Amy Schumer isn’t afraid to get political—she’s just back from getting detained at the Kavanaugh protests, and has long advocated for women’s rights and gun control (she’s also cousin to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who’s also big on gun control). Now, following in the footsteps of Rihanna, who turned down an invite to perform at the Super Bowl, Schumer’s also stated that she’ll turn down doing any commercial that will air during the Super Bowl.
Ri-Ri was reportedly offered the halftime entertainer slot but turned it down to show support for Colin Kaepernick, who kneeled during the anthem to quietly (and peacefully) protest police brutality against the black community. He’s now filing a collusion grievance against the NFL, which he believes has conspired to keep him off the field due to his protests.
On Friday, Schumer posted a photo of herself to Instagram holding a very large wine glass, because, presumably, politics in 2018 can be exhausting. She added an eloquent caption that explained her reasoning for telling her team she wouldn’t be doing commercials for the Super Bowl,
“Friday thought. I wonder why more white players aren’t kneeling. Once you witness the truly deep inequality and endless racism people of color face in our country, not to mention the police brutality and murders. Why not kneel next to your brothers? Otherwise how are you not complicit? I think it would be cool if @maroon5 backed out of super bowl like @badgalriri Did. I personally told my reps I wouldn’t do a Super Bowl commercial this year. I know it must sound like a privilege ass sacrifice but it’s all i got. Hitting the nfl with the advertisers is the only way to really hurt them,” she wrote.
“I know opposing the nfl is like opposing the nra. Very tough, but don’t you want to be proud of how you’re living? Stand up for your brothers and sisters of color. And the hottest thing a guy can do is get down on one knee. Not to propose but to reject the treatment of his teammates by this country. Anyone who says its disrespectful to our military please read up on the fact that a lot of veterans are proud of what @kaepernick7 is doing and fully support him. What are your thoughts?”
Time will tell if other celebrities join the boycott—or if Maroon 5, the band that is still around, pulls out of the halftime performance.
There’s a good chance that, like me, you’ve spent the last couple weeks (months? years?) searching high and low for soothing content as a respite from an alarming news cycle. Cat videos, frenzied online shopping sprees, meditation apps…all well and good, but in my eyes, nothing beats Amy Poehler’s overalls on Making It as pure medicine for my tired soul.
Hosted by Poehler and Nick Offerman, the NBC show is, by far, the feel-good show of the year. It’s a crafting competition full of adorable pun-offs, sweet bits, and the kind of gentle encouragement most of us can only dream of ever receiving in a work environment—think The Great British Baking Show but with woodworking instead of Victoria sponge cakes. It’s an absolute delight. In every episode Poehler appears in a pair of sturdy overalls, her version of a host uniform. And at this point, spotting her signature outfit is as comforting to me as catching a whiff of my favorite calming candle. As soon as I lay eyes on those strapping dungarees, I know that I’ve made it to the good place.
These overalls are a quiet constant in an increasingly inconsistent and discordant world—and every week Poehler delivers. They bring peace and harmony to my aching psyche and deserve to be celebrated as such. Having spent the majority of the mid-eighties and early nineties frolicking in overalls of the OshKosh B’Gosh variety, seeing Poehler in her own grown-up version of the ultimate play clothes tugs at my heartstrings in a way I never anticipated. These aren’t high-end silk “fashion” rompers we’re talking about; they’re utilitarian, comfy, and simple, just like the overalls my sister and I lived in during our blissed-out, sweet childhood.
Poehler’s overalls set the down-to-earth tone that underlies the entire series. Her casual, easy-going attire helps the contestants feel at ease and lets their handicrafts shine. As the host of a TV show on a major network—and a legitimate celebrity—Poehler easily could have made every episode a dramatic fashion moment designed to make her look her glamorous best. But nope! She went the overalls route, and whether they’re maroon, blue denim, olive green, or black, they’re always practical, comfortable, and low-key (and almost always are paired with an equally chill button-down).
Much like exercising, listening to true-crime podcasts, and petting my dog, Poehler’s overalls are the balm for which my soul has been yearning. (And if you’re not caught up, wait until you see her formal overalls from the season finale.) Have you ever heard of anything so pure and good? And as if that weren’t enough, they’re also the best fall outfit inspiration for the cozy weeks and months ahead. While her overalls are of the hearty, utilitarian variety, there’s a whole host of styles available these days, for any type of shopper.
For more than 15 years, Amy Poehler has been developing her own TV shows with her Los Angeles–based production company, Paper Kite. And one look at her latest slate of projects—from a crafting competition series to a cult-loved comedy about stoner besties—proves the 47-year-old Emmy winner has anything but narrow tastes. Here, four projects that got her to “yes.”
