Highlights From ‘Breaking News In Yuba County’ Virtual Premiere and Conversation

On Wednesday, February 10th, MGM Studios hosted the virtual premiere of Tate Taylor’s latest film Breaking News In Yuba County, followed by a brief conversation with the director and members of the cast. 

Breaking News In Yuba County follows a suburban woman as she uses her husband’s “disappearance” as an opportunity to seek attention through appearing on the local news. While trying to prolong her new-found fame, she is faced with a suspicious policewoman, her half-sister who is desperate to cover her story, a dangerous family that will do whatever it takes to get back the money her husband owes them, and many more interesting characters.

Breaking News In Yuba County stars Academy Award-winning actress Allison Janney as the under-appreciated housewife. Other stars in the film include Regina Hall, Mila Kunis, Awkwafina, Juliette Lewis, and Wanda Sykes. Rising screenwriter Amanda Idoko wrote the script for the film and Tate Taylor directed it.

To start the conversation, Taylor asked Janney to share her favorite thing that she did while filming the movie that she doesn’t remember. Janney said, “I did drive a golf cart the wrong way on whatever that route is out there. I don’t know which way but I got lost coming back from a swimming pool party and I wound up at [Mila Kunis] house.”She then told Kunis, with a laugh, “I demanded that you let me in and you wouldn’t. I think you called the police but I’m not sure.”

Next, the group reflected very fondly on their time spent making the film. Taylor shared that the cast lived together in two houses that were very close to one another.  In reflecting on her time in Natchez Janney said “we played hard, we worked hard, we did a lot of eating, a lot of swimming naked.” Lewis added, “it was sort of a throwback to what I would imagine the 70s filmmaking might have been.” Awkwafina even revealed that she stayed in “Dead Man’s Cabin” where she had “some of the best night’s sleep I’ve ever gotten.”

The group also looked back on their unique costumes and wigs for the film. Taylor remembers Hall telling him that she wanted her wig to make her look really ugly. While Lewis told Taylor she wanted a wig that would make her look like television journalist Nancy Grace. Janney revealed that her wig was very uncomfortable but that she is used to performing in wigs at this point in her career. She said, “It’s very painful and the next movie I do I’m going to try going without it.”

Lewis mentioned that the cast of the film had been talking a lot about Taylor”s dad lately in their group chat. She said, “you know how when he picks you up in the airport you’re going to take a minute to find the car. It’s always an adventure.” Kunis added that he always had fast food “he stopped beforehand when he picked me up so when he got me he was stocked—he was ready for the apocalypse.” This then reminded them of the time when Lewis was trapped in a car with a dangerous driver and she shared the story to end the conversation. 

She said “we had a chauffeur-driven car picks us up in the middle of Natchez at Tate’s house. We had a 3-hour drive to the airport. Me and Dominic coincidently are accident survivors of chauffeur driven cars. So this guy starts pulling in the ravine. He did it twice. He’s half-lit. He’s chewing gum. He’s got twirlers and I’m like he’s on drugs. It’s very obvious. So we plan this little mission… I put it in my mind I am going to make this guy let me drive this car because otherwise we would be in the middle of nowhere and wait 45 minutes and miss our flight. So I had to convince this drugged-out driver that it was totally reasonable that a passenger would want to drive.” Lewis revealed that after the ride she reported him and got him off the road for everyone’s safety.

The film is now playing!