Latest news with #Dever
Los Angeles Times
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Kaitlyn Dever was Hollywood's best-kept secret. Those days are over now
Kaitlyn Dever knows the words to the 'Bob the Builder' theme song. She's singing it — we're singing it — which isn't something I expected when preparing to talk with her again after we took a deep dive into the season finale of 'The Last of Us.' But then, even the most meticulous research had failed to turn up that Dever's father, Tim, voiced Bob the Builder, as well as another icon of children's television, Barney the Dinosaur. 'I know, right?' Dever says, laughing. 'Barney the Dinosaur. Crazy.' Is it a reach to think that's why Dever is having such a blast right now in Australia shooting 'Godzilla x Kong: Supernova,' the latest entry in the Monsterverse franchise? After all, this isn't her first rodeo with a dinosaur — even if this time around, the creature isn't purple or huggable or even tangible, just a green-screen dream. 'I want to meet Godzilla,' Dever says. 'I just don't know if, outside my imagination, I ever will. But that's OK. My imagination is a powerful thing.' Dever is home in L.A. for a few days, taking a break from filming, enjoying time with her dad and her younger sisters, anticipating her return for good in July when she'll have enough time for, among other things, a meal or three at the venerable Valley Mexican restaurant Casa Vega. She's experiencing serious taco withdrawal right now. If you've had even a casual relationship with television or movies in the last 15 years, you know Kaitlyn Dever, even if you don't think you do. As a teenager, she got her start playing the gun-toting, pot-growing Loretta McCready on 'Justified' and Tim Allen's daughter on 'Last Man Standing.' She then starred opposite Beanie Feldstein in the thrilling, funny 2019 coming-of-age comedy 'Booksmart,' now part of the teen movie canon, and then gutted viewers portraying a sexual assault survivor in 'Unbelievable' and an opioid addict on 'Dopesick.' Earlier this year, she shined as a cancer-faking Australian wellness influencer in the limited series 'Apple Cider Vinegar.' All that was a prelude to her turn as Abby Anderson on 'The Last of Us,' playing the young woman who killed Joel (Pedro Pascal) to avenge her father's death. Dever appears in only three episodes of the show's second season, and in two of them, she has just one scene. But if you measured an actor's work by the power emanating from brief screen time, Dever would be the television season's MVP. 'I remember feeling like we were capitalizing on a quasi-secret that shouldn't be a secret,' says 'The Last of Us' co-creator and showrunner Craig Mazin. 'It was the same feeling I had with Bella [Ramsey]. You can't wait to watch the reaction when everyone finally sees it.' The second season served as a curtain-raiser for both Dever and her character, ending in a reset that will now follow Abby through the warring factions and fungal-infected hordes of postapocalyptic Seattle, bringing her back to that moment when she meets Ramsey's Ellie again. Both Mazin and Neil Druckmann, co-creator of 'The Last of Us' game, are practically salivating at the prospect of spotlighting Abby, as it will force viewers to reckon with their reactions to her killing Joel. 'Our challenge now is to make you question whether you hate Abby at all and maybe make you start to love her and then be confused,' Mazin says. 'Where are my loyalties? What is the concept of a hero? That requires an actor who can inspire those thoughts without sweating, and we have that in Kaitlyn.' 'That's the experiment of the story,' Druckmann adds. 'What if Abby isn't so horrible? I'm thrilled to watch Kaitlyn bring her version of Abby to the screen because I think people can already see the force she brought to the show in such a short period of time.' That Dever did all this amid the shattering grief of losing her mother, Kathy, to breast cancer is something that, 15 months later, she still can't quite fathom. Dever flew to Vancouver three days after her mom's funeral. Her first day on set was the scene in which Abby kills Joel. 