BINGELY STREAMING

ELIZABETH TAYLOR: THE LOST

TAPES

HBO Documentary

HBO + MAX

We enjoy a great documentary and in HBO's Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes we got to hear from this stunning star herself via taped interviews where she talked about insights into major moments in her life, and how she approached living her life as a star that was constantly in the spotlight with her films, relationships, and advocacy.

These tapes give the raw and unfiltered thoughts of Elizabeth Taylor. In addition, we have access to videos and pictures that allow us to have a better understanding of who she was and how people that were close to her felt about her.

ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUIDLING

Hulu Original

Hulu

If you have yet to catch up on the previous seasons of Hulu's Only Murders in the Building, now is the time to do so as S4 just kicked off on Aug 27th. Our favorite true crime trio is always in the thick of solving some sort of a crime and this season is bound to be no different! As they solve their cases, they let us in on their podcast, those that they interact with, and notable areas on the UWS!

We're excited to see not only those who have come into the series from earlier seasons, but additional guest stars that will make their debut in this one.

After each episode, you should also check out the OMITB Companion Podcast to know more about each episode and to hear the theories that come up!

EMILY IN PARIS

Netflix Series

Netflix

Like many of you, we couldn't wait to binge the first half of S4 of Netflix's Emily in Paris! We pick up where S3 left off. Who doesn't love seeing Emily (Lily Collins) and her friends navigating their lives, love triangles, clients, and more with Paris as a backdrop? Of course, in addition to seeing all of that, the amount of outfits that become scene stealers, is always another reason to watch this show. Part I dropped on Aug 15th and the remainder of S4 will be released on Sept 12th.

If you're like us, you're wondering how it will all play out and you'll begin thinking about what's on deck for S5 or will rewatch all the seasons for the perfect escapism on your next long weekend!

Read the AUG ISSUE #104 of Athleisure Mag and see BINGELY STREAMING in mag.

BACK TO CHICAGO | THE BEAR

On June 26th 9pm ET, S3 of FX's The Bear released all episodes from this season which is available exclusively on Hulu in the U.S. and on Disney+ in all other territories! We had the pleasure of hearing from portions of the cast about this show that has truly been a phenomenon for those in the culinary industry, enthusiasts and more as we head back to Chicago it deals with the highs and lows of running a restaurant, navigating the industry as well as the complexities that take place FOH, BOH as well as outside of the four walls that they operate in!

The press conference included Executive Producer and Restaurateur Chef Matty Matheson (Craig of the Creek, It's Suppertime!, Workin' Moms), who also plays Neil Fak, Jeremy Alllen White (Shameless, Homecoming, The Iron Claw) who plays Carmy, Ayo Edebiri (Black Mirror, Abbott Elementary, Bottoms) who plays Sydney as well as who directed Episode 6 "Napkins" of this season, Ebon Moss-Bachrach (Girls, The Dropout, Andor) who plays Richie, Abby Elliott (Saturday Night Life, Odd Mom Out, Cheaper By The Dozen) who plays Natalie, Liza Colón-Zayas (In Treatment, Law & Order, Titans) who plays Tina, Lionel Boyce (Loiter Squad, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Jellies) who plays Marcus, and Ricky Staffieri (Chicago P.D., Better Call Saul, This is Us) who plays Ted Fak.

If you have watched or caught up on the previous seasons of The Bear, we suggest that you watch as there will be light spoilers. In terms of S3 the conversation focuses on the trailer and how it ties into the previous seasons.

PRESS POOL: Matty, in addition to your playing Neil, you are an executive producer and from a menu creation perspective, what are the decisions that are involved in creating those dishes?

CHEF MATTY MATHESON: Yeah, like, Courtney Storer is also a producer, and she handles a lot of the menu development. I work with her and her team and ideation stuff of what Carmy and Syd would be thinking about and how to execute those types of dishes; and create; those types of menus; and who they are and how they would present themselves through a culinary lens. But yeah, a lot of the dishes—you know, we had some really good chefs, and Courtney is amazing at executing and creating that food and bringing that to life. And there were some dishes that were more difficult than others. A lot of the desserts that Lionel and Marcus were creating and storytelling were difficult. Pastry is very - you know, it's a lot of science, a lot of stuff going into that. But overall, I think just trying to make beautiful food and thoughtful food and pushing the envelope.

PP: What was it like cowriting the first episode, what that experience was like, what you brought to the table and also, what it did for you.

CHEF MM: I think a lot of people that have had amazing careers, like Carmy had or chefs in general, have worked under a lot of chefs. And there's little pieces that you grab onto throughout your life, and that's how and what makes you who you are, the good and the bad. And in culinary school, I had this chef that told us this story about how 30 chefs made who he was and told me this story about working under all of these chefs all over Europe and working with chefs and cooks and just learning all of these different trades. And you know, it is a trade. And so, I think picking up these little skills along the way - and you never stop learning - is who you are made of, you know? The people around you. And we kind of wanted to tell a story of what and how Carmy was kind of built in that way.

PP: It seems like Neil's role is increasing with every season and we're seeing more of him. Was this planned from the beginning or did it grow organically out of the way the character interacted with the other characters?

CHEF MM: I’m not too sure. I think they saw that I could remember a couple more lines. And then, I think Chris Storer (Ramy, On The Count of Three, Dickinson) kind of chucked me a couple lines, and then I think we'll keep it moving. But yeah, I don't know. I really don't know. I think happy to be here and then, you know—

JEREMY ALLEN WHITE: I think, yeah, I mean, I think Chris was responding to Matty's work on the show. Matty had never acted before the show, and it turns out he can do it so beautifully and he can be so funny and lovable. And so, I think Chris wanted to work with him more and more. And it's also like I've never seen Chris be more joyful...

EBON MOSS-BACHRACH: Yeah.

AYO EDEBIRI: It's true.

EMB: Yeah.

JAW: ...than when he's directing a scene with Matty and like throwing lines at him. It really is the most excited that I see Chris is working with Matty.

CHEF MM: What Jeremy Allen White said.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Jeremy, we got a taste of Carmy's mentality following the finale and how the walk-in incident impacted him in the trailer. But going into Season 3, how will that experience impact him and his employees at The Bear?

JAW: Yeah, I mean, you know, what happens, I do get out of the walk-in refrigerator and that's good. And then yeah, you know, I think Carmy does what he does, which is he sort of buries himself back into his work and really tries to challenge himself and in doing so, really challenges everybody around him and I think becomes quite challenging to be around, as well. A lot of challenges.

PP: Things were not in a great place between Richie and Carmy when we last saw them. How will their relationship move forward as the season progresses and can they overcome the differences that they have?

EMB: They're great now. They're great. They...

(Laughter.)

AE: Play pickleball on Wednesdays.

EMB: They wake up every morning, go for a jog. You know, a little coffee klatch. No, I mean, you've got to watch, I think, right?

JAW: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, yes, Carmy is like continuing to do what he does best, I think, which is like be incredibly avoidant of all the issues that he has going on.

AE: No. What?

JAW: And that's what you'll see, yeah.

AM: Last season Richie got to work at another restaurant which really softened him and informed him a lot. How did that inform you moving forward with the character and into Season 3?

EMB: Season 3 picks up I think not long after Season 2 ends. And I don't know, I think Richie is in a place where he's sort of seen...he's been exposed to maybe a more evolved way of being, and I think he kind of sees a path to head towards. But it's one thing to see the path and it's another thing to walk it. So, I think, like any kind of personal growth, it's forward and back and there's not a kind of clear and one-direction path.

PP: In the Season 3 trailer, Carmy presents Sydney with a partnership agreement. What does this promotion mean for your character and how does Sydney and Carmy's relationship evolve in Season 3?

AE: Well, I think that that's one of the things in the season that we sort of deal with is what it means to Sydney and what that next step would mean for her relationship with Carmy, who's somebody that I think she really has looked up to but now is sort of in the thick of doing business with. And it's I think a lot more chaotic than she might have idealized before they really started working together. So yeah, I think that's sort of something that you'll see.

JAW: Yeah. Yeah, I think for Carmen, he's not the best communicator, but he will often kind of make a sort of grand gesture like that to try and communicate to Syd or the kitchen or whomever. And I think that's his way of kind of reaching out. But oftentimes, I feel like people aren't prepared to sort of receive like - I think he's got a lot going on in his mind all the time, and people aren't always aware of exactly what's going on. And so, yeah, I guess...again, yeah, you'll see obviously how that affects Carmen and Syd's relationship. But I think Carmen's trying to welcome her in a little bit was the point of the partnership agreement, yeah.

PP: What is going on with Tina this season. And then Ayo, would love to hear what it was like directing an episode.

LIZA COLÓN-ZAYAS: What's up with Tina is she is struggling to, you know, be her best and the challenges and wrestling with the demons of her past and you know, white-knuckling.

AE: Yeah, directing was a blast. I really loved it. It's like a dream to get to work with our crew as an actor. And so then, I guess by extension of directing that feeling was only amplified. I was just so impressed and so moved every day. And then, I got to direct some of my favorite actors in the world, and it just felt like a bit of a master class, but also a gift. Like, I was just in the best circumstances of truly just masters of their craft beside me, and I just felt so lucky. I was kind of like this is maybe the best job in the world? Or tied for first place, at least, with the one of acting. Yeah, so it was really wonderful.

AM: Did you choose the script that you were going to direct or is it just a decision you made with Chris Storer?

AE: I mean, a little bit of both, I guess? Like, he had one in mind. We're lucky enough to read all the episodes as actors beforehand, and we'd been talking about it for a while. And I know that he had one in mind, and I think he and the other producers, like Joanna Calo (The Baby-Sitters Club, Hack, Beef), had talked about it a bit, about how the episodes would be distributed. Because I wasn't the only guest director this season. Our AD, Duccio Fabbri (She Said, The Whale, Native Son), also directed an episode. And so, I think they had in their minds who would go where a little bit. But then we had a conversation, and he was like, "Which scripts are you responding to?" And I was like, "I would literally give you my firstborn child, who does not exist yet, if I could do the Liza episode, because I would love to work with Liza in that way." And then, he was like, "Well, we have nice little parallel thinking." So, yeah.

PP: Grief seems to be kind of a river that runs through the entire connective tissue of the show. And no one has seemed to really deal with their grief related to Mikey's (Jon Bernthal) passing and also, it seems like there might be some grief for Marcus, as well, coming up. Will there be any reckonings with unprocessed grief throughout this season, and what does that mean for the restaurant as a whole?

ABBY ELLIOT: Yeah, I think with Natalie, she's processing her grief and she's about to become a mother. She's pregnant and so, she's grappling with the fact that her brother had this horrible demise and her relationship with her mom and her brother is not in a good place. So, I feel like, yeah, she's dealing with the grief in that way.

AE: Yeah, I feel like a lot of different characters have grief that touched them in different ways in how they're dealing with it. I mean, I think you said it very aptly. That's one of the connecting threads of the show, so I think it's in the process of being dealt with by different characters in different ways in this season.

EMB: I would say that it's even one of the strengths of the show and I think one of the reasons that it's connected with so many people is I think grief is the river that runs through all of us. And it's the one sort of - maybe one of the only common things that we all share in the human experience. And so, yeah, that continues, and everyone deals with it in their own way. Or not, you know.

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PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | FX's The Bear

Read the JUN ISSUE #102 of Athleisure Mag and see BACK TO CHICAGO | The Bear in mag.

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STEVIE VAN ZANDT: DISCIPLE

HBO Original

Max

In Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple, this documentary takes us through the career of producer, musician, songwriter, activist, actor, and more. We see him throughout Jersey in Asbury Park clubs and arena stadiums with Bruce Springsteen as well as to the Bada Bing Club with James Gandolfini! There are interviews from an array of notables that we love, including The Boss himself, Darlene Love, Eddie Vedder, Paul McCartney, and Bono. This film looks at his influence as well as his legacy and how he champions rock ‘n’ roll and social justice.

PACK ONE BAG

Lemonada

Spotify

In this podcast, documentarian David Modigliani shares his family history with us which includes his grandfather Franco won a Nobel Prize. He became interested in the love story that made it possible even when he was on the run in Fascist Italy. As he learns about his story, he finds many dark truths that took place that showed how a family member was left behind and how his family had a connection to Benito Mussolini.

Pack One Bag allows David to go to Italy and to take a look at his families' past and what one would do when they are faced with predicaments. He hears from his family about what took place, he looks at spy documents, diary entries and more. With everything he found, he enlists Stanley Tucci (Devil Wears Prada, Julie & Julia, The King's Man) to tell this story and to bring it to life so that we can understand the importance of history, perserverance and the human spirit despite obstacles that could be in your way.

CLIPPED

FX

Hulu

In Clipped: The Scandalous Story of LA's Other Basketball Team, we take an in depth look on what took place with the LA Clippers and the notorious NBA owner Don Sterling who was known for his racist and problematic remarks which were recorded. Once they were aired, it was the tape heard around the world! This miniseries is based on ESPN 30 for 30 Podcast, The Sterling Affairs.

Both the podcast and the Hulu series looks at the collision between the dysfunction basketball organization, Sterling's marriage, and the impact that the tape and the statements made on them while the team is trying to win a Championship with Doc Rivers (Laurence Fishburne) as the coach and a team that has the building blocks to potentially win their first championship ring.

Read the JUN ISSUE #102 of Athleisure Mag and see BINGELY STREAMING in mag.

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HACKS

Max Original

Max

If you haven't caught up on Hacks, now is the time as S3 is currently dropping a pair of episodes each week until the finale on May 30th! We've been enjoying the latest season which continues with septuagenarian’s veteran comedian, Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) as she navigates her continued success as a legendary Vegas act, while putting a twist on her empire from her successful standup career, trying to become a lateshow host, QVC, her friendship with writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) and connecting with her friends and family.

