“Pep playing himself is a bit like having Robert De Niro play a football coach.”

Those are the musings of Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald, who has just spent two years charting the exploits of Pep Guardiola and Manchester City for A Beautiful Obsession and yet had barely heard of Guardiola before he was brought on board by Prime Video, Plan B, Workerbee and City Studios.

“He wears his heart on his sleeve,” said Macdonald. “He’s just so compelling to watch.”

Macdonald, whose subjects have included Whitney Houston and Bob Marley, and who won an Oscar for One Day in September, believes his lack of interest in soccer was advantageous when following one of the greatest managers of all time. The docuseries charts Guardiola’s tumultuous final two seasons after winning an English record four Premier League titles in a row and follows in a long line of Amazon sports docs about soccer teams, although this one isn’t part of the streamer’s successful All or Nothing strand.

Asking stupid questions

“There’s something quite good about asking stupid questions,” Macdonald told Deadline. “I told him I didn’t know much about football and the weird thing was that really engaged him. He was like, ‘Oh my god I’m so fed up with talking about football.’ So we talked about books, films and all sorts of other things.”

Macdonald’s disinterest in the UK’s national sport echoes that of Fisher Stevens, who directed Netflix’s smash hit Beckham documentary several years back and has also said in the past he didn’t know much about soccer when he took up the gig.

It allowed Macdonald to get under Guardiola’s skin, the Scottish director explained. “I asked why he was so interested and why the players cared so much,” added Macdonald, who spent hours observing with the legendary Spanish coach, met him five times and interviewed him three times. “We tried to make a series that was emotional and human, and saw these players go through really dramatic events. I hope the series will be enjoyed by people who aren’t football fans, but are just interested in the human drama.”

That drama came during the first few months of the period being covered in the doc as Guardiola, fresh off the back of his GOAT-like title quadruple, suddenly found results turning for the worst.

Gavin Johnson, Group Media Director at City Football Group, who oversees City Studios, said filming this period was “quite uncomfortable for people internally,” but the team was commited to keeping the cameras rolling.

“There is an acceptance at the top of the business that you have to tell deeper stories around the club and to do that you have to open yourself up,” said Johnson. “We’d had this amazing run and then we couldn’t stop losing for a short number of games and it was really really hard. Sometimes it was uncomfortable to watch but that is what makes good drama.”

Macdonald said this created “authenticity and honesty,” which contrasts with the “first wave” of popular streaming sports docs from a few years back that “were quite constructed and quite limited” in scope. “Fans see that every Saturday,” he added. “They want something more – a kind of observational, vérité documentary that is quite rare in other worlds.”

City Studios’ deep access comes from its unique position as an in-house Manchester City studio, chronicling the team all-year round.

“The team we’ve built at City haven’t shied away from any area but have done a wonderful job to build trust, catch all of the content and work within the parameters we have to work within,” said Johnson. “These are top sports individuals [we are following] who have to try and win games for Man City. But also they’re human beings and that is the essence of what Kevin Macdonald has scratched below the surface of.”

City Studios has a development deal with Sony Pictures Television for soccer content and Sony international boss Wayne Garvie has previously said he wants to find soccer’s Succession. Updating on the pact, Johnson said there are “three or four projects we are really excited about,” which lean on Garvie’s “expertise, contacts passion and knowledge,” but the world of scripted programming can be “frustratingly slow” compared with docs, he added.

“The philosophical underpinning of the series”

So what next for Guardiola?

Having won numerous titles at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City, the 55-year-old is heading for a rare career break after turning down a job to manage the Italian national team. Macdonald said Guardiola is remarkably philosophical about the future.

“He’s coming to terms with the idea that you cannot be the best forever, but you need to understand and communicate to those around you that you have to enjoy life whether you are winning or losing,” added Macdonald. “In a way that is the philosophical underpinning of the series. This feels very authentic coming from Pep. I kept telling him he was a natural Buddhist.”

The docuseries launches August 19. It is directed by Macdonald alongside City Studios’ John De Caux and produced by Macdonald for Plan B/KM Films and Banijay UK-owned Workerbee, along with Johnson and Ged Doherty for City Studios.

