Entertainment Weekly - 09 2020

109 Pages·2020·33.64 MB·English

3 0 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y I S S U E

West
WING

G E T S O U T T H E

T H E

Vote

M A R T I N S H E E N

and the cast REUNITE

to h e l p B O O S T

T U R N O U T i n t h e

M O ST I M P O RTA N T

E L E C T I O N E V E R

BRADLEY WHITFORD,
RICHARD SCHIFF,
JANEL MOLONEY,
CREATOR AARON SORKIN,
DULÉ HILL, ROB LOWE,
AND ALLISON JANNEY

Contents

SEPTEMBER 2020 → 30TH ANNIVERSARY IS SUE

2 SOUND BITES
4 EDITOR’S NOTE
8 THE MUST LIST
70 REVIEWS
112 THE BULLSEYE

→ 22
THE WEST WING
ASSEMBLES!
The cast and creator
of NBC’s beloved
political drama look
back at the show’s
unforgettable impact
on their lives—and look
ahead with aims to
increase voter turnout
for Election Day 2020.
32
EW TURNS 30
It’s a legen—wait
for it—dary celebra-
tion! EW remembers
the most iconic char-
acters and moments
from the past 30
years in pop culture.
64
THE NEW
GOLDEN AGE OF
BLACK HORROR
With Antebellum,
Bad Hair, and
Candyman debuting
this fall, Black
filmmakers revitalize
the horror genre.
BY CHANCELLOR AGARD

TOGETHER FROM
A DISTANCE

To reunite the West
Wing cast as safely
as possible, EW
teamed with es-
teemed photographer
Art Streiber to create
the cover and inside
photos. Each cast
member was shot
individually and later
composited togeth-
er in postproduction
by Angie Hayes. The
shoot required
masks, temperature
checks, and recon-
figured studio
spaces to maximize
distance between
the few people on
set. We were partic-
ularly cautious with
national treasure
Martin Sheen, 80—
artist Tim O’Brien
was hired to paint
the former presi-
dent, and we caught
up with him on Zoom.
Hail to the chief!

EW ● COM
SEPTEMBER 2020
1
ILLUSTRATION BY TIM O’BRIEN

ON THE COVER
Bradley Whitford,
Richard Schiff, Janel
Moloney, Aaron Sorkin,
Dulé Hill, Rob Lowe,
and Allison Janney
photographed exclu-
sively for EW by
Art Streiber on
July 23 and 24, 2020,
in Los Angeles

ON THE COVER: WHITFORD’S GROOMING: SAMANTHA BATES/DEW BEAUTY AGENCY; SCHIFF’S GROOMING: NICOLE SANCHEZ; MOLONEY’S STYLING: NEGAR ALI KLINE/THE ONLY AGENCY; HAIR: CLAYTON HAWKINS/A-FRAME AGENCY; MAKEUP: LAUREN CANBY/A-
FRAME AGENCY; DRESS: AKRIS; EARRINGS: GRAZIELA; RING: MELINDA MARIE; SORKIN’S GROOMING: LOUISE MOON; HILL’S STYLING: JASON BOLDEN/JSN STUDIO; GROOMING: JACKI BROWN; MAKEUP: GENO FREEMAN; SUIT, SHIRT, TIE: KENNETH COLE; LOWE’S
STYLING: ANNIE PSALTIRAS/THE WALL GROUP; GROOMING: DANIEL ERDMAN; SUIT: PAUL SMITH; SHIRT: ZEGNA; JANNEY’S STYLING: TARA SWENNEN/THE WALL GROUP; HAIR: JILL CROSBY; MAKEUP: SERGIO LOPEZ-RIVERA/CLOUTIER REMIX; TOP: KATE SPADE;
PANTS: LELA ROSE; EARRINGS: GRAZIELA GEMS; SET DESIGN: ANTHONY A. ALTOMARE

3-6-1-6-6-7-5-1-3

“I CAN’T BELIEVE IT

THE SHARPEST
LINES FROM 30 YEARS
OF INTERVIEWS
Sound Bites

Regis Philbin (1931–2020)

Regis Philbin, who died July 24, once told EW, “I always wanted to be a TV talker.” And for almost three decades, he was the nation’s warm,
refreshing cup of coffee each morning, before then also becoming the face of prime time as host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
When he wasn’t handing out checks, he became a winner himself, setting the Guinness World Record for the most hours on U.S. television.

—Philbin, explaining to EW in 1992 why he shared a graphic story and visual about his kidney stones

“The audience doesn’t want to know how wonderful your life is. What’s going to keep
them tuned in is the other side of life—the aggravations, the slights, the family
stuff. Sometimes you really gotta suck it up and tell the most embarrassing things.”

SANK.

