Hollywood edition of Vanity Fair: Charlize Theron joined Michael B Jordan

The 27th annual edition of Vanity Fair in Hollywood was launched on Tuesday morning and offered a wide range of talent.

Veteran siren Charlize Theron was seen as the new heartthrob Michael B Jordan of Creed and Black Panther, as well as Ocean’s Eight’s Zendaya of Euphoria and Awkwafina for one of their most diverse covers of all time.

The artists Maurizio Cattelan and Pierpaolo Ferrari directed 10 photo sessions on four continents. They used ‘modern techniques’ that allowed VF to minimize staff on set and maximize the COVID-19 protocol.

In the past, the VF Hollywood edition tended to feature white stars like Nicole Kidman, Harrison Ford, Tom Hanks, Reese Witherspoon and Sandra Bullock with little diversity.

But this year is very different.

Also included on the cover are Sacha Baron Cohen (The Trial of the Chicago 7, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm), Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live, Big Mouth), Michaela Coel, (I May Destroy You), Spike Lee (Da 5 Bloods, Utopia American by David Byrne), LaKeith Stanfield (Judas and the Black Messiah) and Dan Levy (Schitt Creek).

Theron talked about launching The Old Guard straight to Netflix.

‘Somehow, it was made to go out on [2020], ‘Theron said of The Old Guard, which came to Netflix last summer.

“And it was supposed to appear only on people’s TV. In the end, that’s why I think it was so successful. Thematically it talks about things people were going through. And then part of me is like, “So what if it wasn’t on a big screen?” I’m not mad at the fact that more people probably saw The Old Guard than any other movie I’ve ever done, other than Fast and Furious, in a movie theater. ‘

Jordan talked about streaming services: ‘Great stuff can live anywhere,’ said Jordan. ‘It’s really about the public and how they want to consume it. And it is not for me to really decide.

And he also mentioned the late Chadwick Boseman with whom he worked on the Black Panther.

‘Our relationship was very personal and had a lot of great moments – some that I haven’t been able to fully appreciate and understand so far. I would like to have more time for our relationship to evolve, grow and become closer and stronger.

“We received a concentrated dose of Chadwick. He did more in his 43 years of life than most people in his entire life.

– And he was here for the time he was supposed to be here and he had his impact and his legacy. This was made clear by the abundance of love he received from people around the world. ‘

Michael then added: ‘There are generations of children who look like him. It’s incredible. And losing it was … Yes, man, it hurt. That hurts a lot. That’s probably what made me cry the most this year.

Cohen said people should approach their work with caution: ‘I am a comedian. I’m an actor. I am not a political theorist, I am not a politician, I am not an academic. I would accept anything I said with a pinch of salt. ‘

And he mentioned the Borat sequence that will come out in October, before the presidential election

Maya Rudolph discussed her return to Saturday Night Live.

‘Now I am an elder,’ says Maya; she plays Vice President Kamala Harris. ‘Now I am one of the oldest women in the tribe, imparting wisdom.’

She also talked about Trump before he became president. ‘I remember when Trump first introduced The Apprentice, and we, as a cast, were like,’ F ** k. This sucks. I don’t want to be here for this. ‘

Spike Lee said: ‘It was a bad year, 2020. A bad year in bold letters with exclamation marks: F * CKED UP !!!’

Filming Da 5 Bloods in Thailand was not easy: ‘The heat. The jungle. And it was also at this time of year that Thai farmers burn their land, so we had the worst air pollution in the world while we were filming.

‘That shit was hard as a son of a bitch. AFAF difficult, this is so f ** k. Nah, this was a challenging film, but we knew it coming in. We were going into a jungle … I mean, here’s my mindset: we’re making a war movie. We are going to war. Nothing easy in a war.

Awkwafina has started to open a new path for Asian American artists.

“You don’t want to represent groups of people,” she says. ‘But if there aren’t that many of us, then some people will think that what they see on the screen is who we are. That is why the solution is no longer me – it is more people who are different. ‘

Dan Levy shared: ‘I think everything we’ve just been through, from a creative point of view, has made the job much more substantial,’ says Levy. ” Even if you’re going to tell a little light comedy, it feels like it should be about something. ‘

His Schitt’s Creek show showed a gay couple in a new light: ‘Personally, up to that point, I hadn’t seen many gay characters and gay relationships portrayed so easily. As members of the LGBTQIA + community, we are used to seeing members of that community endangered. ‘Although the show was not overtly political, it was a’ forever ‘that resonated.

LaKeith Stanfield said: ‘It’s an opportunity for people, when you start to critically analyze these things,’ says Stanfeld. ‘Like, what kind of world do we want to live in? We can start to recreate it now. Sometimes, difficult battles are the things that are worthwhile. ‘

The Vanity Fair edition is ‘celebrating the actors, producers and directors who told stories with hope and humanity during a surreal year’, noted the press release.

The portfolio focuses on how ‘interpreting this year’s events has become central to their work’ and how the transformation the entertainment industry has undergone ‘can represent an opportunity for more lasting and positive change’.

“We couldn’t have asked for a cast of characters more talented and transcendent than our cover stars this year,” wrote editor-in-chief Radhika Jones in a letter to the edition.

“Their work conquered new audiences on new platforms, reached new creative heights, plunged into new emotional depths and brought catharsis, humor and gratification.

“They helped push the boundaries of what entertainment can be and the stories it can convey, whether in the theater, on television or somewhere in between. This edition exists to celebrate Hollywood and evaluate its evolution and, on both fronts, we found a lot to talk about. ‘

There are also questions and answers extended with the portfolio stars Spike, Charlize, Michael and Sacha. And there is a story of Zack Snyder’s return to the Justice League. Amanda Seyfriend is also featured in the edition.

See the full story in the Hollywood edition of Vanity Fair available via digital download and newsstands on Friday, February 26.