One difficult aspect of the aftermath of her mother's death was the way in which her step-father was wrongfully accused, and convicted, of the crime because it led to a complete break in their family. Patricia French as Minnie, Pam's neighbor. Everybody has a strong opinion about NBC's "The Thing About Pam," starring Rene Zellwegger and Josh Duhamel. Series Produced by Series Music by Series Cinematography by John Brawley . Going on to speak about what it was like filming with Zellweger, Adlon said her co-star was able to convey Pam's "toxic" nature with ease. The Thing About Pam premieres Tuesday, March 8 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. "I mean, she's a real person, her family's real, [and] are here except for Betsy. "That was a very powerful moment for me, and for the role it felt good. It received mixed reviews from critics. One of the earliest of these characters to have actual screen time is Pam's mom, Helene Beesly. "I understand completely, I think I'd feel the same way," Adlon said. Save 20% On Olaplex Haircare Bestsellers to Repair Damaged Strands, Save $105 on This Highly-Rated Dyson Vacuum Alternative from Amazon, Hailey Bieber's Favorite Denim Shorts Are On Sale Now at Amazon, Khloe Kardashian's Good American Drops New Neon Swimwear Collection. Glenn Fleshler stars as Russ Faria in the NBC limited series The Thing About Pam., Fleshler recently played Randall in The Joker, opposite Joaquin Phoenix, and continues to recur on Showtimes Billions. Previously, he portrayed the terrifying Yellow King on the first season of HBOs True Detective., Other TV roles include Barry, Boardwalk Empire, For Life, Watchmen, Waco, The Twilight Zone and The Night Of.. Heres how it works. "But we just found that it was Pam's choices that she made, the things that are on public record from her interviews, the information that she shared, her personal narrative, it was impossible to tell it without introducing levity, because of the absurdity. Rene Zellweger leads the cast of The Thing About Pam. Suanne Spoke as Janet, Betsy's mother and Mariah's grandmother. [10] In a statement, Cole said that "having been at the forefront of the true-crime genre for so long, we know better than anyone that truth is often stranger than fiction, and with the twists and turns in this case, we saw a real opportunity to present it in a scripted format". The character appears twice. While Pam's mom was a less disruptive recast than those examples, it did break some pretty important rules that "The Office" had in place. Since 2014, Dateline has assigned multiple episodes to the story and created a podcast centered around the case in 2019 titled "The Thing About Pam". She always has lip balm, CBD oil, and Ilia's Skin Serum Concealer with Vitamin C. "I love Ilia. But he is looking guiltier by the minute. A one-stop-shop for all things video games. Her other TV credits include Psych, Wilfred, My Name Is Earl, Two and a Half Men and Eastbound and Down.. Previously, she directed an AOL original short that documents the practice of Transcendental Meditation and how it has changed the lives of teachers and students who learned the practice from the David Lynch Foundation. The character appears twice in Season 2, once "in the flesh" in the episode "Sexual Harassment" and again over the phone after Jim kisses Pam during the casino night. Famous actors like Timothy Olyphant, Kathy Bates, Idris Elba, and plenty of others were eventually invited to make an appearance. The Thing About Pam finale airs Tuesday, April 8 on NBC at 10 p.m. She plays Pam with a lot of dark humor, I'd suppose the character is exaggerated. Thankfully, Schwartz never gave up as he was virtually Russs only hope. [25] After adding the prosthetics, the makeup took between two and four hours to apply. Barnes? Hupp is already serving a life sentence for a separate case. On television, Duhamel is known for his role on the NBC drama Las Vegas. Additionally, he lent his voice to Nickelodeons Emmy Award-winning animated series Fanboy & Chum Chum and starred in several seasons of the long-running ABC soap opera All My Children, for which he received three consecutive Daytime Emmy nominations. The police suspected Betsy's husband, Russ, as the culprit and arrested him, but when his conviction was overturned, holes appeared in Pam's testimony, revealing a diabolical scheme. L-R: Olivia Luccardi as Lily Day, Gideon Adlon as Mariah Day in "The Thing About Pam." Adlon spoke to Newsweek about. Michael tries to analyze their relationship but Helene reminds Michael that he romanticizes and rejects that they ever had a good relationship. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters. Gumpenberger had sustained impaired mental and physical capabilities after a devastating car accident in 2005, which made him an easy target for Pams scheme. Morrison is a cult fan favorite with his dulcet, baritone voice, and animated narration. This brutal crime set off a chain of events that would expo Read allBased on the 2011 murder of Betsy Faria that resulted in the conviction of her husband, Russ, but he insisted he did not kill her. He mistakes her for an old lady at the park however finally finds her. "[39] IndieWire's Ben Travers, on the other hand, called her performance "exaggerated". Greer made her feature film directorial debut in 2018 with A Happening of Monumental Proportions. The film premiered at the Bentonville Film Festival where it won the Audience Spotlight Award. ("The Delivery"), Upon speculating that a cold sore might be a sign he has herpes, Michael goes on a field trip to visit all of his former lovers. "[44] Ciara Wardlow, writing for RogerEbert.com, categorized it as "a watchable if often underwhelming true crime docudrama that wants to both be weird and play it safe, ending up in a strange middle ground between the two. She can also be seen in Whiplash, Wild Prairie Rose, Gastropod and many others. [30], First-look images and a trailer were released in