Poker Face achieved a lot in his rookie season. With its crime-of-the-week plot in a new twist on the detective genreNatasha Lyonne- Protagonist of the Peacock seriesRian Johnsonbreathed new life into the concept of procedural television for streaming, saw Benjamin Bratt transform a catchy Blues Traveler song into a poetic monologue, and recruited himstar WarsLegend Phil Tippett for special effects for one episode. But perhaps most impressive isPoker Facecurated by a dizzying roster of guest stars.
How did you get Nick Nolte to star alongside Cherry Jones in the Hollywood saga Orpheus Syndrome? Who would have thought that Ellen Barkin and Tim Meadows would have such fiery chemistry on the Exit Stage Death theater show? How did you convince people like Adrien Brody, Stephanie Hsu, Ron Perlman and Tim Russ to be in an episode only to get killed off? And who knew that S. Epatha would charm Merkerson and Judith Light as foul-mouthed villains?
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If you ask Johnson, he will tell you that the agenda of the main actors in the world ofPoker Facestarring in an episodic guest role was no easy feat. But since every role starts with a murder and it sometimes takes 15 minutes for Charlie Cale (Lyonne) to enter the picture, it was tempting to play a meaty villain or memorable victim. And that's especially true if you're a friend or former associate of Johnson or Lyonne.
“I remember one time Rian and I were in my kitchen making a list of all our dream people we wanted to work with without scripts,” says Lyonne. "We thought 'this person would be fun' and 'this person would be great'." , to work with them.”
Common Johnson players who have been drafted include Noah Segan (adolescent), who starred in all of Johnson's projects and continued his success by appearing in the pilot as a police officer investigating the murder of Charlie's girlfriend (Dascha Polanco, a frequent Lyonne collaborator, co-starred with her).Orange is the new blackEmRussian pop); Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who guest starred as the villain in the season's penultimate episode, "Escape From Shit Mountain"; and Brody, who sets the series' tone as the cruel son of an equally cruel casino owner (Perlman), who falls to his death after Charlie catches him in an epic lie.
“When Rian releasedPoker FaceI told myself I had an idea to do something similar. And he said, 'Well, I'm faster than you!'" Brody said of the call he received from Johnson, who directed the actor in 2008.The Bloom Brothers(which also starred Segan and Gordon-Levitt). The Dead Man's Hand pilot wasn't meant to just serve as a backdrop for what viewers could expect each week.Poker Face, but it also introduced Charlie's special ability to be a human lie detector, the show's hook. The scenes between Lyonne and Brody, who plays one of the few characters aware of Charlie's power, show theAsteroïdenstadtThe actor struggles not to lie outright as he tries to cover up the fact that he killed her best friend. "Rian's writing is beautiful and extraordinarily complex," says Brody. “You have to be extremely prepared to let it roll off your tongue. It's a really choreographed way of working.”
Johnson says the only part he thought about when writing for Segan was, "because I always thought, 'How do I get Noah in there?'" But he had Brody and Gordon-Levitt in mind. the latter for Shit Mountain, which Johnson also directed. "I didn't know if he could do it," he says. "It feels like a small miracle when someone has a solid cast and that includes friends because our friends are talented people who are busy. So they protect their heart since they probably can't. And it's great when they can."
Lyonne's old friends and collaborators who appeared in the series included Chloë Sevigny (Russian pop), who plays the villain in the rock part of the fourth episode "Rest in Metal", and Clea DuVall (But I'm a cheerleader, The Intervention), who plays his on-screen sister in the season finale The Hook. She also recruited Alia Shawkat to read the first episode and they discussed ideas for Maya Rudolph, who is producing the series under her banner and Animal Pictures of Lyonne. (Don't be surprised if any of them show up in season two.) Playing with close friends and regular collaborators, Lyonne says, there's a "tight bond" that viewers can see in the final cut. "The camera really detects the truth," she says. "We try to keep it in the family and every new one that comes along feels like the old one to us too."
