#SHOWBIZ: Henry's back for 'Another Simple Favour'
MALAYSIA'S "Mr Hollywood" Henry Golding is back in a dark drama-comedy, which reunites him with director Paul Feig and popular actresses Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively.
On Prime Video since May 1, 'Another Simple Favour' sees him reprise his role from 2018's dark comedy 'A Simple Favour' as a Sean Townsend, a good man torn between two women, namely his villainous former wife Emily and his honest-to-goodness current one, Stephanie.
In 'A Simple Favour', Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick), a mummy vlogger, formed an unexpected friendship with the ultra-chic Emily Nelson (Lively), a fellow mother at her son's school.
When Emily asked Stephanie to watch her son for a few hours while she was away at work, what seemed like a simple favour quickly spiralled into a labyrinth of secrets, lies and shocking revelations.
Emily mysteriously disappeared, and Stephanie was determined to find out what, or who, was behind her friend's sudden disappearance.
She uncovered the shocking truth: Emily had killed her twin sister, Faith, and staged her own death to start a new life.
When Emily's dark past was finally exposed, she was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
In a recent interview, Feig said: "In 'Another Simple Favour', Stephanie and Emily reunite on the breathtaking island of Capri, Italy for Emily's extravagant wedding.
"But beneath the stunning scenery and glamorous fashion lies imminent danger, dark secrets, and the chilling possibility of murder that threatens everyone on the island.
"This thrilling sequel takes everything fans loved about the original 2018 dark comedy and amplifies it — delivering even more show stopping fashion, high-stakes drama, and suspense.
"Set against the backdrop of a breathtakingly beautiful location, the film reunites the original cast while introducing a new group of mysterious characters.
"No one is safe, and every moment leaves you guessing, right up until the end."
Many of the original movie's characters are back, such as Andrew Rannells as Stephanie's friend Darren, and Joshua Satine and Ian Ho as Stephanie's son Miles, and Emily's son Nicky respectively.
Golding said that he was immediately excited by the script.
"My initial reaction was one of just – How fun!" said the star of films like 'Crazy Rich Asians' and 'Last Christmas'.
"I think Paul leaned into what everybody loved about the first film, and he wasn't afraid to amp it up and make those twists and turns even more shocking and graphic."
Golding added that Sean certainly gets to cut loose.
"He's only in Capri to accompany his son Nicky at his mother's second wedding, and he gets through the occasion by unwinding a little bit too hard, often acting outrageously, all filters removed.
"I told Paul, I want to make sure Sean has a fun time in this one because he was a bit of a punchbag in the last movie.
"So this time he has some barbed edges as he gets roped back into Emily's world."
VLOGGING
Feig said that Stephanie's vlog — which she has used to chronicle the investigation — has catapulted her to social media fame and part-time detective work.
"Stephanie has reaped the rewards of her viral success, solving several more cases since Emily's incarceration.
"However a recent case has her wrestling with guilt that she cannot seem to shake.
"Stephanie puts her vlog on hiatus and is reluctant to celebrate the release of her first true-crime book which recounts the wild twists of Emily's case."
Feig added that what begins as a routine day takes a shocking turn when to Stephanie's astonishment, standing before her is Emily, whom she thought had been serving a 20-year sentence for murder.
"Emily reveals she's been released on appeal and about to jet off to Capri to marry a mysterious man from her past, Dante Versano.
"She has a surprising favour to ask of Stephanie: to be her maid of honour."
Feig admitted that after the release of the first film in 2018, he had no intention of creating a sequel.
Despite the film's impressive box office performance, earning nearly US$100 million on a US$20 million budget, the idea of a sequel remained off the table.
Feig explained: "During the pandemic, a lot more people discovered the film on streaming, and its popularity surged.
"So, my team decided to get a second movie."
THRILLER
Feig, who had previously directed global hit female-led comedies such as 'Bridesmaids' and 'Spy', had always been averse to sequels, until now.
"But Anna and Blake really stuck in my head, and I felt like there's something more to be done with them.
"I wanted to see these two women take the next step and join together against a common adversary."
Feig knew the exact ingredients needed for a great sequel.
"It's a real delicate balance, and I feel we came up with exactly what we needed to have, which is a twisty, sexy, unexpected adventure thriller.
"It was also fun to take Stephanie out of suburbia and drop her into the over the top European opulence of Capri."