Hayden Panettiere’s most notable roles might have been in Heroes, Nashville and the Scream franchise, but her performance in one small Disney movie also had quite the lasting impact on fans.

Following the news of Panettiere’s death at age 36 on Sunday, fans have flooded TikTok to pay tribute to the actress and her many beloved roles throughout her career. But her 2005 Disney movie Ice Princess, which saw her star opposite Michelle Trachtenberg (who died last year at age 39), appears to have struck a specific chord for many.

Video compilations of Trachtenberg and Panettiere’s characters, Casey Carlyle and Gen Harwood, respectively, have been circulating on social media Monday, with many fans acknowledging the film’s comforting nostalgia amid the tragedy.

“Our ice princesses are together again,” one fan wrote, while another person shared, “RIP to our ice princesses. This is the movie that inspired me to start figure skating and will always hold a special place in my heart.” Another fan also wrote in a video, “Now they will skate together on ice for eternity. RIP queens,” while one person added, “Hayden and Michelle 4ever loved and remembered by the girls who grew up watching Ice Princess.”

Ice Princess followed Casey, a brainy high school student, who gives up her path to Harvard to pursue her newfound dream of being a professional figure skater. Panettiere played Casey’s main rival-turned- supportive ally.

While it underperformed at the box office upon its release in 2005, the recent reactions from fans highlight how the film became a childhood touchstone for many older Gen Zers and younger millennials, especially women. The film’s empowering message about self-discovery and combining academics and athleticism also contributed to its impact on young girls at the time.

Both Panettiere’s and Trachtenberg’s unexpected deaths occurring at a young age and within two years of each other have come as a shock to Ice Princess fans, as they continue to remember both women on social media. “Can’t believe both of our ice princesses are gone,” another person wrote on TikTok.

Kim Cattrall, who played Tina Harwood, the pushy figure skating coach and mom in the film, also took a moment to pay tribute to Panettiere on Instagram, writing on Monday, “Rest in peace sweet Hayden. Gone far too soon.”

The culture clash will continue in Season 4 of Julian Fellowes’ HBO period drama The Gilded Age, based on the turn-of-the-century time period in America that lasted between 1870 and 1900.

Some familiar faces have been promoted to series regulars since Season 3, and some new faces are joining the cast to play big-name historical characters, among other new roles for the large ensemble.

For everything we know about The Gilded Age Season 4, read on:

When will The Gilded Age Season 4 come out?

In a video promotion released in December, HBO hinted that the newest season of the period drama would arrive in 2026.

Is The Gilded Age Season 4 in production?

The show’s fourth season has wrapped production. Star Carrie Coon posted the news on her Instagram story.

How many episodes of The Gilded Age Season 4 will there be in total?

The Gilded Age’s fourth season will have a total of 8 episodes.

Will there be new characters in The Gilded Age Season 4?

Yes. Deadline broke the news in February that Taylor Trensch (Bat Boy: The Musical), James Scully (You), Dennis Haysbert (24), Maggie Kuntz (John Proctor is the Villain), Neal Huff (Mare of Easttown), and Tony Award-winner Bonnie Milligan (Search Party) would be joining the Season 4 cast in recurring roles.

Jim Gaffigan (Chappaquiddick), Dallas Roberts (Walk the Line), Elizabeth Marvel (Presumed Innocent), and Andrew Burnap (Snow White) have joined as guest stars.

Gaffigan will play Grover Cleveland, the 22nd President of the United States, who comes to New York to curry favor with the elite class. Roberts will portray Daniel Manning, a seasoned politician and Secretary of the Treasury under President Grover Cleveland. Marvel will play Nurse Virginia Saville, a kind nurse who works at the Neighborhood Settlement House in the Lower East Side. Burnap will portray Porter, a young gentleman of Society with an Ivy League education and money to invest in exciting new ventures.

Who else is coming back to The Gilded Age Season 4?

Jordan Donica, who plays Dr. William Kirkland, and Ashlie Atkinson, who portrays Mamie Fish, have been upped to series regulars for the upcoming fourth season. Kelley Curran, who plays Enid Winterton — formerly known as Turner when she served as Bertha’s (Carrie Coon) maid, has also been promoted to series regular.