'When you have a moment like that with an actor, you are immediately bound to them,' Mazin says. 'I would stand in front of a bullet for her.' For Dever, everything about that day is a blur, and when she finally watched the episode this year, it was like seeing it for the first time. 'Grief does a really interesting thing with your brain,' she says. 'It messes with your memory.' Truthfully, Dever, 28, didn't want to leave home after her mother's funeral. She didn't think she could do it. It took her father to remind her how excited her mom was when she won the part of Abby. 'I realized there's no part of me that couldn't not do this,' Dever says. 'I had to do it for her.' Saying that she 'won' the role isn't entirely accurate. When Mazin and Druckmann asked her to drive to casting director Mary Vernieu's Santa Monica office in 2023, Dever went in thinking it was going to be an audition, much like the one she had with Druckmann years ago when there had been talk about turning the game into a movie. Dever came in prepared to read. It turned out all she had to do was listen. They were pitching her, detailing their plans for the series and Abby's arc and asking her to trust them. She was so shocked that she spent most of the meeting just trying to hold it together until she could get back to her car, call her dad with the news and listen to him freak out. 'He couldn't believe it,' Dever says. 'He had played the game and loved Abby, so this was huge.' She remembers everything about that day, including the 'really big cookie' they gave her when she left. 'I think only just now have I been able to process that it actually happened,' she says, smiling. Dever stands 5 foot 3 and bears little resemblance to the tall, muscular version of Abby seen in 'The Last of Us' game. Imposing, she is not. And that makes her work on 'The Last of Us' all the more remarkable. 'Abby is so intimidating because of her strength,' Dever says. 'And that comes from her dark and very sad past and how long she has been thinking about killing Joel. That's the energy I was hoping to put across.' Does Dever consider herself a strong person? 'Mmm-hmm, yeah,' she answers immediately. 'When I think of strength, I think of what has brought you to this moment, how much you've been through and how have you gotten here. It's more emotional, what I consider strength.' A few minutes later, though, we stumble upon her kryptonite. Dever has two younger sisters, Mady and Jane. She and Mady have been making music together for years and just released a six-song EP, 'I Think We're Lost,' recorded under the banner Devers. It's beautiful folk pop featuring the kind of intuitive harmonies that only siblings can pull off. But, for a while at least, you'll probably only hear it on streaming services and not in a concert setting. Dever hates performing in front of people. 'When you ask if I have strength, I don't have strength in that regard,' she says. 'It's so scary. Maybe I'm working up to it. I don't know. My sister is so confused by the nerves that I have. She doesn't share that nerve thing with me. She's like, 'You literally perform in front of people for a living.' But with acting, I'm playing a character. Onstage with music, there's nothing for me to hide behind.' But when it comes to songwriting, Dever doesn't want to hide. The last several weeks, she has been pulling out her acoustic guitar and writing songs about her mom for an album she plans to dedicate to her. She writes during her downtime making 'Godzilla x Kong' — there's a lot of downtime on a movie like that — and has come up with seven or eight songs, each playing off core memories. Most of them are upbeat and happy because that's the kind of music that her mom listened to and loved. 'Everyone used to say that she was like a 17-year-old stuck in a 53-year-old body,' Dever says, laughing. 'She had a very youthful quality to her that was magnetic. She approached life with a lot of humor and just wanted to have a good time.' 'And I have to sometimes remember that,' Dever continues, 'because as much as I love the challenge of doing serious stuff and find playing those types of characters therapeutic, there's a place for a Godzilla movie, you know?'
