On Screen

October 19 - 25, 2019—3 The Greeneville Sun, Greeneville, TN The Greeneville Sun, Greeneville, TN October 19 - 25, 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 Jay Bobbin Though she says she likes to "mix things up," Helen Mirren isn't surprised that royal roles continue to come her way. The winner of both an Oscar (for "The Queen") and a Tony Award (for "The Audience") as Queen Elizabeth II, plus an Emmy (one of her three to date) for "Elizabeth I," the esteemed actress and British Dame signed up as an executive producer as well as the star of HBO's four-part series "Catherine the Great," premiering Monday, Oct. 21. The saga traces the 19th-century Russian empress' lusty romance with Grigory Potemkin (Jason Clarke) and their efforts to modernize their country as Catherine's long reign nears its end. "The filming was absolutely remarkable," the pleasant Mir- ren says. "I was in Lithuania for most of the shoot, then we had the incredible chance to travel into Russia and shoot in Catherine's palace. To be on the location where this history took place was pretty extraordinary. These people led such intense lives, you can't imagine how they got through it day to day." Mirren had worked with "Catherine the Great's" writer, Nigel Williams, on "Elizabeth I" earlier. She deems him "very knowledgeable and very good at research. At the same time, research alone doesn't do it for these sorts of pieces; you have to find the human story. I'd also worked before with the direc- tor, Philip Martin (who won an Emmy for the Mirren-starring 'Prime Suspect: The Final Act') — so I had great confidence in them to create something enter- taining, true to history, watch- able and revelatory." Having access to some of the many letters written by Cath- erine also benefited Mirren, who found her "a very natural writer. It wasn't formal, even if she was writing to ambassadors about official business. She wrote with a great ease, and you could really sense her personality. That was a wonderful resource." "Catherine the Great" isn't this fall's only project for Mir- ren. The wife of director Taylor Hackford ("An Officer and a Gentleman"), she also stars with Ian McKellen in next month's theatrical movie "The Good Liar," a twist-and-turn-filled con-artist tale. Such a project underscores Mirren's taste for variety, also marked by such de- partures as her work in the "Fast and Furious" and "Red" action franchises. "For a long time, I was a po- licewoman on 'Prime Suspect,' " she notes, "and after that, I was very keen to show that I didn't just play that (profession). And after 'The Queen,' I was keen to show that I didn't just play mon- archs. The reality, though, is that monarchs often are very good roles. Their lives are momentous and full of drama, but I've really tried to get away from being someone who just plays queens." Celebrity Scoop Celebrity Scoop Helen Mirren rules again in HBO's 'Catherine the Great' Cover Story Cover Story By George Dickie Some actors stay in shape and aren't afraid to do stunts. Others don't have a problem having a stunt double. Regina King falls into both categories. Indeed, in her new series "Watchmen," premiering Sun- day, Oct. 20, on HBO, the Oscar-winning actress ("If Beale Street Could Talk") has top billing as Angela Abar, a police detective in an alternate contem- porary Tulsa, Okla. — and more than 30 years after the events of the iconic graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons — one that has no internet or smartphones and where Robert Redford has been U.S. president since 1992. In this reality exists the Sev- enth Cavalry, a group of white supremacist domestic terrorists who wear Rorschach-like masks. So Angela, also masked, must Checking in with Regina King combat them — which means there is some physicality for the 48-year-old Los Angeles native. But within reason. "I'm a pretty fit person, and I pretty much try to stay fit all the time," she told a recent gathering of journalists in Beverly Hills, Calif. "The good thing about 'Watchmen,' is we were working with the stunt coordinator that we'd worked with on 'Leftovers,' so he already knew my strengths going in. And I'm very particular when it comes to stunt doubles. I hate to see something where you're like, 'That's a double.' And so, they really took their time and looked far and wide to find a double that resembled me and she's 26 years old. "So, you know, I'll be playing action women for about another — till I'm like 66." Full name: Regina Rene King Birth date: Jan. 15, 1971 Birthplace: Los Angeles Family ties: Divorced; has a 23-year-old son TV credits include: "227," "Northern Exposure," "New York Undercover," "Living Single," "Leap of Faith," "24," "Southland," "Shame- less," "The Boondocks," "The Strain," "The Leftovers," "American Crime," "Seven Seconds," "The Big Bang Theory" Movie credits include: "Boyz n the Hood" (1991), "Higher Learning" (1995), "Jerry Maguire" (1996), "How Stella Got Her Groove Back" (1998), "Love and Action in Chicago" (1999), "Daddy Day Care" (2003), "Le- gally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde" (2003), "Ray" (2004), "Miss Congeniality 2: Arms & Fabulous" (2005), "Our Family Wedding" (2010), "If Beale Street Could Talk" (2018) Doughty-Stevens Funeral Home 423-638-4141 www.doughty-stevens.com 1125 Tusculum Blvd. Greeneville, Tennessee Established 1892 Serving the community for 127 years! "Serving Your Complete Lighting Needs Since 1960" 3195 E. 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