It got longerPoker FaceFamily, which counts showrunners (and sisters) Nora and Lilla Zuckerman as its growth"Poker Facerepertory theater company ”, they say together that they enjoyed their time on set. Hearing that feedback means something to Johnson. "For me, the experience of making the thing is key," he says. "Why wouldn't you want that experience to be a good one? You always roll the dice when you're working with people you've never worked with before, but we've had phenomenal luck with the people that have come along.
The casting team - Mary Vernieu, Bret Howe and New York casting director Christine Kromer - took that "friends of the family" atmosphere and applied it when recruiting new players for the roster. “I've been working with Rian Johnson and [production partner] Ram Bergman since [2008].Bloom Brothers"You know it's always going to be a great creative experience," says Vernieu. But the hectic schedule was indeed a challenge, a "crash course in anthology casting," she says, as mini-film actors were hired every two weeks. The first two parts they made were the penultimate episode and the pilot. From there they release episode after episode requiring them to audition and go straight to guest stars while also crafting replacements.
One of the actors they directly approached was Merkerson, and the feedback they received from himlaw and orderStar and legend of the theater surprised. "Her agent said she read the first few pages of the script and immediately said, 'I'm in. Can I say that?'" says Vernieu.
Merkerson explains why he accepted the offer of Time of the Monkey, the fifth installment in the series. "Within the first 15 pages, [my character] starts saying 'bastard,' and I put my finger on it. "Nobody ever casts me like that," she says of playing Joyce, a seemingly sweet woman in a retirement home who becomes makes a domestic terrorist. Turns out it is." I found out that Judith Light was playing the other part. I can't even remember the last time I had so much fun because I was never seen as a comedian or any other type of girl - bad girls! And I tell you, I have a foul mouth."
The theater allowed Merkerson to play all kinds of roles. “I'm not a stereotype in the theater. I can do a little bit of everything,” she says. "But on TV and in movies, I'm always the boss, the bitch, the sister. Usually the tough boss. And that kind of freedom was great." She also describes the top-down atmosphere as having a real no-asshole policy: "I can honestly say that when we did my fifth episode, I don't remember any assholes. I think it definitely has a lot to do with the writing, with the directors. and producers, they know what they want.”
Merkerson and Light are examples of unexpected guest castings that Vernieu and Howe said they had in mind. "A common theme throughout the show was that we had beloved actors that we all know and really thought about them playing against their normal type," Howe says. Other examples include perennial best friend Lil Rel Howery (Die Carmichael-show) and Danielle Macdonald (The tourist) play co-conspirators in the fratricidal third episode of the barbecue "The Stall". Both Macdonald and Hsu sought Polanco's pilot role, but were cast in later episodes. "When you're climbing, you always try to say, 'They're so good, where can we put them?'" says Vernieu. "So you end up getting really good people for the different parts when you solve that puzzle."
Hsu says he expressed a desire to work with Johnson while chatting with mutual collaborator, songwriter Ryan Lott, at the SXSW premiere of the Oscar-winning mega-hitEverything everywhere at once. “I said, 'I think I should work with Rian Johnson.' So I went back to New York for the presseverything everywhereand i auditioned for itPoker Face,' She says. The future rising star has arrivedPoker FaceSoon after she will film her episode "Shit Mountain".EERAOwas in theaters, and Johnson and the Zuckermans had just finished watching the movie with crew members.
"Turn forwardPoker Face“It was the first time I had performance anxiety,” says Hsu. “Rian texted me and said, 'Holy shit, this movie is crazy!' You're amazing and I can't wait to work with you." It changed the stakes and visibility," added Hsu, who received an Oscar nomination for it.EERAO.
But playing Mortimer "Morty" Bernstein, the kleptomaniac skier who was killed after a brief stint as Charlie's sidekick, was a powerful moment for the actress. “You would never look at Mortimer Bernstein and think, 'Stephanie Hsu is perfect for this.' "I like working with directors who give their actors permission to push the boundaries of the unexpected and the strange to discover something new; that's where the magic lies," says Hsu. You don't feel ethnically attached to anything if you let your imagination run wild."
