On Screen

August 29 - September 4, 2020—3 The Greeneville Sun, Greeneville, TN The Greeneville Sun, Greeneville, TN August 29 - September 4, 2020 — 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 2 x 1.5" ad midway const. By Jay Bobbin Space may not be the final fron- tier for Hilary Swank, but it cer- tainly is her next one. The two-time Oscar winner heads the cast as her character leads a mission to Mars in "Away," a Netflix drama series that begins streaming Friday, Sept. 4. Crossing the cosmos with an international crew means being away from her husband ("The Good Wife" alum Josh Charles) and teenage daughter (Talitha Bateman) for Emma Green (Swank), who often struggles with her torn emotions en route to the "Red Planet." Ato Essandoh, Vivian Wu, Mark Ivanir and Ray Panthaki play her fellow astronauts, who have their own personal concerns. Also an executive producer of "Away," Swank says she was drawn to Emma being written as "an im - mensely deep, layered human being. I love that the commander of this mission to Mars is a woman and that's not the drama of the story. I think that shows how far we've come working towards equality. "The drama is these richly dif- ferent racial backgrounds," adds Swank, "these people who are on this journey working towards a goal together while having this gravi - tational pull to Earth, all having these families that make it a love story. That's one of the big reasons I wanted to come onboard not only as an actor, but as an executive producer." "Parenthood" and "Friday Night Lights" veteran Jason Katims also is among "Away's" executive produc - ers, and he reasons that the saga has even more relevance in the age of the coronavirus pandemic. "We shot the first season of the show, and then we were in post- production," Katims reflects, "and a few months ago, we all had to go home and we worked remotely. Editors and producers and visual- effects people were all sending notes and cuts back and forth to each other, and we were trying to figure out how to do something without having the normal human interac - tion that's so important to the cre- ative process and to life. "Suddenly, when we started to re-watch these cuts in this context, the show started to resonate in a way that we never imagined before ... like, the idea of not being able to be with the people that are most important to you." Celebrity Scoop Celebrity Scoop Home is far 'Away' for Hilary Swank in Netflix space saga Cover Story Cover Story By Jay Bobbin "Star Trek" already was in his family, but Jerry O'Connell didn't know a cartoon would draw him into the franchise, too. While wife Rebecca Romijn has appeared as Number One on "Star Trek: Discovery," the veteran of series from "Sliders" to "Billions" now lends his voice to the animated Commander Jack Ransom on CBS All Access' Thursday series "Star Trek: Lower Decks," a lighthearted take on Gene Roddenberry's original concept. Despite his Starfleet desig - nation, Ransom rarely plays by the rules, giving O'Connell license to have fun with the part. "I have a healthy fear of the 'Star Trek' fan base," the good-humored O'Connell allows. "I think of them often. I don't want to offend them, obviously, but I want my work to be up to their standards. I want to Checking in with Jerry O'Connell be able to look them in the eye, when we're all allowed to be together again, and not get yelled at." Indeed, O'Connell reasons that " 'Star Trek' belongs to the fans. If you break it down from a business stand - point, it's owned by CBS or what- ever ... but really, it's owned by the fans. And every decision I make as an actor is for the people I work for. CBS may sign the checks, but I con - sider the fans to be my superiors." To that end, O'Connell feels fortunate to be playing a new role, though with some similarities to Jonathan Frakes' Will Riker on "Star Trek: The Next Generation." He notes, "When you work in 'Star Trek,' you want to act like you know more than you really do, so I tend not to ask that many questions. I just nod a lot." Birthdate: Feb. 17, 1974 Birthplace: New York Current residence: Los Angeles Marital status: Married to actress and former model Rebecca Romi- jn; they have twin daughters Other television work includes: "Jerry O'," "Carter," "The Big Bang Theory," "Scream Queens," "Mistresses," "Bil- lions," "The Mysteries of Laura," "The Librarians," "Drunk His- tory," "We Are Men," "Burning Love," "Jake and the Never Land Pirates," "The Defenders," "Eastwick," "Do Not Disturb," "Carpoolers," "Las Vegas," "MADtv," "Crossing Jordan," "Sliders," "Camp Wilder," "My Secret Identity" Movie work includes: "Ball- buster," "The Secret: Dare to Dream," "Veronica Mars," "Scary Movie 5," "Piranha 3-D," "Yours, Mine and Ours," "First Daughter," "Kangaroo Jack," "Tomcats," "Mission to Mars," "Can't Hardly Wait," "Scream 2," "Jerry Maguire" 921 W. 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