KRISTEN BALDWIN’S PICK: 11-year-old Kayla,
celebrating her birthday with a Titanic-themed party at a burial
site for 121 of the ship’s passengers

LEAH GREENBLATT’S PICK: Lizzo, speaking facts

DEREK LAWRENCE’S PICK:

Liam Neeson, predicting the reaction to the
plot of his latest action film

SEIJA RANKIN’S PICK: Kathryn Hahn,
recalling her first meeting with Kate Hudson for
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

JESSICA DERSCHOWITZ’S PICK: Parks and Recreation
alum Jenny Slate, speculating what Mona-Lisa and Jean-Ralphio
Saperstein are up to

MAUREEN LEE LENKER’S PICK: Maya Rudolph, discussing the
hit comedy’s chances of being turned into a musical

DARREN FRANICH’S PICK: Vin Diesel, speeding to the most Facebook followers of any actor

STUPID ICEBERG.”

Facebook really owes me
billions of dollars. But whatever.

“SELF-LOVE ISN’T BEING DELUSIONAL....
I DON’T GO, ‘DO I LOOK LIKE THIS MODEL
OR THIS ACTRESS?’ I HAVE TO HOLD
MYSELF TO MY OWN STANDARDS. SO AM
I THE LIZZO THAT I LOOKED LIKE LAST
YEAR WHEN I WAS ON MY JUICE CLEANSE
AND WORKING OUT SIX TIMES A WEEK
WITH MY TRAINER? NO. BUT AM I A BAD
BITCH? YES.”

“RIGHT NOW? WHAT TIME IS IT, 3:30 P.M.
ON A SATURDAY? I’D SAY MONA-LISA
IS ON MDMA GETTING HER A--HOLE
WAXED, AND JEAN-RALPHIO HASN’T
WOKEN UP YET. OR JEAN-RALPHIO IS
ON MDMA GETTING HIS A--HOLE WAXED,
AND MONA-LISA HASN’T WOKEN UP
YET. TAKE YOUR PICK.”

I’M SURE THEY’LL MAKE
BRIDESMAIDS AT A CERTAIN
POINT, BUT I DON’T KNOW HOW
THE DIARRHEA SCENE IS
GOING TO PLAY ON BROADWAY.

LET ME GUESS —YOU WENT,
‘OH F---,
HERE WE GO
AGAIN.’ ”

I was so nervous, I
remember I broke the ice by
joking about the horny
summers at this theater
camp we had both been to
when we were kids.

BY → D E R E K L AW R E N C E
@ D E R E K J L AW R E N C E

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2
SEPTEMBER 2020
EW ● COM

TITANIC: MERIE WEISMILLER WALLACE/PARAMOUNT; FURIOUS 7: SCOTT GARFIELD/UNIVERSAL PICTURES; BRIDESMAIDS: MARK SELIGER; LIVE WITH REGIS AND KELLY: DISNEY/ABC DOMESTIC TELEVISION

Editor’s Note

BY → J D H E Y M A N
@ J D H E Y M A N

Now We Are 30...
And as Wicked
as Ever

EDITORS LOVE ANNIVERSARIES. WE’LL LATCH ONTO THE
flimsiest excuse for a story. But surely even hard-hearts
among you will allow that hitting the Big Three-0 is a
thing. Back at EW’s hatching, the Golden Girls were a
ratings supernova, a movie promoting streetwalking as
a viable path to happiness made Julia Roberts a star, and
Wilson Phillips were urging us to hold on for one more
day. Besides fashion sense, what have we learned since
k.d. lang gave the side-eye on cover No. 1? That life can
be rough, but jolly in good company. Facing the future
nowadays may give your innards a twist. Know we’ll face
it by your side, with lashings of wit and the steely squint
of a more woke Eastwood. How could we not distract you
for 30 more years? You’re awfully good company.

JD HEYMAN

How the West Was Won

Can’t get enough of President Bartlet and crew?
Pick up EW’s Ultimate Guide to The West Wing,
filled with behind-the-scenes photos, our picks
for 10 essential episodes to watch, and more.
Available Sept. 11 wherever magazines are sold.

MATT BEAN

YOU’RE WELCOME FOR
Talking Bill Murray
out of his hotel
room with the help
of Al Roker and
Sigourney Weaver
for the Ghost-
busters reunion.

I’M SORRY ABOUT
Who needs a TV
guide? We have
the internet! I killed
What to Watch
using this logic,
and I’m not sure
the letters have
stopped yet.

JEFF JARVIS

YOU’RE WELCOME FOR
Publishing the
first issue of EW
after six years of
convincing Time
Inc. that enter-
tainment choices
were exploding.

SORRY, NOT SORRY
Time’s top
editors accused
us of using a
“computerized,
unreadable post-
modern font.”
It was Caslon,
created in 1722.

JESS CAGLE

YOU’RE WELCOME FOR
Robert Trachten-
berg’s shot of
Melissa McCarthy
as Queen Elizabeth
holding a corgi
made the world
a better place.