There’s a scene in the fifth episode of Sharp Objects before the population of Wind Gap, Missouri, celebrates Calhoun Day, a grotesque backyard gathering that honors the town’s Confederate history. Brittle reporter Camille Preaker—played by Amy Adams—is forced to go shopping for a dress by her zonk-eyed mother, a wonderfully over-the-top Patricia Clarkson. Most of the episode is blindingly bright, a rarity for the unrelentingly dark series, and the mood is taut. This ends up being a crucial point in the story during which Camille’s bodily harm is revealed to the women in her family. It’s a wonderful scene with much to its credit. Yet the only thing I was able to really focus on was Camille’s hair. The day’s stifling humidity was palpable, even through my television. And she’s wearing heavy black jeans, a dark sweatshirt, and boots. So how did her waves stay so damn flat?
It’s a recurring thought I’d had since watching the very first scene in the HBO series, adapted from Gillian Flynn’s 2006 novel. As far as her backstory is concerned, Preaker is as damaged as they come, but man does she have the best hair I’ve ever seen.
Typical “Hollywood hair” this is not: Camille has long waves, but not barrel waves, not beach waves, not trendy fuzzy Studio 54 waves. These are flat waves with an imperfect side part, and a few unassuming layers. It’s lived-in hair; hair that looks like it’s been air-dried after a keratin treatment—a good one filled with all the chemicals, not the natural shit that still requires a blow dry. It also appears to withstand pouring rain, angry sex, open car windows, midwestern haze, and Adams’ assumed sky-high body temperature given her heavy wardrobe and constant stream of vodka and whiskey. It’s hair I’ve spent a considerable fraction of my adult life trying to achieve.
PHOTO: HBO
So when I tracked down the show’s lead hairstylist, Patti DeHaney, I had a long list of questions, including ones about her entire product arsenal, the name and model of her preferred hair dryer, whether she prefers brushes with boar or nylon bristles, and the circumference of the curling wand she surely used to achieve Camille’s perfectly unkempt look.
But then I found out what I’ve been obsessing over for the past two months isn’t an illusion created by hot tools, but Amy’s completely natural hair texture. Wait, what?
“Amy has beautiful naturally wavy hair that she’s never really worn in a movie, so that’s the direction we decided to go in,” DeHaney told me over the phone, politely ignoring my huffs and puffs of envy.
She did, however, fill me on a few choice products, as well as the vision behind how the complicated character’s look came to be, below.
Glamour: Tell me about the planning process for Camille’s hair.
Patti DeHaney: It all started with [director] Jean Marc [Vallée’s] vision of the character, and how he really wanted her to have a natural look. We played around with her natural waves and manipulated them a little bit to take advantage, and it responded so nicely that it [became] the look he approved. To be able to actually use [an actress’] natural wave was kind of a dream come true for us.
Glamour: When you say manipulate, I assume you mean with product?
PD: The important thing about [working with] natural waves is really about hydration, and we used some pretty basic products that always work for me, including Redken All Soft shampoo and conditioner, Bumble and Bumble Texture Hair Un-Dressing Creme, and a little bit of Paul Mitchell products—I like their whole moisture line. The trick is to just leave it. I combed through the products and didn’t touch it. You can’t play around with natural hair too much. If you stretch it out, you’ll have a heck of a time getting that wave back in.
PHOTO: HBO
Glamour: So no hot tools at all? Not even a waving wand? Or a hair dryer for her roots?
PD: Nope, no hot tools at all. I know, I know!—I can’t take credit for how beautiful Amy’s hair is. We didn’t want her hair to get too pretty, so we made sure it wasn’t glamorous looking—too full, too soft, too much volume. Camille washes her hair, walks out and that’s it.
Glamour: Were there challenges of letting your star’s hair just dry naturally, with no consistent control?
PD: We always do a camera test and we were happy with the way it came out. But we did the test in L.A., then we were in different locations so [we had] different water in different environments. We were up in northern California which has a way different [climate], then we were in Georgia where it was hot and humid and I’d have to make sure it didn’t start to get frizzy and fuzzy. I had to keep manipulating it to the environment.
Glamour: Anything you found that worked well to take some of the humid-air fuzzies out?
PD: The Bumble Un-Dressing Creme. I’d spray some Evian on my hands and add a tiny bit of that creme and rub my palms together and lightly touch over the hair.
Glamour: What’s with the Evian? Won’t water make the hair frizz more?
PD: The water distributes the cream a little, making it a little lighter so I can [easily] work with it.
Glamour: Was Amy OK with wearing her hair natural during the entire series?
