aimed at students between 12-20 years old, classes begin Friday, Dec. 18 and continue through Dec. 22. The scholarship is open to applicants through midnight on Sunday, Dec. 13; those interested should call AIPA on +61 (0) 412 736 977 to register.
“You will be asked to record on your phone or camera a brief introduction about yourself, why you would like to do the class, what acting means to you, and then you will perform a short piece that will be emailed in a link as soon as you register,” Aria explains. “There is no cost to apply.”
Mojean Aria says that establishing this scholarship and offering his services as an instructor are part of the principles he learned when he received the Heath Ledger Scholarship. “Australia has produced some of the best actors of all time in Russell Crowe, Nicole Kidman, Heath Ledger, Joel Edgerton, Naomi Watts and many, many more,” he adds. “I'm excited for us to find and help develop our Al Pacinos, Robert De Niros, Rami Maleks, Viola Davises, Lupita Nyong'os, Riz Ahmeds and such. We do have some who are coming up on the scene, which is great, and I'm thrilled because I think this scholarship will further inspire youth.”
#MENAScholarshipAIPA
The toast of Tinseltown are lined up to gift Foxtel families a wealth of Christmas movies.
