title: Two and a Half Men

text: In a November 2012 interview with a Christian website, Angus T. Jones (Jake) said he had recently converted to Christianity and joined a Seventh-day Adventist church. He attacked the show as "filth that contradicts his moral values" and said that he was "sick of being a part of it". He also begged fans to stop watching the show. Producers explained that Jones was not expected back on the set until 2013, because his character was not scheduled to appear in the final two episodes before the winter hiatus. In response to the controversy, Sheen issued a public statement in which he blamed Chuck Lorre for the outburst and claimed that "Jones' outburst isn’t an isolated incident but rather a symptom of the toxic environment surrounding the show." The following day, Jones issued a public apology for his remarks and explained that he "cannot address everything that has been said or right every misstatement or misunderstanding." Jones left the series at the end of the 2012–2013 season and did not appear in season 11 despite initial reports that he would continue in a recurring, rather than a starring role. The role of youngest family member was filled by Amber Tamblyn, who played Jenny, the long-lost illegitimate daughter of Charlie Harper; and later by Edan Alexander, who played Louis, Walden Schmidt's adopted son. On March 18, 2014, Jones officially announced his departure from the show, stating he had been "a paid hypocrite". Nevertheless, he apologized to Lorre for his actions and appeared in a cameo in the series finale on February 19, 2015.


title: Two and a Half Men

text: As part of a from the writers and executive producer of "", George Eads made a brief cameo appearance on the May 5, 2008, episode.


title: Two and a Half Men

text: Charlie Sheen's real-life brother Emilio Estevez has guest-starred as an old friend of Charlie's; his father Martin Sheen has appeared as Rose's father. Sam Sheen, the real-life daughter of Denise Richards and Charlie Sheen, appeared as Lisa's daughter on November 22, 2004. Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher's fiancée and later wife, appeared on the show as his love interest in season 11.


title: Two and a Half Men

text: Each episode's title is a dialogue fragment from the episode itself, usually offering no clue to the episode's actual plotline. The show's 100th episode ("City of Great Racks") aired on October 15, 2007. To celebrate this, a casino-inspired party was held at West Hollywood's Pacific Design Center. Warner Bros. Television also distributed blue Micargi Rover bicycles adorned with the "Two and a Half Men" logo along with the words "100 Episodes". Each bicycle came with a note saying, "You've made us very proud. Here's to a long ride together." The cast also gave the crew sterling silver key rings from Tiffany & Co. The key rings were attached to small pendants with "100" inscribed on one side and "Two and a Half Men" on the other.


title: Two and a Half Men

text: Seasons one through four, six and nine consist of 24 episodes. Season five was reduced to 19 episodes due to the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike. Due to Sheen's personal life problems, season seven had 22 episodes. Season eight premiered on September 20, 2010, at 9:00 pm ET. CBS initially ordered 24 episodes for the season, but again due to Sheen's personal life, the show was put on hiatus after 16 episodes were produced, with production scheduled to resume on February 28. After a series of comments made by Sheen on February 24, 2011, CBS and Warner Bros. cancelled the remainder of the season.


title: Two and a Half Men

text: On May 13, 2011, actor Ashton Kutcher was widely reported to be replacing Charlie Sheen as the lead on the show. The show's ninth season premiered on September 19, 2011. The first episode, "Nice to Meet You, Walden Schmidt", begins with Charlie Harper's funeral and introduces Kutcher as billionaire Walden Schmidt, who buys Harper's house. On May 12, 2012, CBS renewed "Two and a Half Men" for a 10th season, moving it to Thursday nights at 8:30 pm, following "The Big Bang Theory". For the 2013–14 season, the show was moved to the Thursday 9:30–10:00 pm Eastern slot. As of February 27, 2014, the series' time slot was moved to a half-hour earlier at the 9:00–9:30 slot.


title: Two and a Half Men

text: "Two and a Half Men" entered local United States broadcast syndication in 2007, with the first four seasons available to local stations (largely CW affiliates in the major U.S. television markets through major deals with Tribune Broadcasting and the Sinclair Broadcast Group). From September 6, 2010, to November 24, 2017, FX aired the series daily nationwide (Charlie Sheen most recently starred on "Anger Management" on the same network from 2012 to 2014). Syndicated shows are sold in multiyear cycles, with the first cycle the most expensive. "Two and a Half Men"'s first cycle is nine years in length. If no ninth season had occurred because of Sheen's departure, due to the first cycle's premature end, Warner Bros. would not have received about $80 million in license fees. While local stations would prefer to have as many episodes as possible available to them, an early start to the second cycle would lower the cost of the show for them. The series began airing on Viacom-owned networks Nick at Nite and Paramount Network (at the time still called Spike) in December 2017 and on IFC on January 1, 2018. As of July 2, 2018, the series has moved from Nick at Nite to TV Land, switching places with "Mom". As of August 6, 2019, the series has started airing on AMC.


title: Two and a Half Men

text: In 2007, "Two and a Half Men" creator Chuck Lorre contacted "" executive producer Carol Mendelsohn about a crossover. At first, the idea seemed unlikely to receive approval; however, it resurfaced when Mendelsohn and Lorre were at the World Television Festival in Canada and they decided to get approval and run with it. When Mendelsohn was giving a talk, she accidentally mentioned the crossover, that same day "Variety" was already inquiring about the crossover episodes. Mendelsohn later stated: "We're all used to being in control and in charge of our own shows and even though this was a freelance-type situation ... there was an expectation and also a desire on all of our parts to really have a true collaboration. You have to give a little. It was sort of a life lesson, I think."


title: Two and a Half Men

text: "The biggest challenge for us was doing a comedy with a murder in it. Generally, our stories are a little lighter," stated Lorre in an interview. "Would our audience go with a dead body in it? There was a moment where it could have gone either way. I think the results were spectacular. It turned out to be a really funny episode." The "Two and a Half Men" episode "Fish in a Drawer" was the first part of the crossover to air, on May 5, 2008, written by "CSI" writers Sarah Goldfinger, Evan Dunsky, Carol Mendelsohn and Naren Shankar. George Eads is the only "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" cast member to make a cameo in this episode.


title: Two and a Half Men

text: Three days later, the second part of the crossover aired, the "CSI" episode "Two and a Half Deaths". Gil Grissom (William Petersen) investigated the murder of a sitcom diva named Annabelle (Katey Sagal), who was found murdered while she was filming her show in Las Vegas. The episode was written by "Two and a Half Men" creators Lorre and Aronsohn; Sheen, Cryer and Jones all make uncredited cameos in this episode, in the same clothes their characters were wearing in "Fish in a Drawer".


title: Two and a Half Men

text: At the end of 2010 film "Due Date", a scene from "Two and a Half Men" is shown, in which Sheen and Cryer appear as their characters, while Ethan Chase (played by Zach Galifianakis in the movie) plays Stu, Jake's tutor.


title: Two and a Half Men

text: "Two and a Half Men" received mostly mixed reviews from critics throughout its run. The "New York Daily News" has described the sitcom as "solid, well-acted and occasionally funny." Conversely Graeme Blundell, writing for "The Australian", described it as a "sometimes creepy, misogynistic comedy". Ashton Kutcher's debut was met with mixed reviews, and reviews for season nine were also mixed.


title: Two and a Half Men

text: However, it has been labeled as "one of America's most successful comedy shows." Ellen Gray of "Daily News" praised the shows' legacy just before the premiere of the finale. The show is credited as being the reason "The Big Bang Theory", "Mike & Molly" and "Mom" were all made. "Men"s success was what enabled these other Chuck Lorre shows to be made and be successful.


title: Two and a Half Men

text: Following the filming of the final episode, Stage 26 of the Warner Brothers lot was renamed the "Two and a Half Men stage".


title: Two and a Half Men

text: After the finale, "Two and a Half Men" fans launched a global petition under the name "Yes To "The Harpers"", to have Charlie Sheen reprise the role of Charlie Harper alongside his former co-star Jon Cryer. This idea surfaced after fans saw Chuck Lorre's vanity card about Charlie Sheen's idea of a spinoff show named "The Harpers".


title: Two and a Half Men

text: "Note: Each U.S. network television season starts in late September and ends in late May, which coincides with the completion of May sweeps."


title: Two and a Half Men

text: The show received multiple award nominations. It was nominated for 46 Primetime Emmy Awards (winning nine, including two for Jon Cryer) and two Golden Globe Awards (both for Charlie Sheen). The show won the award for Favorite TV Comedy at the 35th People's Choice Awards.


title: Two and a Half Men

text: When Sheen appeared on the April 2019 broadcast of "Loose Women", he expressed interest in a potential revival, hoping to make two more seasons to tie up loose characters ends. In response, Jon Cryer expressed reluctance to return to working with Sheen full time, comparing it to a roller coaster.


title: Nickelodeon

text: Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. Its programming is primarily aimed at children aged 2–17, along with a broader family audience through its program blocks.


title: Nickelodeon

text: The channel began life as a test broadcast on December 1, 1977 as part of QUBE, an early cable television system broadcast locally in Columbus, Ohio. The channel, now named Nickelodeon, launched to a new countrywide audience on April 1, 1979, with "Pinwheel" as its inaugural program. The network was initially commercial-free and remained without advertising until 1984.


title: Nickelodeon

text: Throughout history, Nickelodeon has introduced several sister channels and programming blocks. Nick Jr. is a preschool morning block launched on January 4, 1988. Nicktoons, based on the flagship brand, launched as a separate sister channel in 2002. In 1999, Nickelodeon partnered with Sesame Workshop to create Noggin, an educational brand consisting of a cable channel and an interactive website. Two blocks aimed at a teenage audience, TEENick (previously on Nickelodeon) and The N (previously on Noggin), were merged into a standalone channel, TeenNick, in 2009.


title: Nickelodeon

text: The channel's name comes from the first five-cent movie theaters called nickelodeons. Its history dates back to December 1, 1977, when Warner Cable Communications launched the first 2-way interactive cable system, QUBE, in Columbus, Ohio. The C-3 cable channel carried "Pinwheel" daily from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time, and the channel was labelled "Pinwheel" on remote controllers, as it was the only program broadcast. Initially scheduled for a February 1979 launch, Nickelodeon launched on April 1, 1979, initially distributed to Warner Cable systems via satellite on the RCA Satcom-1 transponder (the owner of the satellite, RCA Americom, later became GE Americom as a result of General Electric's acquisition of RCA Americom's parent company, RCA Corporation, before merging with Luxembourg-based Société Européenne des Satellites to form SES Global, now SES S.A, which one of the ancestors of the Satcom series, the SES and AMC satellite constellations, still operate, Nickelodeon presently broadcasts on AMC-11). Originally commercial-free, advertising was introduced in January 1984.


