On Screen

March 2 - 8, 2019 —3 The Greeneville Sun, Greeneville, TN The Greeneville Sun, Greeneville, TN March 2 - 8, 2019 — 3 2 x 3.5" ad a) greene cnty farmers b) swango's 2 x 4" ad williams electric 2 x 1.5" ad ymca 2 x 1.5" ad doughty stevens By George Dickie Tony is a guy firmly stuck in the second stage of grief: anger. And for that the world will pay. In "After Life," which begins streaming Friday, March 8, on Netflix, Ricky Gervais ("The Invention of Lying," the U.K. ver - sion of "The Office") is creator, writer and star of this dramedy that follows the journey of Tony, a small-town English journal - ist whose idyllic life is rocked to its core by the cancer death of his wife, best friend and love of his life, Lisa (Kerry Godliman, "Derek"). Though she still appears to him in videos made while she was undergoing treatment, they only serve to underscore the gap - ing void now in his life. Initially suicidal, this otherwise nice guy resolves to live long enough to punish the world by saying and doing whatever he wants. So if someone is a jerk, he'll let them know in no uncertain terms — and in Gervais' typically acerbic fashion. That's seen in the opening epi - sode, when Tony is confronted in an alleyway by two young toughs demanding money. At this point, Tony doesn't care if he lives or dies, so he basically tells them where to go and punches one in the face. They go scurrying and he feels an extraordinary freedom brought on by a loss of fear. "He's sort of like a verbal vigilante and a bit more," Gervais explains. "And you know, when he gets mugged and he fights back, he would never have done that when his wife was alive. And so I want the audience to vicariously live through his liberty in a sense. Because you know, we hand over our money to a mugger because we might have a baby in a stroller. And he thinks, 'I don't care what happens to me.' He thinks it's a superpower." Of course, Tony's family and friends — among them brother-in- law Matt (Tom Basden, "Plebs") and pal Lenny (Tony Way, "Edge of Tomorrow") — aren't thrilled with this newfound superpower and would just as soon have the old Tony back. But Tony is mired in his grief and self-pity, getting drunk, trying heroin and striking up an unlikely friendship with Daphne (Roisin Conaty, "Game - Face"), a prostitute with a dry wit who turns out to be the only per- son who really gets him. "Because she doesn't judge ...," Gervais says. "She speaks her mind and she knows what he's going through. ... And then she was funny and she was smarter than he thought because, you know, he says, 'Why do you do what you do?' She said, 'You're only asking me that because of what I do.' " In the end, the grieving process runs as long as it runs and it can't be hurried or forced. Ultimately it is up to Tony to want to get better. "We feel sorry for ourselves, so sometimes you need to talk to yourself a little bit," Gervais says. "You know, you have to go, 'Come on. Come on.' Even his brother- in-law, he seems a bit wet and wimpy and a bit of a fussy sort of bore but he's doing the right thing. He's trying to save this guy he once knew who's a nice guy and he bends over backwards (to shrug) off stuff. So yeah, you're lucky if you've got people that care about you." Celebrity Scoop Celebrity Scoop Gervais plays a widower with a grudge against the world in 'After Life' Cover Story Cover Story By Jay Bobbin Retta's current TV stardom is downright criminal. And she doesn't mind. Though her comedy became well-known on "Parks and Rec - reation," she's effecting an image change by staying with NBC for "Good Girls," the seriocomic show that begins its second season Sunday, March 3. She resumes her role as Detroit waitress Ruby, who has turned to crime — in tandem with her friends, sisters Beth and Annie (Christina Hendricks, Mae Whitman) — to fund her daugh - ter's treatment for kidney disease. "When I read the pilot, I knew exactly who she was," the pleasant Retta says of Ruby, "so I felt that (series creator-producer) Jenna (Bans) had painted such a picture of who Ruby Hill was that it was easy for me, personally. Once I started working on it, when my 'kids' come on set ... they're really cute. They're super-sweet. And that Lidya Jewett is super-, super-smart; Checking in with Retta when she starts to talk to me, I fall in parental mode. "I didn't meet Reno (Wilson) until the table read, so I didn't know how I felt about him playing my husband. And when we sat down at the table read, he was so warm — and he's like that with everyone, and he calls everybody 'Baby.' He's just so loving that I knew exactly what that relation - ship was going to be on screen. So, for me, it was the script, and then the people that play my family." Retta also has learned a trick that helps with the range of emotions she has to display, and frequently, on "Good Girls." She recalls she discovered it while filming the pilot, when "I realized I hadn't drank any water. So, that's how I prep for my crying scenes. I drank some water, and I was like, 'Oh, I got this. This is my lane.' And then usually, when I read the script, I get triggered by it and by what is happening. I'll cry when I read it, so when I go to shoot it, the dialogue triggers me." Birthdate: April 12, 1970 Birthplace: Newark, N.J. Current residence: Los Angeles Marital status: Single Other television credits include: "Pinky Malinky," "Parks and Recreation," "Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce," "Kroll Show," "Key & Peele," "Drunk His- tory," "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," "Rodney," "Freddie," "$5.15/Hr." Movie credits include: "Father Figures," "Where's the Money," "The Lego Ninjago Movie" (voice only), "Band Aid," "To the Bone," "Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life," "Op - erator," "Other People," "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip," "Sex Ed," "First Sun- day," "Sex and Death 101," "Fracture," "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star," "Slackers," "Ringmaster" 921 W. Main St. Offi ce - 423-638-3652 www.gcfarmersmutual.com We're Here To Help Face Your Challenges • Lowest Rates • Low Deductibles • Home • Mobile Home • Farm • Liability Needs ❅ ❉ ❆ ❄ ❅ ❉ ❆ ❄ ❅ ❉ ❆ ❄ Portable And Wall Heaters Available in both 110 and 240 volt "Serving Your Complete Lighting Needs Since 1960" 3195 East Andrew Johnson Hwy. • (423)638-2241 Williams Electric Supply ❅ ❉ ❆ ❄ 240v Portable Heaters Portable, Fan-Forced 4,000 Watt Portable Heaters Williams Electric Supply Be - Ready - for COLD - Weather HEATER SALE! One Y. One Community. 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