Anthony Breznican

Last updated

Anthony Breznican
Anthony Breznican by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Breznican at the 2017 San Diego Comic-Con
Born1976 (age 4748)
Occupation
  • Journalist
  • novelist
NationalityAmerican
Alma mater University of Pittsburgh
Children2

Anthony Breznican (born 1976) [1] is an American journalist and novelist who currently writes for Vanity Fair . He is the author of the 2014 novel Brutal Youth, about first-year students dealing with bullying at their Catholic high school. Breznican has also written about personal memories of Philip Seymour Hoffman and Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. He lists his favorite movies as Avalon and Notting Hill.

Contents

Career

Anthony Breznican is a film journalist and is currently the Senior Hollywood Correspondent for Vanity Fair. [2] Previously, he spent eight years as a senior staff writer for Entertainment Weekly , [3] six years at USA Today and seven years at the Associated Press. He specializes in covering tentpole franchises such as Star Wars, Marvel, and DC. Breznican also had his own SiriusXM show for six years, "Behind the Scenes with Anthony Breznican," Sirius XM 105, EW Radio, every Wednesday at 6 p.m. Eastern. His writings have also appeared in The New York Times, CNN, Essence Magazine, Playboy Magazine, Time Magazine, The Washington Post, and more.

Breznican had the Vanity Fair June 2022 cover story, Star Wars: The Rebellion Will Be Televised , shot by famed photographer, Annie Liebovitz.

He has written notably about personal remembrances of Philip Seymour Hoffman [4] [5] and Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood , [6] [7] following the deaths of Hoffman and Rogers.

In June 2014 he published a novel, Brutal Youth, with the Thomas Dunne imprint of St. Martin's Press. [8] Author Stephen King offered a quote for the book's cover saying, "If you thought high school was hell, has Anthony Breznican got a story for you..." Set in a small mill town in Pennsylvania, Brutal Youth tells the story of three freshman students at St. Mike's Catholic School - Peter Davidek, Noah Stein, and Lorelai Paskal. The trio are trying to survive their first year at the school, which is known for its extreme hazing and bullying from the upperclassmen. Brutal Youth, inspired by events from Breznican's own childhood, [9] was praised by Kevin Nance in USA Today as being timely "in this era of heightened consciousness about bullying and its occasionally horrific consequences on high school and college campuses." [10] Nance called it a "bluntly effective debut novel" and "crackling good entertainment." [11] Reviewing the novel for Library Journal , Jan Blodgett said "Breznican captures a perfect balance of horror, heartbreak, and resilience" in his depiction of a Catholic high school fraught with hazing. [12]

Personal life

Breznican grew up in New Kensington, Pennsylvania [13] and attended the University of Pittsburgh. [1] He is married with two children and lives in Los Angeles. [1]

Works

Related Research Articles

<i>Vanity Fair</i> (magazine) American monthly periodical about popular culture, fashion, and current affairs

Vanity Fair is an American monthly magazine of popular culture, fashion, and current affairs published by Condé Nast in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Seymour Hoffman</span> American actor (1967–2014)

Philip Seymour Hoffman was an American actor. Known for his distinctive supporting and character roles—eccentrics, underdogs, and misfits—he acted in many films and theatrical productions, including leading roles, from the early 1990s until his death in 2014. He was voted one of the 50 greatest actors of all time in a 2022 readers' poll by Empire magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Sturridge</span> English actor (born 1985)

Thomas Sidney Jerome Sturridge is an English actor. His early films include Being Julia (2004), Like Minds (2006), and The Boat That Rocked (2009). He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for his performances in Orphans (2013) and Sea Wall/A Life (2020). He was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his performance in American Buffalo (2016). Since 2022, Sturridge has starred as Dream in the Netflix fantasy series The Sandman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amy Adams</span> American actress (born 1974)

Amy Lou Adams is an American actress. Known for both her comedic and dramatic roles, she has been featured three times in annual rankings of the world's highest-paid actresses. She has received various accolades, including two Golden Globe Awards, and has been nominated for six Academy Awards, seven British Academy Film Awards, and two Primetime Emmy Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Upton</span> Australian screenwriter

Andrew Upton is an Australian playwright, screenwriter, producer and director. He has adapted the works of Gorky, Chekhov, Ibsen, and others for London's Royal National Theatre and the Sydney Theatre Company. He wrote the original play Riflemind (2007), which premiered at the Sydney Theatre Company to favourable reviews, with Hugo Weaving starring and Philip Seymour Hoffman directing the London production.

The Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead was an award presented annually at the Independent Spirit Awards to honor an actor who has delivered an outstanding lead performance in an independent film. It was first presented in 1985, with M. Emmet Walsh being the first recipient of the award for his role as Investigator Loren Visser in Blood Simple. It was last presented in 2022 with Simon Rex being the final recipient of the award for his role in Red Rocket.

<i>V</i> (1983 miniseries) 1983 American TV miniseries

V is a two-part American science-fiction television miniseries, written and directed by Kenneth Johnson. Its debut on NBC in 1983 initiated the science-fiction franchise concerning reptilian aliens known as the Visitors trying to gain control of Earth, and of the reaction by the human populace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edi Gathegi</span> Kenyan-American actor (born 1979)

Edi Mūe Gathegi is a Kenyan-American actor. He appeared as a recurring character, Dr. Jeffrey Cole, in the television series House, as Cheese in the 2007 film Gone Baby Gone, Laurent in the films Twilight and its sequel The Twilight Saga: New Moon, and as Darwin in X-Men: First Class. Gathegi also featured in the AMC series Into the Badlands as Baron Jacobee. He has also been a recurring character in the NBC television series The Blacklist as Matias Solomon, an operative for a covert organization. Gathegi reprised the role in the 2016–2017 season crime thriller, The Blacklist: Redemption. He has also played a leading role in Startup, a television drama series on Crackle. Since 2022, Gathegi has played engineer and entrepreneur Dev Ayesa in the Apple TV+ original science fiction space drama series For All Mankind. He is set to play the role of Mister Terrific in James Gunn's film Superman (2025).

<i>The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1</i> 2014 film by Francis Lawrence

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 is a 2014 American dystopian action film. The sequel to The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013), it is the third installment in The Hunger Games film series. The film is based on the first part of Mockingjay, the third novel in the underlying book trilogy by Suzanne Collins. The film is directed by Francis Lawrence based on a screenplay by Peter Craig and Danny Strong. It stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland and Sam Claflin. In the film, Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) joins Alma Coin (Moore), the renegade leader of the underground District 13, in a mass rebellion against the Capitol.

<i>The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2</i> 2015 film by Francis Lawrence

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 is a 2015 American dystopian action film directed by Francis Lawrence from a screenplay by Peter Craig and Danny Strong, based on the 2010 novel Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. The sequel to The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014), it is the fourth installment in The Hunger Games film series and the final installment in the original film series. It stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, and in his final film role, Philip Seymour Hoffman. In the film, Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence) leads a team of rebels to Panem to liberate it from the tyrannical leadership of Coriolanus Snow (Sutherland). This marks Hoffman’s final film appearance prior to his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katherine McNamara</span> American actress and singer (born 1995)

Katherine McNamara is an American actress and singer. She portrayed Clary Fray on the 2016–2019 supernatural drama series Shadowhunters, receiving a Teen Choice Award and a People's Choice Award for her work. In 2022, she starred in the western action series Walker: Independence as Abby Walker, which earned her a Critics Choice Super Award for Best Actress in an Action Series nomination. She also portrayed Mia Smoak in the superhero series Arrow and starred as Julie Lawry in the post-apocalyptic miniseries The Stand. Her film roles include Lily Bowman in the 2011 romantic comedy New Year's Eve, Rosa in the 2015 drama A Sort of Homecoming, Sonya in the dystopian science fiction film series Maze Runner, and Amy in the 2021 thriller Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philip Seymour Hoffman on screen and stage</span>

Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967–2014) was an American actor, director, and producer who made his screen debut on the police procedural Law & Order in 1991. He made his film debut later in the same year by appearing in a minor role in Triple Bogey on a Par Five Hole. Hoffman followed this with supporting roles as a student in Scent of a Woman (1992), and a storm chaser in Twister (1996) before his breakthrough role as a gay boom operator in Paul Thomas Anderson's drama Boogie Nights (1997), for which he received critical acclaim. In the same year, he appeared in the Revolutionary War documentary series Liberty! (1997). Two years later, he played a kind nurse in Anderson's Magnolia and an arrogant playboy in The Talented Mr. Ripley, for which he received the National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actor. Hoffman made his Broadway debut the following year with his lead role in True West which garnered him a nomination for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.

<i>Captain America: Civil War</i> 2016 Marvel Studios film

Captain America: Civil War is a 2016 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Captain America, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), and the 13th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The film was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo from a screenplay by the writing team of Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and stars Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America alongside an ensemble cast including Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Marisa Tomei, Tom Holland, Frank Grillo, Martin Freeman, William Hurt, and Daniel Brühl. In Captain America: Civil War, disagreement over international oversight of the Avengers fractures the team into two opposing factions—one led by Steve Rogers and the other by Tony Stark (Downey).

