Last month, we headed we screened Sonic The Hedgehog and attended the press conference in Beverly Hills. We were thrilled to meet the sensational cast, and talk about the new film!
Thank you Paramount Pictures for inviting us to the Sonic The Hedgehog screening and press conference. All opinions are my own.
Based on the global blockbuster video game franchise from Sega, SONIC THE HEDGEHOG tells the story of the world’s speediest hedgehog as he embraces his new home on Earth. In this live-action adventure comedy, Sonic and his new best friend Tom (James Marsden) team up to defend the planet from the evil genius Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) and his plans for world domination. The family-friendly film also stars Tika Sumpter and Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic.
This cast is like no other, with their large grins and eccentric voices, their eyes glazed over with excitement as they spoke about their characters. They created content for children, with the intention of sending life long lessons, and the importance of kindness and friendship.
My daughter Clarissa choked up when she met her favorite actor, Jim Carrey.
They spoke from the heart, and from a place of sincerity, as improv was frequently used by these insanely talented actors. The children in the crowd gravitated towards the actors, sparkles in their eyes, often asking questions as if their favorite characters were real, sitting in front of them.
Can’t help but to fall in love with this little blue guy after watching this film. It was action packed and took us on a wild supersonic adventure. When my 12 year old son and I are equally sharing belly laughs while watching a film, it’s a winner… 💙
Ben said, “In my performance, whenever he is talking or anything like that I try to do it that when you hear it you feel like the energy, of that young kid trying to do the things he’s dreamed to do.”
Executive Producer Toby Ascher and Director Jeff Fowler
This adorable film hit our hearts at sonic speed. Happy Valentine’s Day!
Charlize Theron stars as Marlo in Jason Reitman’s TULLY, a Focus Features release.
Last week, I headed to the Focus Feature’s “Tully Movie” press conference in Beverly Hills, California to get the behind the scenes scoop. Director Jason Reitman and celebs Mackenzie Davis, Charlize Theron, Ron Livingston and Mark Duplass were in attendance to talk to mommy bloggers about the new film.
This touching, heartwarming, and gut-wrenching film is a MUST-SEE and hits theaters March 4th!
A new comedy from Academy Award-nominated director Jason Reitman [Up in the Air] and Academy Award-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody [Juno]. Marlo [Academy Award winner Charlize Theron], a mother of three including a newborn, is gifted a night nanny by her brother [Mark Duplass]. Hesitant to the extravagance at first, Marlo comes to form a unique bond with the thoughtful, surprising, and sometimes challenging young nanny named Tully [Mackenzie Davis].
Thank you Focus Features for inviting me to screen Tully and attend the press conference. All opinions are my own.
Charlize Theron stars as “Marlo,” a loving mother of three in the film.
Here are some excerpts from the ” Tully press conference…
PRESS:We’ll take a photo for you at the end, that we can send out as well. But yeah, let’s get started. I want to introduce you to the team of Tully, of Jason Reitman, Mackenzie Davis, Charlize Theron, [APPLAUSE] Ron Livingston and Mark Duplass. [ENTRANCE CHATTER]
CHARLIZE THERON: I will direct this. No matter what?
MALE SPEAKER: Guys, can we just go back to one and just try it one more time? [LAUGHTER] That was a little weird.
JASON REITMAN?: But was natural, it was raw. I think it was good.
MALE SPEAKER: That’s true. It was very [PH] Duboisian.
CHARLIZE THERON: Two directors — very problematic. [LAUGHS]
MALE SPEAKER: They set us very far apart from each other. [LAUGHTER]
PRESS: All right, shall we get started on questions? Okay. First, [INDISCERNIBLE-1:01] your name and outlet [INDISCERNIBLE].
PRESS: Good morning, everyone. My name is [PH] Bea Bashcroft. I’m with [PH] allmommywants.com. And this film is so successful in walking the tightrope between humor and content that is very serious and sometimes devastating. So I’d really like to hear from all of you on how you walk that balance, to make the tone work so well. [LAUGHTER]
CHARLIZE THERON: She said “tone” — that’s a director [OVERLAPPING] [LAUGHTER] —
MALE SPEAKER: Damn it.
