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PEOPLE & ARTS Wednesday 16 OctOber 2019
For Ben Platt, a perfect pitch leads to 'The Politician'

By MIKE CIDONI LENNOX who Murphy wooed with
Associated Press a perfect pitch. Jessica
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. Lange, who has won two
(AP) — To hear Ben Platt Emmy Awards starring in
describe it, producer Ryan Murphy's "American Horror
Murphy's pitch for him to Story" series, said the pro-
star in the new Netflix series ducer knew just how to get
"The Politician" had all the her to sign on.
planning, precision and vi- "He reels me in because
sion of a successful presi- he knows what I like and
dential campaign. what's going to kind of trig-
"He said, 'OK, the show is ger my imagination right
called 'The Politician.' The away," said Lange, who
character's Peyton Hobart. plays the shady grand-
This is the content of the mother of Hobart's running
character. I want Gwyneth mate. "So, then he'll drop
Paltrow to play a mother. the couple things here and
The world's going to look there, you know: 'She went
like this. This is going to be to Hollywood. She wanted
eight episodes. If we go this to be Vanna White. She's
many seasons, you'll end from West Virginia. She got
up here," Platt said of their Actor Ben Platt poses for photographers upon arrival at the UK premiere for The Politician, at a pregnant when she was a
meeting. central London cinema, Monday, Oct 14, 2019. teenager. She was . ' And I
Platt signed on after hear- Associated Press can see it all coming. And
ing Murphy's description of it's never a surprise to me,
the character: a "border- as an actor, the most deli- election, which is a lot some sort of creative own- but it's always tremendously
line sociopathic-egomani- cious possible possibility," harder than it sounds. ership over it that I have entertaining. So, you know,
acal-ambitious witty man." Platt said. Murphy, the Emmy-winning been able to have in the I end up saying, 'Yeah, I'll
It's a departure from Platt's Platt's Hobart will go to producer behind "Glee" theater, but not really any- do it.'"
star-making role, the sweet, any lengths to achieve his and "American Crime Sto- where else as of yet," the In addition to Platt and
socially awkward title char- dream of becoming presi- ry," offered Platt other en- Tony Award winner said. Lange, the series that de-
acter of "Dear Evan Han- dent of the United States. ticements, including an ex- "And so that was really at- buts Friday adds the star
sen." But, first, he must win over ecutive producer credit. tractive to me." power of Paltrow and Oscar
"And so, to me, that was, voters in his high school "(That) allowed me to have Platt wasn't the only actor nominee Bob Balaban.q
Evaristo says Booker win a landmark for black British women

LONDON (AP) — Winning day. Inventive and read-
the Booker Prize is one big able, they have won her
step for Bernardine Evaristo critical acclaim, though
— and, she hopes, a giant not mega-sales.
leap for British women writ- "Those who know the work
ers of color. think I'm kind of more main-
This week the London- stream than I am," she said.
based writer shared the Evaristo, 60, says she knew
prestigious prize for English- winning the Booker could
language fiction with Mar- transform her career, and
garet Atwood after the act as a beacon to other
five-person panel of judg- female writers of color. But
es decided they couldn't until her name appeared
choose between Atwood's on the 13-book longlist
dystopian thriller "The Testa- earlier this year, she never
ments" and Evaristo's kalei- thought it would happen.
doscope of black women's "It was such an establish-
stories, "Girl, Woman, Oth- ment prize," she said. "And
er." even though there were
Evaristo is the first woman of some quirky choices, it just
African heritage to win the felt that the kinds of things I
Booker in its 50-year history, write, from my perspective,
and only the fourth ever to would not be the kinds of
be a finalist. things that Booker judges
"Fifty years, 300 books — would consider to be litera-
only four black women Britain's Camila The Duchess of Cornwall poses for photographs with 2019 Booker prize joint win- ture to cherish."
ners Margaret Atwood, right, and Bernardine Evaristo, left, during a reception for the Booker Prize
have been shortlisted," she Foundation at Clarence House in London, Tuesday Oct. 15, 2019. The Booker, whose past
said Tuesday. "Hopefully Associated Press winners include Salman
this will mark a new direc- Rushdie, Kazuo Ishiguro
tion." ny, Evaristo exuded excite- such a major prize, and it published seven previous and Atwood — a winner
Speaking to The Associat- ment and delight, even on felt so unattainable." novels — two of them in once before, in 2000 — al-
ed Press hours after being two hours' sleep. Born in London to a Nige- verse — exploring aspects most always brings the vic-
handed the prize alongside "I'm very, very excited and rian father and white Brit- of black life in Britain, from tor a huge boost in public-
Atwood at a glitzy ceremo- euphoric," she said. "It's ish mother, Evaristo has Roman times to the present ity and sales. q