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Anna Diop & Sinqua Walls Cover The Knockturnal’s Sixteenth Digital Cover
The monsters in horror movies get top billing.
Ana de la Reguera is not afraid to be embarrassed.
In fact, she made an entire television show putting her embarrassing moments on full display.
The pilot begins with Ana being born to an audience of gynecologist students. According to her, it’s a true story….mostly. The series is full of truths, half-truths and stretched truths from the Mexican-born actress’ life. She’s not shy with giving the gory details, in either the show or in the interview. It’s chock-full of TMI. The show is funny, provocative, poignant and above all always true to Ana — from the silly to serious moments.
De la Reguera has a storied career as both a telenovela and Hollywood star, known to American audiences for her roles in “Narcos,” “Goliath” and “Nacho Libre.” Her fictionalized self in “Ana” navigates her career in film and personal life both North and South of the border.
She talked to the Knockturnal about drawing from personal experiences, being vulnerable, producing a bilingual show, representing LGBT characters, the impact of social media, shooting and living in both the US and Mexico, her favorite places to eat in Mexico and much more.
The second season of “Ana” kicked off July 22. It is available for streaming on Amazon Prime.
The animated comedy, Fairfax returns on Amazon Prime Video.
Fairfax tells the story of four middle school hypebeasts navigating their lives through the gaze of social media and popular influencers. While drawing attention to the many themes impacting the world as we see it today, there are added elements of humor and sarcasm. The Gen Z shenanigans have returned on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
Starring Skyler Gisondo (The Righteous Gemstones) as Dale, Kiersey Clemons (Sweetheart) as Derica, Peter S. Kim (Yes Day) as Benny, and Jaboukie Young-White (Someone Great) as Truman; and star-studded guest appearances from Billy Porter, Zoey Deutch, Camila Mendes, Yvette Nicole Brown, Annie Murphy, Guy Fieri, John Leguizamo, and more! Based in the streets of Los Angeles, the new season tackles diversity issues, identity bias, LGBTQ issues, cancel/woke culture, ‘drop culture’ in fashion, clout-chasing, social media popularity vs. reality and the importance of friendship.
The Knockturnal: Tell us about your character in the show.
Peter S. Kim: My character’s name is Benny Choi. He is a thirteen year-old hypebeast, he is a sneaker god! He is probably the coolest person I know. I was inspired by my younger brother who is very cool and street fashion forward– I clearly am not. I look like a dungeon and dragons nerd which I am but there are so many people in my family that I got to channel for this character. He’s just a loveable, confident, cool kid!
The Knockturnal: Give us a general description about the show and the Gang Gang.
Peter S. Kim: The show is called Fairfax and it’s about four middle schoolers who go to Fairfax Middle School and are constantly trying to keep up with the hype and get clout any way possible. Season 1 starts out with the Gang Gang figuring out how to get to their icon’s lair which is Hiroki Hassan of Le Train. Season 2 starts off with the Gang Gang realizing that there’s a new hype fashion god in town and they have to figure out how to stay loyal or how to switch sides and chase the clout.
The Knockturnal: Would you stay loyal or would you chase the clout?
Peter S. Kim: 100% I am loyal. Benny and I, we’re very aligned. I don’t care if you don’t look cool– if you are my favorite, I’ll ride or die.
The Knockturnal: Was there a favorite clout chasing scene in Season 2 that was super fun to perform?
Peter S. Kim: All of them were so fun but honestly my favorite was the Fairfax Flea episode and how Benny took Dale under his wing, showing him what the hype is all about, what Fairfax is centered around (ie. the Flea market) and how absurd it gets. That was probably my favorite.
The Knockturnal: Who is the audience for the show and what do you hope they take away from it?
Peter S. Kim: It’s definitely adult animation so if you like animated comedy that is smart and often biting and satirical then this is the show for you. I hope that young millennials and Gen Z are watching this because we are celebrating them and satirizing them at the same time. But it’s really for anyone who is interested in a comedy show about an ensemble– that’s what it really comes down to. It’s about these four kids’ friendships and how they support each other, everything else is just icing on the cake.
The Knockturnal: Who are some of your favorite social influencers?