<i>Avengers: Endgame</i> 2019 Marvel Studios film

Avengers: Endgame is a 2019 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the direct sequel to Avengers: Infinity War (2018) and the 22nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the film features an ensemble cast which includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Benedict Wong, Jon Favreau, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Josh Brolin. In the film, the surviving members of the Avengers and their allies attempt to reverse Thanos's actions in Infinity War which erased half of all life in the universe.

<i>Star Wars: Aftermath trilogy</i> Trilogy of science fiction novels by Chuck Wendig

Star Wars: Aftermath is a trilogy of Star Wars science fiction novels by American author Chuck Wendig. Set soon after the events of the 1983 film Return of the Jedi, the series explores the time period between that film and 2015's The Force Awakens. The trilogy began in 2015 with Aftermath, which was followed by the sequels Aftermath: Life Debt (2016) and Aftermath: Empire's End (2017). Aftermath is one of the projects in "Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens", a 2015 Star Wars publishing initiative to connect The Force Awakens with previous film installments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supreme Leader Snoke</span> Star Wars character

Supreme Leader Snoke is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. He is an artificial being created by Emperor Palpatine who is aligned with the dark side of the Force. He was introduced in The Force Awakens (2015) as the Supreme Leader of the First Order and the master of Kylo Ren. He subsequently appeared in The Last Jedi (2017), in which he is killed by Ren. In the films, Snoke is a computer-generated character performed by Andy Serkis using motion capture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maz Kanata</span> Star Wars character

Maz Kanata is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise. Introduced in the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens, she is a computer-generated character voiced and performed through motion capture by Lupita Nyong'o. Maz, a former pirate and smuggler, is more than 1,000 years old and manages an interstellar tavern in a castle on the fictional planet Takodana. While Maz's small role in the trilogy has been criticized, Nyong'o's performance and the technical aspects of the character have been praised by critics. For her performance in The Force Awakens, Nyong'o was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zazie Beetz</span> American actress (born 1991)

Zazie Olivia Beetz is a German and American actress. She is known for her role in the FX comedy-drama series Atlanta (2016–2022), for which she received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. She starred in the Netflix anthology series Easy (2016–2019) and has voiced Amber Bennett in the adult animated superhero series Invincible since 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natasha Romanoff (Marvel Cinematic Universe)</span> Character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Natalia Alianovna Romanova, more commonly known as Natasha Romanoff, is a fictional character primarily portrayed by Scarlett Johansson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) media franchise—based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name—sometimes known by her alias, Black Widow. Romanoff is depicted as an expert spy and hand-to-hand combatant, trained in the Red Room from childhood to be a KGB assassin. This brought her under S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar, and Clint Barton was sent to kill her but instead spared her life and recruited her into the organization.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Vancheri, Barbara (June 26, 2014). "'Brutal Youth' author, New Kensington native returns to hometown". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  2. Gardner, Chris (August 22, 2019). "Vanity Fair Hires Ex-Entertainment Weekly Writer Anthony Breznican as Special Correspondent (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  3. "'Brutal Youth': Three High Schoolers Fight To Survive Bullying". All Things Considered. NPR. June 14, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  4. Dreher, Rod (February 6, 2014). "Philip Seymour Hoffman: Dad". The American Conservative. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  5. Horgan, Richard (February 6, 2014). "EW Writer Shares Three-Act Philip Seymour Hoffman Memory". AdWeek . Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  6. Codinha, Alessandra (May 23, 2017). "In the Aftermath of Tragedy in Manchester, a Mister Rogers Story Takes the Internet By Storm". Vogue. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  7. Jones, Hayley (January 30, 2017). "After Manchester, This Amazing 'Mister Rogers' Story May Be More Important Than Ever". The Daily Beast . Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  8. "Summer Books Preview 2014". Los Angeles Times . May 29, 2014. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  9. Sacks, Ethan (June 2, 2015). "Entertainment Weekly's Anthony Breznican takes novel approach with 'Brutal Youth': Find inspiration from his tough high school years". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on June 3, 2015. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  10. Nance, Kevin. "Breznican's 'Youth' is brutal but not boring". USA TODAY. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  11. Nance, Kevin (June 21, 2014). "Breznican's 'Youth' is brutal but not boring". USA Today . Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  12. Blodgett, Jan (June 5, 2014). "Fiction from Hilderbrand, McGrath, Thayer, & Woods, and Debuts from Breznican & Dicker | Xpress Reviews". Library Journal Reviews. Archived from the original on October 21, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017.
  13. Sacks, Ethan (June 2, 2015). "Anthony Breznican takes novel approach with 'Brutal Youth'". NY Daily News . Retrieved May 23, 2017.