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Despite ‘tense' exchange in Karen Read trial, Boston Police officer unlikely to face blowback
Even in a trial filled with dramatic twists, Boston Police officer Kelly Dever's testimony this week in the Karen Read retrial stuck out for just how tense her exchanges with a lawyer representing Read actually were. Dever, who worked in Canton at the time of Read's arrest, was called by the defense Monday morning. On the stand, she faced aggressive questioning from Alan Jackson, one of Read's lawyers, about a statement she made to federal investigators looking into the death of Read's boyfriend, John O'Keefe. On the morning of Jan. 29, 2022, when O'Keefe's body was found, Dever was working an overnight patrol shift in Canton. A supervisor asked her to cover dispatch so he could respond to the scene. Dever, according to Jackson, told federal authorities she saw the department's then-chief, Ken Berkowitz, and another man, Brian Higgins, alone with Read's SUV for a 'wildly long time.' But Dever has since recanted that statement, saying on the stand this week it was a false memory. She could not have seen Berkowitz and Higgins, an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, with the SUV, because her shift concluded at 3:45 p.m., she said. The SUV wasn't towed to the station until hours later. Still, Dever's testimony in the Read case is unlikely to have any impact on her ability to testify in other cases down the line, said Jack Lu, a retired Superior Court judge. 'A failure of memory in one case is not admissible in another case. This is black letter law,' he said. But Mark Bederow, a defense attorney following the trial from New York City, said Dever's 'ridiculous claim' that her memory was false would concern him going forward. Bederow, who also represents the blogger Aidan Kearney, said Dever's recollection to the FBI was so specific that it makes it difficult to believe what she saw didn't actually happen. Dever admitted on the stand that Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox called her to a meeting before she testified in the Read case. Jackson suggested Cox told her to 'do the right thing' during that meeting. 'I think it's clear a message was sent,' Bederow said. 'Most people would think 'do the right thing' means the 'Blue Wall.'' Dever said the meeting with Cox proved how good a leader he is. But Bederow said it is 'absolutely unheard of' for a police commissioner to speak to a low-level officer before they testify in a trial. Still, Bederow and Lu agreed that Dever's behavior on the stand would likely not come back to haunt her in other cases. Bederow described her demeanor as 'embarrassing' and 'beyond inappropriate.' There was 'no need for her open hostility and nastiness,' he said in a telephone interview. 'It was childlike.' In one memorable moment, Dever criticized Jackson for mispronouncing her name. 'Like you can't remember my name, I don't remember,' she said. Despite his criticisms, Bederow said, 'I don't know if the hostility component will impact her future career in terms of testifying.' Lu, the former judge, disputed the notion that Dever was 'confrontational' on the stand. 'Sorry, but not even close. At most, the witness examination was tense. A trial is not a tea party,' he said. Karen Read reveals when the defense could rest its case Karen Read trial recap: Canton snowplow driver describes passing 34 Fairview Road during storm Karen Read trial recap: 'Not completely damaged': police officer describes SUV taillight Karen Read trial recap: Injuries on John O'Keefe's arm result of dog attack, expert says Karen Read retrial: Biggest takeaways from week 6 as prosecution rests its case Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kaitlyn Dever out front in Drama Guest Actress Emmy odds for killer ‘The Last of Us' role
This year's Emmy race for Best Drama Guest Actress is shaping up to be a battle between The Last of Us and Severance. Two guest stars from each show appear in Gold Derby's top four spots: Kaitlyn Dever and Catherine O'Hara for HBO's zombie apocalypse adaptation, and Gwendoline Christie and Merritt Wever for Apple TV+'s sci-fi workplace series. Our predicted lineup of six is rounded out by Cherry Jones for The Handmaid's Tale and Hilary Swank for Yellowjackets. More from GoldDerby 'A lot comes with jumping into that inferno': Questlove explores the burden of Black genius in 'Sly Lives!' 