Peter S. Kim: I follow a TikToker named Brittany Broski who is just hilarious. She got famous for drinking kombucha and reacting to it which is the most Gen Z thing– that would fit into Fairfax, the show. I love her. I love the Black Forager. She’s a nerdy black girl who goes out to forests and forages for edible plants and mushrooms and makes honey and tea out of them. As for brands, I don’t really subscribe to a lot of cool brands– I’m pretty boring but I like my shoe game and I’m a Nike guy. My boyfriend always says, “you are really brand loyal” but I’ve worn Nike since I was three so I can’t wear anything else. I get stuck in one groove.
The Knockturnal: Are you a sneakerhead like Benny?
Peter S. Kim: I wouldn’t say I’m a sneakerhead but I appreciate good footwear.
The Knockturnal: How did you get your start in acting?
Peter S. Kim: Well I actually was a Data Scientist for Yahoo for 7 years and then one day while I was working in San Francisco, I tried stand up comedy and my whole life changed. Since then I have been on the stages of Second City and that’s really when I started acting– improv and sketch. I got a couple of commercials and TV spots in Chicago and then I said “you know what, I think it’s time for LA,” so I came out here. I didn’t think I was going to be an actor. I didn’t study it, comedy led me to it.
The Knockturnal: Are you enjoying the LA grind?
Peter S. Kim: Yeah! I enjoy creating in LA. It’s a fertile ground for that. There are so many people who are willing to collaborate and are wanting to create. Everyone wants to be creative. There’s a plethora of like minded people and I’m really enjoying the space here.
The Knockturnal: Who would you like to collaborate with, director/actor wise in the future?
Peter S. Kim: I would love to collaborate with Adam McKay. He is also from Second City and I really admire his work and his voice. I would also love to work with Taika Waititi, that would be amazing and Margaret Cho, my first comedy icon.
The Knockturnal: What’s next for you?
Peter S. Kim: I have a couple of TV developments in the works but what I am most excited about is writing and directing a short film. It is about two eighteen year old Christian gay boys who have a wild night at camp and their lives are changed forever.
The Knockturnal: Where are you in that process?
Peter S. Kim: We’re doing pre-production. We’re getting the budgets and locations together.
Exclusive: H.E.R. Talks Her Amazon The Drop Collection, New Music, Touring, and More [Interview]
Some talents are defined as once-in-a-generation. Michael Jackson, Prince, Bruno Mars, and Janet Jackson are just a few examples. In 2022, there’s a relatively new talent whose quickly approaching that title. H.E.R. is the multi-talented, a million-instrument-playing, singer-songwriter extraordinaire and she’s taking the industry by storm with her exceptional talents. Her career began in music, and she has several Grammys under her belt for her efforts. Just last year, she won an Oscar, and she’s now working on a movie with Taraji P. Henson.
We sat down to talk a bit about her latest endeavor, a fashion collection with Amazon The Drop, new music, special projects, the Bay Area, and so much more.
Shop her collection with Amazon The Drop here!
The Knockturnal: You’ve been quoted as saying that your new Amazon The Drop collection was inspired by the two places that made you who you are- Vallejo, California, and Brooklyn, New York. Could you tell me a bit about how those two places shaped you as a person and an artist?
H.E.R: Definitely being from Vallejo and the Bay Area, and just growing up there. I have been surrounded by just great music, so much culture. The Bay Area is such a diverse place. And like I said, every weekend, every opportunity, I got to listen to music, you know, it was such a big part of my family like I was listening to Con Funk Shun performing. And you know, all of these classic players like Tony! Toni! Toné!, they’re all from the Bay Area. On top of like, E40 and Too $hort, all of that culture was there. Kehlani is from the Bay Area and we used to perform together around the Bay. And Jhene is also from the Bay Area. It’s just such a culturally rich place. It influenced my personal style. And then, as I kind of went into my preteen years, my teenage years, I started traveling to New York to record music. And that was a place that I went to it was just a whole new world to me creatively. I met musicians from New York, and that was a whole other vibe. Going to places like Village Underground, another culturally rich place. I feel like it opened me up, taking the train and being exposed to so many different people and different things. Those places just made me the creative that I am today and the artist that I am today.