Lyonne recalls her own starring moment with Nolte in the episode, which she also co-wrote and directed. "When I say I'm scared to work with this person, I don't know what levers they're going to pull. And of course I was scared that he would say, 'You're not strong enough.' But then the greatest gift of my life was finding out that I really am strong enough," she says. When it comes to Johnson, she is enthusiastic. “Rian has an amazing ability that I haven't really experienced before, and I've had it for at least a few years now,” she laughs. “But it's so rare that at the end of the day you feel like you've made it, there's that calm when Rian is on set [and the scene is done], like it's in his head and it's time to go home. show is played in Rian's key."
Due to the writers' strike, production on the second season remains in limbo. However, given the success of the first season, the casting team is hoping for an even smoother process once work gets back on track. It's becausePoker Faceis partially inspired byColomboThe creative team is open to bringing back part of the family in new or new roles, as is often the case with guest stars on the long-running series starring Peter Falk, which has found new popularity thanks to streaming. (Every actor who spoke for this play says they would gladly accept such a return offer.)
„DarinColomboMode. "I would bring back one of our actors - that's also a balance against the fact that there are so many fun people we want to work with," says Johnson. “We worked with some of our closest friends in the first season, but we both have so many actor friends that we're always like, 'We've got to do something and be on set together.' .” I get to experience these wonderful people and the fact that it's so much fun to go out and meet new people!”
Along with Rhea Perlman (no relation to Ron), who will return as "season two's big bad" after a purely singing role in season one, Johnson and Lyonne cast the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis, Aubrey Plaza, Ted Danson, Dennis Franz , Joe Pesci and Forest Whitaker as Dream for the second season. "I'm taking notes!" jokes Howe, adding that Whitaker was in a few episodes of the first season but was unavailable due to scheduling conflicts. In addition to Perlman's role, Howe said, "I feel like Rhea's character is going to be really scary. I'm excited to see who we can surround her with."
Bratt's villain and DuVall's sister Cale are two other roles likely to return (although no official talks have started yet). “For season two, I think this overarching storyline of Rhea's character would be similar in function to Ron [Perlman's] character in season one,” says Johnson. “But it's not necessarily what the season is about. Wherever Charlie lands will still be the mystery of the week.
Then Johnson has his thirdknife awaymovie, and while Lyonne still has the third season ofRussian popShe says she is putting all her energy into producing her first Johnson-inspired feature film. But both say they don't want to waste too much time before releasing a second season.Poker Face. PossiblePoker Facewill even make its own appearance next yearknife away. “In the world of Benoit Blanc [the star detective played by Daniel Craigknife awayMovies], his girlfriend is named Natasha at a concertPoker Face.Maybe he can visit the set," Johnson reflects on the future Easter egg. "That's pretty meta!" says Lyonne, adding, "I could only have been so lucky."
The couple also reaffirms their hopes of staying together for many seasons to come. (Colomboran for 10.) "We keep kidding that we want to use every actor on the planet," says Johnson. “Eventually, we will run out of active actors. It fits into our list of dreams we talk about. There are many."
This story first appeared in the June 21 issue of The Hollywood Reporter.Click here to login.
FAQs
Who is the main character of Poker Face? ›
The idea behind the song was to be with a man but fantasizing about a woman, hence the man in the song needs to read her "Poker Face" to understand what is going through her mind.
Who is the male lead in Poker Face? ›Cast and characters
Benjamin Bratt as Cliff LeGrand, the head of security at the casino Charlie works at, with whom she finds herself at odds.
Ron Perlman: Sterling Frost, Sr.
Who is the villain in poker? ›Explanation of Villain in Poker
The term Villain simply refers to our opponent in a hand of poker. The term “Hero” is used to describe either ourselves or the player from who is retellingretellinga hand.
