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Cannes Rising Star: Latvian Actor Kārlis Arnolds Avots Stars in ‘Ulya’

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With a population of about 1.8 million, comparable to that of West Virginia, the Baltic country of Latvia is punching well above its weight in terms of cinematic breakouts. Case in point: Flow‘s Oscar for best animated feature in 2025. Now, an emerging actor from Latvia is taking an increasingly global spotlight and is gearing up for his Cannes debut: Kārlis Arnolds Avots.

You may have seen him in the dramedy series Soviet Jeans as protagonist Renārs, a rock’n’roll fan who sets up a secret underground jeans factory in a psychiatric hospital in 1979. He won the best actor honor in the international section of the 2024 edition of Series Mania for the role. Or you may have caught him in January, which won the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival award for best international narrative feature and saw him play an aspiring filmmaker in the capital Riga, who finds himself caught up in the political turbulence of the January 1991 struggle for Latvian independence.

If not, his Cannes debut should do it. The 29-year-old leads Ulya, from January director Viesturs Kairišs, which world premieres in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section on May 21. Avots, who had the idea for and co-wrote the film, portrays legendary female Latvian basketball player Uļjana “Ulya” Semjonova in her journey from a rural life and feeling awkward about her height and confused about her identity to becoming a basketball star. She ended up winning the Soviet Union’s national championship and the European Champions Cup 15 times each, the Olympic Gold medal with the USSR in 1976 and 1980, and she became the first non-U.S. woman in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Avots didn’t have to look far for his subject. After all, Avots knew Ulya, and more closely than many people. “I’ve known her all my life, and when I moved to Riga, she became my neighbor,” the actor tells THR. “Her story moved me so much, and I just realized that this is my Hamlet. Actors are always searching for stories that can emotionally disarm them. And for me, this was the one where I could be as honest as possible.”

What drew him in was not the trophies but the person behind them. “Before she became this champion of the world, she became the champion of her inner world,” Avots explains. “I’ve always been moved by stories about misfits, about square pegs in round holes. Among my favorite films of all time are Werner Herzog’s [The Enigma of] Kaspar Hauser and David Lynch’s The Elephant Man. I felt like an outcast, like all of us who are too skinny, too broad, or way too tall or short, or just too different from the standard format. So I could empathize with Ulya and feel the film is really universal.”

At 197 centimeters, or about 6’5″, the actor is not quite as tall as Semjonova’s 213 centimeters, or 7′. But he had a different challenge in portraying her awkward movements early in her career. “I’m quite an athletic guy,” Avots shares with THR. “I can dunk. So, I had to find her different rhythm and get my body closer to hers. For two years, I didn’t lift any weights. That helped me to move away from myself and into the character.” The fact that she was left-handed and he is right-handed also helped a bit, he notes.

‘Ulya’ film still, courtesy of Ego Media

Playing a woman was never something he dwelt on. “I don’t believe an actor acts with their gender,” he explains. “They act with their soul.” The stars he mentions as role models come as no surprise in that context. “In recent years, I have been really inspired by Sandra Hüller, who is a very exciting actor to watch. Seeing Jessie Buckley in Hamnet also inspired me so much. And Joaquin Phoenix has always been a great role model because he can get into that zone where you can feel there is no acting at all. You get thrilled and stunned for a moment by this complete honesty.”

Research was equally vital. Avots spoke at length with Semjonova herself and her teammates to have “the backstory ingrained in my skin” and printed out pictures of the basketballer in various body positions and with different facial expressions. “I just tried to mirror the pictures and collect these positions, states and expressions,” he emphasizes. “I wanted to be as authentic as possible, because I felt enormous responsibility in portraying her because she was putting her trust in me.”

The legendary athlete died this January, so she never got to see the film. “I was thinking about that a lot,” Avots says. “But I feel what’s most important is that she knew there was a film being made about her by someone who truly loves her. And she saw how my eyes lit up when I spoke about her story, and with how much love I wanted to tell it.”

Speaking of love. Acting wasn’t Avots’ first love. “I tried to become a sportsman, but I was constantly changing sports, from basketball to volleyball, from volleyball to snowboarding, changing sports like clothes,” he says with a smile. “I understood this would lead nowhere. And I realized that acting always starts all over again with any new role, and that works with my urge to constantly change. With acting, that’s everything.”

Avots was ready to start as a puppet actor student at the Latvian Academy of Culture when there were no classical acting spots available, but he was told he was too tall. “Man, we can’t hide you” behind the puppet stage, he recalls being told. “We can see your head all the time.” He stuck to his dream and sat in on classes, though. “I was so desperate to act, so I somehow made my way in,” he shares. “I always go through windows, not doors. I’m an idea-driven guy who really desperately goes after something if my mind gets occupied by it.”