This season allows us to see how even a successful person with global accolades still has to have a phenomenal team that works the system in order to achieve her aspirations in her career. We watch how the wheels of the entertainment machine work traditionally as well as non-traditionally. We also learn how what we want may in fact not be what we thought when given the opportunity.

THE VEIL

Hulu Originals

Hulu

We love a good espionage show and this limited series by Steven Knight (Taboo, See, Peaky Blinders). In The Veil, a 6 episode series, we find ourselves constantly asking who is connected to who, where do the lies begin and end, and is anything what it seems to be as we follow a supposed terrorist and the spy sent to find her.

We are introduced to a British woman (Elisabeth Moss) that the first scene lets her client know that his perceived win has turned sour. As he gets arrested, we find that she is moving on to another job and wants to be called Imogen. This job sens her to a refugee camp near the Syrian/Turkish border where a female terrorist, Adilah El Idrissi (Yumna Marwan) has been found. Imogen arrives and we realize that she is connected to various global government agencies.

As they navigate their way to Paris, Imogen and Adilah playh a cat and mouse game of truths and lies as they each check in with teams to further their agenda under the nose of the other. As we continue to get to know them as well as those that they work with, we wonder how much of what is said is true and how it will all end.

DEATH OF AN ARTIST

Pushkin

Spotify

In S2 of Pushkin's podcast, Death of an Artist, we learn about Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock and their impact on the art community. These artists were married and although Jackson is well known, it was Lee that made him famous! She is known as someone who also changed the landscape of modern art!

This podcast focuses on love, power, alcoholism, and an unexpected death as well as an endearing legacy. This 6 episode podcast is hosted by curator, author, and broadcaster Katy Hessel. Listeners will have an inside look into two of the greatest artists of the 20th century, and how their vision impacts ours.

Read the MAY ISSUE #101 of Athleisure Mag and see BINGELY STREAMING in mag.

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THE GENTLEMEN: A GUY RITCHIE SERIES

Netflix Originals

Netflix

We enjoy watching films or series from Guy Ritchie (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Sherlock Holmes franchise, The Gentlemen) as they're always action filled, have locations that draw you in, and the characters have interesting arcs that showcase the dualities that they navigate!

His latest series The Gentlemen follows this formula as we enter an an aristocratic world where a second born son inherits the family estate! This estate also comes with an enterprise that has no interest in leaving and that his brother, who feels that his birthright has been taken from him has his own issues that leaves him dealing with the underworld.

APPLES NEVER FALL

Peacock Original

Peacock

We had been waiting for Apples Never Fall which is a bestselling novel of the same name. If you are not familiar with Liane Moriarty's work, you need to read her novel Nine Perfect Strangers which is also a series on Hulu as well as Big Little Lies which is also an amazing series on HBO that we can't wait for an additional season as it appears to be in the works!

The books turned series are known for having incredible casts of notable actors. In this series, we get an intimate look at a family who is known for producing and facilitating elite tennis stars through their brand of excellence. They are adored by their community; however, their tennis excellence and social standing has cracks as we see how the family finds their place, we are privy tomurderous undertones, the importance of family, and what happens when we are forced to see our true selves when we are no longer playing the roles that we want others to see us as! This series is a perfect weekend binge whether it's all at one time or you opt to split it over a couple of days!

SHŌGUN: THE OFFICIAL PODCAST

FX

Spotify

If we have said it once, we'll continue to keep saying it! We love a companion podcast! We have been enjoying Shōgun which is set in Japan in 1600 where Lord Roshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) is fighting for his life while his enemies on the Council of Regents come together to ensure that he is no longer a threat to them.

But it is the arrival of a European ship that is found in a fishing village that upsets the balance of their plans which has war, passion, and power.

Shōgun The Official Podcast is hosted by Emily Yoshida who is also the show's staff writer. She talks with the creators, cast, and crew that bring the Sengoku Period to life in feudal Japan in a century-defining cival war. This podcast takes us behind that scenes as well as aligning it with historical references.

Read the MAR ISSUE #99 of Athleisure Mag and see BINGELY STREAMING in mag.

THE HEAT | DANIEL AUUSTIN

This month, one of our favorite shows came back for its second season, HBO's Rap Sh!t which follows the journey of Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion) as they navigate the music industry. Their relationship and journey is loosely based on City Girls. We learn about the music scene in South Florida, the Haitian community and what they do in order to survive along their ride to the top! One of the main characters, Maurice is played by Daniel Augustin who we have enjoyed in ABC's Grey's Anatomy and Hulu's How I Met Your Father! We wanted to find out more about this entertainer, how he approaches his craft, and what we can expect from this season of Rap Sh!t.

ATHLEISURE MAG: It’s so good to sit down with you as I have been a fan of your work and I love your character Maurice in Rap Sh!t and of course, the show is amazing! So I’m excited to talk with you!

DANIEL AUGUSTIN: Thank you so much! Thank you so much for saying that! It’s very exciting to hear and I’m excited to talk to you guys too!

AM: It’s clear that you’re definitely an entertainer. You’re an actor, director, producer, and a musician. When did you realize that you wanted to be in this industry?

DA: I think that I realized that I wanted to be in this industry before I knew how to be. That was around the time when I was watching Hannah Montana.

AM: Oh!

DA: The TV show, yeah! I didn’t know how to be an actor at that time because all I could do was the community acting in South Florida. South Florida didn’t have anywhere near the industry. I think in South Florida there were some Nickelodeon shows, but nothing along the lines of what I was seeing on Hannah Montana. I remember Hannah Montana’s (Miley Cyrus) brother on the show whose name was Jackson (Jason Earles) - I remember hearing he was 28/29/30 and he was playing her high school brother. I remember thinking how many opportunities must come from being able to portray characters at different ages. I just remember watching that show and that it sparked my imagination as to what’s possible and to no longer seeing what I see on TV as solely impossible.

AM: Right.

DA: I mean, she was even doing a bunch of stuff like being dressed up and nobody knowing that it’s her and all she’s doing is just wearing a different wig! That show did a lot for me and I think that at the time that that came out, I was probably 14/15 and that’s when I felt that I wanted to do it. Before that, watching people like Martin Lawrence (Martin, Boomerang, Bad Boys franchise), Jamie Foxx (Ray, White House Down, The Amazing Spider Man 2), Marlon Wayans (Scary Movie franchise, Respect, Air), and Will Smith (Men in Black franchise, Suicide Squad, King Richard) in their sitcoms that they had at the time – those guys raised me essentially and I think that that’s where I found my sense of charisma and playfulness with people. But I don’t think that it was until I saw the Hannah Montana show that I started to think that anything could kind of be possible. This guy is 29 years old and he’s playing someone in high school! That’s when I started to think about how I could go about doing this.

AM: That’s really cool and it’s interesting to see where inspiration can come from.

Earlier this month, you released Movie. Why did you want to take on this project?

DA: Movie means a lot to me because I have not been releasing music in years. I started releasing music when I was maybe 10 years old. So I think I stopped around 2018 as I had made a very hard pivot towards film and TV so I have not been recording, I have not been writing, and I hadn’t really been finding my way to sonics in the way that I would as a recording artist. I was very excited about doing this because when the SAG strike happened, I wasn’t nervous about anything, but I thought about how much control of my career that I don’t necessarily have per se. I don’t want to feel like I don’t have control of my life. So I started to pivot and focus on writing again and I started to focus first on screenwriting. I wrote a pilot, I wrote about my old high school football coach and I’m writing a feature film with my wife, Sh’Kia Augustin that we’re collaborating on. But there was still something that I didn’t feel like I was activated in a very theatrical way and in a way that moves through my body. So, I started to team up with the guys – a majority of those that I did when I was young. So I started in a Christian rap group called Mav-7 and I started reaching out to those guys that were in that group. Alvin Lewis is the main one who is servicing as all forms of A&R, helping me find music/songs and people to work with. Steven Guy, Channel Aria Sound, that’s just 3 names off the top and these guys were helping me craft my sound again. They were helping me craft stories and they were helping me see myself in an entertaining way that amused me and in a way that I felt would be entertaining to others and that I would want to be behind it.

I think that the strike had a lot to do with it and it offered me a lot of time to actually find another form or way to express myself.

AM: You also released Kinfolk: The Series which is 6 episodes and is also your passion project. It was also recognized and selected in Tribeca’s 2022 Creator Market, what led to that coming about?

DA: Kinfolk is another form of taking control of my career. I didn’t film it and you know work on it just to take control of my career. I started as a production assistant and I learned so many skills as a production assistant. I think I started in 2012 working at this small production company called As Seen On TV. They do these smaller commercials for products that you’ll see in Walgreens and Walmart. The commercials will go on late at night, but this gentleman, Laszlo Rain, he would do such an amazing job at making sets to make it look like it was a much bigger professional production. I was always enamored at that and I was always enamored at the magic behind what it took to make it look good. As an actor, I see the part that I play, but there are so many parts that go into the process.

Around 2010, Kanye West had come out with My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album that he did and I also remember High School Musical. High School Musical really changed the way that I saw creativity as a whole. From that point on, I wasn’t the guy that was just making the songs, I wasn’t the guy that was the actor, I wanted to turn my songs into a script. So it went from, I want to make music and to feel the rhythms – it turned from that to wanting to be able to turn this into more of a narrative. My wife and I, who was my girlfriend at the time, she helped me get my first camera. It was a Canon 5D Mark III. We bought that camera and we started shooting. I still didn’t know that I wanted to do all of this stuff yet because I wasn’t good at it. I wasn’t good at directing, I wasn’t good at editing, I wasn’t good at coloring, I was bad at it – I was bad at all of that stuff actually.

But we just kept doing stuff, kept shooting stuff and people kept asking me for stuff. They’d say that they had a wedding on Fri and if I could help them, and I would. That would allow me to have a new lesson on a Fri that I hadn’t expected to get. So upon doing Kinfolk, I think that that was a culmination of a lot of different years of being creative and just just being in front of the camera. That’s not to say that being in front of the camera is not creative. But you see how much more creativity goes into pre-producing a project and then the post-production of a project. I think that by doing pre-production, post-production, and feeling the sense of gratitude for completing the project, I started to really feel like I was more than the person who waits to be picked and on set. A lot of the people that I worked with on set, those actors would tell me how much they appreciated the opportunity because a lot of those people were those that were super talented, but they weren’t booking stuff. Booking is not that simple. It’s hard and it feels like a lottery sometimes. It feels like you’re just not going to win! Upon working with other people and other actors, who just really want to be able to go out and do this, I started to appreciate it more because I think that I started to get more value out of my days because I was able to service more people than myself as opposed to just waiting for an audition. I know I started to appreciate that process more and more and I think that that’s where it all started.

AM: That’s really interesting and because of that, you and your wife, have your production company Augustin Productions. What are the kinds or types of projects that you’re looking to do under that company?

DA: Right now, all of the projects, when I think about it they’ve all been in alignment with very family oriented stories or family away from family kind of stories. I think that that’s what I have been coming to terms with – how much is family really part of all of our lives. Kinfolk in particular is so family centric, but aside from that, I worked on a short film that I believe made it to the Toronto Black Film Festival called TIFI {LITTLE GIRL} in creole Tifi means girl. It’s about this young girl and her family. This young girl wants to play soccer. So I think that if I can tie it into one word – cultural. Augustin Productions works on projects that have very cultural and specific minded objectives and narratives. I don’t know if that makes sense on how I just phrased that – but it makes sense to me – very cultural.

AM: No, I definitely get where you’re going with that and how the work ties itself into that category.

DA: I like that it’s family and culture based. In Kinfolk, we don’t have any Haitian characters in there, but there’s a lot of things that I think that Haitian families can relate to even though that story has more African American in it than anything else. So I think that the culture always stands firm more than anything I’m directing, shooting, editing, but also there’s family tied into it very heavily which I think helps people relate so much more when they’re watching.

AM: As an actor, what are you looking for when you’re thinking about accepting a role and what’s your creative process when you are becoming that character that you will portray?

DA: What I’m looking for – when I’m looking at a role, it’s how can I actually add value to the role? I’m looking to see where I can actually add that kind of value because I can see who the person is on paper. But when I start to speak for the person, the paper can only serve as a blueprint now. So I tend to look for everything that’s not on the paper. The paper serves solely as a blueprint, but that blueprint tells me things that sometimes, you can’t fit on the page. So I start to make choices for the actor that I believe and the writers may change some things and they’re more than welcome to – I just start to make choices for the actor based on what the blueprint tells me. If the blueprint says this character is going to say this in this scene, I’m going to take that to mean that they said that, but there is a reason why they said that, and that’s not necessarily off the page. So I’m looking to see if what they have given the actor can lead to images in my head. If it doesn’t lead to images in my head, then there might be somebody else who is best served for that role. Because I need to be well informed in how I can bring something to that role almost like a BYOB. I’ve got to bring my own bottle and food to the party. So I’m looking for something that will let me know what ingredients that this character may need so that I can sizzle off the page.

As far as how I prepare, a lot of times I think that I lead in with some kind of music. Like after I read the role, I almost always can have a soundtrack in mind. Preferably, it’s something without words, I always try to have a soundtrack in mind and I just let it play as I start to prepare. So there’s 2 types of preparation. There’s the audition and then there’s on set. If it is an audition, I’m still going to have music playing while I’m preparing, just because it almost feels like that music speaks to the character and what I’m about to do as well.

So for my role on Rap Sh!t – for that role, before I even did the audition, I had the music going in the background just playing and it was probably a very specific song based on where that person is in their life. The character Maurice, where he was in life at the beginning of the show in Season 1 is not where he is going to be in Season 2. In Season 2 by the finale, he will have gone through stuff that I don’t think that people would have assumed would be what he is going through.

