Hey, an Actor!

A much-delayed Hey, an Actor sees The Brothers Wilson take on some choice entries of the filmography of the groundbreaking stand-up comedian and actor Richard Pryor. Both hosts experience Brewster's Millions for the first time, whilst Pandy nominates one of Pryor's many collaborations with the great Gene Wilder in See No Evil, Hear No Evil, and Ian finally allows a comic book movie to be covered on HAA via Superman III. We also deliver a mea culpa from Ian (RE: the podcast's delay), gain Evie Wilson's familiarity with the DC Universe, and, in a first for the podcast, announce the subject of our End of Year special (to be recorded very soon).

After an absence during these trying times, Hey, an Actor! is back with a boom as The Brothers Wilson come out swinging and pitch their mettle against one of Hollywood's most overlooked Oscar winners: Anjelica Huston. To prove the point, this episode doesn't cover her Oscar win but her acclaimed performance of Morticia Addams in The Addams Family, her arch role in the film adaptation of children's classic The Witches, and also The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. The hosts also discuss power bottoms, Orange Wednesdays, and the problematic legacy of Roald Dahl, with which Pandy stokes Ian's ire by mentioning Taika Waititi on numerous occasions.

Recently our hosting provider suspended Earth-2.net and threatened to remove the site. To bring the site back online, major (but temporary) changes had to be made to the way we archive podcasts. In this first update, Mike explains the situation and outlines some options he's considering to bring Earth-2.net back to normal.

To honor the proposed release of Bond #25, No Time to Die, The Brothers Wilson have also delayed the episode dedicated to the winner of our James Bond actor poll from earlier in the year: Timothy Dalton. The hosts look at the 1970 adaptation of the classic novel Wuthering Heights, before turning to slightly classier fare in Fran Drescher's The Beautician and the Beast. Then, by popular demand, the hosts review Hot Fuzz. Along the way, we have anecdotes regarding wedding reception music requests, lockdown quizzes, and a duet between singing space professors. And just how well do you know Alan Tudyk?

The Brothers Wilson may have been delayed by global events, but certainly not curtailed as they bring you their March episode in mid-April, featuring modern day Hollywood star Cameron Diaz. From the now-retired actress' body of work, Ian and Pandy delve into her surprise dramatic turn in the off-beat Being John Malkovich, her star turn in low-brow comedy hit There's Something About Mary, and her being one of the four pillars of seasonal romantic comedy The Holiday alongside many former HAA subjects. The episode also answers the obscure questions of which films had a prolific influence on screenwriter Russel T. Davies, where does Mr. Freeze fit into a Cameron Diaz movie, and which brother brought up the practice of dogging in a work meeting. All this, plus: puppets, cottaging, and the second instalment of "The Year of Hemmings" as attempted humor during these trying times. Go listen!

Finally sinking their collective teeth into a modern Hollywood A-lister after many a month, The Brothers Wilson set their sights on Captain Slurry himself: Sylvester Stallone. Ian finally watches Stallone's cinematic calling card in Rocky, whereas Pandy finds himself watching Demolition Man. And both end up watching The Expendables for the first time. This episode will namecheck numerous towns from the West Midlands of England, whilst Ian names his favorite comedy film of the 1990s, and Pandy introduces the first instalment of his uncalled for segment "The Year of Hemmings."

The new decade begins as any new year on Hey, an Actor! begins, with a comedic actor. Namely Kristen Wiig. The Brothers Wilson step up to the task of examining the highly controversial version of Ghostbusters (2016), before settling into the more standard fare of Wiig's cinematic breakthrough of Bridesmaids, and her more dramatic turn against SNL co-star Bill Hader in The Skeleton Twins. The hosts also use their time to discuss graphic alternative methods of vasectomy, confiscated toys, and obscure UK puppet show Bug Alert.

The end of The Year of the Rings is upon us, and in a surprise twist that rivals the film Soylent Green, this month's person of interest is the Knight of New Zealand himself: Peter Jackson! The brothers explore two non-Rings films in the form of the 2005 mocap-based gorilla snuff film King Kong, and whacky murder romp Heavenly Creatures. They also discuss the highs and lows of the six Rings films. Along the way there a traditional festive challenge from Christian Honore, which posits which Nintendo character Sir Ian McKellen would best suit, we discover Peter Jackson's cheeky-chappy side in his very own jingle, and did someone say "Email-bot redemption arc?" Plus: a Tomlinson awards that bucks many a trend, and some incredibly bad taste outtakes! Thank you all for a fabulous year of HAA!

Renowned Shakespearean actor, gay rights pioneer, and family friend of the hosts, the final actor for The Year of the Rings is none other than Sir Ian McKellen. The Brothers Wilson try to save time by reviewing both Gods and Monsters and Mr. Holmes, which are basically the same film, as well as capping of the Tolkien adaptations with their coverage of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. Along the way there are discussions of various iterations of Sherlock Holmes, Jeff Goldblum impersonators, the strategic port of Dover, and rock frontmen reading bedtime stories. Listen now so you can vote in the 2019 Tomlinson Awards!

Possibly the least likely subject for Hey, an Actor! in its history, our hosts nevertheless take one of the few female actors to grace The Year of the Rings, which is Evangeline Lilly. Ian finally gets to watch Real Steel, whereas hidden gem Little Evil graces Pandy's eyeballs for the first time, and The Hobbit is revisited with middle chapter The Desolation of Smaug. Along the way, we find out that where these films cross over with start-up wrestling promotion AEW, which Earth-2.net staffer has a brief history with Evangeline Lilly, and how a fellow Leicestrian basically prolongs the Hobbit trilogy by being a b*stard. Also, we discover how often Tom Hemmings gets name-dropped on a typical episode of HAA, and The Brothers Wilson are once again haunted by their former Emailbot.