Nicola Coughlan on Finding Courage in The Magic Faraway Tree

Although Silky and Penelope come from different worlds, both characters go on journeys where they discover their courage and become more assertive.

“I quite like being scared of starting a new job,” Coughlan tells Nerd Reactor. “It’s always like I want to do it, and then I have the moment before where I’m like, ‘I can’t do this.’ I feel like I need to go to like the director and go, ‘I don’t know what I’m doing. You shouldn’t have hired me. This is a mistake.’ But also being able to push through that. Because you don’t really ever properly experience something if you don’t challenge yourself a little bit. So I think bravery has to come in there.”

Nicola Coughlan on Embracing Who You Are

One of the film’s messages is about accepting yourself for who you are, and it’s something that Coughlan has explored in her career.

“You’re always going to bring something of yourself, even if you completely transform in a role,” she said. “We love Meryl Streep because the essence of Meryl Streep… she can still transform and be other characters, but something in the middle. So it’s about maybe just accepting that there’s always a base level, but you can add color and you can add an accent and you can add a different type of movement or stuff. But just going, ‘That’s always there, and that’s okay.'”

Nicola Coughlan on Finding Your Inner Child

Fantasy films can help adults find their inner child. We see this in the film as well as in other classics such as Peter Pan.

“I think there’s a lot to it about embracing your inner child because I don’t think we ever really change that much fundamentally at our core of who we are,” Coughlan said. “I think you’ve got to sort of learn to listen to what they want.”

About The Magic Faraway Tree

Synopsis: Adapted from Enid Blyton’s beloved classic novel The Magic Faraway Tree, the film centers on Polly (Foy), Tim (Garfield), and their three children – a modern family forced to relocate to the remote English countryside. As they adapt to their new lives, the children discover a magical tree and its extraordinary and eccentric residents, including treasured characters Moonface (Anozie), Silky (Coughlan), Dame Washalot (Gunning), and Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns). At the top of the tree, they are transported to spectacular, fantastical lands, and through the joys and challenges of their adventures, the family learns to reconnect and value each other for the first time in years.

The film is directed by Ben Gregor and written by Simon Farnaby. It stars Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Nonso Anozie, Nicola Coughlan, Jessica Gunning, Jennifer Saunders, and Rebecca Ferguson.

The post Nicola Coughlan Talks The Magic Faraway Tree, Silky, Courage and Embracing Who You Are appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Check out the full video interview below, where we chat with the “actual” Cricket Green.

“There is a giant chocolate fountain, which I immediately jump into and just swim around like it’s a big old edible swimming pool, because that is what it is,” Cricket tells Nerd Reactor.

For the Marvel fans out there, audiences will get to see Cricket get powers thanks to a super soldier program.

“The gamma ray, it shot me right in the leg and made my leg really super, but not the rest of my body,” the boy explained. “So I had a super leg for like a day, and it was great, man.”

One of the episodes features the kids playing a giant meatball video game, and when asked if Cricket would prefer to be a video game streamer or an animator, he would choose being a streamer.

“I do think like me and IShowSpeed do have a lot in common,” Cricket said. “I see that. You know, we are both very charismatic and equally popular.”

Although he wouldn’t want to be an animator, he later changed his mind.

“Animators lead very sad lives,” he explained. “Okay, very sad lives. Lonely, lonely, dark room, working on one little – [impersonates tedious animation process] – that’s what they did in a day. Then they go home and they go, ‘What did I do?'”

However, after impersonating what it’s like to be an animator, he gets engaged with the arc of the motion sand says, “I take that all back, man. Animators are cool.”

About Big City Greens

Synopsis: Big City Greens follows the offbeat adventures of 10-year-old Cricket Green, a mischievous and optimistic country boy who moves to the big city with his wildly out-of-place family — older sister Tilly, father Bill and Gramma Alice. Cricket’s natural curiosity and enthusiasm lead him and his family on epic journeys and into the hearts of his new neighbors. The new season follows the family and their friends as they navigate some of their biggest adventures yet!

The series stars Chris Houghton as Cricket Green, Marieve Herington as Tilly Green, Bob Joles as Bill Green, Artemis Pebdani as Gramma Alice, Wendi McLendon-Covey as Nancy Green, Zeno Robinson as Remy, and Anna Akana as Gloria.