I’M SORRY ABOUT
All the Twilight
covers, each
one part of
a quixotic quest
to boost news-
stand sales
during the digital
revolution.

JIM SEYMORE

YOU’RE WELCOME FOR
Boosting Seinfeld,
which we con-
sidered the best
TV comedy of
the 1990s, early
and often.

I’M SORRY ABOUT
Killing Seinfeld.
Jerry Seinfeld
told me that he
decided to end
the series after a
negative EW arti-
cle. Who knew
EW was Seinfeld
kryptonite?

HENRY
GOLDBLATT

YOU’RE WELCOME FOR
Our reunions, like
My Best Friend’s
Wedding, required
the secrecy
of an MI6 mission.

I’M SORRY ABOUT
I’m not going to
apologize for the
Outlander covers,
but someone
probably should
have taken away
my license to pun
when I wrote “For
Your Ayes Only.”

RICK TETZELI

YOU’RE WELCOME FOR
Stephen King’s
column. He had
deeply felt cultural
and political views
that he expressed
clearly and
unpretentiously.

I’M SORRY ABOUT
Every single cover
we did featuring
Paris Hilton or any
other “reality TV”
pretender. We
had to cover it, but
it bored me silly
then and still does.

Past Editors’ Highs (and Lows)

FIND THE
EDITORS!
We’ve tucked our
former editors
throughout the
30th-anniversary
section—along
with a nugget of
seriously weird
trivia about each
one. Find all six
and you get…a
fleeting sense
of satisfaction.

4
SEPTEMBER 2020
EW ● COM
FOLLOW US ON:
@EntertainmentWeekly
@EntertainmentWeekly
@EW
@EWSnaps

PHOTOGRAPH BY BEAU GREALY; KING: AMY GUIP/CORBIS

EDITOR IN CHIEF JD Heyman

DEPUTY EDITOR & CREATIVE DIRECTOR Tim Leong

DIGITAL DIRECTOR Shana Naomi Krochmal

DIRECTOR OF EDITORIAL OPERATIONS Alexandra Brez

EDITORIAL

EXECUTIVE EDITORS Clarissa Cruz, Sarah Rodman

DEPUTY EDITOR, DIGITAL Rebecca Detken

EXECUTIVE EDITOR AT LARGE Dalton Ross

EDITORS AT LARGE James Hibberd, Lynette Rice

SENIOR EDITORS Alicia Dennis (Crime),
Gerrad Hall (TV),
Jillian Sederholm (News Director),
Alex Suskind (Music)

SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR Brittany Kaplan

CRITICS Kristen Baldwin (Head Writer, New York),
Darren Franich, Leah Greenblatt

SENIOR WRITERS Clark Collis, Samantha Highfill,
Dan Snierson (Head Writer, Los Angeles)

SENIOR DIGITAL NEWS EDITORS
Jessica Derschowitz, Oliver Gettell

STAFF EDITORS David Canfield (Movies), Seija Rankin (Books),
Sydney Bucksbaum, Mike Miller

STAFF WRITERS Chancellor Agard, Devan Coggan (repeatedly
reread The Hobbit until she could write in Dwarvish runes)

CORRESPONDENT Ruth Kinane

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Derek Lawrence

ASSISTANT EDITOR Mary Sollosi

DIGITAL WRITERS Rosy Cordero, Christian Holub, Lauren Huff,
Marcus Jones, Maureen Lee Lenker, Nick Romano

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Joseph Nolfi, Omar Sanchez

DESIGN

DESIGN DIRECTOR Jennie Chang

DEPUTY DESIGN DIRECTOR Chuck Kerr

SENIOR ART DIRECTOR Faith Stafford

ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTORS
Erica Bonkowski, Anne Latini

PHOTOGRAPHY

PHOTO DIRECTOR Michelle Stark

ASSOCIATE PHOTO DIRECTOR Ben Trivett

PHOTO EDITORS Lauren Morgan, Alison Wild

ASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Ava Selbach

EDITORIAL OPERATIONS

EDITORIAL MANAGER Carolyn Cutrone

ASSISTANT EDITORIAL MANAGER Meg Smitherman

COPY CHIEF Dan Morrissey

SENIOR REPORTER Lacey Vorrasi-Banis

REPORTER Sabrina Ford

PRODUCTION

SENIOR PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Kate Remaly

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Jen Thomson

VIDEO

SENIOR VIDEO PRODUCER Kristen Harding

VIDEO PRODUCER Ethan Bellows

ASSOCIATE VIDEO PRODUCER Tara Reid

VIDEO EDITOR Sam Gordon

SOCIAL MEDIA

SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Chanelle Berlin Johnson

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITORS Malcom-Aime Musoni,
Alamin Yohannes (named pet fish after the original Power Rangers)

