Month: February 2022

When I was in high school 20-something years ago, I would get up early every Saturday to watch Zatoichi movies on cable. One of Japan’s longest-running film series (seriously, think the Marvel movies but solely about the adventures of a blind samurai in 1830s and ’40s Japan), the movies were the equivalent of Saturday morning cartoons for me, but for the longest time, I felt totally alone in my love for them (I know I wasn’t — The Boondocks even referenced Zatoichi in the episode introducing Grandad’s feud with Colonel Stinkmeaner) but now, it looks like I have something in common with Florida rapper Denzel Curry.

Today, Curry, who has been promoting his upcoming album Melt My Eyez, See Your Future, dropped off the video for the album’s latest single, titled — you guessed it — “Zatoichi.” Apparently, he was also a big fan of the visually impaired swordsman, who he references in both the lyrics (“I’m Zatoichi, leading the blind,” he raps over an ambient drum&bass beat) and the video, which finds him training in the martial arts against a blind teacher on the banks of a sheltered, river in a verdant landscape. The song also features UK rapper Slowthai, who drops in to offer a spirited chorus.

Denzel’s Melt My Eyez campaign has so far also included references to space opera in the video for “Walkin” and Spaghetti Westerns in the trailer. He’s letting his movie geek flag fly in the build-up to the album’s release and I, for one, am truly enjoying it as a fellow cinephile.

Watch Denzel Curry’s “Zatoichi” video above.

Warning: The following story contains themes of suicide.

There’s an old Hebrew saying that if you “save one life, you save the world entire.” Who knows if Brooke Lacey, 22, had that lofty goal when she began a campaign in 2020 to help uplift people’s spirits during the first COVID-19 wave.

But her kind efforts may have done just that.

Lacey has struggled with mental health issues throughout her life and she knew that people like her were going to have a really hard time during COVID-19 lockdowns. A study from May 2021 found that the New Zealand population had “higher depression and anxiety compared with population norms.” The study also found that “younger people” and “those most at risk of COVID-19 reported poorer mental health.”

To help those who may be struggling, Lacey printed 600 stickers with an uplifting message and posted them around places where people may take their lives, including trains, bridges and large bodies of water in Wellington, New Zealand. She also made a bumper sticker with the same message for her car.

A driveru2019s bumper sticker has saved a strangeru2019s life.nnAfter her own battle with depression 22-year-old university student Brooke Lacey was inspired to create a batch of 600 signs to inspire those battling mental illness.nn#StarFMNews919 @Star919FMpic.twitter.com/0SSHhUvyvK

— StarFMNews919 (@StarFMNews919)
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The stickers spoke directly to those who may be contemplating taking their own life. “Please don’t take your life today,” the stickers read. “The world is so much better with you in it. More than you realize, stay.”

Earlier this month, Lacey parked her car in her university’s lot and when she returned to her vehicle to leave, she noticed a note was affixed to the windshield. Thinking it was someone complaining about how she parked or a ticket, she prepared for the worst but wound up being blindsided by the positive message.

A 22 year New Zealand student called Brooke Lacey, who’d suffered with depression created some bumper stickers to help others who might be going through a similar experience. Recently she found a heartfelt note under her windscreen wiper to thank herpic.twitter.com/kFfu9wtXnN

— Giles Paley-Phillips (@Giles Paley-Phillips)
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“I left my house with a plan and asked for a sign, any sign, I was doing the right thing when I saw your car in the parking lot. Thank you,” the note read. At first, Lacey wasn’t sure what the person was referring to, then she remembered her homemade bumper sticker.

“I had these made so long ago, put one on my car and forgot about them, until now,” she tweeted on her since deactivated account. “I am so glad whoever you are chose to stay today. You never know who needs this reminder.”

Now, it’s unclear exactly what the person’s “plan” was, but there’s no doubt that Lacey’s bumper sticker inspired them to choose life. Let’s hope that the sticker also inspired them to seek professional help for whatever difficulties they are going through.

Whether it was intentional or not, Lacey’s sticker was effective because it followed one of the most important strategies that people use at suicide hotlines. According to Science.org, it’s of utmost importance that people contemplating suicide are handled with “respect and empathy.”

Lacey’s story is a beautiful reminder of the power that one simple, thoughtful gesture can have on another person’s life. Every day, there are people all around us who are looking for a sign to give them a reason keep going. Whether it’s a hug, a smile or the right message in the right place at the right time, we should all be like Lacey and make sure everyone knows that the world is better with them in it. In fact, much more than they ever realize.