So for the first season, all the songs that I was listening to were so so flirty, playful, seductive, and sensual. But in Season 2, I get into a lot more. So on my way to work, if we’re shooting in Culver City in LA or if we’re in Miami and I’m on the plane, I already have a playlist prepared to have him start to speak to me and to speak for me and these people have already gone through all of these things. One of the songs in particular, I hope it doesn’t give away any information -

AM: ooo

DA: I’ll give you 2 songs. 1 song that I would always listen to on the way to work was Michael Franks’, When Sly Calls, that’s a jazz sound. The other is The O’Jays’ Back Stabbers.

AM: Ok now!

DA: Haha so I listen to those songs on the way to work. These people have lived through that stuff already so by the time that I get into work, I feel like I have downloaded some energy before I come into work. Because what’s going to go on the screen, can’t be what’s on the page. Because on the page is literally my blueprint and for me to come in and color things onto the page so that we can fill the page with more than that black ink, I need something else that has been downloaded into my system that I can now give and bring to this party. I need to be able to bring my own bottle, to bring my own food, and I think that I get that a lot from music! I do other things too. I study in a very particular way as I’m sure that every actor does, but I kind of always have music in the background playing when I’m studying. So even when I put the script down for a second, I’m catching this person’s energy and it’s staying with me when I’m on set. It’s not just me, it’s kind of like, you know the work is us, but it’s bigger then us too.

AM: I love how you’re using music in that way!

I love this show, I’m such a huge fan of it from the words, the characters, the visuals and more! Of course, as we all watched the series finale of HBO's Insecure, to know a few months later that we could get excited about her newest project, Rap Sh!t the anticipation was real! What drew you to this series initially?

DA: Well initially, it was the fact that it was based on Miami – that was 1. He’s Haitian – that’s 2! He wasn’t Haitian at first as it just said, that he was either Haitian or Hispanic when I first saw the breakdown. Haitians are a huge part of the culture in Miami so that drew me in heavily. Lastly, and there’s more than this, but my character starts off working at a hotel in Miami. When my parents first came to South Florida from Haiti, they both came from Haiti, they were immigrants, and they both worked at hotels in Miami. My dad was a concierge and when I saw that role with him being a concierge, it was like a spiritual connection for me in a sense where it was just something small and cute that I can appreciate about this character because a majority of times, usually not everything connects.

Sometimes, you’re trying to see where you can connect this or that. I had a character on How I Met Your Father who moved to Australia. I had never been to Australia, so that was something for me that for me to be able to connect with it, I was watching documentaries of Australia and the Great Barrier Reef and stuff like that! When I saw those things and that he was Haitian, living in Miami, and a concierge, automatically it started to sit very well with me.

AM: Wow!

DA: There’s so many other things in it that are icing on the cake for me! But him being Haitian and from Miami was great! I’m from Fort Lauderdale, but we’re neighbors and that was something for me that was very very special to see. I don’t see that on every audition. There are definitely more Haitian roles and I’ve seen that uptick in the past over the past or 3 years for Haitian roles and Haitian representation. But, seeing Issa Rae’s name, I’ve always been a fan of hers especially just based on how she uplifted her community, she’s done so much creatively speaking, and how she has done so much for independent creators. I’ve always been a huge fan of hers so seeing that she was behind this and HBO – I’m a huge huge huge fan of this as well. So seeing all of these things was like, alright it’s such an alignment that for me to be able to have this role it’s just one of my most proudest achievements of my life to date.

AM: How would you describe Maurice?

DA: I would describe Maurice as indescribable, but I will still explain that. I feel like he’s all of us in a way as he’s very human individual, he’s just also a very, by any means necessary kind of guy at the same time. In spite of his by any means necessary approach, he’s able to be playful and fun. He’s flirty and supportive. I think that he’s one of the most diverse characters I’ve seen on screen because I think that there’s so much to unpack as it pertains to his character, his culture, how he communicated with women, because I think that when people talk nowadays and they talk about dating, they tend to talk about how difficult dating is. But I don’t think that it is difficult, just because it’s hard, it’s difficult because we’re not all good communicators, we don’t always know what we want, and sometimes when we do feel that we know what we want, it’s not very clear. I feel like he’s misunderstood, but he’s one of the most supportive individuals that I have seen on screen, almost to a fault.

AM: For those that may need a refresher where did we leave Maurice last season and depending on how much you can tell us, where do we pick up with him again heading into this season as it just started earlier this month?

DA: Last season, he was bathed in mystery. The season ends off with him essentially letting Shawna know that they need to cool off and they need to lay low because they got caught and they’re in trouble, but he’s playing it off like it’s ok. Because I think that he has been in these kinds of scenarios before.

Me personally, I have experienced a lot of what Maurice has experienced because when I was younger, I had a lot of friends that were in what you say in creole, the jwett – it’s a play, it’s a game and so I was on the outside looking in for some of it, but when I didn’t have a 9-5, I had friends that were doing what Maurice was doing and they would try to pull me in and sometimes, they’d get me to come in because I was trying to figure out how to pay bills or how to pay for studio sessions and so on and so forth. So, I’ve been in the situation where Maurice has been in where you’re in trouble, but you have to have confidence that you’re not in trouble so that you can actually get out of trouble.

So he’s been in a headstrong space where he’s seemingly way too cool about it and I think that it is creating an unease for Shawna because of how cool he is about it, she doesn’t necessarily know how to be easy because she doesn’t know and hasn’t had the kinds of experiences that he has had. He ends up letting her know that they’re in trouble, that she is ok, that nothing is wrong, and nothing is going to happen. Ultimately, when she goes back to work, something has happened, the cops come, and they want to speak to her. She doesn’t know how to handle it and she doesn’t know how to be cool and she runs. The season ends with her trying to run off from the police! We end up leaving it off in this space that is a bit open ended and we don’t know what is going on with Maurice and Shawna and she doesn’t know what happened nor does she know what is happening between the two of them.

Essentially I think that Shawna is going to continue to be left in that space of not knowing what is happening more that anybody. For Season 2 as we continue, I think that we’re going to play more of a game of that space and not knowing with Maurice. It’s a mystery and sometimes it’s going to be poured onto Shawna and I think that they are going to go back and forth and so I don’t want to say too much!

AM: Oh wow! We’ve been watching a few seasons and of course, we’re hooked and can’t wait to see how the season continues to evolve and unfold! When it ended last season, I wanted to know what was going on and thankfully we’ll get more answers over the next few weeks and I know our readers will feel the same way!

DA: Yes! It’s going to be a seesaw of emotions in Season 2!

AM: When you’re not on set, how do you take time for yourself to relax or to indulge in self-care?

DA: Man, man – how do I? When I’m not on set, lately what it’s been is that I have been doing therapy lately. That’s been very useful for me to figure out what self-care even looks like? So that’s been one of the things because sometimes, even when I’m not on set, I’m still working on stuff! I’m still writing scripts and I have been doing that a lot. I’ve been working with script consultant, out in London, by the name of Dominic Morgan, very helpful. I’ve been working with a script consultant here in LA called Pilar Alessandra and her program is called On The Page. It’s hard for me to call that self-care, but I have been trying to figure out too – what self-care even is.

Some of the other things that I have been doing self-care - wise is I have been watching more documentaries lately and reality TV as opposed to narratives. It’s just so I can cool off a bit on all of the story stuff that I am constantly involved in. Just so that I can have a bit more fun with it. I’ve been recording again. That’s been a lot of fun and I flew out to South Florida and recorded a lot of music with Alvin Louis and Steven Guy.

And there’s been yoga -

AM: Nice!

DA: There’s been creating even though that’s not necessarily a super chill thing to do. It does feel like self-care to me because it makes me feel like I am taking care of myself creatively and professionally as well. Last one that I will add to that is reading! I’ve been doing a ton of reading!

AM: Are there any upcoming projects that we should keep an eye out for that you will be releasing soon that you’re able to share?

DA: Oh wow, so, there definitely is. There’s some stuff that has happened that I have not been allowed to talk about!

AM: As always is the case!

DA: Yeah, so I’m trying to see if I can sneak something off about it. Let’s just say, there’s going to be something going on in the near future where it will be super hero related. I’m not saying that I will be a superhero.

AM: Okay.

DA: But it is something superhero related in the pretty near future. I just don’t have control over dates. I did just release a music video for Movie and that one was just one part of what I will be sharing with fans. There’s going to be some BTS coming out about that and also a ton of other videos that I shot. 2 more videos here in LA that were directed by Jacob Rink and I shot 2 videos in South Florida. So there is going to be a lot of music and I’m trying to see if the feature film that me and my wife are writing, I wish that I could talk about it, but I’m scared to say what the topic is of the film as I think that it is so synonymous with all of us here. For that one, I’m trying to see if we will be able to self-produce it and to shoot it on our own. I don’t know if we are going to be able to self-produce it just yet, but that’s a goal as well. So right now, I’m going to say that those are the main things that are on the forefront of my mind – music, self-produced content and a superhero thing that I am holding out for that I am hoping will come out soon. I look forward to be able to talk about that and I would also like to be able to say a Rap Sh!t Season 3!

AM: We are all hoping that there will be a Rap Sh!t Season 3! It’s been fun over the years to see you on Grey’s Anatomy as well as How I Met Your Father! In terms of you and this show, I’m always a fan of the concepts that are talked about, looking at how people navigate getting into the music business, learning more about the vibe of South Florida and anything that is missed from the show, catching up with Jessie Woo and Zach Campbell on Chat Sh!t fills in the rest of the gaps I enjoy hearing immediately after I have watched!

DA: Yeah!!!!!

AM: So I definitely hope there are more seasons to come and you continue to do what you’re doing!

DA: Thank you, I appreciate you for saying that!

IG @danielaugustin

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | PG 158 - 162 Ben Cope | PG 165 + 166 Alicia Vera/HBO Max | PG 169 + 170 Erin Simkin/Max |

Read the NOV ISSUE #95 of Athleisure Mag and see THE HEAT | Daniel Augustin in Mag.

WHERE'S THE LINE | SEPIDEH MOAFI

This month we caught up with Sepideh Moafi who embodies her characters and really makes us see the world through her eyes and the storylines that they are involved in where it's thrillers such as USA's Falling Water, dramas that include HBO's The Deuce and Showtime's The L Word: Generation Q, and shows that look at our relationship with technology and who has the power to use them in our lives in her latest limited series, FX Class of '09!

You can currently binge the entire season of 8 episodes now on Hulu which looks at a group of FBI agents as we see them going through the academy in the past, in their present day in their career and in the future. We wanted to know more about how Sepideh came to being an actor, how she approaches her roles, and her thoughts on the paradigm between technology and humans intervention and those who decide how this is instituted.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize you wanted to be an actor?

SEPIDEH MOAFI: I think I was about 23. I graduated from San Francisco Conservatory of Music as a Vocal Performance major at 21 and had started my career as an opera singer. While opera was (and still is) my first passion and finding my voice as a singer completely changed my life, I was becoming more and more curious about theater and exploring the full potential of characters without having to worry about hitting that high C, for example. I enrolled in a straight acting class with Bobby Weinapple in San Francisco (he taught an acting for singers class that I had taken at the conservatory) and he said I had “it”, whatever “it” means. I decided to audition for some plays and started booking roles like Juliet in Romeo & Juliet and Luisa in The Fantasticks, so I decided to apply to grad school on a whim and ended up getting a full scholarship plus grants to UC Irvine’s MFA Acting program. So I went.

AM: I have been a fan of your work from Notorious, Falling Water, The Deuce, The L Word: Generation Q, and currently The Class of 09! You always play characters that are dynamic and continue to reveal themselves in various ways. What are you looking for when you decide that you want to play a character?

SM: Thank you for your kind words. I think the reasons for taking on a part have changed for me throughout the years. I was more character driven before, now I think I’m more story driven. At first I was just so eager to do anything I could get my hands on. I even loved getting to play characters who seemed pretty two dimensional on the page because that meant I got to find the things that many people may overlook or miss and bring all of the complexity and nuance and heart to these characters and make them feel like full, multi dimensional human beings. Taking on any character allows you to gain insight and empathy for a range of personality types — people that are similar to you, people who think completely different from you — you get to explore a variety of career paths and life choices that maybe you’ve never imagined before. Acting is a beautiful way to explore humanity and empathy, and I feel so lucky to be able to learn and grow so much from my work.

I fortunately haven’t had to deal with typecasting; most of the characters I’ve played both on stage and screen are completely different from one another and their racial backgrounds aren’t necessarily specified. I remember having a long conversation with Remi Aubuchon (24, Stargate Universe, Silo), the show runner for Falling Water after I got cast. He gave me the choice to change my character’s last name (Alex Simms) to an Iranian last name if I felt compelled. I thought about this deeply. Representation is so important, but I kept asking myself if it would be more impactful to change her name to say, Alex Mohammadi or keep it as Alex Simms. I spoke to friends who encouraged me to change the name to a Persian last name, but my mom's words echoed those in my gut. She said I should keep it as it because we need to be able to separate our judgements and assumptions about who a person is, their background and what they look like based on their name. So I kept her name Alex Simms.

Something that has changed is that the more political I’ve become and the more humanitarian work I’ve done throughout the last decade, the more important it has become for me to be part of projects that I feel align with my politics and core belief system. We need healthy, accurate stories and representation of women, the LGBTQIA+ community, people from the SWANA (Southwest Asian and North African) region, and all marginalized communities but not with a superficial, checkbox approach to diversity. My face on screen makes a statement whether I like it or not, so I’d rather take control of that to make statements I can get behind. It’s important that whatever project I decide to do doesn’t play into toxic narratives about marginalized people and doesn’t veer from the kinds of stories and representation I want to support and think we need more of.

AM: How do you approach getting into character to bring their authenticity forward?