Season Five Guest Cast: Stephen King, Luke Combs, Dylan Sprouse, Megan Stalter, Chad Michael Murray, Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Cobie Smulders, Clark Gregg, Matt Gourley, Sona Movsesian, Aaron Bleyaert, Martha Kelly, Steve Schirripa and Mike Colter.

The series is produced by Disney Television Animation, part of Disney Kids & Family, Chris and Shane Houghton are creators and executive producers. Anna O’Brian,director of “Big City Greens the Movie: Spacecation,” has been elevated to executive producer for Season 5. Stephen Sandoval (“The Owl House”) is co-executive producer, and Michael Coughlin (“The Muppets”) is producer.

The first five episodes of Season 5 premieres on August 21 on Disney Channel (8:00 p.m. EDT/PDT) and next day on Disney+. Additional episodes will be released throughout 2026 and 2027.

The post ‘Big City Greens’ Season 5: Cricket Green Talks Chocolate Fountains, IShowSpeed, and Animators appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Voicing Asta is Japanese voice actor Gakuto Kajiwara, whose credits include Komi Can’t Communicate, Honkai: Star Rail, and Ensemble Stars!.

“When we’re talking about season one, I think he was more of a straight shooter,” Kajiwara tells Nerd Reactor. “He didn’t really think too deeply, and he was just more go-with-the-flow kind of character.”

Audiences will see Asta dealing with his own struggles in the second season.

“But season 2, what I think you can see, you’ll see a more human side to him and lots more of a internal battle, within himself,” Kajiwara explained. “And so for me, as the voice actor, I really want to be able to show those emotions and for the fans to see this side of Asta.”

Asta is a character with a lot of energy, and Kajiwara admits that it was challenging.

“As a voice actor, I think it was a challenge to maintain Asta’s energy,” he said. “And as you mentioned, he has lots of energy and always shows lots of emotion.”

Returning to direct episodes of Black Clover Season 2 is Ayataka Tanemura, who helmed Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King and the latter half of the series.

“The second season… you’re going to definitely see more battles in this,” the director said. “But also, it is more of a challenge to make those scenes. And I did have lots of pressure to make sure all the scenes would be solid and mentally had to prepare.”

Black Clover Synopsis: In a world where magic is everything, Asta and Yuno are both found abandoned at a church on the same day. While Yuno is gifted with exceptional magical powers, Asta is the only one in this world without any. At the age of fifteen, both receive grimoires, magic books that amplify their holder’s magic. Asta’s is a rare Grimoire of Anti-Magic that negates and repels his opponent’s spells. Being opposite but good rivals, Yuno and Asta are ready for the hardest of challenges to achieve their common dream: to be the Wizard King. Giving up is never an option!

Studio Pierrot is behind the animation for Black Clover Season 2, and it will be released in October 2026.

The post Black Clover Season 2 Will Explore a More Human Side of Asta, Says Voice Actor Gakuto Kajiwara appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

“Every single day I did it, because I’ve never done a show where the past and the present and the future were all in one place,” Davidson said about how the show felt refreshing. “So we’re going into a show that’s a show about a show. So it’s a workplace show.”

In Martin, Varnell Hill was the foil to the titular character. In The Varnell Hill Show, it’s vice versa.

“Now he comes to haunt me,” the actor said jokingly. “You know what I mean? He comes back to haunt me, but he comes back as multiple characters. If you looked at Martin’s show, Martin Payne wasn’t just one Martin.”

Davidson has been in the business for decades, and he wants to make the show the best it could be.

“And the common denominator for me that makes it the best is that I get to bring my gift to it, which is making people laugh, entertaining people, and making people feel good,” the actor said. “So for me, doing that every day, shooting that show was really the fruits of a lot of work and a lot of uncertainty, and a lot of just frustrations.”

About The Varnell Hill Show

Synopsis: Nearly three decades after audiences first met him, Varnell Hill is stepping back into the spotlight — and he’s determined to prove he’s still the star of the show. Set behind the scenes of a long-running late-night talk show, The Varnell Hill Show follows Varnell (Davidson) as he fights to stay relevant in a rapidly changing entertainment landscape. Between network executives eager to modernize the show, a chaotic writers’ room, celebrity guests, family drama, and his own outsized ego, Varnell quickly discovers that keeping a television empire together may be harder than building one in the first place.