'I cried a lot': Rob Delaney on the heart and humor in FX's 'Dying for Sex' - and Neighbor Guy's kick in the 'zone' 'Karate Kid: Legends' to close out May with a box-office boost, but 'Lilo & Stitch' stays on top Dever appears in three episodes of The Last of Us Season 2 as Abby, a soldier who seeks revenge against Joel (Pedro Pascal) for murdering her father. When she finally locates him, Abby and her group of followers torture and beat Joel to death with a golf club, in front of his daughter figure, Ellie (Bella Ramsey). The cycle of revenge violence continues, as Ellie takes it upon herself to kill everyone associated with Abby until the two come face to face in the finale. In 2023, Dever received the first Emmy bid of her career, for her supporting turn on Dopesick. She has also appeared in projects like Justified, Unbelievable, and Apple Cider Vinegar, the latter of which she'll be on this year's Emmy ballot for Best Movie/Limited Series Actress. HBO O'Hara plays Gail on The Last of Us, a therapist at the encampment who continues to see Joel, despite him being responsible for murdering Gail's husband, Eugene (Joe Pantoliano), who had been infected by a zombie bite. Like Dever, O'Hara could be a two-time Emmy nominee this year; she also has a key supporting role as a fired movie producer on The Studio. The veteran actress has two Emmy Awards on her mantel, for starring on Schitt's Creek (2020) and for writing SCTV Network (1982). Christie's role of Lorne, an anti-social goatherd in Severance Season 2, stood out for its sheer uniqueness. Much of her scenes are shared with Adam Scott's Mark S., who stumbles upon Lorne's Mammalians Nurturable division while trying to uncover what happened to his missing wife. This would be Christie's second career Emmy nomination, after previously earning a bid for her breakout role of Brienne of Tarth on Game of Thrones (2019). Wever also made her Severance debut in the second season, though her character is much more grounded and driven by emotion. She portrays Gretchen George, the wife of Zach Cherry's outie character, Dylan George. Their marriage has become stale over the years, but Gretchen soon rekindles her love for him by secretly meeting with his innie version, Dylan G., under the watchful eye of Miss Huang (Sarah Bock). Wever is already a two-time Emmy champion for the comedy series Nurse Jackie (2013) and the limited series Godless (2018). Jones returned to The Handmaid's Tale for the final season as Holly Maddox, the feminist mother of June (Elisabeth Moss). Only this time, she was seen in the present-day story (as opposed to flashbacks) after June found her alive and working at a refugee camp in Alaska. In the series finale, Holly convinces her daughter to write a book about everything she's accomplished as an escaped handmaid who helped take down Gilead. Jones has three Emmys to her name for 24 (supporting, 2009), The Handmaid's Tale (guest, 2019), and Succession (guest, 2020). Rounding out Gold Derby's top six is Swank for Yellowjackets. She plays the adult version of Jenna Burgess' Melissa, a member of the girls' soccer team who crashed in a plane and survived in the wilderness. In the present, Melissa starts a new life as Kelly after faking her death by suicide. Swank is a double Best Actress Oscar winner for Boys Don't Cry (1999) and Million Dollar Baby (2004), though this would be her first Emmy nomination. Others in the running for a Best Drama Guest Actress Emmy nomination include Tati Gabrielle (The Last of Us), Jane Alexander (Severance), Julie Hagerty (Matlock), Sydney Cole Alexander (Severance), Angela Bassett (Doctor Odyssey), and Rebecca Tilney (The Pitt). Note that contenders like Gabrielle, who were not officially submitted by a network or studio, can still enter their own names for Emmy consideration. SIGN UP for Gold Derby's free newsletter with latest predictions Best of GoldDerby 'I cried a lot': Rob Delaney on the heart and humor in FX's 'Dying for Sex' — and Neighbor Guy's kick in the 'zone' TV directors roundtable: 'American Primeval,' 'The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,' 'Paradise' 'Paradise' directors John Requa and Glenn Ficarra on the 'chaos' of crafting 'the world coming to an end' Click here to read the full article.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Dog bite expert who believes John O'Keefe was attacked returning to stand in Karen Read's retrial
A defense dog bite expert who testified on Monday that she believes a dog attacked John O'Keefe at a home in Canton where he was found dead is expected back on the witness stand Tuesday in Karen Read's murder retrial. WATCH LIVE: Day 26 of witness testimony in Karen Read's retrial begins at 9 a.m. Read, 45, of Mansfield, is accused of striking O'Keefe, her Boston police officer boyfriend, with her Lexus SUV and leaving him to die alone in a blizzard outside of a house party in Canton at the home of fellow officer Brian Albert on Jan. 29, 2022, following a night of drinking. Russell, an emergency physician and forensic pathologist, spent most of Monday facing questioning, notably telling the court that her opinion is that linear abrasions on O'Keefe's arm were the result of multiple dog bites. When shown an image of the injuries to O'Keefe's arm, 'Those wounds were inflicted as the result of a dog attack,' the Los Angeles-based doctor testified. 