SM: I think different characters require diff kinds of preparation. For example, for Lauren McCauley in Black Bird, I spent a good two months doing research by reading, listening to podcasts, watching documentaries, reviewing documents from the real life case, speaking to various FBI agents on a regular basis, and reading the script every day. I quickly discovered that there’s no way in hell I could be an FBI agent in real life (I find it too difficult to control my emotions!), so the extensive research helped me acquire the confidence I needed to step into her shoes. Dennis Lehane’s (The Wire, Boardwalk Empire, Bloodline) brilliant script gave me everything I needed to play her, the research just helped me gain the confidence I needed in order to embody her truthfully. For Gigi in The L Word: Generation Q, I did speak to a few of my real estate agent buddies to gain some insight into her day to day work life, but that was kind of the extent of the research. I think every character prep is different. I remember doing so much prep work for Niki in The Killing of Two Lovers but once I got to set with our director Robert Machoian (Mother Mother, Strong Enough, The Foundry) and opposite actors Clayne Crawford (CSI, 24, Graceland), Chris Coy (The Deuce, The Peripheral, Accused) and the kids, I felt like all that prep went out the window. One could argue the prep was there as my foundation but I honestly felt like I was in a trance for the entirety of that shoot. The energy on set was abundant and infectious; we were like animals in the jungle playing with abandon. No matter what, I always start with the words in the script and my gut response to them. From there, I identify the tone, the world in which the character lives (their socioeconomic status, their relationship to their ethnicity and background, their gender, etc.) and that usually informs what type of work and research is needed. My only goal is to give all of myself to every role. If by the end of a film or show or play there’s still something in the tank, I haven’t done my job.

AM: What drew you to want to be involved in Class of '09 and what do you think about the past, present and future format of the show?

SM: There are a number of reasons why I was drawn to this show. The character being able to explore the breadth of anyone’s life over the span of multiple decades is a fascinating, eye and heart opening endeavor. This character, Hour, specifically being from a family that had to flee Iran felt resonant to me and her constant grappling with the dilemma of identity and belonging. The themes of the show — exploring AI, technology, surveillance, the fragility of humanity, and this dance between security and liberty. And lastly the cast, I felt very lucky to be able to have this unique experience with some of my favorite actors and human beings. We formed life long bonds (we’re still constantly texting on our group text!)

AM: We've been watching this every week and really enjoy seeing how everyone is connected with one another and how they evolve over various periods of time. What are the takeaways that you want viewers to walk away with after watching this series?

SM: Class of ‘09 is a limited series so the story is contained within eight episodes. But I hope this encourages the audience to probe at these deeper questions around the nature of security, surveillance, and willingly or unwillingly living in a technocracy. Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers, said “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.” We are seeing increasing manifestations of major technological companies abusing their power with impunity and stealing our identities for profit. We’ve seen fuller expressions of this abuse in countries like China, Russia, Israel. We must always remember that our elected officials work for us and we cannot forget that it is our job to hold our elected officials and these major corporations accountable so that we don’t continue on this fast track towards a surveillance state.

AM: Are there upcoming projects that you're working on that you would like to share that we should keep an eye out for?

SM: Yes! There’s a film coming out called I’ll Be Right There with Edie Falco (The Sopranos, Impeachment: American Crime Story, Avatar: the Way of Water), Jeannie Berlin (The Night Of, Succession, The Fablemans), and Bradley Whitford (The West Wing, The Handmaids Tale, Get Out). I actually had the chance to work with Edie on one of my first jobs after getting my MFA. I booked a guest star role on Nurse Jackie a couple of months out of school and I flipped out because Edie was one of the reasons I decided to pursue acting. I remember telling myself to wait until the end of the episode with her to confess how big of a fan I was. I lasted about three hours before I exploded into tears and gushed about how much I loved and admired her. I felt like I totally humiliated myself but she was (and still is) one of the most gracious, humble, down to earth actors I’ve ever met. I’m part of an HBO Max animated series called Scavengers Reign coming out later this year too. I’ve wanted to be part of an animated project my entire life so this was one of those moments where the kid in me couldn’t believe it. Aside from that, there are a couple of other projects I’m developing, but I start work on a film called Wild Berries which will actually be my first Persian language speaking film, opposite award-winning Iranian actor Shahab Hosseini (The Salesman, Residents of Nowhere, Nargesi). It’s pretty much a two-hander so I’m very excited to dive into this world with Shahab and our director Soudabeh Moradian (Polaris, The Amber Thief, In Between).

IG @sepidehmoafi

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | PG 98 + 101 9LIST STORI3S, PG 128 + PG 131 FX/Class of 09

Read the JUN ISSUE #90 of Athleisure Mag and see WHERE’S THE LINE | SEPIDEH MOAFI in mag.

END OF AN ERA | SARAH BOLGER

One of our shows that we can't wait to watch is FX's Mayans MC which is a spin-off of Sons of Anarchy! This series focuses on the Mayans biker club, the Galindo Cartel, complicated relationships that are generated in a number of ways and fighting to stay together by any means necessary!

We sat down with Sarah Bolger to talk about being part of this cast, the series finale, her character Emily Galindo, what she learned about being part of this show, what we can expect for the final season, about relationships that were established between cast and crew, and upcoming projects!

If you have not watched the previous seasons or have missed some of the episodes of this season, spoiler alert, we will be talking about plot points that include the previous seasons as well as up to episode 3 of this season. Catch up on Hulu and watch each week on FX.

ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the moment that you realized that you wanted to be an actor?

SARAH BOLGER: Oh my God, so I started acting – well, to answer your question, I don’t remember! I started acting when I was 5!

AM: Oh my God!

SB: My first feature film was a little Irish/UK co-pro film called, A Love Divided. That’s when I was 6 years old. That’s when we filmed it! But I will say that around the age of 13/14/15, when high school becomes more important and when it becomes a thing where one says, that one must be in school – one must pay attention – one must not miss class – it became really apparent to me that I missed acting. Like, this is every child. No child wants to be in school I’m sure; however, for me, it literally was a thing where I’ve never felt more at home in a place, than on a film set. That still remains true to this day as sort of woo woo as that sounds! It’s so true and it’s just one of those things that I have always felt really comfortable with and that I have always felt really confidant in. I have always felt that something about it was just the right place for me. So yeah, it was early on as mad as that sounds!

AM: We love hearing that and we love that even in doing it such a younger age, you were able to reconnect with it again which is awesome!

SB: Yeah, thankfully, I have been able to do a bunch of little parts back in the early days and then I did a film when I was around 10 that ended up bringing me to LA because it got nominated for a couple of fun things and proudly, that project was something that was really beloved and it was so interesting. I can look back on that today and it’s one of the few things, it was called In America, it’s one of the few things that I can actually rewatch because I’m so young in it! I don’t remember it and it’s a different person than me!

AM: You have been in some of my favorite shows from The Tudors, Once Upon a Time, Agent Carter, Counterpart and obviously, Mayans MC, what do you look for when you’re deciding on whether you’re going to audition for a role?

SB: I know when Mayans came along, there was a history of a couple of roles where I was playing a princess if I am going to be honest. I remember loving how opposite Mayans was to any of the worlds that I had been able to portray or to live in before artistically and I thought, this fascinates me. Not only in that the predecessor show was so amazing, it was more of that, “ok, this is just a world of violence and gangs and California, and modern day and family and culture! It’s just so wonderful and exciting and important – with Mayans in particular, it just felt so different than any other show that I was able to do before. Specifically, I didn’t have to wear a corset which I thought was great!

AM: That was a relief!

SB: Yeah, my ribs took a break, you know?

AM: Exactly!

You said that what attracted you to playing Emily. How do you approach playing her?

SB: Well I think that what’s so beautiful about having 5 seasons of a show is that every season, I have to approach her a little differently, because she has grown like I have grown! We all change and I’m not saying that we change so drastically year to year, but in circumstances to which Emily has lived in, being part of the Cartel which is stressful, I can only imagine how it is so stressful! It’s stressful to act in – not only to be in real life! Things like that and her having a child. These things that I personally as Sarah have not been something that I have experienced – it was just a lot to her that I felt that I had to do my research on and really learn her and change her as her circumstances changed as the stakes got higher. As it got higher and the show progressed, it got really clear that Emily was a person that was very dependent on changing herself to fit into whatever circumstance that was. Whether it was her ex-love, using people as crutches, whether it was hiding behind organizations, or her husband – I think that what happened with Emily which was so cool to be able to do is to remove herself from that sturdy position that she had put herself in and it kind of made her very wobbly and made her make a lot of mistakes and made her very unsteady and very uncertain. That’s kind of very cool and very human – very very human.

AM: How do you feel that she’s kind of connected between two very different characters – between EZ (JD Pardo) and Miguel (Danny Pino). How do you feel that she perceives that balance that she is always having to walk between the two because she’s inextricably tied to them constantly?

SB: Totally and well said! I think that for Emily it is the balancing act of secrecy and lies. She has this person, EZ, who is her childhood crush, who is the love of her life potentially, who by the way she knows that she can never be with. He’s progressed in an avenue of his life where she can no longer catch him. She has progressed to an avenue in her life that he couldn’t fit into. So it’s not like there is this long lost yearning for what could be.

I think that when it comes to EZ, Emily reverts to childhood, reverts to help me, she reverts to “I need you,” save me – she reverts to these things that happens to younger loves.

With Miguel, if people were to ask me if I think that she loved him, I think that she beyond loved him. I think that without him, she wouldn’t have Cristόbal (Obadiah and Benjamin Abel), her child and as much as she fears him or hates him, there is a constant and truthful admiration maybe for him, for the love that they shared in that pocket of time that gave them their family. It gave her hope, it gave her security, and that gave her a future.

I think that between the two, it’s like fragmented love. Emily has almost no lover for herself because she keeps part of her love for EZ and she keeps part of this love for Miguel, but really, she is lost in and of herself. So I think that if you were asking me, she is in between these two people, but it’s tearing her apart!

AM: Right!

SB: It’s only ruining her, it doesn’t ruin the other two.

AM: It’s so interesting to watch and we see your face and we see all the emotions!

SB: She’s just so sad!

AM: Last week’s episode was just oh my gosh – this is awful!

SB: I know! Are you up to episode 3?

AM: Yes, yes!

SB: I had to check ha!

AM: I mean on one level, they’re on the swing set together and they’re saying so much, but neither can go back because too much has been done!

SB: No! There is no going back for either of them. I know that I’m definitely pulling from history here in terms of the Emily and EZ story. Even though their story is very different, they have kind of had a little bit of a mirror life. They both had this trajectory of escapism, escaping their history, escaping their family, being together, going to college, getting degrees, getting jobs, and they were both crumped by EZ’s prison sentence. In truth, it sentenced them both to a life that they didn’t intend to lead. That’s not necessarily talked about because Emily – that’s not something that she has on her shoulders all the time. But me as Sarah looking from a distance, I’m looking at the show thinking that their actual trajectories are very very similar. They both have had to dig down and they feel that they are almost left with no choices right? Whether it’s the cartel of the MC, it’s these things that they had no intention of ever being involved in, but now they are so deeply involved in that the only way out is down!

AM: Yeah, it’s just heartbreaking because the puzzle pieces can’t fit.

SB: Right and of course, who knows how they will end, but I just know that for me, the storyline for me has not been about her trying to get back to EZ, but actually just having Emily get back to herself.

AM: Absolutely.

We’ve watched Emily do this over the past 5 seasons. For those readers that may need a bit of a refresher and to catch up, where did we leave Emily in season 4 and where are we picking her back up again this season?

SB: At the end of season 4, Emily had removed herself from her husband, had gone on the run, had taken – sort of kidnapped Cristόbal, her son, as it was and with the aid of her sister, was able to escape and with the help of her knowledge of certain criminal behavior, she was able to get a passport with a different name. She was able to steal Miguel’s additional cash and sort of go on the run and hide from him and people were convinced that Miguel had died, but she was never convinced of that. She took a job working in a restaurant, just so she could send money back to her sister and her child just to feed them. I think that the point of season 4 for Emily was that any life was so much better, even if it was a dingy apartment with cockroaches, it was so much better than that castle which was just a prison. She had been on the run and the final episode of season 4 is Miguel finding Cristόbal – killing – well we don’t know who necessarily kills her sister in terms of which hand, but the organization kills her sister and Emily being asked maniacally by Miguel to return home and that all is forgiven, and that they need to be a family again. Emily is without choice, she’s without options, without funds and without her child – so there was no other choice for her, but to return back to really just be close to her kid again.

AM: In looking at the 3rd episode of this season, it was really interesting because it’s looking at the complicated nature or relationships. Not just between Emily and EZ, Emily and Miguel, but more importantly you have Filipe and Miguel – there’s this whole crazy thing going on!

SB: I know! He has this whole thing for brothers.

AM: It’s crazy because at the end of the day, you ask yourself where does Cristόbal hang in the balance on all of this? It’s such a big family network, but it’s not a known family network yet – so it’s a lot of plot twists. What can you tell us about what we can expect as we continue to watch this season as I know you can’t really give spoilers, but what should we be looking out for?

SB: I think that family has always been a really big theme of the show. It’s been an important theme whether it’s the blood you come from or the blood you create. It tears us, it humanizes us, and humbles us and I think that knowing how important family is, I feel that this will be an important story developing from that, but also I think that even for Emily, I wonder if Emily ever gets all of that information and what would that do to her and her family? I guess we will see.

AM: We will see!

SB: We will see!

AM: What have you enjoyed the most about playing the part and also being part of this cast? What’s the biggest takeaway that you’re going to have once this show completely wraps?

SB: That day, my last day on set – I know that the end of a job is emotional for everyone. You’ve literally spent 16 hours a day, 5 days a week and mostly at midnight with this community and with this crew, and with this cast! They know when you didn’t sleep, they know if you have a headache, they know that the rain is miserable and we’re all soaked together or the heat is crazy and we’re all overheated together. There’s so much that you share and there is so much by osmosis that they learn about you and that you learn about them. There is just this element of the familiar – every day you’re like, “don’t worry, I’ll see you next year.”