The Varnell Hill Show eight-episode first season will make its worldwide debut on Paramount+ with two episodes on Tuesday, September 1, followed by one new episode every Tuesday through October 13.

The post Tommy Davidson Talks The Varnell Hill Show, Reuniting with Martin Lawrence appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

The new season of Lioness is inspired by current events, and the premiere episode featured trench and drone warfare, with Saldana’s Joe and her team shocked by what they saw.

“What you see on the field with the drones is really never been put on film before,” Bohen tells Nerd Reactor. “When you add the complexity of the dogs within everything, it’s remarkable that we were able to capture it just from a practical perspective, with no CGI. We produced one of the coolest modern-day battle sequences I think we’ve seen in this decade.”

One of the saddest moments in the series was in the third season premiere episode, when Grady returned from a mission, angry at the loss of his dog.

“I was devastated when I read that page that said, ‘Titan’s lifeless body,'” he said. “I’m like, ‘God damn it, you’re joking. No, why do you have to do this?’ I was like, ‘They’re gonna be so pissed at you, Taylor.'”

Rip (Cole Hauser) and Beth (Kelly Reilly) have moved on from their life in Yellowstone with their own spinoff show, Dutton Ranch. With the first season now finished, will we get to see the return of Ryan and Abby?

“I would love to see those two people in that world again because you just don’t want to think it’s over,” Bohen explained. “So fingers crossed that Lainey and I will be on Dutton Ranch together, having some fun with Kelly and Cole. I would be mystified if you didn’t start to see some of the bunkhouse populate a little bit.”

Lioness Season 3 premiered on August 2, 2026, on Paramount+, with new episodes released on Sundays.

The post Ian Bohen Talks Lioness Season 3 and Hopes to Return to Yellowstone Universe in Dutton Ranch appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

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Thompson has been behind the scenes as a director on many TV shows, including The Goldbergs, The CW’s Stargirl, Star Trek: Picard, Resident Alien, and Will Trent. However, Anna Pigeon was a different beast for her.

“I’ve been behind the scenes a lot as a director, and I’ve directed my own feature, but this is the first time I’ve done my own TV show that I’ve been working on for almost 15 years” Thompson tells Nerd Reactor. “It feels weird. I mean, it does kind of feel weird that I’m not acting in it, you know what I mean? It kind of feels weird.”

Even with many movies and shows under her belt, there is still much to learn.

“But it was so much work and it gave me so much respect for people who produce TV shows because it is just an immense amount of work. It’s an immense amount of give and take. I learned so much from Morwyn and Sonia, my producers, and Morwyn’s the showrunner, about how to respect everybody’s job. I mean, I feel like I’ve always done that, but it was a really great learning curve, and everybody has to reinvent themselves all the time in our new culture. So this was a big reinvention for me, and it’s very exciting to be doing something completely new and different.”

About Anna Pigeon

Anna Pigeon, played by Tracy Spiridakos, is a former city slicker who became a park ranger after a devastating loss changed the trajectory of her life forever. While Anna tries to outrun her demons, her focus turns to solving crimes that have taken place within national park grounds, no matter who or what gets in her way.

The upcoming crime drama is based on the best-selling mystery novels by Nevada Barr and also stars Paulina Alexis, Ronnie Rowe Jr., Tricia Helfer, Kim Coates, Crystle Lightning and Nikki Hallow.

Lea Thompson directs and executive produces the 10-episode season.

The post Lea Thompson Reflects on Reinventing Herself Behind the Camera With Anna Pigeon appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

One of the stars of the show, Garret Dillahunt (Fear the Walking Dead), is portraying William Macon. Per Deadline, he plays “modern cowboy William Macon, a self-righteous, conspiracy-minded man who masks his ruthless ambition behind a charming and calculated facade.”

Nerd Reactor spoke to the actor about his role in the DC show set in the DC Universe.

“I would certainly say I am an antagonistic presence to the Lanterns, but I know that Macon doesn’t think he’s a villain,” Dillahunt said. “He thinks they have similar goals in a lot of ways, but just different ways of going about it. And I think that’s where the tension comes in.”

There have been many fan theories as to his character, with some thinking that he was going to play Green Arrow.

“I kind of like all the fan theories,” the actor explained. “I like that they’re a little confused. I get accused of… or people suspect me of being all kinds of different characters, and I’m excited to… some of them are right, and it’ll be fun to see what happens when they find out who’s right and who’s wrong.”