title: Nickelodeon

text: Programming seen on Nickelodeon includes animated series (such as "SpongeBob SquarePants", "The Loud House", "Middlemost Post", "The Patrick Star Show", "", "The Smurfs", "Rugrats" and "Monster High"), live-action, scripted series (such as "Danger Force", "Tyler Perry's Young Dylan" and "That Girl Lay Lay"), and original made-for-TV movies, while the network's daytime schedule is dedicated to shows targeting preschoolers (such as "Bubble Guppies", "PAW Patrol", and "Blue's Clues & You!").


title: Nickelodeon

text: A re-occurring program was bi-monthly special editions of "Nick News with Linda Ellerbee", a news magazine series aimed at children that debuted in 1992 as a weekly series and ended in 2015. In June 2020, Nickelodeon announced that they would bring back "Nick News" in a series of hour-long specials. The first installment, Kids, Race and Unity: A Nick News Special premiered on June 29, 2020, and was hosted by R&B musician Alicia Keys.


title: Nickelodeon

text: Nicktoons is the branding for Nickelodeon's original animated television series. Until 1991, the animated series that aired on Nickelodeon were largely imported from foreign countries, with some original animated specials that were also featured on the channel up to that point. Though the Nicktoons branding has infrequently been used by the network itself since the 2002 launch of the channel of the same name, original animated series continue to make up a substantial portion of Nickelodeon's lineup. Roughly, six to seven hours of these programs are seen on the weekday schedule, and around nine hours on weekends, including a dedicated weekend morning animation block.


title: Nickelodeon

text: In 2006, the channel struck a deal with DreamWorks Animation to develop the studio's animated films into television series (such as "The Penguins of Madagascar"). Since the early 2010s, Nickelodeon Animation Studio has also produced series based on preexisting IP purchased by ViacomCBS, such as "Winx Club" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles".


title: Nickelodeon

text: Nickelodeon has produced a variety of original made-for-TV movies, which usually premiere in weekend evening timeslots or on school holidays. Nickelodeon also periodically acquires theatrically-released feature films for broadcast on the channel.


title: Nickelodeon

text: The channel occasionally airs feature films produced by the network's Nickelodeon Movies film production division (whose films are distributed by sister company Paramount Pictures). Although the film division bears the Nickelodeon brand name, the channel does not have access to most of the movies produced by its film unit. The majority of the live-action feature films produced under the Nickelodeon Movies banner are licensed for broadcast by various free-to-air and pay television outlets within the United States other than Nickelodeon (although the network has aired a few live-action Nickelodeon Movies releases such as "Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging" and "Good Burger").


title: Nickelodeon

text: Nickelodeon also advertises hour-long episodes of its original series as movies; though the "TV movie" versions of Nickelodeon's original series differ from traditional television films in that they have shorter running times (approximately 45 minutes, as opposed to 75–100 minute run times that most television movies have), and use a traditional multi-camera setup for regular episodes (unless the program is originally shot in the single-camera setup common of films) with some on-location filming.


title: Nickelodeon

text: In 2002, Nickelodeon entered a long-standing broadcast partnership with Mattel to air films and specials based on the toy company's Barbie (and later Monster High) dolls. The first Barbie movie to air on Nickelodeon was "Barbie as Rapunzel" on November 24, 2002. The Barbie and Monster High films are usually aired under a brokered format in which Mattel purchases the time in order to promote the release of their films on DVD within a few days of the Nickelodeon premiere, an arrangement possible as Nickelodeon does not have to meet the Federal Communications Commission rules which disallow that arrangement for broadcast channels due to regulations banning paid programming to children.


title: Nickelodeon

text: The network's main programming is usually broadcast from 6:30 a.m. - 9 p.m. on weekdays (the sign-off time varies with holidays and special programming), 6 a.m. - 10 p.m. on Saturdays and 6 a.m. - 8 p.m on Sundays (Eastern and Pacific Time).


title: Nickelodeon

text: Nick Jr. (Nick Jr. Channel on-air to differentiate itself from the block) is a pay television network aimed mainly at children between 2 and 7 years of age. It features a mix of current and former preschool-oriented programs from Nickelodeon, as well as some shows that are exclusive to the channel. The Nick Jr. Channel launched on September 28, 2009, as a spin-off of Nickelodeon's long-running preschool programming block of the same name, which had aired since January 4, 1988. The channel replaced Noggin, which was relaunched as a streaming service in 2015 and acts as a separate sister brand. Noggin's programming is distinct from the Nick Jr. channel's; it mainly carried preteen-oriented programs at its launch, and its 2015 streaming service features a variety of exclusive series. On October 1, 2012, the Nick Jr. Channel introduced NickMom, a four-hour nighttime block aimed at parents, which ran until September 28, 2015. While traditional advertising appeared on the channel during the NickMom block, the network otherwise only runs programming promotions and underwriter-style sponsorships in lieu of regular commercials.


title: Nickelodeon

text: Nicktoons is a pay television network that launched on May 1, 2002, as Nicktoons TV; it was renamed Nicktoons in May 2003 and rebranded as Nicktoons Network in 2005 before reverting to its previous name in September 2009. The network airs a mix of newer live-action and animated shows from Nickelodeon such as "Henry Danger", "The Fairly OddParents", "The Loud House", "SpongeBob SquarePants", and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" alongside original series airing exclusively on Nicktoons.


title: Nickelodeon

text: TeenNick is a pay television network that is aimed at adolescents and young adults, named after the TEENick block that aired on Nickelodeon from March 2001 to February 2009. The channel merged programming from the TEENick block with The N, a former block on Noggin. Although TeenNick has more relaxed program standards than the other Nickelodeon channels (save for Nick at Nite and the NickMom block on Nick Jr.) – allowing for moderate profanity, suggestive dialogue and some violent content – the network has shifted its lineup almost exclusively towards current and former Nickelodeon series (including some that are burned off due to low ratings on the flagship channel) that have stricter content standards. It also airs some acquired sitcoms and drama series.


title: Nickelodeon

text: NickMusic is a pay television network in the United States mainly featuring music video and music-related programming from younger pop artists that appeal to Nickelodeon's target audience. It launched on the channel space formerly held by MTV Hits on September 9, 2016.


title: Nickelodeon

text: The timeshift channel was originally offered as part of the MTV Networks Digital Suite, a slate of channels exclusive to high-tier cable packages (many of the networks also earned satellite carriage over time), and was the only American example of two feeds of a non-premium service being provided to cable and IPTV providers. A Nick TOO logo was used on the channel until 2004, when MTV Networks decided to stop using customized branding on the feed (a logo for Nick 2 was only used for identification purposes on electronic program guides as a placeholder image); most television listings thus showed the additional channel under the brandings "Nick Pacific (NICKP)/Nick West (NICKW)," or "Nick East (NICKE)."


title: Nickelodeon

text: DirecTV and Dish Network also offer both Nickelodeon feeds, though they carry both time zone feeds of most of the children's networks that the providers offer by default.


title: Nickelodeon

text: Viacom Media Networks discontinued the Nick 2 digital cable service on November 22, 2018, likely due to video on demand options making timeshift channels for the most part superfluous. Both time zone feeds continue to be offered on Xfinity, unbranded.


title: Nickelodeon

text: Nickelodeon Animation Studio (formerly Games Productions, Inc.) is a production firm with two main locations (one in Burbank, California, and the other in New York City). They serve as the animation facilities for many of the network's Nicktoons and Nick Jr. series.


title: Nickelodeon

text: Nickelodeon Productions is a production studio in New York, that provides original sitcoms, animated shows and game-related programs for Nickelodeon.


title: Nickelodeon

text: Nickelodeon on Sunset was a studio complex in Hollywood, California which served as the primary production facility for Nickelodeon's series from 1997 until 2017; the studio is designated by the National Register for Historic Places as a historical landmark as a result of its prior existence as the Earl Carroll Theater, a prominent dinner theater. It served as the production facilities for several Nickelodeon series.


title: Nickelodeon

text: Nickelodeon Games (formerly Nick Games from 2002 to 2009, from 1997 to 2002, Nickelodeon Software, and from 1993 to 1997, Nickelodeon Interactive) is the video gaming division of Nickelodeon. It was originally a part of Viacom Consumer Products, with early games being published by Viacom New Media. They started a long-standing relationship with game publisher THQ. THQ's relationship with the network started off when THQ published their "Ren & Stimpy" game for Nintendo consoles in 1992, followed by a full-fledged console deal in 1998 with several "Rugrats" titles, and expanded in 2001, when THQ acquired some of the assets from Mattel Interactive, namely the computer publishing rights, and all video game rights to "The Wild Thornberrys". Nickelodeon also worked, alongside THQ on an original game concept, "Tak and the Power of Juju".


title: Nickelodeon

text: Nick.com is Nickelodeon's main website, which launched in October 1995 as a component of America Online's Kids Only channel before eventually moving to the full World Wide Web. It provides content, as well as video clips and full episodes of Nickelodeon series available for streaming. The website's popularity grew to the point where in March 1999, Nick.com became the highest rated website among children aged 6–14 years old. Nickelodeon used the website in conjunction with television programs which increased traffic. In 2001, Nickelodeon partnered with Networks Inc. to provide broadband video games for rent from Nick.com; the move was a further step in the multimedia direction that the developers wanted to take the website. Skagerlind indicated that over 50% of Nick.com's audience were using a high speed connection, which allowed them to expand the gaming and video streaming options on the website.


title: Nickelodeon

text: Nickelodeon released a free mobile app for smartphones and tablet computers operating on the Apple and Android platforms in February 2013. Like Nick.com, a TV Everywhere login code provided by participating subscription providers is required to view individual episodes of the network's series.


title: Nickelodeon

text: Nickelodeon Movies is a motion picture production unit that was founded in 1995, as a family entertainment arm of Paramount Pictures (owned by Nickelodeon's corporate parent, Viacom). The first film released from the studio was the 1996 mystery/comedy "Harriet the Spy". Nickelodeon Movies has produced films based on Nickelodeon animated programs including "The Rugrats Movie" and "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie", as well as other adaptations and original live-action and animated projects.


title: Nickelodeon

text: Nickelodeon Magazine was a print magazine that was launched in 1993; the channel had previously published a short-lived magazine effort in 1990. "Nickelodeon Magazine" incorporated informative non-fiction pieces, humor (including pranks and parodical pieces), interviews, recipes (such as green slime cake), and a comic book section in the center of each issue featuring original comics by leading underground cartoonists as well as strips about popular Nicktoons. It ceased publication after 16 years in December 2009, citing a sluggish magazine industry. A new version of the magazine was published by Papercutz from June 2015 to mid-2016.