If you are having thoughts about taking your own life, or know of anyone who is in need of help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (273-8255) or text “HOME” to the Crisis Text Line: 741741.

Kindergarten through 12th grade teachers and college professors have heard every excuse in the book. Whether it’s a third grader claiming their “dog ate my homework” or a college freshman claiming their grandmother died to get out of a test, they’ve heard it all a billion times.

A college professor once listed the top 21 excuses he’s heard from his students. Here are the top five:

5. “It’s the last week of the semester.”

4. “It’s St. Patrick’s Day or 4/20”

3. “Our other teacher held us back.”

2. “My timetable showed the class was canceled.”

1. “I’m taking a vacation.”

Yes, some students actually say they didn’t do their work because of a holiday predicated on drinking or getting stoned and others have the audacity to say, “Hey! I needed a vacation.” After spending week after week fielding excuses, there’s a good reason why most educators are skeptical when they hear one from their students.

But every once in a while, an excuse that seems way too improbable to be believed actually is true.

Reddit user u/minecraftplayer48 asked the teachers of Reddit to share the “best excuse for being late that turned out to be true” and the stories were all pretty great. But it wasn’t only teachers who chimed in; a lot of people shared stories from when they were students and had an excuse that was so crazy they didn’t think anyone would believe them.

Here are 17 of the best excuses for being late that were actually true.

1. Revenge of the torque wrench

“My auto teacher let me practice removing and adding the tires on his vehicle. The next morning it was about 20 minutes into first period and no sign of him. He comes running into the classroom out of breath and his hair is all messed up. He points at me and says ‘YOU!!!! What is a torque wrench used for???’ I respond with “I don’t know.” He says ‘ I know you don’t know!!!” Turns out one of his tires came off while driving down the highway.” — ethnicjello

2. Mom wanted to sleep in

“She had to take her sister to school and drive her mom to rehab. She was always late to class because her mom just wanted to sleep in. Problem was if the mom was late or did not go she would have violated her probation and gone to prison. I never marked her late. If she missed anything important she could come in at lunch or after school to make it up.” — RM156

3. “That was you?”

“Student here, I headed into school early to get some studying done in the library before my night class. I was one exit away when I was caught in a 3 car accident. Most of the expressway afterwards was gridlock with only one lane left open. I did eventually make it into my lab class 15 minutes late, with a few scrapes and bruises. My professors reaction was simply ‘Oh that was you!”” — AlienCowAbduction

4. “School bus blew up”

“I was one of about 20 kids who were late to school. We showed up at the school office as a group and when questioned why we were late, we said ‘The school bus blew up.’ They questioned ‘So the engine blew up?’ The kids ‘No, the whole bus, in flames. It blew up.’

“There was much conference between the teachers, all of them thinking we embellished the story. Next thing you know, one of the admin staff has the news website open, very obvious image of an entire bus on fire with a bunch of kids in our school uniform standing in front of it. Our late slip for class read ‘School bus blew up.'” — AusPB90

5. B.U.I. 

“Told me he got pulled over by the cops for wobbly driving on his bike and they thought he was drunk. Turned out he was just dodging all the slugs on the street.” — Fortisvol

6. Chicken of death

“A guy in my college class missed class one day. The next day he came in with his eye covered up and medical paperwork in hand. Apparently he got pecked in the eye by a chicken.” — BrrToe

7. Chicken 2: The chickening

“When I was student teaching, I was late because there was bunch chickens in the middle of the road. They wouldn’t move at all. This is in the middle of a city of 200,000 people. Freaking chickens.

“I finally get to school and profusely apologize to my mentor teacher and I told her why I was late thinking it sounded ridiculous. She said, ‘yeah, those chickens are fucking assholes, they surrounded my car in the McDonalds parking lot last year. Don’t worry about it.” — Makenshine

8. Cracker Barrel conference

“Taught a group of seniors first period. It was towards the end of the year. I had a class of around 30 and only 5 were there when the bell rang. Halfway through class, the rest of them show up. They went out to Cracker Barrel for breakfast and brought me some back. All was forgiven.” — SwansonsLoveChild

9. Beary late

“Bear on the backyard. No access gate. Animal control had to tranq it from the room and drag it through the house. Made the news. Got to retake the test I missed after sending her the news article.” — Vladtehwood

10. Present the flat

“We had an exam in my class and the teacher got a message from a student saying that he was going to be late because his car had a flat tire (the student was known to party), the teacher didn’t think it could be true, so as a joke the teacher asked him to bring the tire back. He brought the flat tire back in the middle of the exam. Needless to say, the professor didn’t expect that.” — Sapang

11. Moo

“A kid missed my first-period class one morning but was in school later that day. When I asked him why he hadn’t arrived in time for my course, he said his cow was birthing its calf that morning, so he’d picked being in the barn over English. Made sense to me. His essays weren’t going to win any ribbons at the county fair, but his calf could.” — Bobosbigsister

12. Abduction

“In high school a kid came late to history class. He was a joker so when someone asked him where he had been, he goes ‘I was kidnapped.’ Everyone laughed, until he goes ‘no really.’