What is Hero in Poker? Hero is a term used to refer to the player from whom viewers/listeners get their perspective when discussing a hand history. You would refer to yourself as the hero when discussing hands you've played with others, and you would refer to your opponent(s) as the villain(s).
What is the real meaning of poker face? ›noun. plural poker faces. : an inscrutable face that reveals no hint of a person's thoughts or feelings. Wright has a terrific poker face—I could see how he was able to keep things a secret right up through publication. Lawrence Weschler.
What is the original meaning of poker face? ›What Is the Origin of Poker Face? The term poker face was coined in the 1870s. It was a strategy used by poker players to make other players think they are holding different cards. It's when they have an emotionless expression.
What does bluffin with my muffin mean? ›I gamble but I've also dated a lot of guys who are really into sex and booze and gambling, so I wanted to write a record my boyfriends would like too.” In another interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Gaga was asked about the meaning of the line “bluffin' with my muffin”, she explained: “Obviously, it's my pussy's ...
Who is the best head in poker? ›Doug Polk. Widely regarded as the best heads-up no-limit hold 'em player globally, Doug Polk revolutionized poker with his playing style by incorporating GTO and exploitative poker strategy to his game.
Who is the lady in Poker Face? ›
Poker Face has been pretty entertaining so far. Natasha Lyonne plays Charlie Cale, a casino host with the talent of being a human lie detector. She can tell if you're lying about anything from playing cards to actual murder. She ends up going on the run and being an amateur detective solving murders across the nation.
What casino was Poker Face filmed in? ›LAUGHLIN, NEVADA
Laughlin's Riverside Resort served as the foundation for any exteriors of the Frost Casino, with the rooftop sign replaced digitally in post-production.
Dascha Polanco: Natalie Hill.
Is Poker Face over? ›His dream for future seasons, he tells Town & Country, is "more of the same. The dream would be for Natasha and I to get older doing this. My biggest goal would be to just keep doing it." In February 2023, NBC Universal (who owns Peacock) confirmed Poker Face will return for a second season.
Is Poker Face based on Columbo? ›Poker Face has quickly become one of the most exciting murder mystery series, but it shares one major setback with one of the classic shows it's most influenced by, Columbo.
Who is the poker guy who never loses? ›Archie Karas | |
---|---|
Nickname(s) | The Greek |
Residence | Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
Born | Anargyros Nicholas Karabourniotis November 1, 1950 Antypata, Cephalonia, Greece |
World Series of Poker |
No, blackjack and poker are two totally different casino games with separate and unique gameplay rules. Poker is a game of probability and requires deep understanding and great skill. On the other hand, while blackjack also involves a good deal of skill, players also need a lot of luck to win consistently.
Why is there a joker in poker? ›It means that the joker is a wild card. A wild card is one that can be substituted for any other card value. It is hence a very powerful card that can be used to complete all kinds of poker hands depending on which card we are missing.
Who is the most famous poker cheater? ›Behind the whole scheme was former WSOP Main Event champion Russ Hamilton, known still to this day as the biggest cheater in poker history. Although he never spent time in prison, he's never since been welcomed back into the poker community.
Who is the best poker girl? ›Vanessa Selbst is the best female poker player to date in live poker tournament history - based on tournament winnings.
Who is the poker princess? ›
Nicknamed the 'Poker Princess', Bloom ran high-stakes games that pulled in as much as $4 million per year, with celebrity players including Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, A-Rod, and Ben Affleck. The other thing you need to know about Molly Bloom is that she is resilient.
Why is a poker face important? ›A good poker face has many benefits outside of the game itself. Being able to control your physical emotions in any setting can let others know the professional demeanor you can maintain in any challenging dilemma.
What time period is poker face set in? ›It's not even past.” Poker Face uses its 1970s trappings and references to reflect the modern world, arguing that the tropes and conventions of the era resonate more than ever in this current moment.
What was on the computer in poker face? ›And you killed her for it.” If Natalie showed the cops the picture of the laptop (which we learn had child pornography), then Caine would be in jail. She details how she knows Cliff took Jerry's gun when he was handling him at the casino for his drunk behavior, and used it to frame him for Natalie's murder.