title: Nickelodeon

text: Nick Radio was a radio network that launched on September 30, 2013, in a partnership between both the network and iHeartMedia (then called Clear Channel Communications), which distributed the network mainly via its iHeartRadio web platform and mobile app. Its programming was also streamed via the Nick.com website and on New York City radio station WHTZ as a secondary HD channel. Nick Radio focused on Top 40 and pop music (geared towards the network's target audience of children, with radio edits of some songs incorporated due to inappropriate content), along with celebrity interview features. In addition to regular on-air DJs, Nick Radio also occasionally featured guest DJ stints by popular artists as well as stars from Nickelodeon's original series.


title: Nickelodeon

text: Nick Radio shut down without warning on July 31, 2019, and was replaced by Hit Nation Junior, likely due to the network's general failure to establish any sustained "triple threat" artists/actors throughout the 2010s, along with the general failure of the children's-only radio format in the streaming age. It was also a non-prime asset in Viacom's current 'six prime networks' strategy, leaving it vulnerable to being terminated.


title: Nickelodeon

text: Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America is the second indoor theme park in the United States. On August 18, 2009, Nickelodeon and Southern Star Amusements announced that it would build a second Nickelodeon Universe in New Orleans, Louisiana on the site of the former Six Flags New Orleans by the end of 2010, which was set to be the first outdoor Nickelodeon Universe theme park. On November 9, 2009, Nickelodeon announced that it had ended the licensing agreement with Southern Star Amusements.


title: Nickelodeon

text: Nickelodeon Universe has a second location at the American Dream Meadowlands complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, that opened on October 25, 2019. Upon opening the New Jersey Nickelodeon Universe became the largest indoor theme park in the western hemisphere, unseating the Minnesota Nickelodeon Universe who had the title from 2008 to 2019.


title: Nickelodeon

text: Between 1993 and 1995, Nickelodeon opened international channels in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Germany; by the later year, the network had provided its programming to broadcasters in 70 countries. Since the mid-1990s and early 2000s, Nickelodeon as a brand has expanded into include language- or culture-specific channels for various other territories in different parts of the world including Europe, Asia, Oceania, and Canada, and has licensed some of its cartoons and other content, in English and local languages, to free-to-air networks and subscription channels such as KI.KA and Super RTL in Germany, RTÉ Two (English language) and TG4 (Irish language) in Ireland, YTV (in English) and Vrak.TV (in French) in Canada, Canal J in France, Alpha Kids in Greece, CNBC-e in Turkey and 10 Shake in Australia (which is a sister network to Nickelodeon).


title: Gerard Way

text: Gerard Arthur Way (born April 9, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and comic book writer. He is best known as the lead vocalist and co-founder of the rock band My Chemical Romance. He released his debut solo album, "Hesitant Alien", in 2014.


title: Gerard Way

text: Way co-created and wrote the comic mini-series "The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys" and the Eisner Award-winning comic book series "The Umbrella Academy", the latter of which was later adapted into a Netflix series released in 2019. Way is also the co-founder of DC Comics' Young Animal imprint. In the Marvel Universe, Way is the co-creator of Peni Parker, an alternative version of Spider-Man.


title: Gerard Way

text: Way was born in Summit, New Jersey, on April 9, 1977, the son of Donna Lee ("née" Rush) and Donald Way. He is of Italian and Scottish ancestry. Raised in Belleville, New Jersey, alongside brother Mikey Way, he first began singing publicly in the fourth grade, when he played the role of Peter Pan in a school musical production. His maternal grandmother, Elena Lee Rush, was a great creative influence who taught him to sing, paint, and perform from a young age; he has said that "she has taught me everything I know". Also, while in elementary school, the glam metal band Bon Jovi was instrumental in forming his love of music and Bruce Springsteen is the first concert that he ever watched.


title: Gerard Way

text: At the age of 15, Way was held at gunpoint. As he said in an April 2008 "Rolling Stone" interview, "I got held up with a .357 Magnum, had a gun pointed to my head and put on the floor, execution-style." He went on to say that "no matter how ugly the world gets or how stupid it shows me it is, I always have faith [in it]". At age 16, he appeared on an episode of "Sally Jesse Raphael" to discuss the controversy surrounding the publicizing of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer's crimes in comic books. Way attended Belleville High School until he graduated in 1995. Deciding to pursue a career in the comic-book industry, he attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1999.


title: Gerard Way

text: As teenagers, Gerard and his brother Mikey Way, who later became the bassist of My Chemical Romance, were influenced by artists including Iron Maiden, The Misfits, Danzig, Black Flag, Queen, Pulp, Blur, Morrissey, and The Smiths. Way originally wanted to be a guitarist. His grandmother bought him his first guitar at the age of eight, and he played in short-lived bands such as Ray Gun Jones and Nancy Drew with future bandmate Ray Toro. When he was not successful (one band kicked him out due to his lack of skill with the guitar), he chose to concentrate on his art career.


title: Gerard Way

text: Way was working as an intern for Cartoon Network in New York City during the September 11, 2001 attacks. Seeing the effects of the attacks first-hand prompted Way to change his views on life in the following weeks. He told "Spin" magazine, "I literally said to myself, 'Fuck art. I've gotta get out of the basement. I've gotta see the world. I've gotta make a difference.'" To help deal with the emotional effects the attacks had on him, Way wrote the lyrics to the song "Skylines and Turnstiles", which became the first song by My Chemical Romance.


title: Gerard Way

text: Way has also contributed vocally to other bands' songs such as Every Time I Die's "Kill the Music", Head Automatica's "Graduation Day", Say Anything's "In Defense of the Genre", and The Oval Portrait's "From My Cold Dead Hands" and "Barnabus Collins Has More Skeletons in His Closet Than Vincent Price".


title: Gerard Way

text: In interviews, Way has stated that music and his artwork were effective outlets for his longtime battles against depression, alcoholism, and prescription drug abuse. Using music to resolve personal battles has also led Way to create deeply personal songs such as "Helena," which he wrote in memory of his late grandmother.


title: Gerard Way

text: On October 31, 2019, My Chemical Romance announced they would be reuniting with a date in Los Angeles on December 20 and a new merchandise line. They later announced a 2020 North American tour, as well as dates in Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. The tour was postponed to 2022, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


title: Gerard Way

text: In May 2014, Way launched his Tumblr-based website where he announced that he had signed to Warner Bros. Records as a solo artist and was nearing completion of his first solo album.


title: Gerard Way

text: Further to this he announced a new song, "Action Cat", released later in June as a promotional single to his new album and his first solo shows at Reading and Leeds Festivals 2014. He later announced another solo performance that took place at Portsmouth’s Wedgewood Rooms on August 20. On August 19, Way streamed a new music video for the song "No Shows", released as the first single off the new album on August 19. The album, titled "Hesitant Alien", was released on September 30, 2014.


title: Gerard Way

text: When Way was asked why he chose to implement the Britpop genre into his music he stated that he enjoyed the energy and style of the music and its scene, and was urged to revive aspects of the genre in America.


title: Gerard Way

text: In February and March 2015, Way performed as a solo artist with The Hormones on the main stage of the Australian 2015 Soundwave music festivals, and headlined an additional sideshow in Melbourne.


title: Gerard Way

text: In early 2015, it was announced that he would perform at the Boston Calling Music Festival in May 2015.


title: Gerard Way

text: On Record Store Day 2016, Way released two exclusive, unreleased tracks from "Hesitant Alien" titled "Don't Try" and "Pinkish".


title: Gerard Way

text: On October 28, 2018, Way released his first major solo single in over two years, titled "Baby You’re a Haunted House". The single features Way's brother and former bandmate, Mikey Way, on bass. The official lyric video, featuring four skeleton-masked musicians performing the song, was released on YouTube on the same day.


title: Gerard Way

text: On November 15, Way released another single, "Getting Down the Germs", which was co-written with former bandmate Ray Toro. The single "gives a peek of where [Way] will be headed musically," according to a statement released by Way.


title: Gerard Way

text: On December 14, Way released a third single, "Dasher", which features additional vocals from Lydia Night of The Regrettes. The single is a Christmas-themed story about a girl who falls in love with a reindeer as they await to be reunited after a long absence.


title: Gerard Way

text: On January 24, 2019, Way released a cover of "Hazy Shade of Winter" by Simon & Garfunkel, once again in collaboration with Toro. The song was featured in the trailer for the Netflix television series adaptation of Way's "The Umbrella Academy", which was released the same day. On February 8, 2019, Way released a cover of "Happy Together" by The Turtles, again featuring Toro. The song also appears on "The Umbrella Academy".


title: Gerard Way

text: On July 8, 2020, Way released an original song titled "Here Comes the End," which features singer Judith Hill and appears on the second season of "The Umbrella Academy".


title: Gerard Way

text: In 2008, Way and musical project Julien-K remixed a version of the song "Sleep When I'm Dead" by The Cure for their EP "Hypnagogic States". All profits gained from the sales of the EP go to funding the International Red Cross.


title: Gerard Way

text: In early 2009, Way and Japanese singer Kyosuke Himuro co-produced the new theme song for "Advent Children Complete", the Blu-ray director's cut of the movie sequel to the popular video game franchise, "Compilation of Final Fantasy VII". He is also credited with writing the lyrics, and singing alongside Himuro. The song, titled "Safe and Sound", was released on iTunes on April 29, 2009. "Safe and Sound" is only heard on the Japanese release of the film; the English release uses Himuro's "Calling" (the original ending theme for "Advent Children") in place of it. He also contributed vocals for the vocal mix of the deadmau5 song "Professional Griefers".


title: Gerard Way

text: A longtime supporter of the British rock band LostAlone, Way is the executive producer of their second studio album "I'm a UFO in This City" (2012).


title: Gerard Way

text: Way contributed guest vocals to "Falling in Love Will Kill You" from Wrongchilde's debut solo album "Gold Blooded", a pseudonym project from Kill Hannah frontman Mat Devine.


title: Gerard Way

text: In 2015, Way co-wrote and contributed backing vocals to the song "Louder Than Your Love" on Black Veil Brides frontman Andy Black's debut solo album "The Shadow Side".


title: Gerard Way

text: Way featured in "Rōnin" by "Ibaraki" in March 2022 alongside Trivium's lead vocalist and guitarist Matt Heafy.


title: Gerard Way

text: Way's first attempt at writing a comic was at the age of 16 in 1993, writing a comic book series called "On Raven's Wings", published by Hart D. Fisher's Boneyard Press. The series was cancelled after the second issue, however, due to the loss of its art team. Way was credited as Garry Way.