“Turns out 2 guys kidnapped him and tossed him into the back of the minivan he was using for his morning paper route. They drove him around while they robbed something. I can’t remember what happens after. I think they just drove the van somewhere and got away.” — notinmybackyardcanad

13. Honesty is the best excuse

“Not a teacher, but a kid walked into my class one day and literally just said ‘Sorry I’m late, I didn’t want to be here.’ He wasn’t wrong I suppose.” — Scally59

14. It actually was the dog

“A little off topic but in 8th grade, a friend of mine turned in their homework late because her dog literally ate her homework. She even brought a note from her parents.” — JoeyJoey2004

15. Is this a real excuse? Or is it fantasy?

“‘Sorry Bohemian Rhapsody came on just as I parked.’ — My art teacher when he was about 5:55 minutes late.” — Deeberber

16. “I took a shortcut”

“This happened to me as a pupil; a very quiet, unassuming kid in our class came in to German with about five minutes of the class left. We went to a Catholic school and the teachers were all quite strict and intimidating. Classes were usually silent, especially in junior school. When this boy came into class at the end of the lesson that day, the door flew inwards with such force that the teacher gave an audible gasp.

“It had been raining heavily outside, his hair was plastered to his forehead. His blazer was dripping and sodden. He had mud caked into his trousers up to his knees, and he was breathing heavily. The teacher exclaimed, ‘Brendan! What happened?’ We all stared up at him in shocked silence. This quiet, unassuming little boy let out a big sigh and just said, ‘I took a shortcut.’ And went straight to his seat.

“That line became iconic in our school for years afterward.” — lestat85

17. Pug lovers can attest 

“Kid was late to school and had to miss a very important football game. The reason? His fat pug fell asleep on his phone. The pug’s fat rolls muffled his alarm.” — tip52

One of the best things about social media—besides the hilarious cat videos—is how it gives us all an opportunity to learn from one another. The ability to share an experience or a piece of wisdom or advice and have it be carried far and wide can be incredibly useful, especially when it comes from someone whose voice may not be heard as often as it should.

A perfect example is a recent thread by Ada Hubrig (@AdamHubrig) on Twitter explaining how and how not to interact with a person in a wheelchair. Hubrig says using a wheelchair has been “life-changing in the best way” for them, but the way they are treated when they are using a wheelchair can be annoying, frustrating, hurtful or just downright weird.

Some people don’t have regular interactions with people who use wheelchairs and may have questions about what’s appropriate and what’s not. Some people might make assumptions about people using wheelchairs or be completely oblivious to how their prejudices are impacting their behavior. Hubrig’s thread not only clarified some common issues wheelchair users deal with, but also opened up the conversation for people to ask some of the less obvious questions.

Hubrig opened their thread by explaining that they actually love their wheelchair, as they can’t stand or walk for more than 10 minutes without it. However, they loathe how people treat them when they’re using it.

Then they shared some tips on how to do better:

“First, remember that wheelchair users are people,” they wrote. “We are more similar to you than different, we’re just sitting down while you’re standing up. You’re likely around other people who are sitting as you stand all the time. Don’t make it weird.”

First, remember that wheelchair users are people. We are more similar to you than different, we’re just sitting down while you’re standing up.nnYou’re likely around other people who are sitting as you stand all the time. Don’t make it weird (2/10)

— Ada Hubrig (@Ada Hubrig)
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“Second, remembering that we’re people, respect our autonomy,” they continued. “If we’re speaking and you have a question for me, don’t ask my partner who is standing. As an example, medical professionals will often ask my partner my symptoms when I am RIGHT THERE. Please notice us.”

The third piece of advice was to never touch a person’s wheelchair or other mobility or medical advice unless you have been given permission. Hubrig said that people will often just roll them out of the way.

Yeah, don’t do that. You wouldn’t pick up a standing person and move them out of the way (hopefully). Same concept.