COMMUNICATIONS

EXECUTIVE PUBLIC RELATIONS DIRECTOR Claudia DiRomualdo

EDITORIAL EVENTS & MARKETING

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, EVENTS Christy Kamimura (former crush:
Dean Cain; current crush: Grant Gustin)

SENIOR MANAGER, EVENTS Kelsey Pennell

MANAGER, EVENTS Cierra Cuellar

EVENTS ASSISTANT Brianna Castaneda

CONTRIBUTORS

WRITERS Marc Bernardin, Jaxx Blum, Tyler Coates,
Lynn Harris, A.J. Jacobs

PUBLISHER Mike Fisher

SALES

DIRECTOR Cora Howey

ACCOUNT MANAGERS Kevin Blechman (East), Melissa Gursey (West),
Andrea Pabst (Midwest), Alex Shumway (East), Liz Smyth (East),
Remy Telesco (East), Christina Tom (West), J.T. Wilde (East)

SALES ASSISTANTS Kim Gary, Erica Goldstick

DIRECTOR, DIRECT RESPONSE MEDIA

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Lisa Ayala

MARKETING & PROMOTION

SVP, EXPERIENTIAL, MARKETING & COMMUNICATION
Susan Parkes-Cirignano

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS Jenny Ryan, Ilyse Wittenberg

VP Kerri Kivlan

DIRECTOR Jennifer Lingle

ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS Christina Cordero, Taylor Messiter

SENIOR MANAGER Claudia Treacy

MANAGERS Rebecca Gibson, Shannon McHugh, Will Prigge

ASSOCIATE MANAGERS Lila Camillos, Carly Lubsen, Claire O’Halloran

DIRECTOR, CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT Barbara Bennett Sanderson

DIGITAL ART DIRECTOR Carlos Quintero

SENIOR DESIGNERS Billy Pennant, Marianna Perez-Santalla

EVENT MARKETING Cara Gorman Moreno (Vice President);
Christy Kamimura, Ai-Linh Nguyen (Directors); Kelsey Pennell, Jessica
Sopher (Senior Managers); Cierra Cuellar (Manager)

DIGITAL

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, DIGITAL Will Lee

VP/GENERAL MANAGER, ENTERTAINMENT Alicia Cervini

DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT Jennifer Tisdel

DESIGN Erik Frick, Tiffany Jessup, Ryan Schroeder

TECHNOLOGY Ed Benjamin, Viktoriya Eremeeva, Joseph Freeman,
Andrew Resnick, John Reynolds, Hong Tan, Ying Zhang

ACCOUNT MANAGERS Jenna Cilmi (East), Jenny Liu (West)

FINANCE

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Michael Riggs

DIRECTORS Diane Meyer, Kerry Winn

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Sian Strydom

CONSUMER MARKETING & REVENUE

BRAND STRATEGY Laurie Krzywdzinski (Director),
Katie Sammon (Senior Manager)

MEREDITH NATIONAL MEDIA GROUP

MEREDITH MAGAZINES PRESIDENT Doug Olson (met his wife
at an AC/DC concert)

CONSUMER PRODUCTS PRESIDENT Tom Witschi

PRESIDENT CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER Catherine Levene

CHIEF MARKETING & DATA OFFICER Alysia Borsa

CHIEF REVENUE OFFICER Michael Brownstein

MARKETING & INTEGRATED COMMUNICATIONS Nancy Weber

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENTS

CONSUMER REVENUE Andy Wilson

CORPORATE SALES Brian Kightlinger

DIRECT MEDIA Patti Follo

RESEARCH SOLUTIONS Britta Cleveland

STRATEGIC SOURCING, NEWSSTAND, PRODUCTION Chuck Howell

DIGITAL SALES Marla Newman

PRODUCT & TECHNOLOGY Justin Law (refuses to acknowledge
existence of Matrix sequels)

VICE PRESIDENTS

FINANCE Chris Susil

BUSINESS PLANNING & ANALYSIS Rob Silverstone

CONSUMER MARKETING Steve Crowe

BRAND LICENSING Toye Cody, Sondra Newkirk

CORPORATE COMMUNICATION Jill Davison

MEREDITH CORPORATION

PRESIDENT & CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Tom Harty

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Jason Frierott

CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER John Zieser

CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER Daphne Kwon

PRESIDENT, MEREDITH LOCAL MEDIA GROUP Patrick McCreery

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES Dina Nathanson

EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN Stephen M. Lacy

VICE CHAIRMAN Mell Meredith Frazier

Who is the best
TV antihero of the
past 30 years?

EW staff did, indeed, tread
lightly when choosing between
these small-screen baddies.

GOOD TO BE BAD

Walter White

Tony Soprano

Don Draper

Stringer Bell

Villanelle

“Say my name.”

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