title: Gerard Way

text: In 2007, Way began writing the comic-book miniseries "The Umbrella Academy". Way wrote the story and illustrated the original version, but cartoonist Gabriel Bá redrew the art in the first volume, "".


title: Gerard Way

text: "Apocalypse Suite" was first released by Dark Horse Comics in their Free Comic Book Day issue on May 5, 2007. Since then, an eight-page story has been published entitled "Safe & Sound", which appeared in a collection of stories entitled "MySpace Dark Horse Presents Volume One". The first official issue of "The Umbrella Academy" was released on September 19, 2007. The first issue sold out and consequently there was a second printing released on October 17, 2007. "Apocalypse Suite" also won the 2008 Eisner Award for Best Limited Series. The next installment of the series, "", was released on November 26, 2008, and, following speculation that Way had retired indefinitely from comics, a third installment entitled "Hotel Oblivion" was released in 2018–2019.


title: Gerard Way

text: Way and fellow artists Shaun Simon and Becky Cloonan co-created another comic-book series entitled "The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys", which Way announced at 2009 San Diego Comic-Con. At the 2012 New York Comic Con, the team announced that the first look at the series would be released on 2013's Free Comic Book Day. The series continued the concepts introduced in the My Chemical Romance .


title: Gerard Way

text: In 2011, My Chemical Romance stated that Mikey and Gerard were working on another comic book project which they had kept under wraps since mid-2009. As of 2015 nothing of this project has emerged.


title: Gerard Way

text: On December 21, 2013, Gerard Way stated that he and Gabriel Bá will be working on parts three and four of his comic book series "Umbrella Academy" beginning in the new year.


title: Gerard Way

text: In a podcast interview on December 31, 2013, with Chris Thompson from Pop Culture Hound, Way discussed his new "Umbrella Academy" series in more detail and confirmed he would do two volumes back-to-back, with a couple of flashback issues in-between. In addition, he discussed his new comic series "All Ages" which first appeared as a series of images on his Twitter feed. Although the project doesn't have a publisher or an artist at this stage, he is actively working on the story of cats in high school who are discovering their place in the world.


title: Gerard Way

text: In 2014, it was announced that Way will be making his debut in the Marvel Universe by writing for the alternate universe Spider-Man series "Edge of Spider-Verse". His story introduced Peni Parker, a Japanese-American student who pilots a bio-mechanical suit named SP//dr.


title: Gerard Way

text: In 2001, Way co-created a cartoon with Joe Boyle called "The Breakfast Monkey". They pitched it to Cartoon Network, but the network declined to pick up the concept on the grounds that it was too similar to the existing property "Aqua Teen Hunger Force".


title: Gerard Way

text: In 2013, Way made his television directorial debut on The Hub original series "The Aquabats! Super Show!", co-directing and co-writing the season two finale "The AntiBats!" with series co-creators Christian Jacobs and Jason deVilliers. Additionally, Way's brother Mikey appears in the episode, playing the lead singer of a fictional death metal band called Asthma. The following year, Way, as part of the show's writing team, was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Writing in a Children's Series".


title: Gerard Way

text: Since 2019, Way served as executive producer on the television series adaptation of "The Umbrella Academy".


title: Gerard Way

text: Way struggled with alcoholism and prescription drug addiction for many years but as of 2007 was maintaining sobriety. In a November 2010 issue of "Spin" magazine, he said that having become a happier person and feeling more in control, he had been able to enjoy the occasional recreational drink.


title: Gerard Way

text: On September 3, 2007, after a concert in Colorado, Way married Lyn-Z, bassist of Mindless Self Indulgence, backstage on the final date of the Projekt Revolution tour. A member of Live Nation's touring staff who was also an ordained minister performed the low-key ceremony. Their daughter was born on May 27, 2009. They live in Los Angeles.


title: Gerard Way

text: Way was raised Catholic, stating in 2006 that he was "not Catholic anymore", and in 2013 that he was a theist who "had always acknowledged [he] received [...] artistic gifts from God".


title: Gerard Way

text: In 2014, Way began openly discussing his gender identity struggles online and in interviews. In a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) hosted by Way in October 2014, he stated, "I have always been extremely sensitive to those that have gender identity issues as I feel like I have gone through it as well, if even on a smaller scale. I have always identified a fair amount with the female gender, and began at a certain point in MCR to express this through my look and performance style. So it's no surprise that all of my inspirations and style influences were pushing gender boundaries. Freddy ["sic"] Mercury, Bowie, Iggy, early glam, T-Rex. Masculinity to me has always made me feel like it wasn't right for me."


title: Gerard Way

text: In January 2015, Way was featured in "The Boyzine", an independent zine published by SWMRS frontman Cole Becker. Way again discussed his gender identity, commenting, "I never really subscribed to the archetype masculinity growing up, I had no interest in sports or anything like that. There was a time where I was called a girl so often that when I discovered the idea of transgenderism I considered myself to be more of a girl. So I identify with trans people and women a lot because I was a girl to a lot of people growing up." In June 2015, Way tweeted that he uses "he" and "they" pronouns.


title: Gerard Way

text: In 2015, Way revealed on Reddit that he is a first cousin once removed of comedian Joe Rogan. In October 2019, Rogan confirmed it on his podcast. He also said that despite this, the two have never met.


title: Rebecca Hall

text: Rebecca Maria Hall (born 3 May 1982) is an English actress and filmmaker. She made her first onscreen appearance at age 10 in the 1992 television adaptation of "The Camomile Lawn", directed by her father, Sir Peter Hall. Her professional stage debut came in her father's 2002 production of "Mrs. Warren's Profession", which earned her the Ian Charleson Award.


title: Rebecca Hall

text: In 2006, following her film debut in "Starter for 10", Hall got her breakthrough role in Christopher Nolan's thriller film "The Prestige". In 2008, she starred as Vicky in Woody Allen's romantic comedy-drama "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", for which she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. Hall then appeared in a wide array of films, including Ron Howard's historical drama "Frost/Nixon" (2008), Ben Affleck's crime drama "The Town" (2010), the horror thriller "The Awakening" (2011), the superhero film "Iron Man 3" (2013), the science fiction film "Transcendence" (2014), the psychological thriller "The Gift" (2015), the live-action/CGI fantasy adventure film "The BFG" (2016), the biographical drama "Professor Marston and the Wonder Women" (2017) and the monster film "Godzilla vs. Kong" (2021). In 2016, Hall was praised by critics for her portrayal of news reporter Christine Chubbuck in the biographical drama "Christine". She made her directorial debut with "Passing" (2021), receiving critical acclaim.


title: Rebecca Hall

text: Hall has also made several notable appearances on British television. She won the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress for the 2009 Channel 4 miniseries "Red Riding: 1974". In 2013, she was nominated for the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress for her performance in BBC Two's "Parade's End".


title: Rebecca Hall

text: Hall was born on 3 May 1982 in London, the daughter of American opera singer Maria Ewing and English stage director and Royal Shakespeare Company founder Sir Peter Hall. Her mother was born in Detroit, to an African-American mixed-race father and a Dutch mother; she is a descendant of Revolutionary War veteran Bazabeel Norman, a free black man. On "Finding Your Roots", Hall discovered that, while her maternal grandfather, Norman Isaac Ewing, had performed as a Native American figure and was recorded as a Sioux chief in newspapers, he had been born to mixed-race African-American parents, and had no Native American ancestry. His own father, Hall's great-grandfather John William Ewing, had been born into slavery and became a prominent figure in Washington, D.C.'s black community. Rebecca has 91% European DNA and 9% sub-Saharan African DNA according to an Ancestry.com DNA test.


title: Rebecca Hall

text: Hall's parents separated when she was still young, eventually divorcing in 1990. Hall has five paternal half-siblings: stage director Edward Hall, producer Christopher Hall, actresses Jennifer Caron Hall and Emma Hall, and set designer Lucy Hall.


title: Rebecca Hall

text: Hall attended Roedean School, where she became head girl. She studied English literature at St Catharine's College, Cambridge, before dropping out in 2002, just before her final year. During her time at Cambridge, she was active in the student theatre scene and also set up her own theatre company. She was a member of the Marlowe Society and performed in several productions alongside housemate Dan Stevens, an English literature student at Emmanuel College.


title: Rebecca Hall

text: Hall's first professional role came in 1992, when she appeared as young Sophy in her father's television adaptation of Mary Wesley's "The Camomile Lawn" at the age of nine. Her feature film debut came in 2006 as Rebecca Epstein in the film adaptation of David Nicholls's "Starter for Ten". She got her breakthrough with the role of Sarah Borden in Christopher Nolan's film "The Prestige" (2006). She then appeared in Stephen Poliakoff's "Joe's Palace" in 2007, as well as appearing in several other television films including "Wide Sargasso Sea" and "Rubberheart".


title: Rebecca Hall

text: Hall's Hollywood fame grew when she starred in the Woody Allen film "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" (2008) as one of the title characters, Vicky. Her performance was well-received, and she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. In 2008, she appeared in Ron Howard's historical drama "Frost/Nixon" as the girlfriend of Michael Sheen's David Frost. The following year she was cast in the British fantasy-horror film "Dorian Gray" based on Oscar Wilde's 1890 novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray".


title: Rebecca Hall

text: Following a small role in the indie film "Please Give", Hall starred in Ben Affleck's crime drama "The Town" (2010) opposite Affleck and Jon Hamm. In June 2010, she won the British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Paula Garland in the 2009 Channel 4 production "Red Riding: In the Year of Our Lord 1974". The following year she played the female lead in the British ghost film "The Awakening", released in September 2011.


title: Rebecca Hall

text: In 2012, she took on the role of Beth Raymer in the comedy-drama film "Lay the Favourite", based on Raymer's memoir of the same title; one review commented that she "plays Raymer as an endearing force of nature who somehow manages to survive in a dangerous world through sheer force of character." She next starred in the BBC/HBO/VRT production of "Parade's End" (2012) opposite Benedict Cumberbatch, which earned her a BAFTA Television Award nomination for Best Actress. In 2013, Hall replaced Jessica Chastain as Maya Hansen in the superhero film "Iron Man 3". The same year she appeared in the political thriller "Closed Circuit" (2013). She then starred opposite Johnny Depp in Wally Pfister's directorial debut "Transcendence" (2014). In 2015, Hall starred in the romantic comedy "Tumbledown" and Joel Edgerton's directorial debut "The Gift".


title: Rebecca Hall

text: In the 2016 biographical drama "Christine", Hall played the role of real-life news reporter Christine Chubbuck. "Variety" called her "discomfitingly electric in the best role she's yet been offered".