PD: Oh absolutely; super happy because she didn’t have to have her hair blown dry and flat ironed or curled. It was a nice break for her. Plus, she’d had beautiful color done, so [going natural] really saved it. One thing I learned in this industry is it isn’t always about “pretty” hair— it’s about telling a story and portraying that character. Sometimes it’s a challenge to say, “OK, let’s let nature take this.”
PHOTO: HBO
Glamour: All the other women in the show are so much more “done” than Camille—was it a choice to use her hair as a way to separate her from the “ladylike” women of Wind Gap?
PD: Yes. With all the challenges Camille is dealing with, beauty isn’t a big part of [her life]. She had to borrow a dress from her mother and it kills her to even have to put the dress on. Even when she wears the dress, we left her hair a little disheveled-looking instead of making it pretty and perfect, because that’s not Camille. She’s not trying to impress any of those people—and she wasn’t going to do anything to please her mother. [The character] is drinking a lot, and her hair wasn’t going to look like she took time with it at all.
Glamour: What’s next for you?
PD: Amy and I are working together again in an Adam McKay-directed movie. Amy is playing Lynne Cheney, so we’ll have five different decades of looks. There will be a lot of wig work in that one.
Stream Sharp Objects on HBO NOW and HBO GO, or download the full season at iTunes, Google Play and other retailers.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
If you liked Big Little Lies last year, there’s a good chance you’ll also enjoy HBO’s upcoming miniseries Sharp Objects. Starring Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson, the Southern gothic–esque thriller revolves around a reporter (Adams), fresh from a stay at a mental hospital, who returns home to her small Mississippi town to investigate the murder of two girls. Her socialite mother (Clarkson) is also there, and a perfect storm of intrigue, family drama, and terror ensues.
Adams, who is also an executive producer on the series, spoke to THR about her emotionally draining yet fulfilling role—one that encouraged her to return to television for the first time in 10 years. During the chat, Adams also talked about when she realized her stand-in, a woman identified only as Reb, was possibly being mistreated during the production.
“[Reb] was fantastic, and she also put up with a lot ’cause she wasn’t getting the sort of catharsis from the performance and she wasn’t treated the same way I’m treated,” Adams told THR, noting how Reb had to be covered in fake scars for many scenes. “And I’ve never experienced this before but, because we looked so much alike, at one point somebody grabbed me really hard and pulled me. I went, ‘What’s going on?’ And they’re like ‘(Gasp) You’re not Reb!’ I went into producer [mode] and I was like, ‘You will not handle her like that.'”
Marti Noxon, who created and cowrote the series — based on Gillian Flynn’s original novel — confirmed Adams’ account, and hopes her honesty will change on-set culture going forward. “Well, it’s a true story. And [it happens] all the time,” she explained. “And she wouldn’t have said a word, by the way, and that’s the other part that’s [changing] through women being more a part of the engine. But I learned a lot on this show about how I want to do it in the future.”
The first of Sharp Objects‘ eight parts will debut on July 8.
Listen, 2018 has maybe not been the best year on the books—and as long as the news cycle continues, comedy queen Amy Poehler is letting the world know she doesn’t have time for light Q&As. The Parks and Recreation creator was recently named one of the most powerful people in comedy by The Hollywood Reporter alongside other greats like Julia Louis-Drefyus and Tina Fey, but she had a few thoughts to share.
In addition to short blurb covering each honoree’s comedy cred, the editors of THR asked each professional funny person to participate in a light, Q&A-style interview. Some comedians delivered with expected answers, but Poehler’s answers were a little different.
Instead of entertaining the questions, she used her platform and her beyond-candid answers to shed light on important issues that are incredibly worthy of our continued attention, like Hurricane Maria’s devastation in Puerto Rico, mass shootings in schools, and environmental tragedies.
Here are the rest (and you should definitely read the full article here):
My most memorable heckler… “Who cares? The whole world is on fire.”
Dream product endorsement: “A giant whale just died in Thailand after eating 80 plastic bags.”
Guilty pleasure: “Let’s not forget over 4,600 people have died in Puerto Rico.”
I’m funny because… “I don’t even know anymore.”
If I didn’t work in comedy… “I would never leave my house.”
College comedy audiences are… “Kids that are afraid they will be shot in their own schools. What has happened to us?”
Sitcom you’d reboot? “Mr. Rogers. I miss him. We need him.”
The funniest thing about the Trump administration is… “Are you kidding me?””
Poehler’s friend and former Saturday Night Live cast mate Rachel Dratch loved how her fellow comedian handled the matter and thoroughly endorsed her answers on Twitter: “Amy Poehler was named one of the 40 most powerful people in comedy and her answers to these questions are genius: (Also before you bust me out- I realize my battery is on 4%)”