Episode 10 wrapped and you’re like, we’ll get another season. There wasn’t that this year. Not being able to say, “hopefully, I’ll see you in 4 months,” was really gut wrenching for me. For both, our cast and our crew. I mean this so sincerely, our cast is insanely talented, but we have the best crew in the world! From the camera department to the AD, to the transpo unit, to costume – they work so hard! Again, we spend so much time together! I won’t have that tomorrow, I won’t have that next year. It makes me so sad because they were a huge part of my life for the last 6 years! It’s 5 seasons but it’s 6 annual years.

AM: Yeah, that’s a long time! It’s a significant chunk.

SB: Oh my God, I feel like, you know – we find ourselves in our mid to late 20’s – that’s when I started the show! I grew up there! I have become a woman who’s paid attention to taxes through the show!

AM: Facts!

Do you have any upcoming projects that we should keep an eye out for?

SB: You know, there’s a show that I am attached to and it’s called Rematch that is all secret except that I know that that piece of information has been released. It’s about Garry Kasparov who is a famous chess player and that’s the blurb that has been released so that’s all that one can say and hopefully that will be released sometime very soon. But that’s very excited and I really enjoyed filming that in Budapest.

IG @sarahbolger

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 156, 158, 161 + PG 176/179 63MIX ROUTIN3S FX/Mayans MC

Read the JUN ISSUE #90 of Athleisure Mag and see END OF AN ERA | Sarah Bolger in mag.

9LIST STORI3S | SEPIDEH MOAFI

Read the JUN ISSUE #90 of Athleisure Mag and see 9LIST STORI3S | Sepideh Moafi in mag.

BINGELY STREAMING

BEEF

Netflix Series

Netflix

BEEF is a must-binge that's perfect to enjoy over the weekend. All 10 episodes of this dark comedy starring Steven Yeun (Nope, Everything All at Once, Okja) and Ali Wong (Birds of Prey, American Housewife, Love, Victor) shows us what happens when a beef takes over your life and how it can completely change everything that you thought you knew about yourself and those around you! It even looks at how a beef can cross gender, class, and other demographics.

FIRED ON MARS

HBO Max Original

HBO

When you've gotten through a number of series on a designated streaming platform, you're always looking for the next item that you'll want to watch. We just found out about Fired on Mars, an animated workplace comedy on a Martian tech company which focuses on a guy who leaves Earth to work on Mars with a number of his colleagues from his office as well as others who are there to populate the planet. We watch him go about his job as a Graphic Designer and how he spends his days there while communicating with his girlfriend who works at the same company who is back on Earth. We can see that she is slated to be there at some point down the road.

As he navigates his days and nights, we also see that a new planet doesn't change the state of office politics, interesting coworkers and the need to fit in. One day, the world that he continues to adjust to is drastically altered and he is forced to try to find a new way to be involved in this new environment as well as to stay connected to the love of his life on Earth.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

FX/Hulu Originals

Hulu

There's nothing like a classic retold and when it comes to FX and the way that they retell Charles Dickens pieces, we couldn't wait to see how this would be done with Great Expectations a 6-episode limited series.

The adaptation is written by Steven Knight (Spencer, See, Peaky Blinders) who is also an Executive Producer alongside Tom Hardy (Venom franchise, Legend, Inception), Ridley Scott (Kaleidoscope, House of Gucci, The Last Duel), Dean Baker (A Christmas Carol, Taboo, Driven to Extremes), David W. Zucker (Still Missing Morgan, Kaleidoscope, The Good Fight) and Kate Crowe (The Third Day, A Christmas Carol, Taboo).

This new look at this beloved classic brings us an orphan named Pip (Fionn Whitehead) who grew up as a blacksmith's apprentice. Suddenly, he receives a windfall from an unknown benefactor that allows him to travel to London and enter high society. His journey includes love, Miss Havisham (Olivia Colman) and more!

Read the APR ISSUE #88 of Athleisure Mag and see Bingely Streaming in mag.

BINGELY STREAMING

BOSTON STRANGLER

Hulu Original

Hulu

In terms of True Crime, the Boston Strangler was a series of murders that many of us have heard of, and interestingly enough, there are a number of details that we're not aware of. In Hulu's Boston Strangler, we learn how 2 reporters, Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightly) and Jean Cole (Carrie Coon) broke this story about a man in 1960s Boston who strangled women with their stocking and tied them into a bow. We learn how they had to fight to be involved in the story, the blow back when the story hit the papers and then the revelations that have continued to emerge from this case and what we know about it now!

TED LASSO

Apple Original

Apple TV+

We've always enjoyed the good vibes that you get when watching Ted Lasso which brings us on a journey from an American football coach who goes across the pond to coach British footballers. Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) encourages everyone surrounding him to be their best selves by looking on the bright side of life and never giving up - even when you're going through tough times in your life.

Even when he isn't aware of how the game is played, his optimism and determination is one that leaves you rooting for him. It even makes the wins his team achieves even better. We also see how he brings the team and front office management together through his can do attitude.

This 11X Emmy Award winning show definitely gives you the giggles when you watch it and has great cameos of those that have been included in the show. Now in its third season, it's the perfect time to binge previous seasons to catch up or to rewatch some of your favorite memories!

We can't wait to see what happens to the AFC Richmond team and what one-liners Ted will share throughout the season!

THE TURNING: ROOM OF

MIRRORS

Rococo Punch + iHeart Radio

Spotify

We enjoyed Season 1 of The Turning focussed on a group of women who joined the Missionaries of Charity, Mother Teresa’s secretive order of nuns. Minnesota-based producer and reporter Erika Lantz is back with Season 2 Room of Mirrors which looks at the ballet system that was created by choreographer, George Balanchine who was brilliant in his artistry, but also created a number of systemic issues for those that trained under him. Erika, a former ballerina interviews a number of people who worked with him to talk about their experience and where they are now.

Read the MAR ISSUE #87 of Athleisure Mag and see BINGELY STREAMING in mag.

BINGELY STREAMING

FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE

Hulu Original

Hulu

We follow along with Toby Fleishman (Jesse Eisenberg) as he navigates being divorced from Rachel (Claire Danes) in Fleishman is in Trouble. This book-turned-series illustrates how he juggles his work, co-parents, reconnects with friends and begins dating in a world that is app based and is very unfamiliar to him.

As he gets a handle on his new status, he realizes that he can't get into a new groove when Rachel disappears and while he tries to keep his kids happy and unaware of what is going on, in order to truly understand what his life has become, he will need to understand what took place in order for his marriage to fall apart. In each episode, we see more clues into how his life unraveled as well as seeing the steps that he makes to create a new way of life that is firmly in his control.

1899

Netflix Original

Netflix

There is nothing like a completely bingeable series that has more twists and turns than you can imagine! 1899 takes us back to this time on a ship that is filled with an array of immigrants from all over the world. At first, this ship and its passengers don't seem to be connected to one another. But as we continue upon their voyage, we realize that they have more in common tham one would have assumed!

The ship is slated to arrive in NY where they will start new lives; however, when the ship comes across a catastrophe and attempts to give aid, the future takes an ominous turn. We realize that nothing is as it seems and that the past is catching up with many people who are trying to leave it behind.

In fact, we see that the future has a much longer time long than expected and that the decisions that we make can place us in a loop of our own making even when we don't realize what has happened.

THE PADDLEFISH CAVIAR

HEIST

Imperative Entertainment

Spotify

When we think about true crime and rings, drugs and diamonds come to mind, but The Paddlefish Caviar Heist brings us to the world of caviar and what the Ozarks have to do with this activity. It is the paddlefish capital of the world! With visitors that are rocking bling, exotic cars and dropping lots of cash for bait and tackle, this quite town becomes the base of an undercover federal sting for an international caviar poaching ring!

Hosted by Helen Hollyman, journalist, editor and cookbook author, she takes us into the culinary world where high taste at any cost comes to a head.

Read the NOV ISSUE #83 of Athleisure Mag and see Bingely Streaming in mag.

AWARDS SEASON 2022-2023 | 74TH EMMY WINNERS

Tonight, Kenan Thompson hosted the 74th Annual Emmys on NBC. We always like getting in on the fun by predicting who we think will win in the category. Names in bold are our predictions. Those that are bold and in italics are those that we predicted correctly and those that are only italicized are the ones that did win the award.

DRAMA SERIES

“Better Call Saul” (AMC)   

“Euphoria” (HBO)   

“Ozark” (Netflix)   

“Severance” (Apple TV+)   

“Squid Game” (Netflix)   

“Stranger Things” (Netflix)   

“Succession” (HBO)   

“Yellowjackets” (Showtime)  

COMEDY SERIES

“Abbott Elementary” (ABC)   

“Barry” (HBO)

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO)   

“Hacks” (HBO)   

“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon Prime Video)

“Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu)

“Ted Lasso” (Apple TV+)

“What We Do in the Shadows” (FX)   

LIMITED SERIES

“Dopesick” (Hulu)   

“The Dropout” (Hulu)   

“Inventing Anna” (Netflix)   

“Pam and Tommy” (Hulu)   

“The White Lotus” (HBO)   

LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Jason Bateman (“Ozark”)  

Brian Cox (“Succession”)  

Lee Jung-jae (“Squid Game”)   

Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”)  

Adam Scott (“Severance”)  

Jeremy Strong (“Succession”)  

LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”)   

Laura Linney (“Ozark”)  

Melanie Lynskey (“Yellowjackets”)  

Sandra Oh (“Killing Eve”)  

Reese Witherspoon (“The Morning Show”)   

Zendaya (“Euphoria”)  

LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Donald Glover (“Atlanta”)   

Bill Hader (“Barry”)  

Nicholas Hoult (“The Great”)

Steve Martin (“Only Murders in the Building”)   

Martin Short (“Only Murders in the Building”)  

Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”)  

LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)  

Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”)  

Kaley Cuoco (“The Flight Attendant”)  

Elle Fanning (“The Great”)  

Issa Rae (“Insecure”)  

Jean Smart (“Hacks”)  

LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

Colin Firth (“The Staircase”)  

Andrew Garfield (“Under the Banner of Heaven”)  

Oscar Isaac (“Scenes From a Marriage”)  

Michael Keaton (“Dopesick”)  

Himesh Patel (“Station Eleven”)  

Sebastian Stan (“Pam and Tommy”)   

LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

Toni Collette (“The Staircase”)  

Julia Garner (“Inventing Anna”)  

Lily James (“Pam and Tommy”)  

Sarah Paulson (“Impeachment: American Crime Story”)

Margaret Qualley (“Maid”)  

Amanda Seyfried (“The Dropout”)  

VARIETY TALK SERIES

“The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” (Comedy Central)  

“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC)  

“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” (HBO)  

“Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC)  

“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS)  

COMPETITION PROGRAM

“The Amazing Race” (CBS)  

“Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls” (Amazon Prime Video)  

“Nailed It!” (Netflix)  

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” (VH1)  

“Top Chef” (Bravo)  

“The Voice” (NBC)  

TELEVISION MOVIE

Chip ‘n’Dale: Rescue Rangers (Disney+)

Ray Donovan: The Movie (Showtime)

Reno 911!: The Hunt For QAnon (Paramount+)

The Survivor (HBO/HBO Max)

Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas (The Roku Channel)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Patricia Arquette (Severance)

Julia Garner (Ozark)

Jung Ho-yeon (Squid Game)

Christina Ricci (Yellowjackets)

Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul)

J. Smith-Cameron (Succession)

Sarah Snook (Succession)

Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria)

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Nicholas Braun (Succession)

Billy Crudup (The Morning Show)

Kieran Culkin (Succession)

Park Hae-soo (Squid Game)

Matthew Macfadyen (Succession)

John Turturro (Severance)

Christopher Walken (Severance)

Oh Yeong-su (Squid Game)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)

Hannah Einbinder (Hacks)

Janelle James (Abbott Elementary)

Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live)

Sarah Niles (Ted Lasso)

Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary)

Juno Temple (Ted Lasso)

Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso)

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Anthony Carrigan (Barry)

Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso)

Toheeb Jimoh (Ted Lasso)

Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso)

Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)

Tyler James Williams (Abbott Elementary)

Henry Winkler (Barry)

Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

Connie Britton (The White Lotus)

Jennifer Coolidge (The White Lotus)

Alexandra Daddario (The White Lotus)

Kaitlyn Dever (Dopesick)

Natasha Rothwell (The White Lotus)

Sydney Sweeney (The White Lotus)

Mare Winningham (Dopesick)

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus)

Jake Lacy (The White Lotus)

Will Poulter (Dopesick)

Seth Rogen (Pam & Tommy)

Peter Sarsgaard (Dopesick)

Michael Stuhlbarg (Dopesick)

Steve Zahn (The White Lotus)

GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Hope Davis (Succession)

Marcia Gay Harden (The Morning Show)

Martha Kelly (Euphoria)

Sanaa Lathan (Succession)

Harriet Walter (Succession)

Lee You-mi (Squid Game)

GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Adrien Brody (Succession)

James Cromwell (Succession)

Colman Domingo (Euphoria)

Arian Moayed (Succession)

Tom Pelphrey (Ozark)

Alexander Skarsgård (Succession)

GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Jane Adams (Hacks)

Harriet Sansom Harris (Hacks)

Jane Lynch (Only Murders In The Building)

Laurie Metcalf (Hacks)

Kaitlin Olson (Hacks)

Harriet Walter (Ted Lasso)

GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Jerrod Carmichael (Saturday Night Live)

Bill Hader (Curb Your Enthusiasm)

James Lance (Ted Lasso)

Nathan Lane (Only Murders In The Building)

Christopher McDonald (Hacks)

Sam Richardson (Ted Lasso)

VARIETY SKETCH SERIES

A Black Lady Sketch Show (HBO/HBO Max)

Saturday Night Live (NBC)

VARIETY SPECIAL (LIVE)

The 64th Annual Grammy Awards (CBS)

Live In Front Of A Studio Audience: The Facts Of Life and Diff’rent Strokes (ABC)

The Oscars (ABC)

Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent (NBC)

Tony Awards Presents: Broadway’s Back! (CBS)

VARIETY SPECIAL (PRE-RECORDED)

Adele: One Night Only (CBS)

Dave Chappelle: The Closer (Netflix)

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (HBO/HBO Max)

Norm Macdonald: Nothing Special (Netflix)

One Last Time: An Evening with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga (CBS)

HOSTED NONFICTION SERIES OR SPECIAL

My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman (Netflix)

The Problem with Jon Stewart (Apple TV+)

Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy (CNN)

VICE (Showtime)

The World According to Jeff Goldblum (Disney+)

COMPETITION PROGRAM

The Amazing Race (CBS)

Lizzo’s Watch Out For The Big Grrrls (Prime Video)

Nailed It! (Netflix)

RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)

Top Chef (Bravo)

The Voice (NBC)

HOST FOR A REALITY OR COMPETITION PROGRAM

Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness (Queer Eye)

Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman (Making It)

Nicole Byer (Nailed It!)

Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John, Kevin O’Leary (Shark Tank)

Padma Lakshmi (Top Chef)

RuPaul (RuPaul’s Drag Race)

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

BINGELY STREAMING

IRON CHEF: QUEST FOR AN IRON LEGEND

Netflix Originals

Netflix

We grew up watching Food Network's Iron Chef America as well as the classic Iron Chef We grew up watching Food Network's Iron Chef America as well as the classic Iron Chef where competitors navigated culinary challenges presented by the chairman. The idea of being able to create a number of dishes from the secret ingredient was always a thrill to see.

Like a number of our faves, Netflix's Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend is back with a few twists in it's 8 episode season. Challengers who you may know from visiting their restaurants or their appearances on BRAVO's Top Chef go up against 5 Iron Chefs (noted chefs Marcus Samuelsson, Dominque Crenn, Curtis Stone, Gabriela Cámara and Ming Tsai) to see if they can ultimately become an Iron Legend. Each episode has secret ingredients and Alton Brown and Chef Kristen Kish keep us connected to the action as well as providing culinary nuggets that we can use in our own kitchen! The judges (Chef Andrew Zimmern, Nilou Motamed - who both serve as permanent judges and a special guest that joins them) also weigh in on the dishes and share other culinary tidbits that creates a relaxed style around the business at hand.

THE BEAR

FX Networks

Hulu

This month, the much anticipated The Bear hits Hulu. We follow Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White - Homecoming, Shameless, The Birthday Cake) who is a young chef who comes home to run his family's sandwich shop in Chicago due to a death in his family.

We see him navigate how this culinary world is different then what he is used to, the realities of working in a small business, staff dynamics and the impact of his brother's suicide. With his understanding of what he has taken on, he is also aware of the need to transform The Original Beef of Chicagoland, his brother's restaurant, himself and his staff as he embraces his chosen family.

LISTENING IN

QCODE

Spotify

We use voice assistant devices to navigate our day. Whether it's adding a note to our to-do list, turning on devices without having to lift a finger and pulling up other kinds of information, it's such a comfort. What if you were able to use your device to find out about what's taking place in your apartment building and you find out more about your life that you never knew - even a potential plot that could ultimately affect your life? QCode's Listening In takes us on this immersive ride.

Read the JUN ISSUE #79 of Athleisure Mag and see Bingely Streaming in mag.

AWARDS SEASON 2022-2023 | 74TH EMMY NOMINATIONS

This morning JB Smoove (check out his interview with us here as well as his 9PLAYLIST) and Melissa Fumero announced the nominations for the 74th Annual Emmys. The awards show will take place on NBC on Sept 12th. We have a few of the categories that you’ll see televised on the big night, but you can see the complete list of all nominations here. We always like getting in on the fun by predicting who we think will win in the category. Names in bold are our predictions. On the big night, those that are bold and in italics are those that we predicted correctly and those that are only italicized are the ones that did win the award.

DRAMA SERIES

“Better Call Saul” (AMC)   

“Euphoria” (HBO)   

“Ozark” (Netflix)   

“Severance” (Apple TV+)   

“Squid Game” (Netflix)   

“Stranger Things” (Netflix)   

“Succession” (HBO)   

“Yellowjackets” (Showtime)  

COMEDY SERIES

“Abbott Elementary” (ABC)   

“Barry” (HBO)

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” (HBO)   

“Hacks” (HBO)   

“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon Prime Video)

“Only Murders in the Building” (Hulu)

“Ted Lasso” (Apple TV+)

“What We Do in the Shadows” (FX)   

LIMITED SERIES

“Dopesick” (Hulu)   

“The Dropout” (Hulu)   

“Inventing Anna” (Netflix)   

“Pam and Tommy” (Hulu)   

“The White Lotus” (HBO)   

LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Jason Bateman (“Ozark”)  

Brian Cox (“Succession”)  

Lee Jung-jae (“Squid Game”)   

Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”)  

Adam Scott (“Severance”)  

Jeremy Strong (“Succession”)  

LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”)   

Laura Linney (“Ozark”)  

Melanie Lynskey (“Yellowjackets”)  

Sandra Oh (“Killing Eve”)  

Reese Witherspoon (“The Morning Show”)   

Zendaya (“Euphoria”)  

LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Donald Glover (“Atlanta”)   

Bill Hader (“Barry”)  

Nicholas Hoult (“The Great”)

Steve Martin (“Only Murders in the Building”)   

Martin Short (“Only Murders in the Building”)  

Jason Sudeikis (“Ted Lasso”)  

LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)  

Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”)  

Kaley Cuoco (“The Flight Attendant”)  

Elle Fanning (“The Great”)  

Issa Rae (“Insecure”)  

Jean Smart (“Hacks”)  

LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

Colin Firth (“The Staircase”)  

Andrew Garfield (“Under the Banner of Heaven”)  

Oscar Isaac (“Scenes From a Marriage”)  

Michael Keaton (“Dopesick”)  

Himesh Patel (“Station Eleven”)  

Sebastian Stan (“Pam and Tommy”)   

LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

Toni Collette (“The Staircase”)  

Julia Garner (“Inventing Anna”)  

Lily James (“Pam and Tommy”)  

Sarah Paulson (“Impeachment: American Crime Story”)

Margaret Qualley (“Maid”)  

Amanda Seyfried (“The Dropout”)  

VARIETY TALK SERIES

“The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” (Comedy Central)  

“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (ABC)  

“Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” (HBO)  

“Late Night With Seth Meyers” (NBC)  

“The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” (CBS)  

COMPETITION PROGRAM

“The Amazing Race” (CBS)  

“Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls” (Amazon Prime Video)  

“Nailed It!” (Netflix)  

“RuPaul’s Drag Race” (VH1)  

“Top Chef” (Bravo)  

“The Voice” (NBC)  

TELEVISION MOVIE

Chip ‘n’Dale: Rescue Rangers (Disney+)

Ray Donovan: The Movie (Showtime)

Reno 911!: The Hunt For QAnon (Paramount+)

The Survivor (HBO/HBO Max)

Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas (The Roku Channel)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Patricia Arquette (Severance)

Julia Garner (Ozark)

Jung Ho-yeon (Squid Game)

Christina Ricci (Yellowjackets)

Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul)

J. Smith-Cameron (Succession)

Sarah Snook (Succession)

Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria)

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

Nicholas Braun (Succession)

Billy Crudup (The Morning Show)

Kieran Culkin (Succession)

Park Hae-soo (Squid Game)

Matthew Macfadyen (Succession)

John Turturro (Severance)

Christopher Walken (Severance)

Oh Yeong-su (Squid Game)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

Alex Borstein (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)

Hannah Einbinder (Hacks)

Janelle James (Abbott Elementary)

Kate McKinnon (Saturday Night Live)

Sarah Niles (Ted Lasso)

Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary)

Juno Temple (Ted Lasso)

Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso)

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Anthony Carrigan (Barry)

Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso)

Toheeb Jimoh (Ted Lasso)

Nick Mohammed (Ted Lasso)

Tony Shalhoub (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)

Tyler James Williams (Abbott Elementary)

Henry Winkler (Barry)

Bowen Yang (Saturday Night Live)

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Connie Britton (The White Lotus)

Jennifer Coolidge (The White Lotus)

Alexandra Daddario (The White Lotus)

Kaitlyn Dever (Dopesick)

Natasha Rothwell (The White Lotus)

Sydney Sweeney (The White Lotus)

Mare Winningham (Dopesick)

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus)

Jake Lacy (The White Lotus)

Will Poulter (Dopesick)

Seth Rogen (Pam & Tommy)

Peter Sarsgaard (Dopesick)

Michael Stuhlbarg (Dopesick)

Steve Zahn (The White Lotus)

GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

Hope Davis (Succession)

Marcia Gay Harden (The Morning Show)

Martha Kelly (Euphoria)

Sanaa Lathan (Succession)

Harriet Walter (Succession)

Lee You-mi (Squid Game)

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Adrien Brody (Succession)

James Cromwell (Succession)

Colman Domingo (Euphoria)

Arian Moayed (Succession)

Tom Pelphrey (Ozark)

Alexander Skarsgård (Succession)

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Jane Adams (Hacks)

Harriet Sansom Harris (Hacks)

Jane Lynch (Only Murders In The Building)

Laurie Metcalf (Hacks)

Kaitlin Olson (Hacks)

Harriet Walter (Ted Lasso)

GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

Jerrod Carmichael (Saturday Night Live)

Bill Hader (Curb Your Enthusiasm)

James Lance (Ted Lasso)

Nathan Lane (Only Murders In The Building)

Christopher McDonald (Hacks)

Sam Richardson (Ted Lasso)

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Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent (NBC)

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Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness (Queer Eye)

Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman (Making It)

Nicole Byer (Nailed It!)

Barbara Corcoran, Mark Cuban, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John, Kevin O’Leary (Shark Tank)

Padma Lakshmi (Top Chef)

RuPaul (RuPaul’s Drag Race)

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

STORING SEEDS | JB SMOOVE

We're all about big energy while keeping it real and J.B. Smoove is both of these! You know when you see him on the stage or on your screen that he's going to make you laugh, think and give you his philosphy on life and how to approach it - all while rocking great style. We've enjoyed seeing him in a number of films from Pootie Tang, Barbershop: The Next Cut, the Spider-Man franchise and more. He's also been in numerous TV series from The Last O.G., Woke and of course Curb Your Enthusiasm. He's someone that you see everywhere and yet he aligns perfectly with the projects that we see him in.

We had to check in with him to find out about his journey from being a standup comedian, SNL writer and performer, actor and more. He talked about how he honed his skills, how he navigates his career and what he has coming up.

ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the moment that you realized that you wanted to be an entertainer?

J.B. SMOOVE: You know, I’ve always been the one – some people have a high threshold for pain, I think that that’s what it is. In simple terms, I think that I have this thing and feel for people when I know that people need laughter and they need communication. They need all these fun things that make life easier.

I remember one time that I missed my flight because somebody stopped me and I could tell that this dude needed somebody to talk to about his dreams and I missed my damn flight! I felt like, damn I’ll get the next one. In that moment, it just felt like something was - like sometimes you just have to talk people off the ledge in some sense you know? It’s their life, it’s their everything, but sometimes what you provide for people is something that you can’t buy. I think that shows that you’re a real person and it shows you that you can reach out and touch that person. What I promote is real!

You know how fans get, sometimes they don’t believe that you are who you are or who they think you are, or who they perceive you to be by what you do on camera. You know how it is. Nowadays, the world is faster, people promote certain things, but that’s not who they are. They do things to be accepted, to be liked, to be all these things and it’s not real and it doesn’t come from a real place. I think for me and my upbringing from where I started from is something that I can appreciate more. I’m talking about the days from pulling over and having to make a phone call at the phone booth! Those days, it was more hands on – you know what I mean? There’s automatic transmission and then there’s manual – I’m a manual dude! I got to switch gears for myself. I need to know when to slow down and when to hit the brake! Sometimes I don’t brake at all! Most of the time, I’m just changing gears because brake means that I’m going to stop. When you’re changing gears, I’m just navigating through it! You know what I mean? It’s different!

AM: And it is different!

I think that you have such an authenticity about you and that’s why people love being able to see you. It’s great to see you popping on screen in your shows or starting up my Mon with your podcast. I know that when I hear you, I’m going to get you as an authentic full experience!

JBS: Yes indeed! And that, you know to answer the question – that is something that I do from the heart and for the love of what I do! For the love of being in the moment, for the love of something to hold onto that knowledge and to hold onto that laughter! Holding onto things that makes me happy – it’s the ability to benefit the world or the people who also want to do what I do or just want to be inspired. I do think that it applies to every walk of life no matter what your occupation is or what your dreams are, the same process applies. Come early, stay late, be courteous to people, respect their dreams and what they're trying to do – don’t waste their time, don’t waste your time. There are certain things that will apply always. I think that is the core of growth and the core of achieving your dreams. What I want to do is to be consistent. I want to give this laughter away whether you’re paying me or if you’re not paying for it. I don’t get paid if I stop and talk to someone for half an hour and miss my flight. I can’t say, “oh I got paid for that so it’s ok I missed the flight.” No, I’m doing that because I felt something for this person in that moment that they needed this quick little talk and it’s free.

AM: How did you hone your craft?

JBS: You know, being in real situations. Real situations are a comedian's food. That’s our food. Real situations, you can elaborate on real situations and make them funny. You can take pain and make it funny. You can take funny and make it funnier. So you know, it’s all in the construction of the joke, the construction of the situation, the construction of the scene – you know? That is where it comes from. I always say that anyone can tell a joke if I have to use what I do for a living. Anybody can tell a joke, but not everyone can sell a joke. Everybody can’t sell it – you can tell it – but everybody can’t sell it!

AM: I am the worst joke teller because I forget the parts, I have to stop and reset it – so I definitely can’t sell it.

JBS: Oh yeah, that’s true!

