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Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Hope for the best, prepare for the worst': ‘Overcompensating' breakout Wally Baram on making her acting debut, defiling prop toilet
When writer and stand-up comic Wally Baram joined the writers' room for the debut season of Prime Video's breakout coming-of-age college dramedy Overcompensating, she had no idea she would become one of the TV season's most celebrated new actresses. In a story she charmed Kelly Clarkson with on The Kelly Clarkson Show, Baram's years in the writers' rooms of Shrinking and What We Do in the Shadows hadn't included much time spent on sets. Which is how she ended up unknowingly using a prop toilet on the Overcompensating set, and having to quickly remove it and hide the evidence in her purse. The good news: the poop oops didn't get her fired (as she feared it might), and the series creator, showrunner, and star, comedian Benito Skinner, became convinced the writer, but inexperienced actor, was the perfect person to play Carmen, the new classmate and BFF of his college freshman Benny. Of hundreds of other contenders, Baram auditioned, convinced Prime execs that Skinner had made a good casting call, and she was all of a sudden joining him as one of the series leads. She had also helped shaped the episodes unfolding during the funny, sweet, raunchy, guest star-studded (Charlie XCX, Connie Britton, Kyle MacLachlan, Megan Fox, Bowen Yang, and James Van Der Beek) story about secretly gay Benny and his brief love interest-turned-best friend Carmen, who bond in their awkwardness and turn it into a sweet, dramatic, complicated relationship. More from GoldDerby The case of Leslie Abramson vs. Marcia Clark: Ari Graynor and Sarah Paulson on 'defending' their characters In Pixar's 'Elio,' Easter eggs are literally written in the stars - will you be able to spot them all? 'The messier, the better': How 'Andor' created the epic, heart-shattering Ghorman Massacre Baram, whose character experienced some on-screen bathroom-related drama in the sometimes bawdy dramedy, is planning a new stand-up tour in August, as she awaits, with her fellow writers and castmates, what should be a no-brainer Season 2 renewal for Overcompensating at Prime Video. In the meantime, she talked to Gold Derby about what it's been like to become a star if not overnight, within the last month; how she totally understands why people think she's exactly like her character (she isn't, though); what she can't wait to explore about Carmen next; why she agrees with lots of TV fans about what TV mom and dad she'd choose as her 'rents; and what she expected to be greeted with when she joined the writing staffs of the Emmy-nominated comedies she wrote for. Prime Video Gold Derby: The show has been the highlight of spring TV. It has been so well received by viewers and critics, and yours is definitely one of the breakout performances of the TV season. And it only premiered a month ago. How have you wrapped your mind around all that happening so quickly? Wally Baram: It's, I mean, it's crazy. It's been. in so many ways, such a novel experience. I've been a part of, you know, a couple of Season 1s in the writers room of TV shows and seeing them come out, and you really just never know. So I knew to have absolutely zero expectations; hope for the best, prepare for the worst. It's just been a thrill, of course. When was the first time that you realized, "Hey, people are watching this and they're really connecting to it?" Hmm… you know, when we had some interviews, and there were some press people that were being very extra nice about [the show]. I asked someone afterwards, 'Are they doing that to try to, you know, butter you up?' I think some of them had seen the series before it actually came out, and they were like, 'That spoke to my queer experience.' I was like, "Whoa, I thought they would be a little bit more close to the vest about that." And then when the show actually came out, the day it came out, people were stopping me to talk about it. It was bananas. What's the most surreal thing that's happened to you so far since it premiered? That's a good question. I think the most surreal thing has perhaps been people who have the experience of grief that my character does on the show coming up to me in the street and telling me that they felt what my character was feeling and they really identified with the experience of my character. I'm sure that feels like a very universal actor experience, but you know, people … to have it be a story that is tragic, that was really meaningful to me, especially because I came into this as a comedian and thinking and knowing that comedy was my wheelhouse and my character is actually not that hard-funny in the show. She definitely, absolutely has moments, but she also has some