JASON REITMAN: It starts with Diablo. And I think that’s — yeah, that’s where the DNA of this film is — and that’s how Diablo’s always written. She’s found things that could easily be considered tragic or dramatic. I mean, I even remember when I was making Juno and I would tell people, I’m making a movie about teen pregnancy and they would go — ohhh. [LAUGHTER] I’d say, no-no- no. It’s a comedy. It’s going to be, it’s going to be funny. Really? And they’d be confused. And now — you know, with each subsequent film I think people start to understand, oh, this is going to be a funny film, despite what we’re talking about. So I think that’s the thrill of reading her material, is that it’s right there on the page. The drama and the humor are intertwined.
PRESS: This question is for Charlize. This is [PH] Megan from [INDISCERNIBLE-2:17] .com and I wanted to talk to you about what your opinion is on motherhood and how it differs in other countries and specifically, is there something uniquely American? Or something uniquely South African that stand out to you?
CHARLIZE THERON: I think — I think there’s something about being a parent that just is the same for everybody. There was this documentary a couple of years ago called Babies. I don’t know if you guys saw it.
MEN/WOMEN:Yes.
CHARLIZE THERON:I saw it right before my kids came into my life and I — it really moved me because ultimately what you see — yes, the experiences are very different. And you know, in Mongolia you can actually tie a kid to a table and not go to jail — and here that would probably be problematic. But ultimately – – [LAUGHTER]
Jason Reitman – Director/Producer
JASON REITMAN: I mean, we still do it. [LAUGHTER]
CHARLIZE THERON:But ultimately — it’s the one thing that I think we all share is just that we’re trying to get through every day — whatever — whatever we choose to do to hopefully be the best things for yours kids — and it might be different in how we go about it in different countries, but I think, as mothers, I think we’re always in some weird way always — every decision gets made based from our kids. Like — or at least I have found that. There’s a thing in South Africa, we have this saying, “It takes a village to raise a kid,” and I was raised that way. I grew up with a lot of people around me and my mom — really sharing me with a lot of people and it was just great to grow up that way and I, for me, it was always going to be how I was going to raise my kids and from the moment they came home, that first night, my village was there and they got to meet their village and that village is in their life now and I think will be in their life, in their life forever. And I rely on those people. They are kind of like my chosen family. And I value what they bring to my kids’ lives and I know that I’m not solely responsible for how great my kids are. There’s a lot of great people who are bringing so much to their lives. And I think this movie will maybe start that conversation a little bit more, because when we talk about help it’s always — it feels so cold. But you know, help can be something that’s really warm and — it doesn’t have to feel like this isolated thing that you’re bringing in from the outside to help you. I think the more you think about it, it’s like just becoming part of raising a child — instead of just help. I think it makes it — you realize the value in that and I’m so grateful for the people that I have, not only in my life, but in my kids’ lives.
PRESS: Hi. My name’s [PH] Yolardo from [PH] babble.com. I’m just wondering — you’re talking about how it does take a village to raise a child and our villages seem to have opened up to the Internet, social media. How do you think that has changed the look of motherhood and how we parent today?
CHARLIZE THERON:Well, I’m no expert. [LAUGHTER] And I’m not very good with social media and all of that, but I do see the positive in just being able to — you know, I have some support groups, boards that I go to when I have questions and things like that and I think it’s so valuable to have that. But it can also become a place where, you know, you feel kind of like you’re doing it all wrong, because everything that you see and hear is telling me you’re doing it wrong. So it’s, you know, you have to kind of take it all with a grain of salt. But I do think there’s something nice about having more access to places and spaces where you can share your experience, you know, and change the face of what we think parenthood should look like — and the more that honest conversation takes place — I’m grateful for that. I mean, when I find my little spaces where I can do that, I’m very grateful that I can have those conversations. So like wean it out, like everything else in life.
PRESS: Hi, I’m [PH] Dallen from eatplayrock.com and this is for Ron and Charlize. In our modern era of women in the workforce and men often being stay-at- home dads, we often still refer to moms as the parent and dads as like the weekend person or the babysitter. What do you think it will take to change that?
CHARLIZE THERON:You’re a dad.
Ron Livingston is “Drew,” a withdrawn and overworked father. He buries himself in his work to provide for his growing family, and to deflect from the reality at home.
RON LIVINGSTON: I’m a dad. [LAUGHTER] Yeah, you know — I’m not sure. I think maybe — A, more dads will have to do it and B, they’ll have to get better at it. And so — that’ll feel like, oh, this is the way it can go. And then I think they have to get a little prouder about talking about it. I think a lot of dads, even if they are — primary caregivers and even if they are great at it, there’s sort of a, they don’t want to — you know what I mean? They don’t want to like brag, keep bragging about that during the football game, because it doesn’t, it doesn’t go over well. So — there’s a little bit of that, I think. Yeah.