'The teeth made these abrasions,' Russell told the court as she examined the photo and cited 'multiple groupings of wounds.' Russell said she observed 'multiple strikes from a dog' on O'Keefe's arm, including 'bites and claw marks.' During Read's first trial, Russell also testified that the holes found in O'Keefe's hoodie and the wounds to his arm were from a dog. She also said her opinion is that O'Keefe's injuries do not appear to have been caused by a vehicle. The prosecution sought to block her testimony ahead of the start of Read's retrial, but Judge Beverly Cannone ruled in favor of the defense. Before Russell took the stand, former Canton Police officer and current member of the Boston Police Department, Kelly Dever, was called on by the defense. She was a reluctant witness. Dever and Read's lawyer Alan Jackson had a contentious back-and-forth in the morning session. 'Did you say, 'I know you're going to tear me a new one?'' Jackson asked. 'That's what you're trying to do,' Dever responded. 'So yes.' 'Actually, what you said was you're going to tear me a new [expletive],' Jackson said. 'I don't recall that,' Dever responded. Dever was a Canton Police officer in 2022 when O'Keefe was killed. Like many others involved with the case, she was questioned by FBI agents. 'Did you tell those law enforcement agents that you saw Brian Higgins and Chief Berkowitz together and alone with the SUV for a wildly long time?' Jackson asked. 'That was my recollection at the time,' Dever responded. Dever now says she got that wrong. She called it a 'distorted' memory. She previously told Read's defense team that by phone. 'How did they respond?' Special Prosecutor Hank Brennan asked on cross-examination. 'They became very aggressive,' Dever said. 'Raising their voices, and the one word that I can very definitely remember is they said that they would charge me with perjury.' Jackson denied Dever's accusation, pointing out that it falls on prosecutors, not defense attorneys, to charge people with crimes. Dever also confirmed that she was called in to speak with the Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox about the Read murder case. Outside of court, Read had her own thoughts about Dever's testimony. 'Are you suggesting that Dever may have been coaxed into changing her testimony?' Boston 25 News Investigative Reporter Ted Daniel asked. 'Yes,' Read responded. 'We subpoenaed her to testify to what she told other authorities and just wanted her to be as honest with us as she was with them. And today, she's now telling us that was a lie.' Read has said she expects her team to present their case in about two weeks. Get caught up with all of the latest in Karen Read's retrial. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Did you know Kaitlyn Dever faced personal tragedy just days before her powerful scene in 'The Last of Us'
Kaitlyn Dever 's haunting debut as Abby in 'The Last of Us' Season 2 was already emotionally charged — but few knew that the actress was quietly carrying her own devastating grief behind the scenes. In a recent interview with GQ, the rising star revealed that she filmed her first intense scene — discovering her character's father's dead body after he's shot by Pedro Pascal 's Joel — just days after burying her own mother, who had been battling cancer for 14 years. 'Even though death is part of the human experience, we are not meant to be used to grief,' Dever reflected. 'Watching your best friend die… I had just experienced that.' Shooting the emotionally gut-wrenching scene so soon after her real-life loss was, in her words, 'gut-wrenching.' The actress admitted that repeating the lines in a scene that eerily mirrored her own trauma made it all the more painful. 'That was a crazy line to repeat over and over again because I had just seen her. She wasn't alive anymore, and I saw her body in the hospital.' To navigate the overwhelming pain, Dever turned to words that brought her comfort — a heartfelt speech by Andrew Garfield after the loss of his mother. She shared how watching Garfield open up about grief gave her strength. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo 'I would Google it and watch it often… because I always felt like the worst thing in my life that could happen was losing my best friend. And I always thought that I wouldn't be able to go on. But then I'd look at Andrew and think, well, his life seems to be moving forward.' Despite the emotional toll, Dever channeled her grief into a performance that has already struck a chord with audiences. In a poignant tribute shared publicly after her mother's passing, the Booksmart actress wrote, 'Thank you for fighting so hard for us for so long. I'll be broken forever without you. You were the greatest mom and wife.' She also credited her mother for the unshakable bond she shares with her sisters, Mady and Jane, and their father, writing, 'We'll always have each other to lean on because of you.' As Kaitlyn Dever steps further into the spotlight with one of the most anticipated roles in television, she does so carrying the memory of the woman who shaped her — with strength, vulnerability, and the quiet power of resilience. Check out our list of the latest Hindi , English , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , and Kannada movies . Don't miss our picks for the best Hindi movies , best Tamil movies, and best Telugu films .