AM: I remember when I first saw you for Def Comedy Jam as a standup comedian and then you went onto SNL as a writer and a performer! What was that experience like?

JBS: To me it was great. But again, you gotta make decisions on your movement because when I started on Def Comedy Jam and I was on BET and did all of these TV shows, guest-starring, touring in colleges, those road gigs, tours and all of the things that I have done, making the decision to move to LA, doing all of that stuff and making the decision to go on Cedric the Entertainer Presents, getting on Lyricists Lounge Show – doing guest spots on TV shows, doing my first CBS deal – all those things I’ve done.

Then to sit there and say, “ok I have this audition for SNL.” My second time auditioning for SNL actually. I did it twice. I was going for cast member. For me, you sit there and you say, I’m going in for cast member and I didn’t make the show as a performer but I ended up making the show as a writer. Even when I got the offer for a writer, I was in the middle of a deal for a host of stuff of my own so I had to say do I put myself on hold to work on Saturday Night Live? So I sat and thought about it and decided that it would look great on my resume so I said, as more of a business move. I know that the percentage of shows that actually air are so small and back then it was REALLY hard! Back then we didn’t have streaming services. We didn’t have Netflix and Hulu and Amazon. We didn’t have any of this stuff. It was just regular TV, HBO and Showtime. We had the premium channels but those opportunities, we didn’t have as big of a chance to get someone to air. I had to sit there and say, “ok. If I put this to the side and do this, how can I make this work for me?” I said, I will do this and then figure it out later. But this is going to look great on my resume – SNL.

So I came to SNL and when I got here, I ended up doing sketches, I ended up being a writer on the show, I ended up doing monologues on the show and ended up doing all these amazing things for the show and doing warmups for my 3 seasons. So I ended up doing a lot of stuff and that was 4 different checks – that’s a NY hustle right there! But that’s also being someone who has different skills – who can be a utility person – 4 things at the same time. That helps me and shows how I can be versatile. I can do 4 jobs at once.

For me, it worked out perfect. I had the chance to be JB, I had a chance to be someone who's able to do all of these amazing things and at the same time, it allowed me to work and build my resume and network with these amazing guest stars of the show. So it was definitely a process. I can’t say that it was easy – it was hard work because you’re talking about someone going from being a standup comedian to being a writer. I wasn’t a traditional writer. I improvise a lot in my standup so for me it made more sense to take it, do all of my skills under one roof. I did 3 seasons over there and it looks great on my resume, so it served its purpose doing it that way.

None of those other opportunities went away, the opportunities for TV shows were still there, the opportunities for movies were still there and I was still able to leave there and do a bunch of movies – The Sitter, Hall Pass, Date Night all in a row. I got a chance to do all of that stuff and when I was working over at SNL, I did Conan O’Brien. Conan O’Brien’s show, he was still at NBC at that time and I did his show as a sketch artist 10 times. So I had a chance to get from behind the desk typing jokes, go downstairs on the elevator and do a sketch with Conan and then get back in the elevator upstairs to finish working. I got a chance to do so many things while I was over there. Again, it wasn’t easy and it was humbling in some sense. You’re in control on stage but you’re not in control on this show which is live TV. Everything is just fast. You have to sit there and write all night long for these sketches and it’s humbling because it’s like your trying out for the cheerleading team or the football team and you go in the hallway and they put the list up of who made the team. There was a piece of paper in the hallway that said whose sketch made it and you had to read that list on the wall and you’d say, "damn, I didn’t get it."

AM: Oh wow that happened every week!

JBS: It was an amazing experience and I wouldn't change that for anything in the world. I would have rather taken this process that I have already completed rather than this fast and quick process that these young people are doing now. I had more time to smell the roses.

AM: I’m a huge fan of Curb Your Enthusiasm, you joined it in the 6th season and I know that the 12th season is coming back, how did you get attached to the show and how involved are you in creating and evolving the character of Leon Black?

JBS: Oh man! My wife told me that I was going to be on the show. We would watch the show, we loved the show and even when I was on SNL, we would talk about the show on our writing days. One day I said, that I would love to be on the show and man I got the opportunity. I always say that one thing has to step out of the way in order for something else to come through. I didn’t get renewed for my 4th season of SNL and I literally went from coming to LA for a friend’s memorial – my friend Oji Pierce who composed and produced This is How We Do It and I was there for his memorial service. I make moves because I trust my process and I trust my talent. I know I always bounce back from things. I had actually fired my agent – I fired every damn body! I knew that once I fired them, I wasn’t going back to SNL.

The agents are the ones that fight for you and keep you hired. They are the ones that call and make it go. I said, well if I fire my agent who I am not happy with, I know for a fact, that I will not get spoken about and they’re not going to push to keep me on the show if they’re not getting paid to do what they do. So I said, “well, I’m going to see what happens.” I fired them and I knew I wasn’t going back and for a fact that with no one there to speak for me, there was no way that I was going to be able to stay at SNL.

So I took that chance, I rolled the dice and I took that chance. Low and behold, I didn’t get renewed. I was out on the road for a month doing standup. Oji passed away, my wife already told me that I was going to be on Curb Your Enthusiasm and I got a phone call of my friend passing and I went to LA for one day. I signed with a new agent before I went to LA, went to meet them when I got to LA and one of the agents said, “man, I have an audition for you – how long are you in town?” I told them that I had come into town for 1 day to pay respects to my buddy and I was going back tomorrow.

He said he had an audition for me and I asked him what it was for and he said, Curb Your Enthusiasm. I said, “get out of here, you have to be kidding me!” I went on the audition and you know, I did what I did well which is improvise which takes these scenes and make them my own. Let me do what I do because I’m going to do what I do! Me and Larry hit it off in the audition. We hit it off to the point where we were in there laughing our butts off and having a good time. We became friends that day. I left there and said to myself, if someone gets that job, God bless them, but me and that man had a great time! That leads to me being on the greatest improvised show to me in TV history.

So, my process is, I’m an improv guy. I have been improvising my entire life and I think that that’s a life choice too. Improvising gives you the ability to change your mind in the moment where no one will ever know that you changed your mind! Improvising will give you the ability to sway someone in a different direction. Improvising gives you a way of reading energy and reading their body language – all of these great things that you can do by knowing the process and being able to improvise. It pays off in life, it pays off in acting, it pays off in real estate sales if you’re a realtor. You can be anyone you want, but if you improvise just a little bit, it allows you to pick up little nuances about people that you can use to your advantage.

I think that that’s what helps me so much having to improvise in my standup career so much. It really allowed me to take that skill and to use that 1 little improv class that I took that summer before I started doing standup. I would tell anyone that they should take improv – I don’t care what you do. That allowed me to really hone in on my acting skills and to get in the moment which makes my standup shows so different. I’m literally listening to what this particular audience is laughing at which is what I apply to Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Whatever is working for my character and sometimes, I don’t know what I will do with my character. Sometimes I don’t know. Sometimes I just go with what the scene is and I take that. Sometimes what I do is, I will decide in the moment if I want to have Larry’s back or if I want to go against Larry. I decide right there, do I want to be on Larry’s side or will I go against him – what is the better argument here? I really decide in the moment and it gives me the upper hand and let’s me drive that. It also lets me give him something new that he doesn’t know about the character every time I work with him. That way, I create these forks in the road – these branches to the character. My character has never been defined. We still don’t know where the hell he came from – so for me to be able to make that up over the 6 seasons that I have been there is great! I can still tell people a little more that they need to know about Leon which makes it fun!

AM: You have been in so many series and films from Spider-Man movies, co-hosting – what do you look for when you’re sent projects and what goes into your decision on whether you’re going to participate in something?

JBS: I go by this, which works for me: I read the script of course. If they specifically call for me, I’m kind of past the audition process at this point because I am established all these years. I get offers for things and I can say yay or nay to the offer. Once in a while, I have to read for something – once in a while. It could be something very specific or something that is outside of my lane and it’s to show that I can do something if it’s a drama or something like that. If I meet a director or a producer and they ask for me specifically and they say that they want me to make my character my own, that is the most precious words that I can hear for an improv guy or a guy that they can trust to do that character. When they say, “make the character your own JB. We love your voice and your sensibilities and we love what you do and we want you to be that character and vice versa.” So I’m like cool, let me make it my own and I take that character and I make them my own. This happens in movies, in TV, in commercials, in animations – it doesn’t matter. They let me do me and if it’s animations, I say let me see the character so I can see who it is and then I can take that character and then I can make that character my own.

AM: You also have Four Courses with JB Smoove, why did you want to do this?

JBS: You know what. I love talk shows and I love talking to friends and I’m good at it. I love to sit there and kick it and have a convo with people and that is what makes interviewing people so fun. I’m curious of the process. I’m curious about your path and I’m really engaged. I love to laugh and I love the stories. I love to tell stories and I love to be interviewed while I’m interviewing – you know what I’m saying? I think that’s fun. I love to be interviewed while I’m interviewing.

AM: Last year when May I Elaborate? first came out, I knew I would be obsessed with it. I love hearing you and Miles Grose talking back and forth about various topics and it was a great way to start my day. Why did you want to create this podcast show?

JBS: You know what? It was one of those things where everybody was doing podcasts. I knew that if everyone was doing podcasts, I had to do something that was funny, insightful and I like to give what I call, broken wisdom sometimes! I feel like there’s more than 1 way for you to be able to get it. For some people, you have to shake it out of their ass and then you have to shake it into them and then shake whatever the issue is out of them at the same time. I think of that tough hard love in a funny way and in a way that makes sense to people. I’m giving it to you in a way that is like a friend. I’m not a doctor, I don’t know it all, I know a lot about everything and a little bit about nothing. You need that balance! You have to tell people sometimes that, “I’m not sure but God damn, I know you got to give it to them like that and here’s what I would do.” I can’t say it’s going to work, but this is what I would do and this is how to get the process started. You sometimes have to get out of your own fucking head. If I can get you out of your own head, I’m halfway there! That’s the block right there. You’re like a controlled schizophrenic – you are battling yourself in your own head. Different versions of you don’t know how to handle certain things. So you’re stuck in a certain place and you just need to find some kind of way to talk to the right person in your head to get it moving in the right direction.

AM: With the 2nd season dropping last month, what can we expect for the season going forward? Last season was really long as it was everyday which was great. This season, the format is a little different with it being on Mon and you guys have more personalities that are joining you each week like Tiffany Haddish, Kevin Nealon and Randall Park. What can we look forward to?

JBS: In the 1st season, we did almost 190 episodes! Which is crazy! So, we will more than likely maybe transition this amazing podcast into possibly an animated version – we’re not sure yet. We think that the wisdom is funny enough and the visuals that I give Miles and that Miles gives me, you always want to see it and I think that there is a funny way to present this show.

It’s so funny, we got nominated for a podcast award but guess what? We didn’t get nominated in the comedy category. We got nominated in the inspirational and religious category which is crazy! We got nominated with all the gurus and people who are speaking real shit. We’re taking real things and just elaborating on them in a funny way and we get put in that category instead of a comedy one which is nutso! It’s a little bit flattering in some ways to be nominated with all of these amazing people who are really speaking truth to the world. But it’s also like, damn, is what we’re saying not funny or are we ambidextrous - we’re left and right-handed? Can we do both? We have found a way to do both!

Without Miles, Miles is the glue. He is the voice of reason. He is the funniest dude ever. He does the research, I elaborate and he pulls me back. So, we have something that works well and yes, we’re not sure what we’re going to do with the show yet. We have so many ideas on our slate that it’s unlimited amount of ideas that we have that we can do and we haven't locked in what we’re going to do with May I Elaborate?, but we’re not locked out of it either. So, we’ve done a lot of episodes. For this type of show, we’re not just turning it on and talking. You have to do a little research and it takes a lot of time and looking at the perfect quote and affirmation and using it to our advantage.

AM: For last season, it was just the perfect show especially in the midst of the pandemic. To be able to have those lighter moments that would come in and to start the day off with that, it allowed us to have some laughs before we delved into the work here at Athleisure Mag whether it was booking, virtual shoots, meetings etc and it created a part of the day that we looked forward to. That was definitely special but in general. I’m always excited to hear what you will elaborate on?

JBS: Yes and we’re looking forward to doing in some capacity – anything that we can do to help people and to keep things fresh and fun. As little work as possible, but as much of a reward as possible.

AM: You have also had amazing partnerships whether it’s with Crown Royale, Caesars or JUST Egg to name a few. What do you look for when it comes to brand alignment that wants to connect with you? How do you decide what you want to lend your brand to?

JBS: I kind of go with the notion of to talk about what I know about – that way I’m not ever in a weird position. I’m a vegan so I love the JUST Egg relationship that we have. I entertain a lot so I did love my Crown Royale campaign. Every campaign I have ever done, I have always found a way to make it something that I love and that I can put a lot of energy into it and I use it. We were doing this branded entertainment with these companies for years before anybody was really doing it. I did a Mountain Dew campaign years ago – Mountain Dew White Out campaign – you name it. This Caesars one is just another one that I love. I love taking on characters. I like characters. I grew up in the age where commercials were about the characters – the “Where’s the Beef” lady, I love commercials man –

AM: The “Time to Make the Donuts” man.

JBS: Oh yes – time to make the donuts! I love that stuff! I always loved characters and reoccurring cool characters.

AM: We love your Caesars Sportsbook one. Like you said the fact that it’s characters, but also – we love football. We’re in NY, but also – I love football. We’re in NY, but I’m originally from Indiana so when you had the Mannings – that was exciting and then of course, Halle Berry in the commercial! How did this come back with you partnering with them and what will you do with them in terms of ongoing work?