The Knockturnal: Who are some of your style icons?
H.E.R: There are so many! I have to think. Prince. Prince is always probably been my number one. Alicia Keys. Honestly, in the beginning, I used to want to be like her so much. Every time she had braids, I had braids, shoot wearing the hat, I’d wear the hat because she was the only female artist at the time that was like playing instruments and singing. So I just wanted to be like her. I thought she was so cool with the big hats. And she was a lot more of a tomboy, you know? I really liked that. But Prince for sure has been my biggest icon lately with the boots, the button-ups, the silks, and the ruffles.
The Knockturnal: You’re currently on tour right now! How’s that going for you?
H.E.R: Yeah! So I started doing the Music of the Spheres Tour with Coldplay, and we started in Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic. And it was insane. It was like 50,000 people that night, something crazy like that. I was so surprised to see that I actually had a lot of fans and an audience. They were singing some of the words to my songs and Coldplay, showing me a lot of love. I’ve never been on a stadium tour. So this is a new experience, but it also feels easy, you know, it feels like “Oh yeah, I could do this every night.” But before I go back on the road with them, I have a few of my own dates on the Back of My Mind Tour and I’m doing theatres, so that’s going to be fun too. But yeah, just wrapping my head around these two setlists, and yeah, just kind of having fun.
The Knockturnal: Let’s talk a bit about this single you did with Kaytranada. It’s on every editorial playlist, radio is loving it, and it’s the perfect song for summer. Can you talk a bit about what it was like working with Kaytranada and creating that gem?
H.E.R: I love Kaytranada. I think he was in LA at the time. And we just wanted to create, because I hadn’t worked with him before. And I’m such a big Kaytranada fan. Like, he got me through like high school homework, sometimes I can listen to words, and I just listened to his music, but he’s really dope producer-DJ. And I was in a studio, where there’s this old upright piano. I just started playing these chords, and I put them on a voice memo. And he just started kind of producing to those chords, and it ended up being in the song. It was just such a good vibe working with him. It was fun. He just wants to make great music. It wasn’t like we were going for anything. And I think that’s why the response is so great.
The Knockturnal: ‘Damage’ was another single that did incredibly well for you last year. Some were even saying it was the best R&B song to come out that year. Take me behind the scenes in creating that track. What does your process typically look like?
H.E.R: Man, honestly my process is all over the place. It’s funny because when people ask me that, I can’t really give you a straight answer. Just because music is one of those things where it just kind of comes…I feel like as creatives we don’t necessarily know what we’re doing, nor do we like, fully master what we’re doing ever, we just create. You just get that feeling. And you hope that other people do too. And ‘Damage’ was one of those songs where I knew it definitely was kind of a no-brainer, especially with the collaborators that I worked with. Everybody is just so dope like, Ant Clements and Cardiak. It was definitely a no-brainer, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. It’s a classic r&b sample, and nobody’s really heard it before, especially the new generation. So I did feel like it was a no-brainer.
The Knockturnal: A lot of your fans were introduced to you back in 2017 with the release of your self-titled album. Now that you’re a few projects into your career, what does that album mean to you?
H.E.R: Man, it means everything to me. It’s funny because I listened back and I sound so young, but it’s the beginning. It’s the pivotal moment in my life, it was the beginning of the rest of my life. And it’s crazy. However, many years later, it’s been like five years or six years, something like that. And it’s like, the songs won’t go away, people are still discovering it. People still love those records. I still love a lot of those records. And it just reminds me of a time when I wasn’t thinking about what people would love. I just did what I felt was right. And I still try to keep that, you know, it’s all about what I feel in the studio with a little bit of consideration for the fans and the people that love my music. It was a simple time and I just created. That was it.
The Knockturnal: What’s your favorite song from that project?
H.E.R: I couldn’t tell you, it changes for sure. ‘Losing’ is definitely a special song. I wrote that at my mom’s house. And my cousin had just passed away. And I just got back to myself, trying to figure out my future. I was 18 and I was really trying to figure out my future. And I remember the situation that I was talking about in the song, with some dude that I really liked. And I just felt like, “Okay, what are we doing?” I was really trying to settle into life. At 18 it’s like the beginning of adulthood and trying to figure it out. And it was me really trying to figure it out. So that song is pivotal to me, but I don’t know if it’s my favorite. It’s just it’s an important song to me.