early February. Rene Zellweger is headed to TV to play Pam Hupp in the NBC series The Thing About Pam. For instance, Amazon's "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" show saw unexpected turnover in the form of Will Poulter leaving before production even got off the ground. Reflecting on how this is evident in Episode 5, where Russ is unable to even speak to Mariah even after his conviction was overturned, Adlon said: "Her relationship with Russ changed the second she was completely manipulated into testifying against him in court, and that changed everything. It is based on coverage from Dateline NBC and is titled after a Dateline podcast of the same name. She is not upbeat and is not as fun as she was during season two. Sean Bridgers is best known for his role as Johnny Burns in Deadwood, Louis Darnell in Get Shorty, and Trey Willis in the underrated masterpiece, Rectify. [14] In June 2021, Josh Duhamel was added to the cast with Mary Margaret Kunze joining as an executive producer. Join half a million readers enjoying Newsweek's free newsletters, Rene Zellweger Becomes Convicted Killer Pam Hupp in 'The Thing About Pam'. "So she was manipulated and definitely felt like her voice was stunted and she wasn't really no one was listening to her. And, of course, it's a giant excuse to closely follow the lives of a bunch of made-up characters. ", She added: "In our research process, we were fortunate to interview some people close to Pam Hupp, and that shed light on some of the family dynamics at play here.". He has also appeared in such films as Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!, When in Rome, and Love, Simon. The real-life Pam is currently serving a life sentence in prison for the 2016 murder of Louis Gumpenberger, and therefore has not spoken about the NBC show. Cast and character guide to the new true-crime drama, The Thing About Pam. Fischer points out that there was a particularly good reason to do this, too: they had developed the storyline that the long-dormant character would not only return but that she would date Michael Scott and it was just too darn good of an opportunity to pass up. Zellweger's received criticism for donning a fat suit to play Pam Hupp (via The Wrap), the Midwestern mom and alleged serial killer. Glenn Fleshler, who takes on the role of Russ Faria, told KSDK that he was initially hesitant to speak to his real-life counterpart because of the pressure he felt to tell his story, and wrongful conviction, right. Rene Zellweger as Pam Hupp in "The Thing About Pam", and the real-life Pam Hupp who is currently serving a life sentence in prison. Zellweger has won two Oscars, one for Best Actress for her portrayal of Judy Garland in 2019s Judy and one for Supporting Actress in the film, Cold Mountain in 2003. Dateline correspondent Keith Morrison who narrated the original NBC News podcast, The Thing About Pam (opens in new tab) which remains one of the most-downloaded shows on Apple Podcasts is returning to narrate the TV adaptation. In fact, as the seasons of the show play out, the professional storylines which initially hold a prominent place in the narrative slowly give way to a much bigger focus on the intimate, personal details about each of the employees. L-R: Olivia Luccardi as Lily Day, Gideon Adlon as Mariah Day in "The Thing About Pam." Other cast members include Sean Bridgers, who plays Pam's husband, Suanne Spoke as . Ben Chase as Nate Swanson, a defense attorney working with Joel. Jenny Klein serves as showrunner for the series. Gideon Adlon had her first major movie role in 2018s Blockers. Mariah was only 17 at the time, her sister Leah was 21, and she struggled with being "extremely manipulated" by those in authority around her, Adlon said. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. Greers career in both film and television has been extremely prolific, with her appearing in nearly 200 roles to date, including the Blumhouse reboot of Halloween, directed by David Gordon Green and starring Jamie Lee Curtis. Starring two-time Oscar winner Rene Zellweger as convicted murderer Pam Hupp, "The Thing About Pam" follows the real-life story behind Faria's brutal death that was featured in several. [35], On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 44% of 27 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.8/10. [29] The theme implemented the use of an English horn, a prepared piano with coins between the strings, a harmonica, "ka-ching" sounds, a custom-made Italian instrument combining a waterphone and daxophone, and the sound of someone slurping. [48], The series was one of 94 out of the 200 most-popular scripted television series that received the ReFrame Stamp for the years 2021 to 2022. Lakeview Park is located in Fenton, Mo., and is less than an hour from where Pam lived in O'Fallon. Schwartz, who is portrayed by Josh Duhamel in the show, explained to KSDK that he and his client were very involved in the project. Filming was postponed until October 1, 2021. She has taught at Deaf West's Summer School and does specialized audition technique seminars as well as serving as an acting consultant for the UCLA Extension for screenwriters and UCLA/US Performing Camps.Spoke participated as an actress at the Sundance Lab and on panels for ActorFest, along with judging the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. She's well known for her voice work as Cheryl Tunt on Archer and for playing Kitty Sanchez on Arrested Development and for playing Bridget Schmidt in Two and a Half Men. NBC/St Charles Missouri Police Department, Everyone Practices Cancel Culture | Opinion, Deplatforming Free Speech is Dangerous | Opinion. On stage, Spoke has twice won the Ovation Award, the Garland Award/LA Weekly Award for Best Performance in numerous productions and has also been awarded the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award/Garland Award for Best Production/Producer. 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