title: Rebecca Hall

text: In 2017, she portrayed Elizabeth Holloway Marston, a real-life psychologist who inspired Wonder Woman, in "Professor Marston and the Wonder Women". The same year, Hall joined the cast of "A Rainy Day in New York", re-teaming her with Woody Allen. In January 2018, Hall donated her salary to Time's Up after re-reading literature pertaining to the sexual abuse allegation against Woody Allen, stating: "I see not only how complicated this matter is, but that my actions have made another woman feel silenced and dismissed. I regret this decision and wouldn't make the same one today." Hall provided English dub for the character Mother in "Mirai" (2018).


title: Rebecca Hall

text: Beginning the 2020s, Hall starred in and co-executive produced the well-reviewed horror-thriller "The Night House", which was released in 2021. The same year, she appeared in the monster film "Godzilla vs. Kong" and made her directorial debut with the drama "Passing", which she also wrote and co-produced. "Passing" premiered at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival and received critical acclaim, before its distribution rights were acquired by Netflix for approximately $16 million.


title: Rebecca Hall

text: Hall made her professional stage debut in 2002 when she starred as Vivie in her father's production of "Mrs Warren's Profession" at the Strand Theatre in London. Her performance, described as "admirable" and "accomplished", earned her the Ian Charleson Award in 2003.


title: Rebecca Hall

text: In 2003, Hall's father celebrated 50 years as a theatre director by staging a season of five plays at the Theatre Royal in Bath, Somerset. Hall starred in two of these plays; she appeared as Rosalind in her father's production of "As You Like It", which gained her a second Charleson nomination and starred in the title role of Thea Sharrock's revival of D. H. Lawrence's "The Fight for Barbara".


title: Rebecca Hall

text: In 2004, Hall appeared in three plays for the Peter Hall Company at the Theatre Royal Bath, two of which her father directed: "Man and Superman" in which she played Ann, and "Galileo's Daughter" in which she played Sister Maria Celeste. The third, Molière's "Don Juan", in which she played the part of Elvira, was directed by Sharrock.


title: Rebecca Hall

text: In 2005, Hall reprised the role of Rosalind in a touring production of "As You Like It", again under the direction of her father. This tour played the Rose Theatre in Kingston upon Thames, the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York, the Curran Theatre in San Francisco and the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. This was a second leg of the U.S. tour that began in 2003 with venues at the Shubert Theater New Haven, Connecticut, Columbus, Ohio, and the Wilbur Theater in Boston.


title: Rebecca Hall

text: In 2008–09, Hall appeared in Sam Mendes's first instalment of the Bridge Project as Hermione in "The Winter's Tale" and as Varya in "The Cherry Orchard". The project gave performances with the same cast in Germany, Greece, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. In 2010–11, she played Viola in a production of "Twelfth Night" at London's National Theatre, directed by her father.


title: Rebecca Hall

text: Hall made her Broadway debut in 2013 in Sophie Treadwell's expressionist play "Machinal". The Roundabout Theater production, directed by Lyndsey Turner, began previews on 20 December 2013, with the official opening on 16 January 2014 at the American Airlines Theatre.


title: Rebecca Hall

text: In 2010, there was intense media speculation, despite Hall's denials, of an affair between Hall and director Sam Mendes, who was married to Kate Winslet at the time. Hall and Mendes were in a relationship from 2011 to 2013.


title: Rebecca Hall

text: In 2014, Hall met actor Morgan Spector while co-starring in a Broadway production. They married in 2015. Their first child was born in 2018.


title: Danny Trejo

text: Danny Trejo ( ; born May 16, 1944) is an American actor. He has appeared in films including "Desperado", "Heat", and the "From Dusk Till Dawn" film series. With frequent collaborator and his second cousin Robert Rodriguez, he portrayed the character of Isador "Machete" Cortez, which was originally developed for the "Spy Kids" series and was later expanded into its own franchise of the same name.


title: Danny Trejo

text: Trejo's movie career began in 1985, when he accidentally landed in the American indie film "Runaway Train", where he played the role of a boxer for a daily fee of 320 dollars. He went on to star in a multitude of other films, including "Desperado", "From Dusk till Dawn", "Con Air", "", "", "Reindeer Games", "", and "Grindhouse".


title: Danny Trejo

text: Trejo was born on May 16, 1944, on Temple Street in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, to Mexican-American parents. He is the son of Delores Rivera King and Dionisio "Dan" Trejo (1922–1981), a construction worker. Trejo was the result of an extramarital affair; Delores's husband was away fighting in World War II. His parents met at a dance hall in Highland Park, Los Angeles in 1943. He had a maternal half-sister, Dyhan, but saw neither her nor Delores from 1949 until 1965; his father banned his mother from seeing him after Trejo sprained his arm in her care.


title: Danny Trejo

text: Trejo was often abused by his father. Shortly after his birth, Trejo and his family briefly lived in San Antonio, Texas; they fled Los Angeles because Dionisio was wanted by police for stabbing another man. After a year, they returned to Los Angeles and Trejo's father turned himself in. By 1949, Trejo shared a room with his cousins at their grandmother's house. His stepmother was Alice Mendias, "his only source of comfort" when he lived with his father.


title: Danny Trejo

text: Aged seven, Trejo participated in his first drug deal. He was first arrested at the age of 10, but experienced his first incarceration at Eastlake Juvenile Hall in 1956.


title: Danny Trejo

text: Throughout the 1960s, Trejo's life consisted predominantly of intermittent jail stints in the California prison system. The accounts of his prison chronology, though, are notably conflicting; by one account, his final term in custody is said to have ended in 1972, but in reality, Trejo did time in various juvenile offenders' camps, including three years at Camp Glenn Rockey, San Dimas for maiming a sailor (stabbing him in the face with broken glass), followed by numerous California prisons between 1959 and 1969; "I was in San Quentin, Folsom, Soledad, Vacaville, Susanville, Sierra".


title: Danny Trejo

text: While doing a stint in Los Angeles County jail in 1961, he met Charles Manson, who he described as a "dirty, greasy, scrawny, white boy" who was allegedly a talented hypnotist.


title: Danny Trejo

text: Trejo arrived at San Quentin State Prison in 1966, and his heroin use was exacerbated shortly thereafter. Furthermore, he was a debt collector and drug dealer, often participating in or witnessing acts of serious violence, including murder. Simultaneously, he focused on boxing and became a champion in San Quentin's lightweight and welterweight divisions.


title: Danny Trejo

text: Regarding himself, Trejo has suggested his physical appearance contributed to his constantly getting into trouble. In 1968, a prison riot broke out during Cinco De Mayo at Soledad. Trejo ended up in solitary confinement and facing capital charges, potentially the death penalty, after hitting a guard with a rock. In solitary, Trejo found faith and became a member of a 12-step program, having first attended one "by accident" aged 15, and successfully overcame his drug addictions; recalling in 2011 that he had been sober for the previous 42 years. It was also while incarcerated that he achieved his high-school diploma.


title: Danny Trejo

text: In July 1969, Trejo was released from custody for the final time and returned to Pacoima, Los Angeles, after having served five years of a 10-year prison sentence. Prior to his film career, Trejo worked as a labor foreman for developer Saul Pick, and contributed toward the construction of the Cinerama Dome. He was also a gardener and salesperson; part owner of a lawn care company, and has been a substance misuse counselor since 1973.


title: Danny Trejo

text: Trejo worked with Western Pacific Med Corp in the 1980s, assisting them with the establishing and operating of sober living houses within the San Fernando Valley. He met a "good looking tattooed kid" during a meeting in one such house, who explained that he worked as a film extra and was paid $50 per day to stand there. Intrigued, Trejo considered becoming a film extra, initially due to the easy money and publicity it could afford his work with Western Pacific Med Corp. Trejo signed with an agent and would hand out his details whilst working on film sets, in the hopes of finding more opportunities to help those in need. Late one night, Trejo received a call from a teenaged patient, asking for his assistance in dealing with cocaine problems on the set of "Runaway Train" (1985).


title: Danny Trejo

text: While there, Trejo was offered a job as an extra in the film's prison scenes. Edward Bunker, himself a former convict and at the time a well-respected crime author who was writing the screenplay for the film, recognized Trejo, with whom he had done time at San Quentin. Remembering Trejo's boxing skills, Bunker played a pivotal role in securing Trejo as Eric Roberts' personal trainer and boxing advisor. Trejo was paid between $320 and $350 per day; "When I got my first paycheck, I thought they made a mistake!" Bunker also convinced director Andrei Konchalovsky to offer Trejo a small acting role, asserting that Trejo's personal experiences of incarceration would provide authenticity to the prison drama. Following his acting debut, Trejo was oblivious to being typecast as a prisoner in similar roles for years to follow; "I [did not] know I was being stereotyped. I just knew I was working."


title: Danny Trejo

text: "Penitentiary III" was his first billed role. While filming he met Anthony Gambino of the Gambino Crime Family; Gambino allegedly had financial interests invested and was there to meet the leading man, Leon Isaac Kennedy. Trejo was paid $120 cash each day, but the project often went into overtime; "We were stacked with cash." On a good month, Trejo was taking home as much as $700 by 1989 from being an extra alone; yet, people often assumed he was far wealthier after a few appearances on television. Trejo says this worked to his advantage as a drug counselor, though, because clients would recognize him as an actor, therefore appreciating his presence and the humbleness of his work all the more.


title: Danny Trejo

text: Trejo had made a dozen movies by 1990, including "", and "Marked for Death". He enjoyed the making of "Guns", yet alleges Erik Estrada took issue with the cast and crew being more familiar with Trejo than himself. Trejo says Estrada's ego got the better of him; he believes Estrada arranged for Trejo and a number of others to fly coach instead of first class on the way to Hawaii for filming.


title: Danny Trejo

text: In 1991, Edward James Olmos originally offered him the role of Pedro Santana in "American Me". Trejo was unimpressed by the script and his initial meeting with Olmos. Trejo claims rumors began circulating within the Mexican Mafia that the script was taking narrative liberties. Before Trejo had the chance to attend a second meeting with Olmos, he received a call from Joe 'Peg Leg' Morgan, the then-living don of the Mexican Mafia; Morgan approved of his choosing a role in "Blood In, Blood Out" instead of "American Me". In 2021, Trejo stated that he believes Olmos has yet to accept him as a serious actor.


title: Danny Trejo

text: Of his experiences of "Blood In, Blood Out", Trejo recalls feeling uncomfortable around many of the other actors during rehearsals, as they were more established. During production at San Quentin, Trejo often had flashbacks to his time there; filming scenes in C550, his former cell, merely exacerbated such feelings. Though his previous works brought him opportunities, Trejo credits "Blood In, Blood Out" as having brought him "legitimate, worldwide fame."