more heartful moments she has to play. I wasn't sure that I could tackle those moments, … it's still a relief when people tell me that they connect with the performance. People really do connect with Carmen, which is probably part of the reason they seem obsessed with knowing how much you are like the character, or not. Are you sick of answering those questions yet? That's funny. You know, I think it's difficult. It was even difficult for me, because at first glance, we're very similar, but at second glance, we're really so different. So it very quickly became, you're so similar to Carmen and you wrote in the room. I didn't know I was going to play this character when I wrote in the room. It was just contributing kind of my experiences. And then, when I was playing her, … I think if you saw me in between takes, you'd be like, wow, these are very different people, the character and me. You've written for and , some of the best TV series, the best comedies certainly of recent TV years. How did acting as one of the characters you were writing change the writing experience for you? My gosh, it definitely did. Now I notice when I'm writing, I'm imagining myself kind of, not that I expect to play any of the characters, but in a way I try to put myself in the place of the actor in sort of a new, three-dimensional way, and I think it's made my writing more active, where now I'm like, so this is kind of how I can build out more for that actor to play in a moment, based off of now what I know of the acting experience. I definitely in my own writing want to give more opportunities for the actors to bring more. More tools for the writer's toolbox… Yeah, absolutely. Coming back to new scripts or revisiting old scripts, it's made me do significant rewrites on things. So it's been really worthwhile. Prime Video What were your experiences like working in the and , writers' rooms? Again, those are fantastic comedies, obviously very different from each other, to have so early on your résumé. Yeah, I feel very fortunate in that I've worked with some season one rooms, and some first-time showrunners, as was this experience with Benito, who hadn't run a room before and yet he led the show with such grace. It was kind of unbelievable. I felt very privileged coming into this experience, because I've worked with a lot of showrunners too who have done this job at great lengths. Paul Simms, who does What We Do in the Shadows, Bill Lawrence on Shrinking. And even before that, I worked with Greg Garcia [who created My Name Is Earl and Raising Hope]. Just people that have TV down to a well-oiled machine in terms of how they run the room, make the show, and get the most creativity out of the people that they're working with. So if i got anything out of those experiences, in addition to just meeting great people, I feel like I definitely observed a lot of ways in which I would want to run a room if I ever run a room, and also just how to professionally interact with people in productive and kind ways. Because all those guys are, I would say, remarkably kind as bosses in the industry. You hear so many crazy stories … every time I would land somewhere and someone would open with like, 'It's hard to get fired.' I'd be like, 'How is that possible?' I think that was told to me at like all of those places. I don't know if I can imagine. I don't know if I'm not supposed to say that, but everyone was like, 'Yeah, don't worry.' But I thought like, I'm supposed to be here and someone's supposed to be hitting me with a stick as I pump out jokes at 2 a.m., and I'm not sleeping, and I'm getting like racist and sexist threats yelled at me. That's what I thought Hollywood was kind of going to be like. And I've been very fortunate to work with who I've worked with. You've talked about being a fan of and finding inspiration in memoirs written by uber-talented writer-actors like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling. Is that something that you hope to do or would want to do? Well, I love the practice of writing, and I read a lot of fiction. I don't actually know if I could ever write fiction, but I would love to write something that stays on the page. I think it's the way I feel about what exactly I'm doing, whether it's acting, stand up, or writing scripts, it all has to do sort of with what I'm trying to express and explore. Like recently I wrote an essay about my mom, and I think I could have only articulated exactly what I was trying to articulate in an essay form. I think I use writing in a way that's sort of cathartic, that's cathartic and artistic. So I don't know that I'd get to it. Definitely right now I don't feel like, 'Ooh, I need to look back and tell my story' yet. I don't know, but I definitely would want to write something that would exist in book form. saved one of its best episodes for the