What is the opposite of a poker face? ›Idiom. Opposite of expressionless face. all over one's face. face like a wet week-end.
What is a synonym for poker face? ›synonyms for poker face
On this page you'll find 10 synonyms, antonyms, and words related to poker face, such as: deadpan, deadpan expression, impassivity, inscrutability, mask, and seriousness.
Muffin,when used as a slang is sometimes very impolite . It can mean an attractive person,usually female,similar to sugar.It can mean a female reproductive organ.
What does the insult muffin top mean? ›A muffin top (also muffin-top) is a slang term typically used to describe a person's body fat that extends horizontally over the edges of the waistline of tightly fitting pants or skirts, visible when there is a gap between the upper and lower garment.
What does butter your muffin mean in slang? ›The expression "butter your muffin" is a slang phrase that can have different meanings depending on the context. In some cases, it can be used as a euphemism for sexual activity or arousal, while in other cases, it may simply mean to add butter to a muffin or other baked good.
Who is the richest poker player ever? ›Richest Poker Players FAQs
Who is the richest poker player ever? Andy Beal. Although he earned his money in the world of business, his participation in the biggest poker game ever played makes him a key part of poker history and the richest poker player ever. Andy Beal's a net worth is around $10 billion.
What is the full meaning of poker? ›
po·ker ˈpō-kər. : any of several card games in which a player bets that the value of his or her hand is greater than that of the hands held by others, in which each subsequent player must either equal or raise the bet or drop out, and in which the player holding the highest hand at the end of the betting wins the pot.
Who is considered the greatest poker player ever? ›Phil Ivey is the greatest poker player of all time. That's all we need to say about this man. Even though he's not top of the all-time money list, he's still regarded as the best. Winning over £30 million, as well as WSOP and WPT titles, certainly makes him a contender for poker's GOAT.
What is the Orpheus syndrome? ›It defines the sequence of these events as a 'mythic pattern' that represents the experience of loss, unconscious yearning, depression, and psychological inflation. The film is examined as an expression of an 'Orpheus complex', the short story as an expression of an 'Eurydice complex'.
Who is the patsy in poker? ›“As they say in poker, “If you've been in the game 30 minutes and you don't know who the patsy is, you're the patsy.”” — Warren Buffett. “Patsy” is defined as someone who is “easily taken advantage of, especially by being cheated or blamed for something.”
Who is Joker poker? ›What does a joker mean in the game of poker? There are two meanings for this term. One is to refer to a wild card. The other is the slang for a pair of jacks.
Is the house in Poker Face real? ›It's a fictional casino and while it's possible a real casino was used for the show, Poker Face may have also created a casino for the show. Viewers won't be able to visit the place where Charlie solves her first crime.
Where was the last episode of Poker Face filmed? ›Much of Poker Face, streaming now on Peacock, was filmed in the Hudson Valley.
How many casinos are there in Laughlin Nevada? ›Home to eight spectacular casino resorts offering a huge variety of top-quality accommodations and dining options all under one roof, there's no shortage of choice when it comes to great places to stay in Laughlin.
What happened to Natalie in Poker Face? ›Natalie Hill was a housekeeper at Frost Casino and Charlie Cale's best friend. She was murdered as a result of the crime she witnessed at the casino.
Who is Penelope in Poker Face? ›Poker Face (2022) - Elsa Pataky as Penelope - IMDb.
Did Peacock cancel Poker Face? ›
“Poker Face,” the Peacock case-of-the-week series starring the “Russian Doll” actor, has been renewed for Season 2. The news was announced Wednesday, less than a month after the series premiered its first four episodes on the NBCUniversal streamer to critical acclaim.
Will there be a poker face 2? ›Poker Face Season 2 Confirmed
Peacock hooked audiences on Poker Face by releasing four episodes in January 2023, with one more episode available each week leading up to its finale.