About Lanterns

Synopsis: Lanterns follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery with cosmic ties as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.

HBO in association with Warner Bros. Television and DC Studios. The Lanterns pilot is co-written by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King, who are co-creators for the series. Mundy serves as showrunner.

The first two episodes are directed by James Hawes, with Stephen Williams, Geeta Vasant Patel and Alik Sakharov also tapped to direct.

The series is executive produced by Mundy, Lindelof, James Gunn, Peter Safran, King, Ron Schmidt, and Hawes. Based on the DC comic characters from “Green Lantern.”

The post Garret Dillahunt Explains Why His ‘Lanterns’ Character Doesn’t See Himself as a Villain appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

This year, HBO Max stepped it up for its Lanterns Training Headquarters activation, and it’s easily the top activation during this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. This 30-minute experience really made fans feel like they were training to become Green Lanterns. There were different missions and routes, depending on your group number. In my group, we had to blend in with the locals at a local bar, train at the shooting range, and search for the Lantern left by Hal Jordan.

I chatted with a fan who waited 13 hours to participate in the activation. After having done the experience, he said it was worth it. It definitely left an impact thanks to the sets, special effects, and the actors.

Once we had completed two of our missions, we were all given our very own Green Lantern ring. We got to recite the Green Lantern oath. Once we finished the last line, “Beware my power, Green Lantern’s light!” the rings lit up the room with a green hue. I literally got goosebumps.

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Lanterns will debut on HBO and HBO Max on August 16, 2026.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe is a spin-off series of The Big Bang Theory. Available now on HBO Max, it follows Stuart as he is tasked with stopping a “multiverse Armageddon” due to accidentally damaging the device. Since Stuart is a comic book shop owner, it was fitting to hold the Stuart Fails to Save the Universe activation inside a comic book shop.

The experience includes going through the shop in search of The Device.

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The post Lanterns and Stuart Fails to Save the Universe Are Easily the Best SDCC Activations This Year appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Check out our video interview below!

About Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 sees the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise – led by Captain Christopher Pike – embark on a series of thrilling and emotional adventures across the stars. As they journey to strange new worlds, they will battle inner demons and external threats, encounter colorful new characters, reunite with familiar faces and confront terrifying aliens. Through it all, they strive to embrace a bright, hopeful future.

The post Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Cast on Hidden Talents, Challenging Episodes, and Dream Vacations appeared first on Nerd Reactor.

Check out the trailer below:

Shannon portrays Juju, who is struggling to survive in the mean streets of the Bay Area. He talks about the similarities between Ekko and Juju.

“Closer to the end of the movie, Juju figures out some things about what he wants,” Shannon tells Nerd Reactor. “I think at the beginning, he’s kind of just all over the place, and that is actually very similar to the arc that we built for Ekko. Ekko’s always been sure of his goal, even if the angle in which he went to get it includes fighting with Jinx time and time again and getting nowhere, all the way to deciding, ‘I’m gonna leave this place, this alternate universe where everything is perfect and exactly like I want, to go back home to I don’t know what, but to save the universe.’

“That’s exactly it. If you were responsible for it, for your actions, it’s important to know and be very sure of what you believe in and what you’re willing to put up with and what you’re willing to let go of for the sake of that truth that we all hold deep within us. I think that desire to lead and to do what feels right shows up in Ekko and Juju.”

About Splash City

Synopsis: In this gritty crime thriller, two brothers, Juju and Slim, struggle to survive the streets of San Francisco, where loyalty can turn into betrayal in an instant. While Slim sees basketball as his way out, Juju falls deeper into a life of smash-and-grab robberies under the control of a backstabbing crew leader. As tensions rise, the brothers must choose between fighting for a brighter future or succumbing to the violent legacy that threatens to consume them both.

The film is directed by Alex Ferrufino and Gilbert Anthony Milam Jr. (Berner) and written by Gilbert Anthony Milam Jr. (Berner) & David Mansanalez.

The film stars Reed Shannon, TJ Atoms, Christopher A’mmanuel, and Hazel Green.

Splash City releases on July 20, with LA on July 21st.

The post Reed Shannon on Arcane’s Ekko and His New Movie, Splash City appeared first on Nerd Reactor.