‘Ulya’ film still, courtesy of Ego Media

The industry has taken note. In 2025, the actor was among the 10 up-and-coming European acting talents selected for the European Shooting Stars showcase at the Berlin Film Festival. Now, he is ready for his Cannes close-up, sharing that he couldn’t sleep until 4 a.m. after finding out that Ulya was selected. “It has been a dream of mine,” Avots tells THR. “I felt I that it could land somewhere special. So I’m very happy.”

There is plenty more ahead for the rising Latvian star. Avots is excited for Amazon Prime Video’s series Bloodaxe from Vikings creator Michael Hirst, which is expected to be released this year and will give a global audience a chance to see him in action. What can he share about his role of Egil Skallagrímsson? “It’s a crazy character,” he says with a laugh. “It’s one of those roles an actor wants to play, a great addition to the company of anti-heroes in film and TV series history. He is a Joker-type of viking who is a poet and a killer and a ladies’ man and a sociopath, all at the same time. He’s a misfit, once again –  an outcast.”

Avots also has a role in Honey, an upcoming BBC and ZDF Cold War spy thriller from producer Sid Gentle Films that has been described as a prequel to its hit show Killing Eve. He portrays a young Konstantin, the role played in Killing Eve by Kim Bodnia.

And then there is Kill Jackie, a Prime Video thriller series starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Daniel Ings, expected to premiere this year. “That experience was amazing,” Avots tells THR about the shoot. “Being alongside these actors was quite nerve-racking. But at the same time, I found that I could work on that level. And it felt like a big, friendly community.” Among the things he got to do on the set was walking around Bilbao, Spain in 40-degree heat with a gun. “I am the anti-hero, but with a heart,” says Avots about his role. “Playing the bad guy with a heart seems to be my cup of tea.”

In the case of his Cannes film Ulya, though, he slips into the role of a real-life star who overcame the odds. “If you call one person a freak, then we are all freaks,” Avots tells THR. “Instead of pointing fingers, I think we have to celebrate our differences more.”

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‘Icebreaker’ TV Show Adaptation News & Updates: Everything We Know

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Another hockey book adaptation has entered the chat.

Netflix is currently building out its cast for the series adaptation of Hannah Grace’s Icebreaker book that kicks off the Maple Hill series. This in addition to their show The Sticks that is also currently in the works.

For everything we know about Netflix’s Icebreaker book adaptation so far, read on.

When will Netflix’s Icebreaker series adaptation come out?

A release date has not yet been set. The show has begun to assemble its cast.

Who will lead the Icebreaker show at Netflix?

Daisy Jelley (Poser, How To Have Sex) will portray Anastasia “Stassie” Allen, and Connor Simos (Subversion) will portray Nate Hawkins in the college hockey drama series.

Who else is in the cast of Netflix’s Icebreaker adaptation?

Gabriel Tierney (Rivals, Enola Holmes 2), Auliʻi Cravalho (Moana), newcomer and professional athlete Peter Berry, Chaneil Kular (Best of the Best, Sex Education), Devin Craig (Sex Lives of College Girls, Maize) and Aidan Shaw (We Were Liars, Heated Rivalry, Finding Her Edge) have joined the ensemble cast.

Tierney will play Aaron; Cravalho will portray Lola; Berry is Robbie; Kular will play JJ; Craig will portray Henry and Shaw is Russ.

What is Hannah Grace’s Icebreaker book about?

Stassie is a transfer athlete gunning for Olympic gold. Nate is the campus star chasing the NHL. When an accident forces their teams to share one rink, Anastasia Allen and Nate Hawkins collide—and discipline gives way to obsession, because the only thing more dangerous than wanting to win is wanting each other.

Who else is behind Netflix’s Icebreaker series?

Jade Halley Bartlett (Road House, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Miller’s Girl) created and executive produced the series. Amanda Lasher (Gossip Girl, The Bold Type, Togetherness) serves as showrunner, writer and excutive producer. Grace also executive produces along with Alex Cooper, Matt Kaplan and Mina Lefevre for Cooper’s Unwell Productions.

RELATED: ‘The Sticks’: Scott Bakula, Logan Marshall-Green & More Cast Confirmed; First Look At Netflix YA Hockey Drama Starring Michelle Monaghan

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Cindy Holland Leaving Paramount Ahead Of WBD Merger

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One of the biggest executive questions about Paramount following its pending acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery — who will lead streaming — may have been answered.

Cindy Holland is leaving Paramount where she was Chairman of Direct-To-Consumer since the Skydance-Paramount merger having served as an advisor to Skydance CEO David Ellison prior to that. She announced her departure in a company memo, which you can read below.