PRESS: Hi. I’m [PH] Cathy with [PH] Bel Air Mommy and I don’t know who to ask this question to — in writing the script, what came about doing — the middle child as the quirky child? Because I appreciate that watching that, because my kid always — the special one. He’s so special that he bit the pastor on Friday at school. So — [LAUGHTER] when I was — when you were having that conversation with — I was like, I just had that conversation. [LAUGHTER] And I’m crying and practicing and, and I’m just — it was just, I left one hot mess. So I wanted to know how to [INDISCERNIBLE-8:23] — why did you guys fit that in? Because I appreciated that and it’s great to know that you’re addressing that because other moms don’t see what you’re going through — and they’re like, why can’t you pull it together?
JASON REITMAN?: There’s something really clever about how Diablo did that in this screenplay. You don’t really hear the — nor do you hear what was going on with her son — you also never hear the term, you know, “postpartum depression” in the film — and these are all complicated gray areas and I think it’s really smart that Diablo never made it specific — because really, what either of those are there to serve to is this idea that we’re only supposed to present half of what it’s like to be a parent to the world. We’re only supposed to present the fact that — it’s like what Charlize says, at the beginning when the principal says, oh, you’re about to pop and Charlize goes, Oh, it’s such a blessing. [LAUGHTER] And — it’s the kind of subtle, brilliant joke that only she could do. But that’s how that script works. It’s playing off this idea that we’re supposed to present a version there to the world that — we’re perfect. Yeah, we have a kid and life is perfect and it would be shameful to say anything otherwise. And when a great — when a movie works really well, it makes you feel less alone. No matter what it is, no matter what you’re watching a movie about, the great ones make us feel less alone. That’s why we watch them as a group, in a movie theater. And hopefully, by taking this kind of nuanced approach to both her relationship with her son, who finally says, maybe we don’t need this — I love spending time with you, but maybe we don’t need the brush. We speak the idea of letting go of shame. Letting — putting shame down and allowing ourselves to be honest.
PRESS: Hi, everybody. My question is for Mackenzie and for Jason. This movie is such a great portrait, a real, raw portrait of motherhood that we don’t often see onscreen. It’s really wonderful. Was there a trick to sort of modulating what you would show and what you wouldn’t show, so as to not maybe scare off people from motherhood? Because it can be kind of scary sometimes. And also, you know, wonderful, too.
Mackenzie Davis is “Tully,” the night nurse, who comes to save the day… This movie has an unexpected turn of events, that blew me away.
MACKENZIE DAVIS:Jason doesn’t function in that gear. [LAUGHTER] By the way, no one at this table does. I mean, that’s kind of the [LAUGHTER]
JASON REITMAN:[INDISCERNIBLE] exciting thing about [INDISCERNIBLE- 11:02] this group of actors. A, their true understanding of what’s happening on the page and you know, I’ve worked with actors who are very talented, but [INDISCERNIBLE] there is a supreme understanding of humor in the drama and what’s behind everything that’s happening here and because of that they’re all interested in how to make moments feel more real. No matter what it is, no matter how self-effacing it is. And so I — I don’t think any of us ever had a conversation about — we should really hold back here and — [LAUGHTER] I think there is a current in our culture that we’re not really supposed to tell our kids about sex, because then they’re going to want to do it and we’re not really supposed to tell them about child-rearing because then they won’t want to do it. [LAUGHTER] But I feel like they’re going to do it either way, whether you [LAUGHTER] tell them not, so you might as well.
PRESS: Did it scare you off from having kids? Or maybe [OVERLAPPING] —
MACKENZIE DAVIS: No, I’m all in. [LAUGHTER] I’ll enjoy the [INDISCERNIBLE-12:06]
PRESS: Hi, I’m [PH] Kat from [PH] Katinthewater.com and I read what Charlize, I read your interview with Chelsea Handler and you gained a lot of weight for this film and you said that you experienced a bout of depression yourself. And in the film it’s [PH] “Girls Heal — No They Don’t” you know, and I thought that was a very significant line when you talked about postpartum depression and something like that. What do you want people to take from that line, you know? How do you think people should feel from that?