title: Danny Trejo

text: Trejo found a new talent agent with the help of Raymond Cruz. He was first cast in an episode of "Baywatch", followed by a part in 1993's "Last Light", Kiefer Sutherland's directorial debut.


title: Danny Trejo

text: "Heat" went through two script revisions whilst Trejo read for the part. He ultimately secured the role, which reunited him with Michael Mann, who directed him in the television miniseries "" a few years prior. Mann initially mistook Trejo for his uncle Gilbert; he found the resemblance uncanny, having met Gilbert whilst shooting "The Jericho Mile" at Folsom in the late 1970s; production required the co-operation of the inmates, and Gilbert happened to be one of the shot-callers. Trejo's character in the film was initially called 'Vince' but renamed 'Trejo' in honor of Gilbert. Filming could be upward of 17 hours per day, but Trejo said he was grateful for how much he learned; "watching De Niro, Kilmer, and Voight, I learned a lot about how they saved [their performances] for when it mattered." He recalls being mentored by Robert De Niro, who was a patient and instructive scene partner. Trejo and De Niro improvised the former's death scene.


title: Danny Trejo

text: In 1996, Trejo was cast in the French production "Le Jaguar" (which was French for The Jaguar) and reunited with Voight for "Anaconda", both of which were filmed in Manaus, Brazil. When production for "Anaconda" moved to Venezuela, Trejo would go out socializing on his days off. The producers were worried given a possible coup d'état had made parts of the country unsafe to travel; a group of teenagers brandished AK47's on one occasion, demanding Trejo's combat boots. Because of this, Trejo says he negotiated a higher salary to remain within the confines of his hotel.


title: Danny Trejo

text: Trejo described 1997's "Con Air" as a "macho fest from the start" and the cast were often pulling pranks on one another. He remembers Nicolas Cage as being "cool as hell" and John Cusack as a "kickboxing badass". Trejo met many of his longtime friends on set, including: John Malkovich, Ving Rhames, Steve Buscemi, and Dave Chappelle.


title: Danny Trejo

text: After concluding "Animal Factory" in 1999, he contracted Hepatitis C and "had to drag [his] ass" from Canada to Austin, Texas to begin filming of "Spy Kids" in 2000. "Spy Kids" marked Trejo's debut as the fictional character Isador 'Machete' Cortez. Having already made "Desperado" and "From Dusk Till Dawn" together, the opportunity to collaborate with Robert Rodriguez, Antonio Banderas, and Cheech Marin once again "felt like [a] family reunion." "Spy Kids" provided Trejo with worldwide recognition and for the first time he was "instantly recognizable" amongst children around the globe.


title: Danny Trejo

text: By the time of "Bubble Boy" in 2001, his illness had progressed to the point that much of the cast had noticed his weight loss; Trejo states that his past drug use had caught up with him. He described himself as having been pale and weak throughout production, and pre-occupied with keeping his diagnosis a secret within Hollywood for fear of reprisal. Trejo was "out of it" and struggling to remember his lines due to prescription medication. By the time "Spy Kids" premiered in September 2002, Trejo had fully recovered.


title: Danny Trejo

text: Throughout the 2000s Trejo appeared in productions including: "XXX", "Once Upon a Time in Mexico", "", "The Devil's Rejects", "Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror", "Delta Farce", "Grindhouse", "Rob Zombie's Halloween", "Urban Justice" (alongside Steven Seagal), and "Valley of Angels". He also made a number of television appearances, including: "Monk", "Desperate Housewives", "", and "Breaking Bad". Trejo also voiced the character Enrique on "King of the Hill". His life is documented in the independent biographical film, "Champion", featuring some of Trejo's close friends: Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Steve Buscemi, and Robert Rodriguez. Trejo also shared his tumultuous journey from convict to movie star with KTTV in Los Angeles, 2013, in a segment filmed in Trejo's home.


title: Danny Trejo

text: Regarding his continued growth as a professional actor, Trejo has remarked, "I'm so blessed. I'm still scared that somebody's going to wake me up and say, 'Hey, we're still in prison. Let's go to chow’". Trejo also played 'Machete' in a trailer made for Rodriguez's film collaboration with Quentin Tarantino, "Grindhouse". In 2010, he starred in a full theatrical release of the film "Machete", based on the character Isador 'Machete' Cortez and again in 2013 for the sequel film, "Machete Kills."


title: Danny Trejo

text: In 2011, he appeared in the action movie "Recoil" as Drayke Selgado, with WWE wrestler and actor Steve Austin and played the role of the Ripper in "Cross".


title: Danny Trejo

text: In 2012, Trejo starred alongside Ron Perlman and Charles S. Dutton in the Craig Moss action film "Bad Ass". He played the main character of Vietnam veteran Frank Vega, based on 67-year-old "Epic Beard Man" Thomas Bruso. That same year, Trejo appeared again with Ron Perlman, in a supporting role as Romero 'Romeo' Parada on season four of the FX television drama "Sons of Anarchy".


title: Danny Trejo

text: In 2014, Trejo produced his first film, titled "Ambition", and produced his second film, the action film "Bad Asses".


title: Danny Trejo

text: In 2015, Trejo appeared in a television commercial for Snickers that aired during Super Bowl XLIX, in which he portrayed Marcia Brady prior to eating the Snickers candy bar. In 2016 and 2017, he appeared as himself in transparent disguises in TV ads for Sling TV.


title: Danny Trejo

text: In 2017, Trejo played the role of 'Muerte' in "Cross Wars" and the 2019 film "Cross: Rise of the Villains" respectively.


title: Danny Trejo

text: Trejo appeared on "Hell's Kitchen" as a guest diner in Season 16's final dinner service and as a guest judge in the 21st season "Hell's Kitchen: Battle of the Ages".


title: Danny Trejo

text: On August 6, 2017, Trejo made a guest appearance on season three of the "Rick and Morty" animated TV show, on the episode "Pickle Rick", in which he voiced the part of Mr. Jaguar. Together with Sasha Grey, he was a lead actor in "China Test Girls" (2017), directed by Frankie Latina. That same year, he also appeared in "Brooklyn Nine Nine" as Detective Rosa Diaz's father in an episode centered around Diaz's struggle to come out to her family.


title: Danny Trejo

text: In the TV show "The Flash", He appeared as the father of Cisco's love interest, Gypsy. His character works as a breacher (an interdimensional bounty hunter) who can manipulate the space-time fabric and travel to parallel worlds.


title: Danny Trejo

text: In 2019, Trejo played the roles of Jose in "Wish Man", Eduardo Hernandez in "Grand-Daddy Day Care", Miguel in "The Short History of the Long Road", Carlos in "The Outsider", Himself in "Madness in the Method", Grave-digger in "Bullets of Justice", Rondo in "3 From Hell" and Himself in "Slayer: The Repent less Killogy".


title: Danny Trejo

text: Also in 2019, Trejo had a supporting role in the film "Acceleration", as Santos. and voiced the role of Clint Beltran in "Family Guy" on the episode "Shanksgiving".


title: Danny Trejo

text: In 2021, Trejo competed in season five of "The Masked Singer" as "Raccoon" and was eliminated in his second appearance. Trejo later mentioned in the interview that he "couldn't stop laughing" after the panel had thought that "Raccoon" was originally portrayed by Danny DeVito.


title: Danny Trejo

text: That same year, he appeared in season six of "Running Wild with Bear Grylls" on the episode "Danny Trejo in the Moab Desert". and portrayed one of the many forms of Mr. World in the first two episodes of the third and final season of "American Gods". In 2021, Trejo portrayed the Ghost of Huet in the Disney+ puppet comedy Halloween special "Muppets Haunted Mansion".


title: Danny Trejo

text: In 2022, Trejo made his official "Star Wars" debut in the Disney+ space Western television series "The Book of Boba Fett" as a Rancor keeper on the episode "Chapter 3: The Streets of Mos Espa".


title: Danny Trejo

text: In 2004, Trejo made an appearance in the videogame "", playing one of the villains, an enforcer for Snoop Dogg's character. Trejo's character is named after him and uses the street fighting style and was a Featured fighter and a Playable character.


title: Danny Trejo

text: Trejo lent his voice to "" and "" for the character Umberto Robina, who also resembles Trejo. He also voiced Raul Alfonso Tejada, a Ghoul, in "".


title: Danny Trejo

text: Trejo appeared in the PlayStation Move game "" as Duke the instructor for the player's character. He appeared as himself in the second map pack installation for "" (2010), the ""Escalation"" map pack, on the zombie map ""Call of the Dead"."


title: Danny Trejo

text: His voice and appearance is in the game "Guns of Boom". He can only be seen in the introduction of the action sport first-person shooter video game which was entitled Greg Hastings Tournament Paintball MAX'D ("Play for Real", B-Real & DJ Lethal). In 2019, he was added as a playable character to the battle royale mode of "".


title: Danny Trejo

text: In 2021, Trejo has a guest appearance in the DLC expansion game "Far Cry 6: Danny and Dani vs. Everybody".


title: Danny Trejo

text: In 2022, Trejo also has a guest appearance in the 2D-platforming skateboarding game "Olli Olli World", appearing in the fictional Radlandia.


title: Danny Trejo

text: Trejo has made a number of cameo appearances in a various music videos throughout his career, these include Kid Frost - “La Familia”, Sepultura - “Twisted”, Jay Chou’s short movie-music video “Double Blade”, Mobb Deep - “Got It Twisted”, Rehab - “Bartender Song (Sittin’ at a Bar)”, Enrique Inglesias - “Loco”, Tyga - “MAMACITA ft. YG, Sanata” and YG - “I Dance ft. Duki, Cuco”


title: Danny Trejo

text: He also appeared in adult entertainer Lupe Fuentes's music video "We Are the Party" with her band, The Ex-Girlfriends. In 2014, he featured as the character Machete in the official music video for Train's "Angel In Blue Jeans". In 2015, Trejo appeared in the music videos "Repentless" and "Pride in Prejudice" from Slayer's album "Repentless".


title: Danny Trejo

text: Plastilina Mosh, a Mexican alternative rock band, paid tribute to him with their song "Danny Trejo", featured in their album "All U Need Is Mosh".


title: Danny Trejo

text: Trejo was a contributor to the book "Prison Ramen: Recipes and Stories from Behind Bars". He's also mentioned in Edward Bunkers prison autobiography 'Education of a Felon' (titled 'Mr. Blue' in England), calling him the Rona Barrett of San Quentin because Danny knew all the gossip.


title: Danny Trejo

text: In 2020, he published a cookbook titled "Trejo's Tacos: Recipes and Stories from L.A.", sharing recipes and stories from his life.