penultimate spot in the season, with 'Welcome to the Black Parade,' where Carmen goes home to Idaho with Benny and Grace for the holidays. It was funny and sweet and redemptive, hilariously horrifying from Benny and Grace's point of view. But for Carmen, there was a real affection for the Scanlon parents and an appreciation for how much they just wanted to be a part of their kids' lives. As the portrayer of Carmen and a series writer, do you want to know more specifics about her family's backstory? Yeah, I definitely am interested. It's funny, when we shot the first scene of the show, we casted my parents. We had two people be my parents in the car that I'm getting out of, and they, I don't know if this was intentional for Benny or not, but they looked exactly like my real parents. But I think I'm excited for us to explore that, because that's where Carmen and I are actually really different. I think there were a lot of emotions from my childhood that I could pull from that kind of add up to this experience that she could have had, but I think her childhood was ultimately very different than mine. And I'm excited to explore that on a writing level and on an acting level, because I think that'll be where I get to do a lot more invention of the character. So yeah, we have chatted about what that could look like, and I'm excited to see more of what ideas [Benito] brings in. And I will say in that episode, Kyle MacLachlan and Connie Britton are, you're around them, and you're like, 'My gosh, I want you to be my parents.' Like you feel that from them. One more question before you have to go: when, not if is renewed for Season 2, what might Benny and Carmen (and Grace and Hailee and Miles and Peter and George and Mr. and Mrs. and Scanlan) be up to? I just knocked on wood. I think non-spoiler, something that I've definitely heard Benito talk about is a spring break episode, which sounds like it would be an absolute blast. Imagine Hailee, Carmen, and Benny on a beach, or on a cruise. Best of GoldDerby Adam Brody, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and the best of our Emmy Comedy Actor interviews Kristen Bell, Tina Fey, Bridget Everett, and the best of our Emmy Comedy Actress interviews 'It was wonderful to be on that ride': Christian Slater talks his beloved roles, from cult classics ('Heathers,' 'True Romance') to TV hits ('Mr. Robot,' 'Dexter: Original Sin') Click here to read the full article.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Carnegie medal for writing: Margaret McDonald named youngest ever winner
Two books about male friendship and masculinity have been announced as winners in the latest Carnegie awards, which highlight the best new books for children and young people. This year saw 27-year-old Margaret McDonald become the youngest ever winner of the Carnegie medal for writing, which is judged by a panel of librarians. McDonald's winning debut, Glasgow Boys, is a coming-of-age novel about the friendship between two boys who have grown up in the care system. Another book focused on male friendship, King of Nothing by Nathanael Lessore, was voted winner in a separate prize judged by young people from reading groups in schools and libraries who shadowed the judging process for the flagship award. The Carnegie medal for illustration was awarded to Olivia Lomenech Gill for Clever Crow, written by Chris Butterworth. The shadowers' choice medal for illustration went to Homebody by Theo Parish. The winners were announced at a ceremony at the Cambridge theatre in London on Thursday. McDonald and Lomenech Gill were awarded £5,000 each, while Lessore and Parish were given £500 each to donate to libraries of their choice. Writing Glasgow Boys, McDonald worked with a children's therapist to depict the care system in an authentic way. The novel, which incorporates Scots dialect, is 'an immersive and visceral read that completely draws the reader into the present and past lives of Finlay and Banjo', said judging chair Ros Harding. 'Neither of [the characters] can remember the last time they had a hug; both are determined to hold on at all costs to the uncertain hope of a brighter future', wrote Imogen Russell Williams in a Guardian review. The book 'is a paean to the power of friendship, and daring to be vulnerable in the face of past hurt'. McDonald is donating her prize money to Action for Children, which helps young people in care and other vulnerable groups of children, while Lomenech Gill plans to use the money for a project supporting schools, education and libraries in Palestine. Sign up to Bookmarks Discover new books and learn more about your favourite authors with our expert reviews, interviews and news stories. Literary delights delivered direct to you after newsletter promotion Working on Clever Crow 'was a great opportunity to learn more about these very clever and sociable birds, and I hope that the book might encourage readers to look at crows from a different viewpoint than the rather negative stereotype as portrayed in fairy tales, horror movies, and Hitchcock,' said Lomenech Gill. The shadowers' choice winner for writing, King of Nothing, is a teen comedy about an unlikely friendship between two boys. Earlier this year, the novel topped the older readers category in the Waterstones children's book prize and won the Jhalak children's and young adult prize. 