While the series sees its protagonist travel to a different location in each episode, filming was primarily based Newburgh, New York, running from April through October, 2022, in locations throughout the mid-Hudson Valley.
Was Columbo cross eyed? ›6. Peter Falk had a glass eye that led to Columbo's signature squint. Columbo's famous one-eyed squint wasn't an acting choice, but rather a condition of Falk's glass eye he had from childhood cancer.
Was Columbo a drunk? ›But while Columbo loved his chewed cigar and Basset hound, Falk pursued far more scandalous vices. “He drank and smoked incessantly, loved boozing with his friends and was an inveterate womaniser,” says Lertzman. “He was a negligent husband and an absentee father.
How did Columbo get a glass eye? ›' " Peter Michael Falk was born Sept. 16, 1927, in New York City, and grew up in Ossining, N.Y., where his father owned a clothing store. At 3, his right eye was removed because of a cancerous growth, and he was given a glass eye.
Who is the main character in the outcasts of poker flat? ›The protagonist of the story, John Oakhurst is a serial gambler who is exiled from the Old West settlement of Poker Flat along with three other people whom the town has deemed “improper”: the Duchess, Mother Shipton, and Uncle Billy.
What happens in Poker Face? ›Summaries. A tech billionaire hosts a high-stakes poker game between friends, but the evening takes a turn when long-held secrets are revealed, an elaborate revenge plot unfolds, and thieves break in.
Is Poker Face related to Russian doll? ›These days, Natasha Lyonne is a small screen superstar, thanks to acclaimed work on both Netflix's Russian Doll (which she also co-created) and Peacock's new mystery series Poker Face, which has earned all-around praise and even landed a Super Bowl spot over the weekend.
Who is the number one swordsman in anime? ›1. Rurouni Kenshin. Kenshin is the definitive swordsmen in anime, and really sets the standard for what an anime sword fighter should be. In his past life as an assassin, Kenshin killed countless individuals in his quest to fulfill his duty.
Is ace the best in poker? ›
In Poker, the Ace is the highest card and the 2 card (Deuce) is the lowest. However, the Ace can also be used as a low card, with the value of 1.
Who is considered the best poker player? ›- Doyle Brunson. Doyle Brunson is now 87 years old, and he has enjoyed probably the longest era of poker. ...
- Phil Ivey. ...
- Fedor Holz. ...
- Johnny Moss. ...
- Justin Bonomo. ...
- Phil Hellmuth. ...
- Bryn Kenney. ...
- Daniel Negreanu.
Nicknamed “The Innocent,” Tom is Piney's fiancé and an acquaintance of Oakhurst's. He is a young man from the next town over—Sandy Bar, where the outcasts are headed—and is making the journey to Poker Flat to elope with Piney and begin a new life.
Who is the antagonist in the outcast of Poker Flat? ›The chief antagonist of the story, Uncle Billy is a drunk and a suspected thief (he is believed to steal gold while other people are panning for it) who is exiled from Poker Flat along with Oakhurst, the Duchess, and Mother Shipton.
Who is the duchess in Poker Flat? ›The Duchess, whose real name is never revealed, is a prostitute in the Old West settlement of Poker Flat and is exiled for her immorality. She is forced to make the difficult journey through the mountains to the next town over with a few other unsavory characters: John Oakhurst, Mother Shipton, and Uncle Billy.
What does poker face stand for? ›noun. plural poker faces. : an inscrutable face that reveals no hint of a person's thoughts or feelings. Wright has a terrific poker face—I could see how he was able to keep things a secret right up through publication.
What happens at the end of the movie poker face? ›gave Charlie, rigged a switch to kill the lights, and slipped Sr. a blacklight poker chip to hold so he could easily find and shoot him in the dark. After Cliff fired the shots, he swapped the gun Charlie dropped to the ground with the murder weapon so security footage and DNA evidence would point to her.
Why is it called poker face? ›It's called a poker face because poker players have adopted having a deadpan or emotionless expression on their face while playing poker.