The move leaves HBO’s Casey Bloys as the likely streaming head of the combined Paramount-WBD.

“Cindy is one of the most exceptional executives in our industry — a force of nature whose impact on Paramount over the past year has been significant,” Paramount CEO David Ellison said. “Under her leadership, P+ reached new heights, Pluto TV underwent its most significant transformation in a decade, and we strengthened our content and sports portfolio – all while the business exceeded the ambitious goals we set. Just as importantly, she built an exceptional team and a strong foundation for the future. Cindy has been a trusted partner to me and so many others, and I couldn’t be more grateful for her leadership, her relentless drive and everything she’s done for our company.”

Here is Holland’s memo:

When I joined David’s team in January 2025, we proceeded to set three goals: i) advise on the Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition, ii) integrate and transform Paramount+ & revive Pluto TV, and iii) build an unparalleled team in this industry. In just over 12 months, I’m proud to say we accomplished all three and it’s been a joy to work closely with all of you.
Together with the Product team, we drove significant strategic and organizational change across DTC — building a new foundation for growth on both services, while investing in greater depth and breadth of programming and delivering strong revenue, profit, and subscriber growth for the division.
As David readies for the next phase of his vision, we’ve discussed my role and the future of the combined businesses. David is optimizing for HBO stability as we move into this next chapter, and I fully support that. I know this team has the leadership and expertise to manage through the transition and the next phase of the company, and to this end today will mark my last day here.
As I reflect on my time here and all that we’ve built together in this short time, what stands out most to me is this team. I have never been more proud of a group of people. What we’ve accomplished together is remarkable — landing quarter after quarter while navigating extraordinary uncertainty and change with resilience, focus and ambition. We grew Paramount+ to an all-time subscriber high, delivered the best retention in the service’s history, and drove double-digit growth in both engagement and revenue. We built an extraordinary content pipeline, greenlighting more than 40 new and returning series and setting all-time records with Landman, the most-watched series in Paramount+ history, and Dutton Ranch, the service’s biggest original series debut ever. We transformed live sports into a powerful streaming growth engine, securing landmark agreements with UFC and Zuffa Boxing and expanding our WNBA and UEFA Champions League rights – with UFC Freedom 250 becoming the largest-ever audience for an exclusive live event on Paramount+ and UFC 329 setting a new platform record for peak concurrent streams for an exclusive live event. And we undertook Pluto TV’s biggest product transformation in a decade, dramatically increasing registered viewing and VOD consumption while delivering strong financial performance across the business. These are extraordinary accomplishments – but what makes me proudest is how we achieved them: together, with an unwavering commitment to our audiences, our creative partners and one another.
I joined Paramount because I believe in these businesses, and because I believe wholeheartedly that the combination of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery serves the best interests of artists and audiences worldwide. I’m looking forward to seeing what you all accomplish together in this next, momentous chapter.
Cindy

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New ‘South Park’ Takes On Data Centers And The Billionaires Who Build Them

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While President Trump was holding a press conference at the White House this morning and extolling the AI-related work of Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Anthropic’s Dario Amodei and SpaceX’s Elon Musk, a promo for tomorrow night’s South Park episode dropped. It was less salutary.

Here’s the logline for Episode 6 of Season 29: “Butters is unhappy with the data centers that the billionaires are building in our backyards.”

The clip opens with an X-Pest exterminator guy ringing the doorbell at Butters’ home.

“I understand you’ve got some billionaires in your back yard,” he says.

“Yeah, there’s more of these stupid billionaires every day!” replies Butters.

The first image from the episode (see it above) shows Butters in what appears to be his back yard with the X-Pest exterminator guy, who has strapped on his tank of poison and has his sprayer wand at the ready.

The topic of data centers is a hot one across the country and especially in Hollywood, where unions and workers worry about job displacement and writers and directors express concern over what it might do to their art.

Among the biggest players in the data center land rush is, of course, Oracle CEO and Paramount-WBD deal financier Larry Ellison. South Park airs on Comedy Central, which is owned by Paramount. As in the past, the show’s creators are seemingly not afraid to bite the hand that feeds them.

Mark Ruffalo and others have decried the introduction of “really profoundly scary technology” into Hollywood and how AI might impact media outlets soon to be owned by Ellison and his son David.

“Larry is a classic Oligarch,” wrote Ruffalo. “They are crushing workers and consolidating the wealth of the world for their own power and concentrated dominance.”

Paramount, for its part, responded by accusing Ruffalo of using “antisemitic tropes” in his argument, especially when linking the Ellisons’ studio acquisition to Oracle’s work with the Israeli military.

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