For those among us who are also Twitter addicts like me, you might have noticed that Ryan Murphy was trending on Monday, April 20. That’s because Netflix released a theatrical trailer for Hollywood, Murphy’s new seven-episode miniseries co-produced with Ian Brennan, on YouTube that day. The series, which is dropping on the streaming platform on May 1, follows a collection of both real and fictional characters as they navigate the glamorous, scandalous landscape of 1940’s Hollywood. Included in the star-studded cast lineup are Darren Criss, Jim Parsons, Patti Lupone, Jeremy Pope and Laura Harrier, among other familiar faces.
“HOLLYWOOD follows a group of aspiring actors and filmmakers in post-World War II Hollywood as they try to make it in Tinseltown — no matter the cost,” says Netflix in their official description of the trailer. “Each character offers a unique glimpse behind the gilded curtain of Hollywood’s Golden Age, spotlighting the unfair systems and biases across race, gender and sexuality that continue to this day.”
The inspiration for this new series actually came from Criss himself, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Criss and Murphy have collaborated on two Murphy projects in the past: American Horror Story: Hotel and American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace. At a dinner celebrating American Crime Story’s success in the 2018 awards circuit, the two discussed a possible new collaboration, and Criss suggested the golden age of Hollywood as a backdrop. “There’s a blinking red light on it that says, ‘Ryan Murphy, Ryan Murphy,’ because it’s sexy, it’s fun, it’s glamorous, it’s dangerous and it has resonance now,” Criss said.
The three-minutetrailer, underscored by ØH1’s slick remix of “In the Mood” by the Glenn Miller Orchestra, features plenty of old Hollywood glamour. Viewers can also spy some portrayals of trailblazing real-life figures of the era, including Rock Hudson (played by Jake Picking), Hattie McDaniel (Queen Latifah) and Anna May Wong (Michelle Krusiec).
“With those three people individually, I always just wished that they had been seen, were able to be who they were, and more importantly, who they wanted to be,” Murphy said in a feature for Vanity Fair. The series will also follow a few fictional characters; for instance, David Corenswet, Laura Harrier and Samara Weaving play aspiring film actors while Jeremy Pope plays a black screenwriter and Darren Criss plays an up-and-coming director.
Murphy is no stranger to bringing the stories of marginalized people to life on screen. The openly gay producer, director and screenwriter has been a creative force behind such shows as Pose, American Crime Story andThe Politician. Now that he’s been tasked with making a show about Hollywood, he’s had time to reflect on its influence on us and our perceptions.
“You can’t underestimate the power of Hollywood,” said Murphy. “Hollywood teaches us everything, I think. Because if you can see it, you can become it. If you can’t see it, you can’t. It teaches us how to dress, how to act, how to walk. It teaches us how to be in a relationship. Historically, Hollywood teaches us how to be tolerant. Hollywood really can, in a very positive way, change the world.”
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