title: Danny Trejo

text: In 2021, Trejo published his memoir "Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood", co-written with his longtime friend Donal Logue. The book debuted at number four on "The New York Times" nonfiction best-seller list for the week ending July 10, 2021.


title: Danny Trejo

text: Over the years, Trejo has opened a series of successful Los Angeles restaurants. In January 2016, these included a taco restaurant on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles, his own brands of beer, coffee, and various merchandise, with ice cream sandwiches under development. His first was Trejo's Tacos, followed by Trejo's Cantina and Trejo's Coffee and Donuts. Trejo's Donuts is located on the northeast corner of Santa Monica Blvd and Highland Avenue. As of 2020, he is the owner of eight restaurants.


title: Danny Trejo

text: In 2017, the rainbow cauliflower tacos made the "Los Angeles Times"'s list of 10 most favorite recipes of 2017. The restaurants are overseen by executive chef Mason Royal. As of 2018, their most recent venture would be an expansion of a donut food truck in Las Vegas, Nevada.


title: Danny Trejo

text: In 2019, Trejo became ring announcer for the full contact karate league Karate Combat in the season Karate Combat: Hollywood. Following this he received a karate lesson from Karate Combat sensei and former UFC champion Georges St-Pierre.


title: Danny Trejo

text: In 1962, following his release from Youth Training School, reputedly one of California's most notorious juvenile prisons, he met his first wife, Laura. Her parents did not approve of their relationship, and they were married in the backyard of Trejo's family home. Trejo believes his drug use and criminal lifestyle contributed to their marriage's demise; Laura filed for divorce during his second confinement at Youth Training School.


title: Danny Trejo

text: Trejo has three children: Danny (born 1981), actor and director Gilbert (born 1988), and actress Danielle (born 1990). His eldest child, nicknamed "Danny Boy", is from a relationship with Diana Walton; they were together from 1978 to 1983. His latter two children are from a relationship with Maeve Crommie. They were together from 1986 to 1997, and he has also helped her raise her two sons from a subsequent relationship.


title: Danny Trejo

text: Trejo is a Democrat. His second cousin is filmmaker Robert Rodriguez, though the two were unaware they were related until the filming of "Desperado".


title: Danny Trejo

text: Trejo battled liver cancer in 2010. In 2011, he moved to the San Fernando Valley to be closer to his mother after she sustained a knee injury; she died in 2013. Prior to this, he lived in Venice, a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. In August 2019, he witnessed a car colliding with an SUV at an intersection and helped extract a five-year-old trapped in a child safety seat inside the overturned SUV. In relation to the incident, he was quoted saying: "Everything good that has happened to me has happened as a direct result of helping someone else. Everything."


title: Danny Trejo

text: Trejo is known for his distinctive appearance. In addition to his heavily lined face, scarred from cystic acne and boxing brawls, and the long hair and mustache he usually sports, he has displayed the large tattoo on his chest (depicting a woman – a Charra wearing a sombrero) for many roles.


title: Danny Trejo

text: Trejo is a passionate fan of the Los Angeles Rams dating back well into their original tenure in Los Angeles. Trejo claims that as a child he used to sneak through the security fences at the LA Coliseum to watch Rams games. He frequently attends games and the team’s training camps.


title: Danny Trejo

text: During the filming of "Blood In, Blood Out" at San Quentin, Trejo met Mario Castillo, a prisoner in the midst of drug addiction. Trejo helped him overcome his addiction, and they became good friends upon Castillo's release from prison. They have since spoken together at both juvenile detention centers and recovery centers across California.


title: Anthony Edwards (actor)

text: Anthony Charles Edwards (born July 19, 1962) is an American actor and director. He is known for his role as Dr. Mark Greene on the first eight seasons of "ER", for which he received a Golden Globe award and six Screen Actors Guild Awards, and was nominated for four consecutive Primetime Emmy Awards. He has appeared in various films and television series, including "Top Gun", "Zodiac", "Gotcha!", "Miracle Mile", "Revenge of the Nerds", "Planes", "Northern Exposure" and "Designated Survivor".


title: Anthony Edwards (actor)

text: Edwards was born in Santa Barbara, California, the son of Erika Kem Edwards Plack (née Weber), an artist/landscape painter, and Peter Edwards, an architect to whom he was one of five children His maternal grandfather was designer Kem Weber. He is partly of German and Irish descent. He graduated from San Marcos High School in 1980. Edwards was encouraged by his parents to attend college before pursuing his interest in acting, which grew from the area's theater community. He received a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in England and studied theatre at University of Southern California; but by the age of nineteen was being offered enough acting work to enable him to leave college.


title: Anthony Edwards (actor)

text: It was Edwards' role as LTJG Nick "Goose" Bradshaw alongside Tom Cruise in the 1986 film "Top Gun" that brought his first widespread public acknowledgment. His character, who died in an aviation accident, was among the most prominent and popular in the film. Scenes with him and his film family (played by Meg Ryan and Aaron and Adam Weis) were later reprised as flashbacks in the 2022 sequel .


title: Anthony Edwards (actor)

text: Edwards' best-known role is as Dr. Mark Greene on the long-running TV series "ER", from the series premiere in 1994 to the end of the eighth season in 2002. The series also afforded Edwards his first opportunity to direct. Edwards' desire to pursue directing led to his request to be written out of the series. He reportedly earned $35 million for three seasons on "ER", which made him one of television's highest-paid actors. Edwards received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for "ER". He won a Golden Globe Award For Best Performance by an Actor-In a TV Series after being nominated four times and he has two Screen Actor's Guild Awards. In 2008, Edwards returned to "ER" to reprise his role as Dr. Greene (in flashback scenes, where he treats the dying son of character Catherine Banfield) for one episode during its 15th and final season. Following ER, he took some time to raise his children, appreciating the privilege that his "ER" salary provided.


title: Anthony Edwards (actor)

text: In 2010, Edwards appeared in the movie "Motherhood", which set a record for the biggest bomb in British cinema history by garnering £88 on 11 tickets on opening weekend. "Motherhood" did not fare much better in the United States, earning $93,388 in three weeks of release. At the time, he said he took the role because "it seemed like a very organic and real thing. It really kind of reminded me of what the dynamic in a family is like."


title: Anthony Edwards (actor)

text: Edwards reunited with Val Kilmer, another actor from Top Gun, when he voiced one of the fighter jets in the Disneytoon Studios film "Planes".


title: Anthony Edwards (actor)

text: In 2018, Edwards was cast in the recurring role in the third season of Netflix's "Designated Survivor" as Mars Harper, the President's Chief of Staff.


title: Anthony Edwards (actor)

text: Edwards received four Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for "ER" and won as an executive producer on Outstanding Television Movie winner "Temple Grandin". He earned a People's Choice Award for Favorite Male Performer in a New Television Series (1995); and won six Screen Actors Guild Awards for: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series (1996 and 1998), and Best Ensemble Cast (1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999). He won the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Drama in 1998).


title: Anthony Edwards (actor)

text: Edwards also won a Daytime Emmy for the production of the underground rock documentary "N.Y.H.C." (1999) and the telepic adaptation of Kimberly Willis Holt's 1998 coming of age novel "My Louisiana Sky" (2001), and earned the Carnegie Medal Award for "My Louisiana Sky" (2003).


title: Anthony Edwards (actor)

text: After a long career in television, Edwards made his Broadway debut as his "second act" in 2018 in the revival of "Children of a Lesser God" at Studio 54. In 2015 he appeared in Classic Stage Company's "A Month in the Country" but his stage acting career began when he was growing up in Santa Barbara.


title: Anthony Edwards (actor)

text: On May 13, 2022, Edwards made his unexpected Broadway musical debut when he appeared as Dr. Walker in the Broadway production of "Girl from the North Country" due to COVID-19 cases impacting the cast. The show also stars his wife, Mare Winningham.


title: Anthony Edwards (actor)

text: Edwards was married to Jeanine Lobell, with whom he had one son and three daughters, from 1994–2015. At the end of 2021, Edwards and long-time friend and fellow actor Mare Winningham eloped.


title: Anthony Edwards (actor)

text: On November 10, 2017, Edwards wrote an essay on "Medium", in which he stated that screenwriter/producer Gary Goddard befriended and then sexually assaulted him and several of his friends "for years" beginning when they were 12 years old.


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: The Little Mermaid is an upcoming American musical fantasy film directed by Rob Marshall from a screenplay written by David Magee and Jane Goldman, and a story by Magee, Marshall, and John DeLuca. Co-produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Lucamar Productions, Marc Platt Productions, and 5000 Broadway Productions, it is a live-action adaptation of Disney's 1989 animated film of the same name, which itself is loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 fairy tale of the same name. It is produced by Marshall, DeLuca, Marc Platt, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, the latter of whom co-wrote new songs for the remake as the lyricist. Alan Menken is set to return as the composer for both the score and the songs. The film stars Halle Bailey as Ariel, alongside Jonah Hauer-King, Art Malik, Noma Dumezweni, Javier Bardem, and Melissa McCarthy, with Daveed Diggs, Jacob Tremblay, and Awkwafina in voice roles.


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: Plans for a remake of 1989's "The Little Mermaid" were confirmed in May 2016. In December 2017, Disney announced Marshall would direct a live-action "The Little Mermaid" remake. Much of the main cast signed in June to November 2019. Filming took place primarily at Pinewood Studios in England from January to July 2021.


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: Additionally, Jessica Alexander, Russell Balogh, Adrian Christopher, and Simone Ashley have been cast in undisclosed roles.


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: On May 25, 2016, "Deadline Hollywood" reported that Disney is in early development for a live-action adaptation of "The Little Mermaid". On August 16, 2016, it was announced that Lin-Manuel Miranda, a fan of the original film, will co-produce the film with Marc Platt.


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: On December 6, 2017, it was reported that Rob Marshall was being courted by the Walt Disney Company to direct the film, while Jane Goldman will serve as screenwriter. On December 5, 2018, Marshall revealed that he, along with John DeLuca and Marc Platt were hired to begin developing the project for film adaptation, and said that "John and [Marshall] have begun our work trying to explore it and figure it out", as he felt that "it's a very complicated movie to take from animation to live-action. Live-action's a whole other world so you have to be very careful about how that's done, but so we're starting the exploration phase". Later in December, Marshall was officially hired as director for the film. During an interview on December 21, 2018, Marshall revealed that the film is in very early stages of development, stating that the studio is trying to explore ways to translate the original film's story into live-action. On July 3, 2019, David Magee, who previously wrote the screenplay for Marshall's "Mary Poppins Returns", was revealed to have written the script with Goldman. On February 10, 2020, Miranda revealed that rehearsals for the film had already begun.