Third, please DO NOT touch a person’s wheelchair (or other mobility/medical devices) without that person’s permission. nnIt’s wild to me how often people will just roll me out of their way.nnPlease don’t do this (4/10)

— Ada Hubrig (@Ada Hubrig)
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Hubrig went on to explain that no one is entitled to anyone else’s medical history or trauma. “I get that you may mean well, but asking ‘what happened’ can be more difficult for some people than you realize,” they wrote. “It’s a lot of emotional labor to answer.”

On a related note, don’t ask about people’s genitals. Ever. Seriously.

Related to not asking wheelchair users abt medical info, stop asking strangers about their genitals (really, it’s super weird. Just don’t). nnI don’t know if this is bc I’m in a wheelchair, or bc I’m nonbinary, but sorry dude at the gas station, none of your business. (6/10)

— Ada Hubrig (@Ada Hubrig)
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A tip for parents: “Please don’t let your kids crawl on me or my wheelchair. My wheelchair isn’t a toy.”

“I like kids mostly, I do,” Hubrig wrote. “But even if we weren’t in a pandemic, I don’t want any stranger up in my personal space like that. Once a kid ripped my ostomy bag off me. No plz.”

Also, don’t make judgments about a person’s need for the wheelchair. “Some wheelchair users, like myself, don’t use the wheelchair full time,” Hubrig wrote. “I can walk/stand about ten minutes at a time, and use a cane for short distances. If you see a wc user standing/using a cane/whatever, don’t assume we’re faking. We don’t use a wc for fun.”

Some wheelchair users, like myself, don’t use the wheelchair full time. I can walk/stand about ten minutes at a time, and use a cane for short distances.nnIf you see a wc user standing/using a cane/whatever, don’t assume we’re faking. We don’t use a wc for fun (8/10)

— Ada Hubrig (@Ada Hubrig)
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Not being believed can be a major barrier to people with disabilities utilizing the tools they need to live as fully and functionally as possible. “I have talked to many people whose life would be better with a mobility device but they don’t use one. Because of how we treat people who use mobility devices.”

That is a tragedy.

Finally, Hubrig summed up the basics:

“1.) Wheelchair users/disabled people ARE people. Act as such.

2.) Mind your business.”

TLDR: Okay, the point here is:n1.) Wheelchair users/disabled people ARE people. Act as such.n2.) Mind your business.nnThanks for reading, kind human (10/10)

— Ada Hubrig (@Ada Hubrig)
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Seems simple enough, but as we all know, humans have a remarkable ability to not follow simple instructions.

Another person who uses a wheelchair, @FabledFelts, added a few more tips.

Also:

🔹Don’t lean/rest on our chairs. It’s an extension of our bodies.
🔹Don’t hang your bag/shopping/umbrella on us!
🔹Don’t ask/joke ‘Can you race?/Got a license’
🔹Ask, Don’t Grab. We normally ask for help if we need it.

Ugh. The audacity of some.

— Rune🔮 Felt Artist ♿️ CureFOP (@FabledFelts) February 23, 2022

One of the common questions well-meaning people had was whether or not they should offer to help a person in a wheelchair if it appears they are struggling. On the one hand, you don’t want to assume someone needs help just because they’re in a wheelchair, but on the other, you don’t want to leave them struggling if they do need help.

The consensus was that asking if someone needs help is almost always appropriate. Just don’t assume they need help and jump in without asking (barring any obvious emergencies, of course).

My wife has used a chair for almost 30 years. Just like if you see someone else struggling with a task, asking if a WC user needs help is appropriate. Donu2019t be solicitous, they are regular people. I still ask my wife if she needs me to help push or get over a curb.

— Tim Evans (@Tim Evans)
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Another question some had was whether it’s appropriate to lean over or kneel down to talk to someone in a wheelchair. On the one hand, it might feel more respectful to put yourself on the same eye level as the person in the chair. On the other hand, you don’t want to make them feel like you’re infantilizing them. (This question was asked by a person who is hard of hearing, which adds another layer to the question as that’s an accommodation that needs to be considered as well. But it was also asked by someone who simply wanted to know which wheelchair users preferred.)

Responses from wheelchair users varied a bit, but most agreed that standing was fine for brief exchanges, but pulling up a chair to talk to them at a similar height was appreciated for long conversations. It can be straining on the neck to look up at someone for long periods.

So much boils down to basic empathy and the Golden Rule. If you were using a wheelchair, what would feel rude or disrespectful or annoying? How would you want people to talk to or interact with you? The truth is any one of us may find ourselves with a disability that necessitates a mobility or medical device at some point in our lives, so the more we normalize accommodations and, you know, basic courtesy and compassion, the better off we’ll all be.

