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Sylvia Hoeks Talks Creating Queen Kane in ‘See’ on AppleTV+

Published

4 years ago

December 16, 2019

If you’ve had the pleasure of watching AppleTV+’s series See, and if you haven’t you really should, you will no doubt have become quite familiar by now with Queen Kane played by Dutch actress Sylvia Hoeks. Sometimes unbalanced but always intriguing, she is a character fit to rival Cersei Lannister from Game of Thrones with her ecstatic belief in the rightness of her reign.

See is set in a dystopian future where sight is no longer the norm, and further, the ability to see is considered evil and the product of witchcraft. In the first episode, two children are born with sight, and their mother (Hera Hilmar) and adoptive father (Jason Momoa) soon find themselves on the run with their entire clan in an attempt to save the children from Queen Kane and her Witchfinder General Timacti Jun (Christian Camargo).

It is a brilliant story, as brutal as it is beautiful.

I had the opportunity to speak with Hoeks about how she became involved in the project, and the process she underwent for bringing Queen Kane to life.

**This interview contains some spoilers below this line**

As so often happens today, it began with a self-taped audition after Hoeks was contacted by series creator Steven Knight. As she began to dig into the sides that were sent to her, she felt an instant connection to the character.

“I really loved what I read of the queen and this intriguing new world,” Hoeks explained. “I had quite an idea already about how I wanted to pursue the role if I got it. I really wanted to make it weird and awkward and a bit crazy.”

That included going to director Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) and explaining that she wanted to shave her head. Lawrence agreed and slowly her inner thoughts and ideas began to form Queen Kane on set.

This also included developing a peculiar and intriguing cadence to her speech giving it a lilting sing-song type quality that, among other things, leaves the listener off-balance, unsure of what her motives or intentions are from time to time.

“I though of Lou Reed and some of his interviews that I had watched,” the actress said laughing. “He toyed with the journalists during those interviews. He was definitely under the influence of a lot of things but he does it in a way so that he sounds a bit crazy but in a way that’s very intriguing. It’s almost like a cat who is playing with a mouse so I tend to take it from there. Queen Kane uses her voice to play with her mice.”

That is, essentially, one of things so fascinating about Queen Kane. You’re really never sure what she is thinking, but you know, without doubt, that she is the Queen. Moreover, she says it was an amazing experience to play a role written for a woman in power who didn’t depend on her body or sex to hold onto her throne.

“She handles herself in different ways. She doesn’t rely on sex or her charm but instead her wits,” Hoeks said. “She believes in what she believes in and she does what she does and she doesn’t care what you think. If she were wrong, her whole world would fall apart. She stands on a cliff and she needs to keep standing.”

This especially became important when, late in the season, it was revealed that Hilmar’s character Maghra was actually her sister and had a claim to the throne. It brought an unexpected but exciting dynamic to the series finale, but also gave fans something to look forward to in the second season.

It’s something that Hoeks is looking forward to, as well.

“I think that we both, as strong women, can be in each other’s way a lot which will be funny,” she aid. “But they can also learn from each other. I’m already excited about playing it.”

I must admit I’m looking forward to seeing that play out myself.

You can watch all of season one of See on AppleTV+. Be sure to check out the series and Sylvia Hoeks brilliant performance as Queen Kane!

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Netflix Releases First BTS ‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’ Footage

Published

46 mins ago

April 30, 2024

Timothy Rawles

It’s been three long years since Netflix unleashed the bloody, but enjoyable Fear Street on its platform. Released in a tryptic fashion, the streamer broke up the story into three episodes, each taking place in a different decade which by the finale were all tied together.

Now, the streamer is in production for its sequel Fear Street: Prom Queen which brings the story into the 80s. Netflix gives a synopsis of what to expect from Prom Queen on their blog site Tudum:

“Welcome back to Shadyside. In this next installment of the blood-soaked Fear Street franchise, prom season at Shadyside High is underway and the school’s wolfpack of It Girls is busy with its usual sweet and vicious campaigns for the crown. But when a gutsy outsider is unexpectedly nominated to the court, and the other girls start mysteriously disappearing, the class of ’88 is suddenly in for one hell of a prom night.”

Based on R.L. Stine’s massive series of Fear Street novels and spin-offs, this chapter is number 15 in the series and was published in 1992.

FEAR STREET: PROM QUEEN IS NOW IN PRODUCTION 🩸 Welcome to Shadyside High. We're gonna have a killer time. pic.twitter.com/jDl0zRa2CH
— Netflix (@netflix) April 30, 2024

Fear Street: Prom Queen features a killer ensemble cast, including India Fowler (The Nevers, Insomnia), Suzanna Son (Red Rocket, The Idol), Fina Strazza (Paper Girls, Above the Shadows), David Iacono (The Summer I Turned Pretty, Cinnamon), Ella Rubin (The Idea of You), Chris Klein (Sweet Magnolias, American Pie), Lili Taylor (Outer Range, Manhunt) and Katherine Waterston (The End We Start From, Perry Mason).

No word on when Netflix will drop the series into its catalog.

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Live Action Scooby-Doo Reboot Series In Works at Netflix

Published

2 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The ghosthunting Great Dane with an anxiety problem, Scooby-Doo, is getting a reboot and Netflix is picking up the tab. Variety is reporting that the iconic show is becoming an hour-long series for the streamer although no details have been confirmed. In fact, Netflix execs declined to comment.

If the project is a go, this would be the first live-action movie based on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon since 2018’s Daphne & Velma. Before that, there were two theatrical live-action movies, Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), then two sequels that premiered on The Cartoon Network.

Currently, the adult-oriented Velma is streaming on Max.

Scooby-Doo originated in 1969 under the creative team Hanna-Barbera. The cartoon follows a group of teenagers who investigate supernatural happenings. Known as Mystery Inc., the crew consists of Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Shaggy Rogers, and his best friend, a talking dog named Scooby-Doo.

Normally the episodes revealed the hauntings they encountered were hoaxes developed by land-owners or other nefarious characters hoping to scare people away from their properties. The original TV series named Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! ran from 1969 to 1986. It was so successful that movie stars and pop culture icons would make guest appearances as themselves in the series.

Celebrities such as Sonny & Cher, KISS, Don Knotts, and The Harlem Globetrotters made cameos as did Vincent Price who portrayed Vincent Van Ghoul in a few episodes.

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BET Releasing New Original Thriller: The Deadly Getaway

Published

2 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Cameron McFarland

BET will soon be offering horror fans a rare treat. The studio has announced the official release date for their new original thriller, The Deadly Getaway. Directed by Charles Long (The Trophy Wife), this thriller sets up a heart racing game of cat and mouse for audiences to sink their teeth into.

Wanting to break up the monotony of their routine, Hope and Jacob set off to spend their vacation at a simple cabin in the woods. However, things go sideways when Hope’s ex-boyfriend shows up with a new girl at the same campsite. Things soon spiral out of control. Hope and Jacob must now work together to escape the woods with their lives.

The Deadly Getaway is written by Eric Dickens (Makeup X Breakup) and Chad Quinn (Reflections of US). The Film stars, Yandy Smith-Harris (Two Days in Harlem), Jason Weaver (The Jacksons: An American Dream), and Jeff Logan (My Valentine Wedding).

Showrunner Tressa Azarel Smallwood had the following to say about the project. “The Deadly Getaway is the perfect reintroduction to classic thrillers, which encompass dramatic twists, and spine-chilling moments. It showcases the range and diversity of emerging Black writers across genres of film and television.”

The Deadly Getaway will premiere on 5.9.2024, exclusively ion BET+.