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: Both Lindsay Lohan and Chris Evans had expressed interest in starring in the adaptation, while some fans wanted Ariana Grande to play the role of Ariel. Zendaya was rumored to have been offered the title role from late 2018 to early 2019, but continuously stated that it was "just a rumor".


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: On June 28, 2019, it was announced that Melissa McCarthy was in talks to play Ursula in the film. Two days after, Awkwafina and Jacob Tremblay were rumored to have been cast in the film voicing a now gender-bent Scuttle and Ariel's sidekick Flounder, respectively, on July 1 this news was confirmed by "Variety".


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: The next month, on July 3, Halle Bailey was officially announced through Disney's official social media accounts to play the title role of Ariel, with the director stating:


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: On the same month, Javier Bardem joined the cast as King Triton, while Harry Styles and Jack Whitehall considered the role of Prince Eric. However, in August 2019, it was revealed that Styles has turned down the part; he revealed in a November interview with Capital FM that there were a "few things" that they couldn't work out, he also stated: "I think it's obviously going to be an amazing film, but they shoot for so long and I wanna tour next year, maybe. I haven't announced that yet, but yeah, it just didn't quite line"; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Styles' tour was postponed, and the role of Prince Eric eventually went to British actor Jonah Hauer-King.


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: Director Rob Marshall said that the film is about "[Ariel] finding her voice ... And that immediately just felt like an interesting, timely piece that resonated with [the production crew]". Bailey said that she wanted to bring "freshness" to the character. She also said that "[i]t's amazing that the directors have been so forward in asking [her] to show [her] true self… that's been a really fun growing experience". Co-star Daveed Diggs said that the remake will give "some more power" to Ariel than the original film.


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: In October, Daveed Diggs, who previously worked on Miranda's musical "Hamilton", joined the cast as the voice of Sebastian the crab. By November 2019, Jonah Hauer-King had been cast as Prince Eric. Cameron Cuffe was also in the running for the role, before Hauer-King was cast; both of which had already screen tested alongside Bailey.


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: On February 18, 2020, McCarthy confirmed her casting as Ursula during an interview on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show": "I play Ursula, the sea witch. It is so fun, we're just in rehearsals. It's been an absolute blast. Stepping into the world of Rob Marshall, it's like a fever dream, I just went to London for a week, I was like, 'I don't get to go to dance camp for a week.' All day he's like, 'Do you want to slide down this 40-foot clam shell?' I'm like, 'Yes! Of course I do. What are you, crazy?' It's been wildly creative."


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: In December 2020, Disney officially announced seven principal actors while also debuting the film's official logo.


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: On January 5, 2021, Noma Dumezweni was announced to have been cast in an undisclosed role. In a March 29, 2021, interview with Marie Claire Magazine, when asked about her role in the upcoming film, Dumezweni stated, "I can tell you that I'm doing it. I can tell you I'm very excited. I can tell you I had a chat with hair and makeup the other day and it was like, Yay!". On December 29, 2021, during an interview on Facebook's "Talks with Mama Tina", Bailey recalled being scared and nervous while auditioning for the role of Ariel.


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: Filming was originally scheduled to begin in London around late March or early April 2020, however, it was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Set photos at Pinewood Studios in London, England leaked a few weeks after the production was shut down, it showed aerial images featuring Prince Eric's ship as well as indoor images of what seems to be his castle. On July 29, 2020, based on a social media post, Jacob Tremblay began recording his lines for the film. Filming was scheduled to re-commence on August 10, 2020.


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: By November 2020, Disney's new CEO Bob Chapek announced that filming on all film that had been postponed during pandemic shutdowns had resumed filming, and in some cases completed principal photography.


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: In December 2020, McCarthy stated that she would hopefully begin filming in January 2021. The following month, Daveed Diggs discussed the large amount of work he had to do when it came to preparing for and recording dialogue for the role of Sebastian.


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: Principal photography officially began at Pinewood Studios in Iver, England on January 30, 2021. Filming for McCarthy's scenes eventually began in April 2021. On April 6, it was announced that additional filming would be happening in summer in Sardinia, Italy, for a total of "roughly three months." In June 2021, production was temporarily halted due to multiple crew members of the film contracting COVID-19. Filming resumed about a week later and officially wrapped on July 11, 2021. On December 30, 2021, Bailey shared some new behind-the-scenes photos of the set, including a glimpse of her portrayal of Ariel. The actress took to Instagram to wrap up her year and shared photos of moments of shooting the film. The first photo showed the film's script, which was blurred to avoid spoilers, but still showed her character name "Ariel" in bold print. One photo showed her swimming in Sardinia's waters, while another showed the process of film-making using CGI.


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: Visual effects will be provided by Industrial Light & Magic, Wētā FX, Moving Picture Company and Framestore. DNEG will provide the stereo conversion.


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: On March 17, 2017, it was announced that Alan Menken, who previously scored and co-wrote songs for the original film, would return as the film's composer and to write new songs alongside producer Lin-Manuel Miranda. Three months later, Menken stated that his work on the film's music had been put on hold due to Miranda and Marc Platt's schedules with "Mary Poppins Returns". On May 20, 2019, Menken stated that "The Little Mermaid" would be his next project, following the release of the live-action adaptation of "Aladdin", and on July 9, he and Miranda started working on new songs for the film. On replacing the original film's lyricist, the late Howard Ashman, Miranda felt that "[he] will definitely fall short" to Ashman's work, arguing that "no one can write like him". On January 16, 2020, Halle Bailey confirmed that the song "Part of Your World", from the original film, will appear in the remake. On February 10, 2020, Miranda revealed that he and Menken wrote four new songs for the film. On February 19, 2021, Menken said that the new songs would be a "blend" of his and Miranda's styles. He elaborated that the songs would feature "some rapping" in the vein of Miranda's previous works, as well as a closer style to his usual work.


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: On September 22, 2021, Menken sat down with Disney's "For Scores" podcast and confirmed that the film will feature four new songs. He also recalled that Miranda was ""daunted"" by the prospect of following on in the footsteps of the late Howard Ashman, the lyricist who worked with Menken to write the original film's songs. On November 24, 2021, in a recent interview with "Collider", Miranda talked about his admiration for "The Little Mermaid" and how Ashman and Menken helped shape his childhood. He said:


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: On January 20, 2022, Halle spoke with "Stylecater", saying that she was so emotional while filming "Part of Your World". She said:


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: On February 17, 2022, during a podcast interview with "Variety", Miranda revealed that one of the new songs for the live-action film will take place when Ariel is on land in her human form. He also revealed that star Daveed Diggs might rap in the film.


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: The film is scheduled to be released on May 26, 2023, in the United States by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: On September 9, 2022, Rob Marshall and Halle Bailey appeared at the 2022 D23 Expo to introduce an exclusive presentation of the film's "Part of Your World" sequence, which received a positive response from the attendees, who praised Bailey's vocal performance. The film's teaser trailer was released to the public the same day.


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: On October 13, 2022, the first movie poster was released to the public, which Bailey synchronously captioned on Twitter: "Words can’t describe how immensely honored I feel to play the mermaid of my dreams."


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: After the announcement of Halle Bailey as the role of Ariel in July 2019, and after the first trailer was released in September 2022, the film gained both positive and negative responses from the public for casting a black actress as Ariel, who was originally white in the 1989 animated film. Arguments for the negative response have included that a black mermaid does not adhere to historical accuracy, that the adaptation should be as close to the original as possible, and that mermaids allegedly can not be black as they are underwater creatures. Many media outlets as well as Lin-Manuel Miranda, the film's producer and lyricist, criticized the negative response and described it as being racist. Stuart Heritage of "The Guardian" argued, "The boring spat over the Disney trailer makes idiots of us all – whether Ariel is black or white, it is clearly a film that should rightfully be ignored then forgotten forever", suggesting instead that there should be a "grotesque scaly mutant as the lead". During an interview on August 12, 2019, Bailey said that "[she doesn't] pay attention to the negativity", while Auliʻi Cravalho, who played Ariel in a musical presentation as a part of "The Wonderful World of Disney", expressed excitement at watching Bailey's portrayal of the character. Jodi Benson, the voice actor for Ariel in the 1989 film, praised Bailey, stating, "I think that the spirit of a character is what really matters". Brandy Norwood, the first woman of color to play Cinderella in the 1997 Disney television film of the same, and Anika Noni Rose, the voice of Tiana (Disney's first official African-American Princess), also both praised the casting of Bailey as Ariel.


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: A poll conducted from July 8–10, 2022, from Hollywood Reporter/Morning Consult found that just under half of Americans supported the idea of minorities playing the roles of characters who had been cast as white. When asked "Thinking about live-action movie remakes of classic cartoons, do you support or oppose actors who are racial and ethnic minorities playing characters who have been white in past films?", 48% answered "strongly" or "somewhat" support, 21% said "strongly" or "somewhat" oppose, while 31% either did not know or had no opinion. On the other hand, the same poll also found a majority in support of remakes that are "as close to their original as possible, including sticking to the race and ethnicity of each character."


title: The Little Mermaid (2023 film)

text: "Variety" reported that the official teaser trailer of "The Little Mermaid" garnered more than 104 million global views during the first weekend following its release. It surpassed recent Disney live-action releases including "Beauty and the Beast" with 94 million, "Aladdin" with 74 million and "Cruella" with 68 million. After the release of the trailer in September 2022, videos of black girls positively reacting to it went viral.


title: Elijah Wood

text: Elijah Jordan Wood (born January 28, 1981) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of Frodo Baggins in the "Lord of the Rings" film trilogy (2001–2003) and "" (2012).


title: Elijah Wood

text: Wood made his film debut with a small part in "Back to the Future Part II" (1989). He went on to achieve recognition as a child actor with roles in "Avalon" (1990), "Paradise" (1991), "Radio Flyer" (1992), "Forever Young" (1992), "The Adventures of Huck Finn" (1993), and "The Good Son" (1993). As a teenager, he starred in films such as "North" (1994), "The War" (1994), "Flipper" (1996), "The Ice Storm" (1997), "Deep Impact" (1998), and "The Faculty" (1998). Following the success of "The Lord of the Rings", Wood has appeared in a wide range of films, including "" (2003)", Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (2004), "Sin City" (2005), "Green Street" (2005), "Everything Is Illuminated" (2005), "Paris, je t'aime" (2006), "Bobby" (2006), "Celeste and Jesse Forever" (2012), "Maniac" (2012), "Grand Piano"," Cooties", "The Last Witch Hunter" (2015), "The Trust" (2016), "I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore" (2017), and "Come to Daddy" (2019).