'It's testament to Lessore's lightness of touch and believable characters that despite delving into big topics such as toxic masculinity and grief, this is an immensely readable book that never feels too worthy,' wrote Fiona Noble in the Guardian. Homebody, the shadowers' choice winner for illustration, follows 'the protagonist's search for self-acceptance, so that the house of their body can feel like a true home', wrote Imogen Russell Williams in the Guardian. 'Investigating the subtleties of trans and non-binary identities, its soft greys and pinks and joyful emphasis on self-discovery will appeal to Heartstopper fans.' The Carnegie writing medal was established in 1936, while the illustration prize was launched in 1955. Previous winners of the writing award include Frank Cottrell Boyce, CS Lewis, Philip Pullman and Ruta Sepetys; past illustration winners include Shirley Hughes, Quentin Blake and Lauren Child. Last year, Joseph Coelho won the writing award for The Boy Lost in the Maze, illustrated by Kate Milner, while Aaron Becker took home the illustration medal for The Tree and the River.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kristin Froseth & Daniel Zolghadri Are Lovers Under The Influence In First Trailer For ‘Snorkeling', The Debut Film Of Music Video Director Emil Nava; Release Date Set
EXCLUSIVE: Buffalo 8 has set a July 25 digital release for Emil Nava's coming-of-age drama, Snorkeling, whose producers include filmmaker David Ayer and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones. You can see a first trailer above. The film marks the feature debut of Nava, one of the world's most well-known music video directors and a five MTV VMA winner, who has worked with stars including Rihanna, Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Calvin Harris, Post Malone and more. More from Deadline 2026 Golden Globes Sets Timeline, Eligibility Rules & Award Guidelines Paramount Declares Comedies Are Back With New 'Naked Gun' Footage; Trots Out Extended 'Running Man' Look - CineEurope Mike Vecchione To Unveil New Comedy Special Through Nateland Entertainment This Month Starring in the film are Kristine Froseth (The Buccaneers), Daniel Zolghadri (Funny Pages), and Tim Johnson Jr. (Pacific Rim: Uprising). The movie follows teenagers Michael and Jameson. As their romance blossoms, a new hallucinogenic street drug called Snorkeling concocts a fantasy where the user feels invincible: they can interact with the world without fear or inhibition, a true out-of-body experience, but the drug also comes with danger. Snorkeling debuted at the Manchester Film Festival two years ago, winning Best Cinematography. Nava produced the film alongside Brian Kavanaugh-Jones (Insidious), Mark Gillespie (Vox Lux), David Ayer (Training Day), and Chris Ferguson (Child's Play). David Ayer commented: 'Snorkeling perfectly captures a dreamy snapshot of life, love addiction and navigating our odd world. It's delicate and beautiful, Emil's vision is felt, not just seen.' [youtube Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More 'The Buccaneers' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out?
New York Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
The Memory of a Teenage Golden Child Ripples Across Generations
BUG HOLLOW, by Michelle Huneven Entering the lives of the Samuelson family in 1970s Altadena, Calif., feels like getting into a warm bath. Michelle Huneven's sixth novel, 'Bug Hollow,' instantly seduces even the most news-addled reader with its lovely, lucid prose, its spot-on period details (those pay phones!) and superb gift for description — of a sprawling cast led by a supportive engineer father, Phil, and a prickly elementary-school teacher mother, Sibyl; and especially of California's many wildly differing landscapes. The Samuelsons' simple suburban world turns upside down when 17-year-old Ellis, the sunny eldest child of three, goes camping with his friends outside Santa Cruz and doesn't bother to come back. 'Some girl has snagged Ellis,' Sibyl frets. 