The first half of the fourth and final season of Ozark came out on January 21, but here we are over a month later, and it’s still hanging around the Netflix top 10. It’s one of the streaming service’s biggest shows — not only now, but ever.

During the week of January 24-30, Ozark “collected almost 4.1 billion minutes of streaming across its 37 episodes,” according to Deadline. It’s only the fourth time in Netflix history that a show has topped four million minutes in Nielsen’s weekly streaming rankings. The others: Tiger King, which tallied 5.3 billion and 4.4 billion minutes in its debut weeks in March 2020 (when we had nothing else to do), and Ozark with 5.2 billion minutes also in March 2020.

To give you a sense of how popular Ozark is compared to everything else on streaming (not only Netflix, but also Apple TV+, Disney+, Hulu, and Prime Video), here’s the top 10 for that week:

1. Ozark (Netflix), 4.1 billion minutes viewed
2. The Book of Boba Fett (Disney+), 744 million
3. The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window (Netflix), 650 million
4. Archive 81 (Netflix), 462 million
5. All of Us Are Dead (Netflix), 448 million
6. Cobra Kai (Netflix), 395 million
7. In From the Cold (Netflix), 349 million
8. The Witcher (Netflix), 315 million
9. Too Hot to Handle (Netflix), 309 million
10. Cheer (Netflix), 287 million

744 million minutes isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? 4.1 billion minutes. Even Squid Game, at the peak of its popularity, only (“only”) hit a high of 3.2 billion minutes.

Ozark returns for the second half of season four on April 29. Expect it to crack four billion minutes, at least, for a third time.

(Via Deadline)

Pete Davidson isn’t a big social media guy, but he gave it a shot recently by joining Instagram. He seemed to be happy on the platform, as his first post offered a behind-the-scenes look of his upcoming movie The Home and came accompanied by the hashtags #welcometomyinstagram and #thisisthetypeofstuffyoucanbeexpecting. As BuzzFeed News notes, though, Kanye West fans, who are standing by the rappers side as he has expressed discontent with Davidson and Kim Kardashian’s relationship, flooded the post with comments telling him to “find God” and pestering him with the non-laudatory nickname Ye has given him, “Skete.”

Since then, Davidson’s Instagram account was deactivated, which West seems pretty happy about.

Taking to his own Instagram today, West shared a screenshot of Davidson’s blank account and took credit for Davidson leaving the platform, writing, “Ran Skete off the gram Tell your mother I changed your name for life.”

West has been antagonistic towards Davidson since his and Kardashian’s relationship became more serious. On Valentine’s Day, he expressed hope for a reunion with Kardashian, writing in an Instagram post, “I DON’T HAVE BEEF WITH KIM I LOVE MY FAMILY SO STOP THAT NARRATIVE IM NOT GIVING UP ON MY FAMILY […] I HAVE FAITH THAT WE‘LL BE BACK TOGETHER.” In a post shared shortly after that one, he asked that if fans see “Skete” in real life, they “SCREAM AT YHE LOOSER AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS AND SAY KIMYE FOREVER.”

Celebrities often try to insert themselves into situations during times of global unrest. While they may try to do so out of the kindness of their own hearts, most of the time, it doesn’t go over well and often comes off as tone-deaf.

Actor Sean Penn, who does find himself the center of attention most of the time (for better or worse), is currently on the ground in Ukraine, filming a documentary, according to Vice Studios, which is producing the doc. While the timing might seem a little strange, it turns out Penn had actually been visiting Ukraine regularly for his research, and the documentary was months in the works before Russia invaded this week.

Penn was spotted at a news briefing in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, where he reportedly arrived this morning. In a statement provided to Newsweek, government officials expressed their gratitude towards Penn, who began making the documentary in November. The statement read:

The director specially came to Kyiv to record all the events that are currently happening in Ukraine and to tell the world the truth about Russia’s invasion of our country. Sean Penn is among those who support Ukraine in Ukraine today. Our country is grateful to him for such a show of courage and honesty.

While many internet sleuths (AKA angry Twitter users) are confused as to why Penn would be there, the actor is known for his activism over the years, as he famously flew down to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and founded a relief organization after the 2010 Haiti earthquake. In November, Penn was photographed dressed for combat while interviewing Ukraine officials.

There is no official release date about the in-progress doc, but Penn is definitely getting a front-line experience while in Kyiv today.