CHARLIZE THERON:I think it’s a — it lives in a gray area — for all of us. Right? I think it’s, it’s different for all of us. But I do kind of agree with what Chelsea said in that interview, that we do — we hurt different than men and I think we — we carry pain differently to men. And you know, I love that line. I loved saying it. It felt so right for Marlo. But when I think about myself, I don’t necessarily know that I believe that wholeheartedly. I don’t know if what we experience isn’t just part of building who we are — and is that a bad thing? Like, does that mean you’re broken? Is that the part that never gets fixed? I don’t know. I kind of like not knowing, too. I mean I think that it’s going to be something that I’m going to experience more, as my journey continues as a woman and as a mom. And — that’s okay. Like I don’t fee like I need to know that answer. Like it’s good to just acknowledge it and to talk about it. But I don’t know if I have the answer to it. But I do believe in concealer, yes. [LAUGHTER] A lot of it.
PRESS: I kind of love you for saying that. [LAUGHTER] Hi, I’m [PH] Carla Renata; I’m the Curvy Film Critic and I wanted to ask Charlize — you have become a producer as of late and you did Atomic Blonde and you produced this one. Do you have any aspirations to do — producing projects or writing projects for the small screen as opposed to the big screen?
CHARLIZE THERON: Well, I’ve been producing for a while now and — since Monster and yeah, we have — I have a Netflix show with David Fincher called Mindhunter that’s going —
MALE SPEAKER: [OVERLAPPING]
CHARLIZE THERON: Oh, thank you. Going into Season 2 right now. We did one season of a show with Netflix called Girl Boss, that’s not continuing. And we have, we’re shooting something over the summer that’s a limited series for Netflix. Our company is definitely, I mean I personally feel that — that it’s not so departmentalized anymore. It’s — good stories are — I mean, to me, the format is so secondary and I think — what’s happening is television and streaming is actually — sometimes more challenging than what I find a lot of times happening in the theater. And so in many ways I think what’s happening or has happened in that field is — kind of kicked our asses a little bit in the film industry, to really step up our game and to really write more challenging things for women because women are killing it on television. And so we need more of that in film. Otherwise we’re going to be in trouble. You know? But no, I love that side of it. I love making things. I love — I love producing.
PRESS: Hi, I’m [PH] Kathy from [PH] mrskathyking.com. I know you’ve touched on the subject a little bit, it’s for Miss Theron — what do you hope people will take away — women and men will take away from seeing this film? The overall.
CHARLIZE THERON:I would have to say it’s what Jason just talked about — just to not feel alone. I know that making this film made me not feel alone. There’s — I think the honesty of the conversation that this movie starts is one that you just can’t deny, because it’s, it’s not truthful. And I think when you live and breathe in that place, then you realize you’re not alone. And I know for myself as a parent, there have been days where I really needed that. I just, I really needed to know that. You know? And I think every parent will tell you that. And that’s kind of the feedback that we’ve been getting so far. People see this movie and there’s a lot of moments where they see themselves and feel like that has never been — they have never had that opportunity to see that part of being a parent. And — that’s a nice thing. I think when you can kind of do something that makes people feel on the level that that’s raw and honest and undeniably truthful — that’s always a great place to be in. You know, we didn’t water this down or to — we never came from an angle to make this more appetizing for moms out there or families out there or trying to say something that felt better about motherhood. We really just went for the truth and we all responded to that and I think we just felt like other people would respond to that as well.
PRESS: Hi. My name is [PH] Mildred Sun with [PH] Dandelion Moms and this question is for you, Mark. What was your takeaway from the whole, you know,
the movie as far as motherhood? You actually, your character reminded me of my brother. [LAUGHS] But I thought it was sweet.
Mark Duplass is “Craig,” Marlo’s concerned brother, who wants to help his sister by hiring a night nurse for her.
MARK DUPLASS: Is he what they call a “rich dick”? [LAUGHTER] Is that a [INDISCERNIBLE-18:03]?
PRESS:REIs this being transcribed? [LAUGHTER]
MARK DUPLASS:Shall we call [INDISCERNIBLE] now?
PRESS: Yeah, yeah. [OVERLAPPING] I do think it was sweet. I thought it was sweet that you wanted to get that for your sister. But what was your takeaway? What was your — you have children as well?