'Good for her,' Phil says, and the marital tension is established: Dad is chill and Mom is a control freak. Days turn into weeks with little contact from Ellis and a lot of panicking from Sibyl (is her son dropping out of college before he's even begun?), until the family tracks him to a rundown house in the Santa Cruz Mountains called Bug Hollow, the part commune, part crash pad where Ellis has moved in with Julia, an artsy, beautiful girl he met on the beach. The young couple's joy brings back all the feels, as the kids say today — the aha-ness of falling in love for the first time — but Sibyl isn't having any of it, and brings her boy home to spend his last pre-college week with his family. As Ellis's youngest sister, Sally, the precocious and dryly hilarious narrator of the first chapter, puts it: 'Julia made a little speech about how she didn't want our parents to be mad at her because she and Ellis truly loved one another and would be together forever, and she hoped to love and be loved by his family, too.' My eyes filled. It is not a spoiler to reveal that by Page 21, Ellis is dead: accidentally drowned in a quarry five days into his freshman year at Ole Miss. Phil goes down to Mississippi and returns with 'a box wrapped in shiny ivory paper and tied with a thick purple ribbon,' Sally narrates, thinking 'it was probably candy, and for everyone, another big assortment of chocolates he'd bought at the airport.' In fact, it is Ellis's remains. The lack of sentimentality surrounding this death is as shocking to the reader as it is to this repressed and soon-to-be fractured family who will carry this dead child along with them emotionally for generations. The novel evolves from its innocent opening into something more intriguing. Nothing (aside from the book jacket summary) prepares the reader for the five-decade international saga that unfolds in 10 discrete but interwoven chapters, each narrated by a different member of the Samuelson family or its widening circle. Formally, the result is something like a narrative love child of Alice Munro's novelistic short stories and Elizabeth Strout's novels of interconnected short stories. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Geek Girl Authority
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Girl Authority
New Release Radar: New Books Coming Out on June 17
There are a lot of new books coming out every week. With New Release Radar, I'll help you narrow down the week's new book releases into the titles you should get excited about. This week I have 10 great new books to share with you, including plenty of impressive debuts. Read on! Girls Girls Girls by Shoshana von Blanckensee In the summer of '96, best friends and secret girlfriends Hannah and Sam flee Long Beach for the promise of queer freedom in San Francisco. But when financial strain leads them into stripping – and Hannah into an escort arrangement with an older woman – their dream begins to splinter. As their bond frays and new identities emerge, Hannah must confront what she's willing to sacrifice in the search for love, selfhood and home. Girls Girls Girls is a powerful coming-of-age story that captures the complexities and beauties of young love and identity. Shoshana von Blanckensee's debut will stay with you for a long time. RELATED: New Release Radar: New Books Coming Out On June 10 The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick Five travelers – including a grieving illustrator, a haunted fireman, and a little dog named PJ – journey to a mysterious treatment center in the California desert that promises relief from heartbreak through prolonged sleep. But as their secrets surface and the cost of healing grows clearer, they must each decide how far they're willing to go to forget their pain. Nikki Erlick's new book release is a speculative novel about grief, hope and the messy path to healing. The Poppy Fields has a unique premise, centering on a speculative moral dilemma and the pain of losing a loved one. The Mercy Makers by Tessa Gratton In a glittering empire ruled by fear, Iriset—master of magical disguise and daughter of a notorious criminal—uses her talents to help outlaws vanish. But she dreams of something greater: reshaping humanity itself. When the empire condemns her father to death, Iriset must infiltrate the palace and manipulate the imperial family from within. Yet as she earns their trust, she faces a choice between vengeance and transformation. With dazzling magic and high-stakes intrigue, The Mercy Makers is a story about revolution, identity and love. Tessa Gratton's new book release is the start to a sweeping, romantic epic fantasy trilogy. RELATED: Book Review: Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery by Clarence A. Haynes Gwendolyn Montgomery is a powerhouse NYC publicist with a perfect life—until a gruesome museum event awakens ghosts from her past. As the veil between worlds thins, she teams up with Fonsi Harewood, a queer Latinx psychic caught in a love triangle with his ex and a ghost, to confront the haunting truths she's long buried. Glamorous and eerie, The Ghosts of Gwendolyn Montgomery is The Devil