Entertainment NOW

2 • April 24 - 30, 2022 Entertainment Now By Kyla Brewer TV Media A s political scandals go, Watergate is undoubted- ly one of the most talked about in modern history. It has been explored in countless books, television productions and films. Now, a new series has cho- sen to take a look at the scandal from a fresh perspective. Julia Roberts ("Homecoming") returns to TV as Martha Mitchell, a celebrity socialite and the first person to speak out about Presi- dent Nixon's potential link to the Watergate break-in in "Gaslit," premiering Sunday, April 24, on Starz. The eight-episode political thriller also stars Sean Penn ("Lic- orice Pizza," 2021) as Martha's husband, former attorney general and Nixon's loyal campaign man- ager John N. Mitchell. Based on the first season of Slate's popular podcast series "Slow Burn," "Gaslit" promises to explore the untold stories of key players in the political scan- dal that took Nixon down — he resigned from office in August 1974. Robbie Pickering ("Mr. Ro- bot"), who created the series and serves as both executive producer and showrunner, explained his approach to the series in a March interview with Vanity Fair. "The more you immerse your- self in that era and Watergate, the more you realize it's not like those Oliver Stone movies, with these huge heroes and huge villains," Pickering told the magazine. "It's mundane in the best way." While the word "mundane" may not usually describe must- see TV, "Gaslit" has been causing a huge buzz in the industry, espe- cially because of the caliber of its stars. Both Roberts and Penn are Academy Award winners more frequently seen on the big screen, but the team behind "Gaslit" seemingly had no trouble secur- ing them. They were attached to the project by the time it was an- nounced in February 2020. Roberts had worked with "Gaslit" executive producer Sam Esmail on Amazon's "Homecom- ing," and Pickering noted that she was his dream choice for the character of Martha Mitchell. The central figure of the series, Martha is well known for her big mouth even before the scandal erupts. In fact, she earned the nickname The Mouth of the South for unabashedly revealing her personal views. When Watergate erupts, Martha is almost as well known as Nixon himself — a household name, not unlike Rob- erts herself. The Oscar winner is among Hollywood's most bank- able stars and has starred in such big screen hits as "Steel Mag- nolias" (1989), "Pretty Woman" (1990) and "Erin Brockovich" (2000). She also earned an Emmy nod for the HBO film "The Normal Heart" (2014). Pickering told Vanity Fair that it was Roberts who insisted on working with her old friend Penn. At first glance, viewers may not recognize Penn in the role of John Mitchell as he was so seamlessly transformed by award-winning makeup artist Kazu Hiro ("Bomb- shell," 2019). Mitchell, described as temperamental, foul-mouthed and ruthless, is loyal to Nixon but also deeply in love with his wife. As a result, he faces an impossible choice. The conflicted character is in good hands with Penn, a two- time Academy Award winner for "Mystic River" (2003) and "Milk" (2008). His other credits include "Dead Man Walking" (1995) and "21 Grams" (2003). Penn is also well known for his activism, most recently for speaking out about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Cover Story Dan Stevens and Betty Gilpin star in "Gaslit" Untold story: 'Gaslit' shines new light on Watergate scandal Ready Rental 3 x 4 Hayley Siefert 3 x 2 Letters & Numbers Sudoku Fill in the grid so that every row,every column, and every 4x4 box contains the digits 1 through 9 AND the letters A-F. Solution on page 12.

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