The Knockturnal: Back in August, it was announced that you’d be making your acting debut in the Color Purple. What’s it been like working on that?
H.E.R: Oh, man, honestly, I feel like I’ve been thrown into the deep end with it, and in a good way. And the best way because I’ve learned so much. I’m around such seasoned actors and actresses and I’m learning something from everybody, but also, like, I couldn’t have thought of a better project to start my debut and it’s because it’s our people, and there’s something really comforting about it. In the community working with Blitz, the director. He’s just, he’s such a creative, he’s not just director. He’s a musician. He’s a writer, he’s all of these things. And so he’s fully involved in every aspect. And I love that because I like to be fully involved in so many different aspects. So it just feels like a family environment, very communal, which is what I’m used to, and I love that about it. But I’m excited for people to see it. I absolutely love Fantasia and Taraji and Danielle and Coleman and Cory, all of these people. They’re just great people.
The Knockturnal: Speaking of film, you won an Oscar last year!!! Congratulations on that. How did that feel?
H.E.R: Thank you, man. I still can’t believe it. I still look at that thing on my table. It’s actually it’s not even on the shelf right now. It’s in the middle of my dining table. So people come over, they’re like, “Wait, is that your Oscar? Is that real?” I’m like, “Oh, yeah, I guess it is real.” It felt like such a blessing. I never expected an Oscar, you know. And I’m so honored, you know, to have been recognized for that song, especially at that time. So it means it means the world and I’m excited for what’s next.
The Knockturnal: Lastly, when you wrap up this tour and the movie comes out, what’s next for you?
H.E.R: Man, I will never chill. I’ve got too many things that I want to do. Too many things on my to-do list. Definitely more movies. I’m still working on a new project. More music. It’s a lot, but I definitely am going to find a little bit of time to breathe at some point in life.
Exclusive: Charlie Day, Jenny Slate, Scott Eastwood, Gina Rodriguez, Manny Jacinto & Clark Backo Talk ‘I Want You Back’ [VIDEO]
Charlie Day, Jenny Slate, Scott Eastwood, Clark Backo, Gina Rodriguez, and Manny Jacinto discuss Amazon Video’s rom-com, I Want You Back.
Whether it’s The Jackson 5 or NSYNC, we’ve all cranked the radio up and belted out “I want you back!” hitting octaves that only a dog would recognize as a whistle. Now it’s not just your favorite song… it can be your favorite movie too!
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Charlie Day and Jenny Slate star opposite each other in Amazon’s latest love story. Watch as the scorned lovers strategize the takedown of their ex’s new relationships. Together they are funny, charming, and romantic! Day told The Knockturnal‘s Kinsey Schofield that he hoped he and Slate could become the next Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. BOX-OFFICE-POWER-COUPLE!
The supporting cast is just as amazing with superstars like Scott Eastwood, Clark Backo, Gina Rodriguez, and Manny Jacinto. Eastwood plays Slate’s ex who is body-conscious but sweet, his new girlfriend is a pie shop owner played by Backo. Together they are #couplegoals. Rodriguez plays Day’s ex-girlfriend who has recently fallen in love with a teacher at her school, Jacinto. They have become “Instagram official” leaving Day’s character reeling.
If you weren’t sold by Valentine’s Day with Charlie Day, what about Mr. Steal Yo Girl, Pete Davidson? Davidson has a hilarious cameo that involves a hot tub. The OC‘s Ben McKenzie also surprises audiences as an angry Dad… giving us major Sandy Cohen vibes. But it’s one Hollywood icon’s brief appearance that gave us all a thrill… thespian Nicolas Cage. Charlie Day, Jenny Slate, Scott Eastwood, Clark Backo, Gina Rodriguez, and Manny Jacinto (enthusiastically) share their favorite Nic Cage movies in the video above.
Stream I Want You Back on Amazon Prime February 11th.
Kinsey Schofield is a contributor to The Knockturnal and you can follow her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.