A new Bill Cosby docuseries nearly drove its director to quit. The struggle paid off
Even before ‘Allen v. Farrow’ premiered, Allen supporters came out against it. Their reaction says less about HBO’s series than a changing culture.“This is hard,” admits Bell. “There are times when making this I wanted to quit. I wanted to hold onto my memories of Bill Cosby before I knew about Bill Cosby.”
Bill Cosby outside his home in Elkins Park, Pa., after being released from prison last year. Pennsylvania’s highest court overturned Cosby’s sex assault conviction due to an agreement with a previous prosecutor that prevented him from being charged in the case. “We loved him for such a long time before we heard about allegations, they felt new,” says Bell, but they weren’t. The remainder of each episode chronicles what was happening behind the endearing Jell-O pudding commercials and smiling talk show appearances. Former Playboy bunny and playmate Victoria Valentino recalls being drugged by Cosby in the late 1960s at a Sunset Strip restaurant, shuttled to a town house in the Hollywood Hills, then raped by the star.
There is a notable lack of film and TV luminaries in the series, and Bell explains there were many who just weren’t willing to talk. Several “Cosby Show” alumni do appear, including writer Matt Williams and Doug E. Doug, who played Griffin Vesey. Lili Bernard and Eden Tirl had bit parts on the show after being handpicked by Cosby. They describe being drugged and assaulted backstage.
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
‘We Need To Talk About Cosby’ Director W. Kamau Bell On Docuseries’ Dilemma – Sundance Studio“It’s not like this is a project I’ve been thinking about for a long time, this is a subject I’ve been thinking about for a long time,” says We Need To Talk About Cosby director W. Kamau Bell of th…
Read more »
‘We Need to Talk About Cosby’ Unpacks a Toxic Legend: TV ReviewDeep into W. Kamau Bell’s new four-part documentary, “We Need to Talk About Cosby,” panelists are asked to describe who Bill Cosby is, as if to a person who had never heard of him before. Does one …
Read more »
W. Kamau Bell’s ‘We Need to Talk About Cosby’: TV Review | Sundance 2022Bell's four-part Showtime docuseries explores Bill Cosby's legacy as a TV icon and a convicted predator, showing how his fame, influence and criminality were all connected.
Read more »
Bill Cosby accuser says he\nhid 'mental illness' behind \nTV dad facadeVictoria Valentino, one of 60 women to point their fingers at the fallen funnyman, claims Bill Cosby drugged and raped her in an apartment in Hollywood Hills in 1969.
Read more »
W. Kamau Bell’s ‘We Need to Talk About Cosby’: TV Review | Sundance 2022Bell's four-part Showtime docuseries explores Bill Cosby's legacy as a TV icon and a convicted predator, showing how his fame, influence and criminality were all connected.
Read more »