The world of chat shows ranges from day to night to catch different audiences and in Late Night Emma Thompson, sporting a look reminiscent of Ellen DeGeneres, stars as Katherine Newbery who hosts her own late night talk show.
Newbery who is known as a legend for being the only woman to have such a long-running late night talk show is told that she is going to be dropped due to declining ratings – the enemy of television programs worldwide.
Promotional poster by Amazon Studios
Accused of being a “woman who hates women” Newbery appoints new staff member Molly Patel, played by Mindy Kaling, to her team of (up until then) all male writers.
Affirmative action was the best thing Newbery could have done though. Patel is the “breath of fresh air” her show needed to sustain itself.
While Thompson’s character shares the same name as Kaling’s daughter, that’s not the only real-life inspiration Kaling worked into the story.
Speaking about the film Kaling said she used her own experiences as both an actor and a writer from her days on The Office.
She embodied the naivete she had back then in Patel. At Sundance Film Festival Kaling said that she wrote the role for Thompson in particular.
Image: Amazon Studios
Keeping with the theme of women in charge, Canadian filmmaker Nisha Ganatra served as the director for Late Night, bringing Kaling’s screenplay to life.
Ganatra’s directing includes titles such as Chutney Popcorn, Fast Food High, and Wedding Bells.
Kaling told The Hollywood Reporter “I felt like I needed to write it because I was in this unique position where I completely identified with both of the female leads. I vividly remember my experience coming up in the industry with no connections, not having gone to Harvard, being the only diverse person in the room. But I also — even more vividly because I was living it when I wrote this — remember what it’s like to be in a power position where you’re the showrunner and the star of something. You’re impatient. You’re a little complacent, and you’re just kind of a demanding boss that worries a little bit that you’ve lost touch with people.”
Kaling has a lot of late night talk show experience under her belt as a guest…
We’re keen to see these two seasoned actresses on screen together in such a unique film. Early reviews for Late Night have been positive so far and promise laughs.
Late Night comes to Australian cinemas July 25.