Series regulars since Season 1 include Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson, Denee Benton, Cynthia Nixon, Christine Baranski, Harry Richardson, Blake Ritson, Taissa Farmiga, and Audra McDonald, who are all set to return.

What happened in Season 3 of The Gilded Age?

Donica’s character, Dr. Kirkland, proposed to Peggy Scott (Benton) in a happy, joyful moment at the end of Season 3. In contrast, George (Spector) and Bertha hit some rough waters in their marriage. This was largely due to Bertha’s rolling full steam ahead by forcing their daughter Gladys (Farmiga) into an arranged marriage. George felt he had no control and was angered by Bertha not wanting her daughter to have a shot at a love match.

It’s worth noting that George is upset on Gladys’s behalf; however, she married the Duke of Buckingham and ended up falling in love with him! Bertha’s sister Monica (Merritt Wever) came to town for the wedding, much to the former’s chagrin.

RELATED: ‘The Gilded Age’ Producers Address George’s Shocking Decision In Season 3 Finale: “He Feels Bertha Made Him Act Against His Instincts”

The Russells’ eldest, Larry Russell (Harry Richardson), courted Marian (Louisa Jacobson) all season, only to have what they built fall apart. After Larry and Marian became engaged, the former secretly spent time at a House of Ill Repute, aka a brothel, with Jack Trotter (Ben Ahlers). Instead of telling his beloved the truth about where he was, he lied and almost irrevocably broke their union.

Meanwhile, Larry and Jack sold the clock patent, allowing the latter to move out of the van Rhijn household and buy a nice home of his own with staff. People both upstairs and downstairs were stunned yet happy about his windfall. Thanks to Larry’s testimony, Marian gets a better understanding of his and Larry’s doings on that fateful night. As a result, Marian attempts to mend fences.

After the loss of a true love, Oscar’s being gay is exposed to his family, whether he was ready for them to know or not. Hey, this was the Gilded Age, after all. Neither his mother, Agnes ( Christine Baranksi), nor his aunt Ada (Cynthia Nixon) dared speak the words out loud, but there was an understanding. He did receive full support from his cousin Marian, who was not shaken by the revelation. It is, however, teased by the end of Season 3 that Oscar is seriously considering taking a wife, Turner.

RELATED: ‘The Gilded Age’ Closes Out Season 3 With Another Series High Viewership For Finale

By season’s end, Bertha was confronted with reality: her husband George was toying with the idea of divorce. You see, his life was forever changed after he was shot and nearly died. No one experiences such a tragic event and is the same person afterward. George seems to have become disinterested in playing a role in Bertha’s schemes, especially as they pertain to their children.

However, Bertha is a smart cookie and she has learned so much since Season 1. At the time when Season 3 was set, divorcees were branded social outcasts. So Bertha, while thinking ahead, helped influence a shift in social norms yet again. She persuaded Mrs. Astor (Donna Murphy), whose daughter Charlotte (Hannah Shealy) had recently uncoupled from her husband, to welcome divorced women like Charlotte and Aurora Fayne (Kelli O’Hara) to galas and high society social events.

Oh, and viewers have probably seen the last of Ward McAllister (Nathan Lane).

What is Season 4 of The Gilded Age about?

The official Season 4 logline reads, “Bertha Russell changed Society at a cost. Now, her family must reckon with the consequences as Agnes van Rhijn seizes an opportunity to regain her position. Meanwhile, Marian forges a new path for herself and Peggy works to be accepted by her future in-laws. In this new era, you must be careful what you wish for.” 

RELATED: ‘The Gilded Age’: How The HBO Drama Created A Castle Fit For A New Duchess

Who is behind The Gilded Age?

The Gilded Age is a co-production between HBO and Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group. Julian Fellowes is the show’s creator, writer, and executive producer and Sonja Warfield is writer and EP. Gareth Neame, David Crockett, director Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Kate Churchill, Bob Greenblatt, and writer Elaine Aronson also serve as executive producers. Erica Dunbar ishistorical consultant and co-executive producer. Co-exec producers also include writer Davita Scarlett and Holly Rymon. Bernie Telsey and Adam Caldwell from the Telsey Office served as casting directors.

Rosy Cordero contributed to this piece.