2 Chainz’s new album Dope Don’t Sell Itself — which he’s promised is his final trap album — has been out for a little under a month and in that time, he’s released no fewer than five music videos from it, including clips for “Million Dollars Worth Of Game” with 42 Dugg, “Pop Music” with Beatking and Moneybagg Yo, “Neighbors Know My Name,” and “Free B.G.” Today, he released the latest, “Kingpen Ghostwriter,” which features an electric verse from Lil Baby.

In the video, 2 Chainz performs to the camera in a garage decked out in an outrageous-looking puffer jacket and his usual assortment of diamond-covered jewelry while leaning on a trio of matching luxury cars. Intercut between his performance scenes are shots of a model in a diaphanous white gown taking selfies in a room full of fans and white columns, who also shows off her twerking skills. Lil Baby appears in the latter half of the video to rap his verse while wearing a Baja jacket (which is looking like an emerging trend lately). It’s a simple but effective treatment that should help keep Chainz’s last trap album at the top of mind until he’s ready to move onto his next phase.

Watch 2 Chainz’s “Kingpen Ghostwriter” video featuring Lil Baby above.

Dope Don’t Sell Itself is out now via Def Jam. You can get it here.

New Jersey rapper Chris Patrick may have a relatively unassuming nom de plume, but when he steps to the mic to perform his song “Up Now” for the latest episode of UPROXX Sessions, his star power becomes evident. Coolly switching from punchy, rapid-fire rhymes to crystal-clear crooning, he proves to be proficient at both rapping and singing, all while showing off quick-witted wordplay revealing a quirky worldview that complements his deceptive rap name.

“Sunroof down so the rays hit the melanin,” he smirks. “Spun through town tryna bathe in the element.”

Patrick might be flying under the radar now, but with co-signs from the likes of Black Thought and JID, the lanky East Orange MC’s time in the sun might not be metaphorical for very much longer (well, yeah, it still will be but it’ll mean something different). His 2020 album, From The Heart, Vol. 2 has drawn comparisons to early efforts from relatable rap everymen such as J. Cole and Saba, which bodes well for his earnest, down-to-earth approach. Working with Deante Hitchcock on Deante’s new EP and building his buzz with tracks like “Up Now” and “Gang Activity,” expect to see Chris Patrick to not only elevate to radar level but fly high as his career takes off in 2022.

Watch Chris Patrick perform “Up Now” above.

UPROXX Sessions is Uproxx’s performance show featuring the hottest up-and-coming acts you should keep an eye on. Featuring creative direction from LA promotion collective, Ham On Everything, and taking place on our “bathroom” set designed and painted by Julian Gross, UPROXX Sessions is a showcase of some of our favorite performers, who just might soon be yours, too.

With The Dropout set to premiere soon on Hulu, Amanda Seyfried has been opening about her transformation into Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, the medical and tech phenomenon who duped the medical and tech worlds out of millions with false promises of a blood testing app that would revolutionize the health care industry. Holmes has since been found guilty of defrauding investors, which makes the upcoming Hulu series all the more riveting, but Seyfried almost passed on the whole thing.

Originally, Saturday Night Live alum Kate McKinnon was set to play Holmes, but COVID delays forced her to bow out of the role. The producers then turned to Seyfried who was riding high off of her Oscar-nominated role in Mank. She immediately turned them down. Via The Hollywood Reporter:

“Listen, I was having a f*cking moment, OK?” she explains, laughing, during our early-February Zoom. “I had COVID. I was isolating in the basement of a gross townhouse in Savannah, Georgia, because my husband was working on a movie there. And now an L.A. shoot? Pass!”

The actress insists she’s got nothing against L.A. She merely prefers to stick close to home — which, for the past eight years, has been the upstate New York farm she keeps with her husband (Broadway vet and The Newsroom star Thomas Sadoski), their two children and a menagerie of animals.

However, the next morning, Seyfried’s fever broke, and she called her agents back with a change of heart after realizing the role would be an interesting challenge. From there, Seyfried got to work on nailing Holmes’ distinct, and ultimately fake, speaking voice, even though the actress swears she didn’t stress herself out about it.

“I promised I wasn’t going to give myself a hard time and try to completely mimic this other human being,” Seyfried told THR. “It’d be impossible. And just not fun.” Clearly, Seyfried is being modest, because judging by the trailer, she did a pretty spot-on job of portraying Holmes’ weird, deep voice that everyone now knows was a ruse.

The Dropout premieres March 3 on Hulu.

(Via The Hollywood Reporter)