MARK DUPLASS:Yeah, I have two children. [OVERLAPPING] They’re 10 and six. And I remember when I first read the script, it reminded me of a conversation I had with I had with my wife, who I think in some ways was like the earlier version of Marlo that’s hinted at of, you know, fun-loving, able to throw parties and I think she really envisioned that she would be able to have it all and do it all. You know, that it was like — somehow the Gwyneth Paltrow lore was achievable and people would look at her and we always had this joke where we say, how does she do it? [LAUGHTER] And everybody, everybody wants that question asked about them. And my wife and I always joke about how she has to avoid that desire to have people saying that about her and admit that — well, I do it because I cry a lot in between and I get a shit-ton of help. You know, that’s how I do it. And so I felt that immediately, this story was very good — not to be reductive but, anti-Goop material in that way. [LAUGHTER] And then for me personally, showing up on set, it was just so great to walk into a movie they’d already been shooting for a while — I saw the special chemistry between Jason and Charlize or, you know, they’d done a movie together before and — and the way that they talked to each other, you know, just speaking candidly — [LAUGHTER] when you have a successful director who’s been nominated for all these things and a successful lead actress who’s been nominated for all these things —
JASON REITMAN: Won. She’s actually won [OVERLAPPING] [LAUGHTER] – – MARK DUPLASS:But you have multiple Razzies, though, so you’re good, Jason. [LAUGHTER] But normally there’s this — walking on eggshells kind of thing. I don’t want to bruise your ego — I don’t want to [INDISCERNIBLE] — and the way — they were like a brother and sister together and it would be like it, oh, I’m just going to do that. That’s exactly — [LAUGHTER] I’m going to be Jason to her in this scene and — and you know, I think it’s great. The character Craig is interesting to me because he, you know, at once is white, privileged male trying to tell a mom how to live her life — which is like — cut the man-splaining. Right? Right away it’s got a problem. But at the same time, the core of his message of being able to admit that you need some help — there’s no shame in that — is right. So I like that little complexity there.
JASON REITMAN: Mark has one of my favorite improvisations I’ve ever see anyone on my set, where he just said to Charlize — mid-take in the Tiki Bar —
kay, asshole, sit down. [LAUGHTER] And it was like — oh, I get this brother and sister act. I really like that.
MARK DUPLASS: Which again, [LAUGHTER] it was exactly the way you guys treated each other [LAUGHTER] on set. I really appreciated that.
CHARLIZE THERON:It isn’t how I like people to refer to me. [LAUGHTER] I think it is a term of endearment.
PRESS: Hi. I’m [PH] Myla from [PH] Endless Bargains and this is for any of you guys. In the movie Marlo used frozen pizza in the gross, watery, frozen broccoli – – to get through dinner. What’s the best and/or worst time-saving crutch you guys have had to use in a situation like that?
MACKENZIE DAVIS: I don’t have children, but I am disgusting. [LAUGHTER] I think — to melt butter and put Sriacha in it and then dip bread into that.
MALE SPEAKER: Oh, it’s [INDISCERNIBLE-22:06] has to be this guy [INDISCERNIBLE] disgusting, but — [LAUGHTER] I did like —
MALE SPEAKER: In my house we’ve tried to sell something we call “cheesy beef” — [LAUGHTER] which is — when none of us is prepared and there’s frozen hamburger meat in the freezer — I throw it in a pan and as it cooks I start shaving [LAUGHTER] the [INDISCERNIBLE] stuff off and throw cheese on it and a bunch of salt and they eat cheesy beef. [LAUGHTER] I don’t know how long this is going to last, but right now it’s working. [LAUGHTER]
CHARLIZE THERON: I do just whatever is left over in the fridge. But I call it the “Mama Special”, [LAUGHTER] which makes it sound really exotic and now I get asked, like, can we do a Mama Special? And it’s just a big tray with — everything. Like, yes, everything that I could find in the fridge. MALE SPEAKER: Isn't it great how dumb they are sometimes? [LAUGHTER]
[OVERLAPPING] I don’t want that to change.
CHARLIZE THERON:Yeah. And I sell it by saying, you can it in my bed. Which is the stupidest thing to do. MALE SPEAKER: I remember that being a super privilege. That’s a good to know, like —
PRESS:Hi. My name is Ruby and I’m with Westsidemommy.com. I’m a mother myself and as a mom of one child in Los Angeles, I feel like the whole timing of this is very timely for me. This is a question for Charlize —
“Tully” is a brutal honest look at the frustrating situation of a mother, that speaks volumes for the lives of so many others. This brilliant movie is a MUST-SEE. Go see it in theaters May 4th!