Wears Prada meets Practical Magic with a spectral twist. This emotionally rich novel is Clarence A. Haynes's adult debut, making him one to watch out for. Seventhblade by Tonia Laird After the murder of her adopted son, T'Rayles, a feared warrior and daughter of the Indigenous Ibinnas, returns to the colonized city of Seventhblade. Once there, she's determined to uncover the killer. Wielding her ancestral sword and aligning with dubious allies, including an exiled immortal god, T'Rayles must battle deadly magic, political unrest and the ghosts of her past to find justice. Seventhblade is a fast-paced, anti-colonial fantasy about vengeance, power and ancestral legacy. Perfect for fans of N.K. Jemisin and Rebecca Roanhorse, Tonia Laird's gripping debut blends fierce action and rich worldbuilding with a searing critique of settler colonialism. RELATED: Sapphics With Swords: 6 Books Featuring Queer Lady Warriors If We Survive This by Racquel Marie Six months into a rabies mutation outbreak that's turned people into violent 'rabids,' Flora Braddock Paz is still alive – despite never seeing herself as a survivor. With her mother dead and father missing, she and her brother set out for their childhood cabin in Northern California, hoping for safety and answers. But the road north is littered with danger, old wounds, and the truth that death is never far behind. The Walking Dead meets Yellowjackets in Racquel Marie's tense and emotional YA horror novel. If We Survive This is her first horror novel, but it's also an intense, moving character study. A Far Better Thing by H.G. Parry Stolen by the fairies as a child, Sydney Carton was forced into servitude in the Faerie Realm while a changeling, Charles Darnay, took his place. Now returned to London, Sydney seeks revenge on both the fae and his double. But as he navigates magic, deception, and revolution in London and Paris, his quest for justice leads to a devastating choice beneath the guillotine's blade. H.G. Parry's new book release tells a heart-rending revenge fantasy set during the French Revolution. Whether you're a fan of A Tale of Two Cities or modern classics like Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell , you'll love A Far Better Thing . RELATED: Book Review: Don't Sleep With the Dead Death on the Caldera by Emily Paxman When the royal Linde siblings board a luxury train home, a deadly explosion strands them atop a volcanic caldera—and awakens Davina's unknown witch powers. As passengers begin turning up dead, suspicion falls on Davina, whose fractured memory and secret magic make her an easy target. With danger closing in, the siblings must hide the truth and unmask the killer before they're next. But on a train full of secrets, no one is safe. Emily Paxman's debut combines Murder on the Orient Express with witches and magic. Death on the Caldera is a spellbinding blend of fantasy and Golden Age crime, perfect for fans of V.E. Schwab, Leigh Bardugo and Agatha Christie. Work Nights by Erica Peplin Jane Grabowski spends her days stifling rage behind polite emails at her NYC newspaper job. Only Madeline, a gorgeous, label-averse intern, gives her something to look forward to. As Jane carefully works her way into Madeline's life, her artist roommate pushes her toward healthier queer spaces, where Jane meets Addy, a principled musician ready for something real. Torn between Madeline's chaos and Addy's stability, Jane finds herself tangled in lies that build toward one final, life-altering decision. Emily Austen meets Jen Beagin in a lit-fic in Emily Peplin's debut lit-fic novel. Work Nights is a sharply funny and painfully relatable portrayal of petty office politics and the chaotic, queer, 20-something life in Brooklyn. RELATED: 8 LGBTQ+ Books to Keep Pride Going for the Rest of 2025 Wearing the Lion by John Wiswell Upon his birth, the future famed hero Heracles dedicates his deeds to Hera, unaware she is the goddess responsible for his suffering. After Hera's guilt leads her to send Furies to drive Heracles mad, resulting in the accidental murder of his own children. Desperate for answers, Heracles and his wife Megara set out for vengeance. But instead of slaying monsters on the quests Hera assigns to mislead him, Heracles begins healing by caring for them. As Heracles gathers followers, Hera is forced to confront her own guilt, and the consequences of the path she set him on. John Wiswell brings a humanizing level of redemption to the myths of both Heracles and Hera. Like his debut, Someone You Can Build a Nest In , Wearing the Novel is somehow both dark and endearingly sweet. You can check out these new book releases at or your local bookstore. What June 10 new release are you most excited to read? Let us know below, and tune in next week to grow your TBR. 11 New Young Adult LGBTQ+ Books You Should Read for Pride Month