Several new players have joined the cast, including Italian actor Michele Morrone as Emily's wealthy mafia boss husband-to-be, Dante Versano, Italian actress Elena Sofia Ricci as Dante's mother, Portia and Oscar-winning actress Allison Janney of 'The West Wing' fame as Dante's aunt Linda.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
Making international waves
KUCHING- born singer Claudia Tan strives to make each year count for her career. Since rising to fame during the pandemic, the 27-year-old songstress has continued to find success in many of her artistic endeavours. Her musical career has been nothing short of impressive. Within five years, Tan released her debut album Love Again, gained over 226,000 listeners on Spotify and performed at various notable music festivals. She even appeared on a billboard in Times Square upon being made Spotify's ambassador for its Equal global music programme in 2023. Tan found similar reception as a romantic author, with her book Perfect Addiction being turned into a Prime Video movie, featuring actors Ross Butler, Kiana Madeira and Matthew Noszka as its leads. Adding to this list of achievements is her recent participation in Irish whiskey brand Jameson's global music programme. Tan became the first Malaysian artiste selected for the music programme Distilled Sounds. Along with nine others, she received mentorship and collaborated with Grammy-winning artiste Anderson Paak on new music. In celebration of this milestone, Tan opens up to theSun about the experience and valuable insights she gained from the collaboration. Has working with a global brand always been on your bucket list? It is because as an artiste in Malaysia, you are exposed to a certain kind of scene. So, it was jarring in a good way when I went overseas and was exposed to all these genres. Genres such as African jazz are ones that we might not have heard in Asia. So, it was cool to see how they make music and be a part of that process too. What does this partnership mean to you as an artiste? It encourages me to push my boundaries of what I can do with the genres I do. It also pushes me to remember that I cannot be put in a box. I have seen all these artistes that refused to be part of that box and I want to be more like them. Were you in any way anxious about the collaboration beforehand? Making music has always been a personal thing. The process involves me being alone or with my producer. So, getting out of that comfort zone and making music with others can be a daunting experience. But honestly, everyone was there for the music. It was very natural. Everyone was there to vibe and have fun. That is the most raw way to make music. It was great. How do you think your musical style and past work helped shape the collaboration? Yes, I brought a distinct sound when I collaborated with my partner Kaiit. She was doing a soul and R&B sound and I was trying to see how that could merge with my pop sensibilities. The track we ended up making was a beautiful blend of both. Catchy and also soulful and deep and meaningful. Speaking of which, what was it like working with Paak? Talking to him itself was surreal. I could not believe he was literally in front of me. I was trying to keep my cool but I was very nervous. I am sure he could tell I was nervous. But it did not matter to me. He is great and has such a personality. It was just nice to be around his presence. He also gives good advice. I remember asking him for advice on how to stand apart from other artiste, seeing how many artistes that post on Spotify every day. And he reminded me to forget all that and focus on being good at performing live. The rest of the success will follow. I never thought of it that way because as new artiste, we focus and worry about various things. But we forget sometimes music is really just about having fun with your band mates. We have to be good at that first before we make music. What are some valuable insights you have gained through this collaboration? To be more open to ideas. Sometimes, I get stuck and think my idea is the best. But when we are collaborating with other artistes, their vision and ideas are also going to be good. We need to be open to that during the process. I am also trying to be better at performing live. That was something I knew when I came home that I needed to work on. So, I have been working with my producer on how to make our live sets more engaging and fun. Were there any musical takeaways from this journey – particularly from working alongside Paak – that you will carry onto your next album? For the new album, we are exploring more R&B because of all the genres that I was exposed to. Also, a lot of jazz and a bit more soul. I am trying to bring depth into my music.