JBS: Well, I actually did a commercial years ago a with a director. The commercial never made it to air, but what happened was, the director remembered me and he loved the commercial even though it never aired and he reached out. He said he was doing a campaign with Caesars and he didn’t see anyone else being Caesar but me! He liked my voice, my delivery and he knew it would be fun. He said he couldn’t imagine anyone else embodying this emperor than me. He said that he thought that it would be amazing and wanted to know if I wanted to do it and I thought it sounded hilarious. He said if we were going to do it, we were going to start the campaign and he had already sold me to Caesars and let them know that they would be blown away by me and that I was his guy. He told them that no one would be able to do this better than JB.

Now that goes back to what we were talking about – coming early, staying late, being courteous, not being a diva – all those things. I’m a seed planter. This is another version of planting seeds for later. I’m the squirrel who has those acorns and buries them for winter. That’s why my phone rings constantly. I’m always planting seeds and I have tons of seeds still planted. My phone rings and it keeps going and that’s why it keeps ringing because I have already planted these seeds and relationships that I have built already. That’s how I keep busy. People say all the time, “man, you’re everywhere – but you don't see everything at one time.” Everything is spread out over time because I have planted seeds and projects and it’s going to come out at this time and then this project over here will come out after this project at this time. My visibility is always up there and that’s the fun part.

AM: You’re an Emmy award winner, author, comedian, actor, producer, podcast host - you do so many things. What else do you want to add to your portfolio that you have yet to do?

JBS: I know at some point, I will get behind the camera and direct something. We started a brand new company called Alternate Side Productions, we’re going to build an amazing brand, an amazing company which will be off the hook. We’re going to do some amazing projects under the JB Smoove banner with brand and style and the things that we love to do. We’re going to build that and I’m going to put a lot of people to work. I think that that’s what needs to be done to build a production company. I want to drop some amazing products in the vegan lane. I’m a vegan. That’s going to be another thing. I have been doing the vegan thing for a long time. A lot of people are just jumping on the bandwagon, but you know, I let them do what they do. I’ve been vegan for awhile and I have been harping on this for awhile now and linking myself with other vegan products. A lot of people are just getting onto it and you know, it’s all good. I’m already established in this lane so it’s another thing and extension of what I do. It’s also another extension of caring about people’s health and my own health.

AM: What led you to want to become a vegan?

JBS: Well my wife has been a vegan for forever. My wife is a musical artist and has been a vegan forever and hasn’t had meat in something like 27 years. So, she was a vegetarian for awhile, then a vegan and now she is a raw vegan which is a whole other level. She’s doing that now, but I’m a straight vegan. I’ve been part-time/full-time for a long time. I was part-time vegan and full-time carnivore for awhile. Now, for the past 4 years, I have been a straight vegan and it’s been great.

AM: As you say, you’re always planting seeds. Do you have upcoming projects that you are able to share that we should keep an eye out for?

JBS: Not right now. The main thing I’m working on right now is of course, you know that Curbed got greenlit for season 12, I have a bunch of animated shows coming out, I have the new season of Woke out right now and I’m recording something right now for a video game. I’m also recording 2 other animated shows at the same time. I’m also building this company. I’m resuming my standup tour and I’m also doing a special and hoping that I can get it done by the top of the year. There’s a bunch of cool things that I am working on and I’m very happy with my process. I like to be the steady tortoise sometimes – I don’t need everything at one time, I still love my private time so that I can RV. I still love to do all the fun things that I love to do. As I said, my wife is also out there doing her thing with her new studio. We’re doing so many cool things and also we’re building some companies outside of entertainment. Yeah we’re just doing cool stuff and things that are off our interest list.

AM: You have great style that's well accessorized. As a stylist in addition to my role as a Co-Founder and Style Director at Athleisure Mag, how do you define your style and would you ever create your own clothing/accessory line?

JBS: I love style! I grew up in an era where you build your outfits from the shoes up. You get a nice pair of reliable comfortable shoes because the first thing people do is look down at your feet and then they work their way up to your eyes.

I do have some amazing things coming out. I’m working on a watch, I’m working on a hat line and some amazing bracelets. I’m working on a few amazing things. Yes, all of these things I plan on dropping before the new year and this is going to be some amazing accessories. Apparel is a little hard, but accessories are something that I love and I love things that I consider conversation pieces. A conversation piece will get you in the door and you can meet your new boss. It just takes the interview and this changes the meeting and the relationship and takes it to something different. It gets you in differently.

I tell young people all the time, create a conversation piece whether it's a rose or a flower in your lapel – something that people look at and think, “wow, I like his style. I like what he represents.” That is the #1 thing – a shiny pair of shoes, a pocket square – something amazing on you to create and allow people to keep their eyes on you. It creates that question of, what kind of rose is that, what kind of pocket square – who made that tie? All these things are things that people look at and allows them to reaffirm who you are!

AM: I couldn’t agree more – statement pieces are so essential!

With everything that you have done, what do you want your legacy to be?

JBS: I just want to be known as a chance taker. I believe in getting as many at bats as possible. Get as many swings at the ball as possible. I have always been one where I have had some stumbles, but I have a bad memory of those stumbles. I tell people all the time that life keeps going – it keeps moving. To be free of mind and to be free to take as many swings as possible and to know that you can change your mind. Take as many swings of the things that you want to do in this life as possible. The more swings you get, the more hits you get. If you’re sitting on your hands, you can’t get the swings! I always say, get those swings in, figure out your progress, figure out what you want to do and keep swinging at it. I want to be known as chance taker, a guy that always walks on a tightrope with no net. I always feel like I got good balance. With good balance, you never worry about falling - you know what I mean? If you worry about falling, you worry about standing up.

IG @ohsnapjbsmoove

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 30 - 31 Harrison O'Brien | PG 33 + 43 Noemad | PG 34, 50 + PG 73 - 75 9DRIP Storm Santo | PG 36 - 40 Curb Your Enthusiasm HBO/John P Johnson | PG 44 - 47 Luis Ruiz | PG 49 The Last O.G. TBS/Cara Howe |

Read the MAY ISSUE #77 of Athleisure Mag and see STORING SEEDS | JB Smoove in mag.

BINGELY STREAMING

THE HARDER THEY FALL

Netflix Originals

Netflix

The Harder They Fall is a fictional film that is based on real cowboys, lawmen, and outlaws of the 19th-century American West with principals being a member of an all Black cast.

We follow Nat Love (Jonathan Majors) who is intent on getting revenge for the death of his parents when he was young. This outlaw connects with his crew to take down his mortal enemy, Rufus Buck (Idris Elba) a ruthless crime boss who was just released from prison.

Throughout the film, we look at the interactions between the Nat Love Gang, the Rufus Buck Gang and the US Marshal Bass Reeves. These historical black figures have goals that keep them on their mission. Nat's focus is to kill Rufus for his wrongdoings as well as to steal from bandits which keeps him on Bas Reeves' radar. Buck stays focused on protecting Redwood, a safe haven for Black settlers.

Ultimately, we'll see who has left standing with so much at stake.

THE CURSE OF VON DUTCH: A BRAND TO DIE FOR

Hulu Documentary

Hulu

The Curse of Von Dutch: A Brand to Die For looks at the rise and fall of one of the most iconic brands to jump on a trend that dominated the 2000's. We're introduced to a series of characters from gangsters, Venice Beach surfers, European garmentos, Hollywood star power and more that attempt to gain control of Von Dutch.

We see as the brand begins from one that is obscure to one of the most recognized global labels. In a decade, the brand oscillates between backstabbers, greed and even bloodshed. Everyone that was involved with this brand is forever changed - even the scope of pop culture!

HAILEYWOOD

iHeart Originals

iHeart Radio

We've all had that moment when we visited a destination or even saw it online and thought that we would want to live there and in theory, bring all of our favorites to this town to make it our own. In Haileywood, hosted by Noble Blood's Dana Schwartz, she talks about the true story of Bruce Willis' quest to buy an Idaho town.

In this podcast, we connect with the Die Hard and 90's movie icon and we learn about the era and how celebrity was being produced beyond the screen. We also learn that Bruce was not one who enjoyed the media's eye on him and how he yearned to have a private life and how he thought he could do this in one of the smallest towns in Idaho.

Read the NOV ISSUE #71 of Athleisure Mag and see Bingely Streaming in mag.

BINGELY STREAMING

CLICKBAIT

Netflix Originals

Netflix

In the first episode of Netflix Original's Clickbait, we are introduced to Nick Brewer (Adrian Grenier), who on the surface is a good husband, father and family man. He loves his job, is respected by his peers and students and has friends who adore him. In the same episode, we see that there not everything is as it seems as we know he has a bit of a temper and his family - mainly his sister has a bit of bumps that pop up.

When Nick comes up missing, we get an intense look into those that he is connected with to see how their relationships really are and if they were involved in what happened to him. We also see how in an age of connectivity, it can distort reality and what people will do to maintain their images and the idealized life that they would like to lead.

ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING

Hulu Original

Hulu

We love a good true crime podcast and we're not going to lie, when a crime takes place, we do think about all the factors that are involved and how we or our favorite podcast hosts would solve it. Hulu's newest series takes all the tropes that we love about true crime podcasts with a murder that takes place in the UWS' Arconia and 3 of its residents played by Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez decide to find out who killed Tim Kono and to make a podcast out of it called, Only Murders in the Building.

We see how the characters are connected to one another as well as previous crimes, we learn how they make the podcast and the bumps that go along the way with production and of course, we're getting closer to solving the mystery itself. For those that have been enjoying this season, get ready as Season 2 has already been greenlit!

MURDAUGH MURDERS

FITS News

Spotify

Mandy Matney is a journalist for FITS News who brings her brand of small town journalism to an intricate case that has gained national momentum in the Murdaugh Murders podcast. She tells the story of an affluent and influential legal family for a century that is tied to a number of deaths and scandals that have taken place within the Murdaugh family as well as adjacent to it over the past few years.

She gives us insight into a family that has been involved in Hampton County, South Carolina. From the family impacting business that has come into the area, to embezzlements, she continues to report how all of these occurrences have come together to shape the news cycle that is still evolving with this family through her podcast.

Read the SEP ISSUE #69 of Athleisure Mag and see Bingely Streaming in mag.

BINGELY STREAMING

MAKING THE CUT

Amazon Originals

Amazon Prime Video

We have always loved the chemistry between Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn and in this new fashion competition, they take the concept behind finding the next designer who truly is a brand, to the next level. Viewers travel from NY, Paris and Tokyo to embark upon a number of challenges that are judged by fashion's icons.

MRS AMERICA

FX Originals for Hulu

Hulu

This month as we continue to #stayathome to #flattenthecurve, we have definitely increased how much we have been bingeing. When you think about the Women's Equality movement and the players that were involved, the second wave during the 70's focuses on the efforts by Shirley Chisholm, Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan and more. The measures and stances taken here gave rise to the Moral Majority which shifted the political landscape. We see how this movement took place from their points of views from overall struggles to those that were specific issues that they wanted to push forward as well.

FX Original Series' Mrs. America tells the story of the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). We see how these figures blazed the trail in this movement, how they interacted with one another, their own individuality and the opposition they faced with their male counterparts, one another and the unexpected backlash that was led by conservative, Phyllis Schlafly, "the sweetheart" of the silent majority.

THE LAST DANCE

ESPN

ESPN + Netflix

We may not be able to watch the current season of our favorite sports teams; however, since April 19th, we've loved seeing 2 episodes each week in this 10 episode documentary of The Last Dance. This docuseries looks at the impact of Phil Jackson's 2 X 3-peat World Champion Chicago Bulls which included Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman and Steve Kerr. We delve into how each 3-peat came about, the childhoods of a number of the players that began their journey to this team, rivals, management's involvement in shaping the team and more.

In addition, we see these players and coaches with footage from those moments in time as well as hearing from them in the present day. Additional voices from former President Barack Obama, Nas, journalists and more also weigh in on this historic period in time. It's the fix that we needed as we continine to stay at home and wait for games to continue again.

Read the April Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Bingely Streaming in mag.

BINGELY STREAMING

TWENTY THOUSAND HERTZ

Spotify

We were listening to an episode that gives a bit of background on Wondery's 1865, and one of their guests was Dallas Taylor, host of Twenty Thousand Hertz. His specialty is sound design and in this very bingeable podcast they explore sound! Why are earworms so catchy, why are you nostalgic for notifications that were within ICQ's universe or the start up sounds that your device makes? Dallas reveals the stories begging the most recognizable and interesting sounds.

In addition, he also looks at the history of how certain sounds that may have been made centuries ago, continue to exist today such as the iconic Wilhelm scream (if you don't know it, once you hear it, you realize that you have heard it a million years. Hearing from a number of people who have added to sonic sound, sonic seasoning and more is definitely something that you can enjoy while you're getting a lot of work done and reminiscing on why this resonates with you - thus the beauty of sound design.

VERONICA MARS

Hulu Originals

Not only did many people have Veronica Mars circled on their calendar, but it dropped early during the month of July! With Hulu Originals presenting one of our favorite towns, affluent Neptune - we continue to merge the past with the present. In addition to Veronica still being a PI and working with her father, we realize that under her thick skin, she's still one to fight for the underdog to get to the truth.

The season begins with Spring Break and seeing familiar as well as new characters and within moments, there is a crime to solve due to a number of people dying in an explosion. It becomes a serial nature when more incidents pop up. We also catch up with Veronica's love life with Logan and one her best friends Wallace whose life has definitely continued on since we have last checked in with him. As always Veronica Mars is a mix between dark humor, mystery and learning about oneself through the interactions with others. It's definitely worth the wait to see how it unravels.

ORANGE IS THE

NEW BLACK

Netflix Originals

Each summer we check in with the women of Litchfield and the characters that are adjacent to the prisoners; however, with season 7 being the final season - we are in a series of transitions! We see inmates that did their time come back to prison, those that left in previous seasons to see where they are since we have left them and those that are navigating job changes that formerly worked with the prison system.

Characters grapple with decisions that they have made, changes they wish to make and the fact that at the end of the day, they lean on their community for direction, hope and the ability to understand what they ultimately want in life based on their own choices.

Read the July Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Bingely Streaming in mag.