Exclusive: Wanda Sykes Talks ‘Breaking News In Yuba County’
Premiering on digital and in select theaters February 12 from MGM is the comedy drama Breaking News In Yuba County, directed by Tate Taylor (The Help, Get On Up, Ma, Ava) and produced by Jake Gyllenhall, Tate Taylor, John Norris, Franklin Leonard, and Riva Marker.
Written by Amanda Idoko, the cast includes Allison Janney, Mila Kunis, Regina Hall, Awkwafina, Wanda Sykes, Jimmi Simpson, Juliette Lewis, Matthew Modine, Ellen Barkin, Samira Wiley, Bridget Everett, Clifton Collins, Jr., and Keong Sim.
After her husband goes missing, Sue Buttons (Allison Janney), an underappreciated suburban wife, gets a taste of being a local celebrity as she embarks on a city-wide search in Yuba County to find him. In an effort to prolong her newfound fame, she stumbles into hilarious hijinks as her world turns upside down, dodging a wanna-be mobster (Awkwafina), a relentless local policewoman (Regina Hall), her half-sister (Mila Kunis) a local news reporter desperate for a story, and her husband’s dead-beat brother (Jimmi Simpson), who all set out to uncover the truth behind the disappearance.
Breaking News in Yuba County is a dark and twisted comedy that explores the outrageous lengths some will go to in order to garner some much-desired attention.
For Sykes, who plays Rita, she gets to act opposite Jimmi Simpson and Ellen Barkin. She was Emmy nominated twice in 2020 for Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and for Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance for the animated series Crank Yankers. BlackFilmandTV.com’s Wilson Morales recently spoke with Sykes on her performance in Breaking News.