The Sun
4 days ago
- The Sun
Malaysian singer Claudia Tan shares working with Grammy winner Anderson Paak
KUCHING- born singer Claudia Tan strives to make each year count for her career. Since rising to fame during the pandemic, the 27-year-old songstress has continued to find success in many of her artistic endeavours. Her musical career has been nothing short of impressive. Within five years, Tan released her debut album Love Again, gained over 226,000 listeners on Spotify and performed at various notable music festivals. She even appeared on a billboard in Times Square upon being made Spotify's ambassador for its Equal global music programme in 2023. Tan found similar reception as a romantic author, with her book Perfect Addiction being turned into a Prime Video movie, featuring actors Ross Butler, Kiana Madeira and Matthew Noszka as its leads. Adding to this list of achievements is her recent participation in Irish whiskey brand Jameson's global music programme. Tan became the first Malaysian artiste selected for the music programme Distilled Sounds. Along with nine others, she received mentorship and collaborated with Grammy-winning artiste Anderson Paak on new music. In celebration of this milestone, Tan opens up to theSun about the experience and valuable insights she gained from the collaboration. Has working with a global brand always been on your bucket list? It is because as an artiste in Malaysia, you are exposed to a certain kind of scene. So, it was jarring in a good way when I went overseas and was exposed to all these genres. Genres such as African jazz are ones that we might not have heard in Asia. So, it was cool to see how they make music and be a part of that process too. What does this partnership mean to you as an artiste? It encourages me to push my boundaries of what I can do with the genres I do. It also pushes me to remember that I cannot be put in a box. I have seen all these artistes that refused to be part of that box and I want to be more like them. Were you in any way anxious about the collaboration beforehand? Making music has always been a personal thing. The process involves me being alone or with my producer. So, getting out of that comfort zone and making music with others can be a daunting experience. But honestly, everyone was there for the music. It was very natural. Everyone was there to vibe and have fun. That is the most raw way to make music. It was great. How do you think your musical style and past work helped shape the collaboration? Yes, I brought a distinct sound when I collaborated with my partner Kaiit. She was doing a soul and R&B sound and I was trying to see how that could merge with my pop sensibilities. The track we ended up making was a beautiful blend of both. Catchy and also soulful and deep and meaningful. Speaking of which, what was it like working with Paak? Talking to him itself was surreal. I could not believe he was literally in front of me. I was trying to keep my cool but I was very nervous. I am sure he could tell I was nervous. But it did not matter to me. He is great and has such a personality. It was just nice to be around his presence. He also gives good advice. I remember asking him for advice on how to stand apart from other artiste, seeing how many artistes that post on Spotify every day. And he reminded me to forget all that and focus on being good at performing live. The rest of the success will follow. I never thought of it that way because as new artiste, we focus and worry about various things. But we forget sometimes music is really just about having fun with your band mates. We have to be good at that first before we make music. What are some valuable insights you have gained through this collaboration? To be more open to ideas. Sometimes, I get stuck and think my idea is the best. But when we are collaborating with other artistes, their vision and ideas are also going to be good. We need to be open to that during the process. I am also trying to be better at performing live. That was something I knew when I came home that I needed to work on. So, I have been working with my producer on how to make our live sets more engaging and fun. Were there any musical takeaways from this journey – particularly from working alongside Paak – that you will carry onto your next album? For the new album, we are exploring more R&B because of all the genres that I was exposed to. Also, a lot of jazz and a bit more soul. I am trying to bring depth into my music.
The Sun
11-06-2025
- The Sun
Delight Macau Audiences at Broadway Theatre from July 4-6
MACAU SAR - Media OutReach Newswire – 11 June 2025 - One of America's hottest comedy stars, Jimmy O. Yang is set to make his Macau debut this summer in one of the season's most highly anticipated shows, 'Galaxy Macau™ Presents: Jimmy O. Yang Live in Macau'. The Hollywood actor and comedian, best known for his roles in cult HBO series Silicon Valley and the global smash hit film Crazy Rich Asians, will perform his acclaimed stand-up show at Broadway Theatre - Broadway Macau™ from 4-6 July, 2025. Tickets will go on sale on 13 June, 2025 at 11:00AM via Galaxy Ticketing and Damai. Priority booking will be on 12 June, 2025 at 13:00PM via and Ctrip. Born in Hong Kong and raised in the U.S., Jimmy eagerly awaits his Macau debut as part of his first-ever Asian stand-up tour, coming hot on the heels of five sold-out shows in his native city. Jimmy, who moved to the U.S. at the age of 13, drew early inspiration from iconic Hong Kong comedian Dayo Wong and began his comedy career performing in intimate venues across America. Since then, he has carved out a unique comedic voice, weaving sharp cultural observations, Asian-American identity, and immigrant experiences into his hilarious act. As well as his various roles in TV shows and films, Jimmy has built a loyal following through his viral stand-up clips on YouTube, the highest of which has amassed more than 20 million views. His razor-sharp wit, charismatic stage presence, and masterful storytelling have seen Jimmy rise to global fame, and have also helped cement his status as a cross-cultural comedy sensation. The 2,500 seat Broadway Theatre is the show venue of 'Galaxy Macau™ Presents: Jimmy O. Yang Live in Macau'. This intimate venue guarantees guests with the opportunity to experience up-close interaction and unforgettable memories of laughter with Jimmy. Tickets are limited and are expected to sell fast. The Broadway Theatre plays host to world-class events, accommodating close to 2,500 people and featuring a stage area of 520 sqm. As an intimate venue, guests will have the opportunity to experience up-close and personal performances.
