By Jonathan Landrum Jr., Entertainment Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --Lynn Shelton, an independent filmmaker who directed "Humpday" and "Little Fires Everywhere," has died. She was 54.
Shelton's publicist, Adam Kersh, said in a statement Saturday that she died Friday in Los Angeles from an unidentified blood disorder.
Shelton had become the leading voice of the new American independent cinema movement. She caused waves with her low-budget films, then made splashes through her work on television including "Mad Men," "Fresh Off the Boat," "The Mindy Project" and "GLOW."
She directed four episodes of the Hulu miniseries "Little Fires Everywhere," starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington.
"We made so many things together," said Mark Duplass on Twitter. He was a frequent collaborator with Shelton starring in her 2009 film "Humpday," which was a depiction of male sexuality through a female lens. The actor said he lost a "dear friend" and admired her creativity.
"I wish we had made more," Duplass said. "Her boundless creative energy and infectious spirit were unrivaled. She made me better. We butted heads, made up, laughed, pushed each other. Like family. What a deep loss."
Shelton began her filmmaking career in her mid-30s after initially being an aspiring actor and photographer. She went on to write and direct eight feature films in the span of 14 years.
The statement said she had an "infectious laugh, was full of life and had an esprit de corps that touched many."
Ava DuVernay said Shelton changed her life after handing her an award at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012.
"She announced my name with pride," said DuVernay, who posted a photo on Twitter that included both filmmakers. "Handed it to me with love. Rooted for me long after. I can't believe I'm typing this. Rest In Peace, Beauty. Thank you for your films. And for your kindness."
(SHOOT recently interviewed Shelton who was gracious and insightful as she reflected on "Little Fires Everywhere." That coverage appeared in our The Road To